Thank you so much for tuning in and Welcome everyone – Hope you’re well!  I’m your host, Ben Lively, and you’re listening to “Shaken Awake” – Episode #47!  

 

I just want to thank you for tuning in with us today, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing right this very moment.  It means everything to me to share the messages that God’s lays on my heart to share.  

 

And, as always, I promise you another great show – But, more than anything, my HOPE for you today, and always, is that you have an actual encounter with the Lord, not just another podcast episode.   

 

Quick ask – if you’ve found value in these episodes, would you take 30 seconds after the show to go to submit a quick review and star-rating in your app.  This is what potential listeners look for when deciding whether to give a show a listen – which is confirmation from other listeners that it can bring value.  Would you do that for me, IF and only IF you find value in these episodes?  I can’t thank you enough.

 

So, without further delay, let’s get ready to invite God in with us, right here, right now and allow Him to speak directly to your heart and minds.   

 

So, today’s topic is: “Does the World Recognize You as a Christian, or One of Them?”

 

 

My whole life I’ve heard the phrase, “In the world, but not of it,” right?  Sound familiar?  But like many sayings or quotes, unless they’re earth shattering or life changing, I can simply move on from and forget by the very next day.  This had always been one of them.  My simple mind thought – Of course, I’m a Christian living in a fallen world – makes sense…..move one…..right?  However, there’s more conviction and power in this one phrase or quote than you could ever imagine, or at least, that I could’ve ever thought or imagined.  You see, today we’re going to see very quickly how deep and meaningful this is to God, how deep this rabbit hole goes, and what this means to your existence while on earth and where you end up after this life.  Yes, you heard me correctly – all that is contained in the meaning behind his quote, and it’s all biblically sound and has been right in front of our noses our entire lives, in the Bible – God’s very Word.  Today, I pray that the Holy Spirit holds a spiritual mirror up to your face and allow you to look in it and see yourself how He sees you.  For He searches your heart, where everything flows from.  I want you to see yourself, how God sees you, based on what He has told us.  So here we go!

I never knew how much God hated the world and everything in and of it until He told me, by His Word.  

 

“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.” James 4:4.

 

What does that mean? 

 

Since God loves people and wants to draw them back to Himself and save and help them, such as it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The Bible tells us little about Jesus’ life until He was 30, but we can assume that He lived among people in a normal way. People thought of Him as “the carpenter’s son!” He didn’t live like apart from people. In fact, during the three years of His public ministry, He got to be known as a friend of tax collectors and sinners. (Matthew 11:19.) But He certainly wasn’t a friend of the world!

 

So, with this in mind, what does the phrase “friendship with the world is enmity with God” actually mean? Well, in order to properly understand this, let’s go back to the beginning of the world. In Genesis 1:31 it says, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good …”  Something must have changed then, for James to write this warning!

 

That “something” is explained in Genesis 3 concerning mankind’s disobedience and fall into sin, and the terrible changes this brought about. Just three chapters later in Genesis 6:5 it says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” What an awful development, right?!

 

In the beginning, Adam and Eve only had to do with God and were influenced by His Spirit and all that was good. But by listening to the serpent (Satan), they were influenced by a proud, wicked spirit. They chose to disobey God and fell into sin and separation from God. So, love for God, His commandments, and all that is good, was replaced by love for self. This egotism – desiring to get whatever I want, think, or see regardless of what is right or wrong, and living by my own pride – infiltrated all of mankind. This is “the world,” and it’s not out there somewhere! It’s inside of every human being. The Bible calls this human nature after the fall “the flesh,” and this has affected every person in the world.

Satan’s spirit is now the main influence in the world, he who is the enemy of God and mankind, as it’s written in Ephesians 2:2-3, “… according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” 

Simply put, human beings became hopelessly lost in sin with no way out, and therefore God in His great love for us sent Jesus to save us. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8.) Jesus became a human being and as a man was subject to all the weaknesses we have. He could be, and was, tempted just like us (Hebrews 4:15), but in these temptations, He fought against and overcame the lusts in His flesh. He did this every day and He cried out just before He died, “It is finished!” The way back to God was now made, but each person must choose for themselves what they will do.

