Digital Destruction of Christians (Warning- Everyone is affected!)

what is it that is impeding your life your journey to heaven i imagine that the lord is speaking to you already right now he's bringing something to your mind or some things what is the lord calling for you to cast off right now today though i want to address a certain area it is not necessarily more evil than another but it's something that the lord has laid on my heart my dear friends there is an enemy lurking and it has gained an access and a foothold in many of our lives and it has become an idol that has drawn our attention away from the fullness of god and the filling of our heart and while it is a tool that was designed for increased productivity it has gained a foothold as a pathway to demise and destruction so what might i be referring to maelyn biggs wrote a piece in reaction to a book that she had just read listen to her words my smart phone is my shepherd i still want more i stare at it in green pastures i text instead of looking at the still waters it drains my soul it leads me in the paths of unrighteousness for the app's sake yea though i walk through the valley of no likes i will not fear for my smartphone is with me snapchat and instagram they comfort me my smartphone prepares a fake world for me in the presence of reality it anoints my head with secular humanism my discontent runs over surely laziness and comparison shall follow me all the days of my life and i will dwell in the cyber world looking down at my smartphone forever she wrote that as a result of reading the book 12 ways your phone is changing you by a man by the name of tony reinke in that book tony reinke a christian writer addresses several items that are of particular importance for us today and by the way let me preface all of this by saying so you don't turn me off i'm not going to tell you you need to discard your phone but the question i'm going to ask this morning is are you in control of your phone or is your phone in control of you he asked the fundamental question on page 20 of his book what is the best use of my smartphone in the flourishing of my life he contends if we don't ask that question our phones will control us and lead us to what he calls routines of nothingness have you ever had that happen before just one youtube video just one and three hours later at 2 30 in the morning knowing you got to get up at six the bitter taste of early morning begins to emerge in the back of your throat so what are his key takeaways 12 of them first we are addicted to distraction 95 of all americans own a cell phone 75 percent of americans own a smartphone the average number of pickups by the average user is 81 500 times per year you say well that's not that bad that's 15 times per hour or once every 4.3 minutes so that means in the context of this sermon you've picked up your phone probably at least 10 times while the smartphone is an effective tool taking the place of at least 10 different devices it has led us into a constant state of distraction and tony ranki says first we use digital distractions to keep work away second we use digital distractions to keep people away and third we use digital distractions to keep thoughts of eternity away because we don't like the stillness of the moment and i get it i'm one of those people that i don't like silence too long i i need to talk because it makes me uncomfortable but in the context of being alone we don't like the silence because it's in that still moment that god speaks to us and sometimes frankly we don't like what god is telling us it is a phrase that i use we are no longer present in the present this distraction is an invented and created world where we're in control but the problem is we're not in control it's in control of us number two we ignore flesh and blood ranki states the smartphone is causing a social reversal the desire to be alone in public and never alone in seclusion you see even though we are together we're not together we're merely in the same room each of us creating our own fantasy world for ourselves to live in and thus we don't have relationships facebook and other social media outlets they tell us we have friends and followers but we are more alone and more depressed than any generation in the history of the world the fundamental problem is is we can create whoever we want to be behind the screen but more importantly we can hide from everyone else who we really are number three we crave immediate approval ranking states the sad truth is that many of us are addicted to our phones because we crave immediate approval and affirmation everything is about the like everything is about the emoji we are seeking for limitless approval and here's the problem it deceives us into believing that everything we do is likable in the sight of god's eyes and it denies our accountability to him number four we lose our literacy ranking states digital reading is unnecessarily hurried and this habit bleeds into how we read our bibles and then he goes on our joy in god is at stake in our vanity we feed on digital junk food and our palettes are reprogrammed and our affections atrophy it's like in the world of eating let's be honest potato chips taste good but they're not good for you if you eat celery instead it'll actually train your mouth it'll train your taste buds that when you put in the words of a man from a documentary processed foods processed food processed people rather when we put something in our mouth it is a food-like substance but not yet really food our mouths say wait a second this isn't food i want real food in the same way the digital world has fed us digital junk and so somehow some way when we feel depressed rather than going to the psalms and reading a psalm of david we go to youtube and say show me something funny it is difficult for us to read and linger over passages of scripture that are no longer than 280 characters