1 John 2:15-17
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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.
Lets pray:
Wednesday night we had our youth group at the church office. And let me tell you, we look forward to Wednesday Night Youth. We have some awesome kids here ya’ll. These guys know the Word and that is a credit to you parents. You guys do an awesome job and I want you to know that. We are going through the Not a Fan series. Last weeks lesson goes perfectly with this mornings sermon. So, to prime our text this morning I want to use an example he gave in the lesson…the point was you’re going to have to choose sides. One example he used was pretty weak so Im going to make it more realistic. He used Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State. I mean, its somewhat of a rivalry but when I was a GA at Auburn Coach Tuberville said this to a news reporter the week we were practicing for the Iron Bowl. The reporter asked him about all the games being played during rivalry week and he said, “look, its not a rivalry unless someone gets stabbed”. Thats the typical Iron Bowl…Auburn vs. Alabama. Those people are nuts! See, you cant go to the Iron Bowl and cheer for Alabama AND Auburn…you’re going to have to pick a side and stay there. There is no such thing as someone cheering for Auburn and Alabama at the Iron Bowl. Its cant happen. You MUST Choose a side!
Wednesday night we had our youth group at the church office. And let me tell you, we look forward to Wednesday Night Youth. We have some awesome kids here ya’ll. These guys know the Word and that is a credit to you parents. You guys do an awesome job and I want you to know that. We are going through the Not a Fan series. Last weeks lesson goes perfectly with this mornings sermon. So, to prime our text this morning I want to use an example he gave in the lesson…the point was you’re going to have to choose sides. One example he used was pretty weak so Im going to make it more realistic. He used Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State. I mean, its somewhat of a rivalry but when I was a GA at Auburn Coach Tuberville said this to a news reporter the week we were practicing for the Iron Bowl. The reporter asked him about all the games being played during rivalry week and he said, “look, its not a rivalry unless someone gets stabbed”. Thats the typical Iron Bowl…Auburn vs. Alabama. Those people are nuts! See, you cant go to the Iron Bowl and cheer for Alabama AND Auburn…you’re going to have to pick a side and stay there. There is no such thing as someone cheering for Auburn and Alabama at the Iron Bowl. Its cant happen. Choose a side!
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.
Lets look at vs 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.
Lets pray:
Well…thats pretty clear isn’t it? There isn’t an easy way around this one is it? This is a fact! If people love the ‘world’ they do not love the Father. Any questions concerning this verse? Alright, lets keep moving.
Im just kidding… there are a few things to point out.
It says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world”. What in the world? Does this mean that we are not suppose to love “every individual in the world”? It says, “the world”.
No, that is not what it is talking about. Obviously.
John talks fo “the world” in three different ways in his writings:
sometimes he is talking about the Universe, Creation
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
2. sometimes he is talking about ‘life on earth’
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
3. other times he uses the phrase “the world” when talking about “the life of human society as organized under the power of evil”
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.
Many people say, “just love” but the question is “just love what?” Everyone loves something. Everyone loves many things. It is the object of our love that matters. Is the object of our love “the world” or is the object of our love “the Father”.
When we make anything other than the God the object of our love it leads to death.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
So how does someone “love the world”?
So how does someone “love the world”?
So how does someone “love the world”?
verse 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 are the three things that are from the world:
the desires of the flesh
the desires of the eyes
the pride of life
So what are these?
The desires of the Flesh
Why do we sin? Here is the question…are we sinners because we sin or do we sin because we are sinners? We sin because we are sinners.
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Mark 7:
Our flesh craves the things of this world because we are born with a sin nature ().
We talked about this Wednesday night with the youth. When we listen to music, young kids, when you listen to music with a big “BOOM” where the bass is kicking…you say, “IM not listening to the words, I just like the beat”. That is your flesh, your gut that likes that. You may think you are just listening to the beat but the words are still sinking in your head and you are being educated by the music whether you want to admit it or not.
the flesh craves sexual things, the flesh craves drunkeness.
This is not from the Father, it is from the World.
The desires of the eyes
A few things here. First, the eyes are the gateway to the mind aren’t they? Isn’t it what we see that gets in our heads and feeds our fleshly desires?
We look at things with our eyes and we covet the thing we look at, the thing we stare at. The flesh is already weak and the eyes feed it. The things we desire more than God are the things we are always focusing on.
We think:
if i could just have “that” I would be happy.
If I could just look like “her” I would feel good about myself
The Pride of Life
What is this “pride of life” that comes from the world?
It is the pride that comes from worldly possessions.
the love of the world, the pride of life, is when we get our significance from our possessions.
we long to be satisfied in our “title”, our “position at work”
We feel that we will be fulfilled if people just saw me as “somebody”.
the definition for PRIDE here is: a self-exalting, self-absorbed conceit of one’s own superiority; especially one that believes that all achievements are of their own doing.
this is not of the Father…it is of the World
But guys, look at verse 17:
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
That junk is passing away. The world, the systems of the world, the way the world thinks and all its desires are passing away. They are hopeless and pointless.
But whoever DOES THE WILL OF GOD abides (rests) forever.
Two things here:
When you find yourself desiring the things of the world, you find yourself EXHAUSTED! It is exhausting “KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’”. But the Christian, though we fail and find ourselves battling these desires we find rest in Christ then we battle, then we abide, then we battle but the day is coming when the battle is over and the things of this world are gone, the desires are no longer there and we abide, rest forever. What a day that will be huh?
The other thing I want to point out is this part right here…the end of verse 17...
It says, “whoever DOES THE WILL OF GOD” is the one that abides forever.
Let me read these 3 verses again and I want you to be thinking about it as I read it…take it all in and think about it...
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.
What are you thinking? You might be thinking…man that’s me.
But what do you think MOST people see when they see these 3 verses?
I think they think, “okay, it says “don’t do this and I need to do that” and “if I do that” then I will be rewarded...
Do you realize that understanding the Word of God that way is just as exhausting! People in the Ancient world worshipped so many different gods trying to please most of them if not all of them to get what they thought they wanted and what they thought they needed. There is a book called “THEOGONY AND WORKS AND DAYS” written by Hesoid around the 8th Century BC.
Its about the Greek gods and how Zeus became the king of all the gods.
There are over 300 gods listed in this book. Most of them were worshiped and had priests and temples made for them. Could you imagine trying to please them all? Exhausting.
We do the same thing today. We have so many idols in our lives that come from the desires of the flesh. We have idols that come from the desires of the eyes and from the pride of life and they exhaust us.
But if we read the Word of God carefully and believe it and trust His Word we find rest. Don’t read these 3 verses as things you must do to win the favor of God. Read them the way they are meant to be read...
The gods of the Ancient world WOULD NOT provide UNTIL you obeyed. You wouldn’t be rewarded until you PROVED yourself…so many people think this is Christianity. They think “God will not provide until I obey…God will not reward me until I prove myself”.
Turn to
We have the 10 Commandments starting in verse 7
“ ‘You shall have no other gods before me.
“ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Bunch of do’s and don’ts right? No.
Look at verse 6
6 “ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
6 “ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
The COMMANDMENTS follow the Gift of freedom!
Never forget:
Religion says, “If I obey then I will be accepted”
The gospel says, “I am accepted, therefore I OBEY”. It is out of thanksgiving, gratefulness.
Back to
We have to know our identity guys…always read the text slower than you did the first time.
What came before verses 15-17? VERSES 12-14!
That is your identity in Christ! That is who you are!
You are:
children of God whose sins are forgiven FOR HIS NAME SAKE!
you are Fathers who know him who is from the beginning!
you are young men and women who are strong and who overcome the evil one and the Word of God abides in you!
NOW that you know who you are…know that the love of the world comes from the world and the world is passing away.
KNOW that the love of the Father comes from the Father and you who does the will of God (vs. 12-14) abides, rests forever with the Father!
See, its good news! Its not fearful! Rest in Christ, abide in Christ!
Know who you are!
If you’re faith is in Christ then know that the Father has adopted you through the Son Jesus Christ. We are now called to LIVE, ACT in that REALITY! WE ARE GIVEN A NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST AND WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE IN IT!