Terrible Times

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  (2)  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  (3)  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  (4)  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--  (5)  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

The NASB uses the word "Difficult".  "Times of Difficulty" in the ESV.

Aren't we starting to see that today?  It's happening all around the world.  We see it in the streets of America, and in social media here in the Philippines.  We see it in everyday life, in companies, schools, television shows, movies, our neighbors.  Everywhere.

I encourage you to read the passage above slowly, reading every word, every description that Paul used in describing the last days.  And you will realize that it is happening already - everywhere.  I believe there is no doubt that we are living in the last days.

But the church needs to be vigilant and alert that these descriptions do not slowly creep into our hearts and lives.  A true believer is someone who walks by the Spirit, who daily takes up his/her cross and follows Christ.  But if we are not alert our old self will start to creep in, and control our actions.  And without warning we see ourselves looking like the world, with the same descriptions as above.

There will also be some who are "so called believers", wolves in sheep's clothing,  who have a form of godliness but have not really been regenerated.  Sadly they bring these characteristics to the church.

This is what brings trouble and difficulty even within relationships within the church. This was what Paul was warning Timothy about - those who were false teachers, unsubmissive, continuing in sin.

In the last days true believers are to continually live holy lives, lives led by the Spirit as He instructs us and guides us according to God's Word.  We need to make sure that our lives are not described by what we see in the passage above, but, rather, characterized by a love for God, and a holiness that glorifies Him in all that we do.

Nothing on Earth I Desire Except You

Psalms 73:25 ESV+  Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

 This is one of the most quoted verses of Scripture, well loved among bible Christians.  But have we ever really sat down and meditated on what this means?

The first question, the first line, is easy to accept.  Those of us who are growing with God and His Word know that there is no one else in heaven that we have except God.  Even with all the angels, and Christian saints who have gone before us, there is no one there that we have except God.

I think it’s the second line that we need to pause and ponder upon – "and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you".  Really?  Easy to say, but in reality it is a struggle in our hearts.

One of the hardest things to surrender to the Lord are our desires.  Yes, plural – “desires”, for in our hearts we have many desires.  And all of those desires are found on earth.  We may have one or two “heavenly” or spiritual desires, but they are outweighed by the desires that this world feeds to us everyday.

Just look at how the psalm begins:

Psalms 73:1-3 ESV+  A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  (2)  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.  (3)  For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 

It begins with a statement of faith – “Truly God is good…to those who are pure in heart”.  But it is quickly drowned out by ENVY.  And this envy is focused on those who are arrogant and wicked, and the prosperity that they have.

Isn’t this a question many Christians have in their hearts – why do the wicked enjoy the world?  Why are they the ones who are prosperous, who have nice cars, and big houses?  Why are they the ones with the most expensive gadgets, jewellery and “toys for the big boys”.

We see it everywhere, all around us.  And our hearts naturally envy.  And the danger comes when we begin to think “why should I remain righteous if I can’t enjoy the things that they have?”.

 But in the middle of the psalm a revival seems to happen.

Psalms 73:16-17 ESV+  But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,  (17)  until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

 Only in the presence of God, where we are graciously given His understanding of life, can we really see things clearly.

This is what lead to the psalmist saying “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

 How essential it is for believers to continually dwell in the presence of God in prayer, worship and His Word everyday!  It brings us away from the materialism and greed of this world into what really matters – God and God alone.  And this is where we find the strength to re-focus our hearts on heavenly things, rather than in this world.  And no matter how our hearts fail, God will always bring us back to Him

Psalms 73:26 ESV+  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

And in His presence we find the greatest good that our hearts can ever experience.

Psalms 73:28 ESV+  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

 

Go and tell it on the mountains!  Shout it!  This is what true Christianity is – standing in this world, proclaiming that there is nothing in this earth that can really satisfy us except God.  We were all born with the natural tendency to seek the things of this earth.  Our sinful nature has given us a heart that seeks peace and satisfaction away from God and in the things of this earth.  The good news is by His grace, He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us from this sinful nature, and bring us to a life that is truly life – a life eternal, a life that is knows that there is nothing else to desire in this world except God Himself.

