Skip to content 14. Developing A Biblical Worldview Sep 7 · 27 min ...more
0:09 Shall we give the Lord a clap offering church? It is such a joy and a privilege to study the word of God together with you. Today, we're gonna be talking about developing a biblical worldview. Let's look0:21 to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this day. Grant us your grace to study your word, Lord. We acknowledge that Holy Spirit is our teacher. Open our eyes to see and give us listening ears to0:32 hear and a heart that is willing to obey your word. We thank you in Jesus name. And people of God said, amen and amen. There are 3 types of hairstyles. The center0:44 parted, the side parted and departed for those who don't have any hair. The reason I'm thinking about hair is because this is the first time in 21 years of marriage that I allowed my wife to cut my0:56 hair. Here's another hair joke for you. If someone is bald at the back, they are great thinkers.1:08 If men are bald in the front, they are great lovers. What if they are bald in the front and the back? They are the men who1:19 think they are great lovers. Today we are talking about developing a biblical worldview. The window through which you see the1:31 world. Story was told of a young couple who moved into their new apartment. Now the wife, every day, she looks through her window and she sees the laundry in1:43 the neighbor's backyard. And she comments to her husband and says, the laundry is very dirty, it's still dirty. So every day she says that the laundry is dirty. Then 1 day,1:55 she looks through the window and the laundry is super clean. And this time she commented and turned to her husband and said, They must have changed their washing machine. The husband replied, No, no, I2:07 just cleaned our windows. Listen to me carefully. Where you live will determine what you see. And what you see will determine how you live.2:18 I want you to catch this principle. You and I are living in the world, but the Bible says we are not of the world. There are 2 kingdoms here, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.2:31 So where you live will determine what you see. And what you see will determine how you live. That is why you and I, we need to recognize that we need to develop2:42 a biblical worldview. The Bible says in Romans chapter 12 and verse 2, do not be conformed to this world. In other words, don't look at the world the same way2:54 the world looks at the world. You and I cannot be conformed to the pattern of this world, But you and I are called to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. That means you and I, we need to3:06 train ourselves to see differently. So let's come back to this question. What is a world view? A worldview is one's collection of presuppositions,3:18 convictions and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense of the world and life. It is your value system. It is the lens through which you see the3:30 world. It's the window through which you see the world. Now this is important. What then is a Christian worldview? A Christian worldview3:42 is based on 4 truths. 1, we recognize that God is the unique source of all truth. Number 2, God's truth is revealed solely in his scriptures.3:54 And 3, and we evaluate our life from God's perspective. And 4, we order our life according to God's will. We recognize that God's word is the truth4:06 and we order our life according to the word of God. And we evaluate everything based upon the word of God. In summary, let me say it this way. A biblical worldview4:18 is about putting God into the equation of our lives. It is about putting God into the equation of our lives, and gaining his perspective, walking in his4:30 ways, and fulfilling his will. Hallelujah. Now, we're not gonna be talking about worldview exhaustively, But I want you to consider these 5 arenas4:41 where developing a Christian and a biblical worldview matters. Now the first 1 is the theology of the world. Your worldview about the community that you4:53 live in. The Bible says that you are in the world, but you're not off the world. And this is the command that he has given to all believers. Look at this in first John chapter 2 verse5:05 15, do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. Listen carefully. Your command is to not love the5:17 world nor the things in the world. Sadly today, many Christians are in love with the world. In other words, our ego is tied to this world. Our esteem in life is tied to the world. That's5:29 why we compare ourselves with others and we try to catch up with the Jones. We are so gravitated towards the things of this world. That's why a believer ought to recognize this.5:41 I can't love the world. If I love the world, it is in direct opposition with love of the father. And then in verse 16, it goes on to say, for all that is in the world, the desires of the5:52 flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the father, but from the world. Listen, the desires of the flesh. What is the6:04 desires of the flesh? The desires of the flesh are sensualities. It is the sexual desires. It's the activation of the passions of the flesh. What is that lust of the6:16 eyes? The lust of the eyes is covetousness. What I see, I want to have it. The Bible says, do not covet your neighbor's wife, your neighbor's property. Do6:28 not covet what someone else's have. But our heart is gravitated towards these things. The third thing it says is pride of life. What is pride of life? That you take pride in your6:39 acquisitions. What you have, accomplishments, what you have achieved, your abilities, all these things gives you a sense of pride within yourself. And6:51 the Bible says, the love of the world will gravitate you towards all these things. That's why a believer ought to deny this world and we need to stop loving the world.7:03 See, I want you to catch this principle. You can't walk with God while holding the hands with the world. Why? Because they are both opposites. James chapter 4 and verse 47:14 says, you are doubtless people. In other words, you're married to 1, but you have an affair with something else. You have 2 loves. You are doubtless people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is7:26 enmity with God? For therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Listen carefully, you can't walk with God while7:38 holding hands with the devil. You have to make a decisive choice here. That's why the theology of the world matters. This7:50 is what the Bible says in first John chapter 2 verse 17. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. In other words, look at how8:02 he contrasts the world and the will of the father. The world along with all its desires are passing away. In other words, they are transient, they are temporal, but the will of the Lord8:13 abides forever. You do the will of God. That's what matters. So your view of the world will help you choose wisely. Your worldview will affect8:25 your lifestyle. It will affect the choices that you make and the word of God says here, he who does the will of God. So your life and my life is about doing the will of the father.8:37 That's what this world is about. Story was told of a missionary who returned back from the mission field. He arrived in his port in a ship, and there was no 1 to8:49 welcome him on the harbor. But in the same ship, there was a celebrity. And to welcome the celebrity, there were newspaper reporters, and there's so many9:00 fans in the harbor. So this missionary sighed in his heart and he said, Lord, I have served you faithfully and I come home, there's no 1 to welcome me.9:12 And the Lord replied to him in his heart, you are not home yet. When you come home, there will be a great celebration, a great welcome for you. Now listen to me carefully. This9:24 is the truth. The world is not our home. We are just passing through. Is that the theology that you hold? Is that the world view you carry about the world? Let's9:36 examine the second 1. The theology of work. It has to do with our calling. See, we need to understand there's a difference between name card and calling9:48 card. Don't confuse your name card with the calling card. What's a name card? It's the name card you give to people to know what you do. See the key question that everybody asks you10:00 whenever they meet you for the first time is, what do you do? Because they want to know where to place you in the pecking order. Are you the CEO of a company? Are you the janitor in the company? Because10:11 the world measures these things. So that's why there is some attachments of grandeur to certain roles and certain jobs. And then the others are despised. But I10:23 can I humbly say this, the Bible makes no difference like that? The Bible recognizes that every work is honorable before God. See many times when we think of the work, we always think of the10:35 fruit of our labor rather than the focus of our labor. So what should be the focus of a believer? The focus of a believer must be the unseen10:47 eternal kingdom of God. I want you to think about this verse. It's in second Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 18. We look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that10:59 are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. In other words, a believer ought to train themselves to move away from11:11 what they see, the pay packet, the position of influence, the privileges that come with it, the responsibilities that come with it. They got to see beyond these things. They see how11:23 is God going to use me in this role or in this place of influence for his glory and for the good of his kingdom. In other words, our focus should not be on the11:34 seen. Our focus should be on the unseen eternal kingdom of God. I've always noticed that people carry a dichotomous view of work, that there are sacred work and secular11:46 work. Sometimes people think that working in the church is sacred work and working in a company is secular work. Can I humbly say this? Even a secular work will become spiritual if11:58 your focus is eternal. And even a spiritual work will become secular if your focus is temporal. So whatever work you do, your work is meaningless if12:10 your work is divorced from your witness. So you gotta recognize your calling is meaningless when it's divorced from the caller. God has called you, but if you12:22 ignore God when you go to work, you have divorced your caller from the calling. So your calling becomes meaningless when it's divorced from the caller. The same thing. Your12:33 work is meaningless when your work is divorced from your witness. Can people look at your work and say, that's a man of integrity. That's a man of character. That's a man12:45 that honors God with his work. That's a man who takes his responsibility seriously. That's a man who does everything excellently. That's what the Bible calls you to do. Whether you're the CEO or the janitor, God12:57 says, you and I need to do the work as though we are doing it unto the Lord for his glory and for the good of his kingdom. So what is your theology of work? Why do you go to13:09 work? Examine it. The third thing I want us to consider is the theology of wealth consumption. See, life on earth is neither a party nor a13:21 curse. It is a stewardship. Do we recognize that everything that God has given to us is a stewardship? See, I've told you earlier that there are 2 extreme views of wealth that we13:32 have studied in the past sessions. 