or can't be read in just a few moments number five we feed on the produced you see our lives are not produced our lives are to be lived but here is the reality there are corporations vying for your attention and will stop at nothing to achieve it they create a world that is fake and in creating this false world they make you the hero by the way this is why marvel has gone through the roof over the last years because everybody is looking for a hero in the christian life my dear friends we need one hero and that is the unselfish savior jesus christ superman batman or any any other iteration of them in the multitude of characters will not save you from your sin number six we become what we like ranki states the object of our worship is the object of our imitation number seven we get lonely our smartphones ranking states are portable shields we wield in public in order to deter human conduct and interaction have you ever done that have you ever done that somebody's coming you're like man i don't want to talk to them by the way for those of you that say i i don't i don't have a phone i have an ipad friends we're talking about all screens number eight we lose meaning friends we live in the real world we interact in the real world our screens have created a false world that somehow our minds find more interesting number nine we fear missing out this was a new one to me there's even an abbreviation i had to go look it up ranky states he listen to what he says he says when it comes to cultural fomo i was like what is fomo fear of missing out when it comes to cultural fear of missing out we are eager to turn the tables and keep shame on others for not having yet ingested the movies television series or viral stories that we have already consumed fomo is neither unique or modern fomo is the primeval human fear the first fear stoked in our hearts when a slithering serpent spoke softly of a one-time opportunity that proved too good to be true he doesn't sit in a tree anymore with fruit he lurks in devices number 10 we become harsh to one another it is very easy to be hypercritical of individuals while you hide behind a screen and not deal with real human relationships number 11 and i will this is a mature subject but i'm going to deal with it in a way that i think we're okay in mixed company we get comfortable in secret divide excuse me in secret vices reiki states anonymity is where sin flourishes he goes on to say smartphones make sexual sin more discreet giving it space to fester behind the veil of privacy he goes on smartphones make free pornography easier to find than the weather forecast he continues smartphone vices capitalize on our endless curiosity and then he continues free porn accessed on a smartphone represents a spiritual epidemic of unprecedented gravity in the history of the church 12 percent of all websites and websites are counted in the billions 12 percent of them are pornographic more than 80 percent of those who are ages 18 to 49 have viewed some type of pornography 35 of all downloads on the internet are pornographic material and just in case we think it's the men who have the problem one third of all internet porn users are women interestingly enough when you look at the days of the week and porn downloads sunday is the highest day the highest day of the year thanksgiving by the way pastors are not immune to this either 55 of all pastors have some sort of pornographic material on their computer right now joe rigney author of the book more than a battle a new and recently released book said this on a recent interview with family life today listen to these words then today sexual sin sexual temptation is as old as dirt this is not a new struggle paul had to deal with pagan prostitutes and temple prostitutes and stuff like that victorians had their brothels but today we have brothels in our pocket that's the new thing everybody has this unprecedented access and anonymity you don't have to keep your eyes down at a store clerk that you're buying the magazine from it's that unprecedented access and that anonymity that brings excuse me brings it to a different level then you add to that that there are corporations and people whose entire vocation is devoted to hooking you the swiping and all that stuff is designed to hook you not just on your social media your facebook and twitter and everything else but to this speaking of pornography there's people there's human beings devoted and making a concerted effort while i could say much more on this issue itself i would advise reading one of these books or listening to the programs men in particular we are in grave danger this issue leads to all sorts of problems self-abuse dis interest in life laziness and a desensitized heart joe rigney believes that the key for help in this area is finding mentors who have victory this is quoting him now another element of this is my project has been recognizing the importance of mentors godly men who are a step removed who have had substantial victory in this area and can therefore provide that model and that hopefulness they can say hey you've you can come to where i'm at you don't have to stay in the pit you can get out of there by the grace of god today if you're struggling in this area i'd you can contact me this is a serious matter that is driving us driving us to a place of uncertainty in our spiritual lives the last point that tony reinke makes number 12 is that we lose our place in time quoting him we give our time to what is not explicitly sinful but also to what cannot give us joy or prepare us for self-sacrifice everything on the phone is not a bad thing but is it removing us from where we should be in time does it consume us he goes on to state our personal freedom from the misuse of technology is measured by our ability to thoughtfully criticize it and to limit what we expect it to do in our lives our bondage to technology is measured