← Back to sermon library

by way of announcements first of all that congratulations through the ruse Maria is out this morning had her baby on Friday and congratulations to Marie sorry Ivy Marie ruse a young a young one who is here in church this morning already so you're here if you invited to see the little one after the service terms of other announcements we do have a baptism coming up on July the 14th that's for Ashley van Marin and Melanie Neal's they've they've requested for baptism and so we're looking forward to that on June July the the 14th as well as they would become Church members of that time as well well let's let's begin our worship this morning by turning in our Bibles to Psalm Psalm 125 Psalm 125 Psalm 125 a song of a sense those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever as the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forever for the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity do good o Lord to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity peace be upon Israel Amen well please turn with me in your Bible or near him books us right to him number 150 see 150 see and ask you Stan [Music] [Music] amen you may be seated let's go to God in prayer and ask his blessing to be upon our meeting here this morning our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come into your holy presence this morning through your son the Lord Jesus Christ we are thankful Father for the fact that you have called us to be worshippers of you this day for Lord you are truly worthy of all worship all praise all adoration we thank you Lord that you have created this beautiful world in which we get to enjoy all those stained by sin yet father it is yet a world of beauty a world of great creation as we see the sunshine across above the mountains and see the green grass and the green trees and everything just be speaks of a of a creative God a wonderful God a God who truly does who does who has given lovingly this this beautiful creation all around us so are we praise you we thank you for that which you have blessed us with here in this in the Lower Mainland we thank you father you sustained this world as well that that that catastrophe does not come upon this world as often as really it ought to considering it is a state of sin yeah father we praise you that you are merciful to us you've called us to to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thank you Father that we do have a vested interest in the person of Christ thank you that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this url' into this earth to live a perfect life - to die as a sacrifice for our sins and and it was dead and buried and rose again so that father we might have that salvation which is in Christ Jesus Lord we we glory in our salvation we rejoice in our salvation so learn as we glory here the seat this morning in that in our great God and our and our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless our worship this morning cause us Lord with one voice there seeing our praises heavenward that father we would think not of the things in the week past or the week forward but we pray that our whole concentration might be this day upon the things of Christ as they are made clear from this pulpit this day Lord we pray that you would be pleased to Tabernacle amongst us we thank you for the word of God we thank for the spirit of the Living God and we pray Lord that you would be pleased to draw near now and that you would be enthroned by the praises of your people and cause us Lord to - - just to be fully enraptured with that that wonder of knowing the God of heaven and earth and being having fellowship with that God through your son the Lord Jesus Christ we pray Lord that you would be pleased to help us this day to put on the Lord Jesus Christ to grow in our sanctification and growing our understanding the things of Christ the things of God and we do pray Lord that you would bless us with your spirit we thank you for the spirit of the Living God and we pray that - that he would be amongst us this this morning as well be with the preacher and be with us as hearers and we do pray Lord that you would be worshiped by the way in which the Word of God has opened up here this day Father we pray for any and all who are amongst us who are ill or sick or suffering in some way for those who are not able to be with us due to illness we pray lo that you would be pleased to bless each one of them may they be able to enjoy worship this day may they be able to be in in out of discomfort and we pray that they might have their soul focus and attention upon the things of Christ the things of eternity and Lord you have blessed them in those things bless them physically bless them mentally spiritually and whatever it might a lamb this day we pray your blessing be upon them we do that dear Lord we pray and we thank you for that you are a God who also aget has given us that that hope of eternity that hope of heaven when we will no longer suffer when we will no longer deal with the physical infirmities the mental infirmities of this lower world that is stained by sin we thank you Father for that that blessed hope of knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ left this earth to go home to heaven to prepare a place for all those who are in Christ Jesus and so Lord how we pray that you would be pleased to draw near this day we pray for any and all who do not know of the things of Christ do not know a forgiveness of sin of knowing that their sins are removed from them as far as the East is from the West that their sins can be put into the deepest part of the ocean how we pray though that you would come with great mercy this day you would be pleased to save sinners even in this place and not just here but across Chilliwack and right around the world father may you be glorified in the salvation of sinners we do pray so laureates that we just ask your blessing to be upon our time here this this morning bless our worship may we may we truly be be focused as we come to worship an audience of one that is the true and living God the high king of heaven and earth we pray that you would help us in our worship now too to be single-minded upon the things that that are of eternal worth we pray in Jesus precious name Amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to a second hymn hymn 256 256 I ask you Sam [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] amen you may be seated and please turn with me your Bibles for our New Testament scripture reading as we continue to read through the New Testament in on their Sunday mornings I'll ask you to turn to John John chapter 19 I will read the first 16 verses of John chapter 19 John 19 beginning verse one so Pilate took Jesus and scourged him and the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe then they said hail King of the Jews and they struck him with their hands Pilate then went out again and said to them behold I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no fault in him then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe and Pilate said to them behold the man therefore when the chief priests and officers saw him they cried out saying crucify him crucify him Pilate said to them you take him and crucify him for I find no I find no fault in him the Jews answered him we have a law and according to our law he ought to die because he made himself the son of God therefore when Pilate heard that saying he was the more afraid and went again into the praetorium and said to Jesus where are you from but Jesus gave him no answer then Pilate said to him are you not speaking to me do you not know that I have power to crucify you and power to release you jesus answered you could have no power at all against me unless it had been given to you had been given you from above therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin from then on Pilate sought to release him but the Jews cried out saying if you let this man go you are not Caesars friend whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar when Pilate therefore heard that saying he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the pavement but in Hebrew gabbatha now it was the preparation day of the Passover about the sixth hour and he said to the Jews behold you are king but they cried they cried out away with him away with him crucify crucify him Pilate said to them shall I crucify your king the chief priests answered we have no king but then he delivered him to them to be crucified then they took him that then they took Jesus and led him away well we see in verse 12 just in to two simple comments in verse 12 that those who had had just invoked the law