Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Good morning, everyone.
[00:00:03] I know, like everybody who doesn't get up in front of people very often, Jenna was a little bit nervous and she rocked on those names.
[00:00:14] So before I jump into the message, I have to give a little shout out. And so I got five friends here today, two of them I've known since first grade.
[00:00:26] We went to catholic grade school together, our Lady Fatima Catholic School. And then another friend, actually, I met in our teen years, and he actually trained me to be a cook in steak and nail restaurant. And the three of us have become really good friends. We play pickleball every Thursday night. And so good friends, good people, and thank you. Two of them got their wives here today. And just thanks for coming out this morning. We're stepping away from our series in Matthew for one week due to the holiday with a standalone sermon based on my studies in Paul's letters to Timothy title, this morning's message is the importance of having a firm foundation.
[00:01:06] The scriptures speak of how vitally important it is in the christian life to consistently build on the foundation of Jesus Christ that we laid at salvation. For without a firm and strong foundation, it would be difficult to continue to stand by faith through the trials of life in an ever darkening world. Before we dive into two Timothy, I want to do a brief stop in Matthew. So if you've got your bibles, turn to Matthew, chapter seven, verses 24 27. If you didn't bring a Bible, there should be some maybe underneath in the row in front of you.
[00:01:38] Matthew 724 27.
[00:01:44] And this is Jesus speaking. He says, therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. And so the scriptures identify Jesus as the rock of our salvation.
[00:01:55] And those who build their lives, their purpose, their worldview, their pursuits based on his words and who diligently search the scriptures to understand God's nature, his character, his will, and how to obey him. Jesus declares in verse 25, the rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house, yet it didn't collapse because its foundation was on the rock.
[00:02:17] Jesus is telling us that, Christian, your life will be shaken by the storms of life. He guarantees in his word that we will have storms that hit our life.
[00:02:26] But he says that if we've built our lives on faith in him and obedience in his words, that our lives won't be devastated by those storms. Your life may be shaken, but in the end it will not collapse. And a huge reason is that as Jesus promises to walk through every storm in life with us, then in verse 26 27, he says, but everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And we know that it would be foolish anybody who knows construction at all to try to build a house on sand rather than on something firm like concrete or rock, because sand shifts according to the circumstances that are presented. Sand cannot provide a solid foundation in which to build a house. And he says, if you do that, the rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed with a great crash.
[00:03:15] You see, when the christian faith and hope is placed on people or circumstances, possibly on a church or a pastor or a priest, when it's placed on unfulfilled dreams or desires to come through for you, when it's based on your decisions and pursuits that you base in your emotions what feels right in the moment, regardless of what God's word says, when christians pick and choose what they will and will not obey in the Bible, or because actually they neglect the word of God, it's actually they built the house of their life upon a foundation that is just waiting to collapse through the next storm, through a time of suffering, through a persuasive false teacher, or through persecution for your faith.
[00:03:53] And the question I have for you this morning is the foundation of your faith right now strong enough to stand firm when serious trouble, difficulty, or persecution comes your way?
[00:04:04] I want to share with you a little bit on how I arrived at this topic. And as I studied first and second Timothy, I began to see striking parallels to Paul and Timothy's culture and the american church today.
[00:04:16] In both of Paul's letters to Timothy, he speaks over and over again to him about there will be increased godlessness in the last days, he says, false teachers will increase both in the church and in the world.
[00:04:29] There will be so called christians who will abandon their faith in Christ and the church and who will stand actually opposed to the church, encouraging others to do the same.
[00:04:39] And throughout his letters to Timothy, he gives us such sound counsel on how to stand by faith, to boldly stand for truth, and to proclaim the truth. In such times as these, I believe it's vitally important for all of us who claim allegiance to Christ and his church to approach the truths Paul shares with us this morning with a sense of urgency and sober mindedness.
[00:05:02] Why? Because all three of those characteristics are prevalent today in the american culture and the church.
[00:05:08] The rise of wickedness, false teachers and christians falling away from the faith.
[00:05:14] While I was aware of the increased godlessness of our culture. I was unaware of the extent that the godlessness was infiltrating the american church and the devastating consequences it was having upon it.
[00:05:25] That is, until three months ago, when I canceled our spectrum subscription. They said, what does that have to do with what we're talking about? Well, that only left us with two streaming services available, Amazon prime and free YouTube.
