2 Timothy 4:1–8 (EHV)
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching. For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. As for you, keep a clear head in every situation. Bear hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. You see, I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing.
Dear fellow redeemed: What can we want for those whom we love more than that they come to spiritual life – to saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? In our text for today, Paul charges the young Pastor Timothy with the great responsibility of proclaiming the life-giving word of God: Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching. This isn’t a job, a pastime, or some good, beneficial, but optional activity. It is an all-out war for the immortal souls of people for whom Christ died, and it is something he must do in the face of vicious opposition: For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. Over this last year, we have delved into the Bible subject by subject and we have received the soul-saving truth that God has revealed to humanity. But our text brings to the forefront something that should be of concern to every one of us. Considering the deceit that is in the world, how can we …
ENDURE IN THE FAITH IN THESE EVIL DAYS
I. The Days Are Evil
II. The Battle Is for Truth
III. Paul Is an Example
IV. You, Too, Can Endure
I. The Days Are Evil
What makes for evil days? Is it because people sin? That doesn’t seem so remarkable, does it? That’s true in every day and age. What makes certain times so remarkably evil is the rise and dominion of lies. The Devil was a murderer from the beginning, and he brought death to our first parents and the world by deceiving them. Remarkably evil days are when deceit seems to rule. Paul tells Timothy about them: For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. The time before Christ’s return and the final judgment will be like that – emphatically so! “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive even the elect, if it were possible.” (Matthew 24:24, EHV)
II. The Battle Is for Truth
Those who live in such times, and surely our situation qualifies, must above all be ready to speak the truth. That truth is first of all to proclaim Who is the true God. The only true and living God is the God of the Holy Bible. All others are counterfeits. This didn’t use to be a big deal for us in our western culture, and we might have been surprised at the way the Israelites in the Old Testament were lured into idolatry. But today the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Progressives, Muslims, and all the Eastern religions proclaim a host of counterfeits. And just like the
false prophets long ago, false teachers today say that there really isn’t any difference. Next comes the truth about sin. We aren’t just to treat one another as we want to be treated, but are also to honor the true God and humble ourselves to pay attention to His word. Like the worst cancers, WE have no cure for sin; it always leads to death.
So the pinnacle of truth, that all else leads up to, is the mercy of God in Christ, His atoning sacrifice, His gift of righteousness, and the forgiveness of all our sins. Only by being true God and true man could Jesus accomplish the cure for sin and bring about the death of death itself by His resurrection.
These are the truths most under attack.
III. Paul Is an Example
By God’s grace, you and I can remain in the truth. That is, we can acknowledge the only
true God and worship only Him; we can acknowledge our sins and daily turn away from them;
and we can fix our hope on Christ our Savior alone. Hear how Paul told the Ephesians to deal
with the evil days of deceit that came upon them: “Consider carefully, then, how you walk,
not as unwise people, but as wise people. Make the most of your time, because the days
are evil. For this reason, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not get drunk on wine, which causes you to lose control. Instead, be filled with
the Spirit by speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (singing
and making music with your hearts to the Lord), by always giving thanks for everything
to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by submitting to one another
in reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21, EHV)
You see, we survive in the faith by building our lives on the Word of God. So it was with Paul here in our text. You see, I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. It’s an Old Testament picture. When the sacrifices
were offered, at the very last wine was poured into a cup and poured out as the last offering. Paul’s life had been offered up to proclaim the truth of the gospel, and now there was the last little bit to be offered. He would soon fall under the executioner’s blade.
IV. You, Too, Can Endure
But I am no Paul, with his great courage and fortitude. Are you? So it’s a good thing our hope is in God’s faithfulness to us, and not just our strength of character. He looked forward to the day of resurrection, the eternal day in which there is life and joy and peace without end. He goes on, From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing. “His appearing” refers to that pinnacle of truth we just talked about, “the pinnacle of truth, that all else leads up to, is the mercy of God in Christ, His atoning sacrifice, His gift of righteousness and the forgiveness of all our sins.” We love that he appeared as God in human flesh, to take away the sins of the world – including ours. These evil days are evil, and many suffer in them. There are those who meet death because they won’t worship Allah, the counterfeit of Mohammed’s imagination. They meet death because they will not acknowledge the state as lord over all, as in the communist countries. And even in our country people are canceled because they will not mouth the lies of elites in power. These evil days are evil, and they are hard, but we will not suffer them alone, because our Lord is with us and we have His comfort. He says, “Do not fear anything that you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10, EHV)
And how certain is that? Well just listen to the assurance Scripture gives us, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37–39, EHV)
That’s for sure!
AMEN.