Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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The preacher begins his sermon by announcing his text:
*1 Jn 2:15* /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 the next hour and a half, he thunders condemnation of all the things in the world we must not love.
He covers a lot of territory: music, movies, TV, hemlines and necklines, smoking, drinking, chewing, drugs, sex, dancing, card-playing, gambling, mixed swimming, and cheating on your spouse.
The older folks cheer him, on, the younger folks get nervous, and the teens sit in shocked silence.
He’s disappointed when people don’t flood the altar at the end, but he figures they’re just a bunch of worldly people who didn’t want to give up their meanness.
Any of this sound familiar?
It sounds like the last revival I hosted.
In some circles, worldliness is not a popular subject, while in others it seems to be almost too popular.
Some preachers thrive on denouncing the evils of the world, while others either ignore the issue altogether or downplay the danger of conforming to the world.
Tonight I want us to try and put aside all our preconceptions about worldliness and look at what the Bible says in *James 4:1-10* about the war between the world and God.
*PRAYER*
* *For clarity’s sake, I want to approach these verses a little differently.
Instead of verse by verse analysis, I want to ask 3 questions which I think James answers here:
1) What is worldliness?
2) Why is worldliness so dangerous?
3) How do we combat worldliness?
*1) **What is worldliness?
*
James defines worldliness in *vs.
4* as …/friendship with the world…/the Greek word for
/Friendship//= /*φιλία= */the love between friends./
The word /world=/*/ /**κόσμος */= the order of things.
/The world is not the people of the world, nor is it the physical things of the world.
The world is the way of thinking, feeling, and living which characterizes people who do not love God.
It is the anti-God way of life.
James also gives us some clues which clarify what worldliness is in *vs.
1-3*.
It is worldliness that’s causing conflict among the Christians James writes to.
He gives us some characteristics of this problem, which I summarize in 3 ways:
/Worldliness is being in love with our pleasure./
(*v.1*)
Worldly people are in love with feeling good.
The bottom line for almost everything they do is /how does this make me feel?
/If it feels good, then they’ll do almost anything to get it; if it doesn’t feel good they’ll do almost anything to avoid it.
In one sense that only makes sense.
There is nothing wrong with pleasure, nothing wrong with avoiding pain.
The problem comes when pleasure becomes the goal of your life.
It is the love of pleasure that urges us to give in to our every craving, from overeating to alcohol and drugs, to sexual sins.
Whatever it takes to make us feel good, or feel better, that’s what you do.
And the *κόσμος *tells us this is what life is all about.
/Enjoy yourself, if it feels good do it, treat yourself!
/The advertising industry plays on our desire for pleasure to sell us everything from cars to soap to vacations.
But there is more to life that pleasure.
Not pleasure, but /the love of pleasure/, is worldliness.
/Worldliness is being in love with our possessions.
/(*v.
2*) Worldly people measure their happiness by how much they have.
They’re never satisfied; they always want more.
Not that there’s anything wrong with having things, or enjoying them.
It’s not sinful to buy things, or enjoy the things you have.
It’s not wrong to want something you don’t have.
The problem comes when getting what you want and holding on to what you have becomes the priority in your life.
*Property Laws of a Toddler*
1.
If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If it’s in my hand, it’s mine.
3.
If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
5.
If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6.
If I’m doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.
8.
If I saw it first, it’s mine.
9.
If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10.
If it’s broken, it’s yours.
[i]
A worldly person never grows out of this stage.
It’s love of our possessions that makes us covetous, wanting more of what we have enough of already.
Whatever it takes to get what we want—whether it be arguing, conniving, or even murder—we’ll do it.
People will get over their heads in debt, will work themselves to an early grave, will do almost anything to get more possessions than they can ever really enjoy.
This is how the *κόσμος* tells us we can find happiness.
But there is more to life than possessions.
Not possessions, but love of possessions is worldliness.
/Worldliness is being in love with our pride./(*v.
3*)/ /Worldly people are in love with themselves.
They come first—even when they pray.
They ask God for what they want, and they expect Him to give it to them /because they deserve it.
After all, He loves me, and if He loves me, He must want me happy!
/
You once lived that way.
When you were a baby, you learned to expect instant gratification.
When you were hungry you cried, and you got your milk.
When you were wet, you cried and you got your diaper changed.
Some of you cried, and you got held or rocked.
At some point you had to learn the world didn’t revolve around your pleasure.
But then you grow up and pull into the drive thru and get this message from the *κόσμος **: */You deserve a break today…Have it your way… /and you say /Aha!
I knew it!
/
Worldly people are in love with getting what they want, in love with getting their own way, in love with being first in every line because in their minds they think /I deserve it!
/
Not loving yourself, but love of your own pride is worldliness.
Now let’s be honest: every one of us is depraved enough to struggle with worldliness.
The temptation to make life about your own comfort and pleasure, to make life about the things you possess, to focus on yourself--this is not some sin only other people face—it’s one you and I face.
When we’re honest enough to realize that, then we are ready to look at the danger of worldliness, which James outlines in *vs.
1* and *vs.
4*.
*2.
Why is worldliness so dangerous?
*James outlines 2 perils of worldliness:
The first danger is: /Worldliness puts you at war with your neighbor.
/(*v.
1*) James writes to Christians who at war with one another.
What’s all the feuding about?
/Why can’t we all just get along?
/Because of worldliness.
Jesus tells us the 2nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
When you focus on your own pleasure, your own possessions, your own pride, you don’t have time to /think/ much about other people, much less /love/ them.
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