2 Timothy 3, Can You Tell the Difference?

2nd Timothy chapter 3 Starting at verse 1 be reading the entire chapter Hear the word of the

Lord But understand this that in the last days there will come times of difficulty for people will be lovers of self lovers of money proud arrogant abusive

Disobedient to their parents ungrateful unholy heartless unappeasable slanderous without self -control

Brutal not loving good treacherous reckless Swollen with conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power avoid such people

For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women

Burdened with sins and lead led astray by various passions always learning but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth

Just as Jonathan John Bray's opposed Moses So these men also opposed the truth men corrupted in mine and disqualified regarding the faith, but they will not get very far

For their folly will be plain to all as was that of those two men You however have followed my teaching my conduct my aim in life my faith my patience

My love my steadfastness my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch at Iconium and at Lystra Which persecutions

I endured yet from them all the Lord rescued me Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ.

Jesus will be persecuted While evil people and imposters will go from bad to worse deceiving and being deceived but as for you continue and what you have learned and have firmly believed knowing from whom you learned it and how from Childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ.

Jesus all scripture is breathed out by God and Profitable for teaching for reproof for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent equipped for every good work

May the Lord has blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well, can you tell the difference

There's two things they look alike that they're crucially different can you tell the difference between a turtle and a tortoise the crow and a raven maybe a frog and a toad an orange and a tangerine an alligator and a crocodile

But a mouse and a rat that's a little easier but jam and jelly our butter and margarine

Maybe a diamond from cubic zirconium But gold from pyrite fools gold

Can you tell the difference Now sometimes I don't really care if they are different if it's a mouse or a rat

I don't want either in my house. I equally despise them both I don't want to swim with either alligators or crocodiles.

Okay, I like oranges and tangerines equally either jelly or jam is okay on my biscuits or toast if it's true that I can't believe it's not butter

Marjoram will be fine with me, but sometimes the differences are crucial You know paying a lot of money for a diamond makes sense, but not for cubic zirconium

Gold jewelry is valuable, but pyrite jewelry if they make that is cheap

Sometimes things look almost exactly alike But are radically different and that's the key to this passage.

There are people with a form of godliness He calls it a an appearance. They look like they are godly.

They go to church They carry a Bible and maybe they have Christian bumper stickers and fish emblems on their car.

They know the jargon They're constantly posting scripture verses on Facebook They are baptized and take the

Lord's Supper and a former generation. They would insist on wearing a tie to church now

They'd be the first to object to sagging pants. I think our building would put some of them off right away

I mean, this is not the form of godliness a gym is not the form of a church

They would think you've got to have pews and stained glass If they're of a younger generation they want the form of a concert and a motivational speaker an approachable looking guy

Who you really can't approach because he's way up on a big stage with bright lights on him. There's a barrier there

But he looks like he is the form There may may not be anything wrong with many of these forms with there's nothing wrong with ties or with fish emblems on your car or with pews for that matter or Stage under lights.

Those are all just forms. Can you tell the difference between those forms and true godliness though? Between just the look and Hearts that are really in love with God lives that have been transformed by God's power well, that's harder today than ever because of the theological changes the

Degradation that the church has gone through over the last century or so now many professed Christians believe that simply to say

You believe to have made the form of a confession gone through the form of baptism and maybe not even that That that is enough to make you a true

Christian Even if your life shows none of the power of the gospel you are saved now

We've been people have been told now for the past few generations by the forums You know by maybe just by kind of mindlessly repeating a prayer that you don't even really know what it means

And so in being actually changed by the power of God We've been told that's kind of an optional extra

The mission of the church now we're told it's really not that's a glorify God and evangelize the lost but it's to uphold the forms to go through the motions of services and programs and in the new

Christian ease the new term of the last generation reach the unchurched

Even from the youth I found that odd phrase think about that phrase You know the unchurched we need to reach the unchurched

Think how different that is Then sort of the biblical phrase evangelize

Spread the gospel to the lost I mean it may look a lot alike.

