WHAT’S HURTING US RIGHT NOW?
OUR CRAVING FOR PLEASURE
1 Timothy 4:8
Yesterday, we began a study of how worldliness is causing great harm in the lives of so many. We identified what worldliness is and noted the dangers of our pursuit for things. Tonight, we want to talk about another part of our lives that Satan can subtly use against us if we allow him to - our recreation. As we study what the Bible has to say about this subject we will notice the effect it has had on society and the dangers it can present to our lives as Christians AND how it can affect the church.
A. We live in a pleasure driven society. “Fun” is a very big business. Our society is obsessed with leisure and amusements.
1. Various avenues of pleasure. Just to name a few:
a. There are amusement parks that spend millions on a yearly basis to build bigger, better attractions just to entertain us.
b. The television industry spends billions and so do the advertisers.
c. Movies are in great demand as multiplex theaters are springing up everywhere.
d. There are vacation resorts in the mountains, at the beach, in the cities, in the dessert, and before long they will be in space so that people can “get away”
e. There are national parks, state parks, regional parks and city parks.
f. Sports are also a very big business. Arenas will sell out months in advance, even for a team that looses. Do you know much it costs to build the facilities for the Olympic games?
g. We are obsessed with fitness and sports in our own lives all in the name of recreation.
h. Even our shopping centers and malls are being designed to entertain.
i. In the work force, many negotiate for fewer and shorter work days so that they can play more.
2. The cost of pleasure. Make no mistake about it, entertainment and fun is a billion dollar industry and there are scores of entrepreneurs who have capitalized upon the industry. Why? Because it is profitable. Much of our entertainment is EXPENSIVE! Consider:
a. Regular price admission to an amusement park is about $50 dollars. While in the park we’ll spend outrageous prices to sustain ourselves without having to leave.
b. And we’ll even pay $10 to park so that we can go shopping or to dinner or to play.
c. A movie ticket in Los Angeles will cost from $7-10. Here, an evening show will cost $7. And then there are the snacks which run more than the tickets.
d. People will pay $100’s of dollars for tickets for a sporting event and Broadway shows. And they will drive a hundred miles or more, stay in a hotel and spend huge amounts of cash to be entertained.
e. We’ll spend hundreds to entertain our friends and family at our homes or at other places.
f. In the malls, there are stores dedicated to pleasures and fun. Go to a mall and look at all the specialty stores – video stores, arcades, etc.
g. WHY does entertainment cost so much. Why is it that places will charge outrageous prices? Why do parking lots charge high prices to allow cars to park for a few hours? BECAUSE WE ALLOW THEM TO! Is it any wonder our nation is in debt the way it is?
3. Pleasures in our home.
a. Even our homes are geared to entertain us.
b. Most homes now have multiple televisions. There are cable systems with 100+ channels on each one. We’ll spend as much as $100 per month to bring this entertainment, much of it ungodly, into our homes.
c. If that is not enough, there is pay-per-view, VCRs and DVDs so that we can watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it.
d. We buy game systems so that we can play at all hours of the day and hours unlimited.
e. We have expensive stereo systems and entertainment centers so that we can have the best possible quality in our homes.
f. We have computers with multitudes of games and high-speed Internet access so that we can have fun for hours on end and keep up with the latest in everything.
g. And don’t forget our cars with fancy stereos and even TV sets built in some of them.
4.
Having mentioned all of these things, let it be
understood that many of these things are NOT wrong within themselves. In fact
it is my hope to show that recreation is a good and needed thing.
BUT, we have to guard against lives that are driven by pleasure to the neglect
of that which is more important. When we put all the things mentioned together,
what you might have is a life filled with too much fun and not enough work. AND
a budget that keeps one from doing the good things a Christian ought to be
doing.
Ask yourself this: If a need arose where the church or someone in the church
needed financial assistance, and you had to choose between helping them and
cable for a month, which would you choose?
B. Just like Rome – we hear that history repeats itself. We are told that one of the reasons for Rome’s downfall was their obsession with pleasures and fun.
1. They placed great emphasis on pleasure. The remains of their arenas and theaters testify to their emphasis on pleasures.
2. In some instances, pleasure was a part of their religion rituals. Often times these were immoral pleasures.
3. Sporting events were a big deal in the Roman Empire. Many times, Paul makes reference to the races, fights and archery events that they were involved in. The word “gymnasium” originated with the Greeks meaning a training place. It is used in 1 Timothy 4:7 (bodily exercise).
4.
Hedonism, debauchery, drinking parties, and the
pursuits of pleasures. These are Biblical words used to describe the way the
Greeks and Romans acted.
Hedone is the Greek word that is defined by Vine as “pleasure, is used of
the gratification of the natural desire or sinful desires.” (Pleasure). It is
used 5 times in the NT: 3 of them are pleasures (Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3 & 2 Peter
2:13) and the other 2 as lusts (James 4:1,3)
5. In later times, Christians were killed as sport. Not only were their murders wrong, but we see the intense craving for violence and gore that were prevalent in Roman society. Gladiators were real.
A. Recreation is a good thing.
1. We need time for recreation. Ecclesiastees 3:1,4 – “a time to weep and a time to laugh…a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
2. Pleasure is good. Associated with the word pleasant. And it is scriptural.
a. When God created Adam & Eve He placed them in a garden, a pleasant place (Genesis 2:8-9).
b. Ecclesiastees 2:24, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. “ – Understand that God wants us enjoy life as much as we can.
c. Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.“
d. Ecclesiastees 9:9 –“Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. “
e. To the young, Solomon told him to enjoy his youth but in that he was not to forget his God. Ecclesiastees 11:9-12:1.
f. Timothy was told, “bodily exercise profits a little…” (1 Timothy 4:8). He goes on to point out that it is not as profitable as godliness, but it IS useful.
g. Even Jesus participated in festive events (John 2) and at times he sought to get away and rest (Mark 6:31).
