The Passion of Biblical Preaching: An Expository Study of 1 Timothy 4:13-16*

By Steven J. Lawson

[Steven J. Lawson is Senior Pastor, Dauphin Way Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama.

This is article four in a four-part series, “A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching.”]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famed pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel, wrote, “The work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.”[1] This is true, not because there is anything special about the messenger, but because there is everything glorious about the Lord who summons men to preach. Because the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of the living God, the call to proclaim the Word is the highest calling known to humankind.

Such a high and holy commission requires nothing less than the wholehearted devotion of all who answer its sacred call. Only an absolute abandonment to God’s work will successfully fulfill the rigorous demands of biblical preaching. Focused intellect, exhausting study, fervent heart, draining concentration, long hours, intense spiritual warfare, personal fortitude, soul-searching prayer, and more are all required to give birth to a sermon.

As Winston Churchill so passionately offered on his country’s behalf, the preacher must bring nothing less than his blood, toil, tears, and sweat to the pulpit if he is to deliver expository messages that infuse divine life into the souls of his hearers. Biblical preaching requires the heart, soul, mind, and strength of the one called to preach—the totality of his life.[2]

But unfortunately many men enter their pulpits each Sunday without feeling the eternal weight of glory resting on their shoulders. In what more resembles “sermonettes for Christianettes,” casual discourses are becoming increasingly focused on massaging “felt needs” rather than allowing the biblical text to expose real needs. In light of this disturbing trend pastors must return to preaching that is “Bible-based, Christ-focused, and life-changing … marked by doctrinal clarity, a sense of gravity, and convicting argument.”[3] Passionate preaching that is thoroughly biblical must be recovered.

A Divine Manual For Preaching

Perhaps no portion of Scripture is more germane to the subject of biblical preaching than 1 and 2 Timothy. Written by the apostle Paul to his young son in the faith, Timothy, these letters provide timeless instruction on how to lead the church and how to preach in a manner that is well pleasing to God. Admittedly there is room for diversity in preaching according to each person’s giftedness, abilities, and personality. Nevertheless God has provided some basic guidelines in 1 and 2 Timothy that should direct all preaching. One particular passage—1 Timothy 4:13–16—is the focus of this article.

The historical background of 1 Timothy reveals that Paul had been recently released from his first Roman imprisonment and had launched a fourth missionary journey to visit several of the churches he had visited earlier, including the congregation at Ephesus. After a brief stay there the apostle left Timothy with the formidable task of leading this congregation, a troubled church with a number of problems. False teachers in the church were spreading heresies (1:3–11; 4:1–5; 6:3–10).[4] Other problems that may have existed in that congregation were these: aggressive women were overstepping their God-assigned boundaries for ministry, usurping the headship of the men (2:9–15); unqualified men may have been serving in key positions of spiritual leadership (3:1–13; 5:17–22); people were looking down on Timothy because of his youthfulness and thus challenging his authority (4:12); the care of numerous widows was being overlooked (5:3–16); and many of the wealthy among the congregation were becoming conceited (6:7–19). So, as Hughes states, “Timid Timothy was in a tough spot—pastoring a church that had not called him—ministering to a people who despised his youth and inexperience.”[5] When Paul arrived in Macedonia (1:3), he wrote this letter to Timothy, a manuscript with instructions on how to carry out his oversight of the church (3:14–15). Thus this epistle presents wise counsel from a seasoned apostle on how to lead the church, deal with the problems that existed, and even how to preach. The references to preaching and teaching in 1 Timothy are plentiful and overwhelmingly outweigh all other ministry charges given by the apostle (1:3, 5; 2:11–12; 3:2, 15; 4:1, 6–7, 11, 13–15, 16; 5:7, 17; 6:2–3, 17–18, 20).

This stated preoccupation with biblical teaching and preaching is not surprising because it is to be the nerve center for the body of Christ, the chief means of cultivating spiritual life in the church. First Timothy 4:13–16 is the most strategic passage on the subject of preaching in Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, providing valuable insight into the true nature of biblical proclamation. In these verses Paul called for preaching that is intensely Word-centered and that comes through one who is deeply Word-absorbed. The apostle insisted that exposition must stem from one who is consumed with a fervent zeal to preach God’s Word. The pastor is to be, first and foremost, a preacher—a man consumed with a burning passion to study, read, expound, and live the Scriptures.

