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welcome to everyone for our call to worship tonight you can turn in your Bibles to psalm 150 or follow along as I read Psalm 150 our call to worship beginning in verse 1 praise the Lord praise God in his sanctuary praise Him in his mighty firmament praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness praise him with the sound of the trumpet praise him with the loot and harp praise him with the timbrel and dance praise him with stringed instruments and flutes praise him with loud symbols praise him with clashing cymbals let everything that has breath praise the Lord praise the Lord amen well please turn in your Trinity hymnals to number 290 hymn number 290 and will stand as we sing together you let us pray our God and our Father we come into your house again on this lord's day and we come to praise your most holy name we bless you Father Son and Holy Spirit for your excellence and your majesty and for your glory as the psalmist says from everlasting to everlasting you are God you are the one who has made this world and all things in it you are our Creator and we are your creatures and certainly praise and worship is due to your most holy name we acknowledge because of sin we have not served you as we ought and how we praise you and thank you for it redemption for salvation that you are sovereign in the new creation that you have called us out of darkness into marvelous light that you have cleansed us from our sins and the blood of the Lord Jesus that you have justified fight us freely by your grace and in all of this we give praise and glory to you we would pray tonight that our worship would be pleasing in your sight that you would receive it as it comes through the Lord Christ as it is we are enabled by the Holy Spirit and may it be acceptable and may it be presented to you with reverence and with godly fear to that end we pray that the spirit would be at work in our minds and hearts that you would help us Lord God to focus upon the the grand activity of the next hour and a half help us Lord to be consumed with our God as we were reminded in psalm 115 of 50 it is certainly are our privilege to praise the Lord we thank you that you've not only given us a day but you've given us your house and you've called us to come into this place and to gather with your people and to sing your praises and to hear from the Holy Scriptures so our Father we pray that in all of this you would be exalted we ask that you would forgive us for our sins and unrighteousness as we consider your majesty in your holiness we see our own waywardness we see Lord God that remaining corruption in our hearts and we confess that transgression to you now knowing and encouraged by the promises of your word that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and as the psalmist said if you Lord should mark iniquities o Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared so father help us to know the effect of the forgiveness of sins the fear of God and a reverence in your presence and and to joy and a and a spirit of of thanksgiving for all that you have done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ we ask Lord as well for any and all that are outside of Christ that the Holy Spirit would be at work and that you would bring the conviction of sin and that you would show sinners there their only hope is to be found in the Lord of glory in that one who came into this world that one who obeyed perfectly the law of his father that one who laid his life down on Calvary's tree and that one who rose again the third day and has ascended on high and has led captivity captive and who adds or who who does give gifts to men we pray father that sinners would come to know Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior confessing him alone as their only hope and they're only comfort in this life and in the life to come we pray for other churches here in chilliwack we thank you that we're not alone in this community we pray for your richest blessings upon those who do faithfully hold to the word of truth we ask God that you would cause there to be peace and unity in the churches and cause them to be about the main things even gospel preaching in seeking to proclaim the whole counsel of God we pray that the pastors in this community would know the nearness of God as they're good we pray that the people of God in this community would be faithful and upright and diligent and striving to honor and glorify Jesus we ask that you would look with favor upon the churches in this nation we do pray for revival we pray for your people that you would cause us to be a prayerful people cause us Lord God to be a people of your book and cause us to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation and we do pray that you'd have mercy upon those in high places those governing authorities who rule over us Lord God we saw the description of our blessed Savior he is the one who deals out justice he is the one that is about equity and righteousness the psalmist says that rights righteousness and justice are the foundation of the throne of god most high so our Father we pray that righteous and just men would be in these places and if they are not we pray that you'd grant them repentance cause them to forsake their wickedness and cause them to do those things which are pleasing in the sight of a holy God we ask our father that you would move the hearts of men to oppose things like abortion and sodomy and euthanasia we pray our Father that there would be a climate in this nation that is conducive for the worship of the true and living God and if things do decline or things do deteriorate if they continue down the path that it seems like they're going may your church and people be faithful and may we stand fast and may we hold fast to the truth of the everlasting gospel and our Father we pray for those events outside of this nation certainly the Middle East in Paris France and so many places in this world there's such turmoil and such problems and difficulties and our God in heaven we pray that the Prince of Peace would be preached in these lands and that more and more people would turn from their idols to the true and living God we pray for those who are steeped in false religion that they by grace would be pulled out from that place and we pray for these false religions that they would fall before the truth of God's holy gospel it is such an encouragement for us to see Dagon that Idol fall before the Ark of the Covenant and we would pray that all the day gonz of this age would fall before the true preaching of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may that word run swiftly and be glorified and may a whole host of people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation turn unto you our great God may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven may your kingdom of grace come through the proclamation of the truth and may more and more people come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and Lord God help us as witnesses to family and the friends and those outside of Jesus may you give us opportunity may you give us a boldness and a courage to present the truth as it is in our beloved Lord and God look with favor