LOVE NOT THE WORLD

BIBLE READING: I JOHN 2:15-17

1 John 2:15-17

15        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.

16        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.

17        And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The writer of these words has been called the Apostle of LOVE; and I firmly believe this to be appropriate.

–          In this brief epistle, the word “LOVE” is used no less than 26 times.

–          John enjoins upon us the responsibility of love:

o   (a) To love God; and

o   (b) To love one another.

However, in the text for this study we see that the writer is admonishing all those who read to “LOVE NOT.”

IMPORTANT: The obligation imposed upon us to love in one certain direction also involves the corresponding obligation NOT to love in the opposite direction.

If you are told to travel northwards to get to a certain destination, you are automatically obligated NOT to go southward.

–               The same is true with the command to love certain things in order to be saved and make heaven your home – one is obligated NOT to get involved in things from the opposite direction.

Let us now study the context of I John 2:15-17 to see the direction that the child of God is NOT to follow…

I.                        THE CHILD OF GOD IS NOT TO LOVE THE WORLD

NOTE:           Within this command, ALL love or affection for the world is expressly condemned.  John said, “Love not the WORLD, neither the things that are in the world….” However, we need to study with the understanding of what we are NOT to love.  We must study it within its context.

We know that in the human languages, one word often has several different meanings.

–               This is certainly true of the word “WORLD” found here in our text.

A.           There Are Three Fundamental Ways in which the Term “World” is Used in the Scriptures:

A good understanding and knowledge of these words will help us establish what we are not to love.

1.        The first fundamental way in which the word “world” is used denotes the physical universe; the world as it appears to the eye; the MATERIAL UNIVERSE, which includes the earth and everything in it that God created.

a.       WORLD (Greek – kosmos) – The orderly arrangement of the universe, particularly referring to the earth; the ornament and adornment (see: Acts 17:24; Romans 1:20).

It is used in this sense in Acts 17:24 and Romans 1:20…

–               Acts 17:24 – God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

–               Romans 1:20 – For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

It is certain that the “world” that John uses here in this text is not of the material, physical universe.

–               We determine this by the text itself, since the world that John is speaking of is not from the Father.

–               John clarifies what “the world” is in verse 16 – “For all that is in the world, [and then he names what he is referring to], the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life….”

o   Remember that John is referring to things of the world that are NOT of the Father.

o   Obviously, if He created the things that exist in earth, those things are “of the Father” (see Genesis 1:1).

o   Furthermore, the Psalmist said in Psalm 19:1-2 that the heavens declare the glory of God; and in Acts 17:24, Paul declares that God is the Lord of heaven.

There is nothing immoral or inconsistent with Scripture in loving and appreciating the natural works of God (Psalm 8:3-4).

Psalms 8:3-4 – When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

There is nothing inherently evil about the “Material Universe” in and of itself.  And this is NOT what John was referring to when he tells us to “love NOT the world.”

2.        Secondly, the term “world” is applied to the people that reside within it – the world of mankind.

a.          John 1:10 speaks of the world as not knowing Christ.  This, of course, is in reference to mankind not knowing Christ.

b.          This meaning of “world” is also the case in John 1:29 where John the Baptist declares that Christ has come to take away the sins of the world.  He is referring to the sins of mankind.

Here is Scriptural evidence that “world” doesn’t always mean the literal physical universe (earth), because sin is involved.

–               And because of this evidence, we also know that I John 2 would not be referring to mankind when he tells us to “love not the world.”

–               In fact, there is ample Scriptural evidence that suggests we should love mankind.

John 3:16 tells us plainly that God loved “the world” so much that “He gave His only begotten son” for it.  If this were the world that the Apostle was referring to, we would have a contradiction of Scripture.

If God loved something so much that He chose to give His Son as a ransom for it, why would He command us NOT to love it?

–               Matthew 5:43-45 says that we are to be like our Heavenly Father in loving our enemies even as friends.

