How Should I Live In this World?

Tonight we’re going to conclude our series on “Developing a Biblical Worldview.” Your worldview is the way you look at the world. It’s the beliefs that you base all of your decisions on.

Everybody has a worldview whether they realize it or not. It’s often un-clarified. It’s often unspoken but everybody has a worldview. Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a worldview. It is a way of seeing the world and actually there are seven major worldviews. We talked about that in the first week of the series. If you base your life on a faulty worldview the results are disastrous, because every idea has a consequence.

In the first week we talked about how it’s not enough just to be sincere. You can be sincere and be sincerely wrong. If I have a glass up here and it’s filled with what I think is water and I'm sincere about it, I can drink it. If it’s poison it will still kill me no matter how sincere I am. I made it on a false assumption. I based my decision on untrue data. So during this series we looked at five different questions. The first question was why does it matter what I believe?

Then we looked the second week at how do know what’s true? We looked at five signs of truth decay in our society and five ways you can know the truth.

Then the third week we looked at where did I come from? That has major implications in your worldview. The Bible says that God made it all, created everything. The Bible tells us that God thought of human beings first but made us last and that you are uniquely made. You’re not an accident. You’re made in God’s image. And God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Then the next week we looked at how did the world get so messed up? The fact is we live on a broken planet. We looked at the reason for that which is our own sinful choices and the result is we live on a broken planet where nothing works correctly.

Then the next week we looked at what’s the solution? We looked at a number of the major different solutions that had been offered that have all failed. Because honestly, the heart of the problem is a problem in the heart. It’s inside me and you can’t change the world by making a law to change the world. That doesn’t work. You have to change people on the inside. We looked at how God changes us on the inside and how the five things that Jesus did on the cross are what changes us.

Now based on all that we looked at I want to come back and do this last final week on so what? How should we live? Once I have a Christian worldview how do I turn my creeds into deeds? How do my beliefs change my behavior?

Fortunately, God sent us a model on how to live in this world…

1 John 2:6 LBP

6 Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.

You would think that’s kind of obvious. But we don’t do it. We call ourselves followers of Christ, we call ourselves believers, we call ourselves Christians but we don’t always live the way Jesus did.

So the question is How do I live like Jesus?

If you take everything Jesus said you can come up with 10 mega themes or 10 values to live by. These are 10 things Jesus did that he wants you to do too.

So,

How do we live like Jesus?

1. We should live with discernment

IOW, you check things out. You don’t just accept something because someone says it on a talk show or online or whatever…

You make sure it agrees with the Biblical world view. Paul said...

Romans 12:2 M:BCL

2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Jesus wants us to think about the kind of life we are living.

John 7:24 M:BCL

24 Don’t be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.”

He doesn’t want us to nitpick, but to use your head and heart. Discern what is right. He wants us to use our brains.

As you read the gospels... find out how many times Jesus uses the phrase “watch out.” It’s one of if His favorite phrases. Jesus says watch out. If you watch out for the things Jesus says to watch out for you’re going to be a lot wiser. Depending on your translation it may say “Beware”, it may say “Be careful,” it may say, “Guard yourself.” But He’s just saying you need to be discerning.

The problem is we are bombarded now by media. Radio, television, Internet, music and on and on and on. We’ve got media around us – billboards and movies, everything that’s constantly hitting us. After a while you kind of let your guard down and you start letting stuff into your mind that you wouldn’t even agree with, that you know is wrong. You just allow it in because there’s so much media.

For instance, have you ever found yourself singing a song with words that are the exact opposite of your values? When that happens , someone is putting their world view in your mind. We have to be discerning.

Let me ask you several questions… How many of you believe everything you read in the newspaper? How many of you believe everything you read in magazines, you hear on the radio, you watch on the TV and you see at movies? How many of you would say I believe everything God says is true?

Here’s the question. Why do we spend more time listening, watching and reading something we don’t believe than something we do?

Paul said,

Luke 11:35 NLT

35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

You may be thinking I'm doing the right thing! But you may be operating off the world’s value system that’s been programmed into your mind through radio, television, music and books, and you’re brainwashed. And you just automatically think this is the right way to do it. So he says, “Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness.”

If you are going to live like Jesus,

2. We should live with integrity

Most people don’t understand integrity… it’s pretty obvious in our culture.

