Book of Second Timothy in chapter three. The title of our sermon this afternoon is Perilous Times. Please join with me in prayer. Once again, oh God, we come before thee. We thank thee for the opportunity to sing praises unto thee, to hear thy precious Precious, authoritative, infallible, perfect, and preserved Word read to us. Lord, we ask for Thy help now. I pray for this, Thy people, this congregation before me, O God. Thou wouldst bless them, Thou wouldst speak to them through the preaching of Thy Word. Apply the Word to Thy people's hearts, O God. nor apply it to my heart. Teach me, lead me and guide me. Help me, O my Savior. As this thy unworthy servant heralds thy eternal and everlasting truths, O God. The Lord rebuke Satan. from attempting to steal the seed of the Word before it even falls upon the ground. Open our hearts, our ears, our eyes. Power us by the Holy Spirit to be doers and hearers of the Word. Help us to feel something of the majesty that it is to be before thy Word preached. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 2 Timothy chapter 2, chapter 3. Dear congregation, we are in the last days. Last days have been since the ascension of Jesus Christ. In the last days are sundry and occurring perilous times. We are in perilous times. The American evangelical church seems to be on its deathbed. Over half a century of compromise, of commercialism, of capitulation to cultural relevance and entertainment-driven ministry has finally taken its toll, it seems. Even the past few weeks, the death throes are truly upon us. Not only does wickedness outside and inside the visible church abound, but false teaching, false doctrine fuels its fiery onslaught. Almost every major seminary, even more so in the past month, has compromised. has been compromised in part or in whole by higher criticism, post-modernism, critical race theory, and social Marxism. People have been sounding the trumpet on this for a long time, and it's here. It's here. Churches are joining rioters in the streets and preaching on racial equality as if there were different races in the church. When there is but one race, the human race, united back to each other and to God through Christ. Joining rioters in the streets and preaching on racial equality in their services. From pulpits just a few years ago, just a few years ago, or rather stools and couches, whatever they put on the stage. From pulpits just a few years ago, the gospel was once replaced by entertainment and relevant pop culture talks. Now, it is replaced with social justice diatribes. This is not surprising to anyone who's followed these things, to anyone who's read the scriptures, to anyone who's studied church history. It's not surprising at all. One feeds into the other. It was only a matter of time. You could have looked at the Evangelii Church a couple of years ago, a decade ago, when slime and entertainment and sugar-coated pop culture references abounded, and entertainment and relevance was the sermon topic. You could have just easily called it, in a few years, it'll be total chaos, total anarchy, social justice. It's not surprising. They're connected. They're one in the same. The first leads to the second, always. Always. The replacing of the gospel with one thing, without a doubt, always, always, always leads to it being replaced with other things. Christ must be central. His gospel must be central. Nothing else. Everything is affected from the gospel. You don't replace the gospel with something else. Rather, the gospel affects all things. There's a time and place to talk about everything in culture, everything in the age that we are living. But it must flow out of the gospel, or else we are lost. We must discern the times. We must discern the times, dear congregation, that they are perilous. Shall we? at Agros Church, shall we as Christians bow to the cultural bales, the false idols put forward to us or not? Which shall it be? Shall we stand strong for the gospel of Jesus Christ or not? Listen to me now, your decision, our decision now in this moment, at this day, sets the tone for the rest of our life, period. What we choose to do with the gospel now affects how we will live in this life for the rest of our life, how we will interact with culture and the world and within the church. It's as simple as that. We must know this. Is Christ worthy of our service? Is Christ worthy of laying down whatever other things we think are important or not? Is he worthy of our love, our devotion, our adoration, our obsession with him, or is he not? Is his gospel good enough or do we need to add to it? Many are adding to it. Shall we? Shall we join them? Second Timothy, chapter three, the Apostle Paul writing to the young pastor Timothy says this, this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, without self-control, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away, For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Janice and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith but they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifested unto all men as theirs also was. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Could there be a better prophetic chapter on the time we live or its solution? Methinks not. We divide our text into three points. Number one, the duration and character of perilous times. Number two, false teaching and perilous times. Number three, perseverance and perilous times. So first, the duration and character of perilous times. Again, Paul warns the young pastor Timothy that in the last days perilous times shall come in verse one. And he tells him to know this, to be assured that this is the case. And indeed, as we mentioned, we have been in the last times, the last days, the last hours, sometimes scripture calls it, since the ascension of Jesus Christ. That's when the last times, the last days started. Therefore, since the ascension of Jesus, there have always been perilous times, right? But within the last days are times that are more prosperous for the gospel and less, all according to God's sovereign decree. There are times when sound preaching and sound doctrine flourishes. Think of the early chapters of Acts, when thousands were being added to the church, when they were living in harmony. when they were taking care of one another and preaching the gospel, thousands and thousands. Or think of the Reformation, or the Puritan Age, or the Nadiee Reformatie, and the Dutch Netherlands as we've talked about. These are times where the gospel was going out with power, it was having great success, nations were being converted to Christ. And then there's also been times in the last days since Christ's ascension, where it seems that sound doctrine has been all but gone. Think of the days of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, where he thought himself to be the only one still standing for Jehovah. Thankfully, he was wrong, and God corrected him and said, ah, but I have 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Or think of the age and the early church of Arius, modern day Jehovah's Witness. Arius and Athanasius, where it is said that the world woke up and found itself Arian, found itself denying the deity of Christ. It seemed like all churches are being taken up with this. So there have been times in the last days that have been more perilous or less perilous. It ebbs and flows according to God's purposes. So perilous times have always existed and will always exist until the second coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. but we must discern those times. Now, when people think of last times, perilous times, they think of persecution, right? But widespread persecution is not necessarily a time of peril. In fact, some of the greatest instance for the spread of sound Christian doctrine have been during times of great persecution. Again, the book of Acts. when Christians are being beheaded, thrown in prison, their children taken and killed and slaughtered in front of them. Those times have often been when the gospel goes out with the most power. What Paul has in mind here for perilous times are those perilous times wherein false teaching and wickedness abound. This is his focus here. We know that a time is especially perilous when false doctrine, false teachers, and sinful living abound. When Romans chapter 1, the descriptions of the wicked in Romans chapter 1 are the norm, then you know that you're in a very perilous time. Indeed, we live in such a time as that. Paul lays out some of the character traits of those leading the way in perilous times, the false teachers and just the general characteristics of people living in perilous times. In verse two, Paul says that they will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful and unholy. And I think all of those fall under the first characteristic, lovers of their own selves. Those who elevate self, with its lusts, and its desires, and its wants, and its perceived needs, the needs of self. What am I going to get out of this? Those who do that, who are lovers of self, who are lovers of self above God, will also be covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy, right? So to put self first, to love self best is to put God last and love him least. That's the equation. Wherever you're putting yourself first, you're putting God last. Wherever you're loving yourself most is where you're loving God least. What is a self-centered life, but a life that spurns Jesus Christ's own commandment for all who would come after him to deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, Matthew 16, 24? What else is such a life, if not a life that hates God's laws and is thus unholy? What else is a self-centered life, but a life of constant blasphemy against God? What is a self-centered life but a life of coveting, what one does not have? What else can such a life be but proud and boastful, a life that spurns the wisdom and instruction of godly parents? Truly, such a life can best be summed up as unthankful. Unthankful. Millennials know that very well, to be unthankful. Such a person who is a lover of self cannot be thankful to God. Why? Because he does not love God. He does not know, nor does he even care, about the misery of sin that he is in. That he dangles as a loathsome spider on a thread over the fires of hell, as Jonathan Edwards put it, in his famous sermon that started the greatest modern revival ever, sinners in the hands of an angry God. He does not know his loathsome, miserable state and sin. He knows nothing of the beautiful, wonderful, sweet deliverance from that misery in Jesus Christ, nor does he desire to. And thus, because he does not know those things, he cannot be thankful to God. He cannot be thankful to God. And all