2 Timothy 3
Be careful
On the roads
On most Australian roads we are fortunate enough to have a good system of signs that let us know what might be around the corner. These signs can prepare us for the condition of the road or warns us of potential dangers up ahead. There are the simple signs that warns us of a windy road, or slippery conditions or steep descent and there are the wildlife signs, duck crossing, wombat or koala crossing and of kangaroos for the next few kilometres. All these signs are there to help us to be careful about how we proceed. They help us to know what to expect so that we can be better prepared. They get us to be watching out for danger so that we can avoid it.
In the last days
This is what the apostle Paul has done in chapter 3 of his second letter to Timothy. He has reminded Timothy of the conditions that he was going to encounter. In chapter 2 Paul called Timothy to do his best to be an approved worker, who didn’t need to be ashamed who correctly handled the word of truth. In chapter 3 Paul warns Timothy that the road ahead was going to be a bumpy one with dangers that he needed to avoid if he wasn’t going to find himself in trouble. He told Timothy that he must “mark” or understand this.
2 Timothy 3:1
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.[1]
The word “mark” is literally the word “to know” or to “understand”. Paul wanted Timothy to understand that there will be terrible or difficult times in the last days. The road that Timothy was on wasn’t going to be an easy one. Timothy was in for a bumpy ride for the times that he and the believers were living in were going terrible or perilous. This morning/evening we want to look at these terrible times for we are still living in them. For the apostle Paul and the NT as whole, the last days began with the return of Jesus to heaven and they would only end when he returned to bring them to an end (see Acts 2:14-17, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 3:3). We need to understand what Paul told Timothy about these times and how he was to carefully negotiate them so that we might travel down the same road as Timothy and Paul and make it to the end and receive the crown of life. Chapter 3 divides into two parts: Verses 1 to 9, the terrible times and what we need to understand about them and secondly, verses 10 to 17 what Timothy needed to do to be prepared for them.
Terrible times
What makes one job good and another just simply terrible? It often has nothing to do with the kind of work that you are doing, but with the people at work that you either work alongside or for yourself or who are working for you. You can work at what might be a very difficult or mundane job if the people around you aren’t difficult but are friendly and kind and easy to get along with. On the other hand, you can have a great job that you love doing, but if the people that you work with are difficult and hard to get along with it won’t matter how good the job is you won’t enjoy it. You won’t want to be there, and you’ll begin to look for another job. In life it is the people around us that make much of the difference to our lives. They can make life pleasant or terrible and painful. When it comes to these terrible times, Paul explains that the times are terrible generally because of what people are like.
2 Timothy 3:2-5a
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power.
- People will be lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God.
The times would be terrible because people will be lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God. Paul gives a list of vices – of evil behaviour. The list begins and ends mentioning what the people living in these times love and don’t love. The first thing mentioned is that they are lovers of themselves and money and the last thing said about them is that they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The word ‘love’ comes into these verses 5 times. At the heart of the problem and the cause of these things is that people love the wrong things. The fact that they are lovers of self and not God mean that they stop loving the good and become lovers of pleasure and money because they are just ways of loving yourself.
The fact they love themselves and not God are like two book ends that really gather up all the other things that are mentioned. These things arise because people don’t love God as they ought to but instead, they love themselves. They therefore become boastful and proud in themselves. They become abusive and disobedient to their parents because they are only worried about themselves and what they want. They become ungrateful for when you only care about yourself what others do for you is never enough. They are unholy for they do whatever suit themselves to give them pleasure. They are unloving and unforgiving, slanderous without self-control and the list goes on.
It doesn’t mean every person is everyone one of these things all the time, but that they will display all of these things some of the time and some things more than others. You make self-love your greatest priority rather than loving God and you end up in a world in which people can be ungrateful, abusive, unloving, treacherous not lovers of the good but lovers of that which is evil. You end up in the kind of world that we know so well – where the good is made out to be evil and the evil made out to be good and where the greatest love is to love oneself. It’s the world that we live in.
- People will have a form of godliness but deny its power
But, if this isn’t bad enough, the real danger is those who live like this but have a form of godliness. Verse 5 suggests that Paul believes that the real danger doesn’t just come from the outsiders around us but those among us who claim to know God but still live this way and want to proselytize (convert) others to join them in this wickedness. They have an outward form or appearance of being godly but deny its power. They don’t change on the inside. They continue to follow their own sinful desires and live for pleasure, money and they live for these things ultimate because they don’t love God, they love themselves.
- Have nothing to do with them
Occasionally on the motorway while travelling to Newcastle there have been warnings signs flashing danger ahead on the road. There are some dangers that you just can’t drive through you need to avoid completely. At times the road can be cut off by fire. It isn’t a matter of carefully heading into the fire but avoiding it and staying away. You turn around. This is what the apostle Paul calls Timothy to do with those who claim to be godly but deny the power of the gospel. Paul says at the end of verse 5, “Have nothing to do with them.” You totally avoid them.
