SERMON: “What Standard Holds the Local Church Together?” (2 Tim. 4:1–2)

What Standard Holds the Local Church Together? (2 Tim. 4:1–2)

Series:               Questioning the Church #3              Text:                 2 Timothy 4:1–2

By:                    Shaun Marksbury                         Date:                January 12, 2025

Venue:              Living Water Baptist Church            Occasion:             AM Service

 

I.              Introduction

We’re continuing our series called “Questioning the Church,” and introduction to what the Bible has to say about the local church.  We considered basic questions like, “What is the church?” and “Why do we gather?”  These are questions which are good for Christians to consider. 

From here, we’re finally able to answer some operational questions about the church.  Everyone has ideas about what the church should do and who should run it, but we want to have a solid theological foundation for the choices we make which honors the Lord of the church. 

Remember that we exist and gather for God’s glory.  Someone who visits our church for the first time may not have thought through what the Bible says about church.  It’s important, then, that we do not shape ministry around all the felt needs of the people who come.  Rather, we must operate based on what the Lord commands.

Truth holds churches together.  Yet, what do churches preach?  Years ago, Christianity Today published an article with a stunning study.  While I wouldn’t normally recommend that magazine, this was particularly noteworthy.  It was by Thomas E. Bergler and titled, “When Are We Going to Grow Up?”  He wrote,

In their landmark National Study of Youth and Religion, Christian Smith and his team of researchers found that the majority of American teenagers, even those who are highly involved in church activities, are inarticulate about religious matters.  They seldom used words like faith, salvation, sin, or even Jesus to describe their beliefs.  Instead, they return again and again to the language of personal fulfillment to describe why God and Christianity are important to them. The phrase ‘feel happy’ appeared over 2,000 times in 267 interviews.  Smith and his research team labeled this pattern of religious beliefs Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  Teenagers learn these beliefs from the adults in their lives.  It is the American cultural religion.

While this study is growing dated, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism still seems to be the message de jour.  It’s moralistic in the belief that God just wants us to be good.  It’s therapeutic in that God helps us feel better about our problems.  And its deism in that God remains in the background, watching and ready to help, but never necessarily at the center people’s lives.  That seems to sum up what’s taught or believed in many churches today, and it seems to reflect the core principle guiding all church ministry.

To be plain, this may sound nice, but it’s a Christless, unbiblical Christianity.  The point of the gospel is not to provide you therapy, it’s to save your soul from the judgment of God.  It provides you an answer when moralism finally beats you down, and you seek relief.  It brings you to God through your Savior, Jesus Christ, and only through His power do we begin to unpack the ways of God in our lives.  Yet, the gospel is virtually unknown to whole generations of the churched.  It’s MDS vs. biblical Christianity.

The standard we trumpet for our church is not peoples’ wants and desires, it’s the revealed will of God.  We see that in 2 Timothy 4 here.  The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy in the context of turbulent ministry, with those who would ultimately move the church of Ephesus away from Scripture.  He encourages Timothy to carry on true ministry despite the increase of godlessness (3:1–9).  He tells him to do so with sound teaching (vv. 10–15), reminding him Scripture is inspired and sufficient to equip him to lead (vv. 16–17).

Timothy can’t close his eyes to the problems, but regardless of what they are, he has one charge from Paul: preach the word.  Similarly, the trumpet call from this pulpit and for our ministry must be God’s Holy Word.  We’ll see the solemnity of the command to preach the word, examine the substance of the command, and finally, consider the specifications of the command.  Let’s get started.

II.           First, note the solemnity of the command (v. 1)

I solemnly 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:

Consider the weight of what Paul lays on Timothy’s back.  Paul said something similar back in 1 Timothy 5:21: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles.”  Again, in 6:13–14, he said, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Now, he issues another charge, though it’s “what” doesn’t come until the next verse.  Let’s consider what makes this charge so solemn.

Paul issues this charge before God — in God’s presence.  What’s significant about Timothy remembering that he stands in God’s presence?  As Philip Towner notes in his commentary, “If Christians were 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.  But the invisibility requires faith.  And with so much that is visible clamoring for our attention, we think and act as if the invisible were unreal or blind.”

