Today, I’d like to share an absolutely wonderful sermon by Alistair Begg entitled Times of Difficulty – | Parkside Church. I encourage you to watch the video of this sermon at Parkside Church. If you’d rather just listen to the sermon without the rest of the sermon, Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith uploaded the audio from just the sermon here. Alistair Begg also shares the audio portion on his other ministry website Truth For Life.

The text for the sermon is 2 Timothy 3:

2 Timothy 3:1-9(ESV)

Godlessness in the Last Days

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

Alistair also reads verses 1 through 5 from the Living Bible (Paraphrase, not a translation):

2 Timothy 3:1-5Living Bible (TLB)

1 You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. 3 They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. 4 They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God.5 They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that.

While I am no fan of any Paraphrase or “Amplified” version of the Bible, Alistair uses this portion carefully and faithfully to the Scriptures as merely an introduction. He immediately returns to the Scriptures for his exegesis.

I pray you find this sermon as informative and encouraging as I did. In closing, let us look to 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV) | Preach the Word
1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

May the Grace and Peace of God be with you always,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge