Participants: Dwayne Lemon, Lance Wilbur
Series Code: TKS
Program Code: TKS000039A
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00:28 Hello, I'm Dwayne.
00:30 And I'm Lance. 00:31 And we'd like to welcome you to another episode of TKS, 00:34 a True Knowledge of Self 00:35 where we get to know ourselves from a biblical perspective. 00:38 As we continue our discussion 00:40 revolving around this recreation, 00:42 the subject of what is biblical recreation, 00:46 what essentially is safely having fun 00:48 as referred to in the hip-hop culture? 00:51 We looked at several principles, 00:52 we have several more to look at. 00:54 And we want to spend as much time 00:57 as necessary on this subject 00:59 because it is very, very practical. 01:01 We're getting past this stage in which we're talking about 01:05 the things, you know, 01:06 not to do per se, the things to do, 01:09 we want to show and give examples of principles 01:12 and how to apply them. 01:14 Without doing that, 01:16 we're kind of doing you a disservice 01:18 and it's not the way that God operates. 01:19 God always gives instruction 01:21 and He tells us then how to do it 01:24 and He gives us the power to execute it 01:26 even if it goes 01:27 against our every desire and natural impulse. 01:31 So we talked about a lot of principles. 01:34 You're going to bring some back. 01:36 I just want to recap 01:37 because we dealt with three so far. 01:39 Yes. 01:40 The first one we dealt with was, 01:42 "is this form of recreation, does this form of recreation 01:44 violate my conscience?" 01:46 Right. 01:47 "Does it go against something that I believe to be 01:49 right or wrong?" 01:50 Now just an important point to add to that, 01:53 there has to be something that we use as evidence. 01:56 In other words, if I think I feel 01:59 that in my conscience that this is wrong, 02:01 I can feel that, that's all right, 02:03 but it's my responsibility to go and search that out, 02:06 to investigate, to figure out 02:08 if my feeling and my sentiment 02:10 is in line with the truth 02:12 because the truth has to inform 02:14 how I respond and feel about these things. 02:16 So we can't violate our conscience 02:19 but sometimes people might be sincerely wrong. 02:22 Yes. 02:23 And it's okay not to violate the conscience in that context, 02:26 but their responsibility is to find out 02:28 if their conscience is even correct. 02:30 That's correct. 02:32 So we saw how God informs our conscience 02:33 via the Holy Ghost 02:34 and we saw that the Word informs our conscience. 02:37 That's right. 02:38 The second principle we looked at is, 02:40 what we are doing, 02:42 not only is it important to know how it impacts us, 02:45 but it's important to look at how it impacts those around us, 02:48 or those that might be witnessing us do it, 02:50 or the message that it's sending to others 02:52 who consume, or see, or view what we do. 02:56 The third principle we looked at is, 02:57 does this practice 02:59 violate the principle of my body 03:02 being the Temple of God? 03:04 Does it help me glorify God 03:06 in my body physically 03:08 or does it lead to something else? 03:09 We looked at a lot of things 03:11 that some people might feel a little bit uncomfortable with 03:13 but the bottom line is 03:14 according to 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20, 03:16 "Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost." 03:19 So we're not at liberty 03:22 because we were bought with a price. 03:23 We are not at liberty to do what we want. 03:26 That's correct. 03:27 As many, in Paul's age, in a biblical age were doing, 03:31 were meshing, trying to mingle 03:33 cultural practices with devotion to Christ. 03:38 So people are doing that today. That's right. 03:40 So help us understand a little bit further 03:42 because there's more principles that the Bible brings out, 03:44 so what is the first thing 03:46 that we're going to cover today? 03:47 Okay. Well, we're going to look at 1 Thessalonians 5. 03:49 This is another principle that we can consider 03:51 when we want to have fun, enjoyment, 03:53 or what is better termed recreation. 03:55 When we think about this, 03:57 we want the Word of God to be our guide. 03:58 "Man should not live by bread alone 04:00 but by every Word 04:01 that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 04:03 So when we look at 1 Thessalonians 5, 04:06 we are going to consider verses 21 and 22. 04:08 And this is good. 04:10 It says, "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. 