Terrible Times and Terrible People
Notes
Transcript
Claim (of the passage)- In these last days there will be people who love themselves rather than God and take advantage of the church for their own selfish gain.
Focus (of the sermon)- Check our own character but particularly that of bible teachers so we know who to avoid.
Function (for the congregation) - To be godly and to avoid false teachers who are in it for control over the vulnerable.
Pray
At the end of chapter 2 we have Paul telling Timothy how to deal with false teachers who have v18 ‘departed from the truth’
People who have ignored the truth the Apostles are teaching and decided they know better.
It’s serious enough that some have ‘had their faith destroyed’ by their continuing arguing and debating with those who defend the truth.
Perhaps those false teachers are simply nieve - and so by the end of chapter 2 Paul tells Timothy - don’t engage in endless debates, simply:
Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
‘But’, begins our chapter today - but - there are worse people and worse times to come.
2 Timothy 3:1–2 (NIV 2011)
But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, and so on…,
The term ‘last days’ is a common biblical phrase that just means the time between Jesus’ resurection and his future return.
And in these last days - which were the days of Timothy and Paul, and are still the same ‘days’ for us today - there will be terrible times.
Why terrible times?
Well becasue there will be terrible people!
These are not just well meaning nieve people - who are inadvertently distracting from the Gospel and the truth Paul is passing on -
these are people who are deliberately taking advantage of people - abusing for thier own gain, those who are gentle and open,
They are pretending to be godly - but are denying the very power of the Gospel by failing to believe it, teach it, and pass it on.
they are..
2 Timothy 3:5 (NIV 2011)
having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Paul lists 19 characteristics to look out for in these terrible people that cause terrible times for God’s church and people.
He lists them for 2 reasons
1 - So we can spot them in others, so as to identify fasle teachers and fasle believers in our midst - and then avoid them, have nothing to do with them Paul says in v5.
But also
2 - we can check ourselves and our own characteristics as we go through. Are we at risk of being like these terrible people who lead vulnerable people astray?
Don’t be like them Paul tells Timothy in v18
They are v2:
1. “Lovers of themselves.”
1. “Lovers of themselves.”
Ultimately all this is a disease of the heart. Their whole affections and desires are for themselves.
It is a stark contrast to the call of the gospel to ‘Love God and love your neighbour before yourself!.
or as …. puts it:
For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
These people might not deny Christ Jesus as Lord, but they do effectively replace Him as Lord - as they worship their own comfort and needs and desires.
You do You.
Whatever you want to be - we must validate you.
I have rights - if something doesn’t serve my needs then it must be changed.
It’s so familiar to us - it genuinely sounds wrong to our ears - even harmful - to say
- don’t love yourself!
Deny yourself - and rather put God, and put others before you.
Love of self is terrible says Paul.
Stop thinking you’re amazing, we’re not - we’re sinners.
‘Be true to yourself ‘and you’ll be a hideous unrepentant sinner before your creator God.
‘You demand what you want’ and you are a cause of the terrible times!
It can’t be tolerated in the church - and when we see it in others, we are to be very cautious of them.
And if you recognise this in yourself - as we all will to some extent - flee self love and pursue God Love.
Don’t love yourself - love the one who have rescued you and loved you despite who you are.
When you hear preachers and leaders telling you to ‘love yourself’, and or preachers who are in it for personal gain - be very wary.
If you notice church Leaders acting in ways that are really furthering themselves, financially, in power, in popularity, or in several sad cases in recent years for their sexual satisfaction, or abusive power and control
- walk away - warn others.
It’s possible that this first terrible characteristic is intended to be the one that governs all the rest.
Don’t love yourself - love Jesus. - and the rest of these characteristics will fall away as well:
2. “Lovers of money.”
2. “Lovers of money.”
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Don’t be like that - how easy it is for us to love money!
It’ ok to have money, but not to love it:
Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’
Don’t love money - love Jesus
How many ministries and online preachers are in it for the money! Those pedalling the prosperity gospel!
The more you give the more you’ll be healed, blessed, enriched.
don’t trust a preacher who is seemingly in it for the money.
3. “Boastful.”
3. “Boastful.”
As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
But, ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’
To quote The early Chruch Father ‘Clement’:
“For it is better for you to be found small but included in the flock of Christ than to have a preeminent reputation and yet be excluded from his hope.”
Be cautious of the preacher who tells you how great or successful he is - his boasting should be only in Christ and so should ours.
4. “Proud.”
4. “Proud.”
