Difficult Days Shall Come - Part I

NOVEMBER 6, 2022 STUDY NOTES 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES DIFFICULT DAYS SHALL COME----PART ONE INTRODUCTION Paul tells Timothy that there are some things that he must know, must realize, must understand Paul wants to inform Timothy of the way things are going to be and are going to turn out Paul has a reason why he wants Timothy to be informed of the present and the future As Christians we must have-an understanding of the life that we will face daily We must understand the life that Christians are going to face today, and in the future Paul wants Timothy to react properly to the path of life that is before him How Timothy responds to life’s circumstances will be based upon his spiritual knowledge There is an emphasis upon the word “know” and “known” in this chapter The Bible is written to inform us and instruct us so that we might “know” The Bible tells us the story of life, past, present, and future It tells the truth about the life of sin and the life of righteousness Paul wants us to know how bad things around us can be today and will be in the future Paul does not tell us these things to discourage us or defeat us, but to guide and prepare us Paul wants us to know what we must do today in-order to prepare for tomorrow Paul begins this chapter sharing with us how difficult the things we face will become He ends this chapter by telling us how great and successful the Christian life can be Regardless of how difficult the path of life may become, Christians can be victorious In this chapter Paul wants us to know what we are going to face in this present world Paul gives us his personal testimony of endurance and deliverance within the Lord Then he gives us another warning of the future He closes out the chapter with the assurance of victory as we live according to scripture So don’t read the first part of the chapter without reading the whole chapter DIFFICULT DAYS--2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Paul says, “Mark this down because it is something that you must understand” Things that all Christians must know and come to understand in-order to prepare for daily life You must not find yourself surprised or be caught off guard concerning what I am telling you Paul presents this as a command, we must know, understand, and continually keep it in mind He is saying, you are going to need this information, so don’t forget what I am going to tell you Have it in mind when you hear of the news of today and don’t be surprised at what you hear Paul is going to guide and direct us as Christians living in our world today and facing tomorrow The way that Christians must continue to live in-the midst of what’s happening around us In the time-period known as “the last days” People often ask the question, “Are we in the last days?” According to scripture “Yes” But what they really want to know is, “Are we in the last days of the last days?” We cannot be certain, and we certainly cannot set a date concerning that question But again, according to scripture, the answer is probably “Yes” According to scripture, the time-period that we are now living in is “the last days” Which is an unspecified period-of time between the first and second coming of Jesus God spoke in time past, by the prophets, Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Page 1 of 5 According to the next verse there is a difference between the time past and the “last days” That difference is the birth of God’s Son which was the beginning of the “last days” Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Verse one spoke of “in time past,” and verse two speaks of “these last days” So, there is a contrast between the “time past” and the “last days,” there is a difference And that difference is God’s Son, the birth of Jesus was the beginning of the “last days” “In time past” there were many different revelations from God through the prophets “In these last days” there is the complete and final revelation from God through His Son “These last days” had their beginning with the manifestation of the Messiah, 1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, The “last days” will be brought to completion by the revelation of the “King of Kings,” Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Paul calls the days between the first and second coming of Jesus the “last days” Peter said that scoffers will come forth in the “last days,” 2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, They will ridicule and make fun of the fact of the return of Christ to the earth, 2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Jude said that there will be ungodly mockers in the last times, Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. John said there will be many “antichrists” which will prepare the way for the future Antichrist, 1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Satan is working through the spirit of “antichrists” to destroy the truth of Jesus Christ One area to watch for the deceiving work of Satan is the T.V. shows and movies Pay attention to the terminology and titles of many of the shows today Satan is mocking the birth and first coming of Jesus, in a recent movie a virgin has a baby Satan is mocking the present life of the Christian, in a recent show an angel comes from Hell He is mocking the 2nd coming of Jesus, in a show the Apocalypse is going to be a fun time What Paul describes concerning the last days is now found in our present day What he describes will be more evident as the time of the return of Christ draws near What he describes will become more intense and will increase as the age comes-to a close As you read the Scriptures see if you can relate our present times with Paul’s description “Perilous times shall come” Times of great stress and trouble, terrible and hard times which will be difficult to endure Times that are going to be hard to deal with and hard for all people to bear Times that will be full of danger and difficult to live as a Christian should The time when Christianity will be greatly tested Religion will be accepted but Christianity will be avoided The characteristics of religion or modern church life will not be Christ-like Mankind is going to be the problem society will be why the times are grievous and savage The world will accept and promote evil, government will legislate sinful ways of life It will be a stressful and painful time for the Christian, difficult days for the Christian life Paul gives 19 characteristics of people that will identify this harsh and fierce period-of time He does not say that all people will have all-of these characteristics Some may have one and some may have several You will be able to see the evidence of these things better in some than others Page 2 of 5 All of these things will be seen but will be more publicly displayed in some They will be found in the majority of the people, even be found in some church goers News coverage will make these characteristics well known to the world Look at the one which heads the list 2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Does that sound familiar, people loving self and utterly self-centered Today there are bestselling books on-the subject of self-esteem, self-worth, positive self-image Self is not to be “Number One,” Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Our self-worth is in Christ, Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Christianity is the life of Christ in us, 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. We are who we are because of Christ, an identity that Satan does not want proclaimed Satan encourages