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Our text this morning is taken from the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the 10th through the 12th verse. Later today we will be baptizing one from our own fellowship, and so I want to take this occasion to present to us all a few of the many aspects of this practice of baptism, some background to its significance, and what it is to represent to every Christian that has ever submitted themselves to Jesus’ command to be baptized.

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” – Col. 2:10-12

Notice with me first from this passage the comfort Paul offers the believer; you are complete in Christ. He is your all in all. His life, His death, and His resurrection are sufficient for our salvation. In theological terms, Jesus has justified you, He is sanctifying you through the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the firstfruits of those who will one day be glorified in the Resurrection. So, as we consider our text today, know first, if you are a disciple of Christ, you are complete in Him, He is your Alpha and Omega, your beginning and your end, your all in all.

Now, notice with me though, before Paul leads us in a discussion about baptism, he first takes us through a few comments about the matter of circumcision. As so, I want to consider the issue before us because, as Paul lays it out here, a right understanding of circumcision will lead us into a right understanding of the significance of baptism. Paul here appears to contrast two different kinds or types of circumcision; he says we, as believers, are circumcised, but in contrast to a circumcision made with hands, as would be normally understood, he here states that we are of a circumcision ‘made without hands’. What then is the meaning of Paul’s words here?

First consider the circumcision made with hands. God instituted this rite with the patriarch Abraham to be a physical covenant sign between Himself, Abraham and Abraham’s posterity. We read of the institution of this practice in the 17th chapter of Genesis, “10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.”

Circumcision then was to be this national badge, this mark of consecration, setting apart a people, a nation, covenanted together with God, and who was distinguished by this sign showing their status as members of the covenant. Even physical circumcision held some rich significance – the cutting that was required demonstrated God’s carving out for Himself a people. It was painful, reminding the man of the cost of being in covenant with God and his need to forsake the carnal nature and serve the Lord. It was permanent; once circumcised, you might apostatize, and you might forsake God, but with you is the constant token that would you would always carry, reminding you of your duty to the one true God. So this circumcision, made WITH hands, served for a season that that emblem which denoted the people of God.

But Paul goes on to speak of another circumcision, one made, not by physical hands. not wrought upon our physical body, but of a circumcision ‘made without hands’. To what is he speaking of here? First of all, even under the administration of the old circumcision, the one made with hands, we find hints and clues that it was not sufficient, that it didn’t go far enough in marking out who does and who does not truly belong to the Lord. It was an approximation, it gave a general view of the covenant, but it was not refined, it was not concise, and therefore it was not sufficient. We find evidence of the need for a more refined circumcision, a more clearly defined line of demarcation even in the pages of the Old Testament. For example, in Deut. 30:6, Moses states that God is not satisfied with only a physical circumcision but that as we read, “the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” You see? The covenant cuts much deeper than that originally thought. It is more than skin deep. Even under the old administration we begin to see the need for a much deeper significance, and a fuller purpose behind the pratice of circumcision. In fact, we read of a circumcision, made without hands upon the heart of man.

Again in Jeremiah 4:4, we read the command for men, not to surrender to circumcision of the flesh, but to surrender their hearts, their souls to God. Listen; “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.” Now listen beloved, the only truly circumcised persons; and they are such who have been pricked to the heart, and thoroughly convinced of sin; who have had the hardness of their hearts removed, and the impurity of it laid open to them; which they have beheld with shame and loathing, and have felt an inward pain on account of it; and who have been enabled to deny themselves, to renounce their own righteousness, and put off the body of the sins of the flesh have truly been circumcised.

Paul, in the New Testament even clearly states for us that the physical circumcision of the Old Covenant, that instituted by God with Abraham and to his posterity finds its ultimate fulfillment in the circumcision of the heart of the faithful. Turn with me to Romans chapter 2, read verses 28-29. Circumcision as found in the former covenant finds fulfillment in the New Covenant as God circumcises our hearts unto Himself. This is the circumcision made not with hands, it is made by the Spirit in our heart, and in Christ. What was Stephens’s accusation against those who circumcised Jews, including Saul, who were persecuting him? What rebuke did he have for them? In Acts 7:51 we read Stephens words saying, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” It is not circumcision of the flesh that mattered. It had been replaced. It had been fulfilled by the circumcision that is of the heart.

This is what Paul is getting at in our passage in Colossians. “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ“. This is imperative to understand for a couple of reasons. First, there are those who would have us believe that it is baptism in the New Testament that replaces circumcision of the Old. But nowhere in the pages of sacred Writ is that analogy ever written. As both Testaments bear witness to, physical circumcision points us towards the greater need, the desperate need every person has to be circumcised of the heard by almighty God. What God accepted at one time outwardly, He now requires inwardly. What once marked His people outwardly, now marks them as His covenant people inwardly. The cutting off is no longer of flesh, but works of the flesh, sin, iniquity, a rebellion against God. As Paul says elsewhere, the old things have passed away, behold now all things are made new.

