Do Not Love the World

i have been trying to address the issues as we have gone through them over the last uh almost year and a half now and uh try to help you to be able to respond to the dramatic changes that are going on in the world around us and to understand them from a biblical perspective this has been by most measures a very difficult and trying year but in reality this has probably been the most exciting and joyful year of ministry i've ever known i feel like moses 40 years in egypt 40 years in the wilderness and now i'm 80 and i'm just getting started this has been [Applause] i know you're calculating that you don't want me for another 40 years but um this has been a really incredible year for for life at grace church hasn't it it's been a wonderful year and our disappointment doesn't lie with our lord our disappointment doesn't lie with the redeemed in his church but as i look over the landscape week in and week out and try to help you understand things from a biblical perspective i'm very much aware that there is a massive amount of disappointment on the part of just about all of us who desire the honor of god and the honor of christ and who want an environment that is protective of virtue who want a safe place to live and raise our children safe from the physical harm that can come upon us and save from the mental harm which is even greater that can come upon us through entertainment and media and even education i get it i i know the level of disappointment and i know if you follow the news which is all bad all the time and never good it can drive your disappointment up to a very high level and i think this is partly because we don't understand what we should be expecting i think disappointment is is related to the fact that you're expecting too much and i want to help you to understand that and to see that in a biblical way you're less likely to be disappointed if you expect nothing and in a real true sense from the world you should expect nothing nothing that is going to assist enable aid enhance and enrich the kingdom of god they're not an ally they're the enemy so i want you to open your bible to first john chapter 2 and i i want to read to you from verses 12 through 17. i've entitled this that the love god hates so let's follow along starting in first john 2 12. i'm writing to you little children because your sins have been forgiven you for his name's sake i'm writing to you fathers because you have known him who has been from the beginning i'm writing to you young men because you have overcome the evil one i have written to you children because you know the father i have written to you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning i have written to you young men because you are strong and the word of god abides in you and you have overcome the evil one do not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father but is from the world the world is passing away and also its lusts but the one who does the will of god lives forever notice verse 15 do not love the world now i understand that god is a god of love over in first john chapter 4 verse 7 we're told to love one another for love is from god and everyone who loves is born of god and knows god and verse 8 says the one who doesn't love doesn't know god for god is love i understand that it's repeated in verse 11 of chapter 4. if god so loved us we also ought to love one another it's repeated in verse 16 god is love and the one who abides in love abides in god and god abides in him we get that we understand that god is a god of love and we are also to be people who are defined by love the love of god the love of the believers is a theme throughout scripture that we're very familiar with if you go into the old testament you will also find that god is a god who hates as well as loves psalm 97 10 says hate evil you who love the lord that sets the standard if you love the lord there are things you must hate right i mean love defines an attitude toward one that is unique and anything that is in opposition to that is to be hated by the very nature of love psalm 119 104 from your precepts the psalmist says i get understanding therefore i hate every evil way psalm 119 113 i hate those who are double minded but i love your law psalm 119 128 i esteem all your precepts but i hate every false way and then again in that same psalm verse 163 i hate and despise lies falsehood i love your law the absolute love of god demands an absolute hate of the things that god cannot love god does hate in fact in proverbs a couple of weeks ago we mentioned this and i'll just pick it up again for a moment chapter 6 of proverbs in verse 16. listen to these words there are six things which the lord hates which the lord hates and it begins with a proud look and then a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood and a heart that devises wicked plans and feet that run rapidly to evil and a false witness who utters lies and one who spreads strife among brothers there are plenty of things that god hates malachi 2 16 says god hates divorce isaiah 61 8 says god hates wickedness just categorically same thing in hosea 9 15. in jeremiah 44 verses 3 and 4 god hates idolatry the worship of anything or anyone other than himself amos 5 21 god says i hate hypocrisy revelation 2 god hates false religion god is a god of love which necessitates that he hates anything that is in contradistinction to those things he loves the more you love god the more you hate those things that dishonor him the more you love god the more you hate those things that oppose him the more you love god the more you hate those things that blaspheme his name we are called to love but we are also called not to love go back to verse 15 of first john 2 do not love the world nor the things that are in the world this is the love god hates that john wants us to understand yes we are to be defined by loving god go back to chapter 2 verse 5. whoever keeps his word that's obedience in him the love of god has truly been perfected by this we know that we're in him so we are to love god verse 10 we are to love one another the one who loves his brother abides in the light yes we are to love god yes we are to love each other but there is also a negative we are not to love the world that is not where our affections should lie you go over to first john chapter 4 and verse 4 you are from god little children and have overcome them because greater is he who was in you than he was in the world which is to say there's a person in you and