Do Not Be Conformed to This World

let's pray together there are a few things Lord that steady our feet and lift our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees more than to know that you catch us when we're falling and tell us who we are we are yours so if any listening to me now feels fragile and about to stumble and collapse would you put arms powerful divine gracious arms under them by your word and spirit and tell them who they are or better whose they are and so make us strong now I pray in this service not in our own strength you're not eager to show our strength we're eager to be strong in the strength of the Lord so that your power is made perfect in our weakness so that in helped me to be a faithful minister of the word in these next moments I pray Lord we're tackling a an issue of tension tonight in the world not of the world conformed no but at home some Lord it is not an easy verse and the Christian life is a supernatural life and therefore we need supernatural transformation to prove what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect so come and help me to do my part while you work through me and in spite of me to bless and strengthen and guide and refine and purify and transform your people through Christ I pray amen Oh how many questions this verse - of Romans 12 raises for us how does the command do not be conformed to this world relate to Paul's practice expressed for example in 1st Corinthians 9 22 I become all things to all man if by all means I might win some how does not being conformed to the world fit with I become all things to all people if by any means am I save them how does the command don't be conformed to this world fit with 1st Corinthians 10:32 where Paul says give no offense to Jew or to Greek or to the Church of God just as I try to please everyone in everything I do not seeking my own advantage but that of many so that they may be saved how does not being conformed to the world fit with I try to please everybody there's some tension here you can't please everybody if you don't conform to what they think in what they do what I want to do tonight and this morning is to draw your attention to some categories of thinking about how to manage these tensions in the Bible I want to try to give us a way to think about don't be conformed and yet become all things to all people we need some structures in our mind about how to think about these tensions in the New Testament so that's my my aim and my hope is that in providing these biblical structures of thought your mind would be transformed so that you are more able to prove by testing what is the will of God we're gonna be on this verse for at least three weeks there's a lot to do here and tonight today is the big picture of the tension between being conformed to the world and not being conformed to the world now the reason Paul speaks in these tensions is not because he gets confused and loses track of what it means to be a Christian in a fallen world like sometimes he thinks it's conformity and sometimes he thinks it's not conformity he really doesn't know what he thinks he's just very mixed up and so sometimes he says the one and sometimes he says the other that's not what's going on here there's something very deep going on here namely Paul is holding in balance two impulses two principles that are rooted very deeply in the essence of Christianity and I want to describe the tension the two impulses that seemed to knock heads with each other and then I want to describe what I see is four roots in Christianity of where that tension comes and then back up and draw things together and tell you where we're going from there in the coming weeks these two impulses can be given different names I'm gonna use to start with names that I got from this book this is called the missionary movement in Christian history studies and the transmission of faith by Andrew walls who used to teach at the University of Edinburgh the essays I've read in here it's a collection of essays have been tremendously helpful to me and this is one of them he argues that in Christianity there are rooted two impulses two principles and he gives them these names and we'll try to find some other names the indigenous or indigenized impulse and the pilgrim impulse and he says that both of them are absolutely crucial absolutely rooted in the gospel indigenous at home the gospel can and must be at home in every culture on planet earth must be indigenous it must make its way into new cultures over and over again and put them on like a garment and wear them with a sense of at home myths and the gospel must be a pilgrim impulse so that as a culture puts on the gospel wears it as good news feels at home in it suddenly that culture discovers the gospel in Deitz criticizes corrects changes and turns people into pilgrims and sojourners and aliens and refugees exiles on planet earth no longer feeling at home in their culture anymore and you can feel the tension banging up against each other as you say well which is it am I supposed to be at home in my culture and where the gospel in a comfortable way or is the gospel supposed to put me out of sync with my culture so that I am an alien and a pilgrim on planet Earth which is and his argument is and I'm gonna argue that it's thoroughly biblical that both impulses are rooted in the very nature of Christianity the nature of Christ the nature of the kingdom the nature of creation the nature of salvation and we are called to