The Pursuit Of Biblical Preaching

The apostle wrote in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” In other words Paul was saying, “Timothy, until I can arrive, pour yourself into one primary task—preaching.” On this important verse Hughes notes, “This simple sentence is a landmark text in defining the major work of the pastor and the worship of the church.”[6] Here is the central thrust of Paul’s repeated counsel to Timothy—preach the Word! The young pastor was to devote himself to this primary task. Several observations are worth noting about this exhortation.

A Consuming Pursuit

The verb “give attention to” (προσέχω) means to “turn one’s mind to” something in order to “occupy oneself with, devote or apply oneself to it.”[7] This same word is used in Hebrews 7:13 to depict “the absolute absorption”[8] with which the priest stood at the altar with “all thought and energy taken up with the object.”[9] Thus Timothy was “to apply himself”[10] or “devote himself”[11] with undivided allegiance to this foundational ministry of biblical preaching and teaching. Paul had already used this verb in speaking of the dangers in Ephesus of people who “pay attention to myths” (1:4) and those who are “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (4:1). In combating these dangers Timothy was to devote himself to “the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” The same is true today with those who have been called to the pulpit. Their ministry of preaching is to be a consuming pursuit, not a secondary issue. Gardiner Spring, nineteenth-century pastor in New York City, stated, “The great object of every minister of the Gospel ought to be to give the services of the pulpit the pre-eminence over every other department of ministerial labor.”[12]

A Constant Pursuit

“Give attention to” translates a present imperative, indicating that Timothy “was to continually give his attention to those things. It was to be his way of life.”[13] In season and out, this young pastor was always to be preaching the Word (2 Tim. 4:2). He was to preach when it was inconvenient as well as when it was convenient, when it was rejected as well as when it was well received. Timothy was constantly to devote himself to proclaiming the Word. Underscoring this very point, Wiersbe writes, “Ministering the Word was not something Timothy was to do after he had done other things; it was to be the most important thing he did.”[14] This same vigil is absolutely necessary for all ministers today. Men of God are to give themselves fully to their preaching.

A Commanded Pursuit

Issued with apostolic authority, this scriptural charge to give attention to preaching was binding on Timothy’s life and ministry. This was not an option for young Timothy to consider, but a command to be obeyed. With this imperative Paul issued God’s mandate for this young man’s ministry, a mandate that is timeless for all pastors in all places.

Many today, however, wrongly assume that a pastor is primarily a chief executive officer, whose first priority is vision-casting, strategy-crafting, and image-shaping. But this emphasis dramatically opposes Paul’s instruction in the Pastoral Epistles in which he emphatically stated that, more than anything else, pastors are to be preachers. Such a priority remains by divine mandate to this present hour.

The Reformation Of Exposition

One noted expositor who “gave attention” to biblical preaching was the monumental reformer of Geneva, John Calvin. His passionate commitment to Word-centered, text-driven preaching remains second to none. For twenty-three years (1541–1564), this Swiss pastor carefully expounded God’s Word to his congregation. Calvin preached from the New Testament twice each Sunday, and every other week he expounded portions of the Old Testament each weekday evening. But before this long period of extended ministry, the Geneva city council banished Calvin from his pulpit ministry on Easter Day, 1538. After an exile of more than three years Calvin triumphantly returned to Geneva, and on his reunion with his congregation in September, 1541, he resumed his exposition exactly where he had stopped three years earlier—on the next verse. Later Calvin became seriously ill in the first week of October 1558 and did not return to the pulpit until Monday, June 12, 1559—an absence of eight months. But when he resumed his ministry, he commenced again at the very next verse in the Book of Isaiah.[15] He was consumed with a passion for expository preaching.

In fact Calvin was so devoted to preaching through books in the Bible that his expositional series often took several years to complete. For example his weekly preaching through the Book of Acts took over four years. He then preached 46 sermons on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 186 sermons on 1 and 2 Corinthians, 86 sermons on the Pastoral Epistles, 43 sermons on Galatians, and 48 sermons on Ephesians. In his latter years he began preaching a harmony of the Gospels in the spring of 1559 and continued to do so until he died five years later, on May 27, 1564. During this same time he preached 159 sermons on Job, 200 on Deuteronomy, 353 on Isaiah, 123 on Genesis, along with other expositions as well.[16]

Calvin’s meaty sermons were of such substance that they eventually became the basis of his luminous commentaries. Through his pulpit preaching he produced commentaries on Genesis, Deuteronomy, Judges, Job, Psalms, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Malachi, a harmony of the Gospels, Acts, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus.[17] The great majority of this vast, rich legacy flowed out of his faithful expository preaching. Is biblical preaching relevant? When one considers that Calvin’s expository preaching dramatically influenced two continents—both religiously and culturally—the answer must be affirmative.

What could possibly be more relevant than the life-changing power of God’s Word? The famed Genevan expositor stands for preachers today as a worthy example of the pursuit of biblical exposition.

The Pattern Of Biblical Preaching

Besides establishing the pursuit of biblical preaching, Paul also gave Timothy a pattern to follow in his pulpit ministry. Timothy’s ministry was to consist of three parts—the public reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching (1 Tim. 4:13). These three components—reading, exhortation, and teaching—are the strong and sturdy pillars on which all biblical preaching should rest. This triad in Bible exposition indicates “a specific and recognized practice in preaching.”[18]

Read The Word

The four words “public reading of Scripture” render one Greek word (ἀναγνώσει) preceded by the definite article τῇ and literally should be translated, “the reading.” This referred to the public reading of Scripture in the corporate gathering of the church’s worship, a practice dating back to the time of Ezra when he read the Scriptures in the revival at the water gate in Jerusalem (Neh. 8:1–8). This practice was eventually incorporated in the worship service of the ancient Jewish synagogue (Luke 4:16–17; 2 Cor. 3:14). With the birth of the church this Old Testament practice of publicly reading the Scriptures was adopted by the early believers in their New Testament worship.[19] The early church also read from the Epistles and the Gospels. In fact Paul requested that his letters be read to the churches. “When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16). In another epistle Paul wrote, “I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren” (1 Thess. 5:27). Clearly Paul intended the public reading of Scripture to be an indispensable part of the church’s life. Also the Book of Revelation was to be read aloud. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3).

The practice of publicly reading the Scriptures—both Old and New Testaments—soon became an integral part of the early church’s worship. Lea writes, “Reading Scripture included at the least the Old Testament, but it may have referred also to the rapidly growing collection of New Testament writings.”[20] Underscoring the central importance of the Scriptures in the life of the church, Calvin noted that Paul “places reading before doctrine and exhortation; for, undoubtedly, the Scripture is the fountain of all wisdom, from which pastors must draw all that they place before their flock.”[21] The preacher, as the worship leader, should follow Paul’s instruction to read the Scriptures publicly, and not allow other activities to crowd it out.

Apply The Word

Paul also insisted that the reading of Scripture be accompanied by “exhortation.” This word παράκλησις means “to come alongside” with the purpose of helping someone who is weak or wayward. Accompanied with a definite article, “the exhortation” refers to a specific element of preaching, which “suggests the applying of the Word to the lives of the people.”[22] This was the practice of the ancient synagogue in which the exhortation followed the reading and “was an exposition and application of the Scripture by way of exhortation or encouragement to a certain course of conduct.”[23] For example in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia “the reading of the Law and the Prophets” was followed by a “word of exhortation” (Acts 13:15). Kelly identifies this “exhortation” as “the exposition and application of Scripture which followed its public reading.”[24]

This aspect of exhortation in preaching “is an important part of every pastor’s duties. He must not only read the Word of God to his people but also exhort them to obey it.”[25] As MacArthur writes, “Exhortation challenges people to apply the truths they have been taught. It warns people to obey in light of the blessing to come to them if they do, and the judgment if they do not. Exhortation may take the form of rebuke, warning, counsel, or comfort, but always involves a binding of the conscience.”[26] This is to say, the ultimate goal of Bible exposition is to change lives. Preaching must do more than simply inform the mind; it also must grip the heart and challenge the will. The entire person—mind, emotion, and will—must be impacted. Thus exposition is not merely for the transmitting of information; it is for the effecting of transformation. It presses for a decision with entreaties, appeals, and persuasions.

