Smith, Daniel H: Ozark Camp-Turkey Hill-1994-07 ~ Maranatha-O Lord Come

Our study this evening, I'll invite you to turn to Second Timothy. We want to read from chapter three of this epistle, and contemplate yet another important issue relating to the doctrine of the return of Christ. The one I have in mind tonight is not quite so simple to express. Uh, it is an implication that I think is the most important one. And essentially, what I'd like for us to see in the scriptures tonight is this, that if I truly believe in the return of Christ, then I will be prepared to accept the provision of Christ in the light of that truth. Remember our Lord Jesus said to his disciples, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. I must admit, sometimes I find myself among a group of Christians that are so conscious of all the problems in the world, and everything's falling apart, and everything's coming unglued, and we sort of feel sorry for ourselves. We're only the faithful few, everything's going to the dogs, and we're just hanging in there, and we're down in the mouth, and you would think that the Lord said, and lo, I'm with you always, except for those last few years before I come, and you're really on your own in those last few years. But that's not what he said. He said, lo, I'm with you always, even unto the end of the age. And even if Christ is going to come at midnight tonight, uh, now I'm not setting any date, I'm just using that as an illustration. Even if he's going to come tonight, he is still with us now. He did not intend, he will not abandon his people in those difficult days, even right up to the end of the age. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. And one of the practical implications of believing the doctrine of the rapture is believing the promise of the Christ who will come, that he will be with us right up to the end. The provision of Christ in the face of a deteriorating society. Now, tonight, in reading this third chapter of second Timothy, I want to do something I do not often do. I'd like to read it from a paraphrase. I normally don't use a paraphrase for public reading. Sometimes it frustrates people, and I hope that with your permission, you will not be too frustrated. If it frustrates you to follow along in your Bible when someone else reads from a paraphrase, then, uh, just listen, please. Uh, there are some interesting, uh, nuances here in, uh, the letters to young churches that I think are very interesting. It carries some of the pictures in the words, in the vivid language of this chapter, and I would like, with your permission, to read second Timothy three this evening from this paraphrased version. But you must realize that in the last days, the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered, greedy for money, full of big words. They will be proud and contemptuous without any regard for what their parents taught them. They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, purity, and normal human affections. They will be men of unscrupulous speech and have no control of themselves. They will be passionate and unprincipled, treacherous, self-willed, and conceited, loving all the time what gives them pleasure instead of loving God. They will maintain a facade of religion, but their conduct will deny its validity. You must keep clear of people like this. From their number come those creatures who worm their way into people's houses, find an easy prey in silly women with an exaggerated sense of sin and morbid cravings, who are always learning and yet never able to grasp the truth. These men are as much enemies to the truth as jannys and jamborees were to Moses. Their minds are distorted, they are traitors to the faith, but in the long run they won't get very far. Their folly will become as obvious to everybody as did that of Moses' opponents. But you, Timothy, have known intimately both what I have taught and how I have lived. My purpose and my faith are no secrets to you. You saw my endurance and love and patience as I met all those persecutions and difficulties in Antioch and Iconium and Lystra. And you know how the Lord brought me safely through them all. Persecution is inevitable for those who are determined to live really Christian lives, while the wicked and deceitful men will go from bad to worse, deluding others and deluding themselves. Yet you must go on steadily in those things that you have learned and which you know are true. Remember from what sort of people your knowledge has come, and how from early childhood your mind has been familiar with the Holy Scriptures, which can open the mind to salvation, which comes through believing in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living. The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God and fit him fully for all branches of his work. Pause again a moment and pray. Father, again this evening, we want to quiet our hearts and seek your blessing and help. Speak freely to us, we pray. Encourage our hearts, lift our spirits, make us very aware of your provision for us in these end times. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. When I read through the opening verses of this chapter, I feel like I'm reading the Chicago Tribune, or something akin to that. It is really a little unnerving when you read this passage in the light of the fact that Paul said two thousand years ago exactly what things would be like in human society at the end of this age. He opens this interesting passage with the expression, in the last days. Uh, this is a very familiar expression to people who spend time in prophetic scriptures. It's an expression used in a number of places to describe that period of time at the end of this present age, which we call the church age, the last days. Not that that's the end of all of human history. There is a good bit of history to follow. Following the conclusion of God's dealings on earth with his church, uh, there will be the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. Uh, the advent of Christ, the glorious messianic kingdom, and and on into the the judgments. It's a glorious, glorious message in the prophetic scriptures. But this expression, last days, is an expression which often in the scripture points our minds to the concluding period of time within this age in which we live, the time of the church. And Paul tells us very flatly that in the last days, difficult times will come. You know, it's very interesting, if you go back about, uh, seventy or eighty years to the earlier part of this century, one of the major theological persuasions that characterized at least many of the formal churches was post-millennialism. Uh, that was a belief that the church was going to Christianize the world. The church was going to bring in the kingdom. And as the church, they said, Christianized the world, and more and more the gospel permeated the world, and things were going to get better and better, and the church was really going to, in Christianizing the world, bring in the kingdom, bringing in the kingdom, and that the darkness would turn to the dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright, and Christ's great kingdom would come on earth, a kingdom of love and light. By the way, I don't know why we still sing heretical songs like this. Pardon me for saying this, we like that song. But that was a song written to espouse post-millennial theology, that the world was going to get better and better and better. The church was going to bring in the kingdom, we were going to Christianize the world, and then when we had the world in kingdom-like conditions, Christ would come and gloriously sit upon his throne. It was interesting how people toyed with the scriptures to come up with that idea, and it was very, very strongly found entrenched among Christian circles, I'm using the word in quotes, early in this century. The First World War delivered a deadly blow to postmillennial theology. It made us very much aware that the world was not getting better. The world had just experienced its worst war ever in its history. And if that didn't finish off the job, the Second World War just really put post-millennial theology in the grave. Suddenly we realized that within this century, within the first half of this century, the two worst wars in the history of mankind had torn the world, and it was abundantly clear that the world was not getting better and better all the time. And if there was anything left, the Korean conflict administered the coup de grace, and post-millennial theology is dead. The fact of the matter is, the scriptures do not teach that the world is going to get better and better. The scriptures do not teach that the church is going to Christianize the world, that we are going to bring in the kingdom. The scriptures do not teach that the kingdom will come gradually by a process of enlightenment in the social gospel, and the mountains will be brought low in every valley, and everybody was going to be the same, and everybody's going to have the same amount of money, and all these socialistic kinds of things that were woven into it. The fact of the matter is, the Bible says, as we read in this passage, that as we approach the end of this age, things are going to get worse and worse. Now, that's the bad news, folks, and the Bible is crystal clear about this. This is not the only passage that teaches that the world is headed toward its darkest hour. In the last days, Paul said, perilous times will come. And this evening, it's not our intent to review prophecy, but rather to face the fact that the scriptures teach us a degenerative force in this world, as far as spiritual and moral and ethical issues are concerned. Folks, things are on the downhill, and the slope is steep, and the rate is accelerating. And Christians should not be surprised. Grieved, yes. Concerned, yes. Dismayed, yes, but not surprised that there is a degradation in spiritual and moral and ethical issues in the world around us. Notice how Paul describes this. Notice some of the vivid things he says. He, notice he talks a lot about love here. Lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, a lot of love, but not lovers of God. And notice the things involved in here that have to do with the domestic life. Uh, unfaithful, disobedience to parents. Uh, my goodness, you see some striking things here that relate to domestic life. Uh, if you look at these things word by word, which we won't do tonight, you will find that a lot of these statements have to do with ethical life. Issues such as truth and integrity and honesty and fairness will become pure theory. We'll almost forget what these things mean. Sound familiar? And in all of this, religion will still be there. There will be a form of godliness, there will be a facade of godliness, but there's no power in it. No power. And so the picture that Paul paints here is a very dark one of the deteriorating ethical and moral climate of the world as we approach the end of this age, in spite of the fact that religious activity will continue right on. Notice also, when you come to verse six uh that you see that there is a very interesting sense in which the evils perpetrated at the end of this age will be particularly manifest in womanhood. Now, you're going to say this man is a chauvinist, and he's against women and all of that. Hang in there, folks. I'm just trying to face honestly with you what the scriptures say. If I mishandle the word, then you should chide me, but look at the passage. I'm not sure all that is meant here in these interesting verses, verse six and seven and eight and nine, in which Paul talks about those who worm their way in. I think that's an interesting expression. They will go right into the home and get their clutches in women and lead them astray. A very interesting thing that he says is that I am not, as I say, you know, it's it's very difficult to, you've heard the expression, you can't see the forest for the trees, and anytime you try to evaluate your own culture and your own society, you have that problem. I do. I would never claim to be one who has wonderful perspective on our present day society. But we're looking at the scriptures now, we're not looking at society at this point, and we're looking very honestly the fact that part of the degradation that takes place in human society at the end of this age is a specific kind of degradation and distraction and devastation that takes place in womanhood. And there will be a reaching into, a worming into the homes and leading astray women. Uh, interesting statements like always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Boy, what a paradox, isn't it? What a paradox. How can it be that people can always be learning? The learning process now is going on at a great rate, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. How can that be? Well, I'm not sure that this is the perfect answer, but I'll tell you one way it can happen, and that is if in the academic pursuit you deny truth, deny that there is such thing as absolute truth, how are you ever going to arrive there? If I deny that St. Louis, Missouri exists, it's very like- unlikely that I'll ever go there. And I'm not sure that it's the exact carrying out of what's in this passage, but I spent an awful lot of time in the academic scene. I've been a student all through the years. I've spent time in the classroom. If I would describe some of the professors under whom I've sat in the last ten years, you wouldn't believe it. The fact of the matter is that in the academic world today, there is a categorical denial that absolute truth exists. There is really no absolute truth. Everything is changing. Everything is relevant. There is no such thing as absolute final truth. And I present to you the fact that if you deny the truth exists, I don't care how long you spend in the classroom and in the academic pursuit, you will never arrive at truth when you deny its existence. A tragic plight, isn't it, that our world's in? Oh, academics have become a great thing in the world. You remember, uh, when God revealed to Daniel the end time conditions, chapter twelve? he described the end time conditions in a very simple, awesome way. He said, at the time of the end, and men shall run to and fro over the face of the earth, and knowledge shall be increased. And that's the way the revelation to Daniel summarized the whole of the end of this age. Men shall run to and fro over the face of the earth, mobility like the world has never seen before, and knowledge shall be increased. We have amassed more knowledge scientifically, technically, factually, in the lifetime of some of the young people here than we did the previous whole history of mankind. If you were to take the total, sum total of what we know scientifically, factually, recorded knowledge, and draw a line at the halfway point, that halfway point would include the total lifetime of some of you younger people. Knowledge shall be increased. And yet, unfortunately, Paul says, in spite of the fact that there is a learning process, ever learning, notice the way the language is given, yet never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Think of how you cripple yourself when you deny the truth exists. Think of how you rob yourself when you deny the truth exists. And frankly, that's what our world has done. Everything is relevant. Everything is relative. Everything is changing. There is no absolute truth, says our world, certainly the academic world. And yet education is going on at a unparalleled rate. As Paul says, the world is characterized by the desires of the flesh, of the body, and the desires of the mind. We are busy cultivating our minds and toning our bodies, and our souls are going to hell. We're not too smart, are we? Well, it's a pretty dark picture, folks, but that's not the end of the passage, and that's not the intent of my message tonight. Because you've heard this, you see it in the pages of scripture. It's not only here, but in other parts of the scripture, a dark, dark picture of the condition of human society near the end of this age. But as I said, the one thing I want us to get tonight very clearly is this, that in spite of what happens at the end of this age, and in spite of the fact that it may be that that is where we are, we have not been abandoned. We are not here to sink or swim on our own. Jesus Christ said, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The good news tonight, Christians, is that in spite of how dark things may be in the world around us, God has promised provision for his people to live for his glory, to live fruitful, effective, Christ-honoring lives, even in this dark setting. And so at that point in verse ten, Paul shifts gears, and he talks about three things, and I see these in the light of the context as three great provisions of God for those who live in a decadent society near the end of this age. What are those three great provisions? First of all, notice verse ten, eleven, and twelve, and thirteen. What do you see here? I love the change of thought in verse ten. Here is the dark picture. Here is this degraded human society, down, down, down, down, spiritually and morally. But Timothy, you have seen something different. You have seen my teaching, my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance, yes, even my persecutions and sufferings. Timothy, you have seen something in me, says Paul, by the Spirit, that is different than what will be seen in the world in the end of time. What is he talking about here? He is talking about the provision of God through the godly example of his people. Now, hang in there, hear me out, because I'm one of those people that from my earliest days growing up in a Christian home and having the prish- privilege of growing up with some sound Bible teaching, even though I fear as a youth I didn't really enter into it like I should have, but the fact of the matter is I've heard from my earliest days, don't revere any man, don't set any man on a pedestal, don't idolize any man, or you'll surely be disappointed. And there is a great measure of truth in this. But there is another side to that coin, and that is this. In spite of the fa- the hazard of revering a human being, which we don't want to do, God does, however, use godly example in some very positive ways. Paul says, you be imitators of me. I'm glad he said that. The Spirit of God led him to say that. I would tremble to say that. I'm not saying that tonight, but Paul said it, which indicates, as the Spirit of God led him to say that, that I believe it was positive, that it is true, that if we emulate a man like the Apoc- not revere him, not set him on a pedestal, not worship him, no, no. He was flesh and blood like you and me. But there was example in a man's life that the Spirit of God can use to help less mature people along the way. Now, let me put it another way. One of the things we need to learn to do in a decadent society is to prayerfully keep our eyes on those mature, godly people that have consistently lived for God in this, all this wickedness, and thank God for the influence of their lives on ours. There is a place for the godly influence of mature, seasoned believers. This is what the writer of the Hebrews says when he says, uh, look, you, you look at those who have taught you the word, and you follow their example. They've been God's instruments in your life. And sometimes that's parents. Sometimes it's godly elders in the local church. I think of a man who invited me at a strategic point in time to work with him in summer ministries, and for three summers I traveled with Ernie Gross in the South doing BVS and camp work. Ernie wasn't perfect any more than any of us are perfect, but I bless God for the privilege of working with this older man, of seeing the spirit of God in the dynamic of his life. Some of you knew Ernie, and I praise God for the privilege of spending time working with a man like that, letting him disciple me and growl at me from time to time for my silly foolishness and encourage me along. I- I'm grateful for that. You see, the discipling ministry has always been a part of the life of the church. Our Lord discipled men. Paul discipled, and he commanded his followers to disciple others. And the ministry of older, more mature individuals on those who are younger and not so mature is fundamental to the biblical pattern. And if that is not programmed into your life, in one way or another, you may not make it as a Christ-honoring Christian in the decadent society in which we live. And there are two sides to this coin. That is, the responsibility that we have to be the instrument of God and look for individuals that we may nurture and disciple along, and the responsibility that we have to respond to and look for those who are more mature than we, from whom we can learn, and to avail ourselves of the ministry that they can bring into our lives. And there are two sides to that coin. I frankly see very little discipling going on in our circles. I bless God for the people who are doing it. Because, you see, discipling is different. I'm not discipling you here. There's a formality, a didactic here, and that's important too. The Bible talks about the role of public preaching and teaching. It's a part of the life of the church and the program of God, but it's not the whole. Discipling is a part of the program of God in which there's more of a, a relationship kind of teaching influence, in which you establish a teaching learning relationship with someone, and in that relationship you encourage them and coach them and nurture them and mentor them along. And that's what Paul's talking about here, Timothy. He says, Timothy, you have had something different than just being exposed to a lawless, wicked society. You have had a godly example. And we need to learn that this is an important part of the program of God. Many of you here tonight are young people. And I want to tell you, you need mentoring, discipling from more mature Christians. You need that. And if I understand this passage right, and if we do live near the end of this age, your life may not amount to a hill of beans for God if you don't get some discipling and mentoring from a more mature Christian or two or three or four. It's one of God's provisions to help you live for Christ in a decadent society. Drawing near, learning from, observing a more mature Christian who is willing to invest something of his or her life in you. It's fundamental to a healthy experience in the Church of Jesus Christ. The second provision comes in verse fourteen. You, however, continue in the things that you have learned and become convinced of, notice, head knowledge is not enough. Knowing the facts, being able to rattle off scripture verses, even by the hundreds, is not enough. Notice how carefully he says it. You, however, continue in the things that you have learned and become convinced of. We not only need to know the truth, we need to develop some convictions about the truth. He goes on and says, knowing from whom you have learned them. Who's he talking about here? Keep on, and that from childhood you have known the scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ. Notice again how carefully he words this. He doesn't say because you knew the scriptures in your childhood, you're automatically saved. He doesn't say that because that's not true. He says you have known from scriptures, the scriptures from childhood, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ. I