What often passes for mere entertainment today really is far more than that. It influences our society at large as well as people on an individual level. So many examples of this could be cited. I remember when I was a young person, there was a movie came out that was pretty famous at the time called The Deer Hunter. There was a famous scene in there. A fellow plays Russian roulette. Over the course of the next couple of years after that movie was released, no fewer than at least 25 people died. imitating the scene in that movie where they were playing Russian roulette. How many played and got lucky? But that movie influenced people's actions and desires and their choices and many lost their lives because of it. Not long ago, I'd read a story about a 12-year-old girl who had overdosed on some pills because her mother, she was 12 years old and her mother would not let her date a 16-year-old. She later admitted that she got the idea to do that because she saw a girl do that on TV and on a TV show, she recovered quickly from the overdose and she got her mother's sympathy. So she thought she'd try it because it worked on TV. And if you know that my wife, Shalane, when she was a young girl growing up, she didn't have much religious training or teaching, didn't know a lot about the Bible. And she saw the movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. And what she knew about God, she had learned from watching the Ten Commandments. Not long after this thing, that movie, her dog died. And she figured she would pray to the God of Moses because she knew what the God of Moses could do. But that movie influenced the way that she saw and perceived God as a young person. So recognizing then the power of the entertainment in our lives, the question is, how do we evaluate it? What entertainment is acceptable for a Christian and what isn't? And perhaps nothing I'll say today is new, but I just want to remind us all some basic biblical principles drawn from Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. But before we look at the scriptures, would you join me for a word of prayer? Our Father in heaven, we ask this morning that you would help us to reflect on our lives, the choices that we make in light of the biblical principles and how we must bring them to bear on these choices and decisions. Help us to do this, that we might lead lives that bring glory and honor to you and to your son, in whose name we submit this petition. Amen. I want to suggest three basic tests that we should bring to the entertainment that plays a part in our lives. The first test would be the basic morality test. I think that's the point that Paul is calling forth in Ephesians 5, verses 3-13, when he says, But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh saints, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Now let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye wore sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them as secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever doth make manifest is a light. You see here, Paul reminds us that we're not to be partakers with the world in acts of darkness. We are the children of light. We ought to reflect it in our lifestyle. We ought to walk as children of light. In verse 11, then, we are told not only to fellowship with them, but rather to reprove. You know, and I believe that a failure to reprove on our part really often is a means of giving tacit approval. You know, in Philippians 4, 8, remember Paul enumerates for us the principles that we ought to embrace as believers. He says, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. And in this regard, then, there is a lot of the world's entertainment that we encounter that really does not pass the morality test. There are a lot of elements in so much of the literature or the films and so forth or the music that simply contains elements that we might consider objectionable. Consider much of the entertainment, for example, that has so much bad language. I think we know the music of today and much of the programming on TV today is just filled with this stuff. There's profanity, scantilogical realism, offensive epithets, very explicit terminology. Crude and vulgar terminology. So bad language is there. And of course, that's one of the things that Paul identifies here in verse four. That's an objectionable element. Of course, violence. We know the violence is there in so much of today's entertainment. You know, studies have shown that the average child, by the time the average child completes elementary school, he will have witnessed at least 8000 murders and over 100000 other acts of violence. By the age of 18, he will have witnessed over 200,000 acts of violence, including 40,000 murders. That, of course, all being portrayed mostly on TV and in the movies. But you think about that. That's a lot of murder. That's a lot of violence. What a different world this is. Back in the 1800s, how many murders did the average child witness? How many acts of violence versus what he would see and encounter today? And some try to argue all that doesn't really affect them, but many studies have been done showing that, of course, it does affect young people. There's, for example, the major study that was done by Yale University I looked at where they did demonstrate that the more of that violence that the kids watched, in general, the more violent they tend to be and less creative. So there is the whole issue of so much of the violence. And then, of course, there would be