Sermon Tone Analysis

*TRIVIAL PURSUIT*

*How In The World Will We Live – Part 5*

*1 Timothy 6:17*

*Feb.

9th ‘03*

 

/"God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."/

1 Timothy 6:17b

 

/"In the last days... there will be people who prefer good times to worshipping God."/  2 Timothy 3:4 (GN)

 

*1.

THE DANGERS OF PURSUING PLEASURE:*

 

*       ~*     It wastes my life*

/ /

/               "... by the pleasures of living, the life is choked out of them, and they produce nothing."

/Luke 8:14 (Ph)

 

*       ~*     It causes conflict with others*

/ /

/               "Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from?

They come from your desires for pleasure..."/ James 4:1 (GN)

* *

*       ~*     It tempts me to do wrong*

/ /

/               "... there is pleasure in sin for a short time."/

Heb.

11:25

* *

*       ~*     It leads to boredom*

/ /

/               "I decided to enjoy myself... Anything I wanted, I got.

I did not deny myself any pleasure.

Then I thought about all I had done... and I realized it didn't mean a thing.

It was like chasing the wind -- of no use at all."/  Eccl.

2:1, 10-11 (GN)

 

*       ~*     It will destroy my character*

/ /

/               "The (one) who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives."/  1 Tim.

5:6

 

*Pleasure comes in four stages.*

Phase one is fascination.

Phase two is preoccupation.

Phase three is addiction.

Phase four is destruction.

/               "Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite."/

Ph.

3:19 (LB)

 

*2.

HOW SHOULD I LIVE IN A PLEASURE-OBSESSED CULTURE?*

 

*       ~*     Remember the real purpose of life*

/               "From now on, live the rest of your lives controlled by God's will not by human desires.

You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans do.

Your lives were spent in indecency, lust, drunkenness, orgies, and drinking parties...

And now... when you don't join them... they insult you.

But they will give an account of themselves to God..."/  1 Peter 4:2-4 (GN)

 

       *~*     Enjoy balanced living *

 

/               "For the earth, and every good thing in it, belongs to the Lord, and is yours to enjoy."/  1 Cor.

10:26 (LB)

 

/               "... but I am not going to let anything dominate me."/ 1 Cor.

6:12 (JB)

 

       *~*     Avoid destructive pleasures*

 

/               "For the grace of God... teaches us to say `No' to worldly passions and live self-controlled lives..."/ Titus 2:11-12

 

/               "For we ourselves were once... slaves to passion and pleasures of all kinds...

But when the kindness and love of God appeared, he saved us ... and gave us a new life."/

Titus 3:3-5 (GN)

\\ *TRIVIAL PURSUIT*

*How In The World Will We Live – Part 5*

*1 Timothy 6:17*

*Feb.

9th ‘03*

 

We're in a series I'm calling "How In The World Will We Live".

I'd like for us to look today at how do you survive in a pleasure-crazed or pleasure seeking culture.

The fact is, God made us with the capacity to enjoy pleasure.

It was His idea.

He gave you five senses -- hear, taste, touch, smell, and feel.

Life was meant to be enjoyed not just endured.

And God made you to enjoy the world as part of the benefits of it.

But the problem is, today in our culture, pleasure seeking has become an obsession.

It's not just a good thing, like God says, but it's the goal of life.

It's the ultimate value.

For many people having fun -- pleasure -- is their god.

God says in 1 Timothy 6:17 /"He richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."/

He also says in 2 Timothy 3:4 /"In the last days there will be people who prefer good times to worshipping God."/  Do you know anybody like that?  Especially in B.C. which is such a renowned area for leisure and entertainment activities.

That's no surprise to any of us.

So we live in this culture where pleasure is god.

The fact is, these kinds of things indicate that we live in a very experience oriented society.

The ultimate question is "How does it make me feel?"

I went the other day to get some gas at a Shell station.

I put in my credit card and get this receipt.

It said, "Shell Oil Company.

Experience the difference!"

How much can you experience in a gas station?

What's the difference than pumping at Petro Can or Tempo?  "Experience the difference!"

Even the oil companies are into this experience thing.

It's the big item of life.

I an article this week called The Unreality Industry.

It said pleasure is now big business in North America.

It's what drives the economy.

We're in a 24-hour entertainment society now.

Everything has to entertain us, even the news on the television has to be entertaining.

You go into a bank and stand in line and they've got things on the walls to read so you're entertained while you're waiting in line.

Men, have you ever gone into walk into a restaurant washroom and seen the sports page on a bulletin board right in front of your face as you’re using the urinal?

Even church has to be entertaining for many people today.

Our whole society is built on this, "Let's have fun".

In today's environment it's easy to be caught up in it to the point that you begin to think like everybody else does, that my whole purpose in life is to just enjoy myself.

That's just not true.

Life is much more significant that you being put here on earth to simply enjoy yourself.

In fact, there are many, many dangers associated with making pleasure your ultimate goal in life.

God says pleasure's good but it should never be your goal.

I've written down five dangers: 

 

*1.

It wastes my life.*

You weren't put here on earth to simply lay out by a pool and watch tv.

God has a greater purpose for your life.

He wants you to be productive, not just to take up space and have fun.