2 Timothy 3 talks about the last days. And I feel as though the theme of the chapter is captured in the first verse, because the Bible says, but mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. The Amplified translation says, but understand this, that in the last days dangerous times of great stress and trouble will come difficult days that will be hard to bear. As you read through the chapter, several things become clear. In the last days, there is a total rejection of God in this world. Anything the word of God stands for will be rejected. There will be a time when people will want to have their ears tickled. They will want a gospel that gives the blessing, but doesn't require repentance. They want a gospel that preaches prosperity instead of sacrificial living. And there's a lot of this now. A lot of people prefer to have their ears tickled instead of receiving the pure gospel that will penetrate the heart and challenge every sinful behavior in your life. Now to add to the corruption that will be in the world, 2 Timothy 3 tells us that there will be a total breakdown of society because people will be treacherous, rash, slanderous, brutal, disobedient to parents, abusive, and without self-control. No rules, no moral absolutes, no restraints of any kind. Everyone will do that which is right in their own eyes and woe to the person who dares to question anyone else's lifestyle choices. Now verse 5 says that people will have a form of godliness, but denying its power have nothing to do with such people. This is the age of religious rebels, men and women who have the outward appearance of godliness but deep down in their hearts. They are filled with sin and deceit. Religious rebels will ask all of the right questions, but watch their actions because they will follow all of the wrong answers. Religious rebels may go as far as quoting scripture, but their hearts will be far from God and even further from his word. And so for the Christian who is listening, what are you to do? How will you survive the conditions described in 2 Timothy 3? Well the chapter ends in verse 16 and 17 saying, all scripture is God breathed and is used for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every... This is a paid message from GoFundMe. My name is Ashley Kane. I'm the daddy of a little girl in heaven and a father to two boys on earth. I've got an incredible relationship with GoFundMe, both personally and via our daughter's foundation, the Isaelia Foundation. GoFundMe has allowed me, the foundation, and thousands of people out there to give hope to what is in need. You'd actually be surprised how many people out there are willing to show love and support you in your time of need. My advice for anyone that needs to start up a GoFundMe would be do it. You don't need to feel shame, you don't need to feel guilt, you don't need to feel embarrassment. If you need, GoFundMe, use GoFundMe. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com. That's GoFundMe.com. GoFundMe.com. This message reflects one person's experience. Good work. The truth of the word of God can save you, forgive you, justify you, sanctify you, purify you, transform you, regenerate you, and one day, it will take you all the way home to heaven for all eternity. Everything we need to know about life with God can be found in the pages of the Bible. If we had needed to know anything else, God would have told us. The Bible is complete as it stands, a finished product that will produce in us a new life, a godly life, a growing life, a fruitful life, a loving life, a Christ-like life, eternal life, the very life of God Himself. Now, the Bible says in Psalms 34, verse 17, the righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Isn't that amazing that the Bible actually says that? The righteous cry out and the Lord hears, but it doesn't stop there. The Lord delivers them out of all their troubles. So what happens to the unrighteous when they cry out? Who hears them? Who delivers them out of all their troubles? From this passage of Scripture in Psalm 34, we should all be encouraged to pursue righteousness, because when the day comes, when it's your turn to cry out, if you've been pursuing righteousness, then the Lord will hear you and deliver you. God the Father has given His people the license to call upon Him when troubles of life come. Notice how I said His people, God's people, those who pursue righteousness. And it's not to say that you're perfect, but it's to say that your desire has nothing to do with the world and everything to do with Jesus Christ. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. There is a condition for you to be heard by God. That condition is righteousness. Are you a righteous man? Are you a righteous woman? And I mean righteousness according to the word of God, not the self-righteousness which the Bible describes in Isaiah 64, verse 6, saying, all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind, our sins sweep us away. This is self-righteousness being described here. This is where you are righteous in your own eyes, not according to God's word, but according to the standards you've set. This isn't the type of righteousness we want or need. As believers, we ought to chase the type of righteousness that pleases God and rid ourselves from any trace of pride, arrogance, or self-righteousness. We are to chase after the righteousness of God that qualifies you and me to get God's attention. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 3 Don't miss how the Bible says, in him, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God. Are you in Christ? Are you in him? I ask these questions because there are people who are so in distress and so bothered saying, why does God never answer my prayers? 4 Well, once again, Psalms 34, verse 17 says, the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. And then 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21 says, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So we've established a criteria for God to hear your cry. It's righteousness, and we've discovered the source of righteousness, which is Jesus Christ. None of us can be righteous unless we are in Jesus Christ, unless we are submitted to him, we can never achieve righteousness, unless we are in love with Jesus, unless we are sold out for him, we can never achieve righteousness.
