Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Transition:

We’ve been watching these previous weeks as John called on his readers to imitate Jesus’ obedient lifestyle, as he reminded them of the command to love one another for the sake of fellowship.

Then, having reassured them of their right standing with YHWH, as we saw a couple weeks ago, he now warns that their walk in light not be hindered by worldliness.

Today, John transitions from assuring his readers of his confidence in them to address another hindrance to walking in the light—worldliness.

Scripture Reading:

This is a difficult passage, especially for us living in our materialistic America.

How do we have God’s values and not love the world?

Some Christians have mistakenly thought that discarding their material possessions is the answer.

For example, Francis of Assisi, upon hearing the reading of Matt 10:7–19, believed he was being personally called to a life of poverty.

He discarded his material possessions and began an evangelistic ministry that drew a following of other monks and eventually developed into an order in the Catholic Church.

Transition:

My title and subsequent outline for today’s sermon is a synecdoche /sɪnˈekdəki/.

Tree Huggers is a humorous and memorable way to refer to those who love the world and the things of the world.

I.

The Problem with Trees

John addresses this pitfall to experiencing true fellowship by introducing a warning with its solution.

This is accomplished using an imperative (a command) followed by a conditional sentence that expresses John’s concern for his readers.

Although this is his first mention of the world in this first epistle, John has already shared a bit of his doctrine concerning the world in his Gospel.

“Do not love” This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE, which means to stop an act that is already in progress— a possible translation could be “Stop loving the world.”

By this John implies his readers may be guilty of misplaced values.

The love of the world characterizes false teachers and ought not be identified in us.

“the world” Wait!!! What about John 3:16?!?!

This is the same author—whether it is the Holy Spirit or the Apostle John--that’s telling us here in our passage this morning that we cannot love the world also recorded for us beforehand that our God loves this world, not a little bit but a lot! maybe it is a different word for love?

Nope! it is agape love.

maybe it is a different word for world?

Nope, both use cosmos!

Obviously, both “love” and “the world” are used in a different sense here in John 3:16, where it is said that “God so loved the world.”

The one love is selfish, the other unselfish.

In the one case “the world” κόσμος-- This word is used in two different senses in the NT:

The physical planet Earth (cf.

John 3:16; 16:33; 1 John 4:14) and/or the souls of man--This would see “world” as distinct from the things in it, which leaves people as its referent.

YHWH’s love for the world’s people is expressed in places such as we see here in John 3:16.

However, this “world” as by John in our passage this morning is described as passing away along with its attitudes.

This would not be true of people.

Humanity will exist forever, whether with God or separate from Him. ; then it can also mean

Human beings with our philosophies and wisdom organized and functioning apart from God.

This then refers to the morally corrupt world system rather than the planet and its material components.

This world system stands opposed to YHWH and everything He values.

It is owned and operated by Satan (1 John 3:1; 4:4; 5:19; John 12:31; 15:18; Eph.

6:11, 12; Jas 4:4).

This is the best meaning for our passage in 1 John because of John’s immediate reference to the world’s lusts and pride, which are to be rejected along with it.

This evil system will not continue into eternity but will be replaced by Christ’s kingdom.

Though “things” are not evil in and of themselves, loving them does make one worldly.

So John uses both senses in his gospel and in this epistle.

The term “world” is not evil in itself and John does not always depict it in a bad light.

He uses it to designate all of creation in its natural sense (John 1:10).

The world is the sphere wherein God’s saving activity occurs (John 1:10; 3:16; 9:5; 13:1; 17:11, 13; 1 John 4:9, 17.

It was the created world (planet) that God declared good and very good in Genesis.

Additionally, Jesus did not come to condemn the world’s population, but to save it (John 3:17).

Yet, this same term at more times has a negative bent in John’s writings.

It is this same world from which the disciples have been separated by God and from which Jesus was always separate.

It hated Jesus and hates His followers (John 15:18–20).

John’s use of the term indicates nonbelievers being referred to along with the satanic forces opposed to YHWH as well as the sphere of their activity (1 John 4:1, 3).

It is this evil system that Christ and believers have overcome (John 16:33; 1 John 2:13–14; 5:4).

Though it is not evil in and of itself, the church does find itself increasingly separated from the world and distinct from it.

It then makes sense that John would tells us not to love it.

“or the things in the world” This likely refers to a love of material objects but also could include the things the world has to offer: power, prestige, influence, control, etc.

This is sin because the sin-cursed world system attempts to meet all of mankind’s needs apart from God.

It structures life in such a way that humans appear to be independent of a Creator.

As Augustine said so well, “man has a God-shaped hole” in his life.

We try to fill that hole with earthly things, but we can only find peace and fulfilment in Him! Independence is the curse of Eden!

Such a love is inconsistent with experiencing intimacy with God.

Notice also, John does not say to abandon the world.

Just as Jesus did not ask that His disciples be taken out of the world, only protected from Satan (John 17:15), John is not saying to flee the world or to reject it completely.

He is simply saying not to love it.

“If” John is not accusing his readers of loving the world per se but stating a principle that applies to them as well as anyone else.

His generic grammar appears deliberately to include all humanity, not just believers.

“...anyone loves the world.”

What we love is evidence of whose we are … God’s or Satan’s.

οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ, “the love of the Father is not in him.”

What John is saying is that love of the world reflects a lack of love for God.

It is impossible to love both the world and God.

Anyone loving the world can be certain, without a doubt, that he or she does not love God.

What does John mean by “the love of the Father” (ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πατρὸς)?

Our love for God or God’s love for us?

If the meaning is believers’ love directed toward the Father.

This would indicate that John intends that one cannot have love toward God when one’s love is directed toward the world.

“Love of the Father” would then be parallel to ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον (love of the world) in the preceding clause and reflect what follows in verse 17.

John is thus expressing Jesus’ teaching in Matt 6:24 (pp.Luke 16:13) that one cannot serve both God and money.

the love of the Father may also mean that God’s love expressed within a person is reflected in a love directed toward Him by that person rather than loving the world.

God’s love toward us motivates us to love Him over the world, as John affirms later: “We love because He loved us first” (4:19) — if so, this gives us great hope!

Transition:

John is not condemning a love of those material advantages which are God’s gifts, nor of nature, which is God’s work.

He is forbidding those things the love of which rivals and excludes the love of God—all those immoral tendencies and pursuits which give the world its evil character.

With this understanding, the next verse makes a bit more sense in context.

II.

The Problem with Hugs

He further emphasizes this command of not being a Tree Hugger by explaining the negative statement just made.

Everything that is in the world has as its source, not the Father, but the world.

But wait!! Does this seem right?? Didn't Jesus create the world?? How is EVERYTHING in it not from the Father?

This shows clearly that “The things of the world” cannot mean material objects capable of being desired.

Why?

Because these material objects—although can be lusted after—ultimately have their origin in God who created them (John 1:3).

To assert otherwise is form of Gnosticism.

But God did not create the evil dispositions and aims of men, these have their source in the sinful wills of his creatures, and ultimately in “the ruler of this world” (John 8:44).

“For all that is in the world.”

When John says all, he’s saying that no part of the world system is to be excluded.

Its values and attitudes, even those we do not recognize as evil, stand in opposition to YHWH.

“The things of the world” are now related to a threefold sinful combination that is from the world system rather than from YHWH.