Preaching In Perilous Times

Q: What does the Bible say about perilous times?

The Bible warns in 2 Timothy 3 that perilous times will come in the last days marked by selfishness and disregard for God. In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul outlines the characteristics of the last days, describing them as perilous times. He warns Timothy, the young pastor, that during these days, people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, and disobedient to parents. This depiction reflects a society increasingly indifferent to the truth of God and marked by moral decay. Paul emphasizes that these behaviors stem from a heart that has turned away from God, leading to societal chaos and personal ruin, indicating that the end times will indeed be fraught with difficulties, as believers should expect opposition and a decline in a societal acknowledgment of God's authority.

Q: How do we know that God is sovereign?

Scripture affirms God's sovereignty repeatedly, showing that all things are under His control, including the events of history. The sovereignty of God is a foundational doctrine in Reformed theology, asserting that God reigns over all creation and has absolute authority over everything that happens. Verses such as Romans 8:28 affirm that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, indicating His divine providence. The doctrine of election found in Ephesians 1:4-5 also reflects His sovereign choice in salvation, reinforcing that His purposes are unchangeable and that He accomplishes His will among the nations. Understanding God's sovereignty gives believers comfort and confidence, knowing that no matter the external tumult, God's plans are being realized in His timing and for His glory.

Q: Why is preaching important in perilous times?

Preaching the truth of God’s Word is vital in perilous times to uphold the faith and guide believers amidst societal decay. In times of moral decline and societal chaos, preaching the Word of God serves as a necessary anchor for believers. As emphasized in 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul charges Timothy to 'preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season.' This command underlines the necessity of declaring the truth consistently, regardless of external circumstances. Preaching exposes the lies of the culture that contradict the truth of Scripture and provides believers with the guidance they need. It equips them to stand firm in their faith and to navigate the challenges posed by a world increasingly at odds with God’s standards. As believers, it is essential to engage with the Word faithfully, to ardently uphold the truths of the Gospel, especially during perilous times.

Q: What is the significance of the gospel in our lives?

The gospel is the power of God for salvation and is essential for believers’ growth and assurance in Christ. In sovereign grace theology, the gospel represents God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ, encompassing His life, death, and resurrection, which provides the only means of salvation for humanity. Romans 1:16 states that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, underscoring its foundational role in the believer's life. The message of the gospel is not merely the entry point for salvation; it is also the substance of a believer's ongoing spiritual growth. As stated in 2 Timothy 3:15, the Scriptures are able to make one wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ. This power of the gospel transforms hearts, cultivates faith, and encourages a life devoted to God’s glory, equipping believers to endure challenges and remain steadfast in their walk with Christ.

