Friendship With the World

Friendship With the World

2004055

Topic # 2514 (worldliness)

Introduction:

A. Someone has said James’ writing is a handbook on how to live Christianity 24/7.

1. It not enough just to think you are religious.

a) Religion is not just a matter of what you think & claim – but it is a matter of individual response of the heart to God.

b) God is concerned about the activity of our faith in Christ – from the point of baptism and going on to continual trust & obedience.

2. Scriptures full of examples commanding Christians to draw the line on worldliness. Before looking at James’ writing take a look at 2 scriptures in Romans.

3. Rom. 12:1-2, 9 – b/c spiritually minded.

4. But yet, we struggle.

B. Worldliness creeps in & then find self wondering why struggling spiritually.

1. worldliness usually underlying several problems people face:

a) Marriage becomes unstable.

b) Kids turn out ungodly

c) Why some have hard time bringing others to Christ.

1) Send out mixed signals as to who our allegiance is to.

d) Why we see so many turn back to former life – quit living for God.

2. We must be aware of the need to transform mind from carnal to spiritual. Rom. 8:6-8

C. James also dealt with Christian living and the need to decisively put worldliness away from our lives.

I. James 1:26-27 – pure and undefiled religion

A. 1:26 - A man’s religion will be useless if he fails to control his tongue.

B. 1:27 – 3 examples of pure/undefiled religion here.

1. Visiting orphans; widows; keeping oneself unstained by the world.

D. Js 1 NOT written as instruction to local congregation but to the individual Christian.

1. 1. 1:19 – quick to hear; slow to speak; slow to anger.

2. 1:21 – put aside filthiness

3. 1:22 – be a doer of the word.

4. 1:26 – bridle tongue

5. 1:27 – visit orphans; widows

6. 1:27 – keep self unstained from the world.

E. These responsibilities are our job as Christians!

1. We must move w/conviction and commitment to God!

2. Our lives must be characterized by vigilance; diligence; loyalty and love!

F. Success? On a day to day basis must realize if it is to be, it is up to me.

1. Must watch what I do.

2. Must watch who I associate with

3. Must watch what I think, say, how I deal with people, approach temptation.

4. We must use God’s word as a guide to help us remain unstained by the world.

G. Bottom line: a person can’t really be a Christian until he accepts this individual responsibility.

1. 1:21; 4:7-8

2. These verses are all about personal repentance & determination to avoid all sin & error!

II. James 4:4- Friendship with the world is hostility toward God.

A. God is by His nature pure, holy, and undefiled, w/o sin.

B. The world is everything that God is against.

1. Wicked, defiled w/sin, it is the poison of iniquity.

2. Those in the world move to defile themselves w/carnal lusts and all ungodliness.

C. It is clear that a line has been drawn in the sand. One we must not cross.

D. How to know if I’ve become too friendly w/the world?

1. Do I love things of this world more than God? My soul? Mt. 16:24-26

2. Is the majority of my happiness derived from the temporal things?

3. Is there anything I would not be willing to give up for God?

a) Physical possessions?

b) Money?

c) Job/career?

d) Life?

4. If we find thoughts/affections primarily taken up by things of this world – we’ve crossed the line and gone too far.

5. If we let worldly matters keep us from tending to our spiritual duties – we have crossed the line.

6. If we let fear of worldly opposition frighten us from standing up for godly values we have crossed the line.

E. Worldliness in Christians is spiritual adultery! Dissolves the spiritual marriage between God and the soul!

F. Why loving the world makes us an enemy of God.

1. Loving the world robs God of the honor due Him.

2. Loving the world prefers the created to the Creator.

3. Loving the world causes us to trample under foot the Son of God.

4. Consider His ministry:

a) Declared in word and deed that He was not of this world.

b) He went about establishing a kingdom not of this world.

c) His mission was to save us from this evil world.

d) He died, to make us a peculiar people for Himself.

