Step Out The World &into Gods Presence

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.