Living For What Lasts

Intro:

One of the most difficult duties for a Christian is to live in the world without the world living in him.

Now, that’s not very easy to do, is it?… We can’t escape the world… … We work in it, we shop in it, we raise our families in it, and we’re surrounded by its values every single day…

and so many people think that life would be so much better if they could just stay at home and never have to interact with any of the world ever again…

But Jesus never told us to run away from the world — But He did tell us to live differently while we’re in it.

In John 17, Jesus prayed for His current disciples and future followers and said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one.”

In other words, we’re meant to be in the world, but not of it.…

We’re called to shine as lights, not blend in with the darkness.…

But that’s where the struggle comes in… Because the world doesn’t just stay outside — it’s constantly trying to get inside.

Every commercial, every social media post, every headline tells us what we should value, what we should want, and what success supposedly looks like.

If we’re not intentional, the world starts shaping our hearts — and before we realize it, we start thinking like it, loving what it loves, and chasing what it chases.

Romans 12:2 gives us the warning:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

That word “conformed” means molded or shaped.

Every day, the world is trying to mold us into its image — to make us think its way, live its way, and love its way. And if we aren’t careful, we can become so influenced by the world that we lose our distinctiveness as followers of Christ.

Now, here’s what makes this even more challenging:… the world can look really good.

It’s full of things that catch our attention — success, comfort, entertainment, recognition… None of which are wrong in and of themselves… but when they capture our hearts, they become substitutes for God.

Have you ever bought something you really wanted — maybe a new phone, a new car, or some sort of gadget — and for a while you were thrilled with it? But after some time, it wasn’t new anymore. The shine wore off. It got scratched, outdated, or replaced by a newer version.

That’s the story of the world. Everything it offers looks exciting for a moment… but it never lasts… It always fades.

And that’s why one of the greatest challenges for every believer is learning how to live for what lasts.

To be in the world, but not of it.

To enjoy what God gives, but not let those things take God’s place.

To live in a temporary world with an eternal perspective.

Because at the end of the day, everything around us is passing away — but God’s truth, God’s Word, God’s will, and God’s love will endure forever.

That’s what John wants to remind us of in our passage for today… He’s going to help us understand how to keep our hearts centered on what’s eternal, even while we live in a world that’s always pulling us toward what’s temporary.

In the few verses that we will cover today, we will hopefully see how to live for what lasts.

Read vv. 15-17

Meat:

This is another example of the fact that John does not sugar coat his words.… When it comes to Loving God and Loving the World… John makes it very clear that…

1. You Cannot Love Both

In fact, it is a very direct command.

1 John 2:15 “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.”

John doesn’t leave any room for compromise here. He says plainly — you can’t love both…

Before we go any further I think we better clarify what we mean by “the World”…

The Greek word translated “world” is kosmos, which can have several meanings in Scripture depending on the context:…

It could be talking about…

The created order – the physical universe God made and called “very good.”

The people of the world whom God loves – humanity, the objects of God’s redeeming love.

The sinful system of values that opposes God – the moral and spiritual order under Satan’s influence, standing in deliberate rebellion against the Creator.

Here in 1 John 2… we are looking at the 3 sense of the word… the world as a moral and spiritual system in rebellion against God.

John speaks of the world as an invisible, yet powerful system of thought, desire, and behavior that shapes culture and influences human hearts.

A heart that truly belongs to God, cannot also belong to the world…

But here’s the struggle…

1.1 The World has a Powerful Pull

We live in a world that constantly competes for our affection. It calls to us through success, possessions, pleasures and even through the false comforts of drugs or alcohol… It promises fulfillment but always leaves us wanting more.

Warren Wiersbe once said “The Christian life is a constant struggle between two loves — the love of the world and the love of the Father. One will grow as the other fades.”

The world has a way of looking attractive — it’s fun, it’s easy, it’s socially acceptable — but it slowly draws our hearts away from God.

And the reality is… The more we give in to the pull of the world’s way of thinking, the less room there is for God’s presence and priorities in our lives.

Because…

1.2 The World wants to Replace God

John said… “...If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

That’s because the world doesn’t just compete with God — it wants to replace Him.

In John 12 Jesus described Satan as the “ruler of this world”… meaning that the entire worldly system ultimately reflects the character of Satan himself… he is deceitful, proud, and opposed to all that is holy.

What did he tell Adam and Eve to get them to eat the forbidden fruit?