They traveled forty years in
the desert. Forty years. There were things
that befell them. Spectacular and wonderful things
happened in their midst. Yet they quickly forgot them,
didn't they? And they were unbelieving. But
remember, these things took place over a period of forty or fifty
years. They began when they were in
Egypt with all of those calamities and disasters that took place,
the plagues. The plagues, do you remember?
But these things, you see, took place over a period of forty
or fifty years. And we look down on them. We
look at them as if, how could they be so stupid? How could
they be so ignorant? How could they so easily and
quickly forget these marvelous and miraculous things that took
place in their life. Well, it's the same with us.
It's not one way different. Think back on all, some of you
that are over 40, think back on all that has befallen this
world in just the past 40 years. Let's go back 45 years or so
to the Second World War. Think of the hundreds of thousands,
yea, even millions of The people who have been killed in wars
and rumors of wars. How many people did the Israelites
see killed and slaughtered and butchered and so forth and die? Think of the catastrophic natural
disasters that have taken place in your lifetime. Hurricanes,
floods, tornadoes, earthquakes. That earthquake that took place
in San Francisco just two years ago, two short years ago, I guarantee
you that San Francisco's plum forgot about that. Tornadoes, floods, droughts,
famines, pestilence, diseases, all these things took place to
the Egyptians and Israelites, didn't they? And the same thing's
happening now, isn't it? All the miracles and signs and
wonders in heaven and earth. What have you seen in the course
of your life? As far as the marvelous, wondrous works of God, my soul,
you've seen no less than they have. You've got water out of
the rock. And you've seen bread come down from heaven. Yeah,
you have. You've got meat until it's coming
out of your nostrils. Haven't we? I mean, not one way
different than the Israelites. And like Israel today, all is
forgotten. God is not worshipped. Most are
unbelieving, right? I believe the coming of Christ
draws near. And nothing makes me believe it more than the text
before us this morning, 2 Timothy 3. Let's look at that together. Nothing makes me believe more
that we're in these last days than how the Apostle Paul describes
our day right now. It's as if he were standing on
a precipice, on a hill, and looking out over our land today, reading
the headlines or whatever, and saying, yeah, this is it. Now, the Apostle Paul is writing
to a young pastor in a town called Ephesus, whose name is Timothy.
And he warns and encourages this man concerning the last days.
He says in verse 1, now this know also. He just had given
him many instructions and exhortations and so forth. Now this know also,
young Timothy, that in the last days, the last days perilous
times shall come. The last days. You know, we even,
what are the last days? The last days, scripturally speaking,
is the day of Christ. When Christ first set foot upon
this earth, that was the beginning of the end. Right? The last days. We measure our time in last days,
don't we? Anno Domino. A.D. Right? In the year of our Lord. In the year of our Lord. the
last days before his second coming. And he says here, there will
be perilous times in those last days. The word perilous means
difficult. It means dangerous, furious,
fierce times. We're living in fierce times.
I looked the word up also. It also means times that are
going down into a void. To lower as into a void. And
that's exactly what God's going to do with our day and time and
our world. Lower it into an abyss, a pit. Perilous times because, look,
look at these descriptions. In these last days, men shall
be lovers of their own selves. Christ said, the love of many
shall wax cold. The love of parents for children
is on the wane, isn't it? And vice versa. Real love between
husbands and wives is waning, greatly waning. The divorce rate
is over 50 percent now. It was unheard of just about
20 or 30 years ago, wasn't it? Divorce? The love of friends,
that is true love. for friends. That is a love which
wants to be around, be with, bear up, take care of, do things
for. Love of friends, between friends.
It's on the wane. I don't see much of it. Why? Because it says men shall be
lovers of their own selves. I love myself. I love myself. And this is This characteristic
is partially a result of the false doctrine in preaching that's
going on today, isn't it? I mean, there's no preaching
of sin, the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There's no calling men
what they are from God's Word. There's no preaching of the holiness
of God whereby men may loathe themselves, right? You see what
I'm saying? There's no preaching of the exceeding
sinfulness of man and the exceeding altogether holiness of God whereby
men and women hear this and say, hey, I'm an undone, wretched,
I'm a man of unclean lips. So therefore, they don't esteem
others better than... No. Today's preaching is along the
line of love yourself. And this fosters, look at verse
2, this love of self fosters Covetousness. Covetousness. We live in a materialistic
society. You know that. Everything bombards
us and is hurled at us that might appeal to our senses. The love
of self in a materialistic society Love of self breeds covetousness. Covetousness. This love of self.
I've got this written down. I've got to say it. It breeds
covetousness. When you truly love and are concerned
with and taken up with yourself more than anyone else, you'll
even forsake your flesh and blood. You'll forsake your husband,
your wife. You'll forsake your parents.
You'll forsake your children. This love of self which breeds
covetousness is what makes parents leave their children in the hands
of strangers in order to have a bigger house and a better car
