Where Do We Live?
Introduction:
A. You cannot recognize the place where I grew up.
1. The highways have changed.
2. There are houses, busineses, and schools where there used
to be farm land.
3. Places where we used to play are no longer there.
4. Landmarks are hard to find.
B. But, the most troubling changes are the changes in morality.
1. The world we live in today is nothing like the world I grew up in.
a. I grew up in a world where children could play for hours,
all over the neighborhood, without supervision, and you
didn't have to worry about someone taking them.
b. You could turn on the T.V. and the most violent thing you
would see would be the Three Stoogies.
c. And, the T.V. industry was so afraid of offending anyone
that they had married couples sleeping in seperate beds
(i.e. Dick Van Dyke Show; I Love Lucy).
d. A kid was packing a weapon at school when he had a straw,
and paper wads in his pocket.
e. 9 out of 10 children had parents who had never been divorced.
f. And, if anyone came out of the closet, it was when they were
playing hide and seek.
2. People today are afraid of:
a. Terrorism; The West Nile Virus; A.I.D.S; and someone stealing
their identity.
b. What we need to be afraid of is where our society is going morally.
But, what do we do?
I. Seperate yourself, as much as possible, from the ungodliness of
the world around you.
A. The scriptures tell us:
1. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord"
(II Corinthians 6:17).
a. I think the straw that broke the camels back with me is a new
T.V. show, that just came out, called "Boy meets boy."
b. If that's reality, I don't want to have anything to do with it.
c. A lot of people laugh at the shows: Ozzie and Harriet, and
Leave It To Beaver. That needs to be the "reality" we are
seeking for!!!
2. "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).
3. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things" (Philippians 4:8).
B. How do we do this?
1. Spend more time with your children.
a. Instead of letting them watch T.V. where they will hear profanity,
take them fishing. Have you ever heard a fish cuss?
b. Instead of letting them spend and evening with the Ozborns,
where they will be taught that ungodliness is funny, spend time
together as a family (gardening, building something, miniature
golfing).
c. Instead of letting them spend endless hours playing video
games (which probably involves some sort of violence), how
about: riding bikes; playing catch; or washing the car.
2. Be more involved in activities that will promote godliness.
a. Sunday = worshipping God.
b. Monday = visiting brethren.
c. Tuesday = evangelism.
d. Wednesday = Bible study.
e. Thursday = doing good unto all men.
f. Friday = studying God's word at home.
g. Saturday = inviting others to services.
II. Warn them.
A. The people around us need to be warned where they are headed.
1. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people" (Proverbs 14:34).
a. It is said that part of the cause of the fall of the Roman
empire was their immorality.
b. What was the result of the immorality of: Sodom and
Gemorrah; Nineveh; and the northern nation of Israel?
c. Our nation needs to learn from the past before it's too late.
2. People need to be warned that:
a. Abortion is not a choice...it is murder.
b. Homosexuality is not a lifestyle...it is sin.
c. God would have men and women be married, not live
together in sin.
d. We shall give account for every idle word that proceeds
out of our mouths.
e. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
B. It is our responsibility to warn them.
1. Think of those that God sent to warn others in the past.
a. Noah preached to the people of his day (II Peter 2:5).
b. Jonah went to Nineveh and cried out.."Yet 40 days,
and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4).
1) Did you ever think about the fact that Nineveh was
within 40 days of being destroyed, but 1 man turned
them around.
c. John the baptists message was "repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:1-2).
2. We have been told....
a. Teach all nations...(Matthew 28:19).
b. Preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).
c. Teach others (II Timothy 2:2).
d. Warn the unruly (I Thessalonians 5:14).
e. Contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3).
f. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather REPROVE them (Ephesians 5:11).
III. Live godly.
A. Our godliness may be what makes the difference.
1. If God had only found 10 righteous people in Sodom and
Gemorrah, they would have been spared.
2. God did spare Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their
wives because Noah was "a just man and perfect in his
generation, and Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:9).
3. It says in Joshua 24:31"And Israel served the LORD all
the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that
overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of
the LORD, that he had done for Israel."
a. Joshua was a man of faith.
b. He was one who said "as for me and my house, we
shall serve the LORD."
c. No doubt, his godliness was a major reason that Israel
served the LORD as long as they did.
4. We are to be:
a. The light of the world, and the salt of the earth.
b. We need to be living godly lives, so that the world may
see, and glorify God.
c. Our godly living may be what causes someone to serve
the LORD, and not Satan.
B. How should we live?
1. Language.
a. Needs to be seasoned with salt, that we may know how to
answer every man.
b. Our yea should be yea, and our nay nay.
c. We should let no evil communication proceed out of our
mouths.
2. Dress.
a. We should dress modestly, with shamefacedness.
b. We should not dress in such a way that we might cause
someone else to lust.
c. We should dress in such a manner that becometh godliness.
3. Actions.
a. Hardworking.
b. Honest.
c. Not involved in anything that has the appearance of evil.
Conclusion:
A. We can look around us and we can see that the world is changing,
but is not for the good.
B. While we are here, however, we need to be doing all that we can
do to help others see how God would have them live, and what
they can do to have their sins forgiven.
C. If you have sin in your life that you need to repent of, or if you
need to obey the gospel so your sins will be forgiven..won't you come!