WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480 If you have a Bible with you this morning, I want you to turn to 2 Timothy chapter 4. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:09.439 We're going to finish up 2 Timothy today, which is what we've been doing while Russ is on sabbatical. 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:14.560 I want you to know that I tried my hardest to give this sermon away to everybody. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:16.640 I went to everyone I could think of. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:23.280 And I trust me, I realize some of you make your displeasure that I am preaching more than known. 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:23.839 I get it. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:24.320 Okay? 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:26.239 Like it shows on your faces. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:28.000 Don't worry, you don't hide it very well. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.359 If you can just stick through this, I tried to give it away. 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:32.799 I tried to let somebody else do it. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:33.600 I promise. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:35.039 But it just didn't work out. 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:36.079 So you're stuck with me. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:36.960 I apologize. 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:38.399 Russ will be back next week. 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:39.759 You'll enjoy it, I promise. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:41.359 So come back and check that out. 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.320 We're going to finish up 2 Timothy, though, in the time. 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:45.439 So far, we've had Sam. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:46.960 Rap has done two messages. 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:50.000 Jack Simmons last week, who was sick today, by the way, so pray for Jack. 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:54.240 He uh preached last week, and they have knocked it out of the park up to this point. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:57.759 I'm going to come in, ruin it, and then we're going to go back to normal next week, okay? 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:00.159 So that's that's kind of the plan going forward. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:05.200 But if you got your Bible, 2 Timothy chapter 4 is where we're going this morning, and we'll start reading in verse 1. 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:21.040 The Bible says, 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 in his kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:27.040 Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:32.879 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:41.040 But wanting to have their ears tickled, they'll accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:46.640 And will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside the myth. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:57.599 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:03.280 For I'm already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:05.040 I've fought the good fight. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:06.560 I've finished the course. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.240 I've kept the faith. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:16.159 In the future, there's laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:21.599 And not only to me, but also to all those who have loved his appearance. 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:23.039 Let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:24.319 Father, we thank you for your word. 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.520 Thank you for an opportunity to study your word, to hear from you, Father. 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:31.280 I pray that today these would not be my words. 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:34.400 Father, that it would be all of you and none of me. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:39.120 Father, I pray that your holy word would be a roaring line. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:41.039 That you would allow me to open the cage. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:42.080 In Jesus' name. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:42.960 Amen. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:52.159 So sometimes I kind of get in trouble after messages every now and then with some things that I say that Mandy doesn't know that I'm going to say. 00:02:52.639 --> 00:03:02.479 And so that creates a little lunch problem on Sunday afternoon sometimes, you know, and we have to discuss those things because I never tell her, she asks me what I'm preaching on, I always just say Jesus. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:04.080 And then that's it. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.719 And that's the only indicator that I give her, right? 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:15.439 But so today it's it's not gonna be that bad because I I finally have just come to a realization that myself, this ends up kind of being a group therapy thing a little bit for me. 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:21.919 Um I've just come to the realization of myself that I have slipped into full-blown like dad mode in my life, okay? 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.759 Um, and this is not one of those things where like you have to have kids understand, that's not what I'm talking about. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.080 I'm talking about think about your parents, okay? 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:30.400 You see those insurance commercials on TV right now? 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:32.879 First time homebuyers turning into their parents? 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.360 Like, they have nailed me. 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.000 Like, I am like it hurts sometimes to see this. 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:40.719 I find myself choosing Crocs more often. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:41.680 Does that make sense? 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:46.400 Like, I have a pair of camo crocs that I wore to an elders' meeting a couple weeks ago. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.280 Like, like I find myself choosing crocs. 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:52.400 Is that re is that resting with your brain today? 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:53.919 Like, I chose those. 