Sunday Morning Podcast July 1, 2018. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: 2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Paul is not just speaking to the ministry, but in this changing landscape of life, he is also asking us to always be ready, whether convenient or not, to witness to the truth. We need to share this message in all it’s fullness, for there will come a time when people won’t endure sound doctrine, thinking “everything’s okay,” when everything’s not okay. People become susceptible when they rely on a “religious experience,” which is so common in the society we live in. An experience of having a form, but not having any power. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5 Because often what they’ve been taught, and what they believe, …doesn’t really deal with the needs of the heart. They’re often not challenged to deal with the needs of their soul. This text or title, “The changing landscape” deals with having a form without the power. The Church of God is not exempt from being affected also by this spirit with it’s problems. For in some things, nothing changes. And some things, are always changing.
Even those serving God, have things that are always changing in the landscape of their lives, to some extent. Sometimes as we get older, we don’t like change. But change is a fact of life. Humanly, we are designed that we tend to resist change. For change can cause one to feel unstable, in the rapidly changing “landscape” of our life. So change is often necessary. But we need to caution against any change that would compromise what God has set in Truth. We need to say “tethered” to our God that never changes. It matters how we perceive change, for we are called to “work” in the midst of it. Our eternal God never changes, and that helps us to also never change within the principals of truth in our heart. God brings us to dwell among the ever changing world, so our life can be instrumental for hearts seeking Him. And this helps us to bring the gospel in a more meaningful way.
Living with an unchanging God, in an ever changing world…..