This sermon emphasizes the importance of guarding what we sow into our eyes and ears, highlighting the impact of media and entertainment on our spiritual lives. It calls for a revival in our hearts and homes, urging us to set no wicked thing before our eyes and to sow to the spirit rather than the flesh. The message challenges us to walk with a perfect heart in secret, aligning our entertainment choices with God's standards to experience true revival and lasting spiritual growth.

If you'll take your Bible and turn to Acts chapter 19, Acts chapter 19, we have been studying through this series on the attributes of God. But I'm going to take a couple of weeks break and cover some other topics that I, the Lord has been putting on my heart for a while. And I'm just going to preach on them. So, Acts chapter 19, as you look around, as you hear the news on the radio or on the newspaper, you look around at the state of our nation. I don't know if you have the same heart cry that maybe my lips aren't crying it out, but my heart is crying out, oh, God, we need you to work. We need you to work in our land. We need revival. We need awakening, a spiritual awakening. And so if I ask for a show of hands, I'm not going to. But if I said, if you desire to see revival in our nation, I would venture to say most of you would raise your hand. If I'd say, do you desire to see revival in your own life? I hope you say yes. What is revival? Revive. You ever thought of it in that way? Perhaps there's been a car accident and someone's body is lying there dead and the paramedics get there and they revive that body. That body which once had life, which once had breath and passion, that needs to have air breathed into it again. Needs to be revived, brought back to life. Do you feel that way spiritually, that you at one time in your life, you could say, I can think of one time in my life when I was passionately serving God, when I was running all out for him, but I'm not there anymore. And I need to be revived, I need that life back in me. Do you desire revival in your own life? And let me ask a third question. Do you desire revival in your life today? There's a big difference. What about today? Could God awaken us today? He can. Could he do it this morning? Yes, he can. Acts chapter 19. So often we can look at the world and say, oh, the world needs awakening. The Bible tells us that judgment must begin at the house of God, that it must start with us. And so I ask you, are you wanting revival this morning? Acts chapter 19, the apostle Paul is traveling around preaching and there is an account of revival. Well, there was demonic warfare. But here in verse 7, 17, it says, and this was known to all the Jews and the Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus. Just pause there for a minute. They were in the city of Ephesus. There had been demonic activity and fear came over all of the people. And it says it was known to all the Jews and the Greeks also and fear fell on them all. And the name of the Lord was magnified, the name of the Lord was magnified. And many that believed came and confessed and showed their deeds. Many of them also, which used curious arts, brought their books together and burned them before all men. And they counted the price of them and found it 50,000 pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. This is a description of a revival. An entire city across cultures, both the Greeks and the Jews, a fear of God comes upon them, a magnifying of the name of Jesus. And it says the word of God grew and prevailed, prevailed. That means it was victorious. And it was seen in the lives of the people that believed because they came and they confessed their sins and they got rid of all of the junk in their lives. Ephesus was not a very righteous city, was full of paganism and idolatry. And those people that were getting right with God got rid of all of those things here, the books of curious art. So this is this is the wickedness, the occult, and they burn them, says it was the value was. Fifty thousand pieces of silver, apparently this is about 50 days worth of wages, it was a large sum of money that was destroyed. It here, but they did it. This is revival. This is God at work and people being convicted and getting right with God. This is revival. And so again, I say to you, do you desire revival? Do you desire it in your own heart and your own life today? I hope so. Turn now in your Bible to Galatians chapter six, Galatians chapter six, Galatians six. Begin reading in verse seven. Be not deceived. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth of the spirit shall of the spirit reap everlasting life. Bo begins this in verse seven by saying, don't be deceived. I said it before. This is like, don't be stupid. Don't be ignorant. Don't be don't be so foolish to think that God can be mocked or as if you can get something over on God. He says, what you sow, you reap. Now, sowing is an old word for planting. What you plant, reaping is what comes up and you gather. What you plant is what's going to come up. That's going to be the fruit. And don't think otherwise, don't think that you're smarter than God or you know better than God. If you do, you're deceived. What you put into the ground is what is going to come up. Now, we've had gardens in the past. And we go out there and we'd have to dig, you know, and break up all the hard ground and pull out all of the weeds and get out all of the shells as much as we could. Tequila, put your hands down, please. Thank you. Get all that ground ready. And then we would build it into mounds. Some of you driving here saw the fields out there where the farmers have taken the tractors and brought up and then they got all of these mounds of dirt. And then they come along and they put seeds into those little mounds. Now, if they want to have a tomato crop. They don't get the big giant pumpkin seeds and go out and put it all into the ground. Do they? No, because if you put a pumpkin seed in the ground, most likely, hopefully, if you did everything right, you're going to get pumpkin plants. You're not going to get the tomatoes. But if you want tomatoes, you take tomato seeds and you put those in the ground, then tomatoes are going to come up. It's very obvious. No farmer would sit and put tomato seeds all into the ground. And then when pumpkins popped up, sit and scratch his head and say, I don't know what happened to my crop. You'd say that man was foolish, wouldn't he? He was deceived. He was just being stupid. That's the seeds he put in. That's what he got out. The apostle Paul uses this and he speaks to us and our spiritual lives that what we plant into our minds and into our hearts is what is going to grow. What you put in is going to bear fruit, if it's if you're sowing to the flesh, if you're putting in planting things of the flesh, and that is carnality. Guess what you're going to see in your life? You're going to see the fruit of carnality. I am thankful for the second part, though, also that says, if you sow into the things, into your life, the things of the spirit, you're going to reap the spiritual benefit of everlasting life. What you plant is what's going to come. Whether that is good or whether that is evil and don't think otherwise. Now, turn back to the Old Testament again, book of Psalms. Psalm 101, Psalm 101, beginning in verse one. I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. You stop there for one moment. Who's writing this, it says above your psalm, it says David, Psalm of David. David's writing. David is described as a man after God's own heart. Who is David talking to here? It's a psalm, it's a prayer. He says, I will sing of the mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord. He's talking to God. And he's saying, God, I am singing praises to you because you are merciful and you are just. I'm singing to you, God. And then he goes right from that into verse two, where he says, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. You've heard me say it before, but who you are in secret is who you really are. You can put on a show in front of people like the hypocrite who went before the congregation and he stood up and he raises his hands and he prays out on the street corner in the congregation. Or the hypocrites that went and they did charitable deeds, but they did it to be seen of men. When they fasted, they fasted in such a way that everybody else would see it. And what did Jesus say? He said, don't be like those hypocrites. They're doing it to be seen of men and they have their reward. But you, when you pray, do it in secret. When you give, give in secret. When you fast, fast in secret. It's between you and God. See, they were hypocrites. A hypocrite is a fake. Anybody can get up and be a good fake. But who you are in secret is who you really are. Are you really a giving person? It'll it'll it'll know whether people are going to see it or not. Are you really a man or woman of prayer? Your secret life will reveal that. I said it before to young girls, or at least. In addressing young girls to say, listen, every guy is going to put on the best if he if he's pursuing you, he's going to put on the best show that he can. He's trying to win you. But watch him, watch the way he treats his mother and watch the way he treats his sisters, if he has sisters. Those are the women that live in his home. That's how that's how you'll be treated if you end up marrying him and living at home with them. That's the way he treats you. The way he treats the women in his house is going to be the way he treats you if you become the woman, the woman of his house. So don't get don't don't be blinded by the the you know, the oh boy, he holds the doors and he is all the gentlemen and everything else. But he treats his mom and sisters like. They're second class citizens. Like they're rotten. You see, he can put on that show, but the real him is how he acts at home. The real you is who you are in your house, not who you you pretend to be in the open. The real you is who you are in secret when when when no one else is watching you, but God. That's the test. And David says to God, he says, God, I'm