and all the things that this life has to offer rather than
do exactly what God says for them to do and that is raise
their children, teach them, raise them in the fear and the admonition
of the Lord. And if our children, I've got to say this, even if
it hurts, it's true. Our children, if they turn out
bad, we have only ourselves to blame because we're leaving them
in the hands of strangers in a godless, God-hating society. We're in direct disobedience
to the way that God intends for his people to raise their children.
We've got a soul in our care, a soul of a child. We've got
very few hours in the day to spend with that child. What we
need to do with that child is to give them ourselves and what
we know. that God has taught us. These things need to be said.
If our children turn out right, we have God to give all the glory
and the credit to. If they turn out wrong, because
we have left them in the hands of strangers today, and this
society is reaping what the daycare generation has sown. And we're
going to see that here in a minute. It's going to go on down and
tell us. But you, as God-fearing, God-believing people, I have
no excuse. Whatever it takes. I didn't mean
to get off on this, but I've got to say it. Whatever it takes
in order to teach and raise your children while you have them
in your care. Whatever it takes. If it takes
selling everything that you have and buying a cabin and a few
cows and chickens so that one of you can be at home to take
care of that child, that's what you ought to do. Forsake yourself,
you see. God in His goodness and mercy
and grace and kindness has given you the gift of all gifts. That
is a lovely child in your care. And he tells us in 1 Timothy
chapter 2, it's very clear to the ladies, to care for your
children. And you know what care your children
need more than anything? Yourself. And you're going to
wake up some day, they're going to be 18 years old, and they're
going to be gone down the road, and you're going to say, I didn't
spend two hours with them. Right? What I'm saying is from the scripture
here, folks. Love of self breeds covetousness
and will sacrifice everybody and anything for the sake of
our own pleasures. Faithful are the wounds of freedom.
Okay? Men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous boasters. Look at that, verse 2. Boasters.
Men, women, boys and girls are big talkers, aren't they? Big
talkers. Everybody's a big talker. Everybody knows everything. They
can do everything. Even little kids. You try to tell them something. I know. No, you don't have the
slightest idea. But this is what our society
is. This is the way it's headed. Boasters. Proud. See that boaster's
proud? Proud of race, space, or grace.
I'm the biggest, I'm the baddest, I'm the best, I'm the richest,
I'm the prettiest, I'm the smartest, I'm the fastest, I'm the strongest.
I just am that I am, you know. Right? I use L'Oreal because I'm worth
it. Isn't this the attitude of our generation? I deserve it. Take what's yours, you deserve
it. Blasphemers. See this? Blasphemers. God's
name, Jesus Christ's name, is on the lips of everyone in unholy,
irreverent, careless, flippant, light manner. Their names are
on bumper stickers, restroom walls, t-shirts. God's name is blasphemed on every
hand, isn't it? And especially men and women
who blaspheme the Word of God, the character of God and of Christ
and His Holy Spirit by twisting, corrupting, imagining and perverting
the truth of this man-made religion that goes on today. Blasphemous. You see them, you hear them.
People are blasphemers and they don't They don't think a thing
about taking that name on their lips and just saying whatever
comes to their mind about God. Jesus Christ, that holy name
which is above every name, is a common curse word today, isn't
it? Ten years ago, Joe, it was never heard of, was it? You didn't
hear men take the name of Jesus Christ on their lips. Somehow
or another, God restrained that even. They used God's name in
vain to damn people with, but now Jesus Christ is the byword,
isn't it? We're living in the last days. disobedient to parents, and this
is a direct result of what we were just talking about a while
ago. There's no respect, absolutely zero respect in children today
for elders, is there? One of the commandments of God
in the very beginning, respect your elders. There's no respect
whatsoever among our children. Even in some believers, children
are rude, they're disrespectful, they're inconsiderate, they're
proud, they're boastful, they're loud. Children used to be. They
were to be seen and not heard, you know, but now they're loud,
they're impolite, they're demanding, they're temperamental, they're
wild, asses cold. What does that tell you about
the parents? Go out in a public place. We
were just, I don't know where it was we were recently. Oh,
at a ball game. We went to the Franklin County
ball game Friday night. I'd walk down through there with
my six-year-old daughter. Here's young teenagers and kids
of all ages just cussing. Here's a six-year-old girl, parents
behind me, cussing out the referee, you know. Walking down, and kids
would knock you down. Who cares if you're a man and
you've got a daughter? Who cares? No respect, disobedient
to parents, unthankful. unthankful. Not only children,
you know, children demand everything now. They don't ask for it, they
demand it. They demand it. Anytime you go
in a store, you know, I want this, I want that. You think
you're going to get something every time you go in a store?
That's what we've done to appease their love, see. What they want
more than anything else is us, not what we give them, but because
we're not around to give them us, we give them what we think
and buy their love, right? I'm not guilty. Unthankful. Not only children,
but men and women. By nature, they don't give God
a passing thought. Although God has blessed them,
everybody, with the goodness of all that he has bestowed upon
