Rick Warren - Being A Disciple In The Digital Age—Part Two

Hello, everybody, Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is

the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren.

Hey, we're so glad you're here with us today.

We are continuing in a series called Talking about Stuff

That Matters Now. In this series, Rick looks into the

scriptures and he's unpacking what it means to live in community,

have real conversation about what matters most, and face discouragement

with courage and faith. It's honest, hopeful, So stay tuned.

You won't want to miss a second. All right, here's

part two of a message called being a Disciple in

the Digital Age.

Let me give you a third. Third hazard.

I can be drawn into unproductive arguments. Oh baby, this

is very very easy, particularly in social media. Have you

ever heard somebody say something really outrageous and you got

offended really quickly by it, and you thought, well, I

need to tell them off. I need to set them straight,

I need to respond, and you want every bone in

your body wants to just obliterate them because what they

just said, like, you don't know what I'm talking about. Okay,

You've read stuff online and you go, that is so wrong,

that's just not right. And they attack somebody I like

or love or whatever, And it's an easy way to

get drawn into an argument. I understand how you feel,

but don't don't respond when those arguments start up on

the Internet. Here's what the Bible says, Titus, chapter three,

verse nine.

Never.

That means never, never get involved in foolish controversies, useless arguments,

disputes about your personal pedigree. That means you know, issues

about your family history, your ethnic background, your genealogy, that

kind of stuff. Don't get an argument over that, or

fights over interpreting God's law how you interpret it. Particularly,

all of these God says are useless and do not

help anyone. So it's pretty clearly don't get involved in

fights and arguments. That would apply to the internet too,

not just at the office. The fact is there are

people who live to hook you. There are trolls out

there who love that. There adrenaline goes up when they

hook somebody for a fight. They don't even care whether

what you believe. They just like to fight and they

like to argue, and you think we'll all set them straight,

but they're using motivated reasoning, which means no matter what

you say, it's not going to work, and finally you're

gonna after about I don't know how many times you

respond to them back and forth, you're finding this is

real life. It's worthless, it's not going anywhere. They're not

going to change You're not going to change them. They

just like to fight. And if they throw something out

that's very you know, threatening or a provocative and they

throw that out and then you respond to it, they go,

I hooked a live one.

I'm going to reel them in now, and now.

They've got somebody to fight with because they don't really

feel alive unless they're mad. It's a problem. It's a

mental problem. They don't feel alive unless they're mad, and

they're going to just roll and hook you in.

Here.

Let me show you some verses about this on the

screen Proverbs twenty six twenty one. Just as charcoal and

would keep a fire going, a troublemaker keeps an argument going.

They're not going to let you off the hook. They're

going to keep on arguing until you give up. They're

not going to give up. So he says, don't do that.

What does God say to do with those kind of people?

Here's what he says on the screen, Proverbs twenty six four.

Or don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become

as foolish as they are. You're gonna look as dumb

as they do. Just don't get hooked now. I highly

recommend that instead of worrying about what other people think,

whether they think it about you. What they think about

you is none of your business. What people think about

me is none of my business. Doesn't have any degree

of influence on my happiness. Don't be worrying about what

other people think. Instead, here's what you should be worrying about.

Matthew twelve thirty six. Jesus said, you can be sure

that on the judgment day you will have to give

an account to God of every careless word you have

ever spoken. Oh, that includes one written in social media

and on the internet. One day you're going to give

an account of every foolish, useless, mean and what other

words that you use on the Internet or anywhere else.

You're gonna given account to God.

Now that autumn be enough to muzzle my mouth and

zip my lip.

But not only that.

Now you know this, whatever you say on the Internet

is permanent, global and searchable. It's never going away, which

is why you need to teach your.

Kids don't do that.

Don't say stuff on the internet thinking it's no big deal,

because when you're in the ninth grade or tenth grade,

you think, well, I can say that, and I'm just

mad at so and so, and then fifty years later

they're going to pull it out in your Senate hearing.

It will come back and any employee you can look

up anything you've ever said on the internet. So it's

not only going to be Not only is God keeping

a record, so is internet. And it's permanent, it's global

and searchable. So zip the lip. What causes us to

get hooked into those kind of arguments, Well, in a word,

it's ego.

It's ego.

When Cay and I got married many moons ago, the

first verse Bible verse, we memorized together. We memorize a

lot of scripture together. I would highly recommend you do

that with your spouse. Well, the first verse we memorize,

we memorize it on our honeymoon because we need it.

On our honeymoon. We were having conflict on our honeymoon,

and Proverbs thirteen ten says this pride always causes conflict.

Pride always causes conflict. Anywhere you find conflict, it's because

egos involved. I want what I want, what you want.

Neither of us want to back down when my pride

hits your pride. That's what's causing the conflict. A good

dose of humility is what you really need to do

before you go online. You pick up that phone, all right,

number four?

Let me give you another one.

Another hazard of a smartphone is I can be tempted

to compete and show off. I can be tempted to

compete and show off. Now, we always want to put

ourselves in the best light. We want everybody to think

our lives are perfect. We want everybody to think we've

got it all together. And what happened is this new

entity called social media is a place to show off.

That's what it is.

And when I go on social media, I always want

to put my best foot forward. You never post a

picture of yourself when you just got out of bed, okay,

and there's jewel coming down your cheek here and you

can smell the body odor on you, and you know

there's laundry over in the corner. No, no, no, it's

my so called perfect life.

Instagram reported that over.

Half of the pictures posted on Instagram are photoshopped. They're correct,

they're they're not reality.

They they they are.

I want everybody to look good, and so I want

everybody to see how cool I am. I want everybody

to see how smart I am. I want everybody to

see how rich I am.

I want to see how.

Everybody, how happy, how fun I am, how perfect my

marriage is, how brilliant my children are. And people are

actually showing off through their kids and grandkids.

Boy got quiet, and and look how loved we are.

Look how loved I am.

That's just showing off.

And and because of that, the worst kind of showing off,

you know what it is.

God hates this more.

Than anna kind spiritual showing off when you're trying to

appear spiritual in front of them. It's called self righteous.

It's the sin that Jesus hated in the Pharisees. He

said this about the Pharisees, the religiously. Everything they do.

Is for show.

They pray for showy, they sing for show, they give

their offerings to show off. He said, everything they do

is for public consumption.

And he and God hated that. He said, they're hypocrites.

And so what happens today is people are using social

media to show off their spirituality.

Stop it.

I mean, if you go, and let's just say I

I go, and I say, I'm gonna I'm gonna take

a picture of me having a quiet time and I'm

going to spend time alone with God. And here I am,

you know, trying to focus on God. And you know,

a look at the scripture. I'm government, I'm in a back.

I bet you never read a.

Back, okay.

And and I've underlined this verse that I remember. I

got my little latte here and some beautiful sunset and

my Bible and I'm looking so spiritual.

Click.

You can't do that, okay, that's just showing off, all right.

I want you to write something down. Would you write

this sentence down. I can't be in the moment trying.

To capture the moment.

I can't be in the moment while I'm trying to

capture a moment. Please, as your pastor, I'm begging you

to never take another shot of your quiet time.

That's just showing off. And Jesus hates it.

You ought to have a quiet time with God every day,

but it ought to between you and God. You will

never see a quiet time of me anywhere? Why Because

if I'm focusing it, if all of a sudden, my

quiet time, I'm taking a picture of it, I'm staging

it for production. It's not real, it's not authentic. I'm

not focusing on God. I'm focusing on I wonder if

everybody's gonna like this on Instagram and all of a sudden,

I've taken the wrong motivation for this. I can't be

in the moment while trying to capture a moment. I

want to show you a picture up here. Tell me

which of these people is really enjoying the moment. It's

all these pictures. Everybody's got their phone out trying to

take a shot, and then there's this little old lady

here with no camera, just smiling, enjoying. She's the one

who's enjoying the moment. Everybody else is trying to capture

the moment, and so she's the one who's fully there.

This is one of my problems today is that now

wedding photographers have taken over the weddings, and the whole

thing's so stage. It's all about now. Please stand here,

please do this, Please stand here. I understand the need

for nice pictures, but we can't even have a moment

because it's.

All about the picture.

And who's actually enjoying the moment, because it's all being staged.

For somebody and something else.

I can't be in the moment while trying to capture

a moment.

