1 John 2:15-17
New Living Translation
(Part 2)
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
In our study of last week, we only studied verse 15 which was an introduction to verses 16 and 17.
Highlighting a few points from last week’s study of verse 15 will help us move on to the next two verses.
- “The values of human society should not define believers. Instead, they should be shaped by Jesus’ values.”
- “The believer’s passion should not be for what culture offers but for what God desires.”
- What every Christian needs to know about “this world” is that this worldly system “is controlled by Satan and organized against God” or in other words, the world system is under the authority of and operated by Satan.
- God is not running this world, that is why things are the way they are and are going from bad to worse.
- “God’s Word does not teach that God is now in direct control of the ungodly world that involves sinful people, evil, cruelty and injustice. In no way does God desire or cause all the suffering in the world, nor is everything that happens part of his perfect desires and purposes.” – The Fire Bible
- We must not forget God is sovereign. “…God is in control of the ungodly world. God is sovereign with supreme power and authority to do as he chooses. This means that all things happen only as he allows. At times, God may directly intervene to accomplish his purposes, but this does not mean that he overrides the free will he has given all people or the consequences that human choices bring on the world.” The Fire Bible
- Loving the world destroys our fellowship with God and our love for God.
1 John 2:15, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
As we saw last week this verse tells us that a Christian cannot do both love God and the world, it is one or the other. Loving the world interferes or chokes out our love for God, which is usually a slow process. The following verses tell us what loving this world does to the Christian and our relationship with God.
James 4:4
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
2 Timothy 4:9-10
9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
As with Demas, loving the world caused him to abandon his commitment to God and the ministry he was called to do with Paul who relied on him.
- Loving the world denies or rejects or contradicts our faith in God.
In verse 16 John tells us that there are three ways that Satan destroys our relationship with God.
1 John 2:16
For everything in the world — a) the cravings of sinful man, b) the lust of his eyes c) and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.
- a) “the cravings of sinful man”
In some translations of the Bible such as the New King James uses the word “lust”. The word “lust” is not exclusively referring to something sexual. In the context of the verses we are studying, the word desire better applies instead of “lust”.
“…the cravings of sinful man” are the inward temptations, fulfilling inward desires with no restrictions, “if it feels good do it”, this “includes anything that appeals to man’s fallen nature.” What Warren Wiersbe tells us about this point is important to understand. “There is nothing wrong about eating, drinking, sleeping, or begetting children. But when the flesh nature controls them, they become sinful “lusts.” Hunger is not evil, but gluttony is sinful. Thirst is not evil, but drunkenness is a sin. Sleep is a gift of God, but laziness is shameful. Sex is God’s precious gift when used rightly; but when used wrongly, it becomes immorality.”
Other verses of the New Testament give us a positive contrasting viewpoint in comparison to, “the cravings of sinful man.”
Romans 13:14 NLT
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
Galatians 5:16-17 NLT
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Ephesians 2:3a NLT
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.
Galatians 5:16-17 New Living Translation
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
- b) “the lust of his eyes”
The lust or desires of the eyes are the temptations that come from outside of our body. Runaway or excessive extravagance. It is not knowing the difference between what we need and what we want.
Proverbs 27:20
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.
Ecclesiastes 1:8a
Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied.
This can include the desire for things we do not need purchased with money we do not have”
Matthew 6:22-23
22 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
The eyes (like the other senses) are a gateway into the mind. The lust of the eyes, therefore, can include intellectual pursuits that are contrary to God’s Word. There is pressure to make Christians think the way the world thinks. This does not mean that Christians ignore education and secular learning; it does mean they are careful not to let intellectualism crowd God into the background. Wiersbe
- c) “the boasting of what he has and does”, King James Bible – “the pride of life”
What do these words mean for today’s Christian? Bosting is pride expressing itself. Bosting is the desire to be noticed and impress other people. Bosting is an arrogance associated with wealth, social positions, education, acquaintances and accomplishments.
“Pride – There is a good form of pride, such as the satisfaction one takes in a job well done or in an accomplishment. However, Jesus taught that a certain kind of pride can be a sin of the flesh and spiritually dangerous. The Bible talks about the bad form or pride, which results in conceit, arrogance, and a disdainful attitude toward others. A superiority of attitude.” Spirit Filled Bible for Students
The three points of these verses are what Satan uses which and is part of his strategy to lure us away from our fellowship with God and back into the world and its influence over our minds, hearts and lives. No matter who we are and where we are in our relationship with God, Satan will use some variation of these three points against us. a) “the cravings of sinful man, b) the lust of his eyes c) and the boasting of what he has and does”
This same strategy Satan used on causing Adam and Eve to sin
Genesis 3:1-6 (Please read Genises 3:1-5)
6 a) When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (the cravings of sinful man) and b) pleasing to the eye, (the lust of his eyes) c) and also desirable for gaining wisdom (the boasting of what he has and does), she took some and ate it.
Satan again uses this same stagey with Jesus.
Matthew 4:1-11
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (the cravings of sinful man) or our natural desires 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: (the lust of his eyes) prove to me who you are by what you can do “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (the boasting of what he has and does) or the pride of life obtaining more for your self. 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Peter gives us a warning in 1 Peter 5:8 that every Christian needs to never forget. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Being “self-controlled and alert” begins with not being influenced and ultimately controlled by a) “the cravings of sinful man, b) the lust of his eyes c) and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world”, 1 John 2:16. In addition we need to realize that one of the ways our enemy devours Christians is when we allow and are more in love with the things of this world than we are in love with God.
Next week we will be continuing our study (Part 3) of what John tells us in 1 John 2:17.
Pastor John
