Is Your World Spinning? Series

"Is Your World Spinning?"

"Knowing Our Enemy" series - Part 2 of 7

Text: 1 John 2:15-17 & Selected

Cross Creek Community Church

July 2, 2000

God’s Word is Powerful, Relevant, and Up to Date!

1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

The February 26, 1974 edition of Insight told the story of Major William Martin, a British subject who is buried near Huelvo on the southern coast of Spain. Martin never knew the great contribution he made to the Allied success in the Second World War, especially in Sicily, because he died of pneumonia in the foggy dampness of England before he ever saw the battle front. The Allies had invaded North Africa. The next logical step was Sicily.

Knowing the Germans calculated this, the Allies determined to outfox them. One dark night, an Allied submarine came to the surface just off the coast of Spain and put Martin’s body out to sea in a rubber raft with an oar. In his pocket were secret documents indicating the Allied forces would strike next in Greece and Sardinia.

Major Martin’s body washed ashore, and Axis intelligence operatives soon found him, thinking he had crashed at sea. They passed the secret documents through Axis hands all the way to Hitler’s headquarters. So while Allied forces moved toward Sicily, thousands and thousands of German troops moved on to Greece and Sardinia--where the battle wasn’t.

Satan works with more cunning than even the Allied plan, getting us to fight many temptations in places where the real battle isn’t. Often, temptations hurt us most where we least expect them.

„h Our military has a division called "intelligence" ¡V main emphasis is on getting to know their enemy.

„h How can we fight if we don’t know anything about our enemy.- get to know their secrets.

„h Troop strength, types of weapons they use, their leaders, their positions, their strategies, Their strengths, their weaknesses, Their allies, their enemies, Their defenses, Their tactics, etc.

Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

2Co. 10:3-4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

„h We are engaged in a battle ¡V an all out war. - "Knowing our Enemy" Part 2 of our Bible series.

„h This morning we will look at one of our enemies - the ’world’

The Bible refers to "world" three different ways:

1. The PHYSICAL world ¡V planet earth. Ps. 90:2

Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

„h A spinning mass of matter hurling through space at incredible speeds. Galaxy spins 490,000 mph

„h A cursed, yet a beautiful planet called earth which God created.

2. All MANKIND, who God created and loves. John 3:16

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

„h Human beings created in the image of God, who fell into sin, for whom Christ died.

3. An ORGANIZED system hostile to God. James 4:4 (This will be our focus this morning).

„h The world looks exciting and attractive.

„h The world is always appealing, always calling us to greater experiences.

„h The lure is strong, really gets a grip on us.

„h The world wants your undivided attention.

„h The clamor is always saying look at me, try me, buy me, watch me, experience me, taste me, wear me, taste me, drive me, fly me, etc.

„h The world wants you! With your full attention.

„h The world produces a desire for more.

„h The world says try more, buy this then you need to buy that ¡V we desire more and more.

„h No end to ’things’ we can do, or where we can go, or buy, or eat, or see ¡Kmore & more.

„h The world never gives lasting joy.

„h The world cannot satisfy our deepest needs and longings

„h Most miserable people on earth are the rich and famous. Why? Money will not produce joy.