2 Timothy 4:6

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For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.  ~ 2 Timothy 4:6

In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 the Apostle Paul writes his own commentary on his own life. He sums up his life; past, present and future. He does it with an economy of words that is known only to the genius of a writer who is walking with God. In these very few words he delivers a gargantuan amount of messages. 

In today's text, v.6, he reveals the activity of God in his life at the present. In v.7, he pulls back the curtain at his past. And, in v.8, he reveals to us the future that is awaiting him. Today, we are just considering v.6, the present, the close of Paul's life on earth. 

In v.6 we read, "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near."

With the completion of the writing of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul's work on earth was complete. The end has come for him. In these famous words he describes the disposition of a man who has walked with the Lord for a long time. 

Paul wrote "I am already." He knew that the end was near, however, he did not tremble at the prospect of death! The words "poured out" and "departure" tell of his faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus. This is a faith made strong by God's truth and grace. Necessary for a strengthened faith is the presence of pain. Paul's pain served him well for it enabled him to see God increasingly with his heart.

The words "poured out" come from the "Drink Offering" in the Old Testament. In order to understand the "Drink Offering," I point you back to Numbers 15 where we read that the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness. Their sin limited their relationship with God. So, in order to deal with Israel's sin problem, God gave them His sacrificial system which pointed them to the coming of the Lord Jesus who is the epitome of the sacrificial lamb.

God, through Moses, set out to help Israel by dealing with their sin through the death of a lamb on an annual basis. If God had ignored sin and had He not exacted judgement on it, His righteousness would have been undermined and rendered void. These offerings were designed to make it possible for the people of Israel to have a relationship with God and that through their relationship with Him, they would grow in His wisdom and faithfulness. 

One of the offerings in the sacrificial system was the drink offering which was given in connection with the burnt offering which was God's way and the only way to forgive their sin. The drink offering was the sign that the burnt offering had already been given. The Apostle Paul uses these offerings to teach what was happening in his life. In effect, he was saying here in today's text, "I have given myself as a living sacrifice, and I have poured out my life as a final act of my complete dedication to the Lord. I’ve already poured out my life in the drink offering."

The Apostle Paul saw himself and his ministry as the drink offering. This was the consummate act of his faith. This offering was not made for the forgiveness of anyone's sin, it was made for the furtherance of the Gospel. And, we are the beneficiaries of his sacrifice.

“Poured out" means to be offered on behalf of others to God. Paul used the same picture in Philippians 2:7–8. In effect, Paul was saying, “Caesar is not going to kill me. I am going to give my life as a sacrifice to Jesus Christ. I have been a living sacrifice, serving Him since the day I was saved. Now I will complete that sacrifice by laying down my life for Him.”

The word "departure" means “to draw up the anchor and set sail.” Paul looked at death as a release from this world, an opportunity to enter into eternity. Departure also means “to take down a tent.” This parallels 2 Corinthians 5:1–8, where Paul compared the death of believers to the taking down of a tent, in order to receive a permanent, glorified body.

Departure also has the meaning of “loosening a prisoner.” Paul was facing release, not execution! Paul had been in hard service for many years. Now, his Master would unyoke him and promote him to higher service.

In this departing statement, there is an amazing note of triumph detected. Even though Paul is hurting over the state of the church in Ephesus, he faces death triumphantly. The Apostle is demonstrating what it looks like to have been trained and made strong by the grace and truth of God.

There was no bitterness in Paul even though he was deserted by the people who were the beneficiaries of his sacrifice. Like Paul, as we look at our present tense, the choice to be a drink offering is before us. Like Paul, we have the choice. Will there come a time when we can say with Paul, “The time for my departure is near?”

The word "time" here is kairos, it has to do with season rather than hours. He was saying, "this is the time of my death, not necessarily in the next few minutes or the next few hours or even the next few days. But, I know the end is near and I am ready." Only those who have been granted more than just a glimpse of the other side through an intimate personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, can say, "I am ready!"

Finally, the Apostle Paul could have chosen to deny his faith in the Lord Jesus, and, as a result, he could have avoided his pain and his death. But, he didn't because he knew what was really real. This world that we live in is but a shadow of what is to come. And, it was not that Paul was earning heaven, but since he realized what was really real, he chose to invest in it. He understood that our justification is that moment we were awakened to the reality of God. And, he also knew that our sanctification is being made aware that investing in the kingdom to come is most paramount.