hate to tell you this, guys and girls, growing up in a Christian home doesn't mean you're on your way to heaven. Not at all. Having learned the scriptures in your home and in Sunday school as a young person, as a child, is a tremendous heritage, and that's what Paul's talking about here. The second thing is a godly heritage. Not only godly example, but a godly heritage. It's very vital in the program of God, but that doesn't get you to heaven. A godly heritage may give you a knowledge of the scriptures that can lead to faith in Christ for salvation. But the knowledge of the scriptures does not save. Faith in Christ is what saves. You see it in the passage? It's crystal clear. Crystal clear. So the second great provision of God is godly heritage. Timothy had it. In fact, at an earlier point in the Timothy epistles, Paul particularly speaks of Timothy's mother and grandmother. Boy, what a trophy of grace, his mother. What a trophy of grace in his grandmother. These godly women who invested the truth of God in this young man and are a part of his spiritual heritage, and they are emulated, they are held up in the scriptures as examples of what should be like in the home. I realize that it's sad that he doesn't mention his father. That's another whole issue. There's something, by the way, to learn there too, that even one parent in a family can have an influence for God. I've known families where that happens. Paul says in First Corinthians seven, so you're saved and your spouse isn't saved? You stay in that home and you live for God. Your presence there as the only Christian in that home, can have a sanctifying effect, both on your unsaved spouse and your children. See? So you stay there and live for God in that home. It's not easy. God never promises it'll be easy. But even one saved person in the home can be the influence of God in the lives in that home. And that's what you had in Timothy's home. We really don't, a lot of speculation about his father. He's like an awful lot of men in twentieth century America. He's just sort of out of the picture. He may have been there physically, but he didn't count. The fact of the matter is, that's the weak link in the chain of most homes. I hate to say it, men, but it is. But the fact of the matter is, God emulates the mother and the grandmother, and he traces Timothy's spiritual heritage back to these godly women. And in this passage he says, Timothy, that's the second great provision of God, to help you live for God and to stand as a believer in a decadent society. Yes, godly example from disciples and mentors, like Paul was to Timothy, but godly heritage is important. If there's ever a time when our homes need to function as they should, folks, it's now. And the darker the day gets, the brighter the light ought to shine in our homes. This is no time to abandon our determination to live for God in our homes. It's a whole great subject, but you know the way family life is being minimized. The business world will chew up your time, consume you body, soul, and spirit, leave nothing for your family. Sometimes even the local church enters in, you know? I'm embarrassed to say this, but I remember one time sitting in an elders meeting, and as we talked about it, we became aware of the fact that one of the finest families in our assembly, because of ministries that we pushed on them and asked them to do, ended up with only one night a month at home as a family. You say, how can that happen? Well, we expected them to be out every Sunday night and every Wednesday night. And he was in Boys Awana, and she was in Girls Awana, and he was here, and she was at the Women's Missionary Meeting, and he was here, and she and and if you looked at the schedule, and they weren't out bowling and carousing and drinking, it was all church activities, but we left them one night a month at home as a family. Folks, that's not right. It's not right. It's very easy for us to miss the importance of the family in God's program. God's a family God. The idea of family came from God. And family is a vital part of the program of God, and what Paul is saying here to Timothy is that even, and particularly in the dark moral and spiritual condition of the last days, godly heritage, the ministry of God in and through family relationships is one of the great provisions of God. And there are a lot of ways in which it can take place. A lot of ways. I was at a family camp that I won't name, just the last year or two, I won't tell you precisely when. There were nine grandparents at that family camp with a bunch of grandkids with them. And every one of them said the same thing. You know what they said? First, they said, our children are not raising our grandchildren in the ways of God. I could weep, but here's what they said. Our children are not raising our grandchildren in the ways of God. In fact, they said, we have a hard time knowing how to address this because we don't want to create ill will and the rapport we do have with our kids, even though they're not raising our grandkids right. Uh, I'd like to send all my kids to camp, but I can't afford to do that, so I bring them to family camp because that's one way I can get my grandchildren under the sound of the gospel for a week each year because they're not getting it at any other time. And as I listened to this through my own tears, I was saying, praise God for this kind of desire to do something, to find some way, God give you some kind of wisdom, to find a way to you be his instrument of blessing in family relationships. It isn't always easy. The Bible never says it will be easy for a single parent, for a grandparent to try to bridge the gap of their own kids that aren't living for Christ and minister to those, or whatever it may be. The Bible never says it'll be easy. But the Bible says it's important. Godly heritage, the functioning of the home, the ministry