Where In The World Is This World Going?

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 2:17 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THIS WORLD GOING? INTRODUCTION In the previous verses, John has shown that once we are saved, we are to live a new life The sinful ways of the world should no longer appeal to us John said, “Don’t continue to love the world,” 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The “world” refers to the Satanic system of evil that opposes God and God’s people Identified as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world All of that which is of the world (Satan’s world) is not of God And because it is not of God it should not be a part of our life, 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Jesus shared a profit and loss system that we must pay attention too, Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Is one soul of more value than all-of the riches of the world? According to Jesus, “Yes” Another reason that you don’t want the world to be your way of life is because it is temporary A TEMPORARY WORLD 1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. We determined in our last study that John is using the word “world” to refer to Satan’s world “Satan’s world” is an invisible evil system which is opposed to God and God’s people Yet it is a visible evil system which can be seen in the daily lifestyle of those who love it Satan’s “world” includes all that is not of God, that which is not God-given The things that are forbidden according to the Word of God It includes all that is of Satan and the demonic forces, all evil and all evil desires All-of the sinful lusts that sinful man seeks to be a part of their life Sinful man travels a sinful path attempting to attain all-of the worldly wishes that he can If you think you have accomplished something through worldly wishes, listen to what John says The world is passing away, John still has in mind Satan’s world because he says “the lust” of the world will also pass-away Satan’s world is going to “pass away” which means, “is going to cease to exist” But before Satan’s day ceases to exist, he will have his most evil day Which is the very day that we are reading of in our study of Matthew 24, the great tribulation Look at what John says in the very next verse, 1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. John warns us of the presence of those identified as antichrists, they are already here But there is one yet to come known as the “Antichrist” (we will study verse 18 next week) The path of sinful America and the path of the sinful world is pointing to Satan’s future day Listen to what Paul told Timothy, 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (Is that not a description of America today?) 1 But look at what Paul then told Timothy, 2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; Christians are to continue to stand strong against Satan even in the time of Satan’s evil day For right now take note of the word “continue,” we will discuss it in a moment As Christians we are to continue to live according to what we have “learned” How important is it to “learn” the Word of God? Learning the Word of God assures us of the truth of God’s Word The assurance of God’s Word is an inner conviction that will result in an outward commitment That outward commitment is witnessed in Christians who are living a faithful life for Christ Which is the evidence that Satan’s world is already in the process of passing-away John used the same term “passing away” in, 1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. In verse 8, John speaks of the “Darkness” within our life, which is the consequences of sin In Christ we have victory over the darkness of sin, that victory is the light now shining The victory of light over darkness is already taking place through Christ in the Christian life The evidence that Satan’s world or Satan’s age is of a limited time-period, it is only temporary The world in its present form is passing-away, 1Co 7:31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. “The fashion” of this world describes what the world appears to be, its external form Which is not what Satan presents it to be, sin doesn’t turn out the way it first looks The average person in America does not want to believe that They are living as though everything they are living for will be here forever But the way of the world is on its way out, there is no future for the way of the world Here today and gone tomorrow is a true assessment of Satan’s world Satan presents worldly ways as attractive and valuable and everlasting He wants you to believe that the rewards of life are found in worldly living But because Satan’s world is temporary it can give no permanent satisfaction Nothing of Satan or the ways of the world are permanent or everlasting John says, not even the lust, and the lust thereof: “Lust” is that which your mind and heart is set upon Those who follow-after the lust of this world are doomed to disappointment Worldly lust lead too many Christians to seek those worldly things that are passing-away They seek worldly things and worldly entertainment as though they were permanent Satan wants you to think that your life is not complete without worldly ways But you need to realize that one day life will be completely “without them” So, is there anything in this present world that is permanent? John tells us, “Yes, Yes,” but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. “But” presents to us a contrast to the previous, there is another direction to follow As Christians we do not have to live according to the lusts of the flesh We can and must live according to the “will of God” According to what John just said, how important is “the will of God?” In our world today, how little attention is given to “the will of God?” But the most important question is, how much attention are we giving to “the will of God?” “Doing the will of God” does not refer to an occasional weekly step, such as going to church It describes the life that daily pursues the “will of God” Which is presented in an interesting way by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul begins 1 Corinthians 15 with the importance of the “Good News” of salvation Paul defines the “Gospel” for us in the first four verses The Gospel that we receive in-order to be saved and the Gospel that we live by 2 The “Gospel” is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus “according to the Scriptures” 1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; They were “brethren,” they had already believed and received the Gospel The gospel in which they now “stand,” salvation is our foundation for life today and for eternity 1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. The original is written in the present tense meaning they “are being saved” Salvation not only takes care of the past, “when you were saved” Salvation is also a “present experience” and a “future hope” Christians are “being saved” more and more each day, salvation is working in us all-of the time To “keep in memory” means “to hold fast” to what you have believed Paul then tells us what will happen if we don’t “hold fast” to our salvation What is a “vain salvation?” There is no thought of a loss of eternal salvation in Paul’s words “In vain” means “without purpose,” to no avail, without cause, without effect, all for nothing Nothing here indicates the loss of true salvation, but it does reveal the truth of a living salvation God gave you a “New Life in Christ,” if you are not living that new life, what good is it? Paul’s focus is on the result of salvation today, a salvation that changes our way of life A salvation that has no effect upon your life is a “vain salvation” Paul and John agree, living your salvation is doing the will of God And John said, the one who does the will of God “abides forever” The word “abide” is another important word to John, it is found 23 times in 1 John Now, let’s turn our attention back to the word “continue” we found in, 2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; It is the same word translated “abide” in 1 John 2:17, so, let’s put them together “Continue” in the things you have learned, and you will “abide” forever We can understand it this way, continue to live the will of God and you are really living God’s will is God’s life for us today, which is only an example of the life God has for us forever Look at the contrast, Satan’s world is going to cease to exist, God’s will is life forever “Forever” literally reads “into the age,” referring to the age beyond this present age This present age is temporary, the future age with Christ is eternal We learn from a temporary world that we have a temporary earthly life But there are some things of this life that will last forever, all that is of “God’s Will” That is why Paul says, Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. That is why Peter says, “Live to the will of God,” 1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. In order to do the will of God we must be “filled with the Spirit,” Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. God’s will must be a sincere desire from our heart, Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; A heart for the will of God will abide forever, there is no spiritual heart failure in God’s will According to this verse there is truth to the old saying, “Only one life, twill soon be past” But that is not the end, the rest of the saying is also true, “only what’s done for Christ will last” So, what are we to do as Christians in-order to face Satan and his world? Do not love the world, but Love God, Love God’s Word, and Love the will of God for your life We must understand how important the Word of God is when it comes to living the will of God James very well covers that subject for us, Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. We must get rid of all that hinders our hearing of God’s Word 3 The heart must be prepared to “receive” God’s Word “Receive” means “to welcome,” we must come to the Word of God with the right attitude “Receive” God’s Word into your head for learning and into your heart for living We must receive it with “meekness” Meekness is the necessary attitude that we must have toward the Word of God The meaning is that we have a readiness to be taught the Word of God, we must be teachable The context is telling us to pay attention to God’s Word, listen to the truth, even if it hurts God’s Word “is able to save your souls” Here the word “save” has the thought of protecting, rescuing from danger, preserving life James speaks to those who are already spiritually saved, born again, possessing eternal life “To save” identifies the process of salvation, which is past, present, and future “Soul” speaks of our total being, all that we are, all that we think, will, and do Christians will not lose their salvation but can lose control of their soul Do not allow “fleshly lusts” to be in control of your soul, they will destroy your life, 1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Satan has planned a military campaign against your life He desires to take you captive through fleshly lusts that war against your “soul” God has an answer, we are told how to defeat Satan’s attacks There is a dynamic power in the Word of God, a power that works within the soul, Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In God’s Word is the power of God to save us from the power of Satan and sin The power to overcome the temptation to sin To set us free from the bondage of filthiness and naughtiness Yes, the Word of God is “able to save our souls,” and that is why James says, Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves James wants to be sure that we understand what it means to “receive” the Word of God To “receive” the engrafted word is more than agreeing that God is the one who said it There is more to the Christian life than reading a Bible verse or hearing the Bible preached Our Christian duty is not fulfilled by just coming to church and hearing the Bible taught James says that we must become “doers of the Word” Be sure that you are doing what God said for us to do in His Word Obedience toward God and His Word must be habitual, a daily habit of life Habit in the sense that it is our nature to be obedient to God, it is to be the way of our life Our daily life is to be a representation of what the Bible says The Christian life is to be the life that is continually telling others what God has taught us A “hearer only” is one who is just listening without practicing what he hears The path to the purpose of our life is to “Listen to Learn” and then live what we have learned, Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: James compares the “hearer only” to a person who looks in the mirror and does nothing about it The mirror always tells you the truth, you may not want to admit it, but it is the truth The purpose of the mirror is not just to show us how we really are It not only shows us what needs to be done, it allows us to do what needs to be done You can see in the mirror how to make the necessary corrections Don’t try to make necessary changes in your life apart from the Word of God Don’t neglect the truth that has been revealed to you, Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Don’t “go to” God’s Word with your mind on other things 4 Don’t “go away” from God’s Word with your mind on other things Set your mind upon the things that God is telling you and has shown you James is not describing someone with a poor memory, but one who has poor priorities For them there are too many other things that are more important than God’s Word What is more important than what God has already done for you? What is more important than what God is willing to do in your life? God is ready to bless you through His Word and through His will, Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. For the Christian, the Bible means “Liberty,” Christians are set free by obeying God Freedom to serve God is a present joyful life, living the very best that life can be You experience the best when you do your best to obey God’s Law, the best that you can be The promise is that he will “be blessed,” the blessing is a certainty, he can rest assured The reward is not limited to the future, the time stated is “in his deed” In God’s work, the happiness of payday is within the work itself Payday is every day we work for God In the time of doing God’s work will be the time of blessing This blessing is not promised to come from man but God It is not what man says to you or gives to you for what you have done Don’t just think about God blessing you, think about God using you to bless others Part of the blessing of serving God is the blessing of knowing that others will be blessed CONCLUSION Satan is attempting to use the coronavirus pandemic to turn people away from God’s will He wants people to turn from God and turn to the government for their survival Which is a stepping-stone for the coming one world government and a one world ruler A lifetime of attention, labor, and money spent on the love of worldliness can quickly be gone Consider the gulf coast hurricanes, the California fires, terminal disease, and death Regardless of how it happens the result is the same, it “all” passes-away The day will come when the price of oil means nothing, the cattle market doesn’t matter any more The only thing that is left is what has been done for Christ according to the will of God Listen to the last verse of the most famous Psalms, Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever That is the testimony of a life that allowed the Lord to be the Shepherd of their everyday life The question is not, “where in the world is this world going?” We know the answer The question is, “which way are we going in this world?” Are we going to go with Jesus? Listen to the song 5