How Do You View the World?

The sermon today, I hope to give at least, well, one more sermon, maybe two, along these lines, because what we're going to be talking about is your worldview. How do you view the world? And we'll talk about different ways that people view the world and how important your worldview is. And based on your worldview, we'll determine to a large degree how you live your life. It is also determined to a large degree the watchman's message. One of the follow-up sermons for this would be the watchman's message. What would it be? Why would it be? Going back into the first century and the church that is first century Christian era, the early church believed that the end time was near, that Jesus Christ would come in their lifetime. The book of Acts leads you toward that conclusion. Some of the early writings of the Apostle Paul might lead you to that conclusion. Paul then wrote second Thessalonians to let them know that certain things had to take place before the second coming of Jesus Christ. So we have been what's called an eschatological church. Our theology, to a large degree, has been eschatological.

Eschatology means the study of end times. So we say, what is your worldview and why is it important? First of all, one might ask, what is a worldview? Your worldview, similar to your philosophy of life, it defines your core values and determines how you view yourself in relationship to the peoples of the world and the purpose of human existence. What's the world all about? What's life all about? Furthermore, your worldview shapes your priorities, spoken and unspoken. How do you view the world? How do you view the peoples of the world? How do you view most anything you want to name? Furthermore, your worldview shapes how you think about all facets of life and the responsibilities you have in fulfilling your reason for being. What the French call you to raison d'être. What is your reason for being? Arthur Holmes, famous author, writes the following, states that the need for a worldview is forefold. The need for a worldview is forefold. Now, this sermon today, and especially the first part, there are not going to be a lot of scriptures, some, and reference the scriptures, but I hope you will take key notes that you will follow up. The internet is a wealth of information both for good and for bad, and if it's directed for good, it's like you have the great libraries of the world at your fingertips with a click of a mouse, as they say. There you can go. So Holmes writes, the worldview, the need for it is forefold. One, the need to unify thought and life. Unify thought and life. In other words, the way you view things, the way you think about things, will be to a large degree the way you live your life. Two, the need to define the good life and hope and meaning in life.

Three, the need to guide your thinking. And then four, the need to guide your action. Jerry Solomon writes, we're challenged to sort through a vast mixture of worldviews on a daily basis. The peoples of the world have vastly different worldviews, as we shall see. He goes on to say, that is Jerry Solomon, worldviews are so much a part of our lives that we see and hear them daily, whether we recognize them or not, for example, movies, television, music, magazines, newspapers, government, education, science, art, and all other aspects of culture are affected by worldviews. If we ignore their importance, we do so to our detriment. So when all of these weird movies that are being produced are sent to the theaters today, how do they view the world? How do they want you to view the world? You can rest assured that there is a motive behind their madness, and the peoples of the world present to them a living lavatory. In 2nd Timothy, let's turn there 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, this ties in with from the foundation of the world, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, because here in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, we can easily discern how old the plan of salvation is, how old this plan for you to be in the kingdom of God is. 2nd Timothy 1 verse 9, who has saved us and called us with and holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose, note that word, according to his own purpose. God and the word, the one who became Jesus Christ, have had a overall purpose in mind before the beginning of what we call time, as we shall read here. According to his own purpose and grace, grace means divine favor, which was given us in Christ Jesus before, and that old King James says, the world began. There are three Greek words that are translated world in the New Testament, and if you don't look up and see what the Greek word is, you can easily be misled. The Greek word here for world is chronos. It means time. It's the word that we get chronology from. The other two Greek words are cosmos, which means the order of things, the order of the universe. There is order in the universe. The earth is a certain distance from the sun. If it's any closer or farther away, one you would burn to death or you would freeze to death. The earth is tilted on its axis at 23.3 or 5 something degrees. The earth rotates on its axis. The earth revolves around the sun 365 1 fourth days. We call it a year to make the complete circle, and you could go on and on with the order of the cosmos. So you can see the word world, and we can turn later maybe to scriptures that show these differences. The other Greek word that is translated world is aion. A-I-O-N. It means the age, the age in which we're living. In the book, the universe next door, James Sire, spelled S-I-R-E, catalogs the most influential worldviews of the past and present. The most influential worldviews of the past and present. And here they are. Theism.

