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Well, good evening. You can turn 
with me in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 2 as we continue our 
exposition in 1 John. 1 John chapter 2, we're going to 
look at verses 15 through 17 this evening. But I will read verse 3 to set 
the context of chapter 2. 1 John 2, begin reading at verse 
3. Now by this we know that we know 
him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him, and 
does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not 
in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly 
the love of God is perfected in him. And by this we know that 
we are in him. He who says he abides in him 
ought himself also to walk just as he walked. Brethren, I write 
no new commandment to you, but an old commandment, which you 
have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word 
which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write 
to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness 
is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He 
who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness 
until now. But he who loves his brother 
abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in 
him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, 
and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has 
blinded his eyes. I write to you, little children, 
because your sins are forgiven, for His name's sake. I write 
to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the 
beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome 
the wicked one. I have written to you, little 
children, because you have known the Father. I have written to 
you, fathers, because you have known Him who is 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 
wicked one. 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. 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. And the world 
is passing away, and the lust of it. But he who does the will 
of God abides forever. Amen. Well, let us go to our 
God in prayer. Lord God Almighty, we thank you 
for your great mercy towards your people. We thank You for 
the realities that are true of us now for those that are in 
Christ Jesus. We thank You, O God, for the 
blessed reality, the spiritual state of the forgiveness of sins 
even now. How we know the Father, how we 
can approach You, O Father, through the Son, because our sins are 
forgiven. Father God, how great it is to know that we have known 
Him who is from the beginning. We have known the Lord Christ. 
We have known the Gospel. And Father God, that we have 
overcome the wicked one, that we are strong. Though we are 
weak, we are strong in our Lord Christ, because though we are 
weak, He is strong. And Father God, as we live in 
this age, the tension between this age and the age to come, 
O God, when we see the temptations of the world, the temptations 
of sin, O God, help us to not love these things. Help us to 
flee from these things, for these things are not from You, O God, 
they are from the world. Father God, help us to realize 
that the world is passing, but the things that are heavenly, 
the things that are true of you, remain forever. Namely, eternal 
life found in our Lord. Father God, may this give us 
great hope to know that the sins that we struggle with are forgiven 
in our Lord, but also the reality that these sins are passing away. That there is that time, O God, 
when you will bring an end to this world. You will judge it 
according to your holy law, O God, and you will bring its end and 
judge it through our Lord Christ. And Father God, we thank You 
that there one day will be no more sin, no more sorrow, O God. We look forward to this day. 
We look forward to this time when we will not be able to sin 
in heaven. We thank You for this reality. 
We thank You for this truth. We thank You for this hope that 
is in Your people, and this future for Your people that is true 
in the Lord Christ. O God, may this give us comfort. 
May this give us hope. As we live in that tension, O 
God, help us by your Spirit to do what is required that you 
require of your people. Help us to love you, O God, knowing 
that you love us first, and you've sent your Son to save your people. 
Father God, we pray that we would love eternal things, but O God, 
we thank you for the ways in which you work in us now. Help 
us by your Spirit to do that which is pleasing to you. Help 
us by your Spirit to know the truth. And for those that do 
not know the truth this evening, help them to come to knowledge 
of Christ. Help them to see the truth, that to see the things 
of this world are passing, are fleeting, and they will end. 
That they might look to eternal things found in Christ, things 
that last forever. Father God, we thank you for 
this as hope and eternal life is found in Christ. We pray that 
saints would be edified, sinners would be saved, and we pray that 
you'd be glorified in all things in the name of Christ. Amen. 