upon those in our church who suffer with ongoing physical trials and difficulties we commit them to you and to the word of your grace and we pray that you would uphold them that you would encourage them that you would bless them we pray for the ladies in our church that are with child we know that children are a gift given by God most high and we thank you for this and we do pray for Deborah for Ellie and for Marie we ask that you'd watch over these ones that you would bless the little babies in their wombs and that in your time God they would come forth and that their parents would indeed strive to bring them up in the training in the admonition of the Lord so continue with us now we pray and we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ amen well please turn with me in your Trinity hymnal to 457 457 again we'll stand as we sing together you they turn in your Bibles to the Prophet Jeremiah chapter 51 taking up again the prophesy against Babylon a nation who was insane with their idols and as a result of their defection and apostasy from the true and living God and their commitment to idolatry it resulted in a society full of sin and corruption and wickedness and evil we're going to pick up reading in chapter 51 specifically at verse 20 you are my battle-ax and weapons of war for with you I will break the nation in pieces with you I will destroy kingdoms with you I will break in pieces the horse and it's rider with you I will break in pieces the chariot and it's rider with you also i will break in pieces man and woman with you I will break in pieces old and young with you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden with you also i will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock with you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen and with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers and I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of kaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion in your site says the Lord behold i am against you Oh destroying mountain who destroys all the earth says the Lord and I will stretch out my hand against you roll you down from the rocks and make you a burnt mountain they shall not take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation but you shall be desolate forever says the Lord set up a banner in the land blow the trumpet among the nations prepare the nations against her call the kingdom's together against her Ararat many and ashkenaz appointed general against her caused the horses to come up like the bristling locusts prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes it's governors and all its rulers all the land of his Dominion and the land will Kemble in sorrow for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon to make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant the mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting they have remained in their strongholds there might has failed they became like women they have burned their dwelling her dwelling places the bars of her gate are broken one runner will run to meet another and one messenger to meet another to show the king of Babylon that his city has taken on all sides the passages are blocked the reeds they have burned with fire and the men of war are terrified for thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel the daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor when it is time to thrash her yet a little while in the time of her harvest will come Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me he has crushed me he has made me an empty vessel he swallowed me up like a monster he has filled his stomach with my delicacies he has spit me out let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon the inhabitant of Zion will say and my blood and my blood be upon the inhabitants of kaldea Jerusalem will say therefore thus says the Lord behold I will plead your case and take vengeance for you I will dry up her see and make her Springs dry Babylon shall become a heap a dwelling place for jackals and astonishment and a hissing without an inhabitant they shall lure together like lions they shall growl like lions whelps in their excitement I will prepare their feasts I will make them drunk that they may rejoice and sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake says the Lord I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter like rams with male goats oh how she Shack is taken oh how the praise of the whole earth is seized how Babylon has become desolate among the nations the sea has come up over Babylon she is covered with the multitude of its waves her cities are a desolation a dry land in a wilderness a land where no one dwells which no son of man passes I will punish Bell and Babylon and I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed and the nation shall not stream to him anymore yes the wall of Babylon shall fall my people go out of the midst of her and let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord and lest your heart fate and you fear for the rumor that will be heard in the land a rumor will come one year and after that in another year a rumor will come and violence in the land ruler against ruler therefore behold the days are coming that i will bring judgment on the carved images of babylon her whole land shall be ashamed and all her slain shall fall in her mitts then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them shall sing joyously over babylon for the plunderers shall come to her from the north says the lord excuse me as Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall so it Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall you who have you who have escaped the sword get away do not stand still remember the Lord afar off and let Jerusalem come to your mind we are ashamed because we have heard reproach shame has covered our faces for strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the Lord's house therefore behold the days are coming says the Lord that I will bring judgment on her carved images and throughout all her land the wounded shall grown though Babylon were to mount up to heaven and though she were to fortify the height of her strength yet from me plunderers would come to her says the Lord the sound of a cry comes from Babylon and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans because the Lord is plundering Babylon and silencing her loud voice though her waves roar like Great Waters and the noise of their voice is uttered because the plunderer comes against her against Babylon and her mighty men are taken every one of their bows is broken for the lord is the god of recompense he will surely repay and i will make drunk her Prince's and wise men her governor's her deputies and her mighty men and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake says the king whose name is the lord of hosts thus says the lord of hosts the broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken and her Highgate shall be burned with fire the people will labour in vain in the nation's because of the fire and they shall be where weary the word which Jeremiah the Prophet commanded soraya the son of Neriah the son of mush mush ayah when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign and soraya was the quartermaster so Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon all these words that are written against Babylon and jeremiah said to Soraya when you arrived and Babylon and see it and read all these words then you shall say Oh Lord you have spoken against this place to cut it off so that none shall remain in it neither man nor beast but it shall be desolate forever now it shall be when you have finished reading this book that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates then you shall say thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her and they shall be where weary thus far are the words of Jeremiah amen well I read this in the lengthy account just again to underscore the reality of God's sovereignty in God's judgment Babylon was indeed wicked and the Lord God didn't just wink and pretend that it didn't happen but rather he is going to pour out his vengeance and destruction upon this nation of idolaters he speaks of that specifically he will judge he will go after their carved images and it's also important for us to understand that in his comprehensive sovereignty god works through Providence and if you notice specifically he mentions various nations one that we ought to consider are the Medes it was the Medes and the Persians that God used to ultimately bring down the Babylonian Empire the prophet Isaiah the Lord God Almighty says that he's calling a bird a man from the east to bring judgment to bear that man was Cyrus king of Persia called by God the prophet Isaiah Messiah or Christ or chosen one and so God uses historical means God uses Medes and he uses persians and he uses various kingdoms and nations to bring judgment to bear upon Babylon in this particular instance but we must always conclude and we must always realize that nations rise and nations fall ultimately because of God the Lord we don't say wow there are really excellent people and therefore they were victorious know the Lord God is working out his plan in the midst of the peoples of the earth so his activity through Providence is directly relative to the fact or related to the fact that he is comprehensively sovereign over all things well let us pray father we thank you for your grace as we read of your judgment it certainly is a terrifying depiction of what a holy God will ultimately do the unholy men and no we thank you for our Lord Jesus how we thank you for the refuge that we have found by grace we thank you for the gospel of our salvation we pray that you would bless our time as we continue together and we ask in Jesus name Amen well for our final him you can turn to 587 again in your Trinity hmmm no 587 will scanned as we sing together you you you well please turn in your Bibles to second Timothy chapter 3 we took some time off during the summer months and looked at the decalogue or the Ten Commandments we're returning to second Timothy beginning in chapter 3 i'll read verses well i'll read the entire chapter and our focus they're not tonight is on the warning concerning perilous times that is found in verses 129 so beginning in second Timothy chapter 3 at verse 1 but Novus that in the last time sir last days perilous times will come for men we'll 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 traders headstrong hottie lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power and from such people turn away for of 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 generous resisted Moses so do 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 there's also was but you have carefully followed my doctrine manner of life purpose faith long-suffering law of 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 them and that from childhood you've 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 we'll let us pray thank you Father for this letter of Paul to Timothy thank you for the instruction it has for us in the church in the 21st century and we pray for the Spirit of God to take these things and seal them and apply them to our arts give us grace to receive with Thanksgiving your word it may it affect the way that we live Lord God we know the scripture is sufficient for all matters of faith and for practice certainly we embrace the Reformed faith may it issue forth and godly living and in righteousness and holiness and those things which are pleasing in your sight again forgive us for all of our sins and transgression and anything that would darken our understanding and we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord amen well chapter 3 verses 1 to 9 are set between chapters to obviously in the rest of chapter 3 as I read chapter 3 I think you'll see the stark contrast in verses 129 this is what perilous times are perilous days will look like and then in verses 10 and following but you he sets up a contrast between these wicked men described in verses 1 tonight and with Timothy Timothy it faithfully followed the example and the the doctrine of the Apostle Paul but it also looks back because you remember in chapter 2 beginning in verses 1 to 4 12 13 Paul tells Timothy how he is to conduct himself in his private life as a man of God he must be devoted he must be disciplined he must be diligent he must be a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus and then in verses 14 to the end of the chapter in chapter 2 he tells Timothy how he is to function in the context of the church and oftentimes within the context of the church he's going to have to fight heretics and he mentions them in chapter 2 verse 17 he says their message will spread like cancer hymenaeus and philetus or of this sort with strayed concerning the truth saying that the resurrection has already passed and they overthrow the faith of Psalm so in the midst of the church Timothy as a pastor is going to have to do some theological battle as well dropping down notice in chapter 2 specifically at verse 24 ball tells Timothy he must be as a servant of the Lord he must not quarrel but be gentle to all able to teach patient now notice 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 the Apostle realizes that Timothy if he is faithful in the carrying out of his task he is patient he is instructing his teaching is laboring God may grant repentance to those who are in opposition God may save some of those Timothy is patient with now as we enter chapter 3 verses 1 to 9 Paul tells Timothy he needs to be patient but he also must be wise he mustn't naively think that he can indeed make sure everybody is saved there are some man apostates those who have defected from the faith those who are described in chapter 3 verses 1 to 9 these are men that as far as Timothy is concerned are not to try and be recovered but rather Timothy is to avoid that I submit that there is a great deal of wisdom necessary for those who are in pastoral ministry and really for all of us Jesus Christ himself said there comes a point in time where we don't cast our pearls before swine now you probably have felt that rub as I have in the past how do we know at what point do we no longer witness at what right do we no longer engage and what Jesus says there is casting pearls before swine there is a line there that we ought not to cross if somebody is an apostate if somebody carries