Overview
Joanne Baxter considers how believers can live in the world without adopting its fear, lust, pride, and patterns. Through passages from John, Romans, 1 John, 1 Peter, Ephesians, Hebrews, Proverbs, and 1 Timothy, she points to Christ’s peace, the renewing of the mind, a holy manner of life, contentment, and deliberate care over what believers think, say, and dwell upon.
Transcript
Living in the World but Not of the World
Thank you so much to share these things that have been on my heart. I’m really excited about this and I tell you, I was thrilled with the manifestation, of course, as always when we heard, be confident in what you know to be the truth, and that’s exactly what I think about the things I’m going to share. Be confident in what we know to be the truth.
So, this world is not my home. We live in the world, but we’re not of the world. But we still live in the world.
So, how do we handle this? What is a favorable perspective? Well, let me share some verses with you that will help explain this and what a great perspective we should have. John 14 would be a good place to start. John 14, verse 27 reads, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Christ’s Peace in a Troubled World
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The world does not give us peace. That’s very obvious, but it’s nice to be reminded, but my peace, God’s peace, we can have.
And then we are reminded, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I think about times in my life when maybe I’m a little stirred up about things and then I pray and I seek that peace. More and more, I think as I get older, I just, I enjoy peace.
Here’s another one relating to this and I kind of just did sort of a word study on the word world and it was amazing. The cool things I saw, I’ll just share a couple more verses with you on that. John 16, verse 33 says, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.
In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. That’s something to be of good cheer about. And he says, in the world you shall have tribulation.
So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at times when it happens, but we have an answer. We have a way out. Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.
And then of course, I have to go to this one where in 1st John 4, 4, a lot of us know this by heart, but it’s wonderful to again be reminded of this. You’re of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that’s in you than he that is in the world. That’s perspective.
We’re of God. We are his children and God made a way that we, that he has overcome the world. Greater is he that’s in us, which is God and Christ in us, than he that is in the world.
So we have that greater power. That’s a great perspective. Here’s another one.
Love Not the World
1st John 2, we’ll start in verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Let me stop for a second.
It doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy a beautiful sunset that’s in the world. Well, God made all those good things, right? He’s given us richly all things to enjoy. We can enjoy our families.
There’s so much that we can enjoy. But he’s talking about having the mindset of the world as opposed to his word, as opposed to, you know, the good things of God. So love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, this is what he’s going to tell us. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world.
That’s pretty clear. That’s pretty clear that it’s not of the Father, but it’s of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof.
But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Wow. Now that’s a perspective.
Love not the world. See, we’re just passing through. Makes you want to sing that song, doesn’t it? And verse 16 shows us what is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.
And then in verse 17, it says the world passeth away in the lust thereof. It’s going to pass away. But look at this.
He that doeth the will of God will abide forever. The will of God. You know, I looked up that word will and it means God’s passionate desire.
If we do God’s passionate desire, what is God’s passionate desire? Well, he gave us a whole book to explain to us what his passionate desire is. But I think about, you know, like my passionate desire for my children is to be healthy, is to be happy, to be prosperous, to not lack, to just, you know, have all the good things in life. And, you know, God’s desire for us is even greater that his passionate desire is just all the good stuff in life that we can so enjoy.
And when we do that, it says we will abide forever, abide, remain forever. What does that mean? Eternal life. I mean, that’s got to that’s got to be part of that package that will abide forever, that we will have that eternal life.
And by the way, we don’t say we have that eternal life one day. I mean, we we are living it now. We’re just part of it right now.
Be Transformed, Not Conformed
Part of our life. So here’s some ways to do this. We’ll go to Romans chapter 12.
Chapter 12, Romans 12, verse one. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, living, breathing, not dead, a life full of vigor, a life worth living. That’s that’s what he wants for us.
He wants us to present our bodies as a living, full of vigor, a life worth living, acceptable unto him, which is our reasonable or logical service. It’s only logical that we do this. Verse two, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
He doesn’t want us to be conformed to this world. I looked up the word conformed. Sometimes it helps just to look up a word to get a fresh perspective on a definition.
It means to conform one’s mind and character to another’s patterns or to shape one thing like another. So why would I want my mind and my life to be shaped like the things of the world, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, all that? Why would I want that? I wouldn’t. But I want my life to be one that’s exemplary of God’s love, of God’s favor.
And, you know, to say that God’s favor is on my life is not like an egotistical thing. I mean, that’s that’s a grace. That’s God’s favor on our lives.
And we should accept that and enjoy it. Here’s another section here. First Peter, Chapter one.
A Holy Manner of Life
Relating to conforming, it says, First Peter one, fourteen. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance. So that fashioning is is, you know, like conforming, not fashioning yourself according to the former lust in your ignorance, which maybe we didn’t know better.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy. So it says, be holy in all manner of conversation. Now, I looked up a few places this word conversation is used, and I’m going to show some to you.
And it’s very enlightening. So the conversation is a manner of life, your conduct, your behavior. And I believe that also it can be referring to what we say and what we think.
I mean, we think of the word conversation like you have a conversation with somebody. You talk, they talk, you’re talking. But it’s all it’s also richer than that.
It’s your your manner of life, the way you conduct yourself. And in Ephesians 4, 22, here’s a good section to explain some of this, that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, that old way of life, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Verse 24, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Now, let’s look at this. We put off concerning the former conversation, the old man. See, we are the ones that put off the old and put on the new.