Well, as I've said at the outset of every sermon with respect 
to 1 John, the theme of 1 John is found in 1 John 5, verse 13, 
where he writes that his disciples wouldn't know that they have 
eternal life. And then John goes on to highlight 
ways to assure them that they have eternal life. One, they 
live in the light. Two, they live as children. In 
a lot of ways, 1 John is structured like a sermon, so we're still 
in that first point of his sermon, to live in the light. And one 
of the ways we live in the light is to live in love, to love the 
things of God and not the things of the world. Just a recap of 
where we've been. We've answered the question, 
what is love, in verses 3-11. We see the commandments. He who 
says he knows them but does not keep his commandments is a liar. But also the reality, whoever 
keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. Then 
he talks about how this is not a new commandment, one that is 
found in the Old Testament as well. They must love God and 
love their neighbor as their self. But in some sense it's 
new because it's patterned after our Lord Christ, the one who 
truly lived the law in perfection, the one who truly did what was 
required, who truly loved the Father, loved God, and loved 
his neighbor. And then John goes on to highlight 
those who love their brother and those who hate their brother 
in verses 9 through 11. And then last week we saw the 
blessed truth of the fact that those who are in Christ, those 
who know Christ, can be assured of the present reality that their 
sins are forgiven, that they know the Father, that they've 
known Him who is from the beginning, and that they have overcome the 
devil. The reality is we still live 
in the tension between this age and the age to come. There is 
still sin. There are still those things 
that allure us, namely the things of the world. So tonight we see 
in 1 John 2.15 John's exhortation on what not to love. He's told 
us what we should love, but now he highlights here what we are 
not supposed to love. You see, the reality is The false 
teachers loved the things of this world. They loved the things 
found in the world. They loved those things in the 
world partly because they had the truth, their doctrine, their 
thought, their theory was that spirit is good, matter is bad, 
therefore it doesn't matter how I live. At least that's in some 
form of the false teaching that was there. So it's okay to indulge. It's okay to engage in the things 
of the world. And John is saying that is not 
so for the children of God. So perhaps an important question 
we need to ask ourselves as we go. Do you love the world or 
the things in the world? Or perhaps to narrow it, to highlight 
the focus of what John's saying, do you love sin? That's going 
to be a very telling question, a telling answer for some of 
us here tonight. Do we love the world? Do we love 
the things in the world? Because John commands his hearers 
to not love the world. And that gives some general reasons 
why we should not love it. So we will look at this theme 
of not loving the world under three headings this evening. 
First of all, we will look at the command to not love the world 
in verse 15. Secondly, the character of the 
world in verse 16. And then lastly, the end of the 
world in verse 17. So the command, the character, 
and the end. Notice in verse 15, the command. Notice what he says. Do not love 
the world or the things in the world. Notice the emphasis. Do 
not love these types of things. We've already seen what to love 
in verse 7 of chapter 2. But John will come back to this 
theme of love in 1 John. In 1 John 3.10, he goes on to 
highlight the imperative of love. And then in verse 16, we see 
the outworking of love. By this we know love, because 
he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down 
our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's 
goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart 
from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, 
let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. By this we know that we are of 
the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. And then in 
chapter four, he goes on to highlight Christ's love, God's love for 
his people. Not that we love God, but that 
he loved us and sent forth his son. But here we see what not 
to love. And notice it's this idea of 
the world. Now, what do we mean by the world 
and the things of this world? Some people take this and refer 
to this as a way to flee from the world, to go out into the 
boonies, set up a colony, set up a village somewhere, and be 
separate from the world with the hopes that they would stay 
away from it. Some even still today, they separate 
by living as monks. They go away from the world, 
stay away from it. Because what is referred to with 
respect to the world here is this idea of sin. focusing on 
the unregenerate, with those who are hostile toward God. As 
one writer says, he says, world here refers to everything that 
is hostile to God, wholly at odds with anything divine. The 
world stands in opposition to God, and hence is incapable of 
knowing God, and excluded from Christ's intercession. It refutes 
the Comforter, that is, the Holy Spirit. Neither Christ himself 
nor his own belong in any way to the world. Because world here, 
in this sense, as is being referred to in 1 John 2.15, refers to 
sin. You see, world can refer to several 
different things in scripture. We have to ask ourselves, what 
does the writer mean by world? And in this instance, it's referring 
to sin. It's an ethical distinction, 
not a cosmological. What I mean by that is, it's 
not so much the birds, the air, the trees, all those types of 
things. While world can mean that, it's referring to sin. those things that are utterly 
opposed to God. The carnal mind is enmity against 
God. So when he says, do not love 
the things of the world or the world or the things in the world, 
he's saying, do not love sin. And the context is going to bear 
this out for us when he describes what that is in verse 16. And this is not unlike what we 
see in other books of the Bible. James chapter 1. Verse 27. When James talks about what is 
true religion or pure religion, he says, We're not supposed to go out 
into the countryside and separate. But we're not supposed to live 
in a sinful manner. That's the point. That's the 
thrust. Keep oneself unstained by the 
world. Sadly, people professing Christians 
profess to be believers, but indulge in the things of the 
world, indulge in the things of sin, because the world, as 
it's tied to with respect to this idea of sin, engages in 
wickedness and sees it as a glorious and good thing to engage in. 