back in back in verse in verse 7 and it's and it's use are now basically blackmailing Pilate the in in verse 12 and it just shows the religious hypocrisy of these these unbelieving Jews that they would find fault even though they suggest that they want to uphold the law yet the very law they are seeking to uphold they they they just cast aside in order to in order to crucify our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and we look at verse 15 very a very telling verse there's many types and illustrations of course in the Old Testament that are fulfill their scene for Schauder and the Old Testament scene in the New Testament and we see that certainly in verse in verse 15 where in the last of the last part of the verse it says the chief priests answered we have no king but Caesar just in the same way that in the in the Old Testament Israel rejected God is king and they wanted to rather to have Saul instead we do we don't want God as our king we want Saul we want to be like the other nations and that's certainly the beginning of their downfall as a nation Israel and we see here the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ was was ultimately there not just their downfall but ultimately would be to their damnation up there the other eternal souls to hell what a what a picture this this whole chapter is of good and evil of the Lord yet of our of our Savior that perfect that perfect redeeming Christ whom they wanted nothing to do with and have had all of eternity to regret these very decisions these very accusations they made of such a great king such a great savior as the Lord Jesus Christ and that we would not make that same ill-fated mistake of not of not believing in this in this Savior not believing in this king the king of the universe the kid our Lord Jesus Christ so I trust that there's a there's a there's a soberness to the passage that we would all consider this this morning in regards to what we would what part we would have in in the crucifying of the Savior because we certainly don't want to stand on this part on the side of condemning such a wonderful Savior once such a such a wonderful Lord as as Jesus Christ as these as these sinners did well let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we truly do thank you Father that you are a gracious God that you sent your son the Lord Jesus Christ ultimately to fulfill all the things that you had planned for him that he would be a perfect sacrifice for on the cross of Calvary Calvary for our sins and how we praise you Father for that that that faith that you gave to us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we would that we would want to embrace a savior we won't want to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray Lord that we would learn from from what was what goes on here in this chapter that we would that father you'd be gracious to us this morning that there be that there may be individuals here in this place this day that would seek to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to embrace that that offer of the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ came sinners to save and how we praise you that father you that you work all things according to your purposes even this chapter as tragic as the narrative read for all things were worked we're working out according to your set purposes and we just praise you for that that even today father you continue to work out your set purposes in in our lives and in the life of this church and ultimately the life in this whole and in this whole world father all things are being worked out according to your purposes and we just give you our our praise our adoration for such a kind and and loving Heavenly Father that you would send the Lord Jesus and we pray that you would be pleased to bless us in this next hour of preaching we pray Lord that you would cause your word to go forth from this pulpit and in truth and and clarity and we pray that you would be pleased to bless it and just say and give to us your Holy Spirit bless the preacher we pray that pastor Butler might know that strength that age run high to a to to to to lay forth the Word of God before us as a congregation and we just pray these things in Jesus name Amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to a hymn number 543 543 and Alaska Stan [Music] [Music] amen maybe see well please turn with me in your Bibles to second Timothy chapter 3 2nd Timothy 3 we're going to take a few weeks off from our study in the book of the Acts of the Apostles July 14th we'll resume as we consider the Ethiopian eunuch there good sermon or a good passage rather for our baptism baptism service on that Sunday so beginning in chapter 3 of 2nd Timothy at verse 1 but know this that in the last days perilous times will come for men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy unloving unforgiving slanderous without self-control brutal despisers of good traitors headstrong haughty lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god having a form of godliness but denying its power and from such people turn away from this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins led away by various lusts always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth now as Janice and Jen Burris resisted Moses so did these also resist the truth men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith but they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as theirs also was but you have carefully followed my doctrine manner of life purpose faith long-suffering love perseverance persecutions afflictions which happened to me at Antioch at Iconium at Lystra what persecutions I endured and out of them all the Lord delivered me yes and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution but evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived but you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned that and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work amen well let us pray our Father we thank you for this beautiful day we thank you for your handiwork and for the demonstration of your righteousness and glory in the created order we thank you for your Providence in our lives the way you watch over us we thank you for the healthy birth of IV marine for the many blessings that you pour upon the people of this church and God we thank you for redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him and as we come on this Lord's Day to worship you we pray that you would be glorified that you would be honoured and exalted that we would come to the Father through the son in the power of the Holy Spirit and even now we pray that you would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions that you would wash us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and that you would grant us freely your Holy Spirit so that we may receive your word and we ask these things through Christ our Lord amen well one of the things we've noticed in our studies in Genesis on Wednesday night is the various difficulties and hardships and trials that Abraham faced in his life and he was a man of faithful NaCI was not a perfect man he certainly presented in Scripture as a good and a faithful man but again not a perfect man but one of the things we observed this past Wednesday night is the necessity for perseverance in the midst of hardship and trial in Genesis 21 Abraham is called upon to banish his son Ishmael he wasn't thrilled about that particular news Sarah said cast out the bondwoman and her son and and it says that Abraham was very displeased by this but then God said that this is accurate you need to do it and then following chapter 21 where he has to banish his son Ishmael he's then called upon in Genesis 22 to sacrifice his son Isaac now we are told in verse 1 that this was a test we are alerted to the reality that God does not man from his people child sacrifice that this was an instance rather where God was testing Abraham but the long and the short of it is is that Abraham persevered in difficult times it seems to me that this is the key to the Christian life or one of the keys to faithfully persevere through hardship and through trial and I want us to focus particularly this morning on verses 1 to 9 this is Paul's call to faithfulness in perilous times it's for the man of God Timothy but it was certainly for the church and Ephesus and by extension it's for the church in the 21st century and essentially what we have is a call to recognize the danger facing the church in verse 1 a description of the danger in verses 2 to 5 a certainly an exhortation to avoid the danger in verses 5 B 2 a and then finally an encouragement in spite of the danger in verse 9 seems to me that when we are told that there are dangers or perilous times we can respond with a fear and a trepidation and a withdrawal from those things that confront us but Paul doesn't address it that way in spite of the fact that there is this danger in spite of the fact that there is this apostasy in spite of the fact that there is this defection the people of God must persevere they must be encouraged and they must remember that Christ is on the throne and he's building his church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it so we'll look at those four things the recognition the description the exhortation and then finally the encouragement so let's look first of all at the recognition of the danger in verse 1 Paul tells Timothy but know this that in the last days perilous times will come now this is an intriguing statement that the Apostle gives to Timothy in light of the context remember Timothy is exhorted in chapter 2 to be a faithful man to be a persevering man to be a steadfast man in verses 24 and 25 in chapter 2 Timothy is told a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will so Timothy must be faithful to try and win back people that have gone astray that's the emphasis there into 24 to 26 but Timothy must also be wise and not engage with those men that dig in their heels that have hardened their hearts that are opponents to the faith opponents to Christianity in that instance and the one that Paul describes here in Chapter three Timothy must avoid such men Timothy must be on guard against such men and Timothy must not have truck with such man notice know this he says know this for yourself Timothy but know this as well for the church because the gospel Minister not only has a responsibility to feed the flock to tend to the lambs but he also has the responsibility to drive away the wolves he must spot and recognize false teachers he must spot and recognize those corrupting influences in the church and he must by the grace of God seek to drive those men out so they don't have effect on or wreak havoc in the life of the church so Paul says you need to know this you need to recognize this you need to understand that this is the reality now when he speaks about the last days we oftentimes put 2nd Timothy 3:1 2:9 into our future that's the the usual way that persons appeal to or address 2nd Timothy chapter 3 they say well in the last days these things are going to happen the last days is an identifier for the time of the Messiah the Old Testament prophets spoke of the last days or the latter days and we see the New Testament apostles use that same language and it describes the time period between the Ascension of Jesus Christ and the second coming of our Lord that's the last days we are in the last days but so was Timothy Paul does not say to Timothy in the last days horrible things are going to happen aren't you going to be happy that you're not a part of it no he says avoid such man he says reject such men resist such men which indicates that Timothy himself is living in the last days so the last days is not in our future but the last days is upon us the time between the Ascension of our Lord and the second coming now notice what verse 1 says know this that in the last days perilous times will come the ESV has times of difficulty the NIV renders it terrible times all good translations and as Paul goes on to describe why they are in fact terrible times I think we'd all agree I think we'd all say absolutely positively these are in fact difficulties these are in fact terrible things these are in fact perilous times so we need to be mindful in terms of this this brief statement in chapter 3 verse 1 that there are dangers out there and when we consider it if we look at say Old Covenant Israel and we look at the New Covenant as real the church there's always two different types of threats there's those enemies from without the Philistines in the Old Testament the Roman state and the New Testament but then there's those enemies within those corrupting influences the apostates and unbelievers within Old Covenant Israel and this passage deals with corrupting influences within the context of the local church in other words much of what Paul says here is very parallel to Romans chapter 1 but a distinguishing difference is the reality that these people have a form of godliness but they deny its power Paul is speaking about corrupting influences within the context of the local church he's not telling Timothy beware of the Roman state he's not telling Timothy beware of Islam he's telling Timothy to beware of those corrupting influences that creep into the context of the local church and start to derail people and start to shipwreck people when it comes to the truth of Christianity and we need to understand that for our own contacts and our own lives now notice secondly the description of the danger in verses 2 to 5 a notice the focus in verse 1 verse 2 he says for men that's your problem notice is not the environment it's not that we need to green everything or else the church is going to be ruined that's not the issue for the Apostle Paul it is men that is the corrupting influence it's not natural catastrophes well earthquakes are going to come in and hurricanes are going to comment and tornadoes are going to come that's not Paul's emphasis that's not the danger confronting the church the danger confronting the church er men men that are corrupt men that don't think God's thoughts after him men that see religion as a means of gain men that see religion as a means of exploitation men that see a religion as a means to to exalt themselves men are the problem fact John Calvin makes the observation he says what he makes the hardship of those dangerous or troubles sometimes to consist not in war nor in famine nor in disease nor in any calamities or inconveniences to which the body is incident but in the wicked and depraved actions of men that's our problem it's not the environment again it's not the catastrophes the problem is man and that's where Paul emphasizes with Timothy and now he's going to describe the specific characteristics involved notice this the list of sins again it's very similar to Romans 7 Romans 1 we call these vice lists lists of vices lists of bad things lists of wicked characteristics there are 17 adjectives here and there are two contrast we're not going to go through each of the adjectives and all of the contrasts I just want to sort of categorize what's happening in terms of this danger facing the church by way of godless men notice the sin of pride the sin of pride when we move on in this passage it will be evident and it will be obvious these are the sorts of people that creep into the households of gullible women who are loaded down with various lusts because they can't face their own sort of equals they have to prey on the weak there are proud man and they are full of themselves and they need to exalt themselves in a way that is unrighteous well Paul speaks of their pride in a couple of different ways he calls them boasters they boast they're full of themselves you say well I don't know what these sorts of people look like yeah you do I mean this is a common sin isn't it and you know what one looks like every time you look in the mirror to shave or to do your hair I mean we all have this issue again we're not suggesting none of these things are present in the true church because of remaining corruption these things are present in the true Church to some degree or other but these are not remaining problems these are reigning sins in the lives of these particular adherents they're proud men they're boasters notice as well he says they are proud and as well they are headstrong you want to see some headstrong nests do a theological debate on Twitter or on Facebook and see the headstrong nests it's not a real great location for people to admit they're wrong and to admit their faults no they dig in and they're headstrong and they have to make everybody know that they're right he then speaks of a lack of goodness and this is referred to as being unthankful and despisers of good there's this general climate of a lack of goodness that obtains among these people there unthankful there despisers of good do you imagine that despising good we may have a problem in terms of remaining corruption from fully appreciating the good but to despise the good is a diabolical trait there is something good by definition we ought to prize it we ought to praise it we ought to be about it but because of our sinful tendencies we don't always appreciate it but these men actually despise the good and their unthankful unthankfulness is characteristic of the ungodly Paul describes