Worldliness (video) — Richard Sipley

Good morning. Can you hear me? Yeah, I Don't want to tell you how to Run your church, but it would be good to have a little light right on. The Bible is God speaking to you. Well I left Akron in 1977 to go to Canada so been gone a long time come back for visits because have a son that lives in the Akron area and Every time I think about the revival we experienced in Akron my heart Gets full.

I think about the wonder of God's presence and God gave me a sound then and I'm I'm not going to speak on that this morning because God won't let me wants me to do something else and The last brother just gave the introduction to my sermon so So I have to do it.

But oh, thank you. Perfect. There you go. You see you have not because you asked not. But the Scripture God gave me in revival. Psalm 126 when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. We were like them to dream.

I Tell you When God comes it's like a dream. You you want to pinch yourself? Say is this really happening. Wow. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them to dream. Then was our mouth filled with Laughter and our tongue was singing and you've never heard singing until you hear it in revival.

Then said they among the heathen The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us wherever we are glad turn again our captivity. Oh Lord as streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He who goes forth weeping bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. Bring your sheaves with him and that was the time of God's visitation time of of laughter. I remember standing on the platform I smiled and laughed until my face was stiff and Just Letting God do what he wanted to do.

So I just want to encourage your heart's that has happened right here in this part of Ohio and it's been a long time ago. But God wants to do it again. Amen. He wants to do it again. My son talked us into leaving one of the most beautiful places on earth, Vancouver Island and Coming back here.

He said I've let you go all these years. Because you were serving God and that was all right. But now you've retired for the third time. Yeah, and of course being retired is just being tired all over again.

That's all so. Said you're not going to pastor a church anymore so it's time to come back here and give the rest of your time to us and So I said well, I'll pray about it went to pray and the first scripture came to my mind is what does the Lord require of thee but to do justice and My son had said that's just just and right that you should do that.

So said, all right, that's it. And we sold our home and furniture and everything came back. But once we got back and got settled. Then God began to work powerfully in my heart and He said you didn't just come back here to be with your children in your last years you came back here to do more than that and I tell you for the last couple weeks I've been running and God is moving and God is at work.

Isn't it wonderful how he's touching hearts here. God wants longs. Longs yearns with a heart of love to bring Revival to his church and to save people by the millions. He longs to do that, but God is not morally free to do everything.

He wants to do. Do you know that? God cannot lie. Amen. There's some things God cannot do. He cannot be untrue to himself. He is God he can never change and God longs to do things for us. But sometimes he's not morally free to do them for us and it's because there are things we need to do.

And so I believe that with all my heart and I believe God wants to do some new fresh Wonderful things in this part of Ohio. I'm in All right, let's believe it. Now I want to begin this morning with my secondary text and then I'll get to my main one shortly.

Humbling Ourselves and Turning From Wicked Ways

But my secondary text, of course is that great passage 2nd Chronicles 7 14. If my people he's talking about God's people Which are called by my name. Are you a Christian? Let's see your hand if you're Christian you're Christian.

Yeah, you're a Christ one, right a Christ one you're called by his name. My people said God my people not the world's people my people which are called by my name Shall humble themselves. Don't wait until God humbles us, right?

Because that's rough. Don't do that they humble themselves and pray and seek my face and we could preach on all those things for weeks and Turn from their wicked ways. Then while I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin not the world's sin their sin the sin of God's people and I Will heal their land.

Oh. Our land needs healing. You cannot understand what a shock it is to come back into the United States after not living here for a while. I Mean it we lived in Canada for almost 30 years and we moved back here.

We visited here, of course, but we moved back here it is a tremendous shock our country is on its way to hell as fast as it can go and There isn't anything in this world that can save it except God. And he can't amen he can do it and he can heal our land and We want to believe him for that.

The Church’s Wicked Ways and the Problem of Worldliness

And so of course, I have to ask the question. You already heard it in the message before powerful wonderful message. Never heard anyone preach on that passage that way before have you? That was that was a message to our hearts.

Is it true that the terrible wickedness of unbelievers in our world is what is causing the downward trend of our? Society and of course the answer that we've heard this morning, and you know, it's true.

No, it is not. It is not the world our text tells us clearly it's God's people so do God's people have wicked ways. Well, they must the or God wouldn't say for them to turn from them, right? God says turn from our wicked ways.

So we must have God's people must have wicked ways. Now I've been licensed in the Christian Missionary Alliance for over 60 years Preaching and I've been in revival ministry for many years now and I have Had a chance to see What is wrong?

