Untitled Sermon (6)

2 Timothy 3:1–9 CSB

1 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people. 6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions, 7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth. They are men who are corrupt in mind and worthless in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be clear to all, as was the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres.

Introduction: Today we are going to talk about your favorite subject......you.

Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1 CSB

1 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days.

The Last Days are mentioned numerous times in the Scriptures. We have been in the last days since Christ death, burial, and resurrection. However in the instance Paul is not only looking toward the future in Christ’s return but he is also looking at the present time that they are in. Likewise, the times that he is describing is also indicative of the times that we are living in right now.

Notice what he says “hard times will come in the last days” (v.1). As we look around the world we feel the weight of this right? We feel it both individually and collectively. Financial problems, racism, depression, wars, family problems, marital problems, people walking away from the faith, and so much more (this is not to say that all of life is bad).

Even though we feel the weight of these things, we ought not be surprised. Why? Because this is descriptive behavior for a world that is living in the last days.

The Selfishness of Society

2 Timothy 3:2–4 CSB

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

BOOK CAPS: “Lovers of self and money” (v. 2) and “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (v. 4)

Everything else in this list is a result of these.

Illustration: We live in a self driven society. 35mm camera vs instant selfies (retake if you do not like it). Filters hide our flaws (they’ve even added touch up to school pics)

Then there is the idea of self love or even self esteem being used as solutions to our problems. The problem with this solution is that it causes us to look within ourselves for the answers. But just like Kanye West said “you aint got the answers Sway”.

We tend to go to one of two polar opposites when we think about self loves or self esteem.

self affirmation (society)

trying to convince myself that i believe things about myself that I currently do not believe. (good person but sometimes I do bad things, good father but, etc)

self deprecation (wrong Christian view)

I aint nothing. I am a failure. I’ll never be this and that

(all of this is still self-talk)

this road leads us to be 2 Timothy 3:2-5

2 Timothy 3:2–5 CSB

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

Self love is assumed in the Bible

Romans 13:9 CSB

9 The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Ephesians 5:28–29 CSB

28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

and there are time we ought to have self lament

Romans 7:24–25 CSB

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

SELF DEFINING

We must quit trying to define ourselves.

Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed but “who told you that you were naked?”

Genesis 3:10–12 CSB

10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

Psalm 100:3 CSB

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his— his people, the sheep of his pasture.

WHO HE SAY THAT I AM

What God Says about Us (remember from last week, we need to hold on to truth and not “holding to a form of godliness but denying its power v. 5)

always loved

Romans 8:38–39 CSB

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

forgiven

1 John 2:12 CSB

12 I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

not alone

Hebrews 13:5 CSB

5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.

stronger than I think

2 Timothy 1:7 CSB

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

created in His image

Genesis 1:26 CSB

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

loved by Him

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

WATCH FALSE TEACHERS AND FALSE THOUGHTS

2 Timothy 3:6–7 CSB

6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions, 7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.