I hope you'll open your Bible
this morning to 2 Timothy chapter 3. If you do not have a Bible,
I hope you'll listen very carefully as I read from this portion of
God's Word, which so clearly speaks of the day that we are
living in. No generation has ever fit the
description of 2 Timothy, chapter 3, like our present generation. I'm reading from 2 Timothy 3,
verse 1, and the Apostle Paul writes this. This know also that
in the last days perilous times shall come. The last days. Now, we are living in the last
days. It has been the last days since
Christ was on this earth. But these are the very last of
the last day. Now, no man knows the day or
the hour of the Lord Jesus Christ's return. He said so. He said that
no man would know, and only a fool would predict it. But he did
say, Christ did say, the times and seasons we can know. or the things preceding his return,
we can see, we can observe, we can know. In Matthew chapter
24, he gives many of these things which precede his return. He
talks of false notions of world peace. He talks of an abundance
of false prophets or false claims by false Christs and false religions
He speaks of the anti-Christ. He speaks of apostasy or of falling
away. He speaks of the rise in worldwide
calamities and disasters. And only a fool would not recognize
that these things are taking place in more abundance now.
You take worldwide calamities and disasters, why hurricanes
and floods and tornadoes and pestilence and droughts and famine
and diseases, are all on the rise and have been so for the
past decade or so. These things are the judgments
and warnings of God upon the last generation. We are in the
last days and these things that we are about to look at show
us why. He gives a description of the
day, of the last days, the times, and verse 2 says this, Men shall
be lovers of their own selves. lovers of their own selves. Christ said, because iniquity
abounds, the love of many shall wax cold. The love of parents
for children wanes. The love between husbands and
wives wanes. Divorce is over 50 percent now. The love of friend for friend
wanes. Why? Because men shall be lovers
of their own selves. This is the me generation, the
my generation, the big I generation. Every man is out for himself. He's a lover of himself and not
others. Read on. It says, men shall be
covetous. There's never been a more materialistic
society than now. Men are lovers of things. Why? In order to have a better
home or a better car or more of this stuff, men will do just
about anything. Covetous. It says they're boasters. Men, women, and even boys and
girls are big talkers. Boasters. Boast of many things. Boast of their strength. Boast of their knowledge. Boast
of what they can do. Everybody knows everything, and
they can do just about anything. Well, ask them. Boaster it. Read
on. It says they're proud. They'll
be proud. And we've never been a more proud
generation than this one. Why, men are proud of their race,
proud of their face, even proud of grace. They talk like this,
I'm the biggest, I'm the best, I'm the richest, I'm the prettiest,
smartest, fastest, strongest. I'm something. I'm worth it."
And then it goes on to say there will be blasphemers, or that
is blaspheming God, God's name, God's Christ. Why, the name of
God, the name of Jesus Christ is on the lips of everyone, down
to small children. They blaspheme God's holy name,
Christ's name, putting it on the bumper stickers and public
restroom walls and t-shirts for men to make fun of, taking the
name of God in vain, using it lightly, carelessly, flippantly,
irreverently. When God said, He'll not hold
them guiltless who takes his name, who uses his name in a
light, irreverent way. Men and women are blasphemers,
it says. Never been more so than now.
Read on. It says they are disobedient
to parents. In the last days, disobedience
to parents will be on the rise. No generation of children has
ever been more disobedient to parents. There is absolutely
no respect for elders among our children. Rude, disrespectful,
inconsiderate, proud, boastful, loud, impolite, demanding, temperamental,
wild asses, cold. That's what children are today.
because men have spared the rod, the child has been spoiled."
Well, he goes on to say that they will be unthankful. In the
last days, men shall be unthankful. Men and women, by nature, don't
give God a passing thought for all the abundance of blessings
and goodness that he has bestowed upon them. Well, the Scripture
says, every good and perfect gift comes from above. A man
can receive nothing except it be given him from above. Another
Scripture says that we have what we have by the grace of God. Another Scripture says, what
do we have that we have not received? Now, if we received them, why
do we boast or brag as if we had not received them, as if
we had obtained these things by our own strivings and efforts
and hard work and abilities. No. Everything men and women
have, they have from the hand of God. Oh, how unthankful. How unthankful men are. Don't
stop to give God mere thanks for what they are and have. Read
on. It says they'll be unholy. Unholy. The fruit of the Spirit. which
is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance, godliness, they're all scoffed at, mocked
as being old-fashioned, out-of-date, archaic, only for the ignorant
and the foolish, because men are unholy, ungodly, bearing
no resemblance whatsoever to God. And verse 3 says that without
natural affection, without natural affection, this not only clearly
speaks of homosexuality or perversions like that, but child abuse is
on the rise. The natural affection of a father
and a mother for a child, That is missing without natural affection. Why, a woman would give up her
newborn child in favor of a new car or a better home. Give it
up to a total stranger to raise any way they feel in order to
have things. Yes, natural affection has waned. It says they're truce breakers.