You're going out with this religious message when you're Evangelizing the lost and then the other you're trying to reach

The unchurched if the purpose of the church now is to reach the unchurched

Then haven't we accomplished that message when we've churched people

We've churched them turning now into a new whole new verb. We've included them in our forms

They now appear to be church people Whether or not they actually disciples of Jesus The the new theology that comes out of revival is

I'm gonna go get people to make a form of a confession So you can give them assurance of salvation and hopefully then they out of gratitude

They will they will come to the church that actually encourages Christians to say that there is no difference between those with only a form of religion and Those who have really experienced the power of the gospel the shocking message of this passage is that people can be an active part of a church that they can have they could have gone through all the forms and Yet their activity is all a front

That there are people and people in the church We should avoid People who appear from from outside to look very much like a sincere

Christian, but they lack the crucial difference That actually makes them one And we see that here in two major parts

First there's there's forms without fruit And second there's purpose with perseverance

Difference now I used to believe that this passage was a Prediction of what the world would increasingly be like in the in the last days

And when I saw the term the last days there in verse 1 I just kind of assumed that that meant the final few years before Christ returned and I believe that we had either just crossed

Into those last days across that threshold Or that we soon would

So I look at this passage, you know, look at all these Characteristics in verses 2 to 5 and then you look at TV and for proof that sure enough

The world is becoming like what is supposed to be here in the last days Now over the years, however

I learned that that term the last days means really the whole time From when

Jesus rose from the dead to the time that he will return the whole period that whole period from the resurrection to Christ return is

The last days it's the final era there's more no more days after no more errors

No more ages after this the world Because this sinful world is passing away the whole teaching of the

New Testament shows this Particularly Jesus is teaching that he is bringing in the kingdom of God You know, he says if I cast out demons by the finger of God then the kingdom of God has come

Perfect tense already it has come upon you I was the last days have begun Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost the last days have begun

This is this is that this is the last days Hebrews the letter of Hebrews begins with in these last days and so on and this shows us that the last days began when

Jesus First came and will end when he comes again And we see that actually here also in this passage because the

Apostle Paul implies that the problems of these last days Are here.

It's not he's not sort of predicting all future there already exists in his time For Timothy to have to deal with If the

Apostle Paul was here giving a prophecy of what to him was the the very distant future, you know 2 ,000 years away from his generation

That wouldn't explain What he writes at the end of verse 5 all these things coming in the last days and then he says at the end of that Long list of sinners that will come in the last days.

He tells Timothy avoid such people Implying a

Timothy they're around you right now In other words the kinds of people is describing in verses 2 to 5 the kind who will come in the last days are already

Here in Paul's day and Timothy is told to stay away from them And so the Apostle Paul is saying in this last period of time this new and final era

Will have these kinds of problems these imposters Now I also used to think like a lot of people do that this passage was about what the world would be increasingly like You know, this is a black.

This is this is New York. This is Hollywood This is you know that kind of thing But when we take a closer look, it's clear that Paul is not at all referring to the outside world

But to people who claim to be Christians who are in the church You know as he talked about imposters imposters are people who look like one thing and are actually something very different in verse 13

He uses the word imposters people who have a form and appearance of godliness. That is they look godly from from the outside They know how to put on the right appearances.

They know that they know how to speak Christian ease They are not attacking the church from the outside With government persecution, but are infiltrating it from the inside.

They're not secular They're not what liberals what do you want to call them leading society into greater perversion?

They're church people they're churched If they were outside persecutors, they wouldn't even have a form of godliness

You know, it'd be obvious people we should avoid but these look like pious godly people to outside observers and notice this catalog of Characteristics describing these people who appear by their forms from their from their words

To be sincere Christians, but but their heart At heart there is a crucial difference.

What's the difference? Well, the first is the most fundamental of people.

He says will be in the last days here now self -lovers And this is the essence of sin to put oneself when one's will one's ways one's own desires

Ahead of God and ahead of others the other sins kind of naturally flow out of that The rest are expressions of that actually this one in the last one and the rest

Fill it in People who love themselves best become proud They become arrogant

They look down with contempt on others because I'm the one who deserves love the most I'm I love myself the most and all the rest of you should do so too assuming that they know best

They're ungrateful because a self -lover is a self -lover. They they think they deserve every good thing they get

And more so they're never grateful for it when they get it They are unholy because they're really no different from the world.

They got a different form Unholy means they're they're not set apart from the world.

So they're just as materialistic as the world They're just as much about the money. They're just as individualistic.

Just as rebellious. You can't tell them what to do You can't teach them just like the world He says they are heartless

Because you know being a self -lover they only have a heart for themselves They assume others exist only to serve them and there's nothing if there's nothing that you can do to serve me

Then I don't care about you Heartless, so what suffering at home? So what it's all about me.

