Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20121104.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
2 Timothy: God's Directives For Church Leaders Amid Hardships
Part VII: Responding Well To False Teachers Amid Ministry Hardships, 2 Timothy 2:14-4:8
F. Ministering As God Wills Unto Hearers Who Yield To Apostate Deceivers
(2 Timothy 4:1-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. Added to the challenge of ministering in the face of false teachers and regular ministry hardships is the trial of working with disciples who will themselves resist the truth and turn to follow apostate deceivers.
    2. The discipling party must be able to function above and beyond the debilitating effects of such a trial, and the Apostle Paul directed Timothy on such a preparation in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 as follows:
  2. Ministering As God Wills Unto Hearers Who Yield To Apostate Deceivers, 2 Timothy 4:1-8.
    1. Paul prophesied that the time would come when Timothy's hearers themselves would not "willingly hear, endure" (anecho, Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T. , 1967, p. 65) the "healthy, sound" (hugiaino, Ibid., p. 839-840) teaching he gave from God's Word, 2 Timothy 4:3a.
    2. Instead, they would "heap up" (episoreuo, Ibid., p. 302) unto themselves in line with their lusts teachers in "feeling an itching of" (knetho, Ibid., p. 438) the ear for turning from the truth of God's Word to the "myths" (muthos, Ibid., p. 530-531), yarns about Bible characters on what was "considered some hint' supplied by the Old Testament," Wm. Hendriksen, Exp. of the Past. Epistles (NTC), 1974, p. 312, 58-59; 2 Timothy 4:3b-4. Without initially rejecting Scripture, some of the listeners would seek teachers with "spiced up" extrabiblical stories about Scriptural characters or themes without having to face Bible truth itself, the first step toward outright apostasy from the Lord!
    3. This response in the hearers can not only discourage a discipler, but tempt him to abandon his calling, for the pressure to yield to his hearers' demand to "spice up" his teaching with extrabiblical content would be GREAT, but cause the discipler to fail in his calling before God. Thus, Paul directed Timothy on God's plan to function INDEPENDENT of his HEARERS' REACTIONS as follows, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5:
      1. In view of the apostasy of some of his hearers, God's discipler is to realize he stands accountable unto God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will judge the living and the dead, be they the discipler or his hearers, and that at Christ's appearing and His Messianic Kingdom, 2 Timothy 4:1.
      2. That for which the discipler will be held accountable to God and Christ will be God's call that he preach the Word itself (2 Timothy 4:2a), doing so whether the time seems "opportune . . . or not," 2 Timothy 4:2b; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to 2 Timothy 4:2.
      3. Indeed, the discipler is to "correct" (elegcho, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 248-249), "rebuke" (epitimao, Ibid., p. 303) and "appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage" (parakaleo, Ibid., p. 622-623) his hearers in thus proclaiming and applying Scripture with "all patient holding out under trial" (makrothumia, Ibid., 489; Richard C. Trench, Syns. of the N. T., 1973, p. 196), the trial of a bad hearer response, and "teaching-activity" (didache, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 191; Ibid., Hendriksen, p. 311), 2 Tim. 4:2b.
      4. Also, the discipler must remain "well-balanced, self-controlled" (nepho, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 540) in all things relative to discipling, to "bear hardship patiently" (kakopatheo, Ibid., p. 398), to do the work of an evangelist in giving out the Gospel and to "fulfill (completely)" (plerophoreo, Ibid., p. 676) his "service, office" (diakonia, Ibid., p. 183) of the Lord's call to disciple, 2 Timothy 4:5.
    4. As an added encouragement to fulfill this calling irrespective of his hearers' response, Paul called those who disciple in the Church to heed his personal ministry example, 2 Timothy 4:6-8:
      1. Paul wrote these words aware of his soon martyrdom for serving the Lord, aware that he had fought the good fight, that he had finished his course laid out by the Lord and that he had kept the faith so that God had laid up for Paul a crown of righteousness to give unto him in the end, 2 Timothy 4:6-8a.
      2. However, that crown is available to all disciplers who follow Paul's example to discharge their divine callings as he had, and who thus love Christ's appearing when they too will be awarded, 2 Tim. 4:8b.
Lesson: To minister well if his hearers reject Scripture, a discipler must function independent of his hearers' reaction in focusing on his accountability to God and His reward for fulfilling God's calling.

Application: May we heed Paul's word and example to disciple well regardless of the hearers' response.