that we're living in the last days and it's a very interesting time that God's allowed us to live in and Israel is the main thing I would look at right now as far as what God is doing Here in the last days, the fact that the State of Israel is back where God said they'd be. On the 14th of May 1948, the British mandate was to establish a Jewish state, Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. On the 5th through 10th of June 1967, There was a six-day war. And it was interesting, when I took my trip to Israel, as I studied that, and I looked back at some of the history that took place, you have a little nation-state of Israel, just been born, not that old and not that defensible, you would think, and you've got all the Arab nations that are gathered around that little nation. And in the Six-Day War, Israel does a preemptive strike against Egypt, destroying, basically annihilating the air force, and taking at that point the Temple Mount. I'm sorry, taking Jerusalem, but not the Temple Mount, which is significant for what you read in the Book of Revelation. as far as the Temple Mount being held by the Gentiles. Revelation chapter 11 says, "...with the court that is without the Temple we doubt, and measure it not, for it is given unto the Gentiles, and the holy city shall they tread underfoot forty and two months." says in the last days it was going to be back in the land and I I say this a lot of times as I'm doing evangelism and speaking to people I'll say that what other people has been dispersed kept their national identity and then returned to their homeland is pretty incredible and that's what the Bible speaks about in Revelation when it says speaking about what is going to be taking place in the last days. One World Government, Revelation 13, verse 16, says about the Antichrist, he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in the right hand or in the foreheads, that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of man, and his number is six hundred, three score, and six. And we see this taking place. We look at the economies of the world and the shakiness, and we see it fracturing right now, Brexit. At some point, somebody is going to step in and have one world economy, and one world currency. The chip is going to go in the hand or in the forehead. We can understand this. In 666, the Mark of the Beast is going to take place. We don't have to be afraid of that as believers. As we see that coming, the Bible does speak about the return of Jesus taking place before that. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. This is a precious thing. We just had a funeral a week ago to know that that return of Christ is coming, but not just for the dead, for the living. There's going to be people that are alive when Christ returns. And we anticipate that. happening before the ultimate end of the last days and tribulation of God's judgment upon the world. And I wanted to share that because as we come to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1, it's speaking again about the last days. And so if you look with me at the text or the context of what we're looking at, it says, This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men should be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, kind-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. So, I mean, it's no doubt in our minds that we look at this world, despised of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Surely, I mean, today of all days we look around and everything is about self and certainly we can see this in our society. But the church has a form of godliness. But denying the power thereof, from such turn away, for of this sort if they which creep into houses and leave captive silly women wading with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning and ever able to come to knowledge of the truth. Now as Janus and Jambres withstood Moses, those are the false magicians that would do things when Moses performed the miracles that God had him perform, they would also perform them up to a point where they could no longer do that. But as they withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning faith. But they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be made manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. So there's a false Christianity that's a powerless Christianity that is religious, but it's not what the Bible is speaking about for us as believers. And so the Bible says in verse 13, I'm going to skip a little bit because I want to come back to it. It says, But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. So it's going to take a lot of discernment as we live in the last days to understand what does God really desire us to be and to be like what Paul is challenging Timothy and really in reality we've been in the last days. and challenging Timothy to stand for the faith even in days of declension, which it was even in his day, and stand up for what is true. So what Paul desires us to have is godliness and power. And the key to having it is found in verse 14, what Paul says to Timothy. He's talked about the day of declension. He's talked about all these things. He's given a little bit of a