Worldliness
Notes
Transcript
Main Idea: We are called to live in the world but not be of it.
Main Idea: We are called to live in the world but not be of it.
How do I see Jesus:
How do I see Jesus:
ME
ME
I will never forget my very first ministry opportunity, we took a summer role at a church in South Georgia, it was beautiful little town of 1500 people and we moved to lead this growing youth group with the hopes it would grow into something more full time. We had moved into a little two bedroom duplex and had been there a couple of days and the pastor asked me if I wanted to go out and do a job with him and have breakfast with him. Of course I agreed.
So we go to have breakfast with the old farmers and we are sitting around and it was so strange, because if you didnt know this restaurant was there you would not have known anything about it, there were no signs to let you know, it was just the local spot for some people. So we go in and we are sitting at these long dinning tables like you would expect in a banquet type hall or cafeteria, and we’re eating with all the old farmers and my pastor is talking with them, and they are farmers so their language is that of farmers and all of a sudden my pastor starts speaking just like them. I mean he is dropping every four letter word you could possibly think of while he is talking with them and on the inside I am starting to die a little bit because I have no idea what I am supposed to do here. When we get done with our meal we leave and as we get into his truck he says, “So, I guess you are wondering what was going on there, I try to reach them by being real with them.” And I think I mumbled okay or something like that. And his statement is the way a lot of people who call themselves Christians try to live in the world we live in today, they want to try to reach the world by looking like them and sounding like them when they are together in hopes they can draw them closer to God. The hope here I believe is to show the world Christians aren’t just a bunch of judgmental people who are rigid and rule oriented to get them to talk with them.
Then on the other side of the fence we have Christians who in their desire to honor God they reject every worldly thing they can think of because their desire is to live nothing like the world. So we see some groups of people who completely withdraw themselves from the world in attempt to not let the world defy their lives and make them live like them. And this is what we see happening with people like the Amish they don’t want to allow the things of this world to keep them from the Godly lives they feel like they are supposed to live so they completely pull themselves out.
And what we see is both of these types of living leave the world confused, the people who are completely withdrawn seem to have people afraid to even talk to them because they seem so righteous and those that look like the world confuse people because they thought Christians were supposed to be different from everyone else so they are more confused.
Which leads us to the question, how are we, as Christians, supposed to live in the world faithfully?
I think today’s scripture tells us we are supposed to be in the world, but distinct from it.
First thing.
Just as Jesus was in the world so should we be.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
So Jesus is making it clear that he was not of the world but God sent him into it, and the same is what he is saying about us we are to live in the world but not be of it. So this immediately looks at those sects like the Amish and some Mennonites and others who are trying to make their lives outside of the world in their own groups a little out there because he clearly is saying he wants us to be a part of the world we are living in.
Jesus gave us many examples of this in his ministry. In the first century the Pharisees had the idea if you were going to live holy you had to avoid contact with sinners. And one of the most sinful people of the day were tax collectors. See the Romans hated the tax collectors because they were Jewish but they were a means to an end so they used them for their own purposes. At the same time the Jewish people hated them because they were the ones collecting on what the Romans were forcing the Jews to give them, so they were universally looked down upon by most people as the most sinful, so it was weird for the Pharisees when Jesus selects Matthew to be one of his followers. They clearly thought Jesus couldn’t be from God because of this so they looked down upon him.
We can also look at the story in Like as the woman came into Simons house and anointed Jesus feet with her tears and perfume. There was shock in the room because most of those people would not have allowed someone like her to touch them but here Jesus is allowing and dining with the people of the world.
And what we realize is Jesus is showing us we should be a part of the world we are called to serve it is not good for us to think we can share the gospel while being removed from the world we must be a part of it.
Not only does Jesus make the point we can’t be isolated from the world but he shows us that his calling in the world was part of this greater mission he was on.
Remember vs 18 and then into vs 19 Jn 17:18-19
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
And we have to remember the word sanctify means to be set apart for the work God had called you to do. And Jesus is saying look the whole reason I came here was to do the mission that you sent me to do, the work that you sent me to do, and set me apart from the work in the world you wanted me to. And much in the same he has sent us in the world to do work and we must remain on the mission he has called us to.
And often we forget but I like to remind us over and over again the mission of the church Matt 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are supposed to be going into the world and making disciples and teaching them to observe all he has commanded… and when we realize our job in the world is to do this we begin to understand how we are supposed to live in the world. We are supposed to be in it but we are supposed to be different because our goal is to move about building his kingdom and getting people to come back to him. And here is the thing we have talked about repeatedly as we have been through these last few chapters is when we are going about and doing these things the world will hate us. Look at what he said
14 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.
And he follows that up withf
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
And he is saying look I came expecting the world to hate me because I am not of this world, and it would be easy for them to stop, but what they have to know going in is the world is going to hate them to… and I love verse 17 because Jesus is praying FOR US. HE is asking God to set us apart with his truth, with his word… because he knows in face of opposition in this world it would be easy for us to water down the truth. It would be easy for us to preach a different Gospel to try and get more people to like us and not push back, but he is asking God to make certain we stick the line. You have to know what you believe and be sure you share it no matter how much you think people will dislike you.
The second thing We see Jesus telling us is
2. We are to be different from the world just like he was different from the world.
John 17:14–16 (ESV)
… they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
And when he first says this, he is explaining why the world will hate his followers, and the second time he says it he is telling the father why he needs to protect them from the world.
And the first thing we can see in our need to be distinct from the world is not being of the world is our true path to Joy. look at vs 14 Jn 17:13
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
And the lie of the world is when we follow Jesus and try to be more like Him, we will have less Joy. The people we are around and the world we live in tries to convince us we are giving away all of the fun things and we won’t have real joy without following the world. This has been the lie of Satan from the beginning of time, he will give us all of the joy we need in this world. I think about all of the things he offered Jesus in the wilderness after his days of fasting and it was all worldly pleasures and the enemy tries to assure us we will be happier with the things in this world..
Explain.
And what we realize is Holiness, while often harder in the short term, is what will lead to long term joy in our lives. Look at the Words of David in Ps 16:11
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
And in this prayer Jesus is praying that we can be different from the world so we can receive his true pleasure.
To be in the world but not of it we must also have a different mindset that is driven by God’s word…
Look at what Jesus said,
John 17:14 (ESV)
14 I have given them your word…Your word is truth
And what we notice over and over again in the life of Jesus is how much credence he put into scripture, how much he loved it, how true he believed it to be. Remember back to Jn 5:39
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Later he calls the Word truth… and we see Jesus speaking of the word of God sanctifying us and making us Holy and if we are following the story along what we can understand is how we think is what guides our lives, and understanding scripture is what will change the way we think, because remember how we think about Jesus is what really changes our life, what our beliefs are in him are the defining moment of our lives… if we truly believe in him it will change everything we do, and we can’t know how to live and how to think about Jesus unless we have at least HEARD his word.
And Paul dials in this idea in Romans 12:2
2 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.
So what we can see is its not just the word changing the way we think that will make us distinct from this world, but it is living in obedience to it…
The world tells us we can live according to our truth… I have heard so many people say to thine own self be true… sorry… not so… and so we realize we must live according to his word it is what will guide us
and lastly if we are going to live distinctly we have to realize we are in enemy territory
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
So what will we do? We must hold on to his word…
WE
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION
YOU
YOU
WE
WE