there's a different person in the world and we know who these persons are in you as the holy spirit in the world is satan those who are from the world speak as from the world and the world listens to them we are from god he who knows god listens to us he who is not from god does not listen to us by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error the spirit of truth is the holy spirit the spirit of error satan and all his minions though there is a clear distinction in the kingdoms we talked about this months ago the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light share no common ground in chapter 5 john says in verse 4 whoever is born of god overcomes the world this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith and who is he that overcomes the world but he who believes that jesus is the son of god we have overcome the world we are distinct from the world the world doesn't listen to us we can't expect to weigh in with the world and get them to do what we think they should do with all the political might that quote-unquote right-wing christians might want to amass the world by definition belongs to satan and doesn't listen to the truth we're not of the world we have been delivered from the world from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of god's dear son all of that to say we should expect nothing from the world if it grants us occasionally or even for a time in history some measure of respect if it has some measure of regard for the word of god or for what we call christian morality that is an anomaly that is not to be expected eventually the world is going to act like the world it's going to be manifestly what it is so we go back to the command at the beginning of verse 15 do not love the world nor the things in the world now i want to give you several reasons why we are commanded not to love the world number one because of what it is because of what it is it is the world now the world could mean several things cosmos is the term it could refer to the physical world acts 17 24 we know says god made the world the cosmos and everything in it and we are to see that creation and give him glory right so it's not that world that we're to hate that world is a is a common grace that is a gift of god the heavens and the rest of creation declare his glory we can love the expression of god in the world and as believers we should do that that's why it's so important not to believe in evolution because you can't give a nameless impossible credit for the magnificence of the physical creation to a an equation that says nobody times nothing equals everything that's insanity the physical world should be appreciated and it should be given a measure of affection because it is testimony to the grandeur and the glory and the majesty of god we can love his creation we can love the human world in fact god even loves the human world god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son in chapter 2 of first john and verse 2 we have an advocate verse 1 jesus christ the righteous who's the propitiation or the satisfaction for our sins not for us only but also for those of the whole world god so loved the world that he gave his son so the world that we are permitted to love and should love is the created world and we should give god the glory for the magnificence of his creation nothing irritates me more than to hear somebody talk about mother nature there is no mother nature god deserves all the glory and all the credit and if you want to know how the whole universe was created read the first two chapters of genesis and that's it and there was only one eyewitness and that was god and that's the only account we have you say well what about science science has nothing to say about creation absolutely nothing because it wasn't a scientific event explainable by continuously operating functioning rules it was a miracle it was a miracle beyond all other miracles because out of nothing he created an entire universe what kind of miracle is that you can't explain it by science that's ridiculous but you can give god glory for his creation and when you acknowledge god as the creator then you have to acknowledge god as the law giver because part of that creation is the sense of what is right and wrong that's why men run from god as a creator not because they don't like the idea that a god created but they don't like the idea that that god is their judge so if we can love the physical world in the sense that we see its beauty and give god glory for it and if we are called to love the human world as god himself does and went to the degree that he actually sent his son into the world john 1 10 he was in the world the world was made by him the world knew him not he came into the world he loved we are to follow that pattern he came because he loved and we are to love that world of humanity as well so what is the world we're supposed to hate it isn't the created world it isn't the human world it is the spiritual system of evil that operates in the physical realm it is the system of evil that is opposed to god that is a world in itself and we use the term world that way even in english we we could talk about i could say the world and you might think i meant the planet i could say the world and you might think i meant the population or i could save the world and you might think i mean the world of sports or the world of economics or the world of education it simply means a system a cosmos as opposed to a chaos a chaos is disorder a cosmos disorder some kind of ordered system there's a physical system there's a human system and there is a sinful satanically dominated evil system listen to the words of our lord in john 15 18 if the world hates you you know that it has hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its own but because you're not of the world but i chose you out of the world because of this the world hates you understand that you're starting off with the wrong assumption if you think that you can get the world to love you or to admire your suggestions for how they ought to operate in jesus high priestly prayer in john 17 verse 14 he said i have given them your word speaking of the apostles and the world has hated them because they're not of the world even as i'm not of the world so what john is saying to us is you you can't love the world because of what it is it is a system of evil completely in opposition to everything that god desires we use the word world in that way so does john john says in chapter 5 of first john