Twilight: To See or Not to See?

Recently I've had several people ask me what I think, as a pastor of youth, of Twilight, the new movie based on a best selling novel series. I thought I would post my thoughts here in case anyone is still reading this blog.

Let me preface my response to this question by admitting that I've not read the Twilight book series, nor have I seen the movie, and most likely will not be doing either anytime soon. I have only tried to understand the premise second-hand through Christian and secular reviews, and other places that give information about it.

That said, I actually see nothing positive about either the books or the new movie, and see no benefit whatsoever in either reading the story, or seeing it play out on a movie screen. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these movies are particularly dangerous, perhaps more-so than a lot of entertainment out there today. I say this, because, from what I can understand, the "moral lessons" present a kind of morality that absolutely opposes the true morality God has established in Scripture. I'll try to explain by giving examples.

1. The whole idea of love in this movie (a good thing) is in reality nothing but idolatry. Bella and Edward are enraptured with one another that Bella would lie to her father to protect her romantic interests, Edward would sneak into Bella's room and watch her sleep, and Bella would be willing to go to the dark side and be cursed forever (i.e. become a vampire) in order to be with her vampire boyfriend.
2. Vamprism is put in a positive light. These beings that have supposedly been forever cursed by God, are actually viewed as good moral beings, for the most part, who are genuinely struggling to choose goodness. I realize that such beings are merely fictional, but the idea of such a being is absolutely absurd according to Scripture. Those who are apart from God and cursed by God are enemies of God. They are not good, and they are not genuinely trying to do what is right. They are rebels who love their rebellion, and who are determined to continue in it. So, even if vampires did exist, they would not be good moral creatures, as Twilight would present.
3. There is a scene in which Edward sleeps with Bella in her bed, fully clothed, throughout the night. This is seen as a good thing - since intercourse with Bella would make Edward want to kill her. Therefore, in this movie, it is presented as acceptable for a 17 year old high school junior to sleep in the same bed with her boyfriend, as long as they do not have sex. Edward and Bella are seen as acting honorably then, since they resist the urge to engage in intercourse with one another. They are presented as struggling with a genuine moral dilemma, and in this case at least, choosing that which is good. Yet, from God's perspective, a choice like that is obviously not honorable or good in any way; but seriously dangerous and completely unwise.

I could go on, but these give you an idea of what I am saying. The problem with the Twilight series has to do primarily with the fact that it presents a kind of goodness that is, according to Scripture, not goodness at all, but rebellion against God. Love, in Twilight is not really love, it is idolatry. What Twilight paints to be good, is not good at all, it is sin and only sin. I guess this is true of the vast majority of entertainment out there, but it seems to be particularly deceiving in Twilight, since the sin it glorifies is glorified with very little of what we would normally expect (i.e. very little profanity, no sex, no nudity, etc.). Rather, sin in this series and movie, is presented as something pure, something valuable, something very good. That presents an even greater danger for those who will enjoy this series & movie, in my opinion, since it deceives people into thinking certain actions and attitudes to be moral, when in fact they are anything but.

But don't just take my word for it. Evaluate it yourself, second-hand, as I have done, if at all possible. How? I would recommend using what Walt Mueller calls , the 3-D review process.

Step One: Discover: Discover what the themes and messages of the movie/book/song are. What's the main idea? How is the movie/book/song/etc. suggesting that I think, act, or live in a certain way? What does it say about God? What does it say about people? What does it say about how we are to treat people? What set of morals is it presenting? Where does it say peace and/or hope is found? What does it present as our greatest problem, and what is its "gospel"?

Step Two: Discern: Figure out what the Bible says about those same themes & messages? What does the Bible say about these same things, and how is what the Bible says different from what the movie/book/song says?

Step Three: Decide: Based on the answers to the above questions, consider whether God would desire for you to enjoy this movie/song/book. Ideally, we should do this before we engage in these kinds of things, but it is just as important to do this kind of evaluation after we have seen or read or listened to these things as well, so if you're one of the millions who have become wrapped up in this story, it's not too late to apply a biblical mind to it if you have not done so already.