on the way Paul describes in this particular chapter the specific emphasis is not for us to try and recover them it's not for us to come alongside of them but rather we are called very specifically to avoid them and in Timothy's context this could have met make sure that the church functions properly and disciplines them and removes them from the context of God's people so that's sort of the connection that we find between chapters 2 and 3 let's hone in now on verses 1 to 9 under four considerations in the first place there is a need to recognize the danger in verse 1 secondly a detailed description of the danger and verses 225 a thirdly there is a warning to avoid the danger 5 b 28 and then in the final place and encouragement in spite of the danger in verse 9 but note in the first place the need to recognize the danger Paul tells Timothy but know this and then he goes on to describe apostates or those who have defected from the church now it is absolutely crucial and you know me well enough to know that I affirm this a hundred percent a man of God must know the truth of God a man of God must know the Bible a man of God must know sound theology in our particular type of churches a man of God must know the second London confession of 1689 a man of God must not only know however what he is to believe but he must also recognize what is false Timothy must know this Timothy has to be aware of this sometimes it's not enough to know what we believe we also have to be able to recognize what we ought not to believe because we need to be able to warn cry sheep against such things it is falling the focus on one without the other a faithful pastor not only needs to feed the Sheep but he needs to identify Wolf's and he needs to drive those wolves off I saw a little thing on the internet this past week I didn't read the whole article I just saw the twitter portion of it and it was about Cornelius Van Til and I don't necessarily endorse everything that he stands for he was a reformed man a good man probably some you know little differences in terms of apologetic methodology and whatnot that I might have with him but it was really fascinating somebody asked him you know why did you devote your life to apologetics that's the defense of the Christian faith that's to make sure that persons who try and attack will meet with ready you know a ready answer on the part of the apologist and Van Til without blushing said something to the effect well to protect Christ's little sheep I thought amen praise God Christ little sheep need to be protected there is false teaching out there there is bad doctrine out that there is bad conduct out there and therefore Timothy is to know this Timothy is to understand this Timothy is to be aware of the reality of what perilous times look like now notice the time specified in the last days perilous times will come now I think there is an interpretation that sees this as being in our future may I submit to you that the the time frame are the words last days refer to the time frame between the first and the second coming of our Lord Jesus as we follow the passage as we look at the situation Paul indicates that there are men presently as he writes that go in and seize upon gullible women they creep into households and they make captive of gullible women so Paul is writing about something that is happening as he writes and as well the specific command in the section is found in 5b and that command is to timothy to avoid such as these well if Timothy wasn't going to be affected because it's something in our future then it would be a senseless command for Timothy the last days were prophesied or would look forward to by the prophets the time frame between the first and the second advent of our Lord Jesus so Timothy was living in the last days you and I are living in the last days turn to Acts chapter 1 i'm sorry Acts chapter 2 we'll just look at a few passages just so you can see how this phraseology of last days is used in the scripture because again it's important sometimes people think perilous times are in our future perilous times of that short time right before Jesus Christ don't take seriously what's going on in chapter 3 I submit that what's going on in chapter 3 verses 129 we're not something that Timothy had to deal with that there certainly something that we have to deal with those sorts of men those sorts of apostates those sorts of defectors from the truth whose conduct is wicked and godless because they have rejected the true and the Living God notice in acts 2 after the pouring out of the Holy Spirit verse 16 but this is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel and it shall come to pass notice in the last days as God so Peters able to say this is that which was spoken by Joel the Prophet Joel the prophets spoke about an incident that would take place in the last days visa fee the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter says this is that this is what is going on first Corinthians chapter 10 first Corinthians 10 does it say last days but it says the end of the ages first Corinthians attend 11 rather now all these things happen to them as examples and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages of calm again in first Timothy for one we've seen this in our study in 1st Timothy first Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 now the spirit expressly says that in latter times same idea Psalm will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 but God has spoken to us in these last days by his son there are several other references Hebrews 9 26 james 53 1st peter 1 20 second peter 3 3 jun 18 so you see the last days in the last times or these parentless perilous era is not simply confined or is not located in our future but it was something contemporary with timothy it is something that is that that we will it be affected by as well and note the language in the last days perilous times will come the new king james has perilous the ESV has times of difficulty the NIV renders it terrible times quite like that it captures it well all three of them certainly are correct but what's Paul saying Paul is saying there are troubles that the church will face there are bad men that effect and plague the church there are cancerous men that will come to your church and they want to teach and they will want to preach I think primarily the emphasis here is on those who preach and teach because they creep into households they make captives of gullible women they call and knock at the door and they say oh I'm here to give you a bible study i'm here to to teach you the truth i'm here to do those wonderful things for you now notice secondly the detailed description of the danger he says for men we'll be lovers of themselves he basically gives us 17 adjectives in column later and two contrasts we're not going to go through each one you probably don't go we're going to look at a few of them and look at something that does resemble popular philosophies in our own era but before we look at those 17 adjectives into contrast notice for men we'll be lovers of themselves I've already intimated this this morning perilous times are not such because of climate change you know don't know about you but I'm pretty tired of hearing about