times, there are people who are lovers of self, always. But their number is greatly increased in perilous times where false teachers abound to tickle their self-loving ears. A Christian cannot be a lover of self. cannot be a lover of self. For Jesus Christ himself said in Luke 14, 26, if any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Now that obviously does not mean we hate our family and our loved ones and ourselves outwardly. It means in comparison to how much we love Jesus Christ. That the love we have for Jesus Christ would be so great that our love for our family would appear as hatred. That's what he's saying. That's the contrast we are to have. But we cannot be a lover of self, for we must hate our own life in comparison to how much we love Jesus. An especially perilous time would be a time where this verse is either forgotten completely or rejected entirely. and where it's replaced with doctrines of self-love and self-betterment. And what did we hear for years and years and years and years from the evangelical church? How to have a better sex life, how to have a better Daniel diet, how to have a better this, how to have a better that, how to improve this and improve that. All without God, unacceptable, cannot happen. And this is where we are now because of it. Because of it, Christ alone, dear congregation, Christ alone can be everything we need to be improved, right? To become whole and at peace with God, to be justified by faith, united to him more than conquerors. That's the goal, not self-betterment, not self-esteem courses, not sex life courses, Remember that wicked image that used to be on the 202? I don't know if it's still there. That wicked image by Cornerstone Church. They put that nasty thing up there. Series on sex every summer to try to draw people in as they're on vacation. Look where it got us. In verse three, Paul continues on, showing that non-believers in the perilous times will also be, quote, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. So going from bad to worse, non-believers and false teachers, especially in the perilous times in which we live, continue on in their blasphemous, proud, covetous, and unholy rebellion against God. They grow from not only loving self best and self most, but even onto hating that which is natural and good. Think of the, where the sexual revolution brought us and where the church is going with that. Homosexuality is okay. Transgender, binary, whatever kind of garbage is okay. Is that what the Bible says? Or is that what they say? Let's go with what the Bible says. That's to be without natural affection. And in fact, furthermore, to be without natural affection is to be without natural affection towards humankind in general. Humankind in general. All humans are image bearers of God. Whatever gender, male or female, whatever color, whatever nationality they are, are worthy of honor and love because they are image bearers of God. All humans ought to love any creature they find human nature in, meaning all other humans. This is natural affection, natural affection. It's the affection we were created with to love other human beings and esteem them greatly, because they're made in the image of God, to cherish human life, and especially those of one's own family. Yet what age, I ask, what age, but a perilous one, an age like our own could place less value on human life than our own. People kill for position, prestige. Mothers hate their own unborn children and give them over to slaughter and stack the bodies to the ceiling, sell their body parts. because of their own selfish love of self. Death is all around us. Murder is all around us. Natural affection does not exist amongst these pagans. Ideologies are propagated and doctrine taught that has time and again proved itself the death of countless millions. Communism, let's try that again. That sounds like a good idea. Yet, a perilous age is marked by such a character. It's marked by such a character. And I'm not trying to be alarmist. I'm not. This is where we are at. This is where we are at. Children in such an age disobey their parents. And their parents, in turn, are without natural affection towards their own children. No wonder that a people that can't love each other would not be able to love God. If you can't love man who you see with your eyes, John says, how could you love God who you do not see? Such a people will not only be without natural affection towards their fellow man, but will even labor for the destruction of their fellow man. And this has always existed since Cain. But again, we're talking about in the last days, there are ebbs and flows of perilous times. They will labor for his destruction through uncontrolled violence, false accusations, backstabbing and a hatred of all that is good. Those that stand for the truth in such an age. Hear me now. Those who stand for the truth in such perilous times, who stand up for what is good and holy and righteous and according to God and love. will be assaulted by false accusations. In Greek, the word is diaboli, which is where we get our English word diabolical. They're devils. They leave off acting like humans towards one another and begin acting like devils towards other humans, seeking their death and their destruction and their undoing. What makes us truly human is our love for what is good, what is holy, and what is true to God's word. That's