Now what does this have to do with baptism? Since this was to be a sermon about baptism, I ought to at least mention it in a few closing comments. Paul concludes our passage today saying those circumcised of the heart have been “buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”. You know, and this is why baptism is significant, circumcision can be messy. In the Old Testament it was bloody. But it’s really no less bloody today. Because we come to God by the blood of Christ. As He was cut off from the Father for our sakes, we now are commanded to cut off our old self and live in the regeneration of the Spirit. And baptism points us towards the cleansing that comes AFTER cutting has been made. After we have been circumcised of the heart and the old self is cast off, we surrender to Christ, and He commands us to be baptized to show the regenerating power of the Spirit, to cleanse us, purify us, and wash our sin stained hearts. You don’t take a bath before you get dirty, you get a bath after you make the mess. Likewise, as we approach baptism, may it be with the attitude that we have been cut to quick, circumcised in our heart, leaving us in need to cleansing; and that baptism symbolizes the washing Jesus gave us to make us clean, to make us holy unto Himself.

So as we consider the significance of baptism, may it be with a view towards the purifying work of the Holy Spirit upon our circumcised hearts. Physical circumcision pointed God’s people towards the need, not only to be set apart outwardly, but that the more pressing need, the most vital aspects of circumcision take place when God cuts us out for Himself and replaces that heart of stone with a heart of flesh. First we’re cut, then were cleaned. First we’re circumcised, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, and them we’re to be baptized, burying our sin and our guilt in the grave, and we rise in newness of life, that cleanness being represented by the waters of our baptism.

But as Paul says, we are raised through faith. Faith is the key. It was by faith that Abraham was justified, and it is by faith we are justified. It isn’t circumcision that saved the Jew, and it isn’t baptism that saves you or me. It is in and by faith in Christ Jesus. Have you been circumcised in your heart? Have you been rendered unto God’s service by the cutting off of the old man, and raised in newness of life? Then come, be baptized, and live as one who have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. I want to close with one last verse. Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Amen.

“That in all things [Christ] might have the preeminence.” – Col. 1:18b

We are concluding our short series on ‘Building A Biblical Worldview” this morning. And as we do, I want to bring this series of messages to a climax, a culmination today. And in spite the danger of being repetitious, I do want to once more summarize our last few messages in building a Biblical worldview.

Our first message emphasized the need to use God’s Word as our rule and guide, as it informs us as to the perfect will of God, and is sufficient for our faith and practice. Remember, it is our ‘lens’ to bring light and clarity to the believer that he might think, act and speak only those things approved of by our Lord.

Secondly, we consider the framework of the family. We mentioned the family as not only one of the ‘walls’ under the authority of God, but as the principle foundation upon which God is pleased to deal with mankind through. From the beginning, the family has been the building block of society. So each person, husband, wife, father, mother, and children all have roles and responsibilities to fulfill in God’s purposes and plans.

Third, we looked at the function, nature and commission of the church of the Lord Jesus. In the Great Commission we saw that the Church is called to evangelize, baptize and disciple. Oddly enough, in that order. The Church is to preach the Gospel, bring people to repentance and faith, baptize them, or more broadly, bring the worship of God to them, and finally begin the lifelong process of discipling them in the things of God. This is the church’s calling.

And finally, last week we examined the Scriptures to find that Christians do have a place in the civil realm, promoting righteousness and engaging the prevailing culture for Christ. But we also noted those in places of authority in the civil realm have responsibilities to us for good – good defined by God. They are to promote God’s standard of righteousness, and promote the general welfare of the citizenry by implimenting Biblical principles in the laws of our land.

In our text today, the Word tells us in all things [Christ] is to have preeminence. So let me ask, what does that mean? What does it mean for Jesus Christ to have preeminence in all things? Preeminence in the Greek is the word “proteus” meaning ‘to have first place, priority, to be before all else’. And again we’ve already considered in earlier messages how Christ is to have preeminence in or marriage, in our church, and in society and how this is vital to a Biblical Worldview. And all that is important.

But what I want to discuss today is the fact that a Biblical Worldview doesn’t start from outside us. It doesn’t start in the abstract. It isn’t simply a set of good ideas or morals we are to follow. It doesn’t begin with implementing Biblical principles in our homes, in our marriages, in our church or in our civil government. The conquering work of God over all things doesn’t begin outside ourselves. In fact, it begins in us. Before God can use us to conquer the world, He must first conquer us. If we truly believe Christ is to have preeminence in all things, the ‘all things’ mentioned in the Bible includes our heart, our lives being surrended unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Before God takes dominion over outer space, He first takes dominion over inner space. Before we are in a position to be used of the Lord to spread His Word, live out His Gospel, and take the power, authority, and message of salvation to a lost and dying world, we first must be reborn unto life in Christ Jesus. We must first come out from among the spiritually dead ourselves, raised in newness of life, and reborn by the power of the Word and Spirit. Eph. 4:22-24 tells us; “put off concerning the former conversation [life] of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Before any great reformation of the family, church or state occurs, God takes hold of a people,and brings reformation to their souls. He has called us as followers of Christ to a reformation of our heart, mind and soul. In other words dear friends, God deals with you and with me, transforming us from objects of wrath into objects of grace; from people of darkness into a people of the glorious light and illumination of the Holy Spirit first. He places the preeminence of Christ before us first before He calls us to take it unto the world. So that in a very real sense, the fundamental work of creating a Biblical Worldview begins and ends with the life-changing work of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, first in us, and then through us in the world.

