Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 2nd Timothy chapter 3. But before we do that….
I’ve always been kind of fascinated with electronics. When I was a kid I used to hook up switches on my bedpost so I could control my lights in my bedroom including my radio and all kinds of other electronic goofy things.
One day somebody bought me an electronic kit where I could take little wires and make buzzers, lights and switches and hook them all together to make them work. I thought it was really cool. I always remember that on that little computer board it had something called a resistor.
A resister is a device that is designed to resist the passage of electric current. A resistor is an electronic component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. Resistors are used to reduce the flow of an electrical flow.
The word resist in the dictionary means to withstand the action or the effect of something. Resist means to withstand or to strive against and to oppose. Well with that in mind let’s take a look at our study passage for today.
2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
The truth of God’s Word is kind of like an electrical current. What the word of God does is it flows into our hearts in a manner of speaking. Imagine putting an electrical resistor in between you and God’s word. That is what we’re going to talk about today.
The word resist means to withstand and to strive against or to oppose. When I think about this word I sometimes think about a child who you tell them to go to their bedroom but instead of listening to you they stomp their feet on the ground and then they cross their arms across their chest, then with a defiant yell, they say no.
Not only is that rebellion but it’s opposing and resisting what you’re being told and directed to do. Let’s look at a bunch of synonyms for this word.
Withstand means to be unaffected or undamaged and to offer strong resistance or opposition to somebody or something. It also means to stand up against or to oppose with firm determination. If somebody withstands a force or action, they do not give in to it.
Many people who profess Christianity are resisting the truth of God’s Word. It happened in the days of Moses and it continues to happen today. In the church we are supposed to be united under the doctrines and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The scriptures are there for our correction so that ultimately we can become what God wants us to become. Resistance to the scriptures is going completely against what it says with no desire to follow or to do what it teaches. Jannes and Jambres were those kinds of people. They were resisting the truth.
Living up here in northern Minnesota I usually think about a beaver dam. They build these great big dams that completely stop the flow of water. They basically are a force of resistance in that flow of water. When these dams get big enough somebody from the DNR or a trapper will come out here and completely open up the dam so the water flows once again. God’s word is like a flowing well of water, but there are people who are trying to stop it from flowing into their hearts.
When people resist it’s a form of rebellion against God, akin to the sin of witchcraft. How many parents have been out around town and have had a child completely resist them while they were in public. Maybe you took them to the library and you told the children to sit down and behave, but they just didn’t want to listen to you and were running all over the place.
How as a parent does that make you feel? Resistance to authority is not a good thing. Parents don’t like that kind of rebellious behavior when a child does that. Well, spiritually speaking, how do you think God the Father feels when we resist the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ? If there’s anything that you want to resist in the Christian church it’s the devil, but you never want to resist God’s word.
Again, we’re talking about people today who resist the truth.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If people don’t accept the truth of scripture they’re never going to be made free from their sins. If you resist and rebel against truth, you will never become what God wants you to be.
John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
True followers of Jesus Christ are doing that very thing today. They’re leading you into the teachings of Holy Scripture.
John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
How can you ever become sanctified if you resist the truth? Sanctification is the action of causing something to become morally right or acceptable. It’s the process of being freed from sin and purified. Rebellion and resistance goes completely against that process.
Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
When you resist something it means to withstand or to strive against or to oppose.
Have any of you ever been out canoeing before? It’s pretty relaxing when you’re going down a slow stream, but when you try to turn around and go back up the stream, the flow of the water creates a strong resistance and becomes a great struggle. That canoe is fighting against the resistance of the water. Now, it’s much easier if you turn around and go down the river.
Another definition of resist is to not do something you should be doing, or to oppose or to fight against someone or something.
Again these people are fighting against the truth of God’s word
Psalms 145:18
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Many people today are resisting the truth of scripture and they’re starting to believe a lie. Obviously if they reject the truth they’re going to believe a lie. Our source of truth is God’s Word.
There are all kinds of people out in the world today who are trying to lead people away from Christ. They’re deceivers and liars. A liar makes a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive others. It’s an intentional untruth or falsehood. The devil has been doing that for thousands of years. That’s why when we go to the scriptures and believe the truth, we can discern the lies of the devil.
In the church we have grace and forgiveness so that when we confess our sins we can be forgiven. We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need, but one thing I’ve always taught that you can never do is you cannot start to believe a lie.
2nd Thessalonians 2:11-12
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
When you do something wrong it should make you feel bad . It should convict your heart and your mind. These people that we are talking about today, their conscience is seared. They do wrong and they don’t care anymore. They actually have pleasure in people who are involved with doing the same thing.
2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Somebody who is corrupt is bad in their morals or In their manners or their actions.
When I think about this word many times I think about a rotten apple or rotten fruit. Rotten means corrupted. Another definition says to become morally debased. These are people of corrupt minds. After all, if they’re not going to accept the Holy word of God and the teachings of the truth what do you think’s going to happen to them? If they turn against it and resist it they’re going to end up corruptible.
God’s word is just and righteous and holy and good. To turn away from that results in the complete opposite qualities.
It says that they’ll be reprobate concerning the faith.
A reprobate completely goes against scripture. What they’re doing is resisting the truth.
Like I’ve always said we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need but God gives us grace to grow.
A reprobate is somebody who is bad and corrupt. They are improper and immoral. The scriptures lead us into goodness righteousness and truth.
When you oppose something it means to actively resist or to refuse to comply with a person or a system.
2nd Thessalonians 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
That is what the devil does. He opposes Christ and His word.
Lastly 2nd Timothy 2:25
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
Can people come back to the Christian faith after in a state of opposition? well I believe so because there’s grace available to do that, but in meekness you need to be able to help those that oppose themselves.
They’re caught up in the snare of the devil. You have to get them to believe the truth of God’s Word.
That is what’s going to lead them to Salvation.
So again….
2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
2 Cor 13:5-6
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
Paul was living a life for the Lord Jesus Christ and believed the teachings of scriptures. You never want to resist and fight against the grace of God and forgiveness but except the calling that God has for you in your life.
That’s where I’m going to stop at right now the Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more later. Till then bye-bye everybody.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 