this in Romans chapter 1 man's biggest problem is that he doesn't glorify God as God nor is his heart thankful before Paul gets to the Weisse list in Romans chapter 1 those are the two prevailing things they don't glorify God as God and their hearts aren't thankful it's from that vantage point that all of these vices proceed and the same is true here as well he mentions disobedience to parents it's always intriguing to me that these vice lists contain disobedience to parents if you see somebody in the world the is ungodly lawless wretched and genuinely committed to despising good I guarantee you it probably didn't develop in their in their adulthood it was probably symptomatic of their childhood it was symptomatic of their youth they don't honor parents they don't obey parents they don't listen to parents their despisers of parents and this is what's happening err notice as well he says they practice slander they engage in slander go back to 2/6 for just a moment the hard-working I'm sorry to 26 in to 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will well his pall highlights the wickedness of these particular people he says that they are slanderers well that's a function of the devil those who are enslaved by the devil to do his will will certainly 8 the devil when it comes to slander see this is again something that's not absent from the true church we need to guard our hearts here brethren we ought not to be slanderers we ought not to be gossips we ought not to be those whisperers that say hey have you heard the latest without so-and-so if it's not about you it's none of your business keep it to yourself but this is a raining sort of a mindset with these people they are slanderers notice what else he says they have no self-control they are without self-control and this is a terrible thing we emphasize control by the state today some emphasize control by the church well self-control comes first self-government always ought to come first if persons govern themselves properly you won't need so much on the other end but these men have no self-control they're about themselves and whatever pleases them and then notice they engage in treason verse 4 Paul says traitors it's an amazing statement is it traitors against Christianity the word or later Christian writings used it a blasphemy and apostasy so it's a pretty bleak picture that Paul paints with reference to the church here but there's also three prevailing philosophies that are here I got this from Andy Hamilton I make no no bones about it Andy Hamilton I thought summarized this passage very well to demonstrate three prevailing philosophies three sorts of things that mark individuals in the world to be sure but again as Paul is saying to Timothy this is obtaining in the church notice these three philosophies in the first place there's a secular humanism a secular humanism why do we think that because Paul says they will be lovers of themselves isn't that what secular humanism is all about man is the measure of all things I'm the most important person on the face of the earth me myself and I that godless unholy trinity that I constantly exalt and I constantly parade secular humanism is wretched it is a loving of self but notice another prevailing philosophy materialistic idolatry say well I don't see this just go to any store just witness any group of people materialistic idolatry they're lovers of money I don't think that means kids that they have piles of money and they roll around in it it's what money provides it's what money produces it's what money can buy again we're all in the world and we all have money and we all are to use it properly and to be good stewards but we're not to be mastered by it but these persons are lovers of money which is materialistic idolatry but then there's what's called hedonism hedonism is when I really love myself and I think there's a sense where every creature loves himself Jesus and says we are to love our neighbors as ourselves but there's a general frame of reference there we love ourselves in the sense that we eat properly we love ourselves in the sense that we walk we love ourselves in the sense that we rest we love ourselves in the sense that we move out of you know trains or when trains are coming we we don't drive our our cars in front of them but this lovers of self this worship it's this add adoration this there are unlike lovers of pleasure it's this pursuit of of pleasure and and and and things that that we crave and that that feed our bodies so this idea that we have to have these things in order to have pleasure there is a humanism and idolatry and a sensuality that Paul says but notice again the location of this problem in verse five he says having a form of godliness but denying its power sad isn't it you'd like to think that when you come to church you don't have to deal with these sorts of things you come to church and you're with your fellows we all have our struggles we all have our remaining corruption there is no perfect church we need to remind ourselves of those things because if we don't we're always going to be let down if we think there are perfect churches we are always going to be let down if we think there are perfect pastors I'm gonna tell you you're always gonna be let down I guarantee you if you think that your brothers and sisters that are sitting near you right now looking all polished and nice and it smelling good because they had showers and all that we all have issues and problems we all struggle we all have remaining corruption we all have remaining époque recei we all say with the Apostle Paul the good that I wish to do I don't do the evil I don't want to do I find myself doing we say with the Apostle Paul Galatians 5:17 the flesh lusts against the spirit in the spirit lusts against the flesh and these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want so we have that definitely but there are some in whom it's not remaining it's raining and he says they have a form of godliness but they deny its power I think he's talking about Islam I don't think he's talking about other major world religions he's talking about Christianity they have a form of godliness on the outside they have that glitter that gold has but they deny the very power of it and in the context it's false teachers it's men coming to churches men that look polished men that looked like they know what they're talking about men that may even sound like they know what they're talking about but they're wrong they're false they're off they're deniers of the faith and the Apostle says you need to watch out for these men and that brings us to the exhortation to avoid them well before that Calvin says they whom he briefly describes or not external enemies who openly assail the name of Christ but domestics who wish to be reckoned among the members of the church so I think this one's more difficult because we like to give people the benefit of the doubt don't we we like to give the judgment of charity and we should we're not supposed to be those people that you know somebody says one little out why I can't believe it you're an apostate you're a hater of [ __ ] don't do that we need to be able to cut people some slack and to demonstrate love and charity and kindness but Paul ain't dealing with that he's dealing with devilish men who are trying to captivate the hearts of people the way that Absalom captivated the hearts of Israel and took the kingdom away from King David this is absolutely positively wicked Gordon Clark says undoubtedly pagan persecutions are perilous times but internal subversion is also perilous and perhaps more so if you read through Old Covenant Israel you've read through the Old Testament you see that they had their external problems to be sure but it was the internal problems it was when they were walking to Molech and throwing their babies in the arms of this demon God it was when they were corrupted by marrying pagans it was when they were corrupted by a whole host of things and led astray and drawn away so we can't rest on our leaves I think well everything's gonna be okay always no Paul says there is this danger facing the church today and you need to be aware of it now notice thirdly the exhortation to avoid it verse 5 B he says in from such people turn away from such people turn away so in chapter 2 verses 24 to 26 Timothy expresses patience or he's supposed to and he's to attempt to win people back he wants them to fish but if the persons are this kind of men he wants them to cut bait he doesn't want to retain them he doesn't want to try to recoup them he's not supposed to try and go after them but rather he is to avoid them like the plague what do you think that is because the