Do Not Love

OT Reading:

OT Reading:

Intro: John is writing against Gnosticism by proclaim the physical, historical Jesus

A few weeks ago, as I have been preaching through the book of 1 John, we saw how the work of Christ cleanses us and presents us before God. It is only through the gospel that we can have the confidence, the boldness, to openly confess our sin. Since we are now cleansed and accepted before God, we can openly confess our sins to Him. John says true Christians no longer walk in darkness, rather they walk in light. We desire to be holy just as Father in heaven is, and therefore we hate our sins and confess them.

[1:1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—[2] the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—[3] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Tonight John gives us another sign to determine if we are children of darkness or children of light.

Author: The author claims to be an eye witness of Jesus’s ministry (v. 1)

[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.

The author claims to be an apostle. (v.1) “We” instead of “I” This “we” is a group of eye witness set apart to proclaim and testify to the manifestation of “that which was from the beginning” (v. 2, 3) -- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

*______ (Who) do you love?

Many similarities between this letter and the forth gospel (John’s gospel)

As we have already seen in John’s writings, John makes very clear distinctions. John says we have two options facing us. We either love the world or we love God. But this warning is not directed to unbelievers only. The verses before show us that John warns those who are in the church, those who are “little children, fathers, and young men of the faith.”

We do know that the author of the forth gospel is “the beloved disciple”. Piper “But the beloved disciple is never named. He had to be one of the inner three, Peter, James, or John. He can’t have been Peter because he outran Peter! And according to James was killed by Herod about ten years after the death of Jesus.[12:1] About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. [2] He killed James the brother of John with the sword, [3] and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. It’s very unlikely that the gospel of John was written that early. So the most likely conclusion is that the beloved disciple and the author of the gospel and the epistles was the apostle John.”

Just last week from Pastor Melton, showed us that there is a tendency to assume our salvation. But the Scriptures are clear; apart from a spiritual rebirth we remain dead in our trespasses and sins and are enemies of God. John tonight shows us that our affections are a great indicator of the new birth.

--  One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, [24] so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.

Make no mistake about it, John knows our nature. He fully understands that we were created to love… to find pleasure, enjoyments, and happiness.

Date: The date of this letter is all in relationship to John’s gospel. Was it written before or after? “Some time elapsed between the publication of the forth gospel and that of the epistles, enough at least to allow what John perceived to be the improper use of his earlier work to gain enough steam to cause schism in the church.”

The problem is not if we are seeking pleasure, but rather, what we are seeking pleasure in. The problem with those who love the world is that their loves, desires, pleasures, are fixed upon the wrong things. They are in bondage to things that cannot satisfy us. We find happiness in the things of this world, but only for a short time. Yet when our hearts are fixed on these small, temporary pleasures, this is a sure sign that we have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good. That He is all satisfying.

-- [19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. [20] But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. [21] I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

Jesus is correct that our hearts cannot serve to masters. We cannot love both God and money… God or sex… God or fame…Or as John would say, we cannot love both God and the world. The reason for this is because once we have come to know and experience the greatness of God, all other pleasures pale in comparison.

Considering the dates when others in the early church start quoting this letter it seems best to date this in the early 90s AD.

C.S. Lewis says,

Who/Why is it written: -- I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

We do not know exactly who is to receive this letter. Whoever it is, they had a close and ongoing relationship with John. John knew them intimately and cared for them deeply. This is a pastoral letter seeking to encourage true believers and warn them against false teachers. “John finds he must reassure the faithful and explain in straightforward terms the difference between the two groups and thereby give them grounds for their own assurance and confidence before God at a time when they were being made to feel inferior and spiritually threatened.”

John is clear; if we love anything in the world more than we love God we are not born again. It does not matter what or why we love what we do. Our hearts are tempted to take good things, family, friends, children, our work, our nation, and make them our greatest love. If we love these things, even good things, more than we love God this is not a fruit of the Sprit, it is simply idolatry. When we value the gifts more than the God who has given us these good things, we walk in darkness.