04:15 Abstain from all appearance of evil." 04:18 When somebody says, 04:20 "Hey, I got a great idea 04:21 of something we can do in the name of fun." 04:24 It is not enough to just function 04:26 by emotional stimulus or curiosity 04:29 because many a times this is how people end up 04:31 getting hurt and sometimes even losing their lives. 04:33 Things that sounds good, 04:35 maybe it feels good, or what have you. 04:36 The Bible says, "Prove all things." 04:39 Test it. 04:41 Look at it and say, "Well, wait a minute, 04:42 if I do this, how will this affect me?" 04:44 You know, "What kind of example does this lead?" 04:46 You know, you have to think about several things 04:49 before you just get involved. 04:50 So the key thing that God is telling us here is think, 04:53 you know, think about what you're getting ready to do 04:55 before you do it, prove it, 04:56 and then hold fast to it if it's good. 04:59 If it is good, and as you stated, 05:01 that good is determined by the Lord 05:03 from His Word through principle or detail. 05:07 There are some things in the Bible 05:08 that it says it in detailed manner 05:11 that this is this and that is that. 05:13 But then there are many things 05:14 that are happening in our society today 05:16 that the Bible may not have addressed in detail 05:19 but in principle it has. 05:21 So in either case, 05:22 you're going to get the scriptures, 05:23 you want to be able to test it. 05:25 And this is something that I know 05:26 is not common even in the church 05:29 and, of course, not in the world, 05:31 and yet it is most essential. 05:33 It is the safe ground. 05:34 When God gives us these counsels, 05:37 He's not doing it to hurt us. 05:38 He's doing it to help us. 05:39 And the reason I know this is because I've experimented this. 05:43 I am a father of four children 05:44 and I definitely don't want my children 05:46 to think life is boring and Christianity is boring, 05:48 and it is not by any stretch of the imagination, 05:51 yet it is imperative that before we embrace something, 05:54 we got to prove it, 05:56 and we got to make sure it is good, 05:57 and we can only do that by the word, 05:59 and the same way it says, 06:01 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." 06:03 That is something else that I have to do is 06:05 I got to search the Bible to say, 06:06 what does the Bible call evil? 06:08 I'll give you one example. Yeah. 06:10 One example is in Nehemiah. 06:12 In Nehemiah 13:15-18, 06:15 Nehemiah sees a whole bunch of his brethren 06:18 that were breaking the Sabbath, 06:20 they were breaking the Sabbath day. 06:22 They were profaning it, 06:23 and when they were doing this by buying and selling 06:26 and conducting business as any other regular day, 06:29 he came to them and he said something very specific. 06:32 And I'm just going to give you one example when we talk about, 06:33 "avoid even the appearance of evil or what have you." 06:36 I'm just going to give you one example here 06:38 in Nehemiah as we consider the verse. 06:40 So Nehemiah, we're looking at 13. 06:43 And this is what it says, "There dwelt men..." 06:46 Verse 16, "There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, 06:49 which brought fish, and all manner of ware, 06:51 and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, 06:54 and in Jerusalem. 06:55 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, 06:58 and said unto them, 07:00 "'What evil thing is this that ye do, 07:05 and profane the Sabbath day?'" 07:08 The Bible makes it clear that the Sabbath day, 07:11 when we do our regular duties, 07:13 our regular business, and etcetera, 07:15 on a day that God has designated these things 07:17 not to be done, if we do it anyhow, 07:20 the Bible says we profane the Sabbath 07:22 and it is called an evil thing. 07:24 So if somebody says, "I want to go ahead 07:26 and do a certain recreation." 07:28 Well, we have to test it according to the Word of God 07:30 and there are some things we can do 07:32 in the name of recreation that are good 07:34 but may not be designated as an example here, 07:37 on God's Sabbath day, and if we did it, 07:39 it would definitely be something 07:41 that the Bible would say is profaning the Sabbath. 07:43 Now, if I were to transition this principle 07:45 the hip-hop culture, 07:46 I can guarantee you the biggest night for a party, 07:50 a club, or a concert is Friday night. 07:53 And the Bible lets us know that Sabbath goes 07:55 from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. 07:57 So the Sabbath begins sunset Friday, 07:58 so it's an interesting thing to think 08:00 that if somebody wanted to go to a party, or club, 08:03 or a concert, 08:05 even though the party, club, or concert 08:06 in and of itself has to be tested by scripture, 08:10 even if by chance, it was something okay to do, 08:13 the question is, well, 08:14 if you are going to go ahead 08:15 and do these forms of recreation 08:17 on God's Sabbath day, 08:18 the Bible calls it an evil thing. 