[00:05:39] And that lasted for maybe a month, where Lisa and I binge watched a couple of series until Ben moved out, canceling prime because he was the one paying for it.
[00:05:52] That's right. Lisa and I are empty nesters for the first time in 33 years.
[00:05:59] Initially, it was sad, but now it's glorious.
[00:06:07] And that's less about Ben and more about how excited we are that he decided to take that next step in his journey of life.
[00:06:16] So, with YouTube being our only option, I started binge watching multiple christian podcasts and debates and apologetic lectures.
[00:06:24] Unfortunately for my wife, Lisa, I also viewed several nutritional podcasts, such as the top ten foods and drinks that are most harmful to your body, of which, unfortunately, my diet included eight of those ten.
[00:06:38] Just for your information, millennials energy drinks were the number one worst thing you could put into your body.
[00:06:45] Soda was number two. And sadly, there goes my favorite, doctor pepper.
[00:06:51] I also watched the devastating effects of sugar upon your body. And that's not just cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream soda, and sweet tea. It also includes foods such as starches, pasta, bread, processed food, fried food that all turns into glucose after you eat it.
[00:07:09] I'm sure, you know, after we watched this, Lisa was, like, not too impressed, but I encouraged us to go on this twelve day fast from sugar. And I'm sure she was just thinking, just shoot me now.
[00:07:23] Actually, she was probably thinking more like, someone please shoot my husband.
[00:07:29] So Lisa and I engaged in this twelve day fast from sugar seven days ago. She actually started three days before me, and she's been doing it for ten days, and she's walking the dog every day. She's sticking to the diet. She's lost seven pounds. And I'm really proud of her for taking the challenge on the.
[00:07:48] Even though I'm certain she still wants to kill me. So if you do see my demise, I hope maybe you take away a couple of things from this discussion about physical health. And I applaud all of you. I think there's like 15, 1617 of you guys who are in the biggest loser competition, which I understand Brad Wright is killing it.
[00:08:12] This isn't the focus this morning.
[00:08:17] Your spiritual health is because Paul writes in one Timothy four, seven, eight. Train yourself in godliness, for physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.
[00:08:30] Back to those christian podcasts, they revealed to me the extent of the grievous things that were happening in the american church. The numerous pastors and christian leaders that were falling one after another to scandals, most of them attached to sexual sin.
[00:08:44] The rise of progressive Christianity, a so called Christianity that has abandoned the inspiration and authority of scripture and the finished and redemptive work of Christ through the cross.
[00:08:52] False teachers, false pastors preaching a false Christ, a false gospel who are leading people astray.
[00:08:58] The rise of two movements that, after investigating, are anti christian movements. One of them called deconstruction, a movement of people leaving the church, abandoning the scriptures and the orthodox faith to live by subjective truth based on their feelings and emotions. And at first glance, I was hoping that this deconstruction movement was actually they were facing their doubts. They were diving into the scriptures. They were seeking the truth, how to overcome those doubts and move on in their faith. But that's not what it is at all.
[00:09:24] Another one is called evangelical, and that's a name chosen by members, many of whom had grown up in the evangelical church and due to their experience as a pastor, authoritarian leadership, or church abuse our doctrines thought to be wrongly taught in practice.
[00:09:43] They've left the church, and some of them have left in great pain and heartache. And my heart goes out to them.
[00:09:51] But you see, neither of those movements are an attempt to find the truth through faith in Christ in order to alleviate their doubts and hurts through a more avid and intense study of the scriptures.
[00:10:01] Both movements of former christians are growing by the thousands.
[00:10:05] And when I was becoming increasingly aware of what was happening to Christianity United States, it really broke my heart to see so many former christians hurt and disillusioned and so deceived to have completely left Christ in the church, somehow believing that there was a better alternative than Jesus.
[00:10:23] You see, it's Jesus alone who is the object of our faith. He alone is worthy. He alone is trustworthy. He alone is reliable. He alone is always faithful. He alone is the giver and sustainer of life through whom we can experience life to the full in the present and the promise of eternal life with him in his heavenly kingdom. Anything else that you place as an object or foundation of your faith will fail you. If you're placing it in a pastor, if you're in a priest or family member or friends, or the church you go to at one point, that will fail you.
[00:10:57] It reminds me of what happened in John, chapter six, when many of Jesus followers deserted him because they felt like he was teaching them things that were just too difficult to hear.