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:57.360 I don't have a lot of shoes, but I chose those, you know. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:01.919 Like, I had to stop myself yesterday from cutting my neighbor's grass. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.280 Like, I'm in that stage of my life. 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.400 That Toro was headed towards, and I mean, they're not gone, they're home. 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.479 Like, they were in the living room. 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:16.000 Can you imagine looking out in your living room mowing your their grass and just being like, you've been doing it wrong, you know? 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:18.639 Like, I've just hit that stage of my life. 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:27.680 But the crescendo that where this really just kind of came to me was we went to the beach a couple weeks ago, and and now like I'm also the point, I wear stupid hats all the time. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:29.040 Like, I look like an idiot. 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.399 Anybody that goes to the pool with us will tell you I have this giant straw hat that I wear now. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:33.920 I look like a moron, I don't care. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.279 Um, I'm past that, I have camo crocs on, so what does it matter at this point? 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:46.160 Um, and so you know, I wear this hat, I have this giant hat, but we go to the beach, and I'm I'm like the beach is my Olympics for my family, okay? 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:49.199 Like I am the guy, I know most of you probably loath this. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:53.360 Some of you are like lifestyles of rich and famous, you don't even know what I'm talking about, but it's okay. 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:56.480 We we are uh I need to be among my people at the beach. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:00.480 So we end up at at like the Redneck Riviera, you know, like that's where we are. 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.279 And and I'm the guy with the wagon. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.360 Like I'm the wagon guy, you know? 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:12.079 75 beach chairs, 400 umbrellas, kid toys that I didn't even know he owned. 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:13.519 Like I'm that guy, man. 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:14.560 I'm I'm there. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:23.040 And it is my mission in life, full-blown dad most my mission in life, not only to do that, but to be the first one that does that. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:24.160 You know what I mean? 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:25.680 I want prime real. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.160 I view the beach as like the movie far and away. 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:32.240 I am staking my claim on my spot, and you will not enter. 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:33.199 You know what I'm saying? 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:35.600 Like, I'm that guy, I'm the guy you want to go to the beach with. 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:38.720 Because I will get your stuff down there at 5:45 in the morning. 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.000 I will look at everybody else in the face and be like, you're late. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:43.839 Like that's that's just how I roll. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:48.319 And so we went to the beach this time, and I'm I'm the guy dragging the wagon, you know, and I got all this stuff. 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:55.360 I can only imagine what the people in the you know condos above as they step out on the balcony for a beautiful morning, you know, and it's like, oh honey, what are you looking at? 00:05:55.519 --> 00:06:06.240 Oh, the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, smelling the salt air both of the breeze, and a short, fat, shirtless redneck and camo crocs pulling a wagon, you know, 500 feet across the beach. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:07.759 You know? 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:13.600 And like the only people that are impressed are dads, you know, and it's like, man, look at that guy. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:15.759 Yeah, that's I mean, I just want to be that guy. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:16.639 And so I set it up. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.319 Well, my oldest daughter came with me one day and she's like, Why do you set all this up? 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.879 And I'm like, Well, I'm just this is what dads do, honey. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:24.399 You know, that's just how we are. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.160 And and she's very much in the questioning phase, so the questions never end. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:30.480 You know, you you know that that side of things. 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:33.839 And she was like, Yeah, but like, why do we have to come down here and do this? 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:42.240 I'm like, well, because your mother wants a great spot on the beach, and she's not gonna do it herself, so I have to do this, you know. 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:43.519 Like, I have to come and do this. 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:47.120 And I said, and I and we want the best spot on the beach, so that's that's why I do this. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:50.240 She goes, Well, what if somebody else wants the best spot on the beach? 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:55.759 I said, honey, if somebody else wants the best spot on the beach, they all they gotta do is wake up earlier than me and come take it. 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:58.399 And I said, and that ain't gonna happen. 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:00.879 Well, next day we're coming up from the beach. 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:05.600 My kids been playing with a bunch of other kids that we didn't know down there, you know, they all kind of group up, get together. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:12.800 And she goes, Dad, one of the boys that that was down there playing with us, he said that his dad was mad because we had the good spot on the beach. 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:14.879 And I said, Oh, okay. 