2 Timothy 3:2 continued...

“The Last Days and Thankfulness”

(2 Timothy 3:2, October 30, 2011)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, ...

ungrateful

At the very center of the Christian world view is the cross of Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that the event of the cross is, in one sense, the darkest moment in human history, the Christian faith is not at all bleak.

Christians need to boldly proclaim the hope that the Bible presents to us so brightly. God is not content with death, and all the sad griefs that accompany our ultimate struggle with mortality. God is determined to bring about a glorious unity between Himself and a new creation.

Christ and the cross are at the very center of that grand purpose of God. He is uniting all things in Christ; things in heaven, and things on earth. See Ephesians 1:10.

Our debt before God has been canceled through the greatest work of love that could ever be undertaken. The flawlessly righteous One has died for the many unrighteous.

The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of a new world. The resurrection life of the spirit in those who receive His Word is a taste of that new life right now.

We can be grateful for millions of gifts from God even in this dying world. We should be very thankful for all that Christ has done for us in our costly redemption, and in the gift of His Holy Spirit. Bet the best is yet to come – by far.

Christians should be thankful people.

But in these last days there are so many people who are ungrateful. They do not take responsibility for their own hopelessness, but look to blame God and people as the source of all their troubles. Their outlook on life is very bleak. Drowning in negativity, they would take down many others with them who would be impressed by their humorless self-importance.

We need a different Spirit than that. We need to be filled with a Spirit of gratitude. This is one of the brightest shining lights of the church that is on fire with heaven's gift. This is the only way that people will ever ask us, “What is the reason for the hope that lies within you?”