Living in the world not of the world

Good morning and welcome to CCC

Hard to believe that it is mid July but that is where we find ourselves this morning. It is wonderful to see each of you here with us this morning. I also want to welcome in those watching our livestream as well as those who will see this later on our website or soon to be released app

Thank you for making God a priority today. I pray your secret place was dynamic

intimate

and life-changing this week

Today we begin a new sermon series as we prepare to launch IT

IT again is only the only two things that matter....Salvation and Discipleship

God has been pressing that into the hearts of the elders for several months

We have been praying about it

We have been discussing IT and what it means for us individually and as a congregation here at CCC

We will continue to pray and discuss it and invite you to join us in prayer and discussion......if you would like to attend an elders meeting we meed the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 6 pm in the new classroom

God is still revealing IT to us.

Right now what we know about IT is God has called us to a sermon series but much more than that.....He has called us to a time of preparation as He prepares us to take Nevada and Vernon County by storm for Jesus!!!!!!

We know it will start October 6th with an introductory message followed by a potluck and brianstorm

We will break bread together and talk about and think about IT.....what is your IT....what turns your crank…connect with others who have the same IT as you do....dream....get excited.....think about what God has in store! We know the series will end with a potluck and ministry fair as IT requires action and we want to formally connect people’s IT with a ministry here

One part of this that is scary is this: What if we have a ministry currently but it is no one’s IT? Do we in faith stop that ministry to support another who does fit someone’s IT? Are we strong enough in our faith to let go? Those are some of the questions that the elders are wrestling with right now and invite you to join us in that wrestling!

As I have been seeking God about IT....He made it very clear that there was some prep work, so to speak, that needed to be done prior to IT.

Some things that needed to be taught

preached on

prayed about

searched in scriptures prior to us as a whole, CCC, being ready for IT

He gave me two sermon series’ that had to be preached prior to IT

They are:

Is Your Life Balanced?

and

Spiritual Warfare

A Christian who is not balanced and doesn’t have proper Biblical perspective and priorities will fail so that is where we are starting this morning.

I wanted to give you a quick peek at what is ahead…Lord Willing

Today we begin the Is Your Life Balanced? Sermon series with the message Living in the world not of the world

Next week we continue with Godly Attitude

7/28 we will look at failure

8/4 we will take a one week break from the sermon series and my brother Jefferson Smith will preach. When I was unsure about my leg and after seeing my MRI report and feeling surgery was emanate I began to reach out to a few guys as I knew after surgery I would be down a few weeks....one of those was Jefferson…God laid it on my heart to ask Him and even though, it appears for now, surgery is not on the table God made it clear to us that Jefferson still had a message from God to deliver so he will be here on 8/4 as Melody and I and the boys and Jefferson and Clarissa and their boys and mom and Kenny leave for Branson for vacation right after service that morning

8/11 Is your life balanced? ministry

8/18 Is your life balanced? fellowship

We need to be balanced in all areas of our lives as Christians…true believers....followers.....disciples of Christ

Let’s dive in shall we?

Lets pray

START RECORDING

This morning is the first week of our sermon series Is Your Life Balanced?

Today’s message is Living in the world not of the world

Church God cares very much about your walk

When people see you what do they see…Jesus or the world?

You and I as Christians are no longer residents of earth because heaven is now our home

We are aliens here on earth…citizens of heaven living here on earth temporarily

Is that truly how you live your life?

I love to travel and as you travel further and further away from home eventually you will hear.....you aint from around here are you?

It is obvious to the locals that you are not a local

Do you get asked that in regards to your faith and lifestyle?

Are you so ate up with Jesus that you get asked you aint from around here are you?

If not shame on you

I pray after this morning you will leave here committed to living in the world not of the world

This morning I want to look at Living in the world not of the world through scripture

I believe scripture gives us the gameplan

the way

the blue print for living in the world not of the world

Today we are going to look at

Command

Citizenship

How

Fruit

1. Command

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1 John 2:15–17

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“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Do not love the world or the things in the world

Big commandment

Big expectation

Big implications

Clearly shows heart and alligence

Where you place your adoration and devotion is where your love is

What you are affectionate towards displays your love

This comes down to perspective

Who has your heart

If you look at a beautiful sunset and fail to praise God and thank God for it....He is not your love

Your affection and adoration and devotion are to the world not God

Some may say come on pastor josh that is extreme.....so is being rejected....beaten beyond recognition....being spat upon....willingly....all of it willingly accepted for you and for me.....willingly climbing on the cross....willingly becoming the sin of the entire world past present future....willingly dying for those sins

That is pretty extreme!!!!!!!!!

