Untitled Sermon (36)

Scripture Introduction:

Our passage this morning is one that is both ridiculously simple and terribly complex.

Back in 2005 author David Foster Wallace gave a commencement speech. He told the story of two fish:

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What [__] is water?”

His point is that fish don’t know they are in water. It’s all they know. As Wallace said, “The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”

If we go back to that fish for a moment and he’s trying to figure out what “water” is…he’s probably not going to think that it’s that stuff that is all around him…that is flowing through his gills…giving him life…the thing which defines every bit of his being.

Let me show you this…I’m going to read 1 John 2:15-17 in just a moment…and it’s going to talk about “the world”. As we read that…you and I are that fish…think of the mental images, words, etc. that you attach to this word as we read this text.

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Sermon Introduction:

What is “the world” is a bit like a fish asking “what is water”. Do not love the world...

Okay, what does that mean? What is the world? What exactly am I not supposed to love?

And did you notice how important this all sounds? It’s life or death. If you love the world—it means you don’t love God. If you love the world—then you’re placing a bet on something that is passing away…you’re storing all of your treasures and belongings in a building that is going to be destroyed…that’s the picture here.

So whatever this “world” means and what it means to not “love the world” it’s incredibly important if the Scriptures are to be believed.

But let me add one more complexity here. John 3:16

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God loves the world. How do we insert that truth into a passage like this. If God loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in him. If Jesus loves the world…loves the world in such a way to die in our place…that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly…if that’s the case…then what do we do with 1 John 2? Is God not guilty of the very thing He is saying?

As we look through the Scripture we find that this word “world” is complex. It can mean earth. It can mean humanity. It can mean fallen humanity. It can mean all the things we see and touch and feel....he can mean the fish swimming in water....and it can mean a world system opposed to God and all things good.

It’s that last one that John has in his mind here. Don’t love the world system that is opposed to God.

But again…here we are swimming in that water. I’m afraid we’ll read this and immediately think that the world is “out there”. And all those things we don’t like, all those things we oppose, well those things fit neatly into this word “world”.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that in the 1800s you had people claiming the name of Christ, swearing off dancing, drinking, and card-playing as worldly while at the same time keeping slaves.

That was, for many, sadly, the water they were swimming in. We’re not immune to this. And so I think it’s dangerous to take a text like this and make it about specific things. When we do this we can run the risk of calling some things worldly that are very much part of God’s good creation AND we can ignore some things that are absolutely diminishing our love for Christ but we don’t even notice.

What, though, does John mean by not loving the world?

Look at verse 16. It’ll give us an answer…well sort of. He defines the world as “the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life”.

That’s why I said it’s “sort of” and answer. We don’t talk this way really—and so it’s hard for us to know specifically what John means. I’ll try to define them simply and then give you an example here from the life of Jesus.

Desire of flesh—this many might call sensuality. But when we use a word like that we immediately think John is talking about sexual sin…while that might be on his radar it means more. This is desire that rises within…it’s distorted needs…desiring the physical.

It’s when we have a physical need or a physical desire that gets out of its banks. Ever have to use the restroom and the preacher gives a long-winded invitation?

I HAVE TO HAVE THIS DESIRE MET AND I DON’T CARE HOW IT HAPPENS.

That’s what John means there. And then he moves on to desire of the eyes. This isn’t really a desire that comes from inside as much as it is something that catches our eyes.

Oh…that thing is what I was missing. Like Eve. Until she saw that fruit in the garden she didn’t have something from within saying…oh, man I would really like some juicy fruit that God has forbidden.

No, she saw that it was good for food. And what is happening here is that we’re seeing something and thinking to ourselves I have to have this thing. If I have this then that’ll make me full…this will give me comfort and security.

I NEED THIS THING TO BE SAFE AND VALIDATED AND I DON’T CARE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET IT

John then says the “pride of life”. Some might translate this as “pride in possessions.” It’s stuff. It’s root is self-glory.