find the biblical balance so if you wondered why verse 2 says you have to be transformed by the renewing of your mind to prove by testing what is the will of God instead of just saying read the Bible it tells you what to do if you wondered why there has to be this transformation talk this think talk this discernment talk it's because these two impulses are woven into the ethic the morality of the Bible and they do not often feel compatible and it takes discernment it takes a spiritual sensitivity that is very unnatural to come by to discern and navigate our way through the excessive indigenous this and excessive pilgrim mentality and Christians are always in tension I'll tell you right now in this church right now these two impulses are baying against each other on the Council of Elders big time right guys they'll know what I'm talking about we spare you a lot of mass folks not all of it the impulse of pilgrim we're counterculture in this church we don't do it like the world does it and we're indigenous we're gonna get into every culture we're gonna make sure every culture can wear this thing called the gospel put those together and you'll wonder why we stay here till midnight week after week this is no easy task for any family to figure out or any eldership to work on to lead a people and navigate between indigenous Ness in American multicultural situations and pilgrim alien refugee free counterculture that is not easy and that's where this verse takes us and I want to just talk about the big picture of what that is what does it look like where does it get routed so let's try that there are a lot of ways to describe this tension let me give you several one is to say that we are not in the world I'm sorry we are not of the world but we are in the world that comes from John 17 verses 15 and 16 Jesus says I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one they're not of the world just as I am NOT of the world so there you have it in two verses Jesus and his followers are in the world don't take them out the world will perish their salt they are like keep them there with all its mess and all in its confusion and all of its uncertainties at work that play keep them there but do let them be shaped by the devil and don't let them be of the world indigenous we are in the world not of the world pilgrim so they're the two impulses in biblical language here's a second way of describing it this way accounts for huge divisions in the church itself you think you have divisions in your family or in your your friends your small group or this church as it tries to have slog its way through these issues whole denominations form around embassies we are taught in the Bible to be key word separate from the world there is a real doctrine of separation in the Bible and that has marked fundamentalism for generations and we may praise God for that emphasis there is another emphasis not just separation but participation and that's in the Bible just as clearly 2nd Corinthians 6:17 therefore go out from their midst and be separate from them says the Lord and touch no unclean thing that's the pilgrim principle but then he balances it with first Corinthians 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with the sexually immoral people not at all meaning the sexually immoral in the world since then you would have to go out of the world if Sue's everybody sexually immoral but now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality there is a holy ostracism that goes with church discipline when professing Christians flagrantly live lifestyles that contradict the gospel but hobnobbing with unbelievers who sleep around is what we're called to do separation participation yes is the third way to describe it adaptation or confrontation here's the verses for that first Thessalonians 4:11 Paul says aspire to live quietly and to mind your own affairs and to work with your hands so that you may live properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one what's that mean that means adapt fit in don't make waves be liked by your unbelieving neighbor colleagues this word properly is interesting live properly Yusuke Manos has to do with what's perceived as fitting so I probably shouldn't preach in knickers but just be weird you know this is weird enough right but it doesn't say in the Bible don't preach in knickers just says live properly and you got to have your mind transform to figure these things out and you may wonder why certain things are done in this church and it may be because our minds aren't transformed enough or it may be because they are and that's the judgment call we've made so those are three ways of describing oh I didn't finish that one did I just gave you the adaptation part here's the confrontation part Ephesians 5:6 the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience therefore do not associate with them take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but expose them well how's that fitting in Paul how's that not making waves when you expose the fruitful works of darkness you preach on them and you write articles in the Tribune and you lead a campaign how's that work Paul just kind of fit in don't make ways do what's proper do not participate in the fruit this works of darkness but expose them so there are three ways adaptation and confrontation participation separation in the world not of the world do not be conformed I become all things to all men be indigenous be a pilgrim there they are it's