Why Does it Matter What I Believe?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
You’ve probably never heard of the name Sayyid Qutb. But Sayyid Qutb has had a profound effect on your life. On your family, on your job, on your future, on your travel. Even though he died about forty years ago he has had profound influence on you through his worldview.
How did he do that? Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian radical politician. In fact he was a fascist. He read many of the same books that Hitler read. He developed a worldview of hatred. Hatred and violence. He hated all Jews. He hated all Christians. And he despised the west. He was such a dangerous man and his thoughts were so provoking to violence that in the 1960s he was put in jail by the Egyptian government. But in prison he continued to spread his vile worldview of hatred. Finally the Egyptian government put him to death. They executed him nearly forty years ago. That’s all you would have heard of Sayyid Qutb except that his brother picked up his worldview. And his brother was named Muhammad Qutb. Muhammad Qutb took his brother’s worldview of hatred and violence and he took it back to his country of Saudi Arabia and he began teaching it in a university there.
You’ve never heard of Sayyid or Muhammad Qutb. But you have heard of their prime all star pupil – Osama bin Laden. And it is Osama bin Laden who took Qutb’s worldview and said this is what we’re going to do. And Sayyid Qutb became the emotional and intellectual underpinnings of Al-Qaeda.
Pic of twin towers
Today we live in the age of terrorism because of the worldview of one man. One man! Think about this. Forty years after this guy’s death he still affects your life. Every time you go into an airport they search you, they look through all your stuff. They make you take your shoes off. Why? Because of Sayyid Qutb. That is the power of a worldview.
Listen to me. Ideas have consequences. Even trivial ideas have consequences because you are wasting time, money and effort. You’re wasting your life on trivial things when you could be doing something much more positive with your life.
You may not realize it, but every day you are being affected and influenced by the world views of other people. It could be your friends, the people you work with, your parents, school teachers, professors, movies and celebrities. They have influenced you in ways you are not even aware of. Add to that, you are also influenced by your own world view. All of this impacts wether you are happy or sad, or successful or unsuccessful.
Today, in this series of Developing Your World View, we will learn God’s perspective of how we need to live. For the next 6 weeks, we will look at 6 of life’s most important questions. Next week, we will look at the Question, How do I know What’s True? How do I know who’s telling the truth? That’s a good question. For that matter, How do I know what’s real? It’s hard to tell reality from unreality any more. You used to be able to say, if I see it, I’ll believe it… but that’s not true anymore.
After that we will answer some questions like, Who am I, Where did I come from? Why is the World in Such a Mess? How do we fix it? Then, How should we live in light of my worldview?
Today, we will look at the question, Why does it matter what I believe? What is a worldview? Why is it important? How do I strengthen it?
So,
1. What is a worldview anyway?
1. What is a worldview anyway?
My worldview consists of the beliefs I build my life on.
My worldview consists of the beliefs I build my life on.
A worldview how we view everything in life. It’s how we view God... yourself... other people… Satan… sin. Your worldview includes our thoughts about life, about death, about the past, the present and the future. Your worldview includes what you feel about pain and about suffering and about problems and about good and about evil. Your worldview includes what you think about relationships, about time, about money. Everything you think about life is included in what we call your worldview. You’ve never thought about it but that’s what it is. It’s a worldview.
Your worldview is the basis on which you make your decisions. It’s how you decide what you decide. Your worldview determines all of your choices. God wired your brain in such a way that every time you start to make a decision your mind instantly accesses all of the information, all the data in your mind and says, “Now what do I believe about this?” And you make a decision – unconsciously – on the basis of the things you believe to be true and believe to be real.
ie: Maybe you are pulling out into Manhattan but you see a car coming. You believe you can make it so you pull out believing you can get out and get going without it hitting you. You made your decision on a belief.
You make these types of decisions all day every day. Every time you make any kind of choice, you are accessing your worldview.
If your world view believed the world was ending tomorrow, it would cause you to change some of your decisions.
If you view everything as rigged, it will affect your decision making.
So we are going to talk about clarifying your world view. This is not an academic exercise, it’s very practical because it governs your life.
Your worldview determines all your relationships. It determines your success and failure. It determines your goals, your motivations, what you attempt in life. All of these things are influenced by your worldview.
If you want to change your life you’ve got to change your mind first. You’ve got to change what you believe.
Most people have never thought about their worldview much less talked about it. You don’t think about your world view unless you sit down and think about the basis for how you make decisions.
That’s what we are going to do for the next several weeks. We don’t want anyone at River Church or watching online to live life based on a faulty worldview.
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
I love the Living paraphrase....
17 When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!
This means that if you begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, everything changes. You accept the fact that you were guilty of sin and that Jesus came and paid the price for your sin and gave you a new identity. The Bible also calls it being born again.
So, if you have given your life to Jesus, you are a new person, but the problem is that you are playing these old tapes in your mind.
Those tapes could be things you were told growing up. When you are a child people tell you all sorts of things and you believe them, even when they are wrong. ie: You are uncoordinated, so you act that way. You are not good at math, so you end up not good at math. Your not athletic… Your just … your’e shy… You will never amount to anything....
All these things are stored in your brain and many of them need to be deleted. You need a new view of you. You need God’s view of you and a new view of the world and a new view of history and a new view of where you are headed in life. Stop playing the lies of the devil over and over in your head.
This is important because if you base your life on a faulty world view, the results for your life will be disastrous.
How do you know you have a wrong worldview? You start asking questions like; why is this happening to me?
How do you know you have a wrong worldview? You start asking questions like; why is this happening to me?
You need to get your worldview inline with truth and reality.
You need to get your worldview inline with truth and reality.
Not what you think is true and real, but what is actually true and real.
A worldview can make your life miserable if you have a wrong worldview, but it can also make your life wonderful if you have the right worldview. Here’s the good news. You get to make the choice. No one forces you to adopt a particular worldview. Culture will pressure into one, but You can believe what you want. However, if your beliefs are making you miserable, you may be operating on false beliefs. And if you are, you need to change those beliefs and align them with God’s Word.
In your notes, I have listed several worldviews the American culture pushes. You may have never thought of these as worldviews but they are and they impact you. You get them from social media, advertising, books, media, music, classrooms, etc.
The one with most toys wins - Materialism
The one with most toys wins - Materialism
This is “more… more… more”… mindset. Materialism says that the only thing that really matters in life is the acquisition of things. Materialists believe in life, liberty and the purchase of happiness. If I can’t afford it that’s ok. I’ve got a credit card. Materialists confuses our value with our valuables. They are not the same thing. We think that if I have more, I’m worth more. No. Your net worth and your self-worth are not the same thing. A lot of people think, what does it take to be happy? Just a little bit more. That’s called materialism… living life to collect more things. We want more money so we can buy more things so we have to find places to store them.
Jesus loved to challenge the wisdom of culture. Jesus would frequently say, “You’ve heard it said… but I tell you this…” He would do it over and over. “You’ve heard it said, but I tell you this.” What’s He doing? He’s challenging the cultural wisdom. Jesus challenged the conventional wisdom of the materialist.
15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
IOW, don’t judge your life by how much you’ve got. The greatest things in life are not things.
The next worldview …
I’ve go to think of me first - Individualism
I’ve go to think of me first - Individualism
We live in a Me First mentality world, a serve-yourself world that says it’s all about you. All of the commercials cater to this viewpoint of it’s all about you. Like “Have it your way,” “We do it all for you,” “Obey your thirst,” “You’ve got to think of what’s best for yourself,” “You deserve it.”
The last forty years our generation has been called “The Me Generation.” Or the culture of narcissism. This view says, I’ve got to think of me first. It’s called individualism.
Individualism says I don’t really care what it does to the children or what it does to you, I’m walking out of this marriage. I don’t really care what it does to the people at work, I’m not going to be responsible. I’ve got to think of me. Me first.
It’s a totally self centered, individualistic way of life that says I ignore the community, I ignore other people. I do what’s best for me.
Again, Jesus teaches a different world view...
25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Jesus says you only begin to live when you begin to give it a way. Significance in life does not come from serving yourself. It comes from serving God and others. Significance does not come from status, from salary, from success. It comes from serving. Serving God and serving others, that’s where significance comes from.
