You Have To Get In The Ring To Win Part 3: Me Vs The World

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.