The Answer To Difficult People And Difficult Days

DECEMBER 4, 2022 STUDY NOTES 2 TIMOTHY 3:13-17 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE ANSWER TO DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND DIFFICULT DAYS INTRODUCTION According to verse 13, we are going to hear more accounts of sin and evil in the coming year The time will come when evil will be worse than what we have already seen or heard of There is an answer to sin and evil found in this passage of Scripture It is not “Gun Control,” it is “Mind Control,” minds that are not filled with sin and evil The answer to violence is not going to come from any law passed by our government Satan is filling minds with evil through video games, TV shows, movies, internet, and cell phones Even if our government stopped all-of the above, no more videos, movies, or internet It would not stop evil which is going to grow worse and worse God has an answer, but He is not depending upon government regulations to prevent evil His answer must come through Godly Christians, Godly parents, Godly Church Families This passage tells us something about the early life of Timothy and how important it was Verse 15 tells us Timothy had been taught the Scriptures when he was a child, which he learned In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul speaks of the unfeigned faith that is in thee, genuine faith, true, real faith The faith that was first found in Timothy’s grandmother Lois And then it was found in Timothy’s mother, Eunice, then it was found in Timothy also Timothy’s mother and grandmother were both a strong spiritual influence upon Timothy They both instructed him through the Scriptures, the Word of God When Paul first met Timothy, he knew that Timothy was of strong Christian character, Act 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: His personal testimony was well known among the brethren, Act 16:2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Timothy came from a Christian family, he was a young man of good moral and spiritual character Because of the spirituality Paul saw in Timothy, he wanted Timothy to go with him (Acts 16:3) Christian parents and grandparents have a strong influence upon their children They should pray, teach, and encourage their children to grow spiritually strong A church family should do everything they can to teach the young people the Scriptures A church family should be a strong spiritual influence upon all children that attend the church A strong spiritual life that is taught through the Scriptures has always been important But the need grows greater as time goes on, we see the fulfillment of Paul’s words in this chapter, 2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. There will be difficult days of stress and trouble, there will be bad days because of “bad people” People will deny God and God’s Word, making it difficult for Christians to live as Christians As a Christian you will not be the most popular student in school or the most popular co-worker In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Paul describes the way people will be living their lives They will be lovers of their own selves, they will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God They can find time for self but not for God, which leads to a conclusion 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. Jesus spoke several times of “an evil generation,” Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Page 1 of 5 That which is in the hand must be changed, but it is from the heart that the change will come, Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Paul called this present world evil, Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: According to the Word of God, Jesus is the only One who can deliver us from the present evil Scripture often verifies that we live in an evil world because of evil people influenced by Satan Listen to Paul, Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Paul tells us that the days are evil; because of “wicked men,” 2Th 3:2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. Deliverance comes through prayer and the Word of God, 2Th 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: John tells us of the extent of wickedness and why we have such wickedness, 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. There are only two kinds of people in the world, children of God and children of Satan Wickedness goes all the way back to the first family upon the earth, 1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Cain was controlled by the “wicked one,” Satan is the “wicked one” who still controls evil Satan uses evil to fight against the faith of a Christian, Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Paul described the evil in this world because of evil people in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 Their way of life brings about the pain and sorrow of our earthly life They are not only evil men, they, are also “seducers,” cunning cheats, deceiving imposters People who live evil lives are imposters, they are deceiving other people, leading others astray This word “seducer” also speaks of “One who wails and howls,” they shout their message aloud The shout of “evil lifestyle” is loud and clear today, but it is not telling people the truth Evil is on parade today and making public appearances, the doors are open for all who will come And it “shall wax worse and worse,” seducers are going to influence more ungodliness The shout of evil is going to get louder, it