Este Mundo Não É Meu Lar
Romanos 1:24-32
There's an old hymn that goes,
" This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through;
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME!
Abraham the father of faith and of the Jewish nation felt that this old world was not his final goal.
Hebrews 11:10 - "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
Hebrews 13:14 - "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOMEPhil 3:20 - "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" (The word "conversation" here means "citizenship".)
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
Read Revelation 21:1-5
Read Revelation 21:22-27
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
And this world is not your home either, if you have placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. John 3:36
Are you a citizen of Heaven?
If you are you can say, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through!"
Peter calls those of us who are citizens of heaven "strangers and pilgrims". This world is not our permanent home!
Christian it is of extreme importance that you understand something. This world, as it is today, is not where your affections and interests are to lie. You have something better.
Today we look at the nature of this old world and exactly what it is like because of its rebellion against God. You and I should look at this passage of Scripture describing this world and say, THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME: WHERE SENSUALITY IS PERSISTENT
- Vss. 24-25
God has responded to man's rebellion by giving them "up" or "over" to their own wickedness!
Vs. 24 - Mankind rebelled against God, and God permitted them to go! They were given over to uncleanness or impurity because of their own lust!
While the word lust can refer to any natural desire, it was most often used to refer to that which was carnal, fleshly, and sinful.
It is from within that man's sensual, sinful activity come. Matthew 15:19
Notice that men end up dishonoring their own bodies between themselves. Many of man's sins are of a sensual nature. God honored man by giving him the beauty of sex in marriage. Genesis 2:22-24
Man has taken the beauty of sex in marriage and replaced it with sensual lusts, going beyond what is normal and beautiful.
Hebrews 13:4 - "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."
Sex within marriage is a beautiful thing.
But sensuality is all around us, outside of the marriage bonds.
How many people do you know who are living together instead of being married?
How many people do you know who have committed adultery?
How many Television shows have you seen that treat sex outside of marriage as permissible and sometimes even funny?
How many products have you seen advertised by scantily clad women and men who are "hunks"?
How many times a day are you bombarded with the thought that if it feels good to you, it's all right?
Vs. 25 tells us why this all happens. People have exchanged the truth about God into a lie! People worship the creature instead of the creator! The creature wants to be like God or even superior to God. That was Satan's desire when he rebelled against God. That was Eve's desire when she took the forbidden fruit.
Man is involved in sensuality because he wants to worship himself!
He wants to make himself feel good!
He wants himself to be comfortable!
He wants himself to be gratified!
And think of this, when we make our plans and ourselves more important than God and His plans, we are worshiping ourselves!
Even those of us who are Christians need to watch out for that!
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME: WHERE SEX IS PERVERTED - Vss. 26-27
God has allowed mankind to go another step "down".Sensuality and all sorts of sin involving sex and the worship of the creature are bad enough.
But mankind has gone a step further into the world of perversion.
Women and men both have gotten involved in homosexuality.
Homosexuals are trying to tell us that their alternate lifestyle is "normal", and that there should be "same-sex" marriages.
And anyone who resists allowing homosexuals to be treated as normal is branded as a bigot.
My friends, it is God who says right here that homosexuality is not normal.
My friends, it is God who says that homosexuality is sin!
My friends, it is God who says that homosexuality is perverted!
My friends, it is God who says that He has judged man because of homosexuality at the end of Vs. 27.
We are to love those who are outside of Christ and treat them respectably, but we can not approve of the sin of homosexuality any more than we can approve of lying, cheating, stealing, ungodly anger, gossip or murder.
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME: WHERE SIN IS PREVALENT - Vss. 28-32
Here is a long list that shows just how prevalent sin is. I quickly explained what each word meant when I preached this sermon.
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME, I'M JUST A PASSING THROUGH! I'm looking for a city whose builder and maker is God! This life is temporary! And I'm glad. I'm glad!
But wait a minute, if the world is this wicked, and it is, what should our response be to it as those who are leaving this world for a better world?
1 Peter 2:11 - We are to abstain from the fleshly lusts which we just itemized here in this passage. We are not to be participants in the same evil that the world participates in, because we are citizens of Heaven.
For example we are not to be envious like the world.
We are not to be immoral or sensual like the world.
We are not to break our promises, like the world.
We are not to disobey our parents, like the world.
We are not to be greedy like the world.
We are not to be malicious like the world.
1 John 2:15-17 - If this world is not your home, don't act like it is!
We remain attached to this old world, and then wonder why we make no progress in the Christian life. If we love this world, we are not acting like citizens of the next world.
In closing, let me ask you this question, "What are you holding on to that belongs to this world?"
Is it jealousy, pride, immorality, gossip, maliciousness, anger?
Whatever it is, leave at the foot of cross.
Give it to Jesus and move on in Godliness.
If you are a citizen of Heaven, act like one!
If you are not a citizen of Heaven, become one!THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
APIBS Asia-Pacific Institute of Biblical Studies
tradução por Valdenira N. de M. S.
Somente use Bíblias traduzidas do Texto Tradicional (aquele perfeitamente preservado por Deus em ininterrupto uso por fieis): BKJ-1611 ou LTT (Bíblia Literal do Texto Tradicional, com notas para estudo) na bvloja.com.br. Ou ACF, da SBTB.