 

Will you be honest about your state and acknowledge your own personal need for a Savior to help you overcome the world of sin inside yourself? Or will you deceive yourself and pretend all is well, and continue living a lie?

 

So, friendship with the world means going along with, living in, agreeing with and loving the lusts of the flesh and the driving spirit behind them – self, self, self! You can’t do that and be a friend of God! The only way to be God’s friend is to turn away from sin, to turn to Jesus and give Him your whole heart and follow Him. It is to hate the lusts of the flesh – all egotism, pride and evil – and to love what God loves – all that is good, pure, noble and lovely.

The verses in 1 John 2:15-17 make this crystal clear: “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. 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 is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

When we give our hearts and lives back to God through His son Jesus Christ and begin to follow Him in obedience, God’s Holy Spirit fills us and leads us. The more we are freed from the lusts of our flesh (self, self, self), the more love, joy, peace, and everything else that is good fills us. We are filled with love for God and for people, and want to help people, like we have been helped.

13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouthand honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said:

8 “‘This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

9  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

 

I know The Message Bible, whether you agree or like that version of the Bible or not, is known to be not a word-for-word translation of the original manuscripts but more of a paraphrasing.  I’m going to use the same in that Bible to sum up these three similar verses to put into perspective what it would sound like today; same meaning, but may hit you heart a bit differently, with the same intent Jesus meant for it to:

 

Matthew 3-9 (MSG):  But Jesus put it right back on them. “Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God’s commands? God clearly says, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel around that by saying, ‘Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I’ve given to God.’ That can hardly be called respecting a parent. You cancel God’s command by your rules. Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.”

 

Does this describe you?  It sure did me – and this described me when I was at my quote / unquote “BEST” in life….when I thought I was a “Christian” – Man, I couldn’t have been further away from the truth, and these verses prove it!  This helped me gain a better perspective and self-conviction.  Remember, the mirror and scales never lie, and neither does God.

Next is one that in my Bible study just the other night, as God always does – he places wisdom in front of me that He wants me to use in this podcast – we’re beyond coincidences at this point; of which, there are none in life.  This was important for me to see again, and to include in today’s show, as this directly relates to whether we live like the world or we don’t and then what will happen to those that do and don’t:

 

 

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The master of this parable is clearly meant to represent Jesus. The servants are Christ-followers. Similar to the parable, Jesus has also given responsibility to his followers, and similar to the parable, he, the master, has promised to one day return.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). But just because Jesus is physically absent from the earth, doesn’t mean his followers are given the freedom to sit back and do nothing.

Just like the master in the parable, Jesus has entrusted his servants with:

·       Spreading the gospel (Matthew 28:16-20); Forgiving those who have wronged them (Matthew 6:14-15).

·       Loving others (John 13:34-35); Caring for his church (John 21:17).

·       Being an example to the world (Matthew 14:13-16); Feeding the hungry and thirsty (Matthew 25:25).

·       Caring for the poor, the prisoner, and the sick (Matthew 25:36); Being hospitable to foreigners and outsiders (Matthew 25:35).

Jesus has made Christians participants in his ministry. They are also stewards of the things Christ values most. It’s like a parent handing his kid the keys to the car or a boss entrusting the management of his company to his valued employee.

 Jesus has entrusted his followers with his greatest treasures, making them caretakers of his ministry and commissioned ambassadors of His mission. This is an incredible responsibility; one Christ-followers should take seriously.

A wise and faithful steward will be faithful with his master’s money and take care of what he’s been given because he knows the master will eventually return. They know that they are only borrowing the car or temporarily managing their master’s business. But more than just protecting their master’s wealth or possessions, a good steward will also find ways to grow and improve it.

For the Christian, this can apply to our time, our money, our body, and even our abilities.  A believer who sees these things as a borrowed investment belonging to God and needing to be returned will be motivated to treat them with care and intention.

In the parable, the wise servants knew that their master would return and were motivated to grow his investment with the time and money they were given. Big or small, they made it count and were eager to hand back all they had earned.

