The World
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning uh it is great to be here for this time of worship with you all on the Sunday morning that's a little bit muggy outside but nice and comfortable inside and uh if you're new here I want to welcome you my name is Isaac I'm one of the pastors here at mil City Church we're glad that you decided to join us this morning uh if you haven't been with us for the past several weeks we have been working our way through a series called three enemies and we have been focusing on how the script Scriptures uh specifically highlight three enemies that are Waging War against the kingdom of.
God and Waging War against our formation as people into the image of Christ and so uh we're towards the end of the series and so I want to quickly recap what we have talked about thus far to make sure uh that we are all on the same page so Chad started us off in week one to help us understand that the things that we do do things to us that the regular rhythms and habits of our life are forming us into something and that we have to be careful.
Because we might think that there's neutral ground but there's not neutral ground either the things we're doing are helping form us into the image of Christ or deform us away from the image of Christ and then in week two we spent some time outlining how uh the the three enemies themselves the devil the Flesh and the world work together in a unified strategy that it's not Randomness it's calculated and we have this phrasing um that we have been using to be helpful from uh a pastor and a Christian thinker who's on the west coast he says uh that the strategy of these enemies is deceitful ideas that play to disordered desires that are normalized in.
A sinful society and so those are the three enemies at work that first it's the deceitful ideas that we have a real spiritual enemy a real spiritual being with agency is at war against us and his main mode of operation is through sewing lies that he lies to us and that then we talked about that we accept the lies because we have disordered desires that the Bible calls this the Flesh in us that we want it to be true because there's a part of us that really wants it to be true.
And then you get a bunch of people that are believing these lies and then they become this becomes accepted as the Baseline truth in our cultures and in our societies and this is what Scripture calls the world and this is our Focus this morning so let me pray and then we'll Dive In Father we thank you very much for this opportunity that we get to open up your word and we get to admit that we don't don't get it on our own that we need help.
And so this morning through your spirit would you be teaching us your truth and instructing us in your ways that we might find the freedom that you provide Jesus name amen we are going to be spending most of our time this morning in 1 John Chapter 2 verses 15-1 17 so if you want to go ahead and turn there uh if you don't have Bible with you uh you can grab one that's in the seat racks and if you're in one of those blue Bibles it's going to be on page 592 uh several years ago we worked through a series in.
First John and so if you haven't had the opportunity to go back through our archives and listen to that I would encourage you to uh to get a fuller uh explanation of this whole letter um but just for this morning we're just going to be in chapter 2: 15 to 17 and uh before we begin I want to give a quick little bit of context for this passage as we begin and so this book of the Bible is written by John it's written by the Apostle John and he's writing a letter to a local Church and the tone of the book is not really negative he's very encouraging to the Believers who are there.
But he does highlight in Chapter 2 a little bit later than where we're going to be at this morning that there is seemingly a group of people who have left this local Church and that by chasing the things that are against Christ chasing after the things of this world they've revealed their true colors that they never really belong to Christ and the first place and then John goes on to say that not only that that they're also seeming to be putting pressure on this Church.
For the members to come and follow them in their teaching rather than to follow Jesus and so this is the situation in which John finds himself writing this letter to the local Church so let's dive in into verse 15 do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not not in him now I don't know about you but when I come across a verse with this level of intensity it forces me to self-reflect that.
If you thought that Raz is blunt have you met John John just said that if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him this forces me to ask myself some questions and so that's what we get to do this morning and there are two specific questions that we're going to be asking ourself first is what is the world that's important to know it's important to understand that and second what does it look like to love it what does John mean to love the world.
So first let's start with what is the world now it's important whenever we uh are reading Scripture that we have an understanding that we're all coming in with our own contextual understanding we're all coming from different places whatever our history is at maybe you've got a lot of Bible teaching maybe you don't whatever it is it doesn't matter where we come from maybe you've never even heard of the idea that the world could be an enemy and maybe you've only ever heard of the world as an enemy it doesn't matter either way we're going to come to Scripture to define the word and the idea.
For us we're not going to import our own understanding and so a couple weeks ago as we were doing a bird's eye view approach to these three enemies and their strategy um I referenced Strong's exhaustive Bible concordance which is basically just a big concordance of definitions of ideas and words that are in Scripture and he used this definition he said the present condition of human Affairs an alienation from and opposition to God they when talking about the world and the context that John is speaking of In this passage he says the present condition of human Affairs an alienation from an opposition to.
