Proper Preparations

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  October 26, 2025

Click here to listen to the service 
  
Read 2 Timothy 4:6 – 8 (NIV)
 
The Lectionary for today invites our attention back to Paul’s letter to his young protégé, Timothy.  Although the Lectionary only highlights verses 6 – 8 of 2 Timothy 4, I would also like us to give consideration to the verses that precede our text... taken together these verses effectively comprise what is believed to be Paul’s final farewell to his beloved son in the faith.
 
Listen to verses 1 – 5 of this 4^th chapter of 2 Timothy which read as follows:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Paul is well aware that he is living on borrowed time.  He knows the end is near for him... and with what time Paul believes he has left, what does he choose to do?
 
Does he decide to write his autobiography so he can leave a glowing testament detailing all of his accomplishments? Does he make it a point to create a final wish-list, requesting an elaborate last meal or soliciting the presence of dignitaries?  Does he resolve to send up one last “Hail Mary” to ask for leniency, so that his life might be spared?
 
No, Paul does none of those things... instead he is intentional about making PROPER PREPARATIONS for the approaching end of his life by giving instructions and encouragement to Timothy so he can carry on Paul’s legacy... ensuring that those who need it most will hear the truth of God’s Word.
 
It is in these opening verses of this chapter that Paul outlines the PROPER PREPARATIONS that Timothy should take in order to fulfill the calling that has been placed upon his life.
 
He tells Timothy to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
 
Or as it reads in the Message, “...proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.”
 
These words of instruction and encouragement are just as applicable to us today as they were to Timothy back then. 

We need to be prepared and courageous and ready to respond whenever and wherever we have the opportunity to share the Good News about Jesus... but we will not be able to do that unless we make PROPER PREPARATIONS ahead of time... which includes spending time in prayer, study, and worship.
 
You have heard me talk about my late godfather, Ken, before.  He lived by what he called the 6-P Rule: Prior proper planning prevents poor performance.  Now, I am not sure where that saying originated... maybe it came from his time in the Army... but whatever the case, he was definitely a huge proponent of getting your ducks in a row as my Granny would say... putting plans in place ahead of time... reminding us that when we fail to plan, we plan to fail.
 
And it would seem that Paul and my godfather may have taken a page out of the same playbook, because essentially Paul was telling Timothy he needed to have a plan in place.... a plan to “Preach the word; [and to] be prepared in season and out of season...”  to do just that.
 
In other words, he should always plan to be ready to serve God in any situation, whether or not it was convenient... and this is the same responsibility that the church and its members have now and will continue to have until the day that Jesus comes back for us all.
 
But I do need to let you know that it will not always be easy... because as believers in Christ, Paul told Timothy... and by extension all of us... to “correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 
 
Now, I will be the first to admit that it can be just as hard to give correction as it is to accept correction or be told that we need to change our behavior.  But it is still necessary.
 
As believers, we have a responsibility to thoughtfully and patiently offer correction to the people we have been called to love and to serve...
 
Perhaps that is why, within seven verses of Hebrews 12, some form of the word, “discipline,” is used ten times.  Culminating with verse 11, where we read, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
 
In other words, although it may not feel good at the time... discipline or correction is necessary in order for us to reap a harvest of righteousness and peace... and this is absolutely necessary when it comes to sharing the Gospel.
 
Now, not only do we need to make PROPER PREPARATIONS so we can share the Good News about Jesus... we also need to make PROPER PREPARATIONS to ensure we are teaching and preaching the truth about Jesus and not simply saying what people want to hear.
 
It has been said that the truth hurts... which is probably why some people try to sugar coat the truth or simply avoid it altogether... to make themselves look good while they try and make people happy. 
 
But that is not what Jesus would do...
 
The reality is that there were times when Jesus had to use some “tough love” with His disciples so they would know and understand the truth.
 
Case in point... do you recall Jesus’ harsh rebuke when Peter did not want to accept what Jesus was telling the disciples about His having to suffer and eventually be put to death?   Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23).
 
I don’t know about you, but I really do not want to make Jesus so angry that He refers to me as satan... nevertheless, despite Peter making multiple missteps, the Lord still loved him and used him to spread the Gospel, anyhow... and because of Peter, many people have come to know Jesus.
 