of Christ and the gospel of Christ in our homes is one of God's great provisions for us in a darkening world. The third thing that he mentions, you well know. All scripture is God-breathed. Here's the third provision. Godly example, godly heritage, the scriptures. The scriptures. And you've had many messages, you've had a lot of teaching on two Timothy three sixteen and seventeen. They're very vital passages because they hold up before us the glorious fact that this book, folks, is a supernatural book. It's God-breathed. And God wants to do a lot of things in our lives through his word, and without it, you won't make it, folks, in a dark world. You've got to keep your hearts in tune with the word of God. You've got to expose your heart and mind to the scriptures. You've got to live in the book. You've got to be a diligent student of the Word of God. You've got to commit yourself to obey this word, and if you don't, you won't make it. You'll make shipwreck of your life, and you'll go down the tubes just like our society is going down the tubes. You can't make it without the book in your life. It's one of the reasons why I don't apologize for spending most of my time in the classroom teaching the word of God. Because you won't make it, folks, if your life is not saturated with and governed by and obedient to the word of God. You won't make it. That's not a threat, that's a promise. You say that man's gonna pass out some application form for Bible college right now. Well, that's all right, that's all right. I'm not gonna do that. You don't have to come to Emmaus to do it. I don't want to imply that. Well, we'd love to help some of you get into the word and develop this ability to handle the word of God with your adult minds, which I'm afraid a lot of Christians never learn. But the fact of the matter is you don't have to come to Emmaus, but somewhere along the line, you need to come to grips with the Word of God and learn to be a diligent student of the Word of God and keep yourself in the book, knowing and growing and believing and obeying the Word, or you won't make it. You'll go down in flames, and the world will laugh and welcome you into its perverted and sinful ranks. And that's not theory, folks, it's happening all the time. And so here's the picture. Yes, Christ is coming. Things aren't going to go on and on forever, just as they are. Someday, this age is going to come to a glorious climax, and a trumpet will sound. Whether your neighbors hear it or not, I don't know, but I hope you will. And there will be a great shout of command. And Jesus Christ himself will catch up his own to meet him in the air. And this age will be over. And a darker age yet will begin. The great and terrible day of the Lord. But at the end of this age, the scriptures say things are going to get worse and worse. Fella said, cheer up, things could be worse. Yeah, I cheered up, and sure enough, they got worse. Well, that's just about what this passage is saying. And while we may lament the deteriorating moral and ethical conditions in our world, we shouldn't be surprised, because God has been telling his people about this for a long, long time. But he hasn't left us in the lurch. He hasn't left us as orphans. He hasn't left us as hapless victims of a degenerate society. He's made glorious provision for us. One godly example. We need to understand the purpose of God in using one life to influence another life for good and for blessing. Godly heritage. We need to understand that the family is still central in God's program, even though our world has abandoned it and is saying that traditional marriage no longer meets the needs of our contemporary society. Baloney. God's program involves family and much of what God wants to accomplish can be accomplished in the context of family. For example, the Bible makes it clear there is no way under God's son that you can more profoundly influence another life than as a parent. Let us parents make sure that that influence is for good and for God. Young people, if God's given you godly parents, you better thank him on your knees every day. Because God's purpose to help us in a darkening age includes his ministry in the family, through parents, through the relationships in a Chris- Christian home. Thirdly, the provision of God in the scriptures. Praise God. When I think of what he has done down through the ages, not only to give us this book supernaturally, but to preserve it for us. The men and women who have laid down their lives to translate and to print and to preserve this word for us. And you're not gonna make it, folks, in this dark age, apart from the book. If you don't get into the word, become a diligent student of the scriptures, know it, live in it, and commit yourself to obey it, you're not gonna make it in this dark age. But praise God. This is God's equipment. Did you hear it? Adequately equipped for every good work. God can do it in his word. I trust that his word has a vital part in your life. He won't make it if it doesn't. So there's the picture. Christ is coming. We're in a darkening age, but God hasn't left us in the lurch. His provision, Paul says, includes godly example. It includes a godly heritage, and it includes the dynamic of the word of God in your life. Praise God for his provision. I hope that these provisions of God are a vital part of your life. Father, we give you thanks for your word. We thank you for your provision for us. And while we may be very concerned about the darkening of our age and the decadence of our society, we rejoice in the provision of our Savior. He promised that he would never leave us, even to the end of the age. Thank you for your provision for us in a darkening day. Teach us, our Father, to fulfill our responsibilities in these three provisions of God, and to avail ourselves of your provisions, that Christ may be glorified, we pray in his name.