If God will give me grace and
wisdom by his spirit to declare it, I have a message for you
tonight, and I'm convinced one of the most important messages
I've ever preached. If God will give me grace to
preach it. You turn to 1 John chapter 2. And while you're turning, please
listen carefully. Nothing is more dangerous to
the souls of men than the love of the world. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing more dangerous to the
souls of men than the love of the world. Nothing more effectually
chokes out the influence of the gospel from a man's heart and
life than the cares of this world. Nothing is more difficult to
avoid than an undue attachment to this world. Therefore, John
sets these four words up as a beacon. They stand here in the book of
God, written by the finger of God in blazing letters to warn
us of great danger. Love, not the world. Love, not the world. That's my subject. Our text will
be 1 John 2 verses 15, 16, and 17. This world and all that it
offers, everything, this world and all that it offers
is just a bubble, just a bubble. When I was a boy, Like most kids,
I used to like to play with those bottles of soap bubbles. Bob, I'd be a little concerned
about you if I saw you play with them. I've seen children, maybe
I did, I don't ever remember it, but I have seen children
chasing bubbles and then cry because the bubble burst. I'd
be real concerned if I saw you cry because a bubble burst. And
yet, I see grown men and women, grown men and women who profess
to love God and serve him, who profess to believe God and live
not for time but for eternity, whose lives are nothing but chasing
the bubbles of this world. And they fret and cry and cry
and fret and fight and fuss over the bubbles of time. The bubbles of this material
world, the bubbles of a little sensationalism. Are you God's
child? Are you a believer? Are you risen
with Christ? Do you live in hope? of eternity,
then count this world, my brother, my sister, a dead thing to you. A dead thing. God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. Paul said, the world is crucified
to me and I am crucified to the world by Christ, my crucified
redeemer. When he died, I died in him to
this world and now living with him in the newness of life, I
live in the spirit and I live for a world to come, not for
this world. I'm sure I've told you this a
number of times. when our son-in-law, Doug, came to ask for facehand
in marriage. He came over and I kind of suspected
what he was going to be doing. He had already bought a house
and started working to get that fixed up. And he came over with
his plans and had his portfolio with him and let me know his
background and his career and what he planned to do and so
forth. And he started to open it up and tell me, about what
he could do for my daughter. And I said, Doug, I don't care
at all what you have or might have. I'm not even interested. I don't want to know. I want
one thing from you, just one thing. Will you worship God with
my daughter? And he looked a little bit shocked,
but without hesitancy, he said, yes, I will. I said, you can
have her. That's all I want. You mean,
doesn't matter what they have? No. Doesn't matter what they
lack? Not really. Not really. This
world is meaningless, and everything it can provide is meaningless. Soon you're going to find that
out. Me too. Soon you're going to discover
it because when you leave it, you'll find it to be meaningless,
worthless, useless. Are you one of God's children?
Then live no longer for this world. Set your heart on things
above. Live above the rubbish. of this world that soon must
burn. Live to do the will of God. Now, there's something to live
for. Live to serve the cause of God. Live to worship God our
Savior. Live for God's glory. Now, that's
some ambition. That's some desire. For Christ's
sake, love the world If any man loved the world the love of the
father is not in him For all that is in the world Now mark,
here's everything that's in the world All that's in the world This
is all that contains this is all that contains all that is
in the world the lust of the flesh The lust of the eye and
the pride of life. That's all that's in this world.
That's all you can get out of this world. That's all there
is to this world. The lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eye and the pride of life. The world was created for God's
glory and God's going to get glory to himself in this world. He's going to get glory to himself
by you and by me and by every event in time Either in our bowing
to Christ and worshiping him Serving him trusting our Redeemer
or in our damnation and in all the events of time He's going
to get glory to himself by this world. God's creation is going
to honor God you can flat bank on that But it was made for his
honor everything by the sin and fall of our father Adam had been
turned upside down and There's nothing in this world that honors
God Nothing. Do you remember what Akin did
when the children of Israel took Jericho? All that was in the
city belonged to God and was dedicated to God's glory and
Akin saw a wedge of gold There was a bunch of gold that city
there was a bunch of gold in that city, but he saw a Nobody
missed that. And he took a wedge of gold,
for which God judged the whole nation. And Achan was at last
put to death. What did he do that was so bad?