Read on. Men will be truce breakers. Well,
a man's word used to mean something. Not anymore. Not anymore. He'll say anything. to get anything. It says there will be false accusers. Why do you think that these gossip
magazines, slender magazines such as the National Enquirer
and the Star and all that, are the leading selling magazines
or newspapers in the world? Because men are false accusers.
They delight in these things. Read on. It says there will be
incontinent That means no self-control, completely self-indulgent, gluttonous,
wild, passionate, no self-restraints. The sayings of the day are, if
it feels good, do it. Why ask why? Just do it. Why
no fear? It says men shall be fierce,
that is, violent. You know how youth gangs and
violence and so on are on the rise. Read on. It says there
will be despisers of those that are good. despisers of moral
and conservative character. Ridiculing, mocking, scorning
traditional virtues and morals are despised and disdained as
being old-fashioned, out of date, irrelevant to this society. Read on. It says they'll be traitors,
parents abandoning children, marriages failing, friends leaving
friends. They'll be heady, it says, impulsive,
impetuous, impatient. It says they will be high-minded,
while I am educated. Men believe that education is
going to be the savior of this society, when in fact they are
educating God right out of the minds of our youth. Read on. It says there will be lovers
of pleasure more than lovers of God. Lovers of pleasure more
than lovers of God. Christ asked the question, what
would a man give in exchange for his soul? What would a man
give in exchange for his soul? Why, a man would give most anything.
He would exchange his soul for a better job, more money, a better
house, a better car, a bigger boat. Why, he'd give his soul
for a ticket to a ball game. He'd give his soul for a ten-point
buck, a five-pound bass, or maybe twelve Bud Lights. Yes, lovers
of pleasure. more than lovers of God. And
yet, yet most everyone claims to be religious in this day.
Most everyone claims to be religious. Look at verse 5. It says they
have a form of godliness, have a form of it, but denying the
power thereof. While men and women forsake the
worship of God in favor of all these things, they'll do it with
a cross around their necks. Yeah, they have a form of godliness,
all right, and that's all it is, a mere form of godliness
or an outward show. That describes religion today
more than ever before. Religion is a great big show,
a ridiculous circus sideshow. All the pomp and the show, all
the so-called healings and hand-waving, tongues and shoutings and crying,
is a ridiculous show of religion. Their meetings are wildfire,
fleshly emotion, and their meeting places are wood, hay, and stubble."
He says here they have a form of godliness or religion, a form
or a show of knowing God, of loving God, of worshiping God,
a form or a show, or they say they preach the gospel, but they
deny the power thereof, he says. denying the power, the power
of God. They deny that God is God. They
say things like this, God's done all he can do, now it's up to
you. They say God can't do anything
unless you let him, denying the very power of God, that God is
indeed God, doing as he will, with whom he will, why he will,
and none can stay his hand. They deny the Word of God, the
power of the Word of God. They speak of the Word of God
as if it's up for debate, as if it's subject to interpretation
or opinion, as if it's just merely a good book. When God says about
his Word that he upholds all things by the Word of his power,
that by his Word he kills, he makes alive, he wounds, he heals,
all by his Word, the Word of his power. They deny the power
of God's Son, who is called the Word of God. They deny His deity. They deny His power, claiming
He's just a mere man, that He's just Jesus to most people. When the Scripture says He's
God manifest in the flesh, that he came to save his people, and
he did just that, went back to glory, sat down, and now sits
on the throne with the whole universe in his hand to dispose
of as he sees fit. And the Scriptures also said
he's laughing at this foolish generation, this last generation. Yes, these are perilous times
we're living in, the last days. And if you ignore this message,
you will do so at your own peril. Thank you very much. I don't know if you can see it. Thank you very much.