2 Timothy 4:5

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But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ~ 2 Timothy 4:5

Having reminded us that although we are living in a very wicked world, we are involved with God in the most important endeavor of our lives. We serve the God of the universe and nothing happens in our lives that has not come through His will for us. And, think of it, we are involved in sharing the message that will rescue people from hell and grant them eternity in heaven with everything that is good and right and wanted. 

The Apostle has also reminded us that we must do this work of calling people into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus because coming is a day when truth will be totally rejected by most and a strong delusion will come from the wicked one and people will believe things that are not true which will lead them to an eternity in Hell. 

In today's text the Apostle Paul begins with, "But you, keep your head in all situations." This means we are to be defined by God's word. We are to operate in this world guided by the word of God and the abiding Holy Spirit. This will then make us  consistent in the work He has called each of us to. Steadiness always comes from a firm base and the firm foundation is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself and His definitions of all things. 

Our base for every day must be that we are being saturated in our thoughts with His thoughts so that we think biblically about life. That should be our base where we are resting upon the relationship we have with the Living God who is with us to steady us through times of pressure and danger. His goal is to impart to us the wisdom and power we need to be used of Him in the lives of those who know Him not.

In today's text we continue to read, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship." To "endure hardship" is to expect that there will be times when we will be discouraged and we will suffer in various ways. The verb "endure" simply means to suffer evil in this case. 

The beauty to all of this is the fact that the grace of God trains us to understand that these unwanted moments are apart of His overall plan for our lives and the lives of others. It is encouraging to think that the experiences that we have had in life that He has navigated us through are quite useful in helping others through their moments in life. We must frequently recall what the Lord said to us through Paul in Romans 8 that "All things work together for the good." 

Now, there is this widely held belief among many Christians today that when we became followers of the Lord Jesus that God would smooth out everything for us, that He would protect us from all problems and dangers, and He would not allow us to suffer any disappointments. Scripture stands solidly against this theology which allows some to live in this world as if this world is the ultimate of reality. We are not fighting to regain this world, we are fighting for the furtherance of His coming kingdom in the hearts of people today. And, in order to connect with people, I have found that my pain clears the channels helping them to hear a little bit better. Our pain makes us more authentic to share the message.

Many believe that if something is wrong in our lives, then we are not walking with the Lord. But the Lord faithfully reminds us that there will be trouble, that those who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The reason, of course, is that Christianity is counter-cultural and if we are going to live in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, like Him, we will be treated unjustly.

Continuing to read today's text, we read, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist."

Even though the word evangelist is only mentioned three times in the New Testament, the verb form to share the good news is mentioned fifty-four times and the noun for good news is mentioned seventy-six times. We must not preoccupy ourselves with strictly teaching the saved; we must also present the good news to the lost. We are to be engaged in the work of the evangelist, even though we are not gifted to do so.

It’s vital that we share the gospel, and when we do, we do this best by sharing it in the context of our story with the Lord Jesus. The gospel is best shared out of how we came to the understanding that we needed a Savior, and then how we turned to the Lord and how He began to relate with us. We must be methodical and remember that we didn't learn these principles overnight.

We must always share the gospel with the goal that those with whom we are sharing will make a decision. We must present the truth that calls for a response, but we must be careful to not manipulate our hearers. And, it may mean that they do not make a decision in that moment that we share with them. It may mean that they will make the decision later when they are alone with the Lord or with someone else. I never say, "I led so and so to the Lord." That is the work of the Holy Spirit, and I am the faithful messenger of the gospel. I like to say, "I watched this person go from the darkness to the light."

The remainder of today's text reads, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

The final idea in this verse proves that as followers of the Lord Jesus, we all have a ministry. In fact, we have many ministries to different individuals on a daily basis. To "discharge all the duties of our ministry" is to fulfill these daily appointments that God gives us. This is the beauty of the Christians life, we are engaged in a one-on-one relationship with God and daily He has certain things He wants us to do. And, we must be sensitive to follow His lead. As a result, we will be known to stop and talk with someone in a restaurant or in a parking lot. Oh, the exhilaration of hearing Him speak to our hearts and following His lead and watching Him work. There, my friends, is nothing better!

2 Timothy 4:3-4

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3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4

In todays' text the Apostle Paul describes conditions that very well may be descriptive of today. The word “time” in v.3 is the Greek word kairos and it is the same word used in 2 Timothy 3:1 where we read, “Terrible times.” Paul is saying, "There will come in the future, terrible times when men will not listen to the truth." It will be that during these times biblical teaching will become less and less tolerated.

