2 Timothy 3: 1-7 (Good News Bible)— Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days.   People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power.  Keep away from such people.  Some of them go into people’s houses and gain control over weak women who are burdened by the guilt of their sins and driven by all kinds of desires, women who are always trying to learn but who can never come to know the truth.

As I read the paper this morning I was reminded yet again of the perilous times in which we live.  Top politicians being indicted, killings, terrorism, wars, earthquakes, and fires fill the news.  I searched the entire paper, including the classified ads and the advertising, for good news and found none.  Until, by chance, I glanced at the obituaries.  There was one for a twelve year old girl who knew Jesus from early childhood and had been baptized at three.  She had a love for praying and did it every day.  The obit was touching and inspiring.  The loss became a celebration of her going to be with her Jesus.  It is sad that the only place in the whole paper where real good news could be found was in the passing of one so young.

When we look at the scripture for today and see it as if it were written today, things begin to come into focus.  Reading the newspaper or watching television will only point out the details of just how difficult these times really are.  The cost of living expenses have risen to the point where most families have had to cut or eliminate much of the “fun” expenses just to be able to pay to keep the lights on or the gas on or some food in the fridge.  The quality of life will have to be weighed against the quantity of life.  By that I mean people will have to decide whether to buy booze, cigs, and Twinkies or fresh veggies, fruits and meat.  Deciding if the summer vacation should be on the beach at Pismo or at home doing things together as a family becomes a reality forced into existence by lack of extra money.  The electric company wants you to cut off your air conditioner during the hottest part of the day to keep the system from overloading.  They will help you cut your energy costs that way.  When you have to weigh the cost of the energy and the cost of a hospital stay due to heat stroke…….something is wrong.

Difficult times?  Yes and the Word of God warns of even more to come.  Verse 2 describes the largest percentage of today’s population.  Selfish, greedy, boastful, conceited.  Any doubts?  Just watch pro sports and especially the interviews with those multi- million dollar players.  Then check the sports pages and the internet sports to see how many of these divas are being arrested for DUI, drug possession, spousal abuse, and even shootings.   These are the idols of the youth of today.  Listen to the language that spews out of their mouths and even from the coaches on the sidelines. Do you really think that language is cute and necessary? Does it help “make the man a man?” Mat. 12:34 says “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ” Gutter language fully expresses what some folks are abundantly filled with.

Verse 2 b.  Kids learn to be disobedient to their parents from many of the videos, music and television shows they watch.  Their actions are often reinforced by the babysitters that are raising them in lieu of the parents.  Parents are too busy trying to make money or “doing their thing” and the kids have to raise themselves.  Ever heard of latch key kids?  Mostly the children leave home after the parents are gone and get home before the parents and have only an empty house to welcome them.  When the parents do get home they are usually too tired or too busy to pay much attention to the kids.  With no one to teach, guide, love, care for, and be there for, the kids learn on their own and often learn incorrectly.  Respect is earned.  Obedience comes with love for a person who is respected.  You cannot require or demand respect.  Too many parents today have kids because it seems to be the thing to do and not because the child is really wanted.  With no parental guide lines the child has no perimeters and must find out right from wrong the hard way.

Verse 3.  …Unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, hate the good.   Sounds like a cross section of everything from gangs to politicians.  Again, read the news with these terms, in mind.

Difficult times?  How about the amount of money and time spent on pleasure?  (leisure time) Simple pleasures like reading a good book or just being with someone special are not enough for most folks.  Pleasures should have a degree of danger, lust, sex, illegal aspects, recklessness or excessive cost to be “fun.”  When the indulgence of pleasure becomes too great nothing else matters.  Not what anyone else thinks or even if it infringes on others rights. The love of pleasure can become a replacement for God.  (Verse 4)

Verse 5.  Count the number of churches in your town.  Amazing just how many there seem to be.  Then add to that number all the groups that are not called churches but carry some other label that indicates the “worship” of some deity.  If all of these places believed in One God, One Lord, One Holy Spirit, there would be no problem.  But, far too many of them “hold to the outward form of religion, but reject its real power.”  Worship of idols while proclaiming belief in God is really counter productive.  Think about it.

Verse 6.  Knock, knock!  Who’s there?  Remember those jokes?  Well today the “knock, knock” is usually someone with a new idea of what it is to be a Christian.  How about letting them in to tell you about these new ideas?  Your husband is not home and this lady seems sincere.  You read her pamphlet and she tells you about her system that allows you to be a Christian without all the rules.  All you need to do is come to their meditation meetings or their “bible study” where a new age author is discussed and then a new age book is read.  Or, there are the ones that tell you that we are all gods. There are so many traps for the person who goes from place to place and source to source searching for the truth.  The scripture speaks of (verse 6-7) “weak women who are burdened by the guilt of their sins and driven by all kinds of desires, women who are always trying to learn but who can never come to know the truth.”  I would have to stick up for the ladies here and add guys to this mix as well.  Granted, the Bible teaches that Eve was the one who “sold out” Eden to the lies of Satan.  And, it was she who convinced Adam that what she did was right and persuaded him to do likewise.  We all know the result of that disobedience.

Today the lies and deception are even greater and more varied.  The enemy knows our weaknesses and will exploit them at every opportunity.  Guys are susceptible to deceit too.  So, what can we do to survive these troubled times?

1. Choose (with all your heart and soul) to serve God each day.
2. Spend quality time in the Word.
3. Pray. The Bible says to pray without ceasing.
4. Remember that faith is an ACTION word. ACTIVATE IT!

By focusing on God and His Word the events of the world will have  little effect on you.  His promises will keep you and His angels will guard you.  No, the times won’t be any easier and the “bad news” won’t go away if you do these things. But, your relationship with God will grow and the trials will become only a bother.  Read the Book of Revelation.  WE WIN!

• The AUTHORITY is the WORD
• The power is IN the gospel
• The attraction is JESUS