Mastering Technology: Tools for Faithful Living

Devotional

Day 1: Technology as a Servant, Not a Master

Technology itself is morally neutral, but its impact on our lives can be profound. We must ensure that it serves us rather than dominates us. This requires a conscious effort to use technology in ways that are beneficial and not all-consuming. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that while all things may be lawful, not all things are helpful, and we should not be dominated by anything. This principle applies directly to our use of technology.

Statistics reveal that a significant portion of Americans are addicted to their phones, with many checking their devices every 12 minutes. This addiction leads to various negative outcomes, such as increased anxiety, car accidents, and a general sense of isolation. To counteract these effects, we need to create healthy boundaries and treat technology as a gift to be stewarded, not a right to be exploited. [12:48]

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV): "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything."

Reflection: What is one specific way you can set a boundary with your technology use today to ensure it serves you rather than dominates you?

Day 2: Real Relationships Over Digital Connections

Excessive use of technology can isolate us from real, meaningful relationships. We often seek out fake relationships through screens, which can never replace the depth and richness of face-to-face interactions. The allure of social media and digital communication can make us feel connected, but these connections are often shallow and lack the depth of real-life relationships.

Consider how much time you spend on your devices compared to the time you spend with loved ones in person. The Bible encourages us to love one another deeply and to bear each other's burdens, which is difficult to do through a screen. By prioritizing real relationships over digital ones, we can foster deeper connections and fulfill our calling to love others as Christ loves us. [15:07]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: Who is one person you can reach out to today for a meaningful, face-to-face conversation or quality time together?

Day 3: Guarding Your Spiritual Life from Distractions

Technology can distract us from our spiritual lives, pulling our attention away from Jesus and onto worldly matters. This distraction can lead to a gradual drifting away from our faith and community. The constant notifications, social media updates, and endless information can make it challenging to focus on our relationship with God.

To counteract this, we need to be intentional about setting aside time for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers. By creating screen-free times and spaces, we can ensure that our spiritual lives remain a priority. Remember, our relationship with Jesus is eternal and fulfilling, unlike the fleeting satisfaction that technology offers. [16:22]

Colossians 3:2 (ESV): "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Reflection: What is one specific time each day you can dedicate to being screen-free and focusing on your relationship with God?

Day 4: Resisting Temptation in the Digital Age

The accessibility of technology makes it easier to fall into various temptations, whether it's lust, gambling, or gossip. This opens up avenues for Satan to exploit our weaknesses and lead us away from God. The Bible warns us to be vigilant and sober-minded because our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

By being aware of the specific temptations that technology presents, we can take proactive steps to guard our hearts and minds. This might include using accountability software, setting content filters, or seeking support from a trusted friend or mentor. Remember, we are called to live holy lives, set apart for God's purposes. [20:21]

1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV): "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

Reflection: What is one specific temptation you face with technology, and what step can you take today to guard against it?

Day 5: Stewarding Technology for God's Glory

We should view technology as a gift to be stewarded wisely. This means setting healthy boundaries and using it in ways that glorify God and build up His kingdom, rather than exploiting it for selfish gains. The Bible teaches us that every good and perfect gift comes from above, and we are called to use these gifts responsibly.

Consider how you can use technology to further God's purposes in your life and the lives of others. This might include sharing the gospel online, encouraging others through social media, or using technology to facilitate ministry and service. By stewarding technology wisely, we can ensure that it serves God's kingdom rather than our own desires. [27:32]

James 1:17 (ESV): "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Reflection: How can you use technology today in a way that glorifies God and builds up His kingdom?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Good morning, Redemption Church! Today marks the beginning of our new series, "Hot Seat," where we will explore culturally relevant topics through the lens of the gospel. Our first topic is technology. We began with a fun, interactive exercise using paddles to gauge our collective opinions on various aspects of technology, from junk food to iPhones. This set the stage for a deeper discussion on how technology impacts our lives.

We examined 1 Corinthians 6:12, where Paul states, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything." This verse serves as a framework for understanding that while technology itself is morally neutral, its impact on our lives can be profound and often detrimental if not managed properly.

