Sermon Brief
Date Written: July 5, 2006
Date Preached: July 9, 2006
Where Preached: OZHBC (PM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: Idolatry in the Church
Sermon Title: Stay on Task, Avoiding the Idol of Distraction
Sermon Text: 2 Tim 4:1-8 (NASB) read now…
Introduction:
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:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, 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 course, I have kept the faith;
8 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.
• Who is this from? Paul
• Who is this addressed to? Timothy
• What is Paul saying to Timothy?
Stay on task…
Carry on the ministry…
Don’t lose focus…
Don’t be distracted…
Don’t be deceived…
Don’t forsake God’s Word…
Don’t allow false teachers in…
Don’t allow the flesh to rule…
Who do these verses mainly apply to? Pastors, Church Leaders, Teachers… but can they apply to all believers, YES!
If so, what are the underlying principles that are universal in their application for all believers?
1. It is a charge is from a man of God to another man of God to carry on… or from one Christian to another to be faithful…
2. This charge is very important…
3. This charge is direct and to the point…
4. The charge is for the main thing to stay the main thing…
5. The charge warns that distractions WILL come…
6. The charge encourages staying the course…
7. The charge reveals the reward to those who are faithful…
Essence of the Text: Paul charged Timothy to stay on task
Essence of the Sermon: God charges all believers to stay on task
Objective of the Sermon: To reveal the importance of avoiding distraction and remaining focused on the task at hand…
Penetrating Question: Why must I avoid distraction and stay on task?
In his book Fuzzy Memories, the fictional author Jack Handey of Saturday Night Live fame writes:
There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him.
Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate lesson guy said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So I just went back to paying the bully.
For far to long the church has had the attitude that it is easier just to pay the bully than it is to pay the price to learn how to beat him…and it is because we are afraid!
However, in our passage this morning Paul tells us how to defeat the bully by being obedient and staying on task by avoiding the idol of distraction.
In this passage Paul reveals to Timothy 4 particular characteristics about the task of taking the Gospel to the lost, the 1st of which is that…
1. The Task is Important (v.1)
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…
In v.1 we can see the importance of the task at hand being revealed by the apostle Paul in the tone and context of his writing. Paul says, “…I solemnly charge you…”
The word used here for solemnly is the Greek word diamarturomai (dia-mar-tour-oh-my) which means to affirm solemnly…
But what we need to understand is that this particular Greek word is actually a compound word consisting of 2 Greek root words…
The 1st root word is the Greek word dia which means on account of, because of or through…
The 2nd root word is the Greek word marturomai which means to affirm a matter or to summon as witness to a matter…
So in other words what Paul is saying here is he is witness to and affirms that what he has to say is of the greatest and utmost of importance for Timothy and his ministry…
But Paul goes even further in assuring Timothy that this was an important matter…
Paul says, “…in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead…”
Here Paul alludes to what Jesus taught in John 10:30 when He said, “I and the Father are One…” Here Paul ascribes deity to Christ in that He is one with the Father and that He will be the One to judge us at the end of time…
Finally Paul stresses the importance of what he is about to say by relating it to the mission at hand… the Gospel message of Christ and the building up of the Kingdom of God.
By saying, ’…by His his appearing…” Paul was alluding to the incarnation of God into flesh through the miraculous Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.
But not merely His birth but also His sinless and perfect life and His selfless and sacrificial death on the Cross, but most importantly His resurrection and appearance to His disciples…
Paul is emphasizing the importance of the task at hand for Timothy and the implication here is that this is so important that you need to remain FOCUSED and you cannot be distracted…
And likewise we must understand the importance of the task at hand. We are called by Christ to be His witnesses and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
All too often, we seem to lose focus and get distracted from our mission of being a witness and taking the Gospel to the world. This is because we desire to focus on the things that WE deem important and not the things God deems important.
Church growth consultant Win Arn observed something very disturbing in the church today. He did a survey in which he interviewed the members of nearly 1000 churches in regard to what they perceived to be the mission of the church.
His results revealed that 89% of those he surveyed said the church exists ‘To take care of my family’s and my needs.’ And only 11% said the church existed to win the world to Christ.
This survey points to a disturbing reality within Christianity itself… It reveals that the majority of Christians don’t have a right sense of mission at all…they do not understand what it means to be a follower of Christ.
