Introduction

Paul’s Imprisonment

I wonder what Paul’s reaction to a modern day prison would be? Fresh air, running water, beds with mattresses, sheets and pillows, a library, computers with internet, correspondence college courses, a chapel, recreation time, basketball courts, workout room, three meals a day, indoor plumbing with toilets and showers. Sometimes there are even musical groups that stop by for concerts. Plus, a literal “captive audience” who are fully aware of their sinful condition and their needs for a Savior.

I think Paul would look at an American prison (Alcatraz) and think he has arrived at a resort! Let me tell you about the cell that held Paul while he was writing 2 Timothy.

When Paul first arrived in Rome, after his shipwreck, he was under house arrest. It wasn’t luxurious, but he did have a great deal of freedom to move around his house, to write and to have guests.

This imprisonment was different. As Paul was awaiting trial this time, he was not under house arrest, but was now housed in a Roman holding chamber. The conditions in this cell were absolutely inhumane. There was no law on the books that required a fast trial. A prisoner who was controversial, like Paul, would often be placed in a holding cell until he was forgotten. A prisoner like Paul might stay in prison for months or even years before given a trial. And then, put on trial when no one remembered him anymore.

The kind of prison that held Paul was likely underground and dug out of solid rock. The only entrance and exit to the cell was a manhole sized opening in the roof. I thought it might be helpful to show you a typical Roman prison.

Here is the top floor of an ancient Roman prison. Tradition tells us that this building may have been where Paul was kept, but we can’t be absolutely certain. Regardless of whether or not this was the actual place, Paul was put into a prison very similar to this one. Notice the hole in the floor. It is covered by grate. Paul would have been lowered down a hole like this one and held in a stone dungeon below the surface.

An entrance in the ceiling like this one would have been the only way in and out for the prisoners, the guards and any visitors. When people came to attend to Paul in his final Roman prison, they would have needed to lower themselves down a hole like this one in order to attend to his needs and then they were totally dependent on the guards to pull them back out again.

Both Paul and Peter would have been held in a cell like this one before they were executed. Often prisoners were beaten severely before they were thrown down into the prison pit and then they were chained to the wall in painful shackles. Clothes that were torn and stained with blood after their beatings were not replaced. The prison was often very cold. Inadequate clothing and the damp, dark, cold conditions likely led Paul to ask for his cloak at the end of chapter 4 (vs13). Wounds from the beatings were left untreated. The lack of restroom facilities made the smell unbearable and the unsanitary conditions were ideal for infection and disease to spread. When food was available, it was bad. Often prisoners had to rely on outsiders to bring them food.

Paul’s final imprisonment was in these kind of conditions. Paul knew that he was simply awaiting execution. So what was Paul doing during this time? Church tradition says that he was actively sharing his faith in that cell.

We know for certain that he was writing his final words to his young apprentice, Timothy. Whenever someone expresses their last wishes, those requests come with great significance. Not only are these the final words of a man about to be executed, but as Paul finished this letter, he uses very strong language to intensify the significance of his final message. Listen to these five intensifiers:

5 intensifiers

#1 I (solemnly) charge you

The Greek used here carries with it the idea of issuing a forceful order or a command. Paul could not have used more forceful or weighty language to draw the attention of his student. It is like Paul is shouting at Timothy, “Listen to me! You do this! You do this!”

#2 In the presence of God

Paul had tremendous authority in the church because he was an apostle. However, Paul did not appeal to Timothy based on his apostleship. He is appealing to Timothy by the very authority of God Himself. He’s saying, “Timothy, listen to this command I’m about to tell you like it is coming from GOD Himself!”

#3 … and in the presence of Christ Jesus

Paul is saying that both God the Father and His only begotten Son, Jesus, have a great concern about this matter he is about to address. Listen to how he describes Jesus here…

#4 … who is the judge of the living and the dead

Of the hundreds of authoritative things that Paul could have said about Jesus, Paul points to Jesus being the judge. Paul is making the point that the stakes are extremely high. Eternal life with Jesus or eternal death separated from Him hang in the balance here. Paul is pointing to the reality that the role Timothy is called to play is of far greater value than the role of governor or general or president. Those men deal with matters related to the physical life and death. Timothy is dealing with matters of eternal life and eternal death. The command he is about to give is of eternal significance. Then he goes on about Jesus…

#5 … and by His appearance and His kingdom

This is the most intense statement of them all. Paul is pointing forward to the coming King who will establish his new Kingdom. Some will join Him and some will perish eternally.

With the most intense language that Paul can muster, what does he command Timothy to do?

PREACH THE WORD! PREACH THE WORD!