Now, Jesus has.

A lot to say about this, and he says in

Matthew chapter six, verse one, this is in the sermon

amount be careful. There's that word again. Don't be careless,

be careful, be careful. Don't do your acts of righteousness

publicly to be admired by others. If you do, you

will lose your reward from your father in heaven.

Wow. He said.

If I take what I've just done a good thing

and I posted on the internet, that's all the reward

I'm getting because I just lost it if I did

it in secret. In my lifetime, I've probably prayed with

almost every president in my lifetime. You will never ever

see a picture of me praying with somebody, at least

some many important famous like that.

Because what does that do?

If I wanted to, I could post almost every day

a picture of me in a celebrity.

What does that do? Does that draw us closer. No,

it's like, who do you think you are? Well? Goody

for you?

When you show off, it builds barriers, It doesn't build fellowship.

It doesn't draw you closer to anybody. It's like, well,

how come your life is so perfect in mine's not?

And you get to do exciting things and I don't. No, No,

If you want to draw people close to you, do

the opposite. Share the problems that Jesus is helping you

with and people go, oh, well, if God's helping Rick

with that problem, then maybe he could help me too.

It's the exact opposite of what the world values and

what's being posted on their right. Now, let me show

you a few more verses one Corinthians four seven. Who

says you're better than others? What do you have that

was not given to you, in other words, by God?

And if it was given to you by God, why

do you brag as if you did not receive it

as a gift. Really, I can't brag about anything because

any good that's been happening in my life is because

God did it in me, for me, through me, to me,

or you somebody else to do it with me or

to me or for me or through me. It's really

all God. The breath I'm breathing right now is a

gift of God. The heart that I have is a

gift of God. The brain that I have is a

gift of God. The talent that I've used to do

something with my life is a gift of God. I

had nothing to do with it. It was just put

in me by God. So why in the world can

I be proud about it? Because it's just a gift,

And the same thing is true for you. The same

thing is true for you. So why we have no

real reason to brag except on the goodness of God.

The Bible says this on the screen Galatians six'. Three

if you think you're better than, others wh you really.

Aren't you're just deceiving. Yourself and one more, verse The

bible says One's peter five. Six so be content with

who you are and don't put on.

Airs what does that? Mean don't show off.

On the, internet don't put on, airs don't pretend you're

somebody you're. Not be content with who you, are don't

put on. Airs just be the real. You god's strong

hand is on, you and he'll promote you at the right.

Time now see that word. PROMOTE a lot of people

are using, internet particularly social, media to promote. Themselves see

how COOL i, Am see how SMART i, Am see

how ATTRACTIVE i, Am see my pretty new. Clothes and

they're using themselves to promote, themselves thinking that they have

to promote. Themselves, friends you don't have to know the key.

Men if you know the man.

Who holds the.

Keys and if you are a child Of, god you're

a son Of god or a daughter Of. God it,

says he'll promote you at the right, time when he

knows you're, ready and he can put you at the

front of the line any, moment far more than ten

years of self promotion on the. Internet so stop. It

god says you can. Choose either you can promote yourself

or let me do. It who do you think will

do a better. Job i'm inviting you to change the

way you look at social. Media let me give you two.

More number. Five the fifth hazard IS i can get

addicted to the approval of. OTHERS i can get addicted

to the approval of. Others, now what is it that

makes social media so? ADDICTING i have to go back in.

CHECK i have to go back in. CHECK i have

to go back in check this eighty times a day

thing of looking at your. Phone eighty people aren't phoning

you every. Day so what are you doing looking at

your phone eighty times a? Day, well if it's social,

media here's the science behind why it's so. Addicting everybody

wants the approval of. Others we desperately need and desperately

want the approval of.

Others we all want to be.

Liked so when you post something on The, internet then

you're anxiously waiting is anybody gonna like? It is anybody gonna?

Like and so you're waiting with baited, breath is anybody

gonna like? This and all of a sudden you get

a ding and you gotta like, You, OH i gotta,

LIKE i gotta. Like and what happens is in your

brain it releases. Dopamine and then a few minutes later

you get another.

Ding OH i got another like ding, DING i got two,

MUCH i got four. Likes they like, me they like,

me they really like.

