2 Timothy 3 Study Guide/Psalm 54 (55) Study/Message Turn to The Lord & Build Your Faith on a Rock...

2 TIMOTHY 3 STUDY GUIDE

MORAL DECLINE IN THE LAST DAYS – (2Timothy 3:1-9)

3 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of[a] vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) 8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. 9 But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.

NOTES

3:1-9: While technically we have been IN THE LAST DAYS OR A GREAT TRIBULATION since Christ walked the earth, the Church has seen this and other warnings as a reference to the days just before His Coming again … A great decay in morals (see- Matthew 24; Mark 13; 2Thessalonians 2; 2Peter 2; and compare Romans 1:28-32) will even infiltrate the Church – (v. 5; see Matthew 7:15-27; 1Corinthians 5:1-5; 1Timothy 4:1-11) … Like the prominent men of Cain’s city – (Genesis 4:16-24), these offenders willfully reject law and morals out of love of self and love of pleasure …

3:5: THE FORM AND POWER OF GODLINESS are intended to be inseparable … We normally do not have the power of godliness without the form … Charismatic power, however, can be twisted for an act full of evil and greed – (Acts 8:9-20) … Outward forms, even of liturgical worship, can be carried on without power or conviction – (see, Matthew 7:15; and Matthew 24:4-5, and v. 24) … Faith without works is a form without substance – (James 2:26) , so is religion without power … This is a stern warning to those of us committed to proper form …

3:8: In Jewish tradition, JANNES AND JAMBRES are the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in Exodus 7 …

THE PASTOR’S DEFENSE AGAINST APOSTASY: LOYALTY TO TRADITION – (2Timothy 3:10-17)

10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

NOTES

3:10-13: Paul’s life is exhibiting to us what the Lord taught … In this world, godliness elicits persecution – (see John 15:20) …

3:14-17: HAVING EXHORTED TIMOTHY with the example of his own steadfastness – (vv. 10-13), Paul now issues a remainder of the depth of Timothy’s training, which combined both oral and written instruction – (see, Matthew 28:16-20; 1Corinthians 11:2; 2Thessalonians 2:15; and 2Thessalonians 3:6) … A part of this tradition is Scripture … Paul, of course, speaks of the OT, since at that time the NT did not exist yet …

PSALM 54 (55) STUDY & BREAKDOWN

PSALM 54 (55), Is like Psalm 53 (54), is a prophecy concerning the betrayal of Christ, who is THE END … During His sufferings and betrayal by Judas – (vv. 13-15), He prays on behalf of the Church … For within the Church there is suffering and betrayal, sometimes even to death … For example, when He prayed, AND THE TERROR OF DEATH FELL ON ME – (v. 5), He was not saying this because He feared death … Rather, He intercedes for us, for our fear of death fell on Him, that we might not fear it … Therefore, when death fell on Him on the Cross, He, in turn, destroyed it once and for all by the power of His Divinity …

TRIBULATION: The Scriptures reveal that there will great troubles and violence and a Great Tribulation that will engulf the entire world before the GREAT SECOND COMING OF CHRIST … (See also Matthew 24:4-29) …

ESCHATOLOGY: This is the study of THE LAST DAYS … According to the Holy Scriptures, Christ will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, and will destroy the power of evil, and fully reveal His EVERLASTING KINGDOM – (See also Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:10-Revelation 21:1) …

LUKE 6:48

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was [a]founded on the rock.

- Hearing the gospel alone is simply not enough, I have spoken about this many times before, for salvation itself is based not on being a hearer of spiritual words, nor is it based completely on faith alone, but is also based on doing THE THINGS spoken by Christ – (see also James 2:24) …

LAMENTATIONS 3:40

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord;

We must acknowledge our own faults and sins and turn back to Him … We can only account for ourselves and pray for everyone else the ones who hate us and the ones who love us … Only the Lord can save and redeem us from ourselves our own demise … Here is the truth that you will not hear from any other teacher of the faith- The Great Tribulation is here, and the Great Apostasy the Great Falling Away is happening now things only get worse from here … We must be spiritually prepared for what’s ahead because that is the most important step … SEEK HIM TODAY GIVE HIM YOUR HEART AND HE WILL DP THE REST, YOU JUST HAVE TO WORK AT IT AND HAVE SOME BALANCE …