Teach The Word

Preaching must also include “teaching,” or, more literally, “the teaching” (τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ), which refers to the explanation of the biblical text. The public reading of Scripture should include a careful unfolding of the meaning of the passage. “Lest it should be thought that careless reading was enough,” Calvin noted that Paul said “it must be explained.”[27] Keener writes, “As in the synagogue service both in Palestine and in the Diaspora, public reading of Scripture was central to the service; the reading from the Law was probably generally accompanied by one from the Prophets. The reading was then expounded (exhortation and teaching) on by means of a homily on the text that had been read.”[28] In other words the early church followed the practice of reading the Scriptures with instruction that conveyed its meaning.

While “exhortation” is more application-oriented, “teaching” is more doctrine-oriented, the former dealing with the building up of lives and the latter focusing on the establishing of sound doctrine. As Lea notes, “Teaching makes an appeal to the intellect and informs listeners about the truths of the Christian faith.”[29] In so doing, the preacher is to integrate each biblical text with the larger system of theology and to show “how the particular passage being expounded fits into the full counsel of God’s Word.”[30] The expositor is to demonstrate how all biblical truth fits together, conveying, for example, how the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament, or how Paul harmonizes with James, or how Matthew complements Luke. All this requires the pastor’s personal study in the original languages, historical background, authorial intent, cross references, cultural background, geography, grammar, literary structure, and systematic theology. Such study is entirely necessary if the true meaning of the biblical text is to be conveyed.

Biblical Yet Balanced

These three elements—the reading, exhortation, and teaching—are essential for true biblical preaching, and they must be held in balance. Hendriksen comments, “A minister should strive to effect a proper balance between the reading of Scripture, exhorting, and teaching. Some never exhort. Others never teach. And the reading of Scripture is prone to be regarded merely as a necessary preface to what the preacher himself is going to say!”[31] Certainly the preacher should carefully consider the peculiar needs of his listeners, but all three elements must be present. Begg writes that such balanced, biblical preaching means “unfolding the text of Scripture in a way that makes contact with the listener’s world while exalting Christ and confronting [listeners] with the need for action.”[32]

The Perseverance Of Biblical Preaching

Satan no doubt did everything he could to discourage Timothy from proclaiming the Word. So Paul wrote, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery” (4:14). The veteran apostle called his young disciple to persevere in his ministry—no matter what. Such endurance in preaching involves several marks.

A Strong Commitment

The apostle commanded Timothy, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you,” referring to the God-given ability to preach and teach. Used only here by Paul, this verb “neglect” (ἀμελέω) means “to be careless about something.”[33] In Matthew 22:5 it is rendered “paid no attention.” In essence Paul challenged this young preacher, “No matter what difficulty is being thrown at you, keep on preaching!” Perhaps Timothy felt he could no longer handle the pressures confronting him in this difficult situation. Or perhaps he was caving in to public pressure and was toning down his preaching. Perhaps he was on the verge of bailing out. Regardless of what might prompt a moment of weakness, Timothy was exhorted to endure faithfully in his preaching. So must every preacher today exhibit such unwavering resolve.

A Spiritual Gift

Paul encouraged Timothy to persevere in his ministry because he had been given a “spiritual gift” by God. This spiritual gift was “his teaching ministry, together with the authority and power to exercise it.”[34] MacArthur comments, “Each believer’s gift is a God-designed blend of spiritual capacities, which acts as a channel through which the Spirit of God ministers to others. Timothy’s gift included evangelism, preaching, teaching, and leadership (cf. 4:6, 11, 13, 16; 6:2; 2 Timothy 2:24–25; 4:2, 5).”[35] As Pink notes, “Every man who is divinely called to the ministry is divinely equipped.”[36] If one is to persevere in biblical preaching, he must know he has been sovereignly gifted by God. He must preach with a sense of destiny in his life.

