Producers Of A Hostile Environment-4 Series

PRODUCERS of a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT-IV—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.

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

The last days will be characterized by a hostile(antagonistic) environment.

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?

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. SEPARATION(:2h)

9. AFFECTION(:3a)

10. RECONCILIATION(:3b)

11. ACCLAIM(:3c)

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

A Distortion of Control(:3d)

Explanation:(:3d)

:3—“unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,”

“Without self-control/Incontinent”—akrathv—Without self control, intemperate. From: —kratov—Force, strength; Power, might; Dominion.

‘Control’(Eng.)—To determine, limit & regulate the behavior of.

Unrestrained by even natural ability. Self-will rules!

If there is No objective truth, truth is determined at the individual level.

Argumentation:

Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”

Jude 16, 18; 2Pet. 3:3—....“walking according to their own lusts...”, “...walking according to their own ungodly lusts...”; “....scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,”

—Living from one lust to the next!

2Pet. 1:5-8—“But....giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Gal. 5:22-25—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Illustration:

*A government without self-control becomes dictatorial of either 1)The people’s whims(anarchy) or 2)A man’s(totalitarian) whims. Spending thru the roof, Everyone on Govt. payroll/Distortion of CONTROL

Personal finances go haywire/finest of clothes, Meals out, Extravagant Vacations/Maxed-out Credit cards/Distortion of CONTROL

Buy houses beyond need—Maxed-out Morgages/House poor/Distortion of CONTROL

Eating/Gluttony encouraged/Eating Contests/Diets way of life to the exclusion of moderation/Distortion of CONTROL

Lawyers seek unbelievable settlements for rediculous lawsuits/Distortion of CONTROL

Craig’s List/Used for Murderers - Child Trafficking-Prostitution/Distortion of CONTROL

Chain smokers/One right after the other/No thought of stopping/Becomes habitual addiction/Distortion of CONTROL

You Tube videos/Anything goes/Distortion of CONTROL

TV show ‘Jackass’/No Propriety/Cult notoriety/Distortion of CONTROL

Kanye West’s(hip-hop-& rap) remarks during 2009 VMAwards/Interrupted Taylor Swift’s award to state his opinion that Beyonce’s video was better/Distortion of CONTROL

Mike Tyson —Feb. 10, 1992—Convicted of rape—June 28, 1997— Bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear/Distortion of CONTROL

*We’ve become a nation without CONTROL!

Application:

?You guilty of Distorting CONTROL?

?You contribute to a Hostile Environment or a Friendly/Benign one?

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

A Distortion of HUMAN DIGNITY/Humaneness(:3e)

Explanation:(:3e)

:3—“unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,”

“Brutal/Fierce”—anhmerov—Not tame, savage, fierce. From—hemerov —lame.

—Used only here in Scripture.

Animal-like

Animal cruelty is closely related to human brutality.—Disregards the freedoms of innocence.

Argumentation:

Gen. 49:5-7—Jacob’s blessing his sons—“Simeon & Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.”

Rev. 13:1-2—“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads & ten horns, & on his horns ten crowns, & on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, & his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, & great authority.”

Rev. 3:11-12—“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, & he had two horns like a lamb & spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, & causes the earth & those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”

Dan. 8:23—“And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.”