Quote from Forum Archives on April 21, 2002, 4:50 pm

Posted by: jmichaelwalls <jmichaelwalls@...>

THE DEFEAT OF A CHRISTIAN
Or
THE UNHOLY TRINITY AGAINST THE CHRISTIAN
Part 3
1 John 2:15-17
Romans 12:1-2
Introduction: As I mentioned in the other two messages, there is an
unholy trinity that is against every Christian. That is the world, the
flesh and the devil. I mentioned that I believe your flesh is the worse
of the crowd. It is simply that it is attached to you and it is so near.
It is easy to go the way of the flesh because it is so natural to do so.
Last week, I mentioned that the devil gets far more credit than he
deserves. He is blamed for lots of things that are simply our flesh that
is at fault. The devil did not make you do it. You sinned against God
because you wanted to do so.
As I did in the other two messages, I want to give you some verses to
encourage you in this walk of faith.
1 John 4:4
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
1 John 5:4-5
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of
God?"
Isaiah 41:10
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness."
Joshua 1:9
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest."
Matthew 28:20
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Hebrews 13:5-6
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such
things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me."
It is my desire to help you defeat this enemy also. In some ways, it is
more difficult to defeat the world than the devil. No one really wants
people to dislike him or her. It is a simple human desire to be liked.
But if you think that everyone will like you especially if you are a sold
out Bible believer, you have your head in the sand so to speak.
This world did not like our Saviour. To think of all the good that He
did. Anyone who came to Him in a child like fashion was healed of disease
whether it was physical, emotional, or spiritual. He said in John 6:37
"him that cometh unto me, I will in wise cast out." What a precious
promise that has been throughout the ages!
But Jesus knew the realities of this world. He warns His disciples of
this truth in several places in the garden just before his arrest. John
15:18-20
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If
ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is
not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world."
Even John the Apostle reminded us of this in his epistle.
1 John 3:13
"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you."
What happens when the world defeats you? You turn worldly.
When you are worldly, you are not godly. Worldliness is manifested in
what we say, the things we do or don't do, the places you go or don't go
and other ways.
You will either defeat the world in your life or this world will defeat
you. There is no middle ground. There are no gray areas. This, too, is a
plain black and white issue; black ink on white pages- your Bible.
I want to give some facts about the world and the Christian and then the
most important part is the practical application on this subject. Let me
interject this thought before proceeding. God’s command to separate from
the world, however, does not mean that the Christian should isolate
himself from society. Christians are to be the "salt of the earth"
(Matthew 5:13). They are responsible to evangelize the world (Acts 1:8);
therefore, separation from the world by no means should discourage
earnest efforts to win the world to Christ. God Himself desires the
salvation of the world (John 3:16).
Furthermore, separation from the world does not forbid association with
worldly people in the course of legitimate daily work. Paul tells the
Corinthians that he does not expect them to leave the world in order to
avoid contamination with sinners (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). This is in
harmony with the prayer of our Lord that believers be kept from the evil
of the world, not removed from it (John 17:15). The Christian may
cooperate with unsaved people in beneficial community projects, election
of worthy leaders, or efforts to promote morality, though the Christian
must be careful not to give Christian recognition to unsaved people in
these efforts nor to promote any organization using political efforts to
further ecumenical tendencies. Biblical characters such as Joseph,
Daniel, and Nehemiah are examples of men who worked in pagan environments
while remaining true to God.
I. THE DEFINITIONS
We will look at two separate definitions. We will try to define the world
and then worldliness.
A. The World
The Greek word is "kosmos". The Greek has eight separate definitions. It
is one word defined in eight aspects. We will just look at just three.
1. The planet in which we live;
2. The inhabitants of the planet in which we live;
3. World affairs or the world circle of earthly goods, endowments,
riches, advantages, pleasures, etc which although hollow, frail, and
fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of
Christ.
Let me illustrate how the two of the definitions are the same word
"world" in the Greek.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
1 John 2:15
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
B. Worldly or worldliness