Simply put, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says: "test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." If Twilight is good, by God's definition, hold fast to it. If it is evil, as I believe it is, you know what to do.

Proverbs 1:20-33 - "Wisdom Rebukes Fools"

Read Proverbs 1:20-23.

If you're wondering how to understand "Lady Wisdom" running around the streets of a city preaching to people, you can understand it in this way: Lady Wisdom can be understood as God’s plan for life. God’s plan for life is being offered to all kinds of people in all kinds of places (that’s why she goes to all kinds of public places in the city, not the temple). God’s plan for life is what is there to protect people from destruction. God is crying out to people, calling them to follow His plan for life, so that they might enjoy both earthly and eternal peace, but is also warning people, that if they refuse to embrace God’s plan for their life, they are going to suffer terrible judgment.

Yet, the outcome of Lady Wisdom’s pleading, is not good. People reject her. Despite the ways that God invites people to embrace His plan for life, they reject it. Read Proverbs 1:24-31. People would rather live by their own standards and their own convictions and their own ideas, than God’s. We see that truth play itself out everyday, don’t we?

So, because they have rejected her (God’s way of life), she will one day reject them. In other words, on Judgment Day, those who have refused to follow God’s way of life will see how important and how valuable it is and they will want to go back and live according to God’s standards, but that will not be possible. They will have had their chance, and by the time Judgment Day comes, it will be too late. Read 1:26-28.

Still, the overall message of this passage is one of hope. Read 1:23 again. So here, God, through Lady Wisdom is calling to us to embrace His way of life. He is not just calling people to stop living in sin, but to turn to God’s way of life. If you turn to God’s way of life, your life will be radically changed. God will feed you with His wisdom, and you will enjoy intimacy with the Creator of all things, as you enjoy His words (i.e. the Scriptures – in context, the Proverbs). Lady Wisdom is calling us to choose God’s way of life, so that we might live with joy both now and for eternity (Proverbs 1:33).

In my view, this is really a call to salvation. God in this passage, is calling you to be freed from a way of life that will lead to destruction.

WHO DOES THIS APPLY TO?

I want to focus on a single phrase here in this passage to help you think through whether God might be calling you to repentance here in this passage. That phrase is in verse 32:

For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them… (Proverbs 1:32 – ESV)

This verse teaches anyone and everyone how to know whether or not they are in danger of the things that Lady Wisdom promises here.

The first part of verse 32 says, “The simple are killed by their turning away.” Remember that a “simple” person, according to Proverbs, is a person who just doesn’t want to think about what God has to do with their everyday life. They’re not fully opposed (at least consciously) to God’s way of life, they’re just not committed to it. God’s way of life to the simple person would complicate things, even if it’s the right way, and because it would complicate their lives, they just aren’t willing to embrace it.

This word that is translated “turning away” is used in Hosea and Jeremiah as a label God puts on Israel (Jer 3:12) for their constant turning away from God. Though they are constantly faced with the truth of God, they continue to chase after other ways of life and are ruled by gods other than the One True God. Rather than turning from their sin to God, they turn from God to their sin. This is exactly what simple people do. Though they are often faced with the truth of God and God’s invitation to embrace His plan for their life, they instead turn back from God to their sin, because they find sin much more comfortable than God’s plan for their life.

I think this is probably a good description of many people in churches today. Perhaps it is a description of you. You are constantly faced with the opportunity to embrace God’s plan for your life, but instead choose what looks to you to be the easier way. That kind of turning away, if you continue down that path, will kill you!

The second part of verse 32 says, “The complacency of fools destroys them…” What this means is that fools will actually have a sense of security. Fools think that they have nothing to worry about. It is this false sense of security that will destroy them. These are people who hate God, hate the idea of God having anything to do with their lives, hate the idea of God’s plan for their lives, but believe they have nothing to worry about. They truly believe that their own way of life is going to lead to some good end, and so, because they think that they are safe, they will never turn to God, and so, that attitude will destroy them.

So, how do you know if you’re a simple one who is turning away from God’s plan for your life (i.e. obedience and wisdom – skill in pleasing Him in all you do), or a fool who is living in a false sense of security?

