When there is Something Wrong
2 Timothy 3:1-5
2Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Timothy 3:4 Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Have you ever taken a look inside you? I don’t mean physically, I mean your real feelings, faith, commitment, your true belief. I don’t mean what other people see, or should I say, what you show them.
Let me tell you a little story, it might help you to understand what God is showing me.
These two guys lived next door to each other in a middle-class neighborhood in the small-town U.S.A.
One guy really spent a lot of time in his yard, taking care of his flowers, and lawn, but he really paid special attention to this big gorgeous tree, watering, fertilizing, and trimming it, the tree was magnificent! He even built a fence around his yard with a locking gate to protect it.
The other guy who lived next door admired it, as did all the neighbors. His yard was a well-kept, average yard, as were his trees, but it couldn’t compare to his neighbor’s park-like yard.
One day while outside he saw a city truck pull up to his neighbor’s house. He knew one of the men in the crew and as they were getting their equipment out his curiosity got the better of him so he wandered next door.
“Hey!” he asks his friend as the crew was rigging lines and ladders on that gorgeous tree. “It looks like you’re going to some trimming, my neighbor usually does his own”.
“Not this time”, said his friend. ” The whole tree is coming down!”
“What? I can’t believe it. Why? ” His neighbor asks in disbelief.
“Just stand over there out of the way and I’ll show you when we bring it down.”
Limb by limb the beautiful tree was stripped down until all the beauty was gone and only the bare ugly trunk was exposed. When they had felled this remaining part of the once beautiful attention-getting tree, my friend called me over.
He said, “as he pointed to the base of the tree, look here”…
I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was practically hollowed out and what was left of the heart was infested with termites. The tree had become a danger to people passing on the sidewalk and to the people in the house.
Even though the tree, for all appearances, looked healthy and green it was dead and dangerous to others.
Yes, there was something wrong, so workers were called to cut it down.
There is a lesson here for us as Christians. Despite the protections built around us the enemy can enter and destroy us. When we are unaware and complacent the enemy can cause something to be desperately wrong.
Today I am going to ask every one of us to look inside and see if there is something desperately wrong inside.
I. When you fail to remember the blessings of God.
I love the 103rd Psalm.
David says:
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
He starts out praising God for blessings and then he names them one after another.
The other day I was talking with a friend and he was saying that we should be praising God continually because of all he has given. And I agree. We should praise God for life – and every one of us here today has that. And even if you don’t have life – praise God that you are on your way to heaven. Thank God for your family, for your church, for your salvation – in everything give thanks to the Lord.
Have you been taking God’s blessings for granted? Cultivate an attitude of praise for every good thing that God gives to you.
And I think it right . . . 2 Peter. 1:13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
I would suggest that there is something wrong:
II. When you are serving God because of duty and not love.
Colossian 1:10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
When you are doing something for the duty you do the bare minimum – just enough to get by. But to act from love you ask, “How much can I do, and how much can I give?
• Lack of Prayer shows there is something wrong.
• Lack of Giving shows there is something wrong.
God says, Haggai 2:4 But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts.
Jesus says, John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
Here’s another little story for you…
Forsake All… there was a Christian wife who prayed faithfully for her unsaved husband. There was something wrong with him. With a broken heart, she cried to God. At long last, the husband was saved. Then he became more and more concerned about soul winning. At last, he gave up a profitable business and laid his life on the altar to preach the Gospel.
Was the wife pleased?
No, she was not!
She wanted her husband to be saved. She wanted him to quit his drunkenness. She wanted him to quit following after lewd women. She wanted him to bring home his paycheck… But she did not want him to be a preacher. She did not want him to be counted as a fanatic and a fool. She did not want poverty for Jesus’ sake.
You see, many people would be glad to have you be a Christian and be moral and honest, but they will not want you to be an out-and-out Christian, a “fanatical” Christian, a radical Christian.
There was something wrong with her. But you see what the world does not want you to be, Jesus Christ demands that you be.
Luke 14:33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
Does that mean selling everything and becoming a pauper and becoming destitute? I don’t think so, but it is a test. If you have money, earned or inherited what are you doing with it?
Do you live modestly and use the lion’s share to help the poor or use it to help support a serving ministry trying to lead people to Christ? Or … are you building your little kingdom here on earth.
Remember that big beautiful tree? It had everybody fooled and lived in its own little kingdom but Something was wrong, it ended up in the fire!
How about you, have you checked, I mean really checked before your cut down because if you haven’t when the end comes it will be too late to change the outcome. you know what I’m about? The other fire, the pervertible fire, the one that lasts forever… eternity.
I pray what God has given me to give to you has you thinking. Through His Son, Jesus, He’s given us a way to fix those wrongs you might be discovering as you read and think about this message… We all fall short, the problem is some of us are worshiping a lifestyle instead of the life-giving Savior, that’s called living in the now, it’s all fake, designed by satan to destroy your life and drag you to hell, your time here is but a vapor and then eternity, and eternity is forever…
Well, what do you think? It’s your choice, it’s always been your choice, you can make sure you won’t be in the lake of fire. call on God, His grace, and forgiveness abound and it’s free, it just takes commitment, a real commitment, the most important you’ll ever make by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
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We love each of you with the love of Jesus and I pray you give serious consideration today to what I’ve written.
Stay safe and KEEP LOOKING UP!
Semper Fidelis
Dusty
My prayer for you;
Heavenly Father, please forgive our sins and heal our land. Lord, touch hearts that need to know the truth. expose the followers of satan and bring to light the ones wishing to destroy this country.
I pray for the sick and needy, I pray for the ones that don’t know you come to the knowledge of the living God, Jesus Christ. He is the answer, the only answer for a falling nation.
We thank you, Lord, for hearing our petitions and we ask these things in the name above all names, the name of Jesus Christ.
AMEN
Email: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com …
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