sexual immorality or perversion. Just recently, I read an article from the Parents Television Council where they've expressed alarm and they've demonstrated that just over the past year, this past year on TV, the incidents of full frontal nudity have skyrocketed on network TV during prime time, during the so-called family hour. Now, the previous year, there were some. And then this year now, they've really shot it through the ceiling. I mean, there never used to be that on TV at all. And there was a ton of it this past year. Now, that will pixelate a little bit of the image, just a little bit of the image that will blur there on the TV screen. But it's there. They are pushing for this very strongly. And it's not as if, for those that want it, the avenue isn't there. There's plenty of the premium channel people have to pay for or the movie theaters where people can pay and get that stuff. But on the public airwaves that belong to all of us, the free networks, well, it's not enough that they can put it in the movie theaters and they can put it on the premium channels. They want to put it on the public airwave that belongs to everybody. And apparently the FCC is okay with that. They continue to look the other way and do nothing about it. But so much of that is there then. And don't look to the world to stop it, as I said. The FCC certainly isn't planning on it. And then there is the occult. And we are increasingly seeing the occult on the rise in this nation. And of course, that bleeds over to all the entertainment. Now, you know, in years past, you've had TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charmed and whatnot. More recently, you would have reality TV shows featuring mediums or ghost chasers and whatnot. All of this is occultic activity. Very strongly forbidden by the Bible. And yet we see a whole nation now that is just opening up to this stuff as if it's just harmless entertainment. Or, you know, believing in it for real. But the problem is, of course, you don't have the souls of dead people floating around on this planet. They're either in heaven or they're in hell. What they're getting into, of course, is demonology and whatnot. And that's not harmless entertainment. So we've got so much of this kind of stuff that's there that simply doesn't really, you know, pass the morality test. But that's one thing Paul talks about in his epistle here to the Ephesians. A second test that we should bring our entertainment to and that we need to think about when we evaluate it would be what I refer to as the reality test. Let me turn your attention back to chapter four here in Ephesians, verses 17 through 25. Ephesians chapter four, verses 17 through 25. Here the apostle says, This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ, it so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor. for we are members one of another. Now, in this passage we've read here in the first several verses, verses 17 through 19, Paul describes what was true of these Ephesian believers before they were saved and what's true of the world in general. There's a spiritual blindness. They don't have perception. They don't really understand the world in which we live. But he changes the instance in verse 20, he says, but this is not true of you anymore. You have not so learned Christ if you've really been taught by him. That is, you've really been saved. You've heard the voice of the Lord speaking to your heart, calling you to come to him. And you responded in faith and you came to him. And the Lord has become your teacher in your heart and life. And the Lord has instructed you. Then you know the truth, as he says in the last part of verse 21, for the truth is in Jesus. And so you get it, you understand, you have a proper worldview. And in that regard, the truth that we find in the Scriptures, you see, what we find in the Bible, it's not just a lot of pie in the sky. The Bible is not just a lot of, you know, feel good religion. The Bible is the most realistic book. This is real world living. I mean, the Bible tells it like it is. It tells us what's really true about us. It reveals what's in our hearts that most people would like to deny. Oh, there's a spark of the divine in everybody. Everybody's really good at heart, the world says. And then the Bible says that's not true and you know it. See, the Bible is the real truth. See, the wall is the pie and the sky is stuff. Just follow your conscience. Let it be your guide. Just follow your heart. Yeah, you'll follow your heart right to hell. The world's the pie in the sky stuff. The world's the real book. Let's get real. Let's get serious about what's really in our heart, the sin and the depravity. Let's get real about the solution here. The Bible is a very realistic book. It gives a real picture of what's going on in the world. It explains what's going on in the world and why it's happening. It has that ring of truth to it. And so in the Bible, then, we have a worldview, an all-encompassing view of reality, of this universe and how it operates and how it runs. Well, now, he tells in verse 25, having learned the truth, we have the obligation to speak and to convey the truth. And so, you know, we've got to be real. And in this regard, a failure to reprove error, once again, is to give tacit approval to the errors of the world. You see, so much entertainment, though, we have to understand so much entertainment does have a worldview, but it's not realistic and it's not the truth that the world is telling in its entertainment. This is