Many would say it means that you are honest, and that’s part of it. But it’s more than that. The word actually means whole. IOW, it’s the opposite of compartmentalization.

Integrity is the quality of being whole or undivided.

It’s the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. A person of integrity is the same in every situation. You don’t act one way at church and another during the week.

It’s more than honest. You can be honest in one area and dishonest in another. You have to be honest in every area of your life.

Compartmentalization is like the titanic. A few weeks ago I talked about Titanic myth that said you can compartmentalize the ship and it would not sink. It did. It sounded logical, but a hole in the boat is a hole in the boat.

Let’s say you and I are in a rowboat out fishing and I pull out a drill in my end and I start drilling a hole in the boat. You say, What are you doing? “It’s my end of the boat. I'm not hurting you. This is my own space.” No. It’s going to sink the whole boat. A hole in the boat is going to sink the boat.

You may be saying, I'm drilling a hole right now but it’s not going to sink my family. It’s not going to sink my business. It’s just one little segment of my life. You are dead wrong. When you compartmentalize your life into this is my reading life and this is my secret life and this is my business life, you are setting yourself up for a lack of integrity.

I have worked with inmates and I have met with people who are wealthy and run big companies. Both struggle with integrity.

You will not be perfect nor do you have to be to be a person of integrity. None of us are perfect. We do have to be real… who we say we are.

Luke 11:36 NLT

36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

If you are filled with the light of Jesus, it means that you have given him every area of your life… your money, your porn, your kids, your work…

When you have integrity you are like a bright star in the dark sky.

Matthew 5:13 LBP

13 “You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Jesus said we are the salt of the world. Salt both preserves and provide flavor. Salt preserves meat and keeps it from rotting. Like salt, we are to keep the world from rotting. Salt also provides flavor to food. We should give a great flavor of Christ for people to know.

3. We should live with humility.

There’s discernibility, there’s integrity and there’s humility. Again, humility is another word that’s totally misunderstood. A lot of people think humility is saying, “I'm no good. I'm nothing. I’m just a bunch of junk.” Jesus didn’t die for junk. If you think you are not valuable, look at the cross.

Humility is not false modesty or sitting quietly.

Humility is dependance on God

A humble person depends on God more than himself. That’s why Jesus said …

Matthew 5:3 NLT

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

We recognize our need for Him.

Humility is important because the lack of it we have no peace in our lives.

Stress comes in our lives when we try to control things that are uncontrollable. When you try to control things you can’t control, you become stressed.

Another source of stress is lack of trust in God. Whenever you do not trust God, and try to do it yourself, You become stressed. You are depending on yourself and not on God.

The antidote to stress is humility. A good definition of what we need to do with stress is found in what Jesus said…

Matthew 11:28–29 NIV84

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

He said he will give you rest… not more work… rest.

describe what a yoke is.. The purpose of a yoke is to half the burden.

God never meant for you to go all through life pulling things on your own, pulling the burden of your life all by yourself. That’s why you’re tired all the time. You’re trying to solve all your problems by yourself. God never meant for that. Jesus says “Yoke up with Me. Put My yoke on you and we’ll pull your load together.” He’s got a lot more strength than you do.

When you pull the yoke together you have to go at the same pace Jesus goes. You’ve got two cattle yoked together one can’t go faster than the other. One can’t go one direction and the other another. When you are pulling the load of your life all by yourself you have a tendency to go too fast, you have a tendency to go in the wrong direction and you have a tendency to pull it off in a ditch. Some of you have been there several times. When you are yoked to Jesus then He’s pulling it with you – it’s lighter. He’s going to go at just the right pace because He knows the pace better than you do. He’s going to keep you in the right direction. And there’s no way He’s going to let you go off in a ditch.

Matt 11:28-29 “28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary (worn out, tired, stressed out) and carry heavy burdens (things you were never mean to carry alone), and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, (humility produces) and you will find rest for your souls.”

If you are stressed out tonight, there are three things in that verse.

Come to Christ…

Give up Control -

Learn to trust -

That’s the antidote for stress. You may have to do that process 50 times per day… bringing my problem to you… giving up control… trusting you. When you do this, your stress level will go down. This is what humility is.

So to live like Jesus, I live with discernment… I live a life of integrity… and I live with humility.

4. We should live with simplicity

Jesus obviously lived a simple life. The more of a simple life, the lower our stress becomes.

