"For among them are those...burdened with sins and led astray by various passions"

Today, I want to talk briefly about a certain type of person. Turn in your Bible to 2 Timothy 3. At the beginning of this chapter, Paul talks about the difficult times that will be coming in the last days. There have been countless sermons and devotionals given on the difficulties we face in the last days, so we’re not going to discuss that in much depth right now. Instead, I want to talk to you about the people Paul describes in verses 6 and 7. He describes these people as “those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (ESV)

                Now, don’t think that this passage is describing women as being weak, because it’s not. The point being made here is that there is a type of person who feels an insatiable desire to fill the lusts of the flesh –these people are burdened by sins and led by their passions – and, because of their lack of self-control and their unwillingness to accept Christ’s forgiveness, can never truly feel the truth as it is.

Think of the world we live in. Millions of people, every day, are led by their lusts and desires to wherever they can get their next “high.” Usually, the lust, desire, or passion stems from a root need – the need for stimulation. These people need to feel stimulated at all times – they need the newest this, the most exciting that, a different type of those. For these people, life is not so much about helping others and obtaining a clear conscience as it is experiencing new and stimulating things. 

Unfortunately, this desire leaves these people empty and broken, and it is because of this brokenness that they are described as “those who creep into households and capture weak women.” We live in a generation where many people do not care who or what gets in their way, as long as they get the pleasure and stimulation that they desire.

We usually refer to this type of person simply as selfish. 

                This passage has always made me sad because I know people like this. Their lives aren’t about being selfless, serving others, and showing goodness and generosity to others as Christ did. They spend almost all of their short and unpredictable lives chasing a feeling of stimulating newness (for lack of a better descriptor) that they never can quite reach. Because of their unique mindset regarding the world, they learn more and more about life, especially through experience, but they never find the truth. Being selfless and serving others doesn’t appeal to them, so they live their whole lives empty and unfulfilled.

I mentioned this passage to you today because I see so many people in the world like this. These people may even wear the name of Christ, “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (vs. 5, ESV). In our modern, materialistic world, I’m sure we all have felt the pull of this mindset at some point in our lives. I know I feel it just about every time I turn on the television. All I have to do is start watching TV and immediately I start thinking “man that’s a nice car..I’d love to have that. Or, check out that beach! I’d love to go on another vacation. And man, that’s a cool phone. I need to start buying more cool things so I can live life as it’s meant to be lived! The American dream, right?”

We should always be on guard against this modern mindset – working more hours to get the newest, biggest, best _______ (when the one that I have works just fine) is a huge hamper to the selfless, generous mindset that Christ requires of us. How will I be able to give more to others when I spend so much time working so I can get more for myself?

                There are two types of people in the world – givers and takers – and we need to constantly build each other up and work as a united, Christian, spiritual nation to fight back against this mindset and show the world what it truly means to be selfless. If you know someone that is fighting these same problems, encourage them, exhort them, lift them up – show them what it really means to live. 

Show them what it means to live for others.

Show them what it means to live for Christ.

Thanks for reading!
- Ethan