We read further into v.3, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine." The words “put up with,” means to hear, to support, to hold to or to tolerate. They will not tolerate sound teaching. They will not want any part of sound teaching. That word “sound” is the word from which we get the English word hygienic. They will not want to hear clean, healthy teaching. They will turn a deaf ear to that which is healthy to their souls.

The American culture has largely rejected truth. And there is a number of reasons for this. One of the reasons is: journalism has become sensationalized. Everything has a spin on it. Information isn't just pure information anymore. Many today says, "Journalism is dead." And, since journalism is highly politicized and editorialized, people do not trust easily. Yet, without the moorings of the Scriptures, we fall prey to the deceit of the devil.

Another reason that truth is rejected in our culture is that over time, truth has become less objective and more subjective. That is, it is personal truth. We are told that it is individual truth, it is variable truth. People say, "well, that's your truth. My truth is different than your truth." 

And one of the reasons for this is because objective truth speaks against us. It speaks against our lifestyle. It speaks against human preference. And so we say, there's no such thing as absolute truth. Years ago, many years ago, there used to be in this country what we call a moral consensus. Well, it is no longer because man has rejected absolute truth. Dostoevsky said it well when he said, "Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love."

The remainder of v.3 reads, "Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 

"To suit their own desires" means they are the captains of their ship. There was a time in America when people honored God’s Word, when they listened to sound teaching, when they listened to the truth of God. It is not true anymore, for today, people do not want to be defined by God. Truth is that which corresponds with reality.  Or to put it in the words of C. S. Lewis, "Truth is always about something, but reality is that about which truth is." 

As a result, "They will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." Due to their rejection of the truth, the false must define them. Therefore, they will depend on others to say what they want to hear. And, ultimately, they will not have this man, the Lord Jesus, to rule over them.

In v.4 we read, "They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 

They themselves actively turn away their ears from the truth and then they will be turned, as victims toward myths. If we turn away from the truth, we become the victim of Satan who will make us think truth is error and error is truth. 

The verb “turn aside” is also translated twist or dislocate a limb. Their minds are dislocated or out of joint. They have a dislocated mind and as a result they will believe delusions and untruths. They do not want to be convicted of sin, they just want to be entertained. They just want to feel good. They only want what lightly scratches their ears. 

But, the gospel of the Lord Jesus requires the admission of human weakness. The gospel also requires submission to the authority of God. This gets at the root of the issue. Man does not want God to define him. We will never understand life until we surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Belief can only come from evidence and the preponderance of evidence proves the Lord Jesus is the truth. Truth is the nature of things as they really are. Truth is seeing through all the illusions, all the facades and the unreal images, and getting down to the heart, the core, the reality. And, in the end we will be left with Him who is the way, the truth and the life.

2 Timothy 4:1-2

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1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.  ~ 2 Timothy 4:1-2

We now approach the apex of the Apostle Paul's second letter to Timothy. From the loneliness of his prison cell in Rome, and in view of his approaching death which he knows is coming, Paul gives a crescendo command to Timothy.

The Apostle begins with: "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus." Paul flings back the boundaries of time and space to reveal to Timothy the unseen realities before whom every Christian lives and labors. We are never out of the purview of God, and, if we learn to make Him our only audience, we will avoid many pitfalls.

There is nothing more helpful to us in the midst of pressure than to realize that when we do the Lord's work, we are doing the most important thing in the world. Like Timothy, we see ourselves as a tiny minority amidst an overwhelming, mounting majority committed to evil and unbelief. Our voice seems to be a mere whisper in the tumult of chaos and the clamor of voices that seem to shout so loudly that those whom we are trying to reach are deaf only to us. 

We live in a world where narcissism is on the rise. In fact, Americans are experiencing an epidemic in narcissistic behavior in a culture that is intrinsically self-conscious and selfish. The preoccupation of self is where sin began in the first place. 

As we continue reading v.1 we read, "who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge."

It is good for us to occasionally reflect on the fact that one day we will face God and our works will be judged. For one thing, this realization would encourage us to do our work carefully and faithfully. It would also deliver us from the fear of man; for, after all, our final Judge is God. 

In v. 2 we read, "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season." This is the main responsibility that Paul shared in this section with Timothy. Everything else he wrote is related to this. The word "preach" means “to preach like a herald.” 

In Paul’s day, the king had a special herald who made announcements to the people. He was commissioned by the king to make his announcements in a loud, clear voice so everyone could hear him.  Not to heed the ruler’s message was serious business. To fail to heed oftentimes meant death.

Like you and I, Timothy was to herald God’s Word with the authority of heaven behind him. The Word of God is what all humans most desperately need for it is the word of God which frames up and defines things best. Failure to hear God's definition of things is serious business. It could lead to death, worse yet, it could lead to eternal death.

