The Two Tests of Worldliness
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Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
Point: Worldliness is the hook of Satan that causes one to fall out of love with God. Worldliness will be that which leads one to being condemned with the world at Christ’s second coming. Worldliness is Satan’s systems for opposing the work of Christ in this world.
Worldliness: anything in a Christian’s life that causes him to lose his enjoyment of the Father’s love or his desire to do the Father’s will.
Enjoyment of the Father’s love - one’s personal devotional life
Doing the Father’s will - one’s daily conduct
Do I enjoy the Father’s love? Do I enjoy doing the Father’s will? These are the two temperature guages for the amount of worldiness influence in our lives. They also indicate the amount of conformity to the world that we have allowed to influence our lives.
In the Last Days Jesus tells his disciples that there will be a “great falling away” from the Faith…Mt 24:10-13
Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.
But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.
As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
the Rebellion is the attempted coup to go back to Egypt instead of entering the Promised Land under Moses.
Why was there animosity between Moses and Lot? (Gen. 13; 13:8)
Because both were rich with flocks, herds and herdsmen. There was not enough room for them to function together, so they had to go their seperate ways (Genesis 13:5-7).
Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together, and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.
The “bigger problem” was that everything Abraham received in Egypt caused him trouble later. First of all, he disobeyed God and went “down to Egypt” instead of staying in the land that God showed Him (Gen. 12:1; 10) because of a great famine in the land (Gen. 12:10). Seems like a logical decision to make, but this is not what the Lord told him to do. Great wealth brought the fact his family had to split up. Having a child with Hagar, brought division and sorrow into his household (Gen 16). Having gone down to Egypt, Lot got a taste of the world and started measuring everything by what he saw there (Gen. 13:10-11). This led to the downfall and ruin of his family.
What was the result of Abraham and Lot’s animosity towards one another? (Gen . 13:10-14:16)
Lot takes up residence over all the land of the Jordan, next to the cities of Sodom, people of great wickedness and sin against the LORD (Gen. 13:12-13). He choose this particular area of land because it reminded him of the garden of the Lord and the land of Egypt…the world (Gen.. 13:10).
Lot looked about him, and saw that the plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Just because something seems good does not mean it is good for you, permissible for you, or God’s blessing. Abraham settled in the land of Canaan, that the Lord gave to him and instructed Abraham to go to (Gen 13:14-15).
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
Abraham only took what was given to him from the Lord. Lot took what he saw because it reminded him of the goodness of the Garden and Egypt, not because God told him to or gave him permission. Lot was carnal, Abraham was faithful. Seems like a rather harsh judgment of Lot but accurate. Carnal - saved but living for the world and the flesh. Am I living carnal or faithful? This is the difference between Lot and Abraham, Lot was carnal, Abraham was faithful.
Read 1 Cor. 2:14-3:3. We are told by the Apostle Paul that discernment is only possible with those spiritually connected with Christ (2:16). Jealousy and quarreling is the result of living in the flesh (3:3). Milk is the food of the carnal (3:1-2). Many a church family has been divided and destroyed because of carnal living - saved in Christ, but living for the world and the flesh. Satan is counting on the carnal to divide the family, much like Abraham and Lot seperated each to their own ways - one unto the LORD, the other unto himself.
We are told that after Abraham moved into Canaan and settled by the oaks of Mamre, and did what? Something that Lot never did. Abraham built an altar unto the LORD (Gen. 13:18). Abraham built a place of worship unto the LORD, a place of thanksgiving, a place of gratitude, a place of prayer and communion. Abraham gave thanks to the Lord. Lot did nothing unto the LORD and was not blessed by the LORD. He actually ended up being caught up in war, being taken captive, with his goods and people, living in Sodom (Gen 14:12).
Lot gets taken down by his own covetnous and pride. Lot looked toward Sodom (Gen 13:10); then moved toward Sodom (Gen. 13:11-12); and finally moved into Sodom (Gen 14:12). Lot’s heart loved the world (Egypt), and thus he sought the world (Sodom). He left the altar of God behind. Lot had a heart problem, he abandoned the altar, love, and will of His God. Where one’s heart is, there your altar will be. As Rev. Warren Wiersbe has said, “The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.”
Lot sought and lived for what was good for himself. Abraham sought and lived for what was good for others. Abraham “went down to Egypt” and realized his error by the rebuke and correction of the LORD. He sought his own welfare and told Sarai to say she was his sister so that Abraham would not be killed for his wife and her great beauty. Upon returning to Canaan, and to the altar of the LORD, Abraham gives courtesy to Lot to choose what area of the land he would like. Abraham did not have to do so being the elder statesman.
Abraham models what the Apostle Paul encourages all believers of Christ to be about, yield your own rights to that of your brother or sister (Romans 12:10). Abraham lays down his own safety, and his family, to rescue Lot because Lot is his brother, his family; even thought Lot made an incredibly unwise decision based on worldliness. Lot was only saved because Abraham could respond to God’s love for him with God’s will. Am I able to respond to God’s love for me, with God’s will for others? This is called faith. This is called obedience. This is called love.
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Abraham models love in the midst of conflict, even though owed respect and honor, Abraham concedes his right of choice to his younger son-in-law. Do I yield my rights and rightful claims to my brother or sister, because of my love for God? When God is first in our lives, it should make no difference who is second or last. The world says just the opposite, that we are owed our rights, respect, and honor. But followers of Christ are expected to be different by our Lord and Savior; not carnal. Our altar should always be with us.
Lot loved the world. Abraham loved God. The amount of our conformity to the world, will be the amount we are condemned with the world.
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
Why did Lot get “caught up” in a conflict not of his own making? Because he was caught up in the world of Egypt and the LORD wanted to remove Lot from being condemned with that world of Sodom and Gomorrah.
When Lynnette and I moved to Peace River, with the girls, for our first ministry position, we thought we were going to the end of the world. For the first five years we felt we were always leaving civilization when we made the long trek back to Peace River from Calgary. Peace River only became home once Calgary was out of our hearts. We loved God, the church, the people, were busy doing His will and work and God removed “the worldliness” from our hearts.
Does God need to remove worldliness from your heart? What is it that is removing your ability to enjoy the Father’s love and respond to His will? Confess it to Christ and ask Him to remove that desire and replace it with a love His work and His will. Ask Him to help you withstand the temptations to capitulate to this world’s desires and expectations.
The prize of withstanding the trials of worldliness can be found in James 1:12
A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
James continues his admonishment to not be merely hearers of the Word, but to be doers for what one hears is easily forgotten unless applied through personal practice and application. James 1:22-24
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
The apostle James also states that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We would interpret that to mean love without works is a dead love. Can one truly proclaim to love Christ without doing works for Christ? No. Abraham did the will of God because he learned to enjoy the love of God. Have I learned to enjoy the love of God? Put down the treasures of this world, and instead pick up the Word and learn of the love of your Father for you.
Sermon in a Sentence: Worldliness blocks our enjoyment of the Father’s love and His pleasure. A Christian who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.