praising you. For who you are. And I want to walk in a perfect way and I want to walk within my house. That walk means the way he lives, his conduct. I want to walk within my house with a perfect heart, not just out in the open, but behind closed doors. I want to walk with a perfect heart. And what does he say after this? Look at verse three, he says, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate I hate the work of them that turn aside, it shall not cleave to me. A forward heart or a perverse heart or crooked or twisted heart. Shall depart from me. I will not know a wicked person to walk in my house with a perfect heart, and I'm not going to set anything wicked before my eyes. I'm not going to set anything wicked before my eyes. I'm going to turn away from the evil. I'm actually going to hate the evil. You know what the fear of the Lord is? We said it revival is always when the fear of the Lord takes place there in Ephesus. They feared and they got right with God. Proverbs tells us the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. It's what it says. David has a fear of God. He says, God, I want to walk in a perfect way in my house. I don't want to put wicked things before my eyes. And I want to hate that which you hate, God. I want to stay away from perversion and from the crooked path. The broad path that's full of people. God, I want to. I want to do what's right, but I want to set nothing wicked before my eyes. I want to set nothing wicked before my eyes. Temptation. What is it? Temptation. Is it sin? No. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. He was tempted. Temptation is not sin. You know, you and I can be tempted. Temptation is when we're drawn away of our own desires and enticed. That's what it says. I've said it many times, but I'll repeat it again. That God made us with appetites and desires and supplied all that was needed to satisfy those desires. Sin is satisfying desires in an ungodly way. God built us with desires and appetites, and then he gave all that was needed to satisfy those. Sin is trying to satisfy those desires in an ungodly way. So again, Eve is there in the Garden of Eden, and God has given them an appetite. They are people that are hungry and they eat from fruit trees. God made them that way. But God filled a garden with fruit trees that they could eat from and satisfy themselves. But Satan comes along and says, no, satisfy that craving with that which God said not to eat of it. You're hungry, look at it. It's desirable to make your wise and it's good for food, Eve began to think. And so she tried to satisfy her desire and appetite with that which God said no. But all that she needed to satisfy it was right here. That's temptation. The devil comes along and he tries to get you to satisfy those God given appetites and desires in an ungodly way. And so we have desires. As people, as humans, God has built us men with a desire. Remember, God created Adam and Eve and all, well, he created all of the world and created Adam and everything that he did, he said it was good. Then he looked at Adam and he saw that Adam was all alone and he said, that's not good. I'll make him a helper. And so he created a woman, he created Eve, whose idea was marriage, God's. Who created sexual union between a man and woman? God did. It's a beautiful thing. Hebrews 13, 4, it tells us that marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. This is something God made. It's beautiful. It's wonderful. The result is children. This picture of a man and a woman is a picture of Christ in his church. This is a wonderful, beautiful, God created thing. But what does it say at the end of that verse? But whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. You see, harlotry, adultery, fornication, sexual immorality is trying to satisfy that God given desire in an ungodly way. Apostle Paul said, if you desire to be married, then get married. And he even says this, to avoid sexual immorality, then get married. It's a wonderful thing. Marriage is a wonderful thing. Sexual relationship in marriage is a wonderful thing. But the perversion, the temptation is satisfy that desire and that craving in an ungodly way. We're not to do that. Or to be like Joseph, who when he was tempted, even alone, not behind closed doors of his own house, but the own doors of another man's house. Potiphar's wife tried to get a hold of him. Joseph ran. Why? He took every thought captive. That's what Paul tells us to do. Take every thought captive, bringing into our captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Bring every thought into captivity. I used to struggle with this. I used to think, what does it mean to take a thought captive? I'd have this thought and I would know it was evil and I'd say, oh God, that's an evil thought. I don't want that thought. But how do I take it captive? And I just, when I was younger, I would just pray and I'd say, God, I don't know how to take it captive. Whatever that means, you just do it, please. Take that thought out of my mind. As I grew, I kept reading. Sometimes we miss things if we just stop reading. What does it say? Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. You may have thoughts, that's temptation. Jesus is hungry. Was he not physically hungry? Yes, in the wilderness. And the devil comes along and says, satisfy that hunger. Turn this stone into bread. And Jesus takes that thought. And what does he do? He takes it captive. And he says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And so again, does Jesus have a desire to be worshipped and adored? Yes. And so Satan says to Jesus, hey, you can be worshipped and adored, but you don't have to go to the cross. Just bow down to me. The thought, temptation. But Jesus took that thought captive. And he said, you shall worship the Lord your God in him only, shalt thou serve. See, he was taking the thoughts, and then he was putting them captive. I think of captive as in locking them up. In a prison cell, locking it up. Nope, nope, I'm not going to go there. I'm not going to do that. Joseph was tempted by this woman. Come lie with me. But he says, no, I'm not going to do that. And he ran. Now, you can control what you set before your eyes. But you cannot necessarily always control what is set before your eyes. You see, I could buy what is set before your eyes by others. So this heart cry of David, it says, I'm going to walk in my house at the perfect heart. I'm not going to set anything wicked before my eyes. It doesn't mean that somebody else might set something wicked before his eyes. But he wasn't going to do it. See, sometimes we face this. It's getting worse in our country. But as you drive around, man, you know what I'm talking about. You drive down the road, the highway, and you turn a corner. And there on the huge billboard is this wicked thing that is set before your eyes. I mean, the whole purpose of it is to get your attention to look at it. Did you set it there? No. You didn't put it there. Someone else did. Some evil person that's trying to make money by causing men to stumble. The devil puts that there. Was that setting it before your eyes? No. You turn away. I hope you turn away. I've said it before. More and more in our country, man, you've just got to keep your eyes on the road. Because they're everywhere. You didn't put them there, though. There have been times I've been on the computer working. And I'm studying the Bible, of all things. And I go to some website, and boom, this advertisement pops up on the side. Oh, got to click it. I didn't put it there. Someone else was targeting me. This is the devil throwing his thing and saying, hey, satisfy your desire here. That's the temptation. I've got to take that and then take it captive. No. I will set no wicked thing before my eyes. You can't control what billboards are on the side of I-75, necessarily. But you sure can control whether you put up a billboard in your room. You put something on the wall in your room. Now, you set it there. And maybe nobody else knows. Maybe you go out and you put on a good show at church. And you look to be a faithful person. But in your own house, you do not walk with a perfect heart. In secret. It's a whole other story. And you set wicked things before your eyes. Again, I say you cannot always control what's put in front of you by the devil or by others. But you can control what you set before your eyes. We're to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. You know what entertainment is? Entertainment. Entertainment is that what you take part in or you do for your pleasure. For enjoyment, right? Entertainment, it's supposed to be. Think of something that you don't like to do. I don't like to dig holes. I hate digging ditches and digging holes. I don't like to dig. I've dug too many trenches before, I think. Not because I was, you know, incarcerated or something and had to dig ditches. But doing landscaping and running PVC pipes and irrigation systems. I got sick of digging trenches. I don't want to dig trenches. So when I think of something enjoyable, something pleasurable, I don't think of digging ditches. I don't think what my grandfather did. My dad's dad, he got great pleasure in digging holes. I don't know. But I don't. If I think of something that is entertaining, I think, oh, what is it that I do like? That I really, really enjoy? That's entertainment. You know what is scary? Is it what the world and what this wicked world does for entertainment? I turn to that which is evil. So often, entertainment is that which is evil. And so I set things before my eyes for entertainment. To take pleasure in it. But on the screen of the TV or on the computer or whatever it is, it's nothing but filth. And terrible. We're not to be that way. Romans 12, 9 says that we're to abhor that which is evil. And cling to that which is good. The evil things are to just abhor it. That's like stuff that you want to stay away from. I've talked about abhorrence before. Get this idea. There's something outside. I know I give all these gross stories. But there's something outside our door right now. I don't know if it's under the porch, if it's a