Sermons By Subject: Social Issues
Slavery
I. Definitions
1. Slavery - n. 1. Severe toil like that of a slave; heavy labour, hard work, drudgery. 2. Conduct befitting a slave; ignoble, base, or unbecoming behaviour. Obs. rare. 3. The condition of a slave; the fact of being a slave; servitude; bondage.
2. Slave - n. I. 1. a. One who is the property of, and entirely subject to, another person, whether by capture, purchase, or birth; a servant completely divested of freedom and personal rights.
III. The definitions of the words shows that there is a clear distinction between slaves and servants.
1. Slave - n. I. 1. a. One who is the property of, and entirely subject to, another person, whether by capture, purchase, or birth; a servant completely divested of freedom and personal rights.
4. An Israelite could sell his daughter to be a maidservant (Exo 21:7).
A. If she was betrothed to her master and she didn't please him, he could not sell her to someone from another nation, but he had to let her father redeem her (Exo 21:8).
B. If he gave her to his son for a wife, he had to treat her like a daughter (Exo 21:9).
C. If the son took himself another wife, he still had to provide her with food, clothing, and sex and if he failed to then she would go free (Exo 21:10-11).
D. If you don't like these laws which God commanded in the OT, remember Isa 55:8-9 and Rom 3:4.
I. The dangers of technology
1. Inventions aren't always a good thing (Ecc 7:29; Psa 106:29,39).
2. "If there is technological advance without social advance, there is, almost automatically, an increase in human misery, in impoverishment." (Michael Harrington, The Other America, 1962)
3. "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, "Economy," 1854)
V. The need for human connection.
1. This new digital world with its social networking, emails, and texts boasts itself a utopia for human connection.
A. We can now connect with long-lost relatives, friends, co-workers, and classmates from around the country or world.
B. People now have hundreds of "friends" on Facebook or LinkedIn.
C. But has all this digital connection actually improved our relationships and our fullness as individuals?
2. The scripture emphasizes the importance of face-to-face interaction.
VII. The tendency to say, share, and gossip too much online
1. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter provide an easy avenue to blab things we should not and would not normally have the opportunity to in real life.
A. The definition of twitter is telling.
B. Twitter v. - 1. intr. Of a bird: To utter a succession of light tremulous notes; to chirp continuously with a tremulous effect. b. transf. Of a person: To sing after the above manner; also (esp. of a woman), to talk or chatter rapidly in a small or tremulous voice.
XII. Internet pornography
1. "The greatest threat to the body of Christ, to the church, to families, and to the individual Christian is the pervasive, destructive pornography available through the Internet." (Josh McDowell)
2. Internet pornography is an evil invention of men which people go a whoring after (Psa 106:39).
3. Pornography used to be harder to get.
A. It required going to a store and buying a magazine in person.
B. This was a deterrent to decent people.
C. Then it became available on the internet in the privacy of one's home.
8. How to avoid the temptation to view pornography.
A. Keep your thought-life pure.
i. Think on godly things (Phi 4:8).
ii. You are what you think about (Pro 23:7).
iii. Commit your works unto the Lord and your thoughts will be established (Pro 16:3).
a. "Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not." (Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, page 70)
XV. Internet addictions
1. Internet use, like many other activities or substances, can be addictive if overused.
A. If you can't stop doing a certain habitual thing (surfing the internet, video gaming, shopping, playing a sport, gambling, etc.) or using a certain substance (alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, pain medication, sleeping medication, etc.) without having withdrawal symptoms, you are addicted to that activity or substance.
A master copy of the indented outline in both MS Word and PDF formats can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
I. A misunderstanding of the judgment of God.
1. Christians often say that God will judge our country for allowing abortion and gay marriage.
2. The truth is that God has judged our country by allowing abortion and gay marriage.
II. An effective method of deception is to use euphemisms.
1. "When words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom." - Confucius
2. Abortion and gay marriage are both euphemisms.
Image from www.livescience.com.
For a master copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
To Listen on YouTube, click here: Marijuana: Can Christians Smoke It?
I. The properties and effects of marijuana
1. Definitions
Outlines are at the bottom of the page
The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