As believers, we need to heed our calling and we also need to understand that what we are doing is of great importance and we cannot lose focus or be distracted…
But another issue we must address in this passage is that Paul said, “I solemnly charge YOU…” which leads me to my 2nd characteristic task of taking the Gospel to the lost, and that is that…
2. The Task is Personal (v.2 and 5)
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction…
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
READ BOTH VERSES HERE…
Looking in v. 2 and v.5 we can see that Paul revealed to Timothy that the task of taking the Gospel to the world was a personal task!
Paul wanted Timothy to face up to the challenge of the task of the Gospel as he had done… and today this same call is for all believers. But for some reason, it seems that we don’t believe it applies to us…
It is kind of like Linus and his philosophy of life on difficult things, He said, "I don’t like to face problems head on. I think the best way to solve problems is to avoid them. In fact, this is a distinct philosophy of mine. No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!"
How often do we run away from something God has placed in our lives? It is a fact that far too often we have the same attitude as Linus… we simply want to run away or avoid the task at hand. But we are called to stay on task and NOT run from it…
When we look at these 2 verses we can to see the tasks that Paul gave to Timothy so that he WOULD stay on task, so that he WOULD be obedient…
But the important thing I want us to remember today is that although Paul was speaking TO Timothy, these tasks were not JUST given for him, but they also apply to all believers…
Paul says, “…preach the word…” What Paul is saying is that he must first study, know and understand Scripture so that when the opportunity presents itself that he would be able to expound on the Scripture so that others can learn of God…
Timothy was called to share the message of God to the world around him… Timothy was called by Paul to stay on task and continue sharing the Gospel of Jesus…
Likewise we are all called to ‘preach the word’ to learn, know and understand Scripture so that we can share it with the lost, but Paul does not stop there…
Paul also says, “…be ready in season and out of season…” Paul is telling Timothy to be ready to witness at anytime, and likewise we are called to take the Gospel of Christ to the entire world and we are supposed to be ready to share the Gospel of Christ at any time, regardless of the circumstance or situation.
So many times we say to ourselves, “…well I can’t share Christ in this situation because of this… or because of that…” or we find ourselves saying, “…because of this circumstance I am going to put off sharing Christ for now… but I will get back with them…”
We are called to be ready at ALL times! Are you ready to fulfill your mission to God today? Are you ready to stay on task for God today? Or are you allowing the distractions of the world to influence you and take you away from your task as a believer?
Paul also says, “…to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction…” The words that Paul uses here for reprove and rebuke are actually pretty harsh words. They actually mean to accuse or to criticize.
What Paul is saying here is that as believers we are going to face those who doubt us and ridicule us… we are going to come against those who do not believe us and teach things totally opposite from the Christian faith…
Paul is saying here that as believers, we must expose evil with the Truth of the Gospel… when evil is exposed for what it really is, it is rebuked and reproved… but to expose evil we open ourselves up to scrutiny and ridicule…
But Paul continues when he writes that we are also to exhort those around us with the Word of God. We are to encourage and push and insist that the Word of God is truth and that people need to turn to God… we must insist and press them so that they see the importance of the Gospel…
But all too often when humanity tries to insist on something, the first reaction of others is that we are attempting to gain control of them or the situation… and the message is rejected…
However, Paul shares here that our criticism and rebuke must be done at a certain level… in a manner that does NOT belittle the one being reached out to, but…
When we reach out in rebuke and reproof, we are to do so in a loving, forgiving, patient and totally teachable manner. We are to do it in such a way that we shine God’s love into the situation.
We are to preach and teach the word in a loving and forgiving manner, but Paul also shares with Timothy that the believer is also supposed to…
“…be sober in all things…” Now the term sober here is the Greek word napho (nay-foh) which actually means to stay sober and free of wine…
To be sober in all situations… to be ready in and out of season to share the Gospel of Christ… Paul understood the need for the Christian to NOT partake in any form of mind-altering substances…
In His day wine and beer were the norm, but in our time we have many more distractions that we can use to alter our state of mind. Beer and wine are popular and you may even hear a preacher state to you that drinking is not a sin…
But what I can tell you this morning is that drinking and doing things that change your state of mind, such as recreational drugs, or the abuse of prescription drugs, or any other form of mind altering substances… it is NOT good for you or the Kingdom!
But here is where the sin comes in… when the opportunity presents itself and we are NOT ready, we are selfish and self-centered and we are NOT willing OR not able to be used by God when and where He calls upon us.
This is because it leaves you unprepared and NOT ready to share the Gospel of Christ when the opportunity arises. “…Be sober…”is Paul’s way of again saying, Be ready at all times…ready and level headed to share Christ which is our task!