all over the Bible this tension the question is navigating it navigating it so that we don't fall off the cliff of excessive indigenous this which is where I think the American church is going or excessive pilgrim you can't even touch the world you're so weird it's a lot of wisdom doesn't so we need I think first of all to answer this question where does that tension come from what are the roots of it because once you catch on to the roots of it I think you'll have a better sense how to navigate and what each one is for why there's a pilgrim principle and why there's an indigenous principle so let me talk about four roots these are very easy to see they all well you'll hear how they sound it's because of the unique Christian understanding of creation the unique Christian understanding of Christ the unique Christian understanding of conversion and the unique Christian understanding of the kingdom let's talk about those four roots and you'll see immediately why this tension emerges in in Christianity first the indigenous pilgrim tension is rooted in creation the the Christian view of creation Paul was dealing in Corinth for example with a culture in which meat was offered to idols and then hung up in the marketplace for sale to eat what should a Christian do what does a pilgrim do what does a indigenous person do listen to his conclusion and what he bases it on this is 1st Corinthians 10 25 and 26 eat whatever is sold in the market without asking any question on the ground of conscience for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof so what is he routing the freedom of the Christian in he's routing it in creation I made that meat that's mommy you own it as mummy eat it as mommy worship as my meat I don't care whose I offered to when it was killed my meat I made it you get a profound doctrine of creation and you're free so the earth is the Lord's and no no religion can co-opt meat in reality no religion can morally contaminate meat it's God's and his ownership frees us to eat it but that's not the only thing the Bible says about creation is it for example Romans 8:22 creation was subjected to futility the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now creation is not only God's it's fallen it's broken it needs redemption Paul says in first Corinthians 731 the present form of this world is passing away hmm so now you have creation functioning in our ethics as it's mine do with it whatever you please as my child and then you have it's broken and it's passing away be careful now when Paul takes that truth of its need for redemption and it's brokenness and applies it to meet listen to what happens this comes from 1st Corinthians 6 13 where he's addressing some overly indigenous Corinthians food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food I think that's what they're saying food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food and Paul responds true enough and God will destroy both the one and the other in other words don't absolute eyes creation don't absolute eyes appetite don't absolute eyes God's ownership as though that's the only truth that matters when it comes to meat stuff things in the world we should function we should navigate with things by saying my father owns this world I am an heir of my father therefore I have ownership as well and I may legitimately exploit and use this world for the benefit of my family and my church you say that and then say also and I will not absolute eyes that right but I will always have a view to how creation now is becoming redeemed and must be thought of in terms of God's redemptive purposes and not just his creation purposes every one concrete example if you just took God's creative purposes you'd say everybody should be married because in the order of creation it says it's not good for man to be alone so I'm good Genesis 2:18 pre-fall creation ordinance everybody getting marrieds bad to be alone or would you get to 1st Corinthians 7 where Redemption comes into the picture impulses I'm so glad I'm single I'd kill a wife dragging her around the way God drags me around and I hope many of you will stay single he said well what do you think Moses would get bent out of shape hey I said it's not good for a man to be alone and you're saying single this is all great he says yeah because there are other truths going on here we're not in paradise here's the second root of the tension between pilgrim and indigenous the Christian view of Christ the first was creation the second is Christ this is very simple everybody can see this Jesus Christ became a human being that's the indigenous principle he became a human being he took it on he wore our nature he wore our flesh he wore our weakness he was tempted in every point like we are he was like us that's the indigenous principle and oh how he came to his own and his own received him not we killed him why did we kill him he was one of us we killed him because of the pilgrim principle that he had as well as the indigenous principle he was different he was absolutely committed to authenticity and righteousness and purity and holiness and love and sacrifice and mercy the people who didn't have those kinds of commitments were way out of step with him or he with them he was a pilgrim on planet Earth while he wore our flesh and so the indigenous principle and the pilgrim principle are manifestly rooted in Jesus Christ he becomes incarnate to reach us and he stays out of step with us to die for us to reach us it took