Paul gave the same sort of instruction to the Corinthians about not associating with anyone who calls themselves a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy or an idolater or slanderer.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11.
9 I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
The problem with such people is that the teaching or thinking that is behind their way of life spreads like gangrene through a congregation. Paul wrote to the Corinthians… “Don’t you know that a little bit yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (1 Corinthians 5:6). People end up wanting others around them to approve of what they are doing and join in with them in their wickedness. Paul says that they seek to capture or gain control over others (v6). In Ephesus, where Timothy was at the time, they were doing it for money and financial gain (see 1 Timothy 6:5). They were lovers of money. What Paul told Timothy to do was to have nothing to do with them. This is the central command of these verses. Avoid them. This will mean separating ourselves from others and not associating with them. You starve the fire of fuel.
- These people will oppose the truth and deceive others
Paul goes on to explain that the reason for this is such people are opposing the truth and deceive others. They are not interested in seeking after the truth but robbing others of it. There is connection between verse 6 and 5 that sadly the NIV translations have not picked up. The NIV doesn’t included the word “for” which is there in the Greek and included in translations like the ESV. Paul told Timothy to have nothing to do with them for among them are those who worm their way into homes and gain control over “weak-willed” women. Paul here describes the modus operandi of these people in verses 6 to 9. Modus operandi (MO) is a Latin term that refers to their way of doing things.
2 Timothy 3:6-9
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
In this case these men were making their way (creeping) into homes to deceive “weak-willed” or it could be translated “foolish” women. Paul wasn’t saying that all women were foolish but, these men were targeting the ones who were foolish and who were loaded down with sin and perhaps struggling with all kinds of evil desires. These false teachers were opportunistic in the way that scammers are opportunistic and target and prey upon vulnerable lonely men and women using social media. It doesn’t men all men and women who use social media are lonely and vulnerable, but scammers target the ones who are. In the same way not all women were foolish, but these men were targeted women who were inclined to be so and who were particularly susceptible to be led astray for they loved learning new things but never went as far as acknowledging or committing themselves to the truth.
Paul compares these people to Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses. These were two names that in Jewish tradition had been associated with the magicians in Egypt that had opposed Moses. These men Paul says oppose the truth and are rejected as far as the faith is concerned. Paul makes it clear that the times would be terrible because this sort of person will be a feature of the times in which we live. In fact, in verses 13 he wrote that evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Paul makes clear in verses 9 that despite this they would not get very far. But the danger was there. There would be deceivers who not only wander away from the faith themselves, but they would be out to capture others to join them in their folly. We have nothing to do with them. In our age they creep into our homes in social media or on Christian TV. Men and women who are lovers of money who claim to have anointings of the Spirit but lead people astray. Have nothing to do with them. Don’t listen to them. Don’t buy their prayer cloths to put under your pillow and don’t send them money to help them with their ministry. Many of them are leading people astray because they don’t know what they are talking about. We need to be careful who we listen to. We live in a time of imposters, deceivers – people who sound godly but lead others astray.
Prepared for these times
But having outlined the terrible times that were ahead of Timothy Paul didn’t believe that just knowing about them was enough, Timothy needed to be prepared for them. In verses 10 to 17 Paul reminded Timothy what he needed to do to be prepared for the road ahead. I think the key verses in this section are verses 14 and 15 where we find the single command of these verses – continue in what you have learned.
2 Timothy 3:14-15
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Continue in what you have learnt
Timothy was to continue in what he had learnt and become convinced of. But what had Timothy learnt that he was to hold on to and continue in? What was it that would rightly navigate him through these difficult times? I think that you could summarise what he had learnt as the gospel and the Scriptures.
Living out the gospel
Timothy was to continue to hold on to the pattern of sound teaching, the gospel that he had received from Paul. Paul in verses 10 to 13 reminded Timothy about how Timothy knew all about his teaching and his way of life and purpose and faith and love and endurance and persecutions and how the Lord had rescued him. This is what Timothy had learnt and had been following. The word in verse 10 is much stronger than just “to know” something. It meant knowing because he had followed Paul in this way of life. It’s after reminding Timothy of his way of life that he then went on to tell told timothy to continue in what he had learnt and become convinced of. Timothy had learnt these things, the truths of the gospel and how he was to live a life of worthy of the gospel from the apostle Paul and this is was what he was to continue in. The only way to live in these terrible times in which we live is by trusting and living out the gospel that we have believed and become convinced of. Timothy was to follow the example of Paul and was himself to be an example to others of living out what he believed.
