“Up Against The World” Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
“I have given them Your word, and the world hates them because they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am.” &John 17:14-16
In this day and age we’ve got more laws yet more lawlessness; more information yet less wisdom; more wealth yet fewer values; more power and yet greater weakness. Why is this so? Because we are up against the world.
The Greek word (for “world”) used these verses is the familiar word “cosmos”, which is the material world; but used in Scripture, it refers to our fallen human race. As such, the cosmos is alienated from God; its wisdom and values contrast with God’s. The cosmos opposes God and is condemned by God. This “world system” is society organized without God and against God. At best, He gets a back seat. The cosmos puts people at the center of all things instead of God. The cosmos says that we are our own basis of authority, making morality a relative concept. Dr. Francis Schaeffer warned, “If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Arbitrary values form our self-centered cosmos.
Jesus is not of the cosmos; He came to the cosmos, but the cosmos rejected Him (John 1:9-11). His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). John writes in the Bible’s most familiar verse, “For God so loved the cosmos that He sent His only Son...” Although Jesus came to save, not condemn, His coming to the world brings judgment upon those who refuse His love. To escape God’s wrath, we cling to His love.
How do we relate to the world? I know what it’s like to live in a foreign country, where I didn’t quite “fit in”, even though I learned the language. This is the relationship of Christians to the world. We’re aliens; we live “in the world” physically, but were not “of the world” spiritually. Our true citizenship is in Heaven. The world is not our home! The world has its own system of values; in contrast, God’s absolutes form His Kingdom Law...and our joy comes as we follow God’s Law. Our joy puts us in opposition to the world; it sets us apart. When we know who we are in relation to God, we know who we are in relation to the world.
Being a follower of Jesus means choosing convictions over comfort, over family, over material things, over safety. Worldliness is going to the world to get our needs met. Belonging to Christ involves a radical breaking with the established order. We no longer live by the world’s standards. We’re driven by our convictions, not the world’s consensus. We can’t be at home where Jesus was homeless. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect; we fight sin in ourselves, rather than celebrate it like much of the world. Paul urges us to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12). Thankfully we’re not alone in our struggle--we have the nurture and encouragement of our extended family of believers. If you’re struggling, your help is likely right here in this church--a fellow struggler who can help you through the tough times.
How do Christians endure the pitfalls of this world? Like an astronaut or deep-sea diver, we depend on outside resources to survive. Because we live in a deceived and deceiving world, our possession of the truth of God’s word is critical. It is not our word, but God’s that overcomes the deceitfulness of the world. As we hide this word in our hearts, it keeps us from falling into sin (Ps 119:11). God’s word is our sword in the spiritual battles of life. It is our nourishment in a moral wasteland.
Today, September 11th, we especially understand our alienation from this broken world in which we live. The Bible exposes the world for what it truly is; it spells out our relationship to the world. God’s word gives us power to live in a corrupt world, polluted by sin, without becoming contaminated by the world.
We control what influences us: We choose our books and movies, magazines and music, television and video games, websites and organizations--they don’t choose us. Do the things we expose our minds to build up or weaken our faith? Paul warns in Colossians 2:8, “Don’t let anything lead you astray with empty and deceptive philosophy, which come from human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ.” The Psalmist writes, “I will set no unclean/vile thing before my eyes” (101:3).
When Laura and I visited Florence, Italy, among the many treasures of art we saw was Michelangelo’s David, located in the Galleria dell’Accademia. Leading up to the David statue is a long hallway, where on both sides stand a group statues that have been named “the prisoners”. They appear unfinished and imperfect, though some art scholars believe Michelangelo intended them to remain this way. They look like men struggling to tear themselves out of the rock. They’re an accurate depiction of Christians in the world, trying to break out of our fallenness. Jesus alone can free us from the bondage of sin; without Him, we might as well be bound in stone.
The Apostle John cautions, “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you” (I Jn 3:13). I recall while stationed in Korea, a Warrant Officer who (like many) was cheating on his wife. I never said a word to him about this; I wasn’t a “moral policeman”. I simply tried to model a Christian lifestyle. Whenever he saw me, and the cross on my uniform, he was reminded of his infidelity; so one day in the Officers Club, he walked over to me and said, “Chaplain, I hate you,” then walked away.
Why doesn’t God deliver us from all this strife? Why couldn’t He take us out of the world? Moses, Elijah and Jonah all asked God to take them home, but God’s answer was “no”, and for had good reason. The reason is in verse 18, “I have sent them into the world.” We are here to experience this world’s suffering and to show how Christ can transform sorrow into the fullness of joy. We are here to live the Good News and to introduce our lost world to Christ.
We’re also left here because God is working a process of spiritual growth within us, preparing us for Heaven. Our response to the world reveals the genuineness of our faith.
As if the world isn’t bad enough, we have another adversary—Satan. Jesus prays in verse 15 that we be protected from “the evil one.” The devil is like a roaring lion, looking for victims to devour (I Pet 5:8). He attacks us through pride, pleasure, fear, self-doubt, false teaching, greed, and disunity. We resist him by putting on God’s armor. When I deployed to Iraq, I was issued TA-50, equipment to survive on the desert battlefield. We wage warfare every day; life is an on-going conflict, but we have the protective armor of faith; we are “more than conquerors” through Christ our Lord.
In His “Great Commission” (Mt 28:19) Jesus commands us to “go into all the world” with the Gospel. The church has been set in the theater of conflict. We’re ambassadors to the world, and must strive to live unlike the world if we hope to win the world for Christ. We represent Christ on earth, and He’s representing us in Heaven. He continues to pray for us that we will be effective in our mission.
Throughout my military career I counseled a lot of soldiers who didn’t like the Army and couldn’t wait to get out. They were counting the days to their discharge; they had “short-timer calendars” -and attitudes! One day we’ll get to leave this world, but until then we have to accept our situation and learn to deal with what is often an unpleasant place. It’s normal for us to feel homesick for our true home. One day our trials will be over…but in the meantime, we’ve got work to do!
Church bulletin quote: “God refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for our home.” –C.S. Lewis
Church bulletin insert, for further discussion and reflection:
Ø Some Christians get caught up in ascetic self-denial, while others appear so worldly they’re barely distinguishable from unbelievers. To what extent are we to “love not the world”?
Ø From time-to-time we hear calls to “simplicity”. What does a “simple lifestyle” consist of, how might one attain it, and what things might need to be given up?
Ø We’re absorbing the often hard-to-resist secular outlook of our world, in an environment where Christianity doesn’t get a mention let alone a fair hearing. We’re in the world, but not to be “of the world”. How do we avoid a split personality? Are we at times at war with ourselves as well as the world?
Ø As “citizens of Heaven”, our enmity/conflict is against every worldly ideology that runs contrary to God’s revelation. Does this make us “militant” people? How should our opposition to the world system be expressed?
Ø How does a follower of Christ respond to the culture? Should believers bring their worldview to influence and redeem secular culture, or completely distance themselves from it?
