Welcome again to
Digital Disconnect.
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I'm your host Scott Ritsema
for this series of 13 programs
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on the dangers and effects of
the media of this digital age.
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How it's causing a
disconnect in our relationships
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with each other, our relation-
ship with God most of all.
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In fact, this is not
a series about media.
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Everything we do is and
ought to be about Jesus.
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He is the One in whom we live
and move and have our being.
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So when we think about a
disconnect from some of this
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excessive media
it's really a re-connect
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with Jesus Christ,
with family, with friends,
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with the church, with
the lost, with the hurting.
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And there are an awful lot
of hurting people out there.
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You've heard in the first
five episodes a catastrophic
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epidemic of mental
health problems and addiction
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and attention span
and family disruptions.
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We won't repeat
everything from the first five.
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You want to go back and
view those if you missed them.
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And I hope you're
sharing this information.
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'Cause you might
say: "Well, I don't really
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have a problem with
these things myself"
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BUT there are
people in your life who do.
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And so please: be
an emissary for freeing
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the captives to media addiction.
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And we're transitioning a
bit in this particular session
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as we think not just about
Smartphone use and social media
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and the digital
revolution that took us by storm
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and video game addiction
and child development and...
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We're going to look a
little bit more specifically
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at entertainment types of media.
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I did a survey a
little while back
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just to see how the
Christian young people are doing
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with their media exposure.
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And specifically - I
was a teacher at the time -
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I was teaching in
a Christian academy.
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And I wanted to know: "OK
now, I know these students
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want to love God and
have a higher standard
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than that of the world,
but I started to catch wind of
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pretty deep exposure and immer-
sion in Hollywood entertainment
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and violent video
games and worldly music.
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So I was curious to
try to quantify that.
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I did a little survey. Asked
them, you know, how many hours
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a day over the past week did you
spend on Hollywood entertainment
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and violent video
games? Anonymous survey.
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It wasn't judgment;
it wasn't witch hunting.
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Nothing of that nature.
But I also wanted to know
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how much time are
you spending in the Word?
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How much time are you
spending in devotions?
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Seeking the Living God?
And that could be in spiritual
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books. That could be in
going for a walk and singing
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hymns and
listening to birds sing
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or whatever it is that
connects you with your Savior.
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And I wanted to compare the two.
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How much time are we spending
in the Word versus the world?
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The numbers were
absolutely shocking to me.
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When I got the results back
and quantified them and added up
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all the data, the average
for these high-school age
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Christian young
people was 4 hours per day
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just in Hollywood entertainment
and violent video games
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and only 10 minutes a day on
average in spiritual pursuits.
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Four hours versus 10
minutes is quite an imbalance.
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And by the way, this
didn't include worldly music
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and what we're doing
online on the Internet.
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This was just movies
and violent video games.
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It was a 25 to 1 ratio
if you're interested in
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some mathematically
nerdy stuff there.
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Four hours to 10
minutes is a 25 to 1 ratio
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which interestingly
is the exact same ratio
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of the Standard American Diet
when you add up all the calories
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we get from unhealthy
sources versus healthy sources.
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And if we identify
healthy as, you know, whole food
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plant-based sources of nutrition
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for every one calorie
that we are consuming of that
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we're consuming 25
calories of everything else.
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Twenty-five to 1 ratio of
that Standard American Diet
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which SAD:
Standard American Diet
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spells SAD. And
it's a sad diet indeed!
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It's a junk food diet.
It's increasing diabetes
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and heart disease and all these
lifestyle diseases and death.
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And in fact, 94% of the
people who died from COVID-19
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in 2020 were comorbid with
these other lifestyle diseases.
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And so you might say we
had a pandemic already waiting
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looking for a
cause and a catalyst.
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It's a pandemic of choice...
a pandemic of unhealthy living
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and lifestyle. Now this is
not a seminar on how we eat.
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But really, I'll
tell you something:
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just to put in a little
mention for healthy living
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not just to mitigate the
risk for lifestyle diseases
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but did you know that
for every additional serving
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of fruit and vegetables
that you add to your diet
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you get a
measurable boost of happiness?
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Studies have shown it!
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You add one more you get a
measurable boost of happiness.
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Add another serving
of fruit or vegetables
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you get another... up
to 8 additional servings
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of fruits and vegetables add
8 additional boosts of happiness
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that are measurable in
the subjects of the study.
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Well that's encouraging,
so wait: does God actually
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want me to be happy? Oh yeah,
we're going to get into that
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in the session when we
talk about how to escape
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the pleasure trap.
We're going to look at boredom
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and the Bible and all of these
things in an upcoming session
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in episode #12. But when
we think about the issue of
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this diet killing us physically,
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the Standard American Diet,
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is our media use, if
we're exposed to the same ratio
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25 to 1
entertainment vs. spiritual food
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the analogy fits, doesn't it?