corrupting influence of evil is really powerful see we have this zany idea that we're so holy and godly we can the world and affect everybody for good you see this sometimes when when people date or when they get married you know Christian will bully a date or marry a non-christian well well I'm gonna win them to the Lord well you know it's a nice sentiment but there's a couple problems one you're commanded not to marry unbelievers I mean that's you know basic and fundamental but to the problem is is that oftentimes the unbelievers win when God tells Israel to go into Canaan and dispossessed the land of the Canaanites he says I don't want you to have any social interaction with them visa vie don't marry their daughters don't marry their their sons I want you to have obviously no political sort of truck with them you're not supposed to do the body politic with the Canaanites and you're also not to have any religious sort of affinity with that you're supposed to destroy their altars you're supposed to destroy their instruments of worship why is that is God mean is god vicious is God unkind no God knows the hearts of Israel that if they don't rid the land of those bales they're going to be bowing to bail and that's exactly what subsequent history would reveal they didn't - but dispossessed the land and then they end up acting like the Canaanites brethren it is not the case that we are so godly and so only that we're gonna affect everybody positively for good at some point at some time and this requires great wisdom pastors and godly people need to allow people to cut bait to go and in this instance the Apostle tells Timothy avoid them the verb according to one man is a strong one implying that Timothy is to avoid them with horror present imperative indicates that this should be a continual habit of life so what's that mean that means that everything's not roses and fairies and and meadows and and unicorns and dancing and happy it's not that way we all have to persevere it may not be in the banishment of Ishmael it may not be in the sacrifice of Isaac but persevering to the very end means to be aware of the dangers that are out there and sometimes in here and to guard our hearts against it because if we cozy up to false teachers what's going to happen we're gonna end up believing they're garbage and be led astray Paul deals with a couple of men in these epistles called hymenaeus and philetus hymenaeus and philetus talked at the resurrection had already occurred you say well that's outlandish I haven't seen Jesus that's crazy talk well hymenaeus and philetus were able to convince a group of people and they made shipwreck of the faith see brethren we need to be on guard we need to be watchful we need to be prayerful we need to be vigilant we need to be faithfully persevering in the midst of danger those dangers that are outside and those dangers that are inside now notice what Paul does he explains this in more detail it gives him the exhortation to avoid the danger at the end of verse five and from such people turn away now he's going to explain this in a bit more detail in verses 6 and 7 and then he's going to give a comparison in verse 8 but notice in verses 6 and 7 what these men do they creep and they capture a horrible way to be described isn't it you creep they use that today the kids use that today right I feel weird saying that nowadays oh like the kids say I still feel 18 but I'm not obviously but the kids say creep they creep them on Facebook or they creep them on Twitter or they creep them on whatever and what that all means I don't know that I fully understand but but the word is suggestive of deceit the word is suggestive of diabolical Ness the word is suggestive of of coming in the back door see truth has no problem walking right in the front door truth has no problem with with with coming right out in the open truth has no problem dealing with with its equals men teaching other men but in this instance look at what these guys do according to Paul's verses 6 and 7 he says for of this sort the people that he just described those who have a form of godliness but denying power for up this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins led away by various lust always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth yeah this idea that they creep it's deceit and we all know there's filters for the internet so that persons don't look at pornography I've often thought there ought to be filters on the internet so people don't look at heresy heresy is dangerous heresy is pervasive anybody can do anything on the internet nowadays can't they I mean just look at some of the stuff out there now I would never as a pastor in the church tell you here's a list of things you can and can't do no I'm not going to add to the Word of God lest he rebuked me and I'd be found a liar but I'm going to encourage you that not all that glitters out there is gold and you need to be aware of that one of the reasons why we use a confession of faith that was written in 1689 is because it has stood the test of time it accurately reflects what the church from the beginning till now has confessed it is a safe proven reliable and trustworthy guide it's a parameter it's a hedge it's a protective agent so that we don't go astray when you're going up a mountain road you like the fact that there's a guardrail on the side or else you will go right off the end edge and plummet to your death and yet in the church whatever we want whatever we think whatever no we need guardrails brethren we don't want to fly off the side of the road we want kalsa don to define for us what biblical Christology is so that we don't end up heretics so the Apostle Paul tells us with reference to these men that they they creep but then they also capture no just so I can dispel the myth that Paul is anti-woman he's not talking about all women he's not talking about all women Paul is not in the language of George George Bernard Shaw the eternal enemy of women that is not accurate whatsoever Paul is the friend of women he's using an example notice what he says in verse 6 for of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women it's not saying all women are gullible but there is at least an emphasis at the time these households that were occupied with gullible women and in these households that were occupied with gullible women that were also lain with various lusts and sins these false teachers would prey on them these false teachers would creep in there these false teachers would come with the answers these false teachers would come with the encouragement these false teachers would come to exercise their control and power over them that's what Paul is speaking to fact not night describes what Paul says in terms of the grammar he says duh Paul does not use the term to derogate women but to describe a situation involving particular women there are gullible men too let me tell you okay but what Paul has in mind specifically with reference to the churches and Ephesus when the church in Ephesus is this group of gullible women that are Laden was said and these guys try to dominate Paul does not use the term to derogate women but to describe a situation involving particular women that he uses atom in that diminutive form shows sets of the word that he is not intending to describe women in general to get that from this text is inaccurate it's wrong and that's not what Paul is saying in the church at Ephesus there was a group of gullible women that were laden with loss and these false teachers preyed on them on the one hand it's a statement concerning the pity that ought to be shown for these poor women the main point is to show how terrible these these men are I've often thought about that cults you know they go door-to-door during the day come at night when the men are home now I'm not saying a woman can't hold her own at the door but I don't want to dudes from a cult talking to my wife during the day when I'm not there that's a usurpation of God's created order it's not legit it's not right and these men go into these houses where they know that these women are prey it's not a statement about bad women it's a statement about these wretched men that have a form of godliness but they deny its power can you imagine they won't stand in the ring with Timothy they won't go toe to toe with the Apostle Paul they will go to these poor women should be pitied cared for encouraged and nurtured not manipulated not twisted not distorted not brought to a place where they're in utter confusion that's Paul's point in the passage it is a pathetic but all too common state and again it's not just with women and men it's men to look at what he says in verse seven