Do Not Love The World
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
“One day a preacher came over to visit a family unexpectedly.
Wanting to make a good impression, the lady of the house instructed her little daughter,
‘Please run and get that good book we all love so much and bring it here.’
The daughter tottered off and then returned in a minute with triumph on her face and the Sears catalogue in her hands!”
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You see Church, the way we live our life will always only fall in two categories...
We either live for the Kingdom of God...
Or we live for the Kingdom of this world...
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We either build our lives on the Word of God...
Or we build then on sales catalogues and brochures and magazines of the material and vain things of the world.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the 1 John.
We will be conducting our study in Chapter 2 and focus on verses 15 through 17.
Our message this morning called “Do Not Love The World”
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
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.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Do Not Love the World
1) Do Not Love the World
Verse 15a: Do not love the world or the things in the world.
Beloved, I beg you to pay attention to this warning.
Do not love the world and the things in it.
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This warning is repeated over and over again in Scripture.
This is a warning to reject the world’s system and worldly worldviews that are in direct opposition and rebellion against God.
So, that is Godless philosophies, worldviews, and scientific thought that exclude God from the equation.
Wokeism, Feminism, Socialism, Communism, Naturalism, Modernism, Materialism, Post-Modernism, Atheism, Progressiveism, Liberalism,...
And any other “ism” that conflicts with the Word of God.
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The worldviews of our culture and society do not fit with our Christian beliefs...
And this has always been the case.
Just take a look at Paul’s warning in Romans 12:2:
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
As believers we have a renewed mind that cannot yoke itself to worldly thought.
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The world will tell you to “just do it” and “chase after what makes you feel good.”
Isn’t that what most Hollywood movies and TV shows seem to be about?
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But as followers of Christ, we are to display self-control...
We are to live out 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 which says:
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
It is the ungodly that give in freely to their passions...
Doing whatever they want...
Whenever they want...
With a group of likeminded ungodly individuals that cheer them on and call them brave.
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But they are living in a delusion.
They are living a fantasy...
And if we are being honest...
All of us...
Before we where saved...
We lived just as ignorantly as those currently in rebellion to God.
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But now as followers of the Way...
We are not to go back to our old ways...
We are not to be like a dog and go back to our vomit!
We are to be obedient to God as it says in 1 Peter 1:14–16:
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
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I want to make this clear...
Because I don’t want anyone to be puffed up and look down on those currently lost...
Because everyone was lost in the beginning...
And I’m not talking about being a little sick.
You and I...
We were walking dead...
And dead men and dead women can’t save themselves.
We needed a miracle and God’s mercy and grace.
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So, don’t forget who you where so you can have compassion on others...
And keep Ephesians 2:1–3 on your mind:
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
All of us...
Were children of wrath...
All of us...
Lived in the passions of the flesh...
All of us...
Carried out the desires of the body...
All of us...
Followed the Evil one for a time...
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But God...
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But God had mercy on you and me...
So, how can we go back to our world ways and love the world?
We can’t.
For if we did...
Then it is proof that we don’t know God...
And this takes to our next point.
2) No Love of the Father
2) No Love of the Father
Verse 15b: If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
John doesn’t hold back, Church.
There is no grey area to play in...
It is either Team World or Team Jesus...
You either love the world or you love the Father.
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And John is not the only one not to hold back when speaking this truth.
Check out what James says in James 4:4:
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
If you love the world...
If you love the things in the world...
Then you are an enemy of God.
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I won’t sugarcoat this for you.
This is a serious warning.
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You are going to have to ask yourself.
Where do you stand?
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Can you say with the Word of God in 1 John 5:19 that:
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
Is Jesus talking about you when He says in John 17:16 during His high priestly prayer that:
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
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Let me give you a sure mark to see if you are of the world or of God.
If you are of the world then the world will love you and cheer you on.
But if you are of God the world will hate you because of your love for Christ.
John 15:18-20 is very clear on this matter.
Jesus says:
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
So, remember that we are no greater than our Master.
We are no greater than Jesus.
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We will suffer for His name sake...
And this will be proof of our fellowship with Him.
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Our desires, as His followers will be in sharp contrast to those of the world.
For the desires of the flesh is not from God but from the world...
And this takes us to our next point.
3) From the World
3) From 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.
The word “desires” in other English translations use the word “lust.”
The the rendering of this verse would say, “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.”
The ESV Study Bible says this regarding desires,
“Human desires are part of God’s creation and therefore not inherently evil, but they become twisted when not directed by and toward God.”
So, this is not a question of a person being rich or poor.
This is not about if a person has a nice house or a nice car.
This is about the desire we have for things of this world being above our desire toward God.
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Additionally, the Expositor’s Commentary on the Letters of John says,
“The ‘flesh’ not only becomes the basis for rebellion against God and for despising his law but also connotes all that is materialistic, egocentric, exploitative, and selfish. It is at the root of racism, sexism, love of injustice, despising the poor, neglecting the weak and helpless, and every unrighteous practice.”
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Further, as we examine this verse we see that the phrase “pride of life” in our ESV translation is translated differently in other English translations.
These renderings are “the pride in one’s possessions” and “the arrogance of material possessions.”
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The MacArthur Study Bible contains this note on the matter that is helpful in understanding the meaning here,
“The phrase has the idea of arrogance over one’s circumstances, which produced haughtiness or exaggeration, parading what one possessed to impress other people.”
