IN SATAN'S HOUSE

Introduction

-{pray}

-{1 John 2}

-Football season is well on its way, baseball is getting close to playoff season, and hockey and basketball will start soon. This is a hot time for sports fans. While we have high hopes for our favorite teams, there are some different elements that factor into their chances of winning. One element that always seems to factor in is whether a team is the visiting or home team for a game.

~There really is an advantage to playing in your own stadium or arena. We call it the home court or home field advantage. Whether it is the loudness of the fans or the layout of the land, the home team does seem to have many advantages.

~The players know this too. So, in the heat of competition, when they want to smack-talk or try to intimidate their opponents, you’ll hear them say things like, “This is my house!” Or, “You’re in my house now!” They want to remind their opponent of the advantages they have and cast doubt into their mind whether or not they can overcome those advantages.

-As true as that is in sports, it is also true in life on a spiritual level. While we know that God is Creator over all things and is sovereign over every aspect, we also know that the Bible tells us that the world in its fallen state is under the control of Satan. Paul calls Satan the god of this age in 2 Corinthians 4:4. In John 12:31 and John 14:30 Satan is called the prince/ruler of this world. And John says:

1 John 5:19 (LSB)

19 ... the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

-So, while we live in God’s creation, there is a sense where we are in Satan’s arena. To go with my sports metaphor, we could say that we are in Satan’s house. And, in a sense, we could say that he has a home field advantage to use against us. Satan uses this world to appeal to us to try to lead us away from God. He tries to lead people away from coming to faith in Christ. But for those who have already come to faith in Christ, he uses the world to trip up our walk and lead us away from living wholeheartedly for Jesus.

-We need to be aware of this advantage that Satan uses, and counteract it through Scriptural means. We have been in a study about spiritual warfare, and today we want to talk about living faithfully while we are in Satan’s house. The lesson that I want us taking from today’s passage is that because Satan is ruler of this world, he can use it and its resources to tempt us away from a pure devotion to God, but through Christ we can overcome. Let’s look at what the apostle John tells us about this:

1 John 2:15–17 LSB

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

-{pray}

-What is it that we know about Satan’s use of and advantage in the world and what do we need to know to overcome it? Today we’re going to look at the ABC’s for not losing our devotion to God through Satan’s use of the world. First:

1) Acknowledge your true love (v. 15)

-Look again at v. 15

1 John 2:15 LSB

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

-John tells us not to love the world. Now, what exactly is meant by the world? John uses that term in several different ways throughout his written works, but what it specifically talks about here is the world system whose values, beliefs, and morals are distinct from and in rebellion against God, God’s standards, and God’s holiness. So, everything that God embraces the world system fights against, and everything that God opposes, the world system embraces wholeheartedly.

-We can see this at play in the hot button topics of the day. While God embraces life, the world embraces death. That abortion is the biggest political topic today shows how the world system embraces death—they want to kill babies. God, on the other hand, says in His Word that people are made in His image and their life is to be preserved and respected. Or consider that God created physical relations for marriage between one man and one woman, while the world perverts that in so many different ways—either perverting the definition of marriage or encouraging acts outside of marriage.

-You see, the Bible consistently tells us that this world system that is under the influence and power of Satan is opposed to God. Jesus said in John 7:7 that the world hates Him because He bears witness against its evil. And then we are told in John 15:18-19 that the world hates us because we belong to Christ whom the world hates. Jesus said in John 3:19-20 that the world embraces darkness rather than embracing Him who is the Light. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that the world’s wisdom is opposed to God’s wisdom.

-So, Jesus makes it clear in John 8:23 and John 18:36 that He is not of this world system and His kingdom has no part in this world system. That is why John is saying that you cannot embrace and love both the world system as it is and at the same time embrace God. The world hates God, and God hates the world system that opposes Him. And because they are opposed, we cannot love them both at the same time. Jesus’ words come into play here where He said:

Matthew 6:24 LSB

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

-Two powers that are polar opposites and oppose one another cannot both be loved and served. You have to make a choice which one you will have your devotion.

I guess to use a sports analogy. I am originally from Wisconsin, so I was born to be a fan of the Green Bay Packers. But the Packers have had a bitter rivalry going for 103 years with the Chicago Bears. There is great animosity between the two. Because they are bitter rivals, there is no way that someone can love both the Packers and the Bears. It just can’t happen. You will either love the Packers and hate the Bears, or you will embrace the Bears and despise the Packers (of course, I don’t know why anyone would want to do that). To say you love the Packers implies that you hate the Bears, and vice versa.

