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
Canna Lilly bulb among our Irises/Continues to thrive regardless of its crowding/Blooms/NO Distortion of LOYALTY to its Purpose
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting LOYALTY?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
16—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of CIRCUMSPECTION / Uprightness(:4b)
Explanation:(:4b)
:4—“traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”
‘Circumspection’—examining/viewing something from all angles.
“Headstrong/Heady/Reckless/Rash”—propethv—To fall forwards, headlong., sloping precipitously; Precipitate, rash, reckless.
—Used 2X—“Rashly” (Acts 19:36)
Fall into actions disregarding consequences.
Rash—‘Proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action.’
Reckless—‘Without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.’
*One thing that being a Christian does for the believer, is it opens the world up(blinders off), so you can see it from all angles—CIRCUMSPECTLY!
Argumentation:
2Chron. 33:9-10—“So Manasseh seduced Judah & the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the LORD spoke to Manasseh & his people, but they would not listen.”
Jer 36:10,:21-25—“Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the LORD’S house, in the hearing of all the people.”....“So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, & he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king & in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife & cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, & Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them.”
—Invested authority tends to make one headstrong.
Jer. 17:23—““But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.”
Prov. 3:5-6—“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
2Chron. 30:5-6, 7-8, 10-11—“So they(Hezekiah’s men) resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. Then the runners went throughout all Israel & Judah with the letters from the king & his leaders, & spoke according to the command of the king: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, & Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.”....““And do not be like your fathers & your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. “Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; & enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, & serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.”....“So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim & Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them & mocked them. Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, & Zebulun humbled themselves & came to Jerusalem.”
Num. 14:40-41, 44-45—“And they rose early in the morning & went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, & we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed.”....“But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites & the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down & attacked them, & drove them back as far as Hormah.”
Mk. 8:15, 17-21—“Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees & the leaven of Herod.”....“But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?””
Eph. 4:17-19—“This I say, therefore, & testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Acts 7:51—““You stiffnecked & uncircumcised in heart & ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”
Hag. 1:7—“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!”
Heb. 3:1—“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle & High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”
Heb. 10:24-25—“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
*Eph. 5:15-16—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Illustration:
Teenagers/A son or daughter who will not follow parents advice/Will not....bend, reason, rationalize, get big picture, advance no viable argument—All based on feeling—what makes them happy/Pitiful way to go thru life/Distortion of CIRCUMSPECTION
Space Shuttle/O-ring failure/Heat-shield failure/NASA looks intently at every aspect of the launch/One of the more involved processes in the world/People & teams assigned to every aspect of the shuttle & its launch/NO Distortion of CIRCUMSPECTION
Buying a house/Neighborhood-Proximity to Work-Area-Child safety-Soundness-Stick built or Modular-Brick or wood-Gas or electric-Amount-Loan type-
Considering the house on Trex Rd./Looked okay on outside/Found bad mildew prob. in center crawlspace—Deal breaker/We noticed Well location/Outside lot boundaries & shared with father—Deal breaker/NO Distortion of CIRCUMSPECTION
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting CIRCUMSPECTION?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
17—A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by…
A Distortion of SUPERIORITY/Humility(:4c)
Explanation:(:4c)
:4—“traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”
—If one is “Headstrong” then they are naturally “Haughty” thinking too highly of themselves.
“Haughty/Highminded/Conceited”—tufow—To raise a smoke, to wrap in a mist; To blind with pride or conceit, to render foolish or stupid. A derivative of—tufw—meaning to cause or emit smoke; To smoke. Used 3X.
Careless/Disdainful/
Argumentation:
2Sam. 22:28—“You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.”
*Ps. 101:5—“Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look & a proud heart, Him I will not endure.”
Prov. 16:18—“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Prov. 18:12—“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”
Prov. 21:24—“A proud & haughty man-- “Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.”
Isa. 3:16—“Moreover the LORD says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking & mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet,”
*Dan. 8:25—““Through his[Antichrist] cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.”
Mat. 20:25-28—“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””
*—Christian superiority(as such) is centered in humility. If you want to be a great Christian, you must be humble.
1Cor. 2:1-2—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified.”
1Tim. 3:6—of an overseeer/bishop—“not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”
1Tim. 6:17-19—“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Illustrations:
Spider Man/Tobey Maguire plays a meek, mild-mannered person with tremendous ability/Uncle Ben—‘With great power, comes great responsibility’/Bad guys—Think themselves invincible, Their way is best/Distortion of SUPERIORITY
Matthew’s hiking/First attempt at the Appalachian Trail/No doubt pass some seasoned hikers with an attitude— ‘Ah! Newbies’/Their help is veiled in SUPERIORITY/Distortion of SUPERIORITY
Local Tree surgeon/Extensive Credentials shared/Honestly & without Conceit/Hired him/NO Distortion of SUPERIORITY
Pastors/Brag on the places they’ve been—Mission trips—Positions held—Congregation numbers—Money they make/Distortion of SUPERIORITY
Application:
?You guilty of Distorting SUPERIORITY?
?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?
CONCLUSION:
Selling the Ugly Suit & being bitten by the Seeing-eye dog.
Action:
A hostile(antagonistic) environment is produced by,
a distortion of….
15. Loyalty(:4a)
16. CIRCUMSPECTION / Uprightness(:4b)
17. SUPERIORITY/Humility(:4c)
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)
Presented 01/24/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
