Discipleship Lesson 5

A NEW PERSPECTIVE THE WORLD IN GOD’S SIGHT

I. INTRODUCTION 

It is commonplace for the world to criticize Christians who try to live a Godly life. 

All the while, there is so much evil in the world, that any attempt to inject the Gospel into it can seem futile – like trying to empty the sea with a small cup. And added to this, Satan is always telling us, “God is love, so in the end, He is going to forgive everyone for every evil thing they have done, so, you missed out on having all the fun.”

God is indeed a loving God. But we must remember that He also dispenses justice and truth and that He does not lie. 

He would not have sent His only Son to die on the cross of Calvary if there were any other ways to save man.  We can be sure of this.

WHAT GOD DESIRES IS MOST IMPORTANT

Your desires do not matter if they are contrary to what God desires. You were placed on this earth for one reason: to do the will of God. His will is that you live in holiness, separate yourself from sin, and teach others to do the same.

As a disciple of Jesus, the only thing that should interest you is complete submission to Him. 1 JOHN 2:15-17 teaches that we should not love the things of this world. It also tells us that if we love the world and can do so with a clear conscience, then something is spiritually wrong. If the Father’s love is not in you, then you should be feeling very uneasy. It also points out that the things of this world are only temporary, while the person that does God’s will has everlasting life.

II. WE MARVEL AT MAN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS …GOD DOES NOT

With our limited human knowledge, we easily marvel at the things a man can do. 

Imagine! Man has walked on the moon, has the power to destroy nations with the push of a button, and can eat breakfast on one continent, and have supper on another continent the same day. We are astonished at the things man has accomplished, we tremble at his power, and we praise him for his intelligence.

Man is truly a work of art. However, there is someone who is not impressed with the things man has done. Man’s abilities are insignificant when compared to the Supreme Being of this universe – God.

ISAIAH 40:15-17 says that to God, all the nations combined are like a drop in a bucket! As far as God is concerned, the nations of this world are nothing to Him. They are less than nothing.

Man does not impress God because God created him. You can marvel at humanity if you want, but God is not impressed.

III. THE WORLD BRINGS DESTRUCTION UPON ITSELF…GOD DOES NOT

We must remember under Satan’s direction; the world is God’s enemy. Satan’s leadership has caused some men to lift their fists in the face of God and declare war. Being enemies of God, their sin and their lifestyles only help to destroy themselves.

The wickedness and evil of the world are summed up by these three things: (1) The “desires of the flesh,” (2) the “lust of the eyes,” (3) the boastful “pride of life.” These categories of sin are the cause of pain and suffering for mankind.

THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH: Remember that Satan will always attack you by way of “the flesh.” Your flesh nature will always have desires that can lead you in the right direction (God’s paths). This is why you must be sure that you satisfy the needs of your flesh within the boundaries God set for you. For example, sexual desires should only be satisfied inside of the marriage commitment – the boundary that God established for that purpose.

THE LUST OF THE EYES: Sin will always come surrounded with bright, pretty lights. The actors in beer and cigarette commercials on television are always intelligent, healthy people, with beautiful, white teeth. But the truth is not being shown. The drunkard is not shown in the gutter, lying in his vomit or taking the lives of innocent people, because he drove his automobile while being intoxicated. They do not show the man talking from a tube protruding from his throat because his vocal cords were eaten up by cancer.

THE BOASTFUL PRIDE OF LIFE: Are you not surprised when people whom you thought, “had it all” commit suicide? 

Happiness does not come from having obtained riches or fame. These things are only temporary and do not bring a person true happiness.

IV. CONCLUSION  

You will only experience true happiness when you have fulfilled the purpose of your existence, which is to do the will of God. The wisest man who ever lived explained in ECCLESIASTES 12:13-14 that the whole of man is to fear God and obey his commandments. Why? 

Solomon said, “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

The true disciple of Christ will not fear man, nor will he be impressed by what man can do. True disciples know that all good things come from God and that all evil comes from the world and Satan. The disciple of Jesus will look at things from God’s point of view and discover that the world is not very impressive from God’s point of view.

Our job is to complete our mission. Our mission is to save humankind from the world. We cannot achieve our mission if we have fallen in love with the world or are subject to the world. We must live with our eyes always focused on God.

SPIRITUAL NOTEBOOK

BIBLE STUDY: (One verse per day)

1. 1 Corinthians 1:18-23…What does the world think about God’s things? What does the cross mean to us? What manner did God choose to get His message to the world?

2. Acts 4:1-22…Why did the priests get upset with Peter and John? What did they tell Peter and John? How did Peter and John reply?

3. Acts 5:29-42…What did the priests want to do when they heard Peter’s words? What did they do to the apostles before letting them go? What reaction did the apostles have?

4. James 4:4...What do you become to God, if you are a friend of the world? From what point of view should you look at the world? What point of view is best for all mankind?

 5. REVIEW: Go over your Scripture studies this week and write down what you learned from them.

PRAYER: Write down the person or things for which you prayed for today.

FELLOWSHIP: Write down the name of the believer you had fellowship with and what you did.

WITNESSING: Write down the name of the non- believer you witnessed to and how you did it.