What was it that he did? David, he took what was dedicated
to God for himself. Now let me tell you something.
God created you for his glory. And if you dare take what God
made for himself for yourself, God will send you to hell. God
will send you to hell. Love not the world. All that's
in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and
the pride of life is not of the father, but of the world. and
the world passeth away. Not it's going to, it is. It's
passing away. And the lust thereof, the lust
of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, everything
you look at and covet and take, everything is burning up, passing
away. The lust thereof. Now watch this. But he that doeth the will of
God. He that doeth the will of God,
nobody else. He that doeth the will of God
abideth forever. Now, in these verses, the Apostle
John, God, the Holy Spirit by the Apostle John warns us that
it is impossible for a person to love the world and love God. Therefore, he urges us not to
fix our hearts, our affection on things below, but to fix our
hearts, our affection on things above where Christ sits on the
right hand of God. Worldliness has been the difficulty
of the church and people of God thing with which we have to struggle
throughout the ages. Worldliness was one of the greatest
problems in the early church, and it continues to be one of
the greatest difficulties facing the church today. Therefore,
John gives us this tender, urgent admonition. Love not the world. This has always been the standard
of true believers. This has always been the struggle
of God's people. Believers, all believers, saved
sinners, all saved sinners, endeavor to keep themselves for Christ. They endeavor to live for God's
honor. They seek to live not for time,
but for eternity. Whereas mere religious professors
live for the world, for the comforts and pleasures of the flesh, and
wrap themselves in the name of Christ by which they seek to
find some comfort for their souls. Perhaps this admonition was never
needed so much as it's needed today. Love, not the world. I realize the subject of worldliness
means many things to a lot of people, to different people.
But what is worldliness? What is it? The religionist has
the idea that worldliness is the fashion of the times. Worldliness
has to do with the way you wear your hair, or the kind of clothes
you wear, or how you talk, or what you eat, or what you drink,
or what you refuse to eat or drink. The Pharisees' rule, and
this is always the Pharisees' rule, wherever you find this
rule, it's just the Pharisee. The Pharisees' rule is touch
not, taste not, handle not. That's the Pharisees rule. He
says don't touch this don't handle that don't don't don't don't
do this Don't do that. And if you don't do this and
don't eat that don't drink that then you're a holy good person
You're a godly person. You're righteous and Everywhere
you go folks. Well, look at James Jordan, man. I knew him for God's sake I know
he said because he doesn't do this and he doesn't do that.
He doesn't do that thing That's the Pharisees rule The Pharisee
looks at the outward appearance and judges everything by the
outward appearance. That's all they can see. And
he thinks he's good and thinks you're pretty good if you get
close to him. He thinks you're pretty good
if you begin to measure up to what he calls godliness and righteousness
and truth. But the word of God tells us
that the kingdom of God is not in meat and in drink. but in righteousness and in peace
and in joy in the Holy Ghost. Godliness doesn't have anything
to do with whether or not I'm drinking a glass of water or
a glass of wine. Now, don't misunderstand me.