That demands extreme affection and devotion

How can you claim Jesus as Lord and Savior......John 1:3 says “ All things were made through Him....JESUS....and without Him was not anything made that was made”

That sunset was made by Jesus who took your rejection

who took your spit

who took your beating

who took your sin and died your death

If you know Him how could you look at something He made and not give Him glory and praise?????

Mindset

perspective both reveal heart condition

both reveal affection

both reveal adoration

both reveal devotion

This gets even more serious

“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”

If you love the world you are not saved

You can claim to be saved but you are not saved

Love of the Father is not in you

Now can you struggle here......absolutely

That is part of the sanctification process

part of maturing in Christ

part of discipleship......that is why so many “Christians” run from discipleship....it hurts....it is messy....you must die to you and replace you with Jesus!!!!!! Most are unwilling to pay that price so they stay on milk....stay babes in Christ and miss out on an intimate, dynamic, personal relationship with Jesus right here right now!

IT is much less about behavior and more about heart

you accept Jesus.....make Him Lord and Savior.....you hate the world and love Him

Your flesh is worldly so it loves the world......this is going to be a constant battle

The problem is when it no longer is a battle

You love the world and feel nothing for God

you love the world and ignore God

you love the world and reject God

you love the world and hate God

Not my words, God’s Word

James 4:4

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“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Goes even deeper doesn’t it

Not to be friends with the world

This is why evaluating what you consume is so important

if someone or something is evil....worldly…you can’t be friends with it or you have enmity with God

You are to be acquainted with the world

acquainted with sinners but not friends

Does that mean you are not friendly to the lost…absolutely not.....you love the lost just as God loves the lost

you pray for none to perish but all come to repentance

This gets a bit tricky but lets try to break it down

The difference between a friend and an acquaintance is not love or even being friendly

Friends are those you allow to influence you. Those should never be non-Christian

You must never take counsel from someone who is not a Christian....actually that is a lie....you should never take counsel from anyone who is not giving counsel from God’s Word!

Friends influence you....acquaintances do not.

You eat with friends you eat with acquaintances

you hang out with friends you hang out with acquaintances

you pray for friends you pray for acquaintances

On the outside there is really now difference but on the inside there is........friends influence acquaintances do not because acquaintances are lost and cannot give Godly....Biblical counsel

This is also why supporting evil is dangerous

Media....

music

tv

movies

social media

can edify or destroy

those are the only 2 options

As you consume....listen…watch…partake in media…scroll....it influences you

It penetrates you

It can become your treasure

if you justify

support

allow evil

it will destroy you

If you seek those things…friends with the world you are an enemy of God regardless of what you claim

I had a cool God moment yesterday…I have been honest I am a gamer

I like to play video games

I also have been honest that I have a few games I enjoyed playing that God said no more

I was down yesterday…no real reason just down....in my weakness I downloaded one of those games because I convinced myself I missed it

I played it for about 10 minutes and realized I didn’t enjoy the game any more......I had no want to play it....my pride said play it because God said don’t but God allowed me to see that He changed my heart

He changed my wants

He changed my desires

He removed my desire to play that game

Praise God!!!!!!!

We have to be so careful with love......we throw the word love around like it is going out of style

I love sports

I love video games

I love tacos

No I enjoy those things but those things cannot lead me to heaven

those things are not Jesus

My only love is devoted for Jesus and Jesus alone

I love my bride and I love my kids and family and all of you…I do but I love Jesus more and with an all consuming love

Be careful with love

This takes a complete mindset transformation to truly keep this command to love God and hate the world

2. Citizenship

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Philippians 3:20–21

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But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Citizenship is in heaven

As a Christian you are no longer a citizen of earth

you are now an alien here on earth and a citizen of heaven living on earth

You don’t belong here

you long to return home

you await a Savior…Jesus to return and transform you into your heavenly body!

Your true allegiance is heaven because that is where you are a citizen

With God there is no dual-citizenship....You are a citizen of heaven and therefore reject the world or a citizen of the world and therefore reject God and heaven

Don’t take my word for it…look to Jesus

John 17:11–19

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“And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Jesus no longer in the world but we are in the world

Jesus points to several things to stay of heaven and not the world

stay in His name.....follow His commandments. Be discipled by Him Seek Him all day everyday

Be in the Word. God gave us the Bible to remain in Him and not the world....one of the many reasons He gave us His Word

Prayer …Jesus is praying here. Jesus lived a lifestyle of prayer..why…He was devoted to God His Father and to give us an example…prayer connects you to God

Jesus closes with sanctify.....that is the

3. How

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Sanctification is the process of discipleship

removing you and replacing it with Jesus

maturing in Christ

A constant process that will continue until you are promoted home to heaven or Jesus returns

God gives very specific ways to do this

Romans 12:1–2

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“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I. Be a living sacrifice

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You must choose to give up

sacrifice friendship with the world

you replace that friendship with a relationship with God!!!!