how we were created. Non-believers in perilous times make themselves devils in their pursuit to destroy the faithful. When that which is good and ought to be honored is generally despised by the populace and looked upon with contempt, then we know that we are truly in perilous times. Paul then states in verse 4 that such people will be traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. So the wicked in perilous times, because of their love of self, and of indulgence in fleshly pleasures more than God, shall be willing to proudly betray the faithful, even over to death. As Jesus told his disciples, you recall, that in the last days, brothers shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child, and the children shall rise against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. Matthew 10 verse 21. The wicked of such times do not simply content themselves at merely bringing agony onto the faithful with persecution, but they will have them silenced entirely with the sword. If the faithful in perilous times will not conform and repeat what the wicked say, they will be silenced with prison or death. Such times have been before, they are now, they're coming upon us even now, in this country even, and they will be again. This they do that they might continue in their growth and love of carnal pleasures. God is to be loved above all as Christians. As humans, we were created. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. That's it, that's the only reason we were created. Glorify him, enjoy him. That's the chief end of man. And yet, people trade that out. And in perilous times, they do even more. For carnal lust, something as base as carnal desires, fleshly, self-serving pleasures. It's truly sad. Most dangerous of all, Paul says in verse five, that unbelievers in these perilous times will have a form of godliness, but will deny the power thereof. And he says, from such turn away. This is especially true of the false teachers in these times. Such ones in these perilous times will have a form or an expression of godliness. They'll be Christian in name. They'll attend a Christian church. They'll be part of a Christian Presbytery, like the PCUSA. They'll have a piety that is outward only. How many of today's false teachers spread their falsehoods? We've seen it happen. They've spread their falsehoods in seminaries and churches across the nation. One only need look to the Southern Baptist Convention right now, today, to see, to see what has happened. Or even some of our reformed seminaries and churches. There's tons of people that are baptized, they're members of local churches, they're pastors, they're elders, they're deacons, they're lay people, you name it. They preach and they hear preaching. They claim the name of Christ, but they reject his power entirely. With one side of their mouth, they praise the gospel, and with the other side, they seek to corrupt it. They do not love the brethren. Rather, they slander them. try to put them to death and silence them. We hear this in the SBC and in reform seminaries. They tell us that the greatest sin right now, the greatest sin right now is not original sin, but original racism for white men, white people, original racism. And that the only way we can have salvation is by continual repentance and reparations from racism. this ethereal racism that can't really put a finger on or say what it is, that must be repented of. That's what we're hearing from bastions of the Christian faith. The biggest denomination in the USA. Southern Baptist Convention, that's what is being propagated. If you don't like it, you get out. Professors are being fired one after another, silenced. They've replaced original sin with original racism, and the redemption through Christ with the redemption through perpetual repentance and reparation. They claim to be Christian, they have a form of Christianity, but they deny its redemptive power, the only thing that makes it Christian. In perilous times, false teachers will peddle a false gospel. that is Christianity in form only, in form only, and people will live accordingly without any true power of godliness. Such are perilous times indeed in which we live. Matthew Henry, the great Puritan, comments, quote, when they take upon them the form which should and would bring along with it the power thereof, they will put asunder what God hath joined together. They will assume the form of godliness to take away their reproach. but they will not submit to the power of it to take away their sin. What does that mean? What he means by that is this, that they will put on a facade of Christianity. They will put on a front of Christianity so they can continue in their wicked, disgusting, filthy sin and make money, filthy lucre. That's why. That's what Matthew Henry is saying. Describes our time greatly. Through examination of one's doctrine, we can discern whether these are false teachers or not, these people that we're hearing. Whether they are truly ambassadors of Jesus Christ, they come with the gospel of peace upon their lips. They write on cherubs' wings to bring us good news of salvation and grace in Christ Jesus. We can discern whether they be false or true. If they're found to be a false teacher, Paul says that we are to turn away from them. Meaning we should waste no more time with them. We should not entertain them any longer. Now, we