Matt. 24:37-39; Gen. 6:1-13; Signs: In the realm of Morals

4.     In the realm of morals.

a.     The Days of Noah, Mt. 24:37-39; Gen. 6:1-13 (eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, extreme sin, violence, evil imaginations, moral corruption.)

b.     The Days of Lot, Lk. 17:28-30; Gen. 19:1-9 (business as usual, eating and drinking, increased homosexuality.)

c.     Family disintegration, Mt. 24:38; 2 Tim. 3:2; Mt. 10:21.

d.     Hatred, Mt. 24:10,12.

e.     Selfishness, 2 Tim. 3:1-5 (detailed description).

                       i.      Illustrations of this today:

1.     Alcoholism (drunkenness) plagues 20 million in the USA.

2.     Rise in what we call terrorism.

3.     Attacks on marriage and family:

                                                   i.      “Who wants to marry a millionaire?” A TV program that reduces marriage desirability to mere finances. (Paving the way to the bachelor programs on current television.)

                                                    ii.      Provision by the government of more money (from $8.7 billion in 1994 to $14.6 billion in 1999) and programs to be surrogate mother for your children.

                                                   iii.      Half of couples “shack up” before marriage.

                                                    iv.      RU486 (abortion pill) introduced to USA this year.

                                                    v.      Post sexual-revolution “sex with no responsibility” is not so great: now the guy goes to college, doesn’t need to appear at the door with flowers, doesn’t have to sit through a chick-flick, doesn’t need to deal with parents, is under no obligation to call the next day. (All these thoughts from Joseph Collison, New Oxford Review, May 2000, p31-33.)

When America decided that it was easier to give children the pill than to teach them the virtue of abstinence, we guaranteed a harvest of the bitter fruit of increased drug use, increased pregnancy rates, increased venereal disease, and increased rates of suicide, but we still don’t get it.

                                                   vi.      Cyberporn.

1.     63% of men attending one marriage seminar admitted to struggles in this area.

2.     Focus on the Family: 1 in 7 calls to pastoral care department dealt with this.

                                                   vii.      Gambling.

1.     5% of 20 million teens are pathological gamblers.

2.     Internet gambling began in 1995; by 1998 the amount of revenue generated had risen to $919.1 million.

3.     In Montana (my state) it’s all over!

                                                   viii.      Spirituality.

1.     One writer: “Spirituality asks you to find God within and then find the religion that matches that interpretation” – the old ‘all roads lead to Rome’ approach.

2.     Flexidoxy, as seen in Mar. 27, ’00 Newsweek, “the other Jesus.”

a.     Judaism sees Jesus as an admirable Jew, but not as God’s Son.

b.     Islam teaches Jesus was born of a virgin, that Jesus and Mary were untainted by sin, and that Jesus ascended to heaven; but He did not actually die for us since that would have meant that Allah had failed Him.

c.     Buddhism sees similarities between Jesus and Buddha … both born of a virgin, both tempted, enlightened, miracle workers, and opposed to the religious establishment.

d.     POINT: There are differences, but other religions are seeking to “re-image” Christ like their leader.

                   ii.      Three laws of society:

1.     Everything is relative.

2.     Everyone and everything must be tolerated.

3.     Love is the supreme value (but each of us must decide for himself what love is).