The Dangerous Influence of the World
-Introduction
-Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11
-Of course, there are many valuable lessons to be learned from the Old Testament times.
Even though the Law of Moses has been done away with (Col 2:14) and we are now
abiding under the Gospel of Christ, we can still learn a great deal from those who lived
during that time.
-God’s Justice
-Deut. 7:1-2
-For many, this seems like a curious statement delivered here by Moses by the will
of God.
-Why would a loving and merciful God have His servant Moses deliver such
instructions? Devote them to complete destruction? Show them no mercy?
-We need to understand that God is a good and just God – Rom. 11:22.
-The people who were to be devoted to destruction had turned away from God. They had
departed from Him and His will.
-God had given them ample opportunity to repent and return but they had chosen not to
do so.
-Gen 15:13-16 – God allowed His chosen people to suffer for an extended period of
time because the Amorites’ sin was not yet complete.
-God was allowing His people to destroy these others as an avenue of Divine justice/
punishment against sin.
-If God would have allowed the Israelites to carry out these actions prior to the other
people’s sins being complete, the actions would have been unjust. Therefore, God
waited.
-God’s Protection of His People
-Deut. 7:3-11
-These instructions were issued to protect God’s people.
-vs 4 – “they would turn away you sons from following me”
-vs 6 – God’s people are to be different and distinct.
-vs 9 – We need to love God and keep His commandments – 1 John 5:3.
-vs 10 – There are serious consequences for straying away from the will of God.
-Period of the Judges
-As we continue to trace the history of God’s people, we find that when they conquered the
land of Canaan they followed God’s instructions in large part…but not completely.
-They allowed remnants of the people to remain.
-Judges 2:1-3
-We find, throughout the book of Judges, that the people repeatedly fell victim to the sinful
influences of the worldly people.
-They had two options: 1. Be the people God wanted them to be; 2. Become more like the
world.
-Unfortunately, the process of becoming more like the world got underway quickly.
-Judges 2:10-11
-The process got underway when the 1st generation failed to teach, prepare and equip the
2nd generation. They then fell victim to outside influences and turned away from God.
Unfortunately, that process would repeat itself over and over.
-Yet, sometimes we miss the fact that this was spread out over some time.
-Between the accounts of the individual judges, the people would do well for a while –
sometimes several decades – but would, during that time, begin and continue the
process of becoming more like those around them. (i.e. Judges 3:30-31; 5:31)
-Satan is clever. He doesn’t always try to get us to stray away from God by leaps and
bounds. Instead, he tries to get us one step at a time.
-Living Right in a World So Wrong
-Wednesday-evening auditorium class – Wendell Winkler’s booklet – “How to Live Right in
a World So Wrong – A Study of Decisions”
-currently my turn in the teaching rotation – My section of the book is “Do Not Let the
World Squeeze You into its Mold.”
-The world has squeezed many into its mold. It is a real and dangerous threat that we
must be aware of and safeguard against.
-Video Clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQjr1YL0zg
-Isn’t that amazing? That man was basically able to program/dictate/lead those men into
a certain result/course of action based upon a number of seemingly small influences.
-Another example: Amy and March’s calendar
-This is how Satan operates through the influences of the world - a little something here…a
little something there.
-I think we are currently seeing some things in this nation that are the result of this type
of influence – results of drifting further from God one step at a time – leadership, judicial
system, laws, cultural/moral changes, etc.
-We say, “How did this happen?” The answer: a little at a time. Yet, we sometimes
don’t recognize it or realize the extent of it initially. Then, when we do, we then have
the struggle ahead of us of getting back closer to where we need to be.
-We need to be careful not to allow this in our individual lives.
-1 Peter 5:8-11 - We need to be on the alert. We need to be watchful. We need to be vigilant.
-Summary and Invitation
-What’s the solution? It’s simple – the same solution since the beginning of time – God.
-We must look to God – submit in humble obedience – learn more about Him – continue
in faithfulness to Him – speak up for Him.
-We must work toward being what God wants us to be – not what the world wants us to be.
-This begins with obedience to the Gospel: believe in Jesus (John 3:16, 8:24), confess that
faith (Matt. 10:32, Rom. 10:9-10), repent from sin (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30), be baptized
into Christ for forgiveness (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38), live a new life (Rom. 6:4, Eph. 4:22-24).
-If you haven’t obeyed the Gospel, please do so. If you previously obeyed the Gospel but
have fallen victim to the world’s influences, confess your shortcomings, repent & pray for
forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9; Acts 8:22-24).