He’s telling Timothy to boldly and authoritatively proclaim the Word of God.

The first command of every pastor’s ministry is to preach the Word. Preaching has a prominent place at Canyon Bible Church. Throughout the history of the church, when preaching has been prominent, the church has flourished. When preaching has diminished from a prominent, central role, then the strength of the church also diminishes. If service projects, discussion groups, children’s events, music or drama programs become more important than the preaching of the Word, the church will be stripped of its power. Strong, healthy churches preach. Weak, powerless churches don’t.

The strength and health of this church will be determined by how we handle the Word of God.

What Word is supposed to be preached??

The chapters and verses in the Bible were not originally part of the text. They were added as a reference tool a few hundred years ago. Let’s read Timothy’s charge to preach the Word in its context. Go back to 2 Timothy 3:16…This was all one continuous thought….

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

4 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: ² preach the word;

Paul is telling Timothy to preach the scripture. Preach all the scripture. It’s all inspired. Preach the whole council of God from the beginning to the end and everything in between. It is all profitable.

The Greek word translated as “preach” could be more literally translated as the word “herald.” It referred to a town crier with a message from the King. In ancient civilizations without access to mass media, a crier stood up in the town square and shouted out the commands from the King. Preaching is never supposed to be about the heralder. It’s always supposed to be about the authority of the King and his commands. It’s HIS Word and we’ve been entrusted to proclaim it. We’re heralders…He’s the source of authority.

Paul is commanding Timothy to herald courageously. He wanted him to never give into timidity (2 Tim 1:7), but to boldly proclaim the truth about sin, righteousness, judgment and God’s law. He commanded Timothy to clearly expose man’s desperate need for a Savior. Timothy was to proclaim the 2^nd coming of Jesus and to warn of impending judgment for all who rejected Him as Lord. He instructed him to expound on the power of the cross and Christ’s atonement for sin. He ordered Timothy to go way beyond the intellectual exercise of teaching theology and doctrine and to boldly proclaim the coming of the King!

² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Bold preaching that includes reproving, rebuking and exhorting is Timothy’s primary ministry calling. It’s going to be a difficult calling – especially for a man like Timothy who struggled with timidity. Calling out sin and correcting errors are as much part of Timothy’s commission as encouraging (or exhorting) believers.

I read an article by a well-known preacher who emphasizes preaching that positively exhorts without rebuking (or calling out sin). He said, “Very few people who came to Jesus were looking for truth. They were looking for relief.” He made a decision in his ministry to focus on meeting people’s needs, not addressing their sin.

The problem with that philosophy of ministry is that people’s greatest need is to be delivered from their sin! Preaching that fails to confront sin also fails to meet people’s greatest need. It might make them feel good, but it also gives them false hope.

Being a disciple of Christ is going to require everything we have. It will be difficult. Discipleship’s primary purpose is not to offer us relief from our day-to-day difficulties. Disciples of Christ ALWAYS face trials and difficulties. Discipleship, however, strives to makes us more like Jesus and to secure for us a place with Him for eternity in heaven.

Preaching is not just a pep-talk. Preaching is not just feel-good, positive messages. Biblical preaching often calls out sin and then encourages believers to pursue righteousness.

Why is preaching important?

³ 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, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

In case there was any doubt in your mind…THIS TIME IS NOW! If you are a person who writes notes in your Bible, I’d encourage you to put a note in the margin of this verse that has a capital N-O-W. NOW IS the time…when people will not endure sound teaching…

There is no room in Paul’s philosophy of ministry for the “give people what they want” theory of preaching that is so prevalent today. Taking a survey and preaching to the felt needs of the congregation is a very popular method today. As a church planter, I could quickly attract a crowd by doing a whole series of how-to messages: How to resolve conflict in your marriage, how to potty train your child, how to manage your finances and so on.   But, I’m not going to focus on “how to” messages. We are going to focus on preaching the whole council of God.

In our flesh, we all have itching ears that are running away from the truth!   Our needs are hopelessly confused with our wants and our passions and our desires. We are all tempted to run away into myths that justify our sin. We are prone to wander. (Come Thou Fount: Prone to wander Lord I feel it…Prone to leave the God I love….Take my Heart Lord, Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above) Preaching is supposed to call us back from wandering.

Paul did not tell Timothy to conduct a survey to find out what people wanted to hear and then preach to their felt needs. Instead, he commanded Timothy to preach the Word…to preach to whole council of scripture….that it is ALL profitable.

So at Canyon, we generally preach through entire books of the Bible. We call that expository preaching.

But there is a more stern warning in the text that we need to feel here. The fundamental problem with the rejection of Biblical teaching is not merely intellectual. Paul says that they will not endure sound teaching because of their itching ears.

