2 Timothy 3:1-5 says,...
Today's verses are 2 Timothy 3:1-5, which read,
v.1 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
Paul turns his conversation to the last days meaning this time before Christ returns again. We are in the church age, the time before the return of Christ and the end of what we know and the re-creation of heaven and earth. These will be difficult times because...
v.2-5 - For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.
Paul, the master of the list, gives Timothy another from his cold dark dungeon cell. This one is not a pretty one. He is describing what happens to us when we follow our sinful nature and not after God. We can read through the list and see these things among us and sometimes within the four walls of the church.
We can disguise these qualities with a form of godliness which has been done over the years to take the focus off of God and onto ourselves. We don't love what God loves rather we love what we love. We dress up our vices and sins to look godly and think that they give us power but our power is nothing compared to God's. Whatever we gain from doing these things, if it is power or pleasure, it is temporal and doesn't offer the salvation of the Lord. It is a cheap imitation of the real thing. Paul tells Timothy to avoid such men as these.
These men will promote another love. These men will promote themselves over others. These men will be masters of the "un" as they are ungrateful, unholy, unloving and the like. These men will use and abuse people with their language. These men will have actions that are obviously not to be among those who of the family of God.
How is Timothy to deal with these men? Avoid them. Don't get tangled up with them. Don't get wrapped up in their selfish schemes or their elaborate rationalization excuses for their sins. Don't listen to their proof texting of Scriptures and the twisting of God's words to give a hint that what they are doing which in unholy is somehow holy.
These are difficult times. It is not a time when things are all good. Satan is on the attack of Christianity and the Word of God with deceptions dressed up to be holy and desiring to draw people away from the faith of true Christianity that is displayed by the opposite of this list. Maybe it would be a good exercise today to go through this list and write down the appropriate action to the inappropriate that is listed. Homework on the Lord's Day. Let's pray.
"Lord, thank You for giving us an accurate picture of what it is going to be like. You make sure that we know that there is a battle going on and we are vulnerable to it when we don't follow Your Spirit and Your Word. As much as You warn You also provide the tools to grow in our salvation. May we take up the tools provided daily to be greater lovers of You and any godliness that we show is a reflection of following after You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.1 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
Paul turns his conversation to the last days meaning this time before Christ returns again. We are in the church age, the time before the return of Christ and the end of what we know and the re-creation of heaven and earth. These will be difficult times because...
v.2-5 - For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.
Paul, the master of the list, gives Timothy another from his cold dark dungeon cell. This one is not a pretty one. He is describing what happens to us when we follow our sinful nature and not after God. We can read through the list and see these things among us and sometimes within the four walls of the church.
We can disguise these qualities with a form of godliness which has been done over the years to take the focus off of God and onto ourselves. We don't love what God loves rather we love what we love. We dress up our vices and sins to look godly and think that they give us power but our power is nothing compared to God's. Whatever we gain from doing these things, if it is power or pleasure, it is temporal and doesn't offer the salvation of the Lord. It is a cheap imitation of the real thing. Paul tells Timothy to avoid such men as these.
These men will promote another love. These men will promote themselves over others. These men will be masters of the "un" as they are ungrateful, unholy, unloving and the like. These men will use and abuse people with their language. These men will have actions that are obviously not to be among those who of the family of God.
How is Timothy to deal with these men? Avoid them. Don't get tangled up with them. Don't get wrapped up in their selfish schemes or their elaborate rationalization excuses for their sins. Don't listen to their proof texting of Scriptures and the twisting of God's words to give a hint that what they are doing which in unholy is somehow holy.
These are difficult times. It is not a time when things are all good. Satan is on the attack of Christianity and the Word of God with deceptions dressed up to be holy and desiring to draw people away from the faith of true Christianity that is displayed by the opposite of this list. Maybe it would be a good exercise today to go through this list and write down the appropriate action to the inappropriate that is listed. Homework on the Lord's Day. Let's pray.
"Lord, thank You for giving us an accurate picture of what it is going to be like. You make sure that we know that there is a battle going on and we are vulnerable to it when we don't follow Your Spirit and Your Word. As much as You warn You also provide the tools to grow in our salvation. May we take up the tools provided daily to be greater lovers of You and any godliness that we show is a reflection of following after You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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