The Preacher’s Mandate

2 Timothy 4:1-2

Outdoor Service with UCC – 8/2/26

          Preach the word! These words are meant to hit Timothy like a thunderclap! There’s nothing like this in all of Paul’s writings. And though Paul is issuing this charge to Timothy, God intends for these words to thunder in our ears too.

          For our brothers and sisters from Utica City Church: At Immanuel Baptist Church, we have been working through 2 Timothy since the end of April. And on the day when our two churches are gathered together, in this lovely outdoor setting, it is no coincidence that today we land on 2 Timothy 4:1-2. Both of our churches, every church, needs to hear the charge: Preach the word!

          Let me briefly set it up. For about a decade Timothy traveled with Paul, ministered with him, learned from him, lived with him. Timothy has become like a son to Paul, which is how Paul begins this letter: To Timothy, my beloved child (2 Timothy 1:2).

          Now Timothy is pastoring the church in Ephesus. That young church was like a small ship floating in a sea of pagan and fleshly influence, buffeted by false teachings, with counterfeit Christians seeking to pirate the church. Paul sent Timothy there in a time of crisis, to right the ship, to keep the faith, to navigate everyone safely home.

          When Paul writes this second and urgent letter to Timothy, he is sitting on death row in a Roman prison. Soon he will be executed for his faith – martyred. 2 Timothy contains the last recorded words from the Apostle Paul. These are Paul’s closing words to Timothy.

          Imagine writing a final letter to your son or daughter, whether biological or spiritual, knowing it was the last letter they would ever receive from you. Imagine the weight of that, the solemnity, the finality. You wouldn’t want to waste a single word. You would fill it with affection. And you would want to impart some wisdom to them, something that would greatly help them with their future.

          That is 2 Timothy. And in 2 Timothy, we find the climactic moment of the whole letter in 4:1-2. We come to an exceedingly solemn moment with that thunderous command: Preach the word!

          Main Point

          The pastor’s central mandate is to faithfully herald the word of God for the glory of God and the good of the church.

          Ok, I’ve said 2 Timothy 4:1-2 is the climactic moment of the whole letter. Why do I say that? And why does Paul wrap a single command with such overwhelming solemnity?

          Both of these questions are answered by five intensifiers Paul places before the command to preach. Before Paul ever tells Timothy what to do, he piles one reality upon another. Five times he increases the weight before finally arriving at the command. Listen for them.

          I charge you

in the presence of God

and of Christ Jesus,

who is the judge of the living and the dead,

and by his appearing and his kingdom:

preach the word!

          Let’s take these five intensifiers one at a time.

I charge you. Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at Pastor Owen Similie's ordination. As part of that ordination, he received what is traditionally called a charge—a solemn commission reminding him of the responsibility he was about to assume.

What is the responsibility? For those receiving the charge, the wellbeing of others is at stake. A charge does not carry weight only for the one receiving it, but also for those who will be affected by his faithfulness – or failure.

Now, consider Paul’s charge to Timothy. How many souls belong to the Ephesian church? For their sake Timothy must preach the word. But more than that! Paul sees Timothy as the foremost person who will continue his ministry. To Jews and Gentiles, near and far, in persecution and in peace; as Paul whole ministry centered around the proclamation of the word, so also does he charge Timothy!

Beneath Paul's charge is the sacred authority of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. This is no casual suggestion. It’s not fatherly advice. It’s not ministry coaching. It is an apostolic commission.

And though Paul’s apostolic commission has specific application for Timothy, there is a principle for every man pastoring Christ’s church. There are souls at stake in every local church. They will be affected by the pastor’s faithfulness – or failure. And the single greatest marker of a faithful pastor is if they…

Preach the word!

In the presence of God. Though Timothy preaches before men, he ultimately preaches before the Author of all creation. And the Author has entrusted his words to men. How can it be? What will such men do with his words?

