Summary:
What does it mean to be of the world?
1. Outer appearance: Do we dress in a particular way to bring attention to ourselves?
2. Our view of life: There is a new religion - humanism - and social media is its temple. Read more below.
3. Our actions and walk of life: Matt 5 and Rom 12 are two chapters we should read repeatedly. One is an outlook of life; second is how we are going to act in life.
4. Friends: To avoid being of the world, keep our most important relationships in the church.

Today’s passage is what Jesus prayed aloud to the Father. The purpose is for us to be able to listen.

John 17:11, 14-15
11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

Most people like to be loved. Love to be liked. On this basis, Mark Zuckerberg made his fortune. Facebook is a platform you set up something. Then you do nothing else while the participants provide all the content. Many people are willing to do that and feed on the likes they get on Facebook. Most people love to be liked. But Jesus said that the world has hated His believers. Thus we are taught to be in the world, but not of the world.

What does it mean to be of the world? As a quick possible way to frame it, to be of the world is to belong to the world and follow its trends. This sermon covers 4 areas for our discussion and contemplation.

1. Outer appearance (dressing and fashion)

1 Pet 3:3
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel

Dressing or appearance marks you to belong to certain groups of people. To be in the world, we have no choice, we have to wear some clothes. We need to comb our hair (or what’s left of it). Wear shoes. Since we are in the world, we have to do all these things. But if we wear or comb our hair in a particular style, we identify ourselves with that particular group.

Recently, in the past 10 years, tattoos have become popular with young people. Even old people want a tattoo before they die. Do young people in church want a tattoo as well?

Do we approach the question in a typical way? “Why can’t I have a tattoo?” “Why can’t I wear these particular clothes?” “Why can’t I have a certain hairstyle?”

If we understand the principle of not being of the world, quite often we answer the questions by ourselves and not let others judge us. So we ask ourselves, “Why do I want a tattoo?”

Some people tattoo their eyebrows. If there’s a good reason for that, because you don’t want people to look at you without eyebrows, that’s ok. But if you tattoo “I’m great” that’s not so good because it puts attention on you.

Without going through principles, is the way we dress to bring attention to ourselves; to identify ourselves with a particular group that’s not Christians? If so, then we shouldn’t do it because it means we are being of the world.

A DJ reacted to police advising girls not to dress skimpily. She was very angry because her daughter was in school and the police advised the above, because the police knew this would provoke men to molest girls. She was angry because today the trend of the world is not to shame the victim. They have overdone it.

She wrote in and criticised police for giving such simple advice. In the context of advice of a similar sort, if the police were to say: “When walking through those places don’t wear your jewellery because you may get robbed.” Would that be shaming the victim?

These are advice people today don’t like. In the religion of humanism, there are principles and rights people advocate to the harm of others. It exhibits itself even in dressing. You have the right to dress how you like. For us youths in the True Jesus Church, when we dress, when we consider having a tattoo, let’s consider whether we are doing so because we want to be liked; whether we want to be part of the world.

Think carefully what we read earlier in John 17.

What does it mean to be of the world?

2. Our view of life

Matt 5:3-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This passage is the Beatitudes. It’s quite difficult for a Christian to follow. It takes a lifetime to accept these things. But it’s the view of life Jesus wants us to have. The world is very different. This is the thing we should think about when we say we’re in but not of the world.

v3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit”

We should be dissatisfied with our spiritual state. Too often, people are easily satisfied with their spiritual state. For example if we come to church once a week, we say that’s good, we have kept the Sabbath.

A brother long ago was quite zealous at one time. He came for the short term student theolo. But when he grew up and started work, he hardly came to church. They visited him. He said, “Thank God! I’m able to make the Holy Communion this month!”

That’s tough right? There’s a feeling you’re rich in the spirit. That if we come to church once a week or remember the Lord’s death once a month, then we think we’re spiritually rich!

Some Christians from other churches go to church only on Easter and Christmas.

