The Mix - Technology

We're we're doing something called the mix. In the mix, what we do is we chop up the talk into chunks and we sing in between and pray in between and and and mix it up like that. So it's maybe slightly different if you're new here, if you're old, you know, you know exactly what we get up to. And I thought it would be good to have a have a look, a relook at technology. Because we're doing a media feast in a bible fast, I thought it'd be quite a good thing just to to think, what have I done?

Yes. The opposite way around. Deliberate. Yeah. Yes.

Let's get it right. Maybe 1 week we'll do that but not until we're in the new creation, I don't think. So just have a quick look around on your person around you. Just have a look at all the technology. Okay.

There's loads of it. And I'm not I'm not gonna get you to shout out because it would take too much time. There's loads and loads of technology around you. Now, here's the question I want you to ask, and I'll answer it towards the end, I think, or at least in the middle. Are those things, those technologies that you see and we can see I'm using them right now.

Are they good? Are they bad or are they neutral? Are they good, bad, or neutral? Now, that's a question I want you to keep in your mind. Are they good, bad, or neutral?

Here's a definition of technology. This is the Oxford English dictionary. It says the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. Quite a good definition of technology. These are definitions of technology that I came out with after reading lots of other people's definitions and editing it and stuff.

Technology is the vision to see something which is already there and manipulating it into something else for practical purposes, or technology is integrating mind and muscle to ease a problem. Now they're good definitions of technology, I think, And when you get that definition of technology, you see that it's not just iPhones and microphones, and electronical things that are our technology. Almost everything in this room is is because of technology. The seat you're sitting on. That's technology.

The shoes that you're wearing is technology. Your clothing is is technology, a spade to dig up, you know, the earth, is technology. The way of extracting a chemical from a plant to make a drug, that's technology. So when you get that big definition of technology, then you can say the bible does speak about technology. If your definition was just the electronical equipment, like phones, you'd say, well, a Bible doesn't say anything.

But when you get a proper definition, you see, actually, the Bible has a lot to say about technology. And that's what I want to do. I want to briefly show you 5 big themes in the bible and how it relates to an understanding of what God says about technology. 5 big themes. You'll see them as we go through.

The first 1 is creation. We gotta go right back to the beginning, creation. And there we're told, write the first verse in the bible, first sentence in the bible in the beginning, God. So God was always there. Then it says created The heavens and the earth.

In the beginning, God created. So this is the big theme, creation, God creates, Now the word there for create means that he made out of nothing. There was no material there, except him, of course, but he made through his mind, through his word, he made out of nothing. He creates that which is not there. Okay?

That's right at the beginning. So that's not technology. He creates out of nothing. But when we move on to the creation of people of Adam and Eve of mankind, then we read this and it's different words used. Have a look.

Then the Lord God formed. That's a technology word. A man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils and breathed the breath of life. And the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted technological word, a garden in the east.

In Eden. And there he put man, he had formed. Technical word formed. So this is the first technology you get in the bible. The first technology where God manipulates that which is already created out of nothing But it's already there.

The dust that is already there, he forms has a vision has a purpose for it and forms out of the dust, technologically, Adam. And like all other creatures, Adam and Eve are god's image bearers. Humans are god image bearers. And they are to grow food and plant the garden like God plants the garden. They are to rule over the earth technologically, They are to plant.

So it's now unlike the animals that just respond to their environment and go and eat the berries that have already grown wildly, man technologically rules over the earth doesn't just pick the food, he grows the food, technology. God created us by technology, and God created us technological beings. Very important to get this, as you are hopefully, you'll see. Here's a summary. Made by the god of technology, in the image of the god of technology, to use technology to subdue the earth for the glory of God.

That's all involved in in those original chapters in the bible. So technology, body fis, that which is already there, the material that's been created, it reorders raw material and and that is part of God's plan. God's plan is us for to rule the earth, use technology for his plan. And actually, when you go right to the end of the bible now and the last chapter of the bible, you'll see, I won't read it all in Revelation 22, that there is a garden city. That's what God was always aiming at.

So in in Genesis, there's a garden And there's technology in planting the garden. But actually, right at the end where God is going to come with the new creation, there's a garden city. It's a city. It's built. It's a technological place.