Friends, you must put all your hope in Jesus and promise of life that we have in him to navigate these times. If you want to be able to see the dangers out there that will pop up along the way you need to understand what it means to follow Jesus – faith, patience, love endurance, persecutions, sufferings, not wealth, prosperity, success and pleasure. Paul reminded Timothy of the things he had seen him go through and then added that all those wanted to live a godly life will be persecuted. Timothy had learnt from the apostle how to trust in and live out the gospel and what it would mean for him. Although the road ahead might be difficult, it is the gospel that protects us and keeps us. Those who abandon it end up shipwreck their faith or to put it another way they end running off the road and crashing and burning. You have to be gospel people living out your hope in Jesus, otherwise you will be tossed about by every wind of false teaching that blows your way.
Equipped by the Holy Scriptures
The other thing that Timothy had was the Holy Scriptures. He had known the holy Scriptures from infancy and he was to continue to be equipped by them. Paul wrote that it is the Word of God that can make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It’s the Holy Scriptures that point us to Jesus so that we might put our faith in him for salvation. It the Scriptures that then equip us for the good work that God wants us to do while living in these times. Paul wrote that it was the Scriptures that thoroughly equip the man of God for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How do you live and survives in times such as these? You need the Scriptures. You need to know them and be soaked in them to fire-proof yourself. You need the wisdom that you find in them. They will equip us because they are not just words that some bright speaker came up with. Paul writes that these words are God breathed. They come from his mouth and they thoroughly equip you for the good work that God intends for you to do.
We don’t come to church to hear some great motivational speaker who tells us how he thinks that we should live. We come to hear God’s words because they thoroughly equip us. They are the wisdom that we need to live in this world. If we are going to come through these terrible times in which we will be tempted to be lovers of self and pleasure and money, then we need to keep hearing the Scriptures. They will rebuke us, correct us and training in righteousness. They point us in the right direction to go. You don’t get that training any other way.
How do so many people get let astray? It’s because they haven’t soaked themselves in the Scriptures. It’s because many churches have become less and less focused on the Word of God. It’s because people haven’t sort to be thoroughly equipped for the terrible times in which they live. You know we do so much to equip ourselves for our careers with university, and post graduate studies, reading and courses but listening to God and his wisdom is something we somehow think that we can go without. But we do so at our peril. You only going to be thoroughly equipped for life to the extent that you are taught and rebuked and correct and trained in righteousness through the Holy Scriptures. You need God’s wisdom to navigate the road you’re on, friend. If this is the only time in your week that you find yourself being equipped by the Word of God then you are in real danger. People run off the road and find themselves in a ditch usually because they’ve stopped listening to what God says in his word. We need daily encouragement for we so quickly forget. We need constantly to be reminded of God wisdom in a world that constantly whispers foolishness in our ears as though it’s wisdom.
Living in the last days
Friends we are living in the last days. We are still in these times. We like Timothy need to understand this – these will be terrible times we don’t expect things to get better only worse before the end.
- There will be terrible times
Paul told Timothy there will be terrible times and it’s because people will be lovers of self rather than lovers of God. But the real danger isn’t the people outside the church who are like this but people among us who claim to be godly but who promote love of money, love of pleasure, not loving the good as defined by God but coming up with our own idea of what is good for themselves. All around us we have people claiming to be believers who are abandoning what God says and coming up with their own ideas of what is good. We live in times where evil men and imposters are just going from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
- Have nothing to do with those who deny the truth of the gospel
We must understand and know this and have nothing to do with them because they only lead people astray. We are to have nothing to do with those who deny the truth of the gospel and deny its power to different from the world we live in. We are to be careful because these people are opposing the truth and deceiving others. They have a form of godliness but who live for money and pleasure and no longer love what God says is good.
- We must continue in what we have learnt
To live in these days and negotiate them without
end up in ditch beside the road we must continue in what we learned. You are
never safe. You never get to that point where you can just coast on what you
have learnt in the past. You can’t put the car on autopilot and sit back. You’ve
always got to keep your hand on the wheel. We must hold on to the gospel and
live it out by faith in Jesus knowing that suffering and hardship is part of
the journey. But, like Paul, we are confident God will rescue us. He won’t
forsake us. We also need to be people who equipped by knowing the Holy
Scriptures. They make us wise in our world in which folly is the norm. We need the
Scriptures to prevent us from going down the road of folly. It is the Scripture
that will speak sense to us and turn around and equip us for all the good work
that God has prepared for us to do. If you have no plan to regularly read the Scriptures,
then its time to make friends. Friends be careful. Heed the warning and do as
Paul Timothy to do – as for you, continue in what you have learned.
[1]Except where otherwise indicated all Scripture citations are taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised. (1984). (electronic edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
