======================================================================== HOW ENTERTAINMENT AFFECTS YOU by Shane Idleman ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the influence of entertainment on our lives, highlighting how what entertains us can shape our affections and hinder our worship of God. It delves into the importance of surrendering fully to God, addressing the need to let go of worldly influences and embrace the fullness of the Holy Spirit for transformation and empowerment in our Christian walk. Topics: "Influence of Entertainment", "Surrender to God" Scripture References: Ephesians 4:30, Colossians 3:5, Romans 12:1, James 4:7, 1 John 2:15, Galatians 5:16, Psalm 51:10, Proverbs 4:23, Acts 2:38, 1 Corinthians 6:9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the influence of entertainment on our lives, highlighting how what entertains us can shape our affections and hinder our worship of God. It delves into the importance of surrendering fully to God, addressing the need to let go of worldly influences and embrace the fullness of the Holy Spirit for transformation and empowerment in our Christian walk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ That's why entertainment is so important. I don't think people get this. What entertains you influences you. It's how you spend your time. Some people say, well, it's not a big deal. I just, you know, watch this. Okay. But it's, it's, that's your form of worship. Worship music is boring. Church is boring. Prayer is boring. All this is boring, but I love Breaking Bad series on Netflix. Let's get personal here. Huh? Jack Reacher, Jack Reacher series, or I just talked to a friend this week about this. When I talked about Harry Potter or witches and warlocks, we're watching darkness. And, and if these things entertain us, we forget that what could, what entertains you influences you because you're giving, this is enjoyment. This is it's, it's deep calling into deep darkness, ministering to darkness, not light ministering to light. And of course, during this season with Halloween, you gotta be really careful, really careful. You look at the history of jack-o'-lanterns and trick or treat and dressing up and the pagan roots are alarming. So just be careful. You better make sure it's, you know, letting Jesus redeem the theme of Halloween because what, what entertains us, what we can sit and watch will influence us. And this is why most people have a hard time worshiping God. Their affections are elsewhere. You ready to drop a truth bomb? I probably won't even get through the whole sermon. So you're gonna have to go listen to the first service or, or come back tonight for part two. The, this, this is guys, this is so important. This is why most people have a hard time worshiping God because their affections are elsewhere. So when you want to come worship God, you're like, what time is it? I can't wait to get back for six o'clock and this half of the team is going to be leading. Lord, I just want to find myself at that altar. I'm struggling with some things of the flesh and I've been filling on your word. I've been putting on worship and I, I'm, I want to come back and worship. See, you've been feeding on that, but if you've been feeding on the things of the world, promiscuous, alcohol, the party scene, everything I just talked about on voodoo and Netflix and Amazon prime, you're dead to the things of God. So worship, you come in here dead to the things of God. You can't worship. The enemy's got you handcuffed. Your affections have been given elsewhere and you try, you sing, it's just, but nothing is moving you because your heart has been given to idolatry. That's just straight Bible. That is straight Bible. Not my opinion. I shouldn't say it because it'll sound mean, but it's not what I mean. Okay. It's going to sound mean, but it's not what I mean. Okay. What would they say? No, my heart, understand my heart. I don't know if I think I walked myself into a hole now. Oh yeah, she's trying to go. Let's have the worship team come up. Do I have your word? You will not get mad at me. I could care less what you watch and what you do. It's your life. I could, I'll forget about it in five minutes. I got enough stuff to worry about. I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to help you. Think about, oh, pastor, I can't watch this. I can't do that. Do whatever you want. I don't care. Go dress up as Satan and walk down your neighborhood. Collecting candy on the 31st, listening to ACDC. You're on the highway to hell. That's your choice. That's your choice. But you know what I'm saying, right? And I don't mean I could care less because I care. But it's not like, I'm not going to lose sleep over how you live your life. People, I just think they're watching. I'm going to watch Breaking Bad all week. I don't care, sweetie. Go for it. You're not hurting me. You're hurting you. You're hurting you. So got it out. Does that make sense? Okay. You're not mad because I do care. I mean, it's part of the flock and you care about