I want to be really clear on this matter here because it seems that so many people are NOT clear on it… for you to be a full-time, sold-out, obedient, follower of Christ… there is NO room in your life for alcohol or any other mind altering substance.
It is not so much the drinking as it is the fact that it causes you to focus on SELF and not on God… and it is going to damage and eventually destroy your witness for Christ!
But Paul also says, “…endure hardship…” What Paul was saying to Timothy was not IF hardship comes that he should be ready… but rather WHEN hardship comes that he should be ready.
We are taught in the Bible that hardship will come and that those who serve Christ will suffer persecution. Jesus said that the world would hate you because of His name.
Well what is it like in our world today… I challenge you to interject Jesus Christ into a public statement today… you will be ridiculed and mocked to no end!
The book of James shares that WHEN persecutions come… not IF… that we are to rejoice and count it as joy because we are being tested and through testing we can grow and mature in our faith. Paul knew this as well and he wanted Timothy to know it as well.
Paul then says to Timothy, “…do the work of an evangelist…” which basically means that Timothy was to be the bringer of the Good News to those around him… like Timothy we are also called to focus on the task and be the bringer of Good News to the world around us…
Then Paul announces, “…fulfill your ministry…” and in this statement Paul is saying, if you will do what God has called you to do… if you will be obedient to God’s call… the ministry God has called you to will be fulfilled and completed.
Realizing this… it should be the call of ALL believers to be obedient and complete the task God has called us to… to stay on task… to focus on the main thing…
We are called to reveal God’s plan in the form of the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is perfect and brings light to a darkened world.
When the darkness is invaded by the light, things that have been hidden are revealed… things that are evil are exposed… and Paul understood from experience that when you reveal Christ to a lost world, that sin is revealed and that is never something people want to see or admit to…
So I can also see that the 3rd characteristic we find in our passage this morning is that although the task of the gospel is important and personal…
3. The Task is Unpopular (v.3-4)
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Here Paul shares with Timothy that this task is NOT going to be something the world WANTS to hear and Paul explains why…
Paul says, “…the time will come…” Here Paul basically is saying, it may not be happening at this moment, but there will come a time when opposition will come your way… and you will have to stand up against persecution…
Paul also says, “…they will NOT endure sound doctrine…” Paul is not speaking of those supposedly out in the world, but Paul is speaking of those who supposedly have come into the church and claim a relationship with Christ.
Paul says that some of these people would come to reject the truth of Scripture and begin to seek their OWN truth. They will reject the truth of the Word because it seems to rigid for them…
Paul continues by saying, “…wanting to have their ears tickled…” and this reveals something about the character of fallen man. As fallen and sinful creatures it is our nature to seek out the easiest way for our journey.
I once read about a “Wilderness Trail” in America that received several comment cards about their wilderness trail… here are some of the responses…
• Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
• Too many bugs and leeches and spiders, please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.
• Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
• The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
• Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights.
• There are too many rocks in the mountains.
• The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.
• A MacDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
And just like all humanity, so often we Christians also look for the path of least resistance. We desire that things be easy and that we run across NO resistance, but we need to realize that God’s path is God’s path, regardless of how difficult it can be.
And although the path may be unpopular with the world and difficult for us, it is still the path God has designated and we must remain on task and focused on the goal at hand…
Paul goes on to say, “…[they will] accumulate teachers in accordance with their own desires…”
Paul understood human nature and this was a typical reaction for humanity. It is a physical manifestation of a deeper spiritual problem.
What Paul is saying is that we want to hear what makes us happy and so we search out and find those who are willing to say what we want to hear…
Paul goes on to say, “…they will turn away from the truth…” which means that the Gospel Message of truth about Jesus Christ will be rejected… or it will be relegated to a status of NON-IMPORTANCE!
The Gospel they seek is a gospel that fits their desires and circumstances, to these people the absolute truth of Christ has become irrelevant and they begin to create their own truth…
Paul finishes this part by saying, “…[they will] turn aside to myths…” We have to realize that when absolute truth is NOT present… people will succumb to all forms of lies, tales and myths!
Without the presence of the TRUTH of Christ, people readily accept myths because they are still seeking something, but it is something of self-pleasure that they seek and not the truth…
The task is oh, so important, and the task is personal, and the task is very unpopular, but Paul concludes this passage by relating to Timothy that even though all may seem dark and dreary…
4. The Task is Worthy (v.6-8)
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 course, I have kept the faith;
8 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.
