1 Cor. 15:33. “Do not be deceived, bad company ruins good morals.”
This is not just a young person’s verse, this is an every person verse. There are things and people that influence each one of us and take us in a direction away from God.
Prov. 4:23- keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
The purpose of this lesson is to increase our vigilance so our hearts will be properly directed toward God, His Word and His righteousness, so that from our hearts will spring the joys of the life God intends for us to have.
We are swimming against the current as we live in this world. 1 John 5:19, we know that we are of God and the whole world lies in the sway of the wicked one. Our adversary is the father of lies. Increasingly we hear information presented to us by the media that is filled with lies and misinformation.
Luke 8:18- take care then how you hear, for the one who has more will be given and from the one who has, not even what he thinks he has will be taken away.
Trusted sources: how do we know?
Take evolution, for example. Some very smart people believe in it and present it as the unequivocal truth as to our origin.
What are some tests we can apply to sources of information to determine if they are trusted?
1. Theology? Bias affects understanding.
2. View of faith? Effect on spiritual wellness.
3. Believers? Often reliable, but not always.
4. Agenda? Myriad of motives
What about 1 Cor. 15, Evil companions and immoral behavior? The context is actually about the resurrection. If there is one, that will affect our behavior. If there isn’t one, you will put all your eggs in one basket, the NOW basket.
So be careful who and what you listen to!
What you believe about the resurrection matters, it affects choices. Become sober minded, he says next, and stop sinning.
Thoughts:
1. Wrong thinking leads to poor behavior choices. Be careful how you think. Listening to evolutionists, for example, will lead to thinking exclusively about yourself
2. Cultivate convictions that withstand pressures. We come together to bolster our convictions, to strengthen ourselves.
3. You provide the sway! Instead of you being swayed by the currents against you, you be the one that sways others towards the things of God.
Read Psalm 106:34-40. The people of Israel mingled with the nations and it led to their downfall. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and He abhorred them.
Psalm 119: 63, 74.
63: I am a friend of all who fear you and to all who follow your precepts.
74: may those who fear you rejoice when they see me for I have put my hope in your Word.
Numbers 13 & 14. Don’t listen to the wrong voices. The best of the best were sent to spy out the land, 12 men. Only two stood with God and had the faith to take the land. Caleb and Joshua. We remember their names. Who remembers any of the names of the faithless 10?
14:8, if the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey
Embrace the eternal life Jesus offers! Don’t listen to the wrong voices!
3/1/21
