Worldliness

So yes you can be legalistic about what you watch or don’t watch, about what music you download or don’t, what clothes you buy BUT you can be legalistic about ANYTHING. It isn’t a rule issue but a heart issue.

The answer to legalism isn’t dropping all standards for media we consume but responding properly to the grace of God found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

C. We think we are exempt from worldliness

- Druggies, prostitutes, potty mouths THOSE ARE THE WORLDLY

- We are church goers, crew members, Bible studiers and Wednesday worshipers - outwardly not a hint of worldliness

- But id ask you, is your lifestyle OBVIOUSLY different than non Christians?

- If I’m doing a blind test with the objective of figuring out who is the Christian and who is not and my choices are you and a non believer.

- If I were given 2 reports filled with:

- Conversations

- List of people they follow

- Shows they watch

- Leisure time

- Spotify playlists

- Wardrobe choices

- Thoughts

- And dreams

- Would I be able to tell you apart? Could I see a clear difference between you and the people on your campus?

The people who think they are exempt from worldliness are most prone to it.

You may seem clean on the outside BUT LOVE THE WORLD on the inside

For example:

- If you are following certain people because they post somewhat scandalous content, that you secretly want to catch a glimpse of … then you are

- If you watch an inappropriate show or movie on Netflix, are convicted by what you see but suppress that feeling by thinking “Ill just fast forward through the bad parts” … then you are loving the world

- If you listen to music filled with the glorification of sin, and know it’s wrong yet ignore the conviction and listen on KNOWING your excuse is “I just like the beat”… then you are loving the world

- If you look at your closet in the morning and put on the things that you know and want to grab that persons attention… then you are loving the world

TRANSITION

2. What He thinks

1 John 2:15-24 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

There is no mistaking the point of this verse. John is explicitly clear that we cannot and must not love this world or anything in this world. This is our command against worldliness.

Respectable Sins Student Edition: The Truth About Anger, Jealousy, Worry, and Other Stuff We Accept Chapter 20: Worldly

Worldliness means accepting the values, attitudes, and practices of the nice but unbelieving society around us without discerning whether or not those values, attitudes, and practices are biblical. Worldliness is just going along with the culture around us as long as that culture is not obviously sinful

We need to re-evaluate the common things we do and share with the world. And there are 3 areas in which I’d like to do that with you tonight. Lets looks at What God thinks about what we WATCH, LISTEN TO and WEAR.

A. What we watch

The first 3 chapters of Eph is all on God’s grace, that we are saved through the gospel that Jesus lived perfectly and died in our place and took our punishment, so that if we would believe in Him we can have the gift of eternal life. ITS AMAZING and its only after all of the talk on God’s grace that commands come. In chapter 4 Paul says walk in a manner worthy of your calling. And now ch 5 he brings that into the context of our relationship with the world

Ephesians 5:1–14 (NASB95) — 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

Well this passage has a high standard for the purity of believers

I hope you hear some themes in there that are EVERYWHERE in what we watch

But allow me to emphasize verse 8-10 for you.

We are called to discern what is pleasing to God. and also what is displeasing

Look back at the intensity of verse 3 “Not be named” - there can be NO HINT OF IMPURITY

Paul goes on in Ephesians 5 there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting

Filthiness = obscenity, vulgar or foul language

Silly / foolish talk = that mocks God and his moral law

Coarse jesting = humor with sexual overtones

Now with all of those things in mind evaluate the things you have watched in the past week. On insta, tik tok, youtube and netflix - we’d be fools to say that the things listed in Ephesians 5 don’t exist in the things we watch.

This requires intentional and critical evaluation of what we allow our eyes to see.

Most of us can open up instagram with our eyes closed and rarely think twice about tapping that app. We rarely ever consider what God thinks of the accounts we choose to follow and fill our feed. Or what he thinks about the youtuber we subscribe to or netflix series we watch. However, we must because HE CARES. He is jealous for the purity of His people.