dead lizard. I don't know what it is. Something died. It stinks. Denae and I have been walking. I mean this morning. We walked out of the door and you just like hold your breath and get to the car. This too shall pass. I don't want to climb under there and try to get it. But I might have to. Whatever it is. I don't know what it is. It's amazing how a little lizard can stink. It's putrid to you. You abhor it. You try to stay away from it. You don't want to take any of it in. You don't want to look at it. You don't want to smell it. You don't want to play with it or mess with it. It's gross. That's abhorring something. Abhor that which is evil. But cling, hold on tightly to that which is good. This is what we're called to. 1 Thessalonians 5.22 Paul writes, abstain from all appearance of evil. Stay away from every appearance of evil. Yet so many within this world call evil entertainment. They take pleasure in it. And many within the church call themselves Christians. Maybe are faithful on Sunday to go to church. And in front of everybody else, they put on a good show. And they sing songs about God and all of this. But when they get home behind closed doors, they turn on the portal of the devil. You know what a portal is? It's a door. They open the door of the devil on that TV. And they say, just come into our house and teach us all about your wickedness. And we're going to take pleasure in it. We're going to enjoy it. And so we'll watch DVDs or movies or TV shows about adultery. Something God hates. Fornication. Violence. Perverse speaking. We justify it. And say, oh well, I just don't listen to those words. Or those things don't affect me. Don't be stupid. And I say that based on what it says here. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. You sew that into your eyes, it's going to be there. You sew it into your ears with what you listen to, it's going to be there. You sew it through what you read, and it's going to come out. It's going to bear fruit. I've heard so many people say, oh yeah, I know it's not good. But I don't really take it in any ways. It doesn't really affect me. Don't be deceived in thinking that way. It will affect you. Then they was talking to some of the children. And they were talking about these scary movies that they watch. Or that they've seen. And then at night they can't sleep. They have nightmares. Why? Because they're sewing into their eyes wickedness. It's going into their mind, and it's bearing fruit. They can't even sleep at night over it. We've got to be so careful. What are we taking in? What are we calling entertainment? What books are we reading? What TV things are we watching? What are we doing with the internet? You say, Joel, no, no, no. Wait a second. Don't say the TV isn't bad. Computer isn't bad. Books aren't bad. Don't label them as bad. I know they aren't. Inherently. I've used this illustration before. But if I walk back there in that kitchen and get a big old knife, and I bring it here, and I say, look at this knife. Is it a good instrument or a bad instrument? A good tool or a bad tool? Some people might say, oh, it's a good one. Others say, oh, it's a bad one. I say, well, it's used in the kitchen. A guy takes it and he cuts up food and he makes meals to feed people so that they can have strength to live. What a wonderful tool, is it not? But then you say, but wait a minute. If that knife is in the hand of a murderer, it's a terrible tool. Used to kill someone and destroy them. Yeah. It's the same tool. One instance, it's used for good in a proper way. And another instance, it's used for evil in an improper way. And you say, aha, see? The knife isn't bad. TV's not bad, you know. Computer's not bad. You're right. It all depends on the heart of the person using it. It all depends on the heart of the person using it. And so I ask you, where's your heart? How is the TV in your home used? It will reveal your heart. How you're using that tool. How is the computer used? When you're behind it. The computer is not the evil thing. But your heart will be revealed. How do you use that knife? How do you use that computer? Books. Books are wonderful. This book right here is a wonderful book. How do you use the ability that you have to read? What kind of books are you reading? Many men. Women. Get onto the computer. The computer is a wonderful tool. I'm using one right now. We use one for the PowerPoint. We're streaming a live sermon. I've gone on and I've watched so many the last few Sunday nights. We've been watching this sermon series of videos on YouTube. Wonderful. But you know there's so many wicked YouTube videos. How do you use the computer? Men will get onto the computer to watch all kinds of things. Pornographic things. To satisfy their appetites and desires. That God says satisfy those. The way that I designed in marriage. But not in this way. Job said this in Job 31 verse 1. He said, I made a covenant with mine eyes. Why then should I think upon a maid? Why would I look upon a maid? A woman. I made a covenant. I made a promise with my eyes. Why am I going to look? Now