Difficult times will come

Love God, Love People, Make Disciples

I’d like you to turn to 2 Tim 3

Paul and Timothy Relationship

Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor present day Turkey. Timothy born of a Jewish mother who had become a Christian believer, and a Greek father.

The Apostle Paul met him during his second missionary journey and he became Paul’s companion and co-worker along with Silas.

The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Paul, who was also his mentor. Paul entrusted him with important assignments.

He is addressed as the recipient of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy.

2 Tim 3

2 Timothy 3:1–17 NASB95

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 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. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also. Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Difficult days will come!

We can look at our world and start believing things are getting worse

Even in Canada

The government has changed the rules around which employers can qualify for funding to hire students through the Canada Summer Jobs program to try and ensure that groups advocating against abortion rights or the equality of LGBTQ2 Canadians will not be able to get funding.

Attestation:

Both the job* and my organization's core mandate* respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability or sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression;

There is also people in the Liberal party of Canada talking about revoking charitable status from churches

There is also people in the Liberal party talking about removing charitable status from churches

I also see that the federal government wants to tax church land.

We live in a country where those who dislike (hate) the Church are getting their desires met by the government.

The question is how far will it go?

So what should our response be?

In all honesty, If we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, we shouldn’t change a thing.

However if we are not doing what we are called to do, we better start doing it.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.

I believe things are going to get better.

I still believe

Ephesians 5:27 NASB95

that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

This does not just happen by accident.

This does not just happen by accident.

Revelation 19:7 NASB95

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

The Church, the Bride of Christ, has to make herself ready

Edmund Burke

But they won’t remain

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke

In reality the reason why the Church is in this position has nothing to due with the power and the influence of the enemy

but rather the church pulling back and isolating itself from the world its called to transform.

We can’t hide behind our walls any more. Its time the Church gets out and brings the power of God to the ones who need it most

So How do will do this?

Its actually very simple,

But the difficult times won’t remain

W.O.G.

Even in Canada

The government is changing the rules around which employers can qualify for funding to hire students through the Canada Summer Jobs program to try and ensure that groups advocating against abortion rights or the equality of LGBTQ2 Canadians will not be able to get funding.

There is also people in the Liberal party talking about removing charitable status from churches

I

We Obey God

There is also people in the Liberal party talking about removing charitable status from churches

I also see that the federal government wants to tax church land.

You do what God has told you to do.

Well what’s that?

well to sum it up.

Love God, Love People, Make Disciples

We ‘re not going to change Canada through political change

We’re not going to change Canada through protests, and anger

We’re not going to change Canada by hiding behind our walls

The only way to change our nation is 1 by 1

Bringing the Love of the Father to one person at a time.

We will transform Canada, by allowing the love of God to flow through us to every person we come in contact with.

That’s what we are called to do!

Back to Paul’s Charge to Timothy.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NASB95

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 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.

2 Tim

When we read this passage we certainly think that Paul must be referring to the people of the world right.

He describes them very well. The world is going to get worse and worse

We can take an unholy pleasure in that

But then He says something not consistent with Paul’s other teachings

2 Timothy 3:5 NASB95

holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

wait a minute…a form of godliness....that isn’t describing the world

“a form of godliness, although they have denied its power”

Avoid them? He’s told us through the Spirit We’re supposed to save the world not avoid them.

Avoid them

is Paul actually describing people inside the Church?

is Paul actually describing people inside the Church?

I believe he is!

I believe what Paul is warning Timothy of, is an empty religious experience.

You know the type of experience that on the outside pretends to be good, but on the inside is empty and meaningless.

Jesus also mentioned this when He was describing the Pharisees

Matthew 23:27–28 NASB95

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

1. Empty religion is a constant danger for us all (3:2-4)

A. EMPTY RELIGION MEANS HAVING THE FORM WITHOUT THE POWER.

B. THE ROOT PROBLEM OF EMPTY RELIGION IS MISPLACED AFFECTIONS.

lovers of Self,

lovers of money

lovers of Pleasure

2. Empty religion always has those who propagate it (3:6-8).

vs 5. “Avoid such men as these”

A. THEY PROPAGATE EMPTY RELIGION BY PLAYING ON FELT NEEDS.

B. THEY PROPAGATE EMPTY RELIGION BY ENTICING WITH SINFUL DESIRES.

C. THEY PROPAGATE EMPTY RELIGION BY PLAYING ON THE DESIRE FOR LEARNING.

Paul describes the victims as “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (3:7). “The knowledge of the truth” refers to a saving knowledge of Christ.

D. THEY PROPAGATE EMPTY RELIGION BY OPPOSING THE TRUTH WITH COUNTERFEIT RESULTS.

Paul illustrates his point by referring to Jannes and Jambres, Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses. These men are not mentioned by name in the Bible, but rather in early Jewish writings and tradition. They mimicked the miracles that Moses and Aaron performed before Pharaoh, not by the power of God, but either by sleight of hand or demonic power. But Paul says (3:8) that the false teachers “oppose the truth” and are “of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.”