We must ask, “does this content tempt me with sexually impure thoughts or actions? If you say yes, there must not be a hint of it on your screen

Ask, “Does what I am watching joke about the things which Christ died for” - There must be NONE of it

Does this media paint sin in an attractive or positive light? - Do away with it

Jesus died for for the impure sins of impure people so that we can live new lives transformed by His death and resurrection. Don’t walk or watch in darkness.

B. What we listen to

Im talking specifically music.

Our favorite music is very important. Now I know the response coming: I don’t listen for the words. Well… why not?

Christians are called to do all things to the glory of God and of all people we should be asking what songs really mean.

Consider the danger of disconnecting lyrics from music. We are then just allowing the music to freely affect us because we pay no attention to the words AND when we allow that to become habitual it makes Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship nearly impossible.

And also if you don’t even pay attention to the words than how do you know them? If you know the chorus… you listen to the words.

So for tonight I am totally not counting the “I just listen for the rhythm” because A. thats a bad habit that affects worship and B. its usually not true

Now, God gives us a guidline for the things that we are to dwell on, this includes what we watch, think about and what we listen to...

Phil 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

When we allow that verse to be the backdrop of todays popular music we see how far short most songs come. In fact its not that they are even missing the mark but that they are celebrating animosity towards God and His holiness.

Ultimately, Music is meant to grow our love for the creator of music itself. Yet when we listen to ungodly music with no discernment it grows our love for the world and the things in it. Without us evening recognizing it.

I don’t assume that because you listen to a sexually explicit song you will immediately have illicit sex BUT continual exposure to impurity through song will weaken your defense and could eventually sear your conscience, allowing sin to become easier and easier to commit and allowing your love for the world to grow greater and greater.

So a helpful question to ask as you evaluate your music is, “Can I thank God for this?” Because Music is a gift from God BUT ALL SIN is twisting Gods good gifts into what they shouldn’t be. Instead of a song that beautifully extols the perfect purity of God for us to enjoy it turns into a song that glorifies impurity that God hates.

So again I ask, Can you thank God for each and every song on your playlists? Now if you’re like me the answer is NO and that doesn’t mean “Oh Well, I guess we just wait until heaven where it will be sorted out” but you join me in the sacrifice of giving up certain songs, albums and artists. That you Sacrifice looking cool and being relevant TO PLEASE OUR GOD because we know that he sacrificed SO MUCH MORE for us.

Jesus sacrificed his life for YOU to save you from an eternity in Hell. Save you from a discontent life even now. Will you sacrifice ungodly music for Him? I hope so...

Because really, Music doesn’t create sin in our hearts in reveals what’s already there. If it is too much to give it up you may need to ask why. I pray you don’t let a love for the lust of flesh, eyes and pride TRUMP your love for the saviour.

C. What we wear

I like clothes, me and Brooke will often go look for clothes for fun, but that can be an expensive habit so we are usually at savers and goodwill. I will admit my fashion sense has highly improved since marrying Brooke.

Previously I had ear rings, skinny jeans, and active button ups. Then i transitioned to just wearing soccer sweats and a hoodie because “Ball is life”. In my upper class-men days I pretty much just wanted to look like Edward Cullen so that meant turtle necks over coats and crazy hair.

Now i don’t claim to be a fashion icon but i will say if you like something I wear it is because Brooke picked it out. I take no credit. If it was up to me i really don’t know how I’d look. Probably like a mis matched athlete wearing lulu lemon and a cowboy hat.

But I say this because God has created women with the ability to make themselves and their surrounding beautiful. It’s an amazing thing, especially for places like ikea. However, the area of dress is also a danger of immodesty.

I speak on the issue of modesty because God did first and it is part of His all sufficient Word that YOU NEED.

1 Timothy 2:9 “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,”

Guys can too BUT this verse is directed towards women .

This verse is not so much concerned with the length of your shorts as it is with the state of your heart.

Modesty is primarily a heart issue expressed through dress.

Modest = humility expressed in dress

Immodesty = pride expressed in dress

To be immodest is to draw undue attention to yourself

So then it is ultimately YOUR HEART that dictates your wardrobe.

