Care for each other!!

2 Tim 3:1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.

2 Tim 3:2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

2 Tim 3:3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.

INTRODUCTION

We're all familiar with this section, we'll begin in verse 1 because it describes the age and the time that we're living in today. I think it gives a precise description of what we see happening around us today in society in this world.

We read here

II Timothy 3:1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.

Verse 2 - For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

But notice:

Verse 3 - They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.

"Unloving and unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal," and on it goes.

The "New King James Version" translates this as unloving in verse 3 as one of the characteristics that we would see at the end time, that people would not have the natural love.

It also ties it in with unforgiving, so you have "unloving and unforgiving"

"King James Version" of the Bible translates verse 3 - "without natural affection."

So not only is it talking about unloving, but in essence in the Greek it does have this meaning; that humans do not have the natural affection, the natural tenderness and love and care and concern that they should have.

The New Revised Standard Version translates it "inhuman, implacable," so that we see characteristics that are inhuman.

And I think when you begin to stop and you begin to analyze, who is it that is the unseen force in society, who influences mankind?

You realize that it is Satan the devil, and his attitudes and approaches rub off on people all the time, and if we're not careful we can be overcome by this age, by it's approach, by it's philosophy, by its attitudes.

It's very easy for them to begin to rub off on us, because as we live in this world, yet not a part of the world, yet we have to rub shoulders with people.

We find that sometimes these attitudes can begin to come into our lives and into our families.

Rom 1:24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies.

It's describing here what happens when biblical standards are thrown out the window, when people just throw out the window God's way of life's standards and law.

Rom 1:25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Rom 1:26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

You see, when people throw out the window the standards, then people begin to follow their own lusts, their own desires, their own mind, they forget God.

And you find that today under the guise of having understanding, under the guise of acceptance, not judging others that many of these things are acceptable in our society.

Yet notice verse 28 - (Sort of a summary statement here.)

Rom 1:28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

So what happens to a society, to a group of people when they do not retain the knowledge of God, the way of God?

Well God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things that are not fitting, so people's minds are affected.

When you reject God's laws, ways and standards it affects your mind, you begin to reason in a different way; and you'll find there is a different spirit there that begins to influence people.

Notice verse 29; it goes on to show what happens -

Rom 1:29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

Rom 1:30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

Rom 1:31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.

So again, here is a description of society, the natural outcome of rejecting God's law.

But as verse 31 shows, notice what this leads to; Rejecting God’s law leads to people who are unloving, (heartless).

This is the same Greek word that was used in II Timothy 3:3 that we read earlier and it means "without natural affection", so we live in an age, again, when natural affections, natural tenderness, love and care are stifled, and they're simply not there.

Again we see unloving and unforgiving tied together; and why would these two be tied together in the scriptures?

But another element is added and it says, "unmerciful" or have no mercy.

As we move through this sermon we'll see that unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful are tied together.

I think this certainly describes society around us, which reflects Satan's attitude and approach.

Notice the "New Revised Standard Version" translates Romans 1:31 this way -

Verse 31 - It says "foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless".

"Heartless and ruthless," and so it is a description too often of what goes on around us.

In Matthew 24 beginning in verse 9, Jesus Christ shows here why some of these attitudes would be in the end time, and it ties in with exactly what we've read so far.

Matthew 24:9 is talking here about the events that lead up to the time of the tribulation).

Matt 24:9 "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are My followers.

Matt 24:10 And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.

Matt 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

See these are all events that take place in the age that we live in.

Now look at verse 12

Matt 24:12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

In other words Because of the lack of obedience to God's law, "Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold."

So we're told because of this attitude being in our society, "the love of many will" simply "grow cold." You will not wax hot, fervent, but "grow cold."

Matt 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

So this shows that we have to continue to endure; to grow, to the very end.

What we need to realize is lawless ways of thinking, ideas rub off on us without us even recognizing it sometimes; they begin to become acceptable.

And I think how we treat one another also is affected by this.