God so even though there is a way to talk about the world in which it's the physical world the things that we see in touch like trees and rocks and sticks and stuff like that specifically what John is talking about here is not the physical things we can see but something deeper than that something beyond that and this is why some translations will translate this word age or as Paul says in Ephesians 2 he says the course of this world and Paul in Colossians 2 as he's been building this understanding and this idea of the world he says this he says.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ so the way that Scripture defines this enemy me the world is that it's helping us understand that it's the agreed upon or underlying assumptions or philosophies which inform a way of life that is based on empty deceit and human tradition and not according to Christ that this is what the world is as John is referring to it.
So in our framework of the strategy of how these enemies work together the world of Scripture talks about it as the enemy of God is what happens when you have a whole society that is putting lies on repeat repeating lies to itself over and over again that first it starts on the individual level with lies that you and I believe to be true and that part of us wants to be true because we have that flesh remember these are the first two enemies we talked about the lies.
And then us accepting it but it starts with me on the individual level then you get enough people that are believing these lies and then a whole Community or Society then begins to believe it and it becomes the accepted Baseline truth and then what happens is that then Cycles back to us to reinforce in us the lie that we started to believe in the first place this is how this idea of the enemy of the World plays back to us that it starts with an individual fleshly desire that's.
Then formed into a collective societal worldview of apart from Scripture that Fe then feeds back into our fleshly desires and it's this cycle that goes and continues on for those of you that don't know me I grew up uh on a summer Campground and bethl Christian Camp that's about 15 minutes from here great Pace to grow up when you're a little kid you get to run around and have fun uh but one of the opportunities that you get is that during the summertime you get to work on staff.
And so for several years I got the great opportunity to work as a counselor uh when when kids would come for week of Camp I got to work with a cabin of kids each week and one of the things that I loved especially with the younger kids that are like seven years old is that us as staff we talk to them about the legends of the lake ninja and so we had the legends of the lake Ninja at bethl and all the staff they'd all be in on it you know we'd come up with silly stories lives under the dock eats turtles.
For breakfast you know all sorts of crazy things and uh believe it or not it doesn't take much when you get a bunch of adults communicating to seven-year-olds that there's a lake ninja that exists 24 hours in they're totally sold out a lake ninja exists they're start they're having their own side conversations about a lake ninja we we weren't even instigating them they come up and ask us questions Mr Isaac Mr Isaac you know Lake ninja does he do this does he do that where is he am I going to be.
Okay I you know there might be some 25-year-old kid that thinks there's a lake ninja still I don't I don't know but it's funny it's funny to think about some seven yearolds um being convinced of this lie um but the reality is is that there were enough people around them especially those that they looked up to that were kind of perpetuating this lie it was harmless and it was fun and we laugh at a seven-year-old but the reality is is that we're all in the same camp that we're all in the same boat.
When it comes to the way of this world we fall prey to this and are impacted by this way more than we would like to admit that we don't want to admit it but we are way more affective Ed and influenced by the way of this world then we would dare to admit and so that's what we get to look at today and this is also why in that sermon a couple of weeks ago when we talked about the specific weapon that this enemy the world uses against us is that it's the ability to cosign belief and practices and the ability allows us the ability to hide that we can just throw up our hands.
And saywell if everybody else is doing it this is why Adam gets to say it was Eve's fault and why Eve gets to say it was the Serpent's fault do we just get to try to sh the blame onto somebody else and hide and mask ourselves so with this understanding of the world we come to our second question what does it look like to love the world we're going to continue on in the passage 1 John chap 2 verse 16 for all that is in the world the desires of the Flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the.
Father but is from the world so John is going to categorize what our love of the world looks like in three umbrella terms he's going to say that what the love of the world looks like is the desires of the flesh the desires of the eyes and the pride of life and so what we're going to do is we're just going to work our way through one by one so first desires of the flesh so last week if you were with us you know that Raz spent some time talking about what is the Flesh and we talked about this idea that it's that part of us that is naturally drawn towards the things that are.
Part from God and I think John has some of that in in view here um but I also think he's also talking about our physical flesh that you and I are made as real people that we have bodies and I think what's helpful in tying into this is that he says this Greek word here for desire is epithumia and it can also be translated other other places in Scripture as passions or lusts even different translations of the Bible as they're trying to help us understand this idea uh going to read a couple different translations of this word this phrase desires of the flesh.
So the NIV is going to say the bels of sinful man the new English Bible is going to say all that panders to the appetites the New Living Translation is translated the lust for physical pleasure or as one commentator put it and translated it what the body hankers for and so this is this idea that's being built up and for me personally I think that the word lust is the most helpful translation that really sets the tone of what he's trying to work and get at.