In these verses we find Paul revealing to Timothy that his time is done and like a glass of water he is being poured out, which gives us a picture of Paul understanding that his time on this earth was almost done…
Paul assures Timothy that “…he fought the good fight…” Paul revealed to believers all throughout his ministry that Christians are in a war… it is a spiritual war and Paul was sharing with Timothy that he had fought with faith, trust in God and obedience.
This is not bragging from Paul, but merely Paul pointing out to Timothy that being on God’s side is being on the RIGHT side… that fighting the fight for God was a good fight!
Paul said, “…[I have] finished the course…” Paul wanted Timothy to know that there WAS a particular, God-selected course and that it was there for the believer to stay on and to finish on…
I once read that in a recent NCAA cross-country championship that 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn and were disqualified in the 10,000 meter race.
Mike Delcavo, stayed on the right course and he when he saw the other runners straying off the course, he began waving for them to follow him.
But he could only convince 4 other runners to follow him on the right course. Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded, "They were laughing at me for doing the right thing..."
Even tho’ we may be laughed at and ridiculed and mocked, we must stay on task and stay the course… we must not go the way of the world just because everybody’s doing it… we must remain focus and NOT be distracted.
We are called to finish the race marked out for us by Christ. And we should always rejoice over those who have courage to stay the course, ignoring the laughter of those who stray off course…
Paul knew the course laid out for him and he ran the race as God called him to run, and now he was at the end of his race…
But Paul also said, “…[I have] kept the faith…” We know that Paul had suffered a great many setbacks in his ministry, as well as a great deal of persecution, but we NEVER see Paul losing faith in God, or in what God has called him to do…
Paul was faithful to God and to his calling all the way to the end, and as believers there can be no greater accomplishment or compliment placed on us than for us to be faithful to the end…
We are called by God to be His witnesses and to stay on task and focused on what He has called us to do and Paul is a great role model for us to look to and read about…
But so much of the time, we THINK we are working for the kingdom but what we are doing simply is NOT on task…
We may think we are doing right, but we simply do not understand the situation or the circumstance and we fail to hear God’s instruction…
Conclusion
There are many times when we waste our time doing things that are useless for the kingdom, when we should simply ask God and follow His direction…
It reminds me of a story I once heard about 2 Texas Aggies who went up north to do some ice fishing. They made the long trip but before they did their ice fishing they stopped by a store near the lake for some supplies.
They asked the merchant if he had any ice picks and the merchant pointed them out on the shelf. Each of the men grabbed and ice pick and checked out.
A short while later they returned and asked the merchant if he had any more ice picks. This time they each got two.
A couple hours later they returned and told the merchant, “We’re going to need all the ice picks you have.”
The merchant was somewhat confused at this request and he asked them, “Do you not have a hole big enough to fish in yet?”
“Fish” the men replied. “We don’t even have the boat in the water yet.”
So often we think our way is the ONLY way… However, our way is always going to be harder and more difficult and ultimately impossible to please God…
Just like these men who wanted to ice fish, they were trying to carve out a place for the boat when all they had to do was walk out on the ice and make a hole in the ice and fish… so often we make it harder than it has to be…
We need to understand the task at hand and be willing to do what it takes to get the job done. Our task is to take the message of Christ to the world around us.
Your task as a believer is very simple… share Jesus with others in your life… share Christ with the people that God brings into your life…
You can do this in many ways, but the most effective way is to share what Jesus has done for you… how Jesus has changed your life…
You can also do this by inviting that person to come with you to church and to Sunday School and become a part of learning all about God’s Word.
But one of the things we must do on a constant basis to stay on task and to remain focused in our walk with Christ is that we remember what Christ has done for us…
We must always remember His death on the Cross, the shedding of His blood, the breaking of His body… for the forgiveness of our sins…
We are to look to the resurrection of Christ from the dead that assures us of salvation and eternal life…
We are called to remember what Christ has done for us… but we are called to do so in a worthy and upright manner.
The Bible shares that for a believer to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is to bring the wrath of God upon him…
This morning as Bro Jerry comes I want to open up this altar to all here this morning. Have you strayed in your walk with God… are you off task?
This morning do you have something you need to get straight with God? Do you have something against a brother or sister in our fellowship? Do you have any unconfessed sin in your life?
If so this is the time for you to come and make things right with God, to have God cleanse you with the forgiveness that only He can give! Come as Bro Jerry leads us…