Statistics reveal that a significant portion of Americans are addicted to their phones, with many checking their devices every 12 minutes. This addiction leads to various negative outcomes, such as increased anxiety, car accidents, and a general sense of isolation. We even conducted a live screen time check, which revealed that many of us spend an alarming amount of time on our devices.

The core message is that technology should be viewed as a tool, not a master. We discussed how technology can isolate us from real relationships, distract us from our spiritual lives, and open us up to various temptations. To counteract these effects, we need to create healthy boundaries and treat technology as a gift to be stewarded, not a right to be exploited.

We also introduced practical steps to manage our technology use better, such as setting screen time limits and scheduling screen-free time. Ultimately, the question we must answer is which master we will serve: the fleeting, dopamine-driven allure of technology or the eternal, fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ.

###

Key Takeaways

1. consuming. [12:48]
2. Isolation and Real Relationships: Excessive use of technology can isolate us from real, meaningful relationships. We often seek out fake relationships through screens, which can never replace the depth and richness of face-to-face interactions.

3. Distraction from Spiritual Life: Technology can distract us from our spiritual lives, pulling our attention away from Jesus and onto worldly matters. This distraction can lead to a gradual drifting away from our faith and community.

4. Openness to Temptation: The accessibility of technology makes it easier to fall into various temptations, whether it's lust, gambling, or gossip. This opens up avenues for Satan to exploit our weaknesses and lead us away from God.

5. Stewardship of Technology: We should view technology as a gift to be stewarded wisely. This means setting healthy boundaries and using it in ways that glorify God and build up His kingdom, rather than exploiting it for selfish gains.

### [12:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - Introduction to Hot Seat Series
[01:22] - Interactive Paddle Exercise
[02:37] - Thumbs Up/Down Activity
[04:25] - Technology: Morally Neutral
[04:57] - 1 Corinthians 6:12
[05:53] - Statistics on Technology Use
[07:04] - Personal Screen Time Confession
[08:21] - Congregation Screen Time Check
[10:11] - The Impact of Technology
[12:09] - Technology as a Tool
[15:07] - Isolation and Real Relationships
[16:22] - Distraction from Spiritual Life
[20:21] - Openness to Temptation
[22:14] - Tower of Babel and Technology
[23:36] - Creating Healthy Boundaries
[27:32] - Stewardship of Technology
[30:06] - Heart Issues and Technology
[33:21] - Practical Steps to Manage Technology
[34:52] - Choosing Your Master
[36:33] - Invitation to Prayer and Confession

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to 1 Corinthians 6:12, what does Paul mean when he says, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful"? How does this apply to our use of technology? [04:57]
What statistics were shared in the sermon about the average screen time and its effects on people? [05:53]
How did the interactive paddle exercise help illustrate the congregation's views on technology? [01:22]
What are some of the negative outcomes of excessive technology use mentioned in the sermon? [05:53]

Interpretation Questions

How does the concept of being "dominated" by something, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:12, relate to our relationship with technology? [04:57]
In what ways can technology isolate us from real relationships, according to the sermon? [15:07]
How does Hebrews 2:1 warn us about the dangers of distraction, and how does this apply to our use of technology? [16:22]
What lessons can we learn from the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:3-4 about the use of technology and human ambition? [22:14]

Application Questions

Reflect on your own screen time. Were you proud or embarrassed by the amount of time you spend on your devices? What steps can you take to reduce it? [31:55]
How can you create healthy boundaries for technology use in your daily life? What specific actions will you take this week to implement these boundaries? [23:36]
Think about a time when technology distracted you from your spiritual life. How can you refocus your attention on Jesus and minimize these distractions? [16:22]
Identify one real relationship that has been affected by your use of technology. What steps can you take to rebuild and strengthen that relationship? [15:07]
How can you use technology as a tool to glorify God and build up His kingdom rather than for selfish gains? [27:32]
What practical steps can you take to avoid the temptations that technology presents, such as lust, gambling, or gossip? [20:21]
Which master will you choose to serve: the fleeting allure of technology or the eternal relationship with Jesus Christ? What changes will you make to ensure you are serving the right master? [34:52]

