Good Monday Morning –
By David Phillips
Well, here we go again. Are these Mondays coming around quicker than they used to or is it just me?
The morning sermon yesterday focused on the topic, Perilous Times, and we discussed the text of 2 Timothy 3:1-9. There are many people who read this passage and think it is telling us what to expect near the end of the world. However, that is not the intent of the passage at all. The “last days” is a Bible term meaning the division of time which began at the resurrection of Christ, and continues until the end of time, sometimes called the Christian Age. The things listed by Paul are things that have been going on for that whole time, and getting progressively worse. “Perilous times” are not the days just before the second coming of Christ.
There is no disputing the fact that we are surrounded by wickedness and evil right now. We enumerated 4 categories out of many, in our discussion. Lawlessness and anarchy. Gender turmoil. Inhumane brutality. Government corruption and financial irresponsibility. Then we specifically identified characteristics of these perilous times mentioned in Paul’s letter toTimothy.
- Perilous times are times of misplaced love, 2 Tim.3:2-4. Note how many times the word love is used in an uncomplimentary way: Lovers of self. Lovers of money. Not loving good. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
- Perilous times are times of devalued faith, 2 Tim.3:5.
- Perilous times are times of unlearned truth, 2 Tim.3:7
At the 5 pm service, we discussed our final lesson on the topic of Strengthening Our Connection to God the Father. In an appeal to our reasonableness, we noted that we should desire to get closer to God and strengthen our relationship with Him because of what He has done for us. We took an in-depth look at Psalm 111, and examined it verse-by-verse.
If you missed any of yesterday’s services, you can view them at http://www.rrcoc.com under the sermons tab.