Sermon Central
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Entertainment Center Series
Contributed by David Slone on Sep 11, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: Third in a series discussing how the church has become so much like the world that we might need an extreme makeover. Takeoff on the popular television series. Powerpoint available upon request
Extreme Makeover “Family Room” Entertainment Center
Let’s look at some of the entertainment choices we make daily and our children make daily.
Here are some stats that may surprise you:
Pornography is one of the fastest growing industries in America:
Last year: (revenue)
Adult videos $20.0 billion
Escort services $11.0 billion
Magazines $ 7.5 billion
Sex clubs $ 5.0 billion
Phone sex $ 4.5 billion
US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC
Pornographic websites 4.2 million (12% of total websites) Pornographic pages 372 million Daily pornographic search engine requests 68 million (25% of total search engine requests) Daily pornographic emails 2.5 billion (8% of total emails)
Average age of first Internet exposure to pornography 11 years old Largest consumer of Internet pornography 12-17 age group 15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures 80% 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online 90% (most while doing homework) 7-17 year olds who would freely give out home address 29% 7-17 year olds who would freely give out email
Now that I have your attention, let’s look at how this has happened and what we can do about it.
1. Can media really control us?
Today we are going to take a look into the choices we make about entertainment and evaluate it they glorify God and see if we might need a makeover.
Can the media control our mind? Let’s see if it is possible to manipulate the mind.
Play this game with me: Too, moo, boog-a-loo, What does a ghost say?
Top, bop, cop, lop, What does a bunny do?
Pop, yop, bop, top, What do you do at green light?
Most people would say that music, movies, magazines, television, and video games have little to no influence on them.
Media exists to influence them, billions of dollars go into the media so we will feel something, so we will think or act a certain way.
For example, songs can make you feel sad, strong, care free, movies can make you cry, make you angry
Here is a perfect example of how it effects us:
FUNNY:
Andy came to work one day, limping something awful. One of his co-workers, Josh, noticed and asked Andy what happened.
Andy replied, "Oh, nothing. It’s just an old hockey injury that acts up once in a while."
Josh, "Wow, I never knew you played hockey."
Andy, "No I don’t. I hurt it last year when I lost $100 on the Stanley Cup Play-Offs. I put my foot through the television."
Is it really entertainment or is a way to fulfil fantasies and to feed our appetite for sin?
2. We must begin to free our minds from the grasp of “entertainment”
If we are to imitate God, we should fill our minds with the things of God.
I’m not talking about legalism here, but I’m talking about living a life that honors Him, even in what we read, watch and listen to.
We are able to walk in love because of the freedom that we receive through our relationship with Christ.
We should walk as He walked. That will not be an easy task in todays society.
As God’s children we are given great freedom.
1 Corinthians 6:12 says…
"Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Corinthians 10:23 says…
"Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive.
We are free from the chains of sin and death!
We have the freedom to choose that which is right.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says…
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
With freedom comes great responsibility…ask Bush or Ashcroft about it!
We are given freedom to have fun and be entertained, but are we being responsible in our choices?
Are we using our freedom to make good choices that will impact us and our world for Christ?
How free is our mind?
Is the music we are listening to building us up or tearing us down?
Does it have a grip on us that we aren’t even aware of?
96% of teens in America listen to the radio each week.
Not just teens, what about adults? 75% do the same.
IS THAT BAD? NOT NECESSARILY, IT ALL DEPENDS ON CHOICES
There is good in most things but Satan has a counterfeit for most things.
16 Million listeners tune into Howard Stern every day, famous for being Americas shock jock and most disgusting radio personality.
Do the movies and TV shows you are watching glorify God?
Here is what the ratings say about 3 of the top 6 movies this year.
Filled with crude sex and humor and many drug references. Graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, crude language and sexual content.