especially important to watch with regard to the arts, because, you know, art is essentially an imitation of life, either as it is or as it ought to be, as it is or as people would like it to be. I remember as a young person, for example, reading Huckleberry Finn. for the first time. Now Mark Twain is a masterful writer. Incredible at the art of satire. Incredibly gifted writer. But I was shocked at the message that was there. You know, Mark Twain, great American classic writer. Great kids book. And I'm reading this book and I'm shocked. I'm shocked at the message of the book. Mark Twain is a man who wants to portray reality as if the world in which we live is a world without absolutes. is that we do not need to be bound by absolute right and wrong. Just follow your heart. As Huck Finn hops on that rapid, just wherever the river takes him, he'll happily go. And you can do that too. Hop on board and follow your heart wherever it takes you. No need to be bound by absolutes. Now, all the people living on the shores, they're locked in to rigid prescriptions of right and wrong, but let's break free of that, brother. You know what? That's not true. You can't just follow your heart wherever it leads. That's not a realistic picture of life at all. So I appreciated the man's skillful writing, but I was appalled at the message. It was not a realistic worldview. And even if the story itself, the work of art is fictional, it ought to present a realistic view of the world. The story can be a fictional story, but it ought to convey a picture of the world that's real, that's true to life. Now, of course, not all art is serious. When I was a kid, there was a show on TV called Green Acres. Most of you probably remember that. I mean, there wasn't much serious art going on there. The whole point of that show was just to be as silly and absurd as they could be. And they tried to take it to the most extremes as they could. I don't think there was much objectionable on that because it was just silly. It wasn't trying to present serious philosophies of life. Lead actors on there, you know, the character that played Ev is a professing believer and hailed, I think, from the Hattiesburg and Laurel area. He had no problem being on that show as a Christian. He felt it was just being silly and fun entertainment. Or a song like Old MacDonald Had a Farm, not a lot of serious worldview stuff coming out there. But understand that much art is serious. Even a lot of the sitcoms that are on TV today, even though maybe a comedy, they deal with very serious themes. This is increasingly the case today. Some years ago I read a major study that had been done of the various Hollywood producers. And the folks that had done the study, as they wrapped up the study, here are some of the conclusions from this. They concluded that two-thirds, by their interviews with these producers, two-thirds of them, and I quote from the study, believe that TV entertainment should be a major force for social reform. I say that again, two-thirds. Hollywood's producers believe, quote, TV entertainment should be a force for major social reform. They go on to conclude that according to TV's creators, they are not in it just for money. They also seek to move their audience toward their vision of a good society. You see, there is a worldview. There is a value system that they're promoting. And what is their value system? Well, the same study pointed out that more than 90% of TV producers or okay with abortion, kill his innocent babies on their own, less than 20%, fewer than 20% of them believe that adultery is wrong. Go ahead and cheat on your spouse. As long as your spouse doesn't know, what they don't know won't hurt them. So it certainly would be no surprise that less than 10% of them think homosexuality is wrong. And it wouldn't be surprising to us that about 90% of them seldom or never go to church at all. Because you see, they have a worldview that leaves out God. To them, God is entirely irrelevant. They want to pretend that man is nothing but a biological creature. You're nothing more than chemistry. You don't have a spiritual element, so why do we need to develop the spiritual? Why do we need to go to church? Why do we need to read the Bible? Why do we need to think about God? God is just totally non-existent. They present us a worldview that is entirely absent of God. That's their own life, and that's the value system that comes out in their entertainment. In fact, when they were asked to rank the role of religion in society, TV producers put it in ninth place beyond other such venerable groups like consumer groups, feminists, the media, and government agencies. I mean, religion is way down there. play much of a role, and certainly shouldn't. That's their value system, and it's what comes across in much of their entertainment. Let me give you some illustrations, and when I talk about the distorted views of reality that comes out in much entertainment. What about those movies where sin goes unpunished? That would convey the subtle message that you can sin without consequences. You know, more than 86% of all instances of physical intimacy on TV occur outside the bounds of marriage. It's almost always unmarried people. What's marriage? And of course, they never show you the results and ramifications. It's always just romantic and romanticizing, glorified. They don't show you the downside of it. They don't show you the scars in the hearts of people and the price they pay for their morality. As if, again, you can send