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The Final instructions… (4 points)
- 1st – PREACH the Word – 5 reasons… vs. 1 / 3-4
- 1st – PREACH the Word – because it is the Word of God… vs. 1
- I CHARGE you – diamartyromai – means to SHOW through EXAMPLE…
- THEREFORE – therefore points back to the end of chapter 3…
- Paul had shown how he told others about the Bible because it is INSPIRED – God breathed!
- If the Bible were just an ordinary book – there would be no reason to share it…
- The last thing people need in their lives is another opinion…
- But the Bible is not the opinions of men – it is the wisdom of God – so share it!
- 2nd – PREACH the Word – because Jesus is watching us… vs. 1
- I charge you BEFORE (in the presence of) God – and Jesus Christ…
- When Jesus gave the Great Commission in – Matthew 28:19-20
- He concluded it with – I am WITH YOU always – even to the end of the age!
- What a blessing to know that Jesus never sends us out to preach alone…
- Everywhere we go – Jesus is always right there with us!
- 3rd – PREACH the Word – because Jesus will JUDGE the living and the dead… vs. 1
- The LIVING – speaking of those who have FAITH / the DEAD – those who do NOT have FAITH!
- The LIVING will stand before Christ to receive a reward – II Corinthians 5:10
- Those who have FAITH in Christ will stand before the JUDGEMENT SEAT…
- The JUDGEMENT SEAT – Bema seat – does not speak of the judgment of sin…
- It is the REWARDING seat – where awards were given to athletes at the Olympics!
- The Olympic games began in Greece – it was well known event in the days of Paul…
- Those who competed had to train hard in order to win a laurel (leaf) crown!
- In the same way we as believers need to train – work hard to please the Lord…
- Living for Jesus is a daily choice – it takes work and commitment on our part…
- We choose to take the time to get into the Word – set-aside time to pray…
- We make the time to attend Bible studies – grow in our faith…
- Not so we can earn a laurel crown – but a crown that is ETERNAL (more on this at the end)
- The DEAD will stand before Christ in judgment…
- Those who reject the message of the Gospel will stand before the GREAT White Throne…
- All will stand before the throne of God to be JUDGED for the works of their lives…
- There will be two sets of books opened – the Books / and the Book of Life!
- Revelation 20:11-12 – “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…”
- If the name of someone is not found written in the Book of Life – the Books are opened…
- They are then judged according to their works – that are written in the Books…
- Everything they did – every word they said – every thought in their head…
- Not to see if they will go to heaven or hell – but to show them why they will go to hell!
- Since we know that ALL men will have to stand before Jesus…
- And knowing they all – no exceptions – will either stand to be rewarded / or judged…
- We constantly PREACH the message of the Gospel – so they might be saved!
- II Corinthians 5:11 – “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”
- We do not share Jesus out of some sense of obligation – or for some reward…
- We share cause of the real danger of Hell – the destination for any who reject Jesus…
- Hell is not temporary – hell is the second death – eternal separation from God!
- The LIVING – speaking of those who have FAITH / the DEAD – those who do NOT have FAITH!
- 4th – PREACH the Word – because Jesus is coming… vs. 1
- Jesus Christ will APPEAR– and set up His Kingdom…
- APPEAR – epiphaneia – 6x in NT (5x in Pastoral Epistles) – from root meaning brightness!
- Speaking of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ – II Thessalonians 2:8
- No one knows when Jesus will return / set up His Kingdom – Mark 13:32
- But until that time – we need to be PREACHING the Word!
- Romans 11:25– “This will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to Christ.”
- The idea is there are a SET NUMBER of people who will receive Jesus as their savior…
- No one but God knows the number – or who will be the LAST gentile to be saved…
- But when the LAST Gentile to believe – receives Jesus – the RAPTURE of the church!
- You never know who might be holding the rapture up – the last one to receive Jesus…
- All the more reason to tell anyone – everyone about Jesus!
- Jesus Christ will APPEAR– and set up His Kingdom…
- 5th – PREACH the Word – because the WORLD does NOT want to hear the truth… vs. 3-4
- For the time will come – when men will NOT endure SOUND doctrine…
- SOUND – form the root word hygies – where we get the word HYGENE – HEALTHY…
- Men will not HOLD to HEALTHY doctrine – they do NOT want it!
