2 Tim 3.1-9
Paul describes a time he calls the 'last days' – what does that mean?
There it is in verse 1: Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty! Or 'But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.'
In a symphony or other musical composition, the finale is the section that brings the music to a climax or resolution. Sometimes the music builds and builds in intensity and volume until you get to that final resounding note. A finale is not just that last note – it is the whole build up to it, the gathering together of all the threads and emotion of the musical composition until it is resolved and completed on that final note.
Similarly, the last days are not just a few days at the end of human history. It is a longish period (long to man but not to God) during which God is gathering together all the threads and themes of his purpose for humanity and bringing it to a magnificent final note – the revelation of Jesus Christ as the King .
The last days are the finale of human history – the period between the ascension of Jesus – his return into heaven – and his final physical reappearance in the future to close off the long period of human rebellion and estabish his rule permanently.
These events are presented in the Bible as unique one-off actions by Christ, the Creator of everything.
So the Bible presents us with a period of time called the last times which is bracketed by Jesus' physical departure from the world and his physical return into it in the future. History and time are not just unravelling endlessly and randomly. They are being rolled out at Christ's initiative and there is a time appointed for him to bring the finale to it's last note.
In the 'the last times', God has a particular purpose he is working out in the world. God has a plan. He is not just reacting to what happens – he over-rules everything that happens. In this time, he is gathering people. Rescuing people from being locked into a world sentenced to death because of their sins. His plan is to rescue people from all people groups and nations into the safety of the Church.
We are in the middle of those last times in which the Church is being built as people get born again and added to the family of God. The information about Jesus Christ (the good news / gospel) is being spread across the peoples, nations and cultures of the world. That has been happening for 2000 years so far. Over the time since the day of Pentecost (which you can read about in Acts 2) when the Holy Spirit came and the gospel was first preached publicly by Peter - the Church has been planted in place after place – town after town (you can read how that got started in Acts, also).
And as the Church is built in a town and then a whole society it 'white-ants' those nations – that is, it eats away at the deceptive beliefs and self-confidence of godless living. Belief in idols and in peoples' ancestral heroes is undermined and Christ is lifted up as the one and only Man for us to worship and follow. It has happened in the Roman Empire, Europe, North Africa, the Americas, the Pacific, now Central and Southern Africa, and is just starting in Asia. These are the 'last times' and Jesus Christ is on a mission - to fill up his kingdom with people from every tribe, nation and language group. (Incidentally, that's why having multiculural churches like ours is an important witness to the success of Jesus' mission.)
The last days are a finite time – but we have not been given the end point. We don't know it. We only know that we have work to do - to add people to the Church so that people have the chance to see Christ transform their culture through a period when the Church is strong. For New Zealand, it seems that period was the from 1840s to 1970s – a time when the good effects of the gospel rubbed off on NZ society, resulting in peace and prosperity. New Zealand is rapidly now falling away from that blessing. In our time, we must fight against this decline. Not by protesting or complaining about society – rather by bringing the gospel alive within it. Perhaps God will graciously extend the period of his patience with New Zealand and we will be part of revival of interest in the gospel. One thing I notice, is that God has brought the people of his next big Church-building initiative to us! The peoples of Asia are coming to New Zealand. And what will they learn about Christ from us?
If we are to take up our calling and work with Jesus Christ, it first means getting ourselves right with God – that is, making sure the gospel has worked for us to make us acceptable servants of God.
It involves an ongoing, daily process of sanctification (that is making good). When we 'make good' something, we are repairing or refurbishing it. We set to work on our own lives, cooperating with the Holy Spirit to become closer and closer representations of Jesus Christ’s life. This involves fighting against sin and receiving God’s grace to add new behaviour.
But beyond that important personal rebuilding, we must also become Church-builders. We do this by finding people and adding them to the Church.
What makes these last times difficult (terrible)?
The last times involve struggle and suffering because there is a fight. The difficulties we struggle against are caused by sins.
Society's difficult times – your family's difficult times – YOUR difficult times are caused by loving the wrong things.
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure – rather than lovers of God.
These sins describe a society in trouble – not just individual’s faults. It is pretty clear that New Zealand society is a match for this troubling description. These things are what we are working against. And the first place we have to defeat them is in our own lives!
We have to defeat SELF. It wants to dominate our lives and make itself bigger than God. It wants to be worshiped and served over God. Self makes its demands and we cave into them all the time. Self creates an image for itself so instead of us being remade in the likeness of Christ, which pleases God – we gather up friends and experiences and material things that will puff up SELF. We are lovers of money and stuff and pleasure, because SELF demands those things.
And when you put together cities and nations of people who are lovers of self, lovers of money and lovers of pleasure, you have all those destructive behaviours listed here:
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited.
Now, we don’t defeat these flaws in society by protests, by judging or public shaming of people. We defeat them first, by having the Holy Spirit work in our personal lives and then together building a community within the community where these sins don't rule – the Church.
So, we have seen what causes the difficulties in society. And we have learned that the good news of Jesus Christ is what transforms individuals and forms churches which work against these evils that tear societies to bits.
3. What kind of lives Christians must live in times like ours.
First up, notice verse 5 where it says that even in the midst of these destructive behaviours, there will be people who maintain an outward appearance of religion or godliness .
Having the appearance of godliness by denying its power.
If we are to live successfully in times of difficulty (including persecution) we must kill off double-standards – saying one thing and living another – hypocrisy.
There are people who talk “God-talk” and say “Lord this” or “Lord that” and yet they deny the power of Christ to get in and change their actual behaviour. One of the most destructive things at work in Christ's Church is people who use the name of Christ and talk like Christians but deny the power of Jesus to give them a godly life to live. Paul warns Timothy to keep well clear of such people. Don't have them as your friends. Save them, help them if you can – but put on your rubber gloves so you aren't contaminated by their way of living.
So in these godless times, we must not deny the power of a godly life. Our number one personal priority must be to increase the godliness of our lives and to commit to prayers of faith and the Word of God, so that God can own his work among us by providing life-changing power.
And Paul, here, helpfully lists the type of life a godly Christian must live in these ungodly times. He reminds Timothy that he has committed to following the same kind of life that Paul has modelled to him.
Verses 10,11: You, however, have followed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings.
You should be able to locate these things in your life:
teaching – that means learning from the Bible. That is an absolute cornerstone – utterly essential – and if you are struggling to live a godly life in Christ Jesus is probably a major reason why you can't. You NEED to be taught. You NEED to be immersing your thinking in the Word of God to shape you, encourage you, correct and discipline you and empower you.
Way of life and purpose – You have a clear idea of what is out of the question for you as a follower of Jesus and you are getting a sharper and sharper focus on the sort of man or woman you must be for him. You know what is expected of a Christian in terms of the sort of employment suitable for a Christian – you know what is expected for marriage – for raising children – and expecially you have an aim for how you will use your life to build the church.
Faith – you take action in your life – you aren't just floating but swimming in a definite direction, because you have found God's promises and you are depending entirely on him to hold you up and get you through. Your understandings about Christ are getting more comprehensive and so you are trusting him more and more.
Patience – your frustration and anxiety are falling away and you are willing to trust God for his good timing in everything.
Love
You love God and you love his people and you love to be useful to him. You have passion – you are not dull and selfish and full of self-pity. You spend your life for others.
Endurance
You don't give up all the time. You see things through. You pray about things until they are clear. You keep at your tasks even when things are against you.
Persections and Sufferings
You live a life that is going against the current of this world and you aren't afraid to suffer for it. You value Christ's approval above comfort.
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