Well, it is no mystery, is it, that we are living in times when the distinction between the world and the Church is badly blurred. As opposed to being separate and distinct from the world and conformed to Jesus Christ, The Church has become, in large measure, conformed to this world and seemingly in love with it. James Hunter, in his book entitled Evangelicalism, the Coming Generation, wrote, and I quote him, Evangelicals still adhere to prohibitions against premarital, extramarital, and homosexual relations. Perhaps the book is a little dated. But even here, the attitude towards those prohibitions has noticeably softened. Many of the distinctions separating Christian conduct from worldly conduct have been challenged, if not altogether undermined. Even the words worldly and worldliness have, within a generation, lost most of their traditional meaning." Now in sharp contrast to this, the writers of the New Testament, including the Apostle John, sound a clarion call to all who have ears to hear that love for the world and the things of the world is forbidden. and is so contrary to Christian life and profession that John insists that if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father cannot be in him. Raises the question, what exactly is the world that Christians are forbidden to love? It's a good question. We can answer it both negatively and positively. First, negatively, what it doesn't mean. Well, it doesn't mean that separation, it doesn't mean separation and or isolation from the world. Let me illustrate. My deceased uncle Bill from Houston, Texas, had a sister who became a cloistered nun in the Roman Catholic Church many years ago. And after taking special vows, she spent her entire life apart from mainstream society, living her life in utter seclusion within a cloistered convent. Well, that is not what John meant when he said, Love not the world. It doesn't mean separation and isolation from the world. That's not a biblical kind of lifestyle. In fact, you will search the scriptures in vain to find anything that even resembles it. In fact, quite to the contrary, the command given to all Christians is to live in the world, right? We are to live in the world, but not to be of the world. Surely our mission as Christians is to be sent into the world, But we are most certainly not of the world into which we are sent. Christians are on a mission to the world. Think of it that way. Christians are on a mission to the world. And to do so, of necessity, they cannot be separated or isolated from the world. Also, the world, in verse 15, that's not to be loved, doesn't refer to God's creation, right? And the tangible, physical things in the world that He has made. Genesis 1.31 makes it clear that when God created the physical world, He declared it not only to be good, but to be what? To be very good. And neither does the world refer to economic and social structures of society like family and friends and vocation and fields of study and government or community. In fact, all of these are ordained by God and they are institutions in society and culture that are blessed by God. As David wrote in Psalm 24, the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it, the world and those who dwell in it. All right then, we've considered what the world doesn't refer to. Positively, what is the world that Christians are forbidden to love? What is it? The world that we're forbidden to love is not the earthly creation, but the rebellious, independent, God-rejecting mindset of those who inhabit the creation. And therefore, we must not share this world's perspectives, or live by its values, or cherish its cravings, or pursue its goals and agendas. C.J. Mahaney defined the world this way, he said, and I quote him, the world refers to arrogant, self-sufficient people seeking to exist apart from God and living in opposition to God, dead set against the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the world that we are forbidden to love." Well, the theme of our text passage this morning is love for the world. There are three points that arise from these three verses. I printed them in your bulletin. Take a look at them on the right-hand side there, around the middle, under the first point on verse 15. We have love for the world is explicitly prohibited in Scripture. Second, in verse 16, the root cause of love for the world is internal. And third, in verse 17, the world is temporal and is quickly passing away. Again, the first point from verse 15 is that love for the world is explicitly prohibited in Scripture. Look at verse 15 again in our text. John says, the inspired apostle 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. Obviously, this is an explicit prohibition to not love the world or to love the things in the world. The love John mentions here is that of attachment, intimate fellowship, and loyal devotion. It's the same love that God demands in the summary of the law when He says, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. And again, it's important to note that when John says, do not love the things in the world, that he isn't advising Christians to abandon the world or to separate from the world and live in seclusion, but is instructing believers to keep themselves... Listen, he's instructing believers to keep themselves from anything and everything that would diminish in any way, their love for God. And at the end of verse 15, he tells us why this is so important with this matter-of-fact, non-negotiable statement. Look at it. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In other words, love for the world And love for God, they just can't coexist. They are oil and water. They can't be put together. So along the same lines is the impossibility of serving two masters, right? In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus said, you can't serve, what? You can't serve God and money. And here John says you can't love God and at the same time love the world. Just in case you think this subject is mostly aimed at young people, you know, I think It most frequently is thought to be their peculiar difficulty. Well, let me assure you the danger of loving the world is also a potential for middle-aged and older folks, adults in general. When it comes to absorbing the world's influences, everyone, everyone is at risk, from the cradle to the grave. Let me illustrate from scripture. Remember one of Paul's closest associates in ministry was a man named Demas. One of those names nobody ever names their kids, right? And his love for the world led him to actually forsake and abandon the Apostle Paul. Turn to 2 Timothy in your Bible with me. Hold your place here, but look at 2 Timothy. In chapter 4, just a few pages back, it's on 1694 in your Pew Bible. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul gave Timothy some parting counsels prior to his departure from the world, and among them he warned him about a man named Demas, who had been Paul's associate and traveling companion and spreading the gospel and ministering to the church, particularly at Rome. And we read these words in chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, beginning at verse 9, and they are very sobering words. Be diligent to come to me quickly. Why? For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica. Now if those words don't send a shiver up your spine, then maybe you ought to take your spiritual pulse and see if you're still alive. Because to me, those are some of the most sobering and even frightening words that we could ever read in the pages of Scripture. Because they attest to the fact that it's possible, listen, it is possible for a person to walk with God for a while and then be overcome and overtaken by the wicked influences and the wicked philosophies of the world. Paul was selective about his ministry companions. At one point you might recall that he rejected John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark. And he didn't allow him for a while to travel with him on his missionary journeys. However, Demas was one of those people who walked right alongside the Apostle Paul as one of his fellow laborers, and at the conclusions of not one, but two New Testament letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, Paul wrote that Demas, or that he, that is Paul, along with his fellow laborers, including Demas, were sending them their greetings. He was an intimate follower and companion of the Apostle Paul for a long time. Surely he appeared to be a model Christian. Hardly the kind of guy you'd label as worldly. And yet, he deserted Paul and the church. And worst of all, he deserted Jesus. Well, how did that happen? I'll tell you exactly how it happened, not with specific details because I don't know him and nobody knows him, but I'll tell you in principle how it happened. Before Demas deserted, he began to drift. He began to drift away. Maybe not outwardly and visibly, but in his heart he began to drift. As he was traveling with Paul from place to place in the world, he was being gradually contaminated and weakened by its influences. The world was having an increasingly corrupt effect upon this man, Demas. Even Paul might not have known or sensed its impact upon him until it was really too late. But slowly and surely he was being conformed, not to Christ, but to the world. Ever so subtly, a love for the world had taken root in Demas' soul. He dropped his spiritual guard. His thoughts and his eyes began to wander. His conscience became dull and his passion for the Savior cooled. Demas drifted before he deserted. And so it is for us, huh? So it is for us. Here's how we can apply this. The signs and symptoms of love for the world are subtle and often hidden from the view of others. I'll repeat it. It's really important. I hope you'll mark it down or think about it and commit it to memory. The signs and symptoms of love for the world are subtle and often hidden from the view of others. People can attend church, sing the hymns, listen to the sermons, and appear to be no different outwardly than they've always been. But, inside, they're drifting. They're adrift. A person can be present in public worship, but not be excited to be there. You can sing the hymns of the faith, apart from any heartfelt affection. You can listen to the Word of God preached, all the while resisting every attempt that the Spirit is making in his heart to produce conviction. You know what I'm talking about? It's like when you've got the gloves on, right? And you hear something being said, and you know it has application for you, and you know that the Living Word is trying to do some surgery within you, but you're resisting. Vigorously resisting. That's what Demas was doing. Love for the world begins within. And it is a very subtle and often hidden from view from others. What about you this morning? Are you drifting? Are you drifting? Has your love for Christ and for His Word and for His people waned? Has your growth in godliness slowed to a crawl? Has it stopped? Be honest. Has it really come to a stop, a halt? Have you, like Demas, fallen in love or are you in the process of falling in love with the world? Be warned then, you might only be a step away from desertion. Demas. Paul's close companion, who walked with him for a long, long time, forsook him. Why? Having loved this present world. And therefore we're given this explicit prohibition in Scripture. Do not love the world or the things in the world. Turn back to your text passage again in 1 John chapter 2. After explicitly prohibiting love for the world in verse 15, John proceeds to identify the root cause of it in verse 16. If you're making an outline, the second point is this, and it's in your bulletin. The root cause of love for the world is internal. Internal. Look at verse 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. is not of the Father, but is of the world." Now here in verse 16, John is explaining the prohibition in verse 15 to not love the world or the things in the world by identifying, listen, by identifying its root cause. The word for, at the beginning of verse 16, is explanatory, right? For always explains what has preceded it, or what's been written before it. And it's significant to note that John doesn't identify anything