I picked this up from some site on the Internet. I could not have said it
better. "Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look
normal and righteousness look strange."
Bob Jones University had this in an article called "Separate from the
World." "Worldliness is an attitude of friendship toward, a desire for,
and a wish to be recognized by the world system. This attitude will lead
to indulgence in acts which may not be wrong in themselves but which will
identify one with the world system and thus hinder his love for God, his
spiritual growth and his Christian testimony."
II. THE DISTINCTIONS OF WORLDLINESS
It can be seen in this searching and troubling questions that we need to
ask ourselves. Is your time primarily concerned with the pursuit of
worldly goals, pleasures, or things?
Mark 8:36
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul?"
Can you honestly say like the Psalmist "There is none upon earth that I
desire beside thee?" (Psalm 73:25)
Are your thoughts and affections set on things above rather than things
on earth? Colossians 3:1-3
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God."
Do you seek the approval of the world and worldly people? In service to
the Lord do you seek for the praise of men or the praise of God? John
5:44
"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only?"
John 12:43
"For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
1 Thessalonians 2:4
"But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even
so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts."
Is there anything in your life that God would look at as friendship with
the world? James 4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God."
Do you neglect private devotional time in the Word of God and prayer?
Do you love the Word of God more than gold or silver? Psalm
119:72,97,127
"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and
silver." "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."
"Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold."
Maybe these probing questions can show the distinctions of worldliness in
our lives!
* Am I hesitant to obey God when it requires deviating from what my
family, friends and neighbors think?
* Am I willing to sacrifice time and availability to the family to
provide material pleasures?
* Does my sense of self-worth depend on where I live, what I drive, how
I'm dressed or the job I hold?
* Do I justify wrong decisions (i.e., purchases, children's friends,
activities, entertainment) by minimizing their negative effect and
saying, "Everyone else is doing it"?
THE DEFEATING OF WORLDLINESS
There is a defeating of this enemy which is an enemy of your soul. It is
imperative that you learn this lesson in order to go further in your walk
with the Lord.
Recognize that Jesus overcame the world.
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world."
Remember these are some of the last words that Christ uttered to His
disciples. His example of overcoming the world is seen over and over in
the life of Christ in the Gospel accounts. Christ overcame the religious
world. He overcame the political world partially by never becoming
involved in it.
Rekindle that loving relationship with the Lord.
James 4:7
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you."
You rekindle that relationship by maintaining your quiet time with the
Lord. But some times that is tough. You get busy. You seem to have more
tasks than time. Here is a little poem about the quiet time.
QUIET TIME
The dog wants in, the cat wants out,
There's someone at the door;
I thought it was my quiet time-
It's really more like war.
I study hard, but other things
For my attention vie:
The reasons they weren't there before,
I really don't know why.
Yet now my Bible pages turn:
Isaiah twenty-six;
Perhaps within the prophet's words
My soul can find a fix.
The first two verses struggle by,
But then I read verse three:
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on Thee."
-Robert Barrell
Here are a few suggestions about the quiet time.
1. Try to prevent your Quiet Time from becoming mechanical. Where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Avoid ruts and ridiculous
changes, though.
2. Have your Quiet Time at the same time if possible.
3. Aim at a systemic plan, half-reading and half praying.
4. Don't be rigid. If the Spirit of prayer descends, continue in prayer.
If the Word shines with new light, read on in His blessed Book and be
filled.
5. A suggested order: A brief prayer, Bible reading and then prayer. This
prevents the prayer time from being the same every day. Learn to pray out
the Scriptures passage that you had just read.
6. Use the Word of God as a basis for praise and petition.
Reject all things that conform you unto worldliness.
Romans 12:1-2
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
This means to ask the Lord to help in your fight against worldliness. He
will reveal to you what you need to do.
Conclusion: As we travel through this life as a believer, we will have to
fight our flesh, the devil and the world. It has been my desire to help
you in this life as a Christian.

Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
All scriptures are King James Bible
Isa. 41:10