Study

20 Days in 2 Timothy

Ben Stuart
20 Days
Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20

Hope in a Brutal World

Day 12

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But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Summary

Today, we are beginning chapter three of 2 Timothy, and the time has come for us to study the world that Timothy was ministering in. If we are paying attention, we may find that the things he was up against are still at work in our day and age. Why? because we are living in the time between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and his return at the end of history. We are living in what some theologians refer to as the Church age and others call the last days.

So why have things been so difficult for the last two thousand years? And why does it feel at times like things are only getting worse and worse? Friend, we have a people problem. Consider this, the two greatest commands that Jesus gave us are to love God and love others:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31

Yet 2 Timothy 3:2 says people will become lovers of self. As humanity abandons love for God, they will love only themselves, and out of that, misplaced affection will flow materialism, pride, boastfulness, arrogance, abusiveness, denial of any authority, ungratefulness, and abandonment of a fear of God.

When we abandon God and love only ourselves, the result is always the poor treatment of others. We become heartless, unloving, unable to appease, and full of gossip. We begin to lack self-control, are brutal, won't care about doing good, are treacherous, act recklessly, are out of control, are swollen with conceit, and love pleasure more than God.

This is the world that Paul tells Timothy he is living in, and it’s the world we live in today. The love of many has grown cold, and the world is a dangerous place.

The great danger is that there are people who act like this, yet they still want to hold onto a form of religion and call themselves believers. They'll keep religious images, talk about God in general terms, and keep religious language in their life. They want to look like a spiritual person but deny the Spirit's power.

So, how do we properly identify the Spirit's power in the world around us?

  • Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:18 - The work of the Cross is foolishness to those perishing, but to the saved, it is the power of God.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:22 - We preach Christ crucified, the power and wisdom of God.

  • Philippians 3:10 - I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

According to Paul, God's power is in Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection. The centerpiece of the Gospel is that we know we are not okay, but Jesus stepped in to make all things right between us and God. Paul warns Timothy to avoid those who want to abandon Jesus and continue on their own self-serving path.

Remember, Those who love Christ stand out in a brutal world. Be that person.

What's next?

The world today is brutal and seems to only get worse by the day. It does not take long to come up with a list of all the atrocities that we know about that are happening right now.

However, you were not called to be like the world. You were called to be set apart. Look at the Scripture that Ben highlighted, focus on the power of the Spirit, and remember that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you.

  1. Paul did warn about avoiding people who have the appearance of godliness but deny its power. Think about the people in your life who are like this and have influence over you. Ask God to show you how to handle that situation.

Scripture References

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
5I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.
9He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
17On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.
18May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
18Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, my God,

till I declare your power to the next generation,

your mighty acts to all who are to come.

3Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
5Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.
6The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
7Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,
9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
11Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

we will also live with him;

12if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

13if we are faithless,

he remains faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
14Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
21Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
22Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
23Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
25Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.