Stand Firm, Hold Fast To What Is Right

2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4

David Muller, Certified Lay Speaker

In many parts of the world today, it does not seem especially difficult to be a Christian – people aren’t jailed for reading the Bible or executed for preaching Jesus Christ. There is a comfortableness about superficial Christianity. But Paul’s description of behavior in the last days describes our society – even, unfortunately, many Christians.

You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!
– 2 Timothy 3:1-5

For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.
– 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, inhuman, implacable, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and holding to the outward form of Godliness but denying its power. AVOID THEM!

Paul tells us that in the last days Christians will develop a pattern of behavior that is not pleasing to God, right along with our society in general. Many biblical scholars say that we are now in those last days.

Friends, could you be one of the many Christians who will eventually develop this pattern of behavior? Will I be one of the many Christians who will eventually develop this pattern of behavior? Let’s look for a moment at the last lifestyle mentioned and what it is saying to us.

“Holding to the outward form of Godliness but denying its power” is a powerful statement. WHAT IS IT SAYING TO US? Many Christians will take on the “form” or “appearance” of God by:

  1. Going to church
  2. Knowing Christian doctrine
  3. Using Christian clichés
  4. Following a community’s Christian tradition
Let’s look at each of these briefly:

GOING TO CHURCH:   These are the people who are going to church, but they do not go to worship God, nor to sing praises to God and to be with other Christians in fellowship. They go because it is a habit. They go because they want to be seen in church and because they want to see who doesn’t come to church.

KNOWING CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE:   These are the people who try to learn as much as they can about the church doctrine and who like to impress other people by what they know. They are not interested in using their knowledge for the betterment of the church.

USING CHRISTIAN CLICHES:   These are the people who use all the popular Christian phrases (clichés) in their discussions to impress others, but the clichés don’t mean anything to them personally.

FOLLOWING A COMMUNITY’S CHRISTIAN TRADITION:   Again, these are the people who want to impress others by standing up for what the church and the community’s traditions stand for, but in reality could care less about the future of the church and the future of the community, along with the traditions of each.

What is Paul telling us? Paul is saying that the just mentioned practices can make a person or persons look good. But if the inner attitudes of belief, love and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless. Paul warns us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians. There are a lot of them around even today. It may be difficult to distinguish them from true Christians at first, but their lives will give them away.

To all of you who come to church to truly worship the Living God Almighty, through song, prayer, scripture readings and with Christian fellowship I say, “Do not let up.” There are too many people attending church today whose faith is only skin deep and, unfortunately, they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ personally. In so many cases their intentions are good and they sound good to our ears when we hear them, but if what they are saying and/or doing is not lifting up the name of Jesus Christ, we better back away from it or we will become a part of it.

So I say to you, my friends, “STAND FIRM, AND HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS RIGHT.” Keep coming to church to sing the hymns, to pray, to hear the scripture readings and to have fellowship one with another. As you participate in the worship service, let God speak to you as if you are the only person sitting in church. Let Him tell you what He wants you to do that will be pleasing to Him. Ask God to fill your soul to the brim with His Holy Spirit and by being filled you will want to do what is pleasing and acceptable to God.

As long as we let God be our God, accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior, let the Holy Spirit be our counselor and convictor, read scripture daily and believe what we read, and have daily prayer time believing that God hears our prayers, we should be able to withstand all the distressing times that we are facing now and will definitely face in the future.

God’s Holy Word tells us that in the last days, and we are living in the last days, distressing times will come. Be prepared. DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN.

STAND FIRM, AND HOLD FAST TO WHAT’S RIGHT!!!       AMEN!