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:17.040 Like, I bet he did. 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:18.079 You know? 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:21.519 And she goes, she goes, but I told him. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:26.560 She said, I told him all his daddy had to do was wake up and come take it. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:28.720 And that wasn't gonna happen. 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.560 And I looked at her and I said, I know you have two sisters, but you're my favorite child. 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:36.399 Like, you are my favorite child. 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:44.160 Because for once in my lifetime, my fatherly wisdom made it into the brain of a child, you know. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:47.839 Like, I know you're thinking, that's probably not what you want her to be. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:49.360 Remember it, but I loved it. 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:50.079 I loved every second. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:51.439 I'm like, good job, honey. 00:07:51.519 --> 00:08:01.360 You know, you got that like I've just hit that stage, but that was the first time ever that my fatherly wisdom had actually landed and like grabbed hold of one of my children. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:02.079 I loved it. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:14.800 And so as we start finishing up 2 Timothy right here, the reason I tell you that is because what Paul's doing, Paul's writing to Timothy, who he considers to be his child in the faith. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:16.480 Now, this is the second letter. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:19.600 These are literally the last words that Paul's gonna write. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:21.279 They're the last words that he's gonna write. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:22.399 Here's the deal. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:28.639 We like to tiptoe through the roses a little bit sometimes and make this sound like it's some kind of letter from summer camp. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.120 Like Paul's writing, going, hey buddy, food's not great, but everything's going well. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:34.559 You know, like that's not what happened. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:35.600 That's not what's going on here. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:45.440 What you need to understand about the letter of 2 Timothy is this this is a dying man writing his last words to his spiritual son. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:54.799 Imagine what you would write to your children if you knew you were writing your last words. 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:58.399 That's what Paul's doing right here. 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:07.919 And so, right off the jump, he issues as we finish up this last thing, it's almost like you get this sense that I know I've told you all of this stuff in 1 and 2 Timothy, right? 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.960 I've filled two whole books of the Bible up with instruction to you. 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:20.159 And he gets to chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, and it's kind of that crescendo, that last thing of look, I know I've told you all of this stuff, but if you don't get any of it, at least get this. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:27.519 And he lays out this final conclusion, and what it ends up being is it ends up being a charge to Timothy. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:29.519 Look at verse 1 of chapter 4. 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:32.000 Here's what Paul writes to Timothy. 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:46.159 He says, 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. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:51.519 What Paul's doing is he's setting the stage right here for how serious this is with some legal language. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:52.399 I'm not a lawyer. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:53.919 We have plenty of lawyers in this room. 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.759 There was one requirement that I missed for being a lawyer, and that was you have to be smart to be a lawyer. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:58.320 I can't do that. 00:09:58.399 --> 00:09:59.279 I can't help there. 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:12.879 This is very legal language, but what I do know, even without being smart enough to be a lawyer, I know that if somebody looked at me and said, I'm charging you in the presence of the judge, things would probably take a pretty serious turn pretty quick, right? 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:17.919 All of a sudden, things get legal, and you're thinking, wait a minute, what's happening here? 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:24.000 Paul looks at Timothy and says, I'm charging you in front of the Almighty Judge. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.559 I'm giving you this charge. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:34.639 This isn't new, it's gone on all throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, and one of the best places to look at it is Psalm 98 and verse 7 through 9. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:43.039 And Psalm 98, 7 through 9 says this it says, Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:53.600 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:11:00.159 He will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:07.519 Paul literally takes that form of Psalm 98 and he puts it in front of Timothy as a legal charge. 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:20.000 And what Paul is looking back at in a verse like or in a in a book like Psalm is he's seeing that the psalmist incorporates all the world, the mountains, the rivers, the people, everything that God created. 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:29.279 And he's saying, one day, God's not only going to judge that, he's gonna judge it with righteousness and equity. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:39.440 When Paul charges Timothy, he's charging him before that very Almighty God that creates the heavens and the earth. 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:41.759 That's how serious this is. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:46.000 That's how he wants it to sink in with Timothy that he's talking about. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:47.200 So what is the charge? 