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The Series Title:

“Walking in the Light: A Journey Through 1 John” wk. 6

Last week’s emphasis:

*We are commanded to love one another like Jesus demonstrated love.

* You’re deceived if you say you walk in the light but have hate, dislike, or hostility towards your brother/sister.

Today’s Title:

A Love That Lasts

Today we will be continuing in chapter 2 of the book of 1 John.

We are focusing on verses 15-17 today and this will lead us into Easter Sunday.

There was a man who had spent his whole life building the perfect home.

It had everything from custom woodwork, imported furniture, art pieces from around the world, and state-of-the-art everything.

He poured his time, money, and passion into that house. It was his pride. His identity.

One night, a fire broke out. He was away when the call came.

As he raced home, he could see the orange glow lighting up the sky.

By the time he arrived, firefighters had done all they could.

His house and everything he had spent his life building was reduced to ash.

As he stood there, numb, a neighbor approached and said, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

And with tears in his eyes, he whispered, “I spent my entire adult life loving the wrong things.

And none of it followed me out of the fire.”

Have you ever felt like you’ve often pour yourself into things that won’t last like success, possessions, status, worldly pleasures.

1 John tells us this world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God is he who abides forever.

Question?

What are you building your life on? (Is it on something that will last?)

What are you loving most? (Is it on something that will last?)

Part 1

A Love That Distracts

1 John 2:15 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.

Definition of "the world" (Greek: Kosmos) does not refer to the physical earth or the people God created it.

(John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world in that sense.)

Instead, in this context, “the world” refers to the spiritual system of rebellion against God.

A fallen, man-centered way of thinking and living that opposes God’s will.

Let’s look at three ways this use of the world is in operation.

1. Values and beliefs that are anti-God (Self exalting, living for pleasure, status, power)

2. Sinful desires and motivations (desires of the flesh, the eyes and pride in possessions)

3. The influence of Satan (Satan as god of this world is the ultimate influence)

Loving “the world” means aligning your heart and lifestyle with things that are temporary, corrupted, and in opposition to God’s Kingdom.

When we allow ourselves to be aligned with the world, it becomes impossible to fully love God.

Loving the world competes with loving the father.

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

What you love shapes how you live and what you live for.

As we approach Resurrection Sunday, it reminds me of how the people of Jesus' day loved the world so much that they rejected their King.

Question?

Ask yourself:

“What holds my heart more, this world or Christ?”

We had A Love That Distracts.

Part 2

A Lust That Destroys

1 John 2:16 ESV

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.

These are the same temptations the serpent used in Eden.

Genesis 3:6 ESV

So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

And these are the same temptations that Jesus overcame in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:4 ESV

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:7 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Matthew 4:10 ESV

hen Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

*Desires of the flesh: Cravings for pleasure outside God’s will.

*Desires of the eyes: Coveting, greed, discontentment.

*Pride of life: Boasting in what we have, not in who we serve.

These are death traps that Jesus died to free us from.

Question?

What temptations did Jesus overcome for me, that I refuse to let Him help me overcome in my life?

We had a Love That Distracts.

A Lust That Destroys.

Part 3

A Life That Endures

1 John 2:17 ESV

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The world is temporary; God’s Kingdom is eternal.

When John writes that its desires are passing away (Greek: paragetai) is present tense, meaning it’s already in the process of fading or disintegrating.

Why cling to something that’s already dying when you can cling to something that will abide forever?

That’s what doing the will of God is.

Believing in Jesus and following His ways are eternal.

Anything else is temporary.

Jesus died to give us a forever kind of life.

Isaiah 40:8 ESV

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Matthew 24:35 ESV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Question?

Is Easter just about what Jesus died for or is it also about what He rose to offer?

(eternal life)

In Closing:

Next week, we celebrate the resurrection, the victory over everything in this world that tries to pull us away from God.

Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good.

He came to make dead people alive.

So, this week, today walk away from what’s dying, so that next week we can walk into what’s alive!

What is Holy Spirit saying to you?

Thank you for tuning in and we’ll see you next week.