The World Against Us (2 of 2) (Part A)

I mean to say leadership leads and we Christians are supposed to lead people to Christ by living as much like Christ as we can see how study is the world the world against us in so many ways pressing on trying to force us to cave into its ways and be back like them again. We all have in a vulnerable spot in Achilles' heel, but we are still expected to show up in formation and ready for the struggle. This is cross reference radio pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will be continuing his study called the world against us in first John chapter 2 we are in John's first letter. Chapter 2. If you have your Bibles with you.

One of our roles in life as believers is to get as many people as we can go marching in with the saints that takes a lot we're going to take again. First John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17. If you would stand pleased that we could read together the word of God. Verse 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 all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and world is passing away, the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever have a little lengthy introduction that I hope really captures for us.

One of the great lessons from this section of Scripture concerning the world against us in this part 2 to 3 verses were two parts less than don't get through this morning that will have three parts but man-made gods is nothing new about men men making gods for themselves. Psalm 115. Their idols are silver and gold. The work of men's hands and then verse eight of Psalm 115.

Those who make them are like them. So is everyone who trust in them is a big problem concerning mankind got this habit instead of being made in the image of God receiving that developing that he has decided lost man to make God in his own image. Those who make them rights. The psalmist are those who forge out ideas about God. The ancients used to have little statues and figurines and things today more sophisticated than that, as a rule Western civilization. It's in the head since the imagination.

I think God is, what would you get that from why made it up or listen to someone else who made it up. It's more carnal, inspirational, natural inspiration, fallen inspiration as opposed to divine revelation. Not getting this information from the throne of the only true God, the concocting it based on their experiences as human beings, so men try to create God in their puny image and you can't tell no.

The prophets dealt with this Isaiah hammered it. Jeremiah hammered Ezekiel Ezekiel you know what we studied. Ezekiel is a little eccentric. Ezekiel call them dong God's that's the Hebrew he was to so not interested in what wrong people had to say about the true God.

The psalmist says there like them. That is dead and blind.

That's what the statues were that they fashion with their tools undiscerning implement lame and expressive of God's truth and offense to God. The gods of the Greeks. Their mythology that we know it now, but at one time people actually believe these things, those gods were concocted by sinners and they simply transferred their attributes to characteristics to the gods that they made up. They were vile, vindictive, lustful, jealous, violent, rude, obnoxious, lustful life. It lustful, and they were also lustful murderous rotten human beings which superpowers carnal carnality on steroids. Those were the gods of the Greeks and the Romans so fell in love with them after they conquered the Greeks that they took them to be their gods and name them instead of Joseph Jupiter now and down the list goes. Those fallen attributes of humanity baked into these imaginary gods fulfilling what the prophets said in Psalms. Those who make them are like them. So is everyone who trust in them.

You cannot make God in your own image and expect to be unlike you and what is so redeeming about you that you want a God to have these characteristics will get to why that was so rejected by those who came to Christ because of the preaching of the apostles and the disciples of God.

They wanted so out from these fake gods that when Christ came along I got ahead of myself when Christ came along. They just raised him.

So many of them so is everyone who trust in them. In both cases you going to be like God, you make dead. That's what you going to be.

That's what you get in the Indian hell gives you nothing back.

It just takes everything from you. Such gods drag down their worshipers to the same level. This senseless stupidity and dumbness which brings us to how it all shows up in human literature, Homer's Iliad is a marvelous illustration of humanity getting it as far as the problem of humanity. Homer illustrates for us that human beings understand the problems just to have the solutions as Homer develops his Iliad. It is a magnificent display.

As I mentioned of humanity.

Understanding the problem fallen unsavory behavior of humanity of men sin carnality but I'm not really calling it sin, not according to the definitions of God. It is great mythology is a caricature on the world and it starts off with contention when he starts writing us a contention between Agamemnon, the great King and Achilles, the great war hero immense starts a story with contention doesn't understand the peace of God, we ourselves who are say we struggle to capture that piece in this violent world violent against the truth of God. Great mythology is a soap opera. It never ends. They just keep building the story never satisfies its Frankenstein. It's got a part here apart their Natick until you have this monster walking around fascinating. So Barbara should add.

It includes humanistic psychology man looking at man again, no solutions just man looking at man amplifying his behavior.

This compelling story is compelling is compelling because we see ourselves and we see mankind. We say this is how they they act as illustrated in the Trojan war that he writes in this Iliad. Evidently there was a Trojan war. Those of the great city Troy versus the Greeks, the Athenian's Spartans and all their satellite countries and neighbors that were around them converging on Troy having this war. Homer sort opportunity to still tell a great story and he brings his gods into the story because it captures our our imagination very easily in his story. He really gets to the end of the siege of Troy, the 10 year war in the ninth year's story. That's with the story begins you know the story, the Trojan horse goes into the city to soldiers hiding in the jump out. You know how it started in his story how Homer says let me tell you how this war started. Of course he throws into it.