08:20 This will be one application out of literally hundreds. 08:23 So what we have to do is literally study the Bible 08:25 and find out what does God call evil. 08:28 Because there's a lot of people right now 08:29 that do a lot of things on a Friday night 08:31 and they think it's okay in a simple safe enjoyment 08:35 but God says it is an evil thing 08:37 because you are profaning my Sabbath, 08:39 and it can be applied in many other ways. 08:41 So we have to be very careful 08:43 that whatever recreational activity 08:46 you're going to get involved in, 08:47 you have to prove it, you have to test it. 08:49 If it is good, hold to it. 08:52 And make sure if it is evil, stay away from it. 08:55 And you have to search the Word of God 08:57 to understand what the Bible calls evil, 08:59 and then we have to make sure that 09:01 whatever it is, 09:02 this is not what I'm going to do then 09:03 even in the name of "having fun". 09:06 Right, and it reminds me of a story as well 09:09 when you're talking about the, you know, being mindful. 09:13 You know, the Bible talks about counting the cost. 09:15 Like what effect is this going to have on me? 09:18 If I do this, what effect is it going to have on me? 09:21 And, you know, even again, before I was a Christian, 09:26 one incident that comes to mind, 09:28 you know, I was always the person, you know, 09:30 in the crew to always try to make people think 09:35 about what we're getting ready to do 09:37 and see if you want to do it. 09:38 Right. 09:39 If you want to do it, I'm down, but if we're going to do this, 09:42 this is how we're going to do it. 09:43 Now, are you prepared to go this far? 09:45 That's right. 09:46 And so, you know, we were at another house party. 09:49 And I think, I don't know if we crashed it 09:51 or I don't know what happened. 09:52 In other words, if we showed up uninvited or what, 09:55 but we went there and we came there, you know, 09:58 I think two car loads at least of us 10:00 and the people that were there we didn't really respect them. 10:04 There were some other friends, you know, 10:06 from our community that we knew, 10:07 associates that we're okay with but the people, 10:10 the owners of the house, and we didn't respect them. 10:12 So as soon as we came there, there were, you know, 10:15 certain girls that came with us, 10:17 they were literally like looting the garage of the house 10:22 while we were inside in the party, 10:24 not like we planned that, 10:25 but they were just being, you know, 10:27 ignorant people and they were doing that. 10:29 And the girl came out there 10:30 and it ended up being a big confrontation 10:32 because at some point they were like, 10:33 "All right, we're going to go" 10:34 and they had already like loaded up the jeep 10:37 with massive amounts of stuff from the house. 10:40 And the owner of the house was, you know, obviously distressed. 10:44 Of course. 10:45 And she's trying to get her invited guests 10:47 to, kind of, vouch for her and stand for her 10:49 because they were also, you know, 10:50 people from around the way. 10:52 And so we had a big, like, showdown in front of the house. 10:57 We had one individual that was in our circle, 11:01 you know, extended circle and he was deaf, okay? 11:05 But, you know, he was just, you know, he grew up that way, 11:08 but you know, he wasn't impaired in any other way, 11:10 he was just hearing impaired, so he could communicate, 11:13 he could read lips, 11:14 and he could like give sounds 11:16 but he couldn't talk. 11:18 So anyways, everybody was 11:21 kind of intoxicated and everything, 11:22 so somebody, while this confrontation was taking place, 11:24 somebody was talking, you know, to him, 11:27 you know, and telling him all this stuff 11:29 and convincing him to do something. 11:30 So they convinced him to hit one of my friends. 11:34 They were friends, you know, 11:36 but they were able to take advantage of this kid 11:39 and make him hit one of our friends. 11:41 And then weapons were drawn. 11:43 So we, kind of, said, "Okay, you know, 11:49 you got this one and we're going to leave." 11:51 And so we went back to our, you know, 11:52 headquarters if you will and we had a conference. 11:55 We sat in council. 11:57 And you know what everybody wanted to do. 11:59 Everybody wanted to get better prepared, 12:00 better equipped, 12:02 and go back and settle this matter, right? 