But Peter was not the only beneficiary of Jesus’ “tough love.” 
 
There is a story found in Mathew 17 (14 – 20), Mark 9 (14 – 29) and Luke 9 (37 – 43) about a demon-possessed boy whose father asked the disciples to drive out the demon.  However, the disciples were not successful in their efforts and when the father brought the matter to Jesus, His initial response was, “’You unbelieving and perverse generation... how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring the boy here.’”
 
“Wicked and perverse generation?”  Can someone say, “Ouch!”?  Again, probably not how we want Jesus to describe us or refer to us.
 
And let’s not forget about the time that the disciples were in the boat and woke Jesus up in the midst of a storm... after Jesus calmed the storm, He asked the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
 
If I can use my imagination, I can almost hear Jesus saying, “How can you still be so faithless when you have been hanging around with me all this time?  What is wrong with you?”
 
Clearly, Jesus did not simply say whatever people wanted to hear that would make them feel happy... He told them the truth so they could ultimately be at peace in the midst of their storms.
 
And we are called to follow His example my making PROPER PREPARATIONS to speak the truth... even when it may be hard to hear. 
 
As Paul told Timothy, “They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant” (MSG).
 
Now, not only does Paul’s final farewell indicate that there are PROPER PREPARATIONS that Timothy should make in order to fulfill his duty to carry on Paul’s legacy... Paul also lets Timothy know that he has made PROPER PREPARATIONS himself regarding his impending death.
 
Listen to verses 6 – 8 again as they are found in the Message:

You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.

Although Paul knew that his death would not be pleasant... he was able to face it with a sense of peace and calm... because he knew he had already made PROPER PREPARATIONS for the end of his time here on earth.
 
Despite starting out as Saul, a persecutor and executioner of followers of Jesus... Paul was deeply committed and faithful to the call on his life to be a witness of the goodness of God... regardless of the suffering and heartache he endured... he kept the faith... he held onto it no matter what his enemies tried to do to keep him from spreading the Gospel... and as a result, Paul could face death calmly... confident in the belief that he would spend eternity with Jesus.
 
And it was that blessed assurance that had allowed Paul to serve as he did... willingly, lovingly, and faithfully... secure in the knowledge that his life had not been lived in vain... he had indeed made the PROPER PREPARATIONS to be with the Lord forever.
 
So, the question we are left with today is simply this... have we made our own PROPER PREPARATIONS? 
 
Have we been willing to share the Good News about Jesus?  Have we made it our mission to speak the truth, even when it is hard or inconvenient?  Have we been faithful in running this race called life so that we can take up residence in our own mansion on high some day?
 
And if we have not, we need to ask ourselves, “Why not?”
 
Matthew 28:19 – 20 is often referred to as the Great Commission... and in these verses, we find Jesus issuing a command that we should all be making PROPER PREPARATIONS to follow:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We have all been called to share the Good News about Jesus.  It is part of our job description as disciples... as followers of Jesus.  We cannot keep the Good News to ourselves... we have to make a point of sharing it with everyone else.
 
Now, it is no secret that we are living in times of uncertainty and there are many people who are unsure of even where their next meal is coming from.  There are others who have no idea if they will have healthcare in the next year or years to come.  While still others are scrambling to ensure they have someplace safe to lay their heads down at night.
 
In times like these, it is hard to know how to make PROPER PREPARATIONS for what lay ahead... but we cannot and must not let fear paralyze us... for as Paul told Timothy, “...the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).  Or as it reads in the NKJV, “...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
 
We have an opportunity to encourage ourselves and others to make PROPER PREPARATIONS by putting our faith and trust in God... clinging to the promise found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that, “...my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
 
No matter what it may look like in the world around us... when we make PROPER PREPARATIONS and stand firm in the knowledge that God is good and God is in control... we can face whatever comes our way because we know the One who speaks peace to the storm.
 
So, as we make it our mission to make the PROPER PREPARATIONS necessary to face the days ahead... and to help spread the Good News about a living Savior who is Christ the Lord... I want to invite us to stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Here I Am, Lord #452.
 

Back