A Time to Examine Survival Culture

Introduction

There is a plague in our society that has been growing by leaps and bounds for the last 60 years. I don’t think it surprising that as we as a nation have lost Biblical focus, this industry has ballooned.

Now what I’m going to address today, it’s quite probable that some of you will not get it. Some of you might think that this topic / industry has nothing to do with God and the Bible. But before I continue on, I want to say that everything in life has some sort of Spiritual connection or impact to it - in some form or another. From the:

Words that we say

Thoughts that we think

Places that we go

Music we listen to

Television that we watch

Sports that we play

Hobbies that we engage in

Clothes we choose to wear

To the foods we choose to eat

Everything to some degree has a Spiritual / Biblical connection or impact to it - some are just more noticeable than others.

Today I’m going to speak to you about what I call “Survival Culture” - What it is, how it impacts us and the proper Biblical perspective concerning it.

Our text comes from a portion of what is known as Paul’s message at Mars’ hill - and the principles that Paul lays out in these verses are the foundation of the message, and we’ll reference them as we go.

Before we get there though, we need to lay some groundwork first.

I. The Description of Survival Culture

It’s Driving Force

The Survivalist Culture is bred by the ‘Survive at all Costs’ mentality - whatever the price: morally or monetarily, I am going to survive.

(Ill.) There have been a couple movies based on true stories that exemplify this mentality:

One was of a hiker that got his arm pinned while out hiking. He ended up doing as animals have been known to do and cut his own arm off to free himself to give him an opportunity to survive.

The other was of a soccer? team where their plane crashed in the frigid mountains. In order to survive, they chose to eat portions of those that had died in the plane crash to keep from starving.

Two things: I’m not blaming nor excusing the actions of those that made these choices, as I’ve never been in those situations. However, Biblically speaking, one would be permissible while the other is not.

But I give those examples because in many ways, it’s the same type of mentality that drives most Americans today - that thought process that the great goal in life is to live as long as we possibly can.

The Survival Culture’s driving force is a desire to live physically by any means necessary. In that, it has a deceitful partner.

It’s Deceitful Partner

There is an enabler, and encourager to get and keep this type mindset, and it’s found in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industries - the MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX if you will.

Now before I continue, I want you to understand that I’m not speaking against Healthcare as a general rule nor am I saying that all medications are bad. This is NOT a blanket indictment on all medical workers or doctors within the industry.

What I AM saying is that as a general rule, the Healthcare and Drug industries are misguided, manipulative and operate in a fashion to stoke and play off your fears and keep you just sick enough to make as much money off you as they can, for as long as they can.

How many doctors encourage natural remedies as opposed to drugs? Now ask yourself why?

It is because they are unproven?

Can man do better than God can?

Or is it because you can’t patent and make an insane profit on it?

How many doctors will refuse to write prescriptions for something that diet and exercise would fix?

How many follow-ups, tests & ‘check-ups’ are needlessly prescribed?

There is a reason why Healthcare is almost 20% of America’s GDP. (GDP being the total market value of the goods and services produced within the US in one year)

In addition to that, over 70% of the drugs we consume are not even manufactured in America

On a list of biggest industries in the US in 2024, it reads as thus:

Commercial Banking in the US - 1.359.7B

Hospitals in the US - 1.331.8B

Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling in the US - 1.331.6B

Health & Medical Insurance in the US - 1.328.4B

Pharmaceuticals Wholesaling in the US - 1.296.9B

In other words - 4 of the top 5 industries in America are Healthcare related.

According Research from the Peterson Ctr. on Healthcare & KFF Health, in 2022 the Life expectancy for Americans was 77.5y while we are spending almost 13k per capita. The comparable country avg. life expectancy is 82.2 while only spending about half.

A Destructive Duo

On the one hand, you have a system that makes more fiscal sense to keep you sick than make you better.

On the other hand, you have fallen humanity - who has a natural fear of the God-ordained punishment is death.

When you couple these together, you have what I call ‘Survival Culture’.

There is the Description of Survival Culture. Next we’ll look at the Damage of Survival culture

II. The Damage of Survival Culture

Some will say ‘What’s the big deal - live and let try to live’

What I hope you show you today is that this mentality is damaging.

It Diverts Our Resources

Whether it be in insurance premiums, copays, out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles, prescriptions, etc… how much money are we spending to ‘keep us healthy’?

I’d mentioned already that on average, per capita (per person) health expenditures are about 13k. Any guess to what that number was in 1960? 146 - adjusted for inflation that’s still 9x the amount it was then.

You take any expenditure that you have - whether it’s mortgage, electric, groceries, insurance and if you only had to pay 11% of that, tell me it wouldn’t make a difference in your life.

(Ill.) If your mortgage is $1,000/mo. and suddenly it’s only $110/mo.?

Isn’t there other aspects of life you could use that money?

It diverts our Resources

It Drains us Emotionally

This constant concern placed before our eyes - the concern of mortality and the desire to escape it at all cost is one that drains us emotionally.

Jesus said this: Luke 12:22–26 “And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”

Jesus said - “None of you can add to your height, what makes you think that by taking thought and worry you can add one day to your life?

This type of anxiety will drain you emotionally

It Detours our Concentration

What I mean is that if we are constantly concerned about surviving in this world, then we cannot focus on other things.

(Ill.) Common sense tells me that the more I focus on THIS, the less I can focus on THAT

There are things in life that demands our focus. They demand our attention - this is not one of those things! And if we’re focusing on this, then the things that God hath ordained for us to focus on are suffering because of it.

