“Preach the word”. That was Paul’s instruction to young Timothy (2 Timothy 4:2). And without question, it ought to be the instruction given to young preachers today.
But Paul doesn’t begin and end with that one statement. There is much context surrounding this exhortation to “preach the word”. There are reasons that an elder in a church should be primarily focused on teaching the Word of God to the congregation. First of all, Paul describes the Word (i.e. the Scripture) in the previous chapter—“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.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s Word—the Bible—is actually “breathed out by God”. We don’t need a fresh word from the Lord today. We don’t need to listen for the audible voice of God today. We don’t need a pastor to tell us about some new revelation he supposedly received today. The Bible is God’s revelation to man. It is complete and adequate for God’s people. It is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”. It is far superior to any opinion that any man may offer. It trumps all tradition. Only the Word of God promises to make God’s children “complete, equipped for every good work.” This truth alone ought to cause God’s people to search for a church where God’s Word is consistently read and explained. Sometimes chapter breaks cause us to miss a connection—this is, perhaps, one of those occasions. Paul’s description of the Scripture leads straight into this instruction to Timothy to “preach the word”. And certainly, that makes perfect sense. If the Bible is God’s complete revelation of Himself to mankind, then it alone is able to thoroughly equip the saints “for every good work”. Therefore, it must be preached for God’s children to receive proper instruction. The congregation doesn’t need new neat ideas from the pastor. God’s people need God’s Word. Paul understood this and thus charged Timothy, “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: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Jesus will judge church leaders when He appears to establish His kingdom. And according to Paul, He will judge their commitment to preaching the Word of God. Those whom God has gifted to preach, therefore, must always be committed to preach the Word—“in season and out of season”. That is, whether the audience wants to hear God’s Word or not, it is the duty of the God-called man to preach it. Properly preached, God’s Word will “reprove” (convict or correct), “rebuke” (charge) and “exhort” (encourage). This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Paul’s description of the Word in the previous passage. God’s people need God’s Word. It alone is what God has given to instruct the saints today. And, He has equipped church leaders to open it, read it, explain it and apply it. That’s exactly what Paul is telling Timothy to do. And by extension, that’s what elders in churches should be doing today. But the text doesn’t stop there. Timothy was to preach the Word out of a concern for the future of the church. “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, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). It has been suggested that the straightforward teaching of God’s Word simply will not draw people today. Perhaps that’s true from a certain point of view. Without a doubt, the lost often scoff at God’s Word. But even much of professing Christendom doesn’t desire the preaching of God’s Word when they go to church. They are there for encouragement or excitement or emotion. Perhaps they are there for an experience or an escape from the problems of life. If we aren’t cautious, we’ll treat the church service much like the world treats a drug. The worship service is to be God-focused and God-honoring. And this is only accomplished when men who have been equipped by God stand up and accurately preach the Word to God’s people. Much of Christendom today has wandered “off into myths”. You cannot tell such a congregation simply by how it might look externally. A myth-focused church may have strobe lights and fog machines, or it may have finely dressed congregants holding red-back hymnals. The true test comes when the preacher stands behind the pulpit. If a preacher’s goal is to give folks their best life now, he is doing nothing more than supplying the naturally depraved human heart with worldly desires (covetousness). If a pastor spends the bulk of his time patting people on the back to convince them they are the greatest on earth, he also is most likely an ear-tickler. An elder that is worth his salt will devoted “to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). Anything less normally results in little more than ear tickling—and it’s why many congregations “accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” If all this is true, pastors must learn to distinguish between a sermon that merely talks about the Bible and one that actually preaches the text of Scripture. To preach the Bible is to let the Bible speak. To preach the Bible is to read a passage and explain it to the congregation with application for their lives today. To preach the Bible is to concern oneself with the actual meaning of the text in context. Then, he must expound that message to the audience while explaining Biblically what it means for God’s people today. Much preaching today does little more than talk about the Bible (at best). There is a vast difference between Paul’s instruction to Timothy and using the Bible as a springboard to get into what you wanted to say before you ever opened up your Bible. One approach tells the congregation what God has said—in His Word. The other tells the congregation what the pastor wants to say while hijacking God’s Word. Paul is clear in his instruction on preaching. And it is only by properly preaching God’s Word to God’s people that a pastor can “fulfill [his] ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Let those of us that have been called by God reaffirm a commitment to teach God’s Word to God’s people. And for the record, we need it all. Jesus was crystal clear when He told the devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). God’s people need God’s Word—all of it. As pastors then, we must be committed to preaching the entire Bible—“every word”. This means we should at least have the goal of teaching the congregation “every word” from Genesis to Revelation. That is a high calling. And, it will not be easy. It’s far easier for a man to prepare a simple three-point sermonette on some thought he has while stringing along a few verses (perhaps yanked kicking and screaming out of context). It takes time and sweat to prepare to preach God’s Word properly—as He has given it. Nevertheless, that was Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Therefore, by extension it is God’s instruction to every elder in every church today. Pastor, commit today to “preach the word.”
0 Comments
|
AuthorTodd Bryant is the Lead Elder at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Northport, AL. He has pastored there since 1998. For more more information on the church and links to audio sermons and apps for electronic devices, visit www.sovereigngrace.net Archives
February 2022
Categories |