Because lust is the Twisted form of love lust is just the Twisted form of love desire is just the Baseline thing that we feel but lust is then what we begin to do with it and so lust is this desire that's turned toward myself for satisfying my physical senses especially at the expense of someone or something else that it's us wanting to satisfy our natural bodily Cravings specifically the way in which we pursue our own ends and self self-sufficient independence of.
God As One commentator put it so what does this look like then for us if John is saying that this is what the love of the world looks like what does that actually mean for us what are some of the things that John has in mind here well one very sure way that I think one very sure thing that I think John has in mind here is our approach to sex that we're physical creatures and sex involves physicalness and the way in which we engage in sex is going to help us understand whether or not we have a love.
For the world Scripture teaches that all sexual encounter outside the Covenant of marriage falls in the category of sin or Falls in this category of Love of the world and the reality is even once you get married it's not like it's some magic trick that makes your sex life all pure all of a sudden you still have to work at it you have to learn with your partner how to honor and love each other so the way Scripture talks about the world's approach to sex is that it's us taking advantage of someone else.
For the sake of our own pleasure that's this idea of lust it's me and my desires taking advantage of you or something someone else something else for the sake of my own pleasure I think that this the clearest simplest example of this in our culture is hookup culture so hookup culture is pounding this line to our heads over and over and over again that sex doesn't really mean anything sex might as well be like a piece of bubblegum you unwrap it chew it spit it out just instant little moment of pleasure that's all it is I mean.
If you haven't already just pay attention to whatever current TV series you're watching through whatever movies you like to go watch at the theaters just pay attention to the way they talk about sex is that the truth or is that a lie so here's what I think has happened we as people we have a natural drive for sex it's an eight to being a human and Scripture teaches that it has a proper place that is beautiful but at the individual level the lie that's been believed is that sex is just a physical interaction with somebody a transaction.
If you will that's all that it is and then you get a whole community of people that are believing that lie that that's all that sex is and you have a culture whose world view removes any sanctity from sex any depth to what it actually is between two people and then this culturally accepted lie then reinforces for the individual that they can participate in sex in whatever they way they want cuz I mean it's just physical interaction that's it and then you track that over the past Century over the past 150 years.
And then you land us where we're at now in our modern Western culture totally confused no Baseline whether it be sex in a dating relationship whether it be hookup culture whether it be adultery pornography whatever it does it doesn't take long in Reading Scripture to come to an understanding that God's way for sex is very different than what our culture teaches so I think heal question for us in understanding do we love the world is are we shaped more by our culture's approach to sex sex or by Scriptures are we shaped more by our cultures approach to sex or by Scriptures of course we have more than just bodily desires.
For sex so under this umbrella that John is talking about he also uh has other things in mind like the consumption of food so whether it be related to our body image or just pure Indulgence it's also very easy for us in our day and age to have a very unhealthy approach to food we understand that food is good how we actually understand that it's very good it's great at sustaining us it gives us energy it's great at creating spaces around the table.
For Fellowship it's wonderful but it's also so easy for us to just binge out on a row of Oreos just to scratch the itch our approach to alcohol fits into the same category substance use fits into the same category we live in an overstimulated world and we could talk for a long time about all the possible ways in which the world is a could be a Temptation for us to just give into our bodily desires but I think we get the picture that the individual level we've been believing lies about the way in which we're supposed to engage with our physical desires.
And then that's manifested itself into a culture into a moment and that it says that's what you pursue that's what you live for is to satisfy your physical pleasures and then that reinforces for us and it becomes the Baseline the accepted Truth for us this is what is at war against our formation into the image of Christ so that's the desires of the flesh John also talks about the desires of the eyes now obviously our eyeballs don't have desires in and of themselves.
But our eyes are the way in which we observe the world around us and if you were to sum up this idea into one word I think John is trying to talk about greed or covetousness this idea that whatever we see we believe that we need it and that I have the right to have it for my own I think the grocery store is a prime example of this just to help us understand the layout of a grocery store is specifically designed.
For you to see stuff so you can spend the money on it you know where all the name brand stuff is it's not on the bottom right hand corner of the Shelf tucked away you know in that spot of the store where the lights a little flickery so it's hard to see anyways no right on the eye Lev shelf right there for you to see well maybe most of y'all's eyes the level shelf if it's me I'm like one shelf above Craig he's all the way at the top they haven't they don't have anything.
