Last Days Expectations

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 100
• Hymn
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Westminster Shorter Catechism (Ten Commandments)
• Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 26
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn
• Sermon
• Hymn
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Last Days Expectations

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-9

I. Expect Godless Love

(2 Timothy 3:1-5)

A. The last days were inaugurated by Christ's first advent — his death, resurrection, ascension, and coronation as King

1. The writer of Hebrews confirms this: Hebrews 1:1-2 — God has spoken in these last days by his Son
2. Both Paul and Peter call the church to be prepared for godlessness to run rampant inside and outside the church — 2 Peter 3:1-3

B. The catalogue of vices in verses 2–4 is bookended by misguided love

1. It begins with "lovers of self" and ends with "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God"
2. All the vices flow from this root: wrong love produces unrighteousness
3. Jesus summarizes the law as love for God and love for neighbor — Matthew 22:37-40 — the arrows of our love must point upward and outward, not inward

C. Verse 5 describes a formal, counterfeit godliness — the appearance of godliness while denying its power

1. Like the Pharisees: whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but empty within
2. J.C. Ryle: formal Christians say all the right things but show no practical godliness — neither truthful, humble, kind, nor unselfish
3. Formal godliness is a deceptive tool of the evil one — it allows a person to feel content without true heart change
4. Self-examination: Are the arrows of your love a boomerang? Can you look back five years and see genuine heart change?

II. Expect Godless Weakness

(2 Timothy 3:6-7)

A. Paul describes false teachers preying on specific vulnerable women in Ephesus — this is not a general statement about all women

1. The likely context: young widows in their private quarters, visited by false teachers who wormed their way in as tutors and live-in guests
2. These women are burdened by sin and various passions, always learning but never arriving at a knowledge of the truth
3. Their false teaching parallels what Paul addressed in 1 Timothy 5 — young widows susceptible to error

B. Proverbs categories: the "simple" — those with a weak moral foundation, easily swayed because they lack discernment

1. If it looks good and the right people endorse it, they follow without questioning
2. False teachers prey on the morally weak and spiritually undiscerning

C. Application: We are not called to be weak believers

1. We must build our moral and spiritual constitution through the Word and the ordinary means of grace
2. We must know what we believe and why we believe it, so that discernment clicks on when false teaching appears

III. Expect Godless Deception

(2 Timothy 3:8-9)

A. Paul invokes Jannes and Jambres — the magicians of Pharaoh's court who mimicked Moses' miracle (Exodus 7)

1. Not named in the Old Testament, but the tradition is strong enough for Paul to cite in inspired Scripture
2. They mimicked God-like power and kept people from the truth the miracles were meant to point to

B. Last-days false teachers similarly mimic godliness, God-like power, God-like truth, and God-like salvation

1. This appears in false religions, cults, and secular institutions alike — anything that says "I am your salvation"
2. C.S. Lewis: the most oppressive tyranny is one sincerely exercised for the good of its victims — those who torment us for our own good do so with a clear conscience
3. Paul's instruction: avoid such people — do not dabble, distance yourself

C. The encouraging word of verse 9: their folly will be plain to all

1. Paul gives no timetable — this is last-days language, not a promise of near-term exposure
2. False teaching is Satan's last-ditch effort to thwart the eternal plan of God that finds its Yes and Amen in Christ
3. God has fixed the day of judgment — Acts 17 — all false teachers will be exposed and condemned
4. The valley of Jehoshaphat — Joel 3 — God will summon all nations to the valley of decision
5. Christ's promise stands: the gates of hell shall never prevail against his church