What In The World?

Alba 7-7-2024

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

I John 2:15-17

Have you ever been in a situation that makes you say, “What in the world!” There are some crazy things out there that could cause you to say that. James Snyder in a sermon entitled, “What a Crazy World We Live In” shared some things that made him exclaim, “What in the world!”. He said this:

“What a crazy world we live in these days. Just when you think it can’t get any crazier, it does. We went shopping at the grocery store one day, and when we came out and got into our vehicle, I was laughing. My wife looked at me and said, 'What are you laughing about?'

“'That lady in there,' I said, still laughing, 'was wearing the craziest dress that I’ve ever seen. She sure was crazy.' And I laughed some more. She looked at me, smiled and said, 'You do know that was not a woman, don’t you?' The smile disappeared from my face, and I just stared at her and said, 'You got to be kidding?'”

He continued, “There appears to be a crazy virus, and it comes out just a little different for each individual.” He said, “There was some Hollywood celebrity; I don’t know who, but when they had their baby said that they would wait until the baby was old enough to make its own decision as to its gender.”

Then he said, “When I first heard that, I thought they were making a joke, but then I found out they were very serious about it. When I heard that, I felt sorry for the baby that had to grow up in such a crazy family. If they are crazy about this, what else are they crazy about?”

Indeed! There is a lot in this world that is out of joint with common sense. But that is nothing new. The apostle John gives us a warning about how things can go haywire. He makes it clear that many things in this world get in the way of good living. Here's what he writes in I John 2:15-17.

“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 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

There are things in this world that can cause us a lot of trouble. The worst of which is hurting our relationship with a loving God. So this phrase, “What in the world” becomes more of a question than simply being incredulous about something. In other words, these verses in I John chapter two should make us ask ourselves:

1. What in the world is keeping me from God's love?

Verse 15 says, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

That raises the question, does God hate this world? No! He has the whole world in His hands, and He called His creation “good”. Indeed it is! This planet was put together by God's loving hands. We know that “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” (Gen. 1:1) The orderliness of the universe is one of the evidences of Intelligent Design. There is not a chance it took place by chance. And since the very definition of Evolution’s creative power is “Time and Chance”, it’s an idea that is out of time, and there’s not a chance it’s true.

But another question could be asked, does God hate the people of this world? There are many times in scripture that God expresses frustration with the human population of the world. But He has always had a deep love for people. In Jeremiah 31:3 Jeremiah says, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.'”

And most importantly, we know that God so loved the people of this world (that includes you and me) that Jesus came and died on the cross in our place. (John 3:16-17) So when we are told not to love this world, it is not the planet, and it is not the people. It is the world system that operates as if God does not exist, or if He does, it doesn't matter. It is the idea that people can make up their own rules, live their own way and rebel against whatever God has said and there will be no consequences.

When anyone lives that way, it blocks out the love that God wants to give that person. And“The love of the Father is not in him.” What a sad place to be. Here is God who lovingly wants to provide good things. But the love of the ways of the world have shut Him out of that person's life.