Again we are looking at the text of (2 Timothy 3:1-5)…..But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! In these 3 verses, Paul describes the kind of people who will live during the last days. He tells us how they will think and how they will live. You only need to read these verses and cross reference them with the newspaper, the evening news and life all around to see that we are surrounded by those who fulfill these characteristics to a tee. Let’s take a few minutes to walk through this list of attitudes and actions that will mark those living in the last days.
Every one of these characteristics Paul names is a result of being a “lover of self”. When a person is number one to himself, when he, himself is the be all and end all of his existence, then we should not be surprised at the depths of evil of which he is capable! The people who do these things are merely in love with themselves!)
1. Lovers of Self – Selfish, intent on one’s on interests – (Philippians 2:3). Nothing is more important to some people than themself. These people feel as if the world revolves around them and them alone. They are literally setting themselves up as their own little god! When love for self is elevated, love for God and all other things is lowered. The trend in the modern church today is towards self-esteem, self-worth and a positive self-image. All concepts borrowed from modern, secular psychology! God wants to “Take the steam out of self!”
2. Covetous – Lovers of money – (Hebrews 13:5) (1 Timothy 6:10) (1 John 2:15). God’s plan is that we worship God, love other people and use things. When our priorities become skewed, we start to worship ourselves, ignore God, love things and use other people. This is the formula for defeat in life.
3. Boasters – Empty pretenders – Bragging about what they have and have done! Set themselves up as the be all and end all of other people’s lives.
4. Proud – An over estimate of one’s worth – (Proverbs 16:18). We are nothing but sinners saved by pure grace! Paul – (1 Corinthians 15:10). Men would do well to remember the counsel of (Romans 12:3)…..”For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” We are nothing without Him – (John 15:5).
5. Blasphemers – Given to defiant and bitter words. These are they who speak evil of God, His children and His work! Have you considered the rise in cursing in our day? Why is this true? Because men have lost all respect for God, themselves and their fellow man. They think nothing of using their tongues to speak evil against everyone and everything (Romans 3:10-18).
6. Disobedient To Parents – This rejection of Christian values reaches into the home (Ephesians 6:1-3). Discipline has gone out the window! If children will not respect and obey their parents, they will never do respect and obey God. If there is no obedience, respect for God, why should we expect to find it in society?
7. Unthankful – No sense of gratitude for anything they possess. Whether it came from man or God (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Our society is marked by this kind of unsettled, unthankfulness. People complain about everything and everyone. Yet, God’s Word teaches us that we should be a thankful people (Colossians 3:15).
8. Unholy – Wicked – this word means profane. This is state of heart when men lose all regard for decency and shame. People are governed by their passions and they are blind to modesty, decency, purity and righteousness. Think of the common use of sexuality to sell products. Think of the flaunting of wickedness and evil that is so rampant in our society. Men will increase in wickedness as the end approaches. This trend is becoming more and more evident. The bottom line is that men will hold nothing as being sacred anymore! Are we there yet?
9. Without Natural Affection –Unloving – There is a loss in love for those we ought to love the dearest. Abuse, abortion, infidelity, etc. All natural loves will be lost in the desire to fulfill the basest and most perverted of human excesses.
10. Trucebreakers – Unforgiving – This refers to those who will not keep their promises. A man’s word is no longer his bond! This is also a picture of those who are unyielding, and must, at all costs, have their own way. Also who are unforgiving.
11. False Accusers – Slanderers. These people do everything in their power to destroy the good name and reputation of another. By the way, this word is the same word from which we get the word “devil“. In other words, the devil is a slanderer, and those who engage in destroying the good name of another person are guilty of engaging the devil’s work!
12. Incontinent – Without self-control or the ability to discipline one’s life. “If it feels good, do it! Why should I deny myself the little pleasures of life?” Many lost people careen through life like a driver less car! Such is the motto and mission of modern society! The Word of God has a different take on the situation, (1 Corinthians 6:12)…..”All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.“
13. Fierce – untamed, savage, brutal – People will be controlled by their basic instincts. We are seeing a trend in this direction in our society. Men are literally living like wild animals!
14. Despisers Of Those That Are Good – In a world where good is evil and evil is good, those who stand for right are a slap in the face of the evil doer. Therefore, those who take a stand along Biblical lines are apt to be persecuted and hated. Why do you think the worldly crowd wants the 10 Commandments taken down from court room and school house walls? Why do you think they don’t want prayer at school functions? Why do you think that the world is so against the Word of God being preached in a public forum?
15. Traitors – People who betray allegiances just to get their way. These people will lie, cheat, steal and crush anyone who dares get in their way. Basically, people will possess no loyalty except to themselves!
16. Headstrong – Reckless, rash, acting without reasonable thought. This is a lifestyle that does as it pleases without regard for the consequences. Speaks of those involved in activities of a foolish nature.
17. Haughty – High-minded – Those who are puffed up with a false sense of their own self-importance. People who think they are better than what they are. These people feel that they have no need for God or others. They are all they need!
18. Lovers Of Pleasure More Than Lovers Of God – Those who love the pleasures of the world more than God. Ours is a pleasure mad society. In 1998, Americans spent 6.68 billion on films; 13.7 billion on music; 6.3 billion on video games and bought 1.04 billion books.
B. Their Deception – Paul tells us that these the population of the last days will be characterized by wickedness and evil, but that they will be a religious people! We are seeing this trend in our society. While morality continues to decline, 94% of Americans claim to believe in God. Over 70% claim that they have had a “born again” experience. There is a glut of churches in our society. One doesn’t have to travel very far to find a church that embraces any doctrinal slant you want to believe. We are running over with religion in America!
Paul says that these people will have a “form of godliness.” The word “form” means a “semblance.” in other words, they will claim to be good and decent people, but their claim is false! Their problem is the fact that they have a desperately wicked heart. The way they live proves that their claim of faith is false.
And here is a word of encouragement for us today – “And from such people turn away!”