OceanSide church of Christ

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THIS PRESENT WORLD

Titus 2:11-12

Victor M. Eskew

INTRODUCTION

A.               There’s a saying that states:  “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

1.               This saying emphasizes how important this present world is to human beings.

2.               This present world is all we know.  All we have is here.

B.               The term “present world” is found four times in the New Testament.  There is much that we can learn from a study of these four passages of Scripture.

I.          THIS PRESENT WORLD IS EVIL IN NATURE (Gal. 1:4).

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.

A.               The word “evil” (4290) has several meanings.

1.               Hurtful:  bringing toils, annoyances, hardships

2.               In a physical sense, diseased or blind

3.               In an ethical sense, evil, wicked, bad

B.               This present evil world is:

1.               A place over which Satan is god:

a.         Satan is referred to as “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:3-4).

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

b.               In another place, Satan is said to be “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

2.               A place that is pervaded by sin, immorality, and corruption (I John 5:19).

And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

3.               A place whose inhabitants are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1).

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

4.               A place where men live for themselves and do what is right in their own eyes (I Pet. 4:2-3)

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.

                                    a.         Peter speaks of two time periods in our lives.

                                                1)         The rest of our time in the flesh

                                                2)         The time past of our life

b.         In the time past, we lived in the lust of the flesh to the lust of man and wrought the will of the Gentiles (See Romans 1:18-32).

II.         THIS WORLD IMPLIES A WORLD TO COME (Luke 18:30)

Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life ever lasting.

A.               There are many differences that could be enumerated about the two worlds.

B.               One stands out in this verse.

1.               This present world is temporary.

a.         I John 2:17

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof…

b.               II Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2.               The world to come, on the other hand, involves everlasting life.  It will last forever and ever and ever. It is, as the old song says, “A land of fadeless day.”

III.        THIS WORLD CAN BE LOVED TOO MUCH (II Tim. 4:10)

For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…

A.               In two other places in the New Testament, Demas is referred to as Paul’s “fellow laborer” (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24).

B.               There are two senses in which Demas could have loved this present world.

1.               He loved living in this present world.  He was not willing to give his life for the cause of Christ.

2.               He loved the evil, the sin, the immorality, and the wickedness of this world.

C.              Due to the context, I believe that he was guilty of the first.

1.               Paul was in prison.  He knew that execution loomed in the near future (II Tim.4:6).

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

2.               If Demas continued to associate with Paul, he, too, might face the same end.  Thus, he forsook the apostle and his friend, having loved this present world.

3.               This type of behavior is sinful in nature (Matt. 10:39).

He that findeth his life shall lose it:  and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

D.              If Demas did love the sin of this world and returned to it, he was in serious jeopardy.

1.               I John 2:15

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

2.               In fact, Peter says that his state would be worse when he returned to the world than it was before he knew the way of righteousness (II Pet. 2:20-22).

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened to them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

E.               Loving this world too much is a dangerous thing.  Our conversation is supposed to be in heaven (Phil. 3:20).

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

IV.       THE KEY IS TO LEARN “HOW” TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD (Tit. 2:11-12)

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

A.               Christians are people who are in the world, but they are not of the world.

1.               We cannot remove ourselves from the people and affairs of this life.

2.               But, we must live differently than the world lives.

B.               It is the grace of God that teaches us how to live.

1.               This grace involves the Word of God (Ps. 119:105).

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

2.               In Acts 20:32, Paul refers to the Word as “the word of his grace.”

C.              Our lives must be lived by doing two things:

1.               Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts

2.               Living soberly, righteously, and godly

CONCLUSION

A.               Our present world will either end in death, or, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

B.               This world is all we have to determine our eternal destiny.

1.               II Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

2.               Revelation 20:12

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:  and another book was opened, which is the book of life:  and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.

THIS PRESENT WORLD

Titus 2:11-12

Victor M. Eskew

INTRODUCTION

A.         There’s a saying that states:  “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

1.                This saying emphasizes how important this present world is to human beings.

2.                This present world is all we know.  All we have is here.

B.         The term “present world” is found four times in the New Testament.  There is much that we can learn from a study of these four passages of Scripture.

I.          THIS PRESENT WORLD IS EVIL IN NATURE (Gal. 1:4).

A.         The word “evil” (4290) has several meanings.

1.         Hurtful:  bringing toils, annoyances, hardships

2.         In a physical sense, diseased or blind

3.         In an ethical sense, evil, wicked, bad

B.         This present evil world is:

                        1.         A place over which Satan is god:

a.         Satan is referred to as “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:3-4).

                                    b.         Satan is also said to be “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

2.         A place that is pervaded by sin, immorality, and corruption (I John 5:19).

3.         A place whose inhabitants are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1).

4.         A place where men live for themselves (I Pet. 4:2-3)

                                    a.         Peter speaks of two time periods in our lives.

                                                1)         The rest of our time in the flesh

                                                2)         The time past of our life

b.         In the time past, we lived in the lust of the flesh to the lust of man and wrought the will of the Gentiles (See Romans 1:18-32).

II.         THIS WORLD IMPLIES A WORLD TO COME (Luke 18:30)

A.         There are many differences that could be enumerated about the two worlds.

B.         One stands out in this verse.

1.         This present world is temporary (I John 2:17; II Pet. 3:10).

2.         The world to come, on the other hand, involves everlasting life.  It will last forever and ever and ever. It is, as the old song says, “A land of fadeless day.”

