You Have To Get In The Ring To Win Me vs The World
Proverbs 1:8-19 Luke 4:1-13 7/18/2021
We are continuing our boxing match line-up that we started two weeks ago. The first match was Me vs. Me. The second match was Me Vs. You. Today’s match is Me vs. The World, and next week it will be Me Vs. God.
Today’s opponent is much more difficult to fight because he likes to hit you just a little bit and then moves out the way before you realize it was him that hit you. He takes the Muhammed Ali approach in that “He flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee”.
Not only that, today’s opponent is content with paying me off before the fight begins, so that I and he are just pretending in the ring. I throw a punch, and he throws back little light jab. He loves to fight in fixed matches because he has no honor.
In our reading in Proverbs today we met a man who was just minding his own business. His friends came looking for him they claimed to put some money in his pocket. They were going to show him how to get rich before the day was over. All he had to do was come along with them.
They were going to jump this guy who had just gotten paid. Not only were they going to take his money, they would take his keys and rob his house as well. They were not going to leave any witnesses so there was no way they could get caught.
By the end of the day, all that would be left was splitting up the stuff they had stolen. The whole emphasis was on how much they were going to get, not how much it was going to cost.
This idea of getting what you want without considering the price you will pay is one of the patterns taught by the world. You have heard me say many times in the benediction, do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The apostle John, one of the disciples of Jesus, wrote to us saying, 1 John 2:15 (NIV2011) 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
Before I get into the ring, it’s a good idea to know who my opponent is. What does the bible mean by the term “world.” Can’t I love the stuff that God has blessed me with?
The word “world” is translated from the Greek word cosmos. In Jewish tradition and in Biblical understanding the word cosmos refers to the realm of human existence. The word world is translated to mean three different things.
1. The physical planet earth. We see in Acts, God who made the world. 2. The people in the world or humankind. We see in John, “For God so loved the world.” 3 The moral world or the culture that is indifferent or opposed to God. We see in Romans the patterns of this world.
We are looking at the 3rd meaning of “moral world” or the culture of our day that is opposed to God as the one I am getting into the ring with today. Jesus tells us three times in the gospel of John that Satan is the Prince of this world in other words the ruler of this world. So we are actually talking about getting in the ring and going a few rounds with Satan.
But its not just Satan because the apostle Paul tells us, 2 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
We makes the world such a tough opponent is that the world never looks as tough as it really is when we get in the ring. It portrays itself as either a kind misunderstand friend, or as a poor little child you don’t want to hurt, or a quick way to help you get something you really want and may even deserve.
The world speaks in a way you want to listen to what it has to say. Each round a different opponent gets in the ring with us, trying to play on some weakness that we have.
We forget that we are in the ring for Jesus. Our job is to throw punches for Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV2011) 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. The world is constantly trying to change our way of thinking so that we can become content living in opposition to the truth of God’s word.
We know that we can’t stop the messages the world wants to give. We can’t stop spiritual wickedness in high places But we don’t have to let the message land in our hearts putting us in opposition to God.
Jesus didn’t fight against Rome’s loose immoral laws. Instead he told us to focus on loving God first. Putting God’s word in our hearts and being obedient to it. Only then can we love people as we should.
The apostle John told us there were three things that would pull us a way from God and toward the things of the world. He wrote to us in 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV2011) 15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
When the bible speaks of the lust of the flesh, its talking about our bodies desiring certain things and it wants to be fulfilled. Your body lets you know you are thirsty. It lets you know you are hungry. It lets you know you are angry. It lets you know you are becoming sexually aroused.
It lets you know there are various ways to get what you want. It doesn’t always asks you to consider is this a legitimate desire in God’s eyes and are you fulfilling it in a legitimate way.
The world would have us believe that any desire that we have is okay because we were born with it and therefore it must be natural and approved by God. The word of God tells us, that we have a sinful nature that has corrupted the desires that God placed within us so that we can’t trust our desires to be in alignment with God’s will.
Jesus got into this battle with Satan when the two of them stepped into the ring together. Jesus had spent forty days in prayer and fasting. He was hungry.
Satan throws a light punch and says, before we really get into it, why don’t you take time to eat some bread and get your strength back. I know there’s no bread around here, but if you are the Son of God, you can turn these stones into bread and take care of that need you have.
Satan was trying to get Jesus to use his power, not to glorify the Father or to be about the Father’s business, but to satisfy himself. Some of the desires that we have, have to be denied in order for us to walk as a child of God. Jesus calls us to different levels of denials of our desires in order to follow him.
Jesus said, “I have not come to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me.” When our flesh works against the word of God, do we yield to Christ or do we give that round to Satan by saying, “you’re right I don’t see anything that could hurt or how there could be anything be wrong with it.
John says the second round from the world comes from the lust of the eyes. How many of you have ever looked at something, and the moment you saw it, you either said or felt in your heart, “Oooh, I’ve got to have me one of those.” For a few moments that was all that you could think about.
But sometimes reality sets back in and you say, oh no I can’t afford that or I will wait. But other times, you listen to the enemy’s voice and he convinces you that not only do you need this, you deserve it as well.