them, they don't give God... Why don't I take it back? They
do give God a passing thought. But the silly—this is the reason
I'm so down on this praying at the restaurant and so forth—the
silly, ritualistic head bowings before God is an abomination
to God. Thankfulness from the heart is
not a silly ritual you go through so everybody else can see it.
It's a life lived of thankfulness. It's day by day, hour by hour,
minute by minute, the heart going up to God in thankfulness. Not
a mere show of your hats. Abomination to God Almighty.
We said in Isaiah 1, do away with this stuff. Didn't we? Thankfulness is a continual,
daily, hourly giving of thanks. It's a life lived in thankfulness
to God. Whatever you're doing, not a
mere show of religion. God says that's a stench in His
nostrils. It's distasteful to anybody that
has any sense about it. Who'd you talk to, man? You appear
into the presence of the thrice-holy God just now in about ten seconds. You see the foolishness of that
stuff? It says it's unholy, unthankful. I hope I'm not preaching me.
We're in the last days. We're in it. I'm preaching soberly
and sincerely, I hope. I'm not preaching, I really,
I'm not preaching down at you at all. I'm not preaching to
you people per se. I'm just describing our times
here. Paul's describing the times. Unthankful, unholy, unholy. That is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, godliness.
Scoffed at and mobbed at today, aren't they? The general morality
is considered old-fashioned, out-of-date, archaic, ignorant,
and foolish. That's why it's a dog-eat-dog
world. Man, you've got to take what
you can get. Grab all the gusto, no matter who you tear down,
no matter who gets in your way. Knock him down. Get what's yours,
you know. That's the society we're living in—unholy, ungodly,
without—look at this—without natural affection. Verse 3. Turn
over to Romans chapter 1 with me. Romans chapter 1. without
natural affection. You remember the scripture that
says, woe unto men. There's coming a time when men
are going to call evil good and good evil, right? Now, degrading, despicable, damnable,
ungodly, wretched, vile, gutter, sodomy and all that is called
sexual preference. They call evil—it's the most
abominable and reprobate of all evils, perhaps. At least, Paul
spends a great deal of time with it. And yet men now are calling
this, it's okay, it's good, and it will soon be taught in our
schools, won't it, as a matter of choice. That's the time I
take my child out of public school. Without natural affection, look
at Romans 1, verse 22. God says, professing themselves
to be wise. Hey, we're an intellectual generation
now. We're wise. That's old-fashioned,
archaic, out-of-date mentality. That's puritanical thinking that
this is wrong. We've learned some things, Rick.
We're wise now. They become fools. changing the
glory of the uncorruptible God in the image made like the corruptible
man. You hear them say it in the newspaper,
don't you, Ed? God made me like I am. Wherefore God gave them up, verse
24, unto uncleanness through the lust of their own bodies
to dishonor their bodies between themselves. That's about as clear
as you can make it in. Who changed the truth of God
into a lie, That is, whatever God says and expressed opposite of what is being taught
now. In deference to that, they've
changed it into a lie. They worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator. For this cause God gave them
up unto vile affections. Even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature, harlotry, and
so forth. Even that's acceptable now. Got
them on our talk shows, you know. And making the media darlings
out of them, you know. Prostitution. Likewise, also
the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their
lust, one toward another, men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense, or that is,
that mind void of any judgment or understanding whatsoever,
that same recompense of their error which was meet and right."
Unholy, without natural affection. Look back at the text. Traitors,
trucemakers, traitors. covenant agreement. Man's word
used to mean something. That's a joke now. Even, Sammy,
even these so-called contracts that ballplayers and all write
up. You know, joke. Lifetime contract. Signed, sealed, delivered. Well,
man, you'll negotiate, renegotiate next spring. Contract. Truths breakers. False accusers. National Enquirer and the Star
is the most popular newspaper today. False accusers. Why? We love it. Love gossip. Love slander, lies, rumors. Love
it. Feed it to me. Love lies. Gotta
have more lies. Tear somebody down. Make them
grovel in the dirt. Especially somebody rich, you
know, or famous. We'd like to see them suffer. False accusers. Make bait. Incontinence. Incontinence. No self-control. Completely self-indulgent. Gluttonous. Wild. Passionate.
No self-restraint. If it feels good, do it. What
are the two most popular slogans today? Why ask why? I don't care what
the words are. Why ask why? Just do it. Isn't that the two slogans? Why ask why and just do it. Fierce. Young people, you listen
to what I'm saying. Jennifer, you listen to what
I'm saying. We're reading from God's Word here. Incontinent. Fierce. Fierce. Wars and rumors
of war. Youth gangs. Violence. Dominates. Airwaves and all that. Despisers
of those that are good. Despisers of those that are good. Religion. is despised, moral
and conservative-ism is despised, isn't it? People who are ridiculed,
mocked and scorned and have traditional virtues are despised and disdained,
right? If we're honest, we've got a
little bit of that in ourselves. Verse 4, traitors, traitors. Parents abandon children. They
throw a child in a baby dump now. Abandoned children. And it doesn't
have to take place then. It can take place when they get
a job. Abandoned children and vice versa.
Children abandoned parents. Marriages fail. Friends leave.
Traitors. Heady. Heady. That word heady