is this just looking? Does that mean you can't look at anybody? So once you walk out of your house. Close your eyes. Because you might see a beautiful woman. No. It's not that kind of look. This is a look of lust. This is a look of desire. Trying to satisfy your desires. By looking. Jesus of course condemned that. He said, I say unto you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her. Hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Jesus goes to extreme measures here. He says, if your right eye offend thee. Pluck it out. And cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee. That one of thy members should perish. And not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee. Cut it off and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee. That one of thy members should perish. And not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. I will set no wicked thing before my eyes. That's the man after God's own heart. What's your heart say? I'm not going to. I'm not going to. I'm not going to put things in front of me. That God calls evil. And certainly I'm not going to entertain myself with it. Of course I've been speaking a lot of sexual things. There's another one. It's violence. I've made reference to it. Violence. Violence. Turn to Genesis chapter 6. Genesis chapter 6. Of course this is not far into the existence of this world and mankind. Man in his rebellious state is so wicked. That God has to come down and do something. And God is going to send a worldwide flood. I want you to look at verse 5. Genesis 6 verse 5. It says, And God saw. Well let me say this first of all. In the first part of chapter 6 it does speak of sexual immorality that was taking place. But then he says in verse 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth. And it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. Both man and beast. And the creeping thing and the fowls of the air. For repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And so the Lord appears to Noah. And look at verse 11. God says. Or it says here. That the earth also was corrupt before God. And the earth was filled with. Violence. And God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt. For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Twice here. Twice here. It mentions the violence of man. Violent. Violence is everywhere. Psalm 1. Psalm 11 verse 4 through 7. It says. The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold. His eyelids try the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous. But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares. Fire and brimstone. And an horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. His countenance doth behold the upright. A love of violence. He says. Those who love violence. You know how many people entertain themselves with violence? I hope you don't. Oh they love movies and videos and series that are all violent. It speaks of the decadent nature of the Roman Empire. Have you ever read? I was just yesterday reading about the Roman Empire. These free people. Who were in such bondage. They had a love for violence. And so to entertain themselves. You know what they would do? They would go to the Colosseum or to any one of the amphitheaters. They would fill it. Pay money to go and watch. And watch an arena of men who have trained as gladiators. To go and kill each other. Until the last man stood. And they loved it. The more it went on it grew. It started out with maybe 30 guys. And at the most they would have up to 500. Not only men. But that wasn't enough. So they would throw animals into the mix. And then that wasn't enough. And so they started having women gladiators. And then that wasn't enough. Some of the political leaders. The senators would to gain popularity. They would become gladiators. And they would fight and kill. And it was part of their plan. You see Rome prized itself as a conquering nation. They were an incredible army. They had defeated the world. Had control of the world. It was required that you serve time in the army. And they didn't want the people back home. To become softies. And so to make sure that all of the Roman people. Could remain having a hard heart. And have no problem seeing pain. And suffering. And destruction. They said we're going to make a sport of this. So that we keep hard hearts. And have no problem with killing and death. They loved it. Year after year after year. People would be killed in the arenas. Oh it wasn't. The goal was not get a ball from one side of the field. To the other side of the field. The goal was kill as many people as you can. And they took pleasure. And this is decadent. This is a love of violence. And it's wicked. Even the people there. Even some of the people that wrote in the day. They knew it was wrong. Tertullian. One of the church fathers. He stood up within the church. The early church. Because the early church began to compromise. And some people within the early church began to say. Well you know. The Bible doesn't say. Thou shalt not watch a gladiator fight. And they got very specific. Like