verse 19 really a comprehensive amazing statement we know that we are of god and that the whole world lies literally lies in the evil one who is running the world the system the evil one unsaved people are called children of the world in luke 16 8. we are children of god first john 4 you might take a look at that beloved do not believe verse 1 every spirit test the spirits to see whether they're from god because many false prophets have gone out into the world the system is literally filled with liars by this you know the spirit of god every spirit that confesses jesus christ has come in the flesh is from god every spirit that doesn't confess jesus is not from god this is the spirit of the antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world you are from god little children and have overcome them because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world this is a clear and significant distinction jesus in john 12 31 called satan the prince of this world satan involves the whole human race of unregenerate people in his evil system listen to ephesians 2 2 before you were saved you were operating verse 2 according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience you were living in the lusts of your flesh indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest when you understand what the world system is it should lower your expectations of them doing anything that would please the church of jesus christ why would we expect it the world is not our home philippians 3 20 our citizenship is where in heaven the spirit of antichrist first john 4 3 already in the world the world chapter 4 verse 1 is loaded with liars and false prophets and the world can't relate to us because we're the children of god the world and the people of god are two completely incompatible realities first john 3 13 john sort of sums it up don't be surprised brother if the world hates you so what am i going where am i going with this what is beginning to happen to us is what we should be expecting it's what we should be expecting the world will not listen to the truth it listens to liars they're of the world therefore they speak of the world and the world listens to them we are of god we have overcome the world and in that sense we live in a different domain a different kingdom our citizenship is in heaven very nature of the world sets it in violent opposition to the kingdom of god the world is hostile to god just mark it it is hostile by nature to god the true god it is hostile to christ it is hostile to godliness that's why jesus in that statement in john 17 9 said the world is so defined and so deeply steeped in its own identity that he said i pray not for the world what a statement i pray not for the world jesus gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present world peter talks about the inherent pollution of the world so the world that is the society how people think and function the complex of their ideologies their viewpoints and their behaviors is hostile to god hostile to christ hostile to the gospel hostile to the truth hostile to godliness it is dominated as john says if you look at verse 16 by the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the boastful pride of life it is dominated by carnal ambition it is dominated by pride it is dominated by greed it is dominated by self-pleasure evil desire its opinions are wrong its aims are selfish its pleasures are sinful its influence is demoralizing its politics are corrupt its honors are empty its smiles are fake and its love is fickle this system of rebellion against god is run by satan and set up on earth as the very antithesis to the kingdom and the church of jesus christ so christian do not love the world now what does the word love mean well it's identifying love at the highest level the the greek verb agapao means the the ascendant kind of love the highest kind of love the love of the world is to give the world affections that it's not worthy to receive it is to let the world possess and govern your soul or govern your expectations or determine the pursuits of your life this can't be true of a christian we we do not we we cannot we must not assume that there's any redeeming virtue in loving the world in regard to its system system of the world is well defined and i go to this text a lot in second corinthians chapter 10 where i think this is a very clear definition verse 5 of second corinthians 10 as we go out with the truth we are destroying speculations that's ideas logismas ideas thoughts philosophies psychologies theories religions any set of ideologies and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of god and we're taking every thought captive to the obedience of christ so what is what is ministry it is going into all the lies all of the fabrications all of the deceptions that basically make up the world system organized by satan and bringing the truth to bear so that we can liberate people and bring every thought captive to christ that's delivering people from the darkness to the light from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of god's dear son so we don't love the world because of what it is and by by saying don't love the world don't give it your affections it doesn't deserve them and that means don't give it your preoccupations don't expect anything more than what you would know the world would deliver and that would be it would deliver what its leader wants and who is its leader satan so why would you expect anything less i will confess to you that satan is subtle and satan doesn't want everybody to understand his strategies totally so there can be a modicum of him covering the real dastardly wickedness with some measure of civil behavior but underlying everything is satan and blasphemy so we don't love the world because of what it is secondly we don't love the world because of who we are let's go back to verse 12 of who we are i'm writing to you little children because your sins have been forgiven you for his name's sake i'm writing to you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning i'm writing to you young men because you've overcome the evil one i have written to you children because you know the father i have written to you fathers because you know him who spin from the beginning i've written to you a young man because you're strong and the word of god abides in you and you've overcome the evil one we don't love the world because of what the world is and because of who we are we have overcome the world we already read that and now he says in overcoming the world we have overcome the evil one this is a really incredible portion of scripture because it tells us back in verse 12 that we're all children we're all children of god because our sins have been forgiven that was given to us that gift of forgiveness and redemption and justification and along with it came adoption and we became the children of god by adoption as well as regeneration so totally we are god's children we're no longer the children of the devil that jesus referred to in john 8. now as god's children we fall into three categories notice them there there are fathers there are young men and there are little children so in verse 13 he talks about fathers at the end of the verse and then he talks about children just before that and he refers to young men in verse 14 he talks about fathers and young men let me sum it up this way it's pretty simple as christians we are all children of god some of us are infants and that is the point that he's making at the end of verse 13. i have written to you children because you know the father that spiritual dada some of us are brand new believers and we just know the father we don't know much other than the father you know you've been regenerated you've been born again god is your father christ is your savior and redeemer you don't know much more than that you have a you have a lot of vulnerability why because children tend to be tossed to and fro and carried about by what every wind of doctrine because you don't have the strength to protect yourself you don't have the discernment so it's easy for children to get sucked off into some false form of christianity or some weak form of christianity and there are these large places called mega churches where you have many cases very very weak children who have come to christ and who are in the family of god but lack discernment and so they are drawn out by every wind of doctrine that blows by and they're like a child crawling on the floor that sticks anything and everything into its mouth you want to get out of that stage as fast as you possibly can and that's why you're here i don't know where that came from thank you [Music] so he then says i'm writing to you young men when you become a spiritual young man in verse 13 it says you've overcome the evil one you mean as a believer i can reach a place where i have overcome the evil one yes what does that mean it doesn't mean you're never going to sin because sin comes from your fallen nature but what it means is you reach a place where you're no longer deceived by false doctrine that's what he says in verse 14. young men are strong because the word of god abides in you okay as you go from being an infant sticking everything in your mouth led to and fro by every wind of doctrine to being a spiritual young man it means you now understand the truth and you can defend yourself against satan's lies you're not going to all of a sudden walk out into a cult because you're strong in the word and you've overcome the evil one in the sense that the evil one operates as a liar right and a deceiver and all of his agents are liars and deceivers paul says so you can reach a point in your spiritual life where your doctrine is sound and you can defend yourself and protect yourself and that's what it is to be a strong spiritual young man and then you you love sound doctrine and you you want to fight the cults because you understand the truth you're not vulnerable anymore to his lies but that's not the end of the spiritual pattern he says um verse 14 i've written to you father's because you know him who's been from the beginning what is that as a child you're vulnerable because you lack discernment as a young man you're strong and you've overcome the evil one in the sense that you no longer are tempted by lies and deception because your doctrine is solid and sound from the word of god that's not the end of your journey you want to go past the theology to knowing god you know the father this is spiritual maturity where it's not just your theology it's your walk with god that has ascended to a level of intimacy and joy and understanding that transcends even your theology spiritual father so this is us we are god's children some of us are babies and some of us are spiritual young men who've overcome the wicked one and uh some of us are spiritual fathers i love this phrase who knows him who is from the beginning you have a grasp of the realities of the eternal god in his nature this is who we are that has nothing to do with the world no one defined in those verses as part of that family could love the world how could you possibly love the world it's not possible and that's why he says back to verse 15 do not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him if the love of the father is in you you can't love the world but it seems as though we get seduced into expecting more out of the world than we ought to they're just behaving exactly the way scripture expects them to behave we're in the family of god we don't love the world or the stuff in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him this is this is utterly inconsistent with being a christian so you ask yourself how do i know if i'm a true believer if you long for any books more than the word of god if you love any him any songs more than those that give honor to christ if you love any people more than believers any fellowship more than the church if you love any activity more than worship if you love any effort more than service to christ if you seek any reward more than well done good and faithful servant you are being seduced that's why paul says set your affection on things above right colossians 3 don't let the world romans 12 don't let the world force you into its mold don't be seduced we don't love the world because of what it is and because of who we are thirdly we don't love the world because of what it does and let's dig a little deeper what does it do it incites to sin it is designed that way it is designed that way by its ruler satan and verse 16 makes it clear for all that is in the world this is a complete statement comprehensive coverage all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father but is from the world so what is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life it is simply the categories in which the world sets out to tempt you this is what the world does the christian will not habitually love the world because it opposes god and it is designed to tempt you it is designed to tempt