It's nature and technology. In harmony, working together. So God's plan for mankind is to subdue the earth and go from garden to garden city. You can't have a city without technology. That's God's plan.

So creation is a major a major theme. And when we understand this about technology in the bible, It actually changes us. It changes the way that we hear what people say about the world and and people say about technology. It helps us to understand who we are and how God has made us. It's a really helpful thing.

For us to understand and what we're meant to be doing and our place in the world. So back to the definition then. Technology is the vision to see something which is already there, manipulating it into something else for practical purposes, Technology is integrating mind and muscle to ease a problem. There are many beliefs today, about who we are, what we are, what the world is. There are many theories about what humans should be doing in the world and whether we should be using technology or not.

In fact, when I first became a Christian, it was really popular to blame Christians for the environmental disasters because of the belief in Genesis. In fact, Although I don't go back this far, Mahat McGandi was 1 of was 1 of the promoters of this. This is what he hated about Christianity. He believed we should go back to nature really, allow the cow to rule without ruling the cow. I mean, he he actually said things like this.

And Prince Charles picked up on this. I think he's got a bit more sensible these days, but he when I became a Christian, he was he was quoting Genesis as as an example of of a disaster, because we are ruling and subduing the earth, and actually we should let it go back to nature. But in their criticism, they've got something right, that Genesis does say that, that does say we are to rule. Now we can rule badly, as we'll see in a minute, but we are to subdue the earth with technology. And so at least in their criticism, they were right in the sense that God is the God of technology and created us technologically.

In fact, when you see a world that lives not under the Bible and the influence of the Bible, It's horrific. There's a really terrific book that some some of the the preachers have been reading, and it's it's I recommend it. It's called the the book that made your world. It's a book by an an Indian called Vishnel Miguel Woddy, Vishnaud Margar Wadi, if you can say it right, but it's it's a brilliant book because he is from a Hindu culture. He's grown up under a Hindu culture without Christian influence.

He is Christian now. And he's writing to us in our country and basically the book is saying, are you nuts? Are you mad? All of you Liberals giving up on Christianity and the Bible and mocking it. You wanna live in a world that hasn't been influenced by the Bible.

And that's and that's what what he's about. And in this illustration, he talks about why are there village in India where women are still carrying massive pots of water on their head. Why? Why is that? And here's his answer.

He says, a culture will not invest in wheelbarrows because you could have a wheelbarrow or a pump. It's nothing to do with money. It's nothing to do that they're they're unintelligent people. A culture will not invest in wheelbarrows or pumps, if its decision makers feel that there is a surplus of time and women or manpower usually children. Only a society with a theological climate that values human dignity begins using technology as a force for human, emancipation, and empowerment.

And his whole argument, and he goes into there's a lot of stuff he he uses. Is is this whole thing. Why isn't it? Because they're not influenced by Genesis. It's always nature.

It's always carry on the same. It's always we've got enough women to bring our water, so let them do it. Do you see that? Whereas Christianity says, no, no, no, we use technology to manipulate the world. So that women won't have to we could even give them we could give them a wheelbarrow, at least.

Do you see that? He talks I won't go into this because it'll take me too long about that. I'll forget it. So here's error number 1. Eres come up when we think about technology, back to nature.

No. Or little nature. You know, little technology, rather. So it's true that a lot of fires that go on around the world, massifiers in Australia. They happen naturally, and there's been emphasis not to clear away the undergrowth to stop those fires, because it's back to nature.

So you go back to nature, and the fires are more intense than ever, because they will happen, and we are to control, you see. We are And when you say no, no to technology and only back to nature, then you have a wild nature that causes problems. So They're the sort of roots of why technology is so good. Just 1 last thing under creation, Again, I won't read all of this out, but this is about the tabernacle and its worship in the old testament. And you'll see that God uses technology even in worship.

So there are all these men that have been given skills, look at little sentence 3 here underlined and I have filled him with the spirit of God. And then you go down. He's given the spirit of God, and how does the spirit of God work in his life? He's got all kinds of of skills to make artistic designs and work of gold and silver and bronze to cut and set stones to work in wood to engage in all kinds of crafts and you go down. He's been given ability to to all the skilled workers.

God had given ability to all the skilled workers, to make everything that I have commanded you. So even in worship, God is using technology for he's good for the good. So that's creation. That's the first word. The the second theme is rebellion.

You get that. In the bible, the fall if you like, the fall away from relationship with God and how we created and how we were meant to to live in the garden under God's word, under God's word to live in the in in the world. And we've fallen away from that, from the great height of knowing God down to living our own world. So people moving from God's plan to subdue the earth, to a rebellious plan to subdue the earth, or to revolt from God and just allow the earth to be God itself. And because of that, we have misuse of technology.

The forming of adam and eve was the first act of a technological God, And now we see the first use of a technological people and how it's misused. So what happened was You may know the story that Adam and Eve rebelled against God, didn't listen to God listen to Satan. And then it says this, Then the eyes of both of them, that's Adam and Eve were opened, and they realized that they were naked, and so they sowed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. That's the technological words. They're using technology human technology, and what are they using it for here?

To cover up. To cover up their guilt, their disobedience, their shame. So the first use of human technology is used to hide from God. God's first use was to uncover people from from dust, to bring them into relationship, Adam and Eve's first use of technology is to cover up and go back to nature and hide in the trees like an animal. I put in the internet, you know, pictures of it's not not a wise thing to do, of fig leaves and clothing.

And I came out with these 2. Do you wanna see them? These these are what people think they they might of looked like when they so fickleies together. So it's a sort of it's sort of a vegetarian version of Lady Gaga. So, here we are.

Here's here's an unexpected error then and we need to investigate. Technology is used to hide from God. So we've got to be careful of technology, because its first use was to hide from God. And you probably know the story. That hiding didn't work.

And actually, they they they needed more than an upgrade in their technology. They needed God to come. With another technology, which was animal skin, to cover them, which is all pointing to Christ, of course. They need to be covered from their guilt by something that dies in their place, not just nature now. It had to be a living being.

But you see that at least what's going on here is tech technology is used to hide from God. That's the first use of technology. Then the second use of technology in the bible, these are all in the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, the first book of the bible. The second use is Kain and he makes a city. Cain builds a city.

Well, you need technology to build a city. Now here's the story. Kain and Abel are the first children of Adam and Eve. And what happens for all kinds of reasons is that Cain kills his brother, Abel. He murders him.

And then Cain tries to cover up his murder by not admitting his murder, probably getting that from his parents. Because we pick up what our parents do with technology, and we see what our parents how our parents are using technology, and they covered up and perhaps, you know, Kain was thinking about well, he was covering up. He was copying their parent his parents. But then, God comes uncovers him, shows him that he's a murderer, and there's punishments on Caine. And the punishment that God gives him is to push him away from the land.

Very similar to the punishment of Adam and Eve that were thrown out of the land, thrown out of the garden. You've got the same thing going on. And he's pushed east, which in the bible is a picture in certainly in Genesis of moving away east of Eden, moving away. From God. There's it's it's there's a lot of imagery going on there, lots of imagery in this whole thing.

But this is what happens. So He's he's pushed away from God's presence because of his murder. That's part of his punishment. This is what happens. Cain's to the Lord, my punishment is more than I can bear.

Today, you were driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me. But the Lord said to him not so. Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance 7 times over, then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no 1 who found him would kill him. Now, in that, there's loads of stuff in that, but do you notice there's no repentance?

His punishment is now, he's going to be alienated from God. There's going to be a sense of loneliness created to be with God. Now, part of what you are is split. You're gonna have a sense of alienation, you're gonna wander the earth. Now, what should he have done?

There should have been repentance there. There should have been God. There there isn't repentance. It it might look like it, but there isn't repentance, but there should have been God, there's no way I can do that, please have me back. Please cover me.

Please forgive me. In fact, he uses the word I lots of times in that. It's all about him and he doesn't like the judgment that he's going to be alienated, but he doesn't plead for forgiveness. So it's very interesting, isn't it? So what happens?

So Kain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of nod, the great names, aren't they? I mean, you know, are they all asleep there or something? He lives in the land of nod, east of Eden, not just the east, Caine made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Caine was then building a city. And he named it after his son Enoch.