12:06 And so as they're, you know, processing all this, 12:08 I'm sitting there like, "Okay. 12:10 So let me get this. 12:12 This is the plan. 12:13 You guys want to go back and do xyz." 12:15 You know, they want to run up in the house 12:17 and do this and do that and do this. 12:19 I said, "Listen. 12:20 If we do this, 12:21 we're going to have to go to the full extent, 12:23 meaning we don't know 12:25 how many people are in the house. 12:26 We don't know who is what and where. 12:28 So if we go and do that, 12:30 we're going to have to make sure that we, 12:32 you know, finish whatever we start," 12:35 and that means however many people are in the house, 12:38 because we're not going to set up a situation 12:40 in which there's a possibility that we can go to prison. 12:42 I don't want to go to prison. Nobody wants to go to jail. 12:44 So if we're going to do this, 12:46 we got to do it all the way through. 12:48 And as all of that energy 12:49 and all the energy, soon, it was... 12:51 You know, it soon defused 12:54 because as people thought about it, 12:56 they wanted to do something 12:58 but they didn't want to go that far 13:00 because going that far, 13:02 you can't really turn back after that, you know. 13:04 And so the idea of 13:05 just thinking something through and saying, 13:08 "You know what, do I want to go this far? 13:11 What is going to be the result? 13:12 How is doing this thing going to affect me 13:15 even though if it might be momentary fun, 13:17 momentary enjoyment, momentary vindication, 13:20 you know, momentary justice? 13:22 Is this something that I want to do? 13:24 And if people would stop, and this is before, again, 13:27 I had no, you know, no scriptural knowledge. 13:30 If people would just take the time 13:32 to think again as we saw the Holy Spirit is the one 13:35 that convinces the world of sin, 13:36 righteousness, and judgment, 13:38 the conscience is going to start burning 13:40 and letting you know, "You know what, 13:42 maybe you shouldn't do this." 13:43 So the problem is when we either don't think, 13:46 we don't take the time to think and just react, 13:49 or we're impaired, we're intoxicated, 13:52 and the brain is inebriated 13:55 so it can't even hear that searing conscious saying, 13:58 you know, "Don't do this." 13:59 So the culture, you know, talks about it 14:03 but doesn't really provide 14:06 practical instruction on how to avoid... 14:08 That's right. And how to avoid. 14:10 And you have to teach how to avoid 14:12 or else you're just going to get reaction 14:14 or impaired judgment 14:15 and you're going to have a bad result. 14:16 You know I have to tell you, man, 14:18 I've really been convicted that we should really 14:22 sooner or later dedicate a TKS program 14:26 on how to study the Bible. 14:29 Yes. And there's a reason for that. 14:32 A lot of times people don't know 14:34 how to read this book. 14:35 And when you read it, 14:37 you could have experiences like what I had. 14:38 I remember I read the book, Thee Thy, Thou, 14:40 and so and so, begat so and so, 14:41 so and so begat so and so, 14:43 and I was like, "You've got to be kidding me. 14:44 This is absolutely boring," you know, 14:46 and I just was not interested, or it makes you think too hard. 14:50 And when you live in a world where you function by feeling 14:53 more than thought then... 14:54 because one thing the Bible forces people to do is think. 14:57 Yeah. 14:58 When you read scripture, you have to think, 15:00 and this is what Isaiah 1:18, 15:02 God says, "Come now, let us reason together." 15:04 God says, "Think," 15:05 and people don't like to think sometimes, 15:07 we are mentally lazy as a society generally. 15:11 And as a result of that, 15:13 we're telling people go to the Bible, 15:15 you know, find out what's evil, 15:17 find out what's good, and etcetera, 15:19 but I do, I'm empathetic to the fact 15:21 that individuals may say, "I've tried, I can't find it. 15:24 I don't know how to... I don't know how to do it." 15:27 And it will be good if one day 15:29 we can dedicate something where we really say, 15:30 "Hey, you know what? 15:32 Let's walk people through. How do you study this book?" 15:33 Yeah. 15:35 I have gotten to a place in my life, 15:36 I can remember I did not know where Genesis was, 15:39 let alone Revelation in the Bible. 15:41 I just didn't know. 15:42 But then coming into the church 15:45 and really, really seeking God and putting forth effort. 15:48 Now, when I studied the Bible this book has become... 15:51 and it's not fully, fully clear, 15:52 I'd love to say I know it all inside and out 15:54 but I'm not there yet, but I'm on the path, 15:57 and I will say that I understand the Bible 15:59 far better than I've ever understood it 16:01 many, many years ago. 16:03 And now when I read scripture, 16:04 I know how to navigate through it. 16:06 I know how to, "Okay, 16:07 well, if I don't have an answer, 16:08 I know how to get the answer." 