“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers
of men..” -Matthew 4:19
The world in the Word of God sometimes has a
different meaning than what it means in your physical science textbook. The world in the Word of God can be referred
to as the carnal desire that exists in the human heart; couple that existences
with our daily existence and you have the world. We are born into this world, we live in this
world, and this world lives in us; but it doesn’t have to. The emancipation of the heart from the world can
be accomplished through the power of Christ.
This emancipation comes from a leaving of yourself and following Jesus.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW., Washington, DC 20500. By chance, do you recognize this address? No? It
is next to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It has great big columns and a fountain on
the North lawn. Still nothing? It is white, it is a white house, The White
House. In America (and abroad in most
cases), all you have to say is “The White House” and everyone will know to what
you are referring. That said, the
building itself is just a building. If
you strip away the history created by the men and women that passed through
those halls it is nothing more than another house. The people and who they are/were, create the
distinction between a white house and The White House. The Word of God says that all that is in the
world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
(1 John 2:13). God’s Word is highlighting
the distinction between a world (i.e. Earth) and the world. Also, the men and women that live here on
Earth create the distinction between the two.
If God just made trees, water, dirt, plants, animals and no people,
there would be a world but not the world. The world is/was created when Adam
sinned in the Garden; the sinful nature in man creates the world. As the sun rises, and seasons change, so the
heart of man is naturally inclined to kill, steal, lie, cheat, etc. The world is bound by carnal law, just
like this big blue sphere is. The nature
of the world seeks to gratify the flesh and exalt the sinful nature of
man. Carnality is rooted and grounded in
serving and preserving self. It claims
that we will find peace, contentment, love, joy and happiness by doing what
makes us happy. It is all about
you. If you are seeking to define something
as worldly, look at its origin. Does the
principle of the thing fulfill lust and pride?
Has it a chief motivation to gratify self and exalt sin? The gospel of Christ is to deny yourself, die
to yourself, and follow Jesus no matter the cost. Jesus will direct your life and give you
peace, contentment, love, joy, happiness, and a home in heaven when you die. The call to follow is a call to die.
Look no further than your own heart for the end
of the world. If man is on this earth and sin is reigning in the heart of man;
there will be the world. Jesus
Christ came to destroy the world within man and bring victory over the
sin that reigns within our wicked heart.
That destruction will destroy the thirst for worldliness (Beware of
trying to destroy worldliness before you have had the world destroyed). The corruption of the world says, “Follow
You.” The simplicity of Christ says,
“Follow Him.” Salvation boils down to
one simple call to action, issued throughout the ages by Jesus Christ; which is:
“Follow Me”
