2 Timothy 4 - The Greatest Book Ever Written!
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Paul continues to encourage Timothy to carry out his duties as the pastor of the church Ephesus. Paul reminds Timothy that ultimately he will be accountable to Jesus, when he returns to judge the living and the dead.
Therefore, Paul challenges Timothy to keep on preaching the gospel. He needs to be patient because many people won't respond to the gospel, or even oppose it.
Paul’s emphasis on the word of God has been constant. There are some 36 references to the true gospel in this letter and some 17 references to false teachings. - Guzik
The good news is the Jesus came down from heaven to save us from our sins by dying on the cross. If we believe in him one day when we die we will inherit eternal life because of our faith in him.
Today we face a culture that has "itching ears". They might be more open to how Jesus can meet their desires, rather than giving up their lives to follow him. It is easy for pastors and preachers to capitulate to this "me first" world. It is as we die to ourselves that we can serve God and others and experience the abundant life Jesus promised.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Because of their opposition of the truth, they were susceptible to all kinds of lust for power and taking advantage of gullible women.
Jannes and Jambres: Though they were not named for us in the Exodus account, these two men are the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:8-13, 7:19-23, 8:5-7, and 8:16-19).
Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses: These were able to work real miracles – not mere parlor tricks – but by the power of darkness and not the power of God. When Moses cast down his rod and it turned into a serpent, Jannes and Jambres could do the same. When he turned water into blood, they could do the same. When Moses brought forth a plague of frogs, Jannes and Jambres could do the same. Yet eventually they could not match God miracle-for-miracle, and their occult powers were shown to be inferior to God’s power.
Even as Jannes and Jambres were eventually put to shame (though for a while they matched Moses “miracle for miracle”) and were eventually compelled to give reluctant glory to God, so also will the evil men of the last days. Even as Jannes and Jambres’ power had limits, so does Satan’s power, even in the last days – God is still in control. - Guzik
A Final Charge to Timothy
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
As Paul gives his final charge to Timothy, he points to his own life's journey as an apostle of Jesus. There was nothing Paul was teaching Timothy that he had not experienced or lived out. The best leaders teach from not only knowledge, but also experience. Experience can only come with time and obedience to God's call.
Paul warns Timothy that anyone who wants to lead a godly life in Christ will be persecuted. I think the same is true today. In America we currently are not persecuted very heavily, but in places like Nigeria persecution and even martyrdom is happening every day.
Recently, cultural commentator Bill Maher said something that caught our attention: “They are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria … They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009 … burned 18,000 churches … No one will talk about it.”
His words spotlight what many have overlooked—the reality of widespread Christian persecution in Nigeria. Even those outside the Church are starting to notice. If voices beyond the faith are speaking up, how much more should we, as Christians, pay attention?
Maher doesn’t claim to be a Christian, but even he noticed what too many in the West have overlooked: believers in Nigeria are under attack. If voices outside the Church are raising the alarm, how much more should we, as the Body of Christ, be paying attention? - GlobalChristianRelief.org
Paul learned his Christian faith from his mother and grandmother and then was mentored by the apostle Paul. Paul stresses the importance of his learning the "Holy Scriptures"! What does this word mean?
Holy Scriptures: This use here referred to the Old Testament, because that is what Timothy would have learned from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. -Guzik
The primary purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to make one, "wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus". Martin Luther called the bible the "cradle of the Christ child".
But then Paul gives the secondary purpose for scripture. The bible is trustworthy because it is "inspired by God". The NIV uses the word "God-breathed". God breathed His Spirit into the human authors, as they wrote down God's Word. This is why the bible is no ordinary book. The bible is the most valuable book in the world because it not only leads to "eternal life", but also "the eternal kind of life.".
The bible reveals who Jesus is, what it means to have faith in him, and then how to follow him. Nothing in the Old Testament is overturned by the New Testament. The Ten Commandments are holy and true, but now as a believer one has the Holy Spirit to actually obey these commandments. Jesus fulfills the Old Covenant as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The bottom line is the bible can be trusted. It is the best selling book of all time, the most scrutinized book of all time, and the most attested to book of all time. The bible holds up to every test as to its reliability, authenticity, and attestation.
By reading this blog it shows that you have committed to knowing God's Word. The bible will never let you down. Study it on your own. Study it in small groups and bible studies. Listen to it preached, and listen to podcasts by bible teachers who can be trusted. I.e. Conservative, evangelical, bible based teaching!
Simply put the bible is the greatest book every written. It will equip you for every good work an ensure that you live a life that will make a difference for all of eternity!
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