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We're dying
spiritually if we're consuming
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the things of the world.
The Bible says: "Do not love
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the world or anything
in the world. " It says:
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"If any man loves the
world, the love of the Father
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is not in him. " So
we can't love, we can't
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serve two masters. We
can't love both the world
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and the Father. In
fact, the Bible gives us
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some encouragement about that.
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It says that we can
"come apart and be separate
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saith the Lord and
touch no unclean thing
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and He will receive us. "
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Is that encouraging? We
don't want the unclean thing.
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We want Philippians 4 verse 8.
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"Whatsoever things are true
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and noble and right and
excellent and praiseworthy
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these are the things
we are to think upon. "
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This session is called
Transformed by the Renewing
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of our Minds. It
says in Romans 12 verse 2
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you can be transformed by
the renewing of your mind.
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Not conformed to this world.
Oh, the devil's got a program
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to conform the mass mind
to the standard of his kingdom
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and his principles of darkness
which we will talk about.
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But I want to see
what's going on in the mind
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and what is this thing
called the frontal lobe.
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Take a look at this
graphic about the frontal lobe.
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Scientists have shown
that this area of the brain
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is where our
spirituality is, our morality,
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the exercise of the will.
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Reason and conscience are
also housed in the frontal lobe.
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All of these things that define
basically what it is to live
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the Christian life
are happening right there.
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It's interesting. In Revelation
chapter 7 the seal of God is
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placed on the foreheads of
the believers in the last days.
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We'll get back to
that in just a minute.
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But I like talking
about the frontal lobe.
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We discussed it earlier in
some of the opening sessions
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when we looked at
the prefrontal cortex
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and how when our
attention span is dropping
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and our emotional
self-regulation is dropping
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and self-control is dropping
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it's because the
frontal lobe is weakening
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in its ability
to gain the mastery,
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to exercise the will.
Those things we were just seeing
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on the screen. Having the
prayer, having the discernment
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between right and
wrong, between truth and error.
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This is a critical
part of our spiritual being:
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the circuits to
the frontal lobe.
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The Bible says: "Come
now; let us reason together"
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and says: "The fruit of
the Spirit is self-control. "
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It says: "Love God with all your
heart; love your neighbor. "
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Altruism: doing
good deeds for others
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even if we get no
benefit from ourselves.
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People are willing to lay
down their lives for the cause
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of the gospel. These are
the ways that God's people
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have been able to live
the Christian life Biblically:
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through the
frontal lobe circuits.
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Now there's another area of
the brain I want to show you
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on the screen here.
It's the Limbic System.
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This scientists refer
to as "the lizard brain. "
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It's where your lower nature,
your base passions are housed.
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It is where you find the
fight or flight mechanism.
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The appetites and
the lusts of the flesh
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and a whole list and
litany of emotional impulses.
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And I'll tell you
something: for most people
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it's a trade-off:
limbic system and frontal lobe.
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When frontal lobe is coming
down limbic system is coming up
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and its mastery over
you. And you're dominated by
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these impulses and
lusts and emotional outbursts
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and struggles. But if
we can enhance this area
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by God's grace and His strength
in practical things we can do
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in our lives then we will have
a greater experience with Jesus
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and a more joyful life.
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I'll tell you something:
remember the thing about stress.
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The media exposure that
we do with the fast pace,
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with the social media,
with all of the intensity
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and the over stimulation that's
happening is increasing cortisol
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release in our body. That
increases the risk for disease
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and it also reduces
prefrontal cortex function.
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Video game exposure in child-
hood; excessive entertainment.
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Our entertainment use;
excessive social media use
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for the wrong types of pre-
dispositions and personalities
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and what it's like
when you're on there
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is also reducing
prefrontal cortex.
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Smartphone use and addictions;
when we have the habitual
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and compulsive methods
of using these media where
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we're being used by them like
the guy... the phone holding
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the man instead of
the man holding the phone.
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You remember the
graphic from episode 5.
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But the limbic system is ac-
tually referred to in the Bible.
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It doesn't say limbic system;
it doesn't say frontal lobe.
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It says forehead and it does say
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"Love the Lord
your God" and it says
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"Come let us reason together"
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and "the fruit of the
Spirit is self-control. "
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But the limbic
system is perhaps hinted at
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when the apostle Paul
talks about the carnal mind
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which is at enmity against God.
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So there's an element
within our fallen human nature
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that wars
against the spiritual man
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that we gain the mastery over...
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that we want to
gain the victory over.
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And I'll tell you that
when the Bible says to not be
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carnally minded
'cause that is death
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but to be heavenly minded
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then we want to know
the desires of the flesh
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that come out of that limbic
system that are excessively
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dominated and
enhanced by these media use.
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'Cause I want you to
imagine like you have a switch
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on the front of your
frontal lobe right now.
