When we read II Timothy we can easily detect that the apostle Paul was greatly concerned about young Timothy. Let me show you the concern.
IN CHAPTER ONE Paul reminded Timothy that his mother and grandmother had raised him right.
In II Timothy 1:5 Paul says, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
That is; Paul was saying (paraphrase), “Timothy, in your grandmother and your mother I saw a godliness and a love for God that is unusual.” Then he said, “I believe those same qualities are in you also.”
Illus: In horse language Paul was saying, “Timothy, you are truly a thoroughbred!”
Paul’s words must have been a tremendous encouragement for Timothy as he was reminded he was raised by a godly mother and grandmother. That is; he came from good stock.
This should also be a tremendous encouragement to some of you single parents as you struggle to raise a child without the help of a companion. Paul did not say anything about Timothy’s father, but he had nothing except good things to say about his mother and grandmother.
IN CHAPTER TWO he reminds Timothy that God RAISED HIM UP FOR A PURPOSE. What was the purpose?
Look at II Timothy 2:3. We read, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
WHY WAS HE TO BE A GOOD SOLDIER?
Paul knew Timothy would have no easy job ahead of him as he preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! He would have to be a tough soldier who could endure.
IN CHAPTER THREE Paul gives a picture of things to come.
Look at verses 1-5. We read, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
These things are to come in the last days. As we examine this passage let us look at TWO important things. First, look at...
I. THE WICKEDNESS.
Paul’s list of nineteen things describe the wickedness in the world before Christ returns for His Church.
When we see “LAST DAYS” the Bible is speaking of that time from the conception of the New Testament Church until the Lord’s return for His church.
There are those who would remind us that the list of eighteen things that Paul spoke of can be found in every generation. This is exactly what the Bible said would happen.
We read, “This know also, that in the last days perilous (dangerous) days shall come.”
Yes, these things have always been in the world, since sin entered, but WE BELIEVE WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST OF THE LAST DAYS because never before, in the history of the last days, have ALL these things been so prevalent AT ONE TIME.
If Paul could have taken a “quantum leap” two thousand years beyond his time he could not have described the age in which we live any better than he did in II Timothy 3.
One of the reasons we know the Bible is the inspired Word of God is because God inspired men to write of things long before they ever took place. For example:
Illus: Many folks do not know that Isaiah 53, which gives us a vivid picture of how Christ would come, was written seven hundred years before Christ was born.
How can God do that?
He can do it because He is the Creator of all things, including time. All creation is subject to Him and He knows everything that will happen. Our text is a testimony of that. God told Paul what was coming almost two thousand years before it happened. Paul knew exactly how conditions would be in the last days before Christ returned for His church.
Notice, when Paul was shown these things, he proclaimed, “...perilous times shall come.”
You can see that Paul did not know anyone like Robert Schuller from whom he could take a course on POSITIVE THINKING. If he had, he would have been told, “IF YOU THINK BAD THINGS, BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU.”
Paul knew the God of heaven controls the events of life, not his POSITIVE or NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. Paul put down what God showed him -- that PERILOUS TIMES WOULD COME!
He did not say that they “might” come. He stated positively, “...PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME.”
Look at the list of the evil characteristics of men. Look at what is FIRST on the list -- “FOR MEN SHALL BE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES...”
It was NOT AN ACCIDENT that the first thing on the list was that men would be LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES! Why? Because, everything else on the list comes because MEN ARE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES. They are:
• COVETOUS.
• BOASTERS.
• PROUD.
• BLASPHEMERS.
• DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS.
• UNTHANKFUL.
• UNHOLY.
• WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION.
• FIERCE.
• DESPISERS OF THOSE THAT ARE GOOD.
• TRAITORS.
• HEADY.
• HIGHMINDED.
• LOVERS OF PLEASURES MORE THAN LOVERS OF GOD.
• HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF.
We can take each of these separately and trace it back and it will lead to the life of a person who is a LOVER OF HIS OWN SELF.
• If you asked the ADULTERER if he loved God, he would say, “Yes, I certainly do!” However, the fact is that his life reveals that all he loves is himself.
• If you asked the THIEF if he loved God he would say, “Yes, I certainly do!.” However, what he does with his life reveals all he loves is himself.
You know these do not love God because God’s Word clearly says, “IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.”
I don’t believe anyone will argue the fact that the world in which we live has reached the “PERILOUS TIMES” level.
Many people claim to LOVE GOD, but their lives reflect that all they LOVE IS THEMSELVES. Woe be unto anyone who comes against what they want!
Illus: In May of 1996, Marc Fisher, of the Washington Post, wrote an article titled, “Kansas Preacher Absolutely Creates A Stir With Prayer.” He told of a pastor who was talking to one of his members, who was a State Legislator. In the conversation the legislator said, “If you are going to be at the state capitol tomorrow, why don’t you honor us by delivering the opening prayer?”
The pastor agreed saying that he would be honored to do so. The pastor did not normally write his prayers out, but since the legislature required a copy, he sat down and jotted some things on a sheet of paper the night before. It was noted that the prayer was so disturbing to some of the legislators that two of them actually got up and walked out.
What could be so alarming that it would cause a disruption across this country. ONE THING -- THE TRUTH!
Listen to the prayer that pastor Joe Wright prayed before the Kansas legislators.
“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. Lord, we know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.