means impulsive, impetuous, impatient, rush headlong into whatever.
Just go for it. Go for it, man. Oh, I better
think about it. Don't do it or you'll lose. Go!
Headache. High-minded, it says. High-minded.
Intellectual. Educated. Educated. Education,
Sherry, is going to be the savior of our day. Did you know that?
Sure you did. That's what our society believes.
If we can just educate people, we'll get them smart enough to
where they'll, you know, we'll eradicate all crime and so forth. High-minded. Lovers. Now, here it is. Lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God. Lovers of pleasure more than
lovers of God. What will a man give in exchange
for his soul? Christ asked that. What will
a man or a woman or a young person give in exchange for their eternal
soul? For knowing God? For having eternal
life? What will they give? Anything. a bowl of oatmeal like Esau,
a mess of pottage, a better job, a better home, a car, a boat,
a game of golf, a football game, a baseball game, a ten-point
buck, a five-pound bass, a twelve-pack, a measure of a lot. That's what
I mean by a lot of worship. Then God. Right? Sure it is. Listen to this. Did you see the
quote in our bulletin? Don't have it. By Jenkins. He
said, when you forsake Christ, you forsake everything for a
trifle. For a trifle. Read that. You
forsake eternity for a moment. And so forth. Having a form of godliness, verse
5, And folks, are we living now? Is this now or what? Is it? We're smack down the middle
of it. Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof. A form of godliness. What is
that? Religion. We're in a religious day. Everybody's
a Christian. But they deny the power thereof. have a form of godliness, that
is, they have the form, the pomp, the show, the ceremony, the rituals,
the emotion, all the healings, the hand-wavings, the tongues,
the shoutings, the crying, the shows of religion, all the vain
show, the wood, hay, and the stubble, or as Isaac said to
his daddy, he got the wood and the fire, but he had no lamb.
But they got some wood, and they got a lot of fire, you know.
They got a lot of altars and this and that, and they got a
lot of fire and zeal and enthusiasm and all, but they deny the power
thereof. What is the power thereof of
true godliness or the work of God? What is the power of God?
The gospel is the power of God, and you're not hearing much gospel. Heartfelt fear and worship of
God Almighty is replaced by, what to do, you know? Fear and
trembling Fear and trembling is replaced by rushing to God's
presence and claim wonders, right? Genuine love of the truth is
replaced by seminars and share sessions, studying of God's Word,
the hungering and thirst after Christ and His righteousness,
a sober and serious and thoughtful study of God's Word. This is
godliness. This is the power of godliness.
Reverence, respect for the true gospel and its preaching. In
a word, in a sentence, godliness is the work of God. It's whatever
God does. It's the God-likeness. The work
of God. It's the work of regeneration.
It's the work of the new birth. Regeneration. This is what true
godliness is. Listen. Have a form of godliness,
but deny the power thereof. This is the power of true godliness.
First of all, it gives a knowledge of God in Christ Jesus. This
is true work of God. God, the Holy Spirit, gives the
knowledge of God. And this generation doesn't have
the foggiest idea of who the holy God is, who the sovereign
God is. No, God's in their hands, you
see. They don't have the foggiest notion. They have a form, but
they deny the power thereof of God himself. True godliness,
that is the work of God, is to give faith in Christ. John is
to take a man who's a sinner, a wretched damned, doomed, dying,
hell-bound sinner, and he knows it. Guilty before God is to take
him and point him to Christ as his only righteousness, as the
Lord his righteousness, as his only hope to get in the presence
of this holy God, as his only substitute. You've got to have
a substitute. They've lost that, haven't they? They got him an
example. They got him a martyr on a cross, but he really didn't
do anything for them. They've left substitution, the
gospel of substitution. Faith in Christ shows you've
got to have a Redeemer, that a price has to be paid. Blood
is the price, and blood's the only thing God will accept, and
it's not ours, it's the precious blood of Christ. A mediator? True faith in Christ shows, the
power of godliness shows that without faith it's impossible
to please God. Faith in what? Faith in your
faith? Faith in yourself? No, faith in Christ alone. look into Christ in him alone.
His work, his person, true godliness is love. 1 Corinthians 13 says, Though I
speak with the tongue of men of angels, I have not love. I'm sounding the brass, I'm tinkling
the cymbal. That's what I hear a lot of today, a lot of brassy
talk, a lot of tinkling going on. I'll say what I think it is.
A lot of that going on, though I speak with the tongues, and
have not a love for God, for Christ, for the gospel, for his
word, for his people, for God's glory, I'm banging a gun. Worship is true godliness. Worship, I mean an all-consuming,
true, heartfelt desire to thank, to praise, to know God, not go
through a motion, go through a form. Worship! When's the last time we've worshipped?
This is the true power of God's elicit, to consume a man with
worshiping and knowing God. Don't be a sideline. It'll be
a commitment. Holiness. What is true godliness? It's holiness that's being conformed
to the image of Christ. True godliness is service, commitment,
communion, conformity, real disciples of Christ, real Christians, followers,
disciples, students. True godliness, the power of
true godliness, gives a man a heart for Christ. Christ is not a part
of his life. Christ is his life. When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then we shall appear with him.
Now, if Christ is not our life right now, we shall not appear