People will be Lovers of Themselves

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  (2)  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  (3)  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  (4)  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--  (5)  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

When the apostle Paul wrote this portion of his second letter to Timothy, he did not just have in mind what was happening in the world.  From the first chapter to the last Paul was dealing with a pastor who was surrounded by false teachers, carnal believers, “savage wolves” who came from within the church, as he warned them about in Acts 20:

Acts 20:28-31 NIV  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  (29)  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  (30)  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  (31)  So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Even from your own number.  Scary, isn’t it?

So when Paul described what was happening in the last days, it wasn’t just about the world – it was also about what was happening within the church.  You just have to take a close look at those who call themselves Christians today, and you will see that the description Paul shares is happening inside the church.

Most especially the first line, which we tend to breeze through without really thinking about it:

2 Timothy 2:2  People will be lovers of themselves…

And how important is it for Christians to understand that loving ourselves is a sin that we all struggle with, and that we have to seriously deal with.  We don’t have to look at the world and all its problems to see that the love of self is the root…we just have to look at our hearts.

• Why are we having problems with our marriages?  The love of self.
• Why are children disobedient to parents?  The love of self.
• Why do single Christians fall into sexual sin?  The love of self.
• Why are we so proud, so self dependent, even to the point of living lives on our own, rather than trusting in God?  The love of self.

And so on and so forth…the list is endless.  In fact, could it be safe to say that the rest of the “list” or description that Paul shares with Timothy are all related to loving ourselves?

(2)…lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  (3)  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  (4)  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--

Shouldn’t this make true believers step back and check if the way we live, the way we act, are all reflecting our love for ourselves, rather than a love for God?

Shouldn’t this make us check our posts in facebook, instagram, twitter, etc.?  Of course all of us are “social” beings, and we need to be socializing with other people, which is what social media exists for (and, may I say, takes advantage of).  In and of itself there is nothing wrong about facebook, or instagram, or any other social media site.  But as disciples of Christ should this not make us check our hearts as we socialize with other people?  What is it that motivates us to stay on social media – our love for our self?  Or should it be something else…or Someone else?

Shouldn’t this warning of Paul to Timothy in describing the last days, and the love that people will have towards our selves, move us to go back to our Lord and His teachings, and reflect on how we should live?

Luke 9:23-25 NIV  Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  (24)  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  (25)  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Galatians 2:20 NIV  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

In the last days this is how we should be living – denying our self, taking up our cross and following our Savior and Lord.  We should be living with our “I” crucified, and the life we live in the body we live by faith in our Lord and Savior, trusting in Him and His Word to lead and guide our life, our words, our actions.

The life that describes a believer in these “last days” is someone who loves God, all because He showed us how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son to die for our sins.

Ephesians 6:24 NIV  Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

It is this love for God, that He Himself has placed in our hearts, that will drown out our love for our self, and lead us to a life that is pleasing to God.

TAKING CARE OF OUR MIND

Ephesians 4:17-18 NIV  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  (18)  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

I am afraid that there are many Christians today who underestimate the importance of the mind.  We look at Christianity SOLELY as a working of the heart.  As long as my heart prays, sings, has faith in God and feels good, then my Christianity is ok.  Take note:  I said SOLELY as a working of the heart.  Presenting our heart before the Lord, our inner man, is essential.  Taking care of our heart is important.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Colossians 3:1-3 NIV  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  

We are to set our hearts on things above, yes.  But have you ever noticed verse 2-3?  

(2)  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  (3)  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

We are to set our MINDS on things above, not earthly things.  This is because we have been raised with Christ!  We are a new creation.  We are not of this world anymore ever since our hearts have been born again.

This is why both our HEART and our MIND are essential to the believer.

Our thinking, our understanding, of God and the life He wants us to live, in contrast to the life of this world, is important.  The difference between how a Christian thinks, how we understand things, compared to this world, is a major fruit that a true believer bears in his life.

Sadly, many Christians do not take care of their minds.  We spend more time listening or reading the news, opinions of other people, the emotions of the world, rather than the Word of God.

Because many Christians do not take care of their minds spiritually the thinking of the world takes over.  We have become “social media Christians”, satisfied with the beautifully crafted verses of Scripture that are posted, quotes from famous pastors, and yet do not spend quality time with God reading and meditating upon His Word.  We do not make time to read chapter upon chapter, book upon book, of God’s Word, and spending time with other believers and discussing Scripture and learning from one another.

