Producers Of A Hostile Environment-3 Series

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?