The key verse:
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus – 2 Timothy 3:13-15 NKJV
Introduction
We are living in a time when it’s easy to get rattled, to be moved, in one’s opinions. The same hold true when it comes to a matter of one’s faith; it is very easy for some people’s faith to be rattled and easily moved. Jesus taught a very important parable about a sower and the seeds that he sowed. In the parable, found in Matthew’s gospel, the sower goes out to sow and some seeds fell by the wayside, some in stony places, some where there wasn’t much depth in the ground, and others in thorny places – nothing was able to grow in those places. Some of the sower’s seeds happened to land on good ground and from the good ground grew a great crop.
From this parable we learn a couple of things. The seed: represents the word of God – Jesus’ gospel. The ground: representative of the people either receiving and holding onto the Lord’s word or ignoring the gospel of Jesus Christ. Believers are represented by the good ground that produced a great crop. If you are a genuine believer, do not be rattled, do not be shakeable, and do not be movable.
Dangers we face
In today’s key (2 Timothy 3:13) we are told of future dangers, from when the Apostle Paul wrote this epistle; now, some would say that we are facing dangers currently in the world today. A couple of the dangers that Paul warned of was evil men and seducers (imposters). Paul said: evil men and seducers will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. People that choose to do things for their own good, while hurting others, will grow worse and worse. We would say those kind of people, evil kind of people, is at a pretty high point nowadays. People that choose to spread their “truth” as gospel, and then getting others to believe in those lies will grow worse and worse.
Paul believed there was certainly a danger of evil people coming to power. We must remember that Paul lived during a time where the apostles were being murdered for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, was beheaded by Herod (Acts 12:1-2). Not recorded in the Bible, but Christian tradition teaches that Paul was beheaded by the evil emperor Nero, and Peter was crucified upside down by the same man. There is a danger of evil people coming to power – this was certainly true in Bible days, certainly true when you look at our history, and will certainly hold true for the future. Evil men can drive fear into the hearts of many believers, but do not be moved by them!
Paul also believed there was a greater danger in believing in lies. We are warned throughout the New Testament of false prophets; there is a great danger in believing lies to be gospel (real truth). You see, many people have already been deceived by deceivers, and the deceivers themselves have also been deceived by lies as if those lies is actual gospel. One of the danger in being deceived is that one can be moved away from the actual truth – that is God’s gospel. The other, and greater danger, is that one can then be moved away the Lord, which leads to rebellion against God, and this, in turn, turns out to be the worse thing a person can do! Do not be moved from the Lord by the evil men or the seducers with their lives.
How do we become unmovable and remain?
According to our text (2 Timothy 3:14), we told that we should continue in what we have learned and have been assured of by doctrine teaching and scripture. I say doctrine teaching because sound teaching and preaching must be of the doctrine of the Lord, and not doctrine that someone has decided to make up; doctrine is only sound when we stick to the Lord.
What have we learned? I’m not sure about you, but I have been taught since I was a child that the God is the Creator of all things; I like to add in that He is the creator of the known and the unknown. I was also taught that God is Almight! He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is all powerful! God is in control! Even when others do not believe that the Lord is in control, He is very well in control and He is in charge. Paul said one must study to him or herself approved to rightly divide the word of God. This is sound doctrine about the Lord! We may not know everything about God, nor all that He knows, but through sound doctrine we know that God is definitely Almighty!
What have we been assured of? The only one that can bring us assurance is the Lord. The Lord gave us assurance through His Son, Jesus Christ. We were assured a Savior. We were assured a High Priest that is still living today and sits at the right hand of God. We were assured a mediator and intercessor who intercedes on our behalf to the Father. The Lord also assured us our salvation! Our salvation: entering into the Father’s house and being with Him for eternity; having victory over the world, sin, and Satan.
How do we become and remain unmovable? We are to hold to our faith and remember what we have been taught. When Satan and his minions try to test you, when they try to rattle you, when they try to move you, hold to God! When the burdens and the worries of living try to rattle you, or try to move you, hold to God! When the world crumbles around you, do not crumble with the world, but hold to your faith and hold to God! Take a page from David, who would say in Psalm 16: set the Lord before you, always. The Lord is at your right hand and you shall not be moved!
Be Steadfast
Steadfast: resolutely or dutifully firm and unwaverying
In his letter to the people of Corinth, Paul told believers to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of God. We Christians should be unmovable in our faith, letting absolutely nothing shake us. Sure, there are certainly dangers in the world, but I don’t believe there is a danger that can overcome our God! You see, I stand firm in my faith in the Lord! I stand firm in sound doctrine about my God! I stand firm in the gospel of my Savior! I am filled with the Spirit, full of faith, and steadfast in the Lord!
As we face uncertain dangers that may loom before us, or has us surrounded, we should stand firm! As we face the uncertain dangers of today, and tomorrow, we should stand firm, unmovable, in our faith and in the Lord! Be unmovable! Don’t let this world rattle you. Don’t let your burdens rattle you. Don’t let your worries rattle you. God is in charge! God is in control! If you know this, and you believe this, remove fear and worries from your life, don’t be moved! If that devil is trying to rattle you, trying to move, turn him over to God and allow the Lord to handle that weight. There is absolutely nothing that can move you! The Lord has you hedged in and there is nothing that can get through those hedges.