The Power of Distraction | Pastor Jentezen Franklin

but I want to talk to you about something that's really different and unusual and and and I'm just gonna go with what I feel today 11 years ago in 2007 Steve Jobs walked out onto the platform that Apple and he held up a device kind of like the one that I've got in my hand and he told the people that inside of this phone will now be computer that can reach all over the world not only that that there would be video capability there would be pictures and this to the young people the Millennials this sounds so what ish to you so what you don't understand coming up and using phone booths you don't understand the first mobile phone that we my daddy bought that had a sachet that he carried it in with cords and you walked around with an antenna sticking out in the air you don't understand that Justin this is the shocking thing just 11 years ago the world was forever changed miraculously never to go back like it would be before and the Millennials who are people who are thirty years of age are under how many Millennials are here raise your hand if your 30 years of age you're under let me see your hand this is a millennial church good lord raise your hand y'all need a younger pastor I can tell you that right now Jesus that's scary I hope your parents are giving for you because you're not known forgiving but but let's keep going let's keep going that's true let's keep going the largest generation in history and you just proved it the largest generation in history is the millennial generation one half of the population is 30 years of age listen to that one half of the world's population is 30 years of age or under your generation I believe has been handpicked by God to shape the world for Jesus Christ 53 53 percent of Millennials had rather lose their sense of smell than their mobile devices most people more people in the world listened carefully more people in the world on a mobile device than own a toothbrush and hopefully they're not sitting about you right now that's a fact every day 20,000 of the searches typed into the search engine of the Internet have is researching something that has never been searched before 20% of the searches every day they're expanding this generation is expanding knowledge expanding reaching coming up with witty inventions and amazing inventions and advancing our society like never before and I just want to say this I believe the current generation that we're living in this millennial generation will have witty inventions as the scripture calls them more than any other generation before us and will introduce the world to Jesus Christ on a on a fashion that technology potential is greater than ever before for the world to be reached with the gospel because of the millennial generation so my point is this we don't need to criticize them we need to cheer them on and that's what we're about while we have youth camps and that's why we do a big major youth conference every year we're not here today to bash the Millennial Generation secondly we're not here to bash social media I believe that this technology has been given to mankind and it is for a good purpose however we've got to learn how to use social media to bless us and not curse us it is possible for social media to become a weapon of mass distraction we check our smartphone 80 1000 times a year that's once every four point three minutes of our life one point four three one point three minutes the reason I got messed up there as I looked out and I saw people doing their phone and putting it up real quick it's pretty amazing during this service you will be tempted to check your cell phone while I'm preaching the thirty minutes you will be tempted to check your cell phone twelve times during this service and the Bible said resist temptation the average person spends five hours a day on social media that is five years and four months of your life on social media and it's because our life has been consolidated by our by our cell phones on these phones we have calendars and phones and contacts and pictures and videos and workouts and books and credit cards and our news are our maps our emails our shopping the mall is on here now it's a double threat men it'sit'sit's shopping GPS apps you have if you have one of these you have 30 times the processing speed on your mobile phone that they had on the navigational computer that guided Apollo 11 to the moon you have 30 time's the speed that that computer that weights 70 pounds they used to get Apollo 11 to the moon you carry it in your pocket 54% of the people check their smartphone within minutes of waking up 71% of people sleep with their cellphone next to them 73% of people check social media feeds before they enter into any spiritual discipline in their life every day teenagers if you're a millennial teenagers spend 9 on average 9 hours a day on average on social media that ends up listen to me carefully that ends up 24 years of your life doing this by the way if you ever go to prison or you have a relative that goes to prison and they want to talk to you they have to look at you through glass and communicate with you through glass there's a glass booth you go in don't act like you don't know you got a crazy cousin in prison right now and you talk through that glass and that maybe that's why they call it a cell phone if it gets out of control in our life because it actually becomes the way the only way that we communicate with people is through the glass five inches of glass for 26 years in prison behind five twenty four years behind five inches of glass the moment we grow bored with real life or real people at the scroll of a thumb we can tune them out real live people real live people can be tuned out granny can be completely taken out of our life because she's not on here and we can completely ignore those people they'll be gone in a few years and we're sitting there with them but we're doing this and that is one of the negatives 210 million people suffer from social media addiction single young females are the most vulnerable group teens spending 5 hours a day on their phones are 50% more likely to suffer from depression 10 percent of teens check their phones through the night all night when they hear a ping if it's 3:00 in the morning they check their phones all night long study after study shows that the more addicted you are to your phone the more prone you are to suffer depression anxiety and less productive in school and work digital distractions are not a game listen to me