Sermon Tone Analysis

2 Timothy 4:1-5

The Challenge of the twenty-first Century (Part I)

 

/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: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

For the time will come when men 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.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry/.

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aul foresaw a time of departure from the Faith.

Tragically, many during that time will be unaware that they are departing the Faith, because they will be ignorant of the tenets of the Faith.

During those days, men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Personal desire will drive their search for someone willing to say what they want to hear.

The truth will be deserted and myths and fables will be embraced.

That time is upon us.

Though membership in churches claiming to adhere to biblical truth is surging, an even greater number of professed Christians are forsaking truth in order to embrace religious myths.

Sound doctrine is dismissed as irrelevant to our contemporary situation.

Biblical doctrine is often considered to be a relic of a bygone day, and those preachers who insist upon speaking that authoritative message are thought best suited for theme parks where people can pay to see them perform as they deliver their antiquated message.

A rebellious age does not appreciate hearing the voice of authority.

In the view of those populating this rebellious age, one idea is as good as another.

Truth is whatever one wishes to make it.

In the minds of many there are no absolutes—only shades of grey.

Consequently, the preacher whose little message faithfully presents God’s authoritative Word had best pledge his head toward Heaven.

He will not be loved.

His message will not be readily accepted.

People will detest him.

However, he will please God.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, begins the charge which the Apostle delivers to the young minister of the Ephesian church.

No doubt this particular passage has been read at more ordination ceremonies than any other passage of Scripture.

I contend that it is more pertinent to our day than any day which has preceded.

Paul speaks of Christ Jesus who *is about to* [literal meaning of mevllonto"]judge the living and the dead.

There is immediacy in these words.

Timothy would have understood that the old man was saying that whatever he did must be done quickly, because Divine Judgement was imminent.

There is urgency to the preacher’s task, and the more so when the characteristics pointing toward the conclusion of the age begin to be apparent.

I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I am able to read the Word.

God provides in these verses a glimpse of the terminal generation.

He affords a startling view of the character of churches immediately preceding the return of Christ the Lord to judge mankind.

A review of the prevalent characteristics of that terminal generation will leave you discomfited as you realise the convergence of contemporary religion and that strange religion which will dominate at the time of God’s last intervention into history.

I suggest to you that the Laodicean age may well be upon us as churches rely upon their own ingenuity—and tragically are ignorant of their ungodly condition.

John mirrors Paul’s vision of terminal religion as he describes the Laodicean Church—the last of the seven churches of Asia.

Listen again to those frightful words of rebuke spoken by the Risen Son of God.

/To the angel of the church in Laodicea write/:

/These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either one or the other!

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’

But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see/.

/Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.

So be earnest, and repent.

Here I am!

I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me/.

/To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches/ [*Revelation 3:14-22*].

John saw a religion which carries an outward patina of righteousness.

It will be a lukewarm faith—neither hot nor cold.

That final expression of the Christian religion will be wealthy, self-satisfied and self-assured; but that religion will make God sick.

Paul described quite a similar final manifestation of the Faith in his last letter to Timothy.

Characteristics of the Twenty-first Century Church — Increasingly the churches of this day reflect the dark description provided by the Apostles.

What is interesting is that neither Paul nor John wasted much time speaking of that which most churches argue about in this day.

Neither worship format nor music nor pastoral style are of great concern to the Apostles.

The Apostles focus on issues which penetrate to the heart of the character of  God’s churches.

Listen again to the Apostle’s words from our text.

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: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

For the time will come when men 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.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Three overarching concerns are expressed in the apostolic warning.

Churches in the terminal generation will depreciate doctrine: men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Second, faith will yield to feelings: to suit their own desires…  The final characteristic is  that verity will become virtual: they will turn their ears away from the truth.

It requires but momentary reflection to realise that the dark days foreseen by the Apostle have arrived among the churches of this day.

Think through each of these issues with me.

Doctrine will be Depreciated (men will not put up with sound doctrine) — A study by the Barna group released this past week accuses professing Christians of joining the Church of the Revolving Door.

There is little denominational loyalty, thus little doctrinal loyalty.

In no small measure this is because contemporary Christians are ignorant of what they believe and thus have little commitment to anything!

Young people, growing up in a culture overflowing with choices, tend to adopt a buffet-style approach to church.

Older Christians are distressed by the failure of the younger members to make a commitment.

Professed Christians unite in insisting that they want strong preaching, yet they appear to resent doctrinal preaching.

They want doctrinal integrity, but they are uncomfortable when strong positions are marked out and when biblical truth demands commitment.

Doctrine, according to an astonishing number of the professed saints of God, is boring.

Churches are ranked by their relevance to worshippers instead of being rated on their faithfulness to the inerrant message of God’s Word.

Churches are ranked according to entertainment value instead of faithfulness.

That word which is translated sound is the Greek root from which we obtain our English word *hygiene* [uJgiaivnw].

It conveys the concept of *healthy* or *wholesome*.

There are consequences to beliefs, and unsound belief leads to disaster.

On the other hand, sound doctrine results in the blessing of God.

The tendency to reject sound doctrine must result in churches which no longer enjoy the blessing of God.

A pastor is responsible to be sound in doctrine so that he will be able to teach others.

Paul will insist when writing to Timothy: /You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also/ [*2 Timothy 2:1, 2*].

Paul expands on this singular qualification of ability to teach when he comments to Titus that the Pastor must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it [*Titus 1:9*].

Doubtless it is of more than passing interest to note that the sole aspect of eldership not concerned with character is the ability to teach [*1 Timothy 3:2*; *2 Timothy 2:24*].

The pastorate is no place to develop one’s doctrine.

Nevertheless, far too many pastors are compelled to formulate their doctrinal position after they are called to a pastorate instead of being established in the Faith before receiving a call.

Can it be that churches are experiencing a “dumbing down” of what has marked the Faith throughout the past two millennia because pastors do not know what they believe?

Sound doctrine [uJgiainouvsh" didaskaliva"] is a common concern throughout the Pastoral letters [see *1 Timothy 1:10*; *Titus 2:1*].

A similar concern is sound instruction [uJgiaivnonte" lovgoi] in *1 Timothy 6:3* and *2 Timothy 1:13*.

A pastor must know the teachings of the Word so that he can rebuke the wayward so that they will become sound in the faith [cf.