We were shocked, of course, to hear of the news of what took place a week ago out in Las Vegas. In fact, it's hard for us to imagine someone coming to the point of wanting to do what Stephen Paddock did. But in this, we see really what the heart of man is like. Remember how God tells us all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Are you capable of doing what he did? You would like to say no, but really the seeds of that same sin are in the heart of each one of us. You might think immediately, at least for right now, no I'm not capable of doing that. But people change. That seed sprouts and begins to grow. And it goes out in a way that you're not expecting perhaps. and it's something that you have to keep under control. But how are you going to do that? The Word of God tells us that we really should not be surprised when we see things like this taking place. After all, we're seeing them more often, aren't we? It seems like, going back to the Columbine shooting, the Sandy Hook shooting, and a multitude of others in between, that these tragedies are happening more and more. Well let's look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3 because we are told here by the Apostle writing according to the Spirit of God that this is something that we ought to be able to expect and and not only expect it but be able to prepare for it so that we ourselves don't fall into that same trap and allow the seed to sprout and go to that extent in which it has gone in Mr. Paddock. 2 Timothy chapter 3, we'll read the entire chapter. But understand this, that in the last days Maybe I should just point out that the term last days, as it is used in scripture, that almost sounds ominous, like we need to know when those days will come, that it's sometime down the road, or maybe it's right now. The scriptures use that term, the last days, to refer to the time from the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ until Jesus returns. So we have been in the last days for the last 2,000 years or so, and we are in them right now. Let me start again. 2 Timothy chapter 3. 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. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth. just as Jennys and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth. Men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith, but they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of these two men. You, however, have followed my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, which persecutions I endured. Yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you have learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. May God bless to us the reading of this portion of his word and guide us as we consider it before him this morning and so cause us to draw closer to him. Remember Paul, in writing this letter, this is the last letter that we have recorded from him, as he writes to Timothy, his student, the one he refers to as his son, the one who has meant so much to him, and yet in whom he sees certain weaknesses and he wants them to, wants Timothy to be prepared for whatever it is that might come to him. And so he warns him about what things are going to be like in the last days. These days in which we are now living. One person's count showed that there are 20 items that are listed here. Indeed, it's a bit burdensome to read through all of these items, isn't it? Now, there might be other ways of counting depending on how you put these things together, but there's an anticipation which we are to have. Notice how God has not just left us to ourselves in the world to find out what's going to happen on our own, but rather he says this is what's going to take place, and it certainly is taking place as we've already noted. And so we need to be ready for it, and we need to know how to respond to it. And that's what Paul gives us here in this chapter. First of all, we are to anticipate that people will be selfish. Have you noticed any selfishness in the world? It's all over, isn't it? It's all over, it's everywhere. And it seems to me that Paul puts this one first in this long list of the kinds of things that we're going to face in the world because it really is something that covers the whole list of items. That people will be lovers of self. And that's why they are brutal and unappeasable and so forth, all the way through this whole listing. It's really the root of everything else. And isn't that what sin is, basically, is selfishness? I want to do what I want rather than what God has commanded me to do. I don't want to be obedient to Him. I want to be obedient to myself. I want to do my own thing. And yes, Stephen Paddock indeed did what he wanted to do. He carried out his own will. But think about what's being taught in our society. There are many who would take the statement of Christ that you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and you are to love your neighbor as yourself, as meaning you're to love God, you're to love your neighbor, and you are to love yourself. And the problem with that is we already love ourselves improperly. but that there is a love that we have for ourselves which needs to be directed toward God and our neighbor. We don't have any trouble loving ourselves. Even the one who commits suicide is doing it because of love of self in order to, because he thinks he can somehow get rid of the trial, the trouble that he's facing. The talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. That's what happens. Things are only worse. So self-love is being taught. Self-esteem is being taught. And we begin to worship ourselves. One of the things that has happened as a result of all the things that you have on your cell phone is all the selfies that you take. And what are selfies? Well, it's for myself. Now I'm not saying it's wrong for you to take a picture of yourself But what are we doing when we do that? Why are we doing that? Why are we sending out those selfies? Sure, you might want a picture of yourself with a friend, and that's the way you take it. But that's just, but for the most part, the proliferation of selfies is saying, look how important I am. Self-esteem, self-love, it's all through our society. These things are all through our society. In fact, we also need to anticipate that people's love will be misdirected. Did you notice how many of the items here have the word lover in them? Lovers of self, lovers of money, Lovers of pleasure. But then