When Paul wrote his second letter to the young man Timothy, he gave him instructions on what and how he should deliver God’s Word. Paul was in prison awaiting his death, so the message was urgent. This might be his last chance to tell Timothy exactly what message would be needed by the Christians.
This is what Paul told Timothy:
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (Second Timothy 4:2-5).
It would appear from these instructions that Timothy was to preach, confronting sin directly no matter the cost. That was what Paul had done, and that is what he expected of Timothy.
We don’t know what Timothy preached, but I suspect he fulfilled the instructions Paul gave him. He would have followed a host of preachers who followed the example of others that had gone before him.
John, the forerunner of Jesus, preached a plain, straightforward gospel. We see it especially in his rebuke of Herod Antipas and Herodias. He denounced their marriage (Matthew 14:4), and he paid a high price for it.
Herodias had previously been married to Philip, an uncle. She and Herod Antipas began a secret affair, and Herodias divorced Philip. By the way, Herod Antipas was also her uncle. Philip and Herodias had a daughter, identified in history as Salome.
Herodias didn’t take kindly to John’s confronting their sin, and she wanted John executed (Mark 6:19). Herod was afraid to do anything to John. Mark says that Herod knew he was a righteous man and a holy man. Matthew says that he was also afraid of the people because they believed him to be a prophet.
So, here is the dilemma. Herodias wants John dead. Herod would go along with it, but he is afraid of the people; and he believes John is righteous and really doesn’t deserve to be put to death. In order to appease his wife, he has John arrested and put in prison. We don’t know how long he was there, but I feel sure Herodias was seeking ways to get rid of him for good.
Just such an occasion arose. Herod had a birthday, and there was a grand celebration. The daughter of Herodias performed at the celebration. Her dancing was so effective that Herod promised her anything she wanted up to half the kingdom. So, the girl asked her mother what she should tell Herod she wanted; and, of course, Herodias told her to ask for the head of John on a silver charger.
She did ask, and Mark says that the king was “exceedingly sorry.” Because he had made his promise to her publicly, he had to follow through. He sent someone immediately to bring John’s head to him. John was beheaded, and Herodias, I’m sure, felt vindicated.
This is a sad commentary as an example of confronting sin. It makes you wonder what Timothy faced when he had to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.”
Stephen suffered a similar outcome for his preaching, Luke tells us that Stephen was a man full of faith, doing great wonders and miracles. He was probably a popular man, but there were those that disputed with him. Acts 6:10 tells us that those that opposed him could not resist “the wisdom and spirit by which he spoke.” So, to justify what they wanted to do, they lied about him. They brought in false witnesses to twist what Stephen had preached.
Stephen spoke freely and eloquently about the history of God’s people. He accurately recounted the events that took place from the time of Abraham to their present day. He boldly accused them of not obeying the law and resisting the Holy Spirit in the same way their fathers had done. The result was his being thrown out of the city and stoned to death.
Our preachers need to continue to do what Paul commanded Timothy to do, but we need to be willing to do the same on an individual basis. We need to be willing to stand against those that want to change us into an ungodly nation. We need to be willing to refuse to buy products that display immorality. We need to be willing to turn off the television when we see the parade of sin exhibited in so many programs. We need to be willing to stand with our children and grandchildren against the daily temptations that plague them and us.
We will likely have to endure suffering; however, this world is not our home. If we don’t confront sin here, we are going to be living with the initiators of sin for eternity.
Sandra Oliver