Timothy must remember that he’s “in the presence of God” and “of Christ Jesus.”  Now, when I read it that way, I hope you’re seeing that there is a paralleling of God and of Christ.  In fact, there is a construction in the Greek that could cause us to read this, “in the presence of God, even Christ Jesus.”  At the very least, Paul is saying that Timothy stands equally in the Father and the Son’s presence, and Paul may be more than hinting at Christ’s deity here.

What’s important to draw away from this, though, is that it’s not just life in general that the Lord observes.  He also inspects the ministry of His servants.  This may be precisely why Paul moves from this thought to the fact that Christ “is to judge the living and the dead.”  The KJV says here “the quick and the dead.”  Judgment should sharpen Timothy’s focus.

Now, thankfully, neither Timothy nor any true believer need despair.  Some may wonder if their sins of commission and omission will incur the wrath of God, a revocation of their justification in Christ, and their condemnation to the Lake of Fire.  However, the Lord says in Romans 8:1–4, 

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Christ already faced your judgment, and He fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law for you.  If you repent of your sin and trust in Him for your salvation, there remains no judicial condemnation against you.  You need not fear judgment day.

Even so, judgment reminds Timothy that the Lord judges ministry.  James 3:1 warns of this when it says, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”  So, false teachers will also face this judgment, and Timothy need not worry about their end.  Still, this should motivate him in his duties to both Christians and unbelievers, knowing they will face the same judgment.  This is why we must be careful to use the right standard for ministry.  We’re in the presence of the Lord, and pastors especially must execute their office accordingly. 

Paul goes on to say, “and by His appearing and His kingdom.”  Note that — “and by”; Paul’s continuing the thought of his charge.  Timothy and the rest of us anticipate the Second Coming and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom.  Note what Paul says in vv. 7–8: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future 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.”  The appearing of the Lord is followed by the kingdom; while there is a true sense in which we’re in the kingdom today, the kingdom follows the return of the Lord.  The Lord will return, and then He will establish His kingdom.  

How does pondering the appearing and the kingdom help Timothy to continue ministry?  George Knight sums up Paul’s thoughts this way: “Thus Timothy is to be encouraged to perform his task by the fact that Christ will appear and that Timothy himself will receive the crown of righteousness at Christ’s appearing and be safely brought into Christ’s future heavenly kingdom.”  We’d add the caveat here that the kingdom will be earthly, and so, all the ministers of Christ labor knowing that the Lord grant them entrance into it.  

This is a strong, solemn word for Timothy, and we’ve only begun to consider the point.  He is charged with serving others.  Yet, how should he do this?  Remember, 3:16–17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  It’s the Word of God that Timothy should present, and that leads us to the next verse:

III.        Second, the substance of the command (v. 2a)

preach the word;

These three words are among the most important for the elder or pastor of a church.  There are a total of five commands in this verse, but this one is central and vital.  If a pastor is preaching anything else, he fails in his office.  Regardless of whatever else he is, if he’s not a teacher, he’s not a pastor.

Consider first the word “preach.”  Don’t think primarily of tall, strong, ornate, wooden pulpits with this word, because they didn’t exist.  (And if we’re not considering those, definitely don’t think of plexiglass ones or music stands!)  The verb references the actions of the emperor’s herald, the crier a king would dispatch to proclaim his word.  This means that Timothy held a dignified role, one that requires all who occupy it to be bold in their proclamations from the King of kings.  He’s not to only give a boring rendition of the facts of Scripture, nor is he to try to “spice it up” with entertainment.

We proclaim God’s revelation.  Paul calls it “the word” in other places (Gal. 6:6; Col. 4:3; 1 Thess. 1:6).  This, of course, refers to the entirety of Scripture.  If we exist for the glory of God, then there is no other standard for us over God’s inspired Word.

We must proclaim God’s Word.  Consider the example of the Apostle Paul, who said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”  Peter said something similar: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Pet. 4:10–11a).  In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded to teach disciples “all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20).  If the point is to carry on the ministry after Paul has gone, Timothy must preach the word.  