16:10 And this is when the Bible and Bible study 16:12 becomes part of fun... 16:15 It becomes part of enjoyment. Yes. Yeah. 16:17 Literally gathering some of your people together 16:20 and saying, "Listen, let's take a subject 16:23 and let's go ahead and go to the scriptures 16:25 and let's use the tools on how to study 16:27 and let's have ourselves a fantastic time 16:29 learning more about our Savior." 16:31 I mean, there is a time that I used to think that 16:32 studying the Bible was simply a duty, 16:34 but I've found that it's an enjoyment. 16:36 It is something that actually brings joy to my heart 16:38 when I get... 16:40 when I get on my knees and I open my Bible, 16:41 I'm ready to study. 16:43 I'm smiling already. 16:44 I'm already like, "Man, I'm digging in, 16:45 I'm about to eat." 16:47 "I'm gonna eat some spiritual food." 16:48 I want this for anybody. 16:49 You know what I'm saying? 16:51 It's like I want our viewers, we want our viewers 16:53 to know that enjoyment, 16:55 that "fun" 16:57 that can come just through searching scripture 17:00 and finding out what God says to us 17:03 as it relates to proper recreation 17:05 or what's improper recreation, 17:07 and all the other rights and wrongs of life 17:09 that we need guidance on. 17:10 We are a people in a generation that needs tremendous guidance. 17:13 And I think that brings us right to our next point. 17:15 Yes. 17:17 Our next principle that we're looking at in recreation, 17:18 I want to look at Matthew 6. 17:20 Okay. 17:22 So in Matthew 6, looking at verse 33. 17:25 Now, I want to paint the context a little bit 17:26 before we read the verse. 17:28 But you know there is a concern, 17:30 and this is a common excuse 17:31 out there in the world generally 17:33 but especially in hip-hop culture. 17:36 The excuse is well, I know this is wrong, 17:39 but I got to do it to feed my family. 17:42 I got to do it to make ends meet. 17:44 I got to do it because I got to do 17:45 what I've got to do, right? 17:47 That's our common like, I know it's wrong. 17:50 You don't have to tell me. 17:52 I know, I'm messing things up. 17:53 I know, I'm messing other people's lives up. 17:54 I know, I'm doing a lot of dirt, 17:56 and it's very high risk 17:57 but the reward is such that I need to do it, 17:59 I got to do, I got to do, I have no better option. 18:02 And sometimes you can trick yourself into believing that. 18:06 You know, if I want to, you know, 18:08 I'm growing up in the street, in a, you know, 18:11 inner city or in a, you know, 18:13 downtrodden neighborhood with limited options, 18:15 maybe a bad school system, 18:17 maybe little or no parenting, little or no money, 18:21 then what do you start to do? 18:23 You start to try to find ways and look for ways that you can, 18:26 I don't know do something with yourself. 18:28 And so how do you, you know, 18:30 most people look at money and they say, 18:31 well, in order to do something with yourself, 18:33 you need to get money, 18:35 in order to get money you need to... 18:36 you need education or you need, you know, 18:38 so you start to weigh out all your options 18:41 and you're a little kid, you know, 18:43 a young kid, adolescent, a teenager, 18:45 trying to work through all these problems, 18:47 and so what do you do? 18:48 You don't, you go, you rarely go beyond 18:50 what you see in your community. 18:52 You rarely do that. 18:54 So you look at the street corner 18:55 or you look at this and you say, 18:57 "Man, look, there's a guy from my neighborhood 18:59 and he has money, he has success, 19:01 he has reputation, he has recognition, 19:04 he has the things that I want, 19:06 that I see," you know. 19:07 "What does he do?" 19:09 "Oh, he deals drugs. 19:10 Oh, he, you know, does this, does this illegal practice." 19:13 All right. 19:14 Well, then in order to meet my goal 19:16 that's what I should do. 19:18 Right. 19:19 Because education is not an option, 19:21 this is not an option, or you see something else. 19:23 "Oh, I want to be like this athlete." 19:25 So what do you do? Well, I got to play basketball. 19:27 I got to do this, so I'm going to focus 19:28 all my energy into playing basketball 19:30 because I might be that one in, you know, 19:32 80, you know, 800 or whatever it is, 19:35 whatever the ratio is that are going to make it 19:36 to a professional level where I can actually get paid 19:39 to do this for the rest of my life. 19:41 And so you've got limited options. 19:43 I don't... 19:44 I wouldn't necessarily sit here and argue that 19:46 your options are limited. 