Greetings, radio friends, in the ever-precious name of the Lord Jesus. We heartily welcome you once more to the study of God's word as we continue the study of Second Timothy, reading in chapter four, verses one and two. 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. the instant in season out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. We're coming to the consummation of this epistle as Paul has brought us face to face with the importance of the Word of God in the last days of Christianity. The basic foundation that we must rest our faith upon, as well as our efforts in these last days of the Christian testimony, must be the Word of the Living God. We learned in the closing verses of chapter three, the divinely inspired Word of God is profitable for doctrine, for conviction or reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness. for the specific purpose of equipping and qualifying the man of God for all good works. Now may I bring an application and bear down very heavily upon the truth of the closing verse in chapter three, which has an important link with the opening verses of chapter four. The purpose of the word of God is that it should be the divine instrument to prepare the servant of God, to fully equip and completely qualify a man of God to the work of the Lord. So the purpose of that word is to thus qualify him completely and unto all or every good work. Now my beloved Christian, I want to advocate. what this truth is declaring. If you would be qualified, and if I would be qualified to be a servant of God, serving Him as I should, manifesting by a life of good works, what He desires me to be as well as to do, it is the Word of God, which is the divine instrument to prepare my heart, your heart, my life and your life to be thus completely qualified to serve him for his honor and for his glory. My beloved friend, may I state, I hope that if you're a Christian, you realize the need of the Word of God to equip you in Christian service. It is a shame that many a time There are those who just stand up and lecture without using the word of God. Now that is absolutely wrong. And it is an indication of not being properly qualified to serve the Lord in his service. Now there's a reason for it. That reason is specifically declared in verses one and two of chapter four. Paul's saying with solemn words I charge thee, therefore, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick, meaning the living and the dead, at his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word. Now will you note the solemn charge? Am I speaking to many Christian friends? Am I speaking to those who are seeking to serve the Lord? I speak also to my own conscience. as well as to mine own heart. It is before God this solemn charge is named. It is also before the Lord Jesus Christ this solemn charge is named. And it is spoken in regard to the coming of the Lord Jesus as the judge. And when he comes as the judge he will judge the living and he will also judge the dead. And every one of us shall give an account of himself to God. I speak solemnly these words of exhortation to you as well as to mine own self, who belong to the Lord and are seeking to serve him in these days. We shall stand before the Lord. It matters not if we are living when he comes. It matters not if we shall be dead. We shall stand before the Lord. And when one thinks of that great judgment to come when all, whether saved or whether unsaved, shall someday be brought before that judge. What a solemn moment that will be. Now in relation to Christian service, you and I who belong to him, what a solemn responsibility you and I have in relation to the truth of God. Now there are three words. that fully embrace the responsibility of the servant of God. And they're in the opening verse, or the opening words rather, of verse two. Preach the word. Preach or proclaim the word. All are the responsibility. Proclaim the word of God. And oh, may I state, that which we have been seeing in its importance, the word of the living God, is the message that is to be proclaimed. My beloved, if I fail to preach the word of God, I'm not really preaching according to the biblical interpretation of preaching. Preach the word or the responsibility. May I say a word of encouragement as well as exhortation to any who have given themselves to the work of preaching the gospel and the teaching of the word of God. May I say, my friend, God has not promised to bless what you and I say, but he has promised to bless his word. And it is your responsibility as a servant of God as well as mine to proclaim not what I think, not what you think, but what God says. Preach the word. Now preaching is really simplified. When God brings it right down to that plain statement of fact, the message that is to be given is the Word of God. And I say very honestly, my responsibility upon this radio program is not the responsibility of teaching and ministering and preaching what I think at all. But rather, what saith the Lord? Or again, what saith the Scriptures? You think of the messages of the prophets of old. How they funded with their convincing messages. Thus saith the Lord. There was no apology. There was no going around the bush. But they came out with, thus saith the Lord. I want to encourage every preacher of the Word of God. Preach the Word. Your business is preaching. You're subject to preach the Word of God. And may I thank to the listening friends. Listen for the Word of God. And if you fail to hear the Word of God, then the preacher is failing to give the right message. May I give a personal testimony? It is the greatest joy of my heart and of my life to take the word of God and break it, minister it, treat it to the people of God as well as to those who may not yet be saved. I have no apology to make for the word of God. It stands supremely declaring itself to be the truth. and it's my responsibility to preach the word. I'm not only told what to preach, but I am also told in the second verse when to preach. Be instant, in season, out of season. Centuries ago, when common preachers were put in prison because they felt urged by the Spirit of God to preach the gospel and teach the Word of God. There was a preacher in the old country of England, an ordinary man, but whom God had laid his hand upon, and who preached the sound gospel of salvation. But he did it in a day when only those who had been ordained by the state crown, by the government, and by the official church were only permitted to do public preaching. But he faithfully, at the risk of his life, he kept preaching and making known the gospel. It annoyed the bishop in the diocese where he lived. And the bishop sought to restrict, reprove, as well as cause him to desist with no avail. Whatever he threatened, the man still preached. So at last the bishop said to the man, My friend, he said, I'll let you preach without opposition to your preaching if you will not do it so frequently. For the man was doing it constantly. So the man said, Bishop, I'll agree to that. I'll promise to preach on two occasions only. Fine, said the bishop. When will it be? And the man answered, In season and out of season. Those are the two occasions that Paul mentions here. And you know what it means. In season and out of season. Constantly. Oh my beloved. When to preach. You know I regret having to say this. But I know personally that there are some professing preachers. It's fortunate if you hear them preach just one sermon a week, and some maybe not that much. What kind of servants have gone? Oh, my beloved friend, it's a wonderful privilege, not only once a week, even once a day, even constantly as the occasion may be given, to preach the word. Paul said, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that be at Rome in the first chapter of the Roman Epistle. Peter also exhorts, be ready to give an answer to those that ask the reason for the hope that is within you. My Christian friend, are you and I preaching the word, ready to tell the story of salvation to others. Our time has gone. Let us pray. Oh, Father, we thank thee for the privilege, as well as the responsibility of preaching thy word. And may thy word bring its eternal fruit today through this message in our Savior's name. Amen.