James 4:6 ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’”
Pride is similar to boasting, but harder to spot, becasue it could be an internal feeling of pride -
We are to be a humble people - not proud.
5. “Abusive.”
5. “Abusive.”
The root word, here most likely refers to being abusive verbally - either towards God or people.
Accuseing God of letting us down
Belittling others.
How quick we are to slander others - especially behind their backs - but sometimes even to their faces!
This is a very controlling characteristic - be careful of those, especially in church leadership, who are like this.
6. “Disobedient to their parents.”
6. “Disobedient to their parents.”
‘Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
If respect for parents is a sign we live in terrible times - then terrible times we live in -
Being a grumpy Teenager is no excuse to ‘disobey your parents’ - in fact being grumpy is dishonouring in itself,
Failing to honour and or care for elderly parents is no better
these are sinful ways and characteristic of the wicked.
Check on your preachers how they honour their parents.
7. “Ungrateful.”
7. “Ungrateful.”
Here’s one that pokes us where it hurts;
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
True believers have everything to be thankful for - we are to be a thankful people - not grumbling and complaining - but thankful.
Be wary of an ungrateful preacher.
8. “Unholy.”
8. “Unholy.”
God is holy and calls for holiness on the part of his people.
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV 2011)
He has saved us and called us to a holy life
It’s amazing how some are quick to deny a call to godliness. often it’s disguised behind theology - ‘we don’t need to obey God’ that’s leagalism.
It’s not leagalism - it’s ‘love’ to obey Jesus.
‘If you love me, keep my commands.
Be holy.
9. “Without love.”
9. “Without love.”
This words carries the idea of being “hardhearted, unfeeling, without regard for others.”
‘A capacity for love is part of the image of God; when people suppress it and even replace it with the opposite, it is a sign of a hard and sinister turn away from their Creator.’ (Yarbrough)
It’s easy to love people who you like - but this is a love for all the saints, - something some of us have to work much harder at.- genuinly.
10. “Unforgiving.”
10. “Unforgiving.”
The “unforgiving” person is one who refuses to work toward settlement of a grievance or disagreement.
It’s the opposite of Jesus,
But it’s one of most people’s favourite sins!
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” ’
11. “Slanderous”
11. “Slanderous”
Similar to “abusive”, but whereas that focused on the severity of the language, this focuses on the slander or accusations that our words spread about others.
How concenring that we often think this acceptable - this though is a favourite tactic of the devil.
Be very wary fo the preacehr who slanders others:
Not one who carefully warns and corrects, one who maliciously slanders.
Leviticus 19:16 (NIV 2011)
‘ “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. ‘
12. “Without self-control.”
12. “Without self-control.”
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.
They don’t discipline themselves - they use their eyes, tongues and bodies to fulfil whatever passing takes their fancy.
Holiness isn’t their aim - pleasure is.
doom scrolling rather than pray
lazines rather than church
lust rather than bible reading
How many a churhc leader has fallen becasue they could not ‘contorl’ themselves. Satisfying their power craving or sexual cravings at the expense of others.
13. “Brutal.”
13. “Brutal.”
Some characteristics will be more visible than others - and less tolerated in one culture ot the next than another.
We don’t like physical brutality in our culture - funny how we tollerate, even celebrate many of the other characteristics on this list. Before God - they are all the same.
When did you consdier being unforgiving, or disobeying your parents, or loving yourself - to be - in God’s eyes, as bad as being brutal.
Physically, violent and unnessary harsh on people.
14. “Not lovers of the good.”
14. “Not lovers of the good.”
These people have no interest in public or social welfare.
The natural end to being lovers of self is to act selfishly at the cost of all others.
15. “Treacherous.”
15. “Treacherous.”
The orgional word here is not a verb, but a noun. These people don’t just act treachously - they are traitors.
Towards God in that they underrmine his power by denying his word - and also towards people.
They say one thing but betray you for their own gain.
16. “Rash.”
16. “Rash.”
Reckless and hasty - and typically in the bible this word again is associated with speech.
This is not the ‘rashness’ of an overexcited person -
this is mouthing off before thinking carefully about their consequences, or about the intentions of the other.
:
The mouth of the reckless brings ruin near. (Prov 10:14)
He who is rash with his lips will bring terror upon himself. (Prov 13:3)
17. “Conceited.”
17. “Conceited.”
people who were overly impressed with their own knowledge or power.’
A common danger for preachers!
Nothing wrong with lots of knowledge - but their is when that becomes their boast.
18. “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
18. “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
SImilar to ‘lovers of self’ but here the contrast is clear.
They have life entirely backwards.
