The Sponge bob Religion
Pastor Joe Bachman
10/16/05
Ps 78:15-16
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.
16 He brought forth streams also from the rock
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
NASU
This morning I want to talk to you about the spongebob religion
God can use anything to put together a message
How I came up with it title
How many of you know about spongebob?
Let me tell you some facts about spongebob
SpongeBob was created by Steve Hillenburg, a former marine biologist and science teacher who went to art school to study cartooning.
Hillenburg liked drawing marine life and thought sponges were the "oddest of all" these creatures. But the lumpy shape of natural sponges didn’t feel right for the character he wanted to create. A sink sponge turned out to be perfect—it’s so clean and so square,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple
Hillenburg says he thought SpongeBob "would like the smell" of a pineapple home. Smell is a very important sense for sea animals.
SpongeBob was originally named SpongeBoy. However, that name was already trademarked
Tom Kenny, who does the voice of SpongeBob, says his character’s laugh was meant to make viewers think of the ocean.
It is based on the distinctive call of a dolphin, with just a touch of a seagull’s shriek.
According to SpongeBob’s driver’s license, he was born July 14, 1986. But he was already living on his own—and trying to get a job at the Krusty Krab—when the SpongeBob show debuted in 1999.
SpongeBob SquarePants friends include Killer whales, anchovies, Hammerhead Sharks, flounders, blowfish and lobsters.
So what does this all have to do with Christians and their walk?
It’s because a lot of us practice the SpongeBob religion.
Let me tell you why I feel this way
Where does spongebob live?
Look at the ocean
Ninety percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. In 1993, scientists located the largest known concentration of active volcanoes on the sea floor in the South Pacific. This area, the size of New York state, hosts 1,133 volcanic cones and sea mounts. Two or three could erupt at any moment.
What happens when a volcano erupts?
Changes the surroundings
So you see our friend spongebob lives in a land that is constantly changing
Folks when we look to a religion more then the bible we find ourselves living a life that is always changing.
Prov 24:21
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
NASU
But if we ground ourselves in his word we will never change.
Because his word does not change
Mal 3:6
6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
NASU
Everyone of us needs stability in our lives
We here a lot of people say get religion it will help.
The truth is religion a lot of times will make you even more unstable
Do you want real stability in your live don’t get religion
Get Jesus
Get his love letter in you life
Then you will have stability
Mal 3:6
6 "For I, the LORD, do not change;
Let’s look at something else about the ocean.
Undersea earthquakes and other disturbances cause tsunamis, or great waves. The largest recorded tsunami measured 210 feet above sea level when it reached Siberia’s Peninsula in 1737.
There is disturbances in spongebobs home
If we are going to live in the ocean of religion we will have disturbances
Because religion is world made
And what is in the world
Rom 8:35
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
NASU
you see the world wants to give you the gift of religion
it wraps it up in this nice little pretty package
it don’t want you to open it up
because inside you will find tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword?
God doesn’t offer you that
His gift wasn’t so pretty
His gift was his Son
Our gift was slapped, whipped, beaten then hung on a cross
That what our gift looks like on the outside
But this gift God wants us to open up
What do we find inside
Rom 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NASU
This gift dose not say you will not have
Tribulation – I will be with you
Distress- I will give you joy
Persecution- strength
It’s up to you today do you want the gift the world Religion
Or the gift God offers which is a relationship with his son
Most of us understand all that spongebob religion
But here is where we fail
Once we come out of the ocean out of the spongebob religion
What do we do
We sit on the beach
Feel the mist against our face listen to the waves
What happens we start yearning for the ocean again
It’s funny how God made us
We are made up of 72% water
Our blood is more than 80%‚
our brain ... over 75%‚
and the human liver is an amazing 96% water!
We need water
So if we sit on the ocean we yearn for the water of the ocean
So what do we need to do?
We need to jump into the river
The river gives us life
Difference between ocean and river
Ocean (My work All in one house)
This is one area we have been lacking in our churches
Worried about the ocean (in church)
Stay away from the river (World)
Let me tell you one of my pet peeves
Our area
Lehigh river
God’s Church has been stagnate far to long
We have been practicing the spongbob religion way to much
It’s time we get out of the ocean and jump into the river
How can you tell a true Christian?
Remember when you first got saved you wanted to save the whole world
You can tell a true Christian because they want to reproduce.
Not talking physically
Spiritually
God has put that in our hearts since he created us
When he first made man what was one of the first commands?
Gen 1:27-28
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
NASU
He wanted man to multiply
After we accepted him he wants us to multiply each other.
He tells us to do what ever it takes
Mark 16:15
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
NASU
Once we get saved we are to go
Jump into the river don’t stay in the ocean
Luke 14:23
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
KJV
look what this says
Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
Go compel
That my house
It’s funny how a river is called fresh water
Do you want to see revival?
Do you want to see this church filled?
Do you want to see God work in lives like he did in the bible?
Then His Church Hic people need to get out of the ocean and into the river.
We need to stop practicing the spongebob religion
And start practicing the word of God
We need to stop alienating ourselves from the world
And start building relationships with the world
We need to stop sitting and accepting anything
Start stand up for God
We need to stop keep things in these 4 walls
And start going out
They are not coming to us so we have to go to them
Luke 14:23
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
KJV
Mark 16:15
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
NASU
These are not suggestions they are commands
That’s why the drama team
I say we take this church out of the ocean and into the river.
Are you with me?
If you are I want you to come up front
John 7:38
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’"
NASU
Need to be empowered
(LET THE RIVER FLOW)
