Kindle Notes & Highlights
Fifth, the next command that Paul issues in preaching is “be sober in all things” (2 Tim. 4:5).
Those nominal church members became wearied with his didactic teaching. In
Nominal church members we read from doctrine of preaching
The phrase “turn away” (apostrophē) was used to describe someone throwing a bone out of joint.
Turn away equals a bone out of joint
Should he tone down his message? To the contrary, the apostle charges him to “be sober in all things” (v. 5). To be sober (nēphō) means to be well-balanced and self-controlled.
No preacher can please both God and self-serving humanity. These two ambitions are mutually exclusive.
One cannot preach to please God and man!
Endure All Affliction Sixth, Paul then commands Timothy that he must “endure hardship” (2 Tim. 4:5). In the original language, these two words are a single word (kakopatheō), which means to suffer misfortune and bear hardship patiently.
preaching the word will mean persevering through rejection, ridicule, and persecution. It may even mean martyrdom, as it did for Paul (2 Tim. 4:6).
Preaching through trials even amidst martyrdom.
Evangelize the Lost Seventh, Paul next charges Timothy, as he carries out his preaching duties, to “do the work of an evangelist” (v. 5).
Evangelistic preaching requires strenuous labor, wrestling with souls to win the lost to Christ. The work of an “evangelist” (euangelistēs) requires preaching the gospel to the unconverted, beginning with those in the church.
Strenuous labor to preach evangelistic leave the gospel to those in the church.
(Acts 2:22–36) and then summoned the crowd to “repent” (v. 38). He “kept on exhorting them [to] be saved” (v. 40). The result was that three thousand souls were saved (v. 41).
Peter kept exhorting people to repent in (Acts 2) Until they did.
You must toil to win them to Christ. There will always be tares sown among the wheat.
Finally, Paul charges Timothy in his preaching to “fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5). “Fulfill” (plērophoreō) conveys the basic idea of bringing a task to completion.
Every truth must be taught, every promise delivered, every hard saying declared, every sin exposed, and every controversy addressed. As long as God gives you breath, you must preach “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).
Preach the full counsel of God and nothing but the full counsel of God!
Martin Luther and asked, “How do you explain Europe being on fire? How do you explain the Reformation?” Luther responded: I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept . . . the word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing. The word did it all.6
This is what preaching to the heart is intended to produce: inner prostration of the hearts of our listeners through a consciousness of the presence and the glory of God. Sinclair Ferguson1
Preaching quote
“expository exultation.”2 That is, your pulpit ministry must relentlessly magnify the supreme glory of God. Every sermon
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” That is true in our preaching—and the main thing is always God.
glory of God
Main thing
“What is the chief end of preaching?”3 His answer was, “It is to give men and women a sense of God and His presence.”
We need to unveil the radiant splendor of His majesty.
Not until we know who God is can the great questions of life be answered:
Crucial Q’s
Cotton Mather said, “The great design and intention of the office of a Christian preacher is to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men.”
Quote
Here is your chief role as a preacher. It is to present Jesus as the grand theme of all of Scripture.
The Only Focus
Paul continues, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). This Greek word “determined” (krinō) means to pass judgment upon or to engage in a judicial process.
Christless preaching is powerless—and lifeless.
“A good preacher must be committed to this, that nothing is dearer to him than Christ.”
A sermon without Christ, it is an awful, a horrible thing. It is an empty well; it is a cloud without rain; it is a tree twice dead, plucked up by the roots.
A sermon without Christ
Penetrating Insight
First, the Holy Spirit will illuminate your understanding of the biblical
Deepened Convictions
Second, the Holy Spirit will embolden your convictions in the truth.
Heaven will seem more desirable. Hell will appear more dreadful. You will preach these truths out of the greater depths of your convictions.
Inflamed Passion Third, the Holy Spirit ignites within you an inflamed passion for God.
R. C. Sproul agrees: “Dispassionate preaching is a lie.”13
Quote
Psalm 69:9 and saw its fulfillment in Jesus: “Zeal for Your house will consume me” (John 2:17). “Zeal” (zēlos) means an excitement of mind and fervor of spirit.
Zeal for your house psalm 84
Increased Love Fourth, the Spirit will cause you to love those to whom you preach.
Sustained Endurance Fifth, the Holy Spirit will sustain you as you preach in your most difficult hours.
John Knox, the great Scottish Reformer, said, “God gave His Holy Spirit to simple men in great abundance.”14 Surely, you and I qualify for this.
Power in the Pulpit Charles Haddon Spurgeon understood this need for the Holy Spirit in his preaching.
At the heart of every pastor’s work is bookwork.
Picture a car mechanic.
Original Languages Any proper study of a passage requires some knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew
At the very least, it requires being able to use study tools
Sound Interpretation To rightly handle the word, you also must be taught the laws of proper interpretation.
Bible Survey Any training in the Bible should also include an overall introduction to and survey of the entire word,
Church History Proper training should also include instruction in the key periods and movements of church history.
The Preparation Stage
Sanctify Your Heart
you must be walking in close fellowship with the
Secure the Study Tools Moreover, you must have the necessary resources to properly study the passage to be preached.
