The Relationship of the Church With the World

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. I extend Christian greetings to all that are here this morning. I've titled this message, The Relationship of the Church with the World. And I know that's a broad title, could lead in almost any direction, but we know that Satan, through the ages, has hurled every available weapon at the church of Jesus Christ. [00:00:42] and that like a seashore, like the waves pounding up against the seashore, that's what the devil has tried to do with the church, pounding against it through persecution. People in different ages, in different times have suffered persecution, have endured immense difficulty in order to serve the Lord. And Satan has tried to destroy from within, pitting brothers and sisters against each other, trying to get a wedge in between them. [00:01:21] People that were close at one time are now far apart because of the work of the devil. So, men of God that we thought that appeared to be firmly rooted and grounded have lost out, have become discouraged, have become lukewarm. You know, the devil isn't even opposed to having or presenting scripture in order to mislead people. [00:01:52] He did it to Jesus and I'm sure if he did it to him, he'll do it to us. He's not opposed to that. or even just getting people to put emphasis on one verse or one line in the Bible and finally leading them totally astray out in the world. Through the ages he's had different tactics and I have been influenced by A.W. Tozer's writings quite a bit [00:02:22] and I think A.W. Tozer writes in one book that I have, he says that That Satan mixes things up like a pitcher in a Major League Baseball team. He said if that ball came across the plate at the same spot every time, there would be no chance of winning the game. But you know, the devil doesn't work that way. He mixes things up. And about the time we think we have it secured, he comes from another direction. Nevertheless, the Bible says this, and I believe it with all my heart, that Jesus said it in Matthew, [00:02:58] I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So, is the church defeated? No. There will be people here, there will be a group of people, Bible-believing Christians, when the Lord returns. True followers. Now, the phrase shall not prevail against always seem to say that the devil, the works of darkness will not prevail against the church and the true believers. [00:03:30] But there's something else. As I studied this, the original Greek indicates that this, if I can put it into words, this prevailing is that the church is on the offensive. We're not just standing here taking the onslaught and not giving in. We're on the offensive toward the world. Now I would like to focus on a tactic that Satan uses to destroy the church of Jesus Christ [00:04:01] and again this is a broad title, it could go in all different directions but I would like to notice this morning how the world, what we call the world, or world in us tries to assimilate with the church of Jesus Christ Christ comes in and mixes things up until finally we don't know which is world and which is church anymore. It's all one. [00:04:32] And I'm not going to be focusing on a specific area. And maybe later I will, maybe some areas. But maybe I should make clear when I talk when we talk about the world and I don't need I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing this. When we talk about the world, the world is the world in a physical sense. But when I speak about the world this morning, I'm not speaking about that. Rather, I'm speaking about the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of darkness and the world. [00:05:05] I'll just maybe I'll just use this term when I refer to the world. I'm simply talking about unregenerate human nature to make it to put it in a simple term. And wherever that's found, whether it's in the bar or in the church pew, the world, the world. Now, through the entire New Testament, there is a sharp line drawn between the world and the church. [00:05:38] There is no place given in my Bible, at least, for the followers of God to adopt the ways of the world. There is just simply no room for that. And I want to look at a number of different scriptures that I think give clear direction to what our relationship as God's people should be to the world, with the world. And maybe I'll say this at this point, it's not a matter, it's not a theological question whether we should be, there should be a difference between us and the world. [00:06:17] If there is a question, then it's probably just in our minds that we're grappling with this thing, because I think the scriptures are adequately clear about this. And I recognize and I notice that in speaking about this thing, this is controversial in many people's minds because this draws a line. This is not, it's not a neither here nor there question in many people's minds. [00:06:49] But I'm also grateful this morning that I'm speaking to, I believe, a group of people that are aware of this. And it's not, I don't come to you with a lot of trepidation about that. I think I'm simply going to begin by reading 1 John 2, verses 15 to 17, very familiar verses. I'm just going to be reading a number of different scriptures in different places this morning. If you want to follow along, that's fine. [00:07:19] 1 John chapter 2 verse 15 Very clear Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes And the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world Now, probably many of us have memorized these verses verses. We've heard them over and over and praise the Lord. We need to hear them some more. It's just a simple truth. And it's it's clear that not only are we to be separated from the world, we are not to sit in the in the church pew and love what's going on out there or what or bring in. [00:08:08] You know, we used to get a magazine when I was a little boy, and on the cover of this magazine it said, it was a country magazine, that I think Roy Ryman, I'm not sure. But on this magazine there was something that caught my attention and it came back to my mind. It said that this magazine is for people that live in the country or long for the country. [00:08:39] And I believe firmly this morning that we can be or act out or be part of a church and still long for what's out there. And God forbid. But there's also a promise here that I noticed this morning as I was reading this. If I can lay my eyes on it now, it says the world will pass away. The world will pass away. And I think we understand that the world will pass away. There's no hope for those that live in the world. [00:09:16] But if we do the will of God, we will abide forever. And I don't, we, do we understand what abiding forever means this morning? I think if we are attached to the vine, if we are away from the allurements of the world, there's hope. We have hope that the unbeliever has, where the unbeliever has no hope. Let's hang on to that. We have life beyond the grave. In fact, the world has nothing at the end of life. [00:09:50] They don't even just die like a dog. There is eternal punishment, damnation waiting for them on the other side. James 4.4 has some very clear admonition as well. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Now, spiritual adultery is something that we don't read too much about in the New Testament [00:10:22] But in the Old Testament there was much recognition given to the children of Israel And they were a type of a church where they would go, and the Bible says, whoring after other gods They would leave the true faith and they would worship at other people's gods I don't think we would openly admit, I don't think most of us would openly admit to loving the world. I think we're, may I say, a little wiser than that. [00:10:58] But you know, it seems sometimes we have people within the four walls of the church that still long for those things that are out there. We just can't quite seem to want to, we're not quite satisfied with what's in here. And we can get very easily, very quickly to the point if we take our eyes off Jesus and the principles of God's word, where those allurements, those things just appear alright. [00:11:29] It doesn't appear as dangerous anymore. You know, when we are sitting in the church, when we are within the church, and we still want to wear the clothes that the world wears, listen to the music that the world listens to, do business as the world does business, are we a part of the church of Jesus Christ, or are we in the world? I think the Bible makes a clear distinction on that. [00:12:00] 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14 through 18 gives some admonition as well I think I'm going to read that and maybe for a change of position you can stand as we read that you may turn to that if you like 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14 through 18 Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial or Satan I think is another or the sons and daughters of Satan [00:12:38] or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. And I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. [00:13:09] If we are to come out from among the world, the world's way of doing things, it includes the whole realm of being separate. It includes nonconformity in every area of our life, our dress, nonresistance, and I'm not prepared to give you a rundown, but if we read the Bible, I think we have the way we interact, the way we talk, from the inside out, the places we go, even the desires of my heart should change if I want to claim to be a true believer in the church of Jesus Christ. [00:13:47] I want to just express myself in this way. I appreciate what my forefathers did and people influenced my life that I didn't even know. I never knew them. But this morning, we cannot go on what my forefathers did. We have to go, we have to take the, I have to, God has no grandchildren. We have to make that, we have to draw that line in our heart this morning. [00:14:23] Or what my grandparents did, or my forefathers, is made to none effect. It will not help us in the end. He does call us out, we have to be separate from the world Leaves no doubt Now, this may be a side note, this may be something that I don't know, this came out of left field to me But while I was preparing for this message, and in my reading, somewhere along the line I came across this [00:14:54] The doctrine of Balaam And I don't know if you've studied the doctrine of Balaam and you may wonder what the doctrine of Balaam has to do with the church and the world. But if you can picture Israel as the church and the Moabites as the world, listen, this account is found in Numbers 22 through 24 and I'm not planning to read this. [00:15:24] We are all Bible readers. We've known this story since we were children. And in the following chapters, in chapter 25 especially, you can read then what happened to the children of Israel. So, what happened after Balaam gave his advice? And I searched, and I thought I searched diligently, and I could not find, there's some reference in, there's several verses that talk about the advice that Balaam gave to Balak, but first let's just have a brief rundown of what happened. [00:16:01] The children of Israel came up to the border of Moab, and they were afraid, they were frightened, and they knew there was no way that they could defeat them if they went against them outright. And so they had to come up with a plan. So Balak sent for Balaam, and he wanted to have them cursed, offered him great riches, and I'm not going to go into the whole story. We understand that the donkey finally talked to Balaam and warned him and so on and on. [00:16:34] But repeatedly, repeatedly, Balak asked Balaam to curse these people and he refused. Numbers 32.16 refers to, well let me just say this, he was unable, God would not allow him to curse these people outright. Right, but there was something else that he did, the doctrine of Balaam. And maybe we should say it's the tactic of Satan, the tactic that Satan has. And Numbers 32.16 refers to this and Revelations 2.14 as well. [00:17:09] But if you have a book on the works of Josephus, read the account in there. He gives a vivid account of what happened and what the advice of Balaam was to Balak. And I would like to notice that, I recognize it's not in the Holy Scripture, but Josephus is a historian and he writes history just the way history is. The plan was, the advice was that they should marry, intermarry and mingle with these people, with the children of Israel, the Moabites with the children of Israel. [00:17:49] And we know some of what happened because of what the Bible says, the whoredom that occurred there. But on a deeper level, according to Josephus, on a deeper level, and maybe even a more dangerous level, this is what he said. This was the advice that Balaam gave to these men. He said this, when your young ladies move out to entice these men, when they come, when they ask to marry, the only way that you should marry