55 2 Timothy 3-4 - Pastor Chuck Smith - C2000 Series

shall we turn down our Bibles to second Timothy chapter 3 Paul said to Timothy this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come it is interesting that the scriptures in many places speak of the last days and in every case where the scripture speaks of the last days you find that it is an apt description of the day and the age in which we live and so Paul is warning Timothy of certain things that will be transpiring in the last days and as we go down the list it's like reading the afternoon newspaper perilous times shall come the cause of the perilous times are found in the things that people will be doing and at the top of the list men will be lovers of their own selves have you ever seen an age when people were more conscious of their own selves everything today is you know for the body beautiful the emphasis of so many people is just on being beautiful lovers of themselves narcissism is at an all-time peak but with lovers of yourself comes covetousness that desire for more for after all I'm worth it you know I mean talk about loving yourself look at the advertising I know it costs more but boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy each one of these words in the Greek is an interesting word study we don't have the time to devote to it this evening but I would suggest that you get a good Greek lexicon and do a word study on these particular Greek words that Paul uses to describe the attitudes and the actions of people in the last days without natural affection as I read the things that are happening in our modern cultured Orange County as I read the reports from the social department on the child abuse I just shake my head in disbelief because a person could not possibly do these things unless they were without natural affection there is just a certain natural love that would keep people from doing a lot of the things they're doing today all you can say is that they are without natural affection God has put in our heart certain natural love as a parent for a child there is instinctively I think within persons that love of a parent for a child or an adult for the child because we realize the helplessness of a child the dependency that they have and for a person to take advantage of a child is unthinkable and yet it is becoming in this hedonistic society commonplace all too commonplace tragically commonplace I am reminded of the prophet of God who spoke concerning Israel and he said they have sown the wind and now they must reap the whirlwind I'm afraid that that is also true of us we have sown the wind now we're going to reap the whirlwind trucebreakers how many people who have stood before God and have pledged for better for worse richer for poorer in sickness and in health to love and to cherish until death do us part and yet again the high divorce rate trucebreakers you've made a covenant and there are so many broken covenants some of you here are victims of broken covenants some of you are separated not by your own desire or wish but because someone was a truce breaker they did not keep the Covenant that they made again it is startling how appropriate that trucebreakers is for this day false accusers in continued that is without any sexual restraints boy I'll tell you I don't know we're living almost in a in a in a Sodom Gomorrah atmosphere an environment my wife and I eat out quite a bit we usually try to avoid it on Friday evening if we can but sometimes our schedules are such that we just don't have time to she doesn't have the time to prepare the meal on Friday evening and we'll go out on Friday night but I can't believe what I see in some of these restaurants over here in the Irvine industrial or business center Friday evenings you know everybody out looking for their weekend companion in continued no sexual restraints fierce despisers of those that are good traitors heady highminded and then lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God the pleasure mania of the United States we've just experienced a tremendous demonstration of that in the Los Angeles basin in the last couple of weeks the numbers of people who flocked to the various athletic contests loving pleasure now there's nothing wrong with enjoying life I believe God intended that you should enjoy life there's nothing wrong with having pleasure I believe that God intended you to have pleasure but when it comes before God it means that it has become your God and it makes a very poor God to worship preserve good to have pleasure but don't make it your God they love pleasure more than they love God that's the indictment it has become their God and thus they are guilty as those in the Old Testament who were worshipping Mammon who are rather Molech who was the god of pleasure lovers of pleasure more than lovers of god having a form of godliness they still you know pay their respects but they deny the power thereof Paul said to Timothy from such turn away for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captives silly women laden with sins and led away with diverse lust ever learning never able to come to the knowledge of truth so the Greek word that is used here to describe these that are going around leading captive the silly women is the same Greek word that was used to describe quackery and that's probably their quacks as Paul is saying the kind of guys that went around selling snake oil or cure-alls deceiving defrauding people now as Jenny's and Jam breeze withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth they are men of corrupt Minds reprobate concerning the faith now when Moses appeared before Pharaoh and he threw down his rod and it turned into a snake you'll remember that Pharaoh's magicians threw down their rods and they also became snakes but Moses snake swallowed theirs Jennie's and jamberries were the names of the two magicians that withstood Moses now this is not given to us in the scriptures but there are other what are known as apocryphal books in which these two fellows are names named and that is it doesn't tell us in the scripture in Exodus