Latest / Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services / Living Waters of Grace 01.20.2026
Transcript
- 0:04This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis
- 0:08Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland
- 0:12County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he
- 0:16continues teaching through God's Word.
- 0:37This self love is actually. One of the self sins because it
- 0:42births so many. Other selfish.
- 0:45Things in our life, it gives birth to some of the other
- 0:49selfish things in our life. Jesus even said in Luke 9 and
- 0:5323, He says if anyone desires to come after me, let him love
- 0:58himself. No, it doesn't say that, does
- 1:00he? He didn't say let him love
- 1:02himself, he said let him deny himself and take up his.
- 1:08Cross daily. Take a Scroll down the self help
- 1:11aisle at Barnes and Noble the next time you visit and you'll
- 1:15notice that this section has grown.
- 1:17Shelves are lined with book after book about how you can
- 1:21love yourself more. And while there certainly is an
- 1:24important aspect to self esteem and self love, it can quickly
- 1:29spiral into self worship. As we heard a moment ago from
- 1:33Pastor Lewis. Jesus has called us to deny self
- 1:37and to pick up our crosses daily in order to bring God glory.
- 1:42Now here's Pastor Lewis in the book of Second Timothy chapter 3
- 1:46with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.
- 1:50Father once again. As we prepare, Lord to.
- 1:52Open up your word. As we prepare to study your
- 1:56truth. We once again ask.
- 1:59For your Holy Spirit Lord too. Be manifested today and to.
- 2:03Teach us you are the teacher, Lord, your Holy Spirit teaches.
- 2:07Us and leads us into all. Truth.
- 2:10It reveals all truth. You reveal all truth, Lord.
- 2:15Father, you don't need me. To be here, Lord, your word says
- 2:19you use the foolish. Things to confound the the wise
- 2:26things, Lord. Of this world.
- 2:27And I definitely qualify as one of the foolish things.
- 2:31But Father, you don't need me. You don't need a vessel.
- 2:34You. Choose to use a vessel Lord you.
- 2:37Spoke to Moses. Through a burning Bush you spoke
- 2:39to. Balaam by a mule, a donkey Lord.
- 2:43You certainly don't use. You certainly don't need me.
- 2:47So, Father? I asked.
- 2:49That you would open your mouth, Lord, and speak to.
- 2:51All of us. Help us to understand what it is
- 2:55that you're saying to us in these times and as we.
- 2:58Go through these perilous times, Lord, as we.
- 3:02Are going through this. Chapter I pray.
- 3:04That you would enlighten us and most of our Father.
- 3:08I pray that someone's eyes will be open, that someone's heart.
- 3:14Would be touched. And let.
- 3:17This be the last day, Lord. That they would not know their
- 3:21eternity. Let this be the last day, Lord
- 3:24that they. Walk as one of the children of
- 3:26disobedience. The last day that they.
- 3:29Live in darkness and walk in their sins and.
- 3:33Trespasses that they be. Dead in their sins and.
- 3:35Trespasses. Let this be the last day.
- 3:38But Father, I pray that you would.
- 3:39Bring life to someone today, Lord, that you would bring
- 3:43salvation to someone today, that someone's life will be totally
- 3:48changed. Today for this year.
- 3:50Going into this year. Lord.
- 3:52And that you would change our. Lives, Lord, who are believers?
- 3:55Even today, Lord, as we become more and more.
- 3:57Like you let this year, Lord, that we become.
- 4:00More and more like. You so we ask these.
- 4:04Things in the name of our Savior and our Lord in Jesus holy name,
- 4:08matchless name, we. Pray that.
- 4:10Everyone say Amen, Amen. So we are here.
- 4:14In chapter 3, Second Timothy, chapter 3 and we have been
- 4:18titled. This.
- 4:20Perilous time. This is on the heels of coming
- 4:26off of. Chapter 2, where Paul has.
- 4:29Prepared Timothy prepared Timothy for what's going on or
- 4:35what will be going on today in these last times so Paul is
- 4:40almost like in this chapter he becomes.
- 4:42Like a prophet, he gives a prophecy.
- 4:44Of what's to come and what will be happening in the.
- 4:47Last days, so let's just start to.
- 4:50Go in through the Scripture. I don't know how far we're going
- 4:53to get because I don't want to rush through this.
- 4:55We're only going to do 99 verses.
- 4:57I intend to do 9 verses, but I don't want to rush it because
- 5:01there's so much in it that I want it impart.
- 5:03But if we don't, if we don't get through it all the day, we'll do
- 5:07it next week and then after. That we have pastor.
- 5:10Clark coming back in to teach us, but I I do want to take my
- 5:13time as we go through. This is that OK?
- 5:15We did. OK.
- 5:16Thank you. Praise God so chapter 3 verse.
- 5:20One and it says but know this that in the.
- 5:24Last days perilous. Times will come, so he says, in
- 5:29the last days. So what you know so?
- 5:31What are What are these last days?
- 5:33What are these last? Days.
- 5:34I mean, is there going to be anything different happening in
- 5:38these? Last days that.
- 5:40Or is there a different attitude?
- 5:41About these last days. Or is there something?
- 5:44Different about these last. Days and during the time that
- 5:46Paul. Was there or that the apostles
- 5:48will walk the earth the last days is.
- 5:51Really a reference that period from the the ministry of Jesus
- 5:55Christ from the time he came and he.
- 5:57Walked the earth. And he did ministry and then he.
- 6:00Was crucified, He was. Buried, And he rose again, and
- 6:03he ascended into heaven. To be at the right.
- 6:08To be at the right. Hand of the Father.
- 6:11So from that time, from that ascension until his return is.
- 6:16Really considered the last days. So from that time for we were.
- 6:19In the last days. And we are in the last days and
- 6:24as we. Go through this.
- 6:25I think you'll see evidence of that, even Paul.
- 6:28Who spoke about this hundreds of years ago?
- 6:30Gives us some very chilling information, so accurate about
- 6:35what will happen in these last days.
- 6:37Now these last days are. Also referred to.
- 6:39As last times according to Jude chapter 1 and 18 First Peter
- 6:45120. It's referred to as the last.
- 6:48Hour in first John 2 and 18. It's also referred to.
- 6:52As the end of ages in 1st Corinthians 10 and 11.
- 6:57But what we must remember? Is that?
- 6:59This is God's time we're talking about.
- 7:01So because we say last. Days that doesn't mean that you
- 7:05know, we still don't know. We still don't know when Christ
- 7:08is coming back. We have no idea.
- 7:10And neither did, Neither did Paul.
- 7:12So when we say. The last days that.
- 7:13Doesn't mean that OK like the last.
- 7:15Few days it's. It's almost like, you know, like
- 7:17these are my last few days of speaking for this particular.
- 7:20Cycle right, because Pastor Clark will be here in about two
- 7:23weeks. We're not talking about that
- 7:25what we're talking about. Is that these are the last.
- 7:27Days and we must understand that for.
- 7:29God a day. Is as 1000 years and 1000 years.
- 7:33Is as a day. So when you think about.
- 7:35Jesus. Being around has only been two,
- 7:37you know, 2000 years. So if you talk.
- 7:41About 2000 years and God's economy of things, it's really
- 7:44only been two days. It's only been two days.
- 7:48So in the last days and we are in these last.
- 7:51Days, but what he says is that. Perilous times will come, and
- 7:55that's a very interesting word, that he.
- 7:57Uses, he says. Perilous times.
- 7:59Perilous means, wicked means difficult.
- 8:02It means hard times, troublesome times, furious times.
- 8:07And get this. Fierce.
- 8:10Times dangerous, hazardous time, I mean, and this is what it will
- 8:15be in those. Last days.
- 8:17I mean it, it's going to be a time of lawlessness and
- 8:22godlessness, but also it's going to be even.