he says always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth you've probably met people like that before they're familiar with the Bible they're familiar with religious teaching but they go from Dan to Beersheba doctrinally you have no idea where they're at because they have no idea where they're at they don't know if the Trinity is true they don't know if justification by faith is true they don't know about sanctification ont of these things because they know tiny bits about a whole lot of stuff those kind of people you want to say here's a good Bible and here's a confession of faith here's your guardrails don't go off the cliff but he said that again I don't know if you ever met these people they're always learning but they never come to a knowledge of the truth there's people that are very curious there's feet people that are very interested there's people that have a desire to learn what the Bible says will they click on the wrong guy and they're not going to learn what the Bible says whatsoever it intrigues me that when I go to these thrift stores and I see books that say what the Bible says about such and such more often than not the Bible says nothing of the kind there's a man by the name of NT Wright he's reworking the doctrine of justification by faith with reference to the Apostle Paul he wrote a book called what st. Paul really said another scholar said he should have named the book what st. Paul never said we have to be careful brethren but these men are perverse they prey upon these gullible women these poor women that are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth now notice comparison in verse eight verse eight he says now as Janis he's still talking about these particular men and he says now as Janice and Jan Burris resisted Moses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith now the reference Janice and Jan breasts they're not mentioned by name in Exodus but pagans and Jews together believe that this is what Paul speaking about they've identified these magicians or at least two of the primary ones at the time of Moses and Pharaoh as Janice and Jan breasts and so the Apostle Paul is linking these men in the situation that Timothy is facing with these men back in the times of Moses and he says specifically just as Janice and Jan Burris resisted Moses does so do these also resist the truth they're men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith now notice what they do the similarity between the magician's and the similarity with these apostates they resist truth that's the problem with these guys they're men of corrupt minds you see where the emphasis lies certainly they've got bad morality and certainly they've got bad ethics if they love themselves they love money and they love pleasure those are bad things with reference to the heart of the actions of a man but what Paul has in the cross hairs is that they're men of corrupt minds they resist the truth of God's Holy Word because the reality is is that when you internalize God's Holy Word there is a doctrine that accords with godliness according to Paul in Titus chapter 1 so these men are corrupt in their minds they're corrupt in the way they think they're corrupt in their doctrine of justification they're corrupting their doctrine of the Trinity they're corrupt in their doctrine of Christ and as a result they live like he then and so Paul says they're just like those magicians they're just like Janice and Jambres they're just like those guys who resisted the truth as Moses spoke they don't want the Word of God that's it fundamentally it all comes back to that doesn't it it always comes back to that what thinkI of the word you say what the psalmist the entirety of your word is truth therefore I love it or the entirety of your word is true therefore I despise it I hate it I love it I want to get far far away from it I want to manipulate it I want to use it massage it enough so that I can prey on gullible women and and get a following see men who are conquered by the truth go wherever the truth takes that but men who want to conquer the truth manipulate it massage it and do whatever it is they think benefit themselves that's who Paul is talking about in the context of the local church the false teachers are disapproved concerning the faith so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith it's not a beautiful statement disapproved concerning the faith there is objectivity to Christianity it's not a free-for-all you don't get to believe whatever you want the church the Bible theology biblical truth ain't Canada ain't America you don't have the Liberty to be wrong when it comes to thinking God's thoughts after him you certainly do as a Canadian you can believe whatever it is you want as long as you don't harm people well and as long as it's not the truth at least that's where we're heading but but but you understand but with reference to God it's not open for debate it's not open to be massaged it's not open to be manipulated or twisted there is an objectivity about the Christian faith and Paul says they are disapproved concerning the faith again another plug for the confession of faith what has the church as a whole described in terms of the objectivity of the faith is it you know the pastor woke up on a Sunday morning and said let's all speak in tongues no is it the pastor woke up on Sunday morning and said let's all do that no there's an objectivity about the Christian faith through exegetical prowess to reading the Bible through study through good hermeneutics through all the things that that the church is recognized are good for understanding and getting at the text of Scripture there's objectivity to it we ought to be able to spot or tell if somebody is defective in their theology but again I'm not talking about some of the things that that differentiate God's people those intramural debates where we have legitimate issues and differences that that's not what's in view these men have departed from the truth of God and Paul says they are recognized for that now notice finally this a bleak picture isn't it before we before we get to the encouragement not very encouraging what Paul portrays here we are in the time's the last time they're gonna have perilous times or last days are gonna have perilous times difficulty terrible hardship you know we we see description given of these madness this humanism this idolatry this Eden ISM the sorts of things that that that make the godly people again we have these remaining corruptions but we see that we see that's not right that's that's terrible that's wicked and then Paul says they have a form of godliness but they deny its power so it's not the external entities it's not the Philistines out there but it's the professing believers within here that's a discouraging and bleak picture isn't it I mean if there was no verse nine we could all be dispensationalist if there was no verse nine we could alter the line with the guy who says why polished the brass on a sinking ship but there is a verse nine and the people of God unfortunately forget that look at what Paul says by way of encouragement in spite of the danger in verse nine he says but they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as theirs also was so they the false teachers that Paul is warning Timothy about will progress no further for their folly they the false teachers that Timothy is to be warned about their their father will be manifest to all as theirs also was Janus and Jam brass do you ever come away from the book of Exodus saying boy I'm so thankful for those magicians what great guys nobody does that they were the losers weren't they yeah they lost tremendously they couldn't replicate the plague of lice and when it came to the plague of boils guess who got affected with boils to the magician's so Janus and Jambres for all of their all of their pomp and all of their show and all of their ability at least at the lower level are there standing or covered in in boils they didn't win that exchange nobody celebrates the magician I would imagine there's a group out there that does celebrate those magicians I would imagine you could find the YouTube video somewhere that oh yeah these were great guys victorious and wonderful but but no you know that's not the big majority of people they lost they were exposed as frauds they were exposed as shams they were exposed as men that did not have the power of God just like Simon the sorcerer when he comes and when Philip comes and he preaches the gospel to him this was a man who claimed to be someone great people around him were chanting that he is the great power of God Philip cons Philip preaches and even according to the text he