I've heard people do today. And that was their argument. The Bible doesn't say that watching gladiator fights is wrong. So we can't say anything about it. And Tertullian stood up and he said. No it's not. Right. It's evil. It's wicked. It's violence. It's taking pleasure in that which God hates. Thou shalt not murder. It's a command. And this is murder outright. They loved violence. You know where our nation is today? We are just a step away from that. You know why? Because we are taking enjoyment. They took pleasure in it. Watching it there. Oh we've been watching it on the screen. It's fake. Right. People killing one another. And they love it. The more gruesome. The more horrible it is. Oh a good movie. To make a movie that's going to sell. You've got to have lots of sex scenes. And you've got to have violence. Because that's what the people will like. I've been disturbed by this latest series of books. It's been the last three years. Over 23 and a half million copies in print in the United States alone. 23 and a half million copies. It's been on the New York Times bestseller list since 2008. It's called The Hunger Games. You know what The Hunger Games is? Gladiators. That's all it is. They collect people. These teenagers from different provinces. And they're forced to go into this game. Where everybody watches it on TV. They don't get in an arena and watch it. But they watch it on their screens. And they love it. They love to see these people. And they have to go into this game area. And it's survival of the fittest. Kill one another till the last person is standing. And they're the victor. It's exactly what the gladiators were all about. Even within the gladiators. It was. They did this with people that were condemned to death. Or people that they had conquered. They would take them and put them. And apparently this Hunger Games is about that very thing. People have been conquered in those lands. They pull out people to fight once a year. In this thing that they take pleasure in. And again. Two, twenty three and a half million copies have been sold. I walk into Walmart. And I didn't even know what it was all about. But posters and books and DVDs. And people are selling. What is it? It's pure violence. But our country is being entertained. Love it. Even in the church. People have no problem reading it. They say, oh, it's just fairytale. Don't be stupid. Don't be deceived. God is not mocked. What you sow, you will reap. Violence on the video games. People go around. They entertain themselves. Shooting up buildings. How many times have we heard. When Columbine-ish things happen. When other things happen. Where a guy goes into a building. And just shoots everybody up. That that's what he did. Behind closed doors in his house. Every night. On a video game. He took pleasure in it. Here. He was sowing that. Here. And then that fruit came out. And he took pleasure in it. Here. It's no wonder. It's no wonder that we're having shootings all over our land. We've been sowing this seed of violence. In movies. In books. In TV shows. In video games. We've been sowing this seed. And now we're just beginning to see the fruit of it. I'm terrified to think of all of the fruit that. That is yet to come. Unless God revises. Begins to change hearts. Even Christians. That have no problem with it. It's wicked. We've got to be careful. What we take in. What we sow into our eyes. What we sow into our ears. The music that we listen to. That's the one I've heard the most of. Probably. People say. Oh yeah. I know the lyrics aren't good. But they don't really affect me. God's not mocked. And you're just deceived. If you think that way. What are you sowing to? The flesh. Or the spirit. Romans 6. 11 through 14. Paul is writing to the church. He's writing to us. And he says. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead. Indeed unto sin. But alive unto God. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. Let not sin. Therefore reign in your mortal body. That ye should obey it. In the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members. As instruments of unrighteousness. 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. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For ye are not under the law. But under grace. Some would hear a message like this. And say. Oh that sounds like legalism. Paul says. This isn't legalism. This is grace. This is grace. Make sure you're using your members. Unto righteousness. What are your members? He's talking about your physical members. Your hands. Your eyes. Your ears. Your mouth. Your feet. Being careful with my members. How am I using these things that God has given me? Am I using them for the glory of God? Or am I using them to satisfy wicked desires of my heart? Or to yield our members unto righteousness? This is our eyes. And so are you setting wicked things before you? What you put in. Is what's going to bear fruit. And many times. What you put in. You cannot just hit the erase button. No. On the computer. We're so apt to. We make a mistake on a thing. We just hit undo. You can't do that. In life. You watch something. You can't just go undo. And erase it. It is there. It's in your mind. We need to be very careful what we sow. What are we supposed to be sowing? 