Broken Moorings
CCCAG July 6th, 2025
Scripture: Matthew 24:12-13, Romans 1:18-32, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
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Introduction:
When I was growing up, I spent the summers in Hayward with my grandparents. My grandfather and I would spend many days on the Chippewa Flowage. In the late 1970’s and 80’s, it was largely undeveloped and wild. We would take his little boat with the outboard motor and travel pretty far into the various bays of the flowage, looking for Musky to catch.
One afternoon we were out there, and suddenly a storm blew in from nowhere. In the 70’s and 80’s, no internet, no cell phones, no tornado sirens on the flowage, so you had no warning that anything was coming. Suddenly we went from a sunny late July day to a roaring severe thunderstorm and we were in the middle of the widest parts of the flowage at the time. I was in the back, hand on the outboard lever, driving the boat.
I think I was 9 or 10 at that time, and I had no idea how to drive the boat in a storm, and the motor was too weak to matter. We had no anchor, or ropes, nothing to secure to even a stump in the water. We were getting blown all over the place- hitting sandbars and almost tipping, heading to islands filled with brush that hanged over the water. No matter what I did, at 9 years old, I had no chance at getting us to safety.
Obviously we survived, but that’s kind of how living in 2025 feels sometimes. A storm has rolled in without much warning, and our society is getting blown all over the place and we are hanging on for dear life.
Last week, we looked at Matthew 24 to see how the world was going to look in the days right before the rapture. This morning, we will again visit that chapter to see the reason and explore how the people of this time will be acting.
In Matthew 24:12, Jesus declares, “And because lawlessness (???µ?a) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”
Prayer
I believe that the words Jesus spoke that are recorded in the bible for us were spoken very deliberately. Every single word has meaning, and the one that is important for us here this morning is the word “lawless””
I. Lawless meaning
In the Greek language, kind of like the English language, if you want to cancel out a word- make it means it’s opposite, you put an A in front of it. The word Atheist is one of them- a theist is a person who believes in a god, but with the a in front of the word, it means the opposite.
The Greek word for law is nomos (No’ mos) means natural, civil, or religious law, rules, and customs. It’s an all encompassing word that forms the fabric that holds a society and culture together.
The word for lawlessness is anomia- meaning that the law has been stripped away, and with it the glue that hold society together. Without that shared ethos, a formally united people fall apart.
Does that help you understand why we are seeing people lose their minds today?
Does that help you understand how a mother can insist that her child get a permanent, disabling, horrific procedure done that will permanently change that child forever? All for social media clout?
Does it explain how men in this last week can strut down the street completely naked in celebration of pride?
Does it explain how every single perversion imaginable is becoming not only allowed, but celebrated?
Many in our nation have cast aside all restraint, and are reaping the consequences of those actions.
If you understand this, Romans 1:18-32 makes perfect sense.
II. Societal Collapse: Rejecting God’s Order (Romans 1:18-32)
Let me read the section with brief commentary before we get into detail-
(Rom 1:18) For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,
(Rom 1:20) For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
(What Pau is talking about here- the suppression of the natural law that informs us that since there is a creation= a creator. You have to brainwash yourself to think otherwise)
(Rom 1:21) For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
(Rom 1:22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools
(Rom 1:23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
(Darwin and evolution - took almost 100 years to really entrench itself in the schools of the western world- we told children they were animals, and not special creations that carry the image of God, and then we were shocked they started acting like animals)
(Rom 1:24) Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.
Sexual revolution of the 1960’s- the lie of free love
(Rom 1:25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
(Rom 1:26) For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
(Rom 1:27) The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
Gay rights movement in the early 2000’s, again, the slide away from God continues
These final verses tell us where we are today- the slippery slope the scriptures warned us here in Romans has come true. Talking about the people of this day-
(Rom 1:28) And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.
(Rom 1:29) They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,
(Rom 1:30) slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
(Rom 1:31) senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.