Drunkenness is prohibited. That's horrible. But if you want
to have a glass of wine, have it. Perfectly all right. If you
don't, don't, but don't Look down your nose at James cause
he does and I don't even know if he does or not. Don't look
down your nose at that No, no, that's perfectly. All right,
the scriptures Forbid us to make rules that God hasn't made They
forbid that they forbid that I have no right to make those
rules not for you Not for you. You can make rules for yourself
all you want to but you can't call it godliness or worldliness
if somebody else doesn't do as you do unless you find it in
the book of God. Is that plain enough? What is
this thing of godliness? Godliness, Mark, is living for
God. Why is that so hard, folks, to
understand? Godliness is doing the will of God. Godliness is
living by faith in Jesus Christ. Worldliness love of this world. What is worldliness? If any man loved the world, the
love of the father is not in him. Worldliness is that love
of the world that prohibits the love of God. The love of the
world that shuts out the love of God. The love of the world
that says, no, I will not have God. I prefer this. I will not
bow to Christ. I prefer this. I will not follow
God. I'll follow my own way. That's
worldliness. Godliness is doing the will of
God. Godliness is living for God. Godliness is believing on
the Son of God. Worldliness is an undue attachment
to this world, living for the riches and the honor and the
joys and the pleasures that can be found in this world. Godliness,
I repeat, is living for God. Now, listen. I want you, before
you leave here tonight, to answer a question. Are you a worldly
person? One who lives for the world. If you are, you'll go to hell. Are you a godly person? One who
lives by the grace of God for the glory of God. If you are,
you shall abide forever. Live for time, you'll perish
with time. Live for the world, you'll perish
with the world. Live for pleasure, you'll die
with your pleasure. Live for joy, you'll die with
your joy. Live for God and live forever. What fool would exchange one
for the other? Only a fool. Only a fool. Love not the world. This is such
an important matter that it is addressed in every book of the
New Testament. It is addressed in every book
of the New Testament. Let me give you just a few examples.
Hear what the Apostle Paul says. Be not conformed to the world,
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. We have
not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is
of God. Christ gave himself for us that
he might deliver us from this present evil world. In time past
he walked according to the course of this world. Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present world. Listen to what James says. Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is to visit the fatherless and widow in their
affliction. But what's that got to do with
godliness? Abban, the only way on this earth
you can serve God is to serve his people. That's the only way
you can serve him. What is godless? It's to visit
the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep
oneself unspotted from the world. Know ye not that the friendship
of the world is hating God? The friendship of the world is
enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a
friend of the world. He's the enemy of God The Apostle
John speaks here this epistle of 1st John He tells us the world
knoweth us not because it knew him not Our Lord said they are
of the world our John says they are of the world. They speak
of the world and the world heareth them Whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world We know that we are of God and the whole
world lieth in wickedness. Now listen to the Savior's words. The cares of this world. The cares of this world. Legitimate, right, responsible
cares, Mark. The care of taking care of that
lady and all those children God's given you. The care of raising
them and disciplining them and training them and providing for
them. The care of this world, all the care involved in being
a father, a husband, a wife, a mother, all the cares of this
world, not, not evil things, just the carnal cares of carnal
life in this world, legitimate things. cares of the world choke
the word and it becometh unfruitful. Those things need no comment.
There's plenty of those on your face. Nothing is so dangerous,
so dangerous to your soul as the love of the world. More people are taken in this
snare than any other. In verse 19, John tells us about
those who went out from us because they were not of us. It's usually
not open sin, open denunciation of the faith, an open rebellion
against God, a rebellion against God that is the downfall of the
apostate, but it's a gradual drawing of his heart away from
the things of God, so that he forsakes the Redeemer,
forsakes his people. And Lindsay usually doesn't even
know it. They went out from us because
they were not of us. If they had been of us, they
no doubt would have remained with us unto this day. The great
cause of the apostasy is the love of the world. the fear of
the world, the care of the world, the pleasure of the world, the
desire of being accepted with the world. Churches, denominations. Drawn away from the gospel of
Christ with a desire to be accepted of the world. We've got to do
something that's appealing. We've got to do something to
appeal to the world. Sure as you do, you abandon Christ. Sure as you do. Believers, professed
believers, I just want to be accepted. I just, I want to have
a little fun. I just, I want to, I want to
please my flesh. And you let it rule you. You will soon find yourself utterly
abandoned in Christ and the gospel and make shipwreck of your soul.
Many begin well who end ill. Many begin with Abraham and Moses
who end in hell with Demas and Lot's wife. So God says, love
not the world. Horrible as it is, there is in
every one of us a horribly evil propensity of becoming too fond
of this world. Old men are apt to become covetous. Young men are apt to be carried
away with their lust, with vanity, and with pride. When John says,
love not the world, He's not suggesting that God's creation
is evil, not suggesting that at all. There are many who foolishly
contend that this physical world is is evil and harmful. So we've
got to isolate ourselves from this physical world. Papists
think that the ideal life is for a man or a woman to shut
themselves up in a monastery or a convent and live a life
of celibacy because those things are evil. They had to do with
this physical body. That's nonsense. That's nonsense.