by our inability to thoughtfully criticize ourselves so what can we do the time is now my dear friends that we need to lay aside and remove these high places from our life whether it's a smartphone whether it's how we use the smartphone whatever it may be the time is now for us to remove these things from our lives not to simply be like joe ash keep the high place in the background because nobody else thinks it's a really big deal catherine price wrote a groundbreaking book and the title of the book is how to break up with your phone she gives these simple steps one ride out your cravings it's like when you're stopping smoking you must ride out your cravings and not give in to include others have somebody that you're accountable to three assess your current relationship take a self-assessment of what's happening by the way this is applicable beyond just a phone i have a number of young people here this is applicable in your own personal relationships as well number four after you assess that relationship you set boundaries boundaries that are actual boundaries number five she says stop she uses a phrase fubbing she has married the word phone and snubbing what does she mean by that stop picking up your phone texting and looking at social media when in the middle of a conversation with someone or in a gathering some of you might be under conviction right now she states this a good rule is to put your phone away during meals and parties so you can be present with family and friends if you're a medical doctor and someone's life depends on you i certainly understand your need for a phone but for most of us for most of us someone will not die if you do not text them back within 30 seconds i will tell you this sermon is not a pointing the finger this is a process that i've been working through in my own life in fact i've had to text some people and let them know because they got very panicked and thought something had happened to me i said no i was actually just walking out in the woods in west virginia and i'm going to tell you my dear friends there are times where i'm on a boat that i put my phone in my upper pocket in hopes that maybe when i lean over it might fall out and go to the bottom of the ocean are you following me and then lastly or the two last points she says try a trial separation i'm going to tell you my dear friends it is going to be remarkable to you if you set your phone down you lock your phone away and you don't use it for a specified period of time you will go through withdrawal symptoms just like an alcoholic just like someone addicted to drugs your hands are going to be like i don't know what to do you're going to be sitting around people saying i don't know what to say and then what will happen is your mind as it starts rewiring itself will become so in tune with what's happening in reality that it will be almost overwhelming the things that you perceive that you had not perceived before and lastly her simple point is find other things to do my friends this world has many things to do many things to do other than checking out who's liked your last posts on facebook i will not even get into this and there are going to be a number of young people that are not going to like me very much when i say what i'm about to say but there is factual proof in the medical literature that your young people who are being allowed to use devices at an early age and an early age being under the age of 20 are rewiring their brains that may lead them to failure throughout the rest of their life go read the literature the problem is is we've hired steve jobs and his lackeys and i know he's dead so don't misunderstand what i'm saying and those who have imitated what he has done we've hired them to be our babysitter our entertainer go read the literature ten years ago schools were switching to all screens and no textbook and there are districts of schools that have lost millions of dollars because they're going back to textbooks because comprehension fails behind a screen and like i said while i've talked a great deal about phones these principles apply universally to those other temptations and sins that so easily ensnare us am i telling you to get rid of your phone no but maybe just maybe the holy spirit may be telling you that i don't speak for him because jesus was pretty simple when it came to these things real simple matthew 5 verse 27 you have heard that it was said of old you shall not commit adultery but i say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery by the way the word for adultery is the greek word porneo it forms the basis of pornography jesus knew more than the inventors of language if you look at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart if your right eye causes you to sin pluck it out and cast it from you for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perished than for your whole body to be cast into hell and if your right hand causes you to sin cut it off and cast it off from you for is more profitable profitable for you that one of your members perished than for your whole body to be cast in hell what is the point it's far better to go to heaven without an iphone than to be standing in the lake of fire with one the issue at hand is are we genuinely willing to surrender everything to jesus three words were not removed not taken away a disloyal heart all synonyms three words that kill the christian and the question i ask you this morning is what is the high place in your life is it a phone is it something else is it a relationship is it an addiction is it a substance is it entertainment is it other devices fill in the blank jesus will speak to you because here is the reality without jesus every heart has a void ecclesiastes 3 11 says also he has put eternity into their hearts that's why when we don't have jesus we feel empty and we try to fill it with all kinds of stuff and to the young