When we come to God's word, we must be aware that we are interacting with Him, not just His word. We must never come to God’s Word to just prepare for a message. We must go to God’s Word to discover and meet with Him. 

Like Timothy, we must be diligent and alert to use every opportunity to preach the Word, when it is favorable and even when it is not favorable. Paul himself always found an opportunity to share the Word, whether it was in town, on a chaotic sea, or even in prison. 

The message we proclaim is often difficult and offensive. The message of the cross is a stumbling block to some, foolishness to others. The natural man does not understand the things of God for they are foolishness to him. 

Our message must be delivered through three avenues: correction, reproof and encourage. The needs of the hearer will determine how we share what God has given us. If we encourage those who ought to be rebuked, we are assisting them to sin. And, if we fail to encourage those who need it, we will be in danger of legalism. Sharing the message in a biblical fashion must be balanced, and if we are not walking with the Lord, we may do more harm than good.

The word "correct" is a word addressed to the mind, it is the intellectual approach. When we give a reasonable, logical explanation of what is going on in the world, for why men act the way they do, and why God's word provides the answer, they are more likely to listen to more.

The word "reproof" is the address to someone who has fallen into sin, someone who needs a word that will appeal to the conscience because of sin which is destroying him or her. Sometimes it is necessary to speak a word that points out the evil effects of wrongdoing, a word that seeks to address the conscience to turn away from sin so that it no longer spreads evil among humanity. 

The word "encourage" is the address of the soul. It addresses the will and its need to act. Many people are fearful to try something new, fearful to believe something that they cannot prove. This is when the approach of encouragement comes in, exhorting them and encouraging their wills to set aside their fears and believe the truth. We are to involve ourselves in all of these helpful approaches.

We must be patient as we share the Word with others. We will not always see immediate results. A trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when we let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy into our lives. And when we trust God, we will be able to be more patient with people. Patience is not just about waiting for something, it's about how we wait, or our attitude while waiting.

Above all else, we must have biblically informed doctrine. The apostle writes, "with great patience and careful instruction." Patience and care are so important when we are trying to make a difference in someone's eternity. This is the effect of the word of God on the sincere soul of a man who wants to share the truth with the needy.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Having reminded Timothy of the awesome possibilities that believers in the Lord Jesus have in the midst of a people who know not God, in today's text, the Apostle Paul writes: "All scripture is God-breathed." This means God breathed all scripture out. In Genesis we learn that God created man by heaping up a pile of dust and breathing into it, out from Himself, the spirit of life, and man became a living being. 

Just as God breathed into the dust of the ground and made man a living, vital person, so He breathed into the words of men the Spirit of vitality and life. The words of the Bible have a unique quality about them: Whenever a heart is touched by them, it moves toward life. This is the power of the Word of God.

According to today's text, the Bible produces four things in all who read and believe it. First, the Bible is "useful for teaching." The Bible instructs us about things that no one, except God, knows anything about. In particular it teaches us things about ourselves, things that can happen to us, and things that will happen to us. And, only God knows this information beforehand.

Second, the Bible has the power to rebuke us. The Greek word used here for rebuke is better translated convict. How often have we read the Bible and we were made aware that something we had been doing all our lives, something we did not think was wrong at all, was the reason why we were hurting or were hurting others? The Bible makes distinction between God's way of thinking and living from this world's way of thinking and living. The product of all of this is called conviction. 

Next, the Bible "trains us in righteousness." That is, the Bible has the power to finely tune us, like a skillful coach, enabling us to walk day by day in God's way leading us to experience the life of God in us. The Bible is able to train us, to lead us along into ever-expanding experiences of living that is right. The Bible is God's culture delivered to us resulting in us experiencing the very life of God in the here and now.

The contents of the Bible is revelation of God to man from God. The process by which the Bible was written down is called inspiration. It is not the product of any human activity. Certain men were used by God, carried along by the Holy Spirit and enabled to write for God. God used their experiences, intellect and personalities to produce the Bible, but the content is from God not man. 

The Bible knows nothing of inspired men; only of inspired words, of God-breathed words.  No Biblical writer was inspired as a person so that he could write any scripture any time he wanted to. There were only very special moments when God gave these men His Word to be written down. It was more than dictation. They weren’t just listening to some voice and writing mechanically every word. It was flowing through their heart and their soul and their mind and their emotions and their experiences, but every word was and is the Word of God.

In v.17 we read, "so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

This verse reveals any believer can become a "servant of God" by studying the Word of God, obeying it, and letting it define him. All of the “men of God” named in Scripture, including Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, David, and Timothy were all men who were not only devoted to God’s Word but had the wisdom to be defined by it.

Two words in v.17 are especially important: “thoroughly” and “equipped.” The word translated “thoroughly” means “complete, in fit shape, in fit condition.” It does not begin to suggest sinless perfection. Rather, it implies being made fit for use.

“Equipped” has a similar meaning: “equipped for service.” In other words, the Word of God furnishes the believer to walk with God and it provides the believer with the life of Christ that pleases God. The better we know the Word, the better we are able to relate to and to work for God.

The purpose of Bible study is not just to understand doctrines or to be able to defend the faith, as important as these things are. The ultimate purpose is the equipping of believers who read it. It is the Word of God that equips God’s people to know Him personally and to do His work on His behalf.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

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14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-15 

Having reminded Timothy of the need for strong men of God to do God's work in this world, Paul now gives Timothy instructions on the utter necessity of the centrality of the Word of God in his life. When we get to that place where we realize that we can be a part of what God is doing in this world, everything changes. But, we must be diligent to make the Word of God the essential tool that He uses in tandem with His Spirit or else we will not be in tune with Him nor will we be used by Him.

In v.14 we read, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it."

When we first entered into a personal relationship with God, most of us had no idea what was going on. We knew something was different because we found ourselves longing for something new and that something we eventually figured out was Him. I remember having a desire to read the Bible. So, everyday, I carved out time to read it, and I did not understand a lot of it, but I understood enough to keep me going. I agree with John Nelson Darby who said, "The Bible is often darkness to my intellect but light to my soul." Well, over the time of a few months, I began understanding what I was reading in God's Word. And, my hunger and thirst increased.

In v.14 Paul writes, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of."

The phrase, "become convinced of," is an aorist passive verb, meaning to confirm, assure, convince, or establish. It means something that is a fixed and firm belief. This is what a conviction is and it is non-negotiable. These are the fixed immovable realities in our personal constitution, and we will not budge on these, not matter what. Our convictions are those Bible-based beliefs that keep us from capsizing in a world of torrential waters.

In a very real sense Paul didn't need to exhort Timothy to continue in his convictions because the indwelling Holy Spirit has the responsibility to make the believer persevere in the truth. Yet, we do factor in by making ourselves available for Him to lead us and teach us. Our role is the bending of our wills and He will not do that for us.

As we learn the contents of the Bible we are being convinced of its veracity. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

This is the way it works. The words found in the Bible are living and they run into our brains through our eyes as we read them. They find their way to our hearts. And, as we entertain them, they are changing us little by little. These words are convincing us of their truthfulness. The Bible is effective, it's able to produce the effect it desires.

The Bible is also life-giving. If a biologist is studying and looking through a microscope at a living cell, plant or animal, that biologist knows one thing, that living cell came from something living. If something is alive, something living gave it birth. So also dear friends, since we are alive spiritually, it is the living God who gave us this life. Life comes from life, it doesn't just show up out of thin air. We were spiritually dead, and now we are alive because of God's life-giving presence in our spirits. And, the Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Word of God, arrests the death-giving ideas of the old man and He is infusing the life-giving Word of God into our being. This is why we must be in His Word daily, not as a chore but as a matter of life or death.

In v.15 we read, "and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Men of conviction are usually formed out of the soil of a strong parentage and a strong teaching environment. It starts with childhood. The Greek word translated "known" is the word from which we get our word "disciple." Paul is saying, "you've been discipled, don't deviate. Continue in what you've learned."

Due to the investment of his mother and his grandmother, by the time Timothy had come out of his teen-age years, his convictions were in place. Our convictions were well in place by the time we became teen-agers. And, then God sent someone along, and they are used of God to help us in our walk with Him. For Timothy, that one who came along was the Apostle Paul. 

At the end of v.15 we read, "which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

The Scriptures have one subject and His name is Jesus Christ. Salvation can come only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by Christ through faith. And, the Word of God was a major tool used of God in the development of our faith in Him. Our faith doesn't save us, faith just links us to the One who does the saving and that One is Christ Jesus. Faith is the instrument that brings us to the One who alone can save.

The Bible is no placebo, it is alive in a strange way to do God's work in our lives. In Isaiah 55:10-11 we read, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." 

God sends forth His word and it comes back to Him having done the job. The Word of God produces the effects specifically on human willing hearts. The word is used of God to bring us His life, and sustains us in this life until we are glorified in the presence of God.

