The Pitfall of Worldliness

1 John 2:15-16 (English Standard Version)

¹⁵⁾  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. ¹⁶⁾ For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

James 4:1-3 

 ¹⁾ What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ²⁾ You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³⁾ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

In my last post, I talked about how God wants to give to us abundantly above all we can ask or think (Eph 3:20). I was sitting here thinking “why is it so above what we can ask or think?”  He spoke to me very clearly and said ” we are too busy chasing after the things of this world and spend little time pursuing those things that are eternal.” The world has permeated the church like a thick fog that  blinds and hinders from seeing things from God’s point of view. It keeps us chasing after our desires like the dog who chases the car but never catches it. It wears us out and consumes our energy till we have nothing left to pursue God with.

What is worldliness? Worldliness is the pusuit of trying to fulfill our needs, desires, and passions outside of the way Christ laid out for us in His Word. For example, when we are going through a rough time, we should turn to God in prayer and meditation of His Word. Many times that is not what most people do. Many turn to something (food, pornography, sex, drugs, alcohol, make others miserable, isolation) to “medicate” the negative feelings they are feeling. There are those who feel like they need to wear the trendiest clothes to feel good about themselves. There are those who will compromise their faith to fit in with a group of people. There are those who will say what they need to say to be accepted or to prove that they are what they believe God has called them to be. Whatever brings you  validation outside of who you are in Christ Jesus is worldly, a substitute, a fraud.

The problem (especially in America) is that we are pursuers of pleasure. We want to do things that make us feel good. We fight hard to avoid situations that will bring discomfort of any kind. We want to be warm and filled and not be bothered with things like our character. We don’t want to change cause it is easier to stay the same. Unfortunately, this does not go in line with what the scriptures teach us. The “I’m ok, you’re ok” heresy that has been taught from America’s pulpits have produced a lazy, apathetic, unteachable, ungrateful, religious system that has emasculated Jesus into some type of Savior that noone fears, respects, or believes that He would actually want them to change. To these folks Jesus is no more than a heavenly “sugar -daddy ” that is around to give us what we want, when we want it, and how we want it.

Jesus taught a gospel that is not for the faint of heart. He said that you would face various trials and tribulations ( Matt 5:11-12). Jesus said if you love Him, you will obey His commands (John 14:15). Jesus said that apart from Him you can bear no fruit (John 15:5). He also said that in this world you will have tribulation (John 16:33). This is not a pretty gospel. Jesus said that people would hate His believers and believe they were doing God a favor by killing us (John 16:1-3). There are believers who are experiencing this kind of persecution even now in different parts of the world while we get mad if we can’t WiFi at Starbucks. Give me a break! Persecution is not getting cut off in traffic cause you think it’s due to the fish symbol on your SUV or cause you are asked to turn down your worship music at work! We need to learn what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)!

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

    “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
   and I will be their God,
   and they shall be my people.
¹⁷⁾ Therefore go out from their midst,
   and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
   then I will welcome you,
¹⁸⁾ and I will be a father to you,
   and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

God is calling His people to come out from the among the world and be separate. This is not talking about being separate from people who don’t know Christ, but to be separate from the world in  what our hearts pursue and desire. He desires us to pursue Him with all our hearts, minds, and strength. He desires to be our consuming passion. The Father desires to mold and shape us into the image of His Son Jesus. This is not always pleasant and pleasurable. We need to be pruned and trimmed so we can bear fruit that is eternal and incorruptable. Will you turn from seeking for what will please you and instead seek after His heart and find out what you can do to please your Heavenly Father? He is worthy of so much more than we have given Him.

Kevin