them is if you can ask them to renounce their God in favor of the gods of the Moabites. [00:18:30] And this is what happened. And then he goes on. It's a rather lengthy account in Josephus' writings about what happened. And these women were sent out, and they were taught, they were told what to do, how to make it work, the tactic of Satan, the doctrine of Balaam. And they did this. And I don't think they, I don't believe, it doesn't say, but I doubt if they did this all at once. But little by little. Can you imagine what happened? Little by little. [00:19:07] And over a period of time, and finally this intermarriage and mingling didn't look dangerous at all anymore. Didn't look dangerous at all. And according to Josephus, Moses warned sharply. He said, don't do it. He didn't warn by name, but he warned sharply. He said, it's going to ruin us. And I would guess that there were probably men in the camp that said, what's wrong? What's wrong with this anyway? [00:19:40] Anyway, isn't that a question that we are often faced with? What's wrong? You know, a better question would be in our time, how will this enhance my walk with the Lord? Instead of asking, what's wrong with just a little world in us? But the thing that I noticed, especially here, this thing kept going, and again, according to Josephus, there was at least one prominent man, the head of a tribe, that got involved with this. [00:20:11] There were prominent men that said, it's okay, they told Moses, you're making us miserable by asking us to abide by the law that you gave. You're making us more miserable than the Egyptians did back in Egypt. Can you see what was happening here? Intermingling, trying to bring a little bit in at a time, and finally it got to the point where there was destruction. And according to this, I think there's some controversy, says that 24,000 people were killed because of the sin that was among them. [00:20:48] They slew them. They got rid of it. And finally they overtook the Moabites. There was victory. But, back to the church and the world, there is an element that reminded me of how the devil in our day tries to make inroads in the church, continually, just a little bit at a time, just a little bit, getting his foot in the door, and gradually the world's standard of living, the world's way of doing things creeps in until we don't even understand, we don't even recognize it anymore as a world. [00:21:23] The way we act, the way we dress and speak, and we still belong to the church. Now, that's a rather dismal picture, and I don't like to leave a message like that. I would like to look at least at one thing that I believe we can do to combat this deadly virus that wants to creep in, the virus of worldliness that would destroy us. And I think Romans 12, 1 and 2 have much to say about this. Maybe we could even say it by memory. I think we've heard it many times, but it jumped out at me as the remedy for this. [00:22:06] I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. You know what we need to combat worldliness? We need a transformed mind. When we have a transformed mind, when we are born of the Spirit, we mind the things of the Spirit. [00:22:43] We are no longer interested. What the world has to offer loses its appeal to me and to all of us. A transformed mind. If we are born again, if we are truly born again, we are no longer looking for ways to get around the guidelines of the church, the guidelines that God's word has, principles. We are content. We are happy to comply with those things. [00:23:17] We lose our individualistic spirit that says my way is best. We change from the inside out. We are looking for a higher level of obedience. It doesn't matter anymore what the world has to offer. We are now attached. If we are born again, we are attached to a kingdom that is at odds with the world. Distinctly different [00:23:48] The transformed heart is always looking for A way to live on a deeper, higher level with the Lord I would like to notice another verse And this verse has been a tremendous blessing to me When I felt discouraged John 14, 17 Now, let me backtrack a little bit Let me read John 14, 17 In talking about the kingdom that is at odds with the world, it says this, [00:24:23] Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. You know, the world cannot receive what we have unless they have made a change. The world cannot receive it. But if we know God and God dwells within us, we are not so much concerned about following the world anymore. [00:24:55] It becomes when God is dwelling within us, our purpose in life is seeking after the Lord, not the things that would allure us. Now, let me read what I was going to read here just a minute ago. And I want this to be an encouragement to us. I don't want this message to be a discouragement where we think this world is pressing in, the things of the world are pressing in and there is no out. We do have an out. 1 John 4, verse 4 to 6 says this, [00:25:30] Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. I don't know if you faced discouragement and you almost felt like the world is winning out and that the odds are stacked against us as Christians. [00:26:09] but there it is greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world we have a power that the world does not have let's exercise that power in humility and make sure that we stand we are called out of the world in closing I just leave the question with you what should our relationship be what should the relationship of the church of Jesus Christ be With the world. And I use that term broadly. You know, I believe, and I'll just say this kind of as a closing statement here, that if we are, well, let me just say this. [00:26:55] The purpose of the church should be that we go therefore in all nations. We should be aggressively on the offense, not just standing here trying to withstand. I'm afraid if we're comfortable right where we're at, not growing, not trying to grow, we will fail. But I think if we are on the offense, trying to reach out, and I think that's what the Lord instructs us to do. Going therefore into all the world [00:27:27] The neighbor next door The man we meet in town But we have to be on the offense We dare not just stand there and try to withstand If we are not at work, I think we will fail May God help us to have a proper relationship with the world I don't think, I believe that we present truth kindly and we don't have to be bold or proud, but we need to present truth and keep presenting it until the Lord returns.