1) 2 Cor. 5:14-17

2) 2 Cor. 6:14-18

G. Worldliness is deadly because it tends to wear away at our souls – and moves God & religion out of our lives.

1. We must learn how odious worldliness is. It is direct enmity to God.

III. Matthew 6:24 - There is no middle ground.

A. PCSB Quote:

1. Are we God's people? Let us then realize the closeness and sacredness of our relation to Him. He will not allow any other being or object to share along with Him the throne of the heart, but resents every attempt and suggestion of the kind. And forget not that the world is a foreign and hostile power. Friendship with it is enmity with Him. The two are irreconcilable. Many try to please both, and fancy themselves successful. But they are grievously mistaken, for every step in its direction carries them so far away from Him, and all submission to the one is rebellion against the other. Let Christians beware of its influence, for it is stealthy and deceitful. The best defense and preservative is to have the heart filled to overflowing with the love of God

B. It is not possible to love the world & God at the same time.

1. 6:33; 22:37 – follow these commandments – there will be no room left in our heart, soul, mind to love the world.

IV. We must practice pure & undefiled religion.

A. Warren Berkley: I’m afraid when most people think of religion, they do not think of God the Father. They do not think first of Him and the spiritual blessings He provides in Christ. They think of the church stuff (people, groups, organizations, buildings & movements). We are strongly influenced by the religious culture of our time – which is marked by denominations, churches, organizations, human tradition and ritual.

B. We must identify religion FIRST with God!

1. Right religion is man’s response to Him!

2. We must seek to “know” Him! Remove anything that would impede my relationship with Him.

3. Phil. 3:8-11

C. When man responds to God’s instructions & expresses his faith in Jesus – than one may experience pure & undefiled religion.

D. Anything else is vain worship/service!

1. If we fail to keep self unstained from world – it matters little what else we do!

2. May b/c excellent bible student!

3. Quote bible freely & accurately!

4. Give to the poor, fast; attend EVERY service!

5. But if I fail to keep self unstained from world – I am not a God-pleasing participant in pure & undefiled religion!

Conclusion:

A. Let’s look to a better way!

1. There is no lasting gain or advantage in sin.

2. Pleasure only lasts for a season. Consequences can be eternal! Must do God’s will!

B. Where do you stand at this moment? Are your spiritual garments stained w/sin?

1. No stain/sin that cannot be removed.

2. Give yourself to Him today!

C. I N V I T A T I O N



Friendship With the World 2004055 Topic # 2514 (worldliness) Introduction: A. Someone has said James’ writing is a handbook on how to live Christianity 24/7. 1. It not enough just to think you are religious. a) Religion is not just a matter of what you think & claim – but it is a matter of individual response of the heart to God. b) God is concerned about the activity of our faith in Christ – from the point of baptism and going on to continual trust & obedience. 2. Scriptures full of examples commanding Christians to draw the line on worldliness. Before looking at James’ writing take a look at 2 scriptures in Romans. 3. Rom. 12:1-2, 9 – b/c spiritually minded. 4. But yet, we struggle. B. Worldliness creeps in & then find self wondering why struggling spiritually. 1. worldliness usually underlying several problems people face: a) Marriage becomes unstable. b) Kids turn out ungodly c) Why some have hard time bringing others to Christ. 1) Send out mixed signals as to who our allegiance is to. d) Why we see so many turn back to former life – quit living for God. 2. We must be aware of the need to transform mind from carnal to spiritual. Rom. 8:6-8 C. James also dealt with Christian living and the need to decisively put worldliness away from our lives. I. James 1:26-27 – pure and undefiled religion A. 1:26 - A man’s religion will be useless if he fails to control his tongue. B. 1:27 – 3 examples of pure/undefiled religion here. 1. Visiting orphans; widows; keeping oneself unstained by the world. D. Js 1 NOT written as instruction to local congregation but to the individual Christian. 1. 1. 1:19 – quick to hear; slow to speak; slow to anger. 2. 1:21 – put aside filthiness 3. 1:22 – be a doer of the word. 4. 1:26 – bridle tongue 5. 1:27 – visit orphans; widows 6. 1:27 – keep self unstained from the world. E. These responsibilities are our job as Christians! 1. We must move w/conviction and commitment to God! 2. Our lives must be characterized by vigilance; diligence; loyalty and love! F. Success? On a day to day basis must realize if it is to be, it is up to me. 1. Must watch what I do. 2. Must watch who I associate with 3. Must watch what I think, say, how I deal with people, approach temptation. 4. We must use God’s word as a guide to help us remain unstained by the world. G. Bottom line: a person can’t really be a Christian until he accepts this individual responsibility. 1. 1:21; 4:7-8 2. These verses are all about personal repentance & determination to avoid all sin & error! II. James 4:4- Friendship with the world is hostility toward God. A. God is by His nature pure, holy, and undefiled, w/o sin. B. The world is everything that God is against. 1. Wicked, defiled w/sin, it is the poison of iniquity. 2. Those in the world move to defile themselves w/carnal lusts and all ungodliness. C. It is clear that a line has been drawn in the sand. One we must not cross. D. How to know if I’ve become too friendly w/the world? 1. Do I love things of this world more than God? My soul? Mt. 16:24-26 2. Is the majority of my happiness derived from the temporal things? 3. Is there anything I would not be willing to give up for God? a) Physical possessions? b) Money? c) Job/career? d) Life? 4. If we find thoughts/affections primarily taken up by things of this world – we’ve crossed the line and gone too far. 5. If we let worldly matters keep us from tending to our spiritual duties – we have crossed the line. 6. If we let fear of worldly opposition frighten us from standing up for godly values we have crossed the line. E. Worldliness in Christians is spiritual adultery! Dissolves the spiritual marriage between God and the soul! F. Why loving the world makes us an enemy of God. 1. Loving the world robs God of the honor due Him. 2. Loving the world prefers the created to the Creator. 3. Loving the world causes us to trample under foot the Son of God. 4. Consider His ministry: a) Declared in word and deed that He was not of this world. b) He went about establishing a kingdom not of this world. c) His mission was to save us from this evil world. d) He died, to make us a peculiar people for Himself. 1) 2 Cor. 5:14-17 2) 2 Cor. 6:14-18 G. Worldliness is deadly because it tends to wear away at our souls – and moves God & religion out of our lives. 1. We must learn how odious worldliness is. It is direct enmity to God. III. Matthew 6:24 - There is no middle ground. A. PCSB Quote: 1. Are we God's people? Let us then realize the closeness and sacredness of our relation to Him. He will not allow any other being or object to share along with Him the throne of the heart, but resents every attempt and suggestion of the kind. And forget not that the world is a foreign and hostile power. Friendship with it is enmity with Him. The two are irreconcilable. Many try to please both, and fancy themselves successful. But they are grievously mistaken, for every step in its direction carries them so far away from Him, and all submission to the one is rebellion against the other. Let Christians beware of its influence, for it is stealthy and deceitful. The best defense and preservative is to have the heart filled to overflowing with the love of God 2. John Adam (from the Biblical Illustrator Copyright (c) 2002 AGES and Biblesoft, Inc.) B. It is not possible to love the world & God at the same time. 1. 6:33; 22:37 – follow these commandments – there will be no room left in our heart, soul, mind to love the world. IV. We must practice pure & undefiled religion. A. Warren Berkley: I’m afraid when most people think of religion, they do not think of God the Father. They do not think first of Him and the spiritual blessings He provides in Christ. They think of the church stuff (people, groups, organizations, buildings & movements). We are strongly influenced by the religious culture of our time – which is marked by denominations, churches, organizations, human tradition and ritual. B. We must identify religion FIRST with God! 1. Right religion is man’s response to Him! 2. We must seek to “know” Him! Remove anything that would impede my relationship with Him. 3. Phil. 3:8-11 C. When man responds to God’s instructions & expresses his faith in Jesus – than one may experience pure & undefiled religion. D. Anything else is vain worship/service! 1. If we fail to keep self unstained from world – it matters little what else we do! 2. May b/c excellent bible student! 3. Quote bible freely & accurately! 4. Give to the poor, fast; attend EVERY service! 5. But if I fail to keep self unstained from world – *I am not a God-pleasing participant in pure & undefiled religion!* Conclusion: A. Let’s look to a better way! 1. There is no lasting gain or advantage in sin. 2. Pleasure only lasts for a season. Consequences can be eternal! Must do God’s will! B. Where do you stand at this moment? Are your spiritual garments stained w/sin? 1. No stain/sin that cannot be removed. 2. Give yourself to Him today! C. I N V I T A T I O N