there are two negatives. Not lovers of good and not lovers of God. And therein lies the problem. Misplaced love. Misplaced love by which we elevate ourselves and say, this is what I think ought to be on top. Look at the lovers of wealth. In athletics it seems that those who have the highest salaries are the ones who are most honored. Now to be sure those are going to be the best players. but somehow there begins to be a bit of envy in there and I'll never forget the fellow who said, the pitcher who said concerning another pitcher on his team who was asking for a high salary said I hope he gets it because I'm worth more than he is and then I can go back to management and ask for a higher salary. Lovers of wealth, lovers of pleasure, Oh, are we in a society of pleasure? And the unofficial king of pleasure just died about a week and a half ago. Playboy was once, there was once a headline concerning the Playboy magazine that it had to do with hedonism, that is the love of pleasure. But think about the different ways that we long for pleasure, not just sexually, but how often do we find ourselves by ourselves doing our computer games and no longer able to communicate with others. Years ago, there was a man who told about how he had called home from California to Pittsburgh and this was back when there were no cell phones and long distance calls were pretty expensive and one boy began talking on one phone to his brother who was upstairs on another phone. Well, that's kind of what we begin to do with our cell phones and we just hold to our own little area instead of loving what is good. The greatest commandments are those that direct us in our love. We're not going to take time to look at each one of these individually. They're important for us to discover. And perhaps it would be a good exercise for you this afternoon to look at each one of these and say, where am I? What tempts me the most? What do I most easily fall into? But the one I want to highlight is there at the end of the list. in verse 5, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. And the reason to highlight that one is, I see it so much. Oh, you're the pastor. I pray, I do all sorts of, I go to church, I do this and that and the other thing. And it's obvious to me that people are often saying what they say to me in order to look good, make themselves look good. And I don't know if they're expecting me to pat them on the back or say what a good boy you are, but there is that tendency that people have in order to say look how good I am. I have the appearance anyway of godliness. the appearance of piety. I pray. Well, do you read the scriptures? Well, not so much. Why not? God has called us to honor him. There are those who would rely on the sacraments and say, well, look, I partake of the sacraments and so look how godly I am. Or others who through a display of emotion would say, look how godly I am. And we know that there are people who, there are great differences in people and people groups that some would show and display emotion much more easily than others. Just yesterday, As I was watching some of the highlights of games, they said, why is that girl on the field? She had run out onto the field when her brother scored a touchdown in order to hug him. A display of emotion. She was escorted off the field by the SWAT team, but it's not something I would have done or would have expected my sister to do for me. You see there are different things that by which people say look how godly I am and yet it's all a horizontal thing instead of a vertical thing where we recognize who God is and what he has done for us. And so we need to anticipate counterfeit godliness, that we're going to see it. How do you deal with it? How do you deal with it in your own life, the temptation to have a counterfeit godliness? Well, the apostle gives us two ways. First is to emulate godly mentors. Now earlier in this book, in this letter, Paul has referred to Timothy's mother and grandmother and what Timothy has learned from them. But now he says, here's what you're to do. You have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim of life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, and sufferings that happened to me. Is Paul being arrogant by saying this? No. It may look that way because he's saying these are the things that I have done. But the issue here is I have been a mentor to you. You have seen these things and this is the kind of thing that you ought to do. You need a mentor. You need one to train you. And you need to become a mentor towards others as well. But just before that, he says, you need to avoid the kinds of people that do the things that are in those lists of 20 things. And I want to remind you of the previous chapter. If you might recall, you who were here a week ago, the flee and pursue dynamic that was there. Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. It's really the same thing here. Avoid these things, avoid the people who are doing these things, but instead you have followed my teaching conduct and so forth. You have followed me. I have been a mentor to you. Be careful about choosing your friends. Be careful about those with whom you spend a great deal of time. You'll be like them. You will tend to be like them. Unless you're very, very careful. You hear their language, the sorts of things that they talk about, the words that they use. Things that would not be appropriate for one who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember he says in the third commandment you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. And yet how often that is done and it's promoted really in our society. Oh my God is taking God's name in vain. Using it in an empty way. And how much that has become even a part of many believers, many who are trusting in Christ. Because we have picked it up from the world. Actions become second nature to us, as well as language. Where did you learn that? Oh, well, it's the friends that you're with. Or maybe it's from your own family members who have been disobedient to Christ. So it is that we need godly mentors to emulate. Those who would say, do as I do. A words only mentor is not really a mentor, is it? Many people are willing to say, don't do as I do, but do as I say. I know I messed up, but I want you to do what I tell you to do. The Hebrew model that you find in scripture is one of apprenticeship, of going with the one who is the leader. You learn a trade. How? by