Jesus challenges the cultural wisdom that says “Live for yourself.” I’ve got to think of me first. Do whatever feels good. Live for pleasure. Have fun. Girls just want to have fun. Live for the thrills of life. You only go around once in life so you better go it with gusto.
Here is the 3rd…
Do whatever feels good - Hedonism
Do whatever feels good - Hedonism
Hedonism is simply the desire that says the most important thing in life is how I feel. If I feel good then it’s good. If I feel bad then it’s bad. Your feelings become the judge of everything. You’re living for pleasure. The number one goal of the life of the hedonist is to feel good. To live for comfort as if the whole goal of life is to just be comfortable, or to have pleasure or to have fun or to feel good.
God is the one who created pleasure. But it’s not the goal of life. It’s the benefit of living the kind of life God wants you to live. Pleasure is never the goal. It is the by-product of doing the right thing.
You might be a hedonist and not even know it. ie: if the goal of your life is retirement, you’re a hedonist. If the whole goal of your life is to simply do nothing, to sit back and do nothing, and to live a self-centered life, make no contribution in the world, to get to the point where it’s all about me. You’re a hedonist. If the goal in life is simply to make enough money so eventually I don’t have to do anything, I can just have fun, have pleasure. Then you’re a hedonist.
Retirement is not the goal of your life. It’s the by-product of life. You weren’t created to do nothing...
17 You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.
Mich Jagger has been singing, I can’t get no satisfaction for 50 years… why? Because the pursuit of pleasure will never satisfy you.
Here is the 4th worldview. It can be summed up with Do whatever works for you.
In our multi-cultured world, in our pluralistic world, this one is a real popular view. Nobody wants to say, what you’re doing is not right. The only thing that’s wrong in our society today, a lot of people believe, is when you tell somebody something’s wrong. Then you’re wrong. This idea of, whatever works for you.
There is a word for that… it’s called pragmatism.
Do whatever works for you - Pragmatism
Do whatever works for you - Pragmatism
Pragmatism says to do whatever works for you.
The problem with this view is that there are things that work that are evil. Hitler wanted to create a pure German race but to do that he killed 6 million Jews. It worked for him, but it was evil.
Someone gets pregnant but they don’t want a child, they have an abortion… it works for them, but it’s wrong.
The bible says,
12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
A lot of things today seem right to a lot of people, but it leads to death and destruction in their lives, their careers and their relationships. You can’t break God’s universal laws with no consequences. You may say you don’t believe them but there are there.
I could say I don’t believe in gravity, but if I had jumped off the side of the GC, I would not be here tonight.
I meet people all the time with the whatever works attitude. People will say something like, so far so good.
You are not being ethical… how is it going? So far so good. then you get fired…
Are you using drugs… How is it going? so far so good. then they become your master....
Your eating is out of control… how is it going? So far so good. then you health problems…
There is a way that seems right to people but leads to death. Just because you don’t believe what God says, does not protect you from the consequences. All ideas have consequences.
Here is the 5th…
God doesn’t exist or mater - Naturalism or atheism
God doesn’t exist or mater - Naturalism or atheism
God doesn’t exist. This is actually a pretty small group. They believe that everything is an accident. There is no creator. everything is a random result. God doesn’t exist or matter.
Here is a consequence of that thought. If God doesn’t exist or matter, you don’t matter. That’s the natural consequence of this worldview. We are just educated goo. from the goo to zoo to you… You are just an accident. If you happen to get run over… oh well. Your birth was just an accident.
If there is no plan, no purpose, no design in life, then your life doesn’t matter.
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
Rom 1:20-22 “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Pic of Grand Canyon
IOW, we look at nature and we see a lot of things about God. We know God is creative. We know God is powerful. We know God likes diversity. We know God is organized. There’s a lot of things we know about God just by looking at nature. Without even reading the Bible we can see what our creator is like.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.”
1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!
It takes a lot more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God. When you look at creation and how our world is created…
The world is set on an axis - 1 degree one direction would freeze the world… 1 degree the other way would burn us up.
It spins at just the right speed.
Atmosphere is perfect for life.
Perfect distance from the sun…
Ozone - acts a protective shield...
This along with all the all the intricacies of the universe. It takes a lot more faith to believe it all just happened instead of believing there is a creator.