that it's almost as if God the Lord didn't know there would be an industrial revolution God didn't know we were going to use coal God didn't realize that we would use energy sources I mean he called us to exercise dominion and subdue the earth didn't he I'm not saying go out litter and do horrible things and try to ruin the environment that's not what I'm saying that's not our problem disease is in our problem men are our problem that's what the text says for men John Calvin nails it when he writes what he makes the hardship of those dangerous or trouble sometimes can two consists 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 the problem facing us that's the issue it's the heart that is deceitful above all things it's desperately wicked it is man who goes out and does wretched things it is man that goes out and does horrible things it is man that destroys the church it isn't climate change it isn't the environment it isn't you know a lack of food the church will march on through all of those particulars it is men that get in and gut the church from the inside out and you may notice conspicuously that I'm focusing on the church in many ways these 17 adjectives into contrasts parallel what we find in Romans chapter 1 remember Romans 1 the Apostle says the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men he says they suppress the truth in unrighteousness what can be known of God they reject that they suppress it and what they do is that they that they know although they know God they do not honor God nor are they thankful they exchanged the truth of the Creator for the creature and they worship the creature rather than the Creator who is god bless it overall and indicates all the several vices he gets into all the particular wickedness is he starts with homosexuality and then he starts to go down the line of all whole host of Isis and so there are parallels between 1st 2nd Timothy 3129 and Romans 1 but there is this fundamental difference 3129 takes place in the church Romans one of the pagans they are the Gentiles they are those outside of the sphere of God's Oracle's they are those who do not have what the Jews have by way of the Word of God there is a very important indicator of this in verse 5 they have a form of godliness but they deny its power Paul is not dealing with the perilous times of wicked men out there Paul is dealing with the perilous times of wicked men in the church false teachers apostates wicked people those who fancy themselves as being able to lead and instruct others but who have these kinds of base motives at their heart so you need to understand that while there are similarities with Romans there is this great disparity in terms of the fact that Paul is dealing here with those who profess the truth those who profess rather that they have the truth when in fact they do not now as we look at these 17 adjectives into contrast Calvin is well noted that the lack of love which heads the list is the source or origin of all these other things Galvin says he loveth himself claims a superiority and everything he despises all others he is cruel indulges and covetousness treachery anger rebellion against parents neglect of what is good and suchlike notice verse 24 men will be lovers of themselves now there is a sense we all need to love ourselves Paul uses that is an argument as to why a husband ought to love his wife he loves her as he loves himself now this isn't you know adoring yourself and you know selfies all your house aren't I beautiful aren't I want that's not it there's a biblical righteous legitimate love of self we don't poke your eyes out with hot needles we don't not eat food we don't not sleep we we do those things that preserve help that's not what's in view and this whole idea of men will be lovers of themselves this is an ungodly attraction to oneself and again just a couple of these things deserve our attention the sin of pride it's highlighted several times there boasters they're proud they are head strong just the opposite of what we learn concerning Jesus is he goes into Jerusalem on that donkey what is being taught or what is being exhibited or demonstrated when Jesus does that he's lowly you see Christ's genuine people are lowly their humble they pursue those things which are pleasing to God they're not boasters they're not proud they're not arrogant they're not headstrong they're not the kinds of people that always have to be right they demand on being right that's what the idea of headstrong in this particular chapter this particular section means headstrong and notice as well there is a lack of goodness just in the realm of common grace people typically should be thankful shouldn't they and they are despisers of what is good I mean the picture painted here is a awful one and it dirt certainly does describe why these are perilous times notice as well this is for my younger hearers disobedient to parents you know when we look at vice lists in the New Testament that's a list of vices bad things wicked things Paul puts disobedience to parents why is that because it's wicked it's viable the Lord God Most High has put your parents over you to dishonor the parent is to dishonor God to be insubordinate to your parent is to be insubordinate to God the Lord Most High has comment' commanded by the fifth that we honor our Father and our mother notice as well the practice of slander they slander that's what the word says slanderers it's literally the word for devil literally the word for devil that's what devil or Satan means oftentimes accuser or slanderer it's interesting they've been held captive by the devil himself and now they become like em and they in turn are slanderers as well the lack of self control ones I'm pulling out here I mean we can look at all 17 in the two contrast but notice all of these describe pretty much what happens on a daily basis in Canada and in America without self-control that is crucial self-control that's where it all begins we wouldn't need a nanny state if everybody just did what they were supposed to with reference to themselves self-control is a beautiful thing that is a good thing you need to exercise self-control in your life and then as well the act of treason I get that from the verse 4 it says traitors the particular word that is used by Paul was late used in later Christian writings of blasphemy and apostasy so you see what we're dealing with in this list and verses 1 to 9 we're not dealing with you know good brethren that differ on a few things we are dealing with apostates we're dealing with godless men we're dealing with men who are in churches who want to teach Bible studies who want to leave the church and go into these households by stealth and hold captive these gullible women these are godless wretches that oftentimes find their way into the church now in terms of some philosophy remember hearing I don't know how many years ago it was but any hilton preaching on this passage and he mentioned three prevailing philosophies that this text sets forth that are oftentimes or that are going on in our own society secular humanism men will be lovers of themselves now that could be the selfie generation post during your walls with everything you or it could mean that whole idea of just being devoted to man man is the measure of all things secular humanism wherein we want to exclude God from our thoughts from our societies from every jot and tittle of our lives secular humanism is godlessness notice as well materialistic idolatry materialistic idolatry they are lovers of money sounds a lot like what we face today lovers of money have you ever wondered how much money does someone need your about these guys that have 10 20 30 40 50 billion dollars and their insatiable and want more at what point you reach the threshold and say you know I think I've got enough lovers of money lovers of money and the third philosophy is what's called hedonistic sensuality hedonism is all about my pleasure hedonism is all about my pursuit of that which feels good hedonistic sensuality we see this in verse 4 i'm sorry verse yeah verse for lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god so you see three prevailing philosophies that are going on all around us in canada and america and i suspect elsewhere as well but this is what paul is indicating these are perilous times these are terrible things and that they continue on in the church secular humanism in the church men loving themselves that's terrible materialistic idolatry I'm not saying what shave your head and sell all your stuff and give it to everybody else I'm not saying that you know that I don't believe that we've taught through first Timothy six all as a doctrine of riches and how to deal with that at the same time brother materialistic idolatry is in the church and we need to watch ourselves and hedonistic sensuality and as I've already mentioned we need to focus on a little bit the location of this danger is in the church verse 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power having a form of godliness but denying power you see that this isn't Islam there's not Islam it's not a false religious talking about those who profess Christianity they have a form of godliness if you look upon these men might look like they're legit might look like they're the real deal they have a form of godliness but they deny its power Calvin says they whom he briefly describes her not external enemies who openly assail the name of Christ but dome astex who wish to be reckoned among the members of the church George nights as thus Paul is saying that many among the Martha false teachers are professing to be teachers and engaging in a form of Christianity without knowing its reality and Gordon Clark says undoubtedly pagan persecutions or perilous times we would agree wouldn't we pagan persecutions are perilous times it's a great alliteration to pagan persecutions are perilous times we would all agree with that wouldn't we it's bad when the state execute Christians bad when the state closes Christians businesses down it's bad when the state encroaches in an area that they don't belong we would all agree with Clark that pagan persecution is perilous but he goes on to say but internal subversion is also perilous and perhaps more so in other words when the state encroaches and strives to make us comply we don't like it will resist it will reject it but we understand because their godless their wretched and they don't fear the Lord but when it happens inside the church when there is internal subversion when there's persons who are supposed to be on our team and they are denying the gospel itself they are denying justification by faith they're denying theology proper they're denying to try you at rye unity of God they're denying Cardinal true brethren that's difficult to deal with those are perilous times we expect godless men to try and make us conform we don't expect the church by and large to be an enemy or two to be a Howser of the enemy so we need to be aware of this that Paul's concern in 2nd Timothy 3129 is not out there it is within the professing people of God now notice thirdly the warning to avoid the danger vs. 5 b 2 a he tells them very simply and from such people turn away notice what he doesn't say i have a special bible study for them and with that come along side of them and nurture them come alongside of them and cuddle them come alongside of them and validate them no he says avoid them turn away from them have nothing to do with that you see sometimes people look at the church and they say wow you just seem to be so judgmental well in one sense we are because God through Paul told us we must be if a man denies the Christian faith and a man lives in a manner that is listed in this particular section we're not to have truck with him we're not to go out and engage him we are not to validate or a firm ham we are to avoid him to turn away from him to have nothing to do with it why is that so difficult for us today if I were to get on Twitter you were to get on facebook or we were to you know talk to the Christian Brothers that we come into contact with and we say you know brother or professing brother I don't think we call him brother but this particular hair.take he's a heretic and you shouldn't listen to him what do you mean how could you ever call in that he's such a nice fellow nice fellows don't spew false doctrine nice fellows biblically nice give us the truth you see this is what Paul tells Timothy and the verb employed is a strong one implying the Timothy is to avoid them with horror the present imperative indicates that this should be a continual habit of life so you see on the one aunt affirmed the truth affirmed those who teach the truth but have nothing to do with heresy have nothing to do with those who engage in it avoid them like the plague notice he goes on to explain himself in verses 6 and 7 he says for again indicating that this is all real for Timothy right now verse 5 be and from such people turn away if Timothy were to think well why because verses 6 and 7 pole will tell him for of this sort the same sort that Timothy is to turn away from the same sort that had been described in verses 225 this sort are those who creep into households you ever notice this brethren truth has nothing to fear truth has nothing to hide truths enemy is not the spotlight truth is happy in the light truth is happy in the dark the truth is happy in the light it will parade itself in the light there is no need for creepy there is no need for weaselly there is no need for subterfuge or deception there is none whatsoever unless you're a heretic and you're trying to capture people and you're trying to make them subject to your false doctrine Jude mentions these same sorts in Jude for he says for certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly men back to first a second Timothy chapter 34 of this sort are those who creep into households and they make captives of gullible women loaded down with since he's not talking about all women he's not obviously he's not saying all women are gullible and loaded down with various sins he's talking about the women that are gullible who are loaded with various sins these are easy prey and targets for such wicked men this is not a blanket statement telling us that all women everywhere are gullible and loaded down with various sin this is a subset of women and you know what men can be just as susceptible to false doctrine and heresy as women can't do I was thinking about this particular