personal testimony of what he's doing. We skipped it. But then he says to Timothy in verse 14, but continue thou in the things. Other people don't have this godliness. Other people don't have this power. But Timothy, I want you to be different. And I want you to continue. My brother-in-law, Nate, worked at the Wilds. I also worked at the Wilds. The Wilds is a Christian camp. Holly worked at the Wilds. My cousins have been here. But at the camp, when you leave the camp, it's a big Christian camp, it has about a thousand young people come each week, 110 counselors when I was there. But as you're exiting camp, this verse to Timothy is on the sign. As you're going out, it says, but continue down the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. It's a reminder to stay with it, that you need that continuation to be what God desires you to be. And so the natural question would be, Paul, what things? But continue thou in the things. Okay, what things would you have us to continue in? If you were in my Sunday School class about a week and a half ago, this might seem familiar because we looked at it for a second. But it's what Paul said in verse 10. And as he gives a personal testimony to Timothy. Timothy, thou hast known my doctrine. Okay, doctrine is what we believe. Right? Remember this, if you were in my Sunday School class? What we do, matter of life. Why we do it? Purpose. How we do it? Faith. Long-suffering. Charity. Patience. Okay, Paul's saying, Timothy, you know what I believe. You know what I do. You know why I did it. You know how I did it, right? And because of that, Timothy, I say to you, in the day of your clenching, continue that. And, you know, we need this godliness and power. And I want to ask you this morning, do you have godliness and empowerment? And it's a simple message, but this key verse, continue thou and think, is crucial to what God desires us to be in a day of declension, which we're living in, in the last days, which we're living in. And so let's just pray and ask that the Spirit of God help us to learn what we can here this morning and apply it to our lives. Let's pray. Father, I thank you. For the Word of God, I thank you for this passage. And Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would open it up to our hearts and minds this morning as we look at it. Father, we need it. And I pray, and Father, as I speak, I confess I can't speak without your help. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would loosen my tongue. I pray that you would guide my mind, guide my heart as I speak. And Father, I pray that you give us ears to hear. For it is our desire today not to be the same when we depart, but Father, to do what we heard in Sunday school, and that is to listen and to receive it and take it in and apply it unto our lives. And so may the Spirit of God be pleased to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ as we come to the Word of God this morning. It's in Christ's name I pray. Amen. To continue the things that God wants us to continue then, you must learn it. He must learn it. So it says in our verse, I think, is it 14? It says, continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. There was a process of education that took place in Timothy's life. Timothy didn't become a great man of God, but he did become just because Paul had helped him to become a born-again believer, his son in faith. It's because he educated him, he taught him as a son of the faith. 1 Timothy 1.2 says unto Timothy, my own son of the faith. 1 Timothy 1.18, this charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest swore a good warfare. 1 Timothy 6.20, O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings and oppositions of science, falsely so called. Now 2 Timothy 1-2, to Timothy, my dearly loved son, greatest mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. We have these two books, 1 and 2 Timothy, Antiochus, because Paul gave instruction manuals to his creature boys. He's worried about establishing them in faith and teaching them. I'm so thankful the Spirit of God has given us this record so that we can understand how to train somebody in ministry. But there's an education process that takes place. My brother-in-law mentioned this morning being in a preacher boys class at Bob Jones, and that's where I was educated as well. But when I went to Bible college, I didn't know what God wanted me to do. As a teen at camp, the Spirit of the Gospel was in my heart as maybe a junior or senior in high school. And a missionary speaker or somebody that was here. God broke my heart, and I went out, and I said to God, God, whatever you desire me to do, I'll do. Even if that's ministry. I prayed with tears, and the tears, you know, partly dedicatory, probably partly fear, you know, if you know my testimony. But I said, I went to Bob Jones. I didn't know what God wanted me to do. And so my freshman year, I was a Humanities major, kind of a General Studies major. And then between my freshman and sophomore year, I remember going golfing with my dad. And I said to my dad on the way out golfing, I said, Dad, you know, I'm not really sure what God wants me to do. You know, I'm like, I've been a Humanities major. He