Sunday, February 25, 2018

Paul's Epistles – II Timothy – Part 7: A Final Charge to Timothy


Paul's Epistles – II Timothy – Part 7:
A Final Charge to Timothy
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
This second letter from Paul to Timothy will be the next “epistle” we examine.

After writing his first Epistle to Timothy, Paul left Corinth, and set sail with Titus for Crete, where he left him to set the Church in order (Titus 1:5).

The key-word in II Timothy is “Ashamed.”

“I must not be ashamed of my Lord, His Gospel, or His suffering saints (II Timothy 1); How can I become a workman that “needs not be ashamed” (II Timothy 2 & 3.), and then the Lord will not be ashamed to own and stand by me (II Timothy 4).


PREVIOUSLY
Introduction to II Timothy
Appeal for Loyalty
Remaining Loyal to Christ and Paul’s Teaching
Warning Against Quarreling About Words
Terrible Times in the Last Days

TODAY’S SERMON
A Final Charge to Timothy

 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
II Timothy 4:1-8 (66 AD, approximately one year after the first Epistle to Timothy)
 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.


The overall message of this epistle to the church is;
Loyalty to the Lord and Truth in the view of persecution and apostasy


I. PAUL’S CHARGE TO TIMOTHY
a. Paul first officiates the charge
                                                     i. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

                                                  ii. Officiating the Truth and Validity of the charge he is about to give Timothy

                                               iii. The charge is simple...”Preach the Word”


b. Preach the Word
                                                     i. Not;
1. preach this program you developed from the bible
2. preach hidden secrets in the scriptures
3. preach “keys” to success in business, life and marriage
4. preach “money, wealth, and happiness”
5. preach warm fuzzies

                                                  ii. Preach the Word

                                               iii. Be prepared in season and out”
                                                iv. “correct”
                                                   v. “rebuke”
                                                vi. “and encourage”
                                             vii. do these things “with great patience, and careful instruction”


c. Why?
                                                     i. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”

                                                  ii. Sound doctrine comes straight from The Word, not a “teaching”, a “companion book”, a system of belief, a denominational teaching or denominational “rule” or “law”, but from the Word

                                               iii. Sound doctrine is a double edged sword
1. Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

2. It doesn’t just do this for the “wicked”, but the “followers” as well!

                                                iv. When you are faced with a true doctrine from the Word, you can either run from it, or cling to it...the choice is yours.


II.      WHAT TIME IS COMING ACCORDING TO PAUL?
a. II Timothy 3:1-8
                                                     i. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
                                                  
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.

                                               ii. This sounds an awful lot like today!

b. So heed the warnings!
                                                     i. God warned Lot - Genesis 19:14 “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.”

                                                  ii. God warned the Pharaoh - Genesis 41:30-32 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.”

                                               iii. God warned the Israelites - Exodus 12:23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”

                                                iv. God warned Jonah (and Ninevah) - Jonah 3:4,5 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

                                                   v. God warned Noah - Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an arkto save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

                                                vi. All of these things God warned, and they came to pass, and now we read His warning in His Word about what is taking place NOW!


c. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:37-39
                                                     i.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.


III.   THE SIGNS POINT TO NOW
a. To suit their own desires
                                                  i.  they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. “

1. Gathering a great number of teachers is why we have denominations, cults, various systems of beliefs including false religions, prosperity preachers banding together for the good of their wallets, etc.

2. All ready to “preach”, not the Word, but what the pews full of itching ears want to hear.

3. Following their “desires” instead of Christ Jesus, they turn their ears from TRUTH (God’s Word), instead to myths

4. What are myths?
a. A “traditionalstory, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

b. A folk tale, legend, fable, folklore, mythology

c. A traditional story passed down

d. Mark 7:13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."


b. This time is NOW
                                                     i. The scriptural descriptions are accurate to today!

                                                  ii. These things weren’t taking place when they were written, but were a warning of what was future to them!

                                               iii. And is now present to us!


c. But you, keep your head in all situations
                                                     i. Paul reminds Timothy not to “lose his head”, “go crazy”, “freak out” over the things that will be taking place.

                                                  ii. Instead, Paul instructs him to endure the hardship
                                               iii. Do the work of an evangelist (preaching the Word)

                                                iv. and Discharge (release, set free, liberate) all the duties of the ministry
1. The clear implication here is inside Timothy was the ability to accomplish all Paul has charged him with.

2. Timothy just needed to let it out!

3. Matthew 19:26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

4. Philippians 4:13I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.”

5. God prepares and equips those He calls!
a. Romans 8:30those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

b. Hebrews 13:20,21Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

d. I am ready to be poured out like a drink offering
                                                        i. and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.


CONCLUSION – THE END TIMES ARE HERE, NOW, SO ACT!

Luke 19:46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[a]; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
 The church is NOT an ATM machine for prosperity preachers to get richer.
The end times are now, and they have become covetous lovers of money, and it has become their master (2 Peter 2:3; 1 Timothy 6:5-8)

“My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge” - Hosea 4:6
This knowledge is “The Word” that Paul instructs Timothy to preach exclusively!

Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God”

So do NOT forsake the assembling together, and exhort (encourage) one another, even MORE so when you see “the day” approaching - Hebrews 10:25
 2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

 Next week we will look Paul’s “Personal Remarks” at the end of II Timothy
  
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