Not only is the preeminence of Christ in the life of the believer preferable, it is essential. If we are not dealing seriously with the sin in our own lives, if we are not praying for God to bring to our hearts and minds the reality of the depth of our own depravity, the need for the confession and repentance of sin in our own lives, and the glorious truth of God’s forgiveness for sin within us; we are not prepared to take that worldview out and share it with others. We will have no desire, we will not be motivated to do so. Until the grace of God has pierced your own heart, brought you to the the foot of the Cross, and to see Jesus as the only hope you have to be cleansed from sins dark stain, until you have come to that place, you aren’t going to see the need to carry it to others.

Turn with me to Romans 6:22-23. In Christ there is freedom from sin. Freedom from it’s guilt. Sin condemns. It stifles the work of God through Christ. But beloved, if you have repented of your sin, if the conquering work of the Holy Spirit has brought salvation to your soul, Paul tells us here in Romans, you have become a servant of God, you have been called to holiness of life and to everlasting life.

He goes on to warn that the price of our sin, the wages of our sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. God brings the preeminence of Christ to His people so that they in turn, can apply His preeminence into every aspect of their life. Christ must conquer the sin of our heart, before He can work out our salvation and His preeminence in His Lordship over every inch of our lives.

Again, we are concluding our series on Building a Biblical Worldview. And in doing so, I want to convey the idea that it is not sufficient to have our families in order. It is not sufficient to simply have our church in order. It is not sufficient to have our society running along in some kind of moral righteousness. Those are all good things, and they are important. But if these outer works of righteousness are not rooted and grounded in inner work of the Holy Spirit of God applying the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to us, then the source of the reformation of our marriage, our church, or our society has not begun with God. It has a false foundation and will eventually crumble under it’s own weight.

The history of man is not without stories and accomplishments of man in building moral and ordered societies. We could menton the Babylonians, the Greeks or the Romans. But even the greatest of these are but a fleeting thing. Only the works of almighty God will prevail, and the Bible tells us that one day the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is Reformation Day. We want to recognize the great men, and their works that have gone before us reforming the church, and doing many good things in the name of God. Yet, we have gathered in this place to celebrate the Greatest Reformer of all; the Lord Jesus Christ. His reformation begins when He takes our sin stained hearts of stone and turns them into pure hearts of flesh. Jesus reforms our lives through bringing a spirit of repentance into our lives, converting our souls and turning us with the gift of faith towards Him. Jesus is our Great Reformer.

But my question for you today is, Is Jesus your Great Reformer? Have you know the power of this Reformer to transform you? Apart from Him there will be no Biblical Worldview, no applying the Word in your home, no applying the Word in your church. and certainly no application of the Word in our culture around us. If you have not know deliverance from sin, if you are convicted by God over the condition of your soul, and are seeking refuge for your spirit, come to Christ. He beckons you, to repent and believe on Him today.

He alone can make you free from sin. He alone can make you a servant in the household of God, and bring forth the fruits of holiness in you, and in everlasting life. Are you hungry and thirsty for righteousness, God’s righteousness? Turn to Christ. The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Jesus Christ is to have preeminence in all things. All things in us, you and me. Does Christ have preeminence in you? If so, He is your Great Reformer. If not, turn to Him today that He might have preeminence in you and in all things. Amen.

“A Right Rendering”

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Mark 12:17

It is amazing how God works. A couple of weeks ago a new survey of the religious condition of our country came out at the same time I was preparing a sermon on the need to consider our deficiencies in the church today. Well, as I was preparing this weeks message on building a Biblical Worldview, and the function, or role the civil government has in this, another perfectly timed piece made it’s way into the news. Quoting from the news piece this week:

“Germany’s attempt to create a multi-cultural society has failed completely, Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the weekend, calling on the country’s immigrants to learn German and adopt Christian values…”Multikulti”, the concept that “we are now living side by side and are happy about it,” does not work, Merkel told a meeting of younger members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party… “This approach has failed, totally,” she said, adding that immigrants should integrate and adopt Germany’s culture and values. “We feel tied to Christian values. Those who don’t accept them don’t have a place here,” said the chancellor.”

In case you are not aware, in our politically correct society, this is a bombshell! For anyone to have the audacity to suggest people ought to be, in some sense, compelled to embrace a certain worldview (usually Christianity) flys in the face of our globlistic pluralism. But these comments by the Chancellor raise a whole host of other ethical questions. Should people have a right, in any given society, for those who come into that society to embrace the morals, principles and laws of that land? Does tolerance of differing views equate to acceptance of those views? Merkel’s admission of the utter failure at their attempt to blend into a multicultural society I think speaks volumes to our vision in building a Biblical Worldview, and shows the strong antithesis between Christianity applied, and other worldviews.

So, the two questions I want to ask and answer this morning are; What is our responsibilities towards the civil government, and, maybe more importantly, what are the civil government’s responsibilities towards us?

In building a Biblical Worldview, and just like within the family, and the church, a right rendering of the purpose and function of civil government within the plan of God is essential to our understanding. With these few preliminary words, let us then turn our attention towards our passage today.

