Who do we choose to love? The world or God
1 John • Sermon • Submitted
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04-23-17
Week 14
Who do we choose to love?
The world or God
(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.
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. 16 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. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
In the previous verses we have looked at the past weeks prior to Easter,
John stated some good news
that God was NOT giving us Christians
a brand new command
(none of us like ADDITIONAL rules or laws)…
but rather,
God only expected the Christians to obey
the same commands He had already spoken…
so, that means that
we are to continue to Keep His Commands,
and we are to love the brethren,
and of course we are to love God.
And we’re to still be about witnessing
of Jesus
and making disciples…
And now, John moves to another subject...
he states that the Christian is
NOT supposed
to love the world
and the things of the world.
I find that a good way to look at
this part of John’s letter,
is to ask ourselves the question,
‘who do we choose to love, and how can you tell who or what we really do love?’
So…Who DO you love?
But before we try to answer that question,
we should realize that there are 2 problems
that try to keep us from really giving
honest assessment to the question.
First off we need to realize that
we usually don’t ‘define’ love in our own minds
the same as God does,
that’s because we tend to define or ‘visualize’ love more as
sexual as in ‘making love,’
And we also tend to see love as
some sort of feeling or emotion,
For instance, I really LOVE chocolate!
Or I really LOVE my house.
Or I really love my spouse
or my kids
or my boyfriend or girlfriend.
Next there's a problem of what do we accept as truth or what guides our thinking...
and this is really the hard one to deal with…
Plus there’s a real problem in that
we tend to go
and believe the lies
that seem to tell us that what we’re thinking is correct…
in other words,
we too often accept
as truth
what we think is right
in our own eyes
rather than believing what is right according to God’s Word.
God spoke to this way back in the Old Testament so it's not a modern man kind of thing...
…
Maybe you remember in (ESV) the bible says,
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Keeping that problem we have of using what is deemed 'right thinking' or right in our own eyes in mind...
Now we go back to our passage for today…
says…PASSAGE
(ESV) 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. 16 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. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
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.
Even though some will pho-pho it all off, saying stuff like that just cannot be valid for today, or other things…
because surely God didn't mean what He said...
that's the same old lie Satan used on Eve back in the garden...
and it's still effective...
But here, God, through John, tells us who we are supposed to love and who or what we’re not.
As I’ve said these past weeks, we need to remember to whom John is writing this letter…
He’s writing to the CHURCH, isn’t he? Correct.
So we need to keep that in mind as we read…because we are part of that church also.
And we need to remember that back in John’s day,
lo and behold,
there were false teachers also who were leading the people astray,
so John is doing some corrective or instructional teaching here as well…
that means that John is using God’s Word,
and is NOT just saying what sounded good,
nor is he just telling the people what they probably wanted to hear.
So, Obviously John is not preaching ‘health, wealth, and prosperity’…
so he probably wouldn’t have gotten a job on religious TV with this.
As I was reading this,
I was reminded that well, duh…
folks had problems of falling for lies even in those very early days of the church
when they even had apostles there to teach…
So, understanding the HISTORICAL religious context and that
There were really some of the false teachings that were being pitched around,
And there were apparently enough Christians falling for them
Which is why God had John feel the need to address that issue.
our passage, then,
brings us to that word, ‘world.’
The world vs. God. Who or what will we love.
Biblically, this word, “world” has several different meanings…
One that is pretty obvious, is that the word, World, usually refers to God’s Creation
Listen to which says, (ESV)
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Then way back in ESV
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
We read that God created the world as well…In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
So there’s the creation…
that's one thing this word, ‘World’ can mean.
Then there is the meaning that is tied to People
We find this usage in "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
That's a good example of ‘World’ being a reference to ‘people’
So world can refer to creation,
or to people…
and…
And then, there is the meaning we find here in …
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.
Here in verse 15, ‘World’ is seen as a reference to the
“World System” of things…
This ‘world system’ also includes a mindset that is focused upon ‘material things,’
or ‘stuff’
This ‘world system’ idea also ENTAILS
all the principles
and things that are taught in the world that are SAID to be the ‘REAL’ way to living and life.