Fearful of his master, the lazy servant did nothing with his master’s money and buried it in the ground (Matthew 25:24-25). He saw his master as a cruel taskmaster, not a generous, gracious lord. He didn’t take joy in the promise of the master’s return but instead wasted his time, his opportunities, and the master’s money. He saw no growth and no return as a result.

So then, what Is the reward for the faithful steward?

Scripture promises that Jesus will one day return, and when He does, He will ask his servants to give a report of how they spent the time and opportunities he has given.

·       Did they care for those they were instructed to protect? 

·       Did they provide for those in need?

·       Did they share the good news of Christ’s salvation and forgiveness with others?

·       Did they further the kingdom of God in their ministry?

·       Were they faithful stewards of all God entrusted them with?

As Jesus said, “To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).  We’ll get to that in a moment.

Those who are faithful with what they’re entrusted with, big and small, will be trusted with more, and Jesus said that they are the ones who will “enter into their master’s joy” and share in the glory of his presence (Matthew 25:21).

Those who are not may face the harsh reality of being called a wicked and lazy servant. Worst of all, they may not share in the joy of their master’s presence when he returns.  They may very well be one of the many He tells to “Depart from Me…”

So what does all this mean?

Both outcomes should motivate Christ-followers to become more intentional with their time and master’s “talents.”

One day the master will return, and when he does, he’ll want to know what we’ve done with this precious life we’ve been given. Were we good stewards of what belongs to him? Did we grow his investment?

Or did we bury our time, talent, and opportunities? It’s up to us to decide, but we better decide quickly. The master is planning his return and will be back at any moment.

 

 

Another, which I said we’d come back to is like the others, but just as convicting and convincing:  

 

Matthew 25: 31-46

31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 

37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 

40 The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' 

41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 

44 They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 

45 He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 

46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.'

 

So, for those of you that may be a bit confused on how that may relate to us in the here and now…..

 

The use of the shepherding terminology is why this is referred to as the parable of the sheep and goats.  What it depicts, however, is very, very real.  The first group is praised and rewarded, since their faithful love for others has proven their faithful obedience to Christ.  Their description echoes other biblical passages about salvation and election.  Such people are not saved by their good deeds, but their good deeds prove that they do, indeed, have a saving faith in Christ.  John 14:15. Loving other people, and meeting their needs, is treated by Christ as if those deeds had been done for Him personally.

 

In contrast, the other group exhibited deeds which prove they do not have saving faith in Christ.  Jesus will condemn them to the eternal fire originally intended for satan and demons.  That group of unbelievers did not serve others during their times of greatest need.  Jesus takes that personally, as well.  A with the first group, the goats echo back Jesus’ judgement, but more of an excuse than in confusion.  “If we had known it was you….” they might as well be saying.  That, however, does not change their sin.  Their actions have proven their lack of faith, (as it states in 1 John 4:20 - 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen), and so they are damned to a horrific eternal fate….hell.

Therefore, to separate those of the world from those who are in the world but not of it, who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, consider the following 3 verses to be our guide (there are many more, here are but three, but a powerful three):

 

Matthew 7:21: - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

 

Matt.22:34-40 – “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 

 

So, in closing, my final statement is this:  Although there are many other teachings and wisdom to be gained in God’s Word on what we discussed today, we can clearly see the roadmap from where we might stand on this topic with God today, vs. where we SHOULD be standing with God today.  Which leads me to my final question…

So, my final questions to you is this:    When you hold the spiritual mirror up to your face and by the way, it’s called the Holy Bible.  What do you see in it’s reflection? The world, or the resemblance of Christ?

 

So, before we end today’s show, I just want to thank you all again for tuning in and I HOPE you were touched by today’s message and scripture.  If you’d like to reach out to me, please call me directly at 4074933208, email me at ben@shaken-awake.com, or check out the show at shaken-awake.com.

 

Next week!!!!  Tune in Next Sunday – or WHENEVER YOU’RE ABLE, as we discuss “5 Ways to Tune the World Out and Focus on What Really Matters.”

Next week’s episode is another powerful and DO-NOT-MISS episode – thanks for joining!  

Until next week, take great care of yourself and each other, and God Bless You all.