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Mark 12:17

The context of this verse finds our beloved Savior once more under the wiles, and snares of His opponents. They were trying to pit one of two groups against Jesus, undermining His authority, and possibly getting Him arrested, or more to their liking, stoned to death. There were certain Jews who did not believe they should pay taxes to a pagan nation. That be doing so, they were conceding the authority of God over to a ruler, or king. So they refused to acknowledge anyone’s authority over them. If Jesus said to pay taxes, this group would oppose him. Yet to suggest they should not pay taxes to Rome would make Jesus guilty of sedition, and was an arrestably offense. So our passage today was Jesus’ brilliant response to their trap, and has left men baffled since He first uttered it.

There are two responses to the question, ‘what are our duties towards the civil magistrate’ that are both wrong-headed. First is the approach of the ‘political savior’ mentality. Some have come to equate Christianity with a political party or movement. Christians should neither be liberal nor conservative, Democrat or Republican. They’re Christian. Movements such as the ‘moral majority’ of the 70′s and 80′s did just that – they began looking for that political savior that was going to redeem our nation, and they took their eyes off of God and His Savior. Theirs in many ways is a glorified statism. This is not a Biblical Worldview.

Yet on the other side, there are those who I sometimes say are ‘too heavenly minded to do any earthly good’. There are some Christians who so remove themselves from the public fray as to lose their saltiness. We are to be involved in the public arena, in the political realm, seeking justice and righteousness in the name of God and for His sake. So whether you’ve turned Christianity into a political system entirely, or have so removed yourself from those things as to have no opinion, no input. I believe both views miss the mark. The truth is found somewhere in the middle.

Look at our verse, we are to render unto Caesar. Even as Christians, Jesus’ words suggest we have obligations towards the civil realm. We cannot simply hide under a rock. We must be willing to engage the civil and political realm. Back in the day, people understood that their taxes, gave them a say in government, and even placed upon them a strong obligation to be engaged in the public square. But also note, Jesus spoke in a time where tyranny ran much deeper than today. As Christians, we must be willing to suffer under bad government. There are few exceptions to how much we ought to tolerate under civil rule. Historically, Christians have proven to be some of the most patient, and faithful citizens in the societies in which they were found. So yes, we are to render unto Caesar, that which is Caesar’s.

But now look with me at the other part of this verse. We are to also render unto God that which is His. So Jesus doesn’t give carte blanche to the civil authority. He doesn’t teach His disciples to simply lie down and take whatever comes down the pipe from the “FEDS”, if you will. Rather, we might say our rendering unto Caesar must come in the context, or could we say the worldview, of rendering unto God all which is His due? In this Jesus appears to limit the ability of the civil government to demand from their citizenry. Be it a pontiff, or a president, Jesus requires us to only render unto them in view of what we are obliged to render unto God. So while yes, we ought to be good, faithful citizens, engaged in the cares and concerns of our nation, the Word clearly sets limitations on what they can require of us, and the ultimate responsibilities we have towards God.

We have considered then our responsibilities in the civil realm, but I want to spend the next little bit looking at the other side; I want to answer the question, what is the civil government’s duty towards us? We seldom here a question posed in such a way. Turn with me to Romans 13:4. The civil government has been designed and established as a minister of God, Paul says here, for our “good”. And as a minister of God, it is under the authority of God. It is to be guided and informed by God. The civil magistrate was designed by God for our good, not good define by the government, but good as designed and created by God. Only God is Good (Matt. 19:17). Therefore, our definition of what is good must come from Him. Those in positions of authority then, have been given the moral obligation to promote goodness as described and defined by God, and not the whimsical nature of man.

Now follow me here, if only God is good, and the civil magistrate is to promote goodness for our sake, only God’s standard of goodness will do. We cannot substitute what we think good is (our own morality) for what God has revealed to us. It is righteousness, God’s righteousness that exalts a nation, and none other. God has revealed to us what goodness is through His Word, through the principles, precepts and law found in the Scripture. Again like with the family and the church, the purpose, and function of the civil realm must be viewed through  ‘lens’ of God’s Word. Whenever man tries to replace or supplant God’s standard of righteousness and morality with their own, it always ends up in anarchy or tyranny. It always fails.

Application

By way of application, allow me to touch on one subject pervading our society today; the notion of the separation of church and state. We have seen how every sphere of authority whether it is parental authority and responsibility in the home, the sphere of the church, where elders should be leading and teaching God’s people, or in the civil realm where princes, presidents and kings rule, ALL areas of human authority belong under God.

So yes, there is a separation of church and state in that both function in differing realms, but both still fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and both are still to promote righteousness as defined by God. What has happened culturally is, the phrase “separation of church and state” has become a crowbar to be used to get out from under the authority of God in the civil realm and promote humanistic tyranny, usually in the form of despotism, communism, fascism or socialism. All of those being various flavors of the godless humanism that pervades modern almost every aspect of our culture and society today. From education, to economics; from politics to environment preservation, we have adopted a fundamentally humanistic approach to the world.

Merkel therefore was, in a sense, correct. If Germany truly wants to be a Christian nation, then they have the moral obligation to promote truth, law, and morality based upon God’s principles, God’s Law.

A complete Biblical Worldview understands that Christians have responsibilities towards the civil government, and that they have responsibilities towards us. But that both come under the authority of God. Jesus is not just a personal Savior; He is a public Savior. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is the Savior of the world. His Word should guide every heart of every civil leader. Like a parent of a family, or an elder in the church, a civil leader is a minister of God, and ought to serve in his capacity with a fear of the Lord. The Bible is as much a ‘lens’ for him as it is for you or me. Let us then render unto Caesar even more than he bargained for – let’s give them the Gospel of our Lord! – and let us also, in turn, render unto God, all that which is His due. Amen.

