Today we will look at the Apostle John’s message to the followers of Jesus Christ. The world was steeped in evil when John wrote this message. Ephesus, where he served the Lord, was under Roman rule and people followed a multitude of false gods, including worship of the emperor. Sexual sins abounded and morals were low. John warns the church about allowing themselves to be drawn back into the evil world systems of the day. His warning applies to us as well. In modern times we see false religions, we see multitudes indifferent to God, we see a rise in Satan worship as well as some churches claiming the name of Christ but celebrating things that God calls an abomination. We need this message today as much as John’s readers did 2,000 years ago.
Let’s look at 1 John 2:12-17 NLT I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[a]
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[b]
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
John addresses three things in today’s text. This is a message for all who belong to Christ. It is a warning that worldliness begins in the heart, and it is an instruction to do God’s will.
John’s message is for all. V.12-14 NLT I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[a]
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[b]
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.
John is writing to believers of all ages. He writes to his “little children” who had experienced forgiveness through Jesus. He writes to the older men who were mature in the faith and had a long-standing relationship with Christ. He writes to the younger men who had struggled with Satan’s temptations and had won. And he writes to the boys and girls who had learned about Christ and were just beginning their spiritual journey.
In each stage of life, God’s Word is relevant. Each stage of life builds upon the other. As children learn about Christ, they grow in their ability to win battles with temptation. As young adults move from victory to victory, they grow in their relationship with Christ. Older adults, having known Christ for years, have developed the wisdom needed to teach young people and start the cycle all over again. Is your Christian growth appropriate for your stage in life? This message applies to all, wherever you may be in your Christian Walk.
If you are a Christian, this message is for you!
2.Worldliness begins in the heart v 15-16 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
The term “world’ often refers to the vast system of this age that Satan promotes and exists independent of God. It consists not only in the obviously evil, immoral and sinful pleasures of the world, but also refers to the spirit of rebellion against or indifference to God and His revelation that exists within all human enterprises not under Christ’s lordship.
Satan uses the world’s ideas, morality, philosophies, psychology, desires, governments, culture, education, science, art, medicine, music, economic systems, entertainment, mass media, religions, sports, agriculture, etc, to oppose God, His people, His Word and His righteous standards. For example, Satan will use the medical profession to promote the killing of unborn babies, agriculture to produce life-destroying drugs such as alcohol and narcotics, educational systems to promote ungodly and humanistic philosophy, and the entertainment media to destroy Godly standards.
Believers must be aware that behind all human enterprises there is a spirit or power that moves against God and His Word, some to a lesser degree, some to a greater degree. Finally, the “world’ also includes all man-made religious systems such as Greek gods or humanistic, and all unbiblical, worldly or lukewarm “Christian” organizations and churches.
Satan is the god of the present world system. Along with a host of subordinate evil spirits he controls it. He has organized the world into political, cultural, economic and religious systems that are innately hostile toward God and His people and that refuse to submit to His Truth, which exposes its evil.
John 7:7 NLT 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.
Because the world hated Jesus, we who follow Him can expect that many people will hate us as well. We can be grateful if life goes well, but not at the cost of following Jesus halfheartedly or not at all.
The world and the true church are two distinct groups of people: The world is under Satan’s dominion, and the church belongs exclusively to God. Believers must separate themselves from the world. In the world believers are aliens and strangers. We don’t think or act or speak the way people do who are under Satanic control.
1 Peter 2:11. NLT 11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
Believers must come out of the world, not be conformed to the world, and not love the world. Instead, we are to overcome the world, hate the world’s evil, die to the world and be delivered from the world. Loving the world defiles our fellowship with God and leads to spiritual destruction. It is impossible to love the world and the Father at the same time.
Mt 6:24 NLT 24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
To love the world means to be in intimate fellowship with and devoted to its values, interests, ways and pleasures. It means taking pleasure in or enjoying what is offensive and opposed to God.
The terms “world” and “earth” are not synonymous. God does not forbid a love for the created earth, ie nature, mountains, forests, animals and the like. God created the earth and declared it to be good in Genesis 1.
1 John 2:16 NLT 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
There are three aspects of the sinful world that create open hostility to God. They are: 1. The cravings of sinful man. 2 impure desires and 3 running after sinful pleasures and sensual gratification.
1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT 18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
Php 3:19 NLT 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
James 1:14 NLT 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
The Believer must not have close fellowship with those who participate in the world’s evil system. Instead, we must openly condemn their sin, be salt and light to them, love them and attempt to win them to Christ.
The devil will oppose what we are doing, and the true Christian will experience trouble, hatred persecution and suffering. Using the lures of the world Satan makes an unceasing effort to destroy the life of God in the Christian.
We must remember that the world system is temporary and will be destroyed by God. Even now the world is passing away.
We have seen that this message from John is for all believers and that worldliness begins in the heart. Now we will see that believers should do God’s will, in spite of the evil around us.
3.Do God’s Will v17 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
When our attachment to worldly things is strong, it’s hard to believe that the things we want will one day pass away. It may be even harder to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever. But this was John’s conviction based on the facts of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and promises He made. Knowing that this evil world and its sin will end gives us courage to continue doing God’s will.
What is God’s will for the Believer? To love God and love people.
John’s message was for all believers, including believers of today. This world is steeped in evil and many systems and people live in direct opposition to God and His followers. But, despite what we see around us, we are to continue to live lives that please God.
We have the promise of eternal life with Him.
People often fear death because of the many unknown factors surrounding it. We don’t need to fear. Jesus tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in Heaven. And we will be with Jesus forever.
Revelation 22:3-5 NLT 3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
John gives us a sneak peek into our future in Heaven with Jesus. There will be no evil there. God will live among His faithful people on an earth purged from all evil. On this new earth the saints will see and live with Jesus, the Lamb of God, who through love redeemed them by His death on the cross. We will worship God and see Him face to face, wrapped in His perpetual love.
Please remember this great promise if you feel yourself being tempted by Satan and drawn to evil. Stand firm and resist the devil and he will flee from you.
I pray that God will bless you richly until we meet again.
cherylpickford 