with him in heaven. Right now, true godliness, the
power of truth, the work of God, the Holy Spirit in a human being
is to conform him, to take his heart, his mind, his soul, and
set his affection on things above where Christ sits at the right
hand of God, not on these dying, decaying things and people in
the world. Right? Look at verses 6 through 9 with
me now. And of this sort are they which creep into houses
and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with
different lusts, ever learning, never able to come to a knowledge
of the truth. What's the truth? It's not a
what, it's a who, it's Christ. Like Janis and Jambres, you know,
withstood Moses. We're all our own. Well, not
we, now I'm talking to us here. I'm talking about natural man.
Natural man is his own pastor. He's his own teacher. He's his
own prophet. He's his own interpreter. It's all up to your own interpretation. No, it is not. It never has been.
Never has been. No scripture, prophecy of the
scriptures have been any private interpretation. Janice and Jamber
said to Moses, you take too much on yourself. We don't like what
you're saying. And they resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds
reprobate concerning the faith. They shall proceed no further.
Their folly shall be made manifest unto all men. And that's taking
place in our day, isn't it? We're seeing some of them drop
left and right. Their folly, their foolishness. What's going
on? Being exposed at times, in God's
good times. But, he says, young Timothy,
but, Timothy, But Timothy. Look at verse 14.
Oh, Timothy. Timothy, Timothy, who's
sat under the gospel for so long now. Continue. Now I'm speaking to
you all. Continue in the things you've
learned and has been assured of. What is that? God's God. God's God. He's holy. He's sovereign. He's God. I don't
care what the masses say. God's on the throne. I don't
care what's popular. God's on the throne. I don't
care how good it sounds. God's on the throne. Man is helpless,
helpless, hopeless. I wish I'd come up with another
adjective to describe man's baseness. The Scripture is called exceeding
sinfulness of his sin. Man is a dung. The best of man is dung. Go out in a cow pasture and find
you a pile. That's man in his goodness, isn't
it? Oh, this generation, oh, they
won't hear of that, will they? That's what just God says. He
says He raises a beggar off the what? Dung heap. If He raised you when He reached
down for me, do we just sing that in word only? Do we mean
it? Down! He had to reach way down
to get me. And if He's going to reach out
for me now and do anything with me, He's still going to reach
down for me, doesn't He, John? Off the gutter snipe, I'm still
a gutter snipe. Still got to raise me daily to
walk in newness of life. Daily. Continuing the things you've
heard. What things? Christ. Christ. The only Savior. Your only wisdom. Your only righteousness. Your
only sanctification. I don't care what these fee-fiddlin',
foo-in', law-legalistic lumpkins say. You've got no righteousness
of your own, do you? And gets filthy ragged. That's
what God says about our rights. Filthy, filthy, stinking. Look
up the word. Filthy rags. Our works. No good. God doesn't look at
our works, Ed, does he? Oh, no. Only one man's works
he ever paid any attention to. And he said, now there's a good
work. Why? Because it came from the
heart. came for the glory of God, came out of true love and redemption, wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. Christ, it's in Christ, not our
decision. Continuing that, it's not our
decision, not our decision. Continue to stand firm, stand
fast. Don't let anybody move you away
from this only hope. It's the only good news we've
got. And from a child, verse 15, you've
heard these things, you've known the holy scriptures. Some of
you all, Jennifer, you've been sitting under the gospel since
you were a baby. Since you were a baby. If you ever leave the
gospel, you're lost. God will deal with you. Kevin,
Shannon, you've been sitting under it a long time now. It's
as serious as your soul is at stake. You've heard the Word. You've had a faithful teacher
down there teach you the Word, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday,
even though you may have grown tired of it and so forth. You'd
better continue. You'd better get serious about
these things you're hearing, because your soul is at stake.
The things you've learned, from a child you've known the
Holy Scriptures, they're able to make you wise unto salvation.
through faith which is in Christ. Andrew, I'm talking to you too.
Anna, able to make you wise unto salvation,
able to save your eternal soul. This isn't just religion we're
going through. This is truth. It's the truth. It's eternal
truth. You need to believe it. You need to come to Christ. And he says, you've heard these
things from a child. And all these things are God-given. Verse 16, all Scripture is given
by inspiration of God. Peter said, we've not followed
cunningly devised fables. We've made known unto you the
truth of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It's the God-breathed, inerrant, infallible, inspired, immutable,
perfect, holy and true Word of the living God. We see that so
clearly all the time, don't we? The complexity of it. How profound,
the profundity of it. How profound it is. We go back
in the obscure little passages way back, written thousands of
years before the fact, and we see marvelous prophecies revealed. And you have to say, if you've
been looking at it and studying it, you have to say, God wrote
this book, didn't He? No mere mortal man could have
done it. No way. Too profound. And it's profitable
for doctrine? Yeah, good old doctrine. And
it's old doctrine, ain't it, Joe? Old doctrine. Doctrine as
old as doctrine. Doctrine depravity as old as
man, isn't it? Doctrine of sovereignty as old
as God. As old as God. Doctrine. I love it. Particular redemption is as old
