But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Sermons
I. "BUT BE THOU SOBER IN ALL THINGS." 1. The presence of false teachers necessitated a wakeful attitude, a constant presence of mind, a quick discernment of opportunities for advancing the truth. 2. There ought to be a consistently sober and watchful care extending through the whole life of the minister, who has to "give account of souls." II. "SUFFER HARDSHIP." 1. If the minister fears the anger of men, he will not be faithful to God. 2. There is a reward for brave suffering. (1 Timothy 2:3-12.) 3. The example of the apostle's life was ever before Timothy as a powerful incentive to endurance. (1 Timothy 3:10-12.) III. "DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST." 1. There was a separate class of officers called evangelists in the apostolic Church (Ephesians 4:11), whose special business was to break new ground in the open fields of heathenism or the narrower confines of Judaism. They preached the gospel, while pastors shepherded the flocks. But we are not to suppose that pasters did not also "do the work of an evangelist." They had saints and sinners under their care in all places. 2. As Timothy had been lately occupied in organizing the Church life of Ephesus, the admonition was not needless that he should henceforth devote himself to the direct work of evangelization, as the best antidote to heresy and impiety. IV. "MAKE FULL PROOF OF THY MINISTRY." This was to be done: 1. By constant labours. 2. By unswerving faithfulness to God and man. 3. By efforts to save sinners and edify saints, which were seen to be successful. Such a man fulfils his ministry, for he seeks not his own things, but the things of Christ. - T.C.
But watch thou in all things. None are so likely to maintain watchful guard over their hearts and lives as those who know the comfort of living in near communion with God. They feel their privilege and will fear losing it. They will dread falling from their high estate, and marring their own comfort by bringing clouds between themselves and Christ. He that goes on a journey with a little money about him takes little thought of danger, and cares little how late he travels. He, on the contrary, that carries gold and jewels, will be a cautious traveller: he will look well to his roads, his horses, and his company, and run no risks. The fixed stars are those that tremble most. The man that most fully enjoys the light of God's countenance, will be a man tremblingly afraid of losing its blessed consolations, and jealously fearful of doing anything to grieve the Holy Ghost.(Bishop Ryle.) Endure afflictions Some dyes cannot bear the weather, but alter colour presently; but there are others that, having something that gives a deeper tincture, will hold. The graces of a true Christian hold out in all sorts of weathers, in winter and summer, prosperity and adversity, when superficial counterfeit holiness will give out.(R. Sibbes.) I board with a poor Scotsman; his wife can talk scarcely any English. My diet consists mostly of hasty-pudding, boiled corn, and bread baked in ashes, and sometimes a little meat and butter. My lodging is a little heap of straw, laid upon some boards, a little way from the ground; for it is a long room, without any floor, that I lodge in. My work is exceedingly hard and difficult. I travel on foot a mile and a half in the worst of roads almost daily and back again; for I live so far from my Indians. I bare not seen an English person this month. These and many other uncomfortable circumstances attend me; and yet my spiritual conflicts and distresses so far exceed all these that I scarce think of them, but feel as if I were entertained in the most sumptuous manner. The Lord grant that I may learn to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!(David Brainerd.) Do the work of an evangelist Evangelical Repository. We fancy we still see Dr. Wardlaw standing in the pulpit and beseeching the newly-ordained pastor to approve himself in all things as the faithful servant of God. Some of his sentences still linger in our recollection — "Oh, my brother I" he said, "never forget that the greatest triumph which can be accomplished on earth is the conversion of a soul; and a minister's labours are never so highly honoured as when men are born of God through his instrumentality. It may be of importance to polish the jewel after it has been found, but the chief thing is to dig it out of the mine. It may be, and it is, important to dress up the stone for the front of the building, but be does the greatest work who excavates it from the quarry in which it lay imbedded."(Evangelical Repository.) While waiting on one occasion in a gentleman's parlour, Vassar opened conversation with his wife, a very fashionable and proud-looking lady, who was sitting in the room. With great concern he began at once to urge the necessity of the new birth and immediate acceptance of Christ upon her. She was thunderstruck, and protested that she did not believe in any of those things. Then followed a most fervent appeal, texts of Scripture, warning against rejecting Christ, the certainty of a wrath to come for any found in impenitence, till my friend said he was fairly alarmed at the boldness of the assault. Suddenly the gentleman came in for whom he was waiting, and called him out. When the gentleman returned to his wife, she said, "There has been an old man here talking with me about religion." "Why did you not shut him up?" he asked gruffly. "He is one of those persons that you cannot shut up," was her reply. "If I had been here," he said, "I would have told him very quickly to go about his business." "If you had seen him, you would have thought he was about his business," was her answer.