that that word was their names but Paul gives us their names here Jennie's and jamberries who withstood the truth and they were able to imitate the workings of God up to a point and then they came to the place where they were backed down by Moses but men of corrupt minds they're reprobate concerning the faith the Bible tells about God giving people over to reprobate minds men who resist God and the truth of God their minds become corrupted and they ultimately become reprobate concerning the faith i watch very little but with horror and dismay the deterioration of a man who probably at one time had a legitimate ministry but I've seen the gradual erosion of this person on television just right before my eyes until the man has become crude blasphemous ranting and raving a disgrace to Jesus Christ who said by this sign shall men know that you are my disciples that you love one another and there's such a complete total absence of love the thing that amazes me is that he can attract people who will support him men of corrupt minds the Lord said it's what comes out of the mouth of a man that defiles a man for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and when a man's language becomes filthy obscene and crude it shows that there's something wrong with in reprobate concerning the faith but Paul said they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as Jenny's and jamberries also were in other words you may go along for a while but ultimately it's going to catch up with you you may be able to deceive people for a while but ultimately it's going to catch up even as it did with Genesis there came that place where eight Moses performed a miracle of God and they they backed away say hey man this this is the hand of God we can't we can't touch this and so there comes that point where they will proceed no further their folly becomes manifest to all men as Jenny's and James's also was ten breeze but thou has fully known now in contrast to this boy what a contrast the Christian is to the world around him and more and more you know more and more your lifestyle is different from the world more and more the Christian is a marked person because the more corrupt the world becomes the more the Christian stands out the more the person who lives godly and righteous in Christ stands out so Paul said to Timothy you have fully known my doctrine and my manner of life my purpose my faith my long-suffering my love and my patience you know the persecutions and the afflictions which came unto me at Antioch and Iconium and Lystra what persecutions I endured but out of them all the Lord delivered me Timothy was from Lystra Paul met him on his first missionary journey at that time Timothy was just a very young boy probably in his mid-teens and yet he was attracted to Paul the Apostle because of the message that Paul bore Timothy had been schooled in the scriptures from his early youth by his mother and grandmother and so as Paul began to with the Scriptures prove that Jesus was the Messiah with Timothy's background he could see the truth of it and he embraced Christianity but he was probably standing there in Lystra when the people in the city stoned Paul until they thought he was dead and drug him out of the city and he was probably in the company of those that were standing around sort of crying as they saw Paul's limp body on the ground but suddenly of course their tears were changed because Paul began to breathe and move and he stood up and he said well let's go back in and preach some more Paul said you know what kind of a life I've lived you know the persecutions that I experienced but the Lord delivered me out of them all many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Paul's life contrasted with the world Christian life is a life of purpose the world just exists no real goal real no real meaning you're just existing Paul's life one of faith Paul's life one of long-suffering one of love and one of patience now you'd think that the world would treat a person like that very cordially it is interesting when Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount described the Christian in the Beatitudes after having described the trace of the Christian in the Beatitudes you'd say my a man like that who is a peacemaker who is merciful who is hungry and thirsting after righteousness who is meek who is poor is very surely you know the world would respect such a man but after giving the characteristics and traits of the godly man Jesus then in the final Beatitudes said blessed are ye when men shall persecute you and revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake the world really doesn't admire true Christian traits why because the true child of God brings the worldly person under conviction they just are irritated by your love and by your patience and by your goodness because they feel guilty look what they did to Jesus and Jesus said if they persecuted me they're going to persecute you don't expect the world to admire your godly stands don't expect the world to applaud when you speak out against evil they'll say crucify them rather than applaud and so Paul you know how I've lived my faith my long-suffering my love my patients and the persecutions and afflictions that came to me yay one of my most unfavorite promises in the Bible and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution quite a promise isn't it I've never found that in one of those little Bible promise book I mean promise things yeah that's not the kind of promises we really enjoy is it my God shall supply all of your need oh yeah like that one they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution you're in an alien world you're a stranger you're a pilgrim here this world is in rebellion against God and if you align your life with God you're going to find yourself out of alignment with the world and persecution will come beloved consider it not strange concerning the fiery trials which are to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you so don't expect the world to speak well of you or to applaud you for you're living a godly life