Untitled Sermon

In But Not Of II: Choosing a Side

Sermon:

Good morning/afternoon! 

Here we are, almost two weeks after perhaps the most contentious election in our nation’s history.

So, did your side win? Did your side lose?

You have chosen a side, haven’t you? 

OK, let me rephrase that, which side did you choose? 

Because, the fact is, no matter which way you voted or didn’t vote, you chose a side!

And to clear up any further confusion, let me point the fact, there are only two sides you can choose from!

Oh, you’ll hear people say, “There are many different sides in life, what is true and meaningful to me, may not be true and meaningful to someone else.”

But that’s a bunch of baloney! There are only two sides human beings can choose from in this world; light or darkness, the world’s World View, or God’s World View!

Jesus made that distinction clear in John 12:46, telling us; “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Translation: before Jesus came into your life, you, every part and aspect of you and who you were, existed in the darkness!

But Christ, the light, invaded the darkness that defined your existence, and rescued you! Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, came into your life, and demonstrated His great love for you by paying the penalty your sin demanded of you, a penalty you could never pay! And by responding to Christ’s love by choosing to call on Jesus to save you, He did!

And in that moment you not only chose your side, you were brought out of the darkness and into His light!

That’s what Peter declares to us! But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Light or Darkness, The world’s way or God’s way, those are our only two choices!

And we, each of us, has to make a conscious, deliberate, intentional choice as to which side we’re going to be on!

Open your Bibles to the Book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 5.

Here’s a story of how God led one man to make his decision, and how we can learn from that.

The Israelites have been wandering through the Promised Land for 40 years. They’ve just crossed the Jordan River, and are approaching Jericho, the first real obstacle they’ve faced in taking control of the land God has given them.

Joshua is the leader of this young nation, and the leader of the Israelite military. And in Joshua chapter 5, verses 13 and 14, it says:

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.”

So Here’s Joshua, he can see Jericho, and he can see it’s well fortified. He sees that city’s big old walls, and in all probability he’s wondering, “Just how are we supposed to get past those walls?”

That was a good question! And Joshua is wise to be asking it!

And as Joshua is pondering that, he suddenly sees this man standing in front of him, with his sword drawn.

Now in those days a man with a drawn sword, generally meant business!

But Joshua’s got a job to do, which he knows is going to include some hand to hand fighting. So he approaches this man and asks the question, “Are you with us, or against us?”

The man answers with three succinct, but extremely powerful statements, that give Joshua all the information he needs! And likewise, they give us all the information we need to wisely choose our side!

Those statements are in verse 14. To the question which side are you on, the man says; “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.”

The first statement is crucial. The man says “No!” to Joshua’s question, and remember, it wasn’t a yes or no question, it was an either-or question. So the response of “no” is kind of interesting.

But to understand that first statement, we have to understand the second statement, which is really the crux of the response, so let’s look at that, and then we’ll come back to the “no”.

This man’s second statement is; I am the commander of the army of the Lord.

Turns out, this man, isn’t really a man! This sword waving dude, is God Himself!

And we know it’s God, because of what Joshua does, and what this man allows Joshua to do!

Down in the last part of verse 14, it says, And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him,“What does my lord say to his servant?”

Joshua worships this person, and this person lets Joshua worship Him!

If this were just an angel of the Lord, the angel would have immediately rebuked Joshua for trying to worship him!

Remember in Revelation 22, where John is so overcome by what he’s seeing, he falls down to worship the angel talking to him, and the angel says, “No! Don’t do that! I’m a fellow servant, worship only God!”

But this guy accepts Joshua’s worship, so, we know it’s God! And because it’s God, suddenly the reason for the “no” becomes clear!

Joshua has asked, “Are you on our side or their side?” and God, basically says, “I’m on my side!”

And with that declaration, God is, in effect, is turning the question around on Joshua, “Whose side are you on?”

So, in statement one, God says, “I’m on my side, whose side are you on?.” Statement two is, “I’m God”. And statement three is, “I’m here.”

We’ll take a look at statement three in more detail next Sunday. Today, I want to focus the rest of this message on the first two statements.

Remember those? They basically boil down to “I am God and I’m on my side, whose side are you on?”

Let’s focus on the two sides in this earthly drama, The world’s World View, and God’s World View.

To do that, turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter one. There we find a great description of both God’s World View, the Biblical World View, and the world’s World View, the Non-Biblical World View.

