Men of the Word
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
Calvary Chapel South Bay
Men’s Ministry 2015 – 2016
“2 Timothy – Marching Orders”
Lesson 8
February 2, 2016
“Peri lous behavi or bri ngs peril ous times”
Paul war ned T im ot h y t hat “ per il ous ti m es” wer e c om ing. They wou ld be
per ilous because “m en w ill be lover s of them selves” r at her t han “lover s of G od; ”
and s o, per ilous f or t he g odly m an who des ir es t o be a vess el of hon or in a
dis honor able wor ld. W hat Paul des cr ibes in t his pass ag e is a wor ld where t he
f les h is tot ally unhin der ed by t he work of t he Holy Spir it thr oug h the t rut h of
G od’s W ord. Even wor s e, men will not only “ r es ist t he t rut h, ” but wil l t r y t o lead
o t h e r s a s t r a y f r o m i t . B e c a u s e o f t h i s , P a u l w a r n s u s t o “ k n o w t h i s ” ( r e c o g n i ze
i t ) a n d “t ur n aw a y” f r o m s uc h p e o p l e. I s t he r e a n y q ue st i o n t ha t t h o se t im e s ar e
upon us r ig ht now? The dist inct ion bet ween t hos e who ar e lovers of s elf and
t hose who love God is bec om ing g reater eve r y day. If we would live as ves s els
of honor in t hes e per ilous t im es we m ust not be ignorant of the batt le we f ac e
against t he wor ld an d even our own f les h. As you s tudy t his les son, ask t he Holy
Spir it t o g ive you a n ew pas s ion f or Him and t he W ord of God, and t hat it would
em power you t o walk in the Spir it in t he f ace of s uc h s inf ul and per ilous t im es .
Passage: 2T imot hy 3: 1- 9
Scripture:
K
e y Script ure: 2T imot hy 3: 2- 5
Scripture: 2Timothy 3:1; 2Peter 3:1-3
What does Paul tell Timothy he needs to “know” about the “last days”?
What does Peter say we need to know about those who will be “scoffers”
of our faith in the last days; about their lifestyle and attitude toward us
who believe?
Scripture: 2Timothy 3:2-4
In Galatians 5:22-24, Paul declares that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and
then goes on in the passage to describe what that love will look like. He
does the same thing here in these verses about the flesh. What do the
opening words tell us is the main problem that will cause the unbridled
works of the flesh described here? What must we “rather” be lovers of to
avoid these things (v.4b)?
Scripture: 1Corinthians
What is God’s counsel to
people” can have on us,
a form of godliness but
15:33; 2Timothy 3:5b
us in these verses about the affect “such
and how we are to respond to those who “have
deny its power”?
Scripture: 2Timothy 3:6-8
As we can see in the world around us today, it won’t be enough for most
to live their lives according to the flesh. They also want to make us
captive to their way of thinking. What “knowledge” do we need to stand
on and not “resist” if we are to avoid being made captive to the lusts of
the flesh?
Scripture: 2Timothy 3:8-9; Galatians 6:7-8
People who live this way think that they don’t have to answer for their
actions, and that they will just keep getting away with it. But what does 2
Timothy 3:9 say will be “manifest” sooner or later? What does Galatians
6 tell us about those who think they are unaccountable to God , and what
their lifestyle will “reap”?
Group Discussion – Personal Application
To prepare for this week’s group discussion about Paul’s warning about the last
days, read and meditate also on Galatians 5:16-26. Think about what it says about
the battle between the flesh and the Spirit; as well as the “works of the flesh”
and the “fruit of the Spirit.” In the group time, discuss the reality and the
dangers of the perilous times we now live in as it pertains to the battle between
the flesh and the Spirit. What are the dangers these times hold for us because of
the nature of our own flesh? How can we live as vessels of honor during these
times that are so dangerous to our walk?
Memory Verse
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever.”
1 John 2:15-17