- 8:25Worse for the believers. Because most.
- 8:27Of that hatred that. Energy will be against believers
- 8:32will be against believers. So it's times of.
- 8:35Stress, particularly for us and what Paul exhorted.
- 8:39Timothy to do as we mentioned earlier back in chapter 2, when
- 8:44he encouraged him to endure. Hardship.
- 8:47He told him to remember that Jesus.
- 8:49He told him remember that. Jesus, that Jesus is the Christ.
- 8:52He is the Messiah and we hold on to that and he also told us or
- 8:56encouraged. Us to rightly divide the word.
- 8:59And to keep or to keep the pattern of sound doctrine, these
- 9:04are the things that he prepared Timothy for in in chapter 2.
- 9:09And it's because of what's coming in these last days.
- 9:14So this word perilous, fierce. Is actually the same way.
- 9:18It's interesting it's the same word.
- 9:19That was used. Back in Matthew Back in Matthew
- 9:23and chapter 8 when? They talked about the story.
- 9:27Of the of the demoniac and the two demoniacs when Jesus went
- 9:30over. To Gardara.
- 9:32And he get out of the boat. And these two demoniacs
- 9:35approached him, and they were described as being exceedingly
- 9:38fierce. They were described as being
- 9:40exceedingly fierce. They were untamed men, wild men,
- 9:44men with no boundaries. I mean just fierce men.
- 9:47No one could be around them. And he used that same term for
- 9:52these days. Perilous days, Perilous times.
- 9:58And we see that also back in First Timothy.
- 10:00Chapter 4. And verse one very interesting
- 10:03that Paul. Uses a very.
- 10:05Similar term you know, because it's when he says demoniac when
- 10:09I when I told you that it almost like it was the same word that.
- 10:12Described what was. Mentioned in in Gardeira in
- 10:15Matthew when he talked about the demoniacs being exceedingly
- 10:19fierce. They were of a demonic spirit.
- 10:23They were influenced by a demonic spirit and he mentions
- 10:26that over here in first. Timothy, Chapter 4.
- 10:28Almost the same thing when he says now the.
- 10:30Spirit expressly says. That in the latter times, some
- 10:34will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits
- 10:38and doctrines of demons. So there's a connection there.
- 10:43There's this demonic influence is being inferenced here, that
- 10:47there's a demonic influence that's going to be happening in
- 10:50these. Last days or?
- 10:52I should say increasing demonic influence because we're already
- 10:55seeing that in many cases going on right now.
- 11:00So then he goes to verse 2 and he says for men will be lovers
- 11:03of themselves. I'm going to read through these
- 11:05and then I'm going to go back. Because this.
- 11:07Is where I really want to take my time.
- 11:09If you don't mind back in these particular verse from verse 2 to
- 11:11verse. 5 is really where? Paul gets into kind of the.
- 11:15Meat of this character of what? What?
- 11:18The character of the last days What?
- 11:21Will mankind be like so he says here in verse 2?
- 11:25He says for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
- 11:29boasters. Prowl.
- 11:30Blasphemers. Disobedient to parents,
- 11:32unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving slanderers without
- 11:37self-control, brutal despisers. Of good traitors.
- 11:41Headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
- 11:46God. I want to stop.
- 11:48There because I. Just want to go.
- 11:50Through these. And take my time with this now
- 11:52again. This is the character that Paul
- 11:55is. Describing here.
- 11:56This is the character of the false.
- 11:59Teachers and unbelievers. Of the last days, this is the
- 12:04character. He's saying this is what it's
- 12:06going to. Look like.
- 12:07And he starts. Off with the issue of love.
- 12:10God is love. So you know what?
- 12:12What one of the? Ways.
- 12:13That rebellion takes shape is when it attacks.
- 12:17The love of God. It's one of the ways rebellion
- 12:20takes shape. So he starts off with these
- 12:23these. Lovers and remember when.