[00:11:08] And Jesus turns to Peter and asks, are you going to leave me, too?
[00:11:13] And Peter answers, Lord, to whom shall I go?
[00:11:16] You have the words of eternal life.
[00:11:19] We have come to know and believe that you are the holy one of God.
[00:11:24] And I don't remember who said it, but I truly believe these words are appropriate. He said, the reason I do not leave Christianity is because I do not believe there are any better alternatives.
[00:11:34] And I think we all can say amen and amen to that.
[00:11:40] So I want to start in our journey through Paul's letters to Timothy by giving you some background into Timothy's life and ministry.
[00:11:48] So Paul is the writer of both of those letters, and he's writing to the title of those letters, which is to Timothy. Timothy was a native of Lystra, which is modern day Turkey. And Timothy's father was greek and apparently non believer, while his mother and grandmother were jewish christians who had a significant spiritual influence over his life.
[00:12:06] Second, Timothy one five says, I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And now I am convinced in you also.
[00:12:15] So from Timothy's days as a toddler and throughout his childhood, he was taught the Old Testament scriptures.
[00:12:22] And in two Timothy 315, it says, Timothy, how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
[00:12:32] Moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas, this is an example for us to be encouraged by and seek to follow, to kind of grab onto this vision for your grandchildren and the children in your home, and even for your older children who have left your home, even if those older children have never trusted Christ or fallen away. Don't lose heart, because I believe God has a plan to use you in their lives. Just keep praying for them daily. Be an example of a person who lives and grows in their faith and take opportunities to speak the truth to them in love.
[00:13:05] Paul called Timothy my true son in the faith, and perhaps having led him to salvation in Christ during his visit to Lystra.
[00:13:12] And even though Timothy had such a godly, loving mom and grandma, God used Paul to lead him to saving faith. And that also really encourages me, because as much as you have invested in your children and your grandchildren, God is so faithful to bring other people along in their path, to have them share the gospel and ultimately lead them to Christ, because we know in the scriptures that Paul said that one plants another waters, but only God produces the growth. So you keep planting seeds, keep watering those seeds, and if somebody else comes along, pray for somebody else to come along. In your older children's life, you'll basically be the one God uses to lead unto Christ.
[00:13:53] At the time of Paul's second visit to Leicester, Paul invited Timothy to join him on his missionary travels, circumcising him as a young man so that his greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews. For all jewish men were circumcised as a sign of their faith in God. Now, men, that makes me cringe a little bit.
[00:14:11] Imagine being circumcised in your twenties.
[00:14:15] I see some guys crossing their legs there, but, you know, that's a young man who is all in for the sake of the gospel.
[00:14:24] He's saying, okay, Paul, if that's a hindrance to the people that we're going to go preach to, then I'll do it. Of course.
[00:14:32] Timothy helped Paul Evangelize Macedonia and Achaia and was with him during much of his long preaching ministry in Ephesus. He traveled with him from Ephesus to Macedonia and then to Corinth, back to Macedonia and Asia Minor. Timothy may have accompanied Paul all the way to Jerusalem, and he was also with Paul during his first imprisonment.
[00:14:52] Following Paul's release, Timothy again traveled with Paul, but eventually stayed at Ephesus to deal with problems there and actually became the pastor of that church while Paul returned to Macedonia.
[00:15:03] Paul's closeness, too, and admiration of Timothy are seen in Paul's naming him as co sender of six of his letters, second Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, first and second, Thessalonians, and Philemon, and is speaking highly of him in his letter to the Philippians.
[00:15:18] Paul is writing his letters to Timothy from prison and understands his departure from this life is near, for he knows he's soon to be executed by Nero for his faith in Christ.
[00:15:31] He requests Timothy to join him in his final weeks, and according to Hebrews 1223, Timothy himself was imprisoned a while for his faith, but was subsequently released.
[00:15:41] So as we go through these various texts in Paul's letters to Timothy, I want you to look for four things.
[00:15:48] I want you to look for the wickedness and immorality that was spreading in the culture. I want you to look for the rise of false teaching, for professing believers falling away from the faith. And I want you to especially look for Paul's one consistent instruction to Timothy that will help him to stand firm in a world that has gone haywire and is going to help you stand in this world that seems like it's gone haywire.
[00:16:15] So let's go in our well. Before you turn to your bibles, I just want to go over another passage here, because this passage is kind of in the middle of the text that we're going to be looking at. But I wanted to pull it out because I see these as really beautiful words of Paul, and I see them as words that could actually be an overarching vision for all of our lives.