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.120 Look at verse 2. 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:56.720 It says, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. 00:11:57.120 --> 00:12:04.000 Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:05.840 The charge is real simple. 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:07.840 Preach the word, right? 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:15.120 And we we think you hear that and you read that in the Bible, and it's so easy just to gloss right over it and keep on sailing. 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:20.480 Preach the word because you think, we're we're standing in a church, what else would you do? 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.639 You'd be surprised. 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:25.759 You'd be real surprised. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:32.559 The reason that Paul is telling Timothy this is because he sees the world that's coming. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:34.320 He sees the day that is to come. 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:42.639 And so not only is there a seriousness to this, but he has to go back to the very basic reminder of preach the word. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:53.200 Not your opinion, not the things that you like, not the stuff that only you want to feel good about. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.240 Preach the word. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:57.759 That's the charge. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:12:58.879 Look at what he says. 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.320 Be ready in season and out of season. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:04.399 That's real simple. 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:08.399 When it's popular and when it's unpopular. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:12.559 And I'm just gonna be 100% honest with y'all today. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:24.320 I don't think there's ever been more of a time than right now where it is so unpopular to preach the word of God. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:31.120 I don't think the word of God has ever been more unpopular in our lifetimes than it is right now. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:33.279 You go, that's dramatic. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:35.039 That's dramatic. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:38.639 I hope you're right. 00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:42.000 I don't think you are, but I hope you're right. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:47.919 I don't think there's ever been a time in history where it's been more unpopular to be a Christian. 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:52.320 What Paul sees talking to Timothy is he says, you have to be ready in season and out of season. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:56.000 That doesn't mean, hey, when you're ready to go or when you're on vacation. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:57.200 That's not what Paul's talking about. 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:11.360 In season and out of season is when it is, when it feels great and everything's rolling along just fine, and when it's the most unpopular, uncultural thing that you have to do, you still have to preach the word. 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:13.919 That's the charge. 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:20.399 He goes on to say, reprove, rebuke, and exhort. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:26.240 Now it's two very unpopular things in that list right there, which would be reprove and rebuke. 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.799 So to reprove is to convict of sin. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.000 To rebuke would be to charge with wrongdoing. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.279 That doesn't sound like fun. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:35.120 That's the part that we don't like, right? 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.200 Nobody wants to be reminded of their sin. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:44.240 Nobody wants to be reminded that we are uh you know not fulfilling our uh our desire from an Almighty God. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:47.759 Nobody wants to be reminded that there's things in our lives that shouldn't be there. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:49.440 That's not the fun part. 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:53.519 That's not the good part of standing up here and having to preach the word of God. 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:54.720 That's that's not fun. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:15:16.399 And then he tells them to exhort and to exhort is to urge or to beg, and I love that because he's literally telling Timothy, I realize these first two things are gonna hurt, but what you can do after that is you can beg them to turn to an almighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:22.240 You see, the good part is the good news, which is translated the gospel. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:31.440 Paul's telling Timothy that it doesn't have to be all bad, it doesn't have to always be so terrible because you have the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:36.720 You have the good news that he died on a cross for every single sin that's ever been committed. 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:44.799 You have the good news that through repentance and faith you can turn to Christ and be forgiven for all eternity. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:48.240 That's what you exhort them with. 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:52.799 That's what you go to them and you beg them and urge them to be a part of. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:16:10.080 He lays this out for Timothy and says, You have all of these tools, and then the very last thing which drives me absolutely insane in verse 2 is he says, Do it with great patience and instruction. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:12.480 Patience is the worst. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:19.759 It's the worst, it's the worst to have to be patient, to have to wait on something to happen. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:25.120 What Paul's doing is he's looking at Timothy and he's going, it's not gonna happen overnight. 00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:28.799 It's not gonna happen in the blink of an eye. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:33.759 You're gonna have to do this over and over and over again. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:41.919 You're gonna have to use these tools that are in your toolbox over and over and over again, patiently and with what? 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:43.440 Instruction. 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:56.320 Apart from the word of God, apart from preaching the word, it's impossible for Timothy to complete anything in that second verse. 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:03.120 There's no way for him to do those things outside of the Word of God. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:07.200 That's the charge that Paul's giving Timothy. 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:11.519 So then the next question is this is why why do we need this charge? 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:13.440 What's the final charge for? 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:19.519 If this is a dying man's words to his child in the faith, why is this charge so important? 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.680 And let's look at verse three. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:30.079 It says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:40.240 But wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, in accordance to their own desires. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.160 Well, there's two things that came up to me when I'm looking at this passage. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:45.359 Two things I need to know. 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:48.240 The first thing I want to know is who is they? 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:55.039 Paul writes in verse 3, he says, For a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:56.000 Who is they? 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:04.880 Well, in the context of this passage, he's talking to Timothy, who's the pastor of a church, and he's going, the people that you are preaching to will not endure it. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.599 In this context, that's who Paul's talking to. 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:13.839 He's looking at Timothy, and he's going to, you're going to have a church full of people that will not endure sound doctrine. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.960 The application side of that for you and I is he's talking about us. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:23.839 He's talking about you and I. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:27.359 Where we won't endure sound doctrine. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:28.799 So that brings up the second question. 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.759 Remember, I told you I'm I'm not the smartest guy on earth. 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.720 So then the second question for me is what is doctrine? 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:36.319 What is doctrine? 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.400 We sit in church and we throw that word around like everybody knows it. 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:41.759 What is doctrine? 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:48.720 So I found this simple verse that I've had from years and years and years ago that is just the most basic. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.279 Please, you have to understand this is how my brain works. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:54.799 It has to work on the most basic level of every single thing that goes on. 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:58.160 And this is the most basic definition of doctrine I can find. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:06.960 Here's what it is: the teaching from God, about God, that directs us to the glory of God. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:08.480 All right? 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.640 Let's stop and think about that for a minute. 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:17.839 The teaching from God, about God, that directs us to the glory of God. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:19.200 That's doctrine. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:20.720 Why is that doctrine? 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:28.240 And it's because it gives us the source, the object, and the ultimate end of every single thing that we should put into that limb. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:34.160 When we look through every single worldview, everything that goes on, it should be looked through through that. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:39.279 How are we seeing from God about God, and how is it directing us to the glory of God? 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:40.720 That's doctrine. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:51.119 The teaching of our Heavenly Father revealed in Christ Jesus, transmitted to us through the Holy Spirit by means of the Holy Scripture. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:53.279 That's doctrine. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.359 Now you may be sitting here today and you'll be going, I don't care. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.200 I don't care about that. 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:05.119 I'm putting in my hour on Sunday morning, and I don't necessarily care about doctrine. 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:17.440 Well, eventually something's gonna come along in your life, and you're going to care about doctrine because you're not gonna have anything to stand on when you're faced with an absolute truth. 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:22.400 So the next question for me is why will this not endure? 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:23.920 Look at what Paul says in verse 3. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:28.559 He says, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.000 Why won't it endure? 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:31.519 Look at the rest of the verse. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:44.160 But wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:46.319 Why will sound doctrine not endure? 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.200 Here's why. 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:49.680 Because you and I'll get involved. 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.519 It won't endure because we'll ruin it. 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:57.680 It won't endure because it doesn't fit in with our truth. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.480 It doesn't fit in with our way of thinking, it doesn't fit in with our political beliefs. 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:06.559 Sound doctrine won't endure because you and I'll screw it up. 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:09.599 That's why it won't endure. 