I recall my father-daughter talk with our daughter. She was, I
think, 10, 11 years old. And I decided before somebody
else gets real blunt, needs to meet me. And I took her out and
we had a talk. And I let her know all the passions
and feelings you have of sexual things. That's not evil. That's
not evil. What you do with it or don't
do with it, that's evil. That's evil. You have a responsibility
to handle things honorably, honorably for yourself and for God's glory. You have a responsibility to
it. Wine, alcoholic beverage, it's not evil. There's nothing
evil about that. What you do with it might be. What you do
with it might be. Tobacco, I know lots of folks
who wouldn't dare smoke it, who'll sell it and tithe on it. But
what you do with it, that's not evil. That's not evil. Letting
it control you is. Use the world with moderation. God's creation is not evil. God's
creation is not evil. Use everything with moderation. Use it for God's glory. Use it
for your pleasure as profitable to God and to his glory and profitable
to your soul. But don't abuse it. To say love
not the world. John is not telling us that Christians
should have nothing to do with the world. that we should isolate
ourselves from the world. The believer isn't called upon
to give up his worldly employment. He's not told to refuse to have
any association with worldly people. You have to go out of
the world for that to happen. It's not wrong for a believer
to take an interest in the affairs of the world. Some of you are
very interested in politics and civil affairs. There's nothing
wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with that. Believers shouldn't
be a peculiar oddity as far as their behavior is concerned.
In fact, it's wrong. Our Lord tells us plainly, read
the sixth chapter of Matthew. It is wrong. It is absolutely,
it's self-righteous, pharisaic ritualism. for you to make a
show of your religion to folks. That's wrong. That's wrong. Don't
do that. Don't do that. For you who are
young to the congregation, we go out to a restaurant and pray,
or to a restaurant to eat. I don't pray. Don't call on me
to do it. I ain't going to do it. I ain't going to. I used
to pretend. I'm not going to do it. I'm not
going to do it. Well, I want folks to know I'm
a good Christian. Leave a good tip. You're praying
for me. I'm not going to teach you anything.
But I want folks to see Jesus in me. If they didn't see Jesus
in Jesus, they ain't going to see Him in you. That's not going
to happen. Well, how are we supposed to
live for God? Live for God, not for men. Live to be seen of God,
not of men. Do what you do for God's glory,
not for the applause of men. Or men look at you and say, my,
isn't he a fine Christian? Love not the world. worldliness
Godliness is not defined by what we wear what we eat what we drink
how we dress I want to emphasize this if it were Our Lord Jesus
and his disciples who? Man, they couldn't have gotten
into a Bible College in the world They couldn't have gotten anywhere
do you know He wore a seamless robe just like everybody else
in the world. He wore sandals, lace-up sandals,
just like everybody else in his day. He did. And he didn't mind
at all going to a party and sitting down with his neighbors, among
whom were publicans and harlots. And when they ran out of wine,
He made some for them. You're not going to put
that on air, are you? Soon as we get done. Soon as
we get done. The world needs to find out what
men call godliness got nothing to do with it. Nothing to do
with it. Godliness is your heart's love for God. And your heart's
love for God causes you to devote yourself in your day-by-day affairs
to God's glory and God's people. John's admonition then has to
do with our hearts, our heart's affection. We're not to fix our
affection on those things the world supplies. Our Lord states
plainly that we who are his, God's elect, His redeemed, blood-bought,
regenerate people, justified and sanctified by His grace,
are not of the world, even as He is not of the world. He says
that again and again and again in John 17 as He prays for us.
