2 Tim 3:1-9
Imagine yourself in a filthy dungeon, in chains, in the dark, knowing that you're going to be
executed!
As you think about your life, you realize that most of people you've trusted and counted on have
already abandoned you!
And as you ponder the future, you know that it's filled with danger for those you love.
A future in which people reject truth and goodness, and embrace evil with open arms!
Those were Paul's circumstances when wrote this goodbye letter to Timothy!
I'm sure that the only thing preventing him from giving up hope was that he also knew the end of
the story!
You see, the same One who told us ahead of time that He would suffer because of our sins, and
rise from the grave three days later, also told us that He will one day return to destroy sin, evil,
and death!
His resurrection proved His promises!
So no matter how hard this life becomes, we look forward to victory in the end!
And this life will become difficult for Christians!
In 2 Tim 3:1-9, Paul warns us:
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self- control, brutal, despisers of good, 4
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of
godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those
who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led
away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8
Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth:men of corrupt
minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will
be manifest to all, as theirs also was."
Ok, so there are 3 things for us to talk about!
Number 1?
- These are Perilous Times!
It is dangerous to be a Follower of Jesus Christ in our world today!
Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, and soon in the US, with the current trends!
Let me give you a few examples...
Iran: Saeed Abedini, an American-Iranian Christian pastor from Boise, Idaho was arrested and,
in a sham trial, sentenced "to eight years in prison for threatening the national security of Iran
through his leadership in Christian house churches. He will serve the time in Iran's notorious
Evin Prison, known as one of the most brutal." His wife and kids are back home in Idaho...
Nigeria: A total of 30 Christians were slaughtered in two separate attacks carried out by armed
men ahead of the New Year in the Muslim-majority north: on Sunday December 30, 15 people
were killed when armed jihadis stormed a church and opened fire on worshippers. The night
before, Muslim terrorists broke into selected homes and slaughtered 15 other Christians in their
sleep. "The victims were selected because they were all Christians, some of whom had moved
into the neighborhood from other parts of the city hit by Boko Haram attacks," said a relief
worker."
"Earlier this month, news reports surfaced out of Saudi Arabia that raised the red flag for
Christians. Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs USA, says, “The Grand Mufti
of Saudi Arabia - the top Islamic official in the country of Saudi Arabia - has declared that it is
‘necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.’” Nettleton goes on to note that the report
hasn’t surfaced anywhere except on the Council on Foreign Relations Web site, which was then
picked up by The Atlantic."
And it is slowly beginning in the USA!
Show Slide:
The briefing, which was given to an Army reserve unit in Pennsylvania, came from a U.S. Army
Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief titled “Extremism and Extremist Organizations.”
Number 2: People will be...
- Lovers of themselves!
But isn't that a good thing?! Shouldn't we love ourselves!?
Ephesians 5 points out that our natural inclination is to love ourselves!
We feed ourselves, protect ourselves, indulge ourselves!
So called self-loathing is, in reality intense self-love!
Why do I say that!?
Because self-loathing is usually an extreme focus and dissatisfaction with one's self!
Either extreme guilt over something in the past, or extreme dissatisfaction with the way you
look, or your perception of your own abilities or talents!
Either way, it's all about you!
Please hear my heart!
I'm not condemning or judging! I'm offering the solution!
Self-focus is an ingenious trap!
But Jesus will free you to become more than you've ever dreamed possible!
Focus on Him!
Look to Him, and He will lead you out of that bondage to self, and into the destiny HE has
prepared for you!
The world around us will continue to grow more and more full of people who are:
"lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self- control, brutal, despisers of
good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God".
But the Bible warns us, for our own sake, to avoid such people!
Now listen, the Lord knows that we can't avoid them completely!
In John 17 when Jesus prayed for you, He made it clear that we need to stay right here on the
earth for the time assigned to us, even though the world will hate us for following Him!
In John 17:14 Jesus prayed:
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but
that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I
also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may
be sanctified by the truth. 20 “ I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe
in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory
which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them,
and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You
have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
But in 1 Cor 5:9 the Bible speaks to us about keeping our Christianity pure!
"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I
certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have
written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a
person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge
those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from
yourselves the evil person.”
In Jesus' prayer He said that God's Word is Truth, and that we who follow Him are sanctified,
that means we're set apart from the world around us, by that Truth!
But His Truth, His Word, is continually under attack!
Which brings us to the 3rd and final point!...
- The Form, without the Power!
Look back at 2 Tim 3 with me...
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:2 For men will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self- control, brutal, despisers of good, 4
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of
godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those
who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led
away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8
Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth:men of corrupt
minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will
be manifest to all, as theirs also was."
There are two key statements you need to consider:
Vs. 5 "having a form of godliness but denying its power."
7 "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Hebrews 4:12 says:
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things
are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
We have come to a time when pastors and teachers who call themselves Christians are twisting
the scriptures and attempting to change what the Word of God declares!
They focus only on certain portions of the teachings of Christ, and eliminate the very heart of His
message!
They keep the name, they keep some of the songs, they keep the verses they like, but they call
the rest antiquated, or say that those hard statements have been misconstrued!
The prophet Isaiah predicted it thousands of years ago!
In Is. 5:20 we find his warning!...
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."
Now, here's what is so sad about all of this.
God's Word is truth, but people today are being lied to in the Name of Christ!
They're being told that they ARE free!
They're being told that the scriptures say things that God has NEVER said!
And that God didn't say some things which He very clearly does say!
Good is being called evil, and evil is being called good, and all in the name of Christ!
This is what Jesus declared in John 8:31
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “ If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” K33 They
answered Him, “We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.
How can You say, ‘ You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “ Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the
Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
So many people are held captive today by their own sin!
And now churches are lying to them, just like the Pharisees of old, preventing them from
receiving the freedom that can only found in Christ Himself!
It isn't love to lie to someone, and call it truth!
And it isn't hate to hold on to the Truth!
Twenty five years ago my wife considered herself a lesbian.
I'm so grateful that nobody lied to her in the name of Christianity!
Her Christian friends loved her enough to give her God's Truth!
And listen!
When she met Jesus Christ He didn't cure her, and make her straight!
The issue wasn't gay or straight, it was redeemed, or unredeemed!
God put His own Holy Spirit inside her and made her a completely new creation!
For a long while she thought that she would live her life as a single missionary, serving and
loving Jesus without a partner in this life!
But His plan for her life included a family, children, and the freedom to become what she was
designed to become!
He will give that same freedom to anyone who comes to Him and asks Him for it!
It may or may not include a family with children, but it will be His perfect plan for your life!
And if you insist on living your life according to your terms, you will be robbing yourself of the
destiny God prepared for you before you were even born!
What would you hope to think of in the last weeks of your life?
I. These are perilous times:
Is it getting more and more difficult to be a Christian in this world? Why?
How often do you pray for your brothers and sisters in the faith, who are being persecuted for
their faith?
What kind of persecution have you experienced in your life?
II. People will be lovers of themselves.
How is it that you naturally love yourself?
If people would look at you, who would they say your life is focused on?
If you are obsessed with yourself, how could you reverse this and stop being self centered?
Why should you tell people that you are praying for them? How do you show love to others?
Why is not all ambition sin?
How would you apply Matthew chapter 18 to an unbiblical behavior with someone you care
about?
III. Form without power:
How can you know if the Bible is true?
What parts of the Bible don't apply to your life today?
How can you combat constantly learning without knowing the truth?