2 Timothy 4:1-8
2 Timothy 4:1-8 (Boldly Preach)
Food for Thought:
Reasons to Preach • In this final part of his letter to a young, church planting Timothy, Paul gives him the charge of preaching the Word. This isn’t referring to “giving a sermon,” per se (although it would include that!); preaching the Word means bringing the whole counsel of God as revealed in the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ.
Specifically, what is all included in “preaching the word?” What all does Paul list out? Why are each of those important?
Paul couches his command for Timothy to preach the Word in three realities about Jesus: 1) Jesus is going to judge the living and the dead; 2) Jesus has already come once; and 3) Jesus brought his kingdom with him. Why would Paul want to add this weight of who Jesus is to the charge to preach the Word?
Seasons to Reach • On the heels of reminding Timothy who Jesus is and what he’s supposed to do, Paul tells Timothy that it’s important to preach the Word in season and out of season. He then goes on to describe what “season” the world is moving into: one in which people won’t even tolerate right beliefs, but will seek out and multiply people who will say what they want to hear.
Do you feel like our culture is “in season” or “out of season” for the Word? Why?
What unique opportunities do we have in the world today to preach the gospel? What challenges are unique?
Paul didn’t have TikTok, 24/7 news, and a lifetime’s worth of books, podcasts, and “information” at people’s fingertips. That said, how does our culture today fulfill the picture of “the time [that] will come” in its own unique way?
How do we give way to that culture in the way we curate, platform, and pursue the things we want to hear? Is that always bad? How do you know you’re “doing it right?”
The Way to Walk • Against the backdrop of his description of the world, Paul calls Timothy (and by extension, all of us!) to live differently. We should know “what time it is,” what that looks like for us, and what’s in store for our future - because of Jesus.
Consider the kind of life Paul calls Timothy to live. Does that sound like a life you want to live? Does that sound like a life worth living?
How does this picture of the Christian life stand in total contrast to the way of the world that Paul described?
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Wouldn’t it be great to say those words as you approach your twilight years? How could Paul - with confidence - say those things?
How could you say those things? What do you feel like you’d have to change in your life in order to say that one day?
Paul is confident that God will crown the faithful with a righteousness that comes from Jesus alone. When we think about the way of the world (and really, the way of our sin / flesh / temptation), what are we naturally seeking to be crowned with in this life?
How does the crown we get from Jesus free us and empower us to not only follow Jesus at a cost, but to invite others to gain the free gift of eternal life by preaching the gospel - in season, or out of season?