We’ll start in verse 16, and read all the way through verse 32. Romans 1:16 through 32:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

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. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Wow! That’s a pretty stark and sobering passage!

So let me start by examining the non-Biblical World View.

The non-Biblical World View likes to dress itself up in half-truths to seem reasonable and attractive. “Oh, we believe in God too! But our God is love and our God would never send anyone to a place like hell!”

Those are half-truths! Half-truths that are really out and out lies! Yes, God is love, but that’s just part the larger truth of who God is! God is love and just and righteous, and He’s all those things and more, because He’s holy!

And it’s true, God doesn’t send anyone to hell, people choose hell as their eternal destiny, God simply honors their choice. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.

The non-Biblical World View hates the things God loves, and attempts to counterfeit them, so they can be seen not as the God haters they are, but rather, as reasonable people, not like those folks who are religious zealots and bigots! Who likes those kind of people anyway?

But ultimately, despite their attempts to sugar coat it, the non-Biblical World View is anti-God! Perhaps you picked up on that, because Paul is very detailed in describing it here in this passage!

The non-Biblical World View is summed up best in verse 21 and 22.

 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,”

People who hold the non-Biblical World View have become futile in their thinking, that is their thinking has become perverted! And it’s become perverted, because they refuse to honor God as God, and instead have set themselves up as gods to be worshiped!

Look at verse 25 again, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

By worshiping and serving created things, people who hold the non-Biblical world view, basically worship themselves! That’s a key platform in the non-Biblical World View; self-worship!

Oh, it’s dressed up as something different, something that seems reasonable, “I really love nature, “God’s creation is important to me!” “I love people, helping people is my goal in life!” “I love animals, taking care of them shows I really care!” But in all of those examples, people are prioritizing what they want! They are their top priority! They are what they worship!

And notice, God lets them do it! In verses 24, 26 and 28 Paul says “God gives them up…!” God gives them up to what’s in their hearts, and in their thoughts and in their passions.

I find that interesting, because God is God. He could force everyone to worship Him if He wanted! But God created us with this incredible ability to choose to worship Him, choose to love Him, to choose His side!

But, whatever it is we choose, God lets us have our way! God honors our choice!

God loves you, and wants you to want to love Him! He wants that deeply and sincerely! But, if you prefer something else, other than God, God gives you up to whatever that something else is!

And what is the result of that choice? What are the consequences of choosing the non-Biblical World View? The answer is right there in verse 28.

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”

Then Paul goes on to list all the gross, sinful things man’s debased minds comes up with!

The bottom line is, the non-Biblical World View ends in death, eternal death! But those who choose that World View, don’t care! They know it ends in death and they choose it anyway!

And understand, death in The Bible is not primarily defined as the separation of the human spirit from the body, but rather the separation of the human spirit from the Spirit of God, forever!

Listen to John describe the destiny of those who choose the non-Biblical World View, this is what God says in Revelation 21:8; But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

That is a fearful, and unimaginably terrifying destiny! But that is the destiny of those who choose the non-Biblical World View!

What about the Biblical World View, God’s World View? What is that?

Really, the things that I’m going to talk about now, aren’t new things. They’re things followers of Jesus should already be well aware of!

But we need to be reminded of them because it’s not enough to just know these truths! These are truths, values that we need to live, and exude!

These values, for the follower of Jesus Christ, are more than just standards to try to live up to, they’re more than just lofty ideals! These values are the very building blocks of the kingdom of God! They are the brick and mortar that you and I have been gifted with by God’s Holy Spirit to use to accomplish the task God has charged us with! And that is to make disciples!

These are the values that if we are faithful enough and bold enough to live out, will call others, those who are lost; out from their darkness, into His marvelous light!

That’s what Paul says back in verses 16 and 17 of our passage from Romans! Listen to those verses again!

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.

So what are these Biblical World View truths that through the power of God, through faith, will transform lives and build God’s kingdom here on earth?

Well it starts with this truth: God is God, the center and Creator of all things!

Genesis 1:1, the very first words of The Bible tell us; In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Chronicles 1:29 declares; Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

The bedrock foundation of the Biblical World view is that God is God, the center of all things!

That’s the opposite of the non-Biblical World View that has man at the center of everything. So, what then is man’s role in the Biblical World View?