They love pleasure rather than God.
They have swapped one for the other.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Pleasure is not the enemy here - the idol of pleasure is!
As JEsus pormises:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
19.“having a form of godliness”
19.“having a form of godliness”
Here is the sting in the tail!
Unbelievably, These people are not easy to spot!
They will fool most of us for a time - as many of us know having attended churches with leaders who are now disgraced.
They are disguised behind a presentation of godliness.
The warning Paul wants Timpthy and us to hear - is that these last days - will be terrible becasue people within the church - who claim to be godly,
will be disguising their characetr amoungst us.
So back to our 2 uses of these verse.
1 - So we can spot them in others, so as to identify fasle teachers and fasle believers in our midst
2 - so we can check ourselves and our own characteristics as a warning to us.
It’s entirely likely there will be people like this in our own church. SO we should be on the look out. DOn’t believe everyone is pure and inncocent, and don’t trust everything everyone says.
Test it against - you’ve guiessed it - the sound doctrine of God’s word.
And test their behiaviour - don’t follow someone just becasue they are convinceing or a strong characeter -
The character test is what’s been sadly lacking across many recent church leadership scandals. They apparently teach the bible truth -
but they, we, should have also held them up against the character and motivation tests of passages like this,
As it turns our
they might well just be looking for gulible,
spiritually weak peaople who are vunerable to promises becasue we know we’re sinners.
That’s what’s happening in Timothy’s church:
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
How sad that when people - apparently women in Timothy’s church - but most commentators agree this can apply just as aptly to men -
when we are at our weakest - we feel the wieght of our sin,
and so we’re looking for help -
we turn to deceivers!
Being gullible isn’t an insult here - it’s a sad reality that deceivers prey on those who are in a hard place, or vulnerable because of their status. They are the victims of terrible people.
Sadly, this happens within solid bible teaching church’s as in Timothy’s case,
And left unchecked you get whole churches and then whole denominations who turn away from the gospel that can save,
There are church all aournd us that preach messages but not The message.
Liberal churches saying - Come as you are, stay as you are - God loves you all - you don’t need to line up in holiness.
Or the other extreme - You can only be holy if you do exactly what I say - and the vulnerable are preyed on by the powerful.
Where as the Gospel says - come as you are but repent and mourn, and lamnet your sin - you must change.
But also, Sit under the authroity of the Word only to become holy,
Love one another, encourage, correct and edify one another in all unity.
There are people who are
“deliberately unholy and still go to church, covetous and still say morning prayers, blasphemers and still repeat perfectly the Apostles’ Creed; they may be treacherous and still remain on the church board, haters of good and still give lip service to God.”
Robert W. Yarbrough,
Don’t be suporised church. Hold your elders to account in characeter and in their faithfulness to keeping to the bible’s word alone - and to elevating The Lord God alone.
If they wont change, or listen:
Have nothing to Do with Such People
Have nothing to Do with Such People
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Paul gives a little example of how tercheous these poeple are.
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.
Jannes and Jambres were according to Jewish tradiotion the magicians who opposed Moses when he approached Pharoe to let the Israletes go from slsvarey in Egypt.
You remeber Aaron through down his staff before Pharoe and it turned into a snake
- to show Pharoe that God was behind the request to release His people
- and Jannes and Jambres are called to do the same by Pharoeh.
By, we can only assume, the work of Satan - they are able to do the same thing with their staffs - but the implied accusation from Paul is that they knew the truth.
They knew they were denying God’s truth - but to Pharoeh - well hey look - we’re godly too.
Had Pahroe had the benefit we do of going to the scriptures -
perhaps he would have found that Moses and Aaron where speaking truth where as his advisors were not!
And so he denied God’s salvation and Soverignty.
And so for us - we must go to the scriptures and weigh church leaders characteristics and their teaching against it.
So many people are led away from Jesus by ‘impressive’, preachers,
or preachers ‘with a diguised form of godlines’
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
While these false teachers may apparently prosper now, they will be revealed for all to see, either in this life or at Judgement.
9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
So for us today:
Let this character discription casue an uncomfort in our own souls - let us fight our natural attraction to such tendencies in ourselevses and in others!
in response we declaire - NO! We believe the truth - we turn to Christ and his mercy.
Be conviceted of sin and the sound doctrine that saves -
and forms godliness in us -
And reject those church leaders and preachers who do not hold to sound doctrine and or demonstrate bad characteristics.
We’ll leave it there - but good news, next week, We will see what a faithful preacher looks like.
Reflect on the characteristics
PRAY