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Right now it's
in the on position.
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You're listening; you're
engaged; you're thinking.
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Now if you were to sit
down to watch something other
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than an informational program
that is enhancing to the frontal
00:11:02.39\00:11:04.93
lobe like this, you're
going to watch theatrical-style
00:11:05.13\00:11:08.03
entertainment television
or you're going to get into
00:11:08.23\00:11:10.27
some high stimulating
entertainment of some kind.
00:11:10.47\00:11:13.13
The frontal lobe
begins to be reduced
00:11:13.34\00:11:16.37
and - guess what? the
limbic system enhanced.
00:11:16.57\00:11:19.07
'Cause I want you to
take a look at this graphic.
00:11:19.27\00:11:21.01
There's a whole list:
00:11:28.62\00:11:30.02
You want to know
what that word means?
00:11:34.96\00:11:36.46
Oh, that's an
interesting etymology there!
00:11:36.66\00:11:38.76
To muse means to think;
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a means not;
00:11:41.96\00:11:44.40
so amuse means to not think.
00:11:44.60\00:11:47.80
So when we're in a
state of amusement...
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I'll tell you something:
I believe in recreation.
00:11:50.17\00:11:52.11
As a father of children,
we like to have fun together.
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We want to have a good
time doing healthy and holy
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and happy things
together as a family.
00:11:59.31\00:12:01.32
Getting
outdoors; playing; hiking;
00:12:01.72\00:12:04.25
building... all sorts of things.
00:12:04.45\00:12:05.92
Well, there's a
contrast between recreation
00:12:06.52\00:12:11.23
on the one hand and amusement.
00:12:11.43\00:12:13.53
We'll take that up
in a following episode.
00:12:13.93\00:12:16.36
But when we're engaged
in viewing theatrical-style
00:12:16.77\00:12:20.34
entertainment television...
"Oh, it's only PG rated. "
00:12:20.54\00:12:23.04
But you know what's happening?
The frontal lobe is being
00:12:23.24\00:12:24.87
reduced and all of those
impulses and emotions are
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are enhanced by the theatrical
dramatic elements of the program
00:12:28.18\00:12:32.15
and they get you in
that state of that feeling
00:12:32.35\00:12:34.38
and it's designed
for that exact purpose.
00:12:34.58\00:12:37.85
So... there will be
some long-term effects.
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When we exercise the
circuits of our limbic system
00:12:40.22\00:12:43.89
and we turn off the
circuits of our frontal lobe
00:12:44.09\00:12:46.93
what is going to
happen over time?
00:12:47.13\00:12:48.86
Well this is going to become
weaker and this is going to
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become stronger. We will live
more out of the limbic system:
00:12:50.97\00:12:54.00
fear, stress, lust,
anxiety, anger, irritability,
00:12:54.20\00:12:57.27
negativity, and aggression.
00:12:57.47\00:12:58.97
We will have less of
the strength of the will
00:12:59.17\00:13:01.84
and the "Come now
let us reason together"
00:13:02.04\00:13:04.45
and the ability to overrule
and regulate those impulses.
00:13:04.65\00:13:07.92
The spirituality, the
morality will be weakened.
00:13:08.12\00:13:10.75
And that's the devil's
idea: how to get Christians
00:13:10.95\00:13:13.46
who are not going to be
viewing the demonic and worldly
00:13:13.66\00:13:16.79
entertainment but they:
"Well we'll have a good standard
00:13:16.99\00:13:19.33
but we're still going
to be into entertainment. "
00:13:19.53\00:13:21.26
It still affects
the frontal lobe.
00:13:21.46\00:13:23.33
So the Bible says
in Galatians 6 verse 8
00:13:23.53\00:13:26.97
that if we "sow to the flesh" -
00:13:27.17\00:13:29.57
we could say to the limbic
system - we exercise and enhance
00:13:29.77\00:13:33.38
that - we will: "from
the flesh reap corruption. "
00:13:33.58\00:13:38.31
Going to
corrupt our very nature.
00:13:38.51\00:13:39.85
"but the one who sows to
the Spirit will from the Spirit
00:13:39.88\00:13:44.19
reap eternal life. " Do you
want to sow to the spiritual
00:13:44.39\00:13:47.42
man where we gain victory? I
do. I want to receive the seal
00:13:47.62\00:13:51.39
of God. You know, there's a
lot of people have thought about
00:13:51.59\00:13:53.23
the brain circuits and the
brain regions as being analogous
00:13:53.43\00:13:56.53
to a muscle. If you
don't use it you lose it.
00:13:56.73\00:13:59.20
You exercise it
you strengthen it.
00:13:59.40\00:14:00.77
And so you've got two
arms. You've got two things
00:14:00.97\00:14:03.20
we're talking about here:
limbic system, frontal lobe.