passage in its particular emphasis or an application in our own day and in our own age may not be the case that you get the knock on the door and you open it up and there's the Archfiend of Hell standing at your door saying can we have a Bible study probably not going to happen I mean it can jovah's witnesses go door-to-door Mormons go door-to-door if you let a man and you sit there and you listen to false doctrine and what they spew that's not a good thing but what is a means or what are two means whereby this is applied probably every single day TV & internet TV and Internet you know you hear about these porn filters for Internet I think there should be bad theology filters for a lot of computers out there you know covenant eyes if you look at a particular site it will generate a report and send it to your accountability buddy and he will then come to you and say you looked at such and such a site there ought to be that if you look at Benny Hinn calm you ought to have to face cam just shows right we don't care I I shouldn't say that that's one of those you know wicked lawless statements it seems to me at times that we don't value the importance of doctrine as we ought like this morning in our study in the confession chapter 22 of religious worship and the Sabbath day you know that's just not an issue we're concerned about reforming the church God pleasing worship in the church I mean there's abortion to fight and sodomy to fight and euthanasia to fight we've got 6th and 7th and 8th and 9th and 10th commandment issues that we need to go after I certainly submit that we should go after those but we got first and second commandment issues that we need help with worship is massive we get worship wrong and everything else falters look at Babylon I think we've seen that they were insane with their idols why does their society look the way it looks look at Romans 1 Paul before he goes to the Vice list says they don't honor God nor are they thankful you see what we believe about God how we worship or don't worship God affects the society in which we live my point is is that we oftentimes emphasize things to the neglect of other things that we ought to emphasize as well worship sound doctrine now I believe you ought not to look at internet porn but I'm asked convinced you ought not to look at heresy you shouldn't be trafficking with Christological heresy don't do your devotions with apollon arias don't do your devotions with the story is don't embrace patrick atheism don't embrace those things which are wrong and this is precisely what paul is saying these men creep in there like worms gil go so far as to connect the word use i think he connects it to the the arabic or the hebrew whatever and says that the root word is weasel they weasel their ways in true and faithful preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ don't have to weasel their way in they preach the truth but these heretics seeking to capture these poor women well I say poor women these women have a responsibility to but these heretics they creep in and they seize these gullible women these who are loaded down with sins led by various lusts notice they're always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth maybe you haven't seen this person before but they've tried this book they've looked at this devotional life they've tried this particular you know radio preacher or TV preacher or internet guy they go from place to place to place and again it's not just gullible women that I view it's gullible women and men they are like those who are just blown about by every wind of doctrine they haven't laid hold of the truth they haven't come to embrace the truth it's these sorts of people ultimately that are able to be captured by these false teachers and heretics and when these false teachers and heretics capture them there are only to be too happy to be captured to send in their love gifts and the false teachers only too happy to receive their love gifts and everybody's happy in that wicked abominable situation it's not built on truth it's not about the doctrine of the cross it's not about blood atonement it's not about justification by faith and notice with reference to these women again just so you know I don't think it's every woman George night says Paul does not use the term to derogate women but to describe a situation involving particular women in Ephesus that he uses a Dominion to form shows that he is not intending to describe women in general Paul's not anti-woman that's not the point at least in Ephesus there were these women described as gullible these women loaded down with various lusts and these sorts of women that were indeed always learning and never able note to come to the knowledge of the truth in the pastoral epistles first Timothy chapter 2 verse for the knowledge of the truth is salvation second Timothy chapter 2 verse 25 the knowledge of the truth follows repentance and Titus chapter 1 verse 1 it is the knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness so you see these ladies always learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth are not saved they have not repented and they do not hold the doctrine which accords with godliness now Paul brings a comparison verse 8 now as Janice and jam Burris resisted Moses so do these also resist the truth manica mine's disapproved concerning the faith these are the magicians in pharaoh's court in Exodus chapter seven and eight and nine say well how do you know that because the Bible commentators told me so actually no pagans and Jews recognized or pagans and Jews put the names Janice and jammed us to these magicians that were in the book of Exodus you see what Paul is doing and I think it's brilliant and ingenious if the false teachers fancy themselves to be teachers of the law they think that somehow they have a you know good view on the law and how to deal with the law Paul is associating himself with Moses and he's saying the false teachers are like the magicians who opposed Moses in and during the exodus so that's who Janice and jam burris are they resisted Moses that means they resisted the truth of God's Holy Word and he draws that comparison to bear upon the apostates he's dealing with in chapter 3 so do these also they resist the truth that's the problem that's the issue the conduct the ethics the bad things that flow stand from this rejection or resistance to the truth of God's Holy Word he says men of corrupt minds again the corruption is an ethical though that follows the corruption is in their minds their deteriorated they can't hold an intellectual thought according to the truth of God's Holy will or God's holy work and then he says they are disapproved concerning the faith so you see the progression Paul tells Timothy he needs to understand the danger Paul tells Timothy what the danger looks like in terms of particular met Paul then tells Timothy that he needs to avoid such men and by the way Timothy they're the sorts of men that make prey of these gullible women they're like Janice and Jan Burris they resist the truth and so do these also but he doesn't end on a negative note say what you will about the Apostle he was known negative Nelly he gives an encouragement in verse 9 notice he says but