Of course, theism is similar to what we believe in that there is a great creator God who is actively involved in the affairs of man and that God is involved in our lives, and the course of history is being shaped and determined by God. It is not through evolution. It is not through events of time and chance, but there is a great God who is in control. The others, we'll come back and briefly describe what they're about. Deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern pantheism, and the New Age or New Consciousness movement. Now Christian theism, as I said, is very much akin to what we believe. Naturalism and the New Age pantheism are the most influential worldviews presently in the United States. Naturalism and the New Age pantheism and versions of humanism are the most common worldviews at the present time in the US. So let's look at each one of these briefly. Deism, meaning a deity, a belief in a deity. It's a prominent worldview that came to prominence in the 18th century, in other words, in the 1700s. Many historians claim and then others try to refute it. It's difficult to really know the exact answer that many of the founding fathers were deists. They believed in a god, but not that God was personally involved in shaping the course of human history. The deist believes in God, but God created the universe and then left it to itself. Their definition of deism centered on the belief in one God alone and rejection of the Christian redemption story. There is no redeemer, and this fits well with the New Age and Masonic thinking of a supreme being, but man is not in need of a Savior. Why since God already exists in every person. Specifically, deists believe in a supreme God that God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone, and therefore they reject revelation. So why would you read or study the Bible if you reject revelation? It is in contrast to Fideism. F-I-D-E-S-I-A-A-I'm sorry F-I-D-E-S. Wrong again. Here we go. F-I-D-E-I-S-M. Fidees is the Latin word for faith, and it literally means faithism. Now this is found in many forms and teachings which holds that religious truths rely upon revelation. Of course, we would ascribe to that, that religious truths rely on revelation, the sacred scriptures. And in addition to that, of course, human reasoning is involved. We do much human reasoning with interpreting the scriptures. We could turn to Acts 17, Acts 18, where it talks about Paul reasoned with them on the Sabbath day out of the scriptures concerning whether Jesus is Messiah, or in Isaiah where it says, Come, let us reason together.

Typically, they reject, that is, deists reject most supernatural events like prophecy, miracles, and tend to assert that God has a plan for the universe which he does not alter by intervening in the affairs of human life nor suspending the natural laws of the universe. So it's the old, the analogy is that God wound up the universe like a clock, and the clock is ticking away, and there is, in that sense, purpose, but God's predetermined purpose. So when all is said and done, deists tend to be mechanistic. Mechanistic means like a machine. It's preset, predetermined, and the clock keeps on ticking. Now the next one is neolism. Literally, neolism means nothingness. A more recent worldview is alive among many young people and some intellectuals. It was first made popular by Nitschke and Neelis see no value to life or to reality. To them, life is absurd. So nothingness. Naturalism is in direct contrast. The next one, naturalism, is in direct contrast to Christianity, which is based on spiritual revelation. Naturalism denies revelation and denies the supernatural. Naturalism made great inroads into the Western world in the 19th century through the writings of Darwin and Karl Marx. Karl Marx is, along with Engels, credited with the philosophy behind communism. Naturalism views God as irrelevant in all things. Proponents believe progress and evolutionary changes are inevitable, that man is autonomous, self-centered, and will save himself. Thus, education is the guide to life, intelligence, and freedom guarantee full human potential. And science is viewed as the ultimate provider, both for knowledge and morals. So science is the God of naturalism. The influence of naturalism on American culture through education should not be underestimated. The tenets of naturalism abound in all facets of our culture. Science is what you might call the new God of the world. There have been four great systems that have attempted to answer the great questions of life in the historical sense, two of them in the Garden of Eden. One, the truth of God, our true religion, the system that God introduced of how do you understand and come to know reality is through Revelation. So the truth of God is one system. The second is the system introduced by Satan the devil, false religion, attempts to answer the great questions of life. Its chief methodology is deception. The third one is philosophy. Philosophers, the principle methodology, is human reasoning. They continue to posit more questions than they can answer. The fourth great system is a system that is basically in control of the intelligentsia and the educational world, that is science. Almost every discipline has tried to make nearly every discipline into a science, even sociology, psychology. There are certain laws that govern societal structure in human behavior, but those that really work are in harmony with the scripture. Even though Western culture is still heavily influenced by the tenets of naturalism, a shift began to take place after World War II, and it's called postmodernism. Dr. Baker has spoken on this in the past, the postmodernism. Although naturalism denies the existence of God, it holds certain laws of nature and or science to be absolute. Postmodernism contends that truth in any real sense doesn't exist. In other words, that there are no absolutes. In various forms of pantheism have made great inroads into American thought in recent decades. Pan is word for all and theism for God, so in pantheism, God is all and all is God.