both and you know what it will take both to reach every culture on planet Earth no I love missionaries they have the hardest job of all here we are we wear American culture just like it's yesterday you know we don't even give a thought what we put on in the morning we don't give a thought cars and everything we are totally American and therefore it's really good to have verse to telling us don't be conformed to this world but we we put on America long time ago hundreds of years ago missionaries leave this and they go to another planet and they have to learn a language customs endless stay there long enough ten fifteen twenty years that they might begin to be natural go with the flow and try not to get themselves killed in the process which some of them will be killed because they go both as indigenous loving the people longing to adapt not wanting to give a fence bring in Jesus who always gives offense third root first was creation second was Christ and now conversion this is justification and sanctification indigenous to heaven and on our way to heaven let's read Romans 3:28 we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law oh this is good news this is six years worth of good news at Bethlehem in the moment in the twinkling of an eye at the first mustard seed of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and treasure God reckons you righteous in his sight completely totally on the basis of Christ's righteousness not yours and you are immediately made or let us say counted indigenous to heaven immediately indigenous to heaven and then after that glorious good news comes the second part of the good news not bad news that now the Holy Spirit is moved in and he knows we're not fit for heaven we fit for heaven he knows we're not fit for heaven he's counting us as fit for heaven he's going to get us to heaven he's totally committed to his covenant kids and now he says become what you are get on the pilgrim road I have made you righteous in Jesus Christ become righteous by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit by trusting in the promises and we grow up into Christ so that we are more fit for heaven in the future than we are now little by little we are being transformed into the image of Christ so conversion justification in the media and in the twinkling of an eye at the first act of faith we are counted righteous and then the process of sanctification is the indigenous principle apply that to a culture you walk in as a missionary and you say I bless you I'm here to bless you polygamy wife burning bribery I bless you I'm here with good news Jesus Christ died so that everyone who merely believes will be made indigenous for heaven and live forever with eternal joy in heaven knowing all the wild this has got to change polygamy is not in the Bible it's not God's original will bribery should stop wife burning that's got to go early but you did William Carey made a name for himself by saying that will not be tolerated early on and take 50 years to sanctify that part of the culture but it might take a generation or two to sanctify polygamy and the judgment calls about how that's done I'm not gonna I'm not gonna get down on missionaries on that I'm saying we know it's not biblical we know it's not the way to go but who of you would cast the first stone anybody without sin here on your way to perfect heaven so we're going to move that culture just like we're going to move ourselves on the pilgrim road lastly there is a fourth route oh I see a verse here I want to make sure you get this one because this this is such a good good verse on the way conversion is the root of indigenous and pilgrim it's Colossians three one and two if then you have been raised with Christ that's the indigenous principle indigenous to heaven if you've been raised with Christ set your mind on things that are above not on things that are on the earth that's the pilgrim principle okay finally number four the kingdom the indigenous pilgrim tension is rooted in the Christian understanding of the kingdom we heard this on Wednesday night Luke 11:20 if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons Jesus says the kingdom of God has come upon you so here you got the whole Jewish people waiting longing yearning for the kingdom of God and Jesus comes on the scene and says if my finger casts out demons the kingdom is here I'm the king it's here that's the mystery of the gospel the kingdom has come or the one that Chris read Wednesday Luke 17:21 the kingdom of God is in the midst of you so one side of the truth namely the indigenous side is the kingdom's here it's arrived we're in the kingdom we have a king and then there's the other side of the truth namely Luke 22 18 at the Last Supper Jesus says I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the vine of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes it's not here yet it is here in Christ it is here in large measures of fulfillment of Old Testament promise but it is not here in consummation and therefore as many of you have learned in reading good responsible New Testament theology books and the rest of you learned it by just reading the Bible this age which is fallen and the age to come the kingdom age overlap and we live in that overlapping and we're torn we know we're citizens of planet Earth we know we've got to deal politically with the issue of homosexuality and we know we're citizens of heaven it's over we're home we know what's right we don't want anything