With God's people you say well, it's sin. Yes, it's sin, but I wanted to find it a little more closely this morning. There are three wicked ways of God's people and I can only give you one. Okay. You'll have to get the other two some other time.

But the one I think is the most pressing and Probably the most important one is the wicked way of worldliness. The wicked way of worldliness now my Primary text for my message this morning is one that you could guess first John to the first epistle of John chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 and it says love not the world.

Neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the world the love of the Father is not in him. 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 and the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he who does the will of God abides forever. So my subject is very simple. It's four words. Oh Brother sister get them this morning.

It's four words love not the world. Love not the world. The Church of Jesus Christ today needs to hear this message penetrate their hearts and their lives and their homes and their churches and Transform them love not the world now.

Worldliness Is More Than External Rules

I grew up in a church setting in Western, Pennsylvania. Where we were constantly exhorted not to be worldly there was preached taught exhorted almost harassed. Not to be worldly don't be worldly don't be worldly.

What was meant by that. Well in that group those who were considered worldly were. Are you ready? Don't fall out of your seat now. Here they were those who wore lipstick and Possibly earrings they were worldly.

That was worldly that was out. My wife when she was a teenager can still remember How their Sunday school teacher Sunday after Sunday got after them because she they didn't dare to wear lipstick to church but If she thought any of them maybe did to school she got after them Bob because that was worldly.

It's getting really quiet in here. Did I say something wrong. Really Hilarious if you if you attended the theater, of course, you were worldly. If you danced you really were worldly if you played cards you were Really on the way down now if possibly you profess Christ and smoke.

That was really questionable whether you were saved and if you drink at all. Obviously you were not a Christian now don't get me wrong about any of these things. One way or the other okay, you say hurry up and tell us which ones are wrong.

Now I want to get out alive. No, no, no, no, I refrained from all those things. I Didn't smoke it into it didn't go with girls that do I thought because I refrained from all those things That I was not worldly.

I found out That that didn't have anything directly to do With being worldly. I mean might be a manifestation of something one way or another but it really Didn't deal with the issue of being worldly.

Now listen carefully. Jesus never used the word worldly or Worldliness ever and it's no at least we did it's nowhere in the scriptures. You got that He didn't use the word worldly or worldliness but He had a great deal to say about the world.

In fact as soon as you decide to make a study of it You are overwhelmed you go through the four Gospels and you can't you say I can't believe it. I had no idea. He talked about this this much. It just becomes a pile of scripture.

We couldn't possibly do an exposition on all those this morning and we won't even try. I'll give you some. But Jesus had a lot to say about the world. For instance, Jesus said I came into the world. What does that mean?

Well, it simply means that he came down from heaven's glory out of eternity and focused himself in a woman's womb and took on himself a human nature and flesh and body and Was born into our world. That's what he meant when he said I came into the world, right?

Right. It isn't polite to sit and stare when someone asks you a question. I Never asked trick questions. I hate trick questions. Jesus said I came into the world. He said I am going out of the world. What did he mean?

He meant that he was going to leave this ball this earth and go back to heaven's glory, right? Yeah, I'd say you're right now. I thought you knew all this stuff. He said I am NOT of the world. Oh. He said I came down from heaven.

I am NOT of this world then he said You are not of this world the same as I am NOT of this world. Oh Whoa. He said the world hates me. Is that true the world hated him, right. They gave him a mock trial and nailed him on a cross and put him in the tomb.

They thought they were rid of him. They hated him. The Scribes and Pharisees would grind their teeth in rage and go out and plot how to kill him. They hated him. Boy the world certainly doesn't hate some parts of the church today.

Right how you can get a big audience just get one of the big preachers. Again, he said in John 15 verses 18 and 19 if the world Hates you keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world It would love you as its own as it is you do not belong to the world.

But I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. You try to read some of these passages and about every two or three words. You have the word world. I'm telling you Jesus had a lot to say about this.

Again in John 17, he said holy father I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I'm still in the world. See, I'm doing all this because you've got to get straight this morning what the world is.

He says I'm still here. But I won't be so that they may have full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them for they are not of The world any more than I am of the world.

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world. He doesn't want us to go off and be a bunch of monks or nuns somewhere, right? God doesn't want Christians to be in isolation. He wants them to be in separation and there's a huge difference between separation and isolation.

And when I was a young Christian, I thought the two were synonymous. And I'm so glad that God got through to me that he didn't want me isolated from the world. He wound me right out in the middle of the world.

Standing for Christ and witnessing for Jesus and winning lost people out of the world. Then he says my prayers not that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil. They are not of the world as I am not of it.