So we need to clearly understand that when John says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world,”
John isn’t telling us that we’re NOT to be loving other folks…
but he is telling us that we’re to AVOID FALLING IN LOVE WITH the world system and teachings which instruct us
to live and adopt lives and lifestyles
that are contrary to God’s Word…
these might include lifestyles of
‘self-adoration,’
or lifestyles of ‘greed,’
or lifestyles of putting ourselves first above all else.
in other words,
we’re not to fall prey to the world system’s LIES
about HOW to live and HOW to truly find life...
We've got to measure what the world system teaches with God's Word.
So, while I don’t believe any of us here would say that we are ‘in love with the world,’
but, don't we at times ACCEPT at Least SOME of the lie
and don't we at times TRY to convince ourselves
that the lie is NOT really a lie,
but maybe a more modern way of thinking?
Again, DO we love the world OR do we love God…
because John tells us those things cannot co-exist.
When we love the world,
we choose to believe the lies of the world…
Again, listen to what John says 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.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 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.
Here we see that John shares with us a couple of things that come from the worlds teaching and from the sin in us…
and these work together to get us to believe and follow the lies about where we find real life and real living.
The NET Bible gives a good rendering…saying it like this...
(NET)…
because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.
NET Bible
because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.
For everything in the world-
the cravings of sinful man,
the lust of his eyes and
the boasting of what he has and does-
comes not from the Father but from the world.
So if we believe the lies of the world,
we will be believing that ‘our working harder to feed our physical desires’
will bring us the HAPPY LIFE.
The lie is...
Work harder to get more stuff;
you’re NOT ignoring your family…
you’re only trying to give them the best.
The bible calls these instead ‘the cravings of sinful man’
Also some versions translate this “the lust of the flesh.”
These are the physical things that we desire in order to please us in our bodies.
Such things like food and drink and sex and drugs, etc.
And so the world says if you just pursue what will bring you physical pleasure,
you will really experience life and you will be happy.
This is why according to the world’s teaching
we have no reason whatsoever to sacrifice,
Nor do we need to go without,
Nor should we NOT pursue physical pleasure,
because satisfying our physical pleasures is what we need for a good life.
But that isn’t what God says…
He says it’s a lie.
Then John goes on and addresses the issue of the lust of our eyes ()
We see something…
we like what it looks like;
we think, that would really be good in my driveway…
and if I had that new car, new boat, new motorcycle, new jet ski, new whatever…
I’d be happier.
So I’ve got to have that NOW!!!
And modern marketing plays on that…
life is better only if you have whatever is being advertised.
Again, that’s from the World…
but God says it’s a lie.
And here’s where the problems start…
maybe you are saying to yourself,
“I know that God says that, but I don’t really believe it.
Because How can I be happy if I don’t have the pleasures offered in this life?”
In actuality, the Bible doesn’t say that you can’t enjoy things in this life.
But it does say that when we go and pursue those desires as the ‘real goal’ of our lives,
then we’re going to find life is actually empty and meaningless.
Solomon sums it up so well to us in ,
2:1 (ESV) 1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.
Then in (ESV)
I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.
So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—
and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.
6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.
7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house.
I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.
8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces.
I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.
9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.
11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold,
all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Believing the lies of this world lead us to a life of meaninglessness.
Do not love the world and the lies it teaches.
Especially because of the end results…
John continues and tells us Realize what John writes in (ESV)
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God abides forever.
Love God…
follow God…
that leads to LIFE…
the world is passing away…
Paul puts it like this in ,
(ESV)
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
(ESV)
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Jesus came so we could truly live fully and eternally.
In Jesus says - I have come to give life and to give it to the full
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Loving God and not the world does not mean that we do not enjoy the things God has created and blessed us with.
But The problem only arises when
we pursue the things that God has created and blesses us with
as the things that will provide our fulfillment OUTSIDE of a relationship with the Lord.
That is where the lie of this world and of Satan come into play.
Instead, we are to live lives pursuing God first…
as it says in …“seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (the things you need) will be given to you as well.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
The close relationship with the Lord,
and following Him and abiding in Him,
is so much more important because
IN HIM is only where we can find true peace, and HIS joy!
SO…‘Who do you Love?’
Would you use this time of invitation
to let God show you any of the things
in your life that may have your ‘eyes’ focused upon them.
And if there are some things that have stolen your heart, turn to the Lord this morning and put Him back into the #1 place of love.