and taking a righteous stand but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived in other words it's not going to get better for a while it's going to get worse before it gets better it will be getting better a little further down the road but evil days are going to wax worse and worse until the Lord takes his church out and then God judges the world for its unrighteousness and ungodliness and then Jesus will come and establish God's righteous kingdom but by then those that will remain will be saying oh god help us blessed is he who will come in the name of the Lord I mean people will have had it with the unrighteous as well look at the rapid deterioration of our society you can you see what's happened even in the last 25 years look at the magazine's that were once reading under the counter kind of stuff and sold illegally now they're right out where little kids can go in and pick them up and leaf through them look at our attitudes towards morality look at the lack lakna slick a'course all of these other things that have come along as the result of it the deterioration rapid deterioration so that a mother has to worry when she sends her little child to school because she doesn't know what some kinky character might do exposing themselves to that beautiful little child or even worse god help us if the Lord doesn't come soon we're going to destroy ourselves as we just sink in the film we're going to drown in our own corruption evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived I think we've gone just about as far as we can I think the next major event revelation 4:1 but continue thou in the things which you have learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make the wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus now it is interesting that as Paul is referring to the scriptures here he is of course referring to the Old Testament Scriptures the New Testament had not yet been canonized so he's referring to the Old Testament Scriptures those which Timothy knew from the child and he called them the Holy Scriptures which they are and they are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus in other words there is within the Old Testament so much concerning Jesus Christ that through the understanding and the study of the Old Testament you should logically be led to Jesus Christ Jesus said you do search the Scriptures because in them you think you have life but actually they are testifying of me again he said lo I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will O God the volume of the book the Old Testaments all about Jesus Christ the whole concept of redemption is wrapped up in the Old Testament the promise of the Messiah the details of the Messiah they are all there and Paul said you've known the Holy Scriptures able to bring you to a faith in Jesus Christ salvation through the faith in Jesus Christ for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God not as some would lead you to believe some scriptures are given by inspiration of God and as we pointed out the danger always of saying some scriptures not all scriptures is the loss of authority and when you lose authority you have anarchy every man going his own way every man doing his own thing or every man believing as he wants you have no authority so if I tell you that some scriptures are not really inspired of God then I become the authority not the Bible anymore because you can't just read the whole Bible and trust it because not all of it is inspired so I become the authority if I make such a affirmation to you and I will tell you what scriptures are inspired and which ones aren't how you get out your you know your green and blue pens and for the inspired ones will underline those with blue and I will use red maybe to underline those that are not inspired you know and so here I am I'm the authority well the next liberal comes along it is as well no no no no he was wrong on that one they need said that that one is inspired obviously inspired he was wrong on that you know get out Japan and take out with the red and put the blue under that one you know while soon your Bibles will be so messed up you wouldn't be able to read them and wide read them anyhow they're not inspired all Scripture is given by inspiration of God don't start messing with it don't start trying to cut out certain stories because they don't fit your schema because you have a little hard you have a hard time sort of believing that story of Jonah has provoked a lot of problems for people only because of their concept of God if you can read and by the first verse of the Bible you should have no problems with the rest of the Bible if your God is big enough to create the heavens and the earth and no problem but you see we stumble on the very first verse and that's what creates the problems all the way through our God is much too small and God prepared a great fish and it swallowed Jonah you have a hard time in that and man has prepared a great fish and they've powered it with atomic engines and a hundred and fifty men can board it and they can submerge and go under the North Pole under the Arctic ice and come up a hundred days later and be deposited at a port do you have a hard time accepting that man can build a great fish that can swallow men and keep them underwater for several days and deposit them lately later at at a port hey hey wait a minute then how big is your god man can do a bit old but I don't know I have a hard time we've got too much would you find it easier if it if they count said and a submarine surfaced and the captain got out on deck and you know they hauled Jonah in and they submerged again and headed towards Joppa and let him off the port but you see if you start whacking away at the story of Jonah and say Mahon I can really buy that Oh watch out now because Jesus bought it one day they said to Jesus show us a sign he said a wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign but no sign will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth oh Jesus you mean you believe that story didn't you know that's just a myth you know