Itching ears (or tickled ears) is a reference to a desire to hear something pleasant. Verse 3 says people will reject Biblical teaching because of an itch that does not get scratched at the church. They’ll reject it because it’s not pleasant. Timothy is not scratching where they itched. Does Paul tell him to make his preaching more pleasant to listen to? There is absolutely no indication in the text that Timothy should change his approach to teaching.

In fact, the implication is that Timothy should hold his ground and never scratch those worldly itches. Paul is warning Timothy that they are wandering off into myths and accumulating teachers around themselves to suit their own passions. He’s saying to Timothy, “Don’t go there!” “Don’t preach to that!”

⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded…is the next exhortation

Underneath the rejection of truth, there is always something deeper. People don’t just reject Jesus because of mere intellectual reasons. They don’t check out of church because it’s irrelevant.

People often check out of church because Biblical teaching threatens sinful passions and desires. People will wander into myths in order to justify their passions and desires intellectually. This is not just an intellectual fight. Verse 3 tells us that it is a fight against sinful passions and desires that fuel a rebellion against Jesus as King. It is a fight against the flesh, against sin and against emotions.

Preaching gives us clear guidance and direction in our battle against sin. If we lose the fight, we lose everything in all of eternity that is important. If we are victorious, we receive fullness of joy and pleasures at God’s right hand forever. The stakes are unbelievably high and there is nothing more important in all of eternity than getting this part of our lives in order right now.

The Reward for Preaching the Word

⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

People who minister faithfully can expect hardships. In a little known passage in Hebrews (13:23) it appears that Timothy spent some time in prison and endured hardships just like Paul did. Effective ministry is never painless. It’s never easy and it often means that we have to reach outside of our comfort zone. I think that’s why Paul encourages Timothy here to do the work of evangelism. Evangelism can stretch you and I to the max – forcing us to reach outside of ourselves.

He’s telling Timothy to “be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Why? Because finishing well is worth it.

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 race, I have kept the faith.

Paul’s death was at hand. His eternal reward was just within reach.   Church history records that it was soon after he penned these words, Paul was executed – possibly beheaded – for his faith.   Here is the hope that Paul grabbed onto in the most terrible conditions imaginable…

⁸ Henceforth 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.

Notice the word all. This passage does not just apply to preachers, but to all who love His appearing. All who love his appearing are promised a crown of righteousness. What’s that?

A crown of righteousness may refer to the heavenly reward for righteous acts done here on the earth. It more likely refers to Christ’s righteousness perfected in us… meaning that when we stand before Christ, we stand forgiven. For those who endure to the end – for all those who long for the appearing of Jesus – we can look forward to reigning and ruling with him for all eternity. When our struggle is complete, we receive the reward of eternal life, and enjoy the pleasures of God for all of eternity.

The fight is worth it.

Life Application

Eternal life and eternal death hang in the balance. This morning, the week before we launch, I thought it critical that we are all on the same page about the teaching in this church. We preach and teach the whole council of scripture here. What we don’t get to on Sunday morning we’ll try to pick up in the weekday small group and in your personal reading during the week.

#1 Plan to be a part of a weekday small group. Be an active part of the process of studying through the whole council of scripture. It will change your life.

#2 Study the scriptures during the week. Preach to yourself. Study the whole council of scripture. Starting soon we’ll have a Bible study that goes along with the Sunday message. We want to be part of the process of helping you to understand and apply scripture to your own life

The battle is worth it in your life. Fight the good fight. Finish the course. Keep the faith. Eternity is at stake in your life. Victory in this fight is worth whatever it takes.

 Teaching Outline

5 intensifiers

#1 I (solemnly) charge you

#2 … in the presence of God

#3 … and in the presence of Christ Jesus

#4 … who is the judge of the living and the dead

#5 … and by His appearance and His kingdom

To PREACH the WORD

The first command of every pastor’s ministry is to preach the Word

The strength and health of this church will be determined by how we handle the Word of God.

What Word is supposed to be preached? 2 Tim. 3:16-4:2

Preach the whole council of God from the beginning to the end and everything in between.

Boldly proclaim the truth about sin, righteousness, judgment and God’s law.

Why is preaching important? 2 Tim. 4:3-4

Preaching is supposed to call us back from wandering.

Preaching gives us clear guidance and direction in our battle against sin.

The reward for preaching the Word 2 Tim 4:5-8

When our struggle is complete, we receive the reward of eternal life, and enjoy the pleasures of God for all of eternity.

Application

#1 Plan to be a part of a weekday small group.

#2 Study the scriptures during the week.