[Biblemat] X-SPAM The Morals of Our Nation Have Taken a Nosedive

[kenneth Thomas]

The first paragraph forming the occasion for writing this article (sermon)
was posted by Kent Heaton on Bible Matters this week.  The rest except one
heading and Bible quotation is what I wrote after reading it. Kenneth E.
Thomas
Motion Picture Production Code
(Adopted 1930)
The sanctity of the institution of marriage and the home shall be upheld. No
film shall infer that casual or promiscuous sex relationships are the common
thing . These [seduction and rape] should never be more than suggested, and
then only when essential to the plot. They should never be shown explicitly 
 Crime shall never be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy with the
crime ... Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail... Revenge, in
modern times, shall not be justified...Mercy killing shall never be made to
seem right or permissible...Dances suggesting or representing sexual actions
or emphasizing indecent movements are to be regarded as obscene ... Laws 
divine, natural or human" shall not be ridiculed. -End of quote
Obviously "we’ve come a long way, baby" since the above code was adopted.
The problem is, "we’ve come a long way baby in the exact wrong direction"
and this to our detriment! Who can deny that this has led to our moral
decline? 
The Christian’s Motion Picture Viewing Code For 2007
"I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that
turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." (Psalm 101:3) Paul shows us how to
have peace with God and a clear conscience in Philippians 4:6-9: 6 "Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7: And the peace of
God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.8: 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
9: Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and
seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you".
Christians may be called an "old fogy" or a "prude" who strive to live by
these ancient but tried and proven morals of the New Testament, but that
should not matter, for we do not seek to please men for as Paul wrote in, 
Col:3:24: "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the
inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (See Gal. 1:10; 1 Cor. 4:6).
"As He Thinketh In His Heart, So Is He:"
(Proverbs 23:7)
Our minds are a lot like computers, "garbage in-garbage out!" How ever a
computer is programmed, that is how it will perform. Jesus said in Mt:12:34:
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." So when we change the
heart (mind) of men from a corrupt mind to a pure one, everything else is
brought under control to Christ’s word and will, including the tongue. 11: 
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12: Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13: Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield
yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14: For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15: What
then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid. 16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness? 17: But God be thanked, that ye were the
servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
which was delivered you. 18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the
servants of righteousness. 19: I speak after the manner of men because of
the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members
servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20: For when ye were the servants
of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21: What fruit had ye then in those
things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22:
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23: For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 (Romans 6:11-23) And: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service. 2: And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2)