- Instead – according to their LUSTS – they will HEAP up for themselves teachers…
- HEAP – stack them up in HUGE piles – meaning there will be a LOT of these teachers…
- BECAUSE they have ITCHING EARS – only here NT – desire to hear something pleasant!
- Men do not want truth – they look for people to tell them what they WANT to hear…
- They look for PASTORS / churches who tell them their lifestyle is acceptable to God…
- They REJECT the truth – and instead follow their own SINFUL ideas!
- Many churches today have fallen into this trap…
- For the time will come – when men will NOT endure SOUND doctrine…
- 1st – PREACH the Word – because it is the Word of God… vs. 1
- Too many pastors today spend too little time expounding / teaching the Word…
- Instead they tell funny stories to entertain – sprinkled with the occasional Bible verse…
- Because they do not want to offend people – and the Bible is offensive!
- Matthew 10:34 – “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
- These teachers are more interested in entertaining the people – than saving them…
- I knew a church where the pastor was teaching a series on – growing in Jesus…
- The first Sunday he came to church in a diaper – talking about being a babe in Christ…
- The second Sunday he came riding in on a motorcycle – talking about the power of Christ…
- The third Sunday he repelled in from the ceiling – I am not even sure what his point was…
- All of which was VERY entertaining – but you remembered the stunts – not the Word!
- Pastors today resort to gimmicks to try and get the attention of people…
- The church is not a theatre or a show / or a place to tell funny jokes…
- TV shows do not change the lives of sinners / jokes cannot take away sin…
- The power of salvation is in the Word of God – we need to speak the truth!
- As a result – men will TURN their ears away from the TRUTH – and will be TURNED to fables…
- TURNED – (future / passive) – to be twisted – like a dislocated limb!
- Because men TURN AWAY from the TRUTH – they become twisted!
- They fall victim (passive) to the lies of the world – because they do NOT want Jesus!
- It is NOT about what men WANT to hear – it is about what they NEED to hear!
- Men NEED to know about the dangers of hell – and the reward of heaven…
- About the coming judgment of God – and the amazing hope of Jesus!
- But they do NOT know these things – because they do NOT know the Word!
- And the ones who SHOULD be teaching them – the pastors – do NOT…
- The biggest problem in the church today – there is a FAMINE in the Land!
- Amos 8:11 – “Not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD.”
- 2nd – How to preach the Word – 6 ways… vs. 2
- 1st – PREACH the Word – kēryssō – (imperative) to proclaim / announce the Gospel
- Acts 8:35 – “Then Philip opened his mouth…”
- So often we are nervous about sharing our faith with others…
- We think we need to have all the answers to all the questions…
- It is God who speaks through us the words that are needed – Matthew 10:19
- All we need to do is be willing to open our mouths – share Jesus!
- Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God…”
- 2nd – Be READY in season and out…
- Be READY (imperative) – in SEASON and OUT – meaning to ALWAYS be READY to PREACH!
- Because we never know when we might have an opportunity to share the Gospel…
- If we are unsure of ourselves about the Word of God – the hope of Jesus…
- We are not going to be very effective – we are going to be embarrassed when asked…
- So we get to know our Bible – know how to find important verses – be prepared!
- I Peter 3:15 – “Always be ready to give a defense… for the hope that is in you.”
- 3rd – REPROVE – convicting people of their need for Jesus…
- REPROVE (imperative) – meaning to bring to light or expose…
- Most people today do not realize they are facing hell as a consequence for their sin…
- They have no idea they are blindly moving down a path towards destruction!
- We need to get their attention – help them to see – they NEED Jesus…
- We do so by sharing the Word of God with them – giving them the Law of God…
- So they can see they are sinners – then give them the Gospel – so they can be saved!
- 4th – REBUKE – caring enough to confront sin…
- REBUKE (imperative) – from the root word timē – to show value or honor…
- We need to confront people on the importance of living their life in a way to HONOR God…
- But it is dangerous to confront people about their sin – they get upset!
- At the very least they will try to avoid us – because we are reminding them of their sin…
- They might get VERY upset yell at us – because they want to silence us…
- Yet we are called to confront others in SPITE of how they react to us…
- We want to see them clean / forgiven – spoken in LOVE – Ephesians 4:15
- Not that we can make people turn back to Jesus – but we can warn them!
- Because the truth is leaving someone in their sin – is condemning them to hell!
