Awakening to Evil - Awaken

City Church Tulsa

Awakening to Evil 6.16.24 Paul looks to the ultimate future of Christ’s victorious return to give the church in Thessalonica hope for their present struggles. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Man of Lawlessness: a lawless individual doing the deceptive work of Satan, who not only opposes God but actually seeks to push God aside and exalt himself in God’s place. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Evil is inherently and fundamentally deceptive. The effectiveness of evil has much to do with how it presents itself: not so much as the polar opposite of something good, but as a clever counterfeit of it. - Michael W. Holmes The most destructive evil is subtle, not overt. The most destructive evil gives the appearance of being good. The most destructive evil comes as an angel of light. Is it the spirit of Christ or spirit of Antichrist? · When we celebrate war and the destruction of human life to justify our own desire for power. · When we justify the killing of an unborn child because we believe the rights of a woman or a person's personal privacy supersedes the life of an unborn child. · When our love for country or politics leads us to replace or confuse our kingdom identity with our national identity · When our love for our second amendment rights becomes equal or greater than the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor as yourself · When we use Christian jargon to legitimize unjust and oppressive practices of the poor, marginalized, immigrant, or refugee. · When our business practices or our desire to accumulate wealth leads us to use people or take advantage of others for our own personal profit The spirit of antichrist wants to normalize evil in our lives and in our culture until we are either numb or blinded from the truth.