Well, here we are, the last chapter of 2 Timothy and the last words Paul wrote. The words are real, the man is real. Paul sat in a cold, dark cell in the Mamertine prison in Rome as he penned these words. A real man, at the end of his life, reflecting on his journey. At the end of the letter we hear him beg for Timothy to come to him. He is lonely. He asks for Timothy to bring his coat, he is cold. He asks for his books and especially his parchments. A man separated from God’s Word is lonely and cold indeed. By this time Paul had been through many close bouts with death. Stoned, beaten, flogged, whipped and abused. The Lord rescued him from those trials so that he could continue the ministry he was entrusted with. But this time, this time Paul knew. The Lord would soon be calling him to his true home.
In verse 6 Paul says “my departure has come.” The Greek word for departure here is ‘analusis’ with the root being ‘luo’ which is to “untie or unloose.” This was a Greek nautical term used for a ship that was tied up at the harbor, ready to be loosened so that it could be put out to sea. A ship is meant to be at sea, not tied up. That’s where it belongs, plying its course on the vast open waves of the sea. What a beautiful picture Paul uses here. He is ready to be untied from the bonds of this Earth and be loosened into the vast glorious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A man’s last words have great emphasis. Time is short, each word carries greater importance. You can feel the intensity in Paul’s words to Timothy. In these last words you can rest assured that Paul gives us the absolute necessity of what we need to be acutely aware of in our walk today. Just the essentials.
Paul starts out with these essentials:
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2
Never forget that Christianity is a relationship not a religion. If you have called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, you have entered into a personal relationship with the God of the universe. God’s Holy Spirit is within you, guiding you, leading you and empowering you to walk a righteous walk. This also means that God’s Word is personal to you. The Words we read today were written by Paul but we studied just yesterday that “all scripture is God-breathed.” These words were created by God and written by Paul just for you and me. Read the verse above again and take special note of the third word in the verse….you. That “you” is not just Timothy, that “you” is you. That “you” is me. God uses His Word to speak to each of us on a personal level. As we study this verse today, take care to remember that God wrote this verse for you.
God gives us a charge here. This is not a recommendation or a suggestion, but a charge. In Paul’s day you could not get much more serious of a request than a charge. It is a commandment in all seriousness. A bond, a union, a contract. If you sign a legal document today or even get married, you have to have a witness present. That’s what makes it “official." Notice that in this charge who the witness is. Jesus Christ. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus." Paul calls upon Jesus to be our witness as we accept this charge. Wow.
Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead. What does that mean, the living and the dead? No matter whether you call upon Jesus as your Savior or not you will be judged. “For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Jesus will judge every believer and unbeliever no matter when they lived or when they died. Jesus will judge all that have ever lived or have ever died.
So we can assume that all variables combined, this command must be pretty important and pretty serious huh? Paul’s last words. The last words that God has given hi. They look to hold great importance. So the stage is set, the stakes are high, what is this great commandment?
“Preach the Word.”
That’s it. That’s the big message. Nothing new. Nothing different. We’ve heard this over and over and over. Do you think that God values His Word and what it can do to lives? Some of Paul’s last few documented words are “preach the Word of God.”
Notice the simplicity of those 3 words. It doesn’t say to preach ‘about’ the Bible. It says preach the Word. It doesn’t say preach ‘from’ the Word. To pick a verse or two that fits your mood or your topic. It says preach the Word….ALL OF IT.
By now you might be saying, “Whoa, Dan! You’re talking about preaching, I’m no preacher!” Yes and no. Some men are called by God to dedicate their lives as a profession to the preaching and teaching of His Word. They are paid and it’s their full time job. So does that mean that they are the only ones that are to preach the Word of God. That’s a really big fat no. Listen to some of the proper definitions of preach:
“To publicly proclaim or teach a religious message or belief. “To earnestly advocate a belief or course of action.” You see the idea that only paid ministers are to preach the Word of God is a lie from satan and it's not scriptural. We are clearly, in this verse all called to give out, preach, and teach the Word of God. Now, will we all do it from a stage on Sunday mornings in front of a 1,000 people? Probably not, but you’re not off the hook. We are all called to preach the Word of God in whatever capacity God presents to us.
Now Paul moves on to give us some additional instructions about preaching the Word.
1) Be ready in season and out of season. This means to be ‘instant, diligent or compulsive’. We should be ready and chomping at the bits to give out the Word of God. If someone rings your doorbell at 3am, you should be ready to preach the Word. Any time, any season, anywhere, simply be ready to give out the Word of God.
2) Reprove. To reprimand or admonish. It’s super important to note here WHO is doing the reproving. It’s God’s Word not us. God’s Word, when it is preached has the power to reprove people, not us. We should not be running around reprimanding everyone, that is not our job. We are to simply give out the Word of God and let it have its full effect.
3) Rebuke. “to express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behavior or actions.” Again, we have to be extremely careful that we are not administering the rebuke to others based on our own judgement. Rebuke with the Word of God and even then very carefully and with great love.
4) Exhort. “strongly encourage or urge to do something.” When the Word of God is preached it will convict sinners into action.
5) With complete patience. As we preach the Word of God we need to exercise a great deal of patience. The King James version uses the word long-suffering instead of patience. We should be willing to suffer for a long time as we preach the Word of God.
6) Teaching. As we give out the Word of God we teach. We give it out with love, praying that the hearer will receive the instruction of the Holy Spirit. We don’t go around barking out the Word of God like it’s our weapon and used to punish. We preach the Word of God with the intent of teaching others its goodness.
As we read from Paul’s last words today, the conviction is as clear as the message. The Word of God has the power to save. Our job is to simply preach it so the world can know. It reminds me of one of my favorite passages:
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
My friends, be the beautiful feet today that carry God’s Word to the people that God has put in your life. God’s Word has the power to save the lost from the death of sin and you hold that power in your hands today.
Blessings to you.
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