00:14:03.41\00:14:05.44
What happens when
you exercise one arm
00:14:05.64\00:14:07.71
multiple times a day every
day? You're going hard core with
00:14:07.91\00:14:10.61
that arm. You get a big muscle
there, but if you put this one
00:14:10.81\00:14:13.72
in a sling and do nothing with
it for hours a day every day,
00:14:13.92\00:14:17.55
well over time this
one's going to become emaciated
00:14:17.95\00:14:20.46
and atrophied and
useless and you'll do everything
00:14:20.66\00:14:22.96
with this arm. You will
revert to this arm; this one is
00:14:23.16\00:14:25.29
largely useless. Same
thing with the brain circuitry.
00:14:25.49\00:14:28.50
It changes our very character
when we are enhancing that
00:14:28.70\00:14:32.17
limbic system to the
detriment of the frontal lobe.
00:14:32.37\00:14:34.70
So the arm analogy helps
us think through that a bit.
00:14:34.90\00:14:38.44
But we did address the
question of this entertainment
00:14:38.64\00:14:42.61
even if it's morally
acceptable, morally innocuous.
00:14:42.81\00:14:46.68
But most of it is
not as you're aware.
00:14:46.88\00:14:49.38
Take a look at the
graphic about how many
00:14:49.58\00:14:51.72
acts of violence young people
are viewing by the age of 18.
00:14:51.92\00:14:54.62
THAT is an awful lot, isn't it?
00:15:14.94\00:15:17.21
You heard about product
placements there as well.
00:15:17.41\00:15:20.72
It's all the commercials but
then they're advertising to you
00:15:20.92\00:15:23.45
during the program. I mean
they're throwing ads at you
00:15:23.65\00:15:25.95
by product placements
and showing the alcohol label
00:15:26.15\00:15:28.72
or logo or
mention of it verbally
00:15:28.92\00:15:31.03
or even subliminally.
We'll talk a little bit about
00:15:31.23\00:15:33.96
advertising industry
manipulation and propaganda
00:15:34.16\00:15:36.97
in a coming episode. But when
I used to hear those numbers
00:15:37.17\00:15:40.44
when I was a young person...
You know, I would hear messages
00:15:40.64\00:15:42.90
from preachers saying:
"You shouldn't be consuming
00:15:43.10\00:15:45.24
worldly entertainment. "
"Oh, " I would say, "it's not
00:15:45.44\00:15:47.54
affecting me. I
can watch these things
00:15:47.74\00:15:50.21
and I can listen to these things
and I can play these things
00:15:50.41\00:15:53.78
in the video games and you
know it's not affecting me. "
00:15:53.98\00:15:57.25
"I'm not going out
and killing anybody, see?
00:15:57.45\00:15:58.99
So I can play
violent video games. "
00:15:59.19\00:16:00.96
"I'm not going out
engaging in these acts
00:16:01.12\00:16:03.79
so that's proof that
it is not affecting me. "
00:16:03.99\00:16:07.03
Now I wish I could go
back to my 15-year-old self
00:16:07.23\00:16:09.33
and like shake
me by the shoulders.
00:16:09.53\00:16:10.97
"Wake up there, young fella!
00:16:11.13\00:16:13.13
Have you read the Bible? "
We know something from Matthew 5
00:16:13.47\00:16:16.91
that I'll get to in
just a second, but there was
00:16:17.11\00:16:18.61
an interesting scientific
study that was done in Italy
00:16:18.81\00:16:21.81
where they looked at
the brain of monkeys.
00:16:22.01\00:16:24.45
And they wanted to see
what goes inside the brain...
00:16:24.65\00:16:26.75
what goes on inside the
brains of monkeys while they did
00:16:26.95\00:16:28.95
various activities. OK...
the monkey is eating peanuts.
00:16:29.15\00:16:31.79
"Oh very interesting!
This circuit fires off
00:16:31.99\00:16:33.99
and that one. " OK, this never
would have made headline news
00:16:34.19\00:16:36.19
just learning what goes on
in the monkey's brain while
00:16:36.39\00:16:38.49
he eats the peanuts.
BUT when they took a break
00:16:38.69\00:16:40.93
they found something
accidentally that was absolutely
00:16:41.13\00:16:43.37
fascinating to them.
00:16:43.57\00:16:44.90
They moved the peanuts to
the other side of the room.
00:16:44.93\00:16:47.20
The scientists are on a break.
The monkey's sitting there
00:16:47.40\00:16:49.70
in his chair. He's still
got his little monitoring cap on
00:16:49.90\00:16:52.57
there. The scientist
is eating the peanuts now
00:16:52.77\00:16:55.98
and the monkey is just
sitting over there in his seat
00:16:56.18\00:16:58.88
watching peanuts being eaten.