- Edward Payson

- Martin Luther

A Shepherd’s Heart

I invite your attention this morning to the well-known portion of the Word found in Matthew’s Gospel, the 28th chapter. Our text today will be verses 18-20; commonly known as the Great Commission. As you are turning there allow me to quote one commentators words regarding this passage, this Great Commission;

“The surpassing magnificence of this grand conclusion to Matthew’s gospel is unrivaled by anything even from the sacred pages of inspiration. This Great Commission, as the saints of all ages have consented to call it, constitutes the marching orders of his church for today day and to all eternity. It may well be doubted if many passages of similar length are more [loaded] with divine truth than are these words of the Commission. They are exactly what one should have expected, only far more, from the lips of a supernatural, divine Saviour, on point of departure to the eternal world of the spirit, and uttering one last comprehensive command to his disciples for all generations to come.” (Coffman)

Matt. 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and [make disciples] teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

We are continuing our study in “Building a Biblical Worldview”. And in doing so we seen the essential character of the Word of God in such an endeavor. We’ve considered how the foundation of a godly home, the consecration of our homes, fathers, mothers, spouses and children all have vital roles to play in cultivating a Biblical Worldview through proper governance of own Christian home life. Today, we turn our attention towards the role of the church. Like last time, we mentioned God has established among men, three distinct institutions, or spheres of influence or authority, through which He’s designed for us to spread His kingdom, and bring all things under His dominion, power, and worldview.

The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, His saints, those called out by His name, those who have been granted the indelible mark and power of the Holy Spirit, have, as the Body of Christ, as the corporate church, have been given a commission, a calling, a mandate, if you will, by our Lord. The family has its place. We’ll come to examine the function and role of the civil realm next time. But it is the Church, that nation of priests, upon whom the Word of God, the sacraments, and the commission to win hearts, souls and minds unto the Lord has been given. And in doing so, Jesus left His disciples with a ‘three pronged attack’ in accomplish His purposes and plans. You’ve probably never heard of a sermon title like that, and you may never again – but I think it indicates something of the attitude, we, as the Church, should have towards our calling. We are to be on the offensive, on the attack, if you will, against the powers, principles, and people of this world, bringing the hope of the Gospel, and proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ unto every nation.

The threefold nature of this attack will be the content of the rest of our message. Briefly these three things are: “Go”, “Baptize”, “Disciple”

“Go” – The first command we find in the Great Commission of the Church is simply to ‘go’. By this I think we can rightly discern, one vital aspect of the church’s function in capturing the world with a Biblical Worldview is to evangelize. The church is to be evangelistic – we are to be taking the truth of God’s Word, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to others – going into all the nation with the message of salvation from sin in Christ Jesus.

The Church is to be the light in this world which lights the path to heaven. Jesus puts it this way in Matthew chapter 5; “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

The Good News, the Gospel, is not some secret message reserved for a special sect or group. The Gnostics of the 1st and 2nd century tried to claim they alone had the insight on divine truth. They had access to a secret knowledge that could only be obtained through them. This is not the Christian message. The Gospel is to be preached and proclaimed openly, honestly, and publically.

So the first prong, if you will, that the Church uses in order to fulfill its Biblical mandate is that of evangelism – of “going”, taking the message of the Gospel spreading it throughout the world. Evangelism has historically been a strong point for the Church. The Book of Acts testifies to at least three missionary journeys the apostle Paul took. By the end of the 1st century, almost entire Roman Empire had been made aware of the presence of Christianity. And even into our own times great missionaries, men like Hudson Taylor, Andrew Murray, and Jim Elliot of “End of the Spear” fame. These men understood, and had a particular calling that enabled them to be most effective in the spreading of the Evangel – the Gospel of Christ.

“Baptize” – Another responsibility of the Church in bringing a Biblical Worldview into focus is to bring the worship of the one true and living God to the nations of the world. Baptism is an act of worship, and is analogous to bringing worship to those who have been evangelized, those who have truly become disciples of the Lord Jesus. Notice the progression here: Evangelize, make disciples, then baptize them – bring them into the worship and fellowship of the church.

The area of worship is one area the contemporary evangelical church has struggled in. There has been a large measure of compromise with the current cultural climate in the life of the church. In an effort to be ‘relevant’ the church is engaging in practices which appear to dilute the efficacy of the Gospel. In other words, we might say the Church has compromised its message in order to accommodate its methods.

In starting this fellowship, the Lord impressed upon me the need to return to a simple, yet Biblical approach to worship which focuses on the Lord Jesus, and allows us to take our que from Scripture. The worship of the Church is not here to entertain you, or to even meet your ‘felt needs’. Worship should not be viewed as a therapy session. I’m not here to teach you “7 Steps To A Happier Life”.

The Church’s role in creating an atmosphere of worship is to invoke the power and presence of God in the life of His people, to nurture their faith through the means of grace, and to offer our worship as a sacrifice of praise unto the Maker of heaven and earth. And again, in my humble estimation, this should be done, it should be regulated by the clear teachings, particularly of the New Testament early church. What the elements which universally appear in the worship the NT church, and the church going forward?