False teachers denied Jesus as God in the flesh, the reality of sin, and claimed to have the “true” understanding of the gospel and in so doing denied the apostolic message. Their heretical belief is called: Docetism, which is a form of Gnosticism.

So our loves and joys must not be rooted in the things of this world. But what does John mean by world?

What is Gnosticism/ Docetism:

World- A lot of ink has been spilled trying to make sense of exactly what John means when he says do not love the world. Why is the world something we should not love? After all, didn’t God love the world and give His Son so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life?

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means knowledge and separates all things into matter, which is evil or spirit, which is good. While there are many different myths seeking to explain gnostic belief, but the point comes to the fact that all matter is evil and it takes a special “mystical knowledge” [gnosis] in order to be saved from this material world. Even our human bodies are considered evil “prison houses” that we must be delivered from. Gnostic’s would claim that once “enlightened” with this knowledge, one would have a deeper understanding of the spiritual realm.

This is an example of why we must let Scripture interpret Scripture, so we can see what the whole Bible says about the world. But it is equally important to understand, that when creating the Bible, God used particular men with a particular way of writing. In this letter that we are studying John has a particular meaning when he uses the word, “world”.

This is what so many believe “Christianity” is. Oprah spent a large segment of her show in 2009 interviewing and covering a book called A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. At the end of several months of interviews Oprah reflects and says, “I know for sure I am not my body. I feel more connected to consciousness, or soul, or inner spirit-whatever you choose to name the formless being that is the essence of who we are.”

The Greek word for world is kosmos. It can be translated as universe or even humanity as a whole. Yet when we look at John’s writings, especially this letter as a whole, it is used rather to refer to fallen humanity. Often times for John, the world is an evil system under the dominion of Satan.

When asked how A New Earth was written Tolle says, “It comes out of displays of stillness, that’s where all creative endeavor is born, so it’s getting in touch with the stillness within, where there is no mental noise, and out of that stillness, when the time is right, sometimes an impulse comes, sometimes a feeling, a strong sense, something wants to be born into this world.”

- “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”

Forms of Gnosticism is rampant within the church. So much talk involving meditation and prayer revolves around the idea that we need to “empty” ourselves in order to connect with something super-natural, something spiritual. But this is in direct opposition with the command to love God with all our “heart, soul, MIND, and strength.” Christianity is not about empting ourselves in order that we can find some true inner knowledge but rather being transformed BY KNOWLEDGE. John opens his letter with the proclamation that what Christians need does not come from some inner knowledge but rather outside, the manifestation of God in the flesh, Jesus the Christ.

John goes on to explain what the core problem with fallen humanity is. It is very important to see that John points the blame at our hearts. The biggest problem with the whole world is us. It is our sinful desires and our sinful pride which is the reason why EVERYTHING is a mess. John doesn’t point the finger to the President, John doesn’t point the finger at our boss or co-workers, and he does not say that economy is our big problem. The biggest problem facing each and every one of us in this room tonight is our own sinful heart.

But this is exactly what these false teachers were denying. This brings us to what John was directly opposing, Docetism. Since Gnostic’s believed that the physical body is evil, they could never reckon with God in flesh. Therefore, they believed that Jesus only “appeared” to have a physical body but in reality was only a spirit.

John explains that our sinful heart manifests itself in three areas: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, and this brings us to our second point…

Background:

*______ (What) do you love?

Redemptive History:

[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.

Nicene Creed concerning Jesus:

Desires of the flesh-

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

John’s thrust here is not so much about object of what we desire but how we desire it. We could speak of this sin instead of as “fleshly desiring.” Again John’s point here is not that it is wrong to have desires. All humans are created with desires. John is saying that we take these normal, good desires and corrupt them.

who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

Our natural desire for something good becomes an obsession. Our hearts will not be content until we have it. And this can be caused by anything… I can have a good, Godly, desire to provide for my family, to work hard, and hope for a promotion. Yet it can quickly become a sinful desire where I spend longer and longer hours at work at the expense of our family. I will betray and backstab any co-worker who we think is a threat. I will hate our boss who decided to give the promotion to someone else. I have taken a good desire, and made it God.