himself believed and was baptized nobody goes wow what great guys in their their their their antagonism to the Word of God those are not heroes brethren those are fools their folly will be evident to all we looked at proverbs 30 verse 6 last week do not add to his words last he rebuked you and you be found a liar history always well I hope history always demonstrates who was right and who was wrong and in this instance Paul tells Timothy that like Janice and Jen Burris these men are gonna fail Aaron's rod swallowed up the magician's they couldn't duplicate the plague of lice and had to confess this is the finger of God they were covered with boils in the sixth plague and again nobody reads that book and says wow these are great I want to be like these magicians it's just like when you read First Samuel chapter 17 and and the Goliath or the Philistine champion Goliath is out there taunting the armies of Israel and Saul and the Israelite army are all afraid and then David comes up and David says who's this uncircumcised Philistine talking about the armies of the Living God who of us as Bible readers want to identify with Saul in his army none of us what woman wants to marry Saul in his army they want a David men want to be David's the same instance Paul says men want to be Timothy's men want to be Paul's women want to marry Timothy's they want to marry Paul's they don't want these kinds of guys that can't meet their fellows but go into houses of women who are gullible and loaded down with various lusts those are cowards those are full those are men who creep those are the persons that engage in deception these are persons that are described in vivid detail in verses 2 to 5 as being the sorts of people nobody wants to be around so Paul tells Timothy don't try to rehabilitate them but avoid them flee from them have nothing to do with that so they will not progress notice we need to be vigilant but we also need to guard against despair we need to guard against despair and I think this is what happens with this passage you need people that have a bad eschatology a bad understanding of how things turn out at the end and they say well it's just going to get worse and worse and worse and worse and words I'm not suggesting that there's going to be a utopia on earth I'm not suggesting that man by himself left unchecked by the grace of God is ever going to get better or better or better but at some point brethren we have to appreciate the book of Revelation when we are confronted with a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe every tongue every people in every nation that are assembled together before the throne of God and the Lamb who sits upon the throne we have to reckon with the claims of Christ in Matthew 16 when he said I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it so if your understanding of the danger causes you to go hide in your closet you're not understanding it properly Christ is over the danger Christ is sovereign in the midst of the danger Christ will build his church and there is no place for the sorts of fear and trepidation that paralyzes the people of God it happens in major movements persons in the early part of the 20th century when a particular view of the end times took didn't go on to higher education didn't marry didn't have babies they were convinced the world was getting worse and worse and worse and Jesus was going to come any moment well had that worked out for them not well we need to have a proper understanding of the danger that is there but we ought to never lose focus upon Christ you see that the scriptures are filled with promises concerning the power of the gospel false I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek why because in that gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith that as it is written but just shall live by faith the Lord Jesus Christ made the promise of building his church do you think Islam's going to stop him do you think Justin Trudeau's gonna stop him do you think a band of fools in the context of a local church is gonna stop King Jesus Christ never if there is not a confident expectation in the power of Jesus and his gospel in the hearts of his people then we haven't understood it yes there's danger yes there's persons to avoid yes there's persons to guard against but yes there's a Christ who has purpose to save a multitude that no man can number so brethren be advised but be encouraged Calvin says he encourages Timothy for the contest by the confident hope of victory for although false teachers give him annoyance he promises that they shall be within a short time disgracefully ruined disgracefully ruined and we're not talking about the garden-variety center that you know has his issues we're talking about men that have taken a stand against Christ against His Word and are trying to manipulate people and trying to exercise power and authority over them for whatever their twisted ends are those ones will be disgracefully ruined just as Janice and Jambres stood there covered in boils trying to protest the God of Israel so be warned but be encouraged in terms of some concluding applications first we ought to appreciate the duty required of church members church members or by extension attenders you've got to know the truth not exhaustively not perfectly because you're not God but you got to know the truth in the foundational basic principles of Christianity I mean we're not I'm not saying you know what you know give me the the proof for super laps Arianism a basic understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity an understanding of justification by faith an understanding of the gospel that the gospel isn't my feelings the gospel isn't my story the gospel isn't my experience the gospel is the truth of Christ Jesus that he came into this world that he lived in obedience to the father's law that he died as a sacrifice at Calvary that he was raised the third day and with the thought the reality that everyone who looks to him in faith will receive both forgiveness of sins and the righteousness of Christ beautiful thing I fear brethren that outside of reformed circles that aren't taught and and and educated people don't know these things we're not we're not talking about the quantum physics of theology we're talking about the basic building blocks of theology justification by faith alone if you have a thought that you're gonna go to heaven in small part based on your works you're wrong absolutely positively 100% wrong the only way we go to heaven is based on the works of Jesus his life his death his resurrection the Apostle says it so clearly and in a summary fashion in Romans chapter four he says that Christ was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification you see these are basic doctrines that the people of God must know and they must cherish as well the people of God must strive by the grace of God to let their conduct be worthy of that gospel Philippians 1:27 many emphases in the New Testament in other words what we believe concerning God ought to affect we the way that we live with reference to God just because all that glitters is not gold is true doesn't mean that Gold doesn't glitter we got to have some glitter it's are going to be perfect glitter it's not gonna be you know impetuously great glitter there's gonna be a degree of glitter again godliness is that fruit of understanding the truth of the gospel and then the people of God must be discriminating with reference to those who teach the Word of God they must be discriminating with reference to those who teach the Word of God if Pastor cam and I get blasted on the way home from work church today we're dead don't just let anybody into this pulpit ever never ever guard it the way that you guard it is by discriminating not based on ethnicity not based on age or anything like that but on biblical and Theological acumen the guy doesn't know scripture or theology he has no place in a pulpit that's all there is to it he could be a pilot he could be a doctor he could be whatever he wants but if he can't handle accurately the word of truth he has no business being in a pulpit why is this so obvious elsewhere but not in the church if I wandered down to Vancouver General Hospital I entered into the operating theater the surgery room and I said I'm gonna do this brain surgery everybody would with shock and horror say no you're not you're not a brain surgeon oh yeah well it doesn't matter I'm gonna get in there and finagle around do my back we let that happen in the church all the time fools that have no clue whatsoever about basic doctrine or preaching in churches I'm not picking on them I'm picking on all of us brother in these things