a false love, a counterfeit love, love going in the wrong direction Our world today is filled with false love and that is the root of a troubled world We live in a world that does not show love toward God at all, Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Love for God is the first thing we should do, Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. A world that does not love God first is not going to love one another, Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The lack of love for God is the beginning of the many problems of the world Love for God and love for one another will solve the sinful problems of this world, Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If you love yourself first, you won’t love God or your neighbor A selfish, self-centered life is going to be a troubled life and troublesome for others Paul said people are going to love themselves and put self on the throne instead of God We are to love and worship God first, then love others and minister to others We show our love for God when we minister to others But when self is loved first, we love and worship the things of this world People with selfish love will use others to gain what self loves When self is loved, self is all that matters, self is the one that must be satisfied Selfish love leads to a love for money which is “covetous” Money loving people who want more money regardless of how much they already have Greedy for wealth because they believe that money will get you anything And they will do anything for money to get something for themselves, 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. A great evil in America today is materialism, the god of mammon, and it brings much sorrow People wanting money because they are people who love themselves, Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Money lovers are never content, never satisfied, never at peace and are always greedy You can hardly go to a convenience store without waiting for someone to buy a lottery ticket Prosperity seekers want to hear the popular message of today, “Get right with God and get rich” Paul presents to us a natural path that people naturally travel First, they love self and then they love money Then you can find the next two characteristics in their life, “boasters and proud” “Boasters” are full of big words about who they are, what they can do, and what they have done Page 3 of 5 If you are a lover of self and spend so much money on yourself, you must convince yourself You have to believe that you are worth loving and that you deserve everything you get So, you exaggerate your abilities, talents, accomplishments, and your reputation You must convince yourself that you are a valuable person and worth attention You must boast and tell others how great you are, or they won’t know it John identifies such boasting as the “pride of life,” 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Boasting is showing off a manner of life, showing off to others your sinful ways John makes it clear that it is “not of the Father,” selfish pride boasting of self is of Satan Today sinful man is proud of his sinful ways, Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Sinful man is “Proud” of, all the boasting about self, putting them a level above everyone else Sinful pride is an exaggerated opinion of self, putting you in a position of looking down on others The “proud” are those who set themselves up above God and others Those who will not surrender to God’s will because of their proud and haughty spirit They set themselves up against God and God sets Himself up against them, Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. When you become arrogant, haughty, and stuck-up, you will also become a “blasphemer” You blaspheme others because you think you are better than they are Promoting your name and destroying the good name of others Without realizing it you are an insult to God, blaspheming the name of God Cursing is the most common means of blasphemy today, especially when God’s name is used Americans curse without shame today, politicians, professionals, churchgoers, and even children Cursing is acceptable within our society, but it is not respectful toward God or others The word “blasphemer” means abusive, defaming, and destructive language Negative and destructive words against the character of God and the name of others There is no fear of God because of a self-promoted position thinking you don’t need God The next characteristic is because of a lack of love for God within the home “Disobedient to parents,” which has more to say than what you might think it does It speaks of more than childhood resentment and teenage rebellion This is a rejection of authority, a disregarding of rules and regulations All of which has its beginning with being “disobedient to parents” If there is no respect for parents, there will be no respect for any God-given authority The lack of respect toward all authority is destroying civilization in America today Disobedient to parents normally results from parents who are disobedient to God This problem is on the increase because Godly parents are on the decrease Children who are not a part of God’s family plan become involved in Satan’s family plan Satan’s plan is to destroy the parent-child relationship, to destroy God’s family plan Satan has many means of playing with a child’s mind today, teaching them disobedience God has a promise to those who obey their parents, Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The popular parent-child “quality” time without “quantity” time will not reach its goal Children who are unthankful for parents identifies with the next characteristic We are living in an “unthankful” society An “unthankful” spirit is the result of not knowing what to be thankful for It is when you do not really understand God and really don’t know the truth of yourself You are “unthankful” because you have no understanding of God, His love, and His life An ungrateful attitude follows the act of dishonoring God, which will face the wrath of God God’s wrath will fall upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness, including “unthankfulness” Page 4 of 5 Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. The opposite attitude of a depraved mind is a Spirit filled mind, Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; A Spirit filled mind will praise God, Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; A Spirit filled mind will be thankful unto God for all things, Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; If you have no appreciation for God and life, you have no appreciation for anything Your attitude will be that the world owes you anything that you can get your hands on The attitude which is “unholy,” a life of opposition toward God Because you have no respect for God, you will have no respect for others either If there is no personal relationship with God, there will be no Godly duties or obligations Instead of a Godly, sacred, holy life, there will be a life of gross sin and indecency Many Americans are no longer living what was once known as a common decent life The American lifestyle of indecency is now on public display including Paul’s list in, Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Which of the above list of “unholy” deeds have you not seen or heard of lately? The list doesn’t get any better, continue to read 2 Timothy 3:1-5 CONCLUSION We are living in trying times, difficult days, storms of stress surround us, is there an answer? The answer to “Difficult Days” is Jesus, Victory through the storm is in the Hands of Jesus Page 5 of 5