So you see what's going on here? He doesn't turn back to God. He continues going east. He doesn't look to God for covering and forgiveness for his sin. What sin has done He's driven him from the presence of God, rightly so, but he makes no amends of turning back and pleading.

Instead, what does he do? His loneliness, his alienation, which he feels as a human being because he was made to live in relationship God, he tries to fill that loneliness in that alienation by building a city, getting people around him. He does it through technology. It's not a city built for God, it's a city built in the name of his son. In other words, it's 1 he has named.

And so here's the second thing. Here's an error. Technology is used to stop his sense of aloneness, and to stop his sense of need for God. He builds a city to surround himself with noise so he feels he's not lonely and not alienated. That's what happens.

Think about how you use the mobile phone. It's an amazing phenomenon. It's only happened in the last few years. It is amazing. And it it's transcendent, isn't it?

It's always there. I'll show you some statistics in a minute, but it's always there. People take it, most people take it, to bed with them. They put it by the side of their bed. They wake up in the morning.

It's with them all the time. It's like a transcendence presence. Technology, I don't need God. I've got my phone. If if I want any advice on anything, morning and evening, I Google.

I don't need to turn to God's word I don't need to think deeply someone's already written it for me. There's a whole city out there. If I am lost, I don't pray. I do my GPS. Now, okay, that is easy to pick on the mobile phone, but do you see I'm just trying to give you the easy illustration of how technology seems to fulfill what God is saying.

We are meant to find ourself in God, but it sort of takes his place, and that was going on here. Here's the third 1. Let's move on. The third use of technology in the bible, in Genesis that humans use is lamech. Now lamech is further on, obviously, than Cain.

You can see if you read that through that lamech and his family are a high-tech family. Lamax married to 2 women named Aida Anzilla, and Aida gives birth to Jabil, who was the father of those who lived in tents and raised livestock. That's all technology. His brother's name was Jubal. I mean, it's funny, isn't it?

Jable and Jubal, and he was the father of all those who played strings, instruments, and pipes. Yeah. So technology to entertain, which is which is great, Zillah had a son, tubal Caine, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubulcane's sister was Neiman. Lamack said to his wives, he sits his wives down, and he says, Adra and Zillah, listen to me.

I don't think they had any choice. Wives of lamech, just to remind you who you are. Hear my words. Don't need any word from outside our family. Lamak is speaking.

I'm sure they were attentive. I have killed a man for wounding me. What's that saying? Don't you dare rebel? I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for enduring me.

If Kain is avenged 7 times, lamech 77 times. Now, what's he saying all this? This is a technological family with music and tents and food and weapons. So when it says all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron, the suggestion is is weaponry. He's got some swords here.

He's got some weapons. And what he's saying is is boast to his wife is, I'm better than God. See, I can even kill the image of God a man and I have done it, and I will protect myself better than God protects Cain. Do you remember that story? So I'm protecting myself.

I'll use technology, I can sin with it, rebel against God and still feel safe. No consequences to my my sin because of technology. And I'll enjoy the music and stuff. So here's the third, era of rebellion of technology. Technology seems to free us to sin and protect us from the consequences of sin.

Think of pornography. It's the easy 1, isn't it? You can look at pornography and you're doing anyone any harm? No. You're doing your wife any harm?

Not really? You don't think about the girls that were kept in kept in slavery because they seem to be enjoying it so much. You see? And I'm not there's no consequences to my sin, I'm not found out. Nothing seems to happen, I watch it, and off I go.

Technology is brilliant. It allows us to sin, and it allows us to feel like there's no consequences for sin. Think of Tinder. People have put themselves up there for me to have a look at and swipe through. Think of trolling.

I can sit there anonymously, say all kinds of nasty things about all kinds of people. I can I can vent myself and say, oh, they have amazingly nasty things, and there are no real consequences to me I never found out? See how technology can work? I'm just trying to give you some illustrations. Fourth 1, people make a tower This is the fourth use of technology in the bible.

People making a tower. It's the whole story of the tower of Babel. And what happens is people move east of Eden again away from God. That's the whole thing. They have a common language.

And then you can see here in verse 3 of Genesis chapter 11, come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly. Technology, they're making bricks. They used bricks instead of stone. We're being told that because this is made, this is technology, it's not just using nature like stone. And bitumen for mortar.