There was a time when false prophets proliferated in Israel, claiming their words were God’s words. God heard their lies. He saw their masquerade. And through Jeremiah he spoke:

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’

                                                                   -Jeremiah 23:24-25

Everything is laid bare before the eyes of the Almighty. With him there are no secrets. It’s not about entertainment or charisma; it’s about the unadulterated word of God! God will expose counterfeits. As it was with Timothy, so it is with every pastor.

For Paul will soon be gone, but God will remain. Before God Himself, the pastor is to…

Preach the word!

Also in the presence of Christ Jesus. He is the living Word – who, in the beginning, was with God and is God. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

He came for his bride, the church. He paid for her ransom with his own blood. Yes, for everyone who believes, Jesus took the punishment your sins deserve so you could receive pardon. Then, rising from the dead, he secured everlasting life. Oh, believe in Jesus and be forgiven! Trust in Jesus and he shall give you everlasting life! Hear this word, for in it is the power of God unto salvation!

The One who gave his life to save his people, he also is watching. He hears every word. He loves his church unto death. Pastor, how will you care for his bride?

Preach the word!

For he is the judge of the living and the dead. And Scripture testifies that,

We who teach will be judged with greater strictness.              -James 3:1

Timothy will one day give an account for every word he preaches; as will every pastor. If preaching becomes about the preacher – if it exists to entertain or traffics in half-truths – the counterfeits will be sifted when the Man comes around. Such preaching will not survive the judgment of Christ.

Also, every person under the pastor’s care will one day have to give account for their lives too. Everyone in my hearing will come to judgment day. Will you be crushed by the weight of your works? Or will you stand redeemed, having trusted in Jesus’ saving works? It is the pastor’s job to tell every person in his care the good news of salvation. How shall he do this?

Preach the word!

By His appearing and His kingdom. The Son of God has already appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. When he appeared, like a tiny mustard seed, he planted a kingdom in the soil of this broken world. Ever since, the kingdom of God has been growing.

And though, today, Christ rules his kingdom from heaven, he has promised to return – to appear once again. When he appears, he will bring the kingdom he inaugurated into its fulness. He will be with us and we with him, and he shall wipe away every tear, and death shall be no more, and neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore (Revelation 21:4).

Jesus has appeared. It is a past event. Jesus will appear again. It is a future event. In between, Timothy – and every pastor – are charged to proclaim the good news of that kingdom; that heart by heart, nation by nation, the kingdom of Christ would advance.

 Whatever resistance there shall be, whatever persecution or suffering must be endured, Christ is coming. He will vindicate. He will restore. He will make all things new! Therefore…

Preach the Word!

          Five intensifiers piled one on top of the other, building to those three weighty words.

          Last week at Immanuel we saw that the Bible is the ultimate authority because through it the living God speaks. This truth comes streaming out of the passage immediately preceding this morning’s. Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 in your Bibles.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The God of the galaxies, eternal, infinite, possessor of all power, before whom the mountains melt like wax – through a humble book he speaks to you today and every day, if only you will open its pages and listen. How lowly of our God to communicate through such ordinary means! What a treasure we possess in this humble, magnificent book!

And the words of this book – the very words of God – these are all the pastor has to offer. God’s word is what he must preach. Preaching is not story time. It’s not about politics and human opinions. It’s not a pep rally. It’s not about the pastor’s personality. Preaching is about Christ crucified, risen, and reigning; as revealed in the shadows of the Old Testament and in the unveiled brilliance of the New Testament. The pastor is to…

Preach the Word!

God has entrusted his word to human messengers, but he has not given them authorship. The Greek word translated “preach” could also be rendered herald.

Before the invention of the printing press, when a king wished to communicate with his people, he sent written proclamations that were publicly read by a herald or town crier. The herald would hold the king's message high and proclaim: “Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!”

His authority did not come from himself, but from the king whose message he carried. If he was a good herald, his voice matched the message. If the proclamation was solemn, he spoke solemnly. If it was joyful, he spoke joyfully. If it carried urgency or weight, his delivery reflected that.

So it is with preaching. The preacher is a herald. He takes the authoritative words of King Jesus to the citizens of his kingdom, and without altering the message or inserting himself into it, he is to…

Preach the Word!

How is it that the Author of creation has entrusted his words to sinful men? How can it be? I believe Paul was also struck by this question.

Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.                                                                       -2 Corinthians 2:16-17

          Who is sufficient for these things? No one. If preaching depended upon the preacher’s strength, the task would be impossible. But the God who calls also supplies grace. By the power of his glorious grace, God makes wise the foolish and strengthens the weak!

Hear now what the pastor will need that strength and wisdom for.

          Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

          In season and out of season. Preach the Word when the church is growing and when it is struggling. Preach the Word when people gladly receive it and when they refuse to listen. Preach the Word in seasons of joy and seasons of suffering.

          In all circumstances, the word of God must go out. It is God’s provision for his people, their daily bread. Oh God, give us this day our daily bread! May we taste and see that the Lord is good!

May we hear the Good Shepherd’s voice and keep from wandering! Through faithful preaching, Jesus calls to his sheep. As he said,

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

                                                                             -John 10:27

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. Pastors are merely His under-shepherds. Because these sheep belong to Christ, he tells pastors exactly what they are to do with His Word:

Reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

          For continuity with last week’s message, I’ll use the NIV rendering of the 3 verbs in verse 2: correct, rebuke, and encourage.

          Rebuke. Preach the word and let the word rebuke. As I said last week, the pastor does not rebuke because of his own opinions, traditions, or preferences. He rebukes based on what God has rebuked.

Correct. Rebuking tears down what is false. Correction builds up what is true. God will always restore what sin has broken. So when sheep begin to wander, the pastor herds them back together with Scripture.

Encourage. Exhort. With the word of God in his mouth, the pastor is to urge his people onward. Follow me as I follow Christ! The church is to hear their pastor’s heartfelt appeals, understanding there is much at stake, and run after Christ!

As Pastor David Mathis has said, “The preacher needs two voices: one to sting and one to inspire. We challenge, and we cheer. We wound, and we heal. Faithful preaching includes both, because Scripture includes both.”

And Paul says to Timothy, and all pastors by extension, are to do all this with complete patience and teaching.

Oh, brothers and sisters, trust me, it takes patience! The sheep are stubborn. Why can’t everyone listen?! How easy it would be if everyone just took to heart what I preached!

Ah. But is not your pastor also a stubborn sheep? Undoubtedly. So as Christ is patient with me, so am I called to be patient with you.

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.                                                       -1 Timothy 1:16

Paul adds one final word: teaching.

Week after week, passage upon passage, the church learns who God is, who man is, what Christ has done, and how we are to live before him through the careful teaching of God’s word. Little by little God’s truth takes root, until believers are no longer “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

We all must trust that God’s Word will accomplish God’s purposes.

Brothers and sisters, if there is one great lesson running through 2 Timothy, it is this: keep the faith, hold fast to what is genuine. Counterfeit teachers will come, spreading their counterfeit religion. Paul knew people would leave the church to exchange the truth for what is easier. It happened to Timothy, it happens now. And when it happened, Paul exhorted Timothy to endure and keep preaching.

Because the antidote to counterfeit religion has always been the same: Preach the Word!

It is counterfeit churches that chase personalities, novelty, or whatever is trending. The true people of God hunger for one thing: the pure word of God.

So pray for your pastors. Expect them to preach the Scriptures. When you hear God’s word preached, receive it with humility. Test everything by the word. When the world offers counterfeits, cling all the more tightly to what is true.

          Pastors come and go. Paul died. Timothy died. Every faithful shepherd eventually lays down his work. But the word they preached never dies. Generation after generation, Christ continues to build his church through the same living gospel. Therefore let every pastor preach it faithfully, and let every Christian gladly receive it.

For the grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our Lord stands forever (1 Peter 1:24-25).