BIBLES * Bulldogs * & Beards

with Pastor William Shifflett. Visit his blog - https://williams-good-word.org/

Romans 12:1-2 - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

What does it mean to ‘not be conformed to this world?

It says, “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God; what can we learn from this?

Matthew 13:22 - As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

What are “the cares of the world”? (worry?)

The world squeezes us into it’s mold and the cares of the world choke the grace of God and His word.

Dr Ferguson talks about ‘anxiety & marriage’ that we see in (1 Cor. 7:29-35) and quotes

John Calvin:

“All the things which make for the enriching of this present life are sacred gifts of God, but we spoil them by our misuse of them. If we want to know the reason why, it is because we are always entertaining the delusion that we will go on for ever in this world.

The result is that the very things which ought to be of assistance to us in our pilgrimmage through life, become chains which bind us. In order to shake us out of our stupor the apostle quite rightly calls us back to think about the shortness of this life.

From this he infers that the way in which we ought to make use of…all the things of this world, as if we do not possess…them. For the man who thinks of himself as an alien sojourner in the world, uses the things of the world as if they belonged to someone else; in other words, as things which are lent for the day only. --->

The point is that the mind of a Christian ought not to be filled with thoughts of earthly things, or find satisfaction with them, for we ought to be living as if we might have to leave this world at any moment…the apostle is not advising Christians, here, to get rid of their possessions. All that he asks for is that they do not find them completely engrossing.”

What is Calvin saying?

1 John 5:4-5 - For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Pastor, in light of this verse, what would you say to Christians that are struggling with the world?