They're unforgiving As that is they're implacable. They're Irreconcilable because they can't imagine that it is forgivable to offend them

They are lacking in self -control because they won't admit that there's that there should be anything over them

Controlling them that they should be denied anything. They want they want it. They should have it because they love themselves

They hate good because the sight of good challenges their assumption that they are the standard of right? You know, they love themselves.

They think they're right They are treacherous because they can't imagine themselves being bound to a loyalty that is higher than themselves

So they will betray any promise Betray anyone they've committed to if betraying gains them something

They don't keep their word. They don't abide by their commitments They are rash because they will not be constrained by anything outside of themselves.

They will break their covenants in the huff Because they are ruled by their emotions and their ego by themselves.

They love themselves They are puffed up by their self -assurance that they're better they're wiser

They're more knowledgeable. They're more loving they are they have the secret knowledge So they know better than you than you simple people

So they don't need to be they don't need to listen to others like you do They don't need to be constrained like you do and under there all this fake

All These characteristics are under are cloaked are veiled by a fake

Spirituality and under it they are pleasure lovers really love really living for the good times for the luxuries the vacations

The self -indulgence they think that grace now lets them wallow in They love pleasure.

That's how he ends it. They love pleasure Rather than love God the list begins with them being self lovers and Ends with them not being

God lovers and all that all the rest fills that in and all this

Self -love to not God. Love is all under the form. It's all wearing the garment having the appearance of godliness

They look like at first Christians Can you tell the difference

Now it's not so easy to tell the difference because all these sins you look at that our sins of the heart

How do you really tell if someone is? Loves themselves and not God's particularly if they go through the motions of religion.

How do you tell their motives? Well, you know unlike the open immorality of some these are sins

They can be easily covered up all the while they thrive in the hearts of religious people They try to mask them with words and show but their religion is an empty shell

They use it to cloak a heart where self is on the throne. They deny the power of the gospel Not with their words because that would give them away but with their lives

They have no sign in their lives that the gospel is a is a dynamic force capable of making them new

That it is a power which transforms Now they will say it is But their lives don't show it is

That it has transformed what they love What they'll give toward what they'll give their time toward what they what they're interested in What they love they love themselves not

God and He says at the end there in verse 5 avoid such people

I Think in our culture that's if you mean actually literally have nothing absolutely nothing to do with such people

I don't think he can mean that particularly you can't even do that here It's like when Paul writes in to the Corinthians and chapter 1

Corinthians chapter 5. He says You should have nothing to do with such people and he says and not at all meaning the immoral of the world because you know, you'd have to go out of the world and I think this passage you'd have to say that for our culture because We've been overrun.

There's so much of this kind of fake religion You couldn't live in this culture and literally you cut yourself totally off from all such people

I think even though it means you minimize their influence in your life be careful

Some of you need to be careful about the influence of those with an appearance of godliness But show those those signs that he listed if you can tell the difference our cultures as especially full of them you know because we have forms of godliness everywhere and You need to know that Be careful because empty sham religion is

Contagious like a disease the Lord Jesus compared hypocrisy to yeast, you know, otherwise it spreads

You you can start with just a pinch but it can infiltrate the whole church You can infiltrate your whole life like yeast it can hollow it out.

So you have the form nothing but air inside That's why you need to avoid such people so you don't catch the infection of hypocrisy be careful of the influence of that fake religion

These imposters have such a form of religion, you know, they even do home visitation Now these are just phenomenal kind of believe we only come to church on Christmas and Newton Easter Now these are active church members here.

They're going out visiting Their outreach is mentioned verse 6 says they worm or creep their way into households

They're going into houses. They're knocking on the door They're talking to people and their day the men now he makes him comment about the capturing weak silly women

And I don't think he's meeting sexist there I think it is the reality and their day if you're going door -to -door most people were farmers and so the men were out working in the fields and if you're

Opening the door and there it would almost certainly be a woman who greets you and so they're talking mostly to women as they're going

Door -to -door, they're worming their way into households. These charlatans are more much more likely to engage women now today

They'd appeal to weak people of all kinds weak people who are too weighed down with their own sins their own sense of need

Their own constant yearning for something more something different something exciting something that's about them.

