I John 2: 15—17

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

God made the world and everything in it and called it good all creation is a work of His loving hand. We should love and appreciate the beauty of creation but it must not become the focus of our desires. When our desires are for the world and its pleasures rather than the pleasures of God Himself it is a sign that the Father’s love is not in us.

The things of the world are appealing to the three areas mentioned in verse 16, our flesh, our eyes and our pride. The deficiencies associated with human nature cause us to want what we perceive to be lacking. Our sense of lack or emptiness is really a lack of being filled with the Father’s love but our flesh and our eyes lead us to believe we need more of what the world offers to be satisfied. Pride believes having a better position or more wealth is the answer but that will only satisfy for a moment. Pride seems to feed on obtaining more than our neighbor or being in a place of superiority. Our natural tendency is to have what we see others have. In Ecc. 4:4 Solomon observes much work and ambition that is motivated by envy of our neighbor and calls it vanity and vexation of spirit, it leaves us empty.

We must focus our affections on the eternal not this temporary world. 2nd Corinthians 4: 18, says all visible things are temporary yet the invisible things are eternal. Much of our mortal life is sustained by consuming temporary things. God designed our natural lives to be sustained by consuming perishable things but this carries over into the realm of lust, ego and pride. The world and the devil take advantage of genuine human need and hunger by offering things in excess as if having more would quench an already out of control lust.

Lust hungrily feeds upon the temporary things of the world but the eternal man must feed at the table of the everlasting God. His love must displace lust. Feeding on the temporary pleasures and lusts of the world brings fleeting satisfaction. Emptiness breeds more emptiness leaving us with nothing to give because only love can give. We must turn our desires to the one who is everlasting that we will have everlasting joy and pleasure in Him. People, including many Christians mistakenly look for something that lasts in a world that is passing away and repeatedly come up empty because anything lasting is only found in the everlasting Kingdom of God.

Those who do the will of God will abide forever. We must know the will of God to be able to do it. In Romans 12 Paul tells us that we must present our bodies a living sacrifice (which is being dead to this world’s ways) and do not allow the world to shape or mold our thinking, but rather be transformed by renewing our minds that we may know the perfect will of God. We fall into the mold of this world by default but God’s will is discovered through us renewing our minds. As long as we are allowing the world to form our thoughts and manipulate our desires God’s will remains obscure or hidden. Focusing on the temporary visible things of this world prevents our focus being on eternal things.

Colossians 3: 2-3 says that our thoughts and desires must be on things above (eternal) not the things of the earth because we are dead (we have presented our bodies as a living sacrifice) and our eternal life is hidden with Christ in God.

The will of God is ultimately directing us toward our eternal purpose. God wants us to be transformed, no longer thinking and living from one passing fancy to another but to begin to walk and live for eternity now. We can know that what we do for God and His Kingdom will last forever and has eternal rewards.

In this world those who compete in a race do it to obtain a temporary reward but we run toward an everlasting prize hidden in heaven. This life must be a walk of faith, counting the invisible things of eternity as a greater reward than the beauty and riches of a world that is passing away. What would it profit us to gain the world and all its fame and riches yet loose our eternal soul?

I John 2: 12--13

STAGES OF GROWTH

I John 2:12-13

John recognizes that we are at different stages of maturity in our walk with God. He refers to those recently born again as children or immature in Christ. Others that have been walking with God for some time have grown into strong young men. He addresses others as fathers, who have known the one who is from the very beginning. Fathers have developed an intimate relationship with God and have the ability to go beyond just teaching, to imparting life. John, himself, is one of these fathers who, with pen and ink, imparts the Word or Bread of Life.

1 John chapter 2: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” Immediately I think of Psalm 119: 11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” John writes an impartation of the Word of God to his readers, especially to the immature, that they would take it to heart and be empowered to sin not.

In verse 12 of chapter 2, John says: “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.” From my own experience, the enemy will try a variety of approaches to pervert the Word of God, attempting to rob the truth, the light and the life from it. He might, first, try convincing the new believer that to sin means they were not really forgiven, or saved; they may as well give up. John wants to reassure them that they are forgiven. God’s Word is as good as His name; we have His signature on that promise. Again, the enemy may try to convince the believer that he or she will never sin, based on I John 3: 9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” KJV Then again, those who recognize they do sin but feel powerless, the devil promotes taking advantage of God’s grace: he knows we are weak. No matter which form the lie of the enemy comes in, John wants his audience to understand that we do sin but sin is no longer our master.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

In the beginning of the chapter, John writes so as to empower his readers that they sin not, but further on, in verse 12, he writes to them because they have been forgiven. He seems to shift his approach a bit, like building upon a foundation. Without a clear understanding of forgiveness and our new position in Christ, we could be stuck in immaturity indefinitely. Those who are not sure if they are forgiven or accepted, in Him, would not readily receive further instruction from God; it would be on a shaky foundation. With a clear understanding of our relationship and acceptance in Christ, we can move on to the next step in our maturity.

John writes to the fathers and young men because they had matured to another level. The fathers have come to know God in a deeper way and the young men have learned to discern and avoid the tactics of the enemy. At each level of our maturity, we are able to receive greater revelation from God.

Those who John calls young men are likely able teachers, or instructors, that can inform the immature of the tactics of the enemy, but haven’t yet become fathers themselves. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 4:15 :“For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (KJV) Paul, as a father, had an ability to beget offspring (spiritually speaking) through the gospel. Young men have grown to the point of strength and wisdom in defeating the enemy, and even holding their ground, but fathers are giving birth to, and nurturing, children.

In one sense, the church today has a parallel problem to that of the world: a lack of fathers. Young men can birth children but it takes fathers with commitment, patience and wisdom to establish a foundation and see them through to maturity.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were given territory to hold and even expand; they were to be fruitful and multiply as part of the strategy to subdue the earth. Young men are strong and able to take, and hold, territory, but it requires fathers to fill the land with righteous offspring. We can learn from their mistakes; in a sense, Adam and Eve were immature, not wise to the tactics and snares of the devil. What the devil meant for evil, God used for good, that the earth could be filled with the children of the second Adam (Christ), full of truth and wisdom.

BUILDING ON CHRIST THE FOUNDATION

In Ephesians 4: Paul speaks of God giving ministers as gifts to the church to bring the young to maturity, that they would no longer be tossed to and fro by shifting winds of doctrine and the craftiness of men, who lie and wait to deceive. We need those who will speak the truth in love so that the immature will grow up into Christ, as the head of the body.

John writes to the young men because they are strong and the word of God abides in them. As a wise builder, John recognizes that the young men have a strong foundation on which he can safely build further. The immature must first have their foundation strengthened before building them up too high. Much knowledge can puff us up and set us up for a great fall, unless we have built a strong foundation to bear the weight of it. Christ is the Rock, the foundation upon which we are built, and our maturity is the evidence of that foundation. We have a foundation that can not be shaken.

It appears that immaturity was a common problem during the time of the New Testament writings. Hebrews 5: 11—14 speaks to those who are dull of hearing and unable to receive the strong meat of the word but can only digest milk like a baby. They had evidently been around long enough to have become teachers but they still needed the foundational truths of the word themselves. In 1 Corinthians 3: 1—3, Paul seems a bit disappointed; he would like to impart to them strong spiritual food but they can only receive the milk of the word.

Is the church today able to receive the spiritual food that will cause us to grow into maturity, or are we, also, needing milk?

I John chapter 2: 1--1

Never Concede Defeat

Continuing his thought from the previous chapter John explains that he is writing these things that we would not sin. He knows that while we are yet in this flesh we are exposed to temptations to sin and reminds us that a repeated failure is not the end. Jesus Christ the righteous stands before the Father as our advocate to plead our case. His blood was offered and applied to the mercy seat to atone for our sin past, present and future.

In these last days sin is abounding or multiplying like never before, a smorgasbord of worldly pleasures is available and can even be delivered to our doorstep. The world and the devil have been working overtime to elevate sin to a socially acceptable place and to even make participating in it a matter of human rights. Romans 5: 20 tells us where sin abounds grace much more abounds. Though we walk in a sort of mine field of sin God’s grace is much more available to us. As Paul writes in Romans 6: 1—2 Grace is not a get out if sin free card, it does not mean just go ahead and sin because we can always rely on His grace to bail us out, no God forbid. A greater supply of grace is to empower us to walk through the minefield without stepping into sin not just to bail us out.

