Crooked Generation

We tell our kids this because we want them to be good kids and we know that who they spend time with will have an impact on whether or not they make the right choices or not.

But sometimes in our arrogance as adults we think that this only applies to kids. That somehow as adults we don’t need to worry about this kind of thing.

That somehow as adults we are more mature. That we aren’t so easily corrupted by the behavior and attitudes of those we surround ourselves with.

Let me tell you something. It is exactly that kind of arrogant thinking that has gotten so many Christians off track and prevented them from becoming mature followers of Christ.

For the last several weeks we have been looking to the book of Acts and looking at how Pentecost changed everything. And while this morning’s message isn’t directly tied to those messages, there is something we touched on that I want to further expand on today.

It was something that Peter said in Act 2 after he was baptized in the Holy Spirit and stepped forward to preach his first sermon.

Acts 2:38-40 NLT 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

It is the last part I am particularly interested in this morning when he said to “save yourselves from this crooked generation”.

What was Peter talking about? What did he mean by crooked generation. I mean that is a pretty strong condemnation isn’t it. He was essentially saying that the people alive at the time of his preaching, as a whole were crooked, bent, twisted, not good people.

In fact they were so crooked that Peter tells them they need to repent of their crooked ways; their sin, and turn to God.

This forces us to ask some questions.

Was Peter’s generation worse than others?

Just how bad was it?

Are we any better today?

The Bible answers those questions for us if we are willing to take the time to look at what it has to say.

Power in the Text

You see, Peter wasn’t just using dramatic language to shock his listeners into repenting. He was trying to get them to understand that things were much worse than they realized or were willing to accept.

The apostle Paul talked a lot about the world and those who live in it in his letters as well. In fact look at what he wrote to the Church in Philippi.

Philippians 2:12-15 NLT 12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Here we see this description of the world being crooked and perverse or twisted.

He says to those believers and to us that how we live matters. He says that our lives should be so different from the world, that they stand out like bright lights in a dark room.

Here the Bible tells us that the world we live in is dark, much darker than we realize and so it is of the utmost importance that our lives do not blend in with that darkness.

Paul takes this a step further in his letter to the Church in Corinth

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 NLT 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

Do you hear what he is saying here? He is saying that as Christians we need to avoid teaming up with, other translations say to not by yoked or bound together with unbelievers.

That is a strong statement. That as followers of Christ we shouldn’t be binding ourselves in relationships with unbelievers, why? Because according to scripture they are wicked. In fact he compares relationships with them to a relationship with the devil himself.

Why does he say this? What does Satan have to do with unsaved people.

1 John 5:18-19 NLT 18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

Ephesians 2:2 NLT 18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

Do you believe that this morning? That the world, including our unsaved friends and family are under the control of Satan himself.

That is exactly what the Bible is saying. And that is why Peter warns us to save ourselves from this crooked generation. A generation of people who are under the control and influence to Satan.

And this isn’t just the bad people we read about or watch on the news. Or those who have wronged us in some way. It isn’t just the criminals and the cheaters and the abusers.

Its our families, our best friends, our neighbors, our children, our parents, and anyone else who hasn’t given their lives to Jesus.

Big Idea/Why it Matters

And I don’t say any of this because want to. Who wants to paint such a negative picture of the world around us, especially those we love who don’t yet know Christ? I certainly don’t.

But what I want and what makes me comfortable is of little concern when we are talking about something of this magnitude.

We have Christians today who are spending all their time with people who don’t know Christ and it is quite literally destroying them.

And I am not talking about building relationships with unbelievers in order to share Christ with them. I am not talking about being involved in their lives so that we can be a good influence or point them to Jesus.

That is another thing entirely.

What I am talking about this morning and what scripture is warning us of is befriending the world and those who belong to it.

Listen to me this morning, friendship with the world means being an enemy of God.

I didn’t say that, Jesus half brother James did.

James 4:4-8 NLT 4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

James says here that friendship with the world is divided loyalty and God will have none of it. God doesn’t want half measures and half hearted commitments.

Jesus said that in order to find your life you have to lay it down. In other words, everything in this life, including our relationships must be offered up in sacrifice in order to truly follow him.

You can’t says to God, here take my life and everything in it. It all belongs to you. I am forsaking everything for you, except for those friendships and relationships, they mean too much to me. I want to keep them.

Peter said said that his generation, and by extension, ours is crooked and that we needed to save ourselves from it. The only way to do that is to be intentional about who we let into our lives.

Application/Closing

I am not saying that you cut people out of your life or that you shun your friends and family. But you need to remember something.

Romans 8:5-8 NLT 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

The truth is, your unsaved friends and family or lost. Furthermore, they are incapable fo pleasing God because they are being controlled by the enemy of their souls.

If your relationships with them aren’t pointing them to Christ, then all your are doing is fortifying and reinforcing their spiritual captivity.

And in addition to that, they are likely having a negative influence on you. You will find yourself doing and saying things you shouldn’t in order to not make waves.

You will also find that they are preventing you from maturing beyond a certain point because you can’t outgrow what you spend the most time with.

When I got saved I lost every single friend I had. Not because I cut them out of my life but because I refused to allow them to prevent me from going in the direction God was leading me.

So this mad them uncomfortable. They didn’t like when I said no to certain activities, things I used to be okay with. They didn’t like it because it brought conviction into their hearts.

They didn’t like when I would tell them about Jesus because it highlighted their sin and need for a savior.

It was easier for them to slowly not include me than it was to confront their own choices.

You know what, that was hard. It was painful. But you know what would have been worse. Saying nothing and going along to get along and eventually compromising what I knew to be true.

Or worse yet, giving them a false sense of security that it was okay to live like they were living because I wasn’t willing to speak up and warn them.

Someday you and I are going to have a front row seat to something called the Great White Throne Judgement. The book of Revelation talks about it. It is the final judgement that will take place at the end of the world when Jesus will do away with this world and everything in it and create a new heaven and a new earth.

Revelation 20:11-15 NLT 11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Judgement is inevitable. And those who’s names are not found in the book of life, in other words, did not give their allegiance to Jesus while they were living, will be cast into a lake of fire that burns fore eternity.

You and I will be there and we will see this take place and we will see our loved ones who chose not to surrender their lives to Jesus be thrown into this lake of fire.

And they will be wondering why you didn’t speak up and speak out against what they were doing? Why you went along with it? Did you really hate them so much that it was easier to say nothing than to risk them rejecting you?

Did they mean so little to you? At least if you spoke up and they rejected you for it, at least you could know you did what you could to warn them. But to say nothing, or worse go along with it, I don’t want to be there that day knowing that I could have said more, I could have done better at showing them I was different and why.

Is the world that bad, yes. And one day it will have to answer for it. Don’t become friends with it and be dragged down too.

Choose who gets your loyalty. Your earthly relationships, or Jesus. It can’t be both.

Related Media

Related Sermons