What Would Jesus Say To Howard Stern? Series

“What Would Jesus Say to Howard Stern?”

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 1 John 5:2-3, John 15:13

INTRODUCTION:

Howard Stern: He’s called “Shock-Jock.” He proclaims himself as “King of the Media.” Maybe he is. He has over 25 million listeners, his radio show is No. 1 in most large city markets and he earns $20 million doing what he does. And what does he do?

He is without a doubt one of the most controversial personalities in the media world. The content of his show degrades everyone & everything. His guests often engage in sexual activities while on the air. His commentary is so sexually explicit that he’s paid over $1 million in fines to the F.C.C. and his insensitivity knows no bounds!

Less than 24 hours after the shootings at Columbine, Stern shocked even his most avid fans by saying, “There were some really good-looking girls running out of the school.. Did those kids (the killers) try to have sex with any of those good-looking girls? They didn’t even do that? At least, if you’re going to kill yourself and kill all the kids, why wouldn’t you have some sex?” It was called by many a “new low for radio” and he lost many sponsors over his crude remark. Yet it didn’t seem to phase him or change his insensitivity. Just four days after the September 11th terrorist attacks Stern said, “New York prostitutes ought to do what everyone else is doing. They ought to donate their services and go down and give sex to the fireman while they’re digging out the bodies.” Many condemned Stern’s remarks. Don Wildmon of the A.F.A. said, “While America weeps over the loss of thousands of its citizens, Howard Stern continues to spew his disillusioned perversion on national radio.”

What would Jesus say to a man like Howard Stern, to this “Shock- Jock”? I’ll tell you, this message was harder to prepare in some respects than lasts weeks on Osama bin Laden. At least bin Laden does what he does out of some belief, albeit a very twisted one, in God. Stern does what he does purely for selfish pursuits, for money and for fame. And the more I researched the man the more sickened I became. It’s hard to even explain in a forum like this what he does let alone find a redeeming quality in his life. But that’s from a human point of view. What we’ve been doing in this series is looking at these people & their problems from Jesus’ perspective. At one point, I really wondered if I’d made a mistake choosing Howard Stern. I prayed: “Lord, what could You say to him except, “Howard, where you’re going I hope you really like warm weather!” But I could almost hear Jesus say, “Tim, remember, I specialize in taking what people would call the “dregs of humanity” and make them into the “darlings of heaven.” And when you read about Jesus in the Bible that’s exactly what He did. Take Mary Magdalene, a demon possessed woman becoming one of the 1st witnesses to the resurrected Christ; the woman at the well, a sexually immoral person, who Jesus used as a soul winner, or Paul, a Christian murderer, who became the greatest missionary of all time. Jesus often took those who culture gave up on and helped them become “Godly Greats!” I think Jesus might just surprise us & Howard by what He would say. While I’m sure there is a wide range of comments Jesus might have for Howard, I’d like to suggest three pairs of unexpected words that He might say.

I. “I AGREE” (Sex is a good thing): 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

The first thing I think Jesus would say to Howard is “I agree. Sex is a good thing.” Howard Stern’s claims to fame is his creative descriptions and all too often, his crude referral to & use of sex. He once said, “I am to sex what Picasso is to painting.” But I can hear Jesus say to him, “Howard, sex is a great thing, but here’s where you’ve missed it. Sex is to be used only in the way God designed.” And Jesus could say that because He is the absolute authority on sex. In fact, in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus in talking about sexual relations said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’” Now, Jesus is referring there to the 7th of the 10 commandments given by God Himself. But then He adds.. “But I tell you - that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “You’ve heard it said.. But I tell you..” Jesus Christ is adding and giving additional wisdom into God’s commandments. Who else but the Son of God could give insight into what God has already said? Only one equal to God could do that. You know people can call Jesus a good teacher, moral man or even a prophet, but Jesus didn’t call Himself those things. He claimed equality with God and all of us must wrestle with that claim. Including Howard Stern. Jesus would say, “Howard, I am equal with God so I’m qualified to tell you how God designed sex to be used. It was never meant to be used as you have promoted it.. A selfish, secular, shallow, senseless lust. God knows that sexual relations were meant to be understood in the context of a lifelong commitment, in fact, it is intimacy in marriage that gives beauty to sex.”