That’s the second truth I want to talk about. Man, according to God, was created by God to be in relationship with God, and was given the task of stewarding the earth. God gives us this task in Genesis 1:28, telling Adam and Eve to; “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

That was our original job description! But, man sinned, and our sin separated us from God. And because of our sin we forfeited to Satan our ability to subdue the earth for God! And more importantly, we no longer had a means to be in relationship with God! On our own, we couldn’t fix that relationship breach that our sin caused!

So the next Biblical World View truth is this: Jesus, the Son of God, is God incarnate and He came to repair that relationship!

Jesus is Himself God! John tells us that, saying of Jesus; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

So Jesus, fully God is also fully man! That’s what we read in Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus lived a sinless life! And because He came and lived a sinless life, His death on the cross could be counted as payment for our sin!

Scripture declares that truth in many different passages, none more clear than 1 Peter 2:24 where it says; He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Which leads to the next Biblical World View truth; salvation comes through faith in Christ and is the free gift to any and all who will accept it!

Romans 6:23 declares; For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

And since we’re referencing Scripture, this is a good time to point out the next value that is a cornerstone of the Biblical World View; the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, authoritative in all of its teachings.

That book in your lap, or, heaven forbid, collecting dust on some shelf in your house, is God’s letter, His very Word, to you, to us!

And we can absolutely count on that word, to be true and unchanging, and life changing, an indispensable tool as we can carry with us on our mission to reach the lost!

That’s what 1 Timothy 3:16 and 17 declares; All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

And because that’s true, the follower of Jesus Christ must be in complete and absolute agreement with David, who states in Psalm 119:105; Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path!

As Christians, Christ followers, we must stand firmly on the truth that the Bible is the very Word of God!

Holders of the Biblical World View must also recognize this truth: the devil, Satan, is real! And, listen church, we say that as a matter of fact, not a matter to fear!

1 Peter 5:8 warns us to, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

And Paul, in Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that; …we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Christians need to be aware that we are in a spiritual battle! A spiritual battle against the spiritual forces that rule the darkness. But, we also need to remember that while that battle rages, praise God, the war has been won!

Jesus won the victory in this spiritual war, through His death and resurrection! And the resurrected Christ declares that victory to us in Matthew 28:18-20 saying,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”

So that means, that while we don’t fear Satan, we recognize he is still in the world, influencing the world and trying to do as much damage as he can to this world and God’s people, while God still allows it!

And that’s key loved ones, because the reason God is still allowing Satan to rampage, is because there are still countless people God knows will come to Him through faith in Christ!

That means our role in the remaining spiritual battle isn’t to beat the devil, he’s already been defeated! Our role is to populate the kingdom of God by plundering hell! It is a rescue mission!

And that leads to the final, major truth of the Biblical World View! It is the job, the responsibility of every Christian, everywhere, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with every person God puts in our path!

None of us would drive by a house on fire and say, “Golly gee, I hope they have insurance!”

No! We would call 911, and get out of our car and bang on the door, and do whatever we could to make sure the people in the house got out safe!

Listen to Hebrews 10:13-14, 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Who is that someone? You say, “That’s you, you’re a pastor, you preach!”

And while it is true, we pastors are called to preach, that calling isn’t exclusive to us! The biggest part of my calling as your pastor, is to get you to realize that God’s Holy Spirit in you, has qualified you to preach the gospel… with your lives!

The kingdom of God isn’t going to grow much, if all we do as Christians is come to church, listen the pastor preach and say “Amen!”

The kingdom of God will grow efficiently and exponentially when Christians step out of their pews, and into their role as rescuers!

Someone rescued you! Someone rescued me! Now it’s our turn, our responsibility, our privilege, to help rescue someone else!

Someone who is caught up in the non-Biblical World View! Someone who needs to hear the life saving truth of how much God loves them and wants to be with them! Just like you needed to hear it before someone told you!

That is why it’s absolutely essential that we choose the Biblical World View over the non-Biblical World View, and know why we’ve chosen what we’ve chosen!

The non-Biblical World View is so prevalent in our culture today, but it’s a lie, and too many people are still buying into that lie and that’s leading them down the path to eternal death!

People need someone willing to share the Biblical World View, God’s World View with them! People need to hear about the great God who created them and who loves them and has provided a way to rescue them through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ! And people need to hear those truths, from someone who has experienced them! That’s you!

There are people out there who are dying to hear the good news about Jesus… from you!

You’ve made your choice! You’ve chosen your side, God’s side! Now, are you ready, are you willing, to share the life saving good news that saved you?

Are you ready?

Let’s pray! 

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