Caution: Danger Ahead

Read 1 John 2:15 “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.”

When God created the world (it’s system of values) and the things of the world it was to point to the creator. Instead the world has made these things god. When Christians so this we run the risk of Losing our first Love.

Loosing Our First Love

The Object of Our Love

Love (agapao) - The verb agapaō, used in this context to describe both the love of the world and the love of the Father could carry a different meaning in each usage. It is argued that when the word is used in its “Christian” sense it should be translated “love,” but when it is used in a negative way it should be translated “take a fancy to” or “to place a higher value on.” The difference in these uses is not the emotion that is felt by the individual but the application of that emotion, or attraction, in a positive or negative manner. When an individual believer fulfills the love command by showing compassion to a brother or sister (2:10), this love is properly motivated and properly directed. When people love the world, they are misapplying this human emotion in a way that will lead to their demise. In a sense love is neutral. The object of one’s love or affection is decisive.

Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 108). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Here, in this passage, the object of one’s love is either the love of the world or the love of the Father.

World (kosmos) - difference in the way John uses this word. Using contextual considerations are crucial.

(1) the created universe (3:17; 4:17; John 1:10); (2) the world of human persons (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2); and (3) an evil organized earthly system controlled by the power of the evil one that has aligned itself against God and his kingdom (4:3–5; 5:19; John 16:11).

Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 108). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Akin in his commentary suggests the 3rd interpretation is the best given the context. I would agree.

world systems of values and goals that are aligned against God.

When we make this the object of our love, we look to the world for our joy (pleasure), value, and acceptance

When God created the world he did not seek to develop a world that would create a worldview or system of values that were devoid of Himself, but that is what has happened. Even as Christians misdirected our love.

God’s desire for his creation was that they would know him and experience a the joy of fellowship that comes from that knowledge and relationship. We were created to enjoy God and be a reflection of his glory. However this is not what humanity seeks or values.

When we were created, God defined our value, it is an intrinsic value, because we were created in his image. However, the world seeks to define our value/worth based not on something that is intrinsic, but subjective. For the world our value is based on what we offer.

Likewise, morality was never a subjective discussion within the Godhead. Yet our world has made it just that. Morality is now defined by our relativism.

When one looks at the worldly system, it ways of thinking, and its means by which to create a standard of life for all people, it is clear that humanity, in all it “wisdom”, does not have an answer. It is forever grasping at the wind and thus wanting. It’s paths lead to ruin and destruction. If fact, it would not be hard to make an argument that the world is not getting better. Quite the opposite is true.

Thank God our hope does not rest in the hands of human wisdom. Our standing of living, our value, our purpose is not derived from the created, but rather the Creator.

Therefore we love not this world, we seek a greater object of our love. We, as Christians, seek the Father.

Love of the stuff - materialism

God in his his tremendous knowledge and wisdom, gave us the materials and minds to take the raw materials earth to make and develop something new. And mankind has done well. Look around at the things man has develop as a result of God’s original creation. Consider how far we have come with our building, transportation, entertainment and communication to name a few. However, for most of us these things become that which draw us away from our creator rather than that which points us to our creator. (expanded thoughts) As a result we are never satisfied with what we have. It is never enough.

When God created the world in it’s original state, it was good, it was very good. All of creation pointed to our very good Creator. Today, the world has taken the created and made it their god. When Christians do this we run the risk of Losing our first Love.

We abandon the joy of fellowship we have with God. Essentially we are believing the lie that we can find joy apart from that fellowship. We can not.

Sometimes, however, we can get so focused on the things of the world we loose sight of the love of the Father and we fail in our express of that love. … This is where I have felt convicted recently.

I remember thinking that older people, who have been Christians most of their lives, should be the most loving and caring individuals. My reasoning was simple. They had the longest time to grow in their relationship with God. Growing up, I was surrounded by older folks that demonstrated a love for God. As I grow up I noticed older folks who seemed very bitter. … (Naomi)

It is easy to allow the things of this world to influence our discontentment and disappointment.

I don’t have … I deserve to have ....

I have worked hard and I don’t have… the car, the house, the computer, the phone, the family, the job, etc. I deserve it.

I never got to experience … I deserve to experience...