Me ding ding ding ding, ding and dopamine is going

off in your. Brain it's the exact same thing that

when the give a rat, cocaine it'll keep going, back going,

back going back for, another hit. Another it's a scientific

biological fact that when you get a, like it releases

dopamine in your, brain.

And that can become. Addicting and all of a, sudden

you got whoa look at nine people like.

Me you, know they don't know, you they maybe out

of even speak your, language they may be a. Bot

but that you got nine likes right, there and you

then feel good about, yourself and that creates uh.

Uh here's the problem with.

This when we do, this we get more interested in

the opinions of people we don't know than the people around,

us and we ignore the people around us while we're

busy looking at the.

Screen let me show you a couple of.

Cartoons here's a woman with HER i guess her husband or,

boyfriend and she, says do you mind IF i strap

your phone to my foot SO i can pretend you're

looking at me WHEN i. Talk ouch ouch, yeah. Okay

and then here's another. One cell phones bring you closer

to a person far from, you but it takes you

away from the ones sitting next to. You that's a

profound spiritual. Truth Cell phones bring you closer to a

person far from, you but it takes you away from

the ones sitting next to, You and you can be

sitting at a table with everybody in your family and

you're more interested in what a visitor or a stranger

is thinking and saying than the people who are around.

You that's.

Problem and if you're going to spend eleven years of

your life doing, that that's not going to be very

good on your. Relationships all, right let me show you some.

Scriptures galatians, one verse. Ten paul, says AM i trying

to win the approval of people or the approval Of?

God AM i trying to be a pop people?

Pleaser?

No IF i were still trying to please, PEOPLE i

would not be the servant Of.

CHRIST i just talked about. This you gotta.

Choose AM i going to be A god pleaser or

a people? PLEASER a couple of other Scriptures James chapter,

Two verse, One dear, friends don't let public opinion influence

how you live out our Glorious christ originated. Faith they

don't have anything to do with your. Faith so don't

let public opinion decide what you. Believe don't let public

opinion decide how you. Act don't let public opinion decide

how you, feel because they're heading in the wrong direction.

Anyway one More ecclesiastes, seven verse twenty. One don't pay

attention to everything people, Say, oh time, out we need

to tattoo that.

On our arms right down.

There if you're hold your phone like, this tattoo it

here on the. Inside don't pay attention to what everybody. Says,

okay The bible says, this put don't pay attention to

everything people. Say that means you can't pay attention everything

on social media or anything. Else or you may hear

someone insulting, you for you know that you've insulted others many.

Times and he, says you, know what you give, out

you're going to get back what you, Sew you're going to.

Read and he, goes you, know at some point you're

going to say you've said, stuff and so somebody's gonna

say something about, you.

And then it's going to ruin your. Day don't pay

attention to everything people.

Say god says that.

That was such an encouraging message From Pastor. Rick and

now to encourage us, more Here's rick with a letter

from one of our.

Listeners, friends you are so essential to this ministry Of Daily,

hope your, prayers your support help us reach more and

more people around the. WORLD i was really blessed today

WHEN i read this note From edward and he talks

about how he's learning From Daily hope while he's working

with inner city kids right here In. America he wrote,

This Dear Pastor, Rick i'm a middle school, teacher and

it's a real challenge every morning waking up and coming

to my school to.

TEACH i teach you the school.

Where one hundred percent of our students need financial help

just to eat. Lunch in other, words it's in a

very poor section.

Of a, city he.

SAYS i listen to Your Daily hope message during my

break AND i usually give my students bits and pieces of.

It TODAY i told them to think about what they

can do for others if they truly want to be.

Happy Pastor, rick thank you for making Your Daily hope messages.

Free i'm able to keep listening to them UNTIL i

really understand what you're teaching. Well, edward you are making

a real. DIFFERENCE i am so proud of you for

working with those inner city. Students you're giving them a

message of hope and healing and, help and you're helping

them to understand how that by giving their lives a

way to help other, people they bring new meaning and

significance to their own. Lives And i'm Praying edward that

today you'll be, encouraged not just, today but every day

as you go to, school knowing that what you do

is making a difference in students' lives for, Eternity god bless.

You, hey if you've been blessed by this teaching AS i,

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