To see all the previous studies in
this series, please go to https://surrenderdaily.blogspot.com/
In today’s short study, we pick up from where we left off in 1 John 2:15-17, which says
15 Do not love the world or the things
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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. 17 And the
world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God
abides forever. (ESV)
We are working through 1 John, examining
what it means to be a part of the fellowship of Christian believers – focusing on
our Christian fellowship, known as koinonia in the Greek. Koinonia is that close, personal bond that ought
to exist between believers because of our common fellowship with God our
Heavenly Father Our key verse in the study has been 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his
Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)
In the previous article, we started
talking about the pitfalls of inappropriate fellowship with the world
system. We discussed the first of three
important truths from 1 John 2:15-17, which stated that
Fellowship
with the world precludes fellowship with God.
In this article, we explore the
second and third important truths about inappropriate fellowship with the
world, beginning with the fact that
The
things of this world do not come from God.
This is critically important to
understand for our koinonia because the fact that the things of the
world are not from God is part and parcel to why they interfere with our
fellowship with God. More importantly –
or perhaps to the point - if the things of the world do not come from God, where
do you think they come from? They come
from the adversary – the devil. And because
they come from the adversary, you can be assured that they are a corruption of
all that is good and holy.
In verse 16, John classifies this corruption into three categories:
- The desires of the flesh (or in the KJV – the lust of the flesh),
- The desires of the eyes (or in the KJV – the lust of the eyes), and
- Pride in possessions (or in the KJV – the pride of life)
Let’s explore all three of these, beginning with the desires of the flesh.
As creations of God, there are certain things we have been created to need. We need food. We need companionship. We need love and affection. That need translates physically to desires – specifically desires of the flesh. This is not a bad thing. God gave us these desires because he intends for us to enjoy the things he created us to need. It is his beautiful and perfect design. Therefore, to fulfil that design, God has ordained healthy ways for all these needs to be met.
Our adversary, Satan, is a corruptor. As Satan’s agent, the world system corrupts our God-given desires and attempts to meet them in unhealthy and sinful ways, which we call the lust of the flesh. The lust of the flesh says “if it feels right, it’s OK”. The lust of the flesh says “I need it, so I’ll get it any way I can” or “as much as I can – even more than I need”. Satan used this against Eve when she saw that the fruit would taste good, even though it was forbidden. Satan used this against Jesus when he told him to turn the stones into bread, even though he was fasting. And Satan will use this against you and me every chance he gets. It may be sex. It may be food. It may be drugs or alcohol. Even something like health and exercise can fall into this category if taken to the extreme. If you are willing to compromise health or relationships or even do that which is outright prohibited by God in order to do something that “feels good,” you may have a love of the world that is ungodly.
Next, we see the desires of the eyes. This is different from the desires of the flesh because it is not that is being corrupted, but beauty itself. God has given us the entire universe to enjoy and appreciate. Beautiful landscapes. Beautiful trees and flowers. Even beautiful and helpful creations of mankind such as art, science, etc. And we can own and appreciate such things, giving thanks to God for them.
But as we have already seen, our adversary, Satan is a corruptor. As Satan’s agent, the world system corrupts this sense of appreciation and gratitude and makes it all about control and passion and possession. The lust of the eyes says, “That looks good – I want it”. The lust of the eyes says, “I will do whatever it takes to get it” or worse “I want it – you can’t have it”. Satan used this against Eve when she saw how pretty the fruit was. Satan used this against Jesus when he showed him all the kingdoms of the world. And Satan will use this against you and me every chance he gets. What do you want so bad you can just taste it? If you are willing to compromise morals or ethics or even financial security to get what you want, you may have a love of the world that is ungodly.
Finally, there is the pride of life. While the ESV talks about pride in possessions, the whole point here is about identity. We are created in the image of God. We are his children. This is how we find our identity.
But at the risk of repetition, our adversary, Satan is a corruptor. As Satan’s agent, the world system corrupts this sense of identity, trying to convince us we can be more – have more power – have more authority and sense of purpose – and yes, sometimes this is manifested through possessions, but not always. The pride of life says, “I am special – I deserve more”. By contrast, the bible teaches we are clay in the hands of the potter. We are our very best when we become what he made us to be. This was the sin of Satan himself when he said, “I will be like God”. He then used this against Eve when he told her that the fruit would make her wise, like God. He used this against Jesus when he said, “if you really ARE God, prove it by jumping of this pinnacle”. And he will use this against you and me every chance he gets, trying to convince us how important we are. We don’t even realize that we are setting ourselves up as gods in our own eyes.
Here’s the scary thing about the
pride of life as it relates to our culture.
The world system has infiltrated our culture so completely we don’t even
realize the extent to which we exude and promote the pride of life. We teach this to our kids when we tell them
“you can be anything you want to be,” and I know why we do that. We have the best of intentions because on the
other side of the spectrum, the great corruptor is whispering into the ears of
our children, “you are nothing, so why not just kill yourself.” Jesus was right when he said the devil comes
only to steal, kill, and destroy – in any way possible. Rather than telling our kids they can be
anything they want, however, we should be teaching our kids, “find out who and
what God created you to be, because you will never be satisfied or full of joy
unless you become that person.” Our
importance is in who God has made us to be, and if that is not enough for you, you
may have a love of the world that is ungodly.
The most interesting thing about all three of these is the focus on “I”.
- I NEED THIS.
- I WANT THIS.
- I AM THIS.
- I DESERVE THIS.
The love of the world is an inward, selfish focus. The love of God is a self-less, outward focus. They will always be opposed to each other, which is why the world will always ultimately hate the things of God.
That brings us to the third and final truth concerning an inappropriate fellowship with the world that is found in verse 17.
The
things of this world are only temporary.
Our fellowship with the world is
temporary because the world itself is temporary. Only that which is done for
God has eternal value. And this really
gives us a good litmus test for whether our affections are directed at God or
the world. Are we spending our time, our money, and our energy on things that
only have value in this life, or are we spending them on things that have value
beyond this life?
All the energy we spend on things that only have value in this life will be gone the moment we are gone – wasted - but when we spend energy on things that have eternal value, we take those things with us after we are gone; and they are with us for all of eternity. So, does that mean we just ignore everything here on earth? We don’t work or make any money or buy anything or take vacations? Of course not. That would be taking the idea to an absurd conclusion. However, I am saying - or rather asking - where is your focus? Where are your affections? What are your priorities?
We are still in this world; we are just not supposed to be in fellowship with this world. There is a balance between taking care of business in the world and becoming a lover of the world. The best way I know to explain this balance is to use Jesus’ own words.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the
body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but
if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light
in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two
masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life
more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the
air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being
anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious
about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither
toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today
is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall
we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles
seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them
all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
things will be added to you. Matthew 6:19-33 (ESV)
Are you more worried about the growth of
your financial portfolio than you are your own spiritual growth?
Are you more concerned with buying that next toy, or piece of furniture, or whatever than you are helping that person who may not have enough to eat today?
Are you more concerned with whether church gave you what you wanted today than you are whether or not your neighbors – or family – may be dying and going to hell?
Are you more concerned with spending your time doing what YOU want to do than you are spending your time doing what God wants you to do?
It’s all a balance. And I want to encourage you – no urge you – to find that balance.
When you find that balance, I can promise you these things:
- You will never feel deprived – even if you don’t have what you want.
- You will never feel abandoned – even if you lose friends.
- You will never feel miserable – even if you have to suffer.
- You will never feel that you have wasted either time or money.
Are we in Fellowship with the saints or with the world?
Do we love God, or do we love the
world?
No comments:
Post a Comment