Thank you.
I'm going to ask this if you remain standing for our opening song.
We're going to be singing Psalm 145, sorry, 145, verses 1 through 9.
I will extol.
Thank you.
Each generation.
Thank you.
In your benevolence and your abundant grace,
they'll celebrate the righteousness that you have shown to them.
In praise and joy, so they will relate.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He's slow to anger, rich in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all that He has made,
and merciful to all on earth that move.
I'm going to ask Stephen to come up now.
He's going to be reading a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament.
Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verses 10 through 17.
Whoever loves money never has enough.
Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This, too, is meaningless.
As goods increase, so do those who consume them.
And what benefits are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much.
But as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.
I have seen such a grievous evil under the sun.
Wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune.
So that when they have children, there is nothing left for them to inherit.
Everyone comes from their mother's womb, and everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.
This, too, is a grievous evil.
As everyone comes, so they depart.
And what do they gain, since they toil for the wind?
All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction, and anger.
This is God's words.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we come before you this Sunday, acknowledging our sin and confessing our sin and our guilt.
We acknowledge many times this week we have sinned against your holy law, even today.
We have looked for security, satisfaction, goodness and truth, not in you, but in ourselves and in your creation.
We know that we are not worthy to be called for us to approach you as our heavenly Father.
But we are thankful for the grace and mercy that you've shown to us in Christ.
That it's because of his work on the cross that we can be adopted into sonship,
and that you can look upon us and forget our sins,
and that it is the righteousness of Christ that we have that allows us to be blameless in your sight.
We also lift up Keith before you as he comes to preach your word.
We pray that you would be able to use him as your instrument to speak to us truth and goodness.
We pray that your spirit would be with him.
And we just pray for us that we would be listening with hearts and minds open,
and that we would be able to respond to your message in faith and repentance.
And we just pray this all in your name.
Amen.
Well, we're about to stand again to sing our next psalm.
This is Psalm 39.
And it gives the same message of what we see in Ecclesiastes,
the same message that what we're going to see in 1 John 2 about the vanity of life.
We're going to be thinking tonight about how we need to have no love for this world and the darkness in it.
And so we're going to sing the same thing in our psalm to recognize the brevity of our life,
the vanity of our life apart from our love for Christ.
Will you stand with me to sing Psalm 39?
Lord, show me that my life will end,
how many days I'll see,
and cause me, Lord, to understand how brief my life will be.
O Lord, how short you make my days,
before I sink in death.
My years are nothing in your sight,
man's life is but a breath.
Like shadows people go apart,
they bustle to and fall.
They heap up wealth,
but do not know
to whom their wealth will go.
O Lord, please listen to me,
my prayer,
and hear my cry for aid.
Do not be deaf to the appeal,
which I with tears have made.
For as your guests I stay a while,
I'm like my fathers all.
A stranger and a pilgrim here,
have mercy when I call.
O turn away your eyes from me,
let me rejoice again.
before I finally depart,
and hear no more remain.
Amen.
Well, let's turn to the Lord again in prayer.
God, we thank you again for the privilege
to be in your house this evening,
to gather together as your people
to give you praise.
And we recognize, God,
that we are not worthy to be called your people.
We are not worthy to be your sons and daughters.
As Stephen has already prayed,
we recognize our own sin
and our own depravity
that separates us from your holiness.
We recognize that we are children of wrath
apart from the grace of God.
And so, God, we come to you humbly
and repent of our sins.
We recognize that we have wandered away from you
in thought, in word, and in deed.
And we ask for forgiveness.
We ask that you may cleanse our hearts
by the blood of Jesus.
May you see his righteousness in us.
And with that reality, Lord,
may it transform the way that we live our lives
as we've sung and read already
to recognize the vanity of our lives,
to recognize just how short our time on this earth is,
but we desire to make it count for you.
God, we think of the many ministries of this church,
the activities within this community.
And we pray, Lord,
that you will allow us to be productive
in our mission.
That we may see this city, this community,
this nation transformed with the truth of the gospel.
And so, God, while the task seems so
outside of our reach,
we can be so overwhelmed by the secular society around us
that we think we are losing ground,
may we not forget that you are the king
and that your kingdom will never fail.
And so, God, we ask that you equip us
and enable us,
give us a desire to serve you.
We think of the many practical opportunities
even in this church.
We think of our international ministry, Connect.
We thank you for the numbers that you have brought
in recent weeks,
both students,
middle-aged and elderly,
those who are new to our city,
those craving relationship,
those searching for truth.
May we be faithful in pointing them to you.
We thank you for the revamping of our toddlers group,
for the new faces of parents and children who have come.
We pray, Lord, for more in this community
to know the opportunity for relationship here,
that these families may be loved and served well,
that they may come into this building
and recognize your presence and your love
in a way that they never have before.
Lord, we thank you for the many students we have in our midst.
And though some cycle through
and some are only here for a short amount of time,
Lord, we do ask that we may be faithful
in loving them and serving them.
We know there are many other churches
that care for students well also,
so we ask that you equip them
with the heart and the desire
and the ability to transform lives.
We pray, Lord, for our students
who are in the midst of a very difficult environment
where darkness pervades the campus,
where Christianity is scoffed at.
May they hold firm to their faith.
May you be close to them.
May you prove yourself faithful to them
and may you give them a boldness
to share the good news of the gospel.
Lord, we pray that for each one of us
in our each walks of lives
in the corners of this city that we live,
that we may be lights in darkness,
that we may speak truth in love,
that others may come to know you.
Lord, as we want to focus more tonight on prayer,
may that be our desire not only tonight
but throughout our week
to be in constant communication with you,
to hear what you have to say through your word,
to be able to respond through prayer,
to recognize that you are close,
that you are a God who listens,
that you are a God who answers.
May we find great comfort
and make great assurance
in our relationship with you.
And so, Lord, we ask that
as we gather after this service
to pray with one another,
that we may be able to do so in sincerity,
recognizing that you are a powerful God,
that you are sovereign over all,
and that you will answer our prayers
according to your perfect will.
We thank you that you are a God who loves us,
that you are a God who cares,
and we pray, Lord,
that you be with us now
as we turn to the preaching of your word.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Well, this evening we're going to be
continuing our study
in the book of 1 John.
We're going to be looking specifically
in John chapter 2,
starting in verse 12.
And as we would have seen in recent weeks
and we're going to see tonight,
how John writes this book
is very much like a reminder to the church.
And so I wonder how many of us
often get reminders from one another.
I think in our day and age with technology,
we're often getting reminders on our watches,
on our phones, on our computers,
about appointments and tasks
that we have to complete.
If you're married, have a spouse,
they're likely one to remind you
of many things,
birthdays, appointments, invitations.
If you have children,
oftentimes be a reminder
to pick up a child here,
a reminder that you may be late here,
a reminder that you have people
coming over to your home
for dinner this night.
One reminder that I often get
is with this Apple Watch.
I've had this watch for a number of years.
And when you get the watch,
it comes with these programmed notifications.
And so I get more reminders
than I really care to oftentimes.
And one of those reminders
comes from a mindfulness app.
I don't know if any of you
have seen this before.
And oftentimes throughout the day,
it will ding and I'll look at it
and it says,
don't forget to breathe.
There's other reminders that say,
stand up or go for a walk.
And you think,
these kind of seem a little patronizing.
Like, I'm not holding my breath here.
Of course I'm going to be breathing.
And so for some, though,
they actually like those.
I've disabled those alerts
because I don't really find them helpful.
But some people do,
even though it's a basic reminder
that you can kind of split up your day,
that can help you to refocus in a way.
That's why it's intended.
These well-intended reminders
that give us a greater purpose
to refocus on a task,
on what we have going on that day.
And I think in a similar way,
this is what we see
in this letter of 1 John.
It's a reminder to the church
of who we are
and how we're supposed to live.
You see, John wrote this letter
as a leader of a number of house churches
around, likely around Ephesus.
And the thing was,
this is the same John
who wrote the Gospel of John,
who would have been and seen
and experienced life with Jesus.
And so now he's trying
to encourage the church
in light of what he has experienced,
in light of what he knows,
and in light of conflict
that has come to the church.
So he wants to remind the church
of the Gospel
and how we are to live
in light of the Gospel.
And so we actually looked
at this last week.
One of these things
that John says,
he says,
I'm not writing you
a new command.
What I'm telling you,
you would have already heard.
In a text that we'll look at later
in chapter 2,
he says,
I'm not writing you
because you don't know the truth.
I'm writing you
because you do know the truth.
And so he's reminding the church
of what they ought to know.
Something very simple,
something very basic.
A reminder to us as well
to understand as he begins
in this letter
that God is light.
And if we want to have fellowship
with him,
we need to walk in the light.
We are to keep his commandments.
We're supposed to have this love
for one another
as James preached last week.
And what we're going to see tonight,
that we're not to have
this love for the world.
If we love God
and God is light,
then we should have no love
for the darkness of this world.
And so let's read our passage,
1 John chapter 2,
starting in verse 12 through 17.
I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him
who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I am writing to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him
who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you are strong
and the word of God lives in you
and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world
or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
love for the Father is not in him.
For everything in the world,
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
the pride of life,
comes not from the Father,
but from the world.
The world and its desires pass away,
but whoever does the will of God
lives forever.
This is the word of God.
Pray with me once more.
God, as we hear your text
and we listen to it preached,
we ask, Lord,
that the truth of the gospel
may penetrate our hearts.
So, God, we ask now,
even in these moments,
that we put away all distraction,
that you do a work through your Spirit
to soften our hearts,
to open our eyes and ears
to the reality of the gospel,
that it may transform us
for our good and your glory.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now, I mentioned these reminders.
Some of us find reminders helpful.
Other of us may really hate reminders.
Perhaps if you're a child
living at home with your parents,
you get reminders frequently
for things like brushing your teeth
or making your bed
or putting your shoes on.
My children are already smiling
because they're used to these reminders.
It's things that they know,
but it's things that they need to hear.
The thing they don't like to hear it
is because, like most of us,
we don't like being told
what to do oftentimes.
And so, as we look at this reminder
from this letter tonight
from John,
he doesn't just come out
and just tell us what to do.
We're going to see that in this passage,
but really his reminder
is threefold
because, first,
he reminds us of our identity,
who we are in Christ,
what Christ has done for us.
Secondly, then he reminds us
what are we supposed to do
in light of this reality,
and thirdly,
why we need to do it.
And so that's really
the three points
that we're going to be focusing on tonight,
who we are in Christ,
what we are to do,
and why we are to do it.
And so let's consider
this first point,
who we are.
Now, my youngest, Crawford,
just turned three,
and he's getting to the age
where we want him
to be a little more independent.
We want him to do
more things for himself
as he grows up.
But it doesn't often work
if we just tell him,
Crawford, do this.
The best way to get him
to do things
is to encourage him
that he's becoming a big boy.
He wants to be big and strong
like his brother,
so we encourage him that way.
You're getting so big now,
you can take your plate
to the dishwasher yourself.
You're getting so big now,
you can clean up after yourself
and put away your toys.
You're such a big boy now.
That's much more useful
in getting him to act
like a big boy
when we encourage him
that he is one.
And I think the same works for us.
We are much more motivated
when we are reminded
what to do,
not just by being told
to do it,
but by being reminded
of our own identity.
And that's what we see here
in a pattern
that actually repeats
often throughout the Bible.
When we have these commands
that are given by God,
it's usually preceded
by a statement of some sort,
reminding us of who we are.
The indicative
precedes the imperative.
And it's both
that are important.
Both that are important
in this passage.
Because if we only stress
what we're to do
without remembering
who we are,
what does that do to us?
We become reliant
on the law
as a means of our own
assurance and approval.
Instead,
if we do the opposite,
if we're only focused
on what we're to do
without who we actually are,
did I say that right?
Or did I do that in reverse?
If we focus on
what we're to do
rather than who we are,
we focus,
we cling to the law, right?
If it's the opposite,
if we focus on who we are,
am I getting this wrong?
Am I sounding ridiculous here?
If we stress only,
if we have this concern
for who we are,
man,
I'm really confusing myself here.
I've never done that.
If we stress what we're to do
without remembering
who we are,
that leads us to rely
on the law, right?
If we stress who we are
without concern
for what we are to do,
that leads to a rejection
of the law.
There we go.
And so what John
is saying here,
that both are really important.
And so he starts this phrase
by saying,
I'm writing to you,
I'm writing to you
over and over again,
really in a poetic fashion
to really emphasize
the assurance
that he wants believers
to have
about what we're to do
based on the fact
of what Christ
has done for us.
And so he focuses
on these three groups,
on children,
on fathers,
on young men.
But really,
when we think about it,
I don't know
if it's really
that helpful
to kind of distinguish
these three groups.
Some people say,
well, it's kind of
he's talking to different stages
of spiritual maturity.
I don't know
if that's really the case here.
Because when he talks
about little children,
this isn't the only time
he says in this letter,
seven times he talks
about little children.
Each time,
he's referring to believers
in general.
When he speaks
to young men
and to fathers,
what's true of one
is true of the other group
as well.
These are not
mutually exclusive
reminders here.
And so it's kind of like
if you've heard
like an announcement,
if you've been
at a big event
or a performance
of some sort,
and someone gets
on the loudspeakers
and says,
ladies and gentlemen,
boys and girls,
children of all ages.
Right?
They could have just said
everybody who's here.
Right?
But they're adding
a bit of flourish
to what they're saying.
I think John is doing
a very similar thing here.
In this poetic flourish,
he's addressing
everyone in the church.
Young and old,
mature Christians,
those who are new
to the faith,
and he's reminding them
of this.
Your sins are forgiven.
You know him
who is from the beginning.
You have overcome
the evil one.
You know the Father.
Again, you know him
who is from the beginning.
You are strong.
The word of God
is in you.
And I'm going to say it again.
You have overcome
the evil one.
Is this not a good
reminder to hear?
We can read this
and think that
John is just talking
to this New Testament church
without really taking it
to heart ourselves.
But this is true
for you and me
if we are believers.
And so it's good
for that reminder
to sink in.
If we're here tonight
and we feel heavy
and burdened
by sin in our lives,
know this,
that your sin
is forgiven.
If you feel
spiritually alone
and isolated,
be encouraged
that you know
the Father
and his word
is in you.
If you are spiritually
weak
and tired
and broken,
know that you are
strong in Christ.
That you have overcome
the evil one.
And so John
is not saying this
to motivate the church
to earn this
in any way,
to prove themselves
so that this may be true.
He's not hoping
that this may become
true for the church.
He's speaking
as though this
is a current reality
for those who are
in Christ.
And so we can take heart
and let this be
our comfort
and our assurance
knowing what Christ
has already done
for us.
And it's because
we know
that sense of identity
that we can then
listen to this
second point,
this second reminder
because
when we know
who we are,
it makes us
much more receptive
to listen
to what we are to do.
Verse 15,
do not love the world
or the things
in the world.
If anyone loves
the world,
the love for the Father
is not in them.
Now immediately
this may raise
some red flags
for some.
those outside
the church
may try to use
this verse
in a weaponized
fashion
to think,
look,
these Christians
they're just
a bunch of
self-righteous
judgmental people
who hate everyone
who's not like them.
Certainly this isn't
what John is saying
here.
But even for Christians
this may confuse us
because we've heard
other verses
in the Bible,
right?
John 3, 16,
for God so loved
the world
that he gave
his only son.
So if God
loves the world
why would he command
us to not love
the world?
How can we reconcile
these two things?
I think it's important
that we define
some terms here
that we understand
what John is trying
to say.
We need to understand
what he's talking
about when he says
world and understand
what he's talking
about when he says
love.
My dad always
tells a story
when he,
years ago
when he was
starting the practice
of law,
one of his law
partners was doing
some wills
for this couple
and he had completed
the wills
and he had a secretary
wanted to bring
them back in
so his secretary
had this thick
southern accent
called this couple
and said your wheels
are done
and they had actually
just taken their car
to the body shop
to get new tires
on their car
and so when they
heard that message
your wheels are done
they thought they said
your wheels are done
and so they went
to the auto body shop
to pick up their car
even though they got
there and realized
no one had called
and their wheels
were not done
before they realized
their mistake
that there was
the secretary
saying your wills
are done
not your wheels
are done
and so in the same way
I think it's
very important
that we understand
what's being communicated
here when we think
about this word world
and we think about
this word love
when the Bible
speaks of this word
world
it speaks of it
in two different ways
in different passages
on the one hand
this word world
it can mean
this physical
material world
and so we have
some religions
maybe even some
within Christianity
who want to think
that the physical world
is bad
they hold it in contrast
to the spiritual world
and so they want
nothing to do
with the physical world
you might have heard
of asceticism before
it's these people
that deny themselves
any worldly pleasure
they want to leave society
be separated
from secular world
go live in a commune
in the desert somewhere
that's not what Paul
is saying here
in fact that's a harmful
way of thinking
about the physical world
because we recognize
that God created
the physical world
and he called it good
and he promises
to come again
he has promised
to redeem the world
this physical world
from the effects
of sin
and so this verse
it's not saying
reject the physical world
reject this created world
as if it's totally evil
instead John is speaking
in a different way
in this context
he speaks of the world
as this whole way of life
resulting from the fall
of humanity
he's speaking of
a whole value system
of attitudes
which are opposed to God
and so that's what
we mean by world
what does he mean
by this phrase love
when John is using love here
he's not using
the same word
or the expression
as when we say
that God loved the world
or God loved his creation
with a love in which
he's going to rescue humanity
here when John talks
about this love
he's talking about
more of an attraction
that we have
to something
that we want to enjoy
apart from God
and so when we combine
these understanding
of world and love
what we see in John 3.16
is actually very different
from what we see
in 1 John 2
so we're not confused
John 3.16
John is talking about
God's divine love
divine selfless love
of redemption
for his creation
in their passage tonight
John is talking about
this humanly selfish love
of participation
in the evil things
of this fallen world
and so he goes on
to give us a definition
of this world
really this worldliness
that is all around us
he says in verse 16
for everything in the world
the lust of the flesh
the lust of the eyes
the pride of life
comes not from the father
but from the world
and so what does
this description mean
when we hear this word lust
I think in modern times
we often just
automatically relate it
to the sexual desires
that humans have
but I think actually
when we look at this word
in the Greek
it has a much more
broad sense
of this intense
passionate longing
for anything
and most times
when it's talked about
in the Bible
it's in a negative connotation
so here it's this
it's this passionate
intense longing
for the flesh
in John 6
Jesus is talking
to some Jewish leaders
and he's talking
about how they are
to have life
and saying
you have to eat
my flesh
and drink my blood
obviously we recognize
that he's foreshadowing
his own crucifixion here
but these religious leaders
even his own disciples
were confused
and really grossed out
by what he was saying
it was hard for them
to understand
and so he goes
to his disciples
and says
does this offend you?
it is the spirit
who gives life
and the flesh
is no help at all
it is only through
the spirit
that we can accept
Christ as Savior
the flesh
only wants to reject him
and so this desire
of the flesh
this lust of the flesh
is this longing
for anything
contrary to God
likewise
in this lust
of the eyes
it's not simply
talking again
about sexual desire
though that's
included in this
but it's referring
to this
short-sighted desire
for what's
in front of us
and so maybe
some of us
have been a victim
of false advertising
in some way
we see something
on our phones
or on the computer
or on the television
something that we want
that looks really attractive
maybe something to eat
or something to buy
and we get it
and we realize
that's not nearly as good
as I thought
it was going to be
it's what we see here
the lust of the eyes
is when we are
captivated
by this
outward appearance
of something
without really assessing
its real true value
especially in light
of eternity
and so things like
this misplaced
sexual desire
this lust for
possessions
and comforts
in this world
that won't actually
provide any sort
of lasting satisfaction
lastly here
this pride of life
it's this confidence
that we have
in our own resources
in our own wealth
in our own intellect
in our own success
things that set us up
so that we can be
self-reliant
and self-sufficient
forgetting our need
to depend
and rely on God
and so when we combine
these descriptions together
to get a better
understanding
of what this worldliness
looks like
it's really this
desire for earthly things
that we don't have
and a pride
in earthly things
that we do have
and in either case
this pushes us
further and further away
from our Heavenly Father
and so we need to ask
does this describe us
do we have these cravings
for the world
do these
how do these tendencies
reveal themselves
in the Christian life
I think there's really
two different ways
of thinking about it
in one way
we may view Christianity
as more of an accessory
because we focus
so much of our time
and our energy
on our work
on our school
on our family
we're seeking wealth
and health
and comfort
and prosperity
and we want Christianity too
but it kind of just serves
as the cherry on top
so to speak
to our otherwise
carefully curated lives
I'll come to church
on Sunday
I'll volunteer
when I can
but you know what
the rest of the week
is really about me
achieving my goals
for my life
the other way
of looking at it
maybe you think
well it's maybe
think of yourself
in a slightly better light
you would say
that your relationship
with God
is foundational
you want your faith
to shape your life
and your priorities
but if we're really
honest with ourselves
sometimes
we recognize that
this Christian life
is hard
and
the cravings
that we have
the sense
that we thought
that a Christian life
would gratify us
maybe fails to live up
to expectation
and so we feel like
we have to top up
our Christian life
somehow
we try to pile on
some of the pleasures
of the world
so that we may have
a more fulfilled life
and this can happen
in really unassuming ways
we don't get up
in the morning
and think
what are the ways
that I'm going to sin today
to be distracted
from the way of God
but as the day goes on
there are things
that come before our eyes
there are things
that turn our heart
and our mind
away from God
as we seek satisfaction
elsewhere
and so I wondered
if either of these
scenarios describe you
do we have these
desires for things
apart from God
and it's not that
these desires
are necessarily
bad desires
a passion for your family
a passion for your work
they're good things
but it's when
these passions
these secondary things
become primary
that ultimately
lead us
away from God
and so John
is reminding us here
to evaluate
our whole value system
do we find
our satisfaction
in the things
of this world
or in God
our deepest
desires
in creating
this own
our own little
earthly kingdom
or do we care
more about
Christ's eternal
kingdom
that brings us
to our final point
we've looked at
who we are
and what we're
to do
and John
reminds us
of why we are
to do it
verse 16 and 17
for everything
in the world
the lust of the flesh
the lust of the eyes
the pride of life
comes not from the
Father
but from the world
the world
and its desires
pass away
but whoever
does the will
of God
lives forever
John is giving us
two reasons here
why we are not
to love the world
first love for the
world is incompatible
with love for God
and secondly
love
this world
is temporary
while God
and his kingdom
are eternal
and so let's look
at each of them
just briefly
this first one
love for the world
is not compatible
with love for God
I don't know
if many of you
have been following
the news
from the hurricane
Helene
that came through
the states
Rachel and I
have been paying
particular attention
to it because
it came right
through our town
where we used
to live
in Greenville
South Carolina
and up into
the mountains
of North Carolina
and it was devastating
what was done
we've been chatting
with neighbors
our own neighborhood
which had just
these huge oak trees
they're still without
power eight days
after the storm
one of my friends
was saying
that was our neighbor
saying there's at least
ten houses
with trees
right on the houses
you go up through
Greenville
into the mountains
these little towns
where we used to drive
and hike
have been totally
wiped off the map
mudslides
taking houses away
rivers that have
completely taken roads
that where they are
there no more
people that are coming in
are having to come
by helicopter
or hike through the woods
because there's no
other way in
total devastation
from these rains
and winds
and I think the same
can be true
of our hearts
when love
for the world
and our desires
for the flesh
enter our heart
it wants to wipe
out every other desire
it will erode
and destroy
our hearts
leaving no place
for the love
of God to dwell
it says in James 4
4
don't you know
that friendship
with the world
means enmity
against God
therefore anyone
who chooses
to be a friend
of the world
becomes an enemy
of God
