I invite you this morning to
turn with me to Paul's second epistle to Timothy, somewhere around the year 58
or 59 AD. And while he had a prisoner at
Rome, the Apostle Paul took pen in hand and wrote a letter to
his son in the faith, Timothy. Timothy was a very blessed young
man, and I say blessed in the sense of God's providence, that
he had a history of grace and that history ran through his
family, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. And they
were a blessing to him. And it is a blessing indeed to
hear the truth when you're young. And not as multitudes of us around
the world grew up hearing lies. Hearing is the gift of God. And
when Christ descended to the throne of God, he gave to his
church gifts. Gifts such as apostles, prophets,
evangelists, and pastor teachers. And then he asked us this question.
How shall you hear without a preacher? How shall he preach except he
be sent? And then he said to his disciples,
blessed are your ears, for they hear. And I don't know if I'll
see the results of my ministry here, but whether I do or not,
our children here and young people have heard the gospel. Is this
a guarantee that they'll be saved? No. But I can guarantee you this,
except they hear, they'll never be saved. The surest way that I know to
reprobation is to ignore the means of grace. And this is what
the apostle is writing to Timothy and talking to him about, the
means of grace. Well, what means? What means
is he talking about? Well, he's talking about God's
providence. Providence opens the door of
opportunity. Things don't just happen. There's
no such thing as luck or chance. The scripture said, he worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. We know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose. That's talking
about the providence of God. How many times have you had the
opportunity to hear but opted to do something else? This is
contrary. Contrary to the way of God. And
it only shows the rebellion of the sinner. And then secondly,
The Word of God. If I ask you something about
your iPhone this morning, you can tell me without even thinking
about it. But I can quote a Scripture to
you, and you have to look it up. Why is that? Because we ignore the reading
of the Scriptures. Listen to what Paul tells this
young man, 2 Timothy 3, verse 15. that from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Now listen to what he
tells him. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
or instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect,
truly furnished unto all good works. So what you're saying
is we don't really need preachers. No sir, that's not what I'm saying.
But the preacher has nothing to give you apart from the Word
of God. The Word of God is the only means,
it's the only source of information that we have about God. Isaiah
8.20, he said, to the law and to the testimony, that's the
whole Old Testament Scriptures. If they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them. And then look back at our text,
2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. I charge thee therefore before
God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word. Be instant, in season, out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. I'm saying to you and to myself
as well, do not ignore the word of God. If you'll hear from God,
it'll be through his word. So we've got God's providence,
that's a means of grace, blessed opportunities of grace. And we
have the Word of God. David said, the Word is a lamp
under my feet and a light under my path. And then thirdly, we
have the assembling of the saints in worship. Our Lord, the Lord
of heaven and earth, commands us to forsake not the assembling
of ourselves together as the manner of some is. Well, what's
our manner? What's my manner? What's your
manner? How do you and I look at worship? Do we see it as an
option? Do we see it as an extra? Do
we see it as a boost if we want to take advantage of it? Or as
a ceremony or duty? What is our manner concerning
worship? And what a sad thing the Holy
Spirit lays upon the heart of Paul as he writes these words
to people that he had spoken to often, as the manner of some
is. But rather, he said, exhorting
one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. What day? That's the end of time. That's the end of this source
of grace. This is the end of opportunity
for natural man. And then fourthly, the preaching
of the gospel. This is a means of grace, the
preaching of the gospel. After that, in the wisdom of
God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So we have
all of these things, including the preaching of the gospel,
and then fifthly, he tells us the Holy Ghost. The gift of the
Holy Ghost to God's church is to reveal the truth to His people. Now let me show you this in the
Word of God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and
verse 7. But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the world under our glory. which none of the princes of
this world knew. For had they have known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written,
I hath not seen or ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even
so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.
