Being Thankful And Productive In Troubled Times

Being Thankful and productive in these troubled times

2 Timothy 3:10-17

Introduction-

Good morning online listeners, we are glad that you have joined us.

If you would turn to 2 Timothy, we are going to start there and use some other scriptures to launch what Apostle Paul calls his charge to Timothy.

Timothy is a young believer and Paul is trying to encourage him to stay strong in the faith and challenged him to make a difference.

Anyone here this morning want to make a difference?

To allow their life to have purpose and that purpose to please the Lord and really make a difference to those He brings and puts in our path?

Prayer-

Paul challenges Timothy and he challenges the church to be workmen that are not ashamed of the gospel, to be ones that rightly handle the truth of God and turn away from evil no matter if society is doing the wrong things or not.

He tells us to do that so that others watching us might come to the knowledge of truth and escape the trap the devil has set for them.

Before we get to the text, let’s look how Paul describes the culture-

2 Tim 3:1-7 Read from Bible slowly

Does this sound familiar?

Does this sound like today?

Every generation thinks that the new generation coming up is worse than they were-

Your parents thought you were bad and your grandparents thought they were worse.

Note Paul’s tone as he speaks to Timothy- “Mark this down” “take note” there will be terrible days in the last days- not maybe, there will be… and he tells us why.

“lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy and it just keeps escalating downward- treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

Grab this! “Having a form of godliness but denying it’s power”

HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM! WOW! That does not seem too Christian.

Have nothing to do with them. Is that what the Apostle Paul is really saying? Yes, yes that is exactly what he is saying if we take it in the right context.

This world is heading in the wrong direction

This world is rebelling against God. The world has a form of godliness.

Have nothing to do with that!

He is charging Timothy and he is charging the church- have nothing to do with that kind of living.

Be holy, be who God wants us to be.

Here is how the world lives- Here’s how you should be living (comparison)

Text- 2 Timothy 3:10-3:17 clearly

You have heard the expression

Cheer up! Things could be worse, so I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse.

That was the message of Paul to Timothy.

Paul was deeply concerned about what he was seeing as a trend and he did not like it and he was challenging Timothy to not be like the culture.

Some want to look at these last days and say “anything between Christ first coming and His return are considered last days.” True.

Some want to think last days as moments before Christ returns this is how society will be. True.

Hard times and hard days are coming.

If we are not ready, Christ will return as a thief in the night.

Christ could return at any time!

The Greek word translated “terrible” from verse one means it will be fierce, dangerous, frightening.

One preacher describes it as savage times as men cast off all moral restrains and society begins to disintegrate.

Buckle up Timothy- times are going to get rough!

Church, buckle up because things are changing!

Pay attention

Mark this down

Understand this and get this!

Don’t be surprised when this happens.

This is what happens when a nation turns it back on God! We have seen the nation of Israel do it repeatedly.

Reject God- get unruly, ungrateful, create idols.

Lovers of pleasure- moral collapse!

All that once was good is now abandoned.

All that once was rejected is now embraced.

Society breaks down.

“Every man does what is right in his own eyes.”

Woe to the person or god that would tell us different. That is what the world is saying.

Unfortunately that is not where the religious rebels stop.

Watch out for those that have an appearance of godliness

Watch out for moral breakdowns

Watch out for postmodern religion that takes you away from God’s fundamental truth.

Watch out for religious organizations going through the motions that will be appealing to some because they have endorsed something that does not line up with God’s Word. That will not please everyone.

Be careful Timothy! Be careful Church!

There will be false teachers.

In an attempt to be politically correct, some are theologically wrong! (repeat)

The Nazarenes work with many churches and denominations. We do not think that we are the only ones that speak the truth. There are some however, that we cannot embrace because they are wrong Biblically.