Sermon Tone Analysis

Overcoming Fake News

Before we get started I want to share with you an interesting discovery

Flying Penguins World Penguin Day BBC 1:30

Now before any of you start sharing this on social media I think I should tell you that BBC published this on Mar 31 2008.

the day before April 1.........

We live in a day and age where it is easy to believe there is more fake news than real news.

Thanks to photoshop and CGI, technologies have developed to the point where we can't even trust our own eyes.

Seeing is not believing anymore

How does a Christian today ensure they are not believing or perpetuating a lie that opposes the will of God.

Whether its the main stream news or social media, the one sharing only shares what strengthens their point of view.

Ask yourself this question:

“When was the last time I shared something I didn’t agree with?”

probably not very often or even ever!

probably not very often or even ever!

The problem with social media is that it creates these bubbles in which you eventually only see what you agree with.

The algorithms keep track of the things you like and shows you more like that.

Things make you angry…you get less.

You’re being studied by an algorithm so it can feed you what it thinks you want!

People start seeing all these posts that agree with want they want to believe, so it justifies their belief, and they start thinking everyone agrees with them except a small minority of people.

Problem is when they meet someone else in the real world, who is in their own little bubble of influence, that does not believe what they believe .

You get this tremendous conflict.

The truth about social media is this.

If you like cat videos the posts they show you will reflect that.

If you don’t like cat videos, the posts you see won’t reflect that

Now obviously each social media platform has their own biases, and will restrict the

flow of information on the issues that matter most to them.

They have an agenda and are willing to use their tools to advance it.

let’s not be ignorant here

I think everyone would agree that social media is full of fake news

you probably even shared some of it yourself.

I think there are some simple rules we can.

Is it true?

Will it benefit someone?

Would you share it if it cost you money to do so?

Well enough with social media, and I’m not going to start in on main stream media.

But did you know fake news is not a new thing?

In fact Fake news actually shows up in the Bible.

I’m not saying the Bible has fake news

I’m saying the Bible records times of fake news occuring and the ramifications for it

Let’s me show you an example

background

After leaving Egypt the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, were given Manna to eat and water to drink, were reminded of the Laws of God at Mt. Sinai and saw many other manifestations proving that it was God who was leading them, but when they finally arrived at the promised land.

they were not ready

Cors

Moses sent out 12 spies to check out the land of Cannan

this is where we pick up the story

Numbers 13:2

Over the years I’ve heard several sermons on this passage.

I’ve even preached from it myself a number of times

I normally took the stand Joshua and Caleb saw everything but focused on the good and the other 10 focused on the bad.

but that’s not all there is to it

If we continue to read

Not only did the 10 spies see the bad, They actively pursued sharing fake news with the people to get them on their side!

Did they tell the people about the abundance of the land?

No

Of the huge clusters of grapes?

Milk and honey?

Did they tell them of the beauty?

No

Instead they made of stories “that the land devours its inhabitants”

Everyone their is a Giant, Even the descendants of the Nephilim are there.

ooohh scary place!

let’s go back into the dessert!

The Nephilim were the offspring of the "sons of Gods" and the "daughters of men" before the flood

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I don’t have time to discuss whether it was demons having sex with women or simply the sons of Seth.

The point here is how the spies used this word every Israeli could related to

You see what they did here.

The Nephilim, “mighty men who were of old, men of renown” the ones you’ve heard stories about

Their decendants

Their descendants are in the Land

Every Israeli boy and girl new the stories of the Torah, They had heard of the Nephilim and their amazing feats.

The 10 spies were telling them.

“their descendants are there, and if we go into the land were going to have to fight them for it!”

Were the sons of Anak descendants of the Nephilim?

Or was this just s a story to scare more people.

Here’s something to think about.

Right after we are told of the Nephilim in 4

we get the story of the flood.

in

:

The End of all flesh.

Man and animal, with the exception of what Noah put on the ark, was destroyed.

There was no descendants of Nephilim left.

The Bible does not say the “Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim)” were in the promised land.

It clearly says the Spies gave a bad report…and this is what they said!

It clearly says the Spies gave a bad report…and this is what they said!

This was fake news made up by the 10 spies to scare the people

And it worked!

So what were the consequences of believing fake news for them?

Numb 14:

the fake news caused them to reject their leader Moses, and long to become slaves again

God’s anger burns against them

Moses intervenes before God and God forgives them

Number 14:

Because the people believed the fake news and didn’t trust God.

They were not allowed to enter the promised land

instead they were to wonder in the desert until the entire generation excluding Joshua and Caleb, dies off

pretty severe consequence

After hearing the people got together and said, lets go fight

but they lost, because God was not with them.