said, OK, it goes into all these other majors. But I need to get my track set as I go back. As we talked, I said, you know, what about being a Bible major, or something like that. And we agreed that wouldn't be wasted. And I went back to Bob Jones, and that put me into the pastoral studies, or the ministry classes. And I loved it. And I started to get what Paul has said in verse 10. manner of life doctrine, all those things that you have to learn as a believer as you seek to have godliness and power. I began to take those things in from wise men of God that were called to preach and that loved the Lord and that really wanted to help us as young men be everything that God desires us to be. That's the thing, as we look at what Paul wants for the war, that there's a process of taking it in and learning it. You must learn it. Secondly, you must be convicted of it, which Alice learned and has been assured of. And the natural question would be, by whom? Well, Paul certainly assured Timothy of the doctrine, the teaching that had been given to him, but there was also an internal conviction that was taking place. There was a spirit of God inside as Paul instructed Timothy that he was coming alongside him in giving the conviction in Timothy's heart that this was what Timothy should also apply to his own life. And so, let's go back again and look at verse 10. Has been assured of what? What we believe. Pauline Doctrine. Timothy thou hast fully known my doctrine. Yes, I witnessed to Chris, a man that was at my house last week as he was working on my stealing, and Chris and Peter, I shared with them that Christianity of itself is simple to explain, that there's a creator, there's a lawgiver, that there is accountability to the lawgiver as a judge, that Jesus Christ died to pay the price for our sins so that God judicially could forgive us. But then I said to him that those that embrace Christianity, it's tougher, because the doctrine is contrary to the doctrine of the world. And I know that's really basic. This morning, we go back to Genesis chapter 1, the Bible begins by saying evolution is false. In the beginning, God created. It says marriage is between a man and a woman, that marriage is not living in fornication, it's not disposable, it's not changeable, that it's one man, one woman for life. It said God's law is authoritative, because it's God's inspired word, that there is authority. That all religions are not right, but God's Word is right. That it's the standard. And so that's doctrine. And it has to be something that God puts in our hearts, that we take up the Word of God and say, that is the doctrine of the Word of God, that marriage is between a man and a woman, that minister is to be a man, that a husband is the head of the home, that I do what I do because God said it in His Word, right? What we believe. But you know, if you don't have the Spirit of God coming alongside and assuring our heart of it, it's called conviction, then I'm not going to take that stand on the Word of God. Does that make sense? I've got to have that assurance to bring me to the point of saying, I adhere to the doctrine of the Word of God. what we believe. And then what we do, manner of life. Paul taught sanctified holy Christian living. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 3 says, If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness. See, there's this idea in a modern day Christianity that you can have doctrine, and I've heard it expressed this way, hey, the preaching at the church is really good, but not the music. The doctrine is good, but you can argue that the way they do things isn't quite right. Well, that's not what the Word of God teaches. The Word of God teaches not just what we believe, but also what we do. And so the Bible says, the doctrine which is according to godliness, someone rejects that, he is proud knowing nothing, but doting about questions and stripes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disteatings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of truth, supposing that gain is godliness. Prosperity gospel. The idea that you're just getting wealthy. That's godliness. And that's God's blessing sign. From such withdraw thyself, but godliness with contentment is great gain. Without that being assured of, nobody's going to put aside wicked entertainment, wicked music, wicked speech. Nobody's life is going to... manner of life is going to change unless the Spirit of God internally comes alongside and says, you know what? That's what the Word of God teaches. There has to be that internal conviction, you must be convinced of it to change. And so also then, why we do it. Timothy, you've known these things, you've known my purpose, that's again philosophy. why I do what I do. And so you ask me, Pastor, does the Bible really teach that my life should change in these ways? That my music should be different? That my dress should be different? That my speech should be different? Does the Bible really teach that purpose of a changed life? And the answer, obviously, would be yes. to go back to camp at the Wilds every time we had a meal, we quoted 1 Corinthians 10, 13, right? Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. That means, if I'm sitting at home and I got my leisure time, that I do that to the glory of God. So my philosophy, my purpose of why I do what I do, it's to glorify God. And the Spirit of God has to assure me of that, convict me of that. That no matter what I'm doing, that I'm to do it in a way that brings glory to God. Again, it is life changing. Paul said to Timothy, take heed unto thyself, your philosophy, what you do, or don't do, and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and them that cure thee. Your purpose, why do what you do, isn't going to budge unless the Spirit of God comes alongside and says, you know what, that needs to change. So we've got to have that assurance, that conviction to continue now, to have a life of godliness and power. And so, what also needs to be convinced of is how we do it. Faith, long-suffering, charity, and patience. Christians who have godliness and power are a lot different from the world in the way that they respond to the trials that they face. They come to a trial and they believe God. They have faith. They suffer long, long-suffering. They love as charity. They are patient. Now, I mentioned Georgie Benz. I just read his biography just about two weeks ago now, and I refer to him often since then. And you read about a man that put himself, in a sense, in prison in obedience to God. And you see his faith, you see his long suffering, you see his love, you see his patience. What does he have? He has godliness and power. Why? Because he had conviction. See, a lot of people today, it's too much long-suffering to do door-to-door and have somebody say something negative, or take a stand for God and dress different from the world, and have somebody say something critically of them. So how's that change going to take place in my life? I've got to be assured of it. How can I continue down the things if I don't have this internal conviction by the Spirit of God saying, you know what, that's where my life needs to be. My life needs to be different. And so we need to learn it, and then we need to be convinced of it, and then you need to see it demonstrated. It says, again, I think we're still in verse 14, knowing of whom thou hast learned it. Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned it. See, Timothy's receiving this from Paul. And Paul is a preacher, he's a missionary, he's the Apostle Paul. In verse 10, notice what Paul says, but thou hast fully known my doctrine. And I could add that word my to everything else he's going to say. My doctrine, my manner of life, my purpose, my faith, my longsuffering, my charity, my patience. Timothy, I'm telling you about the ungodliness in this world. There's a form of godliness denying the power though. But Timothy, I'm telling you, you have known something different. You have known a life that had a testimony of godliness and power. And my this, my this, my this. Timothy, in a sense, he's lifting himself up as an example to Timothy, saying, Timothy, I have stood for the Lord even in this day of clinching. Timothy, do the same. If you ask Paul, Paul what was it like, what did Timothy see in the life of the man that was living for God in the day of declension? Verse 11, he said, Persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Acomian, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. And so he says to Timothy, yeah, Timothy, it's tough. It's tough. You know, I got persecuted here. I got persecuted here. I got persecuted here. Timothy, it's tough. But I stood, and I'm still standing. Where's he writing from? Well, he's writing from the Mamertine prison in Rome. He's in a pit prison. He's been put there. This is his last incarceration. This is not his trip across the Mediterranean and his two-year imprisonment. This is after he got free, and then Rome burned, and then he's been put back in prison. But a worse prison. A prison which you don't get out of except through death. He's writing to Timothy and saying, hey Timothy, stand, having done all to stand as it were, and he's saying, look at my life, Timothy, in this day of declension, I have stood. And Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 6, he says, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. He's saying, it's the end for Paul. Paul's saying, hey, Timothy, stand. I mean, he's standing, but he's going to die for the faith. He wants Timothy to stand. He wants him to see his example and be faithful. He tells him in 2 Timothy 1, 7, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 4, verse 7, I've fought a good fight. I've finished my course. I've kept the faith. He's saying to Timothy, Timothy, you do it. He said, I did it, you do it as well, by my example. Look at Georgie Vins again, in prison for his faith. And I just, I got to step back and ask myself, you know, what have I really done for Jesus? What have I accomplished for the Lord? You look at these men that stood against persecution, physical persecution, and they stood. And you look at the Christianity of our day, and you ask yourself, do we have godliness and power? And the answer is no, but they did, and they stood for the Lord like Paul. They demonstrated it. They stood like Jesus as was already mentioned this morning