Which World Do You Want to Call Home?
Introduction:
This world is a tough place to live. We are told as Christians this is not our home but that we have a heavenly citizenship. We belong to the Lord. Heaven is our home.
Unfortunately, those in this world who do not know Christ belong to the devil. This earth is their home temporarily until they reach their final home- the lake of fire.
In life, you either belong to God or to the devil. There is no third option. You cannot say “I live for myself” because living for yourself is living for the devil.
To move from belonging to the devil to belonging to God involves a heart decision. You must accept the truth Jesus died on the cross for sins; believe that you need what Jesus did on that cross for your life; and then ask Him into your heart as Savior and Lord.
Why would you want to ask Christ into your life today? There are many reasons but the one I want to explore today is that the world that Jesus runs is so radically different than the world that Satan runs. And I personally want to live in Jesus’ world rather than this world.
Let me share with you three reasons why Jesus’ kingdom is so better than this world. And you decide for yourself which world you want to call home.
Point #1
In Jesus’ world there are no orphans; in the devil’s world he takes delights in abandoning you.
John 14:16–18 NKJV
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
The Bible makes it very clear to us in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that Satan is the god of this world. In Satan’s world according to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), there are roughly 153 million orphans worldwide. And every day, an estimated 5,700 more children become orphans.
But you and I as Christians are not of this world, we have a heavenly citizenship. And my Bible tells me in God’s kingdom, there are no orphans. Jesus says the first thing that I am going to do when I ascend to my Father is sent the Holy Spirit who will abide with you forever. And the second thing I will do is that I am personally coming back for you. What Jesus is saying is that you are part of my family and I take care of my family.
The devil, on the other hand, delights when you must fend for yourself; you have a weakness; and you have no one else to depend on.
The bottom line is God cares about those He calls His children. Jesus will never put us in a place where we are facing a difficulty all alone. The devil does not care about those who belong to him. He delights when you are helpless and alone.
Point # 2
In Jesus’ world, He is open to letting you know the truth because it will set you free; in Satan’s world, he desires to blind your eyes from the truth because that will keep you in bondage.
John 8:32 NKJV
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Here is a truth the devil really does not want you to know: the commands of God are not burdensome. He wants you to believe that God wants to limit your happiness. The devil will try to convince you that God’s rules and commands that He has placed in the Bible is for the purpose of robbing you of joy.
But hear is the truth about what God ask of you and me as Christians. 1 John 5:3 (NKJV)
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
With the Holy Spirit living in our life, what God ask of the believer is not difficult. And actually, you find the greatest joy in doing what God wants you to do.
Bro. Greg mentioned on Wednesday night in his sermon that the last year working before becoming a Christian that he earned about $187,000.00 as a trucker on the road. Now, he says that he does not earn near that amount of money serving God, but he has much more joy now than he ever done as a truck driver.
If you do not think this point is right, then think of the struggle every Sunday morning you experience about whether or not you should be in church.
The devil will tell you that you worked hard all week and that you need some “me” time. It is no big thing, if you skip church this Sunday, you will be there next Sunday. He tells us that the one hour that you spend at church really ties you down. It is going to mess up your day.
But the devil never tells you the 5.4 hours per day that you spend on your cellphone ties you down. And just so you know that is the average time Americans spend on their cell phone per day. But I cannot say that I ever heard the devil tell me you are tying yourself up with that cell phone.
Jesus says that the truth is that the fellowship with other believers is so that we can exhort one another as we see the day of the Lord approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 NKJV
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The truth is church attendance has value, which is why the devil fights with you every Sunday, the cell phone not so much value.
Point # 3
In Jesus’ world, He is encouraging you, cheering you on to build you up; in the devil’s world, he is seeking to devour you.
To a paralytic, lying on his bed, Jesus said, “Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven” (Matt. 9:2).
To the woman with the hemorrhage who touched the fringe of Jesus’ coat, He said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has saved you” (Matt. 9:22, lit.).
To the disciples, who thought that Jesus walking on the water was a ghost, He said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27; parallel, Mark 6:50).
To the disciples on the night He was betrayed, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Now, I search my Bible from Genesis to Revelation for any example of the devil encouraging someone to build them up, but I found none. I did find examples however where the devil did encourage someone to do the wrong thing and left them to suffer the consequences. The greatest example is the encouragement that the devil offered Eve to eat of the tree that God said, ‘do not eat.”
Peter nailed it when he says in 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Ponder This Thought
I do not want to live in a world where its leader wants to abandon me and leave me helpless to fend for myself.
I do not want to live in a world where its leader will lie to me constantly to keep me from the truth.
I do not want to live in a world where its leader is trying to destroy me at every turn.
Today I chose to live in Jesus’ world and be a citizen of His Kingdom.