You know, it’s like taking off a dirty shirt and putting on a clean one. Right. We put off and then we put on the new.
And then God is the one that works the transformation. We do our part. He does his part.
And that’s the transformation. He does it. It’s really cool.
Contentment and God’s Presence
And then Hebrews chapter 13, this is going to further explain this. You’re going to love this. Hebrews 13, verse five.
Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have, for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So why would we ever want to be covetous of all this person’s got more than I do? So be content with what you have. I mean, you know, I think about I know things that maybe I don’t have that other people have, but there’s a lot of things in my life that I’m just so thankful for.
So what am I going to focus on? Like, I’ll tell you, I have two wonderful children and I have five adorable grandchildren. And ask me about them sometime. I’ll tell you, I have so much to be thankful for.
And just so much as we think about that, be content with such things as you have, for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. God is always there. He’ll always take care of us.
Verse six, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Isn’t that neat how the word conversation can really help you understand these things? Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, their manner of life, and whose faith follow like a pattern. Like, that’s a good thing to be conformed to. And, you know, it’s not like we’re not trying to be perfect people.
Turning Negative Conversations
We aren’t going to make mistakes, but we determine what we say. We determine what we think. And let me show you some other practical type of things, because what we think, say, and do according to those things that God lays out for us is only for our benefit.
It’s like, you know, we teach our children, children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Well, why is that a good thing for them to do? Well, first of all, it’s what’s right. And second of all, it saves their life.
And it’s only for their benefit because they don’t know anything. We endeavor to teach them the right way to go so that they’re most blessed. And that’s exactly what God lays out for us.
So we do live in this world. And at times, more often than not, it seems that the world can be negative and perhaps have a bleak outlook. And we may be in conversations at work or whatever.
And I’m out in the world and people might go, oh, man, it’s raining again. I just said it’s weather. Well, how would you respond to that? You could say, well, it’s nice and cozy being inside.
Great day to have an indoor job or whatever. You know, you can turn those things around. Here’s another one that you hear sometimes.
Oh, boy, the flu is going around. We’re all going to get it. I tell you, it’s so and so sick and sooner or later.
Well, here’s a great way to respond. Well, thank God for his healing power and his protection in our lives. See, we can turn those things around.
Here’s another one. Especially today, these days, we’re hearing a lot about politics and everything. Oh, what are we going to do? And, you know, God is still on the throne.
God will always provide for his people. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. We can’t allow ourselves to just be worried every day walking out our doors because God is always there.
Guarding the Heart
He will, as they say, he will never leave us nor forsake us, right? That we don’t have to fear like the world does. And it might be helpful at times to excuse ourselves from conversations, to avoid them altogether. Like in Proverbs 22, 3, it says a prudent man foreseeeth the evil and hide it from himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.
I mean, we, you know, we maybe see that a conversation is going in a direction that we just don’t want to be a part of. Well, if it’s gracious, you can just excuse yourself. You know, there’s some things or situations that maybe can’t be avoided, but we determine what we dwell on.
Think about Proverbs 4, 23, keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. We are the guard, guardians of our heart, the guardians of our mind. And, you know, it’s like in that book, uh, as a man thinketh, it talks about our minds being like a garden.
And, you know, if the weeds start coming up, we just, we need to weed those things out and just have good things growing in there. We keep our heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life. So I think about how we can, we live in this world, but we’re not of this world.
We can have the peace that God gives to us, that peace that passes understanding. And as we do God’s passionate desire for us, we can remain and, and abide forever. And we can have a life that’s worth living.
Trusting in the Living God
We can be that living sacrifice and not be conformed to the things of the world or fashion to them. And our conversations can be, uh, holy as He is holy. And we keep our hearts with all diligence.
And I’m going to close with one more verse in 1st Timothy 6, 17, charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who give us, give us, us richly all things to enjoy. So that’s the perspective that we can have that we trust in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Thank you.
Key Takeaways
- Jesus Christ gives a peace that the world cannot give, so the believer’s heart does not have to remain troubled or afraid.
- Loving the world is distinguished from enjoying God’s creation; the warning concerns the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
- Believers are called to present themselves as living sacrifices and be transformed through the renewing of the mind.
- Putting off the former manner of life and putting on the new man is compared to removing a dirty shirt and putting on a clean one.
- Contentment grows from remembering that God will never leave or forsake His people.
- Believers can guard their hearts by redirecting negative conversations, withdrawing from harmful discussions, and choosing what they dwell upon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that this world is not my home?
It means believers live in the world but do not have to adopt its fearful, lustful, prideful, or negative patterns. Their identity, peace, values, and lasting expectation come from God.
How can a believer have peace while living in the world?
The teaching points to the peace Jesus Christ gives, the truth that greater is he who is in believers than he who is in the world, and confidence that God will never leave or forsake His people.
How can believers avoid being conformed to the world?
They can renew their minds, put off the former manner of life, put on the new man, guard their hearts, redirect negative speech, and deliberately focus on God’s Word and His passionate desire for their lives.
Scripture References
John 14:27; John 16:33; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17; Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:14–16; Ephesians 4:22–24; Hebrews 13:5–7; Proverbs 22:3; Proverbs 4:23; 1 Timothy 6:17
Verification Note
This WordPress pack was prepared from the complete source transcript. Topical headings were added for navigation, while the transcript paragraphs were retained in their original order. Scripture references, names, and transcription wording should be checked against the original audio or video before final publication.