If you understand that God cares about every area of your life including your clothes AND you want to obey Him than you need to avoid extravagant or sexually enticing clothing. The modest woman will serve men by NOT promoting sensuality.

And sometimes this can be hard to delineate between the two.

John Macarthur states:

How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the center of attention? The answer starts in the intent of the heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood? Is it to reveal a humble heart? Or is it to call attention to herself, and flaunt her beauty? Or worse, to attempt to allure men sexually? A woman who’s focus is on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance.

What is your motive behind the clothes you buy?

Are you worshipping God with the way you dress? or hoping others worship you because of it?

Now some may say “Well guys need to have more self control. I can’t help where they look”

While it is true that guys are responsible for their own sin, I’d ask you is that a humble, servants heart? That wants to help protect the heart of their brothers in Christ?

I think the more common outlook on this issue is simply ignorance. I’d imagine most cases of immodest dress in this ministry is due to simply not knowing how a guys mind really works.

So I want you to hear what some of the guys in this ministry wrote about life as a teenage high schooler on campus.

The struggle against lust is a daily battle, but the battle gets even more challenging when it shows up at your doorstep. When a girl chooses to dress immodestly, a boy's initial thought is not to see them as God intended, but to see her as an object pleasing to the eye. It takes a boy's mind off what they’re focusing on and draws their full attention to the girl's body. The worst part is not the immediate effects of a lustful thought entering the mind; it is the picture burned into their brain that they will recall at various points in their day.

Temptation at school mainly comes from the way that girls dress. Whether it be intentional or not, it leads to temptation for lustful thoughts.

One way I fight it is by guarding my heart as in seeing these lustful thoughts as immorality and ultimately an abhorrent sin to the lord. Also keeping scripture memorized is helpful as in times of temptation, this scripture will be on my mind helping me fight.

In order to prepare for it, it takes dependence on the Lord, through reading and studying his word in the morning before temptation has started. Additionally, prayer is a huge aspect of preparation, in asking the Lord for his strength to endure through any lustful temptation, to keep my heart pure, and desiring the things of the Lord.

20 guys are waking up early at 5 am every monday morning to meet together to study the word, confess the sin of lust, they are taking radical action because it is that difficult of a sin for them to battle.

These guys represent the vast majority of all guys in fact they actually represent the Christian guys who FIGHT lust. Can you imagine the mind of an unregenerate high school boy pumped up with hormones when he catches and glimpse of something.

I hope this helps motivate you to serve you brothers by dressing carefully and modestly at school, hang outs and MAYBE MOST IMPORTANTLY CHURCH.

We will of course love the unbeliever who shows up dressed immodestly and not judge them legalistically and we will gently and graciously with much prayer and counsel correct those believers dressed immodestly.

3. So what?

Watch what you watch -

HUMBLY ASK THESE 3 QUESTIONS:

Why do I want to watch/ look at this, what do i find entertaining?

Does the content reflect truth, beauty or goodness?

Am I skipping or delaying something important to watch this now?

Respond when you feel conviction.

Watch / scroll with your parents

Delete the apps that are irreconcilable, the ones that will always provide crude jokes and immoral content

2. Think before you listen

Can you thank God for the song you are listening to?

Do a music fast

24 hours of no music

or a drive with no music

or a workout

Use that time to prayerfully consider the music you have been thoughtlessly enjoying

3. Search before you wear

- search your heart, search and understand your motives and ask your parents. Ask your small group leaders opinion. Live modesty always not just at church but even at formal events, show that homecoming dress to your dad or D-group leader.

Dedicate more time, thought and prayer to your wardrobe

Finally - don’t climb the moral ladder. Don’t hear this and think its time to delete, stop watching and cover up TO MAKE GOD HAPPY or SO I DON’T LOSE my christianity

Before you give God your entertainment, music and wardrobe give him your heart.

Jesus’ work on the cross is enough for your salvation - stop working and start repenting and believing.

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