will go forward, it is going to make progress, increase The works of evil have always been bad, but they will get worse in the future Sin and evil are not standing still, it is not getting any better, bad has increased too worse The worst of evil is becoming worse and worse Sin is making rapid advancements on the scene of life Sin is making prime time news and more and more sinners want to make the news But the forward movement of sin is taking life “backwards,” life in sin is going “downhill” After sin has taken you to the “valley of despair,” it will take you to the “gutter of destruction” As evil grows “worse and worse” its influence grows stronger and stronger “Deceiving, and being deceived,” sin leads astray, evil walks in error, wickedness is a wayward path of life Sin is a serious departure from the right path of life, follow evil and you will walk into a trap Sinners who lead others to the trap of a sinful life get trapped in their own trap They are not only deceiving others they are deceiving themselves But there is an answer, there is another path of life that can be traveled, a life of victory 2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; With Timothy, life can and will be different, he will not be deceived, life will not get worse There is a reason why, he had been taught the truth and had learned the truth when he was young Page 2 of 5 He had been influenced by the right people and had been led down the right path of life Paul told Timothy to “continue,” actually it was a command, Timothy “you must” continue Timothy, you are on the right path of life, stay there, it is the only way There are many roads of life that go in the wrong direction, and they are easy to travel Too many people are going the wrong way and they have plenty of company Pay attention to the signs that say, “do not enter,” follow the sign that says “One Way” Which is the way that Timothy had been taught, “in the things which thou hast learned” These words give us two important truths, first, how important it was for Timothy to be taught Second, how important it was for Timothy to learn People need to be encouraged to learn the truths of God’s Word, 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. We must all have the desire to learn and obey and the desire to teach others Timothy had a desire to learn, he had been strongly encouraged when he was young to learn “And hast been assured of” Timothy was firmly persuaded, thoroughly convinced, the truth had been confirmed to Timothy Timothy had a strong conviction to live by and a solid spiritual foundation to stand on Not only had he been told he had been shown, “knowing of whom thou hast learned them” He had been given examples to follow, he had people he could look up too, a pattern to follow The content of their teaching was the truth, the character of their life was genuine They lived by the faith that they taught, Paul said, Timothy, remember the faith of your mother! Timothy, remember the faith of your grandmother, he had learned of the faith of Paul Thank God for Godly parents and grandparents who set an example of that which is good, 3Jn 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. The source of action that is good is of God, that is the example to follow The source of evil is a mind that doesn’t know God and a heart that is blinded toward God God in the mind and heart is the answer to the evil in the hand 2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. From the time that Timothy was a baby, an infant, from his early childhood days Throughout his time of growing up he was being taught the Scriptures From the time that Timothy was in his mother’s lap he was told the story of Jesus From the time that he nestled in the arms of grandmother, he was encouraged to live for Jesus Exactly what parents are instructed to do, Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. “The Lord” is to be the center of relationship between parents and children Parents are to train and instruct in “the Lord,” children are to obey in “the Lord” “Thou hast known the holy scriptures” How did Lois and Eunice develop such a strong faith that could be passed on to Timothy? From knowing the “Holy Scriptures,” how did they come to know the Scriptures? They read, they studied, they talked, they lived in obedience to the Scriptures, Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. They taught Timothy to read and study the Scriptures that he might have faith They knew how important the Scriptures were to their own daily life They knew that Timothy would need the Word of God in his times of temptation He would need God’s Word to strengthen him for the difficult days of life Page 3 of 5 It is the Holy Scriptures “which are able to make thee wise unto salvation” When the Bible speaks of wisdom it means being able to understand the things that are of God “Salvation” is deliverance from the power and consequences of sin and the receiving of new life To be saved is to be set free from the bondage of Satan, “Salvation” is a life of God’s Grace, Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; The “present world” needs to see the “Grace of God” being lived in us, a daily life of Grace It is through the Bible that we come to understand salvation, John said, Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But enough has been written, Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (Salvation) Believe what you read and live what you learn, Paul said, Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The