will be maligned for such things. We'll be called hateful. We'll be called unloving. We'll be called harsh, rash, alarmist for rejecting them. But reject them we must. It's not an option, it's a command, dear believer. False teachers must be denounced as heretics and anathematized, period. That's how God keeps his church pure. We now turn to some of the particulars of false teaching in perilous times. Briefly, second, false teaching in perilous times. So what shall false teachers teach? And how shall they live? What shall be their end? What shall come of them? Paul answers first that false teachers seek to lead others astray. They're not content to only put forth their blasphemies, but they labor to win people to them. Verse six that says, for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts. So as wolves, As ravening wolves, their aim is to infiltrate the sheepfolds. Paul, when departing the elders at Ephesus, warned this. Did he not? In Acts 20 he says, For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Notice that he says of your own selves. He's speaking to the elders in Ephesus. How many men have I seen, even in my short time being a Christian of 11 years, 12 years? How many men have I seen that I thought were faithful men? I trusted them. I trusted them. They were among the elders, teaching sound doctrine, who have now turned against me. and against Christ of their own selves, Paul warns. Jesus says that the aim of false teachers is to lead astray, if it were possible, the very elect. Matthew 24, 24. So not only will false teachers in perilous times such as ours boldly teach their heresies from pulpits, but it says they'll also creep into houses. They'll creep into houses. They'll aim at winning people by their charisma and their character. their charm, so that people will be more willing to listen to their heresies, their blasphemies. But he's such a nice guy. He does so many great things. He's so charming. He's so talented and funny. He's got such a great pulpit presence. He writes such good books. He's on so many important Christian celebrity things. Crept into their house. How many false teachers through their books and audio do we know have we experienced through their books, their audio, their YouTube videos, whatever, have for years labored at winning people with their charm, only to subtly pervert the gospel through their false teaching. Satan is a diligent soul winner, dear congregation. He's diligent. He labors at winning people to his falsehoods. How much more should we as Christ's people be diligent in soul winning? He who winneth souls is wise, Proverbs says. They seek out the weakest in the flock, those that are silly, laden with sins, and prone to indulge their lusts. Now everyone that I know who has ever embraced some sort of false teaching, some brand of false teaching, whether it's full heresy or just something really bad, every single one I know has had some secret sin that they wanted to enjoy. It's always been that. It's always some vice that you want to continue in. Some sin that you want to continue to indulge. So you find a teaching that tickles your ears and tells you, it's okay. No big deal. And you go that way. That's every, almost every single person I know that's been caught up in false doctrine has been led away from true orthodoxy has had that issue. They would rather have their sins than Christ. And these false teachers in perilous times prey on that. They prey on it. Now we know that the elect cannot be deceived unto death, right? But they can be deceived unto great harm and grievous scandal. They can. This is why we are to test the spirits. I've also known many believers who have been for a time enticed by false teaching. They've embraced it for a time. They've ended up being deceived by it and embraced it. but they were delivered back to the truth, praise God. But while they were bewitched with false doctrine, they even led other people away. And though they were brought out of it, these people that they discipled are still in it. Imagine living with that as a Christian, that because of your negligence in spiritual duties and your faithfulness to God, you led others astray, away from Christ, not to Christ. Another trait of false teachers is that they are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Like the Athenians, they always desire to hear and tell some new thing. The solid old truths of the gospel are not enough. They're not sufficient. They have to find new heresies to tickle people's ears. They have to find new teachings to lead others astray. They are not theologians, meaning a discussion about God, what is true. They are not theologians, but merely neologians. They study of what is new, study of what is fresh. Indeed, they may grow in knowledge, but their knowledge only serves to harden them further and deceive them further. In perilous times, the false teacher is never certain of what he believes. There's always room for debate and room for, well, you know, we're not really 100% positive. You know, there might be other ways of looking at this thing. False teachers are never certain of what they believe in perilous times. To be uncertain is a sign of humility rather than a sign of a vice and error. True, we also should grow in our knowledge as Christians. We have to be ever learning, right? We have to be always studying, and coming to the Word