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:18.720 Because when we get involved and our flawed selves get involved in that process, we think it has to be about us. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:24.559 And every single thing in this world tells us it must be about you. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:32.079 And there has never been a bigger lie than to make you think that you're that important or that I'm that important. 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:38.400 The word of God is the absolute truth, whether we like it or not. 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:47.279 And when we interact with it and we try to make it about us, we ruin the sound doctrine that God intended. 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:54.319 The reason it won't endure is because flawed people take it, and what do they do? 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:55.119 Look at it. 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:58.880 Wanting to have their ears tickled. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:06.319 Wanting to have their ears tickled. 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:10.880 Wanting to hear what you want to hear. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.720 They'll accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:24.240 I had somebody tell me a couple weeks ago that I said something about a particular passage in the Bible. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:28.559 I don't, I don't get that, don't get this idea that I get into like these deep theological discussions with people. 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:29.440 It doesn't happen. 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:34.640 It's just one of those things where I open my mouth, insert foot, and then later on have to go back and fix it all. 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:42.640 And so like I made a comment about a particular passage of scripture, and I said, you know, this this is this is what I think. 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:48.000 And that that went over like a pregnant pole vaulter. 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:48.640 You know what I mean? 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.319 Like that was bad. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.720 Um it was not good. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:23:01.119 Uh and so I was like, and I could tell immediately because eyes were kind of like, like, did you did you really just say that? 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:03.279 You know, and I was it was like, uh-oh. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.920 I've gone, I seem to have stumbled back into that situation, can't find my way out, you know. 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:16.240 So I I said what what I thought was was correct, and everybody was looking at me like you have lost your mind. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:20.880 And I said, well, I and I said this kindly, I'm not like bragging in this. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:24.559 I said, well, I'm just going based off of what this says. 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:27.119 And I kind of talked about the passage that we were talking about. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:29.200 I'm just going off of what this says. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:38.559 And one of the one of the people I was talking with said, Yeah, but I can find anybody to tell me what I want it to say. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:42.960 And I thought, huh. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:47.680 Hey, you're right. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:48.480 Yeah. 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.000 You can find anybody that'll tell you what you want to hear. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:56.880 You can go out there and find any single person that'll tell you what you want to hear. 00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:58.640 That's that's actually easy. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:02.000 That's that's the simple part, is to go and accumulate the teacher. 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:03.359 The teacher's the fool. 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:05.839 He'll go with you wherever you want to go. 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.720 But we accumulate that for ourselves. 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:12.720 We go out and seek that. 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:15.039 Who's gonna confirm my opinion? 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:16.240 Why do we do that? 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:18.240 Because that's the world that we live in. 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.720 And we've been told that that's what we're supposed to do. 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:23.039 Only align with what you think is right. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:36.799 Only don't go over here with this group and don't do this and don't do this, and then on top of that, you have literal preachers and teachers of the Word of God who will go into gymnastics trying to twist God's word to get you to believe something. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:42.960 There are preachers out there that will only preach to you repentance, they never get to salvation. 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:45.359 That's called legalism. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:48.160 And everybody loves to shake their head on that one. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:48.799 Guess what? 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:55.119 There's also preachers in this world that will only preach to you salvation and never tell you that you have to repent. 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:02.799 It's not one or the other, it's both. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:10.720 We love to shake our head at the legalism part, go, yeah, yeah, that guy's crazy. 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:20.640 But then we realize that when you're being told that everything in your life is fine and that you don't have to make any changes. 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:24.319 We go, oh, I like that. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.319 Yeah, that guy's right. 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:32.000 We accumulate for ourselves teachers. 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:33.519 Why will that not endure? 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.559 Because we get involved. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.799 And I love this in verse 4. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:39.680 Look at what Paul says. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:43.519 He says, and they'll turn away their ears from what? 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:44.880 The truth. 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:49.039 And we'll turn aside to myths. 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.799 I love the definition of myth. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.839 This is just Webster's dictionary definition of myth. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:54.720 You ready? 00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:00.640 A widely held but false believer idea. 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:03.519 That's a myth. 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:11.119 A widely held but false beliefer idea. 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:16.799 And Paul looks at Timothy and he goes, these are the people you're gonna preach to. 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:17.920 This is the church. 00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:22.480 They are going to literally turn aside from the truth at some point. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:27.599 Because they would rather hear a myth. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:35.440 Something that's widely held and completely false. 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:51.119 Sound doctrine won't endure because the spirit and the flesh are so much at war with each other, and Paul makes this clear in Galatians chapter 5 in verse 16 and 17. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:59.680 He says, But I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:09.279 For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:18.240 For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:30.720 We'll turn aside from the truth to myths because of the spirit and the flesh at war with us inside of us, going, no, no, no, no, no. 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:32.960 Go get what you want to hear. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:42.400 And we'll turn aside to widely held but faults, beliefs, or ideas. 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:47.200 So what do we do? 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.839 What do we do to accomplish this charge? 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:50.880 Look at verse 5. 00:27:51.039 --> 00:28:00.480 Paul says, but you be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:02.319 Here's another thing that we don't like. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:05.599 We don't like when the Bible brings up the word sober. 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.839 It's not fun. 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:11.440 We don't like that soberness. 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.440 And what Paul is talking about here is not, he's using a Greek word called nepho. 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:19.519 And the Greek word is not just sober to abstain from alcohol. 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:21.599 There are places in the Bible where that's the case. 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:23.039 It's a different Greek word for that. 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:29.680 What Paul is doing here, though, is he's saying, I want you to be sober from all intoxicants. 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:32.640 Think about that for a minute. 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:36.240 I want you to be sober from every type of intoxicant. 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:38.079 This is also metaphorical. 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:47.920 What Paul's doing is he's laying out a metaphor before Timothy, and he's going, I want you to not only be sober so that your mind works correctly, he says, I want you to be free of all intoxicants. 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:49.200 Why would he say that? 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:53.119 Because the intoxicants are all around you. 00:28:54.880 --> 00:29:01.920 It's so easy to become intoxicated by what someone will tell you, by some political belief, by some other means. 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:09.119 It's so easy to become intoxicated by those things, and we lose that soberness that God calls us to. 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:12.160 And then he looks and he says, endure hardship. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:16.160 This is a guy sitting in prison writing his death letter. 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:18.079 He says, endure hardship. 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:21.759 He's in prison because of his faith in Christ. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:24.319 Endure hardship. 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:27.200 He says, Do the work of an evangelist. 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:30.640 That word evangelist is only used three times in the New Testament. 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:31.680 This is one place of it. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:35.200 And it's interesting because what Paul is doing is he knows Timothy. 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:37.039 Remember, this is his spiritual son. 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:40.240 And he looks at Timothy and says, Do the work of an evangelist. 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:42.400 Now, when we hear the word evangelist, you know what we think of? 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:43.680 Billy Graham. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:45.359 First thing. 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:49.440 Most people, even maybe you haven't been in the Christian life very long. 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:51.279 Maybe you don't, maybe that's not your thing. 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.160 Maybe you're here for the first time and you're like, look, man, I stumbled in here. 00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:56.319 I don't even know what I'm doing here, and I really don't like this. 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:57.599 Um come back next week. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:03.839 But then we think about Billy Graham, because he would sell out arenas, right? 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:07.680 And he would stand up and he would go from town to town to town, he would preach and do all these things. 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:08.480 That's our idea. 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:11.279 And there's there's there's nothing wrong with that definition. 