Then they said, come, let us build technology ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens. So that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. So here's a rebellious use of technology.

I love it that the Lord comes down. You've probably heard that before. It's a bit like a parent bending over to look at the little Lego tower that their child has badly made. Oh, is that it? Yes.

God comes down, he bends down and says, where is this great tower that you've made? It's a pathetic little city, and it's not the vision of God. But here they are, people collectively using technology to reject the idea that technology is a gift of God for us to bring glory to his name. Someone wrote this. I think this is a great sentence.

I read it a couple of times. Technology tends to become the platform of choice to express the fantasy of human autonomy. Autonomy means, you know, self rule away from God. Technology tends to become the platform of choice, to express the fantasy that we don't need God. And that's what's going on here.

So that's the fourth misuse of technology. Technology can make us think that we're self made, can make us think that we are gods. God made us through technology, we think we can make God or heaven on earth through technology. Okay? Now remember the question I asked you.

The question I ask you is, is technology good, bad, or neutral? And I guess a lot of us are gonna say neutral, because it's a neutral thing. You can use it for good or you can use it for bad, but I don't think that's right. It's not how the Bible teaches us. Look at this psalm.

The idles of the nation are silver and gold, made by human hands. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. So the question was, is technology good bad or neutral? It's never neutral. And that's where you go wrong, and I go wrong with our mobile phone when we put it by the side of our bed.

It's never neutral. It can be good, because God made it. It can be used for bad because we're rebellious, but it's never neutral It's always always dangerous. So when your children have the mobile phone next to their bed, it's like having a snake there, a poisonous snake. Just take the phone for instance.

Who invented it? Were they godly people that wanted you to turn to God? Were they people that wanted you to to stay faithful in your in your in your married life. Were they people that wanted you to tell the truth? Were they people that were committed to the 10 commandments?

Or are they people that want to manipulate you to make money have you? Think what happens when you put your phone next to your bed at night. There are thousands of mostly men, working around the world to think up the next thing to grab you. To grab your attention, to convince you you don't need God, to holler you out as I'll show you in a minute. All night people are planning.

Do you think Steve Jobs was a godly man? Who wants the best for you? It's amazing. It's never neutral. It can be used for good.

It can be used for bad. But don't treat it as neutral because if you do, you're playing with a poison viper. So full on, unreserved use of technology is an error. Bewear. Be careful.

Okay. Let's sing our next song. And then we'll come to our next theme. Talking about, we won't fear the battle because we have God on our side. So let's stand and sing.

Okay. The third theme is judgment and you get this in the in the bible. And you'll find in the bible 2 types of judgments, partial judgment that God gives, whoops, where creation, rebellion, and judgment. You'll find in the bible 2 types of judgments, a partial judgment and a final judgment. The final judgment is when God wraps up the world we stand before the living God to give an account and that's the end of the matter.

The partial judgment is how God judges this world for for as it goes away from him, as it goes east to further away from God and takes up these idols. And they're always God's kindnesses to us. To show us, look, you can't live out of relation with me. And when you do this is what happens. So he allows these things to happen in this world.

So let's just have a look at the partial judgments. First of all, really, when we go down the route of technology without God, it we find it makes us foolish and stupid. It really does. The belief that we're getting better because of tech is a very heady belief. People believe it.

They say, look, what we can do? We've invented a drug that gets rid of some virus, and of course another virus comes along. And, you know, it's just it's just amazing how we think we're getting better. But the the worst of that that lie is that we think because we're technologically advanced, more advanced than previous generations, at least we think that, we're getting wiser But of course, we're not. We're just demons with more power very often.

You listen. You listen to this year. You'll you'll hear these phrases like this again and again in the news, if you look at the news. Obviously, not this week, but next week. But you'll you'll hear again in the game.

Things like, I couldn't believe it would happen in this day and age. For good, this sake, we're 20 20. Why is this happening? It's it's as if it wouldn't happen. Because we are advanced, and we're better than they were years ago.