They don't see it as wrong. If it makes you happy, it really 
can't be that bad, can it? Not so what John says, and especially 
verse 17 with respect to this world. You see, professing Christians 
say that it's okay to live in any way they want because God's 
going to love them for who they are. That is, God is going to 
be tolerant with those things. That's become the definition 
of love, hasn't it? People tolerate me for the various 
lifestyles I live in. You hear this in some homosexual 
arguments with those who profess to be Christians and want to 
live in that lifestyle? They say, well, it's the way 
God made me and God loves me. What does the Bible say about 
loving? It's law-keeping. Love to God and love to your 
neighbor. 1 Corinthians 13. What is love? Patience, kindness, but does 
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. So this language of the world 
is referring to ethics. Perhaps it could be similar to 
what Paul says with the old man. Putting off the old man and putting 
on the new man. So when he says, do not love 
the world, it's referring to this idea of sin. Now there is a blessed difference 
between true believers and professing believers when it comes to this 
idea of sin. You see, the true believer, we're 
still going to struggle with sin. We're still sometimes going 
to see the allure of the world and see its bells and whistles 
and go, maybe But we struggle with it, but we resist it because 
of God's mercy. A true believer struggles with 
it. Though they are drawn by it sometimes, 
we hate it. A lot of ways we hate it, but 
we love it. That's the difference. But a 
false believer will be one who says, ah, whatever. It's okay. I can live any way I sort of 
want to live. Antinomians, those who deny the proper place of 
the law, not for salvation but as a pattern of living, are going 
to be present with us from now until the end of the age. It's 
just that reality. What shall we say then? Shall 
we keep on saying that grace may abound? May it never be. And then he goes on to say some 
reasons why we are not supposed to love the world. In verse 15, 
if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in 
him. Again, false teachers claim to 
have the love of the Father. False teachers claim to be part 
and one with the Father. But that's not so if you love 
the world, if you indulge in sin. This is exactly what he's 
saying here. If anyone loves the world, the 
love of the Father is not in him. Now, what is meant by love 
of the Father? Theologians or commentators take 
it in two ways. It can either refer to God's 
love for us, or it can refer to our love to God. Do you see 
the difference? God is the one who loves us, 
or it's referring to our love to God. I don't think we need 
to separate. I think it's referring to both. 