Now, pantheism can parade in the form of Eastern mysticism or the New Age movement. Actually, there in the pantheism is nothing new. They call it New Age. New Age worldview or New Consciousness, but pantheism is as old as humankind, practically. And Eastern mysticism has taught a form of pantheism through the ages. The basic tenets of pantheism, the New Age movement, or the New Consciousness, contends, first of all, that there are no ultimate distinctions between humans, animals, or the rest of creation. But God is in everything. Once again, pantheism. God is all and all is God. Secondly, since all is one, all is God, all of life has a spark of divinity. All of life has a spark of divinity. So, in practical terms, it is a form of pantheism. And the God within you is what you must discover and let the God within you guide your life. And I know there are people that I probably could call the names who are at one time in fellowship with the Worldwide Church of God has gone into some of these various isms of the God within you. It is sort of the, what, a version of it was made popular by Oprah Winfrey and some of her friends. So, if all is one and all is God, then each one of us is God. You are a God. You just don't know it yet. Fourth, humans must discover their own divinity by experiencing a change in consciousness, what you are aware of. Consciousness has to do with awareness. When you say, well, is he conscious? That means is he awake, able to converse, able to handle thought and respond to it. We suffer from a collective form of metaphysical amnesia is what they contend. You've just forgotten that you are God, and you've got to discover it. Thus, we must rediscover who we really are according to the New Agers and the new consciousness. We are really gods, and we must discover the good God in each one of us. And they say that humans travel through indefinite cycles of birth, death, and reincarnation in order to work off what is called bad karma. So you see, there is an intimate relationship between the new age or new consciousness and Eastern mysticism. New Agers do not think in terms of gray. I mean, they think in terms of gray, not black and white. Thus, they believe that two conflicting statements can both be true. Books on the New Age movement abound with many Hollywood personalities and spousing as tenants. Some of these beliefs are also found increasingly among intellectuals and fields such as medicine, psychology, sociology, and education. Existentialism is prominent and can be seen frequently even among Christians unwittingly. The existentialist like the nihilist sees life as absurd but sees man as totally free to be his own essence designer and make of himself whatever he desires to make of himself. So here we have briefly surveyed some of the most prominent worldviews, and all of these views cannot be true. But all of these views are extant to some degree in the world today, and you are left to sort out these worldviews. What is it all about? You and your children are constantly being bombarded with these views every day of your lives.

Paul's admonition to the believers in Colossae couldn't be more applicable or helpful in light of what we have just talked about. Look at in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8. Of course, one of the main things that the book of Colossians was written to combat ascetic Gnosticism. Gnosticism, of course, means the study of knowledge, and through knowledge you can attain unto salvation. One of the things that the Gnostics taught in ascetic Gnosticism was that you deny the flesh in order to purify the spirit.

Colossians 2 and verse 8. Bewareless any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments or elements of the world, and not after Christ. So you have all of these competing worldviews out there extent, and some people who once were founded in the truth of God have let themselves become deceived by these competing worldviews.

So what about your worldview? What about your philosophy of life? Are you grounded? Are you founded? Could you be deceived? So we ask the question, what is your worldview? And once again, a worldview provides a model of the world which guides the adherents in the world. Whichever one you subscribe to, to a large degree, guides your thought and your actions.

Your worldview would determine what you believe and certain assumptions that you may hold. In other words, what is your authority for believing what you believe? For example, the Christian believes in a personal creator God. So in that sense, as we've already noted, if you would, please look at Isaiah 64 verse 8.

Now we will begin looking at some scriptures in conjunction with this to see if we can develop the right worldview ourselves and to examine whether or not we have the right worldview. And to me, one of the most exciting things about this has to do with God's worldview of the universe, His purpose of why He created the universe and why He created human beings.