But our culture has become much more complicated. anybody disagree with that? Today we have more stuff than any other generation in history. the thing about having more stuff is that you spend more time and money taking care of it… cleaning it… protecting it… you have to insure it and it begins to dominate your life. It’s to the point that we have a very profitable industry that used to not be around… the storage industry.

Here is what Jesus said about stuff…

Luke 12:15 NIV

15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

I know this is counter cultural in America. Our culture urges more and more stuff. Everything in our culture is about more stuff. Greed is alive and well in the USA. Have you ever heard this line?

He has the most toys wins

The truth is that He who has the most toys still dies...

He has the most toys still dies

Just like everyone else.

Some rich person dies and people ask, how much did he leave? Listen, he left it all. You don’t take it with you. It wasn’t yours before you were born and it’s not yours after you die. You get to use it for however long you are alive…

Life isn’t about things. it’s about relationships and time. When you waste your time getting more stuff, you can’t get that time back. Never give up time for stuff. Your time is more important than money and things.

Look what Jesus said,

Matthew 16:26 NLT

26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

I have known a lot of people who have done this. Nothing is more important than your soul. Nothing is more important than your health.... family… relationships.

We need to learn to live with simplicity.

5. We should live with possibility

I can see possibilities because I have faith. In Heb 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Paul said in Romans 14:23 “… If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”

Jesus said this,

Matthew 19:26 NLT

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

And…

Mark 9:23 NLT

23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

I believe that of all the people on planet earth, believers – Christians, followers of Jesus – should be the most innovative people on the planet and should be the most creative people on the planet. Why? Because we serve a God who says all things are possible. Actually, the most narrow-minded people I know are people who don’t believe in God. Why? Because their possibilities are limited just by these certain things. But when I put my faith in God all things are possible it expands my horizon. I can be much more creative and I can be much more innovative.

You know what the greatest sin is? Not the one you’re thinking of. The greatest sin is unbelief. It is not trusting the God who made me. He made everything on the planet. He made everything in the universe. Everything I have I owe to Him. It all came from God. I wouldn’t have anything, not even my life, if it weren’t for Him. So Why would I not trust Him? When I have unbelief it limits my life.

The more you believe God, the more you trust God the more limitless your possibilities become. The more possibilities for your life, the more possibilities for your family, the more possibilities for your career. The more you trust God!

Hell would be if God showed me what I could have accomplished in life if I had just believed Him a little bit more. That to me would be hell. “I missed that?” Yeah, he just didn’t trust Me. He just didn’t believe Me.

So let me ask you three very personal questions.

1. In what area or areas of your life are you limiting God by your unbelief? God wants to bless you but you’re limiting Him because you won’t do it His way. Your finances? Your relationships? Your career? “I know God says to do… such and such… but I don’t really think He knows what’s best. I'm going to do what I want to do.” Every time you doubt God, you limit yourself.

2. What needs changing in your life? What would you like to change in your family? What would you like to change in your relationships or in the world? I want to change five major problems. We call them the Global Goliaths – spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, poverty, pandemic diseases, illiteracy. Those are giant problems. But with God all things are possible. What would you like to change?

3. What are you waiting for? You’re not waiting for God. He’s waiting for you. These are the greatest days to be alive. We live in an unbelievable time. God has put you in a world class church, a church that is literally changing the world, affecting hundreds of thousands of church leaders in 162 countries. God, of all people brought you here to be a part of it. Why? Not so you could sit and watch history, but so you could be a part of it. We are making a difference. This is no time for discouragement. It’s time to get going.

6. We should live with hospitality

Hospitality is love in action… love with hands and feet.

Many of you do things for people like buy their groceries… take food to them…

Matthew 10:41–42 NLT

41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Anything we do in the name of Jesus will lower your stress and bring rewards because you are doing it to Jesus.

Matthew 25:40 NLT

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:45 CEV

45 The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”

We need to continue to show practical love.

7. We should live with civility

Discernability, integrity, humility, simplicity, possibility, hospitality and civility. This is how God wants you to act toward people who disagree with you.

Sadly, civility has become a counter culture value in our society. I don't know if you’ve noticed how uncivil our culture has become. People are just flat out rude today.

Our politics is a good example of the lack of civility. They don’t talk about the problems and solutions, they just slam each other. And then that trickles down to every level of culture.

We need to live by this saying of Jesus…

Matthew 7:12 NIV

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

This is the golden Rule and the world would be a better place is every one lived by it. Jesus also said,

Matthew 5:9 M:BCL

9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

How many want to be blessed? We need to show people how to cooperate instead of competing.

8. We should live with charity

If you want to be a Christian, if you want to live like Jesus, you want to live His lifestyle, the Jesus, counter cultural radical lifestyle you must learn to live with charity.

Charity is a big basket that holds a lot of other concepts like forgiveness, mercy, kindness, grace, graciousness, compassion. All these things are wrapped in the idea of charity. Showing love to people.

Since God has shown us GRACE, he says we are to show others grace. IOW, cut them some slack.

Look what Jesus said,

Matthew 5:44 M:BCL

44 I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer,

Nobody wants to love their enemies… right? We don’t. But Jesus says that if we are going to follow him, we have to love our enemies.

If some one belittles you for being a Christian, He says to pray for them.

It a waiter gives you poor service or isn’t friendly… give them some slack

If someone is rude to you at the Mall, give them some slack…

Don’t let them bring out the worst in you… Let God bring out the best in you and show them some forgiveness.

Luke 6:37 NIV84

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

It’s time for Christians to stop judging the world and loving the world. We can be salt and light without being mean and hateful. People who are anti God, are still people who Jesus died for.

9. We should live with generosity

Why does God want us to learn generosity? So that we can be like Him. God is generous. Every time I give, my heart grows bigger and the grip of materialism become weaker and weaker.

Luke 16:9 NLT

9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

We are supporting in missions: LEO, Bridges Bible College, Convoy of Hope, AG World Missions.

He says take some of your money – not all of it – and use it to help people learn about Jesus and hear the good news. So when they’re saved they’re going to get to heaven and when you get there they’ll welcome you as friends and say “Thank you!

Money is a tool to be used to further the kingdom. Money is to be used, people are to be loved.

Look at this promise for the generous…

Luke 6:38 NIV84

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Let me finish this section with this. You cannot out give God.

If you’re not giving you need to start giving. Not because the church needs it but because you need it. You need it in your heart

10. We should live with priority

That means we know whats most important. Jesus knew his purpose and he lived with priorities. At 12, Jesus said, “I must be about my father’s business.” He knew what he was supposed to do and he focused on that. And when his purposed her was finished, He said, “It is finished.”

Look at Luke 12:29-31

Luke 12:29–31 CEV

29 Don’t keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. 30 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. 31 But put God’s work first, and these things will be yours as well.

Jesus is saying that when we worry, we are acting like someone who doesn’t know him. Worry is practical Atheism. You just don’t believe God can take care of you, but he can and he will. Jesus is saying that we will put him number 1 in your life, he will take care of everything else.

Have ever run into people who say stuff like, I’m just looking to find myself. Good luck. You will never find yourself until you do what this verse says…

Matthew 10:39 M:BCL

39 If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

It’s not about you… it’s about Him. That’s very counter cultural, but it’s what God says. We are to forget about ourselves and give ourselves to Him and we will find him and who we are.

Dear God, I want to live with discernment. I don’t want to be a cynic or a skeptic but I want to use my brain and to not just automatically accept what other people say is the truth.

I want to live with integrity where there’s no dark parts in my life, no compartmentalization. I want my whole life to be Your life.

I want to learn to live with humility depending on You. Forgive me for the times I get stressed out, when I try to control things and I don’t trust You. Help me to come to You and give up control and to learn to trust.

Help me to live a life of simplicity, to not worry about all the stuff and piling it up but to realize life isn’t about things. It’s about time and relationships.

Help me to see the possibilities. Help me to believe You for great things in my life that all things are possible. Help me to see the possibilities in my marriage, in my kids, in my family, in my job, in my boyfriend/girlfriend, any area of my life. Help me to have faith.

Lord, teach me hospitality, to remember that what I do for other people is just like doing it for You.

The people who I disagree with or who disagree with me or put me down, help me to treat them with civility, to do to other people what I’d like to be done to me. Let other people bring out the best in me not the worst. Help me to be forgiving and to show grace and cut people some slack.

Help me to be generous that I can be like You Lord because You’ve been so generous with me. Help me to store up rewards in heaven not here on earth.

And help me to live with priority to put first things first. I want You to be first in my life. I pray this in Your name