1. In our text today, the apostle Paul warns us "that in the last days perilous times shall come" (II Tim.3:1). I believe with all my heart that these perilous times have come already.
2. The word "perilous" is an interesting word. Webster’s Dictionary defines "perilous" as "dangerous." And we can all agree that these are dangerous times that we live in. Months ago, Bro. McCoy and I had a meeting with the local fire marshal and we were surprised to see that he was wearing a side-arm.
3. But the word has a deeper meaning. It is dangerous to put your children in a public school and have them brainwashed. It is dangerous to have them sit in front of the TV and watch all that trash. It is dangerous to allow them to listen to that rotten, dirty rock music.
4. Bro. Waddy told us of an article he read about three white mice in a maze.
5. The original Greek word translated perilous in II Tim.3:1 is much stronger than our English word "dangerous." The same exact word is used in Matt.8:28 to describe demonic possession. There it is translated "exceeding fierce."
6. So Paul is saying here "that in the last days "devilish" and "exceeding fierce" times shall come. Beloved, those days are here.
7. I want to focus on three aspects of these perilous times:

1. THESE PERILOUS TIMES WILL BE MARKED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT CHARACTER
2. THESE PERILOUS TIMES WILL BE MARKED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT CONVICTION
3. THESE PERILOUS TIMES WILL BE MARKED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE

1. Paul says that "men shall be lovers of their own selves" (II Tim.3:2). Bro. McCoy hit the nail on the head when he said that all of this emphasis on self-esteem today is unscriptural. The problem today is not a lack of self-esteem. The problem is too much self-esteem.
2. Self-esteem is just another term for self-love.
3. Today there are no restraints – people do as they please. We have a generation today who were never disciplined when they were younger and now they think they can walk all over everybody else.
4. People demand their "rights," whatever that means. Some think they have a "right" to a government job, or a "right" to free food or free housing, even a right to be a pervert, and on and on it goes.
5. This selfishness naturally leads to covetousness (3:2). The tenth commandment is: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s" (Ex.20:17).
6. Yet many today are covetous and money-hungry (cf. I Tim.6:6-10).
7. Paul goes on to say that men shall be "boasters" (3:2). We have many boasters today – bragging of their accomplishments, bragging of their money and possessions, bragging of their influence – "I know the mayor, I know the governor, I know a guy who shook hands with the governor’s cousin, and so on.
8. Men have a strong desire to promote themselves – we must suppress this because it is not from God (cf. Pro.27:2).
9. Men today are "proud" (3:2). This is one of the biggest obstacles we face when we give out the Gospel. People are so self-sufficient that they feel they do not need anyone, even God. For them to accept God it has to be on their terms. But God does not work that way. For a man to get saved, he must repent of his sin and come to Christ on His terms.
10. Maybe there is someone here today like that. Are you too proud to come forward and get on your knees and cry out to God and say: "Lord, have mercy on my poor, wicked soul"?
11. Paul says these perilous times are marked by men that are "blasphemers" (3:2). This hardly needs an explanation. Hollywood puts out wicked blasphemous movies and TV shows but what is worse is the blasphemy coming from so many pulpits!
12. Another sign of the times is children that are "disobedient to parents" (3:2). It breaks my heart to see children that are rude to their parents and then the parents do nothing about it. Parents need to apply the board of education to the seat of learning.
13. People today are "unthankful" (3:2), ungrateful, oblivious of any goodness of God or man; taking everything for granted. The next time you are in a restaurant, look around and see if anyone bows his head to give thanks to God for the food.
14. A little boy was having dinner with his neighbors and he noticed that none of them prayed. He said: "You folks are just like my dog – he just digs in!"
15. People today are "unholy" (3:2). Biblical holiness and separation from the world are under constant attack these days. And God help the pastor who preaches holiness – he’s called a legalist and a Pharisee and too old-fashioned and worse.
16. Paul is describing people without character and this is one of the marks of the last days (cf. 3:3).
17. As Christians we need to be careful about all of this. For example, notice the reference to "false accusers" (3:3). Let’s be sure that we have our facts right before we accuse some one of something.