-John is saying something similar here. The world system is under the rule of Satan, and Satan and the world are in rebellion against God. And because of this hostility between them, they have nothing in common, they share no common ground, their goals and purposes fight against one another. Therefore, you cannot love both. If you love the world system as it is, you hate God. If you love God, you hate the world system.

-There is no sitting on the fence with this issue. There is no middle ground where the two can be brought into some sort of cohesion. There are many that believe they can think like the world, act like the world, and hold to the values of the world, yet sprinkle enough Jesus in there to go to heaven or be spiritual. But that’s not how it works. You cannot bring the two polar opposites together in any way. The one pushes the other away.

-So, like the prophet Elijah of old, Scripture is calling you to make a choice. In Elijah’s day, he gave Israel a choice. If Yahweh is God, then serve Him. If Baal is god, serve him. But you can’t do both. Scripture is now forcing a choice on us. If Jesus is God, then let Him be the object of your love and devotion. If Jesus is not God, then love the world all you want. But you can’t do both.

-But know this, if you love the world, then you are aligning yourself with Satan. And Satan will use the world to entrap you. How does Satan do that? That leads to our second point where we are told to:

2) Beware the pull of desire (v. 16)

-Look again at v. 16:

1 John 2:16 LSB

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

-The world, the flesh, and the devil are a single team that works against us. The devil is the agent who acts against us. The world system is sphere within which and through whom he acts. And the flesh is the means by which he acts against us.

-What do I mean by that? Very simply, the devil uses the world to appeal to our flesh to lead us astray. The devil is the enemy in rebellion against God. The world is the system that is under the devil’s influence and is rebellious in its morals and values. The devil uses that system to appeal to our flesh which is that part of us that is still corrupt and carries the sin principle that desires to sin and rebel against God.

-Everyone is born with a sin nature that separates them from God and leads them to sin. Within this flesh, within this sin nature, there are desires and lusts that are opposed to that which is holy and good and godly. Yes, we have desires that are not bad, but those desires can be led astray from that which is good.

-For those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ, while we are made new and have a new nature, we are still in the flesh and still have that flesh principle within us. Satan uses the world to entice us away from choosing to do what is pleasing to God, and instead choosing to sin against God. We could say that this is how the devil tempts people—using the world to appeal to our desires in a way that goes against God’s desired order, purpose, and will. And John warns us that following Satan’s perversion of desires shows a greater love for the world than a love for God. Again, Satan uses the world to appeal to these desires so that unbelievers remain unbelieving and that believers would stumble and fall away, taking another soldier off of the battle field.

-John describes three forms of lusts and desires to which the devil appeals through the world. First, he mentions the lust of the flesh. This refers to the cravings and desires that have their origin within the human body, mind, and will. While there are many natural desires within us, John is talking about how the world will use these desires toward illegitimate ends.

-So, while it is natural to have the desire of hunger, it can be perverted and turned around to lead someone toward gluttony. Now, I know that’s a bad sin to talk about in Baptist circles, but it is a perversion of that desire’s intention. The devil will use the world to appeal to our hunger to go overboard with our eating.

-And it’s not only a matter of falling into the sin, but the devil will use the world to change our perspective about what is sin in the flesh or he uses the world to excuse sin in the flesh. While the Bible clearly says something is sin, the devil will use the world to try to change our opinion to say that it is not sin. While the Bible says that fornication is wrong, the world says it is right and because we may want to commit that sin, we let the world change our perspective and we agree with the world rather than God. Again, you cannot love both. You cannot love your sin and the world that embraces that sin, and then turn around and say you love God.

-But John goes on to talk about the lust of the eyes. These are desires stimulated by what enters the eye. There is some crossover with lust of the flesh because when you see something you lust after it and are tempted to act out. But the lust of the eyes might refer more to the desire to illegitimately acquire that which is seen. This might more refer to envy and covetousness. I see something and I envy the one who has it or I covet it and want it no matter how wrong my acquisition of it might be. As one author stated:

In a day of billboard advertising, movie and television screens,…eye-catching magazine spreads[, and now we can add social media visuals] this aspect of the world is [very] predominant.

-Then John talks about the boastful pride of life. The word for “life” here talks about your earthly possession, your material goods. This lust talks about boasting in what one has or possesses. It is relying upon and bragging about what you own. This could mean that you pompously display your wealth so as to make others envious. It could mean that you constantly talk about yourself and your achievements and cleverness. It could mean that you completely rely on your own means and not on God.