of God, and hearing sound preaching, and growing in our faith. That's true, we have to always be learning, ever learning. But our learning, our study, leads to further certainty of the truth, not less, and greater progress in true godliness. So there's the big difference there. Not so with false teachers. Paul says they are like Janus and Jambres who withstood Moses. So do these also resist the truth. They are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith, verse eight. They withstand the truth, deny and cast doubt upon God's word. They assail pure doctrine and all the preachers of it. They are men of corrupt minds. They do not know what the truth of the faith is, nor do they even desire to know it. Now Janus and Jambres, where does that come from? It's extra biblical. It comes from names that were given to those Egyptian, the Egyptian magicians in Exodus who opposed Moses. And later Jewish tradition and teaching, they gave names to these two magicians, Janus and Jambres. And they opposed the true miracles that Moses was doing. They opposed God. They opposed Moses' teaching. and the miracles he performed by performing their own miracles by satanic magic. They opposed the word of God through Moses by deception. So too, false teachers today oppose the truth of God by any means necessary. They'll use anything. Their corrupt minds and unregenerate hearts cause them to hate God and his word. We have seen many false teachers, even in the past couple of years, be corrected and yet stand fast in their opposition to God's Word. They continue to oppose the clear truth of Scripture. They continue on in their opposition. Now, Paul tells us in Titus 3, verse 10, to reject a heretic after the first and second admonition. Reject them. Have no more to do with them. Yet, there's people that will still give lenience to so many of the heresies we see today. Well, we just have to hear them out. You know, they're not saying the thing you think they're saying. Let's be kind and charitable. Is it heresy or is it not? Have they been corrected or have they not? It's as simple as that. If they have, reject them. There's no room for them in the church. Cast them out. They're enemies of the faith, enemies of Jesus Christ. At what point is someone a wolf? At what point? At what point is someone a heretic? How much heresy do they have to put forth? How many Jesuses do they have to bring to us before we go, there's only one? False teachers must be withstood and rejected. It is through this that their folly shall be manifest unto all men and they shall proceed no further. They will be made manifest as false teachers and opposers of God. their folly being made known, they shall be rejected." Again, this sermon does not intend to be mean-spirited, alarmist, anything like that. Anything like that. It's not hateful. Well, it's hateful because I hate falsehood. I hate Satan. I hate his destruction and his attacks on the church. And I love Christ. And we love Christ. We love truth. And we want to see people brought to Jesus. But we must have the right Jesus. We must have the Jesus of the Bible. Brethren, this is not hateful sermon just to be worked up and angry. There is an anger that is righteous. There is an anger that is righteous. And the only way that false teaching will not proceed any farther is if we stand against it. And we might be part of that 7,000 that hasn't bowed the knee. It's gonna be lonely. Especially in this church, there's only a few of us. It's gonna be lonely. It's gonna be hard. But it's worth it. Perilous times are not times for Christians to be silent. Now, more than ever, we must know what we believe. Now, more than ever, we must loudly oppose false doctrine. Higher criticism, cultural Marxism, and critical race theory are the heresies of our day right now, today. And those that teach such things or approve of those who teach them are heretics. Period. The SPC, the Southern Baptist Convention, is so permeated with this stuff as to almost make it a cult at this point. The Al Mollers, Mark Devers, Matt Chandlers, Jamar Tisbys, Matthew Halls, J.D. Greers, Lincoln Duncans, and Russell Moores are the Januses and the Jambres of our day. Of our day. They oppose Jesus Christ. They put forth false doctrine. But these men were people that led us before. They've been great authors. hosted great conferences, but now they are either deceived and backslidden, or we're always wolves. Either way, we must oppose them as they oppose Jesus. If they are to proceed no further, it is because we stand against them. Just simply even a brief glance at the social media accounts of the churches here in AZ, just look this weekend, will tell you that this is not some far off thing. It's not like, oh, well, this is dangerous, but it's not really here. It's not among us. False. Wrong. It's here. It's among us. All the churches in the area, many, many of the churches, all the evangelical churches, for sure, posting all this stuff about racism, preaching clips of their sermons from the past week on racism, cultural Marxism, critical race theory, It's not at our gates, dear friends. It's in our city. It's in our citadel. It has already infiltrated the gates. Third, perseverance in perilous times. Now to the application. How shall we as Christians endure in such times as these? How? How do we hold fast to the faith in perilous times? How can we keep