A Supportive Affirmation

Paul added that Timothy’s spiritual gift “was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery” (1 Tim. 4:14). In a public ordination elders laid hands on him, confirming that they recognized that he was called and gifted by God to preach. Hughes writes, “Paul charges Timothy to remember that electric moment in the past, somewhere with Paul in his travels when the man knelt, and Paul and the local elders fixed their hands on him, intoning prophecies and prayers about his giftedness and future ministry.”[37] Thus Paul was reminding Timothy that God had given him a spiritual gift to preach and other spiritual leaders had confirmed this. For Timothy to bail out of the ministry now, or to waver in his preaching, would negate his own ordination. Glover has rightly noted, “None is a Christian minister who has not been ordained by the sovereign laying on of unseen hands.”[38] If not fully persuaded of God’s call and gifting, a pastor may easily become discouraged when tough times come.

A strong commitment not to neglect one’s gift to preach is the sure anchor that holds during the howling storms of ministry. One such man was Charles Simeon of the eighteenth century. Simeon pastored the Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, England, for fifty-four years and faithfully preached throughout years of immense adversity. Opposition to his preaching did not come from outside the church, but from his own congregation. For the first ten years of his ministry his obstinate parishioners chained their pews closed so that visitors were forced to sit in the aisles. However, the closed doors of the parishioners’ pews were surpassed by the resistance of their hearts as they flatly refused to respond to his preaching. Yet Simeon’s steely resolve enabled him to persevere in his biblical preaching. He refused to neglect his ministry of exposition. As he faithfully preached the Word, God eventually prevailed in the hearts of the people.[39] Such fortitude is a model of endurance for all who preach today. Following Simeon’s example, biblical expositors today must determine to persevere through tough times.

The Pains Of Biblical Preaching

Furthermore Paul wrote to Timothy, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Tim. 4:15). In other words biblical preaching—if carried out as God intends—is highly demanding.

Deeply Agonizing

In the command “take pains with these things” the verb μελετάω can mean “to take care, endeavor, or to think about meditate on, plan.”[40] Either meaning focuses on the fact that the preacher “must have a single-minded, consuming devotion to his calling.”[41] Regarding this mental concentration Spurgeon said, “That which cost thought is likely to excite thought.”[42]

A minister cannot have a double agenda or be divided in his thoughts. As Paul later instructed Timothy, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life” (2 Tim. 2:4). When in the pulpit, the preacher is to be riveted on the task at hand, faithfully proclaiming the Word of God. When he is out of the pulpit, he is to be planning, preparing, and praying about his next sermons. Timothy was to be meditating on the Scriptures constantly, always pouring over the Word, ever considering how its divine truths related to himself and to the lives of those to whom he preached.

Fully Absorbing

Timothy was also to “be absorbed in” his ministry. The word “absorbed” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied. Literally the passage reads “be in them,” which suggests “complete commitment” to the ministry.[43] Timothy was to be completely wrapped up in his ministry of preaching, totally immersed in it, burying himself in this sacred task. Later Paul spoke of elders who “work hard at preaching and teaching” (5:17). The word for “work hard” (κοπιάω) means to labor to the point of fatigue and exhaustion. Should it be any less today?

Clearly Advancing

Timothy was to “take pains” in his preaching and “be absorbed in it” to such a degree that “his progress may be evident to all.” The word translated “progress” (προκοπή) was used in classical Greek by the Stoics to denote the advances made by a novice in philosophy or ethics.[44] Despite the attacks of Satan to oppose his work, Timothy was to make noticeable progress in personal godliness and ministry skills that would clearly be seen by all. In other words his flock in Ephesus should be able to mark his development as a man of God “in Christian character and effective ministry.”[45] Such remains the unchanging standard for expositors today.