So you are a vital part of that plan, as in the special music. Come and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So we look now at Isaiah 64 verse 8, but now, eternal, you art our Father. We are all, we are the clay, you are our potter, and we are all the work of your hand.

Look across there in verse 16 chapter 63, back of chapter, "'Doubtless you art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not, you, O Lord, art our Father. Your name is from everlasting.' On the other hand, the atheist, and of course one worldview is atheism, and a lot of these worldviews that we talked about has an element of atheism in it. Naturalism, existentialism, the New Age movement in a sense, though the New Age movement. Look at Psalm 14 with regard to the worldview of atheism, that is, there is no God.

The fool has set in his heart, this is Psalm 14.1, the fool has set in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good." See, all good comes from God. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. That's what it says in Romans. The humanist believes that man's essential nature is good. Is man's essential nature good? Well, a lot of people would say there is some good in everybody, and there is a like a human kind of kindness, and you hear the term the milk of human kindness.

What does the scripture actually say? Though there are people who, to what turn to Romans 8, there are people who have, I mean, murderers, criminals, who have helped other people in dire circumstances. In Romans chapter 8, in verse 6, For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritual minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind, and the fleshly mind is the mind we are born with.

The fleshly mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So one of the great challenges, of course, is to overcome carnality, the fleshly mind, and to be spiritually minded, and to put away the carnal mind, to subdue it, to overcome it. So note now, in Romans chapter 7, verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? In earlier verses Paul has discussed the great battle that goes on between the carnal mind and the mind of the Spirit.

In which mind are you going to obey? Which mind are you going to give in to? Which worldview will you hold to? O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Now some people misinterpret that last clause to because you could read it in a way that makes it sound like that.

It's okay, the flesh, the law of sin, but what it is saying is the flesh left to itself will always serve the law of sin. The flesh left to itself. Now there really should be no chapter break and now we come to this verse 1 in chapter 8, which is the Scripture of the day.

There is therefore now no condemnation of them which are in Christ Jesus who walked not after the flesh. The fleshly mind is still there and it always will be, but you can have a spiritual mind that will always overrule the fleshly mind. You can obey. You can live in the flesh and obey. And that's one of the main things that Jesus Christ showed demonstrated through his life here on the earth in the flesh as the succeeding verses show us. Let's read those. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

And of course through faith in the sacrifice of Christ, the sins that we have committed are removed as far from us as the east is from the west. And we can walk in newness of life with a new knowing, a new consciousness, and this consciousness is the Word and Spirit of God dwelling within us, the Word of God written on our inward parts through the Holy Spirit. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, in other words, just trying to obey the law by the mind of the flesh through willpower alone, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.

How did he condemn sin in the flesh?

He condemned sin in the flesh by showing that it was possible to live in the flesh and overcome sin, as the next verse shows. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh, remind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. And then verse 13 that I mentioned in announcements, which in a sense summarizes this, for if you live after the flesh you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify, put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. Christians will assert that they base their belief on the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. Those who embrace evolution believe that man has evolved from lifeless matter, whereas the Christian believes that man was created by God, who is Spirit. So you look at Hebrews chapter 3, of course all of creation was done in this way, was accomplished. Let's make a stop in Hebrews 1.1 with regard to creation, both God and Christ involved in the creation process. We read here in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1, God who at sundry times in different manners spoke in times past under fathers by the prophets, had in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed for all things, and by whom also he made the world. So in that sense, Jesus Christ, his Creator also in that he was the one through whom God worked. How did he do this? Well, you look at Hebrews 11 and verse 3. See, one of the distinguishing marks of the worldview of a true Christian is to understand that we owe our very life being to God and Christ. So in Hebrews 11 and verse 3, through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. So we see that it is an act of creation that we owe our existence to. Now look at Acts 17 verse 22. Acts 17 verse 22. We read this last week when we were talking about identity theft. In Acts 17 verse 22, then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. So Paul challenged their worldview. They didn't really understand who the great Creator God was. They tried to worship all of the gods, tried to please all the gods in case they left one out. Verse 24, God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, who else not in temples made with hands. Verse 26, He hath made one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed in the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from every one of us. So Christians will assert that they base their belief on the Word of God, the Holy Bible, that God and Christ created the world, and they have a great purpose that they are working out here below. Now, other worldviews may say that they base their belief on the authority of various religious figures, such as Mohammed or Buddha or Krishna, and discussing our worldview with others, we need to understand to some degree why people hold opposing views.

