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Bro. Otis Fisher
All right, 2 Timothy 2 .22, we're given some instructions.
Flee also youthful lusts. Now, what he does not say is that you have to be youthful, because I know some old men that do this.
But follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with all of them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart. It's the only way we can call on the
Lord. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife.
David, give me an example of a foolish question. Well, I worked that out once.
No, that's what he means. And the servant of the Lord must not strive.
What's strive mean? Roger. But be gentle unto all men, apt to teach and patient.
Now, all men. But be gentle unto all men.
I thought that was a big order. In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God for a venture will give them repentance to the knowledge of the truth.
What he means is that you never know to whom you're speaking. He may be a potential
Christian. In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God for a venture will give them repentance, it has to come from God.
And they that may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive at his will, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, so we never know to whom we're speaking.
Come quickly now to chapter three. First question.
Greg, since you're on your feet, what is character? A perfectly educated will, good or bad.
A season is perilous times when,
I'm going to have a list of them, when the outward profession of religion is maintained under a visible coat of wickedness.
Lots of this in our world today. Perilous. When men are prone to forsake the truth.
There's a double amount of that. I listened to some on the
TV this morning. When preachers and teachers mix with the world and churches allow it.
Perilous times. When there is great attention on outward duties, but inward spiritual duties decay.
When true believers are persecuted by the church. I tell you that if any of us are moved to another community, it will be hard to replace this church.
But if you stand for a true belief in Christ, you'll suffer.
Verse one. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.
The word shall is an imperative word. What does that mean Greg? Perilous.
Hard to do. Hard to take. Hard to approach. Hard to bear. Troublesome.
Dangerous. Harsh. Fierce. Savage. We are in the last of the last of the last days.
But Russell, I remember my father saying the same thing. The last days began when
Jesus was resurrected. It will end with the rapture.
All I know over and above what my father knew, is that I stand closer to it than he does.
Two. For men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous.
Boasters. Proud. Blasphemers. Disobedient to parents. Unthankful.
Unholy. Lovers of one's own self.
David, how can that lead to perilous times? Too intent on the interests of self.
More than anything, they'll love themselves. They'll need the very latest fashions.
They'll try to shock others for their own grandizement. Nothing matters outside of myself.
And I'll do whatever I like. Covetous.
Fond of silver and money. This person must always make a profit.
And by any means. He has no scruples when it comes to money in his pocket.
He may give money to a church, but only if he thinks it'll benefit him. I've known a few like that.
He may even attend church, but only for business reasons.
I had a deacon tell me one time that I'm in this church until my business gets started, and then
I'm going to move over on the north side where there's lots of money. His mind is always on money.
Proud. He feels that he's better than anyone else. Blasphemous.
Against God and man. Disobedient to parents. Unpersuadable.
Unthankful. Unholy. Means he's hard -hearted. Without natural affection.
Truthbreakers. False accusers. Incontinent. Fierce. Despisers of those that are good.
Without natural affections. Can never be trusted to keep his word.
False accusers. A child of Satan. Addicted to drugs. Is a false accuser.
Four. Traitors. Hitty. High -minded. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
We have lots of, well, programs on TV that when
I was a kid they'd dare you to do this, dare you to do that. I guess they're seeing how close to death they can come and not die.
The world's full of it. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.
From such turn away a form of godliness. Now, when these people refuse to use it to the power of God, which is impossible.
They do what he wants, but not as far as they know. When a man or a church becomes satisfied with a form only.
Then there will be no searching of the heart. No true sorrow for sin.
No love of truth. No conformity in the divine will. The possession of the form of godliness does not entitle a person to Christian fellowship.
A legalist has no sympathy for believers, with believers, or for believers.
They'll detract from their usefulness. They're unfit for any spiritual pleasures.
To turn away means we are commanded to flee from such. To turn away is to not look at them, look only at Jesus.
Six, for of this sort are they which creep.
Now, to creep brings to mind a reptile. Into houses and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.
There's no silly women here. Well, there isn't.
You've never seen a silly woman. To control silly women.
If they were not silly, they would see those snares. Foolish, simple -minded, weak, helpless, weak -minded, half -baked women.
I'm getting a little snickers. Laden with sins means loaded down with sins.
This means silly women of both sexes. Anyone who is loaded with sin.
When a Christian has unconfessed sin in his life, he becomes easy prey for Satan. And he will lead deeper into sins.