2. THESE PERILOUS TIMES WILL BE MARKED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT CONVICTION

1. People do not have any convictions about right and wrong anymore. It used to be that even unsaved people understood basic principles of right and wrong, but today even those who profess to be Christian are without conviction.
2. Guy King describes these as "undependable; quite prepared to change sides, if it seems to be advantageous to do so; having no real convictions to stick to; having no sense of loyalty to any cause, or any person, unless it be self."
3. Those that are good are despised (3:3b). For example, when do you ever read anything positive about Christianity in the newspaper?
4. And those that are wicked are promoted and highly esteemed, e.g., Madonna, Howard Stern, Dennis Rodman, all the filthy, disgusting perverts from Hollywood, all the sleazy dope-head rock singers – these horrible miscreants are the heroes of modern society!
5. These people are "traitors" (3:4), truce-breakers (3:3), back-stabbers, double-crossers, treacherous knaves and cut-throats. A man’s word means nothing today.
6. These men without conviction are "heady" (3:4), i.e., headstrong, rash and reckless; "heady" literally means "falling forwards because of your big, fat head."
7. Men today are "high-minded" (3:4), i.e., they are puffed-up, proud, determined to have their own way.
8. These heady, high-minded, people without character and people without conviction are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (3:4). That’s why churches are bringing in the rock music and all of this entertainment – they are giving people what they want, not what they need. What people really need is Bible preaching that will bring them under conviction. What they want is worldly entertainment because they are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (3:4).
9. People today have "a form of godliness" but they are lost and on their way to hell (3:5). We are to "turn away" from them.

3. THESE PERILOUS TIMES WILL BE MARKED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE

1. Note the word "creep" (3:6). False teachers "creep into houses," i.e., they are sneaky and deceptive (cf. Jude 4; II Peter 2:1).
2. These creepy heretics "lead captive silly women laden with sins (heaped up with sins)." Note the word "captive" (cf. 2:26); they are captured by the devil.
3. It is not difficult to figure out why so many silly women are mixed up in cults and in charismatic churches. The Bible says that they are "laden with sins" and "led away with divers lusts" (3:6).
4. False religion soothes their troubled conscience but does not make any demands. They need not repent, they need not get right with God – they merely follow the false religionist down the primrose path to hell.
5. Another sure mark of these perilous days is that men are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (3:7). The truth is found here in God’s Word. All you need to know about salvation, judgment, heaven and hell is here.
6. Paul compares these false teachers to Jannes and Jambres, Pharaoh’s magicians (3:8; cf. Ex.7:10-13).

1. they "resist the truth," i.e., they resist the Gospel, they deny the Bible, etc.
2. they are "men of corrupt minds" – this certainly describes our situation today – from the White House to the poor house, we are surrounded by men of corrupt minds!
3. they are "reprobate concerning the faith" – this refers to the horrible apostasy that is so prevalent in these last days. Men who claim to be ministers of the Gospel reject the blood atonement and the deity of Christ and the new birth.

7. "But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men…" (3:9). God is allowing things to unfold but He will put a stop to it at some point. There is a limit – God will soon say, "Enough" and He will move in judgment.

CONCLUSION:

1. Maybe there are some Christians here today who are guilty of some of these sins listed here in this passage – covetous, proud, unthankful, false accusers, lovers of pleasure, etc. – God knows your heart.
2. If God is speaking to you come up and pray and get things right with Him.
3. Every now and then we see articles in the newspaper about a ring of counterfeiters getting arrested.
4. Someone is suspicious of some $20 bill and turns it over to the police. The police lab tests the bill and discovers that it is counterfeit.
5. Paul uses the word "reprobate" to describe people that are living in these last days. The word means "tested and found to be counterfeit; not passing the test."
6. Perhaps there is some one here today like that. You are not a heathen or an atheist. You attend church regularly.
7. Yet if God was to test you right now His test would determine that you have never been born again. Don’t put this off – get it settled today. You need to come forward today and get saved.