Bruce Wendler taught us about the sin of worldliness. 

He first defined “worldliness,” referencing Ephesians 2:2, as following the darkness of Satan which infects this world in this present age.  

He indicated that we are being “worldly” when we exhibit what is described in 1 John 2:15 as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life”.  These tendencies to love the world are manifested in many ways, including sexual desire or acts outside of marriage, a desire to make ourselves important in the eyes of others, as well as a desire for ease and affluence.  These worldly desires represent idolatry and supplant our desire to love Him, because love of world and love of the Lord are mutually exclusive.   

He observed that when we are worldly, we are used as a weapon against the purposes of the Lord.  He cited the illustration of Peter in Matthew 16:21-23, where Jesus rebuked Peter and told him to “get behind me Satan,” because Peter opposed Jesus' inevitable crucifixion and resurrection.  

While the world is under the dominion of Satan (Eph 2:2) and we are aliens and exiles in this present age (Hebrews 11), we can take comfort in the fact that we are promised God’s kingdom without the influence of sin and Satan in the future in the heavenly age. 

Bruce gave us several practical steps on how to avoid and fight worldiness until that glorious day of God’s kingdom on earth comes:  

• Deny those ungodly and lustful and otherwise worldly desires, and instead live sensibly, righteously, and consistently with God’s word (Titus 2:12) 
• Seek to honor the Lord in all that we do, because doing so will push aside dishonorable desires of the world  
• ”Wake up” to truth and “snap out of” the intoxication of sin, as Jesus warned the Church of Sardis in Revelation 3:2 
• Be encouraged that even though our faithfulness and godliness may invite persecution from the world, we will be rewarded eternally  
• Take up your cross daily”, meaning live as if we are dead to this world 
• Don’t be preoccupied with this temporal life, instead, seek His purposes as set forth in His word 
• Don’t be tempted to “vicarious immorality”, where we may put popular figures on a pedestal and admire their worldly ways, such as admiring the lifestyles of the “rich and famous”   
• Know that those things we value as “treasure” represent where our heart is   (Matthew 6:19-21)
• Be aware of our sinfulness and Christ’s ability to deliver us from our sin
• Have the courage to ask others to reveal to us those areas of sin that may not be obvious to us