ARE YOU MOCKING GOD’S MORALS?

Malachi 2:17-3:6 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? [3:1] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah (450-400 BC).

God Warns About Carnality: Isaiah 5:20, 24 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!... ²⁴ Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Spurgeon on Holiness: “There’s nothing my heart desires more than to see members of this church abound in saintliness. It’s the Christian’s crown and glory. An unholy church is of no use to the world and of no esteem among men. It’s an abomination; hell laughs and heaven abhors. The larger and more influential the church, the worse trouble it becomes. The worst evils which have come into the world have been brought about by an unholy church.”

New Testament Parallel: 2 Peter 3:1-4 Beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of the apostles of the Lord... 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

The Last Days will see evil as normal and acceptable! 2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

WE'RE LIVING IN PERILOUS TIMES!!! In our secondary text, Paul warns Timothy about…

• Perilous times. It’s true we have been living in The Last Days for 2000 years, but the phrase “perilous times” refer to seasons of increasing savagery. We are certainly living in such times

• Impending Apostasy. Apostasy is the act of professed Christians rejecting the truths of God’s Word.

1 Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; ² Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; ³ Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:13 Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. [4:1-5] 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.

Jesus asked the question,… When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8 | Sounds like,... who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? (3:2)

1.   THE COMMON CONDITION | Man’s condition examined (v 1-5, 13).

The Character of Mankind (v 1-5). There are 18 ungodly attitudes which will dominate the last days. They can be categorized as sins of...

• The Self-love Generation (v 2). Lovers of their own selves (Narcissus), Covetous (lovers of money), Boasters (braggert, imposter), Proud (arrogant), Blasphemers (speakers of evil), Disobedient, Unthankful, Unholy (profane).

• The Unnatural Love Generation (v 3). Without natural affection (unloving, inhumane, perversion), Trucebreakers (disregard for or unwillingness to reconcile), False accusers (diabolos, diablo), Incontinent (without strength to resist), Fierce (harsh, severe), Despisers of those that are good (Isaiah 5:20).

• A Pleasure Mad Generation (v 4-5). Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2.   THE CONDITION ILLUSTRATED (v 6-8). For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

False teachers will stop at nothing to promote their lies.

•  They will pray on people laden with sin [full of guilt].

•  They will offer them a quick-fix philosophy.

• I see the prosperity gospel here… led away with divers lust.

We're living in that age now, but few see what is really occurring (v 7).

·      Satan Is The Great Counterfeiter (v 8).

·      Satan offers another Jesus, spirit, gospel (2 Cor 11:3-4). But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

3.   THE RESULT OF THIS CONDITION (v 9). But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

There Is Going To Be A Day of Reckoning (Romans 2:2-9).

4.   WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THE CONDITION? (v 10-12, 14).

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, ¹¹ Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;