1. Prayer: Paul states in Eph 6:18; “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” Prayer is a central and vital aspect of worship.

2. Singing: To the Church at Colossians Paul would write; “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Singing is an important aspect of worship.

3. Offering: We may not think of bringing our offering as an act of worship, but it was vital in the Old Testament, and is a practice in the NT as well. In 1 Cor. 16:2 we find; “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” It’s said when a minister goes for your pocket, he’s stopped preaching and started meddling. Yet, we are to bring our offerings into the church. It isn’t disobedience to a preacher to do this, it is disobeying the Word of God. Moving quickly…

4. The Ordinances – Baptism (as mentioned in our passage) and the Lord’s Table. Jesus left us these to help identify His disciples. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and turn to Him in faith are worthy recipients of baptism. Look again at Matt 28:19; Go, make disciple (in other others, bring them to Christ), then what? Baptize them. Those then who have entered into the household of faith through the door of baptism, then have a seat at the Table of the King. These are the marks of a Christian, one who enters into union with Christ through baptism, and that one who communes with Christ through the Lord’s Table.

“Teach, or Disciple” – 5. The Preaching and Teaching of the Word. Our last element in worship constitutes the third prong in our attack – We are to Go, Baptize (or worship), and finally disciple. The Church is to instruct the people of God in the ways, laws, principles and precepts of the Lord. 2 Tim. 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”. This brings us back to our first message. In order to create and maintain a Biblical Worldview, we must be taking our marching orders from the Holy Scriptures.

The Church has to be in the forefront in proclaiming the Word, teaching the Word, and discipling God’s people in His blessed Word. And rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Many today preach, talk and speak with a Bible in their hand. But this doesn’t mean their fulfilling their duty. The Church of Jesus Christ, and particularly the ministers have the grace and awesome responsibility of handling God’s Word accurately, faithfully, and in accordance with truth.

Conclusion – The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, His saints, those called out by His name, those who have been granted the indelible mark and power of the Holy Spirit, have, been given a commission, a calling, a mandate, if you will, by our Lord to evangelize the world, bring the corporate worship of God to His people, and disciple the Church in the things of God. Billy Sunday said, “The church is not a dormitory for sleepers, it is an institution for workers; it is not a rest camp, it is a front line trench.” Revivalist preacher Leonard Ravenhill noted, “Today’s church wants to be raptured from responsibility.” Yet, Jesus has clearly set forth our responsibility. We are to be about our Father’s business.

If we are going to live, share and promote a Biblical Worldview, it has to be happening in the Church. “Evangelism, Worship, and Discipleship”, these are the responsibilities the Lord Jesus Christ laid out in the Great Commission for His Body the Church. Let us ask the Lord, therefore to make us faithful in fulfilling so great a task. Amen.

We stressed the need for Christians to start thinking, speaking and acting in a decidedly Biblical fashion. The Scriptures are the ‘lens’ through which we are to view the world. And when we view the world this way, it will look very different then from when we don’t. So categorically, Christians need to reform their worldview so that it aligns with the purposes and plan of God, His church, and society to expand His kingdom and restore His glory among man.

This brings us to today’s message. Our text today is taken from Deut. 6:1-9. As God, the Lord has established various authorities, or governments among mankind to ensure we follow His methods or means by which to work out a Biblical Worldview. For example, often when we think of government, our thoughts immediately turn towards the Federal, or Civil government. We will come to speak on that issue, but the civil authority or government is only one form of government established by God. But there are others. And each sphere or realm of society has been given a proper place in God’s design for the good of man, and the furtherance of His kingdom. A Biblical Worldview applied would see every area of life, every power or authority working in tandem to fulfill its role, duties and responsibilities unto God and for the good of man.

The three primary spheres or realms the Lord has established for man to function in, and exercise authority in are the family, the church and the state (or the societal or civil realm). And what I want to do is to cover what the Scriptures have to say about each of these particular areas. In developing a Biblical Worldview, we must come to view these vital aspects of creation as under the authority of God – and then God in turn delegating authority to men to maintain them. In other words, Jesus is not simply Lord of the Church as we might often think – He is Lord of all. And so bringing every sphere under the lordship of Christ is essential to building a biblical worldview. Having said these few preliminary words, let us turn our attention to today’s passage.

Deut. 6:1-9 – “1Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2that thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

The first sphere or realm in which we need to develop a Biblical Worldview is that of the family. From the very beginning, from Eden itself, the family has been the essential building block of society. Any effort to bring true reformation and revival must therefore begin in our home. As Christians we have to place Jesus Christ in the center of our family, and see the teaching, exhorting, and encouragement of Scripture as the guiding principle for every member of the family.

In our passage today from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy we find God’s desire, His will, His command for His people to listen to, be taught by and do whatsoever the Lord commands us. And again this goes back to the principle that we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Mt. 4:4). But not only this, this principle of faithful living, of building a Biblical Worldview is one which must permeate our home, our family. The Lord has designed the institution of the family in such a way that there is a structure, an organization, a hierarchy, if you will, in our home so that the Lord’s purposes for society will be done.

