This Sunday Marcus Young will be preaching the third sermon in a four week series on “The Word of God”. Please pray for him as he prepares this week!
We are now living in the time period referred to in Holy Scripture as ” the last days”. This refers not merely to the final days before the second coming of Christ, but the entire era inaugurated by the advent (1st coming of Christ) and completed when Christ returns, (his second coming). This is a time when we are warned in God’s word that people will depart from the faith and false teaching will plague the church. Paul describes these days as “difficult times” (2 Tim. 3:1) characterized by “self love, love of money, pride, arrogance, abusive behavior and wickedness” (2 Tim. 3:1-9, 1 Tim. 4:1-5, Jude vv 3-10). There will be an appearance of godliness but it will be a sham religion, denying the power and authority of God’s word and leading to sin, debauchery, wickedness and ultimately God’s righteous judgement. How are we to conduct ourselves during this time? The apostle Paul writes his second epistle to Timothy from a prison cell in Rome, awaiting his execution. Paul does not expect to escape death, but he is confident that God will deliver him through death to eternal glory because God is faithful to his word. (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Paul is writing his last New Testament letter and he wants to encourage Timothy and us to stand firm in the truth, to refute error, to devote ourselves to the public reading and teaching of God’s word and to set an example in godly conduct and living. This is how we are to live in these last days, holding fast to the “things we have learned and firmly believed”, understanding that God’s word is divinely inspired, authoritative, and sufficient to safely guide us through these difficult times and not only that, but God’s word is able to “make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, equipping us for every good work” and ultimately delivering us from death to glory. 2 Tim. 3:14-17.
Sermon Title: “Standing Firm In God’s All Sufficient Word”
Sermon Text: 2 Timothy 3: 14-17
Meditation passage: Psalm 119: vv 89-94
Call to Worship: Jude 17-23
Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24
Songs For Sunday