2 Timothy 3:10-13

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10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ~ 2 Timothy 3:10-13

After describing the false teachers in the previous verses, now the Apostle turns to describe God's man. We return to 2 Timothy 3 which describes, in very graphic terms, the times of distress which will come upon the people of earth during "the last days." And, in order to endure the onslaught of evil, there are certain elements which must be present in us.

In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance."

In this one verse the Apostle gives seven musts for the Man of God. First, he has strong mentors. Strong men tend to be the producers of other strong men. Yet, in this very context, the Apostle talks about sufferings and persecutions. These are the ingredients that go in to making a man strong. For those who do not have faith that is tested, they will not be strong leaders.

In v.10 the Apostle reveals the foundation of the strong man. We read, "You, however, know all about my teaching." Strong leaders know the Bible for themselves. And, as a result, they teach true doctrine. It is the Word of God which provides the strong foundation for a strong leader. If we neglect our investment in our study of God's Word, it's investment in us will not be born out. We will not be known as strong leaders.

Paul wrote, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life." 

When strong leaders face trouble, they teach the truth; they focus on what is real about life; they expose illusions and delusions to the revelation of Scripture so that people could get their heads on straight and think rightly, and realistically about life.

Strong leaders practice what they preach. Paul’s "way of life" backed up his message. He did not preach sacrifice and live in luxury. He gave to others far more than he received from them. He stood up for the truth even when it meant losing friends and, in the end, losing his life. Paul was a servant, not a celebrity.

In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance." 

There was never a question about Paul’s "purpose" in ministry: He wanted to do God’s will and finish the work God gave him to do. He was a man of “faith” who trusted God to meet his needs. 

Faith is the confidence that there exist certain invisible realities which are extremely important to us, and then acting in the light of those realities. Faith is believing that God is at work in everyday human affairs, and He will give us power to love and to speak with patience when we are being mistreated or abused. 

The strong Man of God is "patient" even when he is under  attack. He is a man of "love" who willingly gives himself to serve others with "endurance".

In v.11–12 we read, "11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 

Strong leaders expect suffering. Paul did not ask others to suffer for him; he suffered for others. The fact that he was persecuted from city to city was proof that he was living a godly life. Some people today have the idea that godliness means escaping persecution, when just the opposite is true.

The Apostle Paul had a prison record; he had a physical affliction; he stirred up problems in just about every place he visited. He was poor, and he did not cater to the rich. Yet God used him, and we are being blessed today because Paul was faithful til the end.

Christianity was never intended to be merely a creed that we recite on Sunday morning in the safety of the church building. Christianity is a person whom we relate to, rely upon and walk with day-by-day. Christianity is counter-cultural and it will often be against the grain of the norm in society. We who believe in the Lord Jesus enough to be defined by Him will be misunderstood, marginalized and persecuted. And, God knows this world is getting worse but He has seen fit for us to be on earth at this moment to make a difference for His glory. May God grant that we will be faithful til the end...

2 Timothy 3:6-9

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6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. ~ 2 Timothy 3:6-9

We return to Paul's description of the End Times Man. As we have said before, the emphasis in 2 Timothy 3 is about acquiring a healthy biblical worldview because the days are increasingly evil. At the beginning of this chapter, the Apostle gives the background information on the false teachers that were present in Ephesus when this letter was written, in order to magnify the truth that he shares throughout the chapter.

In v.6 we read, "They (false teachers) are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires."

In Ephesus, at the time of the writing of this letter, there were certain women were particularly gullible because they lacked the wisdom that a lifetime of studying God's word renders in our lives. They had come out of sexually loose lifestyles and these false teachers were taking advantage of them. The words "evil desires" at the end of v.6 is also translated "divers lusts” in the King James Version. These women were probably involved in the prostitution ring that was being run at the Temple of Diana before they were exposed to the truth. 

The words “worm their way in” are used to describe how these men duped these weak women, something God is very much against. These false teachers promised quick and easy solutions to these women. I find it quite instructive that these women were on the heart of Paul, for it reveals the Lord's heart for these women. Throughout the Scriptures we see that God has the biggest heart for the most vulnerable among us. 

In v.7 we read, "always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth."

These false teachers were devoid of truth. They didn’t have the epignōsis which is Greek for a deep understanding of truth. They didn’t know either justification or sanctification because they lacked a personal relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. They lacked this because "they were unwilling to have this Man (Jesus) to rule over them."

Napoleon once said, "Jesus Christ was more than a man, He asks for the human heart. He demands it unconditionally. And all who sincerely believe in Him experience that remarkable supernatural love toward Him. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame. This it is, which proves to me, quite convincingly, the divinity of Jesus Christ."

