Producers Of A Hostile Environment-5 Series

PRODUCERS of a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT-V—2Timothy 3:1-9

Attention:

When the store manager returned from lunch, he noticed his clerk’s hand was bandaged, but before he could ask about the bandage, the clerk said he had some very good news for him.

"Guess what, sir?" the clerk said. "I finally sold that terrible, ugly suit we’ve had so long!"

"Do you mean that repulsive pink-and-blue double-breasted thing?" the manager asked.

"That’s the one!"

That’s great!" the manager cried, "I thought we’d never get rid of that monstrosity! That had to be the ugliest suit we’ve ever had!

But tell me. Why is your hand bandaged?"

"Oh," the clerk replied, "after I sold the guy that suit, his seeing-eye dog bit me."

The ugly suit was a producer of a hostile environment for the clerk.

Need:

We live in a country of great corporate & personal wealth.

Why do people/things seem to be getting worse with times? Why is the world getting worse/colder/violent? I’m gonna fix this.

Self-protection/Isolation/Anonymity/Introversion/Antisocial/Aloof/Perversions/Indulgence/Alignments/Identification/Worldliness/Self-help

A Distortion of relationships at all & various levels

Isolated/Alone/Separated/Useless/Powerless/Fearful/Inept/Depressed/Devil-may-care

Rationale:

The Apostle Paul, revealed to Timothy that a hostile(antagonistic) environment will characterize the last days.

A hostile(antagonistic) environment will characterize the last days.

Why will hostility/antagonism characterize the last days?

Producers of a hostile(antagonistic) environment.

“Perilous/Difficult”—calepov—Hard to do, to take, to approach; Hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous.

‘....it is hard to keep our integrity in the midst of general corruption.’—Matthew Henry(1721)

A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by, a distortion of….

1. SELF(:2a)

2. WEALTH(:2b)

3. ACHIEVEMENT/Ability(:2c)

4. VIEW/Pride(:2d)

5. REVERENCE(:2e)

6. AUTHORITY/Respect(:2f)

7. POSITION/Grace(:2g)

8. SEPARATION(:2h)

9. AFFECTION(:3a)

10. RECONCILIATION(:3b)

11. ACCLAIM(:3c)

12. CONTROL(:3d)

13. DIGNITY(:3e)

14. GOODNESS(:3f)

15—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…

A Distortion of LOYALTY(:4a)

Explanation:(:4a)

:4—“Traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

“Traitors/Treacherous/”—prodothv—A betrayer, traitor.

Traitor seeks a way to secretly & deceptively undermine a person they are close to. The closeness makes this devastating to the one(s) being betrayed.

—Judas Iscariot was a traitor. Betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Mk. 14:10-11 “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, & promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.”....“And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords & clubs, came from the chief priests & the scribes & the elders. Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him & lead Him away safely.” As soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him & said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” & kissed Him. Then they laid their hands on Him & took Him.”

—Like spies they are secret-agents, openly siding with one yet working for the other.

Prey upon the good graces of Christians. Loyalties change with emotions.

Argumentation:

2Chron. 19:8-9—“Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem. And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a loyal heart:”

Mat. 6:24—““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mat. 10:21-22—“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

Js. 1:5-8—“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Illustration:

As spies pretending they are openly siding with one yet working for the other.

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were American Communists/Julius worked for the US Army Signal Corp(communications)/1944-1945, Ethel’s brother supplied documents to Julius from Los Alamos atomic bomb project/Delivered classified military & industrial information to the Soviets that the American government described as the secret to the atomic bomb/Executed in 1953/Distortion of LOYALTY

Nov. 5, 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan/Stood on table with 2 pistols & killed 13 & wounded 29 of his fellow soldiers, 1 of which was pregnant/Distortion of LOYALTY