A few questions to help you diagnose the state of your soul:

1. In general, what do you think when you hear passages like this taught (calls to repent and be saved)? Are you interested? Do you care? Do you find them boring? Do you want to know more?

2. In general, do you enjoy being taught the Bible? Do you enjoy being taught God’s perspective? Do you enjoy being taught God’s plan for your life?

3. Does the idea that God calls you to live a specific way interest you, bore you, offend you, or something else?

4. In general, when you learn about what God commands you to do in a specific situation, do you do it? Do you do it joyfully? Do you appreciate His commands and want to know more of them?

5. As a characteristic of your life, do you seek to choose God’s way in your decisions, or your own way? Does your answer to this question encourage you, scare you, or effect you in any way? How?

That last question is really the key question. As the general characteristic of your life, are you seeking to choose God’s way in your daily life, or would you have to admit that you are choosing your own way? But even more importantly, if you have to admit that you are choosing your own ways, do you care? And do you wish it were different?

Quickly, let me just address those of you who admit that you’re living your own way, and just don’t care. Better yet, let me just allow God to address you directly.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8 – ESV)

If you admit that you are choosing your own plan for your life, and also that you are just fine with that, you need to know that if you continue on in that attitude, you’re in serious trouble. God is going to have the final say with you, and He promises that if you continue on this path where you are the god of your own life, calamity is going to come upon you, and when it does, there will be no turning it back.

Now, for those of you that admit you are choosing your own plan for your life, but want to stop living in that way, and sincerely want to embrace God’s plan for your life: Know this, God’s plan for your life (i.e. God’s Wisdom) is Jesus Christ.

Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24b – ESV)
In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3 – ESV)

This is key because when I say that God calls you to embrace His plan for your life, I’m not talking about your future job, or the person you’re going to marry one day, or the things you are good at doing. This is what the world speaks of when it speaks of a plan for your life. God’s plan for your life is different, and it has everything to do with Jesus. God’s plan for your life is Jesus. The path God wants you to choose is the path where Jesus is Lord. It is the path of a life that says, wherever you lead Jesus, I will follow!

The path God wants you to choose is to live under Jesus, as your Master, your King, your Commander, your Teacher, your Counselor, and your only true Authority. The path God invites you to walk down is Jesus, where at the beginning you say, “I trust You Jesus, Your obedience, Your death, and Your resurrection as the only possible way I can be right with my Heavenly Father.” At the beginning of this path, God makes you right with Him because of Jesus and all that He has done. This is called “justification.”

Then, as you walk down the path of Jesus, your life becomes more and more about getting to know Him, loving Him, and pleasing Him, and as you walk down the path Jesus changes you to be like Himself.” This is called “sanctification.”

Then as you become more and more like Jesus, you get more and more excited about his return, and live more and more like He is going to return, when you will forever be changed into a completely sinless human being and will live the rest of eternity worshipping Christ by living on the earth like humans were originally intended to live – showing all of Creation just how valuable God is. This is called "glorification."

So then, from beginning to end, this path that God is inviting each of us to walk down, is all about Jesus Christ. If you have not yet begun down that path, I want to invite you to go to God right now, plead for His grace and forgiveness, ask Him to make you a new creature, and ask Him for the grace to follow Christ for the rest of your life. Ask Him for the gift of repentance, so that you might turn from your sin, and live without the dread of judgment.

As for those of you who are on the path of Jesus. You are living to please Him. You are serious about obeying Him, and want to know Him more deeply, I encourage you to look over your life to see where you might be rejecting His wisdom. Are there any areas in your life where you need to repent? Are there any areas where you need to stop following your own plans, and instead look to Him for His? The question is worth considering.

On Christians and Hypocrisy...

We'll be talking about a lot of these things tomorrow night at The Exchange.

Perhaps the most common reason people give for rejecting Christianity, is the fact that so many people who say that they are Christians, are serious hypocrites. The truth is, there are many people who claim to be Christians, who are rank hypocrites. They preach against homosexuality, and then are caught in the middle of it. They act as if they are holy, and then they treat the people closest to them terribly. They pray and worship God in public so that people will see them and think they are holy. The ignore the poor and needy. They complain about the behavior of other people, when their's is far worse. They judge people unfairly. The pick and choose which parts of the Bible they will obey, and which they will ignore. To put it simply, many people who claim to be Christians, look like anything but Jesus Christ Himself.