- 5th – EXHORT – coming along side others…
- EXHORT – (imperative) – parakaleō – to come alongside / to support and comfort…
- One of the names for the Holy Spirit is the HELPER – paraklētos (same root word) …
- John 15:26 – “When the Helper comes… He will testify of Me [Jesus] …”
- Not everyone needs to be REPROVED / REBUKED – when it comes to the Gospel…
- Some people are already broken – ready to listen to the hope from the Word…
- If that is the case – then we are called to come along side – and encourage them!
- 6th – Teaching with LONGSUFFERING…
- LONGSUFFERING – to endure the wrath of someone for a LONG time…
- Just because someone does not listen to the Gospel the first time we share…
- Does not mean we give up on them – just like God did NOT give up on us!
- Romans 2:4 – “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering [same word], not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
- Telling some people about Jesus can seem at times like talking to a rock…
- They just do not want to listen – but that does not mean we stop talking…
- Drop a sledgehammer enough times on a rock – and it will eventually crack!
- Jeremiah 23:29 – “My word… like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces…”
- LONGSUFFERING – to endure the wrath of someone for a LONG time…
- 1st – PREACH the Word – kēryssō – (imperative) to proclaim / announce the Gospel
- 3rd – Fulfill your ministry… vs. 5
- 1st – Be WATCHFUL in ALL things…
- WATCHFUL (imperative) nepho – 6x in NT – to be calm and aware / observant!
- We can fulfill our ministry – when we are clear minded / alert…
- Why – because we have an ENEMY who would love for us to be caught off guard!
- I Peter 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant [same words]; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
- If we are not serving the Lord – if we are just trying to blend into the crowd…
- We are not a threat to satan – he is not going to waste his time on us!
- But if we stand up and start to serve the Lord – we are going to get his attention…
- We can expect the attacks to start coming – because we are fulfilling our ministry!
- Satan would love to keep us distracted – therefore we need to be WATCHFUL in ALL things…
- If he can get us CAUGHT up in this life – he might be able to get us taken out of the ministry!
- II Corinthians 2:11 – “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
- 2nd – ENDURE afflictions…
- ENDURE (imperative) – kakopatheō – to go through evil or difficult times…
- We often assume bad things only happen to bad people – you get what you deserve…
- But the truth is God lets bad things happen to those whom He LOVES – Hebrews 12:5-6
- Because it is in the hard times of life we cry out to and draw close to God!
- We want God to use us – we want to draw closer to the Lord…
- But often we will find that before God a work through us – He first does one in us!
- Do not be surprised if we ask God to use us – only to find we are in a TRIAL…
- God uses that to prepare us – mold us – shape us – into Godly men and women!
- 3rd – DO (imperative) the work of an EVANGELIST …
- EVANGELIST – 3x in NT – Acts 21:8 / Ephesians 4:11 – one who proclaims the Gospel…
- Timothy was called to be an EVANGELIST – called to tell unbelievers about Jesus!
- This is the THIRD time Paul encourages Timothy to use his GIFT…
- He was commanded not to NEGELCT the GIFT – I Timothy 4:14
- He was then told to STIR UP the GIFT – II Timothy 1:6
- Now he is told to DO the work of his GIFT – be an EVANGELIST!
- It was not enough to HAVE the GIFT – Timothy had to do the WORK of his GIFT!
- If we see a GIFT in someone – and they are NEGLECTING it – we should encourage them…
- If it is obvious someone is called – but they are shy – we should STIR UP their gift…
- Because if we are NOT using our GIFT – doing the WORK – something is lacking in church!
- EVANGELIST – 3x in NT – Acts 21:8 / Ephesians 4:11 – one who proclaims the Gospel…
- 4th – FULFILL (imperative) your MINISTRY…
- All of us have a MINSITRY from God – but the question is what it is!
- 1st – Be WATCHFUL in ALL things…
- MINSITRY – diakonia – 34x in NT the office of a SERVANT…
- SERVANT – diakonos – one who executes the commands of his master!
- If we think God has given us a particular MINISTRY – we should STEP OUT and try…
- If God has given us a desire to worship – then ask to be a part of the worship team…
- If God has given us a desire to teach – then start a Bible study!