Why do the Chinese believe what they believe? Or why do the Indians believe what they do? Or the Japanese believe what they do? The principal factors that shape your worldview centers on the culture you were reared in, how you were taught, what you were taught, and what you practiced in relating to other peoples in the world around you.

How did you interact? Why do the Chinese speak Chinese? Why do the Japanese speak Japanese?

Why do the Indians, the people of India, speak various dialects, many different dialects in India?

It's where they grew up. That's what the culture is. Why do they believe what they believe? To a large degree, it's what they've been taught. So one of the first questions we should ask ourselves is, why is there something rather than nothing? Do you know why God created what he created?

And what we're about to discuss here to me is one of the most inspiring, encouraging things in the Bible. And there are some translations. Turn to Revelation chapter 4.

Some translations that would mislead you in this.

In Revelation chapter 4, by translations we often think of whatever the word is in terms of its usage today. But in serious study of the Bible, you really need to look at every word. Look it up in a concordance. See what the root word is in either Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic. In Revelation 4 verse 10, and now Revelation 4 is a vision that John has given in describing the throne of God and God sitting on the throne, we come down to verse 10.

The twenty-four elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created. Now, you look at that word pleasure. If we think about it today, it's like, well, for my delight. You know, I enjoy this, that, or the other. So, just for my enjoyment, I created everything. But this word pleasure in the Greek is spelled T-H-E-L-E-M-A. T-H-E-L-E-M-A VEL-AH-MA. VEL-AH-MA. And it means will. Sixty-two times this word is translated will, W-I-L-L, in the New Testament. It is translated desire one time. It's translated pleasure one time, and here it is. So, you could read it, for your will they are and were created. Because of God's will, because of God's purpose, and the concordance gives these definitions of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ. That's the first definition given in Strongs of this word VEL-AH-MA. Of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ.

Of what God wishes to be done by us. And it also means will, choice, inclination, desire. And you could say pleasure. But look now at Ephesians 1.9. Ephesians 1.9.

What we want to emphasize here and show, which to me is so encouraging, is that going back into eternity, that God and the Word, the one who became Christ, had this great purpose and plan from the foundation of the world before there was any thing created, both in the spiritual realm or the physical realm. In Ephesians 1.9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will VEL-AH-MA, which is translated pleasure in Revelation 4, verse 11.

Having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he had purposed in himself. God's great purpose in creating us in the first place.

Now look at Acts 22. Acts 22 and verse 22.

To me, it is just awe-inspiring, encouraging to understand that even back in eternity, that God and the one who became Christ had this plan, this purpose for all of us.

They had a worldview of the universe, and earth is a very special place.

In Acts 22, verse 22, they gave him audience unto this word and then lifted up his voice and said, Away was such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit that he should live.

And as they cried, they cast him out and cast off their clothes, and threw dust in the air.

The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle and bathed that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And they bound him with tomes, and Paul said, under the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman?

See, Paul, time after time, endured such great persecution and punishment because his belief in the resurrection from the dead and the plan and purpose of God.

In Revelation 13, 8, it says, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

Now let's read Hebrews 2 and verse 9.

Hebrews 2 and verse 9. Hebrews 2 starts off with Paul quoting from Psalm 8, where David looked up in the skies and said, What is man that you are mindful of him, and the Son of man that you should visit him? When you consider the heavens, the moon, the stars, the handiwork of your hand, and then you look at man seemingly so insignificant in the scheme of the universe.

And then Paul brings it to where God is headed, a plan and purpose. We pick it up in verse 9 of Hebrews 2.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crown with honor, glory, that he might by the grace of God, divine favor, should taste death for every man. Why did he taste death for every man? Because the wages of sin is death. And to be reconciled to God, he had to die and pay the penalty for sin so that we could be reconciled to God and receive the Holy Spirit, that down payment on eternal life.

For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both he that sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, are all of one, for which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren.

