Alright, turn with me if you
would to 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. And let's read our text which will
be verses 15 to 17. Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the
love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride
of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the
world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the
will of God abideth forever. Now, when a believer reads those
verses, he or she is always convicted. Every time we read those verses,
we're convicted. That commandment convicts us
because we know that this flesh loves the world. This flesh craves
the world. We are grieved by that. Like
the Apostle Paul said, I wish it wasn't so. We're grieved by
it, but we're captive to it. We're completely captive to it.
It is true that if a man loves the world, this is a very important
way to start this Bible study. It is true that if a man loves
the world and the things of the world, More than he loves Christ. More than he loves the things
of Christ, the things of the world more than the things of
Christ and the worship of Christ. If he decides that he'd rather
get up and go fishing on Sunday morning rather than go worship
God. And I'm not, I'm not talking
about vacation every now and then everybody knows what I'm
talking about. But if anything in this world comes between me
and Christ, if I choose anything in the world over Christ and
His worship and His gospel, if Christ loses priority in my heart,
if that's what happens, the love of the Father is not in me. If
Christ loses priority to anything else, the love of the Father
is not in me. There are times that our work
schedule will not allow us to make it to every service. That
does not mean that work has taken priority over Christ, not at
all. Not at all. God's people want
to worship every chance that they can worship. But if your
boss says you have to be there, you have to be there. If a man
won't work, neither should he eat. Our Lord said work hard. So that's totally different from
trying to get my work schedule to line up so I don't have to
go worship. Yeah, oh yeah, I'm wide open on Sunday morning,
Sunday night, Wednesday night. Well, I got to work. Man's got
to work. Totally different. Nothing in this world and nothing
in this life should take priority in the heart. In the heart. Over Christ, His worship, His
message, His glory. Moderation in everything. Moderation in everything. We
go to work. Here's what I'm going to tell
you. Go to work. If your schedule won't allow you to make it to
every service, here's what I have to say about it. But we don't
work so much and get so greedy that we're just so money hungry,
we just never have time to go worship God. All things in moderation. Everything in moderation and
making all of our heart's priority to be Him. That's a must. That is a must. That is critical. All right, now with that being
said, total alienation. Total separation from the life
and the world that we live in is not what our Lord is teaching
us here That's not what he's teaching at all. He is not saying
that you have to buy non-colorful fabric and make your own clothes
at home and get rid of all your conveniences get rid of all your
appliances and get rid of all your cars and and completely
separate yourself to this reclusive commune. So you don't really
know what's going on in the world and know what's going on around
you. You just totally separated from the world. Not only is he
not saying to be like that, those who do live in that way
are breaking this commandment more than anybody. So let's see if he'll give us
some insight to what he's saying here. Verse 15, it says, love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth
forever." In the Scripture, the word WORLD is used in three different ways.
It refers to three different things. The first thing that
it refers to is creation. the earth that we're standing
on. In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth, and he created everything that is
in the earth. Plants, animals, rivers, oceans,
rain, sunshine. God created everything that is
in the world. Before sin came, he said it was
very good. All very good. Now, because of
sin, the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. But God
made the earth and God made the things in the earth for His people. Everything He made, He made it
for His people. And this is what He said concerning
the things that He made for His people. Look with me at Matthew
chapter 6. Matthew 6 verse 31, Therefore take no thought, saying,
What shall we eat, or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall
we be clothed? For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek, For your heavenly father knoweth that you have
need of all these things. You need these things and he
knows you need these things. He knows that you need the things
that are in the world. Look with me at first Timothy
chapter six. 1 Timothy 6 verse 17, charge them that are rich in
this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches
but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. He has provided us the things
in this world richly to enjoy. We shouldn't trust in Him, only
in the living God. But He's given Him to us and
He said we can enjoy Him. Look with me at Ecclesiastes
chapter 2. After Proverbs, Ecclesiastes chapter 2. Verse 24 says, There is nothing better for a
man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make
his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw that it was from
the hand of God. Solomon said it's good. Chapter
3 verse 13 says, And also that every man should eat and drink
and enjoy the good of all his labor. It is the gift of God
to a mortal man while he lives his life out on this earth. It's the gift of God. Now we
know that the ultimate gift of God is the blood that Jesus Christ
shed on the cross to pay for our sin. That's the gift of God.
That's the eternal gift. The eternal spiritual gift is
the Son of God Himself, the Father putting us in Him, allowing us
to live in Him, allowing us to die in Him, raising us with Him,
accepting us in Him. That's the eternal gift. But
God gives His people temporary gifts throughout their life on
this earth. He's commanded us to work, and
then He said, enjoy the fruit of your labor. Verse 13, that
every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his
labor, it is the gift of God. One more while we're here, Ecclesiastes
5, verse 18. Behold, that which I have seen,
it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink and to enjoy
the good of all his labor, that he taketh under the sun all the
days of his life, which God giveth him, for it is his portion. So
1 John 2 is not teaching us that we have to hate the creation
that God made and has provided for his people to use and enjoy.