19:47 The problem is you don't have to do those things... 19:50 That's right. 19:51 However, there is a basic need and God recognizes it. 19:55 We do need food, we do need housing, 19:58 we do need clothing, 20:00 we do need in many cases transportation... 20:02 There are things that we need and God knows that. 20:03 Absolutely. 20:05 And God is willing to provide that 20:06 and He will provide that. 20:08 And the illustration that Jesus uses in Matthew 6 is, 20:13 you know, in this entire 20:15 what we call the Sermon on the Mount, 20:17 as He says, "Hey listen, look at the birds. 20:20 They go and they come, they eat, they have housing. 20:24 They have all these things. 20:25 How did they get that? 20:27 Well, God provides. 20:29 Look at the lily, the flowers. 20:30 How do they, they don't do anything, 20:32 they don't work for what they have, 20:34 they just exist 20:36 and their beauty surpasses 20:37 the beauty of the greatest king that we've ever had." 20:41 That's right. And so God provides. 20:43 But then He doesn't leave them there. 20:44 He tells the audience, "This is how God provides." 20:47 And this is where we're going to pick up in Matthew 6:33. 20:50 It says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, 20:53 and His righteousness, 20:55 and all these things shall be added unto you." 20:58 All the things that we need will be given to us. 21:02 Maybe not the way that we want. 21:03 Maybe not the amount that we want. 21:06 But we will be taken care of in our basic necessities, 21:10 our basic essentials, by seeking God first 21:13 and His righteousness, 21:15 putting God and His righteousness first, 21:17 we'll ensure that we have God's protection. 21:20 Now, again, you know, people can argue, 21:23 and that's a whole another topic 21:24 for another episode 21:26 as why do bad things happen to good people? 21:29 Why do good things happen to bad people? 21:31 You know, what did this little child do 21:33 to get this kind of, you know, treatment? 21:36 And those are valid questions 21:37 and we will address them in later episodes, 21:40 but the bottom line is your basic essential is 21:42 by putting God first, He will grant it. 21:44 We just have to stress the fact that it is often not in the way 21:47 that we like or we might want 21:49 or in the way that we see society 21:51 or media portraying how, 21:53 what we should get and how we should have. 21:55 But God will provide if we put Him first. 21:58 Now, so when we do that, 21:59 when we're talking about recreation, 22:01 we have to ask the question, is what I'm going to do, 22:06 or you know, the thing that I do, 22:08 the recreation I'm engaging in, 22:11 is it compatible with this principle 22:12 of seeking God first and His righteousness? 22:16 If it's not compatible with that, 22:18 it's going to be a problem 22:19 and I'm not going to get the reciprocal, 22:22 you know, blessing. 22:23 Well then that means that we have to look 22:25 a little bit closer at the term recreation. 22:27 Yes. 22:29 That means that recreation is really based on activities 22:33 and things that are being done 22:35 that help recreate the image of God in man 22:39 because that's the great goal of God. 22:41 He wants to recreate His image in us. 22:42 That's the whole plan of salvation in a nutshell. 22:45 So because of that whatever I'm doing, 22:47 how will this help recreate the image of God in me. 22:50 How will this help me come closer to the Lord 22:53 rather than come home and repent and say, 22:55 "Oh man, I messed up again. 22:56 I shouldn't have done that." Yeah. 22:58 And that's a very powerful point. 23:00 And maybe this will help because I think Matthew 6:33 23:03 using that as a tool, and I would connect to it, 23:06 and for our viewers, make sure you take note of this 23:08 but I would connect to it Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14, 23:12 "Fear God and keep His commandments, 23:14 this is the whole duty of man," you know. 23:15 It goes in connection 23:17 with seeking first the kingdom of God 23:19 and being about our Father's business. 23:21 Galatians 5 is another principle 23:24 that I think will help. 23:26 It really kind of spells out, 23:28 now really it's going to hone in 23:29 on this idea of what we talked about earlier about 23:31 proving things and avoiding evil and doing good. 23:35 In Galatians 5:19-21. 