August 17th, 2015

Just recently I began a sermon series titled “Selfie” Proverbs 27:2.  The phenomenon that is sweeping the nation called social media.  However when looked closely at, is not very social at all.  As a matter of fact most families have became disengaged because several members are not socially interacting with the family. Instead, they are submerged into the world of social media..

I was at my doctors office today and noticed that out of 30 people waiting in the lobby, over 50 percent were disengaged with family members sitting right beside them while staring deeply into their cell phones and social media.  Even in the church that I pastor, I ask people to put their cell phones away and I can guarantee you I will see several disengaged from the Word of God staring into their cell phones as if they were some kind of life support system!

We are becoming a nation of Narcissists.  A narcissist is a person who has a personality disorder that is excessively preoccupied with personal success, adequacy, power, prestige, and vanity.  The scripture that I reference in the title to this series tells us this:

Prov 27:2

2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—

a stranger, not your own lips.

Actually, from a biblical perspective narcissism is the sin of Satan himself.  It is self love and pride.  Actually in 2 Timothy 3, the end times prophecy scriptures refers to people’s attitudes as being 'boastful, proud, lovers of their own selves'.  Narcissism at its best!  It appears from a pastoral view that social media sites primarily promotes self.  The question is why?  Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Why do you feel the need to announce to everyone on the world wide web when you are going to the bathroom?  Why would you be interested in sharing promiscuous photos of yourself, your likes, your desires your habits, when you are away, when you are home, when you are on vacation, etc?

Well the real reason is some people have a very twisted need to stay relevant or have the need to be praised and looked up to..sounds like Satan himself!  People post photos of themselves for various reasons but mainly to advertise themselves to anyone who would want to look.  Then let's be honest, come back to see who it was that liked what you have shown!  How twisted and full of carnality and devilish can that be.  Almost sounds like the first grade note we use to pass to someone we liked…If you like me check yes or no! 

I mean think of how outlandish this is;  would you take photos of yourself and throw in a narrative of all your likes, desires, when you go to bed, when you wake up, where you work, what your schedule is, when you’re on vacation, etc and hand it to a complete stranger on downtown third street of Dayton Ohio?  Most of you are thinking no way!  Yet that is what you are doing on a daily basis on social media and hoping to see if someone will love you as much as you love yourself.

In my sermon Sunday morning, I spoke to the fact that the Pharisees of Jesus' day would love such a thing as social media.  Jesus said they were so self-absorbed.  They really only cared about themselves. They loved to look good, appear righteous and put on airs in front of people..sounds like social media at its best. 

As a Christian Pastor, I want to sound the alarm to this issue that has swept the nation.  I don’t mean to sound as if I am a technophobe because I too am engaged in emails, text messages and the web.  A page such as this one is not designed to promote self and individual glory which I think is a good use for social media.  That being said, let us be careful and walk as children of the Light who have been born again not in the image of evil but in the image of God to serve others and to prefer others over ourselves.  This is quite the opposite from someone who is all about promoting self. For even Jesus, the second person of the trinity did not come to be served but came to serve.

Pastor Jay Keaton