SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/15/2025 8:49 AM
After spending almost two weeks on
the different characteristics of “self-love” as seen through John MacArthur’s
commentary, I thought that it would be good to look at what Dr. Warren W.
Wiersbe had to say in his commentary on the third chapter of 2 Timothy. He entitles this third chapter “WHAT TO DO
BEFORE IT ENDS.” In today’s SD I will
just look at his introduction to this third chapter and then tomorrow, Lord
willing, begin to look at what he has to write on the first nine verses, and
then I will probably go back to look at MacArthur’s commentary beginning with
3:5 of 2 Timothy.
“The emphasis in this chapter is on knowledge and responsibility. Paul
informed Timothy about the character of the last days, and then instructed him
how to respond. Action must be based on knowledge. Too many Christians are like the pilot who
informed his passengers, ‘We are lost, but we are making very good time.’
‘These last days’ began with the
ministry of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-2) and will continue until He returns. They are called the ‘last days’ because in
them God is completing His purposes for His people. Because our Lord has delayed His return, some
people scoff at the promise of His coming (2 Peter 3:3ff); but He will come as
He promised.
“Within this period of ‘last days’ there
will be ‘times’ (seasons) of different kinds; but as the ‘times’ draw to a
close, they will become perilous. This
word means ‘dangerous, hard to deal with, savage.’ This is the same Greek word that is used to
describe the two violent demoniacs of Gadara (Matt. 8:28). This suggests that the violence of the last
times will be energized by demons (1 Tim. 4:1).
“There is no doubt that these
characteristics started to appear in Paul’s day, and now they have increased in
intensity. It is not simply that we have
more people in the world, or better news coverage. It appears that evil is deeper and of greater
intensity, and that it is being accepted as and promoted by society in a bolder
way. It is not that we have small pockets
of rebellion here and there. All of society
seems to be in ferment and rebellion. We
are indeed in ‘terrible times’ (2 Tim. 2:1, NIV).
“Paul gave Timothy three
instructions to obey in order that his ministry might be effective during
perilous times.”
Now the first of these three
instructions covers the first nine verses of 2 Timothy chapter three, and
Wiersbe entitles it “Turn Away from the False.”
I mentioned that it is my desire to look at these first sub-point
covering the first nine verses of 2 Timothy chapter three and then I will see
how to go on from there, which I probably will go back to 2 Timothy 3:5 from
MacArthur’s commentary to pick up where I left off. I have to say that I find Warren Wiersbe’s
commentaries very refreshing to me as while I was studying the Old Testament
years earlier I would use his commentaries, which he called “Be Books” to aid
me in getting through the entire Old Testament, and all of those Spiritual
Diaries are on my blogs. I wrote a
letter to Warren Wiersbe a few years back telling him that I was quoting a lot
of things from his commentaries that were on my blogs. He wrote back to me some months later and
said he was sorry for not getting back to me sooner, but said nothing about me
quoting from his commentaries. The same
type of letter was sent to John MacArthur last year and he also said nothing
about me quoting from his commentaries.
I think that the most important things that both of these great
preachers of the Word was that the message of God’s Word was getting out, which
certainly is my goal in writing these Spiritual Diaries. The Lord has seen fit through His Holy Spirit
to send these Spiritual Diaries around the world, and I am thankful and blessed
that He is doing that.
4/15/2025 9:38
AM
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