Sermons

S.R.  Ephesians 4:17 – 24

Introduction:  David Banning, November 2013 Biblical Insights

A.    Famous town:  Upper Ohio Valley – across from Weirton, WV on banks of Ohio.

1.      City

a.       Steubenville, Ohio is a small, mid-west town of about 18,000 on the banks of the Ohio River.

2.      Deano Martino  (Dean Martin)   “Di Carlos” pizza

3.      March 8, 1958,  My dad moved us away from the area when I was young.

4.      Football

a.       When it receives media attention, it is usually focused on Steubenville’s 10,000-seat high school football stadium. 

b.      The Big Red (as the team is known) is one of the most storied programs in the state, boasting nine state championships.

5.      But as football season was getting underway in the fall of 2012, the program was once again in the news.  Two of their players had been charged with sexually assaulting a sixteen-year-old girl.  But there was so much more to the story.

B.     The Events Unfolded

1.      The victim was so drunk she was hardly conscious during the assault.  The crime took place at a party.  Other teenagers were present.  But no one did anything to help her. 

2.      Instead, several of the witnesses chose to take pictures and shoot videos with their cell phones.  They shared the pictures with friends and then posted them on social media sites. 

3.      Immediately after the assault there were numerous celebratory texts exchanged between the two boys and their friends. Their casualness about their crime and contempt for the victim was horrific.

4.      In the aftermath, there were rumors of a cover up by adults loyal to the football team.  Death threats were made against the victim.

C.     It was such an awful story and I only in recent months learned of it. 

1.      Unfortunately this is not the only story of its kind in the last 10 years.

a.       Guyland, by Michael Kimmel, relates several similar events.

2.      But at the same time, there are some important lessons to be learned from what happened in Steubenville, Ohio. 

3.      Let’s break the story down to its most basic dimensions and ask you to consider a few of these. 

4.      So what Happened in Steubenville?                                                        

I.       A Teenage Girl Got Drunk

A.     I am reluctant to say that. 

B.     I would not want anyone to conclude that I’m blaming the victim, or suggesting that her mistake in any way mitigates what these boys did.  It does not! 

C.     But at the same time, it’s hard to ignore this dimension of the story. 

1.      Her intoxication was at the core of the legal case. 

2.      She was so drunk that she could not consent; she could not protest or resist. 

3.      This fact makes the actions of the boys all the more reprehensible. 

D.    But at the same time, it exposes a serious danger.  

E.     The problem with alcohol is that it messes with the mind. 

1.      It impacts our ability to think straight and make sound decisions. 

2.      This impact begins early in the process of drinking. 

3.      With just a couple of beers there is a loss of shyness, lower inhibitions and reasoning begins to be impaired.  (Purdue Exponent, Why Girls Drink)

4.      God warned us about this.  He urged us to live sensibly (Titus 2:12); to live disciplined lives, to restrain our passions and submit them to His will. 

5.      From early on in the process, alcohol hampers our ability to do this (Proverbs 23:31-34). “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32  In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 33  Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 34  You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.”

6.      “Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Prov. 20:1)

F.      So what do we want to say to kids about this stuff? 

1.      I will tell you what I’m going to say: DON’T EVER DRINK ALCOHOL! 

2.      There just isn’t anything good that comes from it. 

3.      When is it good for a disciple to have “lower inhibitions” or “lower caution” or “impaired judgment” – even a little bit impaired? 

4.      For a disciple, alcohol works against the very thing we are trying to do – to live a sensible life. 

5.      Please, leave it alone.

II.    Two teenage boys did a terrible thing…

A.    I know little about the boys who committed this crime.  I know they are teenagers.  They play football.  They grew up in a small town.

1.       I don’t know about their home life, about their parents, about their upbringing.  But there are some things beyond dispute. 

a.       These two boys were criminally immoral. 

b.      They were unashamed of their actions. 

c.       They had nothing but contempt for the young woman they assaulted. 

d.      They were young men without a moral compass.

B.     For parents, this story underscores the vital work we do.

1.      These boys lacked what Joseph had at a key turning point in his life (Genesis 39:7-9). 

2.      Joseph did not have the greatest family life, but somewhere along the way he learned that to have sex with another man’s wife was a “great evil.”

a.       To have sex with anyone who is not your husband/wife is a great evil.

3.      Joseph possessed a moral compass. When he faced a critical moment where he had to decide how to behave, he knew the right way to go. 