carefully you are six times more prone to have an accident tweeting while you're driving then you are driving drunk if none of you with a good sense will go out and get in a car and drive drunk but the latest statistic is if you text and drive you have six times more of a chance of being in an accident if you're doing this while you're driving then actually being drunk and driving that may save some kid's life today if you understand it can be a weapon of mass distraction there are three things that digital distractions can keep us from it can keep working you just begin to procrastinate because you're doing this this this and suddenly minutes turn into hours and hours and hours and they're doing studies now on the workplace of how many hours are being stolen really from employment places because hours are wasted so it's possible to take work away secondly the distractions from media can take people away the Bible said love your neighbor have time to talk have time but but when you take your phone out when with people when I do that when you do that it's not just young people it's all of us we're saying you're not that important to me I'm sitting here with you we're eating out here but you're not that when when you pick this up and you do this through the glass instead of the live person that's sitting there you're saying you're not that important to me and I'm superior to you we use social media thirdly if we're not careful it'll keep working it'll keep people away you become more and more isolated behind the glass and lastly you keep God away it's very possible because the only way that I've found that I can get with God is when I get alone and silent by myself in solitude in silence it's there that we become aware of God and what he's trying to say to us and so when you understand that even in church we have a dede attention deficit disorder no more add one to it we have Sadd which spells sad and that spiritual attention deficit disorder when you can't sit through a service without doing this when you if you don't watch it you can't even God says I deserve your full attention sometimes and you know I'm not I'm not preaching at you I'm just telling you we need to check ourselves sometimes we need to go on fast from this sometimes we need this cut it all I don't need to hear it pain I don't to hear it rain I don't need to hear it all I need to hear him I need to hear and there's something about putting him first putting him first so when you understand that and you understand the power of distraction you see having a cell phone or this digital technology is similar to dating a high-maintenance drama queen or king always wanting your attention always demanding where are you what do you do 24 hours a day it's easier to post than to pray it's easier to snapchat than chat with someone who needs your testimony needs your hug needs your words needs your attention it's easier it's easier to Facebook than to put your face in the book and read it and you may think this is just one of those creatures up there but I'm gonna tell you something the Bible talks about redeeming the time and being careful that we give God attention in our life not just distractions the devil loves distraction because distraction is the enemy of discipleship if you don't get nothing else out of this sermon hear that statement distraction is the enemy of discipleship if you're not having discipleship tomorrow morning it's because you're letting something distract you from this you're letting something distract you from prayer you're letting something distract you from just a little worship just a little bit if you don't watch it suddenly the distraction becomes the very thing it may not be some big sin it never starts out as a big thing I'm not saying that social media is a sin but I am saying it is a distraction and distraction is the enemy of your growth and your discipleship in Jesus Christ social media is a distraction no generation in history has been distracted more than this generation and so when you read Ecclesiastes chapter 3 maybe we need to do a millennial Bible version and it's and it says for every season there is a purpose let's change it for every season there is a tweet and a tweet for every purpose under heaven a tweet for birth a tweet for death a tweet for her a tweet for healing a tweet for lying laughing a tweet for for crying a tweet for tearing a tweet for mending a tweet to love a tweet to hate and if we don't watch it that becomes the world that we live in and it's a fake world when you got real people real family real parents real brothers real sisters real grandparents real friends and this becomes your prison this becomes the cell phone that imprisons your life and then comes depression and then comes loneliness and then comes the lack of interaction with people and it brings people soul' and spirit' down we weren't built for that we weren't made for that even even the the they have on this fake emotions it's called emo emoji and and and that is that that that is trying to duplicate human emotions so if somebody tells you my aunt died instead of calling them and praying with them you just send a material face emoji if somebody says I was in a car wreck pray for me instead of doing that you just send the praying hands you nobody don't need your praying hands if you don't watch it you will you won't even get on your knees and pray for them you just shoot that little they upload this one out there the Holy Spirit is not the Emoji fire it that is not the Holy Spirit you need to get in a real church in a real service in a real move of God every once in a while instead of always seeing it behind the glass and and I thank God you know we have they were telling me it's on average about ninety thousand people who watch us through glass on our social media when we preach a sermon like this before the day is over before 24 hours this was recent just that here's the Facebook stuff and I sent followers of two and a half million this was just from two Sundays ago 24-hour period ninety seven thousand people viewed the sermon that's that's more people than can get in the mercedes-benz stadium downtown Atlanta and they watched it so I'm not against it I'm just saying at some point you can't even make this your church all the time appreciate all of you all around the world and all that but especially if you're right here in our town you need to get your butt up I have to bed and you need Agosto see you a video of heaven one day in tenuous really nice but you can't come it's