This past Sunday we talked about the danger of worldliness and I believe it's a term that is often misused and misapplied. John clearly defined the word for us as "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16)." He was describing the values and principles of the world and he was clear that we are NOT to love the world's system, or as Paul put it, "the course of the world" (Eph. 2:2-3). Those desires I believe are pinned up in all our hearts. We all fight worldliness!
What I hope I communicated clearly was worldliness is not PRIMARILY about the externals. Worldliness is PRIMARILY a HEART issue. There is a wrong idea about being "worldly." Some teach that if a church uses a tool that is contemporary and/or used by the world than they are being "worldly." Perhaps they are...but until you know the heart desire that is driving them, you can't know for sure. The Amish have taken this view to it's logical end and have jettisoned all modern conviences.
Other's try to classify certain styles of music as "worldly." In doing so, they have attempted to draw lines where God hasn't. When does a song go from being "OK" in God's eyes to being "worldly?" Attempting to draw that line gets into legalism. Jesus was clear on His views of man made rules (Matt. 15:1-9). We need to be very careful about drawing lines where God has not.
Now, having said that, I do believe that a worldly heart can have external manifestations. A person who is prideful about their body can certainly dress in a way that will show it off. It's a "pride of life" issue and it leads to "the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh"....worldly by definition. However, dress is not always an indication of the heart. As I mentioned on Sunday, two guys wearing the same suit can have completely different heart desires. One could want to offer his best to God, the other to show off how much money he has. The latter would be a godly reason, and the former would be a worldly reason.
The bottom line this...worldliness is a heart condition that we all struggle with. It's much deeper than a particular style of music or way of dress. It's the heart desire that drives our actions. The more I study God's word the more I see the importance of the heart. From the two tree illustration in Jeremiah 17, to David's prayer in Ps. 51:10,17 to Jesus' revelation of the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37)...they all teach the same truth...my heart desire drives my actions (James 4). No wonder God said to "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.(Prov. 4:23)"
So where is your heart? What do YOU love? Does your music/entertainment emphasize the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Are the shows you watch on TV all about the world's philosophies? Friend, we are not to love that stuff! What to you need to offer to God as a sacrifice of worship?
Grow Group Questions:
1. How would you define the term "worldliness?"
2. How are we to feel about things that are "worldly?" (READ 1 John 2:15-17)
3. Why do we tend to judge people on the externals? Is that OK with God? (Consider 1 Sam. 16:7).
4. What are your 5 favorite songs? 5 favorite TV shows? websites?
5. How do these favorites match up to the "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life?"
6. What do you need to give up for God as a sacrifice of worship?
What I hope I communicated clearly was worldliness is not PRIMARILY about the externals. Worldliness is PRIMARILY a HEART issue. There is a wrong idea about being "worldly." Some teach that if a church uses a tool that is contemporary and/or used by the world than they are being "worldly." Perhaps they are...but until you know the heart desire that is driving them, you can't know for sure. The Amish have taken this view to it's logical end and have jettisoned all modern conviences.
Other's try to classify certain styles of music as "worldly." In doing so, they have attempted to draw lines where God hasn't. When does a song go from being "OK" in God's eyes to being "worldly?" Attempting to draw that line gets into legalism. Jesus was clear on His views of man made rules (Matt. 15:1-9). We need to be very careful about drawing lines where God has not.
Now, having said that, I do believe that a worldly heart can have external manifestations. A person who is prideful about their body can certainly dress in a way that will show it off. It's a "pride of life" issue and it leads to "the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh"....worldly by definition. However, dress is not always an indication of the heart. As I mentioned on Sunday, two guys wearing the same suit can have completely different heart desires. One could want to offer his best to God, the other to show off how much money he has. The latter would be a godly reason, and the former would be a worldly reason.
The bottom line this...worldliness is a heart condition that we all struggle with. It's much deeper than a particular style of music or way of dress. It's the heart desire that drives our actions. The more I study God's word the more I see the importance of the heart. From the two tree illustration in Jeremiah 17, to David's prayer in Ps. 51:10,17 to Jesus' revelation of the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37)...they all teach the same truth...my heart desire drives my actions (James 4). No wonder God said to "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.(Prov. 4:23)"
So where is your heart? What do YOU love? Does your music/entertainment emphasize the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Are the shows you watch on TV all about the world's philosophies? Friend, we are not to love that stuff! What to you need to offer to God as a sacrifice of worship?
Grow Group Questions:
1. How would you define the term "worldliness?"
2. How are we to feel about things that are "worldly?" (READ 1 John 2:15-17)
3. Why do we tend to judge people on the externals? Is that OK with God? (Consider 1 Sam. 16:7).
4. What are your 5 favorite songs? 5 favorite TV shows? websites?
5. How do these favorites match up to the "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life?"
6. What do you need to give up for God as a sacrifice of worship?
.JPG)
1 comment:
We loved this message! We left the service Sunday talking about worldliness and if we were allowing our hearts to be influenced by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We threw out some music CDs and also stopped watching some television shows. Not because we will be able to feel more spiritual but because we don't want our worship hindered in any way throughout the week! Thank you, Pastor, for preaching truth and allowing God to use you in our lives!
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