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This brings to mind James 4:16, which says:
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
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So, these different English translations help us better understand how John’s original audience would have understood the ancient Greek.
In fact, the NLT’s translation of verse 16 really helps.
You see, the NLT is considered a thought for thought translation while the ESV is more word for word.
Both styles have advantages and in fact every translation is part thought for thought and part word for word to a degree...
The difference is in the percentage of each used.
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So, the NLT’s version says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
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Now if we look at the phrase “desires of the eyes” from the ESV or the phrase “craving for everything we see” from the NLT we see a focus on what we visually see that can ultimately lead to sin.
You see, our eyes can act as a window to sin and greater sin.
Remember what Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5:27–30 reads:
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
And the “desires of the eyes” is not just about sexual lust and adultery but all other sins too.
These are sins that the world wants us as followers of Christ to participate in but we can’t have fellowship with darkness.
Peter warns of this in his own letter as stated in 1 Peter 4:3–4:
3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;
So, when we refrain from these act of debauchery the world hates us for it.
But the world and all its evil and wickedness will one day pass away...
And this leads us to our next point.
4) World is Passing Away
4) World is Passing Away
Verse 17a: And the world is passing away along with its desires,
The Reformation Study Bible has this note on the world passing away that I would like to share with you.
It says, “At the time of the very end, the old world will pass away.
Spiritually speaking, this passing away has begun already for the old world because Christ has broken the power of sin, and this passing away will be completed by the actual physical remaking of the earth—a new world is coming.
Also, at the time of the end, God’s people will enjoy the consummation of eternal life.
This has begun even now for God’s people in their spiritual resurrection via the Spirit’s work of regeneration, and it will be consummated in the final resurrection of their physical bodies.”
Paul also talks about the passing away of this world and the hope that we as believer can hold on to.
Look with me at Romans 8:18–22 which says:
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
The current world is passing away, Beloved...
And in it’s place creation will be restored just like our flesh will be renewed too.
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So let us not fixate our eyes on the things we can see but on the things that are eternal...
Let us fix our eyes not on the kingdom of this world that is passing away...
But instead let us fix our eyes on the Kingdom of God that will last forever.
As 2 Corinthians 4:18 says:
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
So, in summary of our passage so far, I love what John MacArthur has to say about it,
“Clearly, there is an unmistakable line of demarcation between the things of God and the things of the world.
The ongoing moral and ethical deterioration of contemporary culture makes this obvious.
Even brief consideration provides a lengthy list of cultural agendas that are aggressively hostile to biblical Christianity:
An attack on the traditional family by feminism;
An active promotion of sexual promiscuity and homosexuality;
An increasing acceptance of violence;
An emphasis on materialism and hedonism by the secular media;
A steady decline in standards of personal integrity and business ethics;
An undermining of right and wrong by postmodern relativism;
And so on.
In order to support his admonition, John does not offer a long list of specifics or detailed illustrations.
Instead, he presents three general reasons believers must not love the world:
Because of who they are,
Because of what the world does,
And because of where the world is going.”
The kingdom of the world is temporary...
But look at our final point to see what the Word of God says about those who instead of following the world obey God.
5) Abiding Forever with God
5) Abiding Forever with God
Verse 17b: But whoever does the will of God abides forever.
The word “abides” is alternatively translated as “lives” or “remains.”
So, “whoever does the will of God”...
“Lives forever” or “remains forever.”
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To live for the world is pure foolishness as it will all pass away one day...
But to live for the Kingdom of God is to remain with him forever.
As John previously said in the passage we studied a few weeks ago in 1 John 2:5:
5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Those who are genuinely born-again obey God’s commands and seek to follow His will and desire.
They are the ones who are hated because of being followers of Christ like it says in John 17:14 when Jesus said,
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Followers of Christ understand the Kingdom they are a part of is not of this world as Jesus said in John 18:36:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
Additionally, look at what John said in 1 John 3:1:
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
So, my brothers and sisters in-Christ...
As Children of God...
Obey his commands...
Seek the Father’s will in your life...
And know that by His grace and mercy you get to experience being in a Kingdom that will never pass away.
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Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close I want to share this tale.
“Joe Gutierrez tells five stories from his 42 years as a steelworker in the book The Heat: Steelworkers’ Lives and Legends.
In one story, called ‘Snow Danced in August,’ he describes a scene of silvery dust flakes that frequently floated to the floor in an area of the mill where steel strips rolled over pads in a tall cooling tower.
For years, workers and visitors alike flocked to the sight, which was especially picturesque at night.
Then they discovered the dust was asbestos.
‘Everybody breathed it,’ wrote Gutierrez.
He now suffers from the slow, choking grip of asbestos, as do many plant workers.
Gutierrez goes on to say, ‘Who am I?
I’m everybody.
Can’t walk too far now.
I get tired real fast and it hurts when I breathe, sometimes.
And to think we used to fight over that job.’
How many things in our culture resemble the silver flakes in that steel mill?
Enchanting but deadly.
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Seek not friendship with the world...
Do not love the world or all that is in it...
Remember what 1 John 5:4 says:
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
If you have been born of God then take heart...
He will enable you to overcome the world...
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If you are a slave to the world and the enslaved to its enchanting lies...
Then cry out to God...
Beg Him to open your eyes...
Beg Him to soften your heart...
Beg Him to remove the love of the world from your heart...
And replace it with a genuine love for Him.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.
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