- 12:26Jesus was asked. What is the greatest
- 12:29commandment? He said that you love the Lord
- 12:33God with all your. Mind all your heart and all your
- 12:38soul. In other words, totally love the
- 12:42Lord your God. Doesn't say love yourself, it
- 12:45says. Love the Lord your.
- 12:46God and to love your neighbors as.
- 12:49Yourself is a second. So what Paul is doing here, he
- 12:53is showing how the rebellion of that time will even go against.
- 12:58The love that God. Commanded for us, so the first
- 13:02one, he says. They will be.
- 13:04Lovers of themselves, lovers of themselves.
- 13:07That's the pride. That totally.
- 13:09Right there goes against the word of God, the Word.
- 13:13Of God doesn't tell us to be lovers of ourselves, it tells us
- 13:16to be. Lovers of him.
- 13:18And lovers of others, that's how we worship.
- 13:21Him, by loving him. He says if you.
- 13:26Love me, you'll obey me, you'll keep my commandments.
- 13:30This is not, it's. Dangerous to love yourself
- 13:34because when you start to love yourself to this point, you
- 13:38begin to make. Idols of yourself, you.
- 13:41Become a. God of yourself so.
- 13:45He goes on here so that. This talks about pride.
- 13:48And and I just want to read something to you when we talk.
- 13:51About this self love, This self love.
- 13:53Is the overarching sin. Of all the other
- 13:56characteristics, so this. Is like the originator or where
- 13:59it all comes from most of the sins and it's already been
- 14:03documented that. Pride is usually at the base.
- 14:06Of almost all sins. Pride is at the base of that.
- 14:10Almost every sin that we commit when you scratch.
- 14:13Off all the surfaces, you scratch off all the layers.
- 14:15What's at the bottom of it is. Usually pride.
- 14:18It's usually pride. It's self love.
- 14:22And it is the overarching sin of.
- 14:24All of these other characteristics.
- 14:26That's going to be listed. It's an emphasis on self or
- 14:30loving self more or instead of loving God.
- 14:35It's a form of humanism to some degree, and it's.
- 14:38Also self idolatry. And as and it's putting.
- 14:42Self before God. And anything that we.
- 14:45Put before God. Is an idol.
- 14:48Whether it's our self, whether it's our.
- 14:50Children, our job. Our our our hobbies.
- 14:54Whatever it. Is that we put before God is.
- 14:56An idol, one of my favorite. Authors.
- 15:00And I just recently got a book by one of our.
- 15:02Sisters here, that. Blessed me with the book from
- 15:04this. Author AW Tozer.
- 15:06One of my favorite authors. This is the quote that he had
- 15:09concerning the self sins. He said.
- 15:13To be specific, the self sins are these self righteousness,
- 15:18self pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency which is part
- 15:22of humanism, self admiration, self love and a host.
- 15:27Of others. Like them?
- 15:29End Quote. So this self love.
- 15:33Is actually one of the self sins because it.
- 15:36Births. So many other selfish things in
- 15:41our life. It gives birth to some of the
- 15:43other selfish things in our life.
- 15:45Jesus even said in Luke 9 and 23 He says if anyone desires to
- 15:50come after me, let him love himself.
- 15:53No, he doesn't say that, does he?
- 15:55He didn't say let him love himself.
- 15:57He said let him deny himself and take up his.
- 16:01Cross daily take up his cross daily take up that part of us,
- 16:06that self sacrificial part of us, that part of us that's
- 16:10supposed to give ourselves as a as a as a.
- 16:13Sacrifice every single. Day we do this.
- 16:19We die to. Ourself take up our cross daily.
- 16:23And follow me. And follow me.
- 16:25And then in Philippians 2 and 3. Says.
- 16:29Let nothing be done. Through selfish.
- 16:32Ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let him esteem
- 16:37others better than himself. Verse 4 says let each.
- 16:40Of you look not only on his own interests, but also for the
- 16:46interests of others, that is almost impossible to do in our
- 16:53own strength. We're not.
