Preach the Word (2 Timothy 3)

2 Timothy 3:12-4:8

Key verses 4:1-5

Good afternoon, everyone! How are you? I went to campus last week and shared the gospel with a few students, even though I was not fully recovered from jet lag and needed to prepare the environment for the guests who would be coming for Joshua and Surim’s wedding ceremony on Saturday. May God bless their wedding and marriage and use them to advance His kingdom and bring Him glory!

The new fall semester has already started, and the campus seems newly alive compared to the quiet during the summer break. I had the chance to study with Calvin students yesterday. It is a time for harvest, as we studied in John 4:35 last Lord’s Day: “Lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.”

Today’s passage from 2 Timothy 3–4 teaches us how we should live in this godless world.

Certainly! Here’s a revised version with improved grammar and clarity:

Our world is rapidly moving away from God, persecuting our godly lives, and loudly proclaiming false truths that itch our ears and lead us away from the truth, making us compromise for an easier lifestyle. Today’s passage contains Paul’s teaching, delivered with great solemnity and earnestness, to Timothy, who is like a son to him.

To be a great messenger, I believe three basic principles are crucial:

1. Understand the Historical Context: You should understand the background of the time when the Scripture was written. Without this context, listeners might misinterpret it if they lack historical understanding.

2. Comprehend and Communicate the True Teaching: We must understand what the Scripture truly teaches and express it in understandable terms. This understanding can vary according to age, culture, and time, and it should address all situations. This is crucial.

3. Ensure Relevance: The message should be relevant. Even an excellent message is powerless if it does not apply to our current lives.

The Apostle Paul was in jail and soon faced martyrdom. Knowing his time on earth was limited, his message was delivered with earnestness and solemnity. This message is not only for Timothy but for us as well. Let’s focus on three main topics:

1. Our World Works Against God and Persecutes Our Godly Life.

2. All Scripture is Holy and Living, Breathed Out by God: It is immensely profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

3. Preach the Word with a Solemn Charge from God.

May God grant each of us a humble heart to receive it as the living Word of God, so that we may apply it in our daily lives.

### Part One: Our World Works Against God and Persecutes Our Godly Life

Some of you may have watched the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. It intentionally featured a parody of the Lord’s Last Supper to insult God. Certain Christian denominations have begun to support same-sex marriage, and some have even placed individuals who support such views in leadership positions within the church. In the political arena, things have become even worse. I was shocked to see a Senate meeting on YouTube where, despite one senator identifying as Christian, he attacked a candidate for a leadership position who was a sincere Christian, accused of being an extreme conservative.

Some people who call themselves Christians argue that religion should be separated from practical life, following current godless trends or their own benefits, and loudly claim, “You are too extreme” if we live according to the Word of God. The Apostle does not endorse this view. Look at 2 Timothy 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Paul’s time was likely much more difficult than ours to live as a Christian. Christianity was considered a heresy at that time. Paul thought of Jesus' followers as a sect until he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and realized that Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold by the Old Testament.

Our current era increasingly opposes Christ as the end times approach. While living in a godless world is inevitable, we must recognize the reality. We should also remember that Christ is far stronger and greater than the world. Jesus comforted His disciples in John 16:33: “In me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

### Part Two: All Scripture is Holy and Living, Breathed Out by God

Evil people and deceivers will attempt to lead us astray and draw our hearts away from God. What is the Apostle Paul’s admonition to Timothy and to us?

Let’s read 2 Timothy 3:14-17:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Firstly, we must acknowledge that all Scripture is breathed out by God. It is holy and living, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. This book provides us with wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and a solid foundation for our salvation and sanctification. It is greatly worth meditating on, keeping in our hearts, and applying in our daily lives. It teaches us how to live in righteousness, wisdom, and according to God’s will and purpose.

King David praises the word of God in Psalm 19:7-11.

 7 The law of the Lord is perfect,

    reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

    making wise the simple;

8 the precepts of the Lord are right,

    rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

    enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the Lord is clean,

    enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

    and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

    even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

    and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

    in keeping them there is great reward.

The word of God is not outdated like other books that lose relevance over time; it remains an active and living Word of God. It gives us life, strength, wisdom, and assurance through faith in the Word of God. The living God speaks to us through Scripture.

Secondly, the Word of God reveals who God is and explains who Jesus is.

How can we know God? How can we understand who Jesus is? How can we know the way to salvation? Some might suggest that we can understand this through the mysteries of nature or the universe, but the best way is through His living Word. The Scripture clearly tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and that He remains the sovereign ruler and everlasting God who provides new strength to those who fully trust in Him, as stated in Isaiah 40:28-31:

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

    The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the faint,

    and to him who has no might he increases strength.

30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,

    and young men shall fall exhausted;

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

    they shall walk and not faint.

During the Civil War, the Southern armies were much stronger than the Northern armies, with many brilliant generals such as Robert E. Lee on the South’s side. President Abraham Lincoln, a man of prayer, was more concerned with whether he was on God's side rather than merely seeking victory. He believed that if he stood on God’s side, God would be with him. Ultimately, God gave the North victory, freed the slaves, and united the nation. God is absolutely righteous and perfect.

The Word of God serves as a standard to measure all things, determining what is right or wrong, good or bad. That is why we refer to Scripture as the truth. Unlike worldly truths, which are changeable based on circumstances, trends, glory, wealth, and popularity, the Word of God is eternal and unchanging. It will be fulfilled according to God's timing.

John 1:1,14 tells us that the Word of God is incarnated in Jesus:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That is why everyone should know the Word of God for their salvation and recognize the true Savior and Lord as testified by Scripture.

### Part Three: Preach the Word

The Apostle Paul gives Timothy solemn and earnest directions. Let’s read verses 1-2:

1 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:

2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

“**In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus**” emphasizes the seriousness of the command. “**By his appearing and his kingdom**” relates to eternity. The clear, solemn command is: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.” This is an urgent and serious matter.

Consider the example of a watchman who sees enemy forces invading a nation. The watchman must shout warnings, “Enemies are coming!” regardless of whether his fellow soldiers are asleep or resting. Failure to do so could result in death for all. “Preach” includes the urgency and necessity of the message, regardless of whether others are interested. It is a matter of life or death.

Pastor John Piper outlines the essentials of preaching in his book “The Supremacy of God in Preaching”:

1. The goal of preaching should be the glory of God.

2. The ground of preaching should be the Cross of Christ.

3. The gift of preaching should rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

We must be ready to preach the Word at all times. “Reprove, rebuke, and exhort” with complete patience and teaching is challenging. It requires great gentleness and patience.

When we preach the gospel, those who hear it will be awakened from spiritual blindness, convicted of their sins by the Holy Spirit, and moved from eternal curse to life. This is a matter of life or death.

However, in verses 3-4, the Apostle Paul expresses concern:

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

People will reject sound teaching and seek out teachers who cater to their preferences. They might say that Reformed theology, which is God-centered, is too harsh and not entertaining enough.

The danger lies in the preacher’s focus. If a preacher concentrates on pleasing people rather than conveying what the Word of God says, they might end up preaching what people want to hear rather than what Scripture actually says. For example, the prosperity gospel suggests, “If you believe in God, you will be blessed and successful,” which diverges from the true gospel. Preaching should be based on Scripture and reflect God’s perspective, not a man-centered message. The Word of God always conveys deep love. True divine love seeks to redirect those heading towards eternal destruction onto the path of eternal life. Consider the messages of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit.

All human beings, including myself, are depraved. Without repentance, there is no hope. However, no one likes the message of repentance. That is why we need the Holy Spirit’s help and God’s wisdom. It is easy to become weary when our preaching seems ineffective and to compromise with the world. Living by faith is indeed a narrow way.

Moreover, preaching the truth is a narrow, brave, and solitary path. However, preaching the gospel based on sound doctrine is an urgent and vital task. Verse 5 instructs us on how our attitude should be:

5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

In verses 6-8, Paul reflects on how he has lived for the gospel as he nears the end of his life. Let’s read these verses together:

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

8 Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing.

Paul was a faithful fighter for the sake of God and encourages Timothy to live as a faithful servant of the Word.

### In Conclusion:

We have learned the following main points:

1. Our World Works Against God and Persecutes Our Godly Life.

2. All Scripture is Holy and Living, Breathed Out by God: It is greatly profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness and in the right way.

3. Preach the Word with a Solemn Charge from God.