Do Not Love The World / No Amemos Al Mundo
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Introduction
Introduction
What is wrong with the world? Many would say:
Inequality
Discrimination
Abuse of those who are less fortunate
Drugs
Disease
What is the reason behind all the bad that is in the world?
There are those who would say that education is the reason why the world is in such bad shape: if people were given the opportunity to be educated then things would not be as they are.
Others think that being economically disadvantaged is the reason why there are so many things wrong in this world. If people had access to resources then there would be no need to to steal or cheat others.
The truth is that whether you are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, white or black, a PhD or illiterate - we are all sinful people who are attracted by that which is contrary to God’s word rather than to obey God’s word.
The reason why our world is suffering from so many evils is that we love the world more than we love God. This is John’s message to us today:
Do not love the world.
What is the love of the world?
What is the consequence of loving the world?
I. Do not love the world.
I. Do not love the world.
I. No amemos al mundo.
I. No amemos al mundo.
John is very straightforward in his exhortation to us:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
No amen al mundo ni nada de lo que hay en él. Si alguien ama al mundo, no tiene el amor del Padre.
We are called to not love the world. What does that mean?
It does not mean that we should not love non Christians. We are called to love all people regardless of whether they have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It does not mean that we should not love our planet. We should respect our planet and do our best to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us. We should take care of the planet because it is God’s creation. God created this planet so that we could inhabit it.
If it does not mean these things, then what does it mean?
There are places in the Bible where the word “world” does not refer to people or to the planet. In these other instances “world” refers to sin, the world’s philosophies, the system of the world that is against God, evil behavior and tendencies that are against the word of God.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
¡Oh gente adúltera! ¿No saben que la amistad con el mundo es enemistad con Dios? Si alguien quiere ser amigo del mundo se vuelve enemigo de Dios.
This verse speaks about friendship with the world. James speaks about the danger of being so close to the world that we eventually become enemies of God.
We can either be friends with God and enemies of the world or we can be enemies of God and friends of the world - we cannot be both.
There is a significant percentage of contemporary Christianity that in reality is a worldly Christianity because they are so much like the world!
This type of Christianity is so immersed in this world that they seem so far away from God.
They think like the world, speak like the world, dress like the world, hate like the world. They get divorced at the same rate as the world gets divorced, they cheat others just the same as the world does, they treat others with hate just as the world does.
There is no difference between these supposed Christians and those that do not know God.
This is extremely serious, because John says that those who love the world do not have the love for the Father.
John is showing us that we either love the world or love God. If we say we love God but also love the world - we are simply deceiving ourselves.
If we love the world we do not love God.
We can say we love God, we can say we are believers, but the reality is that we cannot love both.
If we love the world we necessarily hate God. If we love God we necessarily hate the world.
If we hate God we cannot say we have been saved and are accepted by God. Our love for the world is an insult to God.
What is the love of the world?
Many Christians in the past imposed many rules and standards upon other Christians. They made up rules that would help Christians to love God and to not love the world.
Many of these rules were related to how we dress. Christian women were considered “worldly” if they wore makeup, cut their hair, or wore jewelry. Christian men were considered worldly if they wore hair gel or wore shorts in the summer.
Many of these rules were related to certain activities or hobbies. Christians were told to abstain from playing pool, watching television, or going to the movies.
Other rules were imposed upon the local congregation. Truly spiritual churches would not allow drums as part of the musical accompaniment, others required that all men, or at least the preacher, to wear a suit and tie.
These rules were supposed to keep us in line. They were supposed to control our behavior so that we would not act in a worldly way. The problem with these man made rules is that on the exterior many looked like Christians but inwardly they were full of hate, lying, lust, pride, gossip, and hypocrisy.
The love of the world cannot be controlled by silly man made rules. The love of the world is much more deadly and must be confronted and defeated by the word of God!
II. What is the love of the world?
II. What is the love of the world?
II. ¿Qué es el amor al mundo?
II. ¿Qué es el amor al mundo?
John tells us that the love of the world is manifested in three ways:
Lust of the flesh (los malos deseos del cuerpo)
Lust of the eyes (la codicia de los ojos)
Pride of life (la arrogancia de la vida)
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
Porque nada de lo que hay en el mundo—los malos deseos del cuerpo, la codicia de los ojos y la arrogancia de la vida—proviene del Padre sino del mundo.
The lust of the flesh
The lust of the flesh refers to evil desires that we all prone to experience.
Our flesh is affected by sin. Our flesh does not naturally desire God. Our flesh desires experiences that are against the God’s word.
Many of the world’s problems such as drug addiction, drunkeness, gluttony, sexual sin, laziness, have to do with bodily experiences. Many people become slaves to these bodily experiences because they give in to the lust of their fleshly desires.
How many people have died as a result of drunk driving because someone could not resist the temptation of alcohol?
How many people have ruined their marriages because they could not control themselves from committing adultery?
How many people have overdosed from an overdose of morphine or other narcotic pain reliever?
How many people have destroyed their lungs and livers from smoking and drinking and yet they still continue to engage in these practices knowing they are accelerating their death?
How many people would rather steal from their elderly parents than to miss getting high on meth or heroine?
Many people think they are in control of their actions and bodies. But at the end of the day their actions demonstrate they are simply slaves to their evil desires.
The lust of the eyes
The lust of the eyes manifests itself through the desires of what we see.
The lust of the eyes is related to:
Coveting what our neighbor has. All we can think of is how better off our neighbor is with that new truck.
Coveting another woman who is not our wife.
The lust of the eyes is the key to the world’s marketing and commercialism. The world’s marketing does everything it can to affect our behavior through what we see.
If I purchase that new car, surely I would feel successful.
If I go on that cruise I would definitely feel relaxed and stress free.
If I purchased that cologne I would be the center of attention.
The pride of life
This refers to the arrogance and pride that men tend to show towards others.
Some are proud to be of a certain nationality. That is not wrong in itself. The problem is when we feel we are superior to others. This is the problem that was manifested in Nazi Germany and the southern United States during the Civil Rights era.
The pride of life is manifested when we treat those that have less financial means, or have less education, as if they were unworthy of dignity and respect.
The pride of life is manifested when someone in a position of power demeans, insults, and mistreats those who are subordinates or less fortunate.
These people are not humble. They are not open to exhortation, counsel, correction. They have never had to ask for forgiveness because they think of themselves as being absolutely perfect.
John declares that those who are controlled by their flesh, who give in to the lust of their eyes, or are full of arrogance and pride are not from the father but rather are from the world.
The origin of these things are not in God.
The origin of these things are in the world.
This is the world’s system. The world operates in this manner. The world says:
If it feels good, do it. If you desire it, then enjoy it. No one has control over you.
If you like what you see, then take it.
Look out for yourself. You are the most important person there is. There is no one like you. You are number one!
But John says: no! This is not from God. You must not give in to the desires of your flesh, you must not give in to the desires of your eyes, just must not act with arrogance and pride.
III. What is the consequence of loving the world?
III. What is the consequence of loving the world?
III. ¿Cuál es la consecuencia del amor al mundo?
III. ¿Cuál es la consecuencia del amor al mundo?
John comes to a sobering conclusion that should make us tremble.
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
El mundo se acaba con sus malos deseos, pero el que hace la voluntad de Dios permanece para siempre.
The world is passing away. We can see this.
This world will one day be destroyed.
All of creation is heading towards a day of final destruction.
Things are not getting better for our planet. We are seeing flooding, famine, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Things will continue to worsen until one day the world is finally consumed with fire.
The desires of the world will pass away.
Anything that would satisfy the flesh, the eyes, or even the pride of life will eventually pass away.
Whatever feelings or pleasure you could ever enjoy from sin will eventually come to an end.
Whatever feelings or excitement you could get from acting with pride and as if you were superior to others will one day prove to be a waste.
No matter how much money you have, no matter that you treated others as if they were worthless human beings, no matter how famous you were an treated others like mere servants - one day you too will end up in a wooden box and face the same judgement that all others will experience.
You too will one day have to face the judge of all the earth.
One day all will end and we will have to give an account to God. We will all realize that nothing in this world was worth giving ourselves to it. We will wish to have lived a different life.
However, the word of God teaches us there is hope for those who find their satisfaction in God. There is hope for those who find their eternal joy in Jesus Christ.
John contracts the world and its desires that will pass away with those who do the will of God.
Those who do the will of God will live forever!
Doing the will of God is walking in obedience to him, serving him, turning our back on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and turning towards God.
Those who do the will of God are truly friends of God. These have been forgiven and given a new life in Jesus Christ.
They no longer live according to the desires of this world.
Their actions and attitude are no longer those of this world.
They are no longer slaves to alcohol, drugs, inmoral desires - they walk under the influence of the Spirit of God. They have been set free to life a new life that is obedient to God.
They are a new creation who will live forever in the presence of God.