This mythology this very exciting start of the marriage celebration King and the goddess to marry each other, and all the goddesses were invited all the gods were invited and all of the celebrities in the, the, the big shots of those they were invited except one goddess Aris, the goddess of discord. She was stopped at the gate by another of the god Hermes, but she leaves a wedding gift.

She throws in a golden apple and written on the golden apple is to the most beautiful well heroin. The other one of the goddesses.

She says that's mine. So did Aphrodite and Athena C. C. Homer's capturing this vanity. This jealousy this this desire to be the best of the most beautiful and it starts now with a beauty contest then moves to a beauty contest so they go to Zeus who is a rotten God took the throne from his own father what kind of nonsense is busy and that will anyways use the satellite part of it is a story is politics and it knows better.

So he says to the prince of Troy Paris. I want you to decide which of the three goddesses is the most beautiful three can settle this whole mess so he arranges a beauty contest in the goddesses bribed him. Remember, this is a man-made story and what I'm trying to illustrate is that man sees the problems in humanity we do to the differences we offer solutions they don't is no solution to the story. So Paris is about to do is judging the women in Hera, the first goddess sees bribed tribes to bribe and so does Athena one offers him all of Asia and all of Europe to be his kingdom. How could he say no to that other one offers him to be the greatest warrior and sage of all time, sort of a Samson Solomon thing going on, but Aphrodite, Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman on earth. He picks that one.

But she leaves out an important part.

She's already married to what is he do is got the bug now.

He wants her.

He goes to Greece and he steals her from Menelaus, the king, the brother of Agamemnon. Anyway Menelaus loses his wife to Paris, steals her and then he goes to his brother Mrs. we have a pack to protect each other. You have to help me and they raise this gigantic Army.

Menelaus, incidentally, is the king of the Spartan want to mess with those guys. The leather jackets on a spotter Greece you know bad dudes. So of course they go to attack Troy and that's with the Trojan war begins over a beauty contest over vanity over discord over another man's wife then comes to the front Achilles, the greatest warrior of all. Now were getting closer to ourselves. Homer does a brilliant job bringing out humanity with Achilles heel ease the fights, fights Hector, the great champion of Troy and he defeats him. No one can beat Achilles but Paris, the one who is to judge the three goddesses, the Prince of Troy.

He takes an arrow and he fires it and he gets Achilles in the heel we know it is the Achilles' heel. To this day and brought down the most valid warrior of all Achilles with one arrow in the most unlikely place you would think a headshot would've done it a hard shot. The ankle the bottom of the foot.

How do you protect that part how you move without it. It's actually brilliant holders captured something about humanity.

The point of weakness in all of us.

We all have one, even the greatest person has a point of weakness is the flesh with the sin resides.

It is the port of entry. That point of contact. A person can be otherwise strong, powerful, mighty have so many glorious attributes, but they've got a weak spot. There is an Achilles heel there somewhere.

Of course we name that tendon after Achilles. To this day. And so the Greeks and Homer and those who followed and built upon the stories they clearly express inescapable truths about us mankind cannot imagine mankind's sinless on his own. You need God to do that even in this stories they get to Hades in the underworld to Tartarus in the it is some down there. Unlike the heaven that our God promises us, even the poor atheists has a God because whatever really is the controlling influence in your life is God to you and the atheists is concocted his own ideas.

No one else is dedicated to proving that something that they don't believe exists doesn't exist. Kooky is thing bunch of us going to get together with going to rail against fairies. We know they don't exist within the March on Washington to prove it anyway. Pop psychology illustrates for us now in modern times, without the Greek mythology that man is still identifying problems without solutions.

It's very easy.

They give up and also the fancy names codify write down all the characteristics and traits and offer you a therapy that never ends. Many times they create the sicknesses they claim to treat women executives feeling down buddy. You need a pill, wait a minute. Depression is part of life and faith as part of overcoming those things in his heart. And if you going to having this issue are not picking on you pointing it out. Your love very much by God. Nonetheless, if you were to go to your cardiologist so you know what I feel little funny my hiking if you pills, he would say no way to legal but in this field you can say I don't feel too good today. Ego to this a problem we are supposed to be able to identify because anybody that claims to deal with human behavior from a Christian perspective is dealing with sin, whether they know it or not, and would hear pointed out is to sin. The issue were fallen beings, we need God to help us through these things and even as he helps us. It is a brutal fight.

It is an Achilles versus Hector.

It is a Hector versus Ajax.

It is an awful fight, even with faith and anybody that thinks because you've got Jesus Christ you not going to fight you are wrong because were all tied in together. We all have loved ones in life and sin do not cooperate. The ideal of the faith we have, to we get to heaven there is no peace. Christianity is supposed to be different than everything else under the sun, and in that ancient world those people that were worshiping the Zeus in the murky reason all the other junk that was out there the Aphrodite's when they heard the gospel of Christ. He couldn't wait to get out. Many of them. They no longer wanted these grotesque images of gods, they wanted a God that was clean and pure and loving and not vindictive and petty and violent and lustful Christianity is supposed to still be offering something that is attractive and beautiful the church is supposed to be like an army with banners mighty and attractive.