When we were walking around the GC, when we saw a rock in the path, that’s an accident. If we had seen an apple watch, that indicates a creator. It would take a lot of faith to believe the apple watch was an accident.
But that’s what Atheism says… we are all accidents. That’s Naturalism or Atheism… But if God doesn’t exist, We don’t matter.
Here is the 6th…
You are your own God - Humanism
You are your own God - Humanism
If we don’t worship God, we will worship something. A lot of times we make it ourselves. This idea of “you are your own God” is popular in our culture. People may not say it that way, but they live that way. We live with no regard that there is a God.
This is is the same temptation Satan tempted Eve with… you will be like God. Gen 3:4-5 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.””
Listen, we are not God.
We think we have more control than we do. And that worldview is Humanism.
Humanism says I am in charge… I’m the center of the universe… not God. That’s what our culture basically teaches today.
I said a minute ago that, If we don’t worship God we will worship something. God has placed eternity in our hearts. There is a hole in each of us … something missing until we fill it with a relationship with Jesus.
If we don’t worship or creator, we will worship something He created. You can see that all through the scripture when the people would worship a pole or a statue. It amazes me that people would rather worship something God created than the creator.
Here is what the Bible says about that...
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
You can go all over the world and find people worshipping little idols they made. stone idols… crystals… wooden idols.... In America these are called houses… cars … careers … status symbols
Pic of House… car… Steve Jobs…
There is one other world view I want to talk about… the 7th
God made you for His purposes - Theism
God made you for His purposes - Theism
Theo - god. Theology is the study of God. Theology says that you and I were created with a purpose. Judaism and Christianity are theistic worldviews that say we were made with a purpose.
16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
Everything finds it’s purpose in Him. Everything was created by God and for a purpose. Until you understand that, life will not make sense.
There are two common beliefs about what you believe: the sincerity myth and the situational myth.
There are two common beliefs about what you believe: the sincerity myth and the situational myth.
The sincerity myth goes like this. It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. You can be a sincere Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu… whatever and it’s ok because you are sincere.
The problem with that is that you can be sincerely wrong. Has anyone besides me ever been sincerely wrong? Jobs… romance…
I was sincere, but it didn’t work out. Why, because ti takes more than sincerity to make it in life.
I could drink a glass of liquid I sincerely thought was water, but if I drink it and it’s arsenic, I will sincerely die.
Every now and then, a pilot will fly a plane into a mountain. He sincerely thought he was higher but he was not.
Truth is always true
Truth is always true
If it was true 2,000 years ago, it’s true today. Truth has always been here so we discovering more truth… and those discoveries indicate the Bible is true and that there is a God.
Archeology - they are constantly finding places mentioned in the bible.
DNA - confirms there is a creator that is orderly.
None of this is new. It’s been true since God created the world. Sincerity is never enough.
People used to sincerely believe that the earth was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth… they were sincerely wrong. When I go to the doctor, I want more than sincerity, I want competency. I don’t want to hear him go oops. I don’t want him to say I sincerely cut that out of you ...
The second myth is the situational myth. This one says it doesn’t matter what you believe because it all depends on circumstance. You can believe one thing in one situation and believe something different in another situation.
This myth causes all sorts of stress because each of these worldviews are in competition with each other. They are competing for your time, your attention and your energy.
One wants you to put getting things first… another wants you to put pleasure first… another says put yourself first. Another says what’s right depends on the situation.
People like to pick and choose. People will say, when I am on a date, I’ll have this worldview… usually pleasure. When I am closing a deal, I’ll have this world view. When I am taking a test, I’ll have this worldview. It doesn’t work that way. All that does is create more stress in your life.
Barna Research - A lot of the nations problems are directly related to the absence of a Biblical Worldview.
It showed that only 4% of adults have a Biblical Worldview. That’s 4% that based their decisions on the Bible. That explains why people don’t act like Jesus. Remember, your beliefs determine your behavior.
Only 9% of of people claiming to be Christians based their decisions on a biblical Worldview.
People with a Biblical worldview were 2x more likely to have attended college… 2 x more likely to be married.
The #1 state with a Biblical worldview was Texas. Last was Louisiana. We were tied with 6 northeastern states. That explains a lot.