One Holy Passion

The preacher’s agony and consumption in his work is the norm for ministry, not the exception. A despondent preacher once asked Spurgeon what he must do in order to draw a crowd like those who were coming to hear Spurgeon. “Simply douse yourself in gasoline, strike a match, and set yourself on fire,” Spurgeon answered. “Then people will come to watch you burn.” The point was clear. The preacher must be ignited with holy passion for God and be consumed with reaching souls if others are to be drawn to Christ.

In an earlier era George Whitefield’s powerful preaching was stirring the hearts of the people of Britain. When he was preaching in Edinburgh, many in the town awakened at five o’clock in the morning to gather and hear the evangelist. A man on his way to the tabernacle met David Hume, the notorious Scottish philosopher and skeptic. Surprised to see Hume on the way to hear Whitefield, the man said, “I thought you did not believe in the gospel.” Hume replied, “I don’t, but he does.”[46] When a preacher deeply believes his message, his strong convictions can have a powerful effect on those who hear him. There can be no substitute for the preacher being thoroughly absorbed with proclaiming biblical truth.

The Preoccupation Of Biblical Preaching

Finally every preacher must frequently and scrupulously inspect his own personal life as well as his teaching, if his ministry is to be divinely blessed. Paul concluded by instructing Timothy, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16).

Examine One’s Life

When Paul solemnly charged Timothy to “pay close attention to yourself” (ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ), he indicated that Timothy was to watch over his entire life, giving scrupulous oversight to his outward actions, inner thoughts, and unseen attitudes. This call to personal holiness probably refers back to the five marks of godliness that Paul had mentioned earlier (v. 12), in which Timothy was to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Earle speaks to this point. “No matter how straight a person may be in his doctrine or how effective he may be in his teaching, if there is a flaw in his inner or outer life, it will ruin him.”[47]

Pure water cannot flow through a rusty pipe and still remain clean. Neither can the pure truth of God’s Word flow through the corrupt life of the preacher without the message being adversely affected. As Barnhouse once exclaimed, “The man who is to thunder in the court of Pharaoh with an imperious ‘Thus saith the Lord!’ must first stand barefoot before the burning bush.”[48] What Barnhouse was saying is true: The character of the message flows from the character of the messenger. The preacher must stand on holy ground before he can speak with holy boldness. As Phillips Brooks, nineteenth-century Episcopal bishop of Boston, stated, “The truth must come through the person, not merely over his lips, not merely into his understanding and out through his pen. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and moral being. It must come genuinely through him.”[49] If the truth has not impacted the preacher, he cannot expect it to impact others. Along this line John Owen said, “If the word [does] not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us.”[50] No wonder Robert Murray McCheyne once said, “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.”

Establish One’s Doctrine

Timothy was also to “pay close attention to [his] teaching,” meaning he must give strict attention to his doctrine, being careful to handle correctly the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15). The message as well as the man must be right if the ministry is to succeed. Both the character of his life and the content of his preaching must be true to the Lord. “His private life and public ministry”[51] must not be separated. Timothy “was to keep a sharp eye on both, persevering in the instructions Paul had offered in the two realms.”[52] To emphasize this further Paul added that Timothy must “persevere in these things.” The Greek word for “persevere” (ἐπιμένω) means to “continue, persist (in), persevere,”[53] or “to stay, remain in a place, to persist, continue in something.”[54] Paul was saying that Timothy should continually be evaluating his life so that both aspects—his life and teaching—might maintain a right course. Sound doctrine is essential for great preaching. As Lloyd-Jones said, “Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire.”[55] Such a relentless examining of one’s theology is absolutely necessary if one’s preaching is to be effective.

Ensure One’s Growth

Paul reasonsed, “for as you do this you will ensure salvation for yourself” (1 Tim. 4:16). As Timothy persevered in personal holiness and pursued teaching sound doctrine, he would personally grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This does not mean Timothy would save himself from eternal condemnation, but that his personal godliness and sound preaching would stimulate his growth. His pursuit would produce godliness and give “incontrovertible evidence”[56] of his salvation. Spurgeon believed more strongly in preparing himself than even in preparing his sermons—a necessary reminder for all who preach.[57] Only with a changed life can a preacher deliver a life-changing message.

