Perilous Times
The Apostle Paul told Timothy perilous times would come in the last days. I think those perilous times are upon us with a vengeance! Just about every bit of news today has something to do with sodomy, transgenders, diversity, equity, or inclusion - and the list seems to keep growing every day. I am so sick and tired of having this perverted lifestyle and rebellion against God being promoted at every turn, that I sometimes feel like I could scream!
In II Timothy 3:1-7, Paul describes the condition of these folks. I have had folks say to me on several occasions, “Pastor, isn’t Paul explaining what the world will be like in the last days?” The answer to that question is no! The world has always been like it is described here! The world has always been characterized by the sins and activities described here in these verses.
I don’t think Paul is describing the world but is instead describing the Church today! It used to be there was a difference between the world and those who professed to be Christian. But the Church today is filled with folks who are so full of the worldly mindset, it is difficult to figure out who is on what side of the truth.
One problem with today’s church is the matter of authority! The Bible should be the final authority for faith and practice! Sadly though, very few professing Christians believe the Bible is our final authority. If one does not have a standard, a benchmark, or a foundation…then no man knows what is right and what is wrong. And our world today has done all it can to get men to NOT believe the Bible is our final authority!
There are hundreds of new versions of the Bible floating around today! This church uses one version, and that church uses another version - and it causes folks to wonder which “Bible” is the one that can be trusted. In our world today it is almost impossible to find a church that actually believes the Bible is the inspired, authentic, infallible, preserved Word of God. So, what happens is there is no final authority, and right and wrong are left up to the individual.
The result of that is what we are seeing in our upside-down world today! Churches not knowing which Bible to use - is the equivalent of using no Bible and having no final authority to guide thinking and
behavior. So, just like in the days of the Judges (in the Old Testament times), “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This explains not only what is happening in our country, but also what is happening in churches all over the nation. In verse 5, Paul says churches and Christians, “Having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof…” Churches are just going through the motions but having no power to see folks saved and lives changed. I wonder how near we are to hearing the trumpet sound?