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:12.079 There's nothing wrong there. 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:21.839 An evangelist literally was someone who would travel from place to place to place, and their objective was to do nothing but to literally preach the gospel to that place, and then they would pack up and go to the next place. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:24.880 It's a simple definition of an evangelist. 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:30.559 And so when Paul looks at Timothy and says, do the work of an evangelist, it's not just him going, I want you to move around place to place. 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:33.680 Paul's got a church, he's got to stay there and do the work. 00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:39.440 But what he's looking at and saying is he's saying, I want you to be focused on the preaching of the gospel. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:48.880 He knows Timothy, and he knows that his giftedness lies right there because in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 4 through 6, this is what Paul writes. 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:53.759 He says, Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.920 There are a variety of ministries and the same Lord. 00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:06.160 And there are a variety of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:14.559 What Paul's doing is he's reminding Timothy, you have all of these gifts, and your greatest gift is to be an evangelist, to preach the gospel. 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:27.200 And don't forget that even though you're the pastor of this church and you have all this other stuff going on, to preach that gospel because that's where your giftedness is, and it goes to the same Lord and Savior. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:31.039 It points to the same God that gifted you that way. 00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:32.880 Do the work of an evangelist. 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:38.880 And then he says the last thing in verse 5, fulfill your ministry. 00:31:41.279 --> 00:32:00.960 This is Paul literally looking at Timothy and saying, if you root your ministry, if you root your life in the gospel of Jesus Christ and his absolute truth of his word, you will fulfill his calling for his glory in your life. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:12.640 The application is that that is still 100% true for you and I today. 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:18.000 Paul goes on in verse 6. 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:24.160 I don't have time to do this, but Paul Paul goes on in in verse 6 through 8, and he talks about being poured out as a drink offering. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:28.640 I don't want to just be the guy that says, oh, the Bible says if you really want to hear about all that, it's in Numbers 15. 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:30.240 You can go read about drink offerings. 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:32.640 It's the last part of the sacrificial offering system. 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:34.000 He says, I'm being poured out. 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:36.240 He's basically calling for the time of his death. 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:49.759 He knows that uh he's fought the good fight, he's finished the race, he's he's uh completed the course, and then at last he says, there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:52.960 So what does this, what does all this have to do with us? 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:56.000 This convoluted message that you've just set through. 00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:58.319 What does it have to do with you and I today? 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:01.680 Paul gets very introspective in verse 6 through 8. 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:08.079 And he starts to look back over his life and he says, I'm being poured out as a drink offering, which is a metaphor for the fact that his life is ending. 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:13.599 He says, I've done all of these things, I've run the race, I've completed the course, I've done everything that God's called me to do. 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:21.440 And he gets down at the end, he says, the only reward I have left is the reward that God will literally bestow upon me when I meet him face to face. 00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:22.960 He says, That's my reward. 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:40.240 He gets introspective and he starts to look over his life, and he looks over it with pleasure in the fact that he has gone from literally cursing God and persecuting people that loved him to a place where he wanted nothing more than to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:33:41.680 --> 00:34:02.079 And when he looks back over his life, he's filled with joy at the fact that even though he's sitting in a prison cell, writing these last words to his spiritual child, there's a joy and a peace that only God can offer. 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:14.480 For us, if we're to get introspective today and look in on ourselves, is there a peace like that in your life? 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:40.320 Is there a place in your life where even though hardships have come, even though we've turned our backs on the proper doctrine and run for myths, even though we've done all of these things, is there a place and a time where literally you've come to a place of realizing that Jesus Christ completed every single work for you on the cross. 00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:47.039 And that his love and grace for you knows absolutely no bounds. 00:34:48.880 --> 00:35:04.239 I pray that you don't leave this place today without knowing how much, how deep the Father's love is for you through Jesus Christ. 00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:06.079 Father, we love you. 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:08.719 Thank you for time to open your word and to study. 00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:13.599 Father, forgive me for all of it. 00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:18.000 Being all over the place and making no sense. 00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:20.719 So I pray you make sense of it for us. 00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:22.639 Lord, we love you. 00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:25.440 We thank you for your word, and we ask all this in Jesus' name. 00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:26.079 Amen.