(Memoir of Uncle John Vassar.) Make full proof This word "ministry" does not refer exclusively to what we are accustomed to call the Christian ministry, meaning the teaching and pastoral office in the Church. That is but one of ten thousand forms of ministration or service, which may be rendered to our fellows at the call of God. To minister to any one, is to help or serve him; and so every course of action by which we can help and serve others is a ministry, and every such service is truly a Christian work. And as we cannot all render the same service, but can each render particular kinds of service to particular people — relatives, friends or neighbours — that particular description of service which each of us can render is our "ministry." It is a ministry, the object of whose functions lies without us, in contrast to activities which centre in self as their object. And it is "thy ministry," because it is that particular form of helpful activity which it is open to each, separately, to prosecute. Paul's was different from Timothy's, and neither has belonged to anybody since; nor will your ministry, or mine, ever be allotted to anybody else; for no one will be situated as We are, or have exactly our opportunities. But, in some respects, our ministry is like Timothy's and Paul's. It is directed to the same objects: the spread of Christ's truth and Christ's Church. And we are summoned to it by the same Divine Lord, to whom also we shall reader an account of its discharge; All the high, sublime elements, then, which belonged to their ministry or service in life, belong to ours, though ours may take less striking outward forms, and be rendered with no eye but God's to watch our performance of it. The sublime considerations, moving to fidelity in it, which Paul urged on Timothy, bear, then, on us. "I charge thee before God, make full proof of" — thoroughly fulfil — "thy ministry."(T. M. Herbert, M. A.) In the charge of the aged Paul to the young disciple Timothy, there seems to be an appeal which, though unexpressed, is perpetually addressed from the elder generation to the younger. What the one old man said to the single young one, all Christ's servants, whose work is nearly done, seem to say to all those whose work is just beginning. "Fulfil thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered." Choose what time in the world's history you like, you will always find those two classes well represented; for it is always true that "one generation passeth away, and another cometh." And while the old are always passing to their rest, and the young rising to do their parts, the great aims for which Christian men strive and pray, and the great institution of the Church, through which they further them, lives on; and it is, or should be, the concern of each generation to hand it down invigorated and enlarged, to their successors. But if that is to be done, these successors must be ready to take up these toils and aims; to adapt them to the needs of the coming time, and engage in them with a spirit at least as devoted as that which their fathers showed. So they seem to hear from their father, "Fulfil thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered." Now if we take our own time, and apply to it these considerations, which hold good of every time, what shall we say? New, as ever, there is a passing and a rising generation. And the great Church and kingdom of Christ, which has been in the hands of the fathers, will soon be in the hands of the children. That glorious institution will live, though the hands which now sustain it decay. But young hands must receive it from the failing hold of the elders, and by their efforts it must he upheld. Are they ready to take it? Are they prepared to "fulfil their ministry," because their predecessors will soon leave the task in their hands?(T. M. Herbert, M. A.) Several ancient rulers did not find management of their dominions sufficiently burdensome, and so one of them became a fiddler, another a poet, and another an orator. The world never had a worse fiddler than Nero, nor a more wearisome poet than Dionysius, nor a more blundering orator than Caligula; and we might fearlessly assert also that the world never had worse princes than these three. Such instances are exceedingly instructive, and remind us of the sculptor's advice to the cobbler to stick to his last. Each tub had better stand on its own bottom; for when tubs take to rolling about they spill all that they contain, be it either wine or water.(C. H. Spurgeon.) People Alexander, Aquila, Claudia, Crescens, Demas, Erastus, Eubulus, Linus, Luke, Mark, Onesiphorus, Paul, Prisca, Priscilla, Pudens, Timothy, Titus, Trophimus, TychicusPlaces Corinth, Dalmatia, Ephesus, Galatia, Miletus, Thessalonica, TroasTopics Afflictions, Always, Assurance, Bear, Comfort, Completing, Discharge, Duties, Duty, Endure, Evangelist, Evil, Evils, Exercise, Fill, Fulfil, Fulfill, Full, Fully, Habitual, Hardship, Measure, Ministration, Ministry, News, Obligations, Office, Preaching, Proclaiming, Proof, Self-control, Self-controlled, Self-indulgent, Sober, Steady, Suffer, Suffering, WatchOutline 1. He exhorts him to preach the Word with all care and diligence;6. certifies him of the nearness of his death; 9. wills him to come speedily unto him, and to bring Marcus with him; 14. warns him to beware of Alexander the metalworker. 16. informs him what had befallen him at his first answering; 19. and soon after he concludes. Dictionary of Bible Themes 2 Timothy 4:5 5157 head 1614 Scripture, understanding 7755 preaching, importance Library Truth Hidden when not Sought After. "They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."--2 Tim. iv. 4. From these words of the blessed Apostle, written shortly before he suffered martyrdom, we learn, that there is such a thing as religious truth, and therefore there is such a thing as religious error. We learn that religious truth is one--and therefore that all views of religion but one are wrong. And we learn, moreover, that so it was to be (for his words are a prophecy) that professed Christians, … John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII A Last Look-Out Sermon for St. Peter's Day Demas Some Other Writers of the New Testament Epistle Liii. To John, Bishop. Paul's Departure and Crown; How the Meek and the Passionate are to be Admonished. A Fulfilled Aspiration The Glory of Jesus and Mary. Exhortation to Workers and Ministers Author's Introduction, Meditations of the Blessed State of the Regenerate Man after Death. Perseverance Conflict and Comfort. Concerning God's Purpose Second Missionary Journey How the Gospels came to be Written Because There is not a Single Scripture in the Church Epistles Which, Rightly Interpreted, Teaches a Partial Rapture. Curiosity a Temptation to Sin. Links 2 Timothy 4:5 NIV2 Timothy 4:5 NLT 2 Timothy 4:5 ESV 2 Timothy 4:5 NASB 2 Timothy 4:5 KJV 2 Timothy 4:5 Bible Apps 2 Timothy 4:5 Parallel 2 Timothy 4:5 Biblia Paralela 2 Timothy 4:5 Chinese Bible 2 Timothy 4:5 French Bible 2 Timothy 4:5 German Bible 2 Timothy 4:5 Commentaries Bible Hub |