C.     This is what we need to give our kids. 

1.      It disturbs me when parents talk about letting their kids figure out life on their own. 

2.      We are to train them (Ephesians 6:4).  Fathers, nurture (train) your children.

a.       We need to talk to them about God, about who He is, about what He expects of us (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).  “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.7  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

b.      We need to walk them through specific moral challenges they will face and clearly explain what God would want them to do. 

3.      When our kids face their “moment with Potiphar’s wife,” we want them to know exactly what God expects of them. 

4.      Our kids need a moral compass.

D.    Works of the Flesh exposed

1.      Gal. 5:19 - 21

a.       “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

b.      20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

c.       21  envying, drunkenness, carousing,(orgies – ESV) and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

E.     Hardened minds and hearts

1.      Rom. 1:18 – 21,

a.       “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

b.      19  because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

c.       20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

d.      21  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

2.      28 - 32   gave them up (over)

a.       28  And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

b.      29  being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

c.       30  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

d.      31  without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

e.       32  and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

3.      Eph. 4:17 – 19

a.       “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

b.      18  being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

c.       19  and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”

III.  A lot of people thought little of it.

A.    The community of Steubenville reacted in very different ways to this crime.

1.      Some were outraged. 

2.      Others thought it was no big deal, just boys being boys.   hearty approval

3.      Some were angry with the victim. 

4.      But without question, the worst reaction came from the teenagers at the scene. 

a.       This assault did not take place in some back alley.  It happened at a party.

b.      There were others present who saw what was happening. 

c.       And yet, no one spoke up and protested.

d.      No one summoned an adult. 

e.       What they did was pull out their cell phones and take pictures, and then shared those pictures with their friends and posted them to the Internet.

f.       Evidently the two boys who committed the crime were not the only ones lacking a moral compass. 

B.     I fear that what we see in these kids are the debilitating effects of pornography.

1.      One witness commented that he did not try to help the victim because he did not know that a crime was being committed. 

2.      We have a problem!  Our culture is saturated with sensual images.

3.      Kids can easily access the worst filth our society manufactures through the Internet. 

4.      Their hearts are being corrupted

5.      Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28  but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

6.      Prov. 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

a.       Studies indicate that teenage boys are among the largest consumers of Internet pornography.

b.      Is this awful crime merely an indicator of what happens when young men’s brains are saturated with pornography during their formative years? 

c.       And if it is, what does that say about our future as a nation when we have a whole generation of boys raised this way?

d.      Smart Phone is the primary access point to pornography among teens.

C.     We must protect our kids from this grave danger. 

1.      We need to talk about it at our house. 

2.      We need to keep computers, tablets and smart phones out of their bedroom.

3.      Only allow your kids to access the Internet in a public place in the house and at times when you’re around. 

4.      We need to hold our kids accountable. 

a.       Check periodically to see what websites they have been visiting (and also note when their web history has been deleted). 

b.      Have your kids leave their cell phones on the kitchen counter when they go to bed.

c.       Nothing good is going to happen with that cell phone in their bedroom after everyone has gone to sleep. 

d.      We need to install filtering software on the computers…whatever we can do to protect them from this danger.

D.    But even more important, we need to engrain truth on their hearts (Ephesians 6:4).

1.      We need to get the book open at our house and talk to our kids about moral purity (Hebrews 13:4, Matthew 5:27-28), respect the opposite sex, valuing other people, behaving like gentlemen and ladies, and keeping our hearts pure.

a.       Blessed are the pure in heart.

b.      A superior satisfaction – giving our pure minds to a holy God is a superior satisfaction.  (1 Peter 1:13 – 17)

2.      We need to give our kids that moral compass so that they know how God expects them to behave. 

IV.  A Commendable Response

A.    I want to leave you with one positive note about this terrible event. 

1.      According to reports, there was one young man – who was not on the scene – who received text messages about what was happening. 

2.      He responded with a furious message telling the guys they’d better stop and warning that he would personally do something about it if they did not. 

3.      One young man saw this situation for what it was and took a stand. 

a.       “Silence is not always golden, sometimes it is plain yellow.”

b.      Do our children see us actively opposing evil in our culture, our media and in our homes?

c.       Or do they see passive, whimpy parents who refuse to stand for right and expose evil in all forms in all formats?  (Eph. 5:11)

4.      We need to raise kids with this spirit…kids who will be that one person who takes a stand against the crowd and does what is right. 

B.     Eph. 4:20 – 24  “But you did not learn Christ in this way,  21  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22  that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23  and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24  and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

C.     Jesus will wash away all past sins of which we truly repent, but the memories of past sins will not vanish.

1.      1 Tim. 1:13 – 16 “13  even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14  and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15  It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16  Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

2.      Acts 22:16  “'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'”

3.      1 John 1:9  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”