A0349_No Accord with Belial

Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 views
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →

Date:      9th  December 2007                                                               (Sunday AM)                                                                       Ref: A0349

Place:     Kambah P.S.

Title: No Accord with Belial

Text:        & 2 Cor 6:11 – 7:1

Illust:     The Golden Compass starring Nicole Kidman shortly opens in theatres across the country.  ~ One of the film's visual high points has to be the sight of Iorek  (a giant polar bear) bounding through the snow in slow motion with Lyra burrowing into his shaggy white fur. And it's scenes like this, shown in most of the film's trailers, that have the power to spark interest and imagination in young viewers.[1] There is a catch – The film is based on the 1st in the His Dark Materials trilogy written for children by Philip Pullman who is an avowed atheist who said in a 2003 interview that "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed." – Need to be discerning of our culture.

I.                   Bankruptcy

A.               Hollywood

i.                 As a fellowship we have a number of ministry standards including; you don’t have a television, and you don’t go to the movies. ~ If you wanted to summarise why, then our text makes it pretty clear.

ii.               The use of the visual medium & music to set your mood & play with your emotions, combines to make what comes across on the large & small screen incredibly powerful tools to influence your beliefs.

     Hollywood does not reflect society its goal is to shape society. Jody Eldred who is an Emmy-Award winning producer-director-cameraman-writer who has worked in the news and entertainment business for 30 years writes:

      Hollywood is the seat of influence The creators of television and film spread their worldviews throughout not just all of America, but the entire world That worldview affects people profoundly, informing them of what right and wrong look like what is good and evil, what profits a man and what is detrimental, what's the best way to live, who's a winner and who's a loser, what is beauty, what is truth - or does truth even exist? And the epicenter for this international values-broadcasting machine is Hollywood.

iii.             In fact You need to settle in your hearts that the shape that Hollywood sees for society is not just neutral towards Christianity it is mostly downright hostile: Jody Eldred again:

      Did you know that nine out of 10 Hollywood films lose money? Did you know that the vast majority of new television shows are cancelled because no one is watching them? Do you wonder why … Because they’re mostly awful? Good answer! But why are  they awful? Because the people creating them are completely out of touch with  the people they are creating them for! Their worldview is vastly different from the world-view of most Amcricans.  We have a largely Christian nation but Hollywood is largely un-Christian, and in many if not most cases, anti-Christian. They're not just out of touch, they’re against vou.

iv.             This AM I want you to understand that Hollywood is not a Christians friend.

B.               Some Holiday Fare:

i.                 Bee Movie, an animated kids film from Dreamworks is in the cinemas:

     Negative - …This is not a kid's film. It is so frustrating to take your child to a film that is marketed to a child and have them exposed to inappropriate humor and issues that we have purposely refrained exposing them to in an effort to preserve their innocence. Consider the discussion about 'a suicide pact'? How about the scene that demonstrates how to use an aerosol can and flame to make a torch? The scene where the girl jams a fork into her arm to see if she is dreaming? The drag queen? This is not even addressing all the sexual (not so subtle) innuendo. I was very aware that it was primarily adults laughing in the film. Parents, it is purposeful that these films have this sort of content—it is to keep us entertained! But I ask you at what price?

     Positive - Cute, mostly clean fun with a relevant and timely lesson about the value of honey bees. Very enjoyable with some slapstick and enough action to keep everyone entertained. Some mild adult humor caused the PG-rating, and unfortunately because of the PG-rating we were forced to sit thru a truly awful preview of “The Golden Compass” which seems to be occultish and had several younger children crying before the preview was over—so go late, miss the PG previews and enjoy the “BEE Movie”!! Overall, the Bee Movie was very enjoyable and entertaining without being offensive biblically. Good work ethic message that shows the value of even the most menial job and discusses how bees all work together to make the community, and world, thrive.

ii.               Golden Compass

      … the world portrayed in “The Golden Compass”, the book and the movie, is a mean and vicious world. It is too violent and too cruel for children and will plant hateful scripts of behavior in the minds of susceptible youths. Beyond that, in the interest of self-satisfaction, it motivates children to seek to be joined with occult, demonic powers and principalities to get their own way. The official website has an area where children can meet their own daemon.[2]

iii.             Beowulf an animated adventure: - Sunday Telegraph reviewer exclaims “Mind blowingly extravagant... an impressive nexus of technology and storytelling.

     The nudity and violence in Beowulf is such that, had this been a live-action film, the Motion Picture Association of America would've undoubtedly slapped it with an R rating. This may be an animated film—but everything is so realistic it feels like Zemeckis got off on a technicality. Even star Angelina Jolie says she won't take her own children to the film because of its content. "It's remarkable it has the rating it has," she told the BBC. "It's quite an extraordinary film, and some of it shocked me."

     Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) is completely naked throughout her scenes, … And while the CGI isn't completely spot-on realistic—think of it as a mash-up of real-life anatomy and a naked Barbie doll— When Jolie herself saw the final footage, she was reportedly embarrassed and called her family to warn them about how much of her virtual self they would be seeing.[3]

II.                 Learn to Discern

A.               Belial

i.                 I could go on & on, but I want to home in this morning on the need for the body of Christ to be discerning about our involvement in our culture. – What does Paul say & vs. 14-16

     Belial means; the worthless person, the lawless person – that describes much of Hollywood. Lets be real, we are constantly bombarded by the latest antics of some Hollywood/ recording star – Tragic lives!

ii.               Burt Prelutsky, at one time a script writer for shows such as MASH, Mary Tyler Moore & Diagnosis Murder writes;

      To understand the mentality of actors, you have to appreciate the fact that these are grown-ups who spend their entire careers dressing up in other people's clothes, wearing makeup, speaking words that have been written for them, and being told how to walk and talk by a director. Does that sound like something an adult would want to do with his life? When you then pay them enormous amounts of money, excuse their boorishness, glamorize their excesses and perch them on pedestals, is it any wonder these pampered pets are going to act like babies?

     See when you go to see these movies, you are being exposed to anti Christian messages. – Your perceptions of what is wrong & what is right are being subtly manipulated.

     In a very real sense you are pouring moral sewerage into God’s temple For you are the temple of the living God

iii.             Paul speaking to the Corinthians is using some pretty strong language to try to drive the point home, do not play with the world or the things of the world. & vs. 14

     The world goes to the movies, actually Australia is the 4th most regular movie going nation in the world with each Australian on average spending $60 per year on movie tickets. – Should we then follow suit as the body of Christ.

B.               A Body Polluted

i.                 << Show ‘Hollywood and God’ Video >>[4]

ii.               Tragically many Christians are going to the movies & many are showing the same complete lack of understanding of how it influences their lives: Bote the positive review of Bee Movie that I read earlier – For a clearer example: - These are from Christian movie review sites about the latest Simpsons movie.

     Negative - This movie went over-the-top in its effort to be crass. …The whole scene with Bart skateboarding naked was inappropriate. ….. Bart is then handcuffed to a lamppost naked whereupon a boy stands and laughs at him. The boy’s mother comes later and laughs at Bart’s nakedness too. Earlier in the movie is a scene in a church that mocks things sacred and Homer adds to it with his sacrilegious comments. Later we see two male policemen kissing and going into a room like they can’t keep their hands off each other. Throw in some swearing including Marge saying G…D., and a bedroom scene with Homer and Marge, and you have a film you shouldn’t take your children to. Yes, there were parts of the film that were hilarious, but overall I felt like I paid nine bucks to have my faith and my values mocked.

     Positive - …I enjoyed this film a great deal, not only because it was funny, but i felt that the scene where homer realises that he is a) selfish, b) needs to values others over and above himself. This 2 factors really made the film so much more palatable to me because it gave God I think an oppurtunity to speak into peoples lives where they wouldnt normally get spoken to. It was a wonderful scene when Homer realises that putting others before himself is more important. Some may be offended by a few of the jokes within the film, however if you can see past the crassness of some of the humour I think youll find more christian like qualities being expressed through some of the characters actions within the film then what is first thought.…

iii.             2 reviewers, one who is so undiscerning to think it is a good film; BUT both have failed to grasp Paul’s admonition in our text. – Both viewed the film. I don’t think I have ever seen an episode of the Simpsons but I have heard & read enough to know that it is not righteous – so why go & see it at all.

     A body polluted through a lack of discernment & worse disobedience to the Word of God

III.              The Two Therefore’s

A.               Come Out

i.                 What does God expect: & vs. 17 – Come Out, be separate. – You & I are not to indulge our flesh, our carnality and pollute the temple of God. – A call to be different.

ii.               Do not touch what is unclean, - and there can be no doubt that much of what is portrayed on the screen (large & small) is unclean – don’t touch it.

iii.             And I will receive you – Do you want God to hear your prayers, to reach down and lift you up, to heal, to deliver, to help – do not touch what is unclean.

B.               Cleanse Ourselves

i.                 The 2nd therefore: & 7:1 ~ Cleanse yourself – repentance. – Repent of your involvement in the things of the world, of your desire for the things of the world, ask God to cleanse you by the blood of Jesus.

ii.               We need to rediscover afresh an awe & reverence (fear) for the holiness of God, the grief that we cause God when we have fellowship with the world, when we allow the pollution of the culture to flood the temple

iii.             Make a commitment to Holiness this morning. – Ask God to help you.

IV.             Altar Call


----

[1] http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0003536.cfm

[2] http://www.movieguide.org/index.php?s=articles&id=236

[3] http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0003505.cfm

[4] http://www.hollywoodandgod.com/

Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more