Because John uses both instances in 1 John with respect to loving 
God, that is God's love for us and our love for God. We see 
God's love for us in 1 John chapter 4, that blessed truth. Beloved, 
let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone 
who loves is born of God and knows God. Verse 8, he who does 
not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love 
of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten 
Son in the world, that we might live through Him. And this is 
love, not that we love God, but that He loved us, and sent His 
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. So it is highlighting 
God's love for His people, and even highlights further that 
intimacy with the language of Father. The love of the Father 
towards His children, which are those who know the Lord, who 
believed on the Christ. And if we are loved by the Father, 
if we are considered children of God, should we not seek to 
live in a way that pleases our Father? pleases our great God, 
the one who has given us great gifts, do things that are pleasing 
to him because of his great mercy towards us. And thus, so it is 
God's love for us, and which is the motivation for our love 
towards God. And that's what's said in 1 John 
2, 3-11, highlighting commandments. By this I know him. Verse 4, 
he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is 
a liar and the truth is not in him. Whatever keeps his word, 
truly the love of God, that is in this instance the love for 
God, is perfected in him. So we do what God loves because 
God first loved us. And even notice here the intimate 
connection between truth and practice. Right? As our pastors 
have said many times in the pulpit, orthodoxy, right doctrine, precedes 
orthopraxy. And the same thing is true with 
these false teachers. What's some of the major issues 
with these false men? Certainly, it's not highlighting 
the reality of sin. Certainly, it's not seeing any 
place for the law of God, but more importantly, a Christological 
problem. because they deny that Christ 
came in the flesh. We see this in 2.22. "...who is a liar, but he who 
denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist who denies the 
Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not 
have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has 
the Father also." But we see this also in 1 John 4. at verse 
2. By this you know the Spirit of 
God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in 
the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not 
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. You see, it's a Christological 
problem. It's a Christological issue. 
We have to have a right understanding of who God is, who Christ is, 
that we might seek to live in a way that pleases Him, that 
we might have a right practice. So God loves us. In turn, we 
should love our God. But you see, the application 
for this section is very simple. Again, like in 1 John, simple 
to say, hard to do. Brethren, do not love the world. 
That's the thrust, that's the point. Do not love sin. Again, this isn't to remove ourselves 
from the world. Again, there's so many reactions 
to sin, different types of reactions that sometimes just aren't good. 
You know, sometimes it's the reality that we see sin, we flee 
from it. You know, there was one man, 
Jerome, who wrote the Latin translation of the New Testament. I think 
I've heard it said about him that he wanted to get away from 
dancing girls. So he went out into the wilderness 
to get away from the dancing girls. Guess what he thought 
of the whole time in the wilderness? Dancing girls. You see in the text, it says, 
do not love the world. It doesn't say do not or flee 
from the world, right? Do not love it. That's the point, 
that's what he's saying. Because we live in this world, 
we must not love the things of the world, not love sin. There are many good things too, 
even with respect to good things that we see. In this world, when 
I use it in the cosmological sense, in that sense of the birds 
of the air, the fish of the sea, the mountains, those wonderful 
things, those blessed things that God gives to us, temporal 
blessings that can be used for good. We can enjoy food, brothers 
and sisters, because it tastes good, and God is gracious to 
give that to us, but we should not eat it in excess. You know, 
as Gordon Clark says, things become sinful either by reason 
of excessive desire for them or by total disregard for God. You see, that's the point, that's 
the thrust, is that we can live in the world, but we are not 
of the world. We must live in this world with the reality, 
knowing that we know the true and the living God, that we are 
living in that tension between the two ages, brethren. I told 
you, it's everywhere. It's everywhere in Scripture. 
and even here as well. So as Christians, we must, as 
Ryle says, watch and pray and fight on, that we might not be 
drawn in by those temptations, not be drawn in by sin, but that 
we would not be stained by the world or by sin. So the command 
John gives his hearers is to not love the world. So then notice, 
secondly, the character. He goes on to further explain 
why we should not love the world. Notice verse 16. The lust of the flesh, the lust 
of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father, 
but is from the world. Notice this threefold thing to 
describe what is in the world. Notice first the lust of the 
flesh. Now this language of lust here, 
it can be used positively in scripture for desiring good things, 
but the dominant use in scripture is to desire forbidden things, 
to crave forbidden things. And it's not just sexual things, 
brothers and sisters, it's all-encompassing, to desire those things that are 
sinful. That is clear in the way he's 
using it in verse 16, the lust of the flesh. Again, flesh isn't 
just referring to things that are sexual. It's referring to 
things that are sinful. It's a general term to describe 
those things. Paul highlights this in Romans 
8, verse 5. He talks about, even he goes 
on in chapter 8, to show us those carnal things. He says in verse 
5, "...for those who live according to the flesh set their minds 
on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the 
Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is 
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So it's highlighting those sinful 
desires. Again, helping us to further explain what He means 
by world in the text. Sinful desires. And what's interesting 
too, in verses 14 through 16, we actually see a proof text 
of the unholy trinity, don't we? Verse 14, the wicked one, 
in that blessed truth that we have overcome the wicked one. 
