We are working our way through the book of 2 Timothy as a church family, It’s a letter that God wrote through a man named Paul. Paul is writing a letter to Timothy -- his protégé or “son in the faith”. Timothy was helping the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was experiencing persecution, as well as an influx of false teachers in the church. Paul is telling Timothy to “take heart” because God is faithfulness. God, through Paul, is giving Timothy instructions on how to live through the hard times. This is a letter that we can go to when those hard times hit in our lives. This letter has a sandwich-like component to it. The first part of letter is reminder of the power we’ve been given through the Holy Spirit. It’s a reminder of the good deposit God has given us through His Word. The final part of the letter is this beautiful call to action. And right in the middle of the letter is this section that reminds us of the world’s depravity.

Today, we reach the end of this middle section. And Paul lays out just how much evil and depravity exist in the world. As we read this passage in 2 Timothy, there’s a tension in the passage that focuses on the dirt and filth of the world. This past week, I had my own run in with some garbage. Racoons get into the trash in my truck bed. My family and I went camping for a few days for fall break. And it’s my style of camping – in a luxurious 5^th wheel camper. We had accumulated some trash, so Rachel asked me to take care of the trash. It was in the evening, so I bagged it up and threw it in the back of my truck. My plan was to take it to the dumpster in the morning. For those of you who go camping, you know the rookie mistake I made. I wake up the next morning, sipping my coffee, enjoying the beautiful pine trees and sunshine – just taking in God’s creation. I looked over at my truck and I see a can of leftover food sitting on the ground. Thinking it fell out, I send one of my kids over to my truck to pick it up. I then get the “Oh dad… you need to look at this!” What I discovered was that a racoon had a party in my truck bed the night before. It must have been a rave because the amount of trash thrown around was more than I could have done as a human. As I looked at the disgust and filth, I felt that tension of what to do next. Part of me wanted to walk away and act like it didn’t exist. Part of me wanted to call someone and have them take care of it. Part of me wanted to drive down the interstate and pretend I don’t see anything in my rearview mirror (joking!). But the part of me that won was the part that grabbed some gloves and trash bags and cleaned it up. I wanted nothing to do with this filth, but yet, there it was right in front of me.

We know as Christians, as Christ-followers, we are called to holiness. Yet, the garbage of the world is right in front of us. The question we face is “What do we do about it?” Let me give you the answer we see in God’s Word and then we will break down exactly what that looks like. Here’s the answer: Our job as Christ followers to make sure our holiness rises above the depravity in the world. Your holiness is paramount in a world of depravity. If you haven’t already, open your Bibles to 2 Timothy. We are going to read the first 13 verses of chapter 3. It’s a long passage, but I want you to hear it in its totality. We are going to read God’s Word. What do we know about God’s Word? God’s Word is alive and powerful. Let’s read with expectancy.

Read 2 Timothy 3:1-13. Pray

As we go through this passage, we will start low and then reach a high ground. Paul reminds Timothy of a truth that it’s important to remember: You will face difficult times because people only care about themselves. 

1) You will face difficult times because people only care about themselves. (vs. 1-5) Look at verse 1: ¹You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. Paul starts with an emphatic statement in verse 1. “You should know this”. This is a critique of Timothy – as if he should have already known something. This is a call to understanding. Other translations read “Know this, understand this, realize this, mark this.” Why does Paul take the time to emphasis that there will be difficult times? Timothy was already aware. Paul is making an emphatic statement to ensure Timothy doesn’t think hard times are passing situations, but rather they are characteristic of the age he lives in – and the age we live in. What Paul is saying is that we have to know that the age we are living in will be produce difficult times. What does Paul mean when he writes “last days?” It’s easy to let our minds go to the end times immediately before Jesus returns. But that’s not what Paul means. Paul is referring to the times since Christ left this earth. The “last days” in this verse are the time from Christ’s first coming and His second, future coming. This era Paul mentions to Timothy is the same era we find ourselves. So, we should also being “marking this or knowing this”. What’s happening in these last days? There will be very difficult times. If you were to go back to the Greek, you would see the phrase “very difficult times” was a heavy statement. A better word might be “fierce”. The final days, as the world heats up, will be “fierce days”. The terminology is that of dangerous wild animals (more than a racoon) or raging seas.

Let me pause here for a minute. This reality of difficult days is not a reality I want to naturally grasp. I long for happy days. I long for peaceful days. I long for the decadence of our day to turn to spiritual hope. But that’s not what is promised by God. What are we promised by God? The Church will not fail. We have will joy that is undeniable in Jesus. We will bring hope to the world. But that does not mean the fierce times won’t come. John Piper said this reality well: Quote: “This means that the invincible joy we know as believers because of the work of Christ and our new, secure relation to God our Father, does not depend on the absence of moral ugliness or the absence of physical danger. We need not and we must not let the immorality and horrors of the last days dampen our joy in Jesus. This is one of those strange, deep complexities of Christian holiness. Oh how easy it is to slip into a morose pity-party that our little heaven on earth is becoming a hell! We were never promised that earth would be our heaven before Christ returns. And you are preparing for yourself a great disappointment if you try to make it so.” – John Piper.

