3. Belongingness Defined
Belongingness is the human emotional need to be
an accepted member of a group. Whether it is
family, friends, co-workers, or a sports team,
humans have an inherent desire to belong and be
an important part of something greater than
themselves. The motive to belong is the need for
strong, stable relationships with other people. This
implies a relationship that is greater than simple
acquaintance or familiarity. The need to belong is
the need to give and receive affection from others.
6. Don’t Conform, Transform!
Romans 12:2
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this
world, but let God transform you into a new
person by changing the way you think. Then you
will learn to know God's will for you, which is
good and pleasing and perfect.
7. Ephesians 4:22-24
20-24 But
that’s no life for you. You learned Christ!
My assumption is that you have paid careful
attention to him, been well instructed in the truth
precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do
not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I
do mean everything—connected with that old way
of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through.
Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way
of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from
the inside and working itself into your conduct as
God accurately reproduces his character in you.
MSG.
9. Worldly Living
Titus 2:12
12 And we are instructed to turn from godless
living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this
evil world with self-control, right conduct, and
devotion to God,
World- Greek- Kosmos
• the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of
men alienated from God, and therefore
hostile to the cause of Christ.
10. God’s Instruction to His Children
I John 2:15 Stop loving this evil world and
all that it offers you, for when you love the
world, you show that you do not have the
love of the Father in you. 16 For the world
offers only the lust for physical pleasure,
the lust for everything we see, and pride
in our possessions. These are not from the
Father. They are from this evil world. 17 And
this world is fading away, along with
everything it craves. But if you do the will of
11. 4 ways to apply I John 2:15
I. Stop loving this evil world
II. The love of the Father not in you.
III. The offers of this world
IV. This world is fading away, but you will
last forever.
12. I. Stop loving this evil world
You are NOT OF THIS WORLD!
John 18:36 is where Jesus says that His
kingdom is “not of this world.” As His
followers, Christians are members of His
kingdom which is “not of this world,” that is,
heaven Philippians 3:20.
To love the world is to still be seeking for
something out there, apart from God, that is
going to give us our meaning, purpose,
security, identity, life.
13. II. The love of the Father not
in you.
Love for the world is incompatible with love for
the Father. Therefore if one claims to love God
and yet loves the world, there is something
wrong with his claim to love God
14. Step right up!
III. The world offers
a. the lust for physical pleasure- Feel
b. the lust for everything we see- See
c. pride in our possessions- Who’s
possessing who?
d. These are not from the Father. They
are from this evil
world.
15. IV. This world is fading away, but
you will last forever.
This is a contrast, and asks us to choose which of
two things we prefer. "The world," he says,
"passes away, and the evil desires “
A. Worldly Pleasure= at its best it is but for a moment; ends
in dismantling of God’s Glory in us.
1. 18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces;
we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the
Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we
become more and more like him. II Cor. 3:18
17. You are Blessed
B. but you will last forever.
Psalm 1
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang
around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. 2 But they delight in doing
everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on
his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.
3They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season
without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.
4 But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away like chaff before the
wind. 5 They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the
godly.
6 For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the
paths of the godless lead to doom.
18. How do I stop being Worldly?
1. Cooperate with God’s Spirit- Sanctification is separation to
God, Romans 15:16- “made holy by the Holy Spirit.”
2. Crack open THE BOOK- We should read and study the Bible
because it is God's Word to us. The Bible is literally "Godbreathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, it is God's very
Words to us.
3. Be Accountable- 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to
the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his
promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to
acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our
meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one
another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing
near. Hebrew 10:23-25
19. What are you eating?
Kids have grown up being entertained for more
than being spiritually fed- John MacArthur