Verse 15, do not love the things of this world. And then in verse 
16, the lust of the flesh. All three of them are present 
right here, those things that are going against God, against 
the true and living God, those things that are utterly opposed 
to the God who is light, according to 1 John chapter 5. But the 
devil, the world, and the flesh And even John connects the devil 
and the world in 1 John 5, 19. We know that we are of God, and 
the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. So we see here the connection 
between all three, but here, lust of the flesh. Then notice 
how else he characterizes the world. Lust of the eyes. Again, not just sexual things. What about coveting? Can we not 
sin with our eyes by coveting? You see, again, flesh is highlighting 
the general concept of sinful things. Eyes are referring to 
a way to describe the way in which those sinful things enter 
our mind. As one writer says, it's the 
agent of perversion. You see, the eyes are the window 
for those desires to enter in. the lust of the flesh, the lust 
of the eyes. And especially we live in a social 
media age where everything is just visual. We can see everything 
going on everywhere from everyone that lives now anyway. I wish 
it wasn't so, I just don't want to see some things, you know. 
But we see that. It refers to the lust of the 
eyes. Not just sexual things, but coveting. Perhaps we see 
other things that other people have that we want. Perhaps we 
lie. Perhaps we see other people lying 
and want to engage in lying. Perhaps we steal. We see other 
people stealing and think, ah, it's okay to do that. Perhaps 
we see other things. And thus, this is where those 
things enter in. The lust of the flesh, the lust 
of the eyes. Again, we see what it is. The 
world is characterized by the desire for sinful things, and 
we see the desire through which those things come. The eyes. 
And then notice, thirdly, he says, the lust of the flesh, 
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The words for pride 
and life here aren't the typical words for pride and life in the 
New Testament. Pride and life here probably 
refers to those passing things, namely pride in one's possessions. Life here probably refers to 
worldly possessions, namely the resources needed to maintain 
life, namely as the means of subsistence. We should not take 
pride or arrogance in those things as if those things have some 
sort of value or eternal value. You see this probably helps this 
further highlights or shows us that it's okay to be in the world, 
but not of it. That is, we should pursue a legitimate 
means of subsistence, but not take pride or arrogance in it, 
for it is fleeting and it is passing. We should work hard. I'm not saying we shouldn't here, 
so don't go home and say, hey, I don't have to work hard. No, 
you should still work hard. We shouldn't take pride or arrogance 
in those things. I think James helps us here in 
James chapter four, Verse 16, remember James is talking all 
about this idea of worldliness. But he says in verse 16, this 
is also in chapter, I can't remember exactly, but I think it's 13 
through 17, this is also the other place where life is used 
in the New Testament, this idea of worldly possessions. Notice 
verse 13. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go 
to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and 
make a profit, whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. 
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears 
for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 
if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now 
you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to 
do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. But notice it's 
even in the context of worldly possessions. We buy and sell. 
We have these things. Look at us. We're traveling in 
Paris here. We're in Singapore the next day. 
That's kind of what's going on. They're at a fancy party, and 
they're blabbering on about these types of things, these worldly 
things that have no lasting value. That's what he's saying. This 
highlights sin, highlights the world, highlights these things 
that characterize the world. But notice what he says concerning 
these things, the contrast in verse 16. It is not from the 
Father, but is from the world. He's highlighting two sources, 
things through which these things come. Notice one comes from the 
world, that is, these lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, 
pride of life. They are not from the Father. 
Brethren, where do love for the world and love for God come from? 