that's just fable how is it that you could be deceived Jesus I thought you were you know the son of God and smarter than that Noah the earth was really flooded Noah escaped jesus said as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man confirm that Noah was a real person and it was a real event so you have to be careful when you start chipping it away at one site because the whole thing will come down on you all Scripture is given by inspiration of God now when you have difficulty in your understanding of a scripture rather than setting that as I say what God really didn't say that just say hey I really don't understand that yet I have many scriptures that I don't understand yet I've got a file up here that says wait for further information and I filed many scriptures in that file I'm not about to say God was wrong I'm just saying hey I am stupid and I lack an understanding God is right I don't know exactly yet what he said but when I find out I know he's going to be right for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and as such they are profitable and how profitable is the Word of God to us today what a blessing they're profitable for doctrine what am I to believe about God what am I to believe about man what am i to believe about sin what am I to believe about angels or the future or life or death or life after death the Scriptures are profitable to establish the foundation of my beliefs they're profitable for doctrine I can base my beliefs upon what God has said because it is indeed God's Word I have great difficulty with these people who developed doctrines that are contrary to what Jesus said as though they understand more than Jesus about what's happening in the future the Jehovah Witnesses seeking to develop their doctrine concerning Hell and that it is a place of oblivion no consciousness no awareness and they use the book of Job as their proof text when Jobe was talking to his friends and they were talking to him about the future and jobs at all I wish I were dead you know where it would all be over where you know the miseries would all be gone what's the first thing God said to job when God came on the scene and entered the conversation with his friends he said who is this who is talking all these words without knowledge job tell me have you been beyond the gates of death do you know what it's about well Jesus has and he told us what - what it's about in Luke the sixteenth chapter now are you going to you know take the word of Jesus or are you going to develop a doctrine that is diametrically opposed to what Jesus said the Word of God is the foundation for doctrine what I believe I believe because God has said it and my whole doctrinal concepts are premise upon the Scriptures God said it they are profitable for reproof for correction and how often the Word of God has brought correction to my course of life easy it seems to get sort of distracted and off-course and the Word of God comes and it brings a balance it brings a correction it brings a correct perspective it's profitable for instruction in righteousness and righteousness is just actually the act of being right or doing right or living right it's instructing you on the right kind of life this is the right thing to do it's instructing us in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect and the word perfect of course is always that of completeness God wants you to be complete the Greek word literally is fully matured or of full age fully matured that the man of God might be fully matured thoroughly furnished unto all good works in other words the Word of God is that which thoroughly prepares me for any work that God might have for me to do now many people have a legitimate M proper desire to be used of God Oh God I want you to use my life good that's proper and and you should have that desire but God prepares the instruments through which he works and the most important preparation is through the Word of God that is where you become thoroughly equipped to do the work that God has designed and ordained for you so if you want God to use your life then thoroughly equip yourself in the Word of God the study the understander that's why we're here tonight just to go you know line upon line precept upon precept plotting right straight through the Word of God the whole idea is that of thoroughly fitting you as an instrument that God can use and you will find as God's Word becomes a very part of your life and you begin to be guided by the Word of God that God will begin to use you in very exciting ways but we so often make the mistake of going out ill-equipped or running without a message so God's Word Scripture given for inspiration by the inspiration of God and is profitable of course this morning we pointed out that the inspiration of the Bible is proved by internal evidences such as its total accuracy with known facts of science when it happened to cover scientific subjects now though it is infallible in errant and inspired I did make a mistake in my message this morning on the speed of Arcturus it's 12,000 miles a second I think I said 12 million is 12,000 miles a second but that's pretty fast too so you see it I'm not in errant and all but the scriptures are Paul said to Timothy I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ hey that's heavy duty man when you charge a person before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ laying a charge now on Timothy the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead now the quick is an old English word it means alive someone said in LA traffic there are two kinds that quick and the dead but the word means alive the Lord is going to judge those that are alive and those that are dead at his appearing and his kingdom now there will be two judgments the one that his coming is appearing will be the judgment of those who have lived through the Great Tribulation Period the first thing that Jesus does when he comes again according to Matthew's Gospel is he gathers together the nation's for judgment and he will separate them as a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats and he will put those on his left hand and he said you know depart from me ye workers of iniquity I was hungry and you didn't feed me I was thirsty you didn't give me anything to drink I was naked you didn't clothe me I was you know sick and you didn't visit me in prison you didn't visit Lord when did we see you this way well and as much as you did not do it to the least of these you didn't do it to me to those on his right hand come you blessed of the father inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you from the foundation of the world for when I was hungry you fed me Lord when do we see like that well in as much as you did it unto the least of these you did it to me but the judgment which will determine those who will be allowed to go in to the kingdom age when Jesus is going to reign upon the earth for a thousand years after the thousand years reign then he will judge the Dead and all of the dead small and great will stand before the great white throne of God and they will be judged out of the things that are written in the books so I charge you before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ who is going to judge the alive and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom the two judgments what does he charge him preach the word why because it is the Word of God that can change man it is the Word of God that can inspire really the will bring the changes can cleanse the man so preach the word oh isn't it a shame that there is so little preaching of the word of God today in the pulpits across the country all kinds of preaching of psychology and all other kinds of things but so little preaching of the word I charge you before God and before Jesus Christ Timothy preach the word Paul said we preach not ourselves but Christ crucified and ourselves his ministers for your sakes his servants preach the word then he said be instant in season and out of season another be ready to go sometimes you feel like it sometimes you don't ready to go reprove Word of God is profitable for reproof rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine now Paul is emphasizing here preach the word and get the people indoctrinated in the basic foundational truths of God preached the word for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables you know it is an interesting thing how that the Word of God seems to create an appetite for the Word of God and it seems to spoil you for anything else when the Word of God is so exciting there is so much there it is so powerful so dynamic that when you ridi are being taught the word and you really get into the meat you begin to grow and be strengthened you just can't be satisfied with these little you know beautiful days and butterflies and sparrows sermons you know everything is pleasant in the world is great so the time will come though if a person doesn't have a diet of the word of God they get engineers all he tells the greatest jokes you know man the guy's a great storyteller and that people have itching years they want to be entertained and and churches have become really entertainment centers I mean they put on shows that I would make Hollywood jealous sometimes I want to be entertained bitching ears desiring entertainment turning their ears away from the truth and it opens them up to be gullible to listen to fables but watch thou in all things and endure afflictions and do the work on the bait of an evangelist and make full proof of thy ministry now Paul was an apostle by the will of God but he was also a pastor and a teacher Timothy had the calling of an evangelist Paul is encouraging him to preach and to do the work of an evangelist now it is important to know what area of ministry God has gifted you and called you to fulfill and that you be what God has called you to be and not attempt to be something that God hasn't made you because the most difficulty at the most difficult and frustrating thing in the world is to try to be an evangelist if God has made you a pastor teacher or to try and be a pastor teacher of God has made you an evangelist you know we've got to make our calling and election sure we've got to know what God has called us to be the first 16 years or so of my ministry was totally frustrating as I thought be Chuck an evangelist by the will of God God never called me to be an evangelist and my endeavors to do so were just totally frustrating and unfruitful it was not until I read he acknowledged and came to the realization that God had called me as a pastor teacher that the ministry began to be blessed because now it's natural now it's not forced now I can be what God's called me to be comfortable with it loving it so to Timothy do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of your ministry so important that we make full proof of that ministry for Paul said I am now ready to be offered the time of my departure is at hand things were going bad for Paul in Rome the trial is not looking good he's appeared for his preliminary hearings and he's heard the charges and he has seen the attitude of the Roman government at this point and Paul realizes his days are numbered this is the last letter that Paul wrote his letter to second epistle to Timothy and he realizes that the handwriting is on the wall the time of my departure is at hand you see with Paul he looked at death is only a departure on his journey I'm going to move in a short while from this tent into a mansion the building of God not made with hands eternal in the heavens time of my departure is at hand and then Paul said I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith oh what an important thing to say when the time of departure gets close and I look back at my life and I can say well I fought a good fight I gave it in all I had and I have finished the course earlier Paul had written to the Philippians and he said I have not yet apprehended that for which I was apprehended of Jesus Christ neither do I count myself perfect but this is what I'm doing forgetting those things which are behind I'm pressing towards those things which are before as I pressed towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus he saw the Christian life is a race he said don't you realize that they which run in a race run all but only one receives the prize so run that you might obtain I fought a good fight I've been in there I have finished now my course and I have kept the faith so henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord our righteous so give me at that day and not to me only but unto all of them also that love is appearing we are told to wait for his appearing to look for his appearing and now Paul speaks about loving is appearing the crown of righteousness jesus said to the Church of Smyrna be thou faithful unto death I will give thee a crown of life the various crowns of heaven that crown of righteousness the Lord our righteous judge shall give not to me only but all those that love his parents so do thy diligence to come shortly unto me hey get here quick I am about to leave time of my departure sans Oh hurry get here as quick as you can for demas has forsaken me now Dimas was joined with Paul and other of the salutations of his previous epistles but Paul had said earlier that all of those of Asia had forsaken him actually it probably would have meant their own death had they associated with Paul at this point of the trial for he was a prisoner condemned to die and their association with him it now would endanger their own lives so demas has forsaken me tragedy because of the reason having loved the present world and is departed to Thessalonica in other words for his own skin you know that wants to live on so he's departed to Thessalonica crescens has gone to Galatia Titus to Dalmatia only Luke is with me so take mark now this is the mark that was a nephew to Barnabas who created a fight between Paul and Barnabas earlier when Paul and Barnabas left on their first missionary journey mark went with them but when they had passed through uh Cyprus and we're heading over to some rough country mark got scared and went home and Paul and Barnabas went on alone now as Paul and Barnabas were getting ready to take their second missionary journey to go back into the same areas to strengthen the Brethren that had been converted in their first journey Barnabas said well I want to take mark with me again and Paul's I don't know that you know a kid defected the last time I don't want to take him again and don't want the problems and so a big argument arose between Paul and Barnabas the contention was so great the Barnabas took mark and headed on out for Cyprus and Paul took Silas and hit it on back into Asia Minor again it is interesting now though you know within the Christian body we can have differences and we have can have disagreements but the Lord always brings us back and now Paul writes of this same mark that he had problems with earlier wooden wouldn't go to take go along with Barnabas who wanted to take him and he says to Timothy take mark and bring him with you for he's profitable to me for the ministry I like that young man course mark had matured a lot by now no doubt several years had gone by but Paul speaks about him in loving terms as being profitable unto Him in all anti chica's have I sent to Ephesus the cloak and how Paul's anyway system you know very personal kind of thing that the cloak that I left at Troas with Karpis when you come bring it with you and also my books but especially bring the parchment Paul it is said was an avid reader in fact a history Gamaliel Paul said he said under the feet of Gamaliel and we have an account of Gamaliel talking about Paul as a student and as he spoke of Paul is he said the biggest trouble I had with him as a student was supplying him with enough books an avid reader that is why when Paul was making his defense before King Agrippa Festus cried out you're much learning has made you mad Paul had been there reading for two solid years in prison in Caesarea and every time he saw him Oh Paul was buried in the books and he's at a you've studied too much you flipped you know gone over the edge you're much learning has made you mad so bring me the books bring me the part especially those parchments you know you know I think that that's something about a teacher is that you you have a thirst to knowing and you never stop learning Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil the Lord reward him according to his works that's interesting isn't it pray for those the Lord said who despitefully use you but I don't know that he intended you to pray that way of whom be thou weary also watch out for that Alexander the coppersmith for he has greatly withstood our words now at my first hearing no man stood with me but all men forsook me I pray that God will not lay that to their charge interesting Paul was totally forsaken by all of his friends at his first hearing before Nero they all left him when Paul's one of his first exposures to Christianity was the stoning of Stephen that is recorded in the Bible the first time we find Paul he is standing there holding the coats of the men who are stoning Stephen to death he had just heard Stephens tremendous witness before the Sanhedrin of which he was a member they voted sold him Paul voted yes on him you know he voted consented to his death he voted with him to stone him and then he participated by holding the coats of the men who did the actual stoning of Stephen while Stephen was being stoned you remember that he looked up and he said father lay not this sin to their charge you know don't charge him with this one loss that evidently made it pretty heavy impression upon Paul because later when the Lord got hold of Paul in the road to Damascus a day has been hard to kick against the brakes hasn't it you know I'm sure that that whole thing of Stephen was still you know going over in his mind and seeing this guy die in such a way is saying Lord into your hands I commend my spirit don't don't charge him with this sin Lord rather than cursing and and screaming and and all that those who were you know stoning him this beautiful attitude of love and forgiveness now Paul is more or less emulating that as he talks