Stacking yourself up against other people. I want to be the greatest. Earlier I had mentioned David Foster Wallace....here is another part of that essay. He was speaking about things that he is absolutely certain in—but in reality probably wrong…wrong because he’s a fish that doesn’t know he is in water and can’t get outside of that water to get a better perspective. He said this:

Here is just one example of the total wrongness of something I tend to be automatically sure of: everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute centre of the universe; the realest, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centredness because it’s so socially repulsive. But it’s pretty much the same for all of us. It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute centre of. The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people’s thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real.

That is, I believe, similar to what John is talking about here. That is the bent of the world. The system opposed to God—it says, “you’re in the center. It’s all about you.”

We can see this all in the temptation of Jesus. Some think that John might have even had the temptation of both Adam Eve and the Lord Jesus in mind in this text. I’m not certain that it’s explicit or obvious that he is doing this…but I can see it. It certainly does fit.

Look at how Jesus was tempted. The first one was when Jesus was really hungry…hadn’t eaten for 40 days. I get hangry and disappointed in my life choices if I pick the wrong lane at McDonald’s. 40 days! Oh, dear.

But Satan comes to Jesus and says “turn this stone to bread.” You’re hungry…get what you want. Grab it. Take it. Doesn’t matter how you get it.

I fulfill my needs. That’s the world system. That is what John is saying here not to love.

I don’t expect many to know this song but there is a song by Ariana Grande…and in it she says:

… I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it (yeah)

That’s what it means to love the world. And that lust of the flesh..I want it…I got it…it keeps swelling. It’s like any addiction. It stops satisfying and so you need more and more and more and more…but nothing ever satisfies.

The second temptation of Jesus, at least in Matthew, is when he tells Jesus to throw himself down from the temple. On the face of it that doesn’t sound like “desire of the eyes”.

But what is really happening here is that Satan is trying to offer Jesus security. Do this thing and it’ll prove who you are. It’ll help you to have confidence that you are safe.

He quotes Psalm 91 to Jesus. It’s really materialism that he is offering Jesus. Safety and security by an obvious display…something you can touch with your hands.

I like what John Piper says on this point:

These temptations are amazingly relevant for American Christianity. Satan skips over adultery, fornication, stealing, lying, murder—those temptations are too obvious. Those are the games that sub-devils play with weak saints. Jesus is no fall guy. When Satan means business with a strong saint, he sticks with religion and he makes the Bible his textbook. See if this doesn’t sound contemporary. “If you are a child of God, why are you living like a pauper? If you are a child of the king, why don’t you live like a prince? The children of the king don’t eat casseroles, they eat steak. The children of the king don’t drive second-hand clunkers, they drive new cars. The children of the king don’t shop at Rag Stock, they shop on the Mall. The children of the king don’t throw their lives away in Liberia or Cameroon or Ecuador or Japan, living on a shoestring, building no reserves. If you are a child of the king, claim your blessings. God has promised to send his angels to make you healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Throw yourself into these blessings. The best testimony you can be to your status as an heir of God is to be wealthy and have the best of everything.”

What does it mean to love the world? It’s materialism. Getting security through stuff. Whatever it takes to feel safe. Once again, Jesus didn’t bite.

And so now we have that third temptation. It’s the temptation of self-glory. Satan takes Jesus up and says, “look at all of this…I’ll give it to you…just worship me.” You can rule the world. That’s what he is telling him. You’ll be king. Isn’t that all of our desires…As Tears for Fears sang in the 80s “Everybody wants to rule the world...”

What he’s offering here is for Jesus to fulfill his calling without suffering. He’s giving him the END that he’s supposed—glory, authority. BUT He’s giving it to Him by the wrong means.

I love how Russell Moore teases this out. He notes that:

What was at stake in the third temptation was the gospel. Think about the implications of this offer. If Jesus had accepted it, Satan would have surrendered his reign of terror. Jesus could have directed the kingdoms of the world however he wanted. No more babies would be miscarried. No more women would die in childbirth. Ended immediately would be all human slavery, all genocide, all disease, all poverty, all torture, and all ecological catastrophes. The rows and rows of crosses across the highway of the Roman Empire would suddenly be gone. There would never be a Nero or a Napoleon or a Hitler or a Stalin, or at least you would never hear the infamy of those names. There would be no world of divorce courts and abortion clinics and electric chairs and pornographic images. Whatever is troubling you right now would be gone, centuries before you were ever conceived. This sounds like paradise.