they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as theirs Janice and jam breasts as there's also was so you see he says perilous times will come perilous times are here perilous times are filled with these sorts of men men who resist truth men are godless men to love themselves men we're proud their bolsters they're traitors their wicked they go and do all these sorts of things but you need to make sure Timothy that you don't fall into despair but they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as there's also was when you look back at those magicians in the book of Exodus in Chapter seven eight nine they couldn't duplicate the plague of lights and they themselves had to confess this is the finger of Yahweh when it comes to the plague of boils not only did they not duplicate it they themselves were covered with boils hard to maintain dignity when you're covered with boils as somebody who is just as good as this man Moses and as well even as back back as far as chapter seven when they duplicated turning the rods into serpents it was Aaron's rod that eight there's so Janice and Jan Burris failed no one today that's Orthodox reads the Bible and roots for Janice and jam breasts no one today says what epitome zuv a virtue and truth no today the Orthodox read the account and Exodus and they say praise God for Moses look at Janice and Janice they've got what they deserve and Paul is saying the same sort of thing is going to happen to these particular man so he underscores to Timothy the necessity for vigilance in the church but he also underscores for Timothy the need to resist the despair the fear the trepidation the idea that so often parallel as people today with a faulty understanding of the last gaze they're afraid to get up out of bed they're afraid to go out into the street they're afraid to contact anybody because the perilous times are upon us and these last days are paralyzing well they were upon Timothy and Paul tells Timothy very specifically but they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all again the Orthodox today too don't read church history and root for the store is they don't root for ball in areas they don't root for these heretics they realize that these men were silenced they did not progress they're at their folly was manifest or evident to all so be encouraged be happy be joyful King Jesus is building his church Matthew 16 and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it even in chapter 2 notice what Paul says verse 17 after highlighting the heresy in Ephesus verse 17 and their message will spread like cancer hymenaeus and philetus ER of this sort who have strayed concerning the truth saying the resurrection has already passed and they overthrow the faith of song we might say oh they overthrow the faith of Psalm we ought to forget it we ought to run we ought to retreat but Paul says nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands having this seal the Lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity in some Paul says that Christ has his church under control Christ is building her and the gates of Hell itself shall not prevail against it now hell is going to throw man into the church hell is going to send man charging into her courts to try and disrupt and to try and thwart and to try and destroy but Jesus says they will not prevail so in well before I say in conclusion current Calvin says he encourages Timothy for the contest by the confidence hope of victory for although false teachers give him annoyance he promises that they shall be within a short time disgracefully ruined so for us as the church we need to be mindful that these things are not confined to the first century but as well they are not put forth into some further century this is what is characteristic of these last days there will be perilous times there will be distressed there will be trouble case you haven't realized yet you're not going to just skip and whistle your way on into heaven there will be difficulties to deal with along the way the duty required of church members is to avoid or from such people turn away if you look at internet reaching make sure it's correct if you're going to eight study site make sure it's not heresy if you are going to take in this data make sure it's true the Thessalonians were more I'm sorry the Bereans were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica for they examined daily the word of the scriptures to see if what Paul was teaching was true one of the reasons why and a blessing for these confessions of faith we don't say they're inspired or authoritative the way that the Word of God is but they're a helpful summary of Bible doctrine they are a helpful summation of what the scripture teaches in 32 particulars we can take that we can scrutinize we can survey and we can see to the law into the testimony they do not speak according to the truth there is no light in them and I think as well there's a particular emphasis here for pastors for pastors so I'm going to go sit next to cam and Men cam really need to pay attention to this any man hear that aspires to pastoral ministry and basically my counsel is this listen to Calvin and Clark Calvin says Paul and forms Timothy that the church will be subject to terrible diseases which will require in the uncommon fidelity diligence watchfulness prudence and unwearied constancy as if he enjoyed it Timothy to prepare for arduous and deeply anxious contests which waited awaited him I love the words that he employs their uncommon fidelity diligence watchfulness prudence and unworried constancy a brother recently said that lazy men do not make good theologians Gordon Clark I quoted portion of this earlier he said undoubtedly pagan persecutions or perilous times but internal subversion is also perilous and perhaps more so now notice what he says the duty of a pastor therefore the duty of a synod or General Assembly he's a Presbyterian is to keep a chore church pure he says 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 though history makes even this doubtful so there is a particular emphasis here for pastors for elders and churches for all of us avoid such people as are described in this particular passage be encouraged their progress they'll be stopped their fall you'll be evident to all the Church of Jesus Christ is going to march onward it's not just our generation that has had weird bad preachers there have been weird bad preachers from the very beginning to the church stop the church and the church go away no she's just March Phylly a faithfully marched on through the centuries to her destination to be with her beloved Redeemer be encouraged the Church of Christ that preaches the truth has nothing to fear in terms of the gates of Hell itself let us pray our Father we thank you for the Word of God and we thank you for this passage second Timothy and I pray that you'd help us to see clearly our specific responsibilities to avoid heretics to not come alongside to not encouraged to not seek to assist them but as Paul tells Titus we are to reject a factious man we are to not have truck with such people we ask that you would go with us now bless this coming week help us to glorify and honor you and we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord amen you