III.         THIS WORLD CAN BE LOVED TOO MUCH (II Tim. 4:10)

A.         In two other places in the NT, Demas is called Paul’s “fellow laborer” (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24).

B.         There are two senses in which Demas could have loved this present world.

1.                He loved living in this present world.  He was not willing to give his life for the Christ.

2.                He loved the evil, the sin, the immorality, and the wickedness of this world.

C.         Due to the context, I believe that he was guilty of the first.

1.         Paul was in prison.  He knew that execution loomed in the near future (II Tim.4:6).

2.         If Demas continued to associate with Paul, he, too, might face the same end.  Thus, he forsook the apostle and his friend, having loved this present world.

3.                This type of behavior is sinful in nature (Matt. 10:39).

D.         If Demas did love the sin of this world and returned to it, he was in serious jeopardy.

1.         I John 2:15

2.         In fact, Peter says that his state would be worse when he returned to the world than it was before he knew the way of righteousness (II Pet. 2:20-22).

E.         Loving this world too much is a dangerous thing.  Our conversation is supposed to be in heaven (Phil. 3:20).

IV.        THE KEY IS TO LEARN “HOW” TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD (Tit. 2:11-12)

A.         Christians are people who are in the world, but they are not of the world.

                        1.         We cannot remove ourselves from the people and affairs of this life.

                        2.         But, we must live differently than the world lives.

a.         It is the grace of God that teaches us how to live.

1)         This grace involves the Word of God (Ps. 119:105).

2)         In Acts 20:32, Paul refers to the Word as “the word of his grace.”

b.         Our lives must be lived by doing two things:

1)         Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts

2)         Living soberly, righteously, and godly

CONCLUSION

            A.         Our present world will either end in death, or, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

B.         This world is all we have to determine our eternal destiny (II Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12).

THIS PRESENT WORLD

Titus 2:11-12

Victor M. Eskew

INTRODUCTION

A.         There’s a saying that states:  “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to ________.”

1.         This saying emphasizes how _____________ this present world is to human beings.

2.         This present world is all we know.  All we have is here.

B.         The term “present world” is found _________ times in the New Testament.  There is much that we can learn from a study of these four passages of Scripture.

I.          THIS PRESENT WORLD IS EVIL IN NATURE (Gal. 1:4).

A.         The word “evil” (4290) has several meanings.

1.         ___________________:  bringing toils, annoyances, hardships

2.         In a physical sense, ____________ or blind

3.         In an ethical sense, ____________, wicked, bad

B.         This present evil world is:

1.         A place over which ________________ is god:

a.         Satan is referred to as “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:3-4).

b.         Satan is also said to be “the __________ of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

2.         A place that is pervaded by _________, immorality, and corruption (I John 5:19).

3.         A place whose inhabitants are spiritually _____________ (Eph. 2:1).

4.         A place where men live for ________________ (I Pet. 4:2-3)

                                    a.         Peter speaks of two time periods in our lives.

                                                1)         The rest of our time in the flesh

                                                2)         The time past of our life

b.         In the time past, we lived in the lust of the flesh to the lust of ________ and wrought the will of the ________________ (See Romans 1:18-32).

II.         THIS WORLD IMPLIES A WORLD TO _______________ (Luke 18:30)

A.         There are many differences that could be enumerated about the two worlds.

B.         One stands out in this verse.

1.         This present world is _________________ (I John 2:17; II Pet. 3:10).

2.         The world to come, on the other hand, involves everlasting life.  It will last forever and ever and ever. It is, as the old song says, “A land of _______________ day.”

III.         THIS WORLD CAN BE _________________ TOO MUCH (II Tim. 4:10)

A.         In two other places in the NT, Demas is called Paul’s “fellow ___________” (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24).

B.         There are two senses in which Demas could have loved this present world.

1.         He loved living in this present world.  He was not willing to give his life for the Christ.

2.         He loved the evil, the sin, the immorality, and the wickedness of this world.

C.         Due to the context, I believe that he was guilty of the ____________.

1.         Paul was in prison.  He knew that execution loomed in the near future (II Tim.4:6).

2.         If Demas continued to associate with Paul, he, too, might face the same end.  Thus, he forsook the apostle and his friend, having loved this present world.

3.         This type of behavior is sinful in nature (Matt. 10:39).

D.         If Demas did love the sin of this world and returned to it, he was in serious jeopardy.

1.         I John 2:15

2.         In fact, Peter says that his state would be _________________ when he returned to the world than it was before he knew the way of righteousness (II Pet. 2:20-22).

E.         Loving this world too much is a dangerous thing.  Our conversation is supposed to be in ________________ (Phil. 3:20).

IV.        THE KEY IS TO LEARN “____________” TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD (Tit. 2:11-12)

            A.         Christians are people who are in the world, but they are not ______ the world.

                        1.         We cannot remove ourselves from the people and affairs of this life.

                        2.         But, we must live __________________ than the world lives.

            B.         It is the grace of God that teaches us how to live.

                        1.         In Acts 20:32, Paul refers to the Word as “the word of his grace.”

                        2.         This grace involves the Word of God (Ps. 119:105).

            C.         Our lives must be lived by doing two things:

                        1.         _________________ ungodliness and worldly lusts

                        2.         Living soberly, righteously, and _________________

CONCLUSION

A.         Our present world will either end in death, or, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

B.         This world is all we have to determine our eternal _______________ (II Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12).