2 Timothy 3:10-17
“10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. 14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
Paul knew that ministry would only become more difficult and dangerous for Timothy and as Hebrews 13:23 attests, Timothy’s was also arrest and put in prison. Pastors how prepared are you for prison, or are you only going to preach and proclaim the truth during the pleasant times? Paul as a pastor was well aware that Timothy’s task of keeping the church within the bounds of sound doctrine while encouraging them to live their lives as lights would be a difficult and often thankless call. Yet despite the difficulty Paul challenged Timothy to continue in the things that he had learned and to draw on his rich heritage of faith that had been passed down to him by both pastor Paul and his mother and grandmother. Parents don’t underestimate the power of parenting, you have a critical calling to raise your children to follow Christ. As Christians we are not called to cower but to continue to share Christ, despite the difficulty. Don’t focus on the difficulty and the danger make a difference. Instead of letting the world change us we should be sharing God’s Word with the world, His great gift of grace. Paul doesn’t just tell us to persevere but instead provides three survival strategies for the savage days ahead.
1. Follow Faithful and Godly Leaders​ v. 10-13
This principle points to the truth that we become like those we associate with. If we follow after the ungodly, we will become like the ungodly, unholy, unavailable and unloving. If we follow the arrogant will not become like the Almighty, instead of becoming like Christ we will be controlled by an attitude of arrogance. If we follow those who follow Christ we will be more likely to be controlled by Him and have a heart of compassion. Paul presents himself to Timothy as an example to follow, not because he is prideful but because as a passionate pursuer of Jesus he is a model of what a real man of God looks like. What are the marks of a real man?
● They have nothing to hide. “You know how I live”
● They teach the truth. “You know what I teach”
● They practice what they preach. “You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.”
● They aren’t afraid to suffer for the Savior “You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured.
How many real men do you have in your life, are you modeling your life after that which really matters or the madness. Paul’s point is simple, find faithful follower of Jesus and do life with them. Don’t expect this to be comfortable or convenient, Paul was no stranger to suffering, he was a regular partaker of the pain of persecution. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” Paul was plagued with persecution but it didn’t stop him from preaching Jesus. But notice that persecution doesn’t stop with Paul, it will be present for all who choose to proclaim the name of JESUS, for verse 12 says: “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” What happened to Paul happen to Timothy, what’s happening in the world around us to Christians in Sudan, China, and in many Muslim countries, will also happen to those of us who live in the US. But persecution and suffering for the Savior is a privilege. As 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬ says, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” Part of walking out His Word means following in His steps of suffering? You may be bullied and even beaten for your belief but don’t back down, wear you badge of belief boldly. Don’t expect a free pass for being faithful, that is not what the bible teaches, thats the powerless message of the prosperity preachers. Why are prosperity preachers so popular today, because no one wants to hear the true message that persecution is part of a passionate pursuit of Jesus. We want to hear that if we love Jesus we will easy lives of comfort not ones of conviction. Look Paul’s message may not be popular but its biblical, and its time for the church to wake up and realize that we are in a war. Following Christ involves sacrificial service, its not about your way of life its about His. We are not called to live on a luxury liner, thats coming, its the hope of heaven, but its ahead and we are not home yet we have work to do. We are just passing through and part of the passage involves persecution. Its time for the church to stop chasing after comfort and start facing the reality that we are on a fishing vessel not a cruise ship. I know fishing boats stink, its hard work, and its dangerous . Our persecution may not involve beatings, torture or imprisonment, not all suffering leaves outward scars, but it may involve ridicule, social rejection, shunning, and even shaming. But despite the persecution we are called to proclaim Jesus. We all need faithful servants of Jesus that we can look to and follow. Who do you know that is faithfully following God, are you emulating their example? Are you going to follow faithful men or fools?