23:38 It says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, 23:42 which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, 23:47 lasciviousness, idolatry, 23:49 witchcraft, hatred, variance, 23:52 emulations, wrath, strife, 23:55 seditions, heresies, envyings, 23:59 murders, drunkenness, revellings, 24:02 and such like of the which I tell you before, 24:04 as I have also told you in time past 24:07 that they which do such things 24:09 shall not inherit the kingdom of God." 24:11 The Bible makes it clear that obviously 24:13 this is not safely having fun 24:15 because it has a horrific ramification 24:17 which is they will not inherit the kingdom of God. 24:20 Now the Bible spells out several things here 24:22 that I would have to take into consideration 24:24 if my friends say let's get together for fun. 24:27 I'm going to ask is there adultery or fornication 24:29 that's going to take place with a condom or not, 24:31 that doesn't matter, 24:33 if there's anything that's taking place 24:34 of this nature, the Bible condemns it. 24:36 It does not fit under the context 24:38 of safely having fun. 24:40 It also talks about, you know, 24:43 variance, emulations and strife. 24:46 The word strife in the Greek means rivalry. 24:49 It also... 24:50 When you look at emulation, to emulate means 24:52 to try to be equal to or better than somebody else. 24:55 Well, this principle fits very much in the context 24:57 of what happens often in hip-hop culture 24:59 with the battling, 25:00 where individuals are trying to battle 25:02 and the goal is to produce myself 25:04 as the winner and make you the loser. 25:08 And when there are environments like this in hip-hop culture 25:11 as well as outside of hip-hop culture, 25:13 when there are environments 25:14 where there are people coming together 25:16 in the name of fun but the goal is, 25:17 I'm trying to beat you and declare you the loser 25:20 and you'd be declared the winner 25:21 that I can exalt myself, 25:23 this is a principle that the Bible condemns and says, 25:26 "God does not want this to be done amongst His people." 25:29 There are several things that we can literally go 25:31 point by point in these verses 25:34 and it can now be kind of a warning to us 25:37 about what we can do and what we should not do 25:40 as it relates to recreation. 25:43 So these are some very powerful points 25:44 that an individual can consider, 25:46 and I know we got a lot more 25:47 and one way or the other 25:49 I'm sure we're going to get it to cover 25:51 in other episodes as well, 25:52 but I know we're reaching towards the close of our time 25:54 but, you know, the Lord is blessed. 25:56 That's right. 25:57 Now when we consider the theme of recreation of 26:02 "safely having fun", 26:03 we have to understand that once again 26:06 the Bible does not leave us 26:08 in groping in darkness to try to figure out 26:11 how we are to apply, what are we to do, 26:13 or how are we to respond to good principles, 26:17 good advice but how do you practice it? 26:19 And the Bible deals with these things 26:21 in some of the most practical and explicit language. 26:25 We don't need to be necessarily 26:27 given the instruction in every case 26:29 in exact detail in every situation... 26:31 We just need principles. 26:32 These principles then can be applied 26:35 to any life situation, 26:37 in any life circumstance. 26:40 I'm encouraged, I know we're encouraged. 26:42 I hope you're encouraged by some of these things 26:44 when we talk about those 26:46 cornerstones of hip-hop culture, 26:49 you know, peace, love, unity and safely having fun. 26:52 I hope now you see clearly 26:54 that although those things in and of themselves are good, 26:57 the definition is what is important 27:00 and you can't just say, 27:02 but then all of your actions and all of the practice 27:04 is contrary to the very cornerstone. 27:07 But we see in the Bible 27:09 that it not only says peace, love, unity 27:14 and this idea of recreation and enjoyment, 27:17 but it actually gives you practical instruction 27:19 on how to apply them. 27:21 Practical guidelines that are not just based on 27:23 where you live or what you prefer, 27:26 it's based on the things 27:28 that God has established and not man. 27:30 Remember God is the one that dictates reality 27:33 and we are simply as being His children if you will, 27:38 being His purchased possession, 27:41 we are not at liberty to exercise 27:43 our own opinion on everything. 27:44 We are simply following the instructions of God, 27:49 and we have to be okay with that 27:50 and comfortable with our Creator governing us. 27:53 It's a blessing. Amen. 27:54 So I want to encourage you to come again and join us 27:57 for another episode as we continue our journey 27:59 through these very important topics. 28:01 And remember in Proverbs 2:6, it says, 28:03 "It is the Lord that gives wisdom 28:05 and out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding." 28:09 God bless. |
Revised 2017-08-03