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. The good. The holy. The wholesome. The pure. The virtuous. That's what our minds are to be set on. Not the wicked. First John 2. 15 through 17. 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. 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. And the world passeth away. And the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God. Abideth forever. Don't love the world. Or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in you. Oh set no wicked thing before my eyes. Can you say that with a pure heart this morning? To say Father I'm going to walk within my house. With a perfect heart. When nobody else sees what I'm watching. Nobody else hears what I'm listening to. In my car. Nobody else knows. I'm going to walk in secret. With a perfect heart. And I'm not going to set wicked things. Before my eyes God. Again I said. Do you desire revival? Revival in Ephesus. Was when they took all that junk. And they burned it. Burned it. You know what revival will look like? When each one of us goes. Goes home. And I challenge every family. Go home and look through that DVD case. And burn. Or throw away. Anything. That is not honoring to the Lord. You know when I was in high school. I would be invited over to. Birthday parties. And you know. There wasn't necessarily open drinking. And drugs and all of that stuff. And so there would be the cake. And the punch. And all of that. And then afterward. Everybody usually ended up. Let's watch a movie. Put movies on. My home going up. Had parents that. Careful about what went on the TV. But these homes that I was going into. Where there wasn't that care. There was no concern. They put wicked things right up. In the main screen TV in the house. And turned it up loud. I remember at times. I had the Holy Spirit. Would just be convicting me. Joel you shouldn't be watching. Joel. Jesus would not sit here. And watch this for one second. He would walk out. Sometimes I just sat there. Not wanting to. To be the weird guy. And stand up and say. This is wrong. Let's turn it off. And I'd sit there. And maybe I just closed my eyes. But I couldn't close my ears. Unfortunately I. Did not walk out. And every one of those. But I got to the place. Where I realized. I just have to walk out. Jesus would not sit down. And take pleasure in this. And I knew in my spirit. It was not something. That I could take pleasure in. As a Christian. And I had to just walk out. I say with that DVD case. Look at it. Is there a DVD in there. That Jesus would not sit down. And have no problem watching. And if Jesus was sitting right there. In your living room. Would you get all excited about. Hey Jesus. Let's watch this. Or would you know in your heart. That that's not holy. That's not good seed. And throw it out. You say. But wait a minute. Those were $20 a piece. I don't care. Jesus says. Is it worth. Is it worth being cast into hell. Even if you do have to. Cut off your right hand. Even if you do have to. Pluck out your eye. Even if you have to. Throw the computer away. You can live in this age. Without a computer. It's harder. But you can. Many people do it. And if you have to. Throw that away. Throw it away. What are you taking in. What are you sowing to. I challenge every man. Of every household here. So many men. Allow things to go on. Media. And books to be read. And all of this stuff. That is wicked. Men. Don't allow that in your home. Make sure you're using. Your eyes. And your ears. For the glory of God. And use all of the tools. That you can find. Can the TV. Be a wonderful tool. In the hand of God. Yes. I was thinking about that. I mean here we are. Mr. Mustache and Company. I mean. Been making TV shows. For years. Dad has. But for good. Or the internet. The computer can be used. For such good. Books. Wonderful books. Can edify you. And your spirit. And so I challenge this. In this area. I challenge you. Walk within your house. With a perfect heart. And throw away any trash. Any form of media. Anything that you would call entertaining. That would not entertain God. And begin to sow. The things of the spirit. And the promises. You will reap. You will reap of the spirit. That's revival. That's revival. You will reap. That everlasting life. Like that life. Where once there was no life. You'll reap that. Because you're sowing that. Let's pray. Dear Father. I thank you. For these wonderful tools. That you have given us. I thank you for. Books. Computers. And TVs. And video cameras. For CDs. And songs. For radios. These wonderful tools. That can be used. For the glory of God. But Lord. I see these as used. For many, many wicked purposes. I see a nation. Sowing to the flesh. Through these. Oh God. Would you purify your church. Purify each one here. Convict. Things that need to be dealt with. For anyone who is living a double life. Purify us oh God. Pray in Jesus name. Amen.