Genesis 3:5 NKJV

5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

“You can be your own god”… … And From that day until now, the world system has been built around that same mindset — a life that leaves God out and puts self in His place.

And that’s why John draws such a sharp line. He knows that if we start loving the world’s values, we’ll slowly stop loving God’s…

Charles Spurgeon said it perfectly:

“If you love the world, it will enter into your heart and push out the love of the Father; but if the love of God fills your soul, there will be no room for the love of the world.”

The world doesn’t mind you believing in God — as long as you don’t love Him more than you love its system.

It wants to be your first love, your greatest pursuit, your main concern… … That’s why John warns: Don’t fall for it. Don’t let the world take the place that belongs to God alone.

Adrian Rogers once said… “The world will try to squeeze you into its mold, but Jesus wants to shape you into His image.”

John says, you cannot love both… If you want to live for what lasts, you must decide which love will rule your heart.

Our 2nd point is a major truth that Satan doesn’t want you to realize or believe… and that is the fact that…

2. The World Offers Fake Love

John tells us why we can’t love the world and love God at the same time. It’s because the world’s version of love is fake … it looks good on the outside, but it can’t satisfy on the inside.

John says in v.16…

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

You see, the world’s version of love is built on emotion and experience, not on truth and commitment. It tells us that love is about how someone makes us feel, what we can get out of a relationship, or how much attention we receive. That kind of “love” changes as quickly as our moods do.

The world says, “As long as you make me happy, I’ll love you.” But the moment the feeling fades or the thrill dies, so does the, so called “love”… Folks, that’s not love... that’s merely convenience… and as soon as it becomes inconvenient to love you… when you no longer meet their expectations, or when loving you costs them something… that fake “love” disappears.

Here in v.16 John exposes three ways that fake love shows up.

He starts with “The Lust of the Flesh”… That’s…

2.1 Self Gratification

The “lust of the flesh” refers to sinful cravings… when we let our desires rule instead of letting God rule.

It’s the powerful pull to satisfy our bodies or emotions without ever stopping to ask, “Does this please God?”

The world says, “If it feels right, then it must be right.”… Right?… … But that’s not love… that’s selfishness dressed up as freedom.

You see, This is where so many people get confused today. The world defines freedom as doing whatever I want… but God defines freedom as doing what’s right.

True freedom isn’t the ability to say “yes” to every desire… True freedom is simply having the ability to choose right from wrong… God didn’t create us to be robots, He created us with a will.

He has given us the ability to make real choices. But He also gave us the wisdom of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit so we could make the right choices.

We have to keep in mind that Satan is the master of deception… He doesn’t usually show up waving a pitchfork… he shows up twisting the truth just enough to make a lie sound like freedom.

He still tells people today,

You deserve to choose what’s right for you.

You should live your truth.

You’re in control of your body, your life, your identity.

Those are the world’s categories of so-called freedom — freedom of choice, freedom of life, freedom of gender, freedom from authority.

But let’s be honest… that’s not really freedom. That’s just rebellion dressed up as independence...

It sounds empowering, but it leads to emptiness. It promises liberty, but it ends in slavery.

Jesus said in…

John 8:34 ESV

34 ... “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

There’s always a battle going on inside of us. The Spirit pulls us toward obedience, while the flesh pulls us toward indulgence. The world will cheer for the flesh every time — it will tell you, “You deserve it. Follow your heart. Don’t let anyone tell you no.”

But following the flesh always leads to bondage. It promises pleasure, but it produces emptiness.

John Piper said “Sin gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be happier if I follow it.”

When we read through Scripture and it talks about “The lust of the Flesh” we need to know that its not just talking about immoral behavior… … We are talking about a sinful mindset that says “My desires matter more than God’s direction.”

We need to know that self gratification is a form of fake love offered by the world to try and get our focus more on ourselves than God.

John goes on to say that the world’s fake love is…

2.2 Based on Appearances

This of course is “the lust of the eyes”… which refers to the craving to have what we see… … that constant appetite for more, the desire to possess what catches our attention.

The world teaches us that love is all about what looks good… That’s why so much of our culture is built around appearance… how we look, what we own, how successful we seem.

Advertising runs on this principle. It tells you that if you drive the right car, wear the right brand, or look the right way, you’ll be accepted and admired.

When in reality, its all fake…

What does Scripture say?…

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV

7 “… the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Matthew Henry Writes “The lust of the eyes draws the heart from God by setting before it false beauties and deceitful charms.”

