Moving Forward in the Name of Love - 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Introduction

Let me ask you, what do you love more than anything?

Now let me ask you again, what do you really love more than anything?

What do your actions say that you love.

You see your actions are actually what is going to tell you the truth.

You can say all day long, I love this or I love that but yours actions may indicate another love.

In fact, we are in church and most of you may have given the teachers pet answer and said “I love Jesus more than anything”

But does your life actually say that you love Jesus more than anything.

Does your prayer life, Bible time, actions and more say “I love Jesus Christ more than anything”.

2 Timothy 3:1–9 KJV 1900

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

Friends, I am afraid this may be the direction in which we find our-self traveling.

Perhaps we are living in an world that has neglected the saviors calls.

Perhaps our love is misdirected

You know, we live in a world that likes to follow the trends.

We like to follow the trends of the world we live in

To do what is popular

Friends I am afraid this may mean that we have began to trend the wrong way

we are.....

I. Downward Trending

I fear that as 2 Timothy 3:4 says we may be trending in the wrong direction.

2 Timothy 3:4 KJV 1900

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Notice the last part of that verse.

2 Timothy teaches that there will come a time when people are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

Now 2 timothy does not say “They choose not to love God at all”

You see we live in a world where people want a little God, but they never want all of God.

They want to love God when it is convenient, or when they need help.

They want to love God but not as much as they love the pleasures of the world.

Friends, this sounds familiar to me, it sounds as though this is the very world in which we find our self in.

A world that desires the pleasures that surround us mroe than we desire a personal relationship with out savior.

How often are we living a double life.

how long can be continue to believe that we can get by with coming to church once in a while.

giving a little bit of offering.

And that being enough for Jesus our Lord....

Jesus Christ has higher expectations of us than to sit in our pews while loving the flesh of the world.

Friends I ask you today, are you lovers of the pleasure of this world more than you are a lover of Jesus Christ?

I fear that many in this world are more excited about what can be offered to them through Jesus rather than fully committing their life to Him, as he has died for us.

as we continue on looking at 2 Timothy 3:5

2 Timothy 3:5 KJV 1900

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Friends, everywhere you look the world has a form of Godliness.

Meaning sprinkles of God intersect the lives of the people in this world.

Just enough God to say, I go to church on Sunday.

Or Just enough God to hang a Bible verse in our home.

But failing to have enough God to actually live our life for him.

So what do you really love on this Sunday?

In this regard, the small amount of love that we show for Jesus Christ.

Just enough to sprinkle him into our life.

Isn’t that version of Godliness more for us than it is Him?

The version of Love that causes us to love only a little bit of God is more so we can tell feel good about ourself.

It is more so we can feel good because we went to church today.

Friends, going to church today is not enough of a relationship with Jesus Christ.

What if we stay the same.

What if we never change?..

II. What if?

You see the question is pretty easy to answer today.

In fact the word of God answers it for us. 2 Timothy 3 1

2 Timothy 3:1 KJV 1900

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

You see, these things, that have been mentioned.

Living as people who pretend to know God but do not.

Loving the flesh of this world more than Jesus Christ.

These things are signs of the last days.

Friends, its coming soon.

I am excited for when it does but here is my problem.

I see many who are lost and do not know him.

Friends, we need our Lord to work a great miracle in this land.

We need our Lord to change our hearts today.

So let me ask you this, what if he is trying to change your heart right now.

You know the devil will do a good job at trying to play tricks on us.

what lies is he telling you today.

No matter what he is telling you the truth is.

You have to live faithfully and boldly for him in every aspect of your life.

So are we going to do the same thing we have always done or are we going to make a change?

III. Make a Change

Friends, are we going to continue to live like this, waiting on God to do something in this land.

He will not act if we are not faithful.

Are you a faithful people for him?

Because when you go into this world claiming to be a Jesus follower but fail to live completely as a Jesus follower you not only are hurting yourself but you display to everyone that you love the world, more than you love Jesus Christ.

But friends, today is the day to change that.

You have the choice to not live in the desires of this world any longer.

You have the choice to live completely devout to Jesus Christ today.

So I want to challenge us today, what are you going to do differently than you have been doing.

If the person who lives in this world is you, than you know it in your heart.

But if you continue to deny it, you only are lying to yourself.

Its’s time to make a change today.

Brothers and Sisters, we are called deeper than this world.

You know, perhaps the most compelling truth of this scrpture is verse 7

2 timothy 3 7 where scripture says that we are this....

2 Timothy 3:7 KJV 1900

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In a world where further education is so important.

Learning the next philosophy or standard.

Friends, mankind has missed the mark completely.

We are now more focused on how to make us smarter than the next person, how to get ahead of the next guy.

That we have missed the most important truth.

That is Jesus Christ.

we have missed what our heart is trying to tell us....

IV. The Truth of Our Hearts.

Friends, we are looking for the next best thing.

The next person, the next good feeling.

looking for something to fill a void that we will never fill.

you know, the reason mankind has been searching for constant advancement since Adam and Eve was banished fromt he garden of Ededn is simple.

We continuously are looking to fill a hole that was caused by.

Isaiah 59:2 KJV 1900

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

When Adam and Eve sinned, sin began to separate man and God

Since that day we have been looking and searching.

trying to fill our lives with the pleasures of sin.

Friends it began just separating us from God but now our sin has separated us from God so much that we see a world that believes truly that they can have their cake and eat it to.

So I ask you today, do you really want revival in this land.

Because on this Valentines day weekend, you have an important decision to make.

Your heart has told the truth.

You either love God more than anything else, or you could take him when you want him.

The truth is you know where you fall.

So, are you going to continue to live your life, focused on the ways of this world.

For our church today I would ask you, do you really want to see revival?

No really, do you really want to see this land healed.

Because friends, it begins in our hearts, in our homes and by our decision to not sprinkle Jesus Christ into our life.

Let’s make him the center.

I was listening to a speaker and he said simply, and im paraphrasing “What are we even doing here, if we are simply trying to find a place to squeeze Jesus Christ into. He shouldn’t be put into the next event, or the next church function, he should be the center.”

The same goes for our lives, Jesus Christ must be the center.

I would challenge you today, do not ask the question “where can we put Jesus in this?” instead ask the question “Is Jesus in this already?”

Its time to live our lives for the savior.

For those here that have prayed for revival, I once again challenge you to view your life from a wide lense.

Is your life indicative of someone who wants revival?

Today, you may find yourself saying, I have been the one who has been living two lives.

I have tried to sprinkle Jesus into my life and be good enough.

Let me tell you, you or I will never be good enough on our own.

It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that we may fill the unfillable hole in our heart.

So today you say that you want to chaneg this.

You want to not be of those who learn but never know the truth.

You have heard the truth today and scripture says the truth will set you free.

come today and make yourself free.

If you do not now him today, and youahve acknowledge that you sin, and that you need a savior.

Would you come today and repent for the life you have lived.

Would you allow him to come an live within you.....

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