Well then why didn’t he take the offer? If Jesus came to be a king, if he came to be glorified, if he came to rescue....then why not take this offer. He would have had it all at his disposal without suffering?

He didn’t take the offer because he didn’t just come to be a king. He came to be the king whom the Father sets upon the throne. It’s not just to rule…it’s to rule as an image bearer of God.

This is what it means to love the world.

I want it…I don’t care how I get it.

Oh, that thing will give me security…I’m going to grab it.

It’s all about me...

That, friends, can look like someone who is plunged headlong into addiction—harming friends and family, putting self at the center…whatever it takes to get high.

And it can look like the person who is all cleaned up, doesn’t drink, smoke, curse, chew, or go with girls who do…and is robbing his family of precious time, robbing his neighbor through materialism, doing whatever it takes to get ahead—squashing the poor.

Now you might hear some of this and substitute the word “fun” into the places where it says “love the world”. And you’re thinking that God is a big kill joy.

Don’t love anything that will bring about fun, or security, or make you feel good about yourself. Just forget about all those things…God hates them.

But really the reason why God is opposed to these things is because He doesn’t want you drinking poison. They don’t last…the world never satisfies. The world never ultimately provides security...

That is also what John is telling us. He gives us two reasons why we shouldn’t love the world. First, because it’s incompatible with loving God. You can’t be enamored with the world system, bent this way, thinking this way…and love God at the same time.

You can’t say…I want it, I got it…and at the same time say “here I am, send me”.

The second reason John says is because “the world is passing away along with its desires.” Now, again I think we often read this the wrong way…as if God is going to just smoke the cosmos out…burn it all to the ground, take us up into clouds where we float and play the harp.

That’s not what John is saying here. He’s saying that this world system is passing away…this way of thinking will be gone. Much like a light shining in darkness and overcoming that darkness…the darkness is passing away.

Or to put that another way…Jesus has conquered this world system. He’s conquered that way of thinking, living, loving, believing…that leaves you empty and shattered and broken and worn out. He’s ending that. He’s put death in its grave.

Why would I want to hop back in the grave and snuggle up to the carcass of the world system? When we have this promise that whoever does the will of God abides forever?

At the beginning I quoted David Foster Wallace…I’m going to go back to that commencement speech. He said one more thing:

“Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship…is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough…Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you…Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is…they’re unconscious. They are default settings.”

Foster Wallace wasn’t a theologian…likely not even a Christian…but he is spot on here.

We all worship something. Wallace was both right and wrong in his assessment, though. For him it mattered that we not worship that which has our self at the center. This is correct. His assessment of the result of worshipping money, power, pleasure, etc. is spot on. Yet, he also seemed to say it doesn’t matter which higher power we worship. It can be Christ or a Wiccan mother-goddess.

You either worship the world…and all the fading things..or you worship the living God.

There is another principle with worship that we must consider. G.K. Beale is credited with the phrase, “We become what we worship.” He says it this way,

“People will always reflect something, whether it be God's character or some feature of the world. If people are committed to God, they will become like him; if they are committed to something other than God, they will become like that thing, always spiritually inanimate and empty like the lifeless and vain aspect of creation to which they have committed themselves.”

What Beale is saying…really what John is saying…is that we’re either on a death spiral…becoming more and more like that which is passing away…or we’re rightly worshipping.

You really can’t have a foot in both worlds. That’s not saying we don’t struggle with the pull of the world…but John is talking here about trajectory. If the bent of our heart is to love the world…then we can’t at the same time be loving God.

Which is it today?

Do you believe God? Do you believe that He is the lasting treasure? That He is the source of joy and all that is good? Or do you believe the world will give it?

Do you want what is “from the Father” or what is “from the world”?