-And what is interesting is that the devil hasn’t had to change these methods since the fall of man. Consider how he used the world to pull at these lusts in some Biblical accounts. Think of what he told Eve. It says that Eve saw that the tree was good for food—the lust of the flesh. It says Eve saw the fruit was a delight to the eye—lust of the eyes. It says that Eve saw that the tree was desired to make one wise—pride of life.

-Or consider Satan’s temptation of Christ. He tempted Christ to turn stones into bread after a 40 day fast—the lust of the flesh. Satan showed Christ all the kingdoms of the world and would give them to Him if He bowed down to the devil—the lust of the eyes. Then Satan tempted Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, float down in front of a crowd, and then they would accept Him as Messiah—the pride of life.

-We need to beware these schemes of the devil, how he uses the world against unbelievers to drag people away from faith in Christ or to drag Christians away from their devotion to Christ. And so, we are left with a choice, and John concludes this section by telling us, thirdly, to:

3) Choose what will endure (v. 17)

-Look again at v. 17:

1 John 2:17 LSB

17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

-The world and anything that it can offer are temporary—they will not endure. That’s why they are not suitable objects of our affection. The Bible is in agreement that the world as it is, the system of the world that is in rebellion to God, is passing away. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:31 that the form of this world is passing away. John tells us in Revelation 21:1 that this first heaven and earth are passing away, and we are awaiting the new and final heaven and earth. The prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 7:11 agrees with John in our passage that the lusts and sins and pleasures of this world are temporary and will pass away.

-Satan tries to deceive people that giving into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the boastful pride of life will somehow fulfill you in the long run, so indulge yourself as much as you want. Satan tries to focus you on the present, on the urgent, on the here and now, giving no thought to the future. But there is a future we have to consider—there is an eternity that we face. And if you love that which is temporary, you will miss out on that which is of eternal significance.

-In contrast John says that the one who does the will of God abides forever. What will of God is that? First, it is the will of God that people be saved. Paul talks about this:

1 Timothy 2:4 (LSB)

4 [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

-And the apostle Peter:

2 Peter 3:9 (LSB)

9 [God is] not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

-What am I talking about being saved? All people have broken God’s law and are under His just judgment. But God so loved the world that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to take our place of punishment, and He rose again to grant us eternal life. For all who repent (meaning to turn your life from loving the world to loving Christ) and believe in who Jesus is and what Jesus did, you are saved from God’s wrath, and you are given true life. Believing in Jesus is doing the will of God.

-Then it is the will of God for people after they are saved to walk in holiness. God said:

Leviticus 11:44 (LSB)

44 ‘For I am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and be holy, for I am holy.

-To be holy means to be separate—you are to live a life that is separate and different from the world system that rebels against God. You are to live a life of truth and goodness and moral value according to God’s standards, not Satan’s standards or the world’s standards. This is eternal life.

-But if you choose the temporary, if you choose to love the world instead of God, there are consequences. For the unbeliever, if you die in unbelief, loving the world, you face God’s judgment. For the Christian, if you live for the world, you face God’s discipline, you lose out on so many blessings on earth, and you lose much eternal reward, although you yourself will be saved.

-And so, we really need to consider, is it worth losing so much over that which is temporary? Choose what will endure—choose to love God, choose to love Christ, choose to love holiness, choose to love that which is heavenly and eternal. Don’t let the devil use the world to keep you from faith or to hinder your walk of faith.

Conclusion

-I’ll close with this thought. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this sermon, the news broke that pastor Steven Lawson of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas was removed from the pastorate due to an inappropriate relationship. Steven is a very famous evangelical pastor who spoke at most of the conservative bible and preaching conferences. He had a huge part in teaching preachers on how to preach. For him to fall in sin sends giant ripples throughout the American church.

-But what this story reminds us of is that this world is still very much Satan’s house. He will use the world to try to get anyone to do anything that takes glory away from God. And it doesn’t matter if you are a believer or unbeliever, Satan will use the world against you.

-If you have never believed in Jesus, don’t let Satan tempt you with a temporary world. Believe in Jesus today.

-But for the believer, don’t think that you are above the world. Satan can get you with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life just as much as anybody. Come to the altar and pray for yourselves, your family, your church, and your pastors that we all will love Jesus more than we love the world.