see a love
for the father
and a love
for the world
can't coexist
and so we need
to ask ourselves
are we focused
on our own success
on our own comforts
on our own collection
of possessions
or are we striving
that our lives
may be lived
in conformity
with the will
of God
do we delight
in his law
do we long
to be in relationship
with him
are we passionate
about Christ
and his coming
kingdom
Paul says
in Galatians 6
14
may I never
boast
except in the
cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ
through which the
world has been
crucified to me
and I to the
world
like Paul
are we willing
to die
to our worldly
desires
in order that
Christ may live
in us
so that brings us
to our second
and final reason
here
why we are not
to love the world
we don't love the
world
because it's
temporary
Stephen read for us
from Ecclesiastes
a book that talks
frequently about
the vanity of life
how the things
of this life
are not going
to last
and they're not
going to fulfill
our desires
Jesus has this
same message
in Matthew 6
he says
don't stow up
for yourself
treasures on earth
where moth
and vermin
destroy
where thieves
break in
and steal
but store up
for yourself
treasures in heaven
where moths
and vermin
do not destroy
where thieves
do not break
in and steal
for where your
treasure is
there your heart
will be also
if you knew
of a company
that was about
to go bankrupt
that they were
about to go
out of business
would you invest
in that company
of course not
so why in the world
are we so willing
to invest our time
and our energy
and our money
and our own love
and affection
for things in this world
that will not last
John who wrote
this letter
is the same
John who writes
the book of Revelation
where he talks
about Christ
coming again
and establishing
a new heaven
and a new earth
that first heaven
and the first earth
will pass away
and God will once
again dwell
with his people
and so again
we ask ourselves
do we long
for the temporary
pleasures of this world
are we content
with investing
our time and energy
in the fleeting things
in this world
that will not last
and will not satisfy
or we desire
to follow God's will
that leads to eternal life
do we long
for Christ's return
when he will rule
and reign forever
this is a very
very simple reminder
that John gives
the church
reminding us
of who we are
and what we're to do
and why we're to do it
a simple reminder
with eternal implications
and so if you are
in Christ
brother and sister
may this reminder
be taken to heart
that we may examine
the desires
of our heart
to see whether they lead us
to God
or away from him
may it be our desire
to follow after his will
for our good
and his glory
and if this doesn't define you
if you are not a believer
John is actually
not writing to you
specifically in this passage
we so often times
in our lives
want to judge
the outside world
for not living
as Christians should
why should we expect
that they would
because they do not have
an identity in Christ
but what we do see
is an invitation
an invitation to the lost
an invitation to those
who are not in Christ
to come
to find your identity
in him
to recognize
that the things
of this world
are worthless
they will not last
but God
and his kingdom
will
and that gives us
reason to live
for him
to receive his love
that he may be glorified
may that be our prayer
let's pray together
Lord we thank you
that you are
a good God
who loves us
thank you
that you are eternal
that your kingdom
will never end
and so may it be
our desire
and our passion
to see your kingdom
come
may we long
for your return
and may we put aside
the desires of the flesh
that distract us
that cause us
to wander
that take us away
from you
may we find
great assurance
in what you have
done for us
and our identity
in you
may you deepen
our love
for you
that we may desire
to live for you
and we pray this
in Jesus name
amen
will you stand with me
for the singing
of our final psalm
our final psalm
Psalm 93
the Lord reigns
please
the Lord is king
his throne
endures
majestic
in his height
the Lord is robed
in majesty
and armed with strength
and might
the world is founded
firm and sure
removed it cannot be
your throne is strong
and you are gone
from all eternity
the seas
O Lord
have lifted up
they lifted up
their voice
the seas
have lifted up
their waves
and made
a mighty
noise
the Lord
in throne
their high
is strong
or powerful
receive
and thunder
up
the ocean
waves
or breakers
of the sea
your royal
statutes
Lord
stand firm
and changing
is your word
and holiness
adores your eyes
horrendous
days
O Lord
Lord
a reminder for you
to stay after
if you can
that we'll have
a few minutes
of just sharing time
with one another
and we'll gather back up
in about ten minutes
for some group prayer
now receive this good word
this benediction
from the Lord
now may the God
of peace
who brought again
from the dead
our Lord Jesus
the great shepherd
of the sheep
by the blood
of the eternal covenant
equip you with
everything good
that you may do
his will
working in us
that which is pleasing
in his sight
through Jesus Christ
to him be glory
forever and ever
Amen