without consequences. If you have no soul, there are going to be emotional scars and so forth. Sure, it takes a toll. But they never show that. That's a distortion of reality. Or what about, say, a movie that does not have a Christian worldview? Some years back, Disney came out with a movie about Pocahontas. And what was the world view that was being portrayed there in a positive light? Was the world view of Pocahontas and her people, which was very pagan, espousing what they call animism, which is where they believe that inanimate objects like trees and rocks have spirits. And so you can talk to the trees and the trees will talk back. You can talk to the wind and the wind will talk back to you. That's not at all a realistic view of the world. I'm sorry, a tree is just a tree. It does not have a spirit. And trees don't really talk to people. But think of all the little kids growing up watching this stuff. And it goes unchallenged. It's, of course, a distortion, not of the world view, but of the truth. Because in that particular film, they've got Captain John Smith being enlightened by Pocahontas to the truth that everything has a spirit within it, and we can talk the trees and rocks and so forth. And so he kind of gets converted to her paganism, which, of course, isn't the way it really happened at all. What actually happened was Pocahontas converted to Christianity. You can go to our nation's capital and see the big painting there in DC of Pope John being baptized. So we don't really have John Smith converting to paganism. What really happened was she converted to Christianity. So it's a distortion of reality. That's just not the way it happened. And of course, I've mentioned there is so much emphasis upon the magic and the occult in so much of today's entertainment, where power resides within certain individuals and they're free to use that power any way they wish without ramifications. Again, as if individuals are not really subject to any authority in his life, as if there are no absolutes of right and wrong, as if one possessing such power can, if he so chooses, use those magical powers to mete out justice, vigilante style, to use their magical powers to punish whom he chooses. Which, of course, would be totally contrary to a biblical worldview. Now, I'm not against all forms of art and entertainment that may recognize some magic in it. But I like to see it presented in a proper way. Take, for example, Chronicles of Narnia. Now, I don't agree with C.S. Lewis's theology, a very weak theologian. And hereticalism is theology. But in that story, there is some magic. But the way it is portrayed, as I understand the story, is that the magical power properly belongs to Aslan the lion. Whenever that power is wrested from him, disaster ensues. You see, there's a different message that's being conveyed there. Or let's take another Disney film from many years back, Sleeping Beauty. In Sleeping Beauty, the witch. is evil, and this evil witch, this evil queen, uses magical power to accomplish her ends. But how is she defeated? Does the prince say, well, I'll use magic too, and I'll defeat you with my magic, but my magic will be more powerful than yours. No, he doesn't use magic. She uses magic. He does not. He defeats her by character and integrity. The weapons of the prince, not magic, but are, and I quote from the movie, the shield of righteousness. and the sword of truth." You see, that's a little different than so much of the message that's being conveyed today when young people are reading Harry Potter and so forth. So these are examples of what I mean by the distorted views of reality, that when sin is not punished, when it doesn't really have a biblical worldview, when it rewrites history, or when it brings all this magic and occult, and as if you and I can just dabble around with magic and use it any way we wish without consequences. This is the reality test. And then finally, this morning, I introduce you to a third test from here in Ephesians. Let me turn your attention back to chapter 5, verses 15 through 16. Ephesians 5, verses 15 through 16. Really, this presents to us, very briefly and succinctly, the value test. Chapter 5, verses 15 through 16, the apostle says, See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Basically, the question here is, is this a wise use of my time? Entertainment that I'm allowing in my life is really a good use of my time because I need to recognize that days are short and I've got to make my life count for the Lord. It's not that entertainment is wrong. You need some downtime in your life. Everybody needs downtime. But we do need to think about the value of what we're allowing into our lives. So in summary, in Ephesians, the three key tests would be the morality test, the reality test, and then the issue of the value test. Now, having presented these tests that we bring for entertainment, Let me suggest that there are some exceptions when things that in and of themselves we might consider objectable elements might play a role in some of the forms of art that we allow into our lives. Sometimes there can be value in art that contains what we might call an objectable element. Let me first of all prove that and I'll explain the reasoning behind that. My proof would be the Bible itself. The Bible itself contains elements that, considered in isolation, we might say, well, that's an objectable element to a Christian. For example, violence. Are there acts of violence in the Bible? Well, yeah. You know, when David cuts off the head of