See, we are heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ, is what it says in Romans 817. For as much then as verse 12, saying, I will declare your name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto you. And again I will put my trust in him, and again behold I and the children which God hath given me. It is so awe-inspiring to even consider this great plan and purpose of God that was worked out from the foundation of the world.

The verses that we just read explain to us why everything, including humankind, was created.

Human beings, in that sense, are the pinnacle of creation, because each one of them has a potential to be, as you heard in the sermon at a spirit-born son-daughter of God in the family of God and live eternally. Being born in the family of God will give God perhaps the greatest pleasure of all. Look at Luke 12, verse 32. Sometimes in prayer you think about thanking God. Several times this week it's like I thank God. I mean it's easy to say thank you, Father, thank you, Father, but to really, it seems like, can I do more than just say thank you for what you have done? Of course, under the Old Covenant they brought a thank offering, something physical. Today we are to be living sacrifices, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. In Luke 12, verse 32, fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure. Now this word pleasure is not the same as in Revelation 4.11, which it is the will and purpose of God that He created the universe, but this is His delight. It's something He takes great satisfaction and joy in.

It is your Father's great delight, satisfaction, joy to give you the kingdom. And this ties in with, go to Hebrews 12, with Jesus Christ as He went through all of the suffering and ordeal that He went through. See, He kept in His mind's eye, seeing you in the kingdom of God, seeing the sons and daughters in the kingdom of God. See, He had that big picture in mind. See, one of the things about true Christianity has to do with it is futuristic.

Yes, we live in the flesh, but our affection is set on things above, like Paul admonished the Colossians in Colossians 3.1, if you therefore be risen with Christ, then set your affection on things above and not on the earth. So in Hebrews chapter 12, the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Now note this with regard to Christ. In Hebrews 12.1, wherefore seeing we also are compassed about was so great a cloud of witnesses, they're cataloged there in Hebrews 11. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which thus so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy, who for the joy that was set before Him. What was the joy that was set before Him?

I am confident to say that the joy set before Him was to see you in the kingdom of God, to see all of those spirit beings, resurrected spirit beings in the kingdom of God, who for the joy set before Him endured the state, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself. Unless you be wearied and faint in your minds, you have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you, or unto us as children. My son despised not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of Him. Christ went through far, far more than we could ever imagine, for the joy set before Him. You see, what are you in this, what are you sitting here today? What are you in it for? You know, I'm in it for what Paul describes in Romans 1. Let's go there. Romans 1. Romans chapter 1. I think it's Romans 2. It's Romans 2. Verse 7, To them who by patience, continuance, and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life. That's what we're here for. Glory, honor, immortality, eternal life. Glory, to be born into the family of God, that which God has purposed from the beginning of time.

Apart from revelation, people try to explain human nature in terms of nature and nurture.

That is heredity versus environment. But as in the case of Adam and Eve, one can have a perfect teacher, one can be placed in a perfect environment, and one can be given perfect instructions as how to sustain life, and yet make the wrong choice, go their own way and sin.

So the Bible has to do with a coming kingdom, a coming kingdom that we can all be a part of.

The peoples who sit in services around the world today generally go back, many of them, to a radio and television program called The World Tomorrow, the good news of the coming kingdom of God and the prophecies of the world tomorrow.

And we now have a magazine and a television program titled Beyond Today.

What's out there beyond today? For I reckon that this present life is not to be compared with that which lies before us. That great expectation and hope of eternal life in the kingdom of God, which God has purposed before time began, like we read in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9.

Yes, human beings were created subject to vanity, that is, temporarily, of wanting their thing now. But those who understand what this life is all about, and the purpose of God is working out and have this worldview, and it is a worldview that transcends this present evil age. It is a worldview where the knowledge of God is going to cover the earth like the sands of the sea shore, and people will rally to you, Jerusalem, and the law shall go out from Jerusalem. The word of God from Zion, and people from all nations will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, as it says in Zechariah 14. So the Bible asserts that God is working out a great transcendental purpose on earth that will culminate in the kingdom of God, ruling and reigning over the earth. And it says in Revelation 5.10 that He has made us kings and priests, and we shall rule and reign with God and Christ forever. Let's keep those things in mind. Let our worldview be shaped by the plan and purpose of God.