Introduction
The bible gives us strong warnings against the world and all its false ways. Perhaps this is addressed for the young people for whom the world often holds a special attraction, but it is a warning that applies to all the Lord’s people.
Sermon
The world here is not the planet on which we live, or the natural creation about us. Rather it is the system which man has built up in an effort to make himself happy without Christ. Over all it is a culture that loves and welcomes everything accept Jesus Christ our Savior. In other words this human society is organized on wrong principals, and their own desires and false values.
Jesus told us not to love the world or the things in the world, because it is not compatible with the love of the Father. The world can only offer us the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Now the lust of the flesh refers to such sensual bodily appetites that proceed from within our evil nature.
The lust of the eyes applies to such evil desires that may arise from what we see. The pride of life is an unholy ambition for self-display and self-glory. Now these three elements of worldliness are illustrated in the sin of Eve. If we go back to the Garden of Eden the tree was good for food, (lust of the flesh). The tree looked good to the eye, (Lust of the eye) and it was a tree to be desired to make one wise this was the pride of life.
As the devil is opposed to Christ, and the flesh is hostile to the Spirit, so is the world antagonistic (against or opposed) to the Father. These appetite, avarice, (meaning greedy for wealth or a desire to gain) and unholy ambition are not of the Father but of the world. Worldliness is the passing of things and stuff and the human heart can never find satisfaction with. Can I get a witness?
Christians are first married to God. He should be our first love. When we start doing things that are contrary to the word of God that makes us adulterers and we have committed adultery to God because the church is the bride of Christ. James 4:4 says that when you are friends to the world, you are an enemy to God. (am I right it)
Romans 12:2 says don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do. You will also know how good and pleasing and perfect His will is. Now if we look a little further at Romans 13: 14 it says let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you and don’t think of ways to indulge in evil desires.
And Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we were born with an evil nature and we were under Gods anger just like everyone else but God sent Jesus so that we can be transformed from the world.
Much of the world has its heart set on gaining more and more of life’s luxuries and on increasing its income level compared to the year before. So they work harder or get a part time job to pay for things they can’t afford. Their fears and frustrations continue to grow at the result of their inability to cope adequately with situations they can’t change. Now this drive at times led to physical and emotional exhaustion, depression, and what we may call burnout. At times, we are all temped to be influenced by the spirit of the world that deceives many that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they may be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion (unbelief) that they (unbelievers) should believe a lie. That they all might be damned (judged) who believed not the Truth, but has pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 10-12)
So we need to remind ourselves daily that we are in a spiritual battle against satanic forces.
Jesus is God’s prescription for a sin sick world. But we want to hang on to things of this world in which we can not do. You know that this world is going to pass away and if you don’t have the word of God in you then you are going to be lost because His word is forever. The world is deceiving it has nothing to offer you in terms of Gods eternity. If you receive your treasures on earth there is no crown for you in Glory. Because you done received everything and all you ever wanted here on earth and done puffed yourself up then there is nothing left in heaven to gain. God said you have to go through persecution for my sake. You see you got to go through something to get to where God want you to be.
We can not straddle the fence thinking that you can please God and the world. In my depression I tried and it did not work. I wanted to see if I could because I was one of them ones that had to see how much I could get away with. I wanted to hang on to some things I was slacking on my tithes, being rebellious, and lazy among other things and I was getting away with it for a while at least I thought I was until things started going down hill and I ended up half dead in the hospital intensive care unit. God was not playing. I had to get it together real quick. I was putting more time into TV, computer, people and self than God. In Mathew 7:21
Jesus said not all people who sound religious are not godly. They may refer to me as Lord but they won’t inter the kingdom of heaven the decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven.
Now 1 Cor. 7:31 says those in frequent contract with the things of the world should make good use of them with out becoming attached to them. For this world and all it contains will pass away and then what do you have to hold on too? God said My Word will never pass away. Amen?
With out God’s word in your system you are powerless (am I right bro. Darrin?) because the seed is the word and if it is not rooted if can’t grow. If your spirit don’t have enough word in you to back up what you say then you are counterfeit. If you only got two scriptures then the rest of what you say is counterfeit.