What do you mean they're not of the world, even as I'm not
of the world? What's that mean? He was not
of the world in His nature. and we who have been born of
God are made new creatures and have a new nature. It's not of
this world. It's not of this world. It's
not like that with which we were born by nature. It is that new
thing created in us, Christ in you. Our Lord Jesus, as he walked
on this earth, nobody, nobody who knew him, nobody who knew
him, not even his acquaintance and his kinsmen understood him.
Nobody did. They didn't know what made him
tick. Nobody understood what motivated him. Nobody knew what
made him do the things he did. He was a confusion and the talk
of the town because everybody opposed him. Everybody. What
was it that motivated him? Father, glorify thy name. Thy will be done. That's all. That's all. They are not of the
world, even as I'm not of the world. God's people are inspired
and motivated by something the world cannot understand. A sense
of overwhelming. Complete indebtedness to love,
mercy and grace. What sacrifice too much? What's
too great to give? What measure do you put on? The love of God for you and sacrificing
his son for you and the return of love to him. How do you live it out
and say that's enough? Not going to do any more. I've
done all I can do. How are you going to measure
that? They're not of the world. Even
as I'm not of the world, our Lord Jesus had nothing to do
with the religion of this world. even when his own kinsmen the
Jews had abandoned God and they'd taken that which was the Ordinance
of God and perverted it the Lord Jesus had nothing to do with
that except in him fulfilling it He had nothing to do with
the religion of this world came out came out I was talking to
a preacher today and I Said to me you can't you can't Preach
the gospel and preach there. Well, then let me preach. Go
ahead. You're not preaching anything.
What's the use? What's the use? A young man had been listening
to him on the radio. Came up to Brother Clay's when I was up there last
week and chatted with him a good bit. He's attending church and
he said, well, I get to teach Sunday school there and they
let me preach. I said, not true. You go home and tell them what
you just heard me preach, you won't be preaching anymore. He
said, oh no, no, I couldn't do that. Well, why lie? What's the benefit? Your purpose
is to serve yourself, if that's why you're standing there. That's
your purpose. Let us live like our Redeemer,
as strangers and pilgrims in this world. Love not the world. That's the opening statement
of our text. The next line identifies what he's talking about specifically
when he says love, not the world. Love, not the world. Now, somewhere
in your Bible, you ought to put this word. It's people love, not the people of the world. Oh, what do you mean? Surely
it doesn't mean that it obviously means that the next word is neither
the things that are in the world. Do you see that? Love not the
world, neither the things that are in the world. But Brother
Don, we're supposed to love our neighbor. We're supposed to do
good to our neighbor. Yes, you're right. You're supposed
to love your sons and your daughters and your husbands and your wife
by all means. Yes, sir. But allow none to interfere with
your love for Christ. Can't do it. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. I looked at that long time this
morning. There's another place where that very same word hate
is used. In Luke chapter 14, the Lord
Jesus says, if Bill Raleigh is going to come after me and be
my disciple, He's got to hate his father, and his mother, and
his brother, and his sister, and his wife, and his children,
and his own life also. Hate? What did God do to Jacob
when he hated him? Nothing. He gave no thought to Jacob.
He provided nothing for Jacob. He did not consider Jacob in
anything. Esau, rather, he loved Jacob
and hated Esau. He did everything for Jacob and
did nothing for Esau. That'll give you some idea of
what he's talking about, Bill. You can't allow your love for
that boy of yours, either of them. to interfere with following
Christ. Well, how's this going to affect
Tony? That doesn't come into consideration. How's this going
to affect Vicki? That doesn't come into consideration.
How's this going to affect Travis? That doesn't come into consideration.
Oh, you can't expect that. Do what? I expected that of my
wife, Brad. I still do. I expected my wife
not to consider her father or her mother or her brother or
her sister in anything in regard to me. And I got it. I got it. She left them. I mean, she left them all and
stayed with me. Of course she loved me. Now, she'd buy mother clothes. She'd
go visit her. She'd write to her. She loved
her. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. She loved her to the
day she died. She loved her and cared for her. But never once did her love for
her mother rival me or anything about me. I still expected of her. Do you
know we got a daughter she loves? And a son-in-law she loves? and
two grandchildren she loves. And you know what I've never
known her to do? You know what I've never known
her to do? I've never known her to allow
those relationships to interfere with her love for me or doing
anything for me. Never known to happen. I don't
expect it to happen. How come? Because she loves me. If that relationship demands
such love, and it does, If that relationship creates such love,
and it does, how much more must we follow the master and
give no consideration to her? No consideration. Where are you going, Abraham?
