The World, and the Christian

[0:00] What does the Bible say about the world? 1 John 2 verses 15-17. Our Lord says this, He says, He says, Consider the world and your relationship with the world and with your Lord. And I'd like to put to you some points to ponder.

[0:48] Number one, passion. Where is your passion? What is it that you do love? Our text tells us that there is something we ought not to love. Love not the world. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world.

[1:06] Is what's driving you the world and the things of the world? Is what's driving you the world and sin? What is in the world? What is there there?

[1:16] All that is in the world, it says. It talks about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. It says that these things will pass away. Friends, this old world is terminally ill. It is doomed.

[1:32] And the world passeth away, it says, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Which way will you go? It's like there's a fork in the road. You've got to make a choice here.

[1:45] Whose way will you choose? The world or God? Worldliness will drive you away from the Lord. Worldliness will sap your spiritual life. Worldliness will stifle your Christian commitment.

[1:58] How is your interest in spiritual things? How is your faithfulness, your passion, your love? Love not the world. In other words, love not whatever is of the world.

[2:11] It could be whatever is attracting from the world which you know is of question. Pokies, drink, drugs, worldly friends, worldly places, worldly ways, the pop stars, the movie stars, you name it.

[2:27] These are things that are of the world, aren't they? Worldly talk. Instead let us fall in love with our Lord. Galatians 5.24 it says, And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

[2:41] Where are your affections? What is attracting you? Where are your desires taking you? Is it God and the things of God that attract you? Or is it the world and the things of the world?

[2:55] What is it that you love? Will you stay in your sins and go the way of the world, the way of the flesh? Or will you repent? Make that U-turn and trust Christ. Are you a friend of the world?

[3:08] James 4.4 it says, To love the world is hatred towards God.

[3:20] Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Are you an enemy of God? We should take stock, shouldn't we? James 1.27 it says, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, And to keep himself unspotted from the world.

[3:40] Are you spotted by the world? 2 Corinthians 6.17-18 it says, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, And will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

[4:04] Don't even touch, touch the unclean thing. Set no wicked thing before your eyes, it says. 2 Corinthians 7 it says, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, Perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

[4:23] Someone said, I thought when I became a Christian I had nothing to do, But just to lay my oars in the bottom of the boat and float along. But I soon found that I would have to go against the current.

[4:34] So said D.L. Moody. We don't just lay the oars in the bottom of the boat and just coast. There's a sense where we have to put our faith into action, To go against the current.

[4:44] It will mean going against the current, against the stream. It takes a decision to swim uphill, to take spine. It takes a choice of willingness. And Christians are called to this, to swim against the tide.

[4:59] Where is your love, your passion? Secondly, when we think about the world, we are conscious of a pressure. We think of pressure. Romans 12 verses 1 through 2. Paul says this, he says, I becheek you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, That you present your bodies a living sacrifice, Holy, acceptable unto God, Which is your reasonable service.

[5:20] And be not conformed to this world, But be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, That you may prove what is, That good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

[5:32] What is the overriding power in your life? What is the driving force? What are you being conformed to?

[5:43] What is it that is fashioning you, And your way of living, of thinking? Is it the world? Is it the pressure of the world, That is pressing you into its mould? There is a story of a man, shipwrecked for years, Living alone on a desert island, And one day he was excited to see a ship offshore, Which had seen his signal flag in this palm tree, And a small dinghy came ashore with one occupant, And the fellow rowing it, Handed the maroon sailor a bundle of newspapers, And told him, The captain sends you these papers, And suggests you read them, Before you decide whether you want to be rescued.

[6:19] It's a bit like that, isn't it? This ungodly world has little to offer. How we need Christian maturity, To see people, men and women, Surrendered to Christian service.

[6:31] Godly, mature young people. That's my heart. Someone has said, It's not the ship in the water, But the water in the ship that sinks it.

[6:41] And so it is not the Christian in the world, But the world in the Christian, That constitutes the danger. It's been truly said, That anything that dims my vision of Christ, Or takes away my taste for Bible study, Or cramps my prayer life, Or makes Christian work difficult, Is wrong for me.

[7:01] And I must, as a Christian, Turn away from it. So said J. Wilbur Chapman. Are you giving way to peer pressure?

[7:12] Or will you commit to following Christ, No matter what? You have to decide to be different. Will the Lord find a church without spot, Or wrinkle, Or any such thing, And is coming again, To planet earth?

[7:25] Yes, he will. Will you be a part of that church? It's been said, Most middle class Americans tend to worship their work, To work at their play, And to play at their worship.

[7:39] I think that could be said of Aussies too, Couldn't it? To worship their work, To work at their play, And to play at their worship. We do not want, As the newspapers say, A church that will move with the world, We want a church that will move the world.

[7:54] So said G. K. Chesterton. Will we be a church, A people of God, Who will move the world? Then we need to forsake worldliness, To deal with sin in the camp.

[8:06] Sin needs to be dealt with. As a preacher, I must challenge sin, Challenge wrong living, Challenge evil, And exhort people to godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 5 verse 20, It says, Then that sin rebuke before all, That others also may fear.

[8:22] 2 Timothy 4 verse 2, It says, Preach the word, Be instant, In season, Out of season, Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort, With all longsuffering, And doctrine.

[8:33] Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort. Friends, It's time to seek after God, Repent, To turn our life over to the Lord, Clean up your life, Give it over.

[8:45] Don't give way to the pressures of the world, The pressures of the crowd, Stand up and be counted, And be different. God will give you the grace, To stand firm.

[9:01] Love not the world, Love the Lord.