Goliath, that's a little violent. And there are other acts of violence recorded in the scriptures as well. What about immorality? Well, of course, the Bible contains accounts of immorality. David committing adultery with Bathsheba. That's part of the biblical record. What about profanity? Well, just this morning in Sunday school, we talked about the Jews blaspheming the Holy Spirit in the days of Christ, profaning the sacred. What about a false worldview? Well, we have Job's three friends who have a very deficient worldview that they are presenting there and arguing for to Job in the book of Job. Of course, Job doesn't buy it, but it's presented as part of the record. What about the occult? There's a good number of references to the occult that was being practiced and observed by people in the Old Testament era. One example would be Saul going to the witch at Endor who was a medium and saying, hey, I'd like you to call up Samuel for me. So we find violence, immorality, profanity, false worldviews, the occult. All of these things are in the Bible. And so on the one hand you say, well, those are objectionable elements, and yet they're in the scripture. So obviously there can be a place where that may be an element of a piece of art. So the question is, well, then when would be acceptable? If obviously there are times when Those can be a part of the picture. When? Well, based upon the biblical examples, let me just suggest a few basic principles I think we recognize would obviously fit the Bible example. First of all, it's not gratuitous, not just there for its own sake. Let's just present this just because we can. I mean, the Bible isn't just putting this stuff just to put it out there. Certainly, when it's not too graphic or explicit, and that's a very important principle here. This is especially where caution is required in the world of visual media. You see, the material in the Bible is presented in a very matter-of-fact way. It's there. It's just a historical record. We don't get all the explicit details. This is information. It's a matter-of-fact. It's addressed to the intellect. It is intended to inform and admonish. I'll come back and say a little bit more about that later. But when it moves beyond the factual presentation, well, then we may be more feeding the flesh instead of the mind. And so, for example, yes, we know that David chopped off Goliath's head. But, you know, the Bible doesn't describe this in great graphic detail where we can envision it. But could you see Hollywood, what Hollywood would do with that? You know, all the blood flying and maybe a slow motion camera shot and all the gory details. The Bible tells us that David committed adultery with Bathsheba. As a matter of record, we know David sinned. But can you imagine what Hollywood would do with that? How they would take this and turn this into a big romantic scene and give us all the explicit details that we really don't need to know. I mean, what part of he committed adultery don't we understand? Isn't that enough? That's the fact. That's the historical record. We don't really need all the details. And very importantly, It needs to be set in a moral tone or context. There's a lesson that's being taught. There's a reason this information is being conveyed. And I said there is a moral tone and context that is set to the whole thing. So it's acceptable when it's not too gratuitous, when it's not overly graphic or explicit, when there is a moral tone instead of if we're just kind of throwing it out there and we're not making any comment, you know, about right or wrong. And that then provides us to understand then why would it be okay? Well, for educational purposes, because there are lessons to be learned. Remember that art is more than just entertainment for entertainment's sake. It does have a substantive purpose. Art in entertainment, literature, movies, whatever, convey philosophical assumptions. They always are going to convey the worldview of the person who created that work of art. Sometimes its purpose may be nothing other than to justify sin or wrong conduct and make it seem OK. The purpose of some art or entertainment may be to desensitize society towards sin, either through repeated and constant exposure to the sin, or perhaps through the use of humor. Because humor is a great way of disarming people, and what people laugh at, they no longer take seriously. Well, the Bible, of course, is a work of great literature. Everybody agrees with that, believers and unbelievers alike. It is great literature. But it's more than that. It's not literature just for literature's sake. It is here for educational purposes. In this regard, let me turn your attention to 1 Corinthians 10, where the Apostle Paul makes that very clear. Here in 1 Corinthians 10, it's in the context of some of those Old Testament stories. In this case, he's drawn from the stories of the Israelites in the days of Moses who came out of Egypt with Moses. and their subsequent behavior and the ramifications of that, the consequences of it, in the wilderness years. And so why does the Bible tell us these stories? Well, Paul tells us why that stuff is in the Bible. So in 1 Corinthians 10, verses 5-11, 1 Corinthians 10, 5-11, he says, But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now, these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of servants. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples. And they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are coming. Paul is saying, alright, the story is there so you can learn a lesson from it. Now, don't be like them, because not only do we know about the sins they committed, one thing you learn from their example is, you can't sin and get away with it. There's always a price to pay for sin. That's the real message. That's a real world view that comes out of those biblical records, of those historical incidents. So it is here for an admonition. It is to inform and enlighten our understanding, to promote spiritual understanding. And likewise, entertainment can serve an educational purpose. It can have either positive or negative lessons that it's teaching. And in that regard, let me talk about three educational approaches. Let's say you're a parent or you're a child. Three basic educational approaches. The first approach might be the permissive approach. This is the parent that says, look, it's an evil world. There's a lot of stuff out there, but you can't do anything about it. It gets going to be exposed to it sometime or other. You can't keep away from it. There's no sense in even trying. So we don't worry about it. Nothing's off limits, because you can't keep it from them. It's all out there. So the permissive view. The other approach, the second approach, would be the totally opposite approach. We sing the pendulum the whole opposite way, the totally isolationist approach. There's so much evil out there, and I never, ever want my young person to be exposed to any objectionable elements whatsoever. So if it's got a single objectionable element, it's off-limits. If it has an improper worldview, it's off-limits. If I don't like this perspective of it because it's contrary to biblical idea or principle, it's off-limits. Everything is off-limits. But let me illustrate how this would be carried over if you put it in a non-educational context. And I think you might see maybe neither one of those are the best approach. Suppose you've got a toddler, a three-year-old kid. Moving to a new home, he's got a pool in the backyard full of water. Let's take both of these approaches on how you deal with a kid. Well, the permissive parent says, now listen, water is a part of life. You can't get away from water. The kid's going to have to learn to deal with water. So, you know, my kid goes out there and plays in the backyard. Have at it, kid. You don't need any supervision. I don't let my kid run around, my three-year-old run around out there in the backyard. It's really annoying. There's a pool out there. And of course, he doesn't know how to swim, but if he falls in, it's sink or swim. You've got to learn to swim sometime or other, kid. as a permissive parent. Now, how many parents would let a three-year-old run around unsupervised in the backyard with a pole, and he doesn't know how to swim? Reasoning, well, there's a lot of water in this world, and you've got to learn sometime or other, kid, so you might as well learn now, on your own, right? Most would say, well, that would be a little irresponsible. What about the isolationist? Water is dangerous. A toddler could drown. So, I never let my kid be exposed to water at all. Never will my child step in a mud puddle. How do you know you can drown in this much water? No bats. My kids don't take bats. Dangerous. Playing in the rain? Absolutely not. Water is dangerous. And we got to keep, you know, totally away from water. Well, I think that might be a little absurd too. What might be a better approach from the two extremes? The permissive parent on the one hand and the isolationist on the other hand? Well, there would be the third option. The parent that might say, well, I can allow my child to go outside sometimes and play in the backyard with supervision. But I provide guidance and supervision. And I will also take time to teach my child how to swim, how to tread water, teach him some water skills, just even in the back. So still he needs to learn how to swim. So I let him in the backyard only with supervision, and I'm going to teach him how to swim, but with guidance and help. That would be probably what most of us would consider the most reasonable and responsible approach. And that's what I would suggest for the believer. This is the type of educational view that we bring to so much of the art that's a part of the world in which we live and the entertainment. That we recognize that there are some elements that taken in isolation may be objectionable, but there can be invaluable lessons that can be learned with proper supervision. And we can use these to teach young people how to respond and what is the difference between what's acceptable and unacceptable. Now in this regard, let me turn your attention to Hebrews chapter 5. In Hebrews chapter 5, You find the author writing to the Hebrews is going to deal with the issue of how you come to spiritual maturity. Now, his problem with the people to whom he writes this epistle is they haven't grown up spiritually, but he wants them to grow up spiritually. And he's going to talk about, well, how do you get to a place of spiritual maturity? How do you develop discernment and judgment? In Hebrews, chapter five, in verses 12 to 14, here's what he writes. He says, for when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teacher again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness. He is a babe, but strong meat belonging to them that are of full age. Even those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Now, the immature believer is that you haven't grown up, you still have to be taught instead of being able