The Cost of Staying Faithful: Why “Preaching the Word” Still Matters Today
The Heart of the Message
In this sermon, Pastor Kirt Anderson reflects on Paul’s final charge to Timothy to “preach the word” no matter the cost, and asks what faithfulness looks like when culture pushes the church to compromise. Drawing on his own seminary training, the Barmen Declaration from 1930s Germany, and recent shifts within several denominations, Pastor Kirt makes the case that the church’s greatest temptation has always been the quiet sin of going along to get along. He closes with a reminder that the hardest battle for faithfulness isn’t out in the culture, it’s within our own hearts.
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What does it mean to “preach the word” according to 2 Timothy 4?
Pastor Kirt explains that Paul wrote these words near the end of his life, likely just months before his death, urging Timothy to hold firm to sound teaching even when it isn’t popular. He points out that Paul warns a time is coming when people will turn away from wholesome teaching and instead look for teachers who will simply tell them what they want to hear. For Pastor Kirt, “preach the word” is a call to patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage people with good teaching, regardless of whether the moment is convenient.
How can Christians resist cultural pressure to compromise their faith?
Pastor Kirt uses Paul’s contrast between “logos” (unchanging truth) and “mythos” (the popular narratives of a given culture) to frame this question. He points to the Barmen Declaration, written by Karl Barth in 1930s Germany, which rejected the idea that the church could hand its message over to the shifting political and ideological convictions of the day. His encouragement is to test the “fences” we’ve inherited from the past, borrowing G.K. Chesterton’s image of a fence in a field, and to ask why it’s there before tearing it down rather than assuming we know better than those who came before us.
Why does Pastor Kirt say we are our own biggest obstacle to faithfulness?
Reflecting on Paul’s statement that he had “fought the good fight,” Pastor Kirt notes that Paul’s greatest struggle wasn’t only the pressure of imprisonment or opposition from outside, it was the pull toward compromise within himself. He connects this to the story of Adam, who took the fruit from Eve without argument, calling it “the sin of compliance, going along to get along.” Pastor Kirt shares a personal memory of his father telling him as a boy to control himself, tying it back to Paul’s charge that the fight for faithfulness begins by looking first at our own hearts, not at everyone else’s flaws.
Scripture Focus
Primary Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 (NLT)
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.3For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4They will reject the truth and chase after myths.5But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.6As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Supporting References:
- Romans 9-11 (God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel)
- Romans 16 (Paul’s mention of a woman serving as deacon)
- Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve)
