Sermon Tone Analysis

Good evening!

Glad you’re here!

Our assigned topic for tonight is “Scriptures to Help with Peer Pressure.”

Before we head down that road tonight, I want to ask you something:

Do you care about what people think about you? (Probably so, right?)

And the next question becomes:

SHOULD you care about what people think about you?

The answer might surprise you! (or maybe it won’t)

But the answer is YES!

You should!

The Bible says in Ecc.

7:1:

It says in Prov.

22:1:

And Matt.

5:13-16 (probably most familiar with):

But … Can we care TOO MUCH about what people think about us?

(Yes!)

And that’s what I want to caution you about tonight when we talk about peer pressure.

Introduction to Peer Pressure

Let’s define our terms tonight — What is peer pressure?

Peer - “one that is of equal standing with another”

Pressure - “the burden of physical or mental distress; the weight of social or economic imposition”

Now you say what does all that mean?

When we put “peer” (someone with equal standing with another) and “pressure” (burden or mental distress; weight of social or economic imposition — [wanting to fit in], what we get is the idea of the intense desire to be like our peers, to not be DIFFERENT than our peers.

So that’s what we’re talking about!

My question to you this evening is:

Do we sometimes let our peers have POWER over us in the sense that we let them influence to do what we know to be WRONG, but we do it anyways because of peer pressure!

(Sadly, yes — That is far too often the case)

Let me give you probably the most often referenced Bible verse when it comes to peer pressure:

1 Cor.

15:33.

The NASB says 1 Cor.

15:33.

1 Cor.

15:33 - ASV:

So the question I have for you before we move on is this — Can the people you hang around negatively impact your Christianity?

Can the friends that you have at school, or on the team, or in a club, etc. influence you to be a less faithful Christian?

And the answer is a resounding YES!

If we are around bad influences long enough, one of two things will happen — We will either influence the bad to become good (That’s why Jesus sat down with sinners, right?

— There’s certainly a place for that!

[But Jesus didn’t join them in their sin!])), OR the bad will influence the good to become bad …

Think about the progression mentioned in Psalm 1:

The text says Psalm 1:1-3:

Psalm 1:4-6:

So what we have there in verse 1 (back up slide!) is not to be like a man who first does what?

WALKS in the counsel of the ungodly — perhaps he’s walking by a particular store at the mall that sells very ungodly things, and it catches his eye as he walks by!

The next day as he walks by he STANDS outside the entrance of the store and lingers and stares a little longer!

Finally, on day three, he goes into the store, and he SITS DOWN and partakes of the sinful things the store has to offer!

What happened?

I’ll tell you what happened — He played with fire! (and He got burned — See Prov.

6:28!)

There was a man in your OLD Testament by the name of Rehoboam — You can read about Rehoboam in 1 Kings chapter 12 (But I’ll just tell you the gist of what he did right now):

Rehoboam was king Solomon’s son!

Do you remember anything about Solomon? (Wisest man in the world at the time!

And richest too!)

Solomon wrote a book to his SON — Do you know what the name of that book was? (Proverbs!)

Over and over again, Solomon writes to his son (Rehoboam) in the book of Proverbs — “Here’s how to be wise!”

Included in that book, Solomon tells his son (and US) that with many counselors (good advice!) there is safety!

Well, there comes a time in Rehoboam’s life where it’s time to ask for advice!

Solomon his father had died, and it was time for Rehoboam to take over!

Rehoboam asks the older (and wiser) men of his kingdom, should I let the people rest, or should I increase their burdens?

(The old men tell him to let the people rest)

Well, Rehoboam also asked the young men (his friends/his PEERS) what they thought.

You know what they said?

(“We think you should INCREASE the people’s burdens!

Work them even harder!)

So that’s what Rehoboam did!

He increased the people’s burdens, he caved in to PEER PRESSURE, and you know how the people of the kingdom responded?

They REVOLTED!

REBELLED!

And split the kingdom of Israel in two!

Let me tell you about …

Three Areas of Life (impacted by peer pressure)

Your Speech

The things that you SAY with your mouth, the words that you choose, the things that you talk about, when you leave out of the doors of this building matter!

I imagine you hear all kinds of sinful talk from your peers at school!

(Cuss words, inappropriate jokes, gossip, slander, lies)

My question for you tonight is when you hear those things, are you going to join in with your friends?

Or will you dare to be different?!

Matt.

12:34-37 says - “Brood of vipers!

How can you, being evil, speak good things?

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

How’s your heart when it comes to the things that you speak with your mouth?

Your Entertainment Choices

It is no secret that our world around us is literally OBSESSED with entertainment, OBSESSED with technology too!

If you don’t believe me, ask yourself how many social media platforms are you on?

(Tik tok, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and who knows what else?!)

Ask yourself how many entertainment subscriptions does your family have?

(Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, and that list can go on and on!)

How many new smart phones, tablets, gaming systems, laptops, and TV’s has your family bought in the last 2 or 3 years?

When you started adding them all up, it proves that yes, we’ve got a LOT of emphasis on these sorts of things!

Anything wrong with having entertainment/having technology, per se?

Anything inherently sinful with the concept of entertainment?

No, but I think we would all agree that we probably do put TOO MUCH emphasis on these things!

To the neglect of more important things like reading our Bibles and prayer and fellowship with the saints!

Question: What about the CONTENT of our entertainment choices?

What are the LYRICS of the music we’re listening to?!

What is the CHARACTER of the CHARACTERS in my favorite show?! (Get it?)

What are the IMAGES I’m putting forth for my mind to dwell on in my gaming, or on my computer?!

We need to ask ourselves this from time to time, and if they’re not good, then maybe we need to be different than our friends and stop watching and listening to and playing the things that “EVERYONE else is watching and listening to and playing,” right?!