2 Timothy 3

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

Today we are going to be looking into the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3. We have gone over chapter 2 previously, however, we need to be able to look at chapter 3 as well. It seems that so many people are looking at this world and seeing that we could be in the end times of the world. I am not denying those claims, but when we look at the first part of this chapter, then we can see there are things that are happening. There are other things that probably have to happen as well, and we need to remember that no one knows the day or the hour of which Jesus will return, but we do know that he will return. The previous chapter was reminding Timothy to endure hardship, be diligent, rightly divide the word, and be a vessel fit for the Master’s use. How awesome that those reminders are there for us! We know that there will be hardships that we have to endure. We have to be diligent in the word. We have to rightly divide the Word and we have to be vessels fit for the Master’s use. This reminds us that the word of God is a light to the darkness to all sorts of falsehoods. Remember, if we need to know if something someone says is the truth, we go to the scriptures to see if it lines up with scripture. Now, going into this, I do not want us to look at it as something to be fearful from, but rather, this should be informative as it can help us open up our eyes to the world that is going on around us and hopefully, things that are not going on in the church! Let’s look at the first few verses.

Verses 1-9

a. This is a long list of things to come. This is talking about apostasy that could happen in the church. Now, this will not always happen, but there will be a time that it does happen. When looking at this, it gives us a little time frame. It does say that in the last days these perilous times will come. When is the last days? That would be before Christ’s second coming. What does perilous mean? Well that means there will be times of danger, of persecution, and of trial. Where else have we heard things such as this? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Now, wait a minute. This was already given to Timothy in the first letter and now it is in the second letter as well? Everything in the Bible is important, but here we are, it is being repeated. This means, hey listen up! I am trying to tell you something really important. These things will happen and don’t be surprised when they do. Let’s look at a few of these things that we can expect.

b. First it says that men will be lovers of themselves. This actually goes hand-in-hand with lovers of money as well. When looking at this, it is telling us that they will go back to being boastful. they are not going to care about anyone but themselves. Can you imagine having a church where the people there were only caring about themselves? Not only that, but they are also lovers of money. Now, I want to say there is nothing wrong with having money, but it is the love of money. We can remember that 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many arrows.” Man, this should be a wake up call! But the list doesn’t end there it goes on.

c. They will also be boasters, proud, blasphemers. What happens when someone becomes a lover of themselves? They boast about themselves, they become proud of themselves, instead of giving God the glory. Sometimes when someone boasts about themselves, they are boasting about something they do not have. You know, it’s like when you are in school and (well I guess this could happen anywhere), but you try to one-up the person you are talking to, until it gets so bad that you have gotten yourself into a heap of trouble. I have seen it so many times on different TV shows. You will have one character say that they are the biggest fan of a current celebrity, and the second character tries to one-up them by saying something like they have a poster or something signed by them, then the first says something like they have multiple things signed, and then finally the second says that they are related to the celebrity. they have boasted about something they do not have, and now they have to prove it. This is the same idea. They will be boasting about things they do not have, and not only that, but they will be proud of what they do not have. They will also try to put themselves higher than those around them. Finally these people will also be blasphemous. What does that mean in this context? They will be evil-speakers. They will speak about God unjustly. They will talk about God and give him attributes which he does not possess. Or to say or do anything by which his name or honor is insulted, or which conveys an impression unfavorable to God.

d. this leads us to disobedient to parents. When someone puts themselves above someone else, they tend to think they know it all. That other people don’t know as much as they do, therefore, they think they know more than their parents even and become disobedient to them.

e. They also become the uns. they are unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving. Sad to say, I see this a lot in the church today. Mainly the unforgiving and unloving. Did you know that the word unthankful only appears twice in the New Testament? Once here and the other time in Luke 6:35. Do you remember what that scripture says? It says “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” Did you know that ingratitude has always been regarded as one of the worst of crimes? But what else does it mean? When someone is unthankful, that is characterizing a wicked age and would indicate a decline of religion. Our relationship with God should make us grateful to every benefactor, to God and to man. There isn’t much to have to say about the unloving and unforgiving, but again, those go hand-in-hand. We have already learned that we need to forgive. We are not to keep a record of what has been done to us, done wrong.

f. Going on, it tells us they will be slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Again, looking at all this, what does someone who slanders do? They give false reports, they spread lies. They won’t have self-control. Have you ever met anyone who didn’t seem to have self-control? I am not talking about when they go to the buffet line, but self-control of themselves, in speech and in action? They don’t know when to not say anything? This can be brutal. They don’t care about anyone but themselves and don’t care who they hurt in the meantime. But look at the end of this verse. They are going to be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Plain facts mean that love of pleasure destroys the love and sense of God. Even still, this has been and is, the characteristic of a great part of the world. They live for pleasure, there are no serious pursuits. They don’t want to pursue God.

g. Look at this, they have a form of godliness but deny it’s power. They profess religion, or are in connection with the church, but yet, they don’t believe what God can do. See they have an outward appearance of reverence for God. But as far as denying its power, that is describing religious activities that are not connected to a living relationship with Jesus. As time progresses, people would begin to participate in religious activities that are empty. Their activities would have nothing to do with a true relationship with God or with individual faith in Jesus. This kind of religion provokes God’s anger. What’ Timothy and us told to do? Turn away! We are to avoid the evil people described in these verses. We are not to link up in common cause with them.

h. Look at what happens, when we let just a little bit in, it creeps into our households. The empty religious individuals will use deception to gain a hearing in the houses, they will take us captive. This is a military term for taking prisoners in war. Remember we are in a war. We aren’t in a war in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. Now, I know what it says about gullible women, but the false teachers at Ephesus had made significant inroads among a group of women at that church. So, everyone needs to learn. Paul even goes on to give two examples of men who resisted the truth in Moses’ time. From traditions passed down, these were two of the Egyptian magicians that opposed Moses. Men of corrupt minds resist the truth because it unveils their shameful thinking and behavior. But we know that the character and empty religion of false teachers will ultimately be exposed. Numbers 32:23 tells us “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” See, sometime, everything will come to the light.

Verses 10-13

This little section is where Paul gives Timothy an example of his own life. He is telling Timothy to follow his doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverence, persecutions, afflictions. These are all things that Paul had suffered in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. But he is giving this example because even though he suffered these things, the Lord delivered him. He was giving this example to remind Christians that we need to be prepared to face persecution as well. God does not deliver us from persecution, but he does give us deliverance through it. Persecution is one of the means God uses to develop our capacity to reign with Him in His kingdom.

b. Verse 13 leaves us with a warning, that evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse. False teachers deceive themselves as well as others.

Verses 14-17

a. Finally Paul is finishing this section to remind Timothy to continue in the doctrine he had learned from the scriptures. He ends this chapter by reminding Timothy about being trained from his childhood. This just goes to show just how important it is to teach children while they are young. The truths of God’s Word directed Timothy to Christ. God’s word and the Spirit of God are both essential for our salvation. The word of God without the spirit of God is lifeless. it has not power to act. But the word of God empowered by the Spirit of God becomes a living force in our lives.

b. I love this ending of this chapter. See Paul emphasizes the preeminence of All scripture. When we look at this, we see that is is given by inspiration. That is literally translated “God-breathed”. Paul is teaching us that God was actively involved in the revelation of His truth to the apostles and prophets who wrote it down. The Author of the Bible is God Himself. Scripture is true in all that it affirms and is completely authoritative. The study of the Bible is profitable in at least four ways. Doctrine-this would be teaching. Reproof-this would be conviction. Correction-this would be setting something straight. Instruction-this would be the process of training a child. Out of all these only one refers to knowledge and information, doctrine. The other three involve a change of life. Knowledge that does not change one’s life is useless. But yet, living without any understanding of who God is and what he expects of us is dangerous as well. The study of scripture will make a believer complete, meaning capable or proficient. The study will make soemone fully prepared. We will never lose our way. There is an essential link between knowing God’s word and applying it to one’s life daily. Right doctrine should produce right practice.

I am going to end on this story. This story is about a man named Bill. he was a young man at the time. He had tried preaching, but didn’t always feel the power of God or see any results. One of his contemporaries, Charles Templeton, got into academia and started to believe scripture as flawed and outdated. Bill wondered about all of this. A friend of his, Henrietta Mears, invited him to speak at a Christian retreat center called Forest Home. The night before, he went off alone into the nearby woods, put his Bible on a stump, and had an honest talk with God. He prayed, “O God! There are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions. There are some areas in it that do not seem to correlate with modern science. I can’t answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions Chuck and others are raising.”

And then he fell to his knees and the Holy Spirit moved in him as he said, “Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word-by faith! I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired word!”

He later wrote that, as he stood up, his eyes stung with tears, but he felt the power and presence of God in a way he hadn’t in months. “A major bridge had been crossed,” he said. The next day he preached with a new vitality. Mears noted, he “preached with authority” that she hadn’t seen before. And some 400 people made a commitment to Christ that day. A few weeks later he would preach the historic Los Angeles Crusade. it was planned to go three weeks, but ended up going eight. And the career of an upstart evangelist took off. The world found Billy Graham, as Billy found the Word of God.

We need to remember that God’s word has power. There may some of you that need to cry out to God and take it on faith for his power!