our minds from error when false teaching abounds? Isaiah gives the clarion call, to the law and to the testimony, he says. The word of God, dear Christian. The scriptures will guide us if we but listen. False teaching is easy to detect. Isaiah says, if they speak not according to this word, It is because there is no light in them. Not that they're just ignorant. There's no light in them. They are false. Paul walks us through how we may persevere in perilous times. We have to skip some material. Number one, he says, by looking to the examples of godly men, we can persevere. Paul puts himself forward as an example of what persevering faith looks like in perilous times. He says, but thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, his persecutions, and how the Lord delivered me out of them all. That's verses 10 and 11. As Christians, we are compassed about, surrounded, with so great a cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12, 1. So the faithful who have gone before us and the faithful men and women who now live among us can serve as examples. And Paul here follows that pattern of instruction. Timothy is to look to Paul as an example of perseverance in perilous times. He says, look at my doctrine. Look at my doctrine. You know that I've faithfully preached nothing but Christ and Him crucified. I have not swerved from it. So you know that I can be a faithful guide. There is a direct corollary, dear believer, between what one believes and persevering in the faith. There's a direct corollary. It's a one-for-one. Paul preached truth. He preached God's Word. He preached Christ and Him crucified and nothing else. his beautiful and wondrous resurrection from the dead, his substitutionary atonement on our behalf, the giving of the Holy Spirit, his second coming, our regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit, our being united to Christ, adopted by God, all of these things he preached. So we know that he can be a trustworthy guide in persevering during these perilous times. But we must know what we believe. We must know sound doctrine. It is only when we truly know who Christ is and what He has done, some weak doctrine is not going to lead someone to say this, the sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, Romans 8, 18. Think someone who just has a evangelical doctrine can say that? In the harshest of times, you're gonna have a strong rock, a solid rock, confidence, a fortress in Jehovah God, If you don't even know who He is or what He's done, if you can't even answer the question, what did a Jewish man dying on a cross 2,000 years ago do for me? If you think that it's the fact that Jesus was beaten up real bad that makes us saved, you cannot say that. You will have no confidence in what Christ has done. and in perseverance. In perilous times, sound doctrine is more needed than ever in order to persevere in the faith. But that's the key, it has to be in the faith. He talks about his manner of life, that doctrine without corollary and corresponding lifestyle is nothing. Experiential Christianity not only stresses doctrine, but doctrine for life. He talks about his purpose and his faith, that it was obvious to Timothy that Paul's purpose was to glorify God. He aimed at nothing else, so therefore he's trustworthy. His long-suffering and charity and patience, his two letters to the Corinthian church prove that alone, that he bore long with believers as they struggled with sin. Of course, they're not perfect. They messed up time and time again. But the fact that he was long-suffering, he was full of charity and patience, makes him a faithful God in how to persevere. His sufferings, Paul reminds Timothy that he had witnessed Paul suffer, be beaten, mocked, reviled, and thrown in prison for the gospel. And that makes him also worthy of imitation and how to persevere during perilous times. Paul goes on to say that we too must be prepared to suffer, dear church. Verse 12, yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. You will lose friends. You will lose family. You will lose people's love for you. You will lose reputation. You might even lose your own life. Period. We will be persecuted if we stand for the truth. And it can be scary. It can be scary. It can be terrifying to stand for the truth of God's word. It really can. Because then we try to put it in this middle ground of my religion is kind of my religion. I don't have to necessarily talk about it. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen. You know, this is my job. This is my family. I don't want to make things awkward. I'm glad that that's where we put Jesus. That he's awkward. That he's uncomfortable. And you're right, he is. He is uncomfortable to us because He demands it all. He demands everything, everything, total and absolute surrender to His will, His love, and His designs. The world will hate us. Jesus said, if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you, John 15, 18. Therefore, dear Christians, will we suffer for Christ? Yes, we will if we are to be Christian. But how do we know if it's worth it? Well, what is your treasure? What is your treasure? What is a greater treasure? Remember the man that Jesus talks about, the parable, who found a great treasure buried in a field. And he considered that treasure to be of surpassing value of all that he possessed. He went and sold all that he