But here says to be dissatisfied with our spiritual state. That’s our outlook in life. There’s always something lacking and we can do more. That’s the truth. There’s so much in us that needs to improve so we can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. We ought to be contented in the world but dissatisfied with our spiritual improvement.

v4 “Blessed are those who mourn”

What kind of a blessing is that to be able to mourn? The world is of course the opposite - you should be happy. Roughly speaking, we ought to feel grief for the sins of the world. If we can live happily with the sin around us, then we are worse than Lot in Sodom. Because it was said of Lot that he grieved. He was vexed to be in that city.

If we’re comfortable in the world and are fine with for example the LGBT tide, then we can see our perspectives are following that of the world.

Do find time to read through the Beatitudes. How we ought to be meek, merciful, pure, peacemakers, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to accept difficulty - “persecuted for righteousness”. It is a lifetime thing. But if you’re in the world and not of the world you will be able to achieve these blessings.

This sermon is just the theme sermon for this quarter and the theme is just part of the rest of our lives. For us to think carefully whether we want to be of the world.

Let’s contrast the Beatitudes with the addition of woes in Luke 6:24-26.

But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

What a contrast! Those things considered blessings of the world are considered woes to Jesus. In particular, note v26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you”.

There was a social media influencer. She’s a Christian with many followers. She mentioned homosexuality was wrong. She got blasted. She worried about her livelihood. It’s quite amazing to find a job called influencer. Sounds like influenza. Same idea - spreading around.

People actually use social media influences. When trying to promote courses at work, someone suggested using an influencer!

This social media influencer suffered. Likely she would tone down and not say something like this again.

If we stop saying something right, woe to us. If we don’t preach the word of God, men will speak well of us. If we do well in the company and don’t whistleblow, all men will speak well of us. If we spend a lot of time on social media, and all men speak well of us, means we haven’t said anything that irks them; means we haven’t preached the gospel. What do we spend so much time on social media for?

There is a new religion - humanism. Its moral values? The foreground is freedom and love; the background is excess immorality, sin, rejection of God. Nonetheless, the same liberal mindset is infecting our young people. It’s not difficult to imagine why if we spend a lot of time on social media, because if we’re there, we love to be liked. Social media is the temple of the new religion. While we come to church to worship in the context of the people of God, the gathering of people on social media is a congregation itself. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook said, “We probably don’t need churches in the future. We can gather on Facebook!” True enough, but not as a gathering of the church of God but of the new religion. In this temple, they have those who disagree with them. They justify violence, vitriol, bad language. They are against others in the name of their own victimhood. “You can’t say that about me, but I can say all the things I want about you.”

That’s the new religion. Some church members are flirting with humanism. In that new religion, foul language is very common. They dare to curse God. In the past, who dares to say that? Recently they made fun of a footballer in the Italian league because he cursed God while playing football. Because Italy is still very Roman Catholic, there’s still a punishment for that. So he was banned for one game. Look at how the newspapers reported it. As if it’s so funny and old fashioned. Blasphemy against God is such a common thing, what’s wrong? In that new temple; in the new religion is where one truly belongs to the world and becomes of the world.

Let’s think carefully how our view of life is affected and maybe spend less time on it. Maybe everyday we spend 2h worshipping in this temple. Then we shouldn’t complain about coming to church right?

This is really a new religion, new morality and new way of doing things.

What does it mean to be of the world?

3. How we walk in this world

Rom 12 (spend some time reading the whole chapter)
Matthew 5 and Romans 12 are two chapters we should read repeatedly. One is an outlook of life. Second is how we are going to act in life.

v1 present your bodies a living sacrifice

v2 do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

This is very important in the way we approach issues.

A common question is: Why can’t I do this?

But that presupposes that this is an action many people are doing so: “why can’t I do it?” v2 says it’s because we shouldn’t be conformed like that. We have to think why people of God don’t do it.

It’s not easy. That’s why speaking sermons is a way to get a message across quickly.

So that those with eyes can see and those with ears can hear. Then we digest and think carefully. But we also open up in Bible studies for young people to discuss how are we going to do this? That’s also important. Don’t look at the older people as if they were never young. There were struggles. Kind of the same things. Marriage with outsiders. Trying to be successful in the world.

