Fulfill Your Ministry Series

Introduction

In his commentary on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, John MacArthur noted that the final words of dying men and women usually are stripped of hypocrisy and reflect accurately their true beliefs and feelings.

On his deathbed, Napoleon said, “I die before my time; and my body will be given back to earth, to become the food of worms. Such is the fate which so soon awaits the great Napoleon.”

Not long before he died, Gandhi, the world-renowned Hindu religious leader, confessed, “My days are numbered. I am not likely to live very long—perhaps a year or a little more. For the first time in fifty years, I find myself in a slough of despond. All about me is darkness. I am praying for light.”

The nineteenth-century French statesman Talleyrand wrote the following words on a piece of paper and laid it on a nightstand near his bed: “Behold, eighty-three years passed away! What cares! What agitation! What anxieties! What ill-will! What sad complications! And all without other results, except great fatigue of mind and body, and a profound sentiment of discouragement with regard to the future, and of disquiet with regard to the past!”

How different were the last words of the Apostle Paul. His Second Letter to Timothy was the last letter he wrote before his execution. As he concluded his letter, he charged Timothy one final time to be faithful in ministry.

Scripture

Let’s read 2 Timothy 4:1-8:

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

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. (2 Timothy 4:1-8)

Lesson

2 Timothy 4:1-8 is a charge to be faithful in ministry.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. The Witnesses to the Charge (4:1)

2. The First Part of the Charge (4:2)

3. The Reason for the First Part of the Charge (4:3-4)

4. The Second Part of the Charge (4:5)

5. The Reasons for the Second Part of the Charge (4:6-8)

I. The Witnesses to the Charge (4:1)

First, let’s look at the witnesses to the charge.

Paul wrote in verse 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.” The Greek word for “charge” (diamartyromai) means “to admonish or instruct with regard to some future happening or action, with the implication of personal knowledge or experience.” The central theme of Paul’s final charge to Timothy comes into sharp focus in this chapter. Though Paul had written some very important words, his “charge” here is direct and emphatic. The charge itself is given in two parts: the first part of the charge is in verse 2 and the second part of the charge is in verse 5. There are nine commands in these verses that form the essence of the charge to Timothy.

Here in verse 1, Paul calls the Father and Son as witnesses to what he is about to say to Timothy. Paul reminded Timothy that Jesus is the judge who will one day return to execute his judgment on both the living and the dead.

Every Christian serves under the close scrutiny of the omniscient God and Christ Jesus. Though these words were written to Timothy, they are nevertheless applicable to all Christians but especially to pastors. The task of shepherding God’s flock is not to be undertaken flippantly or lightly. Pastors must be conscious that God’s eye is on them and that they are never to misrepresent him. I think of someone who is appointed as an ambassador by the President to represent him in a foreign country. The ambassador must communicate the President’s will to those in the foreign country. Pastors are Christ’s ambassadors. They represent him to the communities in which they serve. Christ has given us his will, which is the word of God. And so pastors must faithfully and accurately and carefully communicate God’s word and his will to the people they are serving. And they do so knowing that they are under the watching eye of God and Christ Jesus.