I told you that we were going to start low – but stay with me. Paul then takes four verses to show just how much people only care about themselves. Paul lists 18 different examples of the different kinds of evil people: 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!  Illustration: Racoons come back for more food the next night. After I had cleaned out all the trash from the back of my truck, I took it to a car wash to get rid of all the final grime and filth. Those racoons were disgusting. The next time, my family and I were sitting around a camp fire and we kept hearing something in the woods. It got closer and closer. I finally took a flashlight to look into the woods. The racoon was back! But this time, he brought 3 other friends with him. And they didn’t care that I was standing there with a stick in my hand to protect my family. They didn’t care they destroyed my truck the night before. They didn’t care I had to take my truck to a car wash. They were back for food and for themselves. That’s the reality of our days. “For people will love only themselves… love pleasure rather than God.” You will face difficult times because people only care about themselves. So, what do we do? Be on guard of what you let into your home. 

2) Be on guard of what you let into your home. (vs. 6-8) Paul continues to describe these “racoons of the final days” in verses 6 through 8. (If you are a racoon lover, I’m sorry. They are on my bad side right now. I’m still not done with my story with them…). We get more of the depravity description, but in verse 9, we start getting that hope we are looking for. Let’s read verses 6 through 8 again: ⁶ They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. ⁷ (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) ⁸ These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. The more I read and studied these three verses, the more I feel like this is a message for our day more than ever before. What was the situation that Paul was describing? These godless people were intentional about spreading their evil. Their approach was slick, cunning, and deceptive. What was very typical in biblical times is that the men would leave the home to work and the women would stay behind. These false teachers would capitalize on the opportunity to talk to the women while the men were away in hopes of influencing them. By the way, this tactic still exists today for some other religions and worldviews. In addition, Paul describes these evil men looked for gullible and vulnerable women. They sought out women who were guilt-ridden and intellectually weak.

You might be sitting here today and saying to yourself, “I would never let that happen today. I would never let anyone inside my home that was trying to teach me something that contrary to God’s Word.” And I would agree with you. Most Christians are very aware of someone who sits in their home and what they stand for. Satan is very aware of that too. Which means, Satan has changed his tactics. Sadly, most Christians aren’t aware of the tactic change. We have dropped our guard and have not only unlocked our doors, but we unknowingly opened our doors and windows. False teachers don’t need to knock on your door because all they have to do is to have you pick up your phone, open up your computer, or turn on your TV. Evil does not sit idle. If Satan finds something isn’t working anymore, do you know what he does? He tries something new and it’s just as clever and cunning. Illustration: Racoons leave their “disapproval” on my truck. After those racoons find their visit to my campfire that second night, I eventually went to bed thinking they were gone. The next morning, I went out to my truck and I discovered they came back again. Their dirty little footprints were all over my truck. And because there wasn’t any food for them, they decided to have the laugh last. They decided to leave – I’ll call it their “disapproval” – all over my truck. They weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted. It’s the same with the evil of this world.

Here’s what you need to do: Identify the vulnerable access points to your home. Let me be clear. I’m not advocating for a total lock down. I’m not saying you need to board up the windows and triple lock all the doors. We are not meant to be monks. We are meant to be ambassadors of hope. That means we must take the gospel message to the world. But we have to be on guard in the place where we let down our guard. Depravity searches for the weak. The way we do that is to identify the vulnerable access points to your home. Ask yourself, “What areas of my life am I vulnerable to Satan’s schemes?” What’s your weakness and how do you defend against it? Develop a spiritual conviction of the content you consume. Take the necessary steps you need within your home to assure that your holiness is paramount. Just in case you are feeling like this is a hopeless endeavor, God gives us a promise that we can cling to. Here’s what we see in the final verses today: Your purpose and power are bigger than world’s purpose and power. 

3) Your purpose and power are bigger than world’s purpose and power. (vs. 9-13) Take a look at verse 9: ⁹ But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres. I love this verse. Evil has its limits. False teachings won’t last. The fools will be revealed. Satan’s days are numbered. The Church will prevail. Jesus wins. Every time. If you were discouraged, let verse 9 remind you that your victory is secured. Your purpose is bigger than the world’s purpose. And there’s one final encouragement we see in verses 10 through 13. What Paul does in these verses is  contrast his life to the lives of the false teachers. There is a clear distinction between the two. Look what at what Paul says: 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. These false teachers never would have lasted if they were to go through tenth of what Paul went through.

So, what set Paul apart? What sets us apart? Look back at verse 12: ¹² Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. It’s subtle, so don’t miss this. …everyone who wants to love a godly life in… what? “in Christ Jesus”. The reason Paul points to himself as an example to follow is because he wants Timothy to rely on the same empowerment. Our power comes through our union with Jesus Christ. Your power is bigger than the world’s power. If you want your holiness to be paramount in this world, then take hold of your God-given power and purpose. If you don’t know Jesus, your purpose and power is finite. If you don’t know Jesus, your purpose and power is limited. But Jesus changes everything. If you want eternal purpose and heavenly power, come to Jesus today.

GOSPEL PRESENTATION

I want to close by reading a few verses from chapter 4. Let these verses sweep over you…¹⁶ The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. ¹⁸ Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. The world is heating up. Satan is sneaky. Evil is does not sit idle. I know there are more racoons out there plotting against my truck…But Jesus has won. And He will bring you safely into His heavenly Kingdom. Here’s your challenge as we go out this week: Make sure your holiness is paramount. Close up those vulnerabilities with the power of Jesus. And then rest in truth that…the Lord will deliver you from every evil attack and will bring you safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. Let’s pray.

Previous Page