She is supposed to be a bride. I never saw an ugly bride. Well, there was one time she was so ugly they kiss the groom went okay. It's a fake story some of you really touched to hear, but don't be messing with the bride and the women, but in reality is going funny because the groom and state. The bride's bid dolled up. You could say if taken the time the church is supposed to be in this so often we are fighting each other petty you said Moses not know what Moses did have an arc. It was a toy archives little boy in the play with it floating on water to all Pharaoh's daughter. She fished amount of the Nile. Well anyway, back to the church.

The church does more for the world when the church is least like the world said. G. Campbell Morgan, one of my favorite writers will preachers I should say pastors so it is true with individuals will more helpful as individuals to those in the world when were not like the people in the world but Christianity does got this thing where they they have to did you know gravitate down. When I first was introduced to the calorie movement. It was a group of people that I had come in touch with that were committed to following the book of acts as best they could and they really weren't looking at what other churches were doing.

They were looking at the book of acts they were looking at all of the Bible and it was so attractive to me.

To this date as this church is patterned after that week. How we conduct business. Acts 242 but in time. Of course the next generations begin to join in the didn't have that attraction to the simplicity of the Scripture. They wanted it complicated and many of them look outside. What are you doing so we can do it to. How do you do service so we can do it to. We used to blaze the trail that's Christianity Christianity Shiseido the one asking you with how to do this or where to go with my behavior and how I look at life in an eternity and death. All these things. I'm not asking you how you do it.

I'm telling you how it's done and you take it or leave it open. Christians look to the world we start becoming like them.

What we have left offer them. We become hybrids Jenny Christians you know when the king married the goddess, and they had a child, which that whole thing refutes Genesis 6 racking ocean. I'm going to that that was a demigod as a child half God, half man. Christ was not half God, half man when he came to the virgin, he was all man in the flesh, he resolved God.

In essence, well anyway, we do most for them when we are least like them morally and spiritually. I I'm not coming of Hilda Taiwan and a pair of nice sneakers so I can tell you I'm the pastor would look my sneakers tell you I identify with you. I'm trying to appeal to anybody in that way.

I am setting the pace I am the leader. Leaders don't say how should I leave. They lead to those followed by sets, arrogant, honest leadership I can identify with the troubles and struggles.

We tell our youth were not trying to be 15 years old again day ever see a guy in his 50s, trying to like he's 20 and I gotta catch up.

That's my point arrived and I thought it was a little clumsy and harsh, saying it the first time at the latest and can admit it that way to be harsh, I mean to say leadership leads and we Christians are supposed to lead people to Christ by living as much like Christ as we can see our study is the world the world against us in so many ways pressing on us trying to force us to cave into its ways and be back like them again.

We all have in a vulnerable spot in Achilles' heel, but we are still expected to show up in formation and ready for the struggle. So now we come to verse 16, we covered verse 15 the last session, so we moved to verse 16 and there he says 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.

He just encapsulated all of Greek mythology, the gods that were were not mythical to the people living at that time their gods were lustful, and in the flesh, and just proud and all these other problems, and so were the people because the people were like the gods they made and he says tells us, for all that is in the world. Here is a love that God hates God does not want his people to love the things that are in the world.

Now we we will in time to time but we know it will struggle against it because it's appealing. Many of the things that are here.

Gotta learn another strike that balance, that little bit more in a minute. But this world is the enemy of God does not out. Does not the mainstream media week of that you can smell their hatred of Christ and everything they do. They typify the world for us. James chapter 4 do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God.

Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. We try to line up with them. Let them dictate policy to you. Tell you what to believe how to do this and how to do that concerning spirituality and morality than you've goofed up big.

We want to chase with Christ wants us to have because chasing the Chryslers and Chryslers and this harms us. Mark's gospel Jesus said we all know this one all you believers know this one for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his old so much aggression to the mountain flying first class is still crashed into the mountain and that's how death will be for those who insist on stiff arming the gospel of Christ and the Jesus of the gospel says the lust of the flesh S now that word for lust here can mean anything this strong desire good or bad with the contacts alerts us to its application and of course John here is talking about the unrighteous desires the urges the impulses and they sneak up on us many times we don't look for them. They find us, we discover that we have wants that we should not have that are not good for us to not even good for those around us and when we have these desiderata atoms. We sat must have it. I must have it.

That's the lust of the flesh in the Iliad. That story that I briefly covered in the Trojan war. It illustrates this for us, that whole thing was the lust of the flash and it had heroes and cowards. It had manipulators, politicians, lovers, everything that makes for good reading Conley speaking so these exciting things of the world. They distract us. They damn our light. Remember the tabernacle in the wilderness had tools to keep the Whigs burning brightly so we need these things in our lives exciting things of this world. They do distract him the lightening to cause damage rather than edifying and equipping us, and they do it very easily because we are born in iniquity. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference rate cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe, you will be notified of new editions of cross reference radio. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps.

You can also follow the links@crossreferenceradio.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time you learning from the book of first John pastor I hear cross reference