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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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HINDRANCES TO FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD - 1 (1 John 2:15-17) Grace
Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor
Daryl Hilbert I. THE DANGER OF
THE WORLD (2:15-16) A. The
believer is commanded not to love (present imperative - agapáō) the world or the things in it (15). 1. The
force of the present tense means that the readers were to stop an action that
was already going on. The world has a tremendous amount of influence and the
believer must always be on guard. 2. The world (kósmos - order, arrangement) primarily means order such as the
ordered universe as the creation of God (Rom 1:20; 1Pe 1:20). It can mean the
inhabited earth (Eph 1:4; 2Pe 2:5; 3:6). It can even mean something that is
decorated as an ornament (1Pe 3:3). We get our English word, “cosmetics”
which (tongue in cheek) can mean bringing order to disorder. But there is
another idea to kósmos. It is the idea of the world under the influence of
Satan that gives kósmos an evil connotation (1Jo 5:19). a) Through
the believer’s new nature, he has escaped the corruption of the world (2Pe
1:4). b) The believer is to remain unstained from
the world (Jam 1:27). c) The world hates Christ and His followers
(Joh 15:18; 17:14-15). d) The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to convict
the world of sin (Joh 16:8). 3. John
gives another test. The test was that if someone habitually loved the world,
they did not have the love of the Father in them. Not having the love of the
Father would suggest that they failed the test and were unbelievers. Believers
are to have the sacrificial love of agape with which to love the
Father. B. John
describes all the things that are in the world and are dangerous to the
believer (16). 1. They
are the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. Satan tempted both Eve and Christ
in these areas. a) The lust
of the flesh (1) “Lust”
(epithumía) refers to the unrestrained and sinful
passions of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21). (2) Satan tempted Eve in this area (“good for
food” - Gen 3:6a). (3) Satan tempted Christ in this area (“stones
become bread - Mat 4:3). b) The lust
of the eyes (1) This
refers to the unrestrained and sinful passions of the eye (ex. materialism,
greed, love of money - 1Ti 6:10; Mat 16:26). (2) Satan tempted Eve in this area (“delight to the eyes” - Gen
3:6b). (3) Satan tempted Christ in this area (“all the
kingdoms of the world” - Mat 4:8). c) The
boastful pride of life (1) This
refers to an independent and arrogant (alazoneía) spirit that seeks itself first above
God and others (1Ti 3:6; Jam 4:6-7) (2) Satan tempted Eve in this area (“make one wise” -
Gen 3:6c). (3) Satan tempted Christ in this area (“throw
yourself down” - Mat 4:6). 2. These
elements of the world are not from (ek - “out of”) the Father. The
Father’s nature is completely opposed to the things of the world (Jam 4:4). II. THE DANGER OF
THE FLESH (2:17) A. What
makes the world so influential is the fact that man’s flesh is sinful. Man is
enticed by his own sinful flesh and passions (Jam 1:14). 1. The
believer is to live not for the lusts of men, but the will of God (1Pe 4:2). 2. The believer is to abstain from fleshly
lusts (1Pe 2:11). 3. The believer is to flee from fleshly
lusts (2Ti 2:22). 4. The believer is to put fleshly lusts to
death (Rom 8:13; Col 3:5). 5. The believer is to walk by the Spirit and
he will not carry out the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16). B. The
result of the flesh is spiritual death (Jam 1:15). In fact, the world and its
lusts are passing away. They are being destroyed and headed for destruction
(Rom 8:18-22 cp. 1Jo 2:8). C. But the true believer, the one habitually
practicing the will of God, will live forever (1Jo 2:8). III. APPLICATIONS A. The
believer cannot be friends of both the world and Father. 1. Believers
will remain in the world until God takes them home (Joh 17:11). 2. Believers are not to live as though they
are of the world (Joh 17:14-16). 3. The church is in the world, but the world
is not to be in the church. How? a) Be
transformed by the Word and you will not be conformed to this world (Rom
12:2). b) Do not be attached to this world by
realizing it is temporary (1Jo 2:17). c) Do not spend all your time and labor in
the world (Mat 6:21). d) Seek God and His righteousness first and
foremost (Mat 6:33). Addressing a national seminar of
Southern Baptist leaders, George Gallup said, "We find there is very
little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are
not active religiously...The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are
remarkable similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider
themselves Christians, Gallup said, yet only about half of them could
identify the person who gave the Sermon on the Mount, and fewer still could
recall five of the Ten Commandments. Only two in ten said they would be
willing to suffer for their faith. Erwin Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, p. 76. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The course of rebellion against God may
be very gradual, but it increases in rapidity as you progress in it; and if
you begin to run down the hill, the ever-increasing impetus will send you
down faster and faster to destruction. You Christians ought to watch against
the beginning of worldly conformity. I do believe that the growth of
worldliness is like strife, which is as the letting out of water. Once you
begin, there is no knowing where you will stop. I sometimes get this question
put to me, concerning certain worldly amusements, "May I do
so-and-so?" I am very sorry whenever anyone asks me that question,
because it shows that there is something wrong, or it would not be raised at
all. If a person's conscience lets him say, "Well, I can go to A,"
he will very soon go on to B, C, D, E, and through all the letters of the alphabet.
. .When Satan cannot catch us with a big sin, he will try a little one. It
does not matter to him as long as he catches his fish, what bait he uses.
Beware of the beginning of evil, for many, who bade fair to go right, have
turned aside and perished amongst the dark mountains in the wide field of
sin. C.H. Spurgeon. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The world's smiles are more dangerous
that its frowns. Source Unknown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some years ago, musicians noted that
errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they went
about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it was
because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had
gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know
there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they had
copied their pitch. So we tend to copy the people with whom
we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to
which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which
is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall
easily detect the false in all of the music of the world. Donald Grey Barnhouse. |
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