about these fellows who forsook him Lord I hope that the Lord doesn't charge him with that one notwithstanding and this I love all of the men for something but nevertheless the Lord stood with me and that's all I need the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion or Nero he calls him the lion or perhaps he could be referring to you know being put in the arena with the Lions but I just thought that he's referring it was cryptic for Nero now notice this notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear you see what happened is that when Paul stood before Nero he just took opportunity to preach the gospel to Nero I mean what a great opportunity I've got to make my defense for this guy and so but that was Paul's tactic all the way along whenever Paul was arrested and had to appear before the judges or later before King Agrippa he always used that opportunity to witness and tried to win them to Jesus Christ now jesus said to his disciples you're going to be persecuted and they're going to arrest you and they're going to take you before the magistrates and you're going to stand before kings but don't take any for Thought what you're going to say for in that hour the Spirit will give you the words that you should say and it will turn to you as an opportunity to testify you know as you're going to be you know arrested brought to Cardinal hey don't worry about it it's going to be an opportunity for you to testify to share your bait and so Paul took every appearance before the judges and all as the opportunity to testify until he was laying such a heavy witness on Agrippa King Agrippa he said Agrippa do you believe the scriptures I know you believe the scriptures The Cribs every day I don't man hold on you you mean you're trying to convert me and Paul's it oh I wish I could but anybody was he was trying to convert him now Paul doesn't nor does Luke give us an account of what Paul said the Nero but you can be sure he laid on Nero 1 are they he no doubt figured boy if I could win this kind of Christ think about what it would do for Christianity if Nero could be Wonder grass and I'm sure he laid on this guy a testimony like you can't believe and he said they all forsook me but the Lord stood with me the Holy Spirit will give you the words in that hour and he strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known I mean he laid the full witness on him and that all the Gentiles might hear the whole court of Nero heard the gospel and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and the Lord shall deliver me oh yes he sure did his head was whacked off and he escaped from Nero because jesus said don't fear them that have the power to kill the body but after that have no more power but rather felt fear Him who after the bodies guilt is able to cast your spirit into hell yea I tell you that fear ye him so I'm going to be delivered Paul says I know does me and Paul knew exactly how because he said the time of my departure is at hand I'm going Lord's going to deliver me I think that is wrong when we think that deliverance only comes through healing God has many ways of delivering us and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom they might take my life here but man I'm going to be preserved in the heavenly kingdom to whom be glory for ever and ever amen salute prisca and Aquila now here they are again still in Ephesus and Paul is so bound to Priscilla and Aquila met them first in Corinth and then they went with him or they went before him to Ephesus and they were with him in his ministry there and a couple of people that I am anxious to meet Priscilla and Aquila salute them greet them and also the household of one Sephora so now it is thought that maybe he was killed also in Rome he looked Paul up sought for him diligently found him in a dungeon but it is thought that maybe because of his relationship to Paul he was slain because he doesn't greet him but only his household and there are some accounts that he was actually killed because of his relationship to Paul Erastus State at Corinth but trophimus have I left it Malita more Malita m-- which is Malta and he was sick now do your diligence to come before winter and you bolused greets you and prudence and lioness and Claudia now with prudence in Claudia a couple of interesting names and all the Brethren oh I don't have time to go to the store but there are some interesting stories behind Claudia who is thought to have been a princess from the British Isles and there are some interesting stories in the early church concerning this Claudia and it's that she is the same party of course is not known but in the early church in Rome there was a qualia that had become converted she was a princess from Britain and had been sent to marry one of the Roman leaders as a part of a treaty and on and was converted to Christ their enrollment became a very powerful figure in the church the Lord Jesus Christ be with the spirit grace be with you amen so Paul's last letter to Timothy and the last letter that he wrote may the Lord richly bless you as the word of God is now assimilated into your life and you begin to apply it in your daily experiences that the Word of God might have a purifying effect upon your life this week even as Jesus said now you are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you may you find the Word of God guiding you in the way of righteousness being profitable to you in leading you in that path of righteousness that God would have you to walk may the Lord be with you and strengthen you for the various tests and trials that you'll be facing this week and cause you to be victorious more than a conquer through Jesus Christ

Channel: Ken Zenk

Views: 10,033

Rating: 4.8110237 out of 5

Keywords: Bible, God, Jesus, Christ, Love, Hell, Death, Sex, Marriage, Drugs, Satan, Porno, Cancer, Sports, Girls, Music, Holy Spirit, Children, Family, Heaven, Healing, Pregnant, Aids, Gay, Movies, TV Shows, Animals, Israel Prophecy, Last Days, Christian, Jewish People, Gentiles

Id: ISJ9yTfwO3s

Length: 73min 31sec (4411 seconds)

Published: Sat May 11 2013