That's not what he's teaching us. The second way that the word
world is used in the Scripture, the second thing it refers to
is the people. When the word world is used,
when it says, For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten
Son, He's talking about people. And we know from the context
of that Scripture, the verses before it, the verses after it,
we know He's talking about particular people. But He's talking about
people. Our Lord said in John 17, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world, meaning
all of the people in the world, but for them, which thou has
given me. And when first John two says love, not the world,
he's not teaching us to hate people. He's not teaching that
at all. The whole reason we preach the
gospel. This is why we spend our hard-earned
money that we earn at our jobs in the world. This is why we
give it to the ministry of the gospel. We're not building up
a big account here. We're sending it out. It's going
out. We've got this TV broadcast that
the Lord has provided. We have these avenues of sermon
audio and such on and so forth. This message is going out. The
whole reason we preach the gospel is because we love and are concerned
for mankind. We love and concern and we are
concerned for the people in this city. That is the whole reason
we preach the gospel. We know that that husbands are
commanded to love their wives. We know that brothers and sisters
in Christ are commanded to love one another. But let me show
you something in Matthew 22. Go over there with me to Matthew
22. Matthew 22 verse 35, Then one
of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting
him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the
law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. Love your neighbor. Love your
next door neighbor. But what if he doesn't know Christ?
What if he's not a brother? It doesn't matter. That's irrelevant.
Well, what if He makes Himself unlovable? What if He makes Himself
very unlovely? Love Him anyway. Turn over to
Luke 6. Luke 6, verse 27. But I say unto
you which hear, Love your enemies. Do good to them which hate you,
bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you. And unto him that smiteth thee
on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh
away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every
man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods,
ask them not again. And as you would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if you love them
which love you, what thank have you? Sinners also love those
that love them. If you do good to them which
do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do even
the same. And if you lend to them of whom
you hope to receive, what thank have you? For sinners also lend
to sinners to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies,
and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward
shall be great, and you shall be the children of the highest.
For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." So 1 John 2
is not teaching us to hate the people of the world. He said,
love them, preach to them, pray for them, help them. All right. What is 1 John 2 teaching us?
The third way that the word world is used in the scripture. This
is the third thing it refers to when we read it. The way of
man. The walk of man, the mindset
of a man, the deeds of a man, the works of a man, man's works,
actions of man that are contrary to God's way. They are called
worldly. The opposite of heavenly, the
opposite of godly worldly. All right, now go back to first
John two. Verse 15 says, Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. Don't love man's
way. Don't set your affection and
your desire on man's works. Don't love the world, he said,
neither the things that are in the world. What does he mean
by that? Is he talking about that new car down there on the
car lot? And is he talking about all those things? No, he explains
it in verse 16. He said, all that is in the world
is the lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes and the
pride of life. Lust is sin against God. Pride is sin against God. And
that sin has been paid for in the blood of Jesus Christ. This
is this is a critical moment in the Bible study. The love
of the father. He's talking about this is how
you can know whether a person has the love of the father. The
love of the father has been shed abroad. To particular centers. Who have lusted and do lust? And they have been and they are
lifted up with pride. If we say right now that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves. All right. The love of the father
has been shed abroad to particular centers who lust and are constantly
being lifted up with pride just constantly. And that sin is put
away in the blood of Jesus Christ. Rest. That's settled. What makes it evident that the
love of the Father is not in a person is when that person's
desire for salvation is through the works of the flesh, the deeds
of the flesh. When it comes to the way of salvation,
if a person's desire, lust means desire, If a person's desire
is the way of man, the worldly way of man, then the love of
the Father is not in him. If a person's desire, if a person
lusts after, just craves and loves and lives for and just
feeds on the works of the flesh for salvation, that's the evidence
that the love of the Father is not in a person. This perfectly
sets up verse 18, which, Lord willing, we're going to look
at in just a minute. This is the context of what is being
said. If a person desires and clings
to and stands in the works of the flesh, man's way, man's works,
that person is anti-Christ's way and Christ's works. And the person who stands in
the works of the flesh will never stand in the end. If a person
craves that way, he'll never stand in the end. That's what
verse 17 is saying. The world, man's worldly way
of salvation is going to pass away. and the lust thereof, but
he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." Man's way is
going to pass away. Our sins, thank goodness, those
lusts and that pride and our sins will pass away. We will
be removed from them, but we will remain standing on Christ
the Rock because we're standing on His works and standing on
His way. We crave it. We desire it. We crave it. We have to have
it. But the soul that stands in the way of man is never going
to stand in the end. Verse 16 says, all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, that desire of the flesh and
the lust of the eyes, not our eyes, other people's eyes. The soul who desires all eyes
on me. Look at me, look at what I've
done. Look at what I've done for God. Would you all look at
what I've done for God? I deserve some credit in this
thing. I think I'd like to share in some of this glory. He says, when that's a soul's
desire, that's the evidence that the love of the Father is not
in him. A child of God has no pride in eternal life. No pride. A child of God has
nothing to boast in. Not unto us. That's the cry of
the child of God. Not unto us. Don't look to me. Don't look to the filthy deeds
of my flesh. I have no works to offer God. I'm just a sinner. I'm only a
sinner. Saved by the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ. I take no credit. I take no glory. I slay myself. He's my life. When you hear that, and when
you see that, the love of the Father is in a sinner. That's
how you know. And that love of the Father in
that sinner will make him have a heart to put away the sinful
deeds of the flesh. He will try as hard as he can
to slay these things. He will want that lust to go
away so badly. And he'll want that pride to
go away so badly. Never will he cling to it if
God allows him to put away some of these things. Never will he
cling to it and say, well, I've put away the lust of the flesh,
therefore the love of the Father's in me. He won't say that. He'll
look to Christ and he'll trust the work of Christ and he'll
trust the blood of Christ. And that's what it is to do the
will of God. That's exactly what it is to
do the will of God. It is to believe on Christ totally. Totally. The end of verse seven
says, he that doeth the will of God, whoever desires and looks
to the work and the way of Christ abideth forever. All right, you
dismissed.