you toward pornography immorality lies deception racial hatred name it anything division it just wants to incite you it opposes god it generates sin it is as impossible for the love of the world to coexist with love for god as impossible as it is for light to coexist with darkness stop loving the world that's a present imperative stop loving the world it is utterly inconsistent all its treasures all its pleasures all its honors all its powers all its positions all its wealth all its wisdom all its education all its philosophy all of it is of the world and designed to seduce you chapter 3 of first john verse 17 whoever has this world's goods and sees a brother in need and closes his heart against him how does the love of god abide in him just to mention that this world has its goods and some of them can be useful if they're used obviously for kingdom purposes but in general we have no affection or no reason to think that the world is offering us anything that would advance our christian life and testimony if you love the world the love of the father is not in you all the world does is incite sin that's what it's entertainment is designed to do that's what it's education is designed to do that's what its politics are designed to do that's what its philosophies are designed to do back to verse 16 all that is in the world is not from the father all is not from the father now when eve was tempted back in genesis 3 satan came and she saw the fruit and she saw that it was pleasant to see that it was good to eat and that it would make her like god that was the temptation those are the three gateways to sin the lust of the eyes that look good the lust of the flesh she thought it would taste good and it would make her wise so you have the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of life from genesis 3 we know what the gateway is going to be talk about the lust of the flesh for a moment this doesn't necessarily mean only your body this means your fallenness the basic remnants of your sinful nature that will be with you until we are transformed is a beachhead for sin and it's very easy for you to be twisted and perverted at the level of your fallen flesh god provides food and gives you a mechanism called hunger so you survive but hunger when perverted becomes gluttony thirst when perverted becomes drunkenness weariness when perverted becomes laziness sex when perverted becomes immorality and the works of the flesh what are they we can see them in galatians 5 this is very instructive galatians 5 19 deeds of the flesh here they are immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmities strife jealousy outbursts of anger disputes dissensions factions does that sound familiar does that sound like what you've seen for the last year and a half envying class envy ethnic envy drunkenness carousing wild raucous in the streets and things like these of which i warn you just as i have forewarned you those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of god you're watching in our social decomposition of this nation immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmity strife jealousy outbursts of anger disputes dissensions factions all of it that's how the world operates very different from the next few verses the fruit of the spirit is what love joy peace gentleness goodness faith meekness self-control against such there is no law so there's the contrast between the world and the church anything that is driven to satisfy your fleshly lust your sinful lust comes from the kingdom of darkness you can't love the world when that is what it does secondly the lust of the eyes i see it i want it if this is not the most severe case of i see it i want it in human history you not only can see it and want it you can have it delivered in 24 hours we are bewitched lot's wife saw it and wanted it and turned to a pillar of salt aiken saw it and wanted it and stoned to death samson saw it and wanted it lost his life david saw it and wanted it disastrous immorality psalm 119 37 gives us very important instruction turn away your eyes from beholding vanity turn away your eyes from beholding vanity the world is designed and all its mechanisms are designed to allure you through the impulses of your flesh and through your eyes i remember when i was a kid a line that stuck in my mind for some reason some guy was selling a car on television he said feast your eyes on that little beauty i don't think a car salesman would say that anymore it's a little archaic but but that is exactly what lust of the eyes is it's feasting your eyes on some temporal pleasure appealing to your base or desires the lust of the eyes may be a little bit more acceptable and a little bit more sophisticated than the lust of the flesh but you can be seduced by what you see and what you see can soon go from being the lust of your eyes to being the lust of your flesh thirdly the pride of life boastful pride allazinea this is uh the one who is pretentious this is the eagest egotism that is so much a part of our culture from decades and decades of the self-esteem occult and then educators telling kids they can be anything they want to be i want to tell you something you can't if you're slow you'll die slow if you're dumb you'll die dumb if you can't do math you'll die without being able to do math you cannot do anything that you want to do i'm sorry to tell you that i know that is a terrible disappointment but those kinds of lies turn people into into maniacs trying to achieve something for their own exaltation that is in it in a category that is not realistic the pride of life it touches every area of life you want to have a life that's on display you want to show off your life does the internet feed that the social media feed that destroys everything because it debases everyone else it destroys all relationships because relationships only survive when people are selfless so there are three springs of evil in the system of the world sensuality covetousness and pride sensuality is the corruption of the lower part of man's being the unlawful gratification of his bodily desires covetousness is the corruption of a higher part the corruption of a a lawful appreciation for for beauty that becomes an unlawful abuse pride is the corruption of the even higher part the highest part of man his very being and the ultimate corruption is self-exaltation so you go from the lowest gratification of your bodily desire which is usually something you do in private to covetousness which is possessing something