When we think of love for the world, it springs from a sinful 
heart. That's the source. That's the 
truth. That is, we're born in sin and 
desire sinful things. We desire those things. We are 
born in them. We see the allure. If we're not believers, we see 
the allure of those things. Even sometimes, as believers, 
we are tempted by those things. But notice it says, from the 
Father. That is, those things that are from God, those things 
that are eternal, spring from a God-given new heart. That's what he's highlighting. 
He's highlighting the sources for these contrasting realities. 
Things that are from the world and things that are from God. From the world springs from a 
sin-stained heart. Things that are from God comes 
from a new God-given heart. In a lot of ways, the false teachers 
here were teaching this what's called material dualism, spirit, 
and matter. But what John is highlighting, 
and the New Testament is highlighting, is that ethical dualism. That is, it's not spirit is good, 
matter is bad, but it's more the reality that things that 
are wicked and sinful are bad, and things that are from God 
are good. That's the contrast. That's the difference. And that's 
the tension that you and I live in until Christ comes back. That 
spiritual reality we saw last week in 12-14. We have these 
truths. We have these realities. We are 
forgiven. We have what was read at the outset of worship. The 
blessings in the heavenly places. We have those things now, but 
we still live in that tension between these two ages. And that's 
the best way to characterize that, this age and the age to 
come, is ethics, ethical dualism, ethical distinctions, sin. And 
the blessed reality, as we'll see, is those things are passing 
away. So if we know this ethical reality, 
this ethical distinction, this sin, those things that are against 
God, notice John says in 3.13 of 1 John, do not marvel, my 
brethren, if the world hates you. We should not be surprised 
when people say hateful things towards believers. We should 
not be surprised when people do evil things towards believers 
because they hate those things. They hate God. They hate the 
things that are from the Father. But the reality is, even for 
believers, we have those temptations. We have those things that come 
our way. We have those sins that come upon us. But thankfully, 
we have Christ the High Priest who prays for us. 1 John 2, 1 and 2, My little 
children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. 
And if anyone sins, we have an advocate. With the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous, and he himself is the propitiation for 
our sins, not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 
But even John 17 with the high priestly prayer, he doesn't pray 
for the world, but he prays for his disciples, the ones whom 
the Father has given to him. And brethren, we need to be of 
good cheer, because Jesus says that in John 16. Be of good cheer, 
brethren, for I have overcome the world. So we have temptations, 
we have those things that we face, even as believers, but 
Christ has overcome those things. So we've seen the command not 
to love the world, we've seen why we shouldn't, the character 
of the world. Let's look lastly then at the 
end of the world, verse 17. Notice what he says, and the 
world is passing away and the lusts of it. Same language that 
is used in verse 8 of 2, referring to darkness. The darkness is 
passing away and the true light is already shining. But here 
again, isn't this wonderful news for the people of God? The world, 
the temptations, the lusts, the sins, those things that we hate 
but we love are going to be gone. We are forgiven before the God 
Almighty, before God of heaven and earth now, but those things 
one day will be gone and extinguished and expunged from this world 
because of Christ Almighty. That's what we look forward to, 
brother, and there'll be a time when we will not be able to sin. Because we'll have that glorified 
body, we'll have that body that's conformed to Christ our Lord, 
that thing we look forward to, that thing that we participate 
in part now in those foretastes. You see, the world and its busts 
are passing away and can never satisfy. They can never give 
you those things that last for eternity. You will always be 
hungry, always be craving and looking for something. The only 
way it's satisfied is in the God of heaven and earth. James says this in James chapter 
4 verse 14. We just read that. We just read 
how he highlights, how he shows us that these things are but 
a vapor. Verse 14, whereas you do not 
know what will happen tomorrow, for what is your life? It is 
even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes 
away. You see, most of us are going 
to pass into obscurity when it comes to the history of the world. 
And no one is going to give, no one's going to care about 
us. If I'm being, I'm sorry, we live in an age where everyone 
needs to be told that they're special. That's just the truth. that we 
are going to pass away, and no one's probably going to care. 