as He went to the cross and He stood up and He was obedient in the most difficult of all positions as He stood for His Father as He went to the cross. This morning, as you look at your life, what kind of example are you of a life of godliness and power? We're going to get to the application There's a really interesting argument that I found in studying this that goes back to these points that we're looking at. I hope that I can convey them accurately this morning in a way that speaks to your heart. Because what Paul had, and what Timothy had, is exactly what we need. And what I pray for our church is this. What I'd love to have out here this morning is a 70-year-old couple and an 80-year-old couple that were faithful to God and stood for God and had conviction and had godliness and had power so that us as young people could look up and say, you know, praise God, others have done it, we can do it too. You know what is lacking? in Scotland right now, for us, in our generation, is we don't have that older generation that stood for God. Okay? Because they didn't have godliness and power. And Paul had it. And so, he could say to Timothy, Timothy, you have no mind. By God's grace, you know, if we don't have that above us, we need to be that. Why? Because the next generation needs to see that. And so, we need to be that for the Lord. And so you need to see it demonstrated. And then you must personally take it. Verse 15 says, "...and that from a child thou smelt the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus." Timothy, continue thou, continue thou what? All those things in verse 10. But it began, Timothy, when you got saved. That from a child, that's known in the Holy Scriptures. My brother-in-law, I mentioned this morning, got saved at the age of five. I did as well. That's a blessing. Some of you didn't have that blessing, but your kids can. But that's a great thing. That's where it all begins. As we get saved, we're born again. Why? Because you might sit here today and say, well, I don't have that life of godliness and power. I want to have a life that is different from the world. I want to have a life that pleases God. But it's like what we're studying in Romans. It's a self-righteous person that's seeking to honor God, have that life of godliness and power, but they can't because they can only have the attempted godliness. without power, because they have no power to walk in a truly godly way, because they don't have Christ. They're not attached to the vine, as the Bible says in John 15 verse 5. It says, I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing. If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." A form of godliness looks like a branch. It looks like it's alive, but it's going to be cast into the fire, it's going to be burned. It's nothing really, it's not attached to the vine, so what we need this morning is believers that are connected to the Lord Jesus Christ and His power. I've read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Franklin got to hear George Whitefield preach. And he went, I think, maybe more out of curiosity, he's kind of a scientist, and he wanted to see, could he really speak to as many people as the newspaper said he was preaching to? And so he figured out that, yeah, it was true, George Whitefield could be heard, you know, far and back, that so many people took up so much space that he could preach to a crowd of 30,000 and be heard. He listened to this guy who may have preached the word of God, and he got convicted in his heart and thought, I'm going to live a more virtuous life, and so he decided to choose three virtues a week that he would work on. And he'd get those down, supposedly, and then he'd add the next week. And then he'd find out as he got to the next week, he'd dropped something from the week before, and he kept trying to make his life godly, but he'd never taken Christ personally to his life, and so he had no power to live a godly life. And sadly, as far as I know, he never was saved. Thomas Chalmers, who pastored at Fife, That had a huge impact for the Lord in the 1840s during the dispersion in the Church of Scotland, or I'm sorry, the disruption in the Church of Scotland as the Free Church came out of the Church of Scotland. But Thomas Chalmers, as a minister, was not saved. And he's trying to make himself godly for this year in his life. And he had come into contact with death in his family. It really concerned him. So he's really seeking to please God. And for a year in his life, he's trying to be a moral man. He's really working on it. But he just can't quite get there. Until he read William Wilberforce about faith in Jesus and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. And he got saved. And then his life began to change. He had godliness and power. Is your desire this morning to continue? Obviously, this morning, it starts at salvation. I would personally have that relationship with God. I must personally take it. And then, fifth, you must believe it. Verse 16. Verse 16 says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. and is profitable for a doctrine, for a proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." This person has an idea that this is God's Word and I believe it. You know, liberalism, that idea that pick and choose, even the story that was mentioned this morning about the big fish, liberals will look at that and say, that never happened. It's just a story that means something, you've got to kind of apply it to your life in a general way. You look at liberalism and you look at a powerless Christianity and a godless Christianity. It's not godly. And so all scripture is profitable for what? Doctrine. Doctrine is what is right. Doctrine is what helps me know that God said this about this teaching in the Word of God. Reprove is how you are wrong. Correction is how to get right. And instruction in righteousness, how to stay right. This morning, as we come to the Word of God, if I'm not convinced of the authority of this book, then it's not going to change my life. If as I pick it up, I have verse 16 in my heart, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. That's going to make a vast difference. As I study the Bible and I come across something in the word of God that contradicts the way I think. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's going to help me to do what God desires me to do. And then you must be changed by it. Verse 17 says that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. And so, as I see it, as I understand it, accept it, I'm convinced of it, that by God's grace I apply it to my life and it begins to change my life. Matthew 5.16 says, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. that this book, Applied, begins to make a radical difference in somebody's life. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. In that example of a change, life is all of a sudden visible to the world. Paul, who's writing our text this morning, got saved on the road to Damascus. But just before that, as he was leading in persecution against the church, He saw a man, Stephen, a man of godliness and power. In Acts 7 verse 55 says, But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. And they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Paul, again and again, as he persecuted Christians, he would have seen examples of people responding in an unusual way. As he persecuted them, they responded in love, they responded in faith, they responded in forgiveness, as Stephen did. Why? Because they had a changed life. A gospel, or a Christianity, that hasn't changed our life, means that in our life we don't have godliness and power. Does that make sense? I'm not continuing. If things in my life aren't changing as I come across it in the Word of God, it's not godliness and power. It goes along with what Brother Nate shared this morning about the wise man and the foolish man. The foolish man, nothing changed. He heard what he got and he didn't apply it. And he forgot about it. And he didn't have the power. And he certainly didn't have a changed life. And the last point this morning is that if our life has continued down the things which God has learned, and we're going back to the things that Paul did, then you'll suffer for it. Verse 12. It says, And all that will of Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. See, if this morning, if we're taking a stand for the Lord, some of you may have experienced this, I know this from talking with you, but as your life changes, all of a sudden there is conflict that comes in as you take that stand for the Lord. You know, that's biblical. It would be a sad thing today if you're here in church and you could look at your life and say, you know what? I've never been persecuted for my faith. Nobody has ever stood up against me. Nobody has ever said anything. Nobody has ever responded in any way against me. That would be a sad thing, because that would say you do not have a life of godliness and power. Why? Because all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, and Paul is just giving a personal example. He's telling Timothy why. Because here Timothy is. And this modern church has this idea that the world ought to come up and pat me on the back and say, hey, I'm so glad that you're a Christian. We need more Christians in our society. But that's contrary to everything that we understand about Christ. Because that's not the way he was treated. And so again, let's just think about it. Why would the world be so upset about me and my life? Because if I follow Paul's doctrine, the world rejects that. See, it's not hard to prove. If I go down to Princess Street Gardens and I say, homosexuality is sin. This is an authoritative book. Women are not to preach. Men are to be the head of their homes. Sin is a disgrace in the eyes of a holy God. Right? That's doctrine. And I can say it, thus saith the Lord, and I'm choosing some things purposely. There are things that are very obvious things that the world rejects, but there's so much more than that. Modesty, purity. If I hold to that and I say, you know what God, I want my doctrine to be right. Then the reality is, that is contra-society, I'll be persecuted, right? Doctrine. Manner of life, what I do. I'm a believer, I'm sorry, I don't drink that. I'm a believer. I don't smoke that. I'm a believer. I don't go there. I'm a believer. That's why I'm in the Lord's