B. What is the purpose of recreation?
1. The word literally means, “to re-create”. To rejuvenate the body with a change of pace by doing something that is pleasurable.
2. To rest the mind. The reason we change pace and get away is to take our mind off of our cares. When you look at nature you see that God understands this: We have seasons, day & night and various types of weather, which all together refresh the earth.
3. Rest is one of the descriptions associated with heaven – Revelation 14:13, Hebrews 4:1, 9-11.
4. When God created the heavens and the earth, He rested - Genesis 2:2-3 - notice that God rested on the 7th day and blessed it. To the Jews it was a day they HAD to observe - Exodus 20:8-11.
5. Yes recreation and rest are good things to be used for our good. But as with all things we need to keep in mind our priorities
a. Matthew 6:33 - seek his kingdom 1st.
b. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to take care of ourselves because we realize the Spirit is in us.
c. And 1 Corinthians 10:31 - we are to do all to the glory of God. Note that while this passage is dealing with the Christian's liberties, Paul points out that whatever you choose to do, make sure that God is glorified in your actions. In other words, do not disgrace God in what you do. This includes the recreations you choose and the way you use your time.
A. Sinful pleasures in God’s word.
1. Romans 1:24-25 - they worshipped and served the creature (man) instead of God. Their actions were devoted to their gratification (see also vs. 26 as an example).
2. The Christian puts these things away – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
3. 1 Peter 4:1-3 – we have spent enough of our past lifetime doing these things.
4. 2 Timothy 3:1-4 – lovers of themselves AND lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – derived from hedone and the Greek word Philos which means fondness or friendly. Note in this context that both lovers of pleasure and lovers of God use the same prefix for love. In other words, they loved pleasure the way they should love God.
B. When it takes away that which belongs to God – both time and money.
1. Luke 8:14 speaks of the 3 things that will cause one to be choked and bring no fruit to maturity. They include:
a. Cares – Vine’s says of this word that it means, “to draw in different directions, distract.” We often associate this word with worries which might be a result of these distractions, but the word deals more with anything we all to divert our attention away from that which ought to be first – God.
b. Riches – an abundance of external possessions.
c. Pleasures – that word, hedone, which means the gratification of natural or sinful desires.
2. Malachi 3:8 finds him asking, “Will a man rob God?” pointing to their not giving to God that which belongs to Him.
3. We must put God first in all that we do in this life. If we allow recreation (or anything else) to distract us from serving Him, we are guilty of sin.
C. When it involves sinful conduct - There are many types of recreation that are sinful within themselves:
1. Pornography
2. Many movies because of nudity, sexual situations, language and violence. And television offers much of the same.
3. Dancing in our society
4. Social drinking and drunken parties.
5. Gambling, including the lottery, bingo and raffles.
6. Loose sexual pleasures – included here because it is a pleasure.
7. Numerous passages that mention these and other sinful behaviors state that Christians do not participate in such things.
D. When it affects the structure of the church.
1. Many churches today think that the way to draw in the masses is to entertain them. So they do everything from modern music bands to plays to meals to recreational tournaments. Some even build gymnasiums and theatres, all in the name of catering to the “whole man”
2.
And such are not foreign to churches of Christ
either. Just about everything that is found in the denominations can be found
in one church of Christ or another.
And each year we find more and more congregations leaning that way. They want
preachers that will tell jokes and stories and use very few scriptures. They
want services that are sensational and motivational. There are places where
brethren have begun raising their hands and allowing groups smaller than the
whole congregation to entertain them in worship. Why? They think that we HAVE
to have such if we are to reach the lost. In reality it is so because we live
in a society that is addicted to recreation and pleasure. Let us realize that
if it takes entertainment to draw the masses it will take more entertainment to
keep them there. This just is NOT God’s plan for His church!
3.
Jesus taught – “My kingdom is NOT of this world”
John 18:36.
Paul said of the kingdom, that it is not food and drink – Romans 14:17.
A. Moderation – a time for everything. Use it wisely.
1. The Christian must learn that their conduct must be with temperance and moderation. We are not to be excessive in our pursuits for anything. This is really the key to serving God and balance in your life.
2. 1 Corinthians 9:25 in referring to our race speaks of being temperate - "the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites" (Thayer complete)
3. Galatians 5:23 has self-control as a fruit of the spirit. Also 2 Peter 1:6.
4. The word "sober" is another word that has leanings toward moderation - used of elders 1 Timothy 3:2. And of both aged men and women - Titus 2:2,5.
5. Remember, the list above contains many things that are not wrong within themselves, but rather it is what we make of them.
B. Ask yourself questions before you become involved in some activity.
1. Will this activity really rejuvenate my body and/or mind?
2. How is God glorified by what I am doing? (Think in terms of resting the body, etc.)
3. How will this activity affect my influence as a Christian?
4. Would Jesus participate with me in this activity? Why or why not?
5. Can I include other Christian's in my activities? Your answer should be the same as question 4 in virtually every instance.
6. Will it cause me to neglect my work for God? Is it a wise use of my time?
C. How much time do you give to God vs. your pleasures?
Do a comparison between the amount of time you give to God (include your times of worship) vs. the amount of time you spend having fun.
D. Get back to work! We are to manage our time. We have responsibilities. When we are re-created, get back to the important tasks at hand.
Understand, in this lesson I have tried to show that recreation is good and a vital part of our Christianity. I am not trying to impose a specific number of hours you can spend having fun or tell you specifically how much you can spend. My goal is for us to consider our need to put God FIRST in our lives. Have we let our pursuit of fun hinder our pursuit of God? Think about it carefully.