Edify One’s Listeners

Paul added, “For as you do this you will ensure salvation … for those who hear you.” This means Timothy’s perseverance in living the truth and preaching the Word would be used by God to produce the benefits of the same commitment in his hearers. Paul viewed Timothy as “an effective agent under God in the salvation of men.”[58] Of course Timothy could not save anyone himself. But God uses the ministry of preaching to bring many sinners to faith in Christ, as well as to bring believers to greater maturity in Christ. If Timothy would examine his own life and ministry, faithfully preaching the Word, he could expect to see others saved through his ministry, as well as grow in spiritual maturity. In this light Thomas Manton said, “The hearer’s life is the preacher’s best commendation.”[59]

Holding Forth The Torch Of Truth

All this is to say that biblical preaching must come from the life of a man who is fervent for the glory of God, zealous for the biblical text, and aflame for the souls of men. In a word the expositor must be passionate. “Nothing,” Richard Baxter said, “is more indecent than a dead preacher speaking to dead sinners the living truth of the living God.”[60] “Dispassionate preaching is a lie,” Sproul argues, for “it denies the very content it conveys.”[61] But when the truth is preached through one who is fully absorbed in God’s Word, the ministry will be wonderfully blessed by God, ensuring the salvation of those who sit under its exposition.

On the last evening of his earthly life George Whitefield began to mount the stairs of the Presbyterian manse at Newbury Port, Massachusetts, where he was staying on a preaching expedition. His tireless schedule had taken its toll on this aging evangelist. As he ascended the stairs, the townspeople came pressing at the door, longing to hear the gospel from his lips once more. Now fifty years of age, he was weakening, worn out from a lifetime of evangelistic labors. For days he had been so infirm that he should not have left his bed, but he did, all to preach again. At the crowd’s insistence, the weary evangelist began to expound the Scriptures. There he stood, candle in hand, preaching with renewed zeal, unaware of the passing time, until the flame finally burned itself out, leaving the room in darkness. The sermon was over, and Whitefield dismissed the crowd.

No one knew it at the time, but that was the last sermon Whitefield would preach. Later that night the gifted evangelist, who was used so mightily by God, along with Jonathan Edwards, to usher in the Great Awakening, entered into his heavenly rest.

The burning candle Whitefield had held was representative of his life and ministry. It had been a blazing torch that had burned brightly in a dark generation, shining forth the brilliant light of divine truth, faithful until the end. But finally, as with every preacher, it burned its last.[62] Whitefield died, as he had lived, relentlessly preaching the Word, holding forth the light of the glory of God in Christ. Whitefield’s tireless perseverance should inspire all today who are called to preach. May the holy flame of each God-called preacher burn brightly in this dark hour, faithful to the end.