What Are Your Viewing, Listening, And Reading Habits?
Since we become what we constantly view, hear, and read, I ask YOU the above
question. Do you and your family watch "Desperate House Wives" or "Sex And
The City" by any chance? Now mind you I (we) have never viewed either of
these made for TV shows, nor have we viewed any of the "Survivors series."
Why have we not viewed either of these? Simply because it’s bad enough that
they advertise them trying to appeal to viewers, and based on their
commercials a Christian knows they are off limits to one who wishes to be 
pure in heart" so as to be able to "see God" (Matthew 5:8). Of course as a
gospel preacher and as an elder in the local congregation, I have not the
authority to ban books, music, TV shows or movies. Each must make that
decision for himself. I can tell you why I do not think a Christian should
view, listen to or read certain things due to their filthy vulgar ungodly
content, and urge us as did the inspired apostle Paul to, "abstain from
every form (appearance KJV) of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22). I know there is
a correlation between what we view, read and hear and the moral decline in
America and the breaking up of homes.
Jesus Said:
What Jesus said on any given subject is true whether the masses accept it or
not! What Jesus said is true whether you and I accept it or not! It is true
if no one accepts it! It is His word that is the truth and only the truth
will make one free (John 8:31-32); and that word will judge us at last (John
12:48). Listen to that word: "...those things which proceed out of the mouth
come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.19: For out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies: 20: These are the things which defile a man:.."
(Matthew 15:18-20). 
Many TV shows, movies, books, and music CD’s glorify and advocate the very
things Jesus listed that have the capacity to defile the ones who view, read
 or listen to them day in and day out. That’s just so! A Christian is not to
fall in love with the sinful things of this world! "Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. 16: For all that is in the world, the lust
of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world.17: And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2
15-17)
Sin Is Often Progressive
(James 1:13-16)
" Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14: But every man is tempted
 when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15: Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death. 16: Do not err, my beloved brethren. (James 1:13-16) 
Some Illustrations Of How Things Progress Into Sin
1). The person who began to flirt with a co-worker in the office or factory
which led them to abandon their lawful mate and even their own children,
probably never realized that their flirting would lead to a nasty divorce.
2). The person who went to a pornographic cite on his/her computer just to
take a look at what is available who later ended up in therapy due to
becoming "hooked" on porn, endangering everything they had previously held
near and dear to their heart and damaging their relationship with the Lord,
their family and their brethren, no doubt never intended to go that far! But
is has happened to several of our brethren and among them not a few gospel
preachers, song leaders and Bible class teachers.
3). The alcoholic who became such over a period of time began their downward
trend resulting in being hopelessly "hooked" on one of, if not the most
dangerous "drugs" in common use today with that first so called, "social
drink."
4). The person who is "hooked" on a drug that is harder to conquer than many
other drugs, the drug called nicotine, probably never realized when they
took that first draw on a cigarette that they would become a slave to that
drug and the time would come when they would realize and even state to
others, "I would like to kick the habit but I have tried and tried and I
simply cannot quit smoking." If you think I don’t understand let me
shamefully admit, brethren, I’ve been there. Yes, it was many years ago, but
"I can feel your pain!" Thank the Lord with His help I was able to "kick the
nicotine habit!
5). The person who "placed that first bet" perhaps it was a baseball pool or
some other sporting event or who bought that first lottery ticket and maybe 
won a few dollars" didn’t realize that they were headed down a "slippery
slope" that would cause them to become addicted to the point that they would
mortgage the farm to get the money to place another bet or buy another
lottery ticket! They have become a compulsive gambler in need of
professional and spiritual assistance to "kick the gambling habit!" 
Above I suggested that "sin is often progressive" let me illustrate further
how this is so: First as we have noticed from Proverbs 23:7, "as he thinks
in his heart, so is he." This shows how our thought processes are the seat
of all sin. When we begin to dwell on certain impure ideas due to what we
view on TV or in movies our what we read for recreational reading and what
we listen to on CD’s or the radio, we are then programing our minds to dwell
on the content. So the following is the way sin progresses: First, we think
the thoughts. Second, we talk the talk. Third, we walk the walk! 
Possessing Our Vessels In Sanctification And Honor
Paul was teaching against fornication when he wrote the following, but I
believe we are not twisting the Scriptures when we apply the principle to
the things we have talked about in this lesson: He wrote: "1Thess: 4:4-5:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in
sanctification and honour; Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do
not know God."
Just Remember...
May each of us remember that what we do-say-or think even in the privacy of
our own homes is not hidden from the eyes of Him with whom we must deal and
to whom we must give an account,
Hebrews 4:12-13; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Romans 2:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11
 Revelation 20:12-15). 
Let me close with a statement I once heard Homer Hailey make in a gospel
meeting at Zion, Illinois many years ago. He quoted from Ephesians 5:27
which says that one day Christ will present her (the church to Himself ket)
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that
she should be holy and without blemish." He then concluded, "Brethren, if
you are a "spot, wrinkle, or a blemish" on the body of Christ it’s either
clean up now or be cleaned out later." 
Which will it be on your part and mine?
 
Kenneth E. Thomas
Pekin church of Christ
1451 Valle Vista Blvd.
Pekin, IL 61554
1 (309) 347-3582 - Office
1 (309) 347-5645 - Home
 
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