Never Surrender!

The State of Things (3:1-9)

A. Times will be “perilous” - Hard, dangerous, violent times will come

B. People will be wicked - selfish, greedy, proud and arrogant, slanderous and demeaning toward God, rebellious to parents and other authorities, ungrateful, unrighteous, hardhearted and unfeeling toward others, make promises with the intention of not keeping them, slanderous or making false accusations about people to hurt them, without self-control, savage or brutal, haters of good people, without allegiance to country or people, (heady) reckless, rash, thoughtless, puffed up or conceited (highminded), lovers of pleasures - hedonistic, instead of lovers of God; religious, but hypocritical - talk a good game but are not genuine. Turn away from people like this!

C. False Teachers are of this type of people!

hardhearted and unfeeling toward others, make promises with the intention of not keeping them, slanderous or making false accusations about people to hurt them, without self-control, savage or brutal, haters of good people, without allegiance to country or people, (heady) reckless, rash, thoughtless, puffed up or conceited (highminded), lovers of pleasures - hedonistic, instead of lovers of God; religious, but hypocritical - talk a good game but are not genuineTurn away

C. Why? (Verses 5-9)

False Teachers are of this type of people!

They lead people astray by appealing to their lusts and desires.

Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses Jewish tradition suggests that these are the names of two of the magicians in pharaoh’s court who copied the first plagues of Moses upon Egypt in (water turned to blood; and the snakes from rods, frogs on land, their abilities stopped with the plague of lice, they said “this is the finger of God.”) They resist or fight against the truth! They seek all kinds of knowledge but are never able to arrive at the truth, basically because they don’t want the truth.

their minds are corrupted, unqualified (not standing the test) concerning the faith, perhaps likely they were unsaved.

They will be revealed to all like Jannes and Jambres…They can only go so far without being known for what they are.

But You Know Me Timothy! (3:10-15)

A. Timothy, you know which characterize my life before you:

you know my doctrine, my lifestyle, purpose, faith, patience, (charity) love, steadfastness in the face of trouble (10)

Timothy, you know

(vvs. 11-12; ) Persecutions, afflictions (suffering) at Antioch, thrown out of town for his preaching of the Gospel, in Iconium where those who sided with the Jews had a plot to stone him, Paul found out and they left and went to Lystra, Paul healed a lame man, and the people mistook them for the Greek gods Jupiter (Zeus) and Mercury (Hermes), Paul and Barnabas were barely able to stop the people from sacrificing to them, and the Jews took Paul and stoned him. Paul endured these and God delivered him out of them all.

B. Do like I did! things aren’t going to get any better!

If you live godly in Jesus, you will suffer persecution.

Evil, deceitful people will continue to get worse! (vs 13)

1. If you live godly in Jesus, you will suffer persecution.

2. Keep believing what you’ve been taught, and remember the ones who taught you! (14)

3.Keep believing the scriptures you learned as a little boy.

The Bible & a Steadfast Life is the antidote for evil people, deceitful teachers, and a confused life

A. All Scripture (both testaments) is the antidote for the spiritual poison of of evil people, deceitful teachers, and a confused life.

given by inspiration of God - “God breathed”

profitable for doctrine - teaching…it is special revelation from God. Anything you want to know about God and life, it’s in there!

for reproof- rebuke, conviction, exposure of sin when you’ve done something wrong.

for correction - now that I’ve been convicted, what do I do now? God’s Word will show you what to do next. “recalculating” GPS is showing you how to change your path so that you are on the right street.

for instruction in righteousness - maps out the whole trip before you start. The time to know what to do is before you belly up to the buffet. Don’t go there to start with!

Why does the Bible do all of that? So that the man of God will be throughly equipped or equipped completely; to bring to an end or finished. Describe a finished basement. The man of God through the filter of being changed by God’s Word is becoming “finished” unto every good works.

The Charge

A. I charge (challenge) you, before God and Jesus:

B. Preach the Word (nothing more, nothing less)

Proclaim the Word

Word - The Living Word; the written Word

Be steadfast (instant) - whether convenient or inconvenient

Reprove - expose sin, convict of sin - not that you become the Holy Spirit, but say what the Bible says should be rebuked.

Rebuke - to warn so that a bad end will not come. To warn before it’s too late!

exhort - to urge, to implore, to plead with patience and doctrine.

endure afflictions (suffer for wrongdoing)

endure afflictions (suffer for wrongdoing)

do the work of an evangelist

Complete the work of your ministry. make the most of it…110%.

The Application

A. These are dangerous times

B. We have Godly examples such as Paul and Timothy and the other disciples. Perhaps we have a godly family heritage, or perhaps godly mentors.

C. We have the Word of God that will teach us how to live and how not to live. We need to read it and take it into our lives and live it!

D. we need to stay true to the Word, when its popular and wen it is not, not changing our position, but being steadfast when comes to things spoken of in the Word.

E. Let us be the Godly examples that God would want us to be for His glory!