The Attitude Of The Day

II Timothy 3:1-9

In the little town where I grew up, the Catholic nun was murdered by a teenager looking for money to buy drugs. A man murdered his daughter when her mother filed for divorce. High school football players raped and sodomized younger players. Both male and female teachers were arrested for sexual relations with junior high students. A waitress in a restaurant was murdered by an unknown customer. Two jail guards were arrested for providing weapons to inmates. Police officers leak information to drug traffickers to enable them to escape prosecution.

These are just some of the recent news from around our state. The lawless and self serving attitude is visible in every area of our culture. Politicians like Nancy Pelosi state that they will pass laws no matter what the people want. Lawyers and judges are found guilty of serious crimes. Bankers from Goldman Sachs fraudulently obtain bailouts. Other bankers deliberately increase fees when credit reform laws are passed to take as much as possible from their clients before the laws go into effect.

Financial investment firms defraud millions of investors of billions of dollars. Political figures take bribes and payoffs and betray their families. People knowingly take loans with no ability or intention of paying them back. Public employees embezzle millions from government accounts. Doctors and hospitals inflate charges to medicare and individuals. Movie actors shoplift and commit murder. Music lyrics encourage murder, racism, sexual perversion, rape and abuse. Reality shows portray sexual behavior, deceit and betrayal as desirable qualities. The good cops are criminal in most movies, they just kill ‘bad’ guys instead of everyone.

Half the children live in broken homes with no father figure to set an example. The media reports mostly murders, robberies, and violent criminal activity. Children placed in daycare when only a few months old, and schools and psychologists tell us there is no moral standard. Video games train people to plan crimes and provide practice killings. Even churches and religious organizations are so involved in political activism and fund raising they no longer teach moral standards. Is it any wonder that our society is in such a mess? God warned that it would become like this, even in the churches.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (II Timothy 3:1-5)

As Paul describes, even so called ‘Christians’ are self absorbed and self indulgent, greedy to get what they want. They claim credit for meaningless accomplishments and for what others have done. People are proud of things that ought to be shameful. Vile language, verbal abuse and innuendo are used to embarrass and discredit others.

Children have little or no respect for their parents, even abusing or killing them for telling them they can’t do something. There is little satisfaction with what people have, only bitterness that it is not more. There is no concern for whether something is right, but only whether it is expedient. Even the natural affection toward children and the opposite sex has been perverted, as in child molestation, homosexuality and promiscuity.

Even signed contracts provide no security. Lawyers make a business of finding ways to escape responsibilities. Unsubstantiated accusations and character assassination are considered normal. There is a lack of self control, whether of anger, sexual desires, eating, drug use, or alcohol. Fear is equated with respect, and meaningless violence maintains it. There is little loyalty to anything but self. Serious thought and planning have been replaced with illogical assumptions and ill considered actions, with total rejection of any other opinion as having merit.

Entertainment and pleasure has superseded any claims of God, as for example, churches canceling services on Superbowl Sunday, or people select a church on the basis of more exciting music or youth activities. While many profess to be Christians, there is little or no concern as to what God has actually said, even in supposedly strong churches.

We are to avoid so called Christians with such attitudes because they are dangerous to our own spiritual standing and that of others. I Corinthians 5:11-13 is very specific about the Christian’s responsibility in such cases. “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”

People with these attitudes take advantage of ignorance, and emotional and moral instability to gain control of others, promising superior knowledge and understanding, which they themselves lack.

“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” (II Timothy 3:6-9)

Like the magicians in Egypt, they provide no solutions, just delivering more of the same thing. Eventually people catch on that while their actions appear impressive. They actively oppose those who try to stand for the truth, trying to turn others to their ways. Titus 1:16 describes the situation. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

Eventually, it becomes obvious that there is nothing of value being offered and people turn away. It is impossible to deceive all the people forever. Close association implies we are part of the same lie.