ought not to be first Timothy 3:2 determines what a man must be to serve in the eldership Titus 1 determines what a man must be to serve in the other chef in revelation chapter 2 we always think about the church and Ephesus and all we remember about them is that they left their first love Hale after they lost their first love those dirty rotten scoundrels and Ephesus brethren I don't think for a moment that they apostatized I don't think for a moment that they abandoned their Savior I don't think for a moment that they had stopped being believers they had been weary in the battle because they tested those who claim to be apostles and were not here's my take on the Brethren in Ephesus which by the way is the church that Timothy is in ministering to Paul gives them the qualifications for elders these guys show up at the church and they say we're apostles and so the church responsibly and rightly says okay sit down we're gonna run you through the gamut we're going to take you from Dan to Beersheba with reference to Bible and theology and we're going to test you we're gonna see if your claims are accurate or if they're not and in the midst of that probably these guys didn't like it well what do you mean you test me what would even never trust a guy who isn't open for scrutiny never trust a man who's not gonna put his money where his mouth is when it comes to his theological commitments so it's probably out a lot of battles and in the midst of those battles yeah they lost their first love in the sense that they weren't red-hot fired up for Jesus the encouragement is is get both fight those false apostles test those who say they aren't on but at the same time read Spurgeon you have great devotions and love Jesus it's not a an either/or but a both am as well there are duties for pastors I think this tax demands first they need to guard against external threats they need to guard against internal threats and they need to understand that the way they do those things is essentially the same by being faithful with the Word of God and I think here it is important for us brethren to have sort of a positive and a negative emphasis there was a guy that the administered and he I don't know if he died or retired he must have retired because he couldn't have said this if he was dead but he retired and he said you know I spent all these years teaching my people what to believe and I never taught them what not to believe it's like when we go through Birkhoff on Saturday morning the the the false teachings of Rome for instance and the false teachings of other sort of groups are the foil or the context in which we appreciate the gem of truth there's times when people need to be warned there's times when we need to understand there are false guides out there you're not supposed to like that again it's hard just get dictate get tell people what they can and can't read can't tell people where they can and can't click but at the same time you need to be on guard and pastors need to be encouraging not only in terms of truth but as well with reference to error Calvin says Paul informs Timothy that the church will be subject to terrible diseases which will require in the pastor's uncommon fidelity diligence watchful prudence and unwearied constants constancy if he as if he enjoined Timothy to prepare for arduous and deeply anxious contests which awaited him that's right and then I quoted a bit of this quote earlier from Gordon Clark I'm going to add to it he says undoubtedly pagan persecutions or perilous times but internal subversion is also perilous and perhaps more so he says the duty of a pastor therefore the duty of a synod or General Assembly is to keep the church pure the church cannot be pure in the sense of having only sinless members or even of expelling all hypocrites but it can with vigilance maintain its confessional standards that's the task can pastors accurately see all the hypocrites and expel all the back no but we can demand fidelity to God's Holy Word as summarized and encapsulated in our wonderful confession of faith this is the means by which pastors exes exercise that vigilance and hopeful watchfulness so that this kind of stuff doesn't enter into the church and then finally Paul makes this reference he makes it not only here but in what's called the pastoral epistles first in the second Timothy and Titus notice what he says in verse 7 he says always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth there is this knowledge of the truth knowledge of the truth and first Timothy chapter 2 brings salvation in other words you cannot be saved by your works you cannot be saved by your best deeds you cannot be saved by moral reform you've heard this morning some of these sins mentioned and you think to yourself well I'm gonna go home and I'm not gonna love myself anymore I'm gonna go home and I'm not gonna love money anymore I'm gonna go home and I'm not gonna love pleasure anymore great but that's not gonna gain you into or get you into heaven the knowledge of the truth is crucial the knowledge of Christ and him crucified the knowledge of a substitute at Calvary the knowledge of a righteousness availing with God through Christ that's the knowledge of the truth that that brings salvation in other words when you hear that truth that knowledge of the truth you're supposed to believe it supposed to embrace it supposed to welcome it whether you're young or old you're not supposed to say well I'm a kid I'll wait until I'm you know 50 like those really old people in the church don't say that and then I'm gonna I'm gonna believe this knowledge of the truth no believe it now Paul says today is the day of salvation now is the acceptable time why do we think we have tomorrow why do you think you're gonna make it to your business meeting on Wednesday why is it that we don't listen to James when he says why are you boasting your life is like a vapor it's here for a time and then it's gone think about that teapot that steam that flows out at the end of the teapot it's there for a moment but then it's gone that's our lives brethren and we're not short of having tomorrow we're not sure of having a rest of today today well he's trying to scare me maybe either would you should think about it kids young young man especially they did there they're eight foot tall and bulletproof nothing will ever happen to me you need to guard your hearts you need to come to the Savior you need to hear the knowledge of the truth you need to believe that truth that is most important today that is the most important thing ever is that you come to Jesus that's the way of salvation that's the way of blessedness that's the way of joy unspeakable and full of glory Christ and the language of the Song of Solomon is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand those who've been conquered by Sovereign Grace yea and amen amen that don't we don't we say with reference to Christ he is altogether lovely he is chief among 10,000 he has my heart and I have by grace His righteousness and forgiveness that's the most important thing facing you ever what fake ye of Christ if you are not a believer believe if you're not saved look unto Him and be saved all the ends of the earth God says through the Prophet for I am God and there is no other well let us close in a word of Prayer our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity of the warning in second Timothy three and we thank you for the encouragement that the passage ends on help us to realize that there is an end for these men that engage in such folly but not an end for what Christ is promised in terms of the church help us to walk by faith help us to persevere help us in the midst of dangers and difficulties and trials and afflictions to nevertheless look to the one who is at the throne of the Father at the right hand of the Father on high even our Lord Jesus Christ that that author of our salvation and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well why don't we stand and we'll close by singing hymn number 568 hymn number 568 stand with me and we'll sing together [Music] it's God from all creatures here [Music] the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace God made these things be real in our hearts and in our lives may we know the nearness of God as our good each and every day and may you increase our faith that we may submit to you in the midst of difficulties and trials and afflictions may we manifest and have that same sort of faith that we see in in in Abraham that we see in the Apostle Paul that we see in the men of God of old grant us strength and grant us help in these things and go with us now we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation