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Deal
with World
Carnality
Deliverance from
The
story is told of Handley Page
a pioneer in aviation
who once landed in an
isolated area during his travels. Unknown to him
a rat got aboard the plane
there. On the next leg of the flight
Page heard the sickening sound of
gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent
his heart began to pound as he visualized
the serious damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms that controlled
his plane and the difficulty of repairs because of the lack of skilled labor and
materials in the area.
What could he do? He
remembered hearing that a rat cannot survive at high altitudes
so he pulled
back on the stick. The airplane climbed higher and higher until Page found it
difficult to breathe. He listened intently and finally sighed with relief. The
gnawing had stopped. When he arrived at his destination
he found the rat lying
dead behind the cockpit!
Oftentimes we
God’s
children
are plagued by sin that gnaws at our life simply because we are
living at too low a spiritual level. To see sin defeated in our lives requires
that we move up—away from the world—to a higher level where the things of this
world cannot survive.
Conformity
Merchandisers
have found that customers find safety in numbers. One man in
Conformity
On
a bright sunny day
when you first walk into a dark movie theater
you usually
remark about how dark it is. If there was no usher to show you to a seat
you
probably had to stand in the back for a few minutes until the darkness seemed
to clear and you began to see again. Before long
you could see without
difficulty. Indeed
you seemed to be able to see normally. “Normally
” that is
until you walked out into the sunlight again and the bright glare forced you to
cover your eyes.
We Christians are often in
the same predicament. We live in a dimly lighted world
where sin is the rule
and not the exception. And yet we are really children of the light. We must
always be on our guard that we do not become so accustomed to the darkness of
our world that we think it is normal and conform to its dubious guidelines. It
is not normal. The dime moral and spiritual insight of the world is not the
standard that the Christian is to walk by.
Conformity
More
than a hundred years ago
Soren Kierkegaard warned that the age of the
crowd was upon us. In such an age
said Kierkegaard
people would not think of deciding for themselves. They would
follow the advice given to children going off to a party: “Look and see what
the others are doing and then behave like them.”—Cited by Kenneth Hamilton
Conformity
A
flock of wild geese was flying south for the winter
when one of the geese
looked down and noticed a group of domestic geese by a pond on a farm. He saw
that they had plenty of grain to eat
so he went down to join them. The food
was so good
he decided to stay with the domestic geese until spring
when his
own flock would fly north again. When spring came
he heard his old flock going
by and flew up to join them. The goose had grown fat
however
and flying was
difficult
so he decided to spend one more season on the farm and join the wild
geese on their next winter migration. The following fall
when his former flock
flew southward
the goose flapped his wings a little
but kept eating his
grain. By the next time they passed overhead
the now-domesticated goose didn’t
even notice them.
Conformity
The
major reason for teenage suicide
drug addiction
and alcoholism is that most
young people are conformists. They
like their parents
do what ”everybody
else” does
feeling instinctively that if most people are doing it
then “it”
must be good to do. In effect
we act like sheep.
A television documentary
showed a lot about the behavior of sheep. One scene was of a packing house
where sheep were slaughtered. The sheep had to walk from their large pen up a
narrow ramp and then turn right. In order to get the sheep to move up the ramp
a “Judas goat” was placed among the sheep and then walked confidently to the
ramp as the nervous sheep watched. After the goat got about five feet up the
ramp
he stopped and confidently looked around at the nervous sheep
who then
began to follow. Near the top of the ramp the goat turned left
as a gate was
opened only for him and then closed. The sheep
however
continued up the ramp
and turned right
to their death.
World
One of the ways we can
recognize the world is that it loves noise. Why? Probably because it does not
want to stop and think.
What
would it be like if some kind of solar ray suddenly caused all radios
tape
players
stereos
and televisions to stop working? Trembling hands would
immediately twirl dials
adjust knobs
and flip switches. Eyes would be dilated
with fear of the silence. People would be running the streets in terror.
Marx
was wrong. Religion is not the opiate of modern man; incessant sound is. People
will listen to anything to avoid silence. Why else do we have so much of long
talk shows
round-the-clock news
call-in radio programs? Why? Because sound
blocks out the despairing cry of our own souls
as well as the still
small voice
of God. Perhaps we would be wise to occasionally take God’s hand and journey
into the land of silence.
World
The world is like a drunken
peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side
he will fall off on the
other side. One can’t help him
no matter how one tries. He wants to be the
devil’s.—Martin Luther
Worldliness
How would you feel if your
spouse
needing something for the house
went to the next-door neighbor and got
some money? Or if your child
needing help
always went to another instead of
coming to you? It would break your heart.
This
is what we do to God when we go the world’s way in trying to meet our own
needs. It is as if we are saying
“Lord
you aren’t adequate. You don’t know
the best way for me. I’m going to have to get what I want by myself.”
Worldliness
A Christian should be in
the world and yet not of the world. How can this be? Consider the fish who
though he lives in the salty sea
does not taste salty.
Worldliness
Imagine that you are in a
round tower with slits in the walls used for shooting through with guns. Now
imagine that you are whirled around the inner circumference. Would you
appreciate the beauties of the surrounding landscape? No. But there are
openings in the wall. Yes
but your eyes are set for objects near and do not
have the time to adjust to distance as you are whirled past the slits. It would
be as if the wall were solid.
So
it is with earth living. The near and earthly wall obstructs the view. An
occasional slit is left open
perhaps a Sunday sermon or personal Bible
reading. Heaven might be seen through these
but the eye which is set for the
earthly cannot adjust itself to higher things during such momentary glimpses.
So long has the soul looked upon the world
that when it is turned for a moment
heavenward
it feels only a quiver of inarticulate light. Unless you pause and
look steadfastly
you will not see or retain any distinct impression of the
things which are eternal.—C.H. Spurgeon
Witnessing and Worldliness
There was tremendous public
resistance to the introduction of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. This small coin
was designed primarily to be a durable and lightweight alternative to the paper
dollar. But its size created problems
for it could easily be confused with a
quarter. Legally it was worth a dollar
but practically speaking
many people
considered it a nuisance because of its indistinguishable size.
The
same thing happens when the unbelieving world hears the words of a Christian
who cannot be distinguished from the lost society in which he lives. This
discounts his claims concerning Christ. It is not a matter of real worth-that
is decided by faith-but rather of perceived worth.
Conformity
Merchandisers have found
that customers find safety in numbers. One man in
Conformity
On a bright sunny day
when
you first walk into a dark movie theater
you usually remark about how dark it
is. If there was no usher to show you to a seat
you probably had to stand in
the back for a few minutes until the darkness seemed to clear and you began to
see again. Before long
you could see without difficulty. Indeed
you seemed to
be able to see normally. “Normally
” that is
until you walked out into the
sunlight again and the bright glare forced you to cover your eyes.
We Christians are often in
the same predicament. We live in a dimly lighted world
where sin is the rule
and not the exception. And yet we are really children of the light. We must
always be on our guard that we do not become so accustomed to the darkness of
our world that we think it is normal and conform to its dubious guidelines. It
is not normal. The dime moral and spiritual insight of the world is not the
standard that the Christian is to walk by. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Conformity
More than a hundred years
ago
Soren Kierkegaard warned that the age of the crowd was upon us. In such an age
said
Kierkegaard
people would not think of deciding for themselves. They would
follow the advice given to children going off to a party: “Look and see what
the others are doing and then behave like them.”— Cited by Kenneth Hamilton
Conformity
A flock of wild geese was
flying south for the winter
when one of the geese looked down and noticed a
group of domestic geese by a pond on a farm. He saw that they had plenty of
grain to eat
so he went down to join them. The food was so good
he decided to
stay with the domestic geese until spring
when his own flock would fly north
again. When spring came
he heard his old flock going by and flew up to join
them. The goose had grown fat
however
and flying was difficult
so he decided
to spend one more season on the farm and join the wild geese on their next
winter migration. The following fall
when his former flock flew southward
the
goose flapped his wings a little
but kept eating his grain. By the next time
they passed overhead
the now-domesticated goose didn’t even notice them. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Conformity
The major reason for
teenage suicide
drug addiction
and alcoholism is that most young people are
conformists. They
like their parents
do what ”everybody else” does
feeling
instinctively that if most people are doing it
then “it” must be good to do.
In effect
we act like sheep.
A television documentary
showed a lot about the behavior of sheep. One scene was of a packing house
where sheep were slaughtered. The sheep had to walk from their large pen up a
narrow ramp and then turn right. In order to get the sheep to move up the ramp
a “Judas goat” was placed among the sheep and then walked confidently to the
ramp as the nervous sheep watched. After the goat got about five feet up the ramp
he stopped and confidently looked around at the nervous sheep
who then began
to follow. Near the top of the ramp the goat turned left
as a gate was opened
only for him and then closed. The sheep
however
continued up the ramp and
turned right
to their death. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
World
One of the ways we can recognize the
world is that it loves noise. Why? Probably because it does not want to stop
and think.
What would it be like if some kind of
solar ray suddenly caused all radios
tape players
stereos
and televisions to
stop working? Trembling hands would immediately twirl dials
adjust knobs
and
flip switches. Eyes would be dilated with fear of the silence. People would be
running the streets in terror.
Marx was wrong. Religion is not the
opiate of modern man; incessant sound is. People will listen to anything to
avoid silence. Why else do we have so much of long talk shows
round-the-clock
news
call-in radio programs? Why? Because sound blocks out the despairing cry
of our own souls
as well as the still
small voice of God. Perhaps we would be
wise to occasionally take God’s hand and journey into the land of silence. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
World
The world is like a drunken peasant. If
you lift him into the saddle on one side
he will fall off on the other side.
One can’t help him
no matter how one tries. He wants to be the devil’s.— Martin
Luther
Worldliness
How would you feel if your spouse
needing something for the house
went to the next-door neighbor and got some
money? Or if your child
needing help
always went to another instead of coming
to you? It would break your heart.
This is what we do to God when we go
the world’s way in trying to meet our own needs. It is as if we are saying
“Lord
you aren’t adequate. You don’t know the best way for me. I’m going to
have to get what I want by myself.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Worldliness
A Christian should be in the world and
yet not of the world. How can this be? Consider the fish who
though he lives
in the salty sea
does not taste salty. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Worldliness
Imagine that you are in a round tower
with slits in the walls used for shooting through with guns. Now imagine that
you are whirled around the inner circumference. Would you appreciate the
beauties of the surrounding landscape? No. But there are openings in the wall.
Yes
but your eyes are set for objects near and do not have the time to adjust
to distance as you are whirled past the slits. It would be as if the wall were
solid.
So it is with earth living. The near
and earthly wall obstructs the view. An occasional slit is left open
perhaps a
Sunday sermon or personal Bible reading. Heaven might be seen through these
but the eye which is set for the earthly cannot adjust itself to higher things
during such momentary glimpses. So long has the soul looked upon the world
that when it is turned for a moment heavenward
it feels only a quiver of inarticulate
light. Unless you pause and look steadfastly
you will not see or retain any
distinct impression of the things which are eternal.— C.H. Spurgeon
Witnessing and Worldliness
There was tremendous public resistance
to the introduction of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. This small coin was
designed primarily to be a durable and lightweight alternative to the paper
dollar. But its size created problems
for it could easily be confused with a
quarter. Legally it was worth a dollar
but practically speaking
many people
considered it a nuisance because of its indistinguishable size.
The same thing happens when the
unbelieving world hears the words of a Christian who cannot be distinguished
from the lost society in which he lives. This discounts his claims concerning
Christ. It is not a matter of real worth-that is decided by faith-but rather of
perceived worth. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Athanasius
early bishop
of Alexandria
stoutly opposed the teachings of Arius
who declared that Christ
was not the eternal Son of God
but a subordinate being. Hounded through five
exiles
he was finally summoned before emperor Theodosius
who demanded he
cease his opposition to Arius. The emperor reproved him and asked
"Do you
not realize that all the world is against you?" Athanasius quickly
answered
"Then I am against all the world."── Source Unknown.
On a wall near the main
entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio
Texas
is a portrait with the following
inscription: "James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists. This portrait
is of his nephew
Major James Bonham
deceased
who greatly resembled his
uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of
the man who died for freedom." No literal portrait of Jesus exists either.
But the likeness of the Son who makes us free can be seen in the lives of His
true followers.── Bill Morgan.
A few years ago
psychologist Ruth W. Berenda and her associates carried out an interesting
experiment with teenagers designed to show how a person handled group pressure.
The plan was simple. They brought groups of ten adolescents into a room for a
test. Subsequently
each group of ten was instructed to raise their hands when
the teacher pointed to the longest line on three separate charts. What one
person in the group did not know was that nine of the others in the room had been
instructed ahead of time to vote for the second-longest line. Regardless of the
instructions they heard
once they were all together in the group
the nine
were not to vote for the longest line
but rather vote for the next to the
longest line. The experiment began with nine teen-agers voting for the wrong
line. The stooge would typically glance around
frown in confusion
and slip
his hand up with the group. The insturctions were repeated and the next card
was raised. Time after time
the self-conscious stooge would sit there saying a
short line is longer than a long line
simply because he lacked the courage to
challenge the group. This remarkable conformity occurred in about 75% of the
cases
and was true of small children and high-school students as well. Berenda
concluded that
"Some people had rather be president than right
"
which is certainly an accurate assessment. ── C. Swindoll
Living Above
the Level of Mediocrity
p. 225.
Here is a similar story:
Em Griffin in his book The
Mindchangers describes an experiment done by Solomon Asch with groups of 12
people. They were brought into a room where four lines of unequal length were
displayed. They had to decide which two were the same length and publicly vote
for their choice. Person after person after person (11 in all) voted for the
wrong line--because they had all been told to ahead of time. The one individual
who was in the dark couldn't imagine how in the world all these seemingly
normal people could all choose the wrong line. When it was his turn to vote
he
had to decide
"Do I go with what I know my senses are telling me
or do I
go with the crowd?" 1/3 of those tested caved in to group pressure and
changed their vote to agree with their peers. ── Em Griffin
The
Mindchangers
Tyndale House
1976
p. 193ff.
A scuba diver lives in the
water but breathes the air--he takes his environment with him.
Source Unknown.
Believers are exhorted to
be in the world but not of the world. The first (N.T. word translated
"world") is kosmos. It is used in at least three different ways. In a
number of passages it means the round planet earth on which man has his
existence. Is such passages the Revised Version sometimes substitutes the word
"earth." (See Matthew 4:14; 13:38; Acts 17:24; etc.) When John wrote
of Jesus that "He was in the world" (John 1:10)
he was referring to
this planet earth. It is this world
the earth
which is the scene of the
prophesied demonic activity.
The second usage of the
word kosmos refers to the inhabitants of this world
or earth. Both of these
first two usages appear together in one verse: "He was in the world
[earth] and the world [earth] was made by Him
and the world [inhabitants of
the earth] knew Him not" (John 1:10). This world of mankind is the world
God loves. Jesus said
"For God so loved the world" (John 3:16).
However
there is that segment of the world of mankind that is alienated from
God (Ephesians 2:12: 4:18) and hostile to Christ and His followers. Our Lord
said
"If the world hate you
ye know that it hated Me before it hated
you" (John 15:18). So then it is this unregenerated world of mankind
through whom the demons will accomplish their wicked deeds.
The third use of the word
kosmos in Scripture refers to the combined activities
affairs
advantages
and
accumulated assets of the worldly men on the earth. The Bible calls all these
"the things that are in the world" (I John 2:15)
"this world's
goods (I John 3:17). This usage of kosmos is not limited to material things
but it includes abstract things which have spiritual and moral (or immoral)
values. Paul warns the believer to beware of "the wisdom of this
world" (I Cor 1:20; 2:6; 3:19)
"the spirit of the world"
(2:12)
and "the fashion of this world" (7:31). Peter wrote of the
"corruption that is in the world" (2 Peter 1:4)
and "the
pollutions of the world" (2:20). Dr. Merrill Unger made note of the fact
that "In more than thirty important passages the Greek word 'kosmos'...is
employed in the New Testament to portray the whole mass of unregenerate men
alienated from God
hostile to Christ
and organized governmentally as a system
or federation under Satan (John 7:7; 14:27; I Cor 1:21; 11:32; 1 Pet 5:9; I
John 3:1
13; et al."
The second Greek word is
aion. It likewise is translated world. However
it connotes the idea of time
and is more accurately rendered "age." The disciples questioned Jesus
about the "end of the world [age]" (Matthew 24:3)
speaking of that
time when He would return to the earth. Paul used the same word when he wrote
of our Lord Jesus Christ
"Who gave Himself for our sins
that He might
deliver us from this present evil world [age]" (Gal 1:4). This present
aion
from Pentecost to the return of Christ
is described as
"evil."
Lehman Strauss
Demons
Yes--But Thank God for Good Angels
Loizeaux Brothers
1976
pp. 12-14.