That's just the truth. It's passing away. But there 
are eternal things to look forward to. There are eternal things 
that you can have if you do not know the Lord. If you believe 
on Him, you can be saved and have this as well. Again, this 
is good news for believers, but it's a warning for unbelievers. 
To look to God, look to Him and live. All the new iPhones, all 
the new TVs, all the new houses and cars, those things will not 
satisfy for eternity. Not saying it's necessarily wrong 
to buy a new car or those types of things, but in such a way 
where we disregard God as if those things fill our void. That's what he's highlighting. 
And the blessed truth is Christ is bringing an end to these things. 
Just as he said in verse 8 with respect to the darkness, it is 
passing away. Christ is bringing an end to 
these things. He will sit at God's right hand 
until he makes his enemies a footstool. As one writer says, Present troubles 
do not compare to the victorious conviction that Christ has overcome 
the world. Do you see that? The conviction, 
the truth, the reality, the hope for God's people. Christ says 
in John 16.33 that He has overcome the world. He also says in 1 
John 4.4, You are of God, little children, 
and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than 
he who is in the world. They are of the world, therefore 
they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are 
of God. He who knows God hears us. He 
who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit 
of truth and the spirit of error." It's Christ Almighty who has 
overcome those things. So we can say that we have overcome 
the world just as we have overcome the wicked one. Notice again 
the logic, brethren. It's not resist the devil in 
order to overcome him. It's resist the devil because 
you have overcome him. The same is true here. Do not 
love the world because you have overcome the world. That's what 
he's highlighting for his people. And notice what he says, the 
contrast. These things pass away, but he 
who does the will of God abides forever. You see, will of God 
here most certainly refers to God's commandments. Those things 
that God requires of his people. Those ten things. And as we saw, 
it highlights, it fits with the context. In 2, 5, when it talks 
about these commandments, whoever keeps his word, Truly, the love 
of God is perfected in him. That is that test of knowing 
God. If there is some evidence that 
we seek to do that which God loves and requires, we can be 
assured that we are God's children. You see, it's that helpful syllogism, 
that helpful way of logic. The scripture says that those 
who are children of God will bear fruit in resembling Christ. I can say with some, though imperfect, 
that I bear some fruit. Therefore, I am a child of God. The same thing is true with the 
commandments. I can do it with respect to the commandments. 
Those who are of God will seek to do the will of God. I can 
say that in some sense, though not perfectly, I seek to do the 
will of God. Thus, I am a child of God and 
can be assured that I am a child of God. Again, brethren, it's 
not for salvation to be right with God. It's because we have 
been saved and a helpful assurance for God's people. Notice too, 
though he who does the will of God abides forever. Brethren, doing the will of God 
is heavenly conduct. This age and the age to come. 
And this is perhaps similar to what Paul says in Colossians 
chapter 3. Remember he highlights, if you've 
been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above. 