Do you love the desires of your flesh more than you love God?

Desires of the eyes-

The fall of mankind is linked to the desires of the eyes.

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…”

The desires of our eyes cause us to want what is forbidden. Eve was deceived by her eyes. She delighted in what God said was wrong to partake of.

Children, what happens when you are told not to partake of the dessert that was just pulled out of the oven? You frown, you pout, many of you plead for a piece but you are told to wait. Yet when mom leaves the room and you open the fridge and SEE that mouthwatering cake right before you, what happens? Your eyes get 10x their normal size! Many of you sweet, precious, angels, turn into little monsters. You SEE the cake and therefore YOU MUST EAT THE CAKE!

What do you love more? The things of this world that catch your attention or the God who created all things?

Pride of life-

I think another good rendering of this verse from the Greek could be the boastfulness of ones possessions. The point is the same regardless. While the first two examples make an idol of things we don’t have, this last example makes an idol of what we do. It does not matter how much or how little someone owns, even it is an occasion for idolatry.

Amanda and I recently came across a TV show called “Hoarders”. While we have only seen a few episodes, this verse just kept coming to my mind. People are being evicted from their homes, families are breaking apart, and some are becoming physical sick because of the amount of garbage in the home that will not be thrown away. Yet you will hear the same excuse from them all. If they are to throw away anything, it is as if a part of their life, their soul, is being thrown out as well. While most of these individuals suffer from some sort of mental illness, this attachment to stuff resides in all of us.

The pride-fullness of life also displays itself when we boast in our abilities and achievements. Even Christians can have this boastful attitude when we proclaim all of the things we have done for the Lord. Yet this is simply boasting in ourselves and what we have done.

Look at what the Apostle Paul desires to boast in.  “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” All of our boasting is to be a spiritual boasting. A rejoicing and proclaim of who God is and what He has done.

TEST: What do you love the most?

*What gives you pure and simple pleasure?

What truly refreshes you?

What helps you to lay your cares down and get a fresh perspective on life?

What enables you to step back into the business and hardship of life with new joy?

John warns us of finding our greatest pleasures in the things of this world. Not only is this a sign of not being born again. John also shows how foolish this sin is.

[17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

*______ (How long) will you love?

John says that ALL sinful pleasure in this world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life are all passing away. This is why it is so foolish to love the world. Just like Lewis’ example of a child delighting in mud pies at the expense of eternity at the beach, we love the world because we cannot comprehend everlasting pleasure in God.

One author writes, “None of the vain pleasures of corruption will last. They are temporal and will fade away and in fact are flimsier than any cobweb.”

Yet so many refuse the good news of eternity with God because they believe Christianity is a joy-killer. Maybe the church is to blame for this.

We can focus on a long LONG list of things we cannot do and we never clearly explain the joy we do have in God.

It is true that Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and take up our cross BUT self-denial is NEVER an end in itself. Christian self-denial is ALWAYS for a great good. When we deny ourselves we gain an increasing enjoyment and love for God.

The gospel does not deprive me of happiness and pleasure. Rather the gospel frees me from my enslavement to pleasures that do not truly satisfy. The gospel replaces broken cisterns with living water. Through the gospel I am no longer held captive to the desires of my flesh, the desires of my eyes, or my boastful pride of my life. Through the gospel I am set free to experience the greatest love that I was created for, namely God Himself!

“But what is the ultimate good in the good news? It all ends in one thing: God himself. All the words of the gospel lead to him, or they are not gospel. For example, “salvation” is not good news if it only saves from hell and not for God. “Forgiveness” is not good news if it only gives relief from guilt and doesn’t open the way to God. “Justification” is not good news if it only makes us legally acceptable to God, but doesn’t bring fellowship with God. “Redemption” is not good news if it only liberates us from bondage, but doesn’t bring us to God. “Adoption” is not good news if it only puts us in the Father’s family but not in his arms”. -- Piper