00:16:59.08\00:17:02.02
Just watching... not eating.
00:17:02.42\00:17:04.29
And one of the other scientists
notices: "Wow! This is
00:17:04.45\00:17:06.99
fascinating what goes on
in the monkey's brain while
00:17:07.19\00:17:09.29
he watches peanuts
being... Wait! Wait!
00:17:09.49\00:17:11.29
This looks kind of familiar
to the brain scan of the monkey
00:17:11.49\00:17:14.83
when he was eating the peanuts.
Let's compare the two. "
00:17:15.03\00:17:17.37
So they took the two
brain scans. They compared them
00:17:17.57\00:17:19.70
side by side and
they put them together
00:17:19.90\00:17:22.14
seeing that's the same
brain scan. They called it
00:17:22.34\00:17:25.14
mirror neurons. They discovered
that whatever we see with our
00:17:25.34\00:17:29.11
eyes is interpreted by the brain
00:17:29.31\00:17:32.08
as if we are doing it
ourselves not merely seeing it.
00:17:32.28\00:17:35.92
200,000 acts of violence.
That's just on TV by the way.
00:17:36.42\00:17:39.42
That doesn't even count acting
them out in the video game.
00:17:39.62\00:17:42.16
79,500 scenes of a sexual nature
00:17:42.56\00:17:45.19
and almost all of that is
inappropriate, not promoting
00:17:45.39\00:17:49.06
God's vision for
Godly marriage and modesty.
00:17:49.26\00:17:53.67
So that kind of debunks the
15-year-old version of myself
00:17:53.87\00:17:58.61
that was saying: "Oh,
I'm not affected by it. "
00:17:58.81\00:18:01.44
Jesus already
addressed this in Matthew 5.
00:18:01.64\00:18:04.05
I used to say: "Oh,
just 'cause I'm not going out
00:18:04.45\00:18:06.35
and doing it... " Did
Jesus say all that matters
00:18:06.55\00:18:09.18
is whether you go out
and kill somebody or whether
00:18:09.38\00:18:10.92
you go out and
commit the act of adultery?
00:18:11.12\00:18:12.92
No! He said: "You
have heard that it was said
00:18:13.12\00:18:16.02
'Do not kill. ' You
have heard that it was said
00:18:16.22\00:18:18.49
'Do not commit adultery. '
00:18:18.69\00:18:20.03
And I tell you... "
He's raising the bar...
00:18:20.23\00:18:22.66
"if you have lusted
after a woman in your heart,
00:18:23.06\00:18:25.50
if you have hatred
towards somebody in your heart,
00:18:25.70\00:18:28.44
you've violated the commandments
against murder and against
00:18:28.64\00:18:31.87
adultery. " He's taking us
to the real heart of things.
00:18:32.07\00:18:34.51
What's going on in here
is forming our character.
00:18:34.71\00:18:38.21
We are transformed by
the renewing of our mind
00:18:38.61\00:18:43.15
not just our behavior.
The behavior will follow.
00:18:43.35\00:18:45.65
We will act in a way out of our
mental condition that we foster.
00:18:45.85\00:18:51.59
The way that we develop
our character by what we see
00:18:51.79\00:18:54.16
and what we behold and
what we think and what we say
00:18:54.36\00:18:56.70
when nobody's around.
These things start to impact
00:18:56.90\00:18:59.67
who we are at our very core.
00:18:59.87\00:19:01.97
And that will eventually mani-
fest in some types of behaviors
00:19:02.17\00:19:04.84
holy or unholy.
00:19:05.04\00:19:06.37
Are we being transformed
or are we being conformed?
00:19:06.41\00:19:08.81
Romans 12 verse 2
asks us to make a choice.
00:19:09.01\00:19:11.91
"Be not conformed to this world
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.15
but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. "
00:19:14.35\00:19:17.09
So it's what
happens in here that counts.
00:19:17.29\00:19:19.69
And science has even discovered
that. I found that scientific
00:19:19.89\00:19:22.22
study to be very instructive.
Jesus was 2,000 years
00:19:22.42\00:19:25.06
ahead of the science, though.
00:19:25.26\00:19:26.59
Now there was an Amish young man
00:19:26.70\00:19:28.56
who left the Amish
community - true story -
00:19:28.76\00:19:31.00
and he went out and watched the
first movie he had ever seen.
00:19:31.20\00:19:33.87
He grew up not with movies
or television or electricity
00:19:34.27\00:19:37.67
and he went and watched
an old Western film, OK?
00:19:37.87\00:19:40.34
So he was really
excited to watch John Wayne.
00:19:40.54\00:19:42.48
And this was like
the old-style in movies.
00:19:42.68\00:19:44.65
Now some of you watching
maybe grew up with that.