being with an expert in that trade. So it is that Jesus took twelve with him. And they were with him. One of them turned out to be a traitor. But the other eleven, along with the Apostle Paul, were accused of turning the world upside down. There was one point where the people said, look these are not educated men, these are not people with doctorates, but they've been with Jesus. And that's the difference. And that's the difference for you and me, that we have been with Jesus. And we are with Jesus when we are with godly mentors. So then, we are to live in such a way as to be emulated as well. In fact, you don't really have a choice in the matter. People are going to watch you, and they are going to do as you do. Even children, even children are mentors. Never forget a time when I must have been maybe in junior high, During the worship service my mother turned to me and said, Jimmy over there is mimicking every move you make. I don't remember what I had been doing up to that point, but you see even as a child I was one who was being emulated in a bad way. People are going to emulate you and so for that reason and that reason alone you need to be godly. But also remember that God sees everything that you do. You cannot escape him. You cannot get into a secret place that he cannot see, that he does not know what is going on. And so it is necessary that we come to Jesus Christ, that we have our lives purified by Him, that we confess our sins before Him. And if you have not yet come to confess Jesus Christ as Lord, we would urge you to do so. to acknowledge that he is indeed the only one through whom we have everlasting life and we can't be faithful mentors except by his grace in his dealings with us. So that's what Paul sets before us in order that we might be those who emulate godly mentors, who learn to do what is right from others, How many things have you learned from your parents and from others who have led you? What a great blessing that is. And may you be a blessing to others in that regard. But there's another way. And another way that we are to deal with the difficulties that we find in the world as we turn away from sin, We flee youthful lusts and put on instead righteousness, faith, love, and peace. And that is through the scriptures that God has given to us. Indeed, if the godly mentor is not using the scriptures, then he's not a godly mentor. And so we come to the scriptures. beginning with verse 14, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings or the scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is breathed out by God. and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. We won't take time to unpack all of that today. We hope to work on that next Lord's Day. But at least for now, we need to regard the counsel of the Scriptures to be true. So that when there is a difference between what the world is declaring and what the scriptures declare, that we go to the scriptures and see what God himself has to say. Because the politically correct notion that is contrary to the scriptures It's not what we're to follow. And yet that's what's going to be pressed on you. It's what's pressed on the students at school. It's pressed on us by the media. It's pressed on us by all sorts of people. But what we have to do is to keep coming back to the Scriptures. What do the Scriptures teach us? What do they say is right concerning, for example, marriage or human relationships? The Scriptures come from the mouth of God. That term here that is used is literally God breathed. Just as you breathe out in order to speak, there's air coming from your lungs out through your vocal cords. So it is that God has breathed out His word. He has declared it to us. And He used the prophets. And finally, Christ, Jesus the Christ, to be those who would declare to us the truth of the scriptures. Well, that means we need to be using the scriptures. If this is what has come from God, and his word is true, especially as opposed to the word of men, when we compare the two and we see that they differ from each other, we have to side with the Word of God, then we need to be using the Scriptures daily in order to learn from the Lord. And if you're not using the Scriptures daily, begin now. Once again, you can't learn any younger, you can't start any sooner than now. It may look like a huge uphill road to climb in order to learn the scriptures well, but how are you going to learn unless you begin? In fact, it's arrogant for us to pray to God without listening to him. Perhaps you've been in some conversation and come away from it and say, well that guy's sure a talker. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. Okay, if you pray and don't read the scriptures, you're that guy. You're the one who is thinking of yourself as being so important that even that you are even more important than God himself, and that what you have to say is more important than what God has to say. Take the time to know the scriptures. Take the opportunity that he's given you to know the scriptures. Read them. Seek to understand them. And when you don't understand them, seek help. That's why you have godly mentors. And then we note that the scriptures equip us for every good work. The scriptures equip you for every good work. The world is always trying to redirect your thinking. But your thinking needs to be directed by the scriptures so that you are equipped for the things that are before you, the duties that he gives to you. The scriptures equip you fully. Don't be afraid of them. What has happened in Vegas hasn't stayed in Vegas. It has come to us. It is here. It is all around us. And to keep from emulating it is a full-time battle. Remember how Jesus said that there's that command, you shall not murder, thou shalt not kill. But then he says, okay, if you hate someone, you have violated that commandment. If you curse someone, out of your own vengeance, you have violated that commandment. And you're really no better off than Stephen Paddock. God has placed us together so that we might be of benefit to one another. That we might face this battle together encouraging one another. listening to one another and learning from one another by the grace that he gives to us. He has warned us this is what's going to take place. We see it taking place, but he's also given us how we are to deal with it because it is taking place. Using the mentors he has given, using the scriptures that are the truth, the word of God.