Instead of throwing punches to knock out the lust of the eyes, you start to put your guard down just long enough for the enemy to get in there and deliver a powerful blow because you did not fully think this thing though. All of a sudden you’re paying price because of something that looked good at the moment.
Jesus also had to get in the ring with Satan over this very issue. Satan says to Jesus, “why do we have to go the distance for you to get what God promised to you. Look at all this stuff that I have that I can give to you right now.”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Satan is offering Jesus trillions of billions of dollars, authority over kingdoms, praise from people of all times and places. Satan is saying, the world is my realm and I have authority to give it to anyone I want to.
It can be yours, without the agony in the garden of Gethsamane, without the crucifixion, without the rejection of the people, and without even being betrayed. All that you need to do to get it, is to just bow down and worship me just one time. It doesn’t have to last long. I won’t even ask you to do it again.
Satan is saying, “look its just me and you out here in the wilderness. Nobody else is even going to see you do it. One of the great things about video cameras and cell phone cameras is that it helps take away Satan’s lie that nobody else is going to see you do it.
Jesus eyes all that Satan had to offer. The deal may have looked pretty good to you and me, but Jesus had spent some time in heaven, and he knew there was no comparison between what Satan was offering and what God had promised. He knows Satan’s days are numbered and Satan’s going to lose everything.
Our problem is we look at Satan’s offer without fully understanding what God has for us. Remember Satan’s promise is never good for more than about a 100 years and most of the time, a lot less. God’s promises last for eternity.
Jesus throws a blow saying, “I would rather take the suffering and beating of the cross, than to be unfaithful to my God. For Scriptures says to Worship God alone and serve Him only.” Satan is knocked down with that one.
The world is constantly asking us to just make one little compromise in our thinking. The lust of the eyes can be so dangerous. You click on your computer and it says “Mary has something for you to see”. Or “Joe wants to get to know you better.”
You have no idea that one click is about to lead you into a trap of pornography that will make your life miserable in the end. Or that one click is a scam that will cost you thousands of dollars before you accept the reality, you never are going to get the car or the money the people have been promising you.
It’s going to take all the energy the Holy Spirit is willing to give you for you climb back up on the ropes and get back on your feet ready to fight again.
The world has so many bright and shiny things to get our attention. We really do think we need them. For many of the things that catch our eyes are not bad in themselves, but they steal from our worship of God. In the process of our love for the world, our love for people grows cold.
There’s a young man in the bible who has to get in the ring and fight with the world. His name is Demas. He’s one of the hard workers for the Lord with the Apostle Paul. In round 1 we find him in the book of Colossians, throwing punches. In round 2, we find him in the book of Philemon, throwing punches. In round 3, we find him in the book of 2 Timothy, but he’s not in the ring. In the Apostle’s final book, he says Demas, has deserted me because he loved this world.
How many of us might find ourselves in the role of Demas. It’s not that we don’t believe in God anymore, its just we have to put God aside for a moment in order to go after the things our eyes have seen.
The last thing John said that was going to challenge us in the ring was the pride of life. This has to do with boasting either inside or outside of who you are and what you have or what you can do. The world is constantly telling people they have to be impressive. They have to outdo the person around them. People should look at them with awe.
The idea is you are caught up in making yourself looking better than you really are. I saw an ad on Facebook that you could pay and send pictures to this company and they could put you in vacation spots that you could then post on Facebook. You could show the world what a fabulous vacation you had without ever leaving your apartment.
It’s nice to have people say all kinds of wonderful things about you. But not if you have to reject God in order for them to do it. Jesus said, 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus got into the ring with Satan over this issue as well. Satan threw a little jab said, “you know, everybody ought to know who you are. Everybody should know that when they look at you, they are looking at the Son of God. It would be a shame for you to come and save the lost, and the lost not even know who you are.”
I’ve got a plan that will lift you up and show that you are on the Lord’s side. The devil takes Jesus to the city of Jerusalem up to the highest point of the temple. He tells Jesus, all you have to do is jump down, because based on God’s word, God is going to make sure an angel catches you so that no harm will come to you.
When the people see this, everybody will be talking about you and how close you are to God. They will look up from the ground and say “Look it’s a bird, its’s an angel, no it’s Jesus the Messiah.
Just when the devil thinks he has Jesus, Jesus turns with a knock down blow saying, “It is also written, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” After that blow, Satan left him for a more opportune time.
You are in the ring with the world every day. The world is patient. It’s not trying to knock you out with one serious blow. It just wants to lull you into a false sense of security. As long as the world gets you to believe that you can still walk with Jesus and be friends with it, it’s not going to show you its ugly side. But the moment you decide to follow Jesus no matter what, the world is going to come after you with a flurry of blows.
Jesus never let his guard down during the temptations from Satan. He never believed Satan was trying to look out for his interest. The sooner we recognize that the world is not our friend, the more of a fight we are going to recognize that we in. Where are you giving the world a foothold in your life.
Special thanks to Doug Fannon for some of us background work on the term world.
This sermon involves dealing with our constant fight with the world. We will face the same 3 temptations that Jesus faced. Love not the world.