Consider the weight of what we do His preachers: we open our Bibles and our mouths and declare that this is what God has to say.  It’s the closest we get to prophesy, and it is prophetic.  So, it better be accurate!

Timothy and all pastors must preach the Word.  This must happen, though, within the biblical framework of specifications.  That brings us to the final point:

IV.        Third, note the specifications of the command (v. 2b)

be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Now, this sounds a lot like what Paul wrote just a few verses earlier.  In 3:16–17, we read, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  The Word of God is to be the standard for the minister of God, and now we see that it is to be the standard for his ministry, as well.

We read four more commands here, all giving conditions for the command.  The first is that the preacher must be in a state of preparedness.  He should prepare to action to preach the Word at all times, having messages like this one that are thought out and prayed over, and others that he can whip out from God’s Word at a moment’s notice for a hurting church member.  He’s prepared for in season and out of season.

Timothy must not just be ready to preach the Word; he must have preaching that’s pointed.  In a sense, it would be easy to give pointless platitudes, or to quote Bible verses with little thought or direction.  Rather, the pastor should present at least three features in his preaching, two of which are negative and one positive.  

First, a pastor must reprove.  This is similar to the word “rebuke” in 3:16, sometimes translated “convince” in other translations.  The Paul told Timothy to do this in 1 Timothy 5:20, and he said something similar to Titus (Titus 1:13; 2:15).  The pastor must be bold enough to connect the dots, demonstrating in Scripture that something is in error or sinful, even to those who might not want to hear it.

The next word is rebuke, a slightly different word than came before.  This is a step beyond, however.  A pastor must not only note that something is wrong according to Scripture, he must tell others to stop.  The rebuke goes beyond the correction then to tell others to stop.   

People don’t want to hear this, but this is part of the pastoral job.  There are abusive pastors out there, but sometimes, when people claim to be hurt by the church, what they really mean is that a pastor told them that they couldn’t sin however they wanted.  In truth, those not told what they need to hear are actually hurt.  As Hughes notes, “If you enjoy correcting and rebuking, you are likely not fit for the ministry.  But if you do not do it, you are a shirker.”  People sometimes need a place where someone can lovingly tell them to cut it out — whatever the sinful “it” is in their lives.

Timothy must also engage in a more “positive” activity — he must exhort.  The HCSB, NIV, and others translate this as “encourage.”  After the preacher highlights how the hearer has fallen short of God’s Word, he must exhort the hearer to change.  This comes primarily through confession and repentance, as the hearer sees himself before God and Christ and knows he needs the grace of salvation.  This further comes through reminds of the gospel, exhortations to believe and trust in the good news of Jesus Christ.  Finally, exhortation calls the hearer to obedience before the Lord.

Now, while those commands give the essential conditions by which we preach the word, there is a bit more in terms of condition.  The preaching of the Word must also be “with great patience and instruction.”  This tempers to the words that came before.  Again, Paul said Timothy has already followed him in such patience in 3:10, but the reminder is necessary.

Now, this obviously speaks of patience or long-suffering with others who may be in sin or slow to believe.  Along those lines, though, it also speaks of patience for results.  Thankfully, the Lord strengthens us for such patience; He says we can be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience (Col. 1:11).

Now, this only scratches the surface.  A lot of churches have come to this conclusion, and except for some very strange organizations that claim to be churches, nearly every one claims to believe Scripture.  While God’s Word is the ultimate authority, creeds and confessions serve as valuable tools in summarizing and defending its truth.  They answer the question, “What do you believe about God’s Word?”  As such, we’ll consider the role of these man-made documents in supporting the holy standard of Scripture next time.

V.           Conclusion

The church should be the place where God’s people hear God’s Word.  We must proclaim it.  This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for topical preaching, but even that should line up with Scripture.  This should be a place to hear God’s voice.

More than that, it needs to be a place where the leadership is shaped by Scripture.  If we want to be a church that glorifies God, then we must make God’s Word our standard for everything we are and do.  This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other helps out there for us, as we’ll consider next week.  But we must exalt God’s Word as our holy standard above all else.