It Detours our Concentration

It at Best Delays the Inevitable

All of this money

All of this worry

All of this focusing on surviving

AT BEST simply DELAYS THE INEVITABLE! We’re all going to die!

(From our text) Acts 17:26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”

James 4:13–14 “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Ecclesiastes 3:2 “A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”

In fact, every one of us has an appointment with death.

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

It is SUCH A WASTE spending your life trying to avoid a death that is going to come to you regardless!

(Ill.) There’s a man by the name of Bryan Johnson. He’s 45yo, and he’s a rich CEO that is spending $2 million / year trying to reverse the aging process. His people say ‘He’s got the body of a 40yo! So the moral of the story is, he’s spending a fortune of money, the majority of his time doing regimented exercise and various therapies - but do you know what? He’s going to die too. Not only is he going to die as well, but he’s not living in the mean time TRYING not to die! Tell me what good does all of that do?

This is an extreme case of a common mindset - survival culture.

There is the Description of Survival Culture. The Damage of Survival culture, lastly Deliverance from the Survivalist Mindset

III. Deliverance from the Survivalist Mindset

How do we get rid of this what Zig Ziglar would call ‘Stinkin’ Thinkin’?

I’m going to give you three things, but all of them center around you.

There is no magic formula, there is no secret remedy - deliverance from this poisonous mindset has everything to do with CHOICE.

Determine to Live Biblically by Faith

The Importance of Faith

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Concerning Faith, there is no substitute.

It is the Agent of Salvation:

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

It is the Fuel of Answered Prayer:

James 1:5–7 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

It is the Cause of Mountains being moved:

Matthew 21:21–22 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

It is Attributed to great acts of History:

Hebrews 11:33–35 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:”

If you think you can live a successful Christian life without Faith, you’re sorely mistaken! Faith is VITAL

But you do understand that we have something to have Faith in, right? Paul said: Acts 17:24–25 “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

The Importance of Faith

The Employment of Faith

You simply believe God

Trust that God’s Word is True - and if you do that, you’ll:

Trust that God’s in Control

Trust that the Spiritual > than the Physical

Trust that God has a plan

Trust that God knows what He’s doing

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” - If you love God, then what do you have to worry about? But do you know what I find - many say they love God, but few do. All love what God does and can do for them, but few actually love God - because if you Love God, you’ll keep His commandments: John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

(Ill.) [This may be still a sore subject for some, but here it is anyway]. Here a few years ago we had what they called ‘The pandemic’. We had people freaking out about Covid (Some still freaking out about it). People were so concerned, they wouldn’t even come to church! I mean, they’d go to the grocery store where everybody else was at - but they wouldn’t go to church, where hardly anybody was at! Do you know who wasn’t concerned about it? Do you know why? It’s not because I’m super brave or anything, or because I am ignorant or stupid - I just believed the Bible. I figured a few things were at play. Either:

God brought a plague, and if I was to be consumed by it, no amount of vaccines or social distancing was going to save me from it.

God was bigger than Covid - and He had the ability to keep it from me if He wanted to.

I would get Covid and either get sick or die. And if I did, it was simply my appointed time and God would use it for good as He promised.

All of these principles I held regardless of who it was. I trusted this for my sake, my wife, my children - my elderly parents

Employing Faith is simply CHOOSING to believe God - that’s all it is.

The Result of Faith

The result of faith is that you get a peace of mind that you don’t have otherwise.

If I don’t concern myself with things that are beyond my control, then I’m not concerned about things that are beyond my control!

You see, there are things that I need to worry about, and there are things that God needs to worry about - and we get those two confused too often.

The Result of Faith is Peace

Choose a Different Point of Focus

Instead of focusing on God’s Job, choose to focus on ours.

As stated - we have things to worry about, and we should worry about that.

I have some questions:

How come so few Christians are worried about reading their Bible?

How come so few Christians are worried about spending adequate time in prayer?

How come so few Christians are worried about spreading the Gospel?

How come so few Christians are worried about living Holy?

How come so few Christians are worried about giving their tithes and offerings (tithes AND offerings…)

(Ill.) Again, the more I focus HERE, the less I focus HERE. Let God worry about His responsibilities - He’s far more capable of them than you are.

Choose a Different Point of Focus

Be Deliberate in your Priorities

Choose to prioritize the Spiritual over the Physical

We have a problem in the church today. I believe what Paul protested is coming to fruition in America: 2 Timothy 4:2–4 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

We have become desirous of being entertained where we’re at instead of seeking Higher Ground!

If you want Deliverance from that mindset - set your priorities deliberately - and it looks like this:

Look to be enlightened instead of entertained. Sometimes the truth hurts, but know it’s something to embrace rather than run from.

Prioritize Spiritual things over Physical things. Eternal life > Temporal life; Eternal riches > Temporal riches.

Realize that money going to missions is worth far more than your money going to your car payment.

Jesus said: Matthew 6:19–20 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

If we’re focused on Eternal things, we’ll not be troubled by the temporal

Conclusion

And so all that leaves you with this choice: Either you can accept the truths which were presented today, choose to live by faith and not by sight - watch your faith grow (for the only way for it to grow is to exercise it), OR you can buck up and disregard the words of the preacher and live in a state of fear in the inevitable.

You know, Healthcare is one of those industries that is recession proof. During the Obama recession and the economic downturn in the midst of and after Covid, they were still building hospitals.

Do you know another industry that is recession proof? That of the undertaker.