Peter Kuskie,
A. Introduction – Gods' call
Ahead of each of each and every person today lies two roads, one leads to our fulfilling
Gods purpose for us while the other leads to a life of little real
consequence. One is a popular road the
other is the road less traveled.
Most of us have reached the fork in the road where we have heeded
Gods call on our lives. We know that we
have been chosen by God (Eph 1:4) and we know He has a good plan for our
lives (Jer 29:11).
When we first accepted the Lord, for most of us that meant…
Ø
Walking on a cloud for
weeks, maybe months.
Ø
Our prayers were
answered,
Ø
We loved everybody and
Ø
The Christian life was a
breeze.
Then we woke up one morning and it seemed things had changed. We hit the earth with a thump.
Things in our lives we thought were past & over reared their
ugly heads, we were attacked from the most unlikely sources and pursuits we had
determined were wrong were appealing once again.
Brothers & sisters I think the church have a bit to answer for
in the way altar calls are conducted sometimes. "Come to Jesus and all
your problems will be over." How
many have discovered that you didn't really know you had problems until you
became a Christian?!
There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. God wants us to walk by faith and
not by feelings.
2. We are being transformed into His likeness
& that requires open- heart
surgery!
3. Christianity is a war zone!
B. Battles
It is this war zone that I want us to look at. We are fighting a
battle on three fronts. Each one is
capable of taking us out if we are not on guard. The three fronts I am referring to are the world, the sinful nature and the devil. In this study I would like us to take a look
at the world.
1. The battle with the world
What is the world? All in this life that is alienated from God,
those things the love of which are rivals to and exclude the love of God.
2. What is wrong with the
world?
For a start the devil controls the world. Three times Jesus called the devil the "ruler of this world." One example is in John
It is no wonder that in 1 John 2:15-17
we are commanded "Do not love the world or
anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him. For everything in the world--the
cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has
and does-- comes not from the Father but from the
world. The world and its desires pass
away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
Again in the light of this it is not strange that James 4:4
tells us "that the friendship of
the world is enmity (hostility) with God?"
3. What are some other
consequences of loving the world?
Matt
"repent or we will likewise
perish."
2 Tim
Jesus warned that you & I must also "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with
distraction, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on
you unexpectedly like a trap." (Luke
21:34) That day is the day of the
Lords return. There is a day approaching
when there will be no more chances. The
doors of the ark will be closed. Please
God don't let any of us here be out in the world when that happens.
4. Overcoming the world
I would like to relate a story I was told when I sat in the
pastor's office the day I gave my heart to the Lord.
For reasons not explained a man needed a new coach driver back in
the days of horse and buggy. There were
3 applicants. The man hiring sat in the coach as the first applicant put the
horses & coach through its paces. He
was good. He drove at breakneck speed
around corners, up hills & across rivers.
He even managed to get the coach on two wheels at one stage and still
control it. At the end the hirer thanked
him & mounted the coach with the second applicant.
If it were possible this driver was even better. With little regard for life and limb he
completed the circuit. There was no
doubt he was skilful.
The third applicant, having seen all this did not think he stood a
chance. He & the hirer mounted the
coach and headed off. While it was
obvious he knew what he was doing - there was none of the flair or daredevil
displayed by the other two drivers. They
completed the circuit and all three applicants awaited the hirer's decision.
The hirer thanked the first two applicants but said "I am
giving the job to the third driver. My
reason is simple. It is not how close to
danger you can go in this life but how far away you can stay from it that
matters."
When it comes to our attitude to
this world the same principle applies.
This is easier said then done.
We look at people prospering and
seemingly enjoying life with no thought of consequence. Yet as David said in Psalms 37:35,36 "I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a
green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though
I looked for him, he could not be found."
Though the Christian life at times is
hard and the world seems to prosper, we must look beyond that, to the eternal
picture. At times this means that (as it did
for Moses) we
are mistreated along with the people of God rather than enjoying the pleasures
of sin for a short time. Remember, "The world
and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives
forever." 1 John 2:17
To overcome the world we need God's help,
but we must take the first step in allowing God to change us. That is why Paul says in Rom 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." In Colossians he puts it this way "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you
died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Remember this world is defined as: "All in this life that is alienated from God, those things the
love of which are rivals to & exclude the love of God." Paul says "may I
never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal 6:14)
Brothers & sisters God has given us
all things that pertain to life & to Godliness. We are not alone in this battle. If you feel that the world
has you in its grip then repent and call on the name of the Lord. He will deliver you from its clutches &
free you. You are His and freedom from the power of this world is your
inheritance. It is there for you to claim if you want it. "Everyone
born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the
world, even our faith. Who is it that
overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God." 1 John 5:4,5
Bless you!
Peter