We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us oh God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.
They were expecting a little ecumenical prayer that would soothe everyone, but instead it caused an uproar all across the nation.
• Paul Harvey mentioned it on his ABC Newscast.
• More than 6,500 phone calls came in at the Pastor’s church.
• The church has received so much mail they do not know where to put it all.
Representative Jim Long told the Kansas City Star, “He made everyone mad.”
In Colorado, Representative Mark Paschall read the pastor’s prayer to his colleagues and the liberal Democrats called the prayer, “racist” and “divisive.”
We live in an age when people are POSSESSED WITH A LOVE FOR THEMSELVES.
How dare anyone tell them the Bible is filled with absolutes that God is going to hold us accountable for obeying.
We have categorized sinners in many ways:
• The thief is one who steals.
• The liar is one who lies.
• The adulterer is the one who commits adultery.
• The idolater is the one who worships idols.
• The coveter is one who wants what someone else has.
However we classify sinful man it can all be summed up by saying HE DOES NOT LOVE GOD; HE LOVES HIMSELF!
The reason there is so much wickedness is because PEOPLE LOVE THEMSELVES.
Notice, Paul was not only concerned about PERILOUS TIMES THAT WERE TO COME, but he was concerned with how those things would affect TIMOTHY. Look at...
II. THE WARNING.
After Paul mentioned all this WICKEDNESS he warned Timothy, in verse 5, “...FROM SUCH TURN AWAY.”
Why did Paul warn Timothy to TURN AWAY from wicked people? Because he loved him and did not want him to be contaminated by their sins.
Why does God tell us to TURN AWAY from people who are LOVERS OF THEMSELVES? He warns us to TURN AWAY because there is a good chance if we associate with them will soon become like them.
Illus: The danger of living in the Sodoms and Gomorrahs of today is that we soon become like those with whom we are in constant contact.
This is the strategy of the homosexuals. Acceptance will come with CONSTANT EXPOSURE.
Illus: They recognized that as long as they stayed “in the closet” they would never be accepted, so they came out.
• They have infiltrated our schools.
• They are on our streets in large numbers.
• They make up a good percentage of television and movie stars.
• They have been allowed to take part in our government.
• They even have infiltrated our churches.
Every time they get a chance, they want to push the word “gay” to make it become a household name that is accepted.
Listen, their strategy is working. Already we see the push to legalize SAME SEX marriages. The day could come that it will be as common as OPPOSITE SEX marriages.
Listen, one cannot associate with ungodly people on the job and watch all the adultery, cursing, rebellion, perversion, etc., on television 20 to 30 hours a week and not be contaminated by it.
Contamination is not only a problem OUTSIDE of the church, it is a problem WITHIN some churches.
Illus: The devil will see to it that every church is cursed with a few who are always looking for something with which to find fault. Sometimes they can find something legitimate, but if they can not, they will create something. Those who associate with such people will suffer spiritually because sin contaminates.
Spiritual contamination is a major problem for the church today.
Illus: The terrible airplane crash of Valujet, flight 596, that occurred May 1996, in Dade County, Florida, will go down in aviation history as one of the most tragic crashes in history. Why? Because it was impossible for divers to immediately search for the crash victims. Special precautions had to be taken because of the alligators and because the water was contaminated by dangerous fuel. Special diving suits had to be shipped in because they recognized the contaminated water could do much harm to the divers.
One of the things that Christians need to understand is that we live in a society that is corrupted with sin from WITHOUT and WITHIN the church.
This is why Romans 12:2 commands, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Every day, as Christians, we have to be alert. We cannot accept what the world endorses. Paul says we have to...
• PROVE IT.
• SEE IF IT IS GOOD.
• SEE IF IT IS ACCEPTABLE IN GOD’S SIGHT.
• SEE IF IT IS THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD.
Illus: Dr. Leland Kennedy is president of Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. On one occasion, when he was addressing a large number of preachers, he expressed his concern that God’s churches have become like the world. He lamented the fact that the one-time fundamental Bible churches had changed for the worse. He told the pastors of how he has dedicated himself to keeping BBC as a Bible-teaching college, but that it was getting harder and harder to keep it that way. He stated that the reason was because the college draws students from churches where pastors were no longer preaching, IF WE LOVE GOD, WE WILL LIVE A SEPARATED LIFE FROM THE WORLD. Now the students who attend are such LOVERS OF THEMSELVES that when they cannot have something their way they call their parents and the parents call you pastors. Then, rather than taking a stand for what the Word of God teaches, the pastors buckle under and call him and remind him of how much their churches gave to BBC last year. Dr. Kennedy assured those pastors that as long as he was president of the Baptist Bible College he was going to see to it that BBC remained a Bible-teaching college. His concern was about what was going to happen when the reigns were passed on to the next president.
This is what has happened to our churches. God’s men are no longer getting it across to God’s people that WE LIVE IN THE WORLD, BUT WE ARE NOT OF THE WORLD.
Because WE HAVE NOT TURNED AWAY as Paul warned Timothy to do, today’s church has become like the world in which they live. Paul, in his spirit, saw this trend developing. Today, in these PERILOUS TIMES, we see it before our very eyes.
Conclusion/Summary:
I. THE WICKEDNESS.
II. THE WARNING.
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger preach some of these sermons on Youtube. Just type…YOUTUBE LYKESLAND