external. Did you notice this? There's nothing external in his explanation of why love for the world is prohibited. The things he lists after saying, for all that is in the world, are not certain styles of fashion, or clothing, or certain kinds of music, or entertainment, or any other external or material thing. No, on the contrary, what he says is that love for the world is an internal matter within the heart of man. Notice the ungodly trio that he lists, the lust, the cravings of the flesh. the lust of the eyes, and the pride or boastings of life. Inspired by the Spirit, John is drawing our attention where? He's drawing it not external or exterior, but inward to the root cause of worldliness, which he says is within us. Now, for the most part, Christians fall into two camps by virtue of their definitions of love for the world. The first group has a very rigid definition for virtually everything in life. You probably know of this group, or maybe you've been in it in the past, or know others who are in it currently. The first group has very rigid definitions for almost everything. Fashion, hairstyles, music, movies, you name it, they've got a rule for it, right? And if you step outside of their specific set of rules or standards, then you're instantly defined as being what? Worldly. Worldly. Hair's too long. Dress isn't short enough. All that stuff. It's a nice, neat, black and white system. Very legalistic. The second group, however, overreacted to these rigid rulemakers and concluded that defining worldliness is impossible and decided not to have any rules or any standards. Because after all, they say, well, any rule or anything like that, that's just legalism. So which group is right? Neither group is right. Neither group is right. C.J. Mahaney, again, wrote this, By focusing exclusively on externals or dismissing the importance of externals, we've missed the point. John takes the debate to another level. He takes it inside. For that's where worldliness is. It exists in our hearts. Worldliness does not consist in outward behavior, though our actions can certainly be an evidence of worldliness within. But the real location of worldliness is internal. It resides in our hearts." So here's the application for us. Christians must learn to recognize that worldliness is primarily a heart issue, not an external or environmental one. It's a heart issue. All of the phrases that John uses in verse 16 target internal desires and internal motives. Loving the world and the things of the world proceeds from what? It proceeds from the heart. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are all internal evidences of love for the world and are not external. And if we don't recognize this, then we can abide by all the conservative rules and all the conservative standards imaginable, and yet love the world and the things of the world in our heart. Christians must learn to recognize that worldliness is primarily a heart issue, not an environmental one. Well next, having exposed the root cause of love for the world, John now reveals its earthly, temporal nature. The third and final point in verse 17 on your outline is this. The world is temporal. and is quickly passing away. Verse 17, And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever. Now in the clearest terms, John says that the world and all of its lustful desires are temporal and short-lived. They are passing away. It's as if John were reasoning with us this way. He's saying, there's no future in loving this world. None at all. Because it's temporal and fleeting. And therefore it can't provide any lasting satisfaction or fulfillment. Oh yes, it can look attractive. It does sometimes, doesn't it? Sometimes it sparkles and shines like a diamond. but its brightness is short-lived, and it eventually dims. The pleasures of sin are enjoyable, yes, but they are passing away, and they are temporal." So John warns us not to set our living affections on dying things. Don't set your living affections on things that are Dying. Simon Kistemacher in his excellent New Testament commentary wrote, man needs to look at the fleeting existence of worldly people, pleasures, and desires. If he places his interest in that which is here today and gone tomorrow, he reaps a harvest of instability, stumbles in the darkness of sin, and because he has cast his lot with the world, faces a similar end." Well, here's the application, and it's in the language of John Piper's book title, Don't Waste Your Life. Don't waste your life pursuing things that won't last. One day soon, the things of this world will be exposed as being worthless. However, you have the privilege, listen, whereas the world is just clinging to those things and wanting those things and wanting to imbibe those things, you, Christian, have the privilege of knowing better. So let me ask you, how are you spending your time? Are you investing it well? Are you investing it in things that will last or in things that will pass? Let me remind you of John's apostolic authority on the subject. All, all that is in the world and the last of it is passing away. So Christian, why give the world your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength? Why pursue the deceptive pleasures of love for the world that are transient and short-lived? Don't waste your life pursuing things that won't last. Now at the end of verse 17, notice the contrast. The contrast that John makes between the temporary nature of pursuing love for the world and the permanent nature of pursuing the things of God. Verse 17, and the world is passing away and the lust of it, but, here's the contrast, he who does the will of God abides. Forever. Forever. Right after he convinced us of the futility of pursuing worldliness, John now proceeds to tell us of the propriety and wisdom of pursuing godliness. He wants us to see the sharp contrast here. The great difference and distinction between worldliness and godliness, between pursuing the world and doing the will of God. And sadly, this is the contrast that we've lost today, which has become so dim. The Church is not different and distinct from the world as she should