people, but it's not, I think people, you should be more worried about your own soul and what you're doing. Why doesn't God reveal himself to you to know his will? He cannot. It is not that he will not, but he cannot because you are in the way as long as you won't abandon yourself to him in total surrender. Oswald Chambers from his devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. Little things make a big deal. Little things make a huge deal. And everything I covered at the second service, I'm just going to gloss through these quickly because they are important. Colossians 3, 5, and 7. Here's why this is so important. These are little things that are going to make a big deal. And so many times people, they kind of get upset at preachers like me because you don't err on the side of grace. It's never about grace. It's never about grace. It's never about grace. And actually it's a lot about grace. We love grace. But the problem is like any doctrine, if you take it too far to the extreme, it becomes warped. Because if it's too far, how far over can I go, right? If it's all about grace, we forget about obedience. So obedience is over saying, hello, come back, find the middle ground here. If it's all about grace, have you heard the phrase, cheap grace, sloppy agape? What they mean is, leave me alone and let me sin as much as I want, I'm under God's grace. That's an abuse of grace. And so you have to come back to the middle, and you better stop here because if you keep running, then you become the legalistic, hard, rigid, why aren't you obeying? Can I see your phone right now? Connor, let me check your internet history. Who's been smoking marijuana today? Are you guys still living together? What's going on? Can't get your life in order? Come on, come on, come on. Obey, obey, obey, obey. Obey, obey, obey. Obey, obey. If you don't obey, you don't come here anymore. That's how you, you know, I can't even do it good. But right, it's all about, you know those guys. And it's hard because you know, as pastors, we're gonna, we go back and forth. But you find that middle, okay, grace is pulling me back, thank God. But obedience is having me stand here. So Paul said, put to death fornication. If you're living together, sex, any sex outside of marriage, hello, LGBTQ plus 184729 movement. Anything, anything outside, that's not funny. Because they have to keep adding numbers. Because there's no truth, it's a lie. And you have to keep accommodating for everything. Fornication, put it to death, don't play with it. Before you say amen, Jesus said, if you even look to a woman to lust for her, you have committed adultery in your heart. The plague of pornography, you have to deal with that. I taught on that a few years ago. The whole message you can hear on that, you've got to remove that from your heart. Uncleanness, which is corrupt morals, put it to death. What about putting to death your passions? Wait, I thought passions are good, right? These are what the Bible says, unbridled lusts. unbridled lusts. Did you know that even a good thing can become a bad thing? Hello? All of you are going to experience or most of you after Thanksgiving dinner. You'll see, I remember that sermon. I try, I'm just telling you, I try it and it never works. Just one plate, just basic good, that's it. That's all I'm having. And when you know it, King's stomach begins to call my name. But that's what this is, not Thanksgiving. It's about just overall, right? Giving over to those passions, put them to death. That's why fasting is so important. Fasting helps you put these unbridled passions in their place. That's what we're called to do. We're called to put our passions in their place. They don't control you, you control them. The Bible also talks about their God has become their what? Belly, their stomach. And get rid of covetousness, put it to death. Covetousness, what is that? Having something, I want something that someone else has. And it will eat you up, will it not? Covetousness, wanting what others have. And God said, because of these things, the wrath of God is upon the sons of disobedience. It's who you used to be, but you're not that anymore. So stop. In other words, I'd love to just talk to Paul. He's basically saying, put to death all these things that you're supposed to, you've been crucified with Christ. You've left these things, you've repented of these things, and you found newness in Christ and wholeness. Why are you going back to the same things that brought you down? Put them to death. And the Bible is clear on this, you've got to kill sin. You don't play with it, you don't coddle it. I think it was John Owen, the famous Puritan, who said, be killing sin or sin be killing you. That is profound. Be killing sin or sin be killing you. Did you know that sin doesn't stay static or doesn't stay neutral? Think about it. It's either growing in your life or it's withering and dying because you're taking away its fuel source. Woe be to the man who thinks he can just walk down the middle and keep it