Paul writes in v.8 of today's text, "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected." 

In Exodus 7 we read that when Moses was sent by God to Pharaoh, his brother Aaron performed miraculous signs in order to impress Pharaoh that he was dealing with the Living God, not just a couple of strange shepherds from the country. There were magicians in Pharaoh's court whose names were Jannes and Jambres, and they did miracles, just like Aaron. 

Finally, Aaron cast Moses' rod down and it became a snake. These magicians cast their rods to the ground and they appeared, too, to turn into snakes. But they did it by sleight of hand. Any good magician can pull rabbits out of hats, or snakes out of sleeves. These magicians imitated the miracles of the Living God.

This kind of counterfeit faith is what we run into in times of stress, such as we are living in today. They offer to do what only God in Christ can do; give peace of mind, an untroubled heart, and a sense of purpose in life. And, many fall for their sleight of hand, and for a while they think they have found the truth. But, in the long run, the truth is born out and the enemy shows his hand of deceit and destruction.

In addition, the Apostle describes these false teachers as men with depraved minds. They had been made perverted and corrupt because they had believed the lies of the devil. Having refused the truth, they became unable to receive the truth which delivers us from the false. And then, of course, when tested by the true faith they were rejected because they lack a personal relationship with the God of the Bible who initiates, when we are willing, this personal relationship with Him. God's rejection of these false teachers was a result of their rejection of the truth.

In v.9 we read, "But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

When the serpent which Aaron's rod had formed saw the other two snakes, it ate them up. This was a visible sign that God's power is always more powerful than the devil's. This is what happens with counterfeit groups. But, we must not panic, because evil always has its limits. The devil always overreaches and his success at winning converts will ultimately leave them so empty, so hungry, and still searching for the truth that they are made more likely to be open to the appeal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is happening today in America. In fact, Bible sales are out of the roof.

In v.9 we read, "their folly will be clear to everyone." The progress of false teachers is more apparent than real because all that the Father gives to the Son will come to Him and He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. They can suck the life, the joy and the power out of the church, and, they can weaken the testimony of the church. But, they cannot damn the redeemed. Their power and progress is more apparent than real and they will never be able to stop the work of the living God in the lives of the willing.

2 Timothy 3:3-5

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3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. ~ 2 Timothy 3:3-5

The emphasis in 2 Timothy 3 is on the utter importance of biblical knowledge and the responsibility to teach truth. As time marches on, the Scriptures are clear that the people on earth will experience increased difficulty, ending in cataclysmic chaos at the end of the Tribulation.

We return to the middle of Paul's description of the End Times Man who will be living on earth at the end. This person will not be operating out of a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Yesterday, we considered the first eight hallmarks of the End Times Man, today we con the final ten.

In v.3 we learn of the ninth hallmark of the End Times Man. The Apostle uses the words "without love," which is one Greek word: astorgos. Found just twice in the New Testament (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3), "astorgos" means without natural affection, heartless, unloving. This is the natural movement of the soul that knows no love itself. 

The End Times Man will be "unforgiving" due to the fact that he will have no connection with the source of forgiveness. And, since he is not in relationship with the Lord, he can not share forgiveness with others. Since this person will be very familiar with self-love, he will see no need for personal forgiveness. 

As the result of being without love and forgiveness, this person will be a "slanderous" person who is known by tearing others down. The Apostle uses the word that is used in the New Testament for "the devil," which is diabolos. Every time anyone slanders, they are embracing the character of Satan who speaks evil against all who represent God in Christ.  

The next hallmark of the End Times Man is that he will be "without self-control." This is an adjective used only here and it literally means to have no inhibitions. This person is just a slave to his unrestrained lusts. 

Their lack of self-control reveals itself in a number of ways. "Brutal" means “untamed.” When this person cannot get his way, he becomes much like a savage beast. Instead of loving what is good, he will despise what is good and honor what is evil. This person is quite descriptive of many today in our world today where the standards of right and wrong have been twisted so that people literally get away with murder. The prophet Isaiah cries out, “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.” 

The word "treacherous" in v.4 describes the person who betrays others and cannot be trusted. Neither friendship nor partnership makes any difference to him; he lies and breaks his   promises whenever doing so helps him get his own way. This word basically means “ready to betray.” It draws attention to the idea of disloyalty.

The word "rash" in v.4 means “reckless, acting without careful thought.” This person is aggressive. This word, "rash," literally means "falling forward." It delivers the idea of moving forward fast, disregarding anything and everything around. It describes someone who is moving recklessly, stopping at nothing in the pursuit of fulfillment of self-loving desire.

