WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
1 John 2:15-17
INTRODUCTION: When John talks about love – particularly in this letter, he is primarily using the term with regard to spiritual condition. Love is the defining factor that sets believers – Christian apart from all other people, and Christianity apart from all other religions. With that in mind, John seeks to inform the church of the danger they face when they develop a close association with the world.
I THE WORLD THROWS OUT GOD – 1 John 2:15
A We are not to have a love directed towards the world
1 We are to have a compassion for the world – Jesus did
2 We are not to love the worlds alienation from God
3 Not loving too much, but not loving at all!
B The world John is talking about
1 A “God-estranged place”
2 A God hating place
a James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
3 The place of fallen mankind
C The stuff in the world
1 Whatever is encompassed in mans world
2 Important to value the things of the world for the uses and purposes God intended, not for uses and purposes sin abuses
3 When we begin to enjoy this world too much we stoop worshipping God regularly
D God warning is universal
1 Everybody has the potential to succumb to the world
2 The danger is in direction
a Loving the world blocks my ability and my desire to God
b God and the world cannot both be loved at once
c God is not dwell as the principle ruler of my life
1) Excess baggage
2) Excised lesion
THE CHRISTIAN CANNOT LIVE WITH A DIVIDED HEART – THERE NEEDS TO BE A CLEAR-CUT COMMITMENT
VICTORY OVER THE WORLD BEGINS WITH THE HEART
II THE WORLDS THINGS ARE NOT GODS THINGS – 1 John 2:16
A The cravings
1 What the person who does not know Christ craves
2 Wrong desires
3 Things that excite our more baser nature
4 Satan appealed to these when he challenged the Lord to make bread from rocks
B The lusts
1 Things we think we have
2 Things we think we can gain
3 Satan appealed to this in his third temptation of Christ – “all the kingdoms”
4 We become blinded to what is really important
Luke 14:15-23 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ’Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ’I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19"Another said, ’I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20"Still another said, ’I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ’Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22" ’Sir,’ the servant said, ’what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23"Then the master told his servant, ’Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
IN ORDER TO LOVE GOD WE MUST STOP ACTING FROM THE MOTIVES THAT REFLECT THE WORLD’S VALUE SYSTEM
C The boastings/pride
1 The arrogant assumption of a person
2 The attitude the self-centeredness
3 The attitude of self-sufficiency
4 Satan appealed to this in his second temptation – pride and presumption of the Fathers care
5 Even the fall of Satan centered around this area
WHEN WE BECOME MORE ATTACHED OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THAN INSIDE THE CHURCH, WE FORGET THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
III THE WORLD IS TRANSITORY – 1 John 2:17
A What the world desires is passing away
1 It is temporary
a Temporary in the sense that we are passing away and we cannot take it with us
b Temporary in the sense that Jesus is coming and will change this whole world around
2 It produces
a Cravings
b Lusts
c Empty Boasting
n NONE OF THESE ARE EVER SATISFIED BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON SOMETHING TEMPORARY
B Activity regarding God’s will is timeless
1 Lives means to abide forever
2 Lives means, “not affected by the passing away of the world
3 Abiding in God’s will produces
a Wealth
b Honor
c Life
Proverbs 22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.
-- ALL OF THESE ARE SATISFIED BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON SOMETHING PERMANENT
How do we cultivate a declining love for the world and it things and a growing love for the things of God?
-- Begin by asking God to give you a new heart – a passion for his things
-- Do a “service inventory”, asking yourself where you are spending the bulk of your “serving” time
-- Begin to replace service outside the church with service inside the church