(Rom 1:32) Although they know God’s just sentence?—?that those who practice such things deserve to die?—?they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.
Paul paints a vivid picture of anomia unraveling society.
This isn’t just a few bad apples; it’s a societal collapse. Anomia here is humanity cutting the mooring of God’s design, drifting into chaos.
Look around us today. We redefine marriage, gender, even biology, ignoring the natural law written in creation. We see truth suppressed on every screen—social media, news, culture—where lies are celebrated, and God’s order is mocked.
If you believe differently from the popular narrative, this anomia will do everything it can to silence or cancel you.
Romans 1 isn’t just ancient history; it’s a mirror of our world.
In our view of the end times, this collapse, along with other prophetic signs, signals the nearness of the rapture.
The world is priming itself for the tribulation, when lawlessness will reach its peak.
But for us, the church, it’s a call to stay anchored in God’s truth, shining as lights in a darkening world (Philippians 2:15).
The question we have to ask ourselves- are we standing firm or suppressing truth in our own lives?
Let’s look further at the hearts of the people in the world right before the rapture.
III. Hardened Hearts: The Human Toll (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
Next, let’s turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-7, where Paul zooms in on the human toll of anomia. He warns,
(2Ti 3:1) But know this: Hard times will come in the last days.
(2Ti 3:2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
(2Ti 3:3) unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,
(2Ti 3:4) traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
(2Ti 3:5) holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.
(2Ti 3:6) For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions,
(2Ti 3:7) always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
This is the rotten fruit of anomia to human character—it turns our faces and our heart of worship away from God, rejecting natural and spiritual law to worship our own thoughts, desires, and needs.
What actually happens-Our worship turns to ourselves. We desire the attention. We think the world owes us things, and that is the root of many of our problems today.
There is a clinical term in psychology called folie à deux- meaning a powerful and shared delusion. Usually happens to a couple, or a small group of people like a cult, but during WWII- it happened to the entire nation of Germany. The prince of darkness has spread this delusion over many people of our time, and the bible is clear that God is allowing it because of the rejection of HIS Word and truth.
The reason is seen in Jesus speaking to Nicodemus on the rooftop in John chapter 3 when explaining his true mission on earth.
Jesus said- This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. (Joh 3:19)
For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. (Joh 3:20)
The list Paul gives are not just behaviors; they’re a chosen heart condition. Anomia hardens hearts, replacing love with selfishness, godliness with pretense.
In a world unmoored from God’s presence and moral law, people chase knowledge but not only miss the truth, they deny it to their own destruction.
Even in churches, some wear a mask of godliness while denying its power.
As we approach the tribulation, this hardening is another sign of the end. The rapture will remove the church, the “salt and light”, leaving a world fully hardened to face the tribulation.
But for us, it’s a challenge:
Are our hearts soft to God’s Spirit, or are we drifting with the culture’s selfishness?
Are we living the truth we claim?
Let’s examine ourselves, because the time is near.
Now that we have identified the problem, let’s see how it fits in the big picture and look behind the curtain at what is happening in the spiritual realm.
IV. The Peek Behind the Curtain: The Ultimate Rebellion (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
Finally, let’s pull back the curtain with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, where anomia reaches its climax.
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, (2Th 2:1)
not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. (2Th 2:2)
Pausing for a moment to explain- in Paul’s day there were many who claimed that Jesus had already returned, and that the people still here missed the rapture. They did this to destroy the faith of young Christians and draw them into their cults. That’s what Paul is talking about here.
Continuing-
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first (2Th 2:3)
Pausing again- note the word apostacy here. WE have the letter A canceling a root word again.
The root word is A-feast’-a-me-a, meaning to separate and stand. However, there is an “a” in front of it- meaning this person is now longer standing for God and has separated themselves, giving in and falling away from truth.
That’s what that word Apostacy means.
In spiritual terms- it’s the 5 virgins of Matthew 25 that carried no oil with them, and did not prepare their lamps for the bridegrooms return.