as redemption. Anybody say redemption was a
particular individual, wasn't it? God never did save masses. He saved particular people, chosen
people. Election? Particular. Now, look,
I'll hurry. Chapter 4. He says unto this
young preacher, Timothy, I charge you before God. I charge you
now before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick
and the dead. That is, those who have died,
those who are living. At His appearing in His kingdom,
I've charged you. You have nobody else to answer
to but Christ. You better preach. Verse 2, preach
the Word. Yeah, preach. No, let's have
a share. No, preach. Let's have a roundtable
discussion. No, preach. But that's out of
date. No, in season. Out of season. It's out of season right now,
isn't it? I take it back. Preachers are in season. Everybody's
gunning at them, as well as they probably should. But there are
some true ones still going, taking place. In season, out of season. Popular or not, in spite of the
trends of the day. Go ahead, preach. Preach what? Did Paul say, woe is unto me
if I preach not? I got to preach you know that's
what you see is young you see him you hear him all the time
young upstarts who. You know reform their ways with
the drink and smoke and get religion all I got to preach we don't
preach I don't know but I just got to preach. Like old A.I. May as running without you don't
have a message man you don't know anything about the king's
son yet stand aside no I want to run I want to run go preach
then. Like the kid preaching to his dog, you know. His mother
said, preach. He said, well, I took my dog
down the street and he saw a cat. She said, no, come on now, preach.
He said, took my dog down the street and he saw a cat. She
said, no, that's preaching. Preach! Preach what? God forbid that I should preach
or be taken up with anything, any other message but Christ
and Him crucified. N.C. and that's out of season
in the gospel preaching. Now it's, well, anything goes. Sky's the limit what you can
preach about and get a crowd now. But the gospel of Christ
is still the power of God unto salvation. We don't see it, we
don't experience it here in this little group very much. We don't
experience the masses of people coming down, confessing Christ
and weeping because we just don't see that much of it. What are
we going to do, change our tactics? And what are we going to do?
You want me to stand up with a clown suit on on the roof, you know, and
put ten dollar bills? Preach the gospel. Preach. It's
still the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. God's
still got a sheep out there, and His sheep are still going
to hear His voice. What is His voice? The gospel voice. They're
still going to hear it, and they're going to come in one by one,
little black sheep, one by one. And then He tells them, He exhorts
him here, go ahead and preach, but prove what I said a while
ago about I could weep in saying those things.
I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't want to make
anybody sad. I don't want to make anybody.
But it's what I'm talking about parents and their children. It's
sorrow, isn't it? Is it sorrow from God's word? Have you ever
read? You've read the same book I'm
reading. Who raised us? A stranger? No, our parents. Reprove. Reprove. I need reprove on every
hand. I need a whole lot more than
that. That's too many to buy as much good as anything. Wasn't
it, Henry? Two before, a mule needs two before every now and
then. I don't want to be the one to give it, but I'll tell
you this, it'll be a two-by-four if you listen to it. It'll be
a two-by-four between your eyes one at a time. I mean, it'll
hit you upside the head, and you say, well, that's exactly
what it says, doesn't it? I've read that, but I wasn't
listening, evidently. Whack! That's what it says. Rebuke. Faithful are the wounds
of a friend, an iron sharpeneth iron. Denounce error, be intolerant
of things that are compromised and not according to the truth
and hurtful and all that. This is the bad part of this
job, but it's part of it. And what I say, I want to say
it right here, from the pulpit, from the Word. Be true to this
Word, true to your soul. I want to say it right here,
not in private. huffy and offended and private. I don't want to say anything
that's contrary to the Word. Just read, go down and look through
the Word. If you won't receive that, nothing I say or anybody
else can say is going to convince us otherwise. Exhort. Boy, I want to do a whole lot
more than that, more of exhorting and comforting than I do rebuking
and admonishing and reproving and all. Exhort. Persuade men. Behold your God. Come to Christ. and doctrine. Doctrine, there it is again.
Roberta, there it is. Doctrine. We don't even like
to hear the word today, do we? Now, I have to keep clarifying. I'm not talking we. We love the
doctrine of Christ. But most men and women, most
people don't. Verse 3 explains it. The time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They'll
not endure sound doctrine. What doctrine? The cheapest doctrine. Sovereignty
of God. Sovereignty of God. Won't endure
it. Can't stand it. Like that man told me at work.
I'll believe anything but that. And he did. But after their own lusts, that
is, after their own imagination, their own desires, their own
selfish pride and thoughts and so forth, they will heap to themselves
teachers Having itching ear people are like you know. Some of you
to be bar hoppers people now are church hoppers. One to the next they find one
they like. To leave eventually find what they want to hear and
they sit there. And they pour the money in the
coffers especially if he's a tickling their ears and scratching their
back you know I'll scratch your scratch my. reason that so many that's reason
why you think why do we think so many of them are still in
business why do we think that there's a new. Fool on TV ever
every day there's a new fool and who's getting rich on TV