They've heard it all They've been to conferences and seminars and retreats They've read books and listen to countless sermons and radio preachers and podcasts, but they are without an anchor and so they drift

They are always learning But never able to come to a knowledge of the truth You know that they've listened over and over again to what they think are good in times teachings

But they don't really grasp the fundamentals of the gospel They could they could debate you about the theories of the rapture, but they don't understand the basics about the kingdom of God They don't know what it means for Christ's righteousness to be imputed

To us for God to credit Christ's sinless life to what was our bankrupt account

They don't know that is God's sovereign work of regeneration that makes us new and capable of repentance and faith they don't know that true saving faith comes from an experience of God's power and Changes your whole life and because they haven't experienced the power of the gospel.

They are laden with sins It says in verse 6 So they are led away from the truth and they're led away by By various various he says passions all kinds of different passions desires like ego pride

No one is gonna tell me what to do That's a passion That people have and led away then from the church from the truth or maybe hatred of authority.

Who do you think you are? Maybe Maybe a passion for money.

So the prosperity gospel drives them maybe sexual passions and so the

So the you know, the easy believe ism as you said the confession It doesn't matter how you live after that one saved always saved after that so that they use that to cover their sins

They'll clutch at any solution a promise of absolution If you say the right prayers give money to the right cause go door -to -door spreading their cults message adopt the right forms

Have the have the right appearance say the right prayers join the right Church And perhaps you've known people like that perhaps you've spent years in the church and and They've spent years in the church.

They've heard it all they should be mature Christians by now the many sermons and Bible studies

They've sat through and yet they're easily blown off course you're easily distracted by some man on TV or over the internet who promises health and prosperity or Lures you with or lures them with some something exotic something mysterious

New to them anyway teachings about the end times, but you know just showing you what the future is gonna come any time now

The ten nation Confederacy of Europe the European Union is gonna be the head of the beast Except now it has 25 nations

So I don't that didn't work out very well Or the promise that if you just go through some ancient ritual all your sins will be washed away and God won't be mad at you

Anymore because you ate the bread and you know, you did this or that he won't be mad at you anymore, at least not until next week when you better take it again and All that's because they're not anchored by the gospel

These kind of people Paul is warning Timothy will cause the last that last era last days

We're in now to experience distressing times Our persecution is bad enough

But to the one who truly loves God nothing is more distressingly painful as to behold such corruptions in the church to see the name of Christ dishonored by men with forms of godliness, but who are really self lovers and they end up putting people off from the gospel and from the church sincere people see those with forms of godliness, but no life -changing power and think

You know on the world. That's what it means to be the church Count me out.

I'll do without the forum. I'll stay home But the problem isn't the forums.

The problem is the lack of power the unchanged life and Here the Apostle Paul is putting

Timothy on notice Timothy in your time Times are coming like this these kinds of men will arise

Men like Jonathan John Bray's who opposed Moses. They had a form of religion, but were unmoved by the power of God So be on your guard don't be surprised

When an apparent sheep turns out to be a wolf or goat Don't lose heart

Your teaching might spread like gangrene said in the earlier chapter, but eventually they will be exposed for who they are

God's truth will stand we saw in Sunday school. Sure. The gates of hell will conspire against the church, but it won't prevail

Paul implies starting in verse 1 that during the last era these last days there will come times notice is plural

There will come times when corruption superficial fakery will grow worse in the church

When the affection of hypocrisy will be more epidemic than at other times there will be whole eras of darkness spiritual dark ages

Paul says are coming perilous Dangerous the word could be like it like a dangerous wild animal a lion out.

There is dangerous times or tumultuous It could be translated as like a stormy sea is tumultuous a ship if it's not careful can get

Overturned and sink in these tumultuous times and then God those will be the times dangerous tumultuous corrupt

But then and that's is in the church remember and then God will move and bring revival and reform

Some will deny that Jesus is God It's fully God, but God will raise up Athanasius and Athanasius who in the fourth century stood up for the full divinity of Christ He was banished by the

Emperor five times for his beliefs He was once told the whole Athanasius the whole world is against you

To which he responded then I am against the whole world Contramundum in Latin.

