The Point: As we entrust the Gospel to others, we should expect difficult times. 

"1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." -2 Timothy 3:1

"33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation." -John 16:33a

Difficult times come because of difficult people.

"2 For people will be..." -2 Timothy 3:2a

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." -Ephesians 2:1-3

Misplaced Loves

"What Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5: 15 is that the DNA of sin is selfishness. Sin really does make life all about me. Sin causes me to shrink my world down to the size of my wants, my needs, and my feelings. Eugene Peterson says that sin causes us to replace the Holy Trinity with a new trinity: "But the three-personal Father, Son and Holy Spirit is replaced by a very individualized personal Trinity of my Holy Wants, my Holy Needs and my Holy Feelings. Sin is self-absorbed, self-focused, self-aggrandizing, and selfish in the truest sense of what those words mean. Because of sin, we want our own way, we want to write our own rules, and we don't want anything in our way or anyone telling us what to do. Sin turns all of us into glory thieves, causing us to want what rightfully belongs to God alone. The idol of self is the ultimate idolatry. It is the idol from which every other form of idolatry flows. If you worship yourself, you will then exchange worship and service of God for worship and service of created things. If you worship yourself, you will then bow before the idols of comfort and pleasure. If you worship yourself, your heart will be ruled by a desire for power and control. If you worship yourself, you will crave the praise of people. At the base of all forms of human dysfunction is the idol of self. Every sin is idolatrous; it puts us on God's throne, sovereign over our own lives and doing what is our good pleasure." -Paul Tripp, Do You Believe

"5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." -2 Timothy 3:5a

"Paul says that some merely have a form of godliness but they lives are not pleasing to God. They have external practices, but they are morally corrupt. Their religion is a show. They are spiritually powerless."

"7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” -Matthew 15:7-9

"27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." -Matthew 23:27-28

"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." -2 Timothy 3:6-8

"9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men." - 2 Timothy 3:9

"15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits." -Matthew 7:15-16a

1) Avoid

"5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." -2 Timothy 3:5

2) Repent

"Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." -Martin Luther

"On the surface this looks a little bleak! Luther seems to be saying Christians will never be making much progress. But of course that wasn't Luther's point at all. He was saying that repentance is the way we make progress in the Christian life. Indeed, pervasive, all-of- life-repentance is the best sign that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus." -Tim Keller

"It is important to consider how the gospel affects and transforms the act of repentance. In 'religion' the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. This means that 'religious repentance' is a) selfish, b) self-righteous, c) and bitter all the way to the bottom." -Tim Keller

"But in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God's heart." -Tim Keller

"God has blessed you with His grace, gifted you with His presence, strengthened you with His power, and made you the object of His eternal. love. Because we belong to him, we live for his agenda. And if change is his agenda, then repentance and faith is the lifestyle to which we have been called...It is a celebration of the Lord and his daily provision of grace. We invite you to celebrate with us a grace that not only forgives, but changes us from the deepest, darkest corners of our hearts to the smallest action and every idle word. No matter what you struggle with now, no matter how successful or stuck you see yourself to be, no matter how young or how old you are in your faith, no matter if you are a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, if you are Christ's child, there is hope for you! It is not based on who you are or what you know. Your hope is Jesus! He lives in you and, because of that, you have a reason to celebrate each new day. You no longer live, but Christ lives in you!" -Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp, How People Change