possessed and bought the field that he might have that treasure. We too must see Christ as the greatest treasure and be willing to sacrifice all that we are and all that we have that we might have him. That's the call. So what is your treasure, dear believer? What is your treasure? Are you willing to suffer? Is his greatness worth it? Or is it not? The alternative to not persevering is to capitulate and to demonstrate oneself also to be reprobate concerning the faith. being as one of the evil men and the seducers, growing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. In closing, what is the method we use to persevere? The scriptures, God's word. He says, continue thou in the things, he says this to Timothy, which thou hast learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. What is he speaking of? The scriptures, the scriptures that are able to make us wise into salvation through faith, which is in Jesus Christ, the holy scriptures. He had been taught from the holy scriptures, been made wise into salvation from a youth. And he reminds Timothy, continue in those things. So we too must persevere, holding fast to what the scriptures say. It's the only way we're gonna be able to navigate these perilous times and know what is true and what is false. We must stay close to the word of God. The only way we can discern truth in these perilous times is to stay close to the scriptures. Many of us can quote lines from our favorite books, our favorite movies, our favorite TV shows, our favorite political commentators, but we can barely remember a Bible verse. If we do not see fit to use God's word, dear believer, God will take it from us. It has been done before in history. It will be done again. It's being done right now to others in the world. There's many Christians who don't have a Bible. Why not us? Upon the Bibles of some believers, you could etch the words in the dust, we perish for a lack of knowledge. The word of God alone is sufficient for faith and practice. Dear believer, how have you treated God's Bible? Have you tempted him to take it from you? Or have you cherished it as your guide through this life and especially in this perilous time? You will be easily led astray in perilous times if you do not know his word. Remember that those who neglect their Bible, the inspired word of God, given by inspiration of God, profitable for all things that we need, that those who neglect it, who indulge in wandering minds during preaching, who don't read their Bible, are as children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, Ephesians 4.14. These are perilous times. Our minds must be renewed by God's word continually. Error is always mixed with just enough truth, dear believer, to deceive those who are unskillful in the word of righteousness, Hebrews 5, 13. For believers, the Bible is the only infallible, authoritative, and sufficient rule for all faith and practice. They put forward everything we are to believe and how we are to live in light of that truth. In closing, dear congregation, I have often been criticized, often been criticized for my constant railing against the modern church, even by people who have attended this church at different times. Usually they leave it. But I have attempted to labor faithfully, faithfully to prepare us for where we are now, for where we are now. Perilous times are not coming. They are here now. They're upon us. So mere sentimentality for routine, naive fancies, that these things are really not that perilous, these times are not that perilous, or just childlike desires to just be encouraged and uplifted by the word and preaching will no longer suffice. Will no longer suffice. The enemy is upon us now. even in our midst. And the battle cry of the hour is Peter's. He says, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. First Peter 5, 8 and 9. I ask you this as application and closing. Where has Satan led you astray in your mind this week? Think of it. He's always working to do so. Where has he led you astray in your mind? What areas of faith and practice have you compromised in? What areas of your life do you still refuse to surrender to Jesus Christ? We must discern and remedy, repent and believe. The scriptures will be our guide in such self-examination. the sufficiency of the scriptures, the deity of Christ, the power of true godliness, the leading of the Holy Spirit, the supernatural regeneration of sinners by God's power, the all-sufficient substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on behalf of us sinners by grace through faith, and the lordship of God over the inhabitants of all the earth. All these doctrines that I just listed are being attacked wholesale. and denied all around us by Christians. So we must stand strong. We must be assured of the truth as it is in Christ. Let us give ourselves promptly and sincerely, as John Calvin's prayer was, to God in these perilous times. Dear congregation, he which hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1.6. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we once again come before Thee, O God, humble. We thank Thee for the ability to hear Thy Word preached, to preach it. Lord, please apply it to our hearts. Do not let us leave it on the cutting floor. Lord, we need Thee. Help us to desire Thee and to see our great need of Thee. Lord, Thou art our all in all. In Jesus' name, amen.