This person soon becomes a victim of his own evil lusts.
His outlook on life will be continually negative. Nothing will please him.
He is absolutely always unhappy. Everyone is.
He thinks against himself. His appetite becomes affected. Ulcers soon appear.
Blood pressure goes up before he knows that he's dead. There's a real danger to unconfessed sin.
Who is it that knows unconfessed sin? Christian or non -Christian?
Christian. Ever learning.
And never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Did you ever know anybody or someone claiming to be saved, but they just had to read every book?
Had to listen to every preacher? Get all of the tapes? Always talking about this one or that one?
Never finding the truth? Let me tell you something. A Christian should have no more than three sources of information.
First, the Holy Word is explained by its author.
The Holy Word explained by its author, the Holy Spirit. He's the one who wrote it.
A well -grounded teacher, which you have in David. And a good
Bible dictionary. Now, if you have those three, and only those three,
Every child of God should have someone older than they are, from whom they are learning.
Someone that is younger than they are, whom they are teaching. If you don't have that,
I wish you did. Eighth, now as Janus and Jambors withstood
Moses, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corruption, corrupted minds, corrupt minds, reprobate concerning their faith, but they shall proceed no further.
For their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.
Referring back to Moses and those people. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, the manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystria, what persecutions
I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. We all have persecutions to some degree.
And the more we expose ourselves to the truth, the more we'll have. In 1
Corinthians 10, 13 we find these words. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man.
But God is faithful. Who will not suffer you to be tempted, above that you are able.
But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
All that will show their religion in their conversation will be persecuted. 12.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Do not ever pray for him to remove the persecution. Why? Russell, why should we not pray for God to remove this from me?
That's right. That's good advice.
I wish I could follow it. Yes, that's right.
Absolutely right. So, thank you
Lord for the persecution. We should ask, as Russell said, and be assured that he will see that we have strength spiritually, mentally, physically to go through it.
Now, he said that he shall, maybe he hasn't said yet, remember our way of escape might be death.
Isn't that in there? All that will live godly.
No, I got that from another book. Remember our one way of escape.
He said I'll never put on you more than you can handle without an escape. And to know that that escape may include death.
Death may be the way of escape. 13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
A good man, by the grace of God, can grow better and better. But evil men, by the power of Satan, grow worse and worse.
The way of sin is death. They're headed straight for it. 14.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, and knowledge of whom thou hast learned them.
From whom did you learn the truth of God? I didn't say what.
From whom? What? The Holy Spirit. 15.
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Salvation is only of God, only, without any movement of man.
Write that down someplace. Look at it every morning. My salvation depends only on God, not me.
This verse tells me that the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Word is so we will be wise in our salvation.
How else could we know to live? Too many of us are living by traditions.
Now you think you're not living by traditions. How much of our
Sunday service would be left out if we removed all tradition? I don't know.
But you think about it. For a person to understand the scriptures unto salvation itself, they would need to already be saved.
Now understand this. For a person to understand the scriptures unto salvation must first already be saved.
They would need to already be saved because God reveals himself who to who, his own only.
Keep close to your good education. It's not enough to learn that which is good.
We must practice so we can keep it until the end. If you just know it. If we will continue in the truth as we have been taught, we will be well armed against Satan.
All those who would get true learning must get it out of the scripture.
It's simple. If you want the truth, go to the scripture.
If you want to learn the truth, practice it. All scripture is given.
You brought none of it. What's given by inspiration is
God breathed of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
That's all scripture. Inspiration, the same spirit that placed us into Christ, brings revelation to us in due season.
We know only a little bit, and then a little bit more, and a little bit more. I found this true in my life, and I'm sure you have also.
2 Peter 1 .21 says, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Ghost. Profitable means to us for purpose of Christian life.
Doctrine, to know what to believe. Reproof, to know what not to believe.
Correction, to learn what to do. Instruction, to understand what should be done.
Verse 17, That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
The scripture is divine in its source. It's human in the channel through which it came.
It is profitable for teaching, for convicting, for right living. All scripture is not only profitable, but also needed.
All scripture is also needed. Things will change for the worse spontaneously if they are not altered for the better by design.
If a Christian is not growing, what's he doing?
He's sinking. There is no such thing as static growth.
Any questions? Yes. I wish
I knew all of the Bible, but I never will. I wish you knew it all, but you never will.
But know this, that any time you replace it with something else, it's an idol.