restrained. Restrained? Why would you willingly walk back into the enemy's camp? And that's why in Ephesians, he said, I beseech you, walk worthy of the calling which you were called. That you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. And that is that always the plea? Like, Christian, why do you look no different than the world? Many Christians don't, correct? There's no difference. How do you even know? How do you even know? I love this story, and I don't care if I've told it a few times, you need to hear it again, maybe. But I was in construction, I came back to Lourdes 2000 or so, I was working actually at Quartz Hill Water District, believe it or not. I was their heavy equipment operator. And I'm talking to this one guy I'm working with, you know, I don't even say their names. But I'm talking with this guy about, yeah, you know, he's acting like he's a Christian. We're talking for months, a couple months, I'm working together with him and trying to get him to church. And, you know, it's just, we're not going to talk about other stuff. Well, I see God and working hard and things. And then this other guy we'll call Gary. Okay. So I'm talking with him for months, a couple months, same thing, because I go to different jobs. As a heavy equipment operator, I've got to go here on a water leak, and here on a main leak, and here, you know, and one day, one day, this just blows my mind. We're all working together, the same place. And I start the conversation, right, and about Billy Graham crusade or something coming up, if it was back, I don't know if it was the last one in LA. And, and they turn to each other, and they go, Gary, I didn't know you're a Christian. These guys been working together for months, they didn't know the other one was a Christian. Eight hours a day, or we're doing four 10s. And I just stood back. And I'm like, I know because I'm talking to let's say his name's Heath, right? Okay, I'm talking to you. I know we're engaged. You know, he talks a good talk. And I'm talking to Gary on months, months, months. And he's, but then I get them together. And they're like, surprise, I didn't even know you're a Christian, man. Oh, you mean either you two? Well, let's let it sink in. How do you work together for a couple months? Oh, there's porn in the truck. There's dirty jokes. There's alcohol after work. There's no difference. And that needs to wake people up. Now, it doesn't mean you don't struggle. But there's a difference. You know, he who has the love of the world, or the Father does not have the does not love the things of the world. He who loves the world does not have the love of the Father in him. And he's saying, do not keep walking like the Gentiles. There's no difference. There's no distinction. We don't want people to know we're Christians at work. We don't want people because we're the bottom line is many people are embarrassed. Now, I know you have to be careful, right? You don't want to go get fired on purpose. But there's something about you that resembles Christ. Paul's saying, why do you walk like the Gentiles? Why do you look like the Gentiles? And he's writing to Colossians. He's writing to Ephesians, the church in Ephesus. He wrote the same things to the church in Corinth. So it is a struggle for Christians. So I'm not beating you up. I'm trying to convict you. Big difference. Beating up is to condemn you. Convicting you is to get you up out of your chair, have you leave here and go, I don't like what he had to say. But you know what, I need to make those changes. And then you make the changes. Then you make the changes and you repent and the fire of God comes upon your life. And then next time you come to church, you're hugging me and crying because now the joy that's been elusive and the peace that has never been found has come into your heart. I've seen it time and time again. They opened the floodgates. I'll be talking about that tonight. More on that topic. And then he goes on to say, do not grieve the spirit. Again, I wish I had time to go into all this. Do not give the devil a foothold. Do not give place to the devil, which literally means do not invite the devil in. And it's funny how he ties that with anger. Be careful. Deal with anger. Deal with it because it's destructive. It's destructive. And then he closes, verse 32. Sorry, Sarah, I'm driving you crazy. I'm sure all over the place with these slides. The problem is I only have a skeleton and God puts the clothes on on the sermon. It's very hard for me to stick at one thing when I feel prompted to really minister in other areas. They call it the rabbit trails. And we hear feedback mainly on the rabbit trails. So, because this is what I want to talk about. God says, no, this is what I want you to talk about. Amen, Jason. You told me that as well, too, this week. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. I want to make a bold statement. I didn't say this at the service. I didn't even think of it. But I think this is important maybe for someone here, a couple people here. Unforgiveness is going to prevent the mighty moving of God's Spirit in your heart. It could be the blockage that is stopping that. But Shane, you don't know what they did. No, I don't know what they did. And it doesn't mean that they are right. Forgiveness is a decision. Trust is a process. Forgiveness just means they're wrong. But I'm releasing. I'm giving it to God because I can't hold this toxic emotion in my heart. Lord, you died for me. You forgave me. You command me to forgive. It's hard. It's hurtful. But I do not want this disconnect between me and your Spirit anymore. I'm letting this go. I'm releasing it to you, God. Would you help me? It's even hard right now. I'm trying, Lord. I want to. I know I need to. But Lord, would you help me? And he will. He will. Don't allow that to prevent you from the fullness of the Spirit. What I mean by that is as a believer, you have the Holy Spirit at conversion. You have all of the Holy Spirit at conversion, my personal belief. But does he have all of you? That's why when people talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, brother, you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Brother, you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Brother, you need fresh fire. What they're talking about is something is clogged up in your system, and you need to repent and fully surrender so the fullness of the Spirit can be poured upon your life. That's why I don't have problems with those terms. I would tell, yeah, you need the baptism, anointing, unction, fullness, whatever you, abandoned life, whatever you call it, you need it. I like what R.A. Torrey said. I'd rather miss the theological term just right and receive the power of the Spirit than get the term just right and miss the power. And that's why so many people, Oswald Chambers, who I just quoted, did you know he lived in misery as a professor and a Christian? Misery, the Bible was the most boring, dull book he's ever read in his life. You can read his biography's exact words. How does he go from that to writing my utmost for his highest, the greatest devotional of all time in America? How does he go from that? How does John Wesley go from going back to Europe, defeated, discouraged, didn't win anyone to the Lord, was going to quit the ministry, to on fire for God, the founder of the Methodist movement? How does John Bunyan go from seemingly dead to the things of God, had a religion, to now writing the Pilgrim's Progress and doing 12 years in prison? I've got all day, as a matter of fact, we have to be back, me and John and his wife, in four hours, so I'll just camp out for a while if you want. I can give you what made the difference, what made the difference, what made the difference of an uneducated country boy from Courts Hill, California, drunk all the time, talk about God, now it's a little embarrassing, it's for women, worship is for women, give me some George Strait and a 12-pack and I'll be good. From that to this, as a Christian, as a Christian, I was convicted, I knew I shouldn't be living this way, going to Vegas for two nights on speed at 17 years old. How do you go from that to this? The baptism, the fire, the anointing, the unction of the Spirit, that's it. You go from almost nothing of the Spirit, quenching and grieving the Spirit of God, that's why you're miserable, that's why you do nothing for God, that's why church is boring, that's why you don't want to come most of the time, that's why you don't want to put on worship, you got to put your secular music on, and you want it, I feel your pain, you want it, but you're bound, you're locked into this demonic bondage, and God says, repent of all that, repent of it, give me everything, fully surrender everything, I need it all. In order to fill you all the way, He needs it all, partial surrender, partial filling. Now, I don't want to leave people confused, there's no such thing as perfect surrender on this side of the cross, have I surrendered perfectly? No, hello, hello, I still got things the Lord's tugging on me about, come on Shane, come on, remember I did a podcast recently, and God's been convicting me about coffee, but no, I like my Christian crack, you know, but it makes me irritable, it makes me anxious, it makes me, and that's not good for a pastor, you know, I'm just saying, so there's all these things that God is convicting us on, right, anybody get convicted about more family devotionals, I couldn't do that if you paid me a hundred dollars, I've got a four-year-old running around, a ten-year-old bored to death, this guy thinks he knows it all, this, it's like, forget it, the idlemens are a work in progress, and that's, I think that's what my gravestone is going to say, work in progress, so it's not about perfection, it's about direction, the direction of your heart. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/xZJmJbLRMrs.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/shane-idleman/how-entertainment-affects-you/ ========================================================================