[00:16:36] In two Timothy four, six, eight, he says, for I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is close.
[00:16:43] I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day. And not only to me, but to all those who love his appearing.
[00:16:57] Paul is saying that to the very end, he will pour out his life for Christ and the gospel.
[00:17:04] He knows with confidence that his faith is secure, and he will meet Christ in heaven upon his death, not for his life of ministry or all the works that he did for Christ, but because of his faith in Jesus.
[00:17:16] Paul's example should speak clearly to us that as we age, there is no retirement for pursuing Christ, growing in Christ, serving Christ, being all in for Christ and his gospel.
[00:17:28] It speaks to the vision of IFC and should be a picture of your life now and to the very end. As Christ pours into you, Christ pours out of you to others.
[00:17:40] You know, I've heard of people who have kept a journal or who later in life have written a letter or made a video speaking of their favorite memories and words of wisdom and love they wanted to share with their children or grandchildren as a keepsake for them to look into after they're gone.
[00:17:55] And in a sense, this is what Paul is doing. As he writes to Timothy, a man or woman's final words are often the most important words they will ever say.
[00:18:05] They often present the purpose, the ideals, values that the person lived for and wants to pass on.
[00:18:11] Sit up and take notice of the final words of a godly man or woman.
[00:18:17] Two. Timothy, in Paul's mind, may be the last words he shares with Timothy before his execution.
[00:18:23] He begins the first two chapters of his second letter to Timothy, but I encourage him to be faithful. Timothy, fully use your gifts for the work. God has called you to rise above your timidity because you know the spirit in you is one of power, love and self discipline.
[00:18:36] Refuse to be ashamed of the gospel, for you know that God will guard what you've entrusted in him.
[00:18:42] Refuse to be ashamed or Timothy, follow the model of discipleship that Jesus has given us. That was my approach to ministry and was a hallmark of our time together.
[00:18:51] Timothy, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved and not ashamed, who correctly handles the word of truth. Keep being a student of the word. Know it and live it with all your heart.
[00:19:01] Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Timothy, you are not alone. God is with you, and so are your brothers and sisters in Christ.
[00:19:16] Paul is preparing Timothy for life without him, the man who led him to Christ, his trusted mentor and advisor, the one who was his spiritual father.
[00:19:28] And I would think that as Timothy was reading these letters, that he might be shedding some tears.
[00:19:34] I think Paul was probably shedding some tears, too, not knowing if he was ever going to see him again.
[00:19:41] And each of us who currently have or have had a special person like this in our lives, you can feel the emotion if you've lost them, or the thought of losing that very special person, that very special relationship that you have.
[00:19:54] Paul reminds Timothy of his life, example and teachings, what he's passed on to him through discipleship. And God has given him everything he needs to face and endure any difficulty that lies ahead. Paul is pointing to the vital resource a Christian has been given by God to stand strong through whatever trial, difficulty, or suffering that comes their way, and how important it is for Timothy to be a man of God's word, to read it, to meditate upon it, to memorize it, to preach it, to teach it to others, to disciple others, to share the good news of Christ, and to speak truth to the cultural evils of his day.
[00:20:31] It reminds me of the imagery Paul uses in ephesians six concerning the christian spiritual armor.
[00:20:37] And he tells us to buckle the truth, the belt of truth, around our waist.
[00:20:41] And for the soldiers in that day, that imagery of armor, the belt of truth, what it represented was that the belt was the thing that held all the armor in place. And if that belt was swords loosened, it fell, all the other armor would just fall to the ground, leaving that soldier unprotected.
[00:20:58] But Paul also says that there is a sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, which is the defensive armor, weapon for the christians concerning using truth and also in prayer.
[00:21:15] What's Paul's primary purpose in giving Timothy these instructions.
[00:21:19] Paul sees the difficulties that are ahead for Timothy.
[00:21:22] His ability to stand strong and not waver in difficult times will depend on him having a firm and unshakable foundation that he continues to build upon through his devotion to the word of God, the word of truth, and is applying that truth to his life and to his ministry.
[00:21:39] He will need to hold on to the truth, to live the truth, to teach the truth, to defend the truth, to obey the truth, and stand by the truth of God's word. And the reason why so many christians today are falling away in various movements is because they did not have this solid foundation.