be. It's regrettable but true that the distinctions between Christian and worldly conduct, which were once so clear, are now blurred beyond recognition. C.J. Mahaney again writes today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world. He continues, we aren't under attack from without, we're decaying from within. And our success as ambassadors for Christ, as witnesses of the life-changing power of the gospel, hangs in the balance. However, you might take some comfort in knowing that this problem is not something unique to our own generation, because 150 years ago, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, acclaimed by many to be the greatest preacher in the history of the Christian Church, since the apostles and Jesus said, and I quote him, I believe, and this is 150 years ago, I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church. End quote. and calling history as a witness to substantiate his claim, he said, and I quote him again, put your finger on any prosperous page in the church's history, and in that age men could readily see where the church began and where the world ended. Never were there good times when the church and the world were joined in marriage with one another. The more the church is distinct from the world in her acts and conduct, the more true is her testimony for Christ, and the more potent is her witness in the world." End quote. A question for us all by way of application is this. Is there a clear distinction and difference between your lifestyle, and the lifestyle of unbelievers around you? Let me ask it again and answer the question to yourself with Judgment Day honesty. Is there a clear distinction and difference between your lifestyle and the lifestyle of unbelievers around you? Here's an illustration, I think I've used it before, but it might help you to bring that into focus. Imagine that I was given two detailed reports that described the lifestyles of two people. One described you, and another described an unbeliever. Both of those reports detail your activities and use of time. Your phone conversations, your text messages, television viewing habits, internet activities, your use of money, places you go, the books and magazines you read. It even records your thoughts. Imagine that. Boy, aren't you glad there's not a report about you like that. Or is there? Or is there? Of course there is. Of course there's a report like that. That report will be read in the Day of Judgment. Even when the secrets of men's hearts will be revealed, Jesus said. Well, here's the question. If I carefully read the two reports, side by side, would I be able to tell you apart from the non-Christian? Or would you look like identical twins? Would I see a distinction between you and the unbeliever? Or would the lines between Christian and worldly activity and conduct be so blurred that there really wouldn't be any difference at all. Because if there's really no difference, if the difference is hard to detect, then you are in danger. You're in danger of drifting down the deserter's path like Demas did. Is there a clear distinction and difference between your lifestyle and unbelievers? Second application is this. The only antidote for love for the world is the cross of Jesus Christ. Again, the only antidote for love for the world is the cross of Jesus Christ, whether you're just drifting or in headlong pursuit of the world, there's only one remedy for recovery, and that is the gospel. It's only through the power of the crucified and risen Savior that you can resist and overcome the seductions of this fallen world. Sheer willpower won't be enough. Listen, it won't. You can't do it that way. Teeth-gritting self-denial won't work. Because worldliness cannot be overcome on your own. By nature, you and I are not sufficient for the task. A much greater power is necessary. The power of God unto salvation via the cross of Jesus Christ. The Savior's work of redemption at Calvary is what provides power to overcome sin. In fact, the cross is the only attraction that can draw your heart away from the vain and deadly pleasures of worldliness. Nothing else will keep you from it. There's only one thing powerful enough in terms of motive to keep you away from worldliness, and that is the cross. Could you remember that? Worldliness, cross, only thing that will keep you from it. is the cross. John Owen, one of the great English Puritans wrote this, when someone sets his affection upon the cross and the love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear. Therefore, fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin." What Owen is saying is our point of application, namely, that the only antidote for the love of the world is the cross of Jesus Christ. Well, in conclusion, I believe it's important to note that our text passage is not only a warning, and it is, that prohibits love for the world. But it is also an exhortation, listen, it's also an exhortation to pursue godliness and to do the will of God. Notice the end of verse 17. where John wrote, and the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but notice, but he who does the will of God abides forever. John doesn't just forbid love for the world, which is temporal and passing away, but he also exhorts his readers to love for God by doing the will of God which results in something, it results in something not temporal, but permanent and eternal in terms of reward. He who does the will of God abides forever, lives forever, abides with God forever. Love for the world is transient and short-lived, but Love for God, which results in doing the will of God and the works of God, is eternal and everlasting. And if you will come to Christ by faith, believing and trusting in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin and confessing your love for the world and all that is in the world, which is contrary to love for God the Father, And if you will repent and turn from the lust of your flesh and the lust of the eyes and from your prideful life and begin a new life of doing the will of God, then the promise of Scripture will be yours. Namely, you will abide forever with God.