–               Christ came to reconcile us to the Father, but we cannot be reconciled to our Father if we hate something He loves.

So, considering the second meaning of the word “world,” and considering the context of our Scripture reading, I believe that it is obvious that John is not referring to mankind when he tells us that we are not to love the world.

3.        Thirdly, as the dwellers on the earth are by nature without God, and act under a set of maxims, aims, and principles that have reference only to this life, the term came to be used with reference to that community; i.e., to the objects that they especially seek, and the principles by which they are actuated.

a.       In other words, the term “world” is used of SIN and UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

b.       It means that which is alienated and in opposition to God.

The term “world” is used in this sense in Galatians 6:14: “But 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 had been crucified to the world of sin.

READ: James 1:27

James 1:27 – Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27 (NIV) – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

According to this verse of Scripture, one is to keep oneself unspotted from the world of sin; i.e., one is to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

So, this certainly is the sense in which the term “world” is used in our text (I John 2:15-17).

 

The love of this type of “world” displays a lack of love for the Father in heaven.

–               And, according to James 4:4, if anyone becomes a friend of this world, he automatically becomes an enemy of God.

READ: Matthew 6:24; Romans 6:16

Matthew 6:24 – [JESUS SAID] “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Matthew 6:24 (MSG) – “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.”

Romans 6:16 – Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

PASTORAL NOTE: We cannot be both a friend of God and a friend of the world of sin.  Sin is the world of darkness (Colossians 1:13); But God is the light, and in Him is no darkness (I John 1:5).  We cannot love both God and sin (the world).  The question that faces us now is, “Which is it going to be?”

The writer here is admonishing us to LOVE NOT THE WORLD; and he goes on to say…

II.                     LOVE NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD.

From here, the writer describes just what he is talking about.  He shows what it is in this world that we are NOT to love…

A.      The Lust of the Flesh

First of all, we are to love NOT the “lust of the flesh.”

1.         The word “lust” is used in the Bible as “a desire, a craving, or a longing,” and it is important to note that the word “lust” is used in the Bible only three times in a good sense.  In every other case, it is used in an evil sense.

The lust of the flesh in this passage is not referring to the natural desire of the body for food.

–               The desire for food is a desire from the Father in heaven, but the “lust” spoken of in our text is NOT of the Father.

2.         By the “lust of the flesh,” we understand the apostle to mean the inordinate or unlawful desire for fleshly indulgences; and it is the same as that mentioned in James 1:13-15.

James 1:13-15 – Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

When one is tempted, he must wrestle with his own conscience in relation to the WILL OF GOD as to what he will do.

–               This is why Christ taught us to pray, “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” (Matthew 6:13).

–               Again, in Revelation 3:10, Jesus promises “because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

REMEMBER – A thought or the temptation that comes to a person IS NOT WRONG UNTIL it is conceived, or until one makes a decision to satisfy that desire.

3.         By the “flesh,” John is referring to those things that are done in the flesh; and Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a list of the things that are done in the flesh.

Here is the list Paul gives in Galatians chapter 5, (turn there in your Bibles):

–               Adultery (sexual relations with or as a married person).

–               Fornication (this would include harlotry (whoredom), homosexuality, adultery, and incest).

–               Uncleanness (physical or moral impurity, which would include the visual consumption of PORNOGRAPHY).

–               Lasciviousness (making excuses for your sins; unbridled lusts; shamelessness, and sensuality).

–               Idolatry (serving something other than the One true God).

–               Witchcraft (sorcery; and don’t forget that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft!).

–               Hatred (enemies; making and maintaining enemies).

–               Variance (strife, contention, debate, and quarreling).

–               Emulations (jealousy, malice, indignation).

–               Wrath (outbursts of anger).

–               Strife (disputes, contention, being contentious – always ready for a fight, and most times starting one).

–               Seditions (dissension, divisions – causing church splits, making people choose sides).