What are some ways you’ve seen “Christians” act like hypocrites?

DEFINING HYPOCRISY AND WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT:
Read Matthew 23.

In this chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tears into hypocrites like nowhere else in Scripture. These are the harshest and fiercest words ever recorded from the mouth of Jesus, and they are directed straight people who Jesus six times calls “hypocrites.” The word written there means “spiritual pretender,” a person who is pretending to be godly, when they are actually nothing but filthy rebels. They’re putting on a show of godliness, like actors on a stage, but are not truly godly people. And in Matthew 23, Jesus goes straight for their jugular veins, and pronounces all kinds of judgment upon their dirty heads.

They way Jesus describes these people puts into words at least nine characteristics of hypocrites. Let’s take a look at them.

9 Marks of a Hypocrite:

1. They do not practice what they preach (Matt 23:3b).
2. They expect more of other people than they expect of themselves (Matt 23:4).
3. They do good things in order to be seen and praised by others (Matt 23:5-7).
4. They want people to conform to their own standards, not the standards of God (Matt 23:13-15).
5. They try to use God’s laws for selfish reasons (Matt 23:16-18).
6. They look for the quickest route to making people think that they are holy, but neglect true holiness (Matt 23:23).
7. They look really clean on the outside, but are filthy on the inside (Matt 23:25, 27-28).
8. They hate people who point out their sin (Matt 23:29-37).
9. They do not want to admit their own guilt & sin (Matt 23:29-37).

The bottom line about these people is this: They are not interested in God, they are merely interested in making you think they are interested in God. They’re not interested in living a pure and righteous life before God, they just want to make people think that they are. They are self-righteous, self-interested, self-sufficient, prideful and arrogant sinners. But by Jesus own words, we see that God does not tolerate them in any way. In fact, He is completely opposed to hypocrites, and will end up judging many of them for their hypocrisy.

But, if Jesus Himself had so many strong words to say to hypocrites…

Why are so many people who claim to be Christians, hypocrites?

I'll give you five reasons. First, because all people are deeply sinful (Jer 17:9; Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23; Matt 15:19-20). Second, because many people are not aware of (or refuse to accept) how deeply sinful they are (Jer 17:9; Heb 3:13). Third, because many of them are deceived into thinking they are Christ’s followers, when they are actually not (Matt 7:21-23). Fourth, because everyone is in some degree, a hypocrite. Think about the marks of a hypocrite that I just mentioned. Surely every one of us has been guilty of at least one of these things at one point in our lives. All of us are hypocrites. And finally (fifth), because even true Christians still deal with the sin that remains in their life, even after their conversion to Christ.

So, what about the reason some people (maybe you) give for avoiding Christianity: “If so many Christians are such hypocrites, I want nothing to do with Christianity.” I want to respond to that in three ways.

Response #1: The hypocrisy of people who claim to be Christians says nothing of Jesus, and everything about their own sinfulness. Perhaps it says something about that person’s faith, or their church, etc., but t says nothing about Jesus Himself.

Response #2: This reason would make little sense in another context (ex. “Big 3” automaker CEOs – flying to Washington in private jets to ask for financial assistance). The reason it works for people regarding Christianity is because it excuses them from the real reason they do not want to be a part of it; that it would require them to deal with their own sin. People do not want to acknowledge and deal with their sin.

Response #3: What about you? Are you perfect? Are you completely clean? Are you truly free of any of the things Jesus pointed out in the hypocrites of Matthew 23? The truth is, hypocrites love to point out hypocrites. They love to point the finger at hypocrites as if they themselves have done nothing wrong. They love to make more out of a hypocrite’s sin than their own sins. They love to tell hypocrites to clean up their act, but refuse to look at the sin in their own heart. To those that want to blame hypocrites as the reason they want nothing to do with Jesus, Jesus turns to them and says, “What about you? What about your sin? What are you going to do about your sin?"