to teach others, you're still using milk instead of meat. But in verse 14, he introduces us to the mature believer. And the mature believer is one who has used his senses. Paul says he's actually exercised them. And that's the word exercise. It's like, you know, when you go to gym and you exercise, you work out your your physical muscles. Well, Paul says you have to exercise your spiritual discernment. You have to exercise your discernment muscles. Or you never learn discernment. The only way you learn discernment is by using and working that muscle. You have to learn to make judgment calls in life, or you never learn to make judgment calls. It's one of those things you learn only by doing. Nobody learns to ride a bike just by watching somebody ride it, right? And you never learn discernment by watching people exercise discernment. You know how you learn discernment? You have to make judgment calls in life. What's right? What's wrong? What I will allow, what I will not allow, where I will draw that line. So he says it is by reason of the use of their senses, because they have exercised their senses and their discernment, they have reached a place of maturity where they can now make wise judgment calls in their life. Now, the problem with the permissive view is it calls for no judgment. Anything goes. Nothing's ever put off limits. So how does a person ever develop discernment when nothing's ever off limits? No lines are ever being drawn. The problem with the isolationist view is the same problem. It requires no judgment to be made. Everything's off limits. I never have to make a decision. Is this right or wrong? I'm never even exposed to the other. I don't ever have any point of comparison. So the isolationist view has a young person growing up never having to make any judgment calls. How then does he learn to make them? He won't. And so, you know, In the physical realm, is it possible to have, say, a person who's 40 years old and somehow he never learned how to swim, no one ever gave him a swimming lesson, no one ever taught him how to swim, and so he's 40 years old and still doesn't know how to swim? It's possible. In which case, a swimming pool could still be a dangerous place for him, even if he's a grown adult, because he still never learned how to swim. And the same is true spiritually. A person could be saved for 40 years and still not have any real spiritual discernment. because he's never been taught how to discern right from wrong. He's never had to make judgment calls. And so, in the case of children, parents and grandparents have to be exercising supervision, have to be involved in the entertainment that plays a role in the lives of children, providing that supervision. And of course, using common sense, what's age appropriate, what matches the maturity level of the child. And then within Common Sense guidelines of age appropriateness and maturity, sometimes we can use things to teach the children what's wrong with us. So when my approach would not be, don't read Huck Finn because Mark Twain, you know, didn't believe in absolutes. I would say the opposite. Read it. Let's sit down and talk about it. What do you think about it? How does this match up to the Bible? Is this a realistic worldview or is it pie in the sky? What's more real, the Bible or Mark Twain's Huck Finn? And then get him to think about it and then bring it to the standard of the Bible. I wouldn't want him just reading it and then taking Mark Twain as gospel truth. So he needs supervision. He needs to be challenged to think about it, bring it to the to the Bible test of reality. So there must be the supervision, though. And of course, for those of us who are adults, the Bible is the supervisor. All must be compared to the Bible. All must be brought through the grit and the filter of the Bible. Now, if you're just looking for some mindless, brainless recreation, I think the very important principles of morality and reality apply, but. or educational purposes, or as believers who are stretching our discernment muscles and taking the Bible and applying it to the world in which we live, recognize then that there might be some elements that, taken in isolation, we say, well, that's not objectionable, can have a place in a piece of literature or whatnot. As I mentioned with Mark Twain's Unbiblical Worldview, we use that as an educational tool. But then we say, now, let's compare this with the Bible. It's a way of stretching and growing my spiritual muscles and my discernment. But if you're not going to bring it to the Bible, we're not going to run it through the filter of the Scriptures. Mindless entertainment. I don't think you can justify that. But if you're exercising your senses, it's part of the path to maturity. All right, now let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for the opportunity that we've had to look at the Scriptures this morning and consider the important topic of how we evaluate our entertainment. There are certainly some objectionable elements that have always been acceptable to us, but we recognize that there are some things that we deal with in the world in which we live, and we must be challenged to think about these things biblically and then to respond to them biblically. So help us be people who immerse ourselves in the scriptures so we know the standards by which all things must be compared. And we do ask for the guidance of your Holy Spirit that we might be wise and careful in the way in which we do so. And these things we ask in Christ's name. Amen.