The world system is
committed to at least four major objectives
which I can summarize in four
words: fortune
fame
power
pleasure. First and foremost: Fortune
money. The
world system is driven by money; it feeds on materialism. Second: Fame. That is
another word for popularity. Fame is the longing to be known
to be somebody in
someone else's eyes. Third: Power. This is having influence
maintaining
control over individuals or groups or companies or whatever. It is the desire
to manipulate and maneuver others to do something for one's own benefit.
Fourth: Pleasure. At its basic level
pleasure has to do with fulfilling one's
sensual desires. It's the same mindset that's behind the slogan: "If it
feels good
do it."
Charles Swindoll
Living Above the Level of Mediocrity
p.219.
The Bible defines
worldliness by centering morality where we intuitively know it should be.
Worldliness is the lust of the flesh (a passion for sensual satisfaction)
the
lust of the eyes (an inordinate desire for the finer things of life)
and the
pride of life (self-satisfaction in who we are
what we have
and what we have
done). Worldliness
then
is a preoccupation with ease and affluence. It
elevates creature comfort to the point of idolatry; large salaries and
comfortable life-styles become necessities of life.
Worldliness is reading
magazines about people who live hedonistic lives and spend too much money on
themselves and wanting to be like them. But more importantly
worldliness is
simply pride and selfishness in disguises. It's being resentful when someone
snubs us or patronizes us or shows off. It means smarting under every slight
challenging every word spoken against us
cringing when another is preferred
before us. Worldliness is harboring grudges
nursing grievance
and wallowing
in self-pity. These are the ways in which we are most like the world.
Dave Roper
The
Strength of a Man
quoted in Family Survival in the American Jungle
Steve Farrar
1991
Multnomah Press
p. 68.
"If I had a brother
who had been murdered
what would you think of me if I ...daily consorted with
the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother's heart; surely I too must be
an accomplice in the crime. Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it?
Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it?"
C.H. Spurgeon.
Addressing a national
seminar of Southern Baptist leaders
George Gallup said
"We find there is
very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who
are not active religiously...The levels of lying
cheating
and stealing are
remarkable similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider
themselves Christians
Gallup said
yet only about half of them could identify
the person who gave the Sermon on the Mount
and fewer still could recall five
of the Ten Commandments. Only two in ten said they would be willing to suffer
for their faith.
Erwin Lutzer
Pastor to
Pastor
p. 76.
The course of rebellion
against God may be very gradual
but it increases in rapidity as you progress
in it; and if you begin to run down the hill
the ever-increasing impetus will
send you down faster and faster to destruction. You Christians ought to watch
against the beginning of worldly conformity. I do believe that the growth of
worldliness is like strife
which is as the letting out of water. Once you
begin
there is no knowing where you will stop. I sometimes get this question
put to me
concerning certain worldly amusements
"May I do
so-and-so?" I am very sorry whenever anyone asks me that question
because
it shows that there is something wrong
or it would not be raised at all. If a
person's conscience lets him say
"Well
I can go to A
" he will very
soon go on to B
C
D
E
and through all the letters of the alphabet. . .When
Satan cannot catch us with a big sin
he will try a little one. It does not
matter to him as long as he catches his fish
what bait he uses. Beware of the
beginning of evil
for many
who bade fair to go right
have turned aside and
perished amongst the dark mountains in the wide field of sin.
C.H. Spurgeon.
The world's smiles are
more dangerous that its frowns.
Source Unknown.
Some years ago
musicians
noted that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as
they went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it
was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had
gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know
there was anything wrong with the peals
and quite unconsciously they had
copied their pitch.
So we tend to copy the
people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and
the programs to which we listen
almost without knowing it. God has given us
His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by
it
we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world.
Donald Grey Barnhouse.
James Engel summarized the
belief system and the presuppositions that commonly prevail among what he calls
modern man:
God
if He exists at all
is just an impersonal moral force. Man basically has the capacity within
himself to improve morally and make the right choices. Happiness consists
of unlimited material acquisition. There really is no objective basis for right
and wrong. The supernatural is just a figment of someone's
imagination. If a person lives a "good life"
the eternal
destiny is assured. The Bible is nothing other than a book written by
man.
Jim Peterson
Living
Proof
NavPress
1989 p. 198.
A.W. Tozer once remarked
"The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand
temporal problems for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which
at the most cannot concern him very long."
Tim Hansel
Eating
Problems for Breakfast
Word Publishing
1988
p. 33.