The Word of Life- Part 4

Introduction- I John 2:12-17

Last week we considered the scriptural command to love one another. This commandment is an old commandment which has been given a new emphasis.

Where once it was considered to be but one of many commandments given by God—Jesus elevated this commandment to a place of prominence.

In fact it is this love for one another that ought to distinguish us from the world and identifies us as disciples of Christ.

As believers we ought to be known by the unbelieving world for the love that we have one for another.

Today we will consider a passage which first reminds us of what is ours in Christ and then challenges us not to love the world.

The Privileges that come through Faith in Christ (Vs. 12-14)

This passage opens with John’s expressions of his reasons for writing this epistle—in part to remind believers who should read it of the privileges which are theirs in Christ.

He addresses first little children (to be taken in a more general sense of those who are newly born)—this is likely meant to include all believers and is slightly different than the term used later in this section.

The point is that those who have been born again and who are now children of God have had their sin’s forgiven for Christ’s name’s sake.

Through Christ’s finished work now all who believe on Him shall have their sins freely and fully forgiven—what a blessed privilege to have the forgiveness of sin.

Ephesians 1:3–7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

There was no way that you and I could be free from sin apart from the forgiveness that is found through faith in Jesus Christ!

The second category addressed is Fathers (typically thought to be used in reference to those who have reached a degree of maturity in Christ)—these he addresses because they have “known him that is from the beginning.”

This is obviously a reference to their knowledge of Christ and speaks not so much of their intellectual knowledge but their experiential knowledge of Him.

Those who have matured in the faith have the blessed privilege of an ever deepening relationship with Christ whereby it can be truly said of them that they know Him.

The next class addressed is young men (generally thought to be a reference to those who are in between the other two stages mentioned)—John writes to them reminding them of the fact that they have overcome the wicked one.

In his second appeal to them he speaks of their strength and of the fact that the word of God abideth in them—this is the means by which they have overcome the wicked one (a title given to Satan).

These young men have overcome the wicked one and are now living in victory because of their relationship with Christ who gives them strength and their relationship with the Word of God which serves as a weapon to fight against Satan.

All of these various privileges are available to all those who are in Christ—we have the joy of having our sins forgiven, we have the opportunity to know Christ experientially through continued fellowship and communion with Him, and we have the ability (through His Spirit and His Word) to overcome the wicked one.

Out of this section reminding believers of the privileges which are theirs in Christ then flows a challenge directed to all of them.

Love Not the World (Vs. 15-17)

The world here of course speaks of the world system which is sinful and which is set against Christ and the principles of genuine spirituality.

Believers are not to maintain friendship with the unbelieving world because it is in fact the enemy of God—as seen elsewhere in the scriptures.

James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Those who belong to Christ must not love the world or the things which are in the world—our affections must be concentrated upon Christ and eternity rather than the world and that which is temporal.

Love for the world is entirely incompatible with the love of the Father—if we love the world then we cannot possibly love the Father as we should.

Three distinct desires are put forward which are said to be “all that is in the world” and which are also plainly “not of the Father”—these are the things that we must reject.

The first is “the lust of the flesh” this speaks of the desire to satisfy fleshly appetites to indulge them sinfully going beyond the bounds which God has set in an attempt to satisfy them.

The second is “the lust of the eyes” which speaks of that which we see and are subsequently attracted to but which is forbidden by God.

The third and final is “the pride of life” which speaks of the desire to impress others by self-aggrandizement which may involve our position or our possessions.

These three sets of desires are of the world and are not of the Father and to yield to any of them is to love the world and not the Father.

These are best illustrated by several scriptural accounts which demonstrate them.

Consider Eve in the garden—

Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Eve was conscious of the fact that God has given specific instruction that she was not to partake of the fruit of this tree and yet she saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh)—that is was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes)—and that it was to be desired to make one wise (pride of life)—thus Eve succumbed to temptation and demonstrated that in that moment her love for the world and the things in it was greater than her love for God.

This was true even in the case of Satan’s temptation of the Lord Jesus during His time upon earth.

Luke 4:1-13- the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ

The first temptation was a temptation to fulfill the lust of the flesh (turning a stone into bread to satisfy a physical appetite).

The second temptation involves Satan taking the Lord up and showing him the kingdoms of the world and offering to give him power over them if He will only bow down and worship him (the lust of the eyes—tempting him with what He can see).

In the third and final temptation Satan takes the Lord up to the pinnacle of the temple and tells Him to cast Himself off to prove that the angels will keep Him from harm (the pride of life).

These are the means whereby men are tempted to sin and these are not of the father but are all of the world.

The Temporary and the Eternal (Vs. 17)

The final verse in this passage reminds us that all that this world has to offer can do nothing more than bring a temporary satisfaction.

All that is in the world will ultimately pass away—nothing in this world will last nor can anything this world has to offer ever bring lasting satisfaction.

In contrast those who do the will of God shall abide forever—these shall have lasting reward.

If we choose to pursue the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, in the end we will find that everything we have gained will vanish away.

However if we choose to pursue the will of God then we are living for that which is eternal.

Every single one of us must make a deliberate choice as to where our affection and attention will be focused.

If we love this world and choose to live for worldly pleasures and possessions, all these will one day pass away and we shall be left empty.

If instead we choose to love and live for Christ we shall then live in such a manner as to lay up eternal rewards which shall never fade away.

Conclusion

There are so many wonderful privileges for those who will place their faith in Christ—the forgiveness of sin, the opportunity to have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, and the strength and ability to overcome Satan.

If we will consider what we have in Christ we should be thoroughly motivated to “love not the world”—loving Christ instead.

The world will tempt us with the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, but we must resist this temptation through the power of God.

We must remember what Christ has done for us and cling to Him rejecting what this world has to offer us.

We must remember that all these pleasures and possessions will not last and that it is only in living for Christ that we shall live a life which has eternal value.