Worldliness

(#90)

Read 2 Timothy 4:10.

Worldliness is the greatest hinderance to the Church.

Worldliness is not jsut pleasures such as card playing, etc.  The "world" refers to the world system.

The world is characterized by...

w   Gal. 1:4: Evil.

w   1 John 2:16:

    1.  The desires of the flesh.

    2.  The desires of the eyes.

    3.  The pride of life.

Demas loved the world.

Love of the world and love of the Father cannot co-exist (1 John 2:15).  Love of the world is enmity against God (James 4:4).

Demas forsook.

He could not serve two masters (Matt. 6:24).  So he forsook God as he forsook Paul.

Demas departed.

This last step is taken by many Christians.  They depart from the Church.  They depart from the ministry.

The believer can find deliverance from the world.  Christ gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this world (Gal. 1:4).  Through the cross and the believer's identification in the death of Christ he then experiences deliverance from the world (Gal. 6:14).

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."