- I Peter 4:10 – “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
- FULFILL – to accomplish – carry through to the end – complete…
- We will FULFILL our MINSITRY when we – are WATCHFUL in all things…
- Because we have not allowed satan to distract us and remove us from MINISTRY…
- When we ENDURE afflictions for the sake of Jesus Christ…
- Because we have not become discouraged and drop out of MINISTRY…
- Allowing us to DO the work of the MINSITRY that God has called us to!
- Just as Paul FULFILLED his MINISTRY – to the very END!
- 4th – The example of Paul… vs. 6-8
- 1st – I am already being POURED OUT as an offering… vs. 6
- POURED OUT – 2x in NT – a reference to the DRINK OFFERING – Genesis 35:14
- Fulfilled in the death of Jesus – when he POURED OUT his blood for our sins…
- Luke 22:20 – “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
- Paul was likewise about to have his life POURED OUT for the sake of the Gospel!
- The time of my DEPARTURE is at hand…
- Paul was sitting on death row – he knew his time was coming soon…
- He was not upset / he was not complaining / he just wanted to serve the Lord…
- And Paul was more than willing to lay down his life for Jesus!
- Time is the MOST precious and limited resource we are given in this life…
- We do not know how much time God has given us here on this earth…
- The question is what we are going to do with the time God has given us!
- Ephesians 5:16 – “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
- POURED OUT – 2x in NT – a reference to the DRINK OFFERING – Genesis 35:14
- 2nd – Paul was READY to see Jesus… vs. 7
- 1st – I am already being POURED OUT as an offering… vs. 6
- FOUGHT (perfect) – agōnizomai – to agonize – struggle…
- Good (kalos) FIGHT – the good FIGHT – is to live a life of FAITH – on the narrow path!
- Luke 13:24 – “Strive [FIGHT] to enter through the narrow gate…”
- Living by FAITH on the narrow path – means daily going to WAR…
- As a believer in Jesus – we are forgiven – but that does not mean we cannot still sin…
- Our spirit has been reborn – but we are still dwell in our fallen sinful bodies!
- We still face temptations – struggle with our desires – we can still choose to sin…
- If we give into sin – we harden towards God – we stumble in our walk…
- There is a very real danger of us giving up – dropping out of the fight…
- We need to FIGHT – STRUGGLE to live a life of FAITH – dedicated to Jesus!
- Hebrews 12:1 – “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…”
Well done good and faithful servant – enter into the Joy of your Lord – Matthew 25:21
I have FINISHED (perfect) the RACE…
We began a race / fight the day we believed in Jesus – it ends the day we die…
Often as believers we start off well – but we do not finish well…
We get tired because we start to have confidence in something other than Jesus…
We begin to depend on ourselves / other people / or some program…
But they did not save us – and they cannot finish what they did not start…
Our job is to keep our eyes on Jesus – believing He will finish what He started!
Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”
I have KEPT (perfect) the FAITH…
There is no doubt HOW we are saved – by GRACE through FAITH – Ephesians 2:8-9
But there is some debate in the church about WHEN we are SAVED…
Are we SAVED the DAY we believe in Jesus – or the DAY we go home to be with Jesus…
Not that we can LOSE our salvation – but it appears we can REJECT our salvation…
There is a DANGER to living a lifestyle of sin – it can harden our hearts…
And if we are NOT careful – we might not KEEP the FAITH until the end!
Hebrews 3:12-13 – “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
3rd – The CROWN of RIGHTEOUSNESS … vs. 8
Finally – there is LAID UP (reserved) for me a CROWN of RIGHTEOUSNESS…
Which the Lord the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE – will give to me on THAT DAY (his death)!
The reward of a CROWN is only mentioned 5 times in the Bible…
I Corinthians 9:25 / II Timothy 4:8 / James 1:12 / I Peter 5:4 / Revelation 2:10
The CROWN is always singular – not CROWNS – meaning there is only one…
The CROWN is always followed a description…
Eternal CROWN / CROWN of Righteousness / CROWN of Life / and CROWN of Glory…
The CROWN that Paul was excited to receive – was heaven!
Not just PAUL – the CROWN is for ALL who LOVE the appearing of the Lord…
The point is simple and powerful – there is ONE WAY to get to heaven – John 14:6
Which is why we PREACH the Word – WARNING every man – Colossians 1:28
FULFILLING our MINISTRY – so that we may FINISH the race…
To one day stand before the father in heaven – receive our CROWN – and hear the words…
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