Sermon Clips

1. "Technology in and of itself, it's morally neutral. It's one of these things that it's not good or bad, but like many things in our life, it's something we have unfiltered access to. And very often, it can have this great, useful, productive side to it. And then it can also have this really bad side where it's like not so good." [04:25] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "If you're anything like me, when I read that verse initially, my gut reaction was like, ugh, I don't wanna be dominated. Like, I'm not dominated by anything or anyone. And I would just say, keep telling yourselves that, fellas. But you are. Just kidding. So I was kinda digging into this, and I'm like, you know, when I think of the word dominating, what does that really mean? Well, that's like this idea it's all-consuming. Does technology really all consume every part of our life?" [05:27] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "When my kids were growing up, when they were little, there was this song on their favorite TV show, and it was actually pretty helpful. But the little song, I think it was started by Barney, and the song goes like this. Clean up, clean up. Everybody, everywhere, clean up, clean up. You guys know it, yes, you nailed it. So much better than first service. You guys get the A prize. So, here's the thing about that song, right? That song was really annoying for a long time, but it was very helpful. And the idea, the big idea behind that song is that all of our things have a place, right? And if we were to drill down even more, it's saying everything has a proper place, right?" [10:48] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Technology in its proper place can be an aid to us in life and in our faith. And here's the reality, it really is, it's that simple, right? It's that simple, and so, just like we said earlier, technology in and of itself, it's not, good or bad, it's all about how we use it. It's all about keeping technology in its proper place." [12:09] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "We need to view technology as a tool and not a master. And I wanna unpack this a little bit. Let's put back up that verse from Corinthians. First Corinthians, chapter six, verse 12, and then we'll come back to the slide, says this, again, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. So, as we said, tech in and of itself, right, friends, it's morally neutral, right? Tech in and of itself is morally neutral." [12:48] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The more we allow technology to dominate our lives, the more we retreat into ourselves, away from reality. Another thing that happens is we become distracted in all areas of our lives. We become distracted. Hebrews chapter two, verse one says, therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. So we begin to get distracted, right? Things pull our attention away from Jesus onto the world." [16:22] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "What's happening is we've lost the sense, of wonder and awe that God has provided through creation. It's like creation is no longer magical. The thing that God did to make everything that's in existence, even this technology, is no longer cool because I can create things that are really neat. And we've traded in real experiences. We've traded in real experiences, times where we can walk along the beach. Think about how nice it is when you just stand on the beach and the breeze is coming across your face, and you can hear the sounds of the ocean, and you can smell what's happening around you, and like you feel the sand beneath your toes, and maybe the waves are rushing gently across your feet. We've traded that in for digital dopamine hits." [18:54] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "When technology becomes our master, we greatly expand the ability of Satan to pray into our innermost temptations. We open ourselves up. We allow him an inroad to our hearts. The other thing is that, we start to rely on ourselves instead of God. I love this verse. This is something that happened. If you go way, way, way back, Genesis chapter 11, there's this story and it's called the Tower of Babel. And it's about this group of individuals who essentially are trying to build a tower to heaven. Well, what they're doing is they're using the technology of the day, which is brick and mortar." [21:34] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "If we wanna live in a world less dependent on devices, we need to make devices less accessible, and put your phone away. Put some boundaries in place. And then the third way that we keep technology in its proper place is this. We need to treat technology as a gift to be stewarded, not a right to be exploited. I think this one is probably the most important. So if we read in 1 Peter 4, verse 10, it says this. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's grace." [27:32] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Technology and our use of it ultimately exposes the inner workings of our heart. That's what it does. Technology exposes our heart. So if we don't like the way, when we're thinking about technology, if we don't like the way we're using technology right now, there are some practical things we need to do, and we're certainly gonna talk about those as we wrap up here. But the big work that needs to happen is our heart needs to be reset, right? The deep down issue, replace the technology with something else. The deep down issue is this heart issue, right? Out of the heart springs everything. Everything we do flows from our heart." [30:06] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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