power of salvation will defeat the power of Satan, the faith of salvation is the only way “Through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” faith in Christ is the only way, Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Through God’s Word we learn how to be saved and we learn how to live our new life in Christ, Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (Daily faith that allows Jesus to be the “Lord of your life”) 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: “All scripture,” the whole, the total, OT and NT, 66 books, every word of every verse We can believe it all, we can live according to every word written, why? “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” which literally means “God-breathed” The very life of God is breathed into the scriptures, “all” scripture is inspired by God God breathed His truth into the hearts and minds of those who wrote the Scriptures Because the Word of God is the Life of God, we can use it for the wisdom of living All scripture “is profitable,” you can use God’s Word for every step of life Lois and Eunice taught Timothy the Bible because there was nothing better to use No other book can be as useful and helpful for life as the “Living Word of God,” Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Because the Word of God is alive it reaches into our innermost being with power The power to control “the thoughts and intents of the heart” before they become action When God is in control of the heart, He is in control of the hand and foot All scripture can be used “for doctrine,” which means teaching or instructing The Bible is the authority when it comes to teaching In the early days of America, the Bible was used to teach the children and educate them Today the Bible is not allowed in public schools and the youth are well educated in worldly ways But they do not graduate from public school wise unto salvation Heavenly Wisdom from God’s Word must be learned in-order to overcome worldly ways Today’s computer can give you answers and teach you concerning a worldly way of life God’s Word is still the only useful way to teach someone how to live a victorious spiritual life Page 4 of 5 Only the Word of God can be used to teach what is “right,” which is “doctrine” The Word of God can also be used “for reproof,” to bring about conviction of error Scripture teaches us what is wrong according to God, exposing that which is false and evil Our world today tries to correct the problems of life without identifying the problem Today they are researching genetics in-an attempt to discover the source of evil They are trying to determine if evil is a sickness, or a disease, or a maladjustment God made known the source of evil a long time ago, Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: People sin because of their sin-nature, scripture describes the sin nature as a blinded intellect A reprobate mind, a blinded heart, a seared conscience, and a defiled emotion What else can you expect from a sin nature other than sinful and evil acts, even violent acts Evil acts that will increase and intensify under the continual influence of Satan’s ways Salvation is the only successful adjustment for the sin nature of humanity The answer is God’s Word being used to teach what is right and to teach what is wrong The Word of God must also be used “for correction,” meaning to set something straight “Correction” is to set things right again, to restore to a right state The word identified helping someone to get back on their feet who had stumbled The Word of God restores, makes right, sets straight, there is no better way to improve a life So, the Word of God can be used to teach what’s right and to teach what’s wrong The Word of God will teach you how to make the wrong right and how to stay right God’s Word is the true source “for instruction in righteousness” The word translated “instruction” means the bringing up and training of a child It includes everything necessary for the spiritual growth and maturity of a child After your life has been made right scripture will teach you how to stay right, Psa 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. God uses His Word to fulfill His purpose for our life--2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. A “man of God” is the Christian who studies the Word of God, learns it, and lives it When God’s Word controls your life, you are then “perfect and thoroughly furnished” “Perfect” does not mean sinless, it simply means being what we are supposed to be Completely qualified to do what we are supposed to do as a Christian, be “a man of God” “Perfect” means being able to fulfill our purpose in life, having the confidence to do God’s will Learning the Word of God gives us the assurance of being a Christian and living as a Christian That is why it is so important to teach a child the Holy Scriptures That they might be “thoroughly furnished unto all good works” “Good works” are the purpose of the Christian life, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. It is the Word of God that equips us to do “good works” This world is not going to be a better place to live until Jesus comes back But until Jesus comes back Christians can live better in this world Every Christian has a responsibility, learn the Word of God, live the Word of God Talk the Word of God with others, teach others the Word of God Christians can see the world in the wickedness of evil people A wicked world of evil people must see “Godliness” in the life of Christians Page 5 of 5