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Paul’s Farewell Message: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 • The Final Charge: 4:1-5 • A Triumphal Confession 4:6-8 2 Timothy 4:1-5 1In 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: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men 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. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. The Final Charge • For the third time in the two letters to Timothy, Paul issues another charge to Timothy: cf. 1Ti.5:21; 6:13-14 (Towner) • At the end of his life, Paul hands down to Timothy the last charge in this final letter. • There are three reasons why Timothy needs to be faithful to what he has been charged to do: 1. The Witness who observes his works 2. The impending judgment 3. The hope of His Kingdom v.1 The Witnesses • “ In the presence of..”: Paul calls God and Christ Jesus to witness the turnover of the ministry from the apostle to assistant. • “If Christians are really able to grasp the fact fully that God is with them, really and continually present, and that they live their lives in his presence, their zeal to live holy lives would be far more evident.” (Towner) Their works will be different as well. v.1 Christ’s Judgment • The impending review of his work (from God) is a strong motivation for Timothy to faithfully discharge his ministry. (1Cor.3:12-15;4:2-5) v.1 His Appearing • Work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, endurance inspired by hope. (Rm.5:15;1Th.1:2-3;1Cor.13:13) • We have faith in Jesus. We have worked for the love of God and of men. And we endure hardship for the hope that all will be saved and that God’s Kingdom will reign when He returns. The Charge: v.2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Five commands in regard to Timothy’s ministry: Preach the Word Be prepared Correct Rebuke Encourage Do these with patience and careful instructions. The Charge: v.2 (cont) • “ Preach the Word”: Word is capitalized. (cf. John 1) • This casts Timothy in the role of a herald, making proclamation on behalf of the King (cf. 2Ti.1:11). • Christian ministry centers on the Word of God. Because Jesus, the Word, has made God known. The Charge: v.2 (cont) • Ministry involves availability and preparedness. In season and out of season is the call to be ready. (cf. 2Ti.2:15) • “ correct.. rebuke”: Together, correct (1Ti.5:20, Titus1:9,13) and rebuke (Mk.1:25) cover the territory from the patient kind of correction carried out through teaching (with the goal of improvement) to the sterner variety of authoritative warnings or prohibitions Ifor immediate halt). (Towner) The Charge: v.2 • Encourage: (cf.2Ti.5:1) Exhortation is an effective method of ministry. It includes correcting, admonishing, encouraging and comforting. This method values relationship between believers instead of prove lines of authority. (Towner) • Different rules for instructions: For older men it is to be gentle and respectful. For younger men it is to stress the common bond in Christ. For older women it is to treat them as respect due to a mother. For younger women, there is a need to make every effort to avoid giving the impression of unseemly behavior. (Towner) cf. 1Ti.5:1-2 The Reasons Behind the Charge: v.34,6 • One of the reasons for the solemn charge to Timothy was because of the false teachers and their listeners. (v.3-4, cf. 2Ti.2:22; Titus2:12) • Another reason was because Paul knew that he was at the end of his life (v.6). The exhortation to Timothy was the final reminder for Timothy in regard to his ministry. Further Charges: v.5 • “...keep your head..”: be sober, moral alertness or coolness and presence of mind. Timothy must be different than others (“but you”), who have acted rashly with muddled thinking, uncritically accepting the false doctrine. • “..endure..”: A major theme in the letter (1:8,12; 2:3,9,12; 3:11,12) • “..evangelist..”: Same word appears in Ac.21:8 and Eph.4:11. Evangelist (Zondervan) • One who announces good news. Used in a general sense of anyone who proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. • Designation of particular class of ministry. Ac.4:11. Evangelist founded the church; the pastor-teacher built it up in the faith. Apostles and bishops did the work of an evangelist (Ac.8:25;14:7; 1Cor.1:17; 2Ti.4:2-5). Philip, who was one of the Seven (deacons), was also called the evangelist (Ac.21:8). 2 Timothy 4:6-8 6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now 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. A Drink Offering (v.6) • “ ..already being poured out..”: similar to Phi.2:17, but here Paul knows that the time has come for him to die for the LORD. • His death was becoming a sacrifice to the LORD, as the imagery of the sacrificial wine accompanying the sacrifice in the worship of the God. (Nu.15:5,7,10; 28:7) A Winner’s Life: v.7 • Paul has “fought the good fight”, finished the race”, “kept the faith”. • All three can be compared to an athlete who had engaged successfully in a contest. • “..kept the faith..”: in view of the race, i.e., had carefully observed the rules of the Christian faith (cf.2:5). Or, in view of Pastoral’s emphasis on sound doctrine, faith can refer to the deposit of Christian truth. Paul has kept (guarded) it. The Award: v.8 • “..crown of righteousness..” (cf. 1Cor.9:25) The crown he envisions is the wreath awarded to the victor. • Christians possess the justification and salvation from God through faith in Jesus Christ (Rm.3:2131). • Just as in salvation, we will experience complete righteousness for which we wait and hope when Christ comes (cf. Gal.5:5)