To be a bright and shining light in the world. You see the three wicked ways of his people today are worldliness powerlessness and Passiveness and I can't preach in the other two. But we need to be filled with the Spirit and then we need to be intentional witnesses for Christ bringing people to Jesus.

And we went out of Vancouver Island and God came down and for five years. We had we had two Conversions a week for five years. I'm just saying God wants to get us to wake up. But anyway, I'm not talking about that.

So you get away with it for this time. Now I want to answer three questions. Number one, what is the world? Now listen carefully. What is the world? The world is simply this world with all that is in it.

Somebody says oh no, no, no, no, you don't have your theology straight this world. Means in the Bible this world system this ungodly system. No, you can't you can't find that in the Bible anywhere. That's not in the scriptures all that Jesus had to say about it.

If I could give you all those scriptures this morning you go home and study it. Everything Jesus had to say about the world was about this world. I mean the whole great big thing. This globe this earth with everything that's on it and in it.

That's what the world is and now father glorify me said in John 17 5 in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world. Began said before you and I father created the world, you know, I had glory with you.

He's talking about this world. He was if you go to John 1 He was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not recognize him. What world is that? The whole thing. That's what he's talking about.

He Came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him yet to know them who received him he gave eternal life. He's talking about the world. John 13 1 listen to this carefully. It was just before the Passover feast.

Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the father. Having left his own who were in the world. He now showed them full extent of his love. And so here the scriptures say He's about to leave this World and go back to the heavenly world.

Are we beginning to get it straight? See if we don't get this part straight, I might as well not preach the rest of it. We have to get this straight in our minds instead of some of the stuff we've been told.

Or we won't get it straight in our lives in John 17 Christ prays for his followers and I'm not going to read it all what I'm going to do is snatch sentences all the way through it about the world. Before the world began those who gave me out of the world.

I am NOT praying for the world. I will remain no longer in the world while I am still in the world. The world has hated them because they're not of the world. I do not pray for you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world even as I am NOT of it as you sent me into the world. I have sent them into the world so that the world may believe. Complete unity to let the world know you love me before the creation of the world.

The world does not know you. Jesus Was an alien. He was a being from another world and I'm closer to it than most of you. He came he created this world and Then he came into it. So the world that Jesus is talking about and that the scriptures are talking about is simply this world and everything's in it.

Worldliness as Misplaced Priority

Now, what is worldliness? Get this definition carefully. Worldliness is to give priority To the things and matters of this world rather than the things of God. Now we have to get this because right here is the crux of it right here is the heart of it.

Worldliness is to give priority to the things and matters of this world rather than the things of God and that is what the church is full of. The people of God are absolutely caught up in it. Jesus said seek first.

Seek first that's priority. Seek first the King of God and his righteousness and all. These things that you need of this world will be added unto you. Is God able to do that certain he is. But he says don't make it your priority.

Don't make it the number one issue in any situation. Let me give you a test this morning. It's a little different kind of a one. I Don't care much about test myself, but I'm going to impose one on you.

Which disturbs me most. That's that's the title of my test which disturbs me most. My neighbor dying without Christ or a Scratch on my new car. Well, you see why I guess that question because I need to stop and confess my own sins.

Because I want to help you. We were still living out of Vancouver Island. We I traded my little Plymouth Sundance. Which my wife loves and she's still mad at me about. I traded it for a brand new Plymouth acclaimed.

They don't make them anymore. Every time they make a good car, they quit making it. I've traded for a new Plymouth acclaimed. It was it was, you know off-white beautiful brand-new. Wasn't very expensive but it was new and it was mine.

It looks so nice. And we drove out here to visit our son in Tallmadge and in Tallmadge. There's a place they call the six corners and it's where you know six roads come together and There's traffic light and you wait your turn and so as you come up to it there are a couple places where you really kind of come up a steep incline and so I was going somewhere and I came up this incline.

There was a Car ahead of me. You could call it that it was more like an accident looking for a place to happen, but It was an old rattletrap really and and he pulled up and stopped at the traffic light and I thought That's now this is my first mistake.

I Thought I'm not going to get too close to that thing. So I stopped a way back and we're on a hill and so we just get stopped and his car stalls and Then it starts to roll backwards. Because not only is the motor not any good the brakes aren't any good either.

And so here here the thing starts coming slowly and picking up speed rolling back toward my brand new car. And so My first mistake was to pack was to you know, stop way back there if I'd stopped up close.

I'd been better off, right? Less impact. But way back here, so the second thing I did that's peculiar was I honked my horn. Now you'd have more presence of mind than that. And then I don't know how he did it so fast, but this frozzy-looking kid jumped out of the front Of the car and ran out of the front door and ran around front and grabbed the bumper.

I Would have thought it was funny for work my car. And he's his feet are skidding on the pavement. The cops pick it up speed and of course it did what you know, it would do it hit the front of my car and He was the poor kid.

He was so mad and He stood by the car and started kicking it and swearing at it. Which really helped it? And so You got to understand I'm still living in Canada and So I get out and I say well Do you have driver's license?

Yeah, I had a driver's license. Do you have insurance? No. Just then my son came home from work and he saw his dad over there with his new car. Got on his cell phone and called the police so the police came over and and the policeman is looking at the whole situation and I said this young man just bought this car and Just got the license plates put on it and he's on his way home and he has no insurance.

I then I made my third terrible mistake. I said if we were in Canada that wouldn't happen. Don't ever do anything like that. He was very unhappy about that he said that's the law here too and I said why doesn't he have insurance.

Well, that didn't make him happier. Anyway There wasn't anything much you could do about it. So some of us got the car off my front bumper and. And we went on home to my son's place. Because we hadn't moved here yet and so we go in the kitchen and my son says well He may not have had insurance, but our company does business with his company.

I know who he works for and I'll get the money out of him. And all at once God spoke to me. You ever have God speak to you all at once and he said what are you doing? What are you doing? That stupid piece of metal and rubber and junk.

I'm gonna burn it all up someday. What is the matter with you there is that young man. Yeah, he looked frowzy probably doesn't know the Lord. You blew it and I said to my son, whoa, wait a minute son, wait a minute.

Wait a minute. I'm all wrong. My attitude is wrong. How could I love that car like that? That's worldliness and I said because I wanted my son to hear it. I said son what I should have done was put my arm around that kid and Set up a date with him to take him to breakfast and share Christ with him.

Amen, that's how worldly I can get. Which disturbs me most missing a Sunday church service or my favorite TV program. Which disturbs me most a sermon 10 minutes too long or lunch 30 minutes late. You may get a chance to test that.

What disturbs me most my Bible unopened or the newspaper unread. What disturbs me most my children late for Sunday school or late for public school. Which disturbs me most when I was here and when God was moving in power.

There's a wonderful friend that was came to the Lord a Greek man that came to the Lord and He's been living for God the whole 30 years. We've been gone and and God has made him a powerful preacher and witness in the in the Orthodox Church.

And people are coming to Christ and as soon as I got back our friendship blossomed again, and and we would meet and talk and One day he said to me, you know, God has really spoken to me about something in my life.

That was worldly. I Said what was that? He said well whenever the football season came on I Was a fan of the Cleveland Browns Browns. Is that right? Yeah, okay. And he said my family and everybody knew that I work hard and that's my time for myself and So he said nothing disturbs me.

Nothing interrupts me when I watch the football games. Nobody speaks to me. That's my time and he said God has Really convicted me and I have confessed my sin and repented and I've given it up and I'm not even gonna bother with it.

You say my goodness. Do you think it's wrong to watch a football game? Not necessarily. But it's wrong for it to have priority in your life over anything that God wants in your life. When I lived in Canada, and I used to say to people, you know The God of Canada is Hockey and the arenas are the places where they worship and sometimes they didn't frown at me for saying that but I'm still alive.

And I have and I want to say same things one of our brother before said that American Christians are totally caught up in the things of the world All kinds of things not just sports things, but you name it they're running their legs off and destroying their health and their home and everything taking their kids to all of the junk and making sure that their little junior is Good grief.

He can hardly stand up and he's already got Wouldn't be here. But in Canada's already got ice skates on so worldliness Priorities putting things of the world ahead of the things of God. What is the solution?

Crucifixion With Christ and Separation From the World

Well, there's only two ways to get from the world this world to the next one Translation or death, right? Is that right? You're not asleep. Okay, that's right in Galatians 614. We read God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world my friend when someone was led outside of the gates of the city of Jerusalem and up on the hill called the place of the skull when the soldiers led them up there and Strip their clothes and threw them down on that cross and Nailed them to that cross they were through with the world right.

Whatever they had done in the world, whatever they owned in the world, whatever their pleasures were in the world It didn't matter. Anything and everything about the world Was finished. They went up that hill to die and They were crucified unto the world.

They were dead to the world it no longer had any priority of any kind in their lives. And that's why the one thief had the good sense to make sure That he could get into the next world where where he wanted to be In paradise with Christ, you know right at the heart of the Canadian Revival was this truth I Have been crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live yet. Not I but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God not faith in the Son of God check the Greek. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me my friend.