to do with that stuff we went out of here because we're not at home here and Martin Luther developed a whole to Kingdom theology which was very helpful render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render to God the things that are gods and deal with the tension and understand they'll always be Democrats and Republicans Christians on both sides though it is becoming harder I think okay let me try to wrap things up yes confrontation of the world yes missionary adaptation to the world yes separation from the world but also yes cultural participation in the world yes in the world but no not of the world yes becoming all things to all people that we might win some but no not conformed to the world yes to indigenous and yes to pilgrim mindset why because creation is the Lord's and creation is fallen and in need of redemption why because Christ is incarnate one of us and Christ was crucified why because conversion is justification by faith alone and sanctification by faith alone we are counted righteous already and we must become what God counts us to be why because the kingdom is already here in tremendous power in salvation but it is not yet consummated that will happen at the second coming how then will we navigate these waters the answer spend two or three years on Romans 12 to 15 because the reason he didn't just stop after verse 2 vs. 2 is all he has to say don't be conformed to the world be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you can test and prove what is the will of God what his good example imperfect that's all you've got to do so quit writing he knows that the way the mind gets transformed is with divinely inspired illustrations of how to deal with your enemies how to deal with the church how to deal with the state chapter 13 how to deal with issues of weak brethren in the church chapter 14 how to deal with missions chapter 15 he knows one of the ways our minds get transformed by the Spirit is by divinely inspired illustrations of navigation through the world so we're gonna be here because I want to be this kind of person I want to know how to navigate my way in American culture I want people like DOS start there as he goes to this mecca stand to have a profound ability because of the transformation of his mind to navigate the increasingly difficult waters of Uzbekistan it's hard here to be harder there so in the meantime here's where we're going when I get back from vacation it starts Thursday I'm gonna tackle homosexuality and the marriage amendment because the word doc in Maude's oh that's a Greek word in verse two occurs in chapter 1 verse 26 dealing with homosexuality there's no artificial connection to be made here at all it is riveted there is an unbelievably close connection between what Paul has to say about homosexuality in Chapter one they did not document God in their knowledge they did not approve prove to have God in their knowledge mind transformed therefore he gave them over to depravity and the whole political dimension of it an amendment in the Constitution how does that fit in you get to issues a big moral issue lifestyle issue big political issue and strategy issue we got to navigate these waters we cannot bury ourselves in American culture nor can we assume that every bandwagon that comes along as one we should jump on right-wing or left-wing we are Free People we are pilgrims we assess right we assess left sometimes we lean this way sometimes we lean that way because we're keying off one king is not bush it's not caring it is Christ that's our king and if I have to go to jail for preaching that homosexuality is an abomination I'll go to jail by the way there's a table out there I think tonight and there will be tomorrow morning with information about that whole political issue so go there for more information so in the meantime here's my how-to ending exhortation one saturate your mind with the Bible saturate your mind with the Bible to ask the Lord for wisdom does any of you lack wisdom let him ask the Lord third look steadfastly every day to Jesus Christ because Paul says that in beholding the glory of the Lord we are being changed transformed from one degree of glory to the next father I beg of you that you would give me as a preaching pastor here and 25 elders and other staff supernatural help in navigating the waters of the pilgrim indigenous principle tension for this church I beg of you publicly I asked we are needy as elders we're needy this Tuesday night we're getting together and these kinds of things will be paramount and then do it for families do it for single people do it for the old who have their own issues and do it for the children who have their issues what TV programs are appropriate and how do you relate to unbelieving friend down the street these are issues for everybody and I pray that you will help us oh god you are the Potter and we are the clay and we want to be conformed uh Turley to you and therefore we need you to shape us be our vision Oh God you are our only hope so shape us like a Potter be our vision like a treasure and make us now able to discern your will through Christ I pray amen you

Channel: Desiring God

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Keywords: Sermon, John Piper, Desiring God, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Christian, Christianity, Church, Bible, Jesus Christ, God, Scripture

Id: q5T-RGtqWNM

Length: 44min 47sec (2687 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 29 2013