He saved the truth in a time when it looked like false doctrine would prevail a Thousand years later the gospel was buried under mountains of superstition and forms with no power

But a German monk Martin Luther saw saw it again the gospel again in the Bible and God reformed the church

Unless I am convinced by Scripture our right reason here. I stand I cannot but can't

Here I stand Two centuries later. The church was was stale the forms were still intact

But the life was gone and Then the Great Awakening was set ablaze through Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield and John Wesley Revolutionizing particularly

America with the marks we still see today In our day, we may very well be sinking into another distressing

Difficult time in which corruption reigns in the so -called church distressing dangerous tumultuous times may come soon

But don't be surprised and don't forget God will preserve his truth and his people

Paul says looking at the big picture Sure for a while uphill dangerous tumultuous

But they won't get very far God will preserve his people

Like Timothy But as for you literally in verse 10, that's how it begins but you

You have these people with the forms of godliness the really self lovers they don't love God on one hand but in verse 10

You Timothy, but you You're different There's a crucial difference

With you the second major part purpose with perseverance That's for you

Timothy. There's a crucial difference. What's the difference? The three crucial differences in verses 10 to 17 three telltale signs that you're not an imposter

You're not someone with forms with no fruit With an appearance but no life

But someone with purpose with perseverance three telltale signs first the genuine will be persecuted

They'll suffer Second the genuine genuine will persevere and third the genuine will be people's

They'll be teachable What's the difference Perseverance through persecution in verse 10 is the great contrast but you

Timothy between those with just forms and those with the power of godliness, but you there's a crucial difference

Then those were just the facade of religion you Timothy Follow you followed up until now follow not only doctrine but conduct notice he says

Timothy follow you have followed my aim in life on my my purpose His faith his patience his steadfastness even through hard times persecutions and sufferings

Timothy has has done this up until now So far now he's tempted to waver.

It's a little getting a little timid Tempted to give up It would be easy to follow

You know be easy to to be steadfast think of your Paul Yeah, he's no he's nearing the end of his life.

He's hearing things about Timothy. He's getting a little weak He's getting discouraged and it would be easy. He wants to bolster

Timothy wants to encourage him. It'd be easy, you know Hey Timothy, don't worry about a thing. It's gonna be great.

It's smooth sailing from here and here on out. Just go for it You give him a guarantee escape of all sufferings but instead

Paul does the opposite What a bizarre thing to do Timothy you're wavering because you think getting tough.

Guess what? It's gonna get worse In verse 12 Paul promises that if if you truly live for Christ by verse by Christ power

Look at verse 12. I think this for a promise get this on a poster on your wall you know, maybe with a little kitten clinging to a

Cliff or something like that. Guess what Timothy? You will be persecuted You will suffer loss

You'll lose money and things and relationships You'll suffer the grief of seeing the gospel brought into disrepute by people with forms of godliness

But without the power the talk without the walk all who desire to live a godly life in Christ.

Jesus will be persecuted There's a promise of Scripture. You won't find

TV prosperity preachers naming and claiming Will you? But there it is. We will be persecuted

You can count on it In other words Christ is not an escape hatch. He's not a ploy to get your best life now

Timothy. Guess what? To be able to win friends and influence people you're gonna be liked by everybody

Timothy And you'll live a long prosperous healthy life No Timothy you're gonna be persecuted

Now buck up Okay to put it bluntly being a true Christian will often increase the sufferings you have to endure in this world

Now some will say figure today we might think well, you know, I've been a Christian for many years Now I've never suffered persecution

Well first we understand that our land of freedom. We're very unlikely to undergo the same kind of state sanctioned persecution that the

Apostle Paul did Although that might change that's up left up to some people we met we may never be imprisoned or Executed for bearing witness to our faith.

We might not be fined. Although they're working on that Nevertheless, I believe that the promise of persecution is with us much today as ever if we really long to live for Christ We're gonna live a godly life for Christ by his power

Not just be fakes then we will be required to suffer for it. If not by the sword maybe by ostracism maybe by insults

Mockery the ridicule of those. Yeah, you're a bunch of bigots For believing Jesus is the only way

For saying that some lifestyles of the world are sinful. The venom of the world is still out there for us

And then there's the scorn of those who just have the form of godliness Trying to make us feel there's something weird about you

You know for for insisting that there is power a power that's worth sacrificing for You know, then then there's the suffering of serving

Missing family events and TV and sports and free time because you chose to serve in the church out of love for God Now you may think it you're right

We look at Paul and all he suffered and he got his head cut off at the end Well, that's that's not really persecution compared to what

Paul Yeah, I understand that but understand if you are fateful in the small the tiny little small sufferings

You get now you probably that means that you would be faithful in the big sufferings if you had to face them

Okay, so because of the greater desire you have for God you've chosen to taste some suffering You've weighed the cost and the benefits and you still desire to live for Christ Even through even though the cost is high but the benefits are higher

As we try not to act like we're watching the kids go to the bathroom I don't know why that's so interesting, but whenever So be prepared to follow through persecution through some very difficult times meanwhile evil people

Especially imposters he calls them will appear to succeed literally to proceed

They're advancing in verse 13 imposters But other words being a fake

Will work for a while For a while they will appear to advance to be going forward.