I don't know. Why are you leaving Abraham?
Because God said to. Where are you going? I don't know. What
are you going to do? I'm going to follow it. How are
you going to live? I'm going to believe it. How
are you going to take care of Sarah? I don't know. God will. God will. Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. Our Savior says, my son, give
me your heart. He demands it, and God's people
give it. If ye then be risen with Christ,
set your affection on things which are above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God. What about the things that are
in the world? the pleasures, the riches, the
opportunities, the treasures, the possessions. You see, if you can get past loving the people more than Christ,
you won't have any trouble getting past loving the things more than
Christ. I say to you young people, and
I say to you moms and dads, and I tell it to people all over
the world, wherever I go, let nothing interfere with worshiping
God. Nothing. Nothing. I don't care if you have to bag
groceries for the rest of your life or dig ditches for the rest
of your life. I wouldn't go somewhere where I couldn't worship God.
I wouldn't do it. I just flat wouldn't do it. You
young people, you date folks. Don't date folks who won't worship
God with you. You're asking for trouble. You're asking for trouble.
You're asking for a millstone around your neck and it'll drag
you down to hell unless God prevents it. Don't do it. Just don't do
it. Who are you going to date? Whoever
God sends. Nobody else. Nobody else. Don't
form your life alliances, whether marriage or your friendships,
your companions in this world. Don't form your alliances with
people who don't love God. Don't do it. And then John gives
us three reasons. Let me give them to you very
quickly. If any man loved the world. The
love of the father is not in him. Love not the world because you
can't love God and love the world. Bill, that's just not possible.
That's just not possible. You can't love God and love the
world. Spurgeon said no man has truly
given himself to Christ unless he said, my Lord, I give thee
this day my body, my soul, my powers, my talents, my goods,
my house, my children, and all that I have. Henceforth, I hold
them at thy will as a steward unto thee. Thine they are. As for me, I have nothing. I've surrendered all to thee. I believe Spurgeon's right. Look
at verse 16. Here's the second reason John
gives for this admonition. We must not love the world because
the world's evil. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, that's every carnal desire. The lust of the flesh. The lust
of the eyes. Covetousness. Covetousness. All carnal desires. All of them. All of them. All the things that
you covet. You get to covet it. I find it happen to me all the
time. All the time. Just suddenly, I won't. The lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life. Everything that makes you
want honor. Everything that makes you want
people to think you're somebody. Everything that makes you desire
attention. Everything that causes you to
seek names of honor and recognition and praise for men. These things
are of the world. They're not of the father, but
of the world, and it's all vanity, just vanity. Through these things
came the fall of our race. Eve saw, she took, she ate. Adam did the same, and our race
was plunged into spiritual death, but blessed be God Our dear savior
in all these things was tempted. The lust of the flesh and the
lust of the eye and the pride of life. And in all those things,
Lindsay, he triumphed. And now he's able to help those
who are tempted. And then John gives us a third
reason. Verse 17. It's foolish to love the world
because the world's passing away. The world passeth away, and the
lust thereof. Oh, that big, beautiful house.
One of these days, it's going to be mine. Oh, that position. One of these days, that's going
to be mine. Oh, that comfortable life. One of these days, that's
going to be mine. I offer you a suggestion. Everything you can see and touch
and desire that this world offers, market. Market distinctly. for burning because it's going
to be burned all that is in the world passeth
away all the lust of the everything you covet everything you desire
that's attainable by men in this world everything passing away
but he that doeth the will of God. He who believes on the Son of
God, surrendering his life to the Lord Jesus, he abides forever. Now what do you say to that?
Take the world But give me Jesus. All its joys are but a name. Amen.