In another survey,
62% of Americans consider themselves spiritual, but but 24% said they make moral choices based on what feels comfortable.
62% of Americans consider themselves spiritual, but but 24% said they make moral choices based on what feels comfortable.
Only 16% said they made moral choices based on the Bible.
9% said they make moral choices based on what made other people happy or causes the least conflict. … they caved in. That’s a miserable life of fear and anxiety.
7% said they make moral decisions based on what works the best for them… self centeredness.
Then they asked a question about absolute truth. America was divided 3 ways.
1/3 believed that moral truth was absolute …
1/3 believed that moral truth is always determined by the situation… and another
1/3 did not believe in any moral truth.
That’s why we are looking at this for a few weeks because your worldview matters.
Let’s look at why it matters.
2. Why does it matter what I believe?
2. Why does it matter what I believe?
There are three reasons we will look at today.
1. Your world view shapes your life.
1. Your world view shapes your life.
You need to know what you believe and why you believe it. Look at what Solomon said,
23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.
If you don’t know what you believe and why you believe it, your life is being shaped by something you’re not even aware of. The Bible tells us that our beliefs determine our behavior, our vision determines our values, what we see determines what we sense and so we need to work on what we believe.
If there are things you want to change in your life, you don’t change them from the outside in, you change them from the inside out. You begin with your thought life and that changes your behaviors. ie: the demon possessed man at Gaderenes.
2. A faulty worldview will cause you all kinds of problems.
2. A faulty worldview will cause you all kinds of problems.
18 If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
When we don’t have a revelation from God, when we don’t see what God is doing, when we don’t know God’s truth, our worldview is not correct. When we don’t have a correct worldview we don’t learn from history and we stumble all over ourselves. You have no purpose and you drift through life. You have no meaning and you are just here…
But when you attend to what God says, your worldview will be right and you will be blessed. Pay attention to your worldview, get it in line with God’s truth and not popular opinion.
Here is another reason…
3. When we have the proper worldview, we can share it with others.
3. When we have the proper worldview, we can share it with others.
When you know what you believe and why you believe it, you will be able to explain it to people when you come in contact with them.
15 But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.
God wants you and I to know what we believe and why so we can explain it to other people. Our world needs people who know what they believe, why they believe it and can explain it to others. Because most of the people in the world don’t have a clue as to what they really believe.
One of the big debates today is about the environment. A lot of people are against anything to do with conserving the environment. I am not being political here, but caring about the environment for me comes from the worldview in the Bible where God put man in charge of the earth. Part of managing the earth is to do what is sensible to take care of it. Some seem to argue against that ideas because of the politics and craziness associated with it.
I think we should leave the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. My parents believed that and so do I.
One man on a radio show said he was no more responsible for the environment than any other species. He was a naturalist and this view says you and I are no different than any other part of creation. He has the wrong worldview.
All of our conflicts today are a result of competing worldviews. A faulty worldview causes all sorts of problems.
Check out this quote from Pastor Rick Warren.
The crumbling of our culture, the crisis in our schools, the controversies in our courts, the corruption in our businesses, the chaos in our government, the carnality in our churches, the confusion in our families, and the conflicts in our personal lives are all caused by this futile attempt to hold and believe and live out incompatible and contradictory worldviews at the same time.
This is whats causing our problems.
Quickly...
3. How can we develop our worldview?
3. How can we develop our worldview?
We will be doing this for the next 6 weeks, so invite someone to join you on Wednesdays.
1. We need to learn what is true
1. We need to learn what is true
The first step in building a strong biblical worldview is to learn the truth. Jesus told the story of the builders. One built his house on sand and the other one on solid rock. When the storms came along, the one built on the sand was destroyed while the one built on the rock stood.
The point was this.
We can either build our life on what Jesus said or on popular opinion.
We can either build our life on what Jesus said or on popular opinion.
When you build your life on popular opinion, your life will crumble when difficult times come along. But if you life your life on the rock of the truth of the Bible, you will stand up under the most difficult circumstances.
We are living in the last days and one of the signs is we are experiencing more and more earthquakes. You are going to experience a lot of earthquakes in your life.
Financial earthquakes… Spiritual earthquakes… health earthquakes … maybe a moral earthquake … career earthquakes… marital earthquakes… family earthquakes - kids....
These will shake you to your core, and if the foundation of your life is built on the sand of popular opinion, or on how you feel at that moment, and not built on truth that doesn’t change, You are going to collapse and crumble.
It’s ok to have things and live life to it’s fullest enjoying things that you have… It’s ok to dress in style. It’s ok to be up to date… just know that todays up to date is tomorrows out of date. If you build your life on what other people think… what happens when they change their minds?
The only way to stay eternally relevant is to build your life on eternal truths that never change.
We had a saying in YFC… “Geared to the times, but anchored to the Rock”
Our methods may and will change, but our message will always be the same… it doesn’t change. God made you for a purpose. God made you to love you and he wants you to know him and all the things we have talked about that are part of a Biblical Christian worldview.
The Bible says,
23 Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding.
How do you learn the truth? You learn the truth by reading, studying, & meditating on the WOG.
2. We need to discern what is false
2. We need to discern what is false
1 My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
You have to love the Bible. God knew there would be people who twist things up and lie. so we have to learn the truth so we can discern the truth. counter fit money
Discern what is true and false. Don’t be a skeptic or become cynical. People who are hurt are cynical. God says to be discerning. Learn the truth and then discern what is false.
3. We need to turn from the world to the word.
3. We need to turn from the world to the word.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,
Behavior and customs of this world - that is a worldview. The the world’s value system: Materialism… hedonism… individualism… secularism.
but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
It starts with your belief. Belief determines behavior, which determines what you become. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Get a new worldview.
Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
What God is saying here is to turn from the world to the Word.
You have two choices. Are you going to base your choices on the Word of God, which is eternal or on the world’s ideas that change all the time?
Solomon said,
14 A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.
You can cross out trash and write in Social Media, television, shopping. A wise person is hungry for truth while a fool feeds on trash. Again, you’ve got two options on what to build your life on – truth or trash. I know people who say they love Jesus, but spend more time reading different magazines and on social media than reading the Bible or devotionals.
Ask yourself, do you spend more time reading, watching and listening to trash… or truth?
Since the growth of our phones and the 24 hour news cycle, the goal has shifted from providing news to keeping their ratings up. Listen, if you stop watching it for a week or so, you will live… you most likely will be better off. To me, the news seems like the soap operas. You see an episode … skip a month or two and you can pick right back up. Fox will still be talking about politics…. MSNBC & CNN will still be trashing MAGA people… and pushing LGTBQ…
Turn from the World to the WORD!
4. We need to concern ourselves with God’s agenda.
4. We need to concern ourselves with God’s agenda.
31 He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
Circle “primary concern.”
You can’t have two primary concerns. I want to make a lot of money that’s my number one goal and serve God. No.
Jesus said you cannot serve both God and money. He didn’t say you should not. He said you cannot. You can’t have two number ones in your life.
So what’s going to be one and what’s going to be two? What’s going to be secondary? What’s going to be number one? He says put Me first. Put God number one in your life and you’ll see amazing things. Then He says “I’ll take care of all the rest.”
We are living in a time when people are searching for something… they are empty. When you look around people are walking around empty. People are saying, this isn’t working. In the 70’s the hippies found out that the drugs weren’t working so we had the Jesus Revolution. People are dry and empty… thirsting for something. They are thirsty, hoping that someone will give them something to drink… hoping someone will show them that their life means something and they are significant and have purpose. They may be successful but they don’t feel successful.
We have the living water of God’s truth that refreshes and restores and revitalizes and changes our lives. We have that message. We have to know what we believe, know why we believe it, be able to share why we believe it and then live it.
20 Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.
What we need today in our world more than anything else are people who have a clear worldview. They know what they believe. They know why they believe it. They can explain it to people in the world who haven’t the slightest clue what they believe. And most important of all they live it. They live what they believe.
Altar time -
Lord, thank you for giving us the truth to build our lives on… truth that never changes. So when the storms of life come, we have something to hold onto that will support us.
Have them pray…
Dear God, I want to know the truth. I want to learn the truth. I want to discern what’s false. I want to turn from the world to the word. I want to focus my life with what you want… with your agenda.
Help me to know what I believe and then help me to live what I believe. In Jesus’ name. Amen