[00:21:56] And this is what the word of God means to us, and this is why it is so necessary for us if we're going to stand in the midst of what may be coming our way.
[00:22:11] Paul summarizes in his first letter in one Timothy 415 16, he says, be diligent in these matters. Give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
[00:22:29] And you know, this morning, it doesn't really matter if you're a teen or if you're in your twenties or your thirties or your forties or your fifties or your sixties or your seventies.
[00:22:41] The question I have is, are people seeing you progress in the faith?
[00:22:47] They should be.
[00:22:51] Paul now writes to Timothy about the difficult times that are ahead for him in the church. So go ahead and turn in your bibles now to two Timothy, chapter three, and we're going to start in verse one.
[00:23:14] And in verse one he writes, but know this, hard times will come in the last days.
[00:23:20] So that term last days, sometimes when it's written in the scriptures or kind of can be confusing. But what it ultimately represents is the period from Jesus first coming to his second coming, of which we still are waiting to occur.
[00:23:32] The church age is that time which began after Jesus ascension to heaven and is carried on through us today. And we are currently then living in the last days.
[00:23:42] And the scriptures are clear that as the time draws closer to Christ's return, that wickedness, immorality, godlessness and false teaching infiltrating the church and the culture will increase. It will get worse. Much of the remaining chapters of two Timothy are words Paul uses to graphically describe the terrible times ahead. Let's move on in verse two, for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable slanderers without self control, brutal, without love for what is good. Traitors, reckless, conceited. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.
[00:24:28] So Paul lists 18 characteristics that he says will mark people in the last days.
[00:24:36] And in the end, it all points to one thing, that they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
[00:24:43] Paul is describing a world that has rejected and abandoned God, much like our culture. When God is pushed out of a culture, the evil and wickedness increases. We are no longer considered, we are considered a post christian nation.
[00:24:58] And people by the thousands, if not more, are moving away from the church in the scriptures.
[00:25:10] The next thing that Paul writes about is that there will be false teaching that will infiltrate the church. Let's go on in verses six through nine.
[00:25:20] 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, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Janus 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, but they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be clear to all, as with the foolishness of Janus and Jambres.
[00:25:51] So Paul is speaking here of men who worm their way into households and deceive women as false teachers.
[00:26:00] And the reason the women are gullible to false teaching are that they live by their feelings and emotions and passions, which in their hearts override the truth that they once learned. They have not built a solid foundation based on God's word. They're always learning, but never applying what they've learned. Their sinful passions and desires are in the way of them from coming to a knowledge of the truth. And Paul gives Janus and Jambres as examples. And these are two names that you're not going to find in the scriptures. But according to jewish tradition, they were the egyptian court magicians who opposed Moses in Exodus chapter 17.
[00:26:35] And if you remember that story, Pharaoh refused to believe Moses represented Goddesse and stubbornly refused to allow the Israelites to be set free.
[00:26:45] So God gave Moses the power to perform miracles in front of pharaoh as evidence that he truly had come from God. But Janus and Jambres, these magicians, would duplicate the initial miracles of Moses through demonic power, resulting in the continued hardness of Pharaoh's heart.
[00:27:04] Paul finishes by saying that just as Janus and Jambres are ultimately and ultimately, Pharaoh did not win out in the end. These false teachers, men opposed to the truth, men of depraved minds whose purpose to lead others astray, they are rejected as to salvation, and in the end, their efforts and designs will not prevail.
[00:27:23] Paul speaks again about the false teachers who will infiltrate the church in the last days. In two Timothy four, three four, he says, for the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply. Teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to miss. And this is so evident and present in our age.
[00:27:50] And don't get me wrong, there are some really good things that are happening in Christ's church today because Christ is in the midst of many churches, and because of that, because he's truly the head of their church, he's doing wonderful and magnificent things through those churches.
[00:28:07] But some churches, there are some secret, sensitive churches that water down the truth to not offend, hoping to draw larger crowds to see more professions of faith while forsaking discipleship. And in the end, it robs people of their foundation that they need to stand it by faith.
[00:28:24] There's prosperity. Churches that teach wealth and health and prosperity as what Christ wants for us, which is a false doctrine leading to a false Christ, a false gospel.