That’s exactly what the world does, by painting sin in attractive colors. It glorifies what’s temporary and hides the consequences… And if we’re not careful, our eyes can pull our hearts away from God.

Scripture is full of warnings about what happens when people stop guarding their eyes.

At the very beginning, Eve’s eyes led her into disobedience. She saw the fruit, desired it, and took it.

Achan’s eyes led him into greed and theft. He saw the Babylonian garment and the gold, and he couldn’t resist.

David’s eyes led him into lust and adultery, He saw Bathsheba and forgot who he was and who God was… and his initial sin later resulted in murder…

The “lust of the eyes” still draws people away from God today, just like it did to these and many other examples throughout Scripture.

John is warning us that worlds love is fake… It looks beautiful on the outside, but it hides the poison of sin underneath.

The world’s fake love is self gratifying, it is based on appearances and it is…

2.3 Self Exalting

This of course is “The Pride of Life”… this is the overwhelming desire to be admired, noticed, or applauded… The world calls that confidence, but John calls it pride.

This is a sin that does not have it’s origins here on earth… this particular sin, started in Heaven.

Lucifer, the brightest of angels, was cast down because he wanted God’s throne. He wasn’t content to worship… he wanted to be worshiped.

Isaiah 14 tells us he said in his heart, “I will ascend…I will make myself like the Most High.”

That same spirit of pride is still alive and well today… every time someone thinks or says… “You don’t need God... Make your own rules... Build your own identity… Be your own god.”… Those thoughts and words come straight from Satan himself…

A.W. Tozer described it perfectly when he wrote… “The essence of sin is the desire to be our own god—to do what we want, for our own glory.”

That’s the “pride of life… love that exalts self, seeks attention, and takes credit for what God has done.

So John warns us that if our love is about proving our worth instead of praising His, then it’s not real love at all. It’s nothing but fake love dressed in spiritual clothing.

It’s self-gratifying, it’s appearance-based, it’s self-exalting — but most of all, it’s temporary.

Everything the world offers fades. The pleasure runs out, the excitement dies down, and the applause eventually stops.

John says in v.17…

1 John 2:17 “… the world is passing away, and the lust of it...”

the lust for pleasure,

the lust for power,

the lust for possessions,

the lust for popularity

Every sinful desire that pulls our hearts away from God is already on its way out… the fame, the fortune, the comfort, the control… it’s all fading like smoke in the wind.

There was a missionary named C.T. Studd, and he is attributed to a quote that some of you may have heard before… “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”

And that is basically what John tells at the end of v.17…

3. Only What’s Done for God Will Last

John puts it this way…

1 John 2:17 “...but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

He’s drawing a line between what’s temporary and what’s eternal… A line between what’s fake and what’s real...

The things that seem so important right now are vanishing right before our eyes.

Success fades.

Beauty fades.

Fame fades.

Even life itself fades.

John is stating that the world promises meaning, but it can’t deliver it because everything it offers is temporary.

But then he points us to what’s eternal… The person who lives for God’s glory and walks in His will is building something that will never crumble.

That’s what it means to live for what lasts. Every act of obedience, every sacrifice for Christ, every moment of faithfulness… none of it is wasted… It may be overlooked by the world, but it’s remembered in heaven.

The world tells us to live for today, but God calls us to live for eternity. Everything built on self will one day collapse, but everything built on God will stand forever.

That’s the difference between living for the world and living for what lasts.

Closing:

3 short verses that we looked at today… but boy do they have a lot to say… and as we mull this all over and process what John is saying here… I believe we have to ask ourselves…

What are we living for?

Because every one of us is living for something. For some, it’s success. For others, it’s comfort, reputation, or control.

But John reminds us that all of it is passing away. The only thing that will stand the test of time, and eternity, is a life anchored in the will of God.

We absolutely cannot love God and love the world at the same time. One will always push the other out…

If we fill our hearts with the world, there’s no room left for the Father. But if we fill our hearts with the Father, there’s no room left for the world… The choice is ours, every single day.

So as you go out this week, ask yourself this simple question: Am I living for what lasts?

Am I investing in eternal things — in people, in obedience, in faithfulness — or am I giving my heart to things that won’t matter one minute after I die?

C.T. Studd was right: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

I pray that we will be the kind of people who love God more than the world… … who live not for what fades, but for what lasts throughout eternity.

Prayer: