Worldliness

"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." 1 John 2:15-17
How often have you heard a sermon on worldliness? Just think about it for a minute. It's a topic that's not often touched upon by most pastors. I wonder why. I would like to hypothesize that the reason worldliness is not often chosen as the subject for Sunday's sermon is because the spiritual leaders of our churches are often catering to the wishes of their members, as well as themselves, in this area. Let's face it. No one likes to feel convicted, and we certainly don't want to feel convicted about our media and entertainment choices. We enjoy our movies, t.v. shows, music, websites, magazines, books, etc., and we don't want to give them up! All too often, our entertainment choices are a huge area of compromise in our lives. We make decisions about what we will view or listen to or read based on what we think is "the limit". A few swear words are okay, but not a lot; one objectionable scene is okay, but if that is the whole premise of the movie, than it's a definite no. When the reality is, we as Christians should never be okay with viewing or listening to things that glorify the things of this world and the devil rather than the things of God. This week, I've been listening to a great sermon series entitled "In the World but Not of the World". I have been so convicted and encouraged by what I heard, and it is my hope that you will be too. Here's the link for the sermon series: http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1170-00-51
I encourage you and challenge you to check it out. Although we may look strange to the rest of the world, and although it might require sacrifice and determination on your part, remember that you are doing it for the Lord, who was willing to give up his only son for you. As Jim Elliot so wisely said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose".