1 John 2:15-17
Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places!
Introduction
A. Do you remember in Elementary School when a boy or a girl would like you? What did your mom tell you? They are the ones that pick on you.
B. They are the ones you think hate you
C. They are the ones that tell you they can not stand you
D. That is kind of funny when you think back on it.
E. You ask questions like why do they do that
F. Think about something for a second
G. Think about what we claim to hate
H. Think about what we claim to hate but actually love
I. We as Christians are really good at this
J. Just like the elementary child, we act the same way with love for the world and love of sin
K. It is hard to admit that we do love those things but we do.
L. Lets look at them closer and see what we can do to change it
I. The Love of the World (15)
A. Explanation
1. You ask yourself, self, why is John writing this, what is going on that made him want to write this passage
2. READ 15, notice it does not “do not like the world”, It says love, and this is not a causal warning, this is a very strict command
3. We are able to like the world, for example if you do not enjoy spring were the flowers are coming up. The leaves on the trees, what is wrong with you.
4. At the time when John wrote this part there were people who choose their god to be the world, those are the ones that John is after.
5. Loving the world is not a single incident, it is a life style, this is not oops I accidentally loved the world today. This is something this is a life style
6. The expression for “world” here is a funny one. The word is mainly found in John’s writings in fact
7. It carries a meaning more then just the third rock from the sun. There is a strong connection between world and devil. In John’s writing there is not much different. You have to understand that there are a lot more Greek words to choose from then English
8. John tells us not to love the world. However, he does not tell us not to live in separation. To be in the world is not to love the world. Just to separate from the love of the world
B. Application
1. So how is that relevant to our lives today?
2. We face much the same obstacles if not more then the people John was writing about
3. We are not talking about one or so acts we are talking about a lifestyle
4. This could be TV before God
5. This could be Work becoming more important then God
6. This could be our Hobbies more important then God
7. It could be a variety of things
8. The important part is not to let that happen
C. Illustration
1. When I was running Cross Country I got so involved. I love watching my time go down. I worked really really hard. I was never the most gifted runner. I might have been the one that worked the hardest at it though. I would go running in the middle of winter so that I would be ready for the next fall. If you were to talk to me I would relate everything or just bluntly change the subject to running. That was my God. Do not let that happen
II. The Love of Sin
A. Explanation
1. It is a funny idea is it not but it is true, We love sin
2. Knowing that the word world has the devil closely related to it helps us understand what this is saying
3. Read 16 everything that is not from God is from the world, hence everything that is in the world is evil
4. Notice the three that he mentions here, 2 are personal private sins, the other one in a public sin.
5. John choose these ones for a particular reason
6. Cravings of sinful men. Literally desire of the flesh.
a) The phrase craving of sinful man is used collectively and is meant to include both sexual desire and covetousness
7. Lust of the eyes. What John is trying to convey here is what Jesus said in the sermon of the mount (Mathew 5:28) when a man looks at a women lustfully he has committed adultery.
a) We have to understand something here. Men are very sexual in nature. I’m sure if I ask all the men who here has not had a bad thought no one would raise their hands.
b) However, what we are talking about is the one who does not flee from the thought but rather continue to entertain that thought
8. Boasting of what he has and does. How do you translate that one? Every version has a slightly different take on that one
a) The pride of life
b) The boastful pride of life
c) All the glamour if its life
d) The life of empty show
e) Pride in passions
f) The boasting of what man has and does
g) I think we get the point. No matter how you translate it. It is the same. It is pride.
B. Application
1. Let us try and put these ideas together to find out what they mean
2. We love sin
3. We get caught up in the love of sin
4. Sometimes it is private sometimes public
5. However, it is always there
6. John knows that this tendency to get caught up in sin is there.
7. What John is trying to do is plead with us to stop becoming in love with sin
8. Sin can take a hold of you.
C. Illustration
1. I like to think that sin cannot get a hold of me. (Notice that is prideful) I thought that I was doing a good job at not letting sin take a hold of me. Someone then gave me a list of different ways pride creeps into our lives. That hurt! I found out I am a prideful person who loved to boast. To change those habits hurt
2. However, I realize now that all pride must be in God and not my sinful self.
III. The Love of God
A. Explanation
1. WE live in a world of constant change, Look at Cranberry 20 years ago. There was nothing there. Look at it today. On the other hand 30 years ago we built a state of the art stadium. 2 years ago we blew it up. Things come things go
2. Read vs. 17. Thing will come up that seem so good, but then we will laugh at them later
3. This world is not going to last
4. Our love for the world then can not last
5. However, the last sentence there, the man who does the will of God lives forever!
6. That has to be our Goal
B. Application
1. How do we apply this to our loves today
2. There might be some wild new idea out there but it will past
3. The only thing that is eternal is God
4. Our love can not be anywhere else
C. Illustration
1. Disco? Remember when every one thought that was cool? Or what about the Hippies. Peace Man
2. Guess what at that same time as Hippies and Disco, there was Jesus
3. Guess what has change about Jesus? Nothing
4. Everything else will pass, Christ will not
5. Christ is a sure investment
6. We need to love God and not the world
Conclusion
A. It is very easy to fall in to love of the world
B. WE do it everyday
C. We love to say that sin is bad and evil and not good, but yet we love to sin
D. You ask me how can we love to sin when we hate sin, I say look at our lives, Our lives seem like we love sin
E. It is like that little boy who spends 5 hours a day telling you how he does not like a girl when you know he does
F. The Love of God
G. That seems like such an easy phrase, except do we mean it?
H. Are you loving God? Or are you looking for love in all the wrong places?