- 16:55Built that way. To put somebody else's interest
- 16:59before our own. We're just not built that way.
- 17:01None of us are. None of us are.
- 17:04We don't go. To a job interview and begin to
- 17:07build up the person that we're in competition for that job for.
- 17:11We don't go into the interview and talk about the person that's
- 17:14that's going to be interviewing after us and build that person
- 17:17up. We don't do that.
- 17:19We go in and talk. About ourselves.
- 17:22But that's what happens. With self love it's.
- 17:26Always putting the interests. Of ourselves.
- 17:29Before the interests of others. But Paul says here.
- 17:32Let each of you. Look on not only, he says.
- 17:36Not only he's not saying that you never look on your own
- 17:38interests, but he says don't look only on your interests.
- 17:42But also. On the entrance.
- 17:44On the entrance. Of others with this self love,
- 17:48this pride, it's. It's love instead of worshipping
- 17:53and loving God OK when we love ourselves instead of worshipping
- 17:57and loving. God, what they do is that.
- 18:00They love themselves and make gods of themselves and become
- 18:05users. Of people for their.
- 18:07Benefit. And that's one of the dangers of
- 18:09loving self, because we begin to instead of loving people.
- 18:13We use people. We use people.
- 18:16For our own benefit, the next one he talks.
- 18:19About he talks about the lovers of.
- 18:21Money lovers of money and when you love money it it be you
- 18:26become covetous because you want what money can give you and
- 18:30that's a. Part of self love.
- 18:32Become lovers of money. You go out and go get the things
- 18:36that give you pleasure, the things that.
- 18:38Feel your lusts. And instead of using things like
- 18:42money, which is. Provided by God to.
- 18:44Provide for our own needs instead of using them for that,
- 18:47or use them to. Glorify God or use.
- 18:50Them using money to bless other people instead of using it that
- 18:54way. We love money and make idols out
- 18:57of the money and the things and often things.
- 19:01But we use people instead of using money.
- 19:04We instead use people instead of loving people.
- 19:08So it's a misplaced. Love there.
- 19:10It's a misplaced love. We should.
- 19:12Be loving others, but instead we love things and we use others.
- 19:18We get it backwards there, we get it backwards there.
- 19:21And what Paul is saying that in these last days people will
- 19:24misplace. Their love.
- 19:25They'll love themselves and things instead of loving God and
- 19:30loving others and using things for God's.
- 19:34Glory. The next one, he.
- 19:36Says is boasters. She talks about these boasters.
- 19:39Boasters, this is. Vaunting and praising themselves
- 19:43if we are to. Boast the The Bible tells us
- 19:47that if we do boast, we are. We we should boast in the Lord
- 19:50and not in ourselves. The boasters are people who.
- 19:54Like to make I statements, I statements I did this.
- 19:58I did that. I have this or I have that.
- 20:04I have this ability or I have that.
- 20:07Ability I'm I'm this and I'm that.
- 20:10It's a lot of. I statements enjoy telling you
- 20:14things that they've done to help somebody else or things that
- 20:18they have done that promotes themselves.
- 20:20It's vaunting. It's.
- 20:21Prideful. And these things come directly.
- 20:24This boasting comes directly from Satan himself.
- 20:29If you look back in Isaiah chapter 14, verses 13 and 14,
- 20:33I'm just read it to you. You don't have to turn there,
- 20:35but it says. For you.
- 20:37Have said in your. Heart I.
- 20:39Will ascend into heaven. I.
- 20:41Will exalt my throne above the. Stars of God I.
- 20:45Will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest
- 20:49sides of the north. I will ascend above the.
- 20:53Heights of the clouds I will be. Like the most high.
- 20:59All these I statements I will, I will, I will.
- 21:03I can, I can. I did.
- 21:06I did. Beware of these I.
- 21:08Statement. These are people.
- 21:09Who are full of pride, full of pride.
- 21:11Psalm 32 and two says this, My soul shall make its boast in the
- 21:16Lord, and the humble shall. Hear of it and be glad.