1 is the poverty theology. The other 1 is prosperity theology. Poverty theology says, the poorer you are, the holier you are.13:45 Prosperity theology says, the more richer you are, the more God is pleased with you. In other words, you are favored by God. Listen, both are extreme ends of the spectrum. What is the theology that you13:57 and I need to hold on to? It's the stewardship theology. It's the providential theology that God is my provider, that God is the rightful owner of everything I have And I'm merely a14:08 custodian. You and I are called to steward our time, our talents, and our treasures for the glory of God. That's why you and I are called to honor God with everything we have,14:21 because we recognize that everything comes from him. Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 9 says, honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all you produce. This was written by the14:33 wealthiest man during that time, who is King Solomon. And even in today's terms, he will still be the number 1, the wealthiest man in the world. And he says, honor14:44 the Lord with your wealth. Why? It is to recognize that everything that I have, whether I have much or have little, it comes from the Lord. He is the 1 who has blessed me. And whatever I have14:56 belongs to him. Therefore, I want to honor him. So how do you honor God? You honor God by giving generously to God and to his kingdom work. Start by tithing15:08 faithfully. See, when you set aside 10 percent of your income for the work of the kingdom and you give to the local church where you are getting fed, it is an acknowledgement that God is15:20 my rightful provider. He's my source of all my blessing. Everything in my hands belongs to him. So that is why we do it in obedience. See, my wife and I, we have been practicing15:31 tithing ever since we got married. But we have also learned the principle of graduated tithe. What is graduated tithe? Years ago, I was reading this book15:43 by Ron Sider, Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger, where he talks about how once the Lord has prospered you and blessed you, that you no longer just limit yourself15:55 to give only 10 percent. Let's 10 percent not become your ceiling, but your flooring. In other words, that's the minimum you give, but from then on, graduate. In other words, you now give16:07 more. You increase the percentage of your giving based on how much more God has blessed you with. Now listen carefully. I'm not saying this that you should follow this, but that's what my wife16:19 and I would do. The reason is because we acknowledge that everything that we have comes from Him. So we curb our spending, we increase our giving as the Lord continues to provide.16:30 That's why 3 times in our marriage so far, we have emptied everything that we have in the bank and give for kingdom work. The reason we can do it is because we acknowledge that it is He who has provided16:42 us and everything that we have belongs to Him. That's the call in the New Testament. Paul writes to all the rich, the ones who are wealthy in first Timothy chapter16:54 6, he says, as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty. In other words, don't trust your riches, not to set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who17:05 richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Hallelujah. And then he says, they are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and to be ready to share17:17 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, that they may take hold of that which is truly life. Listen to me carefully. Learn to invest17:29 wisely in the kingdom of God. Learn to invest generously. The reason is because, thus you will store in heavens, and you lay hold of that17:41 which is truly life. In my own personal pilgrimage, being generous into the kingdom of God, living like this with an open palm, and17:53 emptying when God asked me to do, I have tasted God in a spectacular manner. I've tasted his18:04 provision. I've seen his miraculous. You know, it reminds me of a scripture in Luke chapter 12 and verse 32. The Bible says, fear not little flock for it is your18:16 father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And then in verse 33, says, sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that18:28 does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Hallelujah. You and I have read this and studied18:40 this in a parallel passage in Matthew chapter 6. Here he begins by saying, fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So therefore, sell your possessions, give18:52 to the needy, provide yourselves with money bags in heavens, And then where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be also. Right there in this verse in Luke chapter 12 and verse19:04 32, you see 3 pictures of God. 1, you see God as your shepherd. He says, you little flock, do not fear. See, don't fear19:15 about where I'm gonna live. How am I gonna provide for my family? He says, don't worry because you have a shepherd who looks after his flock. Secondly, he says, father,19:27 it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. In other words, the father loves to lavish good gifts to his children. He says, if you live like this, you are under the provision of a shepherd19:39 who is a good shepherd. You are under the provision of a father who loves his children and lavishes upon his children good gifts. Thirdly, he goes on to say, it is your father's good pleasure to give19:51 you the kingdom. Kingdom means there is a king. He gives you the picture of God asking. God asking, he looks after his subjects. God has father, he looks after his children. God has20:03 shepherd, he looks after his flock. In other words, you'll be taken care of. That's why your theology of the wealth matters. So how do you view your20:14 wealth? Is it your wealth or is it his? Are you doing what he has asked you to do with the wealth that he has given you? I hope so. The next thing I want us to20:26 explore is the theology of welfare. It is about compassion. See, a clenched hand is a sign of a closed heart. Open your20:38 heart to the needs of the people around you. Deuteronomy chapter 15 and verse 11, the Bible says, For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Pause, reflect upon this. It20:50 says, there will always be poor in the land Therefore, I command you, you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to the needy, to the poor in your land In other words,21:02 God says, you and I, we need to be generous, open our hand wide to feed the poor, to look after the people who are in the marginalized. This21:13 is something that he commands to do in the Old Testament. I want you to listen to me carefully. If God is the rightful owner of everything I have, then all my resources are borrowed resources, then all my21:25 resources belong to him. He can dictate the terms upon which I live and he directs where I should invest. The more I release it, the more He is glorified. In the New21:37 Testament, the Bible says in James chapter 1 in verse 27, a religion that is pure and undefiled before God the father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and21:48 to keep oneself unstained from the world. So listen to me carefully. What is true religion? It is to be able to serve the needs of the poor that you find among you, whether it's the widows or22:00 the orphans. And the whole general principle is be generous to the poor. So how are you serving the poor through your life? There are 4 areas22:12 where we serve God's purposes. 1 in our marriage, in our family life. Secondly, in our marketplace, in our work life. Thirdly, in the22:23 ministry, in the church life. And fourthly, in the mission in the world. There are things that God has earmarked for you to touch. There are mission fields that he has earmarked for22:35 you to touch. Be generous to these things. And sometimes people struggle with having compassion for this. I want to give you a statement. I want you to take this22:47 down. While compassion supersedes commitment, yet often it is commitment that precedes compassion. In other words, start with a simple commitment. Start with sponsoring22:59 maybe a child. Give a destiny for a child. Give a lift up for a family. Maybe uphold a mission field somewhere. Do that. When you23:11 start with a commitment, the compassion will follow. Otherwise, if we wait for compassion to kick start, it probably would never will.23:23 So I want you to listen to me. Start with simple steps of obedience. Start with a simple commitment of sponsoring maybe 1 child and let it begin from there. The fifth thing that I want you to consider23:35 is this, your theology of what's to come, consummation. In other words, you and I, we need to think about things that are going to take place in the world. And we23:46 need to be informed. We need to be instructed by the word of God. But we're not called to be alarmed, but we are called to be awakened, and we are called to be alert. There23:58 are specific passages in the scripture that speaks about the last days. This is what you call the apocalyptic chapters. These apocalyptic chapters are found in Mark chapter24:10 13, Luke chapter 21, and Matthew chapter 24 and 25. I want to focus on Matthew 24 and 25. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus speaks about24:22 the last days, and he gives you 2 things in specific for you to consider. Look at this in verse 25, he says, see, I have told you beforehand. In other24:34 words, as a Christian, we are already informed about the end of times. We are not surprised by what is taking place in the world. We shouldn't be, why? Because the scripture points24:46 us to what is going on, and what will happen in the last days. That's why you don't need to watch CNN to know how it will be in the end. You don't need to read the newspaper to find out what's going on in the world.24:59 Everything in the world that's happening right now has already been foretold. And we know what the future is. So that's why Jesus says, you have already been informed. So how25:11 we ought to live, he says in verse 42, that's the second thing. He says, therefore stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. So the call of Jesus Christ to the church in the last25:23 leg of the last days is this, stay awake and get ready for the coming of the Lord. That's why in Matthew chapter 25, he gives them 3 parables. And these25:35 3 parables apply to us who are living in these last leg of the last days. What are these 3 parables? The parables of the 10 virgins speaks about be alert.25:47 In other words, be awakened. The bridegroom can come any moment. Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? The second 1 is the parables of the talents. There are 3 servants in Matthew25:58 chapter 25 that received talents from their master. The master went away for a long time. And when he came back, he asked them only 1 question. What26:10 did you do with the talents I gave you in the time I gave you? So listen to me carefully. What is Jesus calling us to be? He's calling us to be accountable.26:23 Be on alert. The bridegroom can come anytime. Be accountable. Live your life as a steward of God. The third parable is the parable of the sheep and goat. In this parable of26:35 sheep and goat, there is a judgment of God that takes place. He judges those who did good works, where they met the needs of the poor, where they clothed the naked, where they saw26:46 the people in the hospital and cared for them. And the Bible says, what you do to the least of the brethren, you did for me, Jesus says. So what is it? He asked us to be active in doing26:58 good works. So listen to me carefully. He's calling
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Rev. Paul Jeyachandran leads the Intentional Disciple Making Church (IDMC) Movement, which is all about calling churches back to its disciplemaking roots. Visit us at idmcmovement.com
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