00:19:44.85\00:19:47.22
I mean that's before my
time, but sometimes when I was
00:19:47.42\00:19:49.58
a history teacher I
would show my students
00:19:49.78\00:19:51.72
old movies as part
of the history program
00:19:51.92\00:19:54.82
as part of the curriculum.
00:19:55.02\00:19:56.36
I wouldn't do that
today knowing what I know now.
00:19:56.52\00:19:58.53
But when I was showing those
old movies from the 30's & 40's
00:19:58.73\00:20:02.70
and so on... 50's...
I would show them clips.
00:20:02.90\00:20:05.03
I would show them movies
and they would fall asleep
00:20:05.23\00:20:06.84
like within 20 minutes...
within 10 minutes... of
00:20:07.04\00:20:08.94
that movie being on.
They were so accustomed to
00:20:09.14\00:20:11.41
a much more
shock-value type of movie.
00:20:11.61\00:20:13.81
You know: shoot-em-up type
of R-rated movies and whatever
00:20:14.01\00:20:16.71
that were popular at the time.
00:20:16.91\00:20:18.38
The Amish kid,
though, did not fall asleep.
00:20:19.38\00:20:21.42
You know my students
might laugh at the movie.
00:20:21.62\00:20:23.45
Somebody... It's a gun-fighting
scene in the old Western film.
00:20:23.65\00:20:27.92
That's what the Amish kid
watched: it's was an old Western
00:20:28.12\00:20:30.23
film in this particular story.
00:20:30.43\00:20:31.76
If my students saw
that they'd laugh at that.
00:20:31.99\00:20:34.23
You know, if there
was a scary scene...
00:20:34.43\00:20:35.76
shocking they'd
laugh. The Amish kid, though,
00:20:35.96\00:20:38.93
did not laugh.
He turned white pale
00:20:39.13\00:20:42.57
when he saw somebody
shot in that old Western film
00:20:42.77\00:20:44.77
which is very not shocking
by today's standards, right?
00:20:44.97\00:20:48.11
But maybe by God's
standards this is not good.
00:20:48.31\00:20:50.11
So he's shocked by it
'cause he's never seen it.
00:20:50.31\00:20:51.98
He runs out of the
house white pale in his face
00:20:52.18\00:20:55.05
and he throws up because it
was a pretty big shocker to him
00:20:55.25\00:20:59.15
to see that. And
as I heard that story
00:20:59.35\00:21:02.09
and thought about that
the Bible verse that says...
00:21:02.29\00:21:04.49
It says: "Do not have
your consciences seared as with
00:21:04.69\00:21:08.56
a hot iron. "
That's what came to mind.
00:21:08.76\00:21:10.97
Are we being desensitized?
00:21:11.17\00:21:13.54
Think about the graphic
here of the frog in the pot.
00:21:13.74\00:21:16.74
Have you ever heard the
analogy of the frog in the pot?
00:21:16.94\00:21:19.87
One frog is thrown
into already boiling water.
00:21:20.08\00:21:22.44
He jumps right out.
00:21:22.64\00:21:23.98
The other frog is
bathed in lukewarm water
00:21:24.01\00:21:26.35
that's increasing in its tem-
perature slowly, incrementally.
00:21:26.55\00:21:30.35
And he doesn't even realize
the danger that's happening
00:21:30.55\00:21:33.99
to him. He's: "Oh,
there's no big problem here. "
00:21:34.19\00:21:37.29
And it gets a little
hotter and a little hotter.
00:21:37.69\00:21:39.89
The increasing temperature
is imperceptible to him.
00:21:40.10\00:21:43.03
He's totally oblivious to
the fact that he's in danger.
00:21:43.23\00:21:46.10
It's getting
hotter; it's getting hotter.
00:21:46.30\00:21:47.64
He passes out. The
water rolls to a boil
00:21:47.70\00:21:50.27
and the frog perishes...
certain frog species.
00:21:50.47\00:21:52.67
So is that happening to us?
00:21:53.07\00:21:55.48
Are we allowing ourselves
to be bathed in worldliness?
00:21:55.68\00:21:58.98
And we think: "Oh,
it's not that bad. "
00:22:00.28\00:22:02.35
Is that the kind of
phrase that Jesus says?
00:22:02.75\00:22:05.09
He says: "It's not that bad? "
00:22:05.29\00:22:07.26
He says: "No, you've
heard don't kill people. I say
00:22:07.46\00:22:09.26
don't even hate people. "
00:22:09.46\00:22:10.79
We want to raise the
standard not lower the standard.
00:22:10.83\00:22:13.09
And so the frog in the
pot teaches us: do not dally.
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.80
We do not play around
with sin, with worldliness,
00:22:18.00\00:22:21.60
because you're in danger
of searing the conscience
00:22:21.80\00:22:24.77
as with a hot iron.
00:22:24.97\00:22:26.31
And I'll tell you something:
this has last days implications.