–               Heresies (false doctrines, factions, disunion).

–               Envyings (ill-will; spite or jealousy).

–               Murders (shedding of innocent blood, which, incidentally, can be done spiritually via character assassination).

–               Drunkenness (being intoxicated, which, I believe, would include the use of alcohol AND drugs – prescription and non-prescription).

–               Revellings (carousing; wild parties; orgies, etc.).

–               And such like (other things similar to the above).

o   Paul wanted us to understand that the above list wasn’t the conclusion of the whole matter – he covered those things and added the words “and such like” to cover those things he could not think of plus anything else that might come along in the future that had not yet been heard of.

And when Paul finished this particular list (not necessarily an all-inclusive list), he said to the Church at Ephesus, “I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will NOT possess the Kingdom of God,” (Galatians 5:21, TEV).

B.       The Lust of the Eyes

NOTE: This would refer to those evil desires that have their origin in the eyes, or in sight.  Things such as adultery, covetousness, envy, etc.

1.      Peter described the wicked as “having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin,” (II Peter 2:14).

a.       Jesus said the very same thing concerning the sin of lusting after women (and, of course, the same could be applied to women lusting after men) in a sexual manner, (see Matthew 5:27-28).

Matthew 5:27-28 – Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28 (MSG) – You know the next commandment pretty well, too: “Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.”  But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices — they also corrupt.

IMPORTANT: When found to be in a situation that is causing one to lust, we need to do as Paul said in II Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

This warning against the “lust of the eyes” is a very timely warning for our day and age.

–               With the world shouting, “Take it off,” we need to realize that as Christians we have a corresponding obligation to dress ourselves in modest apparel.

–               I Timothy 2:9 – In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.”

The apostle John is warning us to guard our eyes from what they see.

–               Do you remember the little Sunday School song we used to sing?

o  “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see!  Oh, be careful little eyes what you see!  Because the Father’s up above, and He’s looking down on me; oh, be careful little eyes what you see!”

C.      The Pride of Life (Vainglory of Life)

Finally, we are warned to guard ourselves against the pride or vainglory of life.

1.        Pride is defined as the “boastfulness and the vaunting of this life;” it is vainglory.

This is descriptive of the one who is puffed up and arrogant.

–               The same word is used in James 4:16, “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”

–               In other words, “you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong.”

READ: Proverbs 16:18; 8:13

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 (MSG) – First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

Proverbs 8:13 – The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 8:13 (TEV) – To honor the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.

Notice what James and Peter have to say about pride in James 4:10 and I Peter 5:6…(READ).

James 4:10 – Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

I Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

I Peter 5:6 (MSG) – So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time.

I Peter 5:6 (NLT) – “…at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”

2.        Christ, in Matthew 23:12, also addresses the issue of the Pride of Life and gives us insight as to what will happen to those who are filled with pride and those who are humble…“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

3.        The attitude that we should have is like that of Paul as expressed in I Corinthians 15:10; II Corinthians 10:17; and Romans 12:3. (READ):

I Corinthians 15:10 – But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

II Corinthians 10:17 – But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Romans 12:3 – For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

III.                  CONCLUSION

PASTORAL NOTE: The reason that we are warned about such lusts of the world is because every temptation of this world comes in one of these three forms (lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes; pride of life).

Eve was tempted this way in the beginning, so was Christ in Matthew chapter 4.

–               In fact, we are told that Christ was tempted in all points (or ways) “like as we are” today.

Not only for this reason should we consider the dangers of the lust of the world, but also because:

–               The last verse of our text (verse 17) says that those who love the world will lose everything they have.

o  The will lose their souls in eternal damnation.

o  They will lose all material things.

II Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

In contrast, those that love the Lord our God, and do His will, they will abide forever!

IMPORTANT: There is a big, big, BIG difference between the two (those that love the world and those that love God).  And there is a big difference between their rewards.  What will be your decision?