For Craig but we get it what they understand that whatever we see we're going to want I read a short study done by the University of Southern California that stated most mascots for cereals marketed to children look down at an average angle of 9.6 de somebody in some Kellogg's meeting was sitting at the table they were asking the question how can we sell more Frosted Flakes and a guy was like well you know when mom takes the kids into the grocery store and they're walking down the aisle I really think we need Tony the Tiger to just lock eyes with little Johnny that's just what we need I know some of you next time you're.
In the Cal aisle you're going to look around and try to see if it's true I mean heck you make it all the way through your grocery shopping Adventure which is an adventure for sure and you finally make it to the checkout line no it's not done whole plethora of little candy bars soda pop magazines whatever it is anything that our eyes can latch on to just so that we can take it and I mean could our current age of technological advancement reveal any more of our propensity to be drawn to the things by our eyes we're all carrying around in our pockets at all times this little device that shoots flashy little eyes lights.
At our eyes just to get us to pay attention to it there are whole marketing departments that are predicated upon the fact that you have a desire of the eyes I mean if you have the Amazon mobile app I think one of the recent updates there's a whole section of the app that literally is just short form video content of people having other things just to see if you want to buy it you can sit there and scroll on the Amazon app video after video of just people owning different things just to.
See if you want to buy it at the individual level we believe the lie that what we see with our eyes can ultimately satisfy us and we should pursue to go get it I just need that next thing and you get a whole community of people believing this lie and you have a cultural worldview that's built an economic green machine that panders to our Covetous nature rather than instilling the character of contentment so John is highlighting that the way of this world entices us to want more and more and more all I need I just need that next thing.
And then it'll be and I'll be Satisfied we should be careful and ask ourselves the question what are we looking at what are we drawn to by the things of our eyes so that's the desires of the eyes lastly John talks about pride of life the word life here is the same uh word that's used in Mark 12 uh the story where Jesus is with his disciples in the temple uh and the poor lady comes to drop her two coins in the offering.
And when she goes to put the coins in Jesus gets his disciples attention he says see that right there she has given all she had to live on that's that same word live on it's that same word as life here in the Greek but the point is the stuff that we have it's our our stuff whatever's yours and this idea of Pride here is it's the arrogance and the things that I have as being s sufficient to sustain me and then I boast in them.
If the lust of the eyes is worshiping what you don't have the pride of life is worshiping what you do have and we live in a culture of abundance we know this I mean for most of us that are here today we're living like the kings of old we got fridges that are stocked with the finest of foods we got entertainment available at our whim privacy fences as castle walls to defend any enemy Invasion on my perfectly manicured lawn all at 2.75 in just beautiful and this is what is sold to us as the good life and not only that that we should take pride in it the fleshly part of us believes that I.
Have the right to be prideful and to boast in what I've got CU after all I've worked for it haven't I well you get a whole community of people that believe that and you come up with something to the effect of the American dream which is predicated on my backbreaking work to accomplish for myself a kingdom in which I can boast to the world to show that I'm capable and I made it and that in turn just fuels in us this desire to work toward Independence we just celebrated Independence Day I love being in a country in which we can gather without fear of harm to worship it's fantastic.
But on an individual level Independence that's not in the vocabulary of Scripture Scripture says that every good and perfect gift comes from above everything that we have is simply a gift to us it has nothing to do with the fact that you work for it your paycheck has nothing to do with the fact that you work for it it is a good and perfect gift to you the house you have the lawn you have I don't whatever it is it's not.
Because of your work it is a good and perfect gift to you it's on loan for us to us for the time that we have here and this lie that's been perpetuated to the point of full acceptance and belief that what I have is mine wages war against the idea of dependence upon our creator in all things even in the smallest of things like the shirts that are on our backs so this is the cultural moment that we're in this is the world that we're influenced by and we're way more influenced by it than we would dare to admit and maybe you feel The Angst the pressure of John's statement that.
If you love the world the love of the father is not in you you have to ask the question what do we do what could we do against this well as John finishes his thought in chapter 2 verse 17 he says this and the world is passing away along with its desires all that we just talked about it's all going to fade away but whoever does the will of God abides forever what God is working to build is going to last forever what.
God is working to build in your life and in my life that's forever that right now what he's doing in you to form you into the image of Christ that lasts forever I'm not saying when you die I'm saying forever for all eternity and one day there's going to be a new world a new heavens and a new Earth that's created and the way of this world will be no more there will be no more desires of the flesh there will be no more desires of the eyes there will be no more pride of of Life there will just be satisfaction and contentment and the love and goodness of our.