Look at verse 2. We are to fear the Lord, and keep His commandments. Verse 3 suggests our faithfulness in turn brings about the benefits and blessings of God upon our land. Verse 6 tells us to place God’s commandments in our heart. This is similar to the Psalmist when he said he had hid the Word of God in his heart that he might not sin against the Lord. If we have not hid, secured the Word, the Law of God upon our heart, then we will never be motivated to serve and honor Him, fulfilling His purposes and establishing a Biblical World and Life view for ourselves or our families.

Now notice this with me, and this is vital to a Biblical Worldview – it is the notion of thinking multigenerationally. Not only are we to embrace all that God has revealed to us by His Word as disciples of Christ, believing adults, or as parents, but we are to passionately and relentlessly instill these concepts in the hearts and minds of our children. What does the Scriptures say, “thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

You’ve heard it said, nature abhors a vacuum. And in the case of young hearts and minds this principle certainly applies. If we are not obeying God by diligently teaching the commands, law, statues, principles and precepts of God’s Word to our children, if we are not living out these things in our own lives and set a living example before them – then we, as confessing Christians, are not faithfully serving the Lord in our homes and families the way God intends.

A Biblical Worldview is one that functions multigenerationally – it thinks, acts, and prepares long-term. If we are trapped in a mentality that says we only have a short time left, that God is fixing to ‘zap’ us out of here, that we don’t need to be training up our children in the Lord, then we’ve missed a greater part of our duty as parents. Turn with me to Col. 3. Look at verse 20; “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.”

We often think of this verse as pointing only at children to listen and obey their parents – and yes, I think that application can certainly be found here. But I think what is even more striking is that Paul is writing under the assumption that parents are training up their children, and that children have something to listen and obey! In other words, could Paul be assuming that Christian parents are ‘doing’ Deut. 6? That we are diligently teaching our children to think, act, speak, live and serve the Lord within the framework of a Biblical Wordlview? I think that is a safe assumption.

So with the remaining time we have I’d like to offer a few suggestions, or applications for our text today. Our passage here in Deut. seems to indicate that we are to be discipling our children AS A WAY OF LIFE. The words, “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” all suggest the notion that the ways of the Lord, the word of the Lord becomes a habit of our household. What did Joshua tell the people of Israel? ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!’

Prayer – Prayer must become a regular event in your home. Pray for your children, your spouse, your grandchildren. Pray with your children, your spouse. Pray together as a family. Invoke the power and presence of the Lord, through His Holy Spirit to fill your house with a divine sense of holiness and reverence for the Lord.

The Word – Spend time in the Word, both individually and as a family. Parents openly apply biblical principles to daily life, and show your family you’re doing so. We have a list of chores, punishments and consequences up on one of our walls all with Scripture references. Let your children see how serious you take God’s law by applying it to yourself first, and then to your whole household.

Make everyday life a discipleship opportunity. Sometimes the little, seemingly unimportant moments can have the greatest impact on a young person. Take the time to speak to your children, talk of spiritual things. Maybe begin with something common, but then deepen the conversation to deepen their thinking, understanding and worldview within the context of their faith.

And finally, remember you belong to a covenant community filled with the blessings and promises of God. None of us are an island, even in our families. God has wisely place all of us in the covenant community of Christ’s church to love, support and nurture one another in our faith and good works. God has promised to bless His covenant people, those that live faithfully unto Him. As Christians, we have to place Jesus Christ in the center of our family, and see the teaching, exhorting, and encouragement of Scripture as the guiding principle for every member of the family so that we can see our children come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His kingdom expanded generationally. It truly is a family affair. Only then we’ll be on the road to creating in Christ’s church a truly Biblical Worldview. Allow me to close with a quote from the great Puritan, Richard Baxter;

“Let your own example teach your children that holiness, and heavenliness, and blamelessness of tongue and life—which you desire for them to learn and practice. The example of parents is most powerful with children, both for good and evil. If they see that you live in the fear of God, it will do much to persuade them, that it is the most necessary and excellent course of life, and that they must do so too.” May this be our mandate today. Amen.

We are going to pause in our study of the Gospel of John, and we are going to look briefly, over the next few weeks at the idea of “Building a Biblical Worldview”. Reformation Sunday is the last Sunday of this month, and there are 5 Sundays this month, so we are going to introduce the concept of a biblical worldview over the next several weeks. In many ways, the Reformation was a return of the Church to embracing a thoroughly Biblical world and lifeview.

God brought about the greatest revival and reformation His church has ever experienced during the time of the Reformation 500 years ago. The Church had fallen into a morally corrupt and bankrupt system of superstitious traditions and customs (Roman Catholicism), when men like Martin Luther, John Calvin and others were used of the Lord to restore the Bride of Christ upon a more sure foundation – the Word of God.

So what is a Biblical Worldview? I’d like to give us a working definition of this term, so that as we progress over the next few weeks we understand what we’re trying to accomplish in developing such a view: A Biblical World and Life View is one where the Scriptures inform every aspect of life, including aspects of life that don’t necessarily relate directly to us. In other words, the Scriptures are sufficient for all men, at all times, in all situations, and we can come to rely upon the revealed will of God to inform, guide and direct all things. From what we learn and know about God, man, sin, salvation, creation, education, economics, government, family, church, everything we know, do and apply in our lives is to be cultivated under the wisdom and direction of a Biblical Worldview. This is what a Biblical Worldview is.