where Christ is at the right hand of God. And then he goes 
on to say, putting off the old man and putting on the new man. These things are the things that 
remain forever. Should we not dwell on those 
things? This is the implication of the 
commandment. Do not love the world and its passing things, 
but love the Father and those things that are eternal. That's 
what he's saying to his people. As one writer says, here is the 
culmination of the writer's appeal. Love of the world comes from 
the world, and the world is transient. But love of the Father comes 
from the Father, and as the Father is eternal, so is the life which 
he gives to the believer. It belongs to another dimension 
altogether, one which is permanent. And this is true for believers 
because Christ is eternal, because Christ abides forever, because 
Christ is the one from everlasting to everlasting. Thus, as believers, 
we can meditate further on that spiritual state, forgiveness 
of sins, knowing the Father, knowing Him who's from the beginning, 
and overcoming the wicked one, and even further overcoming the 
world. Thus, we know that we remain 
forever. Though we pass from this life 
to the next, we will abide forever with God in eternal life, in 
that heavenly state, in that age to come that shall not end. These eternal things are unending 
and are presently true for us. And remember, he writes these 
things to assure his hearers that they know God, that they 
have these things, that they have heavenly things. The one 
who does God's will as a sign of knowing will abide forever 
because Christ abides forever. Do not indulge in sin, brethren, 
but seek to do those things that are loving to God as a pattern 
of living for what God has done for us. Do not love the world, 
do not love the things that are in the world, for those things 
are passing and are fleeting. And that's as we lead into the 
conclusion, again, do not love sin, because you are in the Lord, 
because of this blessed truth, blessed hope, that you are a 
child of God, with the blessed heavenly truths, the heavenly 
blessings in the heavenly places. All those things John has highlighted 
in 12 through 14, and many other things scripture speaks of concerning 
our current state. Do these things. Seek to not 
love the world, because your sins are forgiven. Now, if you 
do not know the Lord, turn from the world, a.k.a. turn from your 
sin, to look to the Lord and believe, and you shall find everlasting 
life. You shall find everlasting hope. 
The reason is, as John says, these things are fleeting. These things are passing, and 
you will die, and all these things will die and be extinguished. Eternity remains for unbelievers 
as well if they do not believe on the Lord Christ, but in a 
terrifying way. Eternal death. That is, you will 
face the punishment for loving the things of the world. You 
will face the punishment for loving sin. You will face the 
punishment for not looking to the Lord and believing. And you 
shall face that and bear the brunt of that for eternity. Believe 
on Christ, who bore the brunt of that for his people, bore 
the sins upon himself, that his people may have everlasting life. 
Have assurance. Have hope. Believe, and you shall 
be saved. Brethren, do not love the world, 
for the world passes away. Love the things that are of God, 
that are eternal, and do not faint, that are incorruptible, 
unchangeable, that shall last forever. Amen. Well, let us go 
to our God in prayer. The Lord God Almighty. We thank 
You, O God, that You have saved Your people. We thank You that 
Christ has overcome the world. We thank You that Christ is the 
One who is all-powerful. Christ is the One who could do 
what we could not do. Christ is not allured by the 
things of this world, that He did not sin. He is like us in 
every way, yet without sin. Father God, we pray that we would 
not love the world. Help us to turn from it, help 
us to flee from it, help us to flee from sin. We thank you for 
the ways in which you've shown these things to us, that we thank 
you for the ways in which you assure your people that they 
are children of God. Oh God, we confess that we have 
sinned against you. We confess that we transgressed 
your law. We can confess that sometimes 
we do love the world, oh God, but help us to hate those things. 
Help us to die more and more unto sin and grow more and more 
unto the image of Christ. We thank you for the forgiveness 
of sins that is found in the Lord Christ, that we can confess 
these things and you forgive us in Christ our Lord. O God, 
may we seek to do that which is pleasing to you. We thank 
you for the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, the eternal 
realities that last for eternity, O God, that we get to experience 
in part now. We thank you for your word. We 
thank you for your spirit. We thank you for justification, 
being right before God. We thank you for sanctification. 
We thank you for your law, O God. We thank you for the fact that 
you help us put off the old man and put on the new. We thank 
you for these truths, O God. Help us to do that which is pleasing. 
We thank you that you are with us. We thank you that we can 
call upon the Father. We thank you for all these things, 
O God. We pray for those that do not know the Lord Christ. 
Help them to turn from these fleeting things and look to eternal 
things. To believe on the Lord Christ 
and be saved and have eternal life. Father God, we pray that 
you be with us now. Help us by your spirit to do 
that which is pleasing to you. We thank you for Christ our Lord, 
Christ our King, the one who overcame the world. We pray that 
you be glorified now in the name of Christ. Amen. Well, we will 
close by singing hymn 87. We'll sing stanza four only, 
so you can turn with me in your hymnals to hymn 87. We'll sing 
stanza four. If you are able, we'll stand 
and sing together. Hymn 87, stanza four.