00:22:26.47\00:22:29.24
Because when you
study in Isaiah chapter 33
00:22:29.64\00:22:32.75
you look at verse 14 and it
asks a very important question.
00:22:32.95\00:22:36.22
It says: "Who among us
00:22:36.62\00:22:38.95
is going to be able to dwell
00:22:39.15\00:22:41.62
and live in the
consuming fire? "
00:22:41.82\00:22:44.79
And you might say: "Well,
who is the consuming fire? "
00:22:44.99\00:22:46.83
"What is the consuming fire? "
00:22:47.03\00:22:48.36
Hebrews 12:29 tells us:
"Our God is a consuming fire. "
00:22:48.40\00:22:53.17
So if you get that picture
of God IS the consuming fire
00:22:53.57\00:22:57.67
then you go back to Isaiah 33:14
00:22:57.87\00:23:00.74
and it says: "Who
among us will dwell?
00:23:00.94\00:23:04.38
Will live? Will survive?
in the presence of God? "
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.82
You might think:
"Scott, can't everybody
00:23:07.02\00:23:08.72
dwell and live and
survive in the presence of God?
00:23:08.92\00:23:11.22
Well Moses actually
asked: "Show me Your glory. "
00:23:11.42\00:23:14.69
Do you remember the
verse in Exodus chapter 33?
00:23:14.89\00:23:17.76
He asked God to show him
His unveiled glory and God said:
00:23:17.96\00:23:21.40
"Hold on! No one can
see My face and live. "
00:23:21.60\00:23:25.47
Now there will be some
people who DO live though.
00:23:25.87\00:23:28.30
At that time Moses
was not ready for that.
00:23:28.50\00:23:30.84
Elijah was. At one
point the fire came down
00:23:31.04\00:23:33.48
and took him right back up
to heaven, right? Up to heaven.
00:23:33.68\00:23:36.68
And Jesus says there
will be some who see God.
00:23:37.08\00:23:40.28
"Blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see God. "
00:23:40.48\00:23:44.39
So Isaiah's
question that he's asking
00:23:44.79\00:23:47.06
"Who among us shall dwell
with the devouring fire? "
00:23:47.26\00:23:50.03
there will be a group
who will be able to survive
00:23:50.23\00:23:53.56
in the very
presence of a Living God.
00:23:53.76\00:23:55.66
They are called
the pure in heart.
00:23:56.33\00:23:58.73
Revelation also
refers to this group.
00:23:58.93\00:24:01.10
It says: "In the last days
when Jesus is coming on the
00:24:01.30\00:24:04.41
clouds of heaven
there will be a group
00:24:04.61\00:24:06.37
of the masses of earth's
inhabitants who will be running
00:24:06.57\00:24:09.41
away from Him.
They will be saying:
00:24:09.61\00:24:12.21
"Fall on us and hide
us rocks and mountains
00:24:13.35\00:24:15.68
from the face of
the wrath of the Lamb
00:24:15.88\00:24:17.45
for His great day has come
and who shall be able to...
00:24:17.65\00:24:20.92
stand? " Same
question Isaiah is asking.
00:24:21.12\00:24:23.63
"Who among us
will be able to stand
00:24:24.03\00:24:26.33
and dwell and live in the
presence of the Almighty God? "
00:24:26.53\00:24:29.13
They're running away
which is kind of ironic
00:24:29.66\00:24:31.90
because it's a Lamb coming.
00:24:32.10\00:24:34.20
A Lamb! The Lamb
of God who was slain!
00:24:34.40\00:24:36.64
God doesn't
want to hurt anybody.
00:24:37.04\00:24:39.14
He wants to SAVE.
00:24:39.34\00:24:40.71
But some people put themselves
in a state so out of harmony
00:24:40.91\00:24:44.41
with the love and
self-sacrificing purity
00:24:44.61\00:24:47.42
of the righteous holy God
00:24:47.62\00:24:49.58
that His presence to
them is something to flee.
00:24:49.78\00:24:52.25
And He is to
them a consuming fire.
00:24:52.45\00:24:54.52
But there is a group
that will be able to stand.
00:24:54.72\00:24:57.79
They ask the question
when they're running away:
00:24:57.99\00:24:59.69
"Who shall be able to stand? "
00:24:59.89\00:25:02.46
That's the end of the
chapter. It's Revelation 6
00:25:02.96\00:25:05.10
if you want to study that out.
00:25:05.30\00:25:06.63
And a lot of people end
the reading there and they go:
00:25:06.67\00:25:08.70
"Well, that's the end of
the chapter. I guess it's
00:25:08.90\00:25:10.41
a rhetorical question and
we don't know who will be able
00:25:10.61\00:25:12.94
to stand. " You can
have assurance today
00:25:13.14\00:25:15.31
that you will be in the
group that will be able to stand
00:25:15.51\00:25:17.78
'cause you read
on into chapter 7
00:25:17.98\00:25:19.31
and it answers the question:
"Who shall be able to stand? "
00:25:19.71\00:25:23.72
which is at the
end of chapter 6.
