PRODUCERS OF A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT-III—2Timothy 3:1-9
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.
RESPONSES:
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.
The last days will be characterized by a hostile(antagonistic) environment.
Why will hostility/antagonism characterize the last days?
22 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—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of SEPARATION(:2h)
Explanation:(:2h) “Unholy”
:2—“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
“Unholy”—anosiov—Unholy, impious, wicked.
Negation of—osiov—Meaning: Undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious.
—That which is in harmony with God’s desire.
—"What is consecrated & sanctioned by universal law & consent"
No desire to be associated with or joined to God & His work.
No desire to be of one mind with God.
“Holy/Saint”—agiov—Most holy thing.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 13:11—“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; & the God of love & peace will be with you.”
Php. 1:27-28—“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come & see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, & not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, & that from God.”
Php. 2:1-4—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
1Cor. 2:16—“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Eph. 5:25-27—“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church & gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify & cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy & without blemish.”
1Pet. 1:13-16—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””(Lev. 11, 19, 20)
Mat. 5:20—“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jn. 17:14-15—“I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
Illustration:
Washing clothes/Whites versus colors/Wash a white dress shirt navy blue jeans/Shirt will take on a blue tinge Distortion of SEPARATION
Aug. 12, USDA had Hudson Foods recall 20,000 pounds of meat that was produced at their plant in Columbus, Neb. On Aug. 15 the recall included 1.2 million pounds of beef. By Aug. 25 the recall included 25 million pounds of beef—the largest recall of beef ever in the United States/Prepared in unsanitary environment/E. coli contamination can cause severe stomach pains & cramps, diarrhea, & in some severe cases kidney failure, which can lead to death/Distortion of SEPARATION
California grows 74% of the nation’s lettuce & 69% of its spinach/Leafy green vegetable growers lost millions of dollars in 3 E. coli outbreaks in spinach & lettuce in late 2006/Resulted in 3 deaths & sickened hundreds nationwide/Cattle manure as a fertilizer is to blame/Distortion of SEPARATION
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting SEPARATION?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
9—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of AFFECTION/Adoration(:3a)>.>.>.>.>.>.>.> 9—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of AFFECTION/Adoration(:3a)
Explanation:(:3a) “Without natural affection”(hard-hearted, cold-hearted).
:3—“Unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,”
“Unloving/Without natural affection/Without love”—astorgov— Without natural affection, unsociable, inhuman, unloving. A presumed derivative of stergw (to cherish affectionately). Hard-hearted towards kindred.
—Used 1 other time in Rom. 1:31
‘....the natural affection of parents to their children is that which contributes .... to the keeping up of mankind upon the earth. And those who will not be bound by natural affection, no marvel that they will not be bound by [RECONCILIATION]the most solemn leagues & covenants.’—Matthew Henry(1721)
—Sense of family non-existent....Children used as pawns & shields—Traded like bargaining chips....Wives beaten & raped by husbands
Argumentation:
Jer. 6:13-15—““Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.”
Prov. 10:12—“Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.”
1Jn. 4:7-8, 11-12—“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; & everyone who loves is born of God & knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”....“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, & His love has been perfected in us.”
1Jn. 3:1—“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”
Heb. 13:1—“Let brotherly love continue.”
Rom. 12:10—“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;”
Illustration:
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett/Count Olaf/Anything to gain the Baudelaire family fortune/Olaf is considered a monster/Distortion of AFFECTION
Natural AFFECTIONS of a Mother towards her children/Child is an unwelcome encumbrance resulting from illegitimate union/Too concerned with self/Distortion of AFFECTION
Dog who won’t take care of her pups/Distortion of AFFECTION
Movies/Gore at a premium/No regard for the elderly
Animal Cops/Starving pet dog in Philadelphia PA—no concept of care, just ownership—Slavery/Distortion of AFFECTION
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting AFFECTION?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
10—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of RECONCILIATION(:3b) Satisfaction/Commitment/Appeasement
Explanation:(:3b) “Trucebreakers”(Implacable)
:3—“unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,”
“Unforgiving/Trucebreakers/Irreconcilable”— aspondov—Without a treaty or covenant; Cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant, implacable.
—Used 1 other time in Rom. 1:31(implacable)
Unappeasable—Unwilling to be pleased no matter the authoritative devices of enforcement.
‘....Dissolving the allegiance of subjects to their sovereigns, & moving them to rebellion against them; Loosing the marriage bond between husband & wife; making void all oaths, contracts, & agreements, among men, which stand in the way of their designs; teaching that no faith is to be kept with heretics.’—John Gill(1809)
Islam believes ‘it is the right & duty to lie & deceive, as instructed in the Koran by the law of Taqiyya(concealing or disguising one’s beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions &/or strategies), all whom they regard as enemies....in order to kill & be killed as martyrs in the name of Allah.’—They Must Be Stopped by Brigitte Gabriel
Argumentation:
Rom. 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Rom. 5:8-11—“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
*2Cor. 5:18-21—“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Eph. 2:13-16—“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”
Col. 1:19-22—“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, & by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated & enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, & blameless, & above reproach in His sight--”
Illustration:
Nov. 5, 2009/Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan an Army Psychiatrist stationed in Fort Hood, TX/Jumped up on a table with 2 handguns & began firing at unarmed soldiers/Killed 13(1 pregnant) & wounded 29/Unable to reconcile his belief with his reality/Distortion of RECONCILIATION
Steve & I/Disgruntled with jobs/Complained-Fussed-Whined/Spread that poison thru employees/Talking behind people’s backs/Quit our jobs/Distortion of RECONCILIATION
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting COMMITMENT?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
11—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of ACCLAIM(:3c) Blameless/Appreciation/
Explanation:(:3c)
:3—“unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,”
“Slanderers/False accusers/Malicious gossips”—diabolov— Prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely.
The Accuser—A name for the devil—(Diablo in Spanish)
‘Acclaim’(Eng.)—To praise enthusiastically & publicly.
Defamation/Accusation to intentionally harm another’s reputation.
Argumentation:
Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5—“So Satan answered the LORD & said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, & around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, & his possessions have increased in the land. “But now, stretch out Your hand & touch all that he has, & he will surely curse You to Your face!”.....“So Satan answered the LORD & said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “But stretch out Your hand now, & touch his bone & his flesh, & he will surely curse You to Your face!””
Ps. 37:37—“Mark the blameless man, & observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.”
Php. 2:14-15 “Do all things without complaining & disputing, that you may become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked & perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”
Heb. 7:25—“Therefore He[Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
*—Intercession is necessary in the presence of slander!
Php. 2:3—“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
1Tim. 5:19—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.”
Heb. 12:12-15—“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, & the feeble knees, & make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, & holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, & by this many become defiled;”
1Tim. 3:7—“Moreover he[an overseer] must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach & the snare of the devil.”
Illustration:
Much comedy is at another’s expense—‘the sincerest form of flattery’—However, when reputations are ruined it is no laughing matter!/Distortion of ACCLAIM
TV show TMZ/Always looking for someone in a compromising position/Distortion of ACCLAIM
Enquirer/Libel suit/1981, actress Carol Burnett won a judgment against the Enquirer after it claimed she had been seen drunk in public at a restaurant/Distortion of ACCLAIM
A pastor/Talks down deacons & congregation of his former church/Blames deacons for ‘runnin’ the church’/Distortion of ACCLAIM
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting ACCLAIM?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by a distortion of….
8. SEPARATION(:2h)
9. AFFECTION(:3a)
10. RECONCILIATION(:3b)
11. ACCLAIM(:3c)
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)
Presented 11/29/09am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
