in this audio sermon and article Pastor Bob uses the movie Hidden Figures to illustrate three bible facts about all humans. An understanding of these bible facts will help to gain a proper bible understanding of a Christian Worldview. This message was shared at Fountain of Life on Sunday, September 10, 2017. The audio portion of the teaching will be interrupted by the audio portion of clips that were played.
I don’t know if you have even stopped to consider that you have a world view. A “worldview” is a way of thinking about truth and reality. It sums up the basic conclusions about life and meaning that a person figures out and lives by, either consciously or unconsciously. James Sire, in The Universe Next Door, gives the following definition of “worldview”:
A world view is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic make-up of our world.
Certainly, if we base our world view off the Word of God we know that we can have a true understanding of our world.
I love the movies that is called Hidden Figures. It is the true story of three brilliant African-American women at NASA: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. They serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race and took us one more step closer to putting a man on the moon. These ladies were in the genius category. But that is not the real story. The real story of this movie is about three women who were over-comers, who dared to challenge the status quo and believe that things can change.
The setting is in the early 1960’s. Let’s just take a look at a small part of the injustice they had to endure: lower pay, having to use a “colored bathroom” not being able to check out books from the public library except in the “colored section” and having to have completely separate work areas. Even the coffee pot had to be a “colored coffee pot”. Ridiculous right? I cannot imagine living under such conditions. As I watched this movie, I wondered how much of a role their faith had. In the movie, it showed them attending church, praying with the kids, at a church picnic. I definitely think it was God who had a hand in placing them where they were at so that God could show some powerful things about their lives. The truths learned shown in this movie illustrate why we need to have A Christian Worldview.
I want to give you three bible facts about humanity.
Fact number one.
- ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
That wonderfully intelligent woman, Katherine Johnson, who at least in the movie was seen in church, praying with her family at home, was made in the image of God. It was God who gave her intelligence. But even if she had been born mentally challenged, she still would be made in God’s image.
Genesis 1:26-27 NIV “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
A proper view of humanity begins by understanding that all human beings are created in God’s image. And so, if we see the world through those eyes we will look at our neighbor and understand that they have value. That is why Christians can’t throw people away. They have value! Well what about old people? Our society discounts the value they bring when thinking they have served their purpose. God says they have value. What about downs syndrome people? They too have value as they are created in God’s image. The list could go on and on. Some view people of a different race, or social background, or those who have made grave errors in life as less valuable. But God doesn’t and neither should we as believers. Every person on the planet has value to God because they were created in his image.
Acts 17:26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”
He made from one blood every nation. We can all trace our linage back to Adam. Therefore, in a Christian world view, there is no place for prejudice or any dividing line. We cannot allow for social standing, or politics, or race, or background to divide us. If you are a believer with a Christian Worldview, you will not allow any idea of prejudice in your life.
ACTION POINT: WE MUST STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND TARE DOWN WHAT IS WRONG
Two of the greatest and most powerful scenes in the movie is when Katherine Johnson returns from having to walk one half of a mile one way just to use the “colored restroom”. She is reprimanded by her boss who really has no idea why she is gone so long. She does a wonderful job standing up for injustice. The next scene shows her boss removing the sign for the “colored restroom.”
They stood up for what was right and tore down what was wrong. When I was fourteen I confronted my own grandmother for using a racial name. She repented and came to me in tears. But if you are a believer, it is your job to stand up for social injustice.
Fact number 2
- ALL HUMAN BEINGS WERE BORN INTO A FALLEN RACE
I don’t care who you are, if you a descendent of Adam, you have to accept this fact. You are a part of a fallen race. Eve sinned. She ate of the fruit. Then Adam sinned. And from that one man, sin entered into the world. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—”
The Christian view doesn’t view the problems of the world as being political. We see them as having spiritual ties. The Christian view of life doesn’t view pain, and sickness, and hurt and difficulty and disappointment as just a natural part of life. All of those things have a tie back to human nature and ll human nature has suffered the fall.
We are born into sin and we are sinners. Someone once said, “We aren’t sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.” And because of sin there is pain. Pain comes because we are in a fallen world. We have all felt pain as a of someone’s sin and sometimes as a result of our own sin. When you see the world through those eyes… you realize something powerful: Every man, woman, boy, and girl on the planet needs Jesus and his love, forgiveness and grace.
The ground is level at the foot of the cross. There is no one who gets to heaven because of their own effort and their own self-righteous acts. The only way to get to heaven is by the shed blood of Jesus. You won’t be able to work your way in or buy your way in. No amount of good works will get you in. Even if you give your body to be burned and all your money away to the poor. That won’t get you in. The only way you or I will ever enter heaven is when you realize that you are a sinner in need of Jesus Christ and his blood to wash your sins away.
That means that no one is better than someone else. We are all sinners.
Sometimes people get boastful of their own actions. They say, “I make more money than they do. I have more stuff. I work harder. I am smarter.” They say that but don’t even stop to think that everything you have been given has been because of God. All that we are, all that we have accomplished, all that we have done has been as a result of the grace of God. He is the giver of opportunity, promotion, and blessings. Even drive and ambition are all a part of God’s grace to us given to us by circumstances, and the people around us. This is all part of a Christian Worldview.
ACTION POINT: DON’T BE SURPRISED BY SIN IN A FALLEN WORLD
The civil war fought over a century ago, the civil rights movement was active decades ago. You would think that what millions of people fought for would now be in full effect: Equality. Justice. Freedom. Yet our world lacks. Martin Luther King’s dream of a society where a man is not judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character is not seen everywhere. It is unfortunate that there is still hate in the world. When we see hatred like we saw in August of 2017 in Charlotteville, North Carolina, it should not surprise us.
I wish I could tell you that society will get better and better. But a biblical world view tells me just the opposite. It tells me that as the world progresses, mankind will regress. As the end times get closer, and the last days are upon us. It’s not going to get better. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Don’t be surprised at the hate in the world. Because it is simply a sign of the fallenness of humanity.
ACTION POINT: WE SHOULD MODEL A LOVING COMMUNITY
The community that was present in the early church was a very close nit loving caring community. So much so that they sold things and had all things in common. It was a powerful proclamation to the world in its day.
God is looking for a church that cares deeply about each other. One of the beautiful things about the church I pastor is that there are people of many nations and races that love and respect each other. Unfortunately, in my career as a pastor, I have seen some moments when believers were not loving of each other. Thinking of those moments reminds me of this verse in 1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
The church is meant to be a demonstration to the world of the love of God. How will the world know that we are the true children of the Living God? It will not be because of the size or beauty of our buildings, or the amazing technology we employ, or even because of our right doctrine.
Jesus said this in John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
In a world where racial tensions and politics and social class divides. We must model to the world the love of God.
Fact number 3
- ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE GIFTS AND TALENTS
In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The Master gave talents to his servants. To one he gave five. To another he gave two. And yet to another he just gave one. I know when the parable of the talents is spoken of in KJV English that it refers to money. But God also gives people talents. It seems like some people get more talent and ability and others get less.
How many of you know a 5 talent person? Some of you may feel I didn’t even get one talent. But the one thing we have to remember is to use what God has given us for his honor and glory!
Katherine Johnson received a lot of intelligence from God. Her ability in math was a gift from God. But she also was willing to apply herself. She had to study. The beauty of her life was that she used what God had given her. And her life now becomes years later an example of someone who overcame. She is powerful example to our world. Take what God has given to you and overcome.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
All of us need to use the talents and abilities God gave us to serve others. Can you cook? Do you know what a blessing you could be to a ministry like Celebrate Recovery? Do you know what a blessing that skill is when you bring food to a family that has lost a loved one?
Can you laugh? I have enjoyed getting to know a new friend by the name of Shaun because he has a talent. It actually is a gift. He laughs. His laughter is contagious. If you are a mechanic, use that ability to help a single mom free of charge. If you can clean, find someone that is going through a difficult moment, maybe they are sick physically, or maybe aged, and simply go clean their house.
We have the Idea that we have to be something special, have a mind like this woman had, do something big in order to receive a reward. Katherine Johnson was given a medal by President Barak Obama for her accomplishments and service to her country. I want you to know that if you give a cup of water in the name of Jesus, you will receive a reward.
ACTION POINT: TOGETHER WE CAN IMPACT OUR WORLD
I believe that it was an accomplishment to send John Glen into orbit. But that didn’t just take the skill and the ability of one person. That took a team. That took a nation. That took dozens and dozens of people all working toward the same goal. It is together we can make a difference.
That is the power of the local church. God will work through us. I believe that we can make a difference.