00:25:23.92\00:25:25.95
End of chapter 6: "Who
shall be able to stand? "
00:25:26.15\00:25:28.02
Read on into 7...
Revelation chapter 7 says:
00:25:28.22\00:25:30.93
"The angel was
ascending from the East
00:25:31.33\00:25:33.40
with the seal of God to
be placed on the foreheads
00:25:33.60\00:25:37.00
of the believers
in the last days. "
00:25:37.20\00:25:39.67
So there's the answer to
the question: "Who shall be able
00:25:40.07\00:25:42.77
to stand? "
People who have by faith
00:25:42.97\00:25:46.27
in the righteousness of
Christ who have been so settled
00:25:46.57\00:25:49.24
into the truth both
intellectually and spiritually
00:25:49.44\00:25:52.11
that they cannot be
moved though the heavens fall.
00:25:52.31\00:25:55.65
And in the last days
there will be tribulations.
00:25:55.85\00:25:58.42
There will be trials;
there will be deceptions;
00:25:58.62\00:26:00.99
and there will be a group
who will testify to the end.
00:26:01.19\00:26:04.13
And I want to be in that number
when the saints go marching in.
00:26:04.93\00:26:08.20
That number was
numbered as 144,000 symbolically
00:26:08.60\00:26:11.97
meaning the complete totality
of God's people in the last days
00:26:12.17\00:26:15.24
to receive the seal of God.
00:26:15.90\00:26:17.77
And I'll tell you
that what we do right now
00:26:18.47\00:26:20.71
is determinative regarding
which group we will be in:
00:26:21.11\00:26:25.11
the sealed or those who
are running away from the Lamb
00:26:25.31\00:26:27.88
seeking the refuge of the rocks
00:26:28.08\00:26:29.78
to fall on them
and destroy them.
00:26:29.98\00:26:31.52
There is an answer to
Isaiah's question by the way
00:26:32.62\00:26:35.12
in Isaiah 33:14: "Who
shall be able to dwell
00:26:35.52\00:26:38.79
in the everlasting burnings?
00:26:38.99\00:26:40.36
Who will be able to
stand in the consuming fire? "
00:26:40.76\00:26:42.96
Verse 15 says:
00:26:43.37\00:26:45.00
"He who shuts his eye
from looking upon evil
00:26:45.40\00:26:49.64
and who shuts his ears
from hearing about evil. "
00:26:49.84\00:26:53.58
He who shuts his eyes
from looking upon bloodshed
00:26:53.78\00:26:56.34
and shuts his ears
from hearing about evil.
00:26:56.54\00:26:58.41
You might say: "Well, we're
not saved by our media choices
00:26:58.61\00:27:01.92
so I can kind of watch
what I want and play what I want
00:27:02.32\00:27:04.79
and do what I want. "
00:27:04.99\00:27:06.32
No, we're not saved
by our media choices.
00:27:06.45\00:27:08.06
We're saved only by the blood of
the Lamb and the righteousness
00:27:08.26\00:27:10.13
of Christ. But if we are be-
holding the things of this world
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.19
we will become
conformed to this world.
00:27:13.40\00:27:15.56
And if we are
beholding those things
00:27:15.76\00:27:17.67
we are not beholding the
Lamb in whom we find salvation.
00:27:17.87\00:27:20.90
So we are saved by that
Lamb and only by beholding
00:27:21.84\00:27:24.14
can we become
transformed into His image
00:27:24.34\00:27:26.24
from glory to glory.
00:27:26.44\00:27:27.78
Who will be able to
stand in the consuming fire?
00:27:28.58\00:27:30.88
He who shuts his eyes and ears
from the things of this world
00:27:31.08\00:27:34.02
and beholds something better.
00:27:34.22\00:27:36.38
And what is that
something better?
00:27:36.79\00:27:38.12
Are you in the Word of God?
00:27:38.25\00:27:39.89
Are you walking
with Jesus Christ today?
00:27:40.09\00:27:42.32
That's the ultimate
appeal of Digital Disconnect.
00:27:42.52\00:27:44.89
This series is about
a whole lot of things
00:27:45.09\00:27:47.16
but when it boils down
to it the ultimate essence
00:27:47.36\00:27:50.17
is our
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:27:50.37\00:27:52.63
See Him in prayer and repentance
00:27:52.83\00:27:54.47
if we are
dabbling with the world
00:27:54.67\00:27:56.20
to cut that off right now
and uproot it by the roots
00:27:56.40\00:27:59.54
and seek Him
with all your heart.
00:27:59.74\00:28:01.44