1, 2 & 3 John – The Fingerprints of Christian Authenticity…  (5 of 18)

Understanding the World – ‘Do not love the world…’

1 John 2:15-17

We’re walking through the letters of 1, 2 & 3 John and throughout this series we’re observing over and over that these three shorter New Testament books contain tests of genuineness – they show the difference between what is REAL and what profoundly isn’t.

This morning we’re turning to 2:15-17 and everything is wrapped around the beginning of verse 15, which says (ESV) – Do not love the world or the things in the world.

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV) –

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

There’s tremendous danger associated with naively zooming into threating conditions while being unaware of (or at least ignoring) the challenges.  This is a reality check!

1. The world is hostile to God and in rebellion against Him which brings us to a resounding and jarring call – ‘Do not love the world of the things in the world.’  (1 John 2:15)

1 John 2:15 (ESV) –
“Do not love the world or the things in the world.” 

And following the command comes these stern words of warning – “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

John 3:16-17 (ESV, emphasis mine) –

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.   For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Genesis 1:1 (ESV) –

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

Genesis 1:31 (ESV) –

“And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

What is this saying?  The terminology of the world (Greek ‘kosmos’) is used differently in different contexts and the Letters of John and the Gospel of John speak of the world as a place of sin and opposed to God – a place of pride and rebellion against God and His rightful rule – His rightful authority!

The world is hostile to God – it is in sinful rebellion against its Creator and desperately needs to be saved and that has been the default circumstance since Genesis 3!

John 15:18-19 (ESV, emphasis mine) –

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  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.”

It is understandably a uncomfortable topic but this is reality – Jesus tells His followers to expect opposition.  Followers of Jesus in every generation should expect to experience hatred, scorn and persecution (or opposition) for simply belonging to Him.

The world is in rebellion against God – the world pulls one way and the demands of Christian discipleship pull in the opposite direction.  Picture a tug of war between the world and the will of God.

John 16:33 (ESV) –

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

1 John 2:15 (ESV) –

 ^“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.”

James 4:4 (ESV, emphasis mine)  –

“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.”

The world is in sinful rebellion against God and His rightful rule.  We can’t have it both ways – it’s impossible to be loyal to the world that’s opposed to God and to God’s people and love and serve God at the same time – even attempting to do so is double-mindedness!

Matthew 6:24 (ESV) –

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

God didn’t love the world because it was lovely, it wasn’t and it isn’t!  We’re gazing on the wonder of grace, think of John 3:16 – God gave His only Son (ESV) – …that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
 God gave Him to be lifted up on the cross.  He gave Him to come and to die as our substitute – as the substitute of all who will ever believe on His name and the result is that glorious offer of eternal life is freely extended to the world – to people who by default are perishing and are utterly hostile to God.

Do we love our enemies? YES! 

Do we follow Jesus in lovingly seeking to reach the world with the message of salvation? YES!

Do we go along with and participate in the sin and rebellion of the world? NO!

2. We must resist twisted human desires that pull away from God!  The constant pull of the world means our hearts continually face a tug-of-war struggle…  (1 John 2:16)

1 John 2:16 (ESV, emphasis mine) –

“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.”

1 John 2:16 (New Living Translation, emphasis mine) –

“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.”

The world pulls one way and God’s will and loving Him supremely pulls the other.  Our hearts are in a constant ‘tug of war’ struggle and with that in mind followers of Jesus must guard against the pull of – … the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life…

…desires of the eyes and pride of life... – this describes exactly what we all naturally pursue (or chase after) apart from God – sinful cravings activated by what we see.  Think of Eve in the Garden of Eden, the forbidden fruit was a delight to the eyes.

Genesis 3:6 (ESV, emphasis mine) –

“So 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, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

All of this is connected with coveting, seeing and saying: I want that!  The …pride of life… carries with it the idea of being prideful and boasting about ones material possessions and also boasting about ones understanding and knowledge.

1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV) –

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

We can’t love God supremely and at the same time love the world by chasing (or pursuing) all of these sinful desires!  A decision must be made, there’s no sitting on the fence!

We must understand that we can’t have it both ways our allegiance will be to the world which is in rebellion against God or our allegiance will be to the Lord Jesus.  Ask yourself: Where is my allegiance?  Am I trying to sit on the fence?

Proverbs 14:12 (ESV) –

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” 

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV, emphasis mine) –

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.   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.”

We are not to be conformed to this world!  We’re to color outside of the lines.  Faithfulness to God (living in submission to His Word) means resisting the default pattern the world gives.

3. We need an eternal perspective the world is passing away and loving the world is always tremendously short-sighted…  (1 John 2:17)

1 John 2:17 (ESV, emphasis mine) –  

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

We need to take the long view, we need an eternal perspective!  We need to pause and consider because embracing this truth transforms our perspective on everything.  The general assumption in the world around us is that this world is permanent and that everything will keep on continuing as it always has but I’m here to tell you that this is unbiblical and a deceptive allusion that is absolutely poisonous and we must NOT embrace it!

History is headed to a conclusion!  Jesus is coming back!  The world and its desires are only temporary and with that in mind loving the world is profoundly short-sighted.

How do I need to respond?  Where and how does my thinking and perspective need to change?

Have you ever heard the phrase: ‘We’re to be in the world but not of it’?  It comes from Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and it connects with everything that we’ve been considering today – we’re obviously physically in the world but we’re not to be of the world spiritually.

John 17:14 (ESV, emphasis mine) –  

“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.”

Ask – How do I need to respond to the call found in verse 15?

1 John 2:15 (ESV) –

“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.”

Ask –

• Do I love the world with the selfish love of participation?
• Am I conforming to the world and following its desires? 
• Has this provided a needed ‘reality check’ about the environment in which we live?
• Do I need to embrace the reality that this world is temporary and allow this glorious truth to transform my thinking in every way?

1. The world is hostile to God and in rebellion against Him which brings us to the resounding and also jarring call – ‘Do not love the world of the things in the world.’ 
2. We must resist twisted human desires that pull away from God!  The constant pull of the world means our hearts continually face a tug-of-war struggle…
3. We need an eternal perspective the world is passing away and loving the world is always tremendously short-sighted…