But it hasn't techno technology doesn't change our hearts. It doesn't change our characters. It just gives us more power to hide from God and to try to be a God ourselves. Look at what the Bible says, and it is talking about technology. All who make idols are nothing and the things they treasure are worthless Those who would speak up for them are blind.

They are ignorant to their own shame. Who shapes a God and casts an idol? Which can profit nothing. People who do that will be put to shame, such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand.

They will be brought down to terror and shame. Just like the Tara Bable. The Black Smith takes a tool and works with it in the coals. He shapes and idle with hammers. He forges it with the might of his arm.

He gets hungry and loses his strength. He drinks no water and grows faint while he's making his god, you see? He's forgotten to eat, and he's forgotten to drink. He cut down cedars or perhaps took a Cyprus or an oak. Half the wood, he burns in the fire over over it he prepares his meal.

He roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and and says, I'm warm. I see the fire. From the rest, he makes a God an idol. He bows down to it and worships it.

He prays to it and says, save me. You are my God. And they know nothing. They understand nothing. Their eyes are plastered over so that they cannot see, and their minds closed so that they cannot understand.

There's judgment, isn't there? If we choose not to listen to God's word, but to listen to the idols and make the idols. See, there was a time in this country that you if you read a passage out like that, People knew the idols that they had in the past. They were tiny little idols made out of metal or bone or stone, They were just big enough for a lot of them to fit in their pocket, and they would pull out those idols and stroke them. That was part of their worship.

And when you read that out, people would say, yeah, we don't have that. Those are people over there in another country or in the past. They're made of silver and gold and wood. Have you ever noticed our habits with our idols out of our pockets? Touching them, looking at them as as modern as you could get.

See, technology doesn't deal with loneliness as as Cain thought. The lie, you see, The person who believes the lie thinks we're connected. Feels like we're connected all over over the world because of the truth is we're on our own. Just looking at our idol. And it's 1 of the reasons why there is so much mental health issues.

You can't get around it because we are designed to be with people. Physically with people, not on our own. So the lie is that. The truth is, you can see in those pictures. And we become like what we like.

That's what happens with an idol. We turn into the thing that we commit ourselves too, the God that we worship. Here's CS Lewis, way before mobile phones, way before computers. Listen to him. I now see that I spend most of my life doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.

Steel away a man's best years, not in sweet sins, But in a dreary flickering of the mind over it it over it knows not what. And it knows not why, in the gratification of Curiosity is so feeble that the man only half aware of them. He says they we don't even go and sin properly anymore. We just do what we don't really like over a dreary flickering over the mind. I sat behind, better be careful.

Someone over Christmas period. My seat happened to be in a very prime spot to see a teenage girl who has lots of mental health issues. Loads of them. And I wondered what she does in a room full of people that were having fun. And I nosed in because I could see her doing the old thumb.

She looked at a 4 minute film about how to peel a pineapple. And I was thinking, you're a teenage what? You're a teenage girl. You're in a room full of friends. And you're watching a video on how to peel a pineapple.

No, actually, it was in it was quite intriguing. It sucked me in. I wanted to look that up. Then we went on to, you know, the normal cat video, you know, getting killed, which is quite a joy, I guess. And then we went on to It was all in vain.

It was stuff if you knew you were running out of life and only had a few minutes left. You would never look at. Steel away a man's best years, not in sweet sins, not even in sin. But in a dreary flickering of the mind. It's amazing, isn't it?

There's a a survey come out last week on it's called child wise. They do surveys on people on the mobile phone use in this country. Of children. 5 to 16 year olds, they they they surveyed 2000 children in our country of 5 to 16 year olds. 44 percent of of children 70 percent of of that age group or 75 percent, I think it is.

I can't remember quite the detail. Have mobile phones at the age of 7. 44 percent are anxious. And they suffer the whole sort of mental health issue of anxiety because they can't get a signal or the batteries running out. Did you see what our gods do to our children?

More than 50 percent of that age group of children take their phone to bed with them. 7 in 10 girls feel utterly fearful. All the time without their handset. You take it away and they're actually it's it's like it's like you've taken their they've come off drugs. 7 in 10 girls, it's less for men, but 7 in 10 boys, 7 in 10 girls think that the mobile phone is an absolutely a essential thing for life.