They have a form of godliness- they carry the lamp, they might wear the cross, or have a Christian tattoo.
Maybe even occasionally post a social media message supporting the general Christian message- but for the most part, they are not living for God at all.
Everything is superficial, and they are teetering on or walking away from Christ.
Continuing on
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first AND the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God. (2Th 2:4)
This is pointing to the rise of the antichrist.
And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. (2Th 2:6)
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, (2Th 2:7)
That restrainer is the Holy Spirit working through the church.
Basically- and this is a complex subject I’m going to very briefly summarize here-
When the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit returns to “kind of” the Old Testament ministry HE had with Israel- anointing certain individuals but still being available to help anyone who wants to come to faith in Jesus.
The 144000 witnesses in Revelation would be some that receive that Holy Spirit empowerment.
I don’t want to get way in the weeds with that, but it’s basically what this verse is speaking to.
Let’s finish this section of scripture-
Vs 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie, (2Th 2:9)
and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. (2Th 2:10)
For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, (2Th 2:11)
so that all will be condemned?—?those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. (2Th 2:12)
The antichrist is the embodiment of anomia, the ultimate rebel against God’s order. Empowered by Satan, he deceives with “signs and wonders” (v. 9), leading a world already unmoored into full rebellion.
When the rapture removes believers, the restraint lifts, unleashing this lawless one and the tribulation’s horrors (Revelation 6-19). The “mystery of lawlessness” we see today—global unrest, rejection of truth, moral decay—is the dress rehearsal, setting the stage for this final act.
Note the scripture that says God sends the strong delusion. During the church age, it was satan’s work, but part of the judgment during the tribulation is the fact the Holy Spirit’s influence is diminished because the church is gone. It’s the absence of God that makes the evil flourish.
This matches Romans 1 that we read earlier that kept saying, “God gave them over”.
God The Father hasn’t changed since Genesis 1:1.
This is the same God of the Old Testament- the one that hardened Pharoah’s heart when Pharoah kept refusing to repent.
God finally says, “Have it your way.”
You know, we look at fire and brimstone. We fear lightening bolts or divinely thrown meteors heading our way.
But really, those pale in comparison to God washing his hands of us, and turning away.
The bible says in Hebrews- “It’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
That’s were many in our world are today
In the spiritual, its as if the curtain is parting, and the spotlight is warming up for this lawless one.
But for the church, this is a call to urgency. The rapture could happen at any moment (1 Corinthians 15:52), snatching us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Are we awake to the signs?
Are we living ready, or are we tangled in the world’s drift?
As frightening as the end times are, I want to encourage you this morning- There is still hope
V. The Hope: Re-Anchoring in Christ
The world may be unmoored, but we have an anchor—Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of nomos, the law (John 1:17). Through His death and resurrection, He forgives our anomia, our lawlessness, and tethers us to God’s truth. His return is imminent, a “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) that calls us to live holy, expectant lives.
Whether you are here in the church this morning or listening by podcast I beg of you to do these three things-
#1- Repent: Turn from any drift in your life toward anomia (lawlessness). Confess where you’ve loosened the moorings of God’s law—natural, human, or spiritual—and return to Him.
#2- Re-anchor: Ground yourself in Scripture, prayer, and community. Psalm 119:45 says, “I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.” God’s law isn’t bondage; it’s freedom.
#3- Reflect Christ: In a world where love grows cold, shine His light. Love your neighbor. Forgive. Share the gospel. Be the church that holds fast until He calls us home (Matthew 5:16).
Conclusion: Tethered to the Truth
All rise
So, examine your heart. Where have you cut loose from God’s law?
Refer to sermon slide-
Re-anchor to Jesus. Live ready—love boldly, forgive freely, share the gospel urgently. The storm is raging, but our Savior is coming.
Let’s pray: “Lord, in a world unmoored by lawlessness, tether us to Your truth. Forgive our rebellion, soften our hearts, and keep us ready for Your return. Anchor us in Your love until we see You face to face. Amen.”