God and this is why Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin because it's real bondage that he's wanting to point us to the one who actually satisfies and fulfills our deep need and is one who is worth boasting in so this is why in Romans 12 Paul can say do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind it's not worth conforming to this world it's not worth believing the lies that are accepted by our culture we should reflect and consider in our own lives in what ways are we loving the world rather what Paul says is worth it is that we need to let.
Transformation in our life take place by the renewal of our minds and in this section of Romans Paul just spent 11 chapters detailing the most he he gives the most detailed picture of of what God is doing of who Jesus is and what he's done in the Gospel the renewal of our minds is directly tied to who Jesus is and what he's done Paul is encouraging the Church that the daily rhythm of reminding ourselves and rehearsing the Gospel is the power by which there is transformation.
If you feel the weight of this in your life if you're considering ways in which maybe you fallen prey to the love of the world and you want transformation how does it take place the daily rhythm of reminding ourselves and rehearsing the Gospel what a gift that we would be able to remind ourselves of the love and the truth of the Gospel of Jesus so this is why here we have Community groups this is why we exist as Church Church family together in order that inside of that Community we might constantly remind ourselves of the truth that we're called to engage in regular rhythms of what we would call as life on life with other.
People that we're sharing in everything whether it be the good stuff the bad stuff the ugly stuff it doesn't matter because in all of it we want to be pointed back to Jesus as being better than everything else that this world has to offer cuz he is because remember all the stuff of this world Fades away but he lasts forever in our group one of our members was uh encouraging their friend to come out and hang with us hang out with us and you know she was pastoring her a lot wearing her down most effective tactic there is and eventually her friend decided to try it out she was hesitant at.
First didn't stick right away but as she continued to be more and more involved in what we were doing she began to express to us that she's never been a part of a community that's loved her in this way and in this way she was experiencing the Gospel of Jesus in a whole new light she never had before that simply by the daily rhythm of being around people people that are trying to regularly remind ourselves of the truth of the Gospel that there was change this is the power of regularly committing ourselves to a group of people that are set on pointing each other to the truth and goodness and love of.
Jesus this is why we do it this is why it matters so as we close I want I want to end with a couple questions to leave you that I hope you consider so that wherever you're at specifically in your life right now this can start to take root so if you're here this morning and you're you're already committed to a group here which Church family that's all of you if you didn't know that I want you to ask yourself this question in what way do I need to be more connected to my community group in what way do I need to be more connected to my community group.
If this is a space where we're going to remind ourselves of the Gospel don't we want to be there don't we want to be as connected as we possibly can so I don't know what the step is for you I don't know if it's in your willingness to confess sin I don't know if it's signing up to bring something other than just drinks to events I maybe it's reaching out to someone to learn how you can time of discussion maybe it's just showing up more regular L to the rhythm of the group meeting time I don't know what it is.
For you I don't but I know you can ask yourself that question and I know that the spirit of God can work to equip you and encourage you and strengthen you in fighting against this enemy of the world that would love nothing less than to convince us that the desires of the Flesh and the desires of light dies and the pride of life is worth something maybe you're here this morning and you've been around with us a little while on Sunday morning.
But you haven't gotten connected to a group yet if that's the case for you I want you to ask yourself this question what is keeping me from taking the next step of connecting to a community group here at m city what is keeping me from taking the next step of connecting to a community group here at Mill City maybe you've come by and you've never stopped by the connect Corner maybe you have stopped by the connect corner but you never showed up to a group I don't know what it is.
For you and I don't know what's kept you back I don't know if it's fear I don't know if it's apathy but ask yourself the question what's kept me from being connected to this group of people that is seeking to remind themselves of the Gospel of Jesus day in and day out whatever it is it's not worth it so the band's going to come back up and as you're reflecting on your question if you you get an answer this morning if you feel like you have a response don't wait.
If you're in a group and you feel like you know this is the next step you need to take grab one of your group members and just say hey this is what I'm going to do don't wait cuz by the time Wednesday night rolls around there's a whole bunch of time that's going to happen between now and then there's a whole bunch of world that's going to happen between now and then maybe for you the next step is just stopping by the connect corner.
So you can figure out which community group meets close to you so that you can show up you should go stop by take that step this morning our volunteers don't bite you don't have to be afraid of them but let's not miss any opportunities that could be given to us to be more connected to Church family as God is working to redeem a people from this world let's participate in the things Everlasting not the things that are going to fade.