And what happens is it takes its toll upon our minds.  Our view of the world, of current events, of situations and problems are all formed by what the world says, rather than what God says.  We are swayed by the emotion of people, rather than the words of God.  We see things as the world sees, rather than how God sees.  As Jesus said when He rebuked Peter - "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" Mark 8:33

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he strongly insisted that Christians do not live as the Gentiles do.  But notice that his focus was not just in the actions, but in the thinking:

Ephesians 4:17-18 NIV  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  (18)  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

The futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding.  A Christian who is growing in God’s word eventually realizes that the way the people of the world think, the way they understand things, are totally different to how the Lord wants us to think, to understand life and it’s circumstances.  The way the world thinks leads them to actions that are separated from the life of God.  And Paul was firm in saying – this is not how we should live.

A Christian sharpens his or her mind with God’s Word, so that God’s will becomes clear to us.  Not because we have to, but because God’s will becomes our very desire, the very goal of our life.

Romans 12:2 NIV  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God renews our mind everyday, so that His will becomes clear to us, and that we may walk in it and live lives that are pleasing to Him.

Are we submitting to that working of God – both in our hearts and minds?

Let’s take care of our minds, brethren, and fill it with God and His Word, that it may be reflected in our words and our actions.

Colossians 3:16-17 NIV  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  (17)  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

THE HABIT OF SEEKING GOD'S COUNSEL

1 Kings 22:4-5 NIV  So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."  (5)  But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD." 

2 Kings 3:11-12 NIV  But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?" An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. "  (12)  Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

Jehoshaphat was one of the few kings of Judah who had a heart that followed the Lord.  And you see that in his “habit” of making sure to seek counsel from the Lord, or to seek a prophet that would give them a word from God concerning their circumstances.  Obviously it was important for Jehoshaphat to know that what he was doing was in accordance with God’s will.

Even Jehoshaphat’s attitude of seeking counsel from the Lord was right.  Look again at the incident in 1 Kings 22:

1 Kings 22:6-8 NIV  So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-- about four hundred men--and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand." 

First, we see here that Jehoshaphat had DISCERNMENT.   These so-called “prophets” were not really speaking God’s word to them, only what the king of Israel wanted to hear.  Jehoshaphat sensed it.

(7)  But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?"  (8)  The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that," Jehoshaphat replied.

The king of Israel was the opposite of Jehoshaphat.  He wasn’t someone who sought God’s will at all. And, his attitude towards the counsel of the Lord is evident in his words - There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.

Jehoshaphat quickly rebuked him - "The king should not say that".  Jehoshaphat knew that God's counsel, whether we agree with it or not, is God's counsel.  He had full trust in God, to the point that if God said "No", he would submit.

Jehoshaphat reflects the kind of heart that we should have.  A heart that makes it a habit to seek the counsel of the Lord, that inquires of God in His word.

The Old Testament believers were dependent on prophets to hear God’s Word.  Today we are blessed to have the Bible, God’s revealed Word, and the Holy Spirit who “speaks” this word in our hearts.

To seek God’s counsel is not like setting an appointment with a guidance counsellor, and then ask their advice.  Seeking God’s counsel is a state of heart, it is something that we long for, that we seek after, every moment of the day.  This is why spending time reading and meditating on God’s Word is essential to the life of a Christian.  It is not an option.  It should be a habit, just like Jehoshaphat.

Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV  Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,  (16)  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  (17)  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

And our attitude must be like Jehoshaphat also.  When we seek God’s counsel we don’t only look for that which is good, or beneficial for us.  We seek the counsel of God knowing that it is good for us – whether it goes against what we want or not.

Romans 12:2 NIV  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God’s will is good, pleasing (to God, not necessarily for us), and perfect (because it comes from a perfect God).  Our sinful minds and flesh will disagree with God's will, and tempt us to disobey.  But if we are truly submitted to Him, and honor God above ourselves, we will gladly obey His will.

This is why the work of transformation in our hearts through the renewing of our mind by the Holy Spirit is essential in a Christian's discernment of God's will.  

Again, that’s the reason why daily reading and meditating upon Scripture, as the Holy Spirit ministers to us, is vital for every believer.

A heart dependent on the Holy Spirit, that truly seeks God’s counsel, and is open to God’s rebuke or encouragement in His Word, is a heart that will walk in wisdom and will truly be pleasing to God.

May this be our habit, moment by moment.

Colossians 1:9-10 NIV  For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  (10)  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God