So Why The Fuss?

Why is cultivating a Biblical World and Life view important? Well for a couple of reasons; First, Jesus tells us so. Man is not to life by bread alone (Mt. 4:4) - we are not to simply live in this off what this world has to offer. Yes we could carry ourselves with relative ease through this world. We could remove ourselves from spiritual cares and concerns and float through life with little more care than what we were going to eat for our next meal. But man is not to live by ‘bread’ – the things of this world alone – but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. In other words, we are commanded to seek out the will of God, the words that proceed from out of His mouth – His law, His Word, His principles, and His precepts and live by them. The Word of God is to have dominion, authority and power in the life of the believer. We are to hang, as it were, on the very words of our Lord.

Secondly, not only are we commanded to develop this kind of worldview, we desperately need too. Please consider these disturbing facts gathered from a recent Pew survey:

“A new survey of Americans’ knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.

Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn’t know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.

More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation… The U.S. is one of the most religious countries in the developed world, especially compared to largely secular Western Europe, but faith leaders and educators have long lamented that Americans still know relatively little about religion.

Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15… On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12, followed by white evangelicals, with an average of just over seven correct answers.

The study also found that many Americans don’t understand constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools. While a majority knows that public school teachers cannot lead classes in prayer, less than a quarter know that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature.

“Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are,” Pew researchers wrote.”

These are frightening statistics my friends. The Christians in our country do not have a Biblical Worldview – they do not understand the significance of what it means to be a Christian, and the responsibilities, obligations, and duties our Faith requires of us. The Church is in disrepair – it is in desperate need for reformation, in need of a return of a Biblical Worldview.

Where To Begin?

God – If we are to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God, then a basic faith in God is essential to a Biblical Worldview. Paul in his first letter to young Timothy speak of God saying; “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Paul thought of God in the highest terms humanly possible. The God of the Scriptures is to be exalted above all else. He is Lord of all, King of all, and Sovereign over all. He is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end. Blessed Creator and Maker of all things.

Therefore, a right view of God – of His own character and nature, of God how reveals Himself to us in and through His Word, is the beginning to a right worldview. All things therefore must be viewed through the lens that a sovereign, holy, just, and loving God governs all things according to His perfect will. Turn with me to Romans chapter 8, and look at verse 28. All things work for the good, of those called according to God’s purpose. God has a purpose. We are in His plans. Our is to go out and to execute the plan. Drop down and look at verse 37. We are more than conquerors! Listen to the words of John Gill on this passage,

“We are more than conquerors; not only over sin and Satan, but the world, the reproaches, afflictions, and persecutions of it; which [we] cheerfully and courageously undergo, insomuch that [we] are not only conquerors, but “more than conquerors”: [we] have above overcome…[we] have got the victory with ease, over Satan and his hellish emissaries, by the blood of the Lamb.”

So a Biblical Worldview begins with a right view of God, His nature and character, His purposes and plans.

Man – After we have considered a right view of God, we must turn to ourselves and deal honestly with the condition of man. Again, Paul says in Romans, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, mankind is broke, we are fallen, we have lost that first estate of morality and have become depraved in our heart, desperately wicked in our spirit, and corrupt in our mind. We have alienated ourselves from our Maker, and apart from Him are only to be pitied.

Needless to say, this is not the commonly held view of mankind. In fact, we have embraced a very faulty view of man and turned it into a philosophy known as ‘Humanism’. Rather than offering a view of man that is fundamentally fallen and morally bankrupt, the philosophy of Humanism advocates a view of man that is fundamentally good, morally upright, and only slightly tainted with any moral defects. Those that advocate this view of mankind would even go as far as to say man is perfectible in his own right, and that there is no need to look for any higher standard of ethics or morality than man himself.

In short, Humanism can be summed up in the words of the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras when he wrote that, “Man is the measure of all things”. Of course this would stand in direct contrast to a Biblical Worldview which teaches God, His Law, His morality is the measure of all things – not man. Yet, as a society, and in most parts of the modern world, it is the driving ideology of Humanism which governs society, culture, religion, and every other aspect of life. We, as Christians, if we are in a Humanistic mindset, need to return to a Biblical understanding of the nature of man as fallen, sinful and in need to repentance, salvation, and grace. In short, we need to come to embrace the notion that man does not need to live by the bread of this world alone, but come to embrace, and live by the very Word of God.

Conclusion

The author of Ecclesiastes, in the 12th chapter, 13th verse tells us, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” A Biblical Worldview then begins with a right view of God – a fear, a holy reverence for the character and nature of the Lord. It begins with a right view of man, not as the measure of all things, not as perfectible in and of his own strength, but all fallen, sinful, wicked even left unto himself.

And we must begin to view the world and our place in this world as Disciples of Christ, as followers of the Lord in accordance with the counsel of God – the Word of God. We have to begin to think, act and speak Biblically, in Biblical categories. We must hinge our lives on the very words that proceed out of the mouth of God. If we do, we will find ourselves at odd with this world, we may be marked as a peculiar people, as Jesus promised we would. But I pray, the Lord Jesus would always find us living our lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Amen.

This sermon has been slightly edited for content.