house. I'm the Lord's stay. I'm a believer. The Lord rejects that. They make fun of that. We've talked about it before. They're not going to be into that. Why would you have purpose? I mean, they laugh at the idea of God. You know, my life is to please the Lord Jesus Christ. They'll laugh at that. Make fun of that. They'll despise that. That makes them uncomfortable. They don't understand that. And then, how we do it. Faith, long-suffering, charity, patience. They'll say, why don't you take your rights? Why don't you get even? Why don't you respond this way? You shouldn't respond that way. Because it's contrary to them. And I know I've kind of gone around the block a little bit this morning. But it really stood out to me that in the last stage, Paul's life is so different. But he says to Timothy, but continue thou, in what? The things I just talked about, manner of life, purpose, and how I'm doing it. Continue thou. How did Timothy get there? How did we get there as a church? Well, I've got to learn that. You've got to be a disciple of the Word of God and say, you know what? That's what the Word of God says. That's doctrine. I see it right there in the Bible. It says, you know, to tithes and offerings. It says, be faithful to the house of God. It says, get rid of that ungodly dress. It says, you know, get rid of those ungodly things. It says that. That's doctrine. Right? You've got to learn it. The Spirit of God has to convict me of it. Why? Because if He doesn't, it's not going to change. I'm just going to continue on and go, well, Pastor, I get it, the Bible says that, but I'm not really that bothered about it. I've got to be assured of it. And Paul reminds me, remember, you had a conviction about this. And that's good for us to remember too. I used to be convicted of it. Why am I not anymore? What's changed? Godism. You need to see it demonstrated. We ought to praise God each time God brings an older believer to our church that has stood the test of time and gone through it for the Lord. We ought to rejoice and say, hey, praise God, we got an example. Or somebody comes up here, we're going to have people in this pulpit to speak and share things, and they got it, and they live it. We ought to say, hey, praise God, there's another example. I can look at that and say, you know what? My life needs to be like that. Godliness and power, right? We may personally take it, say, You know what? I've got to have Jesus Christ. I can't do it without Him. It's got to be the Spirit of God helping me. If I want to take it, you must believe it. All Scripture. All Scripture. So I don't pick and choose in this book. I don't rip out pages. I take it as the Word of God. It'll change my life. That's gonna happen if I do the things I've already said. You'll be changed by it. And if that's true, you'll suffer for it. And see, my point is this. In our society, our world is totally anti-God. If we're not suffering for it, we don't have it. So what do we need to do? Go back to what the Word of God says. Say, you know what? That's what I need. And I hope that's helped you this morning. I know it is. I know it is. It's the Word of God. But may the Spirit of God just apply it to our hearts this morning. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would help us this morning. Father, we need Godliness and power. Somehow, Lord, in a day of declension, the last days, we've got to let your book change our life in a way that people can see our good works because they're there. And Father, I just prayed this morning, may the Spirit of God help us be instructed. Father, give us grace to take it in. Father, I love our church, I love our people, I'm thankful for you and our church. There's a lot of things we can stop as a church and just say, you know, thank you God, you're doing some great things. Father, we've got people of conviction in our church that have a life that is really like Christ. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would help us to come to that point. And Father, would you just take the Word and put it in our hearts? Even just now, it might be something that the Spirit of God has put His finger on, and we don't have godliness and power because we've picked and choosed from the Word of God, or we've not learned it. We've not been convinced of it, but maybe today the Spirit of God is coming along saying, you know what? It's me that's been making you feel bad about that, and that needs to change. So Lord, in the quietness of our heart in this moment, I pray that we yield. And Father, that we make a decision to obey the Spirit of God. And Father, I love the Christianity of the past, but I'm grieved by the Christianity on Facebook, Lord, or on social media. Father, that have Christians looking like the world, sounding like the world, living like the world, and thinking they're godly because they have doctrine right. That's not it. That's not godliness and power. Father, there's so many other ways that we could compromise. So I just pray, may the Spirit of God burn this truth into our hearts, help us to have godliness and power. It's in Christ's name I pray, amen. Let's stand please, we'll sing, is your all in the altar, 389. Is your all in the altar, 389.