The next hallmark of the End Times Man is "conceited." This person is so full of himself, he can not see beyond his faults, nor can he see them at all. The root for this word comes from the word “smoke.” This is the person who blows smoke because he is inflated with his own sense of self-importance.

To wrap up Paul's description of the End Times Man, the Apostle writes, "Lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God." His choice is between loving pleasure and loving God. If we love God, we will also enjoy fullness of life here and forever, but the pleasures of sin can only last for a brief time. No one can deny that we live in a pleasure-mad world.

Paul states that this man that he has just described would consider himself religious! "Having a form of godliness" suggests an outward appearance of religion, not true Christian faith, for he has never experienced the power of the God of the Bible in his life. 

This description of the End Times Man describes many in the world around us right now. This is why the Lord is so adamant in His Word that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Of course, this side of heaven, we will never accomplish this great feat. However, if we do not aim for perfection, we will never get very far in our attempts. This is the way to conquer diabolical self-love, by loving God as best as we can, and out of that, we seek to love our neighbor as God has loved us.

2 Timothy 3:1-2

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1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-2

The emphasis in this chapter is on knowledge and responsibility. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul informs us about the nature of the last days, and then instructs us on how to reach out to those caught in the spider's web. Our actions must be based on knowledge and our knowledge must be informed by the Scriptures. 

Within this period of “last days” there will be “times” of different kinds, but as the “times” draw to a close, they will become more and more dangerous. This word "times" is the same Greek word that is used to describe the two violent demoniacs in Matthew 8. Suggested in the usage of this word is the idea that the violence of the last times will be energized by demons. In other words, evil will not simply be ugly to watch, and grievous to the godly mind, it will be at times violent and fierce.

There is no doubt that these characteristics started to appear in Paul’s day, and now they have increased in intensity. As time advances, evil will increase in its intensity, and slowly it will be accepted by the average guy because of its gradual increase. It is not that we have small pockets of rebellion here and there. All of society is in rebellion and we are indeed living in “terrible times.”

In v.2-5, the Apostle Paul gives eighteen characteristics that will mark society at the end. We will just consider the first eight today. The first is love of self. The heart of every problem is a problem in the human heart. God commands us to love Him supremely, and our neighbors as ourselves, but if we love ourselves supremely, we will not love God nor will be able to love our neighbors.

Of course, if someone loves and worships himself, the result will be “You shall be as gods” was Satan’s offer to Eve in the Garden in Genesis 3:5. And, the result: man "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than rather than the Creator." When we rebelled from God, we became our own gods; defining ourselves for ourselves! 

The next hallmark of the End Times is man will love money which flows out of self-love. If we love ourselves, then we will love money because we see money as the means to a more comfortable lifestyle. If we believe in the self-love philosophy, then we’re going to believe in the prosperity gospel, because if we are the most important person, and self-esteem is the highest virtue, then whatever feeds this philosophy is what we will pursue. 

The next characteristic of the end times man is he will be boastful, proud and abusive. These three go hand in hand because as we put ourselves at the center of our lives we will be all about self, pompously looking down our noses at others. 

The word the Apostle uses for abusive we get our English word blaspheme. In this universe there is God, and there are people and things. We should worship God, love people, and use things. But when we worship self, we will ignore God and start loving things and using people. This is the formula for a miserable life, yet it characterizes many people today. The worldwide craving for things is just one evidence that people’s hearts have turned away from God and we are certainly living in the end times.

The church of our day has gone into the entertainment business! People must be amused, and as the church needs the people’s money, the church must supply the demand and meet the craving! Since the people like drama more than sermons, then, the thinking is, give them more drama and less preaching! But, be careful not to mention sin, because they may start loving God instead of self.

The irony of it all is genuine pleasure is not to be found in all of the forms of entertainment that our culture so devotedly provides. David had it right when he wrote in Psalm 16:11, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forever.” It’s not wrong to pursue pleasure as long as it is not outside of God. In fact, we are commanded to pursue and maintain our greatest joy in God Himself.

Finally, the last three hallmarks of the end times man are: disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy. As we descend to the end, rebellion, a lack of gratitude and the lack of the desire to be whole will begin the cascading march of evil, as God loosens His reigns on the devil. And, those who give themselves to evil will regret the day they said "no" to the God of all mercy. Until then, we must be diligent to share the life-giving message of the gospel to all who will hear. We will not stop the march of evil, but we can snatch as many as we can from its fires.