I’ll give you an illustration lets take the world and the money. The U.S. can only print so much money because if they print 5 billion dollars then they have to have that much gold in Fort Knox to back up the money that they print. So if the US prints more money and there is no gold to back it up then it’s counterfeit, that’s the same with God’s word if you don’t have enough word in you to fight off the enemy then you are counterfeit. The devil and the world will beat you down. The devil said Jesus I know, Paul I know but who are you? If the word is you, the bible says God quickens His word and when you got the word in you, you can speak the word back to God and he will honor it. God said My Word will nor return to Me void. Can I get a witness?
When you can give more time to God’s word embedding it in your spirit then you can grow. You got to eat that word so that when you do something wrong, the word in you will let you know that it is wrong. If you got the word in you it should be able tell you that, the dress you got on is to tight or to short, the word in you will let you know that those pants are to tight or to loose, if the word is in you it will tell you that I can see through that blouse of shirt and so on. If the word was in you it should tell you that it is not of God to have rings in your tongues and body body piercings and tattoos all over your body is in appropriate. It is not of God that’s the world’s standards.
We fall because we want to, we mess up because we want too because we won’t let go of the things we love in this world and we want to blame it on the devil. The devil can only put thoughts in your mind, but if you got the word of God in your heart and in your spirit the devil can’t do nothing unless you allow him to. You have to be able to quote the word like Jesus did, He said for it is written. Man can’t live by bread alone. You can’t temp the LORD GOD, serve only God. I am going to tell this, God made us some promises and I new that the promise he made was just laying idol in my spirit until I was going through some things the devil said look at you, you are all alone and I thought God’s word quickened and I said it is written He will never leave or forsake me (Joshua 1:5) the devil said what you going to do now? I said it is written God said I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you (Psalm 32:8). The devil said you are in trouble now. I said it is written God said He will sustain me and He will rescue me. (Isaiah 46:4) God also said I will strengthen you and help you; I will up hold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10) (this is just a sample)
That’s why you have to have the word in you because you are not going to be able to have your bible at all times it has to be in your Heart. But we want to watch TV, listen to the wrong people, and the wrong music. You should not get excited about the world but be delivered from it. Collossians 2:20 says you have died with Christ, He has set you free from the evil power of this world.
One thing I have learned in my meditation is that as long as we still have life in our selves, we are not able accept the victory of Christ. Though Christ may be dwelling in us, He has not been given the place to rule in us. We must come to the end of any life in ourselves, for man’s extremity is Gods opportunity. (In other words get out of your flesh and deny yourself and let God have His way in your life.)
And other thing is unless a person comes to see the utter weakness of self, that person will never accept the cross and completely surrender all of their self-managing power he has over to the Lord.
The reason we are not farther in our walk is because we aren’t feeding our spirit with the word. It shouldn’t be nothing to us to go out into the world fishing and bring back some fish.
Jesus said cast your nets according to His word. See when we bait our hook to go fishing it’s like this. We tell people come on to the church we’re having a barbeque, or a dinner, or we are watching movies and having some snacks, that is not fishing that is lour because once they eat they’re gone until the next dinner because they have not been delivered. Amen?
Jesus said Preach the Gospel don’t sugar coat it because we got to get off the milk and start chewing on some meat even it has to hurt, and if it hurt then there was something said right Because my bible tells me that the truth hurts. (it also said the word cuts like a two edge sword) What you don’t know you have not read but it’s in the word, and the world or the devil can’t destroy you if you got the word you.
The devil gets scared when you get power. Because power comes from the word We as Christian should not be walking around with our head hung down like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. I’ve seen faces that look like they ain’t had no joy in a long time dragging, sad, and mad like their life is over. I’m here to tell you, God sad your Joy is in My word and not in the world. You see joy is in the word, and in your joy comes the strength, and in the strength come the power and in the power comes the anointing and in the anointing God give you the assignment. It’s not going to come over night.
So if you want joy get in the word, God is only going to give you as much assignment as word that is in you. If you got a little bit of word then you get a little assignment but if you have a lot of word then you get a big assignment. But don’t cry to God because you ain’t growing. (But we quick to say that the devil is a lie well if we are walking around all jacked up then the devil ain’t lying because you are letting him have his way with you.) Because he all in your mind distorting your thoughts. The devil is a lie when you got the word of God in you. God gave you all you need in His word. Amen?
God is God no matter what if He give you an assignment He’s God, if He give what you want He God, if He don’t, If He give you a mate, if He give you children, if He give that house or car He God, if He give that job,
This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.
We ought to Praise God until it is not us that is praising Him but His Spirit.
