Worldview Breakout

biblical-worldview-1

AY Spring Retreat 2023

Tuesday Breakout: What is a Worldview?

Pastor David Lermy & Pastor Allison Nguyen

 

Part 1: Defining Worldview

  • David’s story—developing a biblical worldview as a teen who was not raised in the church
  • Allison’s Story—developing a biblical worldview as someone who was raised in the church

Biblical Worldview:

  • Worldview – the lens through which you see the world; the codebook by which you make sense of the world
    1. a pattern of ideas; ideas you hold to truly become beliefs; beliefs you are willing to sacrifice for become convictions; convictions you are willing to live by become habits
    2. tells you what is true and false about the world and informs you how you can know it is
  • Everyone has a worldview – it’s impossible not to have one
  • What you believe about God will determine what you believe about what is real
  • What is the point of our faith if we can’t relate it to anything that people are thinking about every day
  • Good ideas are the fruit of a good worldview – if we get the root (worldview) wrong, the fruit is going to be rotten
  • Pray for the strength to actually walk the talk and practice what I preach – courage and character to live it out

Part 2: Four Elements of a Biblical Worldview

Frame Illustration: Every student receives a frame to write on

  1. THE BIBLE
  2. JESUS
  3. CHURCH
  4. CULTURE

The Bible:

  • The Bible is unique because it informs us about itself.
  • We know the Bible to be true and reliable because it says that about itself.
  • The Bible as the Word of God is noted as indistinguishable from God himself, to meditate on and then do what Holy Scripture teaches is to worship God (Psalms 56:4, 119:48; Matthew 7:24-29; James 1:22).

The Bible is . . .

  1. Inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
  2. True (Psalms 12:6, 19:7-9, 119:160; Proverbs 30:5-6; John 10:35, 17:17)
  3. Authoritative (Matthew 7:24-29; James 1:22)
  4. Clear (Psalms 119:130; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Colossians 4:4)
  5. Sufficient (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16; Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, 29:29; Proverbs 25:2; Proverbs 30:5-6)
  6. Powerful (Jeremiah 23:29; John 17:17; Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5; Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 55:10-11)
  7. Christ-Centered (Luke 24:25-27, 44-45; John 5:39-40, 46)
  8. Precious to the Believer
    • our food – Jeremiah 15:16
    • our life – Deuteronomy 32:46-47
    • our comfort – Psalm 119:50
    • our strength – Psalm 119:28
    • our guidance – Psalm 119:105
    • our desire – Psalm 119:20
    • our love – Psalm 119:97
    • our treasure – Psalm 119:72
    • our hope – Psalm 130:5
    • our joy – John 15:11
    • our encouragement – Romans 15:4

Jesus:

  • If storms come into your life and you discover that your “Jesus” foundation wasn’t as strong as you thought it was, is that a reflection on Jesus? No! But it can be a reflection of a faulty view of Jesus.
  • Faulty worldview: You are a good person – don’t need Jesus; Romans 3:9-12, 23 none of us are good
  • At some point we need to ask who is the authority – is it the word of God or something else
    • The Bible says we need Jesus and what He did on the cross for us
    • The promise of Jesus is not freedom from suffering, it’s company during suffering
    • Jesus said to expect to be hated by the world – rejection
  • When I see Jesus at the center of everything, I stop asking “How can I get a little bit more Jesus in my life” but start asking “How does Jesus at the center form everything else in my life?”
    • Jesus is more perfection – we want to become more like Him every day
  • If Jesus is who He claims to be, all His teachings are from God and must be taken seriously – we can’t pick and choose
  • Jesus isn’t a mascot – We need to define Jesus according to scripture -line up what I think about the world based on what Jesus lived and taught
  • A Jesus made in our own image can’t save us – it’s not the Jesus of reality
  • It’s important to examine what the Old Testament tells us; without it we can’t place Jesus in the metanarrative of history
  • Personal relationship, not an abstract idea

Church:

  • When we say, “the church,” we’re not talking about a building, but the people.
    • People are imperfect; therefore, we can’t be surprised when some aspects of the church aren’t what we expect (hypocrisy, people’s stories of leaving the church, church hurt, etc.). People fail, wound, tell everyone else how to live without looking at themselves, etc.)
    • Temptation thrives on false information, secrecy, and the idea that no one really cares what you do. Christian friends in the church can remind you of the truth, hold you accountable, and encourage you to do the right thing.
    • Attend despite its failures and flaws
  • Looking at the church from a Biblical worldview:
    • God wants His people to assemble
      • OT- instructs Israelites to assemble at various times and places to provide for them, hear His Word, and learn to obey Him
      • NT- disciples met regularly to learn from Jesus; Paul’s letters were sent to churches, not individuals; instructions were given for structuring and leading local churches
      • The Greek word translated “Church” in NT means “assembly”
    • The local church has a significant purpose
      • Won’t find in Scripture that the church exists to make me feel good, entertain me, promote me, provide for every spiritual need in one Sunday morning – not about me
      • It is:
        • Ministry to God – worship; celebrate His nature, give Him honor, praise for what He’s done
        • Ministry to Believers – to follow Christ means to learn, understand, and obey His teachings; church gives us instruction on how to interpret, understand, and apply the Bible; encouragement of others; God gave gifts to the local church for the equipping of believers (Ephesians 4:11-14); we train, prepare, and use the gifts we are given
        • Ministry to the World – Great commission to go into all the world and make disciples – teach them to know and obey what He taught; love the widow and orphans; stand up for the least and the lost

Culture:

Culture is trying to redefine everything, therefore making more confusion than ever. If people can decide whatever they want, who gets to say what is right or wrong? Who gets to say what a man or woman is? Who gets to say what marriage is? Who gets to say what justice looks like?

The answer to all these questions is the Bible.

Therefore, it is vital the Bible informs our worldview and not culture or popular ideas or modern philosophies, or other fads and trends that come along saying they have the answers or the truth (1 Timothy 4:7).

Going back to the Bible:

  1. Don’t be conformed to culture (Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17)
  2. Christ transforms cultural ideals (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; Romans 10:12)
  3. Engage culture with respect (Acts 17:16-24)
  4. Transform culture by turning it upside down (Acts 17:1-9)
  5. Culture changes, but God’s word does not (Hebrews 13:8)
  6. Christians are not of this world, so we are not of this culture (John 15:19)
  7. Culture will get worse before the end (2 Timothy 3:1)
  8. If we are centered in Christ, we can adequately engage culture (Colossians 2:16-17; John 14:6; Philippians 2:1-11)
  9. The church is what Jesus established to pass as truth from generation to generation (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 13:1-25; Titus 1:1-16; Acts 2:1-4; James 2:1-4)

Part 3: Apply What You Have Learned