not the same it's not the same now hope you get please in your bed if you're sleeping in today I don't believe in that stuff I believe there's power in coming to forsake not the assembling of your self get up and go to church but if you don't have a church and right now you need a church we're glad you're watching did I make that clear just check it we do value you but you know don't let your emotions be dog to where you you know you we don't even pray for people we don't even take time and the bad thing is what they were saying is like when if you if you do this all day you go for me it begins to kill your emotions it begins to dumb down your emotions because you see one picture and it's so sad it's a maniac do it and shooting somebody and then you go to the next one in its hilariously funny and suddenly they said the psychologists are saying what that does is it just begins to dumb down your emotional ability to to interact and to feel anything and so these are these are things that we must understand I like what John Piper said he said he's a preacher he said one of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the judgment prayerlessness was not due to lack of time and can I tell you this the Bible said in Matthew 12 listen to this warning that every I don't word men shall give a count for that they speak every idle word I'd like to add every idle tweet every terrible mean comment on Facebook I don't know how Christians say some things to people especially lost people they just say whatever hiding behind the screen there are things in I may not agree with what somebody's saying or doing but I can't say just anything cuz the Holy Spirit convicts me of that stuff and here's the funny thing we put it back up and leave it up but he said every idle word you better be careful what you say because guess what your thumbprint is on it they'll never know I said this but I heard they're going through this and I think I'm gonna terrorize I'm on the internet and bully somebody guess what your thumb prints on it every website you go to your thumb prints on it and one day at the judgment you gonna give an account that's why the high priest maybe that's why the high priest had blood on the tip of this here blood on his right toe consecrated here and consecrated walkin but but you know where the outs they had to put blood on his right thumb maybe God knew there's coming today where we need blood anointed fingerprints that will not let us so what do we do what do we do in Luke chapter 10 Jesus goes to the house of Mary Martha and Lazarus and the Bible said that Martha started complaining because she said I'm in here busy I'm busy cumbered about with many things I've got so much going on here I've got all these that Jesus is in her house and she's distracted with many things and Mary is at his feet worshiping and then she turns and starts criticizing Mary because there's so many distractions that she ought to be helping her with and participating in and Jesus said you leave her alone she's doing the important thing Jesus said choose the good thing choose the right thing sometimes you have to decide that you if you're gonna be distracted by many things or focus on the one thing that really matters in your life and that is Jesus are you gonna fill up your soul with that which is eternal or that which is entertainment because you have to choose daily how much hours you're going to spend and entertainment versus eternity this is eternity this is entertainment I'm not against either one but I'm telling you when this one begins to take over your life and this is nothing but a Sunday morning experience for you your Christian walk is taken a major hit because you're being distracted by the enemy and distraction is the enemy of discipleship jesus answered and he said you're anxious with many things but you need to choose what matters the most and that is your relationship with Jesus Christ Jesus told the story of the sower who sowed the seed and he said the seed is the word of God and it fell on did through four different kinds of ground and when he sowed the seed the Bible said the birds came and stole it just as soon as the word was sunk it distractions and then thorns choked it and the ground was hard so 75% of the seed of the word that his song the enemy uses distractions to steal it only 25% of the Jesus himself taught this lesson he said only 25% of the seed finds good ground that produces hundredfold in a person's life and he's warning of distractions that distractions will begin to steal from your soul the power of God's purpose and God's destiny and God's word in your life and I don't care who you are you better get your own walk with God and you better get your eyes off many things and get it on one thing I need to be at his feet I need his favor I need his help I need this joy I need his direction for my life good ground you have to decide is it going to be the screen or the seed every day of your life give the seed its place and then give the screen its place but you will have to choose between the screen and the seed every day of your life the screen or the seed eternal or entertainment I'm almost done but listen did you know that you're more likely to die from trying to get a perfect selfie than shark-attack 270 people died trying to get beautiful perfect selfies come on honey come out here on this cliff what a view hold little junior out there too and the thing gives way and they crash and they fall selfie it's possible this is a new term that that psychologists are beginning to talk about it's possible to be liked but lonely like but lonely is very pervasive in this generation I'm getting a lot of likes but I'm sitting lonely social media makes elders invisible it's possible to have the illusion of companionship without the demand of relationship it's possible to be in relationships with people online but that has you have none of the demands of companionship and when you understand that you have to trade real moments right now for past moments of someone else you have to make this decision if you're sitting with you got a real family you've got real loved ones you got real friends real people and you have to choose am I going to am I going to trade real moments right now for past moments of someone else's life live in your present moment not someone's past moment rampant loneliness is the epidemic of a hyper-connected digital age in Greek mythology narcissus was a was a Greek god that looked in the reflection of a pool of water saw his own image and