- 21:21And I just also want to read for you, Jeremiah.
- 21:23This is one of. My favorite verses actually.
- 21:26When it talks about boasting and talks about who?
- 21:29We should boast or how we should.
- 21:30Boast, but in Jeremiah 9 and 23. He says thus says the Lord.
- 21:35Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty
- 21:39man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
- 21:44his riches. But let him who?
- 21:47Glories or let. Him who boasts, let him boast in
- 21:51this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord,
- 21:57exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in
- 22:00the. Earth for these.
- 22:02Things in these things. I delight, says the Lord, if we
- 22:07are to. Love somebody.
- 22:08We're to boast. If we're to glory in anything,
- 22:11it should be in the Lord, because no matter what.
- 22:14It is that we. Have anything of any
- 22:16significance? Anything that's any.
- 22:18Good. It comes from him.
- 22:20We don't have anything of our own anything.
- 22:24It all comes from him. So where are we able to boast in
- 22:29Second Corinthians 10/17? It says but he who glories or he
- 22:34who boast. Let them boast in the.
- 22:38Lord. And then he and then he talks.
- 22:41About this, this pride, this pride, these.
- 22:44The next one is proud. These people are proud, they're
- 22:48arrogant of themselves. They are wise in their own
- 22:53hearts, and pride actually leads to rebellion against God.
- 22:58All the time. Pride.
- 22:59Leads to rebellion against God and and pride you know what
- 23:02pride mostly comes in at is in our reluctance or in our neglect
- 23:08to pray because when things are going well we.
- 23:10Feel like we got it, We got it. You know I'm Lord.
- 23:14I got this now. I don't need you, man.
- 23:17Not for this. So we don't pray.
- 23:20We stop praying. Praying is one of the most
- 23:24important parts of our humility. It shows our humility.
- 23:28If there's anything that shows our humility, most it's it's
- 23:30our. Prayer time.
- 23:31When we go into prayer and we surrender.
- 23:35To the. Lord, and we let him know how
- 23:38helpless and powerless. We are.
- 23:41And how great and how mighty. He is.
- 23:47That's where our prayer. Time is about in many cases and
- 23:51and when we don't pray, it's a sign.
- 23:53Of our pride. This has been another
- 23:58encouraging edition of Living Waters of Grace.
- 24:02Pastor Louis Harrell has shared some good reminders for us to
- 24:05learn and walk in today as he's teaching through the books of
- 24:09First and Second Timothy. There are useful practices and
- 24:14advice that the Apostle Paul offers to Timothy in these books
- 24:18from a fellow pastor. Paul imparts some wisdom to
- 24:21Timothy about solid leadership and what some of the criteria
- 24:26should be for leadership. There are specific passages
- 24:30directed toward men and women, respectively.
- 24:33And All in all, there's much to gain in coming to an awareness
- 24:36of God's heart for each person and God's purposes for each one.
- 24:42We're happy that you've taken the time today to listen and
- 24:45invite you to come here the next edition.
- 24:48In the meantime, when you have some time to spare today, go
- 24:51check out our website, calvarychapelonline.com.
- 24:56There you'll find additional messages as well as a variety of
- 24:59resources and information about how to meet with us in person.
- 25:04We're also on Facebook, so you can be a part of what we share
- 25:07there as well. You can stay plugged in with
- 25:10this ministry via YouTube to watch previous teachings or
- 25:15TuneIn to our live stream. Living Waters of Grace is a
- 25:18ministry of Calvary Chapel Westmoreland.
- 25:22Before we go today, we ask that you share this program with
- 25:26others and invite them to listen on Grace FM at 91.7.
- 25:31That's all we have for today, but we're so glad that you've
- 25:34been with us. There's more to dig into here in
- 25:37First and Second Timothy, so let's gear up for some more
- 25:42great teachings from Pastor Lewis next time here on Living
- 25:46Waters of Grace.