More joy, peace, respect, contentment, popularity, prestige/recognition, power, happiness, rest, etc…

I don’t like the way things are turning out… I deserve better... (Mid-life crisis)

If we are not careful, if we take our eyes off our father and your relationship with him, there are three traps we can run into. We will look at them in verse 16. John is warning his readers here. Be careful. Don’t let the object of your love rob you of the joy of fellowship that you have with the Father and Son.

Read v. 16

Here are the Three Traps

Three Traps

++ I have to experience

++ I have to have

++ I have to control

The Prodigal Son

Read Luke 15:11-32

The Younger son - Is like the one who is apathetic toward the Father. (It doesn’t appear there is a great relationship between he and the father.

Wants to have his inheritance (v. 12)

Wants to experience life apart from the Father (vv. 12-13)

Maybe he sees his father as a bit of a kill-joy.

Wants to control his own life.

Read vv. 13-16

What the Young Son Discovered in all his wanting. (vv. 13-16)

What he had to have... didn’t last

The money was used up.

What he had to experience… ended with disappointment

Life did not turn out the way he thought it would.

He now became part of the system that he wanted to either escape or have control over. His life had hit bottom. And the Citizens of that country (the world) was not taking care of him. His well-being did not seem to be their top concern. The first son wanted to get as much out of this life as he could. And when the world had taken everything it abandoned. When he had no value to add to the world the world saw no value in him.

What he had to control… He couldn’t.

Even the nature seemed to be against him, when the famine came.

But then something happened. It says in verse 17 he came to his senses or his senses returned to him.

Read vv. 17-24

His senses led him to the following conclusions:

His father treated his servants him better than the world was treating him.

Though he is a son of the father, it is better to be a servant of his father than a servant of the world.

Better to go to the father in humility, in search of his grace, than to remain where I am.

He even rehearsed what he was going to say.

While this may have placed him in a place of humility, it was unnecessary as we will see.

These conclusion drove him to go home. - Good Conclusion.

The Father’s Response

The father saw him

The father had compassion

The father embraced him and kissed him.

The father made it clear to the son that he was his son, not a servant.

The father’s focus was the son.

The father’s desire for the son certainly was not based on what the son had to offer. The son was broke, filthy, his status in society was of no great significance. The son had nothing.

The father’s love was for the son alone.

He demonstrated this by his actions toward the son.

Now let’s look at the older son

Read vv. 25-32

The older son was working in the Father’s field. (v. 25)

He hears the party going on and inquires about it. (v. 26)

After learning it was for his younger brother he became angry. He became so angry that he refused to go in. It would seem that the son had a different feeling about his younger brother than the father had. (vv. 27-28)

When the father sought out the older son and pleaded with him to come inside to the party, the older son focus was solely on his younger brother faithlessness in contrast to his faithfulness.

He points out the failure of his younger brother and emphasizes his own service.

It is unclear whether the father’s explanation was satisfactory to the older on not.

I don’t know about you but I can identify with the older brother. This is not a fact I am proud of. At times I can think that God owes me what I want b/c of my faithfulness to Him.

The older brother love is revealed to be in the wrong place as well.

He wanted stuff

He was angry he never had the “party experience”

He sought to control the situation by his anger and his refusal to go into the party.

Shamefully, I can remember when I acted like this.

Neither one of the sons seems to focus on what they have, rather they are focused on what they want.

So, what is it that they had? A relationship with the father.

I think that real focus of this story should be on the father.

Notice how responds to both son’s despite their behavior and failure to care for the him.

He is mindful of their presence, or lack of.

He welcomes them.

He gives them good things.

He accepts them, despite their failures or wrong attitudes.

He seeks to be with them

He wants to be with them.

He demonstrates unconditional love.

The father’s focus was always the sons. The son’s focus was not always the father.

The sons may have view their father as a kill-joy or taskmaster. Father view them as sons.

The sons may have wanted the father’s stuff. The Father wanted the relationship.

The sons sought to either manipulate or ignore the Father. The father wanted only the best for for the sons.

1 John 2:17 “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

1 John 2:17 NKJV

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Love for the things of this world will always leave us wanting that which is vapor, but the one who seeks God and His will, find eternal fulfillment.

What the world has to offer is passing away. What God offers is forever.