1 John 2:15-17 October 29, 2006
Do Not Love this World
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Two weeks ago I preached from 1 John 2:12-14 that gives this great encouragement to us… Read 12-14
I talked about how we can read this message as a message to new Christians, mature Christians & maturing Christians. He gives this wonderful word of encouragement, and then a word of warning. I think that this word is a warning that we need to hear today like no other.
Read passage (15-17)
When you hear this passage, if you’ve been tracking with some of the stuff I’ve been teaching, you might immediately have a disconnect. I’ve been teaching that God loves the world: that he is not only redeeming you and me, but he is also redeeming the whole cosmos. The New Testament does not teach a dualism, that the spiritual world is above the material world, or that salvation is an escape from the material world. If God loved the world so much that he sent his own Son to die for it, why does John say “Do not love the world?”
John uses the word “world” in a couple of different ways – one is for the whole cosmos, the created order, what God calls “good” in Genesis. The other way is for the culture that we humans have created in the cosmos, and in particular, the wrong ways that we regard the created order.
John also uses the word “love” in a few different ways – one is the sacrificing, self giving love that we find in John 3:16 it is the kind of love that wants what is best for the one that is loved. The other is desire, obsession the kind of emotion that wants to possess and control the other, and be possessed and controlled by the other. Books and films often get these two emotions confused and they see this desire to possess as true love.
John gets more specific about what he means by “loving the world” when he says “The cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do” These things are not the love that God has for the world, they are what is ruining the world.
The cravings of sinful people – “the desires of the flesh” – the need for the next big hit, whether it be the rush of buying something new, the next sexual conquest, the next promotion or raise, the next accomplishment, the next chocolate bar…the continual need for more.
The lust of the eyes – greed for the things we see – we get irritated with kids in a store, when they are constantly asking for everything that they see. I have to set rules as we walk in to stores – “you can show me stuff, but you can not ask for it.” Otherwise they end up sounding like the seagulls in “Finding Nemo:” “mine, mine, mine, mine…” The seagulls are funny and the kids are irritating because the are so close the way our own heart is – “oh! I’d like that, and that… and that.”
Rockefeller – how much is enough? Just a little more.
Boasting about what they have and do
We have become convinced that possessions, accomplishments, attractive relationships are what makes us better people, so when we get them, we have show them off – we have to let slip in the conversation our latest purchase, or the name of some important person we are friends with, or some great thing we’ve done. If all this stuff is going to make us look good, people have to know we have it!
The lure of the world
When we describe the love of the world in this way, we can all say, “Oh I know someone like that!” But I think that if we are honest we can all say, “Oh I know someone like that, it’s me.”
I think that we are all infected with the virus of the love of the world, and if the virus ever gets a little low, we get another hit by turning on the TV, or reading a magazine, or walking down the street where the billboards tell us that we are just not living if we don’t use this product, or look this way, or have a beautiful partner…
Jesus tells this story comparing our hearts to different types of soil in a field:
Mark 4:3-9,14-20
The Parable of the Sower
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."
Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."
…. The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown."
I think that the soil of this age is the thorny soil. I have seen more people leave the faith not because of theological or philosophical issues, or dissatisfaction with the church, or conflict with other Christians, but because life just got too busy, they needed to focus on making more money, or the faith just did not fit their “lifestyle” any more. It was a major issue in John’s day, and it is the major issue in our day.
The reason it is such an issue is that we are constantly being told that we do not have life, but if we bought this product, lost this weight, used this hair conditioner, drove this car, drank this beer, won this race, slept with this person, built these muscles… we would have life!
It’s a lie.
The emptiness of the lure
John 10:1-10
“Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The devil hops over the fence and steps into our lives through the TV and say’s “come with me, I’ll give you life. Look, you’re poor, ugly, useless and undesirable, come with me and you’ll be rich, beautiful, accomplished and desirable, just buy this…”
Jesus says to us: “your sins have been forgiven on account of his name, you know him who is from the beginning, you know the Father, you are strong, the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. “
The amazing thing is that the things that the world has to offer are so thin and flimsy compared to Jesus. In fact, much of what the world has to offer doesn’t even exist. There is this Dove commercial for their real beauty campaign where they take a young woman make her up, and then Photoshop the picture to make her a billboard ad – it is not that we cannot be as beautiful as the people in the ads, they are not even that beautiful! If I say to myself, “I will have life when I look like the guy on the cover of Men’s Health.” I have just bought the death of my soul, because even if it was attainable, it will not give life.
Some people wake up to the emptiness of the love of the world before its to late. The truth hurts, be we realize that all the things that we have been running after are not worth it, or worse they are killing us. Other people take the love of the world to the grave with them.
The things that the world offers will not give life in this life, and they definitely will not give life in the next.
Man allowed to bring gold bricks into heaven – “great, we needed a few more paving stones!”
Matthew 16
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul?
Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:19-21 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Not only is the love of the world empty, but as Christians, it is harmful to our faith.
The Message
15-17Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
How to not love the world
If the love of the world is a virus that we all have, what can we do to get rid of it? What are the anti-viral drugs that we can take that will kill of the love of the world?
Keep your eyes on Jesus – Heb 12:1-2
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Counter the lie with truth “this does not give me life” – say it to the commercials, write it on your credit card
– Thanksgiving, - gratitude negates grasping
– Simplicity, but not pride in simplicity
You can own things, but don’t let things own you
Get rid of the things that have power over you.