[00:28:35] There's an increasing number of churches who seek to accommodate the culture by affirming things like abortion or same sex marriage or homosexuality and transgenderism in an attempt not to offend the culture or be called such names as bigots. Sexist homophobes deceived into believing that they can win more people to Christ by forsaking clear biblical precepts and principles of the authority of scripture, the necessity of the repentance from sin, and a surrender of one's life, obedience to Christ.
[00:29:03] You know, and I say this over and over to you guys, that we as fellow sinners are to love the sinner and to hate the sin.
[00:29:11] If we follow the way of Jesus, who was actually called a friend of sinners, our role is not to judge nor condemn anyone for any lifestyle, but to love them.
[00:29:22] And while the Bible is clear that all sex outside of marriage between a man and woman is sin, we are to love and accept those who live outside of God's boundaries while not affirming their behavior. And that is because we know that the consequences of sin hurts people and that God's boundaries are not meant to be harsh and restrictive, but are for people's good.
[00:29:42] However, we see people living in sin or living outside of God's boundaries or contrary to the word of God. Our role is not to see them as enemies or falsely condemn them or judge them for their lifestyles. We are to love them and bring the truth of God's word into their lives because we know that sin kills things and we love them enough to be able to speak that into their lives because we care about them enough.
[00:30:06] Frank Turek says, when we fail to say what we know to be true because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or risk the relationship, we aren't loving people. We're enabling them to live in their destructive pattern of sin and lostness.
[00:30:19] A lot of times we won't tell them what we know to be true from scripture because we don't want them to be mad at us.
[00:30:25] Do you know why we do that? Because we want to take the easy way. We want to sacrifice them for our benefit rather than sacrificing ourselves for their benefit. And that's what love is. That's Jesus example to us. To sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others in love, you need to tell the truth with gentleness and respect.
[00:30:47] Then I love the example that he gives on the way. You could approach a difficult conversation in this way, he says, walk up to a person if they're a loved one and say, hey, if you knew I was about to go down a road that you knew would hurt me and hurt others, would you love me enough to tell me if they're a true loved one? The answer would probably be, of course.
[00:31:10] Your response then could be, would it be okay if I do that for you?
[00:31:16] Thomas Sowell says, when you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.
[00:31:28] And honestly, I'm convicted when I hear that.
[00:31:32] And I believe this is one of the failings of the christian church in America today, is that we aren't standing boldly for truth.
[00:31:40] And when we have loved ones in our lives that we know need to hear the truth, we shy away because we want them to still be friends, and we don't want them to be mad at us.
[00:31:50] We don't want them to reject us.
[00:31:54] Paul indicates that the result of the increase of wickedness, godlessness, and the rise of false teaching in the church will be twofold. In the first, he says, it will result in the persecution of christians. So let's read two Timothy 310 13.
[00:32:11] He writes to Timothy, but you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, iconium, Lystra, what persecutions I endured. And yet the Lord rescued me from them all. In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
[00:32:31] Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.
[00:32:38] So the scriptures reveal as we read through the New Testament and after Jesus ascension and the establishment of the church in acts, that he experienced horrendous persecutions almost everywhere he went. And there was time when he was within an inch of his life because of that persecution. But because of his bold proclamation of the gospel, he states that all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted in the United States. Christians, for the most part, have been saved from intense persecution.
[00:33:09] And I say, hallelujah.
[00:33:12] I don't want to naturally walk into persecution or see persecution go rampant in this country.
[00:33:22] The majority of people in our nation, throughout most of our lifetime, have called themselves Christianity.
[00:33:28] Maybe it has been due to christian influence that in the past, much of the evil we see in our culture today was subdued.
[00:33:36] But I also see that in recent decades, many christian voices have remained silent as majority of christians abandoned their call to be salt and light in the culture and have refused to proclaim the gospel to the lost people in their lives.
[00:33:47] This results in darkness prevailing, for it is only salt and light that can preserve a culture against moral decay and stem the advancement of darkness.
[00:33:58] Morality can't be legislated, people, the church is here and remains here, and it's called to be salt and light. And the one way, and the only way that morality can actually be exposed and possibly lessen is if we're salt and light.
[00:34:17] Jesus stated, if they hate me, they will hate you also.
[00:34:20] He's our example. If you read the gospels, he's not always nice.
[00:34:25] He's not Barney who says, hey, boys and girls, can we all just get along?
[00:34:32] Jesus told people the truth. He said, I brought a sword that is going to divide mother and daughter and father and son.
[00:34:39] And we don't talk about these passages very often, but there are parents and children here that are experiencing that very thing today because they are standing for truth, and their children don't believe the truth. And it's divided them and their family, themselves, their mother and father, sister and brother.
[00:34:57] And it hurts.
[00:34:59] And I hate to see that friends that I know who have had estranged kids because they have contrary beliefs.
[00:35:11] I know it's painful, but just always remember it's their shot at a saving faith in Christ that's most important.
[00:35:22] So if they've pushed you away, continue to pray for them and continue to love them and try to push in. If they allow.
[00:35:32] The second result of the rise of immorality and false teaching is christians will abandon their faith. Two Timothy, 4910.
[00:35:42] It says, make every effort to come to me soon, because Demas has deserted me since he loved this present world and has gone to Thessalonica, and we stopped there.
[00:35:52] We're not absolutely certain from the text, but some believe that maybe Demas was an apostate because it states that he fled from the persecution Paul was experiencing because he loved the world more.
[00:36:04] Paul's first letter to Timothy is full of examples where Paul reveals that the deconstruction of a person's faith is nothing new.
[00:36:14] In chapter one, verses six and ten, he says, those who have wandered away. Chapter one, verse 19. He says, those who have shipwrecked their faith. Chapter four, verse one, he mentions, some will depart from the faith. Chapter five, verse eight. He says, those who have denied the faith. Chapter five, verse twelve. He says, those who have abandoned their former faith. Chapter five, verse 15. Those who have strayed after Satan. Chapter six, verse 21. Others who have swerved from the faith.
[00:36:40] And, you know, we've all experienced it, and it hurts us when we see just close friends, people that we love, leave to go to another church. But it's even more heartbreaking when we see people actually disown Christ and their faith, leave the church and say, I'm done with it, especially if there are loved ones in our lives.
[00:37:03] What's the primary application for us this morning?
[00:37:07] You see every time in Paul's letters to Timothy. When he speaks of the rise of wickedness, he always brings Timothy back to God's word. When he speaks of the rise of false teachers, he switches the focus to God's word. When his focus is on christians falling away from the faith, he exhorts Timothy to remember the importance of the word of God.
[00:37:26] Paul exhorts Timothy to be a workman who can rightly handle the word of truth. Then he speaks of false teachers. Paul speaks of godlessness in the last days, how wickedness and immorality will be on the rise. And then he exhorts Timothy to follow his example, how he lived a life of faith and obedience to God's word. Paul speaks of persecution. Then he exhorts Timothy, continue on in what you've learned to become convinced of based on your knowledge of the scriptures.
[00:37:53] And he gives Timothy this beautiful passage that we all know in two Timothy 316 17, where he says all of scripture inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproving, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
[00:38:11] Please don't miss this.
[00:38:14] The Bible is the inspired words of God.
[00:38:19] He chose prophets and disciples throughout the generations to compile his words, to inspire these men to write down what he wanted us to know. And in a sense, it is his journal. It's his love letter. It's kind of his video, leaving with us everything we would need to know about him and what he's like to find salvation and forgiveness of sin, eternal life in him, life's meaning and purpose, and how to live a healthy life on earth and to share what we have come to know with others. That is the precious gift in the Bible that we've been given people.
[00:38:53] Paul reminds Timothy that all scripture is inspired by God and makes us able it able to teach us how to walk through life on God's path, to reprove us when we've strayed from living on God's path to correct us, revealing how to repent and change the course of our lives, to again walk on God's path and to train us to always remain on God's path for your life as you immerse yourself in God's word concerning the word of God. We are to know it, we are to live it, we are to share it, and we are to defend it.
[00:39:30] We all indulge in meals on Facebook and X and Instagram for hours at a time. We binge consume our favorite series or sporting events on tv while we treat our bibles as a quick snack to grab on our way to other, more important things.
[00:39:49] It's far beyond time for many of us to stop treating the Bible as a quick snack, but instead to treat it as our main meal for each day that provides spiritual nourishment and sustenance to live godly lives. If we really thought and knew in our hearts that this is that precious gift that he's given us for all those things, would we really go to tv and binge movies and Instagram and social media for hours and hours on end and only treat this as a little snack?
[00:40:25] It's far beyond time for many of us to stop treating the Bible as that quick snack, but instead to treat it as our main meal each day that provides spiritual nourishment and sustenance to live godly lives. But it has to begin with a change of heart, not a change of behavior.
[00:40:42] I have a close and dear friend who has ridden the roller coaster of weight loss and weight gain for over 20 years, and all of us have probably experienced that at different times in our lives.
[00:40:53] And his response to gaining weight each time is to muster up his energy and discipline and come up with a plan which currently he is failing miserably at.
[00:41:02] And let me preface that by saying is that God has made us into all shapes and sizes, tall and larger and smaller and thinner. And God isn't intending for all of us to be stick thin walking through life.
[00:41:17] The reason I've lost 25 pounds over the last year and I've kept it off is not my amazing self will and self discipline.
[00:41:25] My journey began with repentance over my idolatry of food and how I pursued it instead of God. In times when I was hurting and disappointed and frustrated and bored of God first enabled me to repent, and then he worked on me to change my behavior.
[00:41:46] All of us, in the end, do what we value the most.
[00:41:50] When we value eating our meals on social media and tv and gaming and fitness training and playing sports and vacationing and only snack on God's word, we're revealing where our heart truly is and what we love the most.
[00:42:02] And what we need is a change of heart to close this morning. Worship team, you can come back up.
[00:42:15] I'm reminded of Jesus love letter to the church at Ephesus in the book of revelation.
[00:42:22] And after he applauded them for several things that he saw in their lives and in the church, he tells them this in revelation two, four, five.
[00:42:31] But I have this against you. You have abandoned me. The love you had at first.
[00:42:37] Remember how fall you have fallen. Repent.
[00:42:47] Let me try that again.
[00:42:54] Revelation two, four and five.
[00:42:56] But I have.
[00:42:58] Wow. But I have this against you.
[00:43:02] Maybe somebody should look to that and read that for me.
[00:43:10] Okay, here we go.
[00:43:13] He says, but I have this against you. You have abandoned me. The love you had at first.
[00:43:19] Remember how fall you've fallen. Repent and do those things you did at first.
[00:43:25] And there's three simple steps that he says. He says, first you got to remember.
[00:43:29] Remember what it felt like in those times when you were so close to Jesus.
[00:43:34] Then he says, repent, change your mind and turn from those things you love more than him.
[00:43:41] And then he says, redo.
[00:43:44] Begin to feed on those things that will give you spiritual nourishment, strength and perseverance in the things of God while snacking on those things he's given for your enjoyment. I'm not suggesting you got to get rid of the tv and you got to get rid of the sports and you got to get rid of all your love for that. But there just needs to be a change in balance where you're finding your nourishment in the word of God and you're snacking on those other things.
[00:44:11] We're going to move into ministry time.
[00:44:16] This is a time for you to just kind of have some quiet time between you and the Lord.
[00:44:21] I don't want to ask you how has God spoken to you this morning?
[00:44:26] Maybe it's I need to place my faith in Jesus as my savior and lord.
[00:44:31] Maybe it's I need to repent of the sin that has led me to only snack on God's word.
[00:44:37] Or maybe in relationship to God's word, you need to begin to know it. You need to start diving into the Bible to know him and to know his words better. Maybe it's that you have to live it. You got to stop picking and choosing what you're going to obey and disobey in the Bible and repent of your disobedience. Maybe it's to share it, to stop shying away in fear from sharing the gospel with the people in your life.
[00:45:01] Maybe it's defended time for you to begin standing up for what is true when it comes to the rise of sin and evil and false teaching. There are cards and pens at the end of each row by the windows. And if the person on that row at the end of that row would pass those to everybody.
[00:45:20] After your time of reflection, I want you to write down your name and what it is you believe God has spoken to your heart.
[00:45:27] You can take that home with you and maybe end up doing nothing with it.
[00:45:34] But I encourage you after communion. Well, we're not having communion this morning. So during this time of reflection, I encourage you to place your card in a prayer box that I'm going to bring up to the front.
[00:45:45] And that baby is evidence that you're serious about what God has spoken to you so that the pastors can pray for you and follow up with you as a means of support and encouragement.
[00:45:56] You see, because in my life I found when I keep these things only to myself and not share it with someone else, then quite often nothing comes of it because I haven't told anybody. And when I haven't told anybody, then I have no accountability.
[00:46:11] Go ahead and take that time now.
[00:46:14] Spend that time with the Lord.
[00:46:16] Write your name and what he has revealed to you this morning on that card. And then if you want to, you can bring that up and place it in a prayer box that I'm going to have up front.
