Introduction

• Jesus came to give us Gods perspective on truth –light
• He was changing their world view – which changes your mission
• Everyone has a world view –when its formed by age 13 refined in the teens and twenties

Matthew 5:43–44 (NIV) Psalm 119:9–10 (NIV) Hebrews 1:1–2 (NIV) Luke 9:34–36 (NIV).

Worldview—Barna CRC Worldview study

First off, everybody has a worldview. One way of thinking of worldview is the analogy of a computer operating system. Worldview is the operating system for human beings. It tells us how to think and how to behave. It informs and directs the choices that we make. Our moment-to-moment decisions are shaped by the worldview that we have adopted, adapted, and applied over the course of time, often without realizing that we are dependent upon such a framework for decision-making. Whenever we are about to make a decision, we unconsciously run it through a mental, spiritual and emotional filter that allows us to make choices consistent with what we believe to be true, significant and appropriate. That filter is the result of the information we have embraced to make sense of the world in which we live.

What is a biblical world view

The biblical worldview is a means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of biblical perspective. This view provides a personal understanding of every idea, opportunity, and experience based on the identification and application of relevant biblical principles so that each choice we make may be consistent with God’s principles and commands. At the risk of seeming simplistic, it is asking the question, “what would Jesus do if He were in my shoes right now?” and applying the answer without compromising because of how we anticipate the world reacting. A biblical worldview is thinking like Jesus. It is a way of making our faith practical to every situation we face each day. A biblical worldview is a way of dealing with the world such that we act like Jesus, twenty-four hours a day, because we think like Jesus. Here’s a helpful analogy: “It’s like having a pair of special eyeglasses we wear that enables us to see things differently, to see thing’s from God’s point of view, and to respond to those perceptions in the way that He would prescribe if He were to provide us with direct and personal revelation.”

Jesus’ world-view is revealed in His interaction with Satan in the desert –Old Testament

Matthew 4:4 (NIV) — 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 22:29–32 (NIV) -Mark 12:35–37 (NIV) -Mark 7:9–13 (NIV)

Jesus said about His own words

John 8:27–29 (NIV) John 12:47–50 (NIV)

What did Jesus say about the Holy Spirits work in the lives of His disciples – the Apostles? John 14:25–26 (NIV

What Jesus said about His disciple’s words – through the disciples in the future

Luke 21:33 (NIV) — 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

What the disciples said about their own words

2 Peter 1:20–21 (NIV) 2 Timothy 3:14–17 (NIV) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV) 1 Corinthians 14:37–38 (NIV) What the early church said about the disciple’s words –the Apostolic Fathers

Irenaeus, (130-202), “We have known the method of our salvation by no other means than those by whom the gospel came to us; which gospel they truly preached; but afterward, by the will of God, they delivered to us in the Scriptures, to be for the future the foundation and pillar of our faith,” (Adv. H. 3:1).

Irenaeus We should leave things [of an unknowable] nature to God who creates us, being most assured that the Scriptures are indeed perfect, since they were spoken by the Word of God and His Spirit” (Against Heresies, 2.28.2, in ANF, 1:399).

Clement of Rome (88AD) “Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit. Observe that nothing of an unjust or counterfeit character is written in them” (First Epistle to the Corinthians, 45, in ANF, 9:243). In the view of the ancient church fathers, because God was the author of Scripture, Scripture itself could not err.

Clement of Alexandria (150), “They that are ready to spend their time in the best things will not give over seeking for truth until they have found the demonstration from the Scriptures themselves,” (Stromata 7:16:3).

A biblical world-view is not easy to gain or keep in the world we live in 2 Timothy 4:1–5 (NIV) World-view study in 8 categories

1. The Bible –truth and morals
2. Faith practices
3. Family and the value of life
4. God –creation- history
5. Human character and nature
6. Lifestyle –behavior and relationships
7. Purpose and calling
8. Sin, Salvation. And relationship with God

Next steps –

1. Abide in God’s Word – and with those who honor it
2. Abiding means meditating on it (reading and contemplating) as well as obeying

Remember that we see things through a different set of eyes—at our value – the value of others – the remedy truly needed.

For Small Group Discussion:

Opening Question: What stood out to you the most from the sermon this week?

Main Point: As disciples of Jesus, we are called to see the world with a different perspective that is sometimes contrary to the beliefs and thoughts of the culture.

Read/Tell the Story: Matthew 5:13-16

Questions:

1. Why do you think people used to build cities on a hill?
2. Why do you think God has strategically placed you where you are today?
3. When are you tempted to hide your faith?
4. Compare Matt. 5:16 with verses 6:3-4. When should you let your good works be seen and when should they be done in secret? Does your desire to be seen as good outweigh your desire to do good?
5. What is/was the purpose of salt? What is the purpose of light?
6. What does being salt and light mean for you in your home, work, and church?
7. Jesus says many things that are contrary to the culture, what are things you say that are contrary to our current culture? And how do you choose to say them so that we represent our God well?

Supporting Scripture:

• Matthew 5:21-48, Matthew 7:16-20, Proverbs 15:33