God’s Word Keepers

Those who truly know God delight in keeping His commandments. On the other hand those who say they know Him without keeping His word are liars their testimony of Christ is annulled by a conflicting lifestyle they are not a credible witness.

Those who keep His words not only make verbal confession but walk it out. In them the love of God is increasing they are maturing in Christ. The evidence that we are matured in Him is if we walk as Christ Himself walked.

We can only walk as He walked if we are yoked to Him. Jesus said if we want to learn of Him or walk with Him we must take His yoke which is easy and light. (Matt. 11:29). His yoke links us to Himself and we learn to walk in step with Him. His yoke is our link to mercy, grace and favor. He carries the vast majority of the load and guides our steps.

Looking Back to See the Future

John in verse 7 again refers back to the word that was spoken from the beginning. He is not trying to introduce something totally new but actually an old concept. In Genesis 1: God’s answer to darkness and kayos was to turn on the light. Because sin brought darkness into the world God sent the light to light the way for every one of us.

In Genesis it is written that God made the sun to light day and the moon to light the night yet John in his gospel writes of The Son Light that was sent by God to be the light to every man.

Real or Counterfeit

Those who claim to be in the light yet hate their brother are still in the dark. Those who love their brother are walking in the light and will not stumble.

Hatred of a brother is a work of darkness it is a result of spiritual blindness. The powers of darkness have a deceptive ability to make darkness appear as light. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians. 7:14 that we should not be surprised that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. He comes as a counterfeit light bearer to deceive those who are in darkness and make them think they are in the light.

John’s Gospel Chapter 1 verse 5 says “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (NKJV) God sent Jesus His Son as the light, as the revelation of God the Father. The spiritual darkness that prevailed especially among the religious people of that day prevented them from perceiving or receiving that light. They rejected Him as a counterfeit thinking they already had the true light.

In John 8: 40—43 Jesus is having a discussion with the Pharisees who hated Him and wanted to kill Him yet claimed God as their Father. Jesus told them that if God were their father they would love Him who came from the Father. They could not hear or receive Jesus’ words (light) because they were blinded by darkness, a counterfeit light. The darkness of plain old sin is bad enough but the darkness provided through religion as a counterfeit light is an even greater darkness.

I John Chapter 1

Apostolic Testimony

John declares that which he has heard with his own ears, seen with his own eyes and has handled with his hands concerning the word of life (Jesus).

Eternal life was manifested to him by revelation through fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Remember not all who walked with or lived near to Jesus believed that He was the Son of God. Jesus told Peter that his revelation of Christ came from the Father in heaven.

Apostolic testimony has an element of revelation from above. Those who just hung around with Jesus or His followers did not necessarily have revelation.

Invitation to Relationship

John invites his hearers to join in and remain in this relationship through fellowship with them (believers) the Father and the Son.

This fellowship can only experienced by walking in the light. Jesus is the light that has entered into the world and in Him is no darkness at all.

God’s Invitation--Colossians 1: 12-13 “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” NKJV

God has qualified us but we must choose. We can only truly walk in our inheritance as we walk in fellowship in the light.

Benefits of Relationship

Walking in the light, avoiding the stumbling blocks of sin

Enjoying indescribable fellowship with God and fellow believers

Knowing eternal life here and now

Relationship in the midst of sin

We must invite the Light

We do not have to become sinless to walk in the light. When the light reveals sin in us we can confess our sin and He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and to cleanse us.

They that say they have no sin lie and walk in darkness, none of us in our flesh are perfect or sinless. The darkness blinds the eyes or prevents revelation of the Christ.

Remember Judas Iscariot walked with Jesus (The Light) but it is evident that he did not walk in the light. Walking in the light is allowing and even inviting the light to expose those things which cause us to stumble. Judas had a problem with money Jesus even called him a thief. At various times his covetousness was revealed but he refused to bring it to the light or confess his sin that it could be forgiven. He continued to walk in darkness even though he hung out with The Light and sadly the darkness caused him to stumble to his death.

Those who do not hide their sin from the light but confess and forsake it will remain in fellowship with the Father and the Son.

John stresses that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Those who claim to walk and have fellowship with Him yet refuse to bring their sin to the light are liars because it is impossible for light and darkness to walk together in fellowship.

If we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. If our testimony conflicts with God’s, we are literally testifying against Him we are calling Him a liar. If His word were in us our testimony would agree with His and we would confess our sin.