THE DANGER OF WORLDLINESS

    Message by Pastor Olawole Dahunsi

  (Regional Overseer South South Region 2 Calabar.)

Text: James 4:4;

“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.”

1 John 2:15-17;

“15 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. 16 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. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

John 15:19

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

 John 17:15-16

“15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

There is danger for anyone who wants to be like the world.  

What is worldliness?

1. It is sometimes associated with what you wear, that is, your appearance;

-  your dressing

·       -  what you watch or look at

·       -  what interest you

·       -  where you go

·        - the way you speak; what and how you talk

2. Worldliness is to concern oneself with worldly material than spiritual things

3. It is the condition of being concerned with worldly affairs therefore neglecting spiritual things

4. When our deeds and actions are the same with the world

5.  Having so much passion for the things of this world than the things of God

6.  It centers on what our focus and priorities are

FEW TERMINOLOGIES COMMON TO WORLDLINESS

1. Compromise with the world: tending towards the world

2. Conformity: conformity with the world Roman 12:1-2 says

3. Imitation: imitating the world. Living the way they world is living

4. Mix-up: you cannot distinguish him/her from the world

5. Covetousness

6. Devotion to the things of the world

7. Backsliding

8. Indifferent: not seeing anything wrong in the world

Worldliness is to turn from obeying God. It is to turn from following Gods pattern

Few people in the Bible that were worldy are:

1. Lots wife: she turned back and became a pillar of salt

2. Samson: he lost his glory and eventually lost his eye too.

3. Saul the king - 1 Samuel 15:23

4. Judas....

5. Demas....

God has a pattern, when a person ceases from following that way, he or she runs into trouble.

Worldliness is to be enticed by the pleasant things of this world

It is to be carried away by the things that cannot last. Things of this world don’t last. Fashion, cars houses... they all become outdated. Nobody can please the world, the world and Christian life can never be the same

WHY MUST WE RUN FROM THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD?

e     1. We are not of this world - John 15: 19

2.  We are commanded not to love the world. It is a command not a plea

3.  We are adjudge not to conform to the world; not to behave like the world. We are advised not to conform to the world - Roman 12:2

4.  We are expected to regulate our lives with the word of God only and nothing more

5. There is a promise of eternal life to those who refuse to follow the world in 1 John 2:17

6. This world and all that is in it will pass away.

7. God will excuse a worldly person from the love of God. The relationship of that person with God will go sour

8. Those things we are running after will not last - James 4:4

9. It will alienate you from God 2. Timothy 4:10

10. It makes you vulnerable to attack - Psalm 119:19

11. It makes you unfaithful and unfruitful

12. God’s name will be blasphemed in our life - Ezekiel 33

13. The person will be condemned - Hebrew 2:1-4; 10:36-39

14. You will not be able to inherit the kingdom of God

Some passages of the Bible that shows that a worldly person cannot inherit the kingdom of God

·        John 3:3

·        1 Corinthians 6:9-10 -  none of those people shall come near the kingdom of God

·        1 Corinthians 15:50 - flesh and blood that is worldliness cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

·        Galatians 5:19-21

·        Hebrew 12:14

Way out of worldliness

1. Know that worldliness will lead one nowhere. That is the 1st step. Have it at the back of your mind that only a person who knows his God, the Bible say will do exploits

2. Be a friend of God. Trust and believe in God. As a Christian if you love God, He says; even if you are thinking it in your heart, He will answer you - John 15:14

3. Focus on Jesus the author and finisher our faith. Be a true disciple of Jesus Christ

4. Forsake all for Christ’s sake - Luke 14:33.  We are not condemning having things to enjoy but don’t allow yourself to be carried away by them...

5. Transform your thinking - Colossians 3:2.  Take your thoughts away from this world...

6. Be addicted to prayer and study of the word of God - Psalm 32:8-9. So when a man begins to pray, God begins to guide and instruct him.

7. Have an understanding that anything one gets in this world shall take him nowhere. So a good Christian must nurture his/her soul with the things of God so that his/her soul will inherit the kingdom of God. Brothers and sisters the flesh will take us nowhere

I pray for you; others may miss heaven but you will not miss heaven.

Bow your head and talk to God.....

Prayers

1. Every spirit of worldliness that have captured my life catch fire

2. Enemy of God in my life die in the name of Jesus.

3. O lord my father help me to know you and to do your will all the time name of Jesus.

4. Holy Ghost fire deliver me from the hands of the powers that are stronger that me name of Jesus.

5. All the good things i have lost to the enemy today i recover them back  

6. You my life you not will not follow evil pattern in the name of Jesus

7. Holy Spirit of God take me to the level that men and women will glorify your name in my life

8. By the power in the name of Jesus this week I shall succeed and not be a failure

9. By the power in the name of Jesus this week I shall be favoured

10. Any power on assignment to fight me this week die in the name of Jesus.