When we read Rom 12, the key thing is not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Each verse is very useful and powerful if we keep to it.

v3 not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

Humility is so important.

v9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

v17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

This is how we should act in life. We do not seek riches. We do not argue over words.

v18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

We do not argue over worldly philosophies. In the things we do in earlier verses, let our methods be methods in the Bible.

Now we are in the youth group. Some of us are in church administration. In our methods, let’s not look outside to see what others are doing and copy them. For example, the Israelites were scolded by God because they sought a king. In the speaker’s time, there was a push to divide the youth group into cell groups. The organisation of the cell group is that there’s a leader. Anyone who has trouble tells the leader. The leader will report to the big leader. That’s how the group was controlled. Sounds like a good idea but we already have something like this - Bible study groups. But the Bible is the centre, not the leader. Because within the Bible study group you learn to be with Christ. We don’t just follow what other people are doing. We want everyone people to be in a Bible study group so we know what we believe in.

Another example is theological seminary as a university. Our preachers were trained to know the whole Bible. And to be able to guide people. To lay hands. To have the power of God. But there was a time people said we should be like the other churches; it should be more like a university. The curriculum changed a little bit. Hebrew and Greek should be used for defence but not research. Some people learn it to do research so it’s like a university. The theological seminary ended with a thesis at the end. What does thesis mean in university? Original findings. But we’ve always felt we know what we need to know for the salvation of the church. The preachers are supposed to learn that, not to come up with original new things that upset the church.

In the outside world, the greater amongst the people rules. In their ruling, there’s always hypocrisy. You can see in those countries outside they tell people to weak mask while they don’t. They tell people to social distance but they gather in parties. Hypocrisy rules. For this reason, when we read the gospels, Jesus always criticised the Pharisees; the corruption of religious leadership.

We had a fallen preacher once. It seemed he could perform miracles. He felt so much for himself that he felt he should be able to touch young women because of his great work for God. After being caught for molesting young women in church, he claimed he didn’t impregnate them; that he didn’t go completely. He said he was allowed by God to satisfy his lusts. How can such a thing happen? Because the people of the world are like that. Everywhere the great have their own rules.

If we’re in the world but of God, we must be very careful of these double standards.

What does it mean to be of the world?

1. Friends

   Jas 4:4
   Adulterers and adulteresses! 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.

If one is of the world, it exhibits itself in friendship of the world. In a more micro scale, your best friends are people of the world.

Heb 10:25
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

When we are of God, we assemble together. That is natural.

2 Cor 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

It’s very very difficult to follow this verse. But is it very very difficult? Today it is very very difficult because it sounds exclusive. The buzzword today is “inclusive”. This is again another word of morality, of the new religion. When has the church never been inclusive? We invite anybody in. Rich or poor. Great or small. In the past, exclusive means only rich, high class people. Exclusion was based on social status. Today people say we are excluding people based on what? We exclude people if they don’t accept the grace of God to wash away sins. Come to Me ALL who are weary and heavy laden. But if we do not want to come, then you’re excluded because you want to be excluded. You don’t want to have the grace of God. We’re not being exclusive. If we understand that, then we understand why not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. We emanate the light of God, go out to be the light of the world to draw people to God. Nowhere is the Christian religion exclusive. But it’s not to be contaminated because the Bible says leaven will contaminate the whole lump.

To avoid being of the world, we ought to keep our most important relationships in the church.

Summary:

1. Outer appearance. Are we of the world?
2. Our view of life. Are we of the world?
3. Our actions and walk of life. Are we of the world?
4. Friends. Are we of the world?

In all these things, God has given us strength to be of God. But it’s for us to transform our minds and accept we shouldn’t be conformed to the world.

In conclusion:

1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

While we are in the world and not of the world, beware lest we are in the church but not of the church.

The speaker was young once. He is glad so many youths were gathered together for youth service. At its peak, there were 90 youths who regularly attended youth service. But sadly some have left the church.

We have a long walk ahead. We have to ensure we remain in the church and of the church.

Matt 7:15
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

There are people in the church but not of the church. The greatest greatest danger to young people today is this new religion. It comes in and corrupts our idea of morality.

Read v14 as the ending.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

There are few of us. It is a little flock. Continue along the narrow way, and we shall be of God.

All glory to God.