Well, you're being persecuted. Well, you're suffering false churches

May be bursting at the seams while fateful one struggle false teachers may be popular while sound ones are ignored

The imposters are the word there could could be translated as swindlers They're swindlers

They will be accepted. They will thrive the swindlers is going to thrive for a while I've seen swim.

You ever seen swindlers? I've seen swindlers up close. They came to my house Pretended to be legitimate movers.

They took my they had all the right paperwork They have they appeared to be working in a professional manner. They had a truck although it was a rental truck and I thought that was weird

Okay, why are you rental? Why are you a moving company using a rental truck? Should have tipped me off.

They had a serious looking website It's not hard to put up a serious looking website even right there had the emblem of the

Better Business Bureau on it I mean, it's got to be for real then right? They look they look good

But they were swindlers They took our money and almost all our furniture our things and they disappeared

They did that to many other people too. Thanks to the FBI. We got our stuff back Okay, and we have the same with spiritual things people who appear in every way to be serious spiritual leaders

I have that form of godliness They claim to offer the Word of God to offer the ways of life to have revelation

But they really offer a way to destruction turning the Word of God into a way to love ourselves As though we needed any help to do that, but they'll

They'll twist the word for that Twist the word as a way to get to get stuff Instead of a way to flee the wrath of God They might even succeed in carrying on that fraud their whole lives

They might even have deceived themselves Into believing that their own fraud their self swindlers and that's a difficult idea for people in our our culture to accept and you know a culture in which any idea or any

Lifestyle is supposed to be supposed to be okay as long as one sincerely holds it But the

Apostle Paul is here saying that one can be completely sincere Some false teachers are completely sincere.

They really believe what they're teaching And it can be completely sincere even to the point of utterly believing one's own false doctrine

But the doctrine is still false and the propagator of it is still a swindler

So for a while these imposters these swindlers will progress from from bad to worse

They will persecute us by abusing the Word of God. We love making people out in the world

You know think we're all a bunch of charlatans Like the imposters are You know, they have these these were the form of godliness.

They're imposters. They're fakes. They're charlatans Maybe you are too because you have the same forms For the second time in this passage the

Apostle Paul tells Timothy in verse 14 It's actually that it's translated differently in English, but in Greek is the very same phrase the very same words but you

But as for you The stark contrast between those in the in the first nine verses you're different There's a crucial difference

Can you tell the difference? In verse 10 he started by telling Timothy and imposters will be self lovers with a form of godliness

Followed by weak people who are easily swayed but as for you Follow Even through suffering even when no one understands why you why you're still doing it

Why are you meeting a gym with few of the forms of godliness? Why you're still seeking to be performed according to the

Word of God and now in verse 14 He says it again again contrast, but you as for you you

Persevere you've done it up until now Timothy Now keep doing it persevere in right teaching in Scripture Persevere and in Bible studies and learning from lessons and books and sermons

Persevere and that life -changing Word of God that you firmly believed in at first Don't stop now

Keep going They the charlatans they are Going they're going away you stay persevere

Remain in the sacred writings fasten yourself To scripture.

So I we try to have a lot of scripture in ourselves. We just saw we sing the psalm We pray the psalm we read this passage we go through the verse is to fasten you to scripture not to my opinions or my insights or Whatever new fashionable idea

Fasten yourself to the Word of God because it is through scripture that God may open your eyes

He says to see the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus What's the difference but as for you

You're not a self -lover or a swindler or someone easily taken in by them

But it's for you You're a god -lover truly wanting to live in Christ Jesus then persevere in his word

You know God breathed out his word Here is the classic statement the the classic verse

Couple verses on on the doctrine of Scripture and notice the context it is in It's in the context of encouraging this wavering

Timothy to persevere to continue at it. And this is where Paul tells us God breathed out his word all of it is breathed out by him and he did that through prophets and apostles the prophets of the

Old Testament the apostles of The New Testament that the writers they weren't just men were poets with the brilliant eloquence but they were inspired by God God breathed like the same musician might breathe into a flute or Into a tuba the musician makes different sounds depending on the instrument sure

But the muse a musician is inspiring them all God breathe same musician through various instruments

So the Moses a David or a Jeremiah or a Matthew or a Paul each of them shows a different style and a person different personality

But God was the one breathing through them all All of it is inspired all of it comes from God every part not just our favorite verses

Not just the red letters and notice that all of it is inspired for a purpose It's inspired

To make a crucial difference in your life Not just a doctrine you need to have but you to give you that power of godliness

To make you different it's inspired. It's powerful and think of specifically here

He's speaking of the Old Testament because that's what he had what he has in mind Paul when he says the sacred writings all scriptures

Inspired and even the Old Testament is inspired to inspire faith in us faith

He says here. This is interesting. Isn't it? The Old Testament is inspired to inspire faith in Jesus in Jesus Christ in us

I'll just teach you about history or to teach you about forms of religion you need to have but that so that Genuinely in your heart you believe in Jesus Because the

Word of God will inspire that faith in you and all of it can do that the genuine

Christian The real thing who doesn't have forms but at the life -changing power is persecuted

Because he's different in this age of self -indulgence He's persevering in the right teaching particularly in Scripture and finally third

He's a pupil It's teachable The purpose of Scripture is it to satisfy our idle curiosity is to teach us which implies was imply about us.

We need teaching He says all of it is inspired for teaching for reproof

Because we need reproving for correction Because we need correction for for being trained

Because we need training Training to live in a way that is pleasing to God training to live the right way

Not only is all of it inspired it is profitable. It's useful He says so we need we need all of it

And if we ignore any part of it, so we don't understand that part we think that's for another era No, we if we're north some part of it

Then we're missing something of what God has to train us with it's like an athlete who only trains some of the muscles

He needs for his sport now a football player. It may only trains his arms You know lifts the weights and only trains his upper body practice throwing the ball.

He might be okay to throw it But he won't be a good football player because he left his legs weak forgot to run

Forgot to lift with his legs. So when we neglect any part of God's Word, we're missing something

Any part of this this book you open up? I closed it any part of this scripture that you you read from has something to train you with and so you need every part of it

If we miss some parts of it, we're missing something of what to be trained with and we will invariably be left weak in some

Area of life. That's why we're committed here to expository preaching through all of the Bible You give us enough time not just the parts that are easiest to swallow

Every part is profitable. Then we lose something by not paying attention to every part of it

We're missing some profit But we won't profit Scripture won't be useful to us

If we're puffed up We're too proud We think we know it all already

Like Timothy, we've been taught the Bible from our youth but unlike Timothy We think that means we don't need anymore.

We don't need to learn anymore. We know it all By now already We're not gonna listen to any more teaching

We're sure we're right We don't need we certainly don't need any rebuking. That's not for me We don't need any correcting we think we don't need to be trained

Maybe some mild exercise, but not training. We have that we have that down pad anyway, so those people might still go to church

Out of habit a form that they forgot what it means But they have absolutely no interest in listening to anything that is not telling them how right they already are they think scripture is only useful for bolstering what they already believe and for Building up their self -esteem and if you push them to be teachable

Certainly if you try to correct them from it They'll go elsewhere to find a preacher who will only bolster their preconceived opinions

How can you tell the difference? The genuine believer Paul here calls here the man of God In verse 17 is taught and reproved and corrected and trained.

He's a pupil He's a lifelong learner. He's a disciple That's how he or she is capable is made a capable servant of God for every capable for every good work

That's the crucial difference You're teachable You want to be trained?

So you persevere? even when you have to suffer for it, you're a

God lover most of all and With more than just forms of religion but showing the life -changing power of the

God who changed you from a from a Self -lover like the rest of the world like the fakes and the frauds of superficial religion

So let us be people of whom it can be said I'm sure the rest of them are like that.

They're self -lovers. They're self -indulgent but as for you but you

There's a crucial difference with you Others were deserting Others were swindlers.

Others were swayed others were self -lovers others Self -lovers others put up only a front of religion

But as for you You persevered in God's Word You were transformed by it

You experienced the life -changing power of the gospel so much so People could tell there's something different about you

What's the difference? You believed it and you followed it the

Word of God in Scripture and in the flesh the