you see with your eyes that you don't mind sharing with other people that's kind of the point up to the highest level where all you want to do is exalt yourself so you go from the reality that satan wants you to do things you have to hide he wants you to do things you get to share and he wants you to do things that elevate you above everyone else by sensuality we sink to a level lower than the animals by pride we rise to a high level to compete with god that's how the devil fell he was lifted up with pride listen this is what the world does this is what it does so we don't love the world because of what it is it is satan's kingdom because of who we are we are god's family because of what it does it seduces us to sin and one final point we don't love the world because of where it is going verse 17. some of you are saying i can't wait till the next election i got news for you it's not going to be any different distill the world so here's what you ought to be looking for the world is passing away and when it goes its lusts go also don't hook your wagon to that that is a losing strategy that's a losing strategy why why waste your energy when the world is passing away paragate it is disintegrating it is falling apart it is in the process of dissolution because it's rotten top to bottom side to side front to back it will self-destruct because the death principle is fully operative at every possible point it carries about within it its own destruction and then you add to it the destruction that god will bring 2 thessalonians chapter 2 describes that destruction there will come a time when the lord comes and he will smash of course the antichrist with the breath of his mouth chapter 2 verse 8 by the appearance of his coming the one who who's coming was in accord with the activity of satan the power and signs and false wonders and all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because they didn't receive the love of the truth so as to be saved for this reason god will send on them a deluding influence they will believe what is false sound familiar in order that they all may be judged who didn't believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness the lord is coming chapter 1 describes what that's going to look like when verse 8 of chapter 1 or verse 7 the lord will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fire dealing out retribution to those who do not know god and those who do not obey the gospel of our lord jesus these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the lord and the glory of his power when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day and to be marveled at among all who have believed and we're waiting for him to come and this world is in the process of disintegration peter gives us even more detail second peter chapter 3 verse 10 the day of the lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar the elements will be destroyed with intense heat the earth and its works will be burned up not only will the system be judged because people don't believe as paul said to the thessalonians but the creation itself is going to go out of existence it's going to go out what you have in second peter 3 10 is an implosion you have an uncreation you have an literally an atomic event by the power of god that ends with the universe going completely out of existence you say well what then verse 13 a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells so john says the world is passing away you're not verse 17 the one who does the will of god lives what forever don't expect anything from the world you won't be disappointed first corinthians 7 31 paul said this the schema the scheme the system of this world is passing away but he that does the will of god abides forever so we don't love the world because of what it is because of who we are because of what it does and because of where it's going but we love the kingdom right and we love the king and we love each other our passion has to be that while we don't love the system like god we love the people right and they are the ones who need to hear the gospel father we thank you for your word which opens up to us the truth on every pertinent issue thank you for unfolding in such clear direct unmistakable terms the distinction between the children of god and the children of the devil between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness between those who are headed for eternal destruction and those who are headed for eternal bliss between [Music] the world and the church the world is a prairie view of hell the church is a preview of heaven help us lord to invest all that we have in the church to seek righteousness and virtue and godliness and obedience and show compassion to those who are in the perishing system give us the strength to fight its seductions may we grow strong in the word so that we can overcome the evil one give us that kind of victory that will allow us to live lives that make the gospel attractive to put christ's glory and power on display thank you for these precious people for their faithfulness thank you lord for the work you're doing in their lives miracle upon miracle thousands and thousands of of miracles of regeneration and sanctification going on right before us even this morning thank you for all the little children that are here that are being taught the gospel [Music] taught to love you and not love the world thank you for young people for every age group every every person we know life is hard there are struggles and huge disappointments but help us lord not to expect that the world will give us anything but also to know that you use the difficulties the harshness of the world to perfect us to deepen the strength of our faith to equip us through trial to be able to help others so may we see your good hand even in the hard times and know that this doesn't come from the world this comes from heaven even a thorn in our flesh is to humble us so that we can be more useful and more christ-like so may we not love the world but as we live in the world and suffer because we're in the world but not of the world lead us even through those sufferings to the patience that matures us to the glory of christ and we pray it in his name amen you

Channel: Grace to You

Views: 271,161

Rating: 4.9098778 out of 5

Keywords: John MacArthur, Bible, Preaching, Christianity, Expository, Exposition, Sermon, Jesus, Christ, Grace to You

Id: pwv6qot7MZ4

Length: 59min 21sec (3561 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 11 2021