In these last days
2 Timothy 3:14-3:17
Introduction-
Please turn to 2 Timothy Chapter 3
We continue in our lessons learned from Apostle Paul series.
Apostle Paul gives advice, straightens out our difficult thinking, and today in his word to the church offers us a warning and the chance to be faithful.
2 Timothy 3:1-3:5
“But mark this… (A note of importance), there will be trouble in the last days.
People will not be nice
People will be disobedient, disrespectful, abusive, selfish, brutal to each other, and ungrateful.
That sounds like today- says people will be godless.
Paul identifies the times.
Paul tells Timothy and the church hold on tight, there is trouble coming.
These last days- written about in commentaries has a varied time period.
Some believe that it started as soon as Jesus ascended- after that point, we went into the last days.
Some believe, as I tend to believe, it is the time just before Jesus returns.
Times get bad, prophecy will be fulfilled and Jesus returns to retrieve His church and His people.
Apostle Paul (5) tells Timothy and the church
“Have nothing to do with them.”
That seems a bit harsh, that seems un-Christian.
But what is he saying to them?
He goes thru this list of ungodly vices people have and it seems to just get worse and worse.
Ends with lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, have nothing to do with them.
He points to two kinds of people
(1) Corrupted people that are falling away from God
(2) People that have a form of godliness but have not the power of God working in their lives.
Be careful of one group and stay away from the other.
I love this- it fits our study on Wednesday night about repairing your broken world.
You know your world is broken and needs fixing.
You know that there is some ugly and nasty people out there.
You realize that it just seems to get worse and worse.
But what are you going to do about it?
Live with it or change it?
Are you going to let the culture dictate how you will live your life, or does God control what is going on?
Go ahead, identify the times… Bad, but don’t let society control how you will act or how you will live your life.
Be careful that unbelieving and unfaithful and uncaring people don’t change you.
Mark this down- Make sure that your sins and lust don’t cause you to stumble.
Be watchful- that false teachers, stinking thinking don’t cause you from having that relationship with Christ.
Be careful Timothy. Be careful church that you (7) “Are not always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.”
In these last days, make sure that you are ready for His return, and do not be like the world, but let the world see Christ through you.
Paul warns the church- “run from these things that lead you into sin and pursue (literally chase after) what leads to right living before God.” Amen.
“Flee evil desires, pursue righteousness, call unto the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Some promises in the Bible are easy to hear and receive.
Eternal life- thank you Jesus
Promise that you will never leave us or forsake us- yes!
But there is another promise- in the last days you will suffer persecution, and experience bad people doing what they do best.
“everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” That is a fact!
Here is some good news from Jesus
John 16:33-
“In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Rest assured this world does not have the upper hand.
Jesus has already defeated the power of darkness. He is in control.
The devil has been defeated, he just has not fallen over yet.
This world behavior does not surprise the Lord, it does not catch him by surprise, and it should not surprise the church of Christ either. Just don’t be like them.
Book of Jude tells us (NLT) “rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment, show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.”
Illustration-
A young minister quietly said to Dr. Bill Bright one day. I am afraid of Satan. Dr. Bright re[lied, “you should be afraid of Satan, if you want to live you own life and do your own thing apart from God, but if you are willing to let Christ control your life, you have nothing to fear, because the Bible says “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1John 4:4
Listen here to Paul’s charge to Timothy-
It is personal, it is filled with love, and it is for the church today.
2 Timothy 3:12- 3:17
You want to learn how to be unstuck in your rut
You want to learn how to repair your broken world, we are addressing that on Wednesday nights, but right now here is another problem being addressed.
How to live godly in an ungodly world!
God is able to rescue you and he is able to rescue me.
This world is going from bad to worse, but if you want to make it,” Continue in what you have learned. “
Timothy mother and grandmother were believers.
Jewish children are taught the Scriptures at an early age.
Go back to what you know works
Go back to what you are convinced is the truth of God.
Don’t be deceived, and don’t be persuaded by false teachers.
This world is getting bad, and a lot of people say we need to give up, that it’s no use, but I refuse to go down with that ship.
I refuse to believe that we are all alone.
God has always had a remnant of believers through every hard time and I choose to be a part of that remnant.
I choose to believe that the remnant of God can make an impact on this dying world.
I choose to believe the truth of God.
Life is sometimes hard, with inconveniences.
Tools break
delays happen
there are mean people. That is life.
Jesus said there would be persecution.
That word persecution in its proper form hers coveys the image of being hunted like a wild animal.
The odds are against us.
We are swimming upstream.
The world won’t like us
devil opposes us, that is life!
Living for the one who died for us!
(16) “All Scripture is God breathed- and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
We may be the only remnant, but we are a blessed people.
We are victorious people of God.
We are more than conquers in Christ Jesus.
Paul reminds us that God had something to do with the recording of His word.
Every word can change your life.
If I am only a remnant- I am still on the winning side.
It is God breathed. It is going to rebuke us, I will let it.
It is going to correct us, bring it Lord.
if it is going to bring righteousness, I want it!
I said last week. The Bible is a book, but it is like no other book. It will change your live!
Closing,
In the last days, trouble is coming, but God is looking for the faithful remnant to stand their ground.
America is in a crisis- in ourselves, we are up the creek without a paddle. In ourselves, there does not seem like much hope.
“But God”… is not finished with us yet.
It is not finished until Jesus says it is finished.
Our nation is in crisis, we should realize it is a spiritual battle.
Our Nation has:
Uncommitted lives
Unattended churches
Untrained children
Unfaithful living
Un-confessed sins
But it should not happen to God’s people.
We are to be that remnant. Being faithful to God.
