FBC Morning Light – August 19, 2022

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Here we are almost at the weekend, and I hope you're looking forward to the Lord's Day, and I hope you'll be able to join with us at church on Sunday for our Bible study time, our adult Bible study.

We just began a new series in the book of Isaiah, and finding that to be a real blessing. And in the morning service, I've continued the study of the letters of Peter. So a couple of weeks ago, we finished up 1 Peter.

Two Sundays ago, began 2 Peter, and continuing that study and preaching out of 2 Peter 1 in the morning service, this Lord's Day. And then in the Sunday evening service, still in the Gospel of Mark. So you can make it to God's house on Sunday.

I encourage you to do so. Look forward to having you with us as we meet together. Well, we're reading today in 2 Timothy, and chapter 2 challenges us with the question, what are you after? What are you pursuing?

What are you eager to receive, eager to achieve? Certainly we can ask that question in relationship to our careers, our occupation, and goals that we might establish for that, and so forth. But there should be some things that transcend the career type of goals, or the home-related goals, and so forth.

What I'm getting at is what Paul tells Timothy in chapter 2, verse 22. He says, pursue, chase after, go after righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.

Righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Pursue these things. Go after these things. Is that your pursuit? In your pursuit of all those other goals, are you also at the same time pursuing after righteousness, and faith, and love, and peace with God's people?

I trust that's the case. Those should be overarching pursuits of the Christian life. We need to do so in spite of the character of the times in which we live. We read about those times in chapter 3, because Paul begins this chapter and he says, know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, and we're living in those last days.

The last days is sort of a catch-all term for the period of time from the ascension of Christ until the return of Christ. Paul and Timothy were living in the last days, and we are still living in the last days right now.

We're still waiting for the return of Christ. Paul talks about those perilous times, and I think the character of the times illustrates all the more why we need to be in pursuit of righteousness, and faith, and love, and peace.

What is the character of these times? Times in which men love themselves, self-centered, looking out for what pleases them, and that's it, that's their passion. A love of money, and what money can buy, a love of stuff, boasters, proud, blasphemers, they speak ill of God and of other people, slandering both.

Blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, heady, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Doesn't that sound like the world in which we live? I think it does, and I'm not going to suggest that ours is unique. It's not. We have our own unique ways of expressing those things, but some of this has been the character of the age of the last times.

But then I want you to notice the last thing he says. There are those who love pleasure rather than love God, and they have a form of godliness, but deny its power. They have a form of godliness, but deny its power.

Religious people, but denying the power of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, a form of godliness, a show of religion, and there's a lot of religion being practiced even in a secular age. Paul says at the end of that verse, verse 5, from such people, turn away, turn away.

Don't get wrapped up in relationships with people who are going to drag you down. Instead, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with God's people. Then he gives us a little bit of a warning here in this passage, because he says all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will experience persecution.

It's something that can be anticipated. In the days that are characterized by the last times character, those who want to pursue righteousness and faith and love and peace with God's people can expect hostility from the world, from the crowd.

It's one thing to experience it, it's another thing to anticipate. I think we need to be aware of the possibility so we're not taken by surprise in the experience of it. Also, I think I want to challenge us not to allow the world's hostility to cause us to shrink back and to shrink away from that pursuit that is so essential for all of us, the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace with God's people.

Let's be after those things. Father in heaven, we thank you for this challenge today. We do live in perilous times and we need to keep our heads about us, we need to keep our wits about us, and we need to be pursuing after the right things.

Help us to do just that, we pray, and we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. All right, well have a good rest of your Friday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a good time together with God's people on the Lord's Day.

Have a good day.