We've got to think about that. This isn't just an old man, winging on about a new technology, I've tried to show you, God creates technology. I have a phone, I've got 1 in my bag. Please listen to these things. It's amazing how we waste our life.

Well, we've seen her creation rebellion. We're still just on judgment. Let me just show you this film. It's by a a bloke called Moby. Some of you have seen this before, but it is always worth watching.

Just see how brilliant both the words, are you lost in a world like me and the cartoon captures something of the sadness of our world that is under some kind of judgment of God. So we have God creates the world and he creates technology, the rebellion that we bring in hiding from God and all those things And there's a partial judgment he shows us. Gosh. Can't we hear? Won't we listen to why we are like we are.

What have we done to our young people? What have we done? What have we done to our young people? That there is so many issues. And so we don't end there.

We're not hopeless. We're not doom mongers. The fourth theme is redemption. And that's that's what we're about. As Christians, there is redemption.

This is the message we preach to a world that's turned to idols and turned from God. And God uses technology in redemption, so you can go right back to Noah. When the judgment was coming onto the earth and God sent Noah to preach and he used technology to save those who would come into the ark. Technology was used. So so make yourself an ark Make, build it, make, make, you see in the story of of the arc.

God is saying that actually, there is redemption. And technology is used to actually bring about redemption. So there's there's something, you know, good about it. In fact, when you go to the new testament, I don't think it's pushing it too far to see that you see redemption there. Think of all the technology used on our Savior.

I mean, horrible, but it was technology, the idea of nails being made and taken out of the earth, that iron ore being made in nails and him crucified and whips and sharp little claws of stone or bone or metal in a whip, and the cross itself It's all technology. It's using stuff that is there. Now, in our very rejection of God, by our technology. He is big enough to redeem, isn't he? To turn that rejection around.

To turn the horror of how we use technology for massacre. He is able to turn it and make it the place of salvation. So redemption is a great word. We don't have to hide from God and cover up, because God has provided the covering of blood on the cross. We don't have to we're welcome back to paradise to the city of God.

Come through what Christ did on the cross. You come. Come to him. The consequences of our sin are actually dealt with. We don't have to hide and but think there aren't any consequences.

There are. The consequences of our sin are dealt with on the cross, and we can be sons of God. It's the opposite to what we rebels do with technology. And God remakes us. He remakes us.

It's a technological word. Look at it. For we are God's handiwork, created. That's technological in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us to do. He remakes us.

He reboots us, although it's much more than that. He removes the viruses within us. And reconnects us to the power source. As our batteries run out, we're connected to him. So we have this redemption, redemption.

Creation, rebellion, judgment, redemption. There's a lovely song we're gonna sing, and it's I heard the voice of Jesus. And this is 1 of the reasons why we're doing media fast. To clear our heads, to hear the voice of Jesus again. This is 1 of my favorite songs.

It's 1 of the first I think it was the first him I ever heard when I became a Christian and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ. I heard the voice of Jesus say, come under me and rest. Rest, all this anxiety that our false gods bring us, all of the trouble that it's bringing, lack of sleep and all of this stuff come to me and rest, listen, listen to the word of God. And that's what we wanna do as we read John's gospel this week. Here, again, the magnificent creator God working in us.

Speaking to us. At first, we won't be clear, maybe. Our heads are so fuzzy, but as the week goes on and we hear, God speaking through his word. I heard the voice of Jesus say, come unto me and rest, lay down their weary, 1 lay down thy head upon my breast. The last theme then that I want to show you in the bible is the Holy Spirit.

And he works through his word, the bible, and through his people, the church. And that's how he works. And he points us to Jesus. And we can't do anything without him. We need the Holy Spirit.

So what do we do then when we are stuck. Here we are. We're stuck in a technological world that is shouting out its demands 24 hours a day, people around the world doing everything to manipulate us to hear, to listen to this, so that we can't even walk down a street without some information going into our head from technology, screaming at us. I mean, people say about Christianity sometimes, Why you know, I don't want to be preached at. I can tell you.

How I mean, how much do we preach? The Christian message. It's not much, is it? It's a couple of hours on a Sunday, but 24 hours a day This what what do we do when we're stuck in this world? Well, we need the holy spirit.