Now, Paul says, we have received not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things
which are freely given to us of God, which things also we
speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the
Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
Now here's the means again. The providence of God, the Word
of God, the assembling of the saints, the preaching of the
gospel, and the Holy Ghost. Now watch this. 1 Corinthians
2, verse 14. But the natural man, Receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. These are the means of grace,
they're foolishness to him. You mean to say I need to assemble
with the saints to hear the gospel? That's the pillar and ground
of the truth, God's local church in this world. How shall you
hear without a preacher? That's what God says, but the
natural man says that's foolishness. That's foolishness. All of these
means of grace, what need does a natural man have of means? He's got a mind, he's got an
understanding, it's just some simple facts, just a matter of
decision, just a simple commitment, just the hearing and agreeing
to some facts. All the very means of life, eternal
life. right before him. Nigh him, Paul
says, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of
faith which we preach. But not to a natural man. God's
means are foolishness to him. And then listen to this. Neither
can he know them, because they're spiritually discerned. You can't
know these things apart from the means of grace. And I said
all that to to get you up to speed on the verses written here,
2 Timothy 4.3. For the time will come when they,
those you're preaching to, those who hear what you say, hear your
doctrines, hear your reproof, hear your correction, hear your
instruction in righteousness, those that you're preaching to
will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own desires,
after their own lusts, shall they heap to themselves teachers
having itching ears. And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth and shall be turned to fables." So what's
a fable? It's a short story, the dictionary
said, typically with animals and characters conveying some
kind of moral story, incorporating elements of myth and legend. That's what men like to hear.
That's what they like to hear. Things with no foundation. Things
not of God. Just things that tickle their
fancies. And surely we're experiencing this in our day. Men and women claiming to be
teachers and preachers sent of God based on dreams and visions
and experiences and feelings. Men and women convinced of Satan
and his ministers, and he transforms them into ministers of righteousness,
self-righteousness. Men and women educated by some
preacher factory that they call seminaries. And these men think to reform
a condemned world by fables, to win God's affection by changing
a few habits, And nothing that they say is taught in the Word
of God, neither do they care if it is or not. They have a
form of godliness, their dress, their speech, their robes, but
they deny the power thereof. They creep into houses and lead
captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lust. And they're ever learning, the
scripture says. and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth. Well, what do they offer? Why
do people go? Well, they offer respect. They
offer jobs, influence, fame, reward, peace, comfort, security,
all these things. Peter says they shall privately
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them. So how do they deny the Lord that bought them? Paul tells
us in Galatians 2.21, if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. They deny their Lord. They deny
His purpose in becoming a man. They deny His representation
of the church and the work that He did and the redemption He
accomplished. If you preach the Word, you must
preach the person of Jesus Christ. Because the testimony of Christ
is the spirit of prophecy. It is the reason for prophecy.
To Him give all the prophets witness. It's God's testimony. He said these scriptures are
they that testify me. And it is the record that God
has given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son.
And his appearance is what gives, by the Spirit of God, a right
understanding of the Word. Apart from Christ, we had no
understanding of the Word of God. Paul said to the Ephesians,
I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have
showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house,
testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. I testified,
he said, the gospel of the grace of God. And therefore, I take
you to record this day that I'm pure from the blood of all men,
for I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of
God. We preach Christ, whose very
name is the Word. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God will communicate
all things through His Son. He's the eternal mediator. He's
the covenant surety. His blood is the blood of the
everlasting covenant. He's the creator and the reason
for creation. He's the head of the body of
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence. He's the Lord
of lords, King of kings. clearer revelation of God than
Christ. To see Him is to see the Father.
To know Him is to know the Father. And to know God is eternal life. We know, 1 John 5, 20, that the
Son of God has come and has given to us an understanding that we
may know Him that's true, and we are in Him that's true. Even
in His Son, Jesus Christ, this is the true God. and eternal
life. With antichrist religion blinding
the whole world with their power, signs, and lying wonders, and
with their feigned words and deceivableness of unrighteousness. What can we do? What can this
man do? This one who's speaking to you
today. What can I do? What can you do? What can this
church do? Preach the word. That's what
he says. Take full advantage of the means. What possible good could this
man and this little flock here in Louisville, Arkansas do? Oh,
let me tell you something. God took a handful of men and
turned the world upside down. Our power is not in the size
of our congregation, but in our God. And that's the reason he put
this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. us that's accomplishing anything. We're just part of the means.
Just part of the means of grace. Be careful as to those you hear
and give weight to what they say. This world is full of imposters. Satan is ready and able to supply
heaps of teachers for those with itching ears. What's their aim? It's to turn away their ears
from the truth. The truth, what is that? That's
a person. That's a person. He said, I am
the way, the truth, and the life. And no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. Oh, our great God and Father.
Would you be pleased today to open the minds and hearts of
those sitting here today and give them light and peace and
grace and joy. For Christ's sake, amen.