to why. He didn't fail tell me some more
I like this and that doesn't work you know it goes and plays
it just try something else. Try something else. And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth." I've said this so many times that
men would rather put up their silly clichés than just the Word
of God. In the face of Scriptures like
this, when God says, I'll by no means clear the guilty, they
say, God is too loving to send men to hell. When God says, the
wrath of God abides upon the ungodly, they say, God is love. When God says, all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God, and all are dead in trespasses
and sin, and none righteous, no, not one, none that doeth
good, no, not one, men say, no, there's some good in everyone.
When God says it's appointed unto men once to die and after
that to judgment, people say, no, I've got my whole life ahead
of me, I'm looking forward to retirement. When God says, I'm
the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes unto the Father
but by me, they say, well, I'm going my way, you go your way,
we'll all get there in the end. When God says, by grace you're
saved, they say, well, something good happens, they say, I must
be living right. When God says, through faith
and not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, they say, I made
my decision, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. When God
says, it's not of him that willeth or him that runneth, but God
that showeth mercy, they say, no man has a free will. When
God says He has chosen His people and Him before the foundation
of the world, they say, I don't believe that election. When God
says He's predestinated the people under the conformity of Christ,
the adoption of children, they say, I believe anything but that. Turn their ears from the truth.
I just read ten scriptures unto Thabos. Are we living in the
last days, or what? Are we? And Paul says, O Timothy, O Timothy, these are perilous
times, but you've heard. Blessed are your ears. If only we knew what this blessing
was. You've heard, you've known, and I hope you have believed
with all your heart. The Holy Scriptures, the Word
of God, the Gospel of your salvation, which has been preached so plainly
to you, continue in them. Paul says to young Timothy, and
he says to us, continue in them. Seek the Lord. Call upon Him. Come to Christ. Believe Him. Trust Him. Worship Him. Follow
Him. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ our Savior,
especially in these last and perilous days. Grow up in Christ
in all things. May the holy, sovereign God grant
you salvation, which is in Christ, because we're living in perilous
times. This is preaching in perilous
times, what the title of this is. The last days. perilous times
I tell you it's like reading a newspaper right there it's
second Timothy two or three and four like reading the newspaper.
We're living in a folk when Christ coming I don't know but he said
you ought to know the parable of the big tree when she shoots
forth from green leaves you know something's happening. He's coming and even I and I
say and then you should say I hope you say we all say Even so, come,
Lord Jesus. Save my children. But come quickly. Why? It's getting out of hand.
Perilous times. I'm fearful. That little girl
grows up. The more they grow up, don't
you, the more fearful you become. He's turning them loose in a
perilous time. And their only hope, Jeanette,
is that they might know the One you know. Their only hope. Or else they're going to be goners.
Goners. It's the reason we have such
responsibility. The reason I've dwelled on that a good bit. We've
got a responsibility. God didn't give us a baby. He
doesn't give us children just so we can play with them. God entrusts us with an eternal
soul that needs to be taught and instructed and raised in
the fear and in the admonition of the Lord. Just like He does
basically with His children. He doesn't leave us in the hands
of anybody else. He commits unto them gives gifts,
prophets, apostles, preachers, teachers, pastors, evangelists,
instruct, lead, guide. He said, I'll never leave you.
I'll never leave you. Thank God. You'll never leave me. Somebody's
going to be home when I need them. Timothy, you've heard the Word. Now you continue these things.
God will bless you. able to make you wise and salvation,
maybe even the saving of your house. Saving of your house. Let's sing
372. 372. That's not it, is it? That's certainly not it. If any of you saw that. It's
272. 272. 272, solid rock. Listen to the words.
We sing it so much, but the words are first and last standard of
what we want to sing. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and His righteousness. And in verse 4 it says, When
He shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in Him be found,
dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before
His throne. Stand with me. Let's sing first
and last verse. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock
I stand, All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground
is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet
sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Dressed in His bridegroom's
dress alone, God, let there stand me For the full mornin' Christ's
a-fallin' I stand all other groundin' Sinking sand all other groundin'

Preaching In Perilous Times

What does the Bible say about perilous times?

How do we know that God is sovereign?

Why is preaching important in perilous times?

What is the significance of the gospel in our lives?

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Preaching In Perilous Times

What does the Bible say about perilous times?

How do we know that God is sovereign?

Why is preaching important in perilous times?

What is the significance of the gospel in our lives?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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