You Better Watch Out (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of a 2-Part Christmas/Epiphany sermon series titled “You Better Watch Out” preached at Mt. Gilead UMC in Georgetown, KY. The whole worship service is in the link below titled “Sermon Video,” and the sermon begins at minute marker 9:34. Click here for Part 1.

Sermon Video

You Are What You Eat

• There are more ways of eating than physically; and some of us eat more than others.
• Consuming media and news; nothing really wholesome or life-giving in the news – voices of fear, anger, disorder, injustice, chaos.
• Sex sells? So does fear.
• The media and news is full of enthymemes – judgments or conclusions with part(s) of the story left out. Not giving all of the facts—only the ones that best suit the narrative that they want people to consume.
• They also jump to conclusions way too fast for the sake of the “almighty dollar.”
• Why don’t they do news stories on regular, ordinary people who do the right thing, are good neighbors, who show kindness to strangers, and so forth? That doesn’t sell.

You Better Watch Out

• Last week, we talked about how we better watch out for false teachers, false prophets, and false Christs.
• This week, we’re learning that we need to watch out for the false prophecies and false forecasts being made about the world in the news and media.
• Now, I’m not saying that everything out there is false. But everyone—Christians especially—needs to watch what we eat and consume, not only for our diet after the holidays, but also our consumption of media.
• Now I am an expert in rhetoric and persuasion, and so analyzing news, media, and arguments is my bread and butter. My favorite quote about rhetoric is on my Facebook page: “Everyone who does not study rhetoric will become a victim of it” (anonymous Greek inscription). That basically means that those who are unaware of persuasion tactics are those who are most susceptible to them. And we, as Christians, are called by Jesus to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. We, above all people, should not be gullible and taken captive by every wind that blows. And there are a lot of new winds and trends and headlines every day.
• The news and media constantly present to us a false argument that they are and have the next big thing that we need. They feed us the lie that we need what they have, that to be in the know is what our lives should be all about. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
• We are what we eat. If we eat and consume the fear and anger and hate and clearly anti-Christian agendas from some news outlets, then we will become that.

No News Is Good News

• That’s why I never have been someone who watches the news. I do so occasionally only as a visitor and observer. And I’ve observed how things have changed over the years and how heated it is now.
• And the message I hear and observe is not a positive one. It’s not uplifting, not life-giving, not the voice or message of God to the world.
• It’s not what we need; that’s a lie. We don’t need that in our lives. What we need is to hear the voice of our Father in heaven. That voice is powerful and strong and like no other.
• Psalm 29 declares it.
• And when Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, he and everyone else there hears the audible, powerful, thunderous voice of God: “This is my Son, whom I love. I take great delight in him!”
• That’s the message and good news that the world needs to hear. But not just the world, we need to hear it too, even daily. We need to hear the voice of our heavenly Father saying to us, “You’re my dear child—son or daughter—you make me so happy.”
  • Our son’s birthday was yesterday. He had a football themed birthday. We played football out in the back yard several times. We played football video games. We watch the playoffs together. He got football presents. And several times throughout the day and even this past week leading up to it, I told him many times, especially when we play football: “Buddy, I love you so much. You make me so happy. I love spending time with you. I’m having such a good time being with you.”
• I didn’t get that growing up. I know a lot of us might not have gotten that from our earthly parents. But that’s what God said to his Only-Begotten, One of a Kind Son. And that’s what God says to us as daughters and sons of the Most High God. We need to hear him speak that to us. We need to embrace it. Take it in. Absorb these life-giving words into our souls.

Watch What You Eat

• It’s no coincidence that the very next passage after Jesus’ baptism is his temptation where he says, “People do not live upon bread alone, but upon the very words of God.” Surely, he meant the Holy Scriptures, but I think he was also feeding off of the words that his Father had just spoken to him: “I love you dearly,” and, “I am very happy with you.”
• You are what you eat. My friends, let me encourage you this week to eat healthy and to choose wisely what you read and watch. There’s lots of junk food out there, and it’s cheap and easy to get, but it spoils your dinner, ruins your appetite, and clogs your arteries.
• We need to not be consuming all of the garbage and junk that spews from media outlets. We need to fill ourselves with the nutrition of the Word of God.
• That’s why I deleted the Facebook App off of my phone this week, and I’ve considered deleting Facebook altogether honestly. I still have my account, but social media can just be toxic—not only from the conversations and arguments that happen, but also from how it’s constant presence makes me feel this fake need for it. I don’t need it; I waste too much time on it; and it throws my perspective off. So I’ve just been checking my notifications and my memories, and that’s about it. I get so sick of the political posts and arguments. I told myself that I would stop reading Facebook posts after the first political post that I saw. It didn’t take long, and I closed it out after about 5 posts in my newsfeed. I don’t need that in my life. And I don’t need a screen and social media to make me happy. I don’t need to scroll and scroll and scroll. You know what I’m talking about. Instead, I need those ancient scrolls where the Word of God was penned and inspired. Reading the Bible is the only thing that gets my heart, mind, and perspective realigned on Christ. It’s the only thing that reminds me of who God is and who he says I am. The news doesn’t do that. Social media doesn’t do that. Instead, they distort reality and the truth of who God is. Only the Word of God resets my soul, heart, and mind when I start to drift and coast.
• As John Wesley said, “I want to be a man of one book.” He said, “I want to know one thing, the way to heaven–how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri [a man of one book].”
• May God give me and you this week a hunger for his Word, a longing to hear his voice, and a heart softened and ready to embrace all of His love for us that he has revealed in his beloved, delighted-in Son and in his written Word. We are what we eat. Let’s eat and fill ourselves with what is truly inspiring, encouraging, and life-giving.