Perilous Times (Part I)

Text: II Timothy 3:1-9

Place Preached - (Mississauga International Baptist Church)

Date Preached - (04/29/01)

Introduction:   

God’s Word fully preached has always been despised by the world. 

Today the professing church is increasingly intolerant of the strong truth of the Bible plainly declared.

Here is a Description of Danger within the Church

Perilous Times vs.1

PERILOUS – difficult, grievous.  Used by Greek writers of the time to describe an ugly, infected, dangerous wound.

Not Chronos = a space of time or a succession of times, but Kairos = seasons or epochs

Last Days = The church age, we are now in the last days and have been since the time of Christ.

Acts 2:16-17  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

1 John 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.

Throughout these last days we have seen the evils of things such as……

Sacramentalism – Church and Tradition become God

Rationalism/Higher Criticism – Reason is God

The twin evils of a state-church and/or a church state (Either way an unholy alliance).

Today we are plagued by perils such as…..

Ecumenism – The God of unity at all costs

Charismatic confusion – The God of experience

Mysticism – Intuition and feeling are supreme

Pragmatism – worshipping at the altar of results.

The warnings of these doctrinally devious days are not scarce but many in the Scriptures.

1 Timothy 4:1-2  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

2 Timothy 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Acts 20:29-30  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Pernicious Men vs.2-9

These are apostate leaders of apostate churches.

They will continue to sow corruption among believers until Christ returns.

Identifying marks of the False Teachers

I. Lovers of their Own Selves vs.2-4

Not a wrong kind of love (Phileo) but a wrongly elevated object of that love (self)

We do need to learn to love ourselves or forgive ourselves (unbiblical concept).  It is natural to the sinful man.

Matthew 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Ephesians 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Self-love is not the need of our day, it is the most heinous, noxious weed growing in our spiritual gardens.

God requires self-giving love, not self-seeking love.

Tonight we will see 17 Manifestations or Characteristics of self-love

A. Covetous

Lovers of Money

1 Timothy 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

This is a perverted gospel and it is prevalent in the church today.

John Avanzini – Jesus wore designer clothes.

Titus 1:11  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

Self-love and the prosperity Gospel are close cousins.  They are from the same family.

B. Boasters

Braggart – A person claiming greatness he does not possess

It is the outward manifestation of self-love.

Proverbs 20:6  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

Acts 8:9  But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

C. Proud

Arrogant – an assumed superiority

Self-exalting; determined to have their own way.

EXAMPLE – Jewish religious leaders (Luke 18)

James 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

D. Blasphemers

Abusive and slanderous toward others. Revilers

Pride is a sin of the heart, this is a sin of the tongue; one naturally follows the other.

Mark 7:21-22  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

E. Disobedient to parents

This is the most basic level on which a child understands authority.

Ephesians 6:1-2  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

Children who are allowed to rebel against Mom & Dad will have no reserves on rebelling against all other levels of authority, including God’s.

F. Unthankful

A person indulging in self-love will feel he deserves everything good he receives.  He despises the grace of God.

Romans 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.

G. Unholy

The idea is not one of irreverence but of gross indecency. 

UNHOLY – used of a person who refused to bury a dead body or who committed incest.

An unholy person is driven by self-love to gratify his lusts and passions with no thought of propriety, decency or personal reputation.

H. Without natural affection

Astorgos – a negative form of storge commonly used of family, social and patriotic love.

It is not natural for people to love God, the things of God, or the people of God.  But it is natural for them to love their own families.

How tragic then when many are turning away from this most natural affection.

EXAMPLES:

I. Trucebreakers

Implacable, irreconcileable, beyond reasoning and inevitably self-destructive.   They refuse to change.

Absolutely nothing else matters, (not even the truth) except having their own way, doing as they please.

J. False accusers

The Greek word is diabolos – another word used for Satan 34X in the Bible.  Also the root of our English word diabolical.

Malicious gossips doing the very work of Satan.

They make a practice and point of hurting others.

K. Incontinent

Without self-control.  No inhibitions or shame, no control of own life

Proverbs 25:28  He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

L. Fierce

Lit. Brutal or Brute-like

Think of the Savagery of a wild beast, some great predatory animal.

Their nature is to attack and to tear in pieces.

M. Despisers of those that are good

They love what should be hated, and hate what should be loved

Isaiah 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Knowing what is good they choose to despise and hate it.

Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

N. Traitors

Abandoning loyalties even those of family

Matthew 10:21-22  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

O. Heady

Reckless and unconcerned about people and things outside his own egotistic concerns.

So preoccupied with his own interests he does not notice people who are not related to his own concerns.

P. Highminded

Conceited, tuphoo = to be encompassed by a cloud of smoke.

He has a higher view of himself than is justified.

1 Timothy 3:6  Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

This goes without saying of one who is a lover of self.

Q. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God

Philos + Hedone (pleasure)

Pleasure-mad hedonism

Foremost a desire for comfort, food, sexual pleasure (outside of marriage), and other fleshly indulgences.

In addition covetousness, gossip, pleasure at the expense and pain and even at the loss of others.

Conclusion:     (Review)