The Gospel in a Topsy Turvy World
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How should Christians respond to an out of control and confused world?
Intro
Intro
We live in a “A Topsy Turvy World!”
Old English - Top and Terve - overturn
Means - upside down or in a state of confusion
The world we live in seems to be polluted with confusion and chaos.
There is a whole debate on gender role confusion
People are applauding abortion
There is little to no respect for any authority
People are leaving the church for a multitude of reasons, non of which are good
Our leaders have mostly deviated from a service fo the people to a service of special causes
No one knows who is offended anymore because everyone seems offended at everything.
There is a confusion between rights and priviledge
We are so confused that words have a multitude of meaning so that no one understands what anyone is saying
Civil discourse and debate has been lost to ANTIFA and street violence if you disagree with certain movements
This world, especially America is in a confused mess with everyone seeking their own personal Utopia at any cost.
Now, I have heard before that we would be less confused if we would just return to the way our founding Father’s were. As pointed out in his podcast by Michael Horton:
Ben Franklin - A God who was simply a “benign deity” who did not have any interaction with man or the world - promoted self salvation
Thomas Jefferson - Bible that took out portions concerning Christ’s deity, miracles, resurrection second coming
God of our founding Father’s - Adams and Jefferson - religion is OK as long as it only dealt with morality, but the God of the Bible an impostor - and if the God of the Bible were true the - “the world would be better if there were no religion in it.” - Jefferson
No, we don’t need to look to America’s founding Fathers for our response to a chaotic world.
So, how do we live in this world?
Drama
Drama
Paul reasons with culture and tradition
From Scripture
With the Gospel
Some are converted and others are offended
The gospel presented by Paul turns the world upside down:
English Standard Version Chapter 17
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
How did Paul turn their religion (world) upside down?
Doctrine
Doctrine
The Gospel is a message that turns our culture and world as we know it upside down.
It takes our upside down world and actually makes sense of it.
Reason - In a hectic world, Scripture should be our foundation for decision making
Paul begins to engage the confused culture with the Word of God
Def: the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways or
(verb) to use the faculty of reason so as to arrive at conclusions
to use the faculty of reason so as to arrive at conclusions
drawing intelligent conclusions from God’s truth that make sense of the world
The Christian Worldview makes sense of what others call confusion
Doctrines of Sin, salvation, grace, faith, etc . . .
App: As Christians we must respond to hectic world with God’s Word.
Rationale - In a hectic world, Scripture is what brings order to our thoughts
Def: : an explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomena
Very similar to reason but with “explanation”
Emphasis on explaining why
When we read Scripture we see that this hectic world is simply what happens when original sin manifests itself and goes unchecked.
App: Christians should be able to take God’s Word and explain it to the world so that they have a rationale explanation.
We have been given God’s truth to reason
We have been given God’s truth to
Responsibility - In a hectic world, Scripture must be our message for everything
Paul knew his calling was to point people to Christ through the scriptures
Paul was accused of calling someone else King
Our job is to show others that Jesus is King
from scripture
in various ways, with love
Our emotions can deceive us
App: How do you deal with a chaotic and confused world? You deal with it by reasoning with them from Scripture.
Our thoughts can confuse us
Our world can become confusing if we are not centered on God’s truth
Doxology
Doxology
These men were religious men. They had a religion that excluded Jesus. When that happened the whole society was confused.
A world without scriptural truth is confused because it excludes Jesus.
The world needs Jesus.
A worldview without Scriptural truth is confused.
The late R.C. Sproul - White Horse Inn Podcast - “Christ Alone”
“We are living in the most anti-intellectual period of church history, anti-mind; not anti-science or technology. . . anti-the mind, we don’t want to think. We want to feel and relate, but somehow we think there is something intrinsically wrong with thinking. The Christian is called to search for the mind of Christ. A diligent application of the mind in a quest of understanding the word of God.”
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
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Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Our response cannot only be an emotional response. We must have the mind of Christ.
Excuses: Theologian or pastor’s job.
Excuses: Theologian or pastor’s job.
Priesthood of all believers.
Our response to such a hectic and chaotic world is Jesus. And, while we await his glorious return in which he will turn the world upright and fix all of our mess, we must put on the mind of Christ and reason with our neighbors from God’s Word.