1 John 2:15-17
DATE: 12 Aug, 2001
PLACE: BBC Mallow
I.
Introduction – John 1:10,11
A. Define “the world”
1. Not just the dirt – mountains, rivers, valleys
2. But the organised system of life of us humans here ON this hunk of rock
3. It’s US – our cultures, our ethos, philosophies, the way we live and why
4. THAT’S the world!
B. There is something about this “world”
C. Jesus made it – came down into it – and was rejected by it
D. What went wrong? What more could God have done? Why doesn’t the “world” just flock to the Jesus of the Bible?
1. I’ll tell you why so many people go to cults, and to large denominations
2. It’s not because they CAN’T believe the Bible
3. It’s because God is not “of this world” (John 15:19), and therefore, since He is not like THEM, He is rejected! Think about ONE for a minute!
II.
Message - The
World (1
John 2:15-17)
A. What’s Wrong with the World?
1.
The Fashion of this World - is Temporary (1Cor 7:29-31)
a.
Get over the fashions of this world
2.
The Wisdom of this World - is Dumb (1Cor 2:6-8)
a.
In the great wisdom of this world, the smartest people alive ALL agreed
to crucify God’s Son – smart!
3.
The Course of this World - is Crooked (Eph 2:1,2)
4.
The ‘god’ of this World - is Serious (2Cor 4:4; John 12:31)
a.
Wants total domination
b.
Works to either blind people, or devour Christians
c.
And he is not playing a game – it’s for “keeps!”
5.
The ‘spirit’ of this Word - is Contrary to the Spirit of God
a.
Not just a different approach to life, or a “difference of opinion”
B.
What’s the Christian got
to Worry About? (1John 2:15-17)
1.
The world is IN every one of us – it is part of us – we are part of
it
a.
Jesus is a “blow-in” so to speak – a foreigner
b.
Now there is some stiff competition – called a war!
2.
Our problem is with Loving it
a.
And loving not just ‘it’, but the THINGS in it!
b.
The “things” of this world are not just the wrong things that we love
– even though there are plenty
c.
But they include even the good things people love
d.
If a thing is ‘of’ the world, or came from the world, then no matter
how god, it does one thing, and one thing only – it robs God of the love due
unto HIM!
3.
You cannot love two masters – they BOTH want total domination
4.
What are some things we may be “passionately attached to?
a.
Anything other than Christ
b.
Ask yourself, if someone came in and STOLE one of these, or all these
items in your home, how would you react – don’t get cocky!
1)
Our music
2)
Movies
3)
Our “right” to go to the pub and have a few pints
4)
Disco – time with the friends
5)
How about politics – people couldn’t find anything to talk about if
it weren’t for politics and the weather!
6)
Money – lose it, and see how strong your faith is!
7)
Your job – how depressed would you get if you got fired, or demoted and
had to lose position, and lots of money?
8)
What about your popularity? If people think you are top-notch, and then
you ever opened your mouth and spoke up for Christ like we should, and you lost
all that popularity, how would you feel?
9)
Should I stop there?
10)
How about my clothes?
11)
Or my hair style?
12)
Do you know that the Bible has a lot to say about ALL of these things?
And the reason even Christians have such a hard time getting rid of them is because we don’t want to! We LOVE them (James 1:14)
5.
Are ANY of these things your “narcotic?” Something you can’t live
without? Like a smoker!
a.
Then God says stop loving it – stop spending your heart on it!
b.
Not, don’t love it too much, but stop it completely
c.
You find that hard? You are in good company!
C.
What’s the Answer to Such
a Heart Problem? (1Jn 5:4; 4:4)
1.
The Cross
(Gal 5:24)
a.
It is the only thing that severs the invisible pull of the world
b.
It is the only thing that captures the heart of the sinner – my
testimony
c.
It is the only thing that conquered all my sinfulness, and even my love
for sin
2.
A Commitment
– an obligation – sweet surrender to Christ (1Cor 6:19,20)
a.
Have you been born-again? Surrendered at the cross? If not, you can go
straight to the cross, and dump ALL your sinfulness there!
b.
If so, then you need to say:
c.
“I” must make some choices (cf 1Jn 4:15)
d.
“I” must go through my home and get rid of the things that have my
heart, and the hearts of my children
e.
“I” must invite Jesus back onto the throne of my heart and life
3.
A Crown
– knowing that the Lord has a payback scheme that makes whatever you seem to
lose, seem unworthy to be compared (Rom 8:18)
D.
What is the Result of
Conquering the World?
1.
You will be victorious, instead of always defeated
2.
You will get answered prayers – it is the world in our hearts and lives
that blocks God’s work here (2Chron 7:14)
3.
You will please God with a clean life instead of a filthy one always in
need of forgiveness