23 Dangerous Disobedience in last days – Part 1
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
2 Timothy 3 begins with the aged Apostle Paul writing just before his death in AD 67, from a dark, damp prison cell in Rome. It is here that Pastor Paul warns his young protégé Timothy of the difficult and disobedient days to come. Paul never lost his faith in God even in the face of great difficulty, and he chose to spend his last days challenging and championing the church to follow in his footsteps. Paul selflessly served the next generation, warning them of the wave of problems and persecution to come. This week as we prepare to celebrate our country and our courageous forefathers of the faith, we are reminded that we have been the privileged partakers of the fruit of their fight. That we have reaped what they have sown. But the tide is turning, for we have turned from truth and stop sowing the seeds of selfless sacrifice. We are living on borrowed blessings, for a nation that chooses to sow in sin will reap rebellion. Can you feel the currents of change, tugging us toward the turmoil? Paul warned Timothy of the tragedy to come, days of corruption, carnage and chaos. That if people were not prepared and didn’t brace themselves with the truth of the Bible then they would be blown away by the winds of wickedness. The message of 2 Timothy is that things will become more and more of a mess. Verse 1 is really the key to this whole chapter, “You should know this, in the last days there will be very difficult times” This brings up two important questions, first, what does Paul mean by, “last days?” This could apply to the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ as well as specific periods of spiritual testing at different times and in different places. But it also applies to that final time period right before the Lord’s return. It is like the labor pains of a pregnant woman that increase in frequency and severity as the time for her to give birth draws closer. Just as the list that Paul points to will always be present in some form, but will increase dramatically as things draw to a close. So are we in the “last days?” No matter how you define it the answer is yes. The second question that we have to answer is what will the “last days” be like? This word translated “difficult or terrible” interestingly occurs here and in only one other place in the New Testament. The other occurrence is found in Matthew 8:28, in reference to two men possessed by demons. These were wild and violent men who lived in tombs, what a picture, demonic and dwelling in the place of death. The “last days” are not just going to be difficult they will be demonic, times of danger, vicious and volatile times of violence. This will be a time when men will cast off all moral restraint, a time of social chaos when we will see society disintegrating into disobedience. It will be a time of:
● Raw Paganism
As society continues to spiral downward Christian-faith will be confronted by raw paganism not unlike the first-century. That is why Paul warned Timothy that he better buckle up because things were going to go from bad to worse. Paul tells us to pay attention and not be naïve and think that everything is going to be okay. For to be forewarned is to be forearmed. If you know what is coming then it won’t take you by surprised. In the first five verses of II Timothy 3 Paul presents us with a sobering catalogue of corruption. When a nation turns its back on God first there is a total rejection of God. People will be unholy, ungrateful, lovers of self and seekers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. This leads to total moral collapse, people become lovers of money, conceited, and compassionless, conceited, boastful, proud, and unforgiving. Finally there is a total breakdown of society, people will be disobedient to parents, abusive and void of all self-control. Anything will go, no rules, or restraints, no moral or absolutes of any kind. People will do whatever seems right in their eyes, and no one better dare question their “lifestyle choice.” Notice that Paul includes what many may consider a trivial thing in light of the rest of the list, “disobedient to parents.” But disobedience is the spark that ignites the fire which leaves the home in ashes. What happens in the home affects not just the heart but all of humanity. But Paul warns us that it is not just raw paganism that we will see but also:
● Religious Rebels
Verse 5 says: “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” In the last days men will turn away from the Messiah but paradoxically, they will become more religious, not less. Religion will become more popular as people seek a refuge but it will just be a presence, an outward appearance of godliness. These will be people that ask all the right questions, but follow the wrong answers. They will deny the very power they profess to believe. It will be spirituality without substance, a religion rooted in self that will allow them to do what they want, believe what they want and endorse anything they want. It will be built on the lie that you can live how you want and worship what you want. With Its primary principle being whatever makes you happy instead of holy. They will refuse to be bound to the Bible believing it to be outdated and out of step with society. The latest ruling of our highest court sees marriage as a mere contract, but God the ruler of a higher and holier court sees it as a covenant relationship. The difference is that a contract is about my wants, a covenant relationship is about His Will. Do we think we can rewrite the Will of God? In truth man can rewrite all the rules he wants but it doesn’t change who the Ruler is. Love does win, but it won 2000 years ago on the cross of Calvary not in a courtroom. Legislating our lifestyle is not love its lawlessness. Freedom doesn’t come through legislation it comes when we follow the Lords leading. Today we want to believe that there are many paths to God, that no matter how I live it all leads to the Lord, and in a sense they are right, for every road leads to a reckoning but only one leads to redemption. We will all stand before God but only those who cling to the cross will not be condemned. Paul’s warning is to stay away from all lifestyles of disobedience, have nothing to do with them. If it is not born from a biblical basis, if it does not accept its authority from the Almighty over every area of life, including sexual morality then have nothing to do with it. But those who follow Paul’s advice will be labeled bigots for this belief, judgmental and narrow-minded. Yet we must remember that we are not called to be politically correct, we are called to pursue Christ. One of the quotes that came out of the reason ruling that we need to pay attention to is this: “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.” Justice Samuel Alito. Its not about being on the right side of history its about being on His side. Disobedient and disastrous days are upon us but don’t despair God is not dead. Your greatest freedom doesn’t come from the fight of your forefathers it comes from Your Heavenly Father who sent His Son Jesus Christ to secure your Salvation and no one can take that freedom away. Pay attention and be prepared but don’t panic, face the future not with fear but with faith, for as believers our faith is not in government its in God. Twice Paul exhorted Timothy to “fight the good fight” 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12, but Paul didn’t just preach preparedness and perseverance he lived it, for in 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, “I have “fought the good fight …. finished the course …. and kept the faith” What a great encouragement it must have been to the young pastor of the church at Ephesus to know that his mentor boldly modeled his perseverance in the faith, even to the point of death. Now is the time for men to model what they really believe, to be courageous for Christ and not cower to a culture of corruption. Will you follow Christ or the culture, His Will or your wants. Are you going to let God direct your decisions or disobedience?