people here i will save you time at 16 i went looking to fill my heart with all kinds of stuff and i spent five years i wasted five years of my life filling it with everything that didn't fill it and left me more empty afterwards and i'm going to tell you i've seen things with my eyes at 17 and i am 46 years old and those images are planted deep in the recesses of my brain that i still fight against don't waste time young people now is the time and to those of us that are older it's not too late what are you utilizing in your life to try to soothe your divided broken incomplete unfulfilled inharmonious heart there's only one answer psalm 33 11 the council of the lord stands forever it is the same word as eternity from ecclesiastes 3 11 the plans of his heart to all generations psalm 37 18 the lord knows the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be forever and as i head to a close i want to read to you probably one of the more disturbing quotations from the spirit of prophecy that i've ever read it's from the story of redemption page 45-46 if you don't think this is a spiritual battle get in tune i was shown satan as he once was a happy exalted angel then i was shown him as he is now he still bears a kingly form his features are still noble for he is an angel fallen but the expression of his countenance is full of anxiety care unhappiness malice hate mischief deceit and every evil that brow that forehead which was so noble i particularly noticed his forehead commenced from his eyes to recede let me pause there why is his forehead receding because the frontal lobe is the place of decision-making his frontal lobe is atrophying i saw that he had so long bent himself to evil that every good quality was debased and every evil trait was developed and now listen his eyes were cunning sly and showed great penetration his frame was large but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face as i beheld him his chin was resting upon his left hand he appeared to be in deep thought a smile was upon his countenance which made me tremble it was so full of evil and satanic slyness this smile is the one he wears just before he makes sure of his victim and as he fastens the victim to his snare the smile grows horrible he sits watching you he knows what tempts you he knows what will make you fall and his every thought is how to make you sin and it makes him smile it's not it's well past time to be playing games i will end with hebrews chapter 12 make application and then pray hebrews 12 says therefore we also verse 1 since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us let's get the imagery if you've ever known anyone that was a competitive swimmer just prior to their competitive swim meet you will notice something that is absent from them the day of the meet competitive swimmers will shave every hair off of their body why do they do that while yes it reduces the friction and drag in the water i learned this in my research for today it does something else it increases the sensitivity of the nerve vendings throughout the body and it heightens the swimmer's awareness to feel the water why do we need to remove the high places in our life because those high places are dulling our senses to the place where we're like it's not that bad but when we remove it we become sensitive to god's leading hyper sensitive to his leading and will follow him all the days of our life the call of god is simple today what is it that he's called you to put off and lay aside and remove it's not a one-time question by the way it's a question we need to ask every day what are those things those thoughts the ideas that you think are making you complete but are actually making you feel disharmonious and unfulfilled what is preventing you from experiencing the shalom of christ i leave you with the promise of jesus he wants you to experience that peace and full life and he says these words in john 14 peace i leave with you my peace i give to you not as the world gives do i give to you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid are you willing to surrender it all to him let's pray heavenly father we have gathered here lord this was a tough message for me to prepare for is a tough message to preach and i imagine a tough message to hear but right now you have laid upon each and every heart that is in this building right now something or some things lord we're not strong enough to get rid of it we're not strong enough to cast it off on our own so we ask you for the strength we want the peace we want the shalom in our life so lord i pray right now through the power of your holy spirit you would identify the areas in our life where we need to yield and give it all up and then father in heaven i pray that you would give us the strength the stamina and the courage not to wait until tomorrow or next week but immediately following this sermon service that we would go and lay it aside cast it off get rid of it whether it's an app whether it's the phone itself whether it's books whether it's magazines whether it's cds whether it's music whatever it is that is so easily besetting us and so easily ensnaring us lord give us the courage and the strength point it out to us and then lord help us to do it that we might not be killed by those three words did not take away may the testimony of this congregation today be they have cast off they have laid aside and they have put off everything from the old man and today put on the new man and the new woman and experience the life-giving blood of jesus in their lives this is my prayer in jesus name amen

Channel: HopeLives365

Views: 173,897

Keywords: Seventh-day Adventist, Seventh day Adventist, SDA, Adventist, Adventists, Chris Holland, HopeLives365, Hope Lives 365, Bible, Salavation, Righteousness, cell phone, hell

Id: nC9P2zzxQGc

Length: 35min 13sec (2113 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 12 2021