reflection and fell in love with himself and was a miserable person because he couldn't find anybody as beautiful as he was he's still around we just don't look in water we look on our phones and we post our selfies second Corinthians 10 and verse 12 says they measure themselves by themselves comparing themselves among themselves and they're not wise in other words we look at other people's lives on social media after they've been through filters after they've taken have you ever gone to take a family photo when you got little children do you know how many pictures it took to get that one Christmas card do you have any idea how they were screaming how they were throwing things how they were crying and finally the photographer were the same thing if you're not careful do you know they even have outs that you can you can a couple can go and use this out and it will show you on the Eiffel Tower in Paris on a date and you can wave and it looks just like you're standing on and so here you are comparing your date night at chick-fil-a with your husband and and there he took her to Paris you don't even know if that's real comparing ourselves look at their family on vacation our family screaming and throwing things and look at their family look at their families not real it's not [Applause] even the shapes aren't real they can bring it in they can pop it out they can do whatever they need to do to themselves it's not real turn to somebody and say I like the real you more than the Instagram you I close with this John 12 said Jesus rode into Jerusalem and it said the people begin to say Hosanna wave the palm branches but some would not and it goes on to say why because they love the praise of men more than the approval of God sometimes if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ the world will unfollow you and you have to decide that you love the praise of people and a culture that has lost its direction do you praise that more than the approval of God sometimes if you follow the Lord the world will unfollow you sometimes if you decide to be a friend of God the world will unfriend you do you live for the praise of men this is eternal stuff this is stuff we'll stand before the throne do you live for the praise and the lights the hearts of people do you ever show that you're not ashamed of Jesus do you ever take a stand for the Lord do you ever stand for what's right no matter what it costs you let him take up his cross and daily follow me jesus said if any man will come after me let him take up his cross and daily follow me but they loved the praise of men more than the approval of God so listen what is the conclusion Genesis 1:27 God created us in His image Jesus is the image of the invisible God looked to him like him follow him Jesus is the image of the invisible God of the Bible it's Jesus follow him like him try to be just like him revelation 13 and verse 15 warns that is all going to come down to an image the Antichrist commanded that they worship the image of the Beast that he's going to present an image that you have to conform to in every way what you look like what you wear where you go what you say what you what is it acceptable to culture and you are to line up to the image and he said that he commanded that they worship listen the image of the beast I proposed to you that we're being conditioned right now to work the image of the Antichrist when people don't have anything in them that will stand for what is right were being conditioned and we love the praise of men more than the approval of God so in conclusion I just tell you I'll tell you this through the years you know God's help meet me sometimes with powerful people you know that I've been in the Oval Office numerous times the Lord reminded me of something when I was getting this together he said you know before you go in to meet with the president or meet with a king the first thing they'll say to you in the outer office is give me your cell phone and they have a little box that they put your cell phone in because if you're going in to meet with the king if you're going in to meet with somebody who has power you can't have the distractions with you and the same is true how much more the king of kings and the Lord of lords he will not share he says that has its place that's fine I give all knowledge comes from me I'm the beginning of knowledge but keep the main focus oh not many things but one thing am i following him am i liking him am I being made like the image of Jesus or the image of the Antichrist which one is influencing me to the most because many will be deceived but we're hearing truth today and it can set you free and maybe we ought to declare a fast we do 21 days effect but maybe every once in long you ought to listen to the Holy Spirit when he says turn that off and give me a week turn that off and give me a day because I need to be with you and you need to hear my voice every head bowed every eye closed I'm gonna do it different normally we do big altar calls here and we'll do that next week but if you're in this room and you would say pastor Jensen I need to follow Jesus like him want his blood to cleanse me and forgive me and I want my fingerprint to have the blood of the Lamb on it I want to get right with God today and I'm not right with Jesus Christ if that's you at any and all of our campuses and you would say I need a new start every head bowed every eye closed not gonna make you come forward I normally do that and there are many that come but right where you're standing look I want you to lift your hand and say that's me I need to get right with the Lord today if that's you boldly raise your hand I see them I see them I see them beautiful amazing amazing of it great great break every hand raised God sees hold your hand open like a lucky hand wide open I want God to see your thumbprint because you're the only one that has that thumbprint and the blood is gonna cover your thumbprint and on Judgment Day the Lord's gonna say that one's mine he's got blood on his thumb and it's eerie you cannot erase the blood of Jesus once it is applied everybody pray this prayer raise your hand rate raise that hand high and let's pray it together Lord Jesus I give you my life cleanse me forgive me save me in the mighty name of Jesus

Channel: Free Chapel

Views: 195,418

Rating: 4.8694658 out of 5

Keywords: Free Chapel, Jesus, Jentezen Franklin, Gainesville, Spiritual Growth

Id: WeOPaPcyPVA

Length: 35min 1sec (2101 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 10 2019