God wants us to give up our life so that we can have his life and you can't love the world. You cannot love the world and give up your life. But when you come to the cross Jesus said if you want to follow me, you must disown yourself.

You no longer belong to yourself you must disown yourself and take up the cross and follow me there has to be a Recognition of the truth that in the mind and heart of God when Jesus was nailed to that cross Died I was nailed there in him and died in him.

That's how I can be forgiven of my sins. Because God sees me in the person of Christ dying for my sin. It's all punished and taken care of but God also sees me dying to this world and To the sins of this world and whatever's involved in it and somewhere at some point We have to come to the place where we are willing to be through with this world.

There are so many scriptures on this. Let me give you just a couple. 2nd Corinthians 6 14 To 7 1 let me read it. Listen carefully. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Did you hear it?

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness. And what community has light with darkness and what accord has Christ with the devil or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

What agreement has the temple of God with idols for you are the temple of the Living God? God has said I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they should be my people. Therefore come out from among them come out from among them and be separate and Touching out the unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be a father to you.

And you will be my sons and daughters say it the Lord Almighty He is our father. We are born from heaven. And we are on our way to heaven and we are aliens in this world. We are strangers in this world, you know, if God could get this across to just the people that are here.

Some of you might get shot and go to heaven quick, but Hebrews 2 Getting verse 8 by faith Abraham when called to go to a place He would later receives his inheritance obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going by faith.

He made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob heirs of the same promise for he was looking forward to the city with Foundations whose architect and builders God and all these people were still living by faith when they died.

They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance and they admitted that they were aliens. Strangers on earth. How does that fit all your space stories? Christians are Aliens and strangers on earth people say such things show That they are thinking think that they are looking for a country of their own.

If they had been thinking of the country they had left they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country heavenly one. Therefore. God is not ashamed to be called their God.

He is prepared for them. City Abraham and those followers they all were like aliens. We are in the world, but not of it in the world without the world being in us. All the water in the in the world. However hard it tried could never sink a ship unless it got inside.

Now all the evil in the world the wickedness and sin could never sink the Christians life unless it gets within. First Corinthians 731 we are to be as those who use this world without Abusing it. So let's look at my text for just a minute.

The Lust of the Flesh, Eyes, and Pride of Life

Let's think about it. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. God says don't love it. Say I just love my new Ford pickup. Uh-uh. If you'd like it use it use it for God if you can but I don't love it.

Huh, I love my new home. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. Your new house your new Ford pickup. Your new washing machine. Whatever it is. It's in this world love not the world neither the things in this world.

God says don't love it. For all that is in the world. Then he names those three things the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. And boy, does that picture? Our culture. The lust of flesh living for the passions and desires of the flesh.

Totally given over to the passions and desires of the flesh. And God's people have been persuaded somehow that that's all right. That it's okay. It's not okay. I Got a kick out of this. Sounds funny Christian comedian, but I got a kick out of his servant.

He was doing a takeoff on a psychological book. I'm okay. You're okay. That was the name of the book he says I'm not okay and you're not okay, but that's okay because God loves you anyway. The lust of the flesh.

I Just like to let that sit there for a bit just living for our fleshly pleasures. That has priority. We don't have time To serve God. We don't have time for prayer meetings. Huh? Don't have time to go out and witness my goodness the average Evangelical church if the pastor said let's all meet on Tuesday night.

We have a bunch of cards and people have visited our church and we're just going to go visit with them and share the gospel With them. How many in your church? Do you think he'd get up? We're totally caught up in the world.

I Can't do that. I have to go do this and if you ask what it is, you find out it's it's something of the world. It's not Important really. I'm thinking it's not the guys making a living. It's pleasure pleasure pleasure pleasure.

We're pleasure man, right and God says don't don't love it. You've got to bring it to the cross and then the lust of the eyes that's covetousness, that's possessions that's things materialism material possessions and It's more important for many many and I mean many Thousands of God's people it's more important for them to have that extra job or work those extra hours and make that extra money.

So that they can buy all the things. Then it is to spend time with their children their family and serving God in the church. Is any of this true? I'm not trying to be condemning. I'm not trying to accuse.

I'm just I've been there all these years and I'm just saying What is there and when revival comes God does some remarkable things with all that in the Canadian revival? Families would go home after meeting God in a deep way and they would take their deed for their house and their car keys and their bank book and everything and put it in the middle of the kitchen table to Sit around with the kids and everybody and give it all to God.