Let's look at John 13, Christ described who his disciples would be in John 13:34 -

John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.

So the hallmark, the stamp, the sign of who God's people are, the main characteristics of true Christians is that we would "love one another."

That means that we care for one another. That we have care and concern; it means how we treat, how we respond to each other.

We need to be aware of the influences of society in this age upon us. You know this is why God said we are not to "love the world", it's standard; because it's standards are just the opposite. God's way, His standards; we needed to be reminded of how we need to treat one another.

We need to realize that if we're not careful, that we will not have the care and concern for each other that we should. A Christian is supposed to be different.

Now when I say different, I don't mean odd, or strange, but we're to live by God's standards; to be motivated to love and to serve one another.

We need to make sure that our focus and our concern is on others and not just on ourselves, that our focus is on others.

Now let's go over to Matthew 22 and see what Christ said should be our focus. Matthew 22:36

Matt 22:36 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"

Matt 22:37 Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'

Matt 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matt 22:39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Now how are you going to love your neighbor as yourself unless you focus on him some?

If your mind is just totally on yourself, you can't love your neighbor as yourself.

The word love here in the Greek means to be fond of, to love dearly.

So if you're going to love your neighbor as yourself, to be fond of him and to love them dearly, then there has to be a focus where you love them as much as you love yourself.

We need to be thinking about others and how to care for them, how to serve them.

1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

This is what we want to focus on here today:

We read simply this - "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

God cares for us, you and I are to copy God. He cares for us and we should care and love one another.

Song: (Unraveling )

You know one thing I think sometimes it's hard for us to realize; I know that there are a number of people probably sitting out there today who think "nobody could care for me; I mean how could God care for me"?

I'm such a sinner, or I make so many mistakes, or I have so many faults, and we all wrestle with this, knowing our humanness, knowing how weak we are, knowing what we struggle with.

Many times we wonder, you know, "how could God truly love me?"

And yet the Bible shows that God cares for us. God cared so much that "He gave His only begotten Son." He sent His Son to this earth; Christ loved us so much He was willing to die for us.

It is God's divine nature to be caring. It's part of His divine nature to be caring for His creation, for His people. Caring is a God’s attribute. It is an attribute that God has that you and I are to learn, and that we are to copy.

Caring is how God operates. God is a caring being. He is a loving being. It is the way His mind thinks; He cares for us. He loves us; He's concerned for us.

Matt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

Matt 25:35 For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home.

Matt 25:36 I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.'

So God has prepared a kingdom for us from the very beginning. Now He begins to show who is going to be in God's kingdom, let me summarize these. I want you to notice all of the action words -

Verse 35-36 - (paraphrased) hungry you gave, thirsty you gave, stranger took me in, naked you clothed me, sick you visited me, prison you came.

Notice all of these words, what are they? They are action; they show action. It doesn't say hungry you thought about me; thirsty, and you just hoped I got something to drink; or stranger, and you say "well, go away, I hope you find a place to stay", or you …I was in prison and you hope somebody else would come visit me.

No, these are action words that show action on the part of the individual, and here it says you were in prison and you came.

Apostle Paul said this:

1 Thess 2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

So you find here that Paul, in dealing with the church, in dealing with the membership in the church was not a harsh taskmaster.

He was not one who just sort of ruled over people, banged heads together and kicked people around, but he said, "we were gentle among you," even "as a nurse who warmly cherishes her children."

Now what this is talking about is tender care; when you have a newborn baby and that baby is first born, and you have little children; you look after them, you tenderly care for them, you hold them, a mother who nourishes a child.

Did you ever see a mother who's breastfeeding her children, and holds that child very close to her breast, and looks at that child, loves that child; gently holds that child, plays with the child; the child coos, and makes all kinds of sounds.

This is what this is talking about. This is the attitude; this is the approach “tender care and loving” that we are supposed to have with one another. And Paul said this is the way he was as a minister in dealing with the church. He was gentle, and he cherished them.

1 Thess 5:14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

1 Thess 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.