You see, Jesus died for hypocrites. He did this so that hypocrites would not have to suffer the punishment for their hypocrisy. Jesus suffered the wrath of His Father, so that if hypocrites would turn from their hypocrisy, they would not have to suffer that same wrath themselves. Jesus died in the place of hypocrites.

But Jesus also lived for hypocrites. He submitted to the perfect law of His Father, so that hypocrites would not have to rely on their own righteousness to be right with God. He obeyed the law of God on the behalf of hypocrites, so that if they will turn from their hypocrisy and turn to Him for true holiness, they would receive His own perfect obedience and righteousness, and be made right with God, not because of what they had done, but because of what He (Jesus) had done for them. Jesus lived in the place of hypocrites.

Perhaps there is one question I should ask before we close: Who’s righteousness are you counting on as the way to be right with God? Are you counting on the idea that your own goodness will be good enough to be right with God in the end? Or do you understand that you’ll never be good enough to stand before a holy God? Here tonight Jesus is giving you a rescue plan to escape the trap of your hypocrisy, and that rescue plan is Him. He is your way out, and your only way out. Will you look to Him to be freed from your hypocrisy? Or, will you continue to pretend that hypocrisy is something only other people struggle with? Sounds pretty hypocritical to me.

Homework to the Glory of God!

Have you ever thought about the way you go about your homework reflects upon your relationship with Christ? Does Jesus have anything to do with this part of your life? Have you ever thought about that? I believe God has. In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul writes:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive your the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 - ESV)

Think about this one. Who is it ultimately, that has placed you in the school (whether home, public, Christian, etc.) you are in? Who ultimately is in charge of the homework that gets thrown on your back everyday? Who ultimately, has required that you have to go to school in the first place? Is it not Christ Himself?

So then, who is it that you are ultimately honoring or dishonoring in the way you go about your homework? Think about that. In all of the mundane, difficult, and seemingly meaningless assignments that you have to work on day in and day out, you are being given opportunity after opportunity to serve Christ, and to show others how valuable He truly is. There is eternal value to the way you go about your homework, "knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance!"

Ever thought of it like that?

A Few More Thoughts...

I realize that the lesson of Proverbs 1:8-19 may be a hard one for some of you to swallow. Knowing this, I thought I'd share a few things for you to chew on, as you consider the call to be friends to fools, but not friends with fools.

A FEW THINGS TO MEDITATE ON:

1. God is more precious than people, because God is more precious than anything.

This whole warning against letting fools influence you is not about loosing friends, but about gaining intimacy with God. God is not telling you to have a boring life with no friends; He is warning you about the things that can ruin your relationship with God (and in some cases your earthly life) like nothing else, and those things are foolish friends. He is not trying to ruin your life, but to increase your joy in Christ. (Read Philippians 3:7-11.)

2. Real and lasting joy is in obedience, not in people pleasing.

Joy is in sacrificing to obey God; not in rejecting God to please people (Proverbs 29:25, Psalm 34:8-9; John 6:35).

3. The issue of choosing your friends is not a non-spiritual issue; it is a Lordship issue.

If you want to obey Christ, you need to follow His lead here. You need to find a way to be friends to these people, but not with them. The reason is that fools are not in agreement with Christ. Christ will teach you to go one way and fools will encourage you to go another way. So, at the end of the day, whether or not you are willing to be friends to these people but not with them has to do with whether or not Christ is the Lord of your life. You are going to obey someone. Is it going to be Jesus, or the fools you want to accept you?

4. Jesus died for fools and the things that fools want you to do.

Read 1 Peter 1:17-23. Jesus Christ was crucified for fools and for the things that fools want you to do. He died for fools! Going along with them merely encourages them to continue rebelling against Him though. Is that what you want for them? Do you want to encourage them to continue rebelling against God, just so that you can be in with them?

5. Partnerships with fools are good for nobody; not you and not them. They are damning for both of you.

Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 – "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be there God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 – ESV)

Be a friend to them, but do not be friends with them. Do not let them drag you down! its well worth it!