Worldview Week 6

What is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?

What do stores like Dollar Tree, Five Below, and Family tree have in common?

cheap, accessible, easy to find.

Why don’t we expect the things we buy at one of these stores to last a life time?

because they are cheap, we know what to expect from these stores.

Would you find this knife at Dollar General?

No… it’s a buck knife. It’s made of 420 HC steel. Not the hardest steel out there, but it’s very hard and can last a life time.

If you buy a pocket knife at dollar tree, how long do you expect it to last?

one drop and you know it’s gone. lol.

You don’t buy products you expect to pass on to your kids from dollar tree.

We shouldn’t believe in a worldview that won’t hold up to a lifetime of wear and tear either.

Tonight we are going to look at Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and I just want you to know that under the hard difficulties of life, this is one worldview, that won’t stand the pressure.

It will cave.

It will buckle.

And above all other worldviews, this is the one that scares me the most because so many of our friends, neighbors, and churches believe this.

It’s killing us.

We need to return to God’s word and know not just what God’s word is, but what it Says!

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In groups (Guys and girls) here are our questions to answer tonight.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

What is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD)?

AlberMohler.com has a good article.

Gotquestions.org also has good info.

How would you define something that is “good” and something that is “bad.”

Don’t just list examples, but try to define “good” and “bad”

once you have definitions, then come up with examples.

What are some ways our culture is self-centered?

How is being self-centered a key part of MTD?

How does social media feed this belief in MTD?

What is the central goal of life? How are the goals of life defined by MTD different from a biblical worldview?

A core belief, if not THE core belief of MTD, is be nice, good, and tolerant and God will let you into heaven.

Put a high priority on being nice and treating others nice and God will accept you.

MTD IS:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

Too many individuals, churches, and organizations live according to this ethic that is leading people away from the grace of Christ.

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A biblical worldview is:

1. God exists for His glory alone and He is active in creation, sustaining it, and ever working in it.

Colossians 1:17 “17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Psalms 19:1-2 “1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

Romans 1:18-20 “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

2. God doesn't want nice people. God wants people who know their sin and live lives fully dependent on the saving grace of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Jonah 4:2 “2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

3. The goal of life is not your happiness, but Christ redeeming you and living through you to accomplish His will through all the good and bad we face in life. In suffering or in happiness, it is Christ and Christ alone.

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 16:33 “33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

Philippians 1:21 “21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

4. To be a follower of Christ, Christ must be active in your life. He's not a divine butler to be summoned as we need. In his Grace, he will meet our needs without recognition, but to say that's all He is misses the mark. He is all we ever need.

1 Corinthians 8:6 “6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

Matthew 6:26 “26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Acts 17:28 “28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”

John 1:4 “4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

5. Good people die every day and go to hell. This is not God's will (2 Peter 3:9). The truth is only Christ makes someone good. The question is not why God sends good people to hell, but why would a perfect God allow any of us to spend eternity with Him. Why? Because Jesus paid the price of our sin (Rom. 3:23) removing our condemnation (Rom. 8:1), providing us access to His grace and mercy (Heb. 4:16), that nothing may separate us from His eternal love, salvation, grace, and mercy. (Romans 8:38-39).

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 8:1 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 4:16 “16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Romans 8:38-39 “38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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In closing today,

I want to watch a video from one of my friends.

It’s hard to hear, but once you see it, it will be clear one reason I want you to watch this video.

My friend’s name is Nick

I went to high school and college with Nick.

He is a history teacher at Oakbrook prep school.

He spoke in chapel this week to some of his students and this is very hard to hear, but I want you to hear a few things he said, and even more perhaps, I want you to see him.

Let’s watch this video.

Why can’t I play sports at recess?

Why do kids look at me and laugh at me?

“God has allowed me to be disabled.”

“it’s hard, but it’s a gift. I learned that you know what, He can use me in any way he wants. I’m going to get up every day and realize that I am alive, and I can live for Him.”

That friends is having a biblical worldview.

That is not accepting a dollar tree view of God, but a view of God that is rooted, and grounded in who God is!

What do you believe?

Are you exchanging a biblical worldview for one that won’t last a lifetime?

Or,

Are you trusting that God can use you any way he wants.

I’m going to get up every day, realize that I am alive, and I can live for Him!

That is a life worth living.

A life focused on Christ is a life worth living.

A free life.

Romans 8:2 “2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

What are you trusting?