This isn't something that we can do ourselves. Christianity isn't just a matter of us pulling our socks up or, you know, trying to pull ourselves up by our shoelaces. We need God. We need help. We need to do what Cain didn't do and say, please help me.

We need to bring our idols to God and say, look, I'm I'm committed to these horrible things. Help kill them in my life. We need the Holy Spirit. And he works through his word. And he works through the church.

We need each other. This is not a lone game. Christianity is not an individualistic religion. It never has been and it never will be. It's a people bought by the blood of Christ, to come together to be the children of God under Father God in the power of the Holy Spirit, and it's the spirit that gives us help.

And that's why I want to, you know, say that media fast and bible feast, did I get that right, media fast and bible feast, is it's okay. You know, we we we don't make this a legalistic thing. We're not trying to push you into it if you really don't want to do it, but we're saying it's just a time. For us to reboot, to just be amazed at the end of the week how much world goes into our mind compared to the bible. So that's how the Holy Spirit does it.

And he helps us. He helps us to redeem the time, the waste of time that we have looking at how to peel a pineapple. By the way, I'm not saying that isn't fascinating. I actually looked it up after I saw her do it. There's something that draws you in, but what a waste of time?

Jesus tells his story, his master replied, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things, come and share the master's happiness. Just think about the little things in your life that you could adjust, that you could be faithful in. You could redeem the time in.

Here's a great sentence. From the book of Ephesians in the bible, wake up, sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Isn't that isn't that beautiful speech? Wake up. There's a day, there's shining.

The sun is shining wake up. Oh sleep of rise from the dead. What are you looking at that for? And Christ will shine on you. Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.

It's the Holy Spirit and his word that reminds us that grabs us to say pay attention. Think. You're in an evil day. Are you just gonna just flow down the river of evil without any resistance? Ask the spirit of God, ask Christian friends to help you out.

So be about God's glory. Not against technology, use it for God's glory. Why why? I don't know why we don't do this more and more. People sell all kinds of stuff.

Let's use it. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do for the glory of God. Use your technology obviously after next week, but use your technology for the glory of God. I mean, what an amazing opportunity that we could use this to spread the gospel preach the gospel instead of passing on the next cat video. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judeir and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Click the things that are good. Gospel. Get the gospel out there. Get people thinking about the gospel.

So this isn't an anti technology talk I hope you haven't seen it as that. God created us as technological beings to use technology for his glory. We're using it now, this microphone that we're recording, the the the talks go up online. Click them, listen to them. Spread them out.

When we say media fast, I'm not saying you can't use your phone to read the bible, although you might want to just take a a bible because you get so distracted. The evidence is if you turn your phone by the way to black and white mode, which you can do, you won't look at it so much. That says something, doesn't it? So get rid of stop. I'm not on social media.

I'm gonna read the bible. But, you know, use everything to read it to spread it. To preach it. That is our job, to go into this lost world, so lost It takes photos of people that suicide and clicks it up to see how many likes it gets. It's powerful, isn't it?

That little video. Is that what we're going to go to? Head down Someone was telling me, I think it was Don, was telling it was Don. Yeah. Last last night, he's saying that there's an artist who's taken photos of people, you know, just in towns and and how they're standing, and he's removed the mobile phone from from their hand.

And he says, they look nuts. People are all like this. They're standing next to each other like this. It's quite interesting, isn't it? We're gonna look up and preach the gospel.

Tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ. What good news? We need the Holy Spirit to do that. Father God help us, please. Please help us help us to repent of our idolatry.

And we know that that will be hard. Because we get we've we've got into habits that we can't help just reaching for our idol and touching it and caressing it. And we've got some horrible, very horrible habits, and we need your spirit, and we need each other to help. Us to repent, and to turn, and to listen to you. Father something we've been we've been, our ears have been so hit with the loudness of this world.

Sometimes it's hard to hear your word. And to really put it into practice, help us this week as a church to begin to re listen And we pray on Fridays, we come together and read the last chapters of John. There would be such joy and liberty at the God who's come into this technological world and died on that cross and risen again and gives us life and hope here and in the future. Help us, please. In all of this, in the name of Jesus we pray, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to the glory and honor of the Father.

We pray in Jesus' name, Ma'am,