Notes

1. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 9. Reflecting on the promising medical career that he gave up to enter the ministry, Lloyd-Jones once commented, “I gave up nothing; I received everything. I count it the highest honor that God can confer on any man to call him to be a herald of the gospel” (quoted in R. Kent Hughes, 1001 Great Stories and Quotes [Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1998], 329).
2. For a further discussion of these rigorous demands see Peter Adam, Speaking God’s Words: A Practical Theology of Expository Preaching (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 157–73.
3. Allister Begg, Preaching for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1999), 11.
4. For a discussion of this heresy see David A. Mappes, “The Heresy Paul Opposed in 1 Timothy,” Bibliotheca Sacra 156 (October-December 1999): 452-58.
5. R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000), 119.
6. Ibid., 115.
7. George W. Knight III, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 207.
8. James Allen, What the Bible Teaches (Kilmarnock, UK: John Ritchie, 1983), 8:242.
9. Ibid.
10. Thomas D. Lea, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 138.
11. Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 11:374.
12. Gardiner Spring, The Power of the Pulpit (London: Banner of Truth, 1986), 109.
13. John MacArthur Jr., 1 Timothy (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 175.
14. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1989), 2:227.
15. Geoffrey Thomas, “The Wonderful Discovery of John Calvin’s Sermons,” Banner of Truth Magazine, January 2000, 22.
16. John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000), 139.
17. MacArthur, 1 Timothy, 177.
18. Allen, What the Bible Teaches, 8:242.
19. John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 121. George W. Knight writes, “Both refer to public reading of Scripture in a religious gathering, specifically to the reading of the Old Testament in the synagogue” (The Pastoral Epistles, 207). Earle concurs: “The early church followed the example of the Jewish synagogue in publicly reading the Scripture at every service” (“1 Timothy,” 374.)
20. Lea, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, 138.
21. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), 11:115.
22. Wiersbe, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 2:227.
23. Allen, What the Bible Teaches, 8:243.
24. J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, Black’s New Testament Commentaries (London: Adam & Charles Black, 1963), 105.
25. Earle, “1 Timothy,” 374. Lea reinforces this idea when he notes that this word “includes moral instruction that appeals to the will” (Lea, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, 138).
26. MacArthur, 1 Timothy, 176.
27. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, 11:115.
28. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 615. I. Howard Marshall notes that this teaching “may. .. have been based on what was read, but may also be more independent instruction.” Distinguishing “teaching” from “exhortation,” Marshall continues, “it may be that in the present context ‘exhortation’ has more to do with life-style whereas ‘teaching’ has to do with expounding the true faith against the opponents” (The Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary [Edinburgh: Clark, 1999], 563). Stott notes, “It was taken for granted at the beginning that Christian preaching would be expository preaching, that is, that all Christian instruction and exhortation would be drawn out of the passage which had been read” (Guard the Truth, 122).
29. Lea, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, 138.
30. Ibid.
31. William Hendriksen, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1957), 158. Marshall writes, “Timothy is to summon his hearers, to respond to the scripture that has been read. Whether he does so in exhortation or in comfort will depend on the message of the passage, but common to these two senses is the noted encouragement” (The Pastoral Epistles, 208).
32. Begg, Preaching for God’s Glory, 23.
33. Earle, “1 Timothy,” 374.
34. Stott, Guard the Truth, 122.
35. MacArthur, 1 Timothy, 179.
36. Arthur Pink, quoted in John Blanchard, comp., Gathered Gold (Welwyn, UK: Evangelical, 1984), 240.
37. Hughes and Chapell, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, 117.
38. Richard Glover, quoted in Gathered Gold, 235.
39. R. Kent Hughes, “Restoring Biblical Exposition to Its Rightful Place: Ministerial Ethos and Pathos,” in Reforming Pastoral Ministry, ed. John H. Armstrong (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001), 91–92.
40. Marshall, The Pastoral Epistles, 570.
41. MacArthur, 1 Timothy, 180.
42. Charles Spurgeon, quoted in John Blanchard, comp., More Gathered Gold (Welwyn, UK: Evangelical, 1986), 241.
43. Marshall, The Pastoral Epistles, 570.
44. Kelly, The Pastoral Epistles, 109.
45. Ibid., 108.
46. Clarence Edward Macartney, Preaching without Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974), 228 (italics his).
47. Earle, “1 Timothy,” 11:375.
48. Donald Grey Barnhouse, quoted in Hughes, 1001 Great Stories and Quotes, 329.
49. Phillips Brooks, quoted in ibid., 9.
50. William H. Goold, ed., The Works of John Owen (London: Banner of Truth, 1968), 16:76 (italics his).
51. A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in TheBible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Downers Grove, IL: Victor, 1983), 741.
52. Ibid.
53. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 210.
54. Marshall, The Pastoral Epistles, 571.
55. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, quoted in Blanchard, Gathered Gold, 241.
56. Lea, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, 141.
57. Ernest W. Bacon, Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans (Arlington Heights, IL: Christian Liberty, 1996), 75.
58. Allen, What the Bible Teaches, 8:246.
59. Thomas Manton, quoted in Gathered Gold, 247.
60. Richard Baxter, quoted in Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry (London: Banner of Truth, 1967), 318.
61. R. C. Sproul, The Preacher and Preaching, ed. Samuel T. Logan Jr. (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1986), 113.
62. Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1989), 37.