Living According to Heaven Part 9
Most of us listen to the Word, but we need to actually live it and be doers of the Word. Our lives will not change only by hearing the Word, but we need to do it as well. We cannot be so caught up in the things of this world during the week that we forget to live out God’s Word.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
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 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17
There are three different definitions to the word “world”.
1) The physical world of the trees as seen in Acts 17:24.
2) The world as it pertains to the human race as seen in John 3:16.
3) The world system as seen in John 17:16 where in speaking of His disciples, Jesus says that they are not of the world, meaning that they are not a part of the world system. Thus it is clear that the world system is not to be embraced by the Christian.
John says in 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are children of God. . .” ALL non-Christians however are controlled by the devil’s evil world system. John is showing us that there are two world systems and we are being controlled by one or the other (Ephesians 2:1-2). John clearly makes a distinction between God’s children and those of the enemy: if we do not do what is right or do not love our brother or are not obedient to God, then we are not children of God (1 John 3:10).
8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. Luke 16:8
Jesus differentiates between the world and the Christians: “for the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.” We must guard against adopting the world’s value system and should not make our priority, those things which the world regards as important. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” – 1 John 2:15. Lust of the eyes, of the flesh and boasting over what we have, therefore do not originate from God. We are thus told to crucify the flesh daily. We have the victory over Satan who cannot make us do anything that we do not want to do.
To allow the old nature with its passions and desires to control us, would be destructive to our souls. Selfishness, greed, sexual immorality, hatred and jealousy are some of the attitudes of the old nature and are rife in the world’s system. We watch the reality shows, feasting with our eyes on these programmes; we look at new cars and want them, but do not feast on reading God’s Word. We sometimes seek to impress others with our achievements and possessions, exhibiting ‘The Pride of Life.’ If our achievements, possessions and desires cause us to pull away from God and the things of God, then we are operating to our own detriment. Indeed, Luke 9:25 asks: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Flirting with the world system is dangerous, for we end up embracing it. It could be something as simple as watching the soaps and gradually adopting the values there. We then end up behaving like the world and if the kingdom of darkness and light look the same, then something is wrong. If a Christian organisation becomes too friendly with the world, then they become like the world as well. James 4:4 “. . .anyone who chooses to become a friend of the world, becomes an enemy of God.” Do not become an enemy of God, none of us can do this and win.
Is your heart in the world system or is it in the Kingdom of God? Find your treasure and you will find your heart.