This is your spiritual worship

Getting up and getting into the secret place everyday

Praying with and over your

spouse

kids

grandkids

everyday

Being in the Word

Being in prayer

Serving God

Serving others

Dying to yourself

Do you see it?????

Complete devotion resulting in completely surrendered and sacrificed life

How many of us can truly say we are living sacrifices??????

II. Refuse to conform to the world

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Reject evil

refuse to be conformed to this world

You don’t have to accept LBGTQ whatever

trans

nonbianary

sin and garbage

You love them

you pray for them

you serve them but you refuse to conform and accept their sin and the sin behind the ideology!!!!

I refuse to step foot in target or allow any of the money God gives me to be spent there I will go without before conforming to their evil agenda

They don’t hide it

They love satan....they promote homosexual lifestyles openly......again don’t hate the people but hate the sin

I am out… I will not conform

God is serious

If you love Him you will refuse to be conformed to this world

How....by being transformed by renewal of your mind....remember my video game example earlier…transformed by renewal of my mind....GOD CHANGED MY MIND!!!!!!!

How do you renew your mind....

be in the Word

obey the Word

Allow Holy Spirit to apply the Word to your life!!!!!

You cannot know God’s will for your life if you are not seeking it in the Word!!!!!

Ephesians 5:11–21

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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

I want to pull 6 instructions.....truths…guidance…whatever you want to call them

1. Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness

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Run…reject…ignore…expose them

You must stand on God’s Word and for God’s ways regardless of the cost

Listen… it is even harmful to speak of these things done in secret

Stay clear of them

Stay clear of darkness

2. Look carefully at your walk

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Are you walking in world and sin or Jesus and newness of life?

3. Make best use of time

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It is nor yours it is God’s

are you a true

faithful steward of the time God gives you?

Seriously you will give an account for how you used the time God gave you

4. Don’t get drunk with wine…be filled with the Spirit

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The Bible doesn’t say dont drink it says don’t be drunk. Now some of you that means don’t drink because you struggle with alcohol and you will drink to get drunk that is a sin

Some of you are placed in places of influence by God and therefore need to also stay away from drink as it could lead others to sin

Pray to God for Him to give you a conviction here

5. Address each other in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs

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Lifestyle of worship.....do you have a lifestyle of worship.....some of you get upset during worship here on earth....let alone a lifestyle of worship....again never about the music or style of music or whatever that is just an expression of worship........you are to worship 24/7/365

go you greet each other in worship

6. Always giving thanks to God

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Some of you give grumbling to God.....that is a sin by the way to grumble

You are to be thankful for all things......I get it now much clearer that I used to

I have wanted to grumble about this injury

I have wanted to be mad at God

I have wanted to be anything but thankful but then God shows me what He is doing

He reminds me of the lessons I have learned thus far

I am humble and thankful that God broke me physically to break me spiritually

Give thanks to God in ALL THINGS

Lifestyle of love

lifestyle of adoration

lifestyle of devotion to God not the world!

I believe like anything with God there will be fruit

Remember fruit is how we inspect our lives and the lives of others for Jesus!

4. Fruit

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What to look for in your life to see if you are a friend of the world and enemy of God or if you love God and hate the world

James 1:27

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“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Your religion will be pure and undefiled

you will seek Jesus

you will serve Jesus

you will serve others

all with pure intentions and true devotion not pride and fame

I think of Jamie Alexander here

Jamie loved Jesus and loved people and his ministry was so large yet so many never even knew what and how much he did

I still find things and people Jamie ministered to today!

Is your religion pure or self-centered?

John 15:18–19

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““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Do you have a confrontational relationship with sin?

If you love Jesus the world will hate you and attempt to kill, steal from you and destroy you

Do you see a world that hates you because of Jesus?????

John 16:33

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“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.””

John 14:27

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

In all of this peace....I read both scriptures because they are so beautiful and point to peace

You have a peace non-Christians and even some Christians can’t understand

Complete trust and faith in Jesus

peace

not lack of conflict and chaos but peace in the conflict and chaos

That peace comes from faith in God’s Word

2 Peter 1:3–4

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“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

You have peace because of God’s divine power living in you in Jesus and Holy Spirit

Knowledge of God through His Word

His great and precious promises!!!!

Nothing evil

corrupt

worldly can touch God and His Children

Where are you

What is your fruit

Are you living in the world not of the world?

STOP RECORDING

Invitation

STOP STREAMING