Message by Pastor Dr Ng Swee Ming, on Sunday 24 Jun 2012. Scripture ref 1 John 2:15-17

1. “The Christians & The World”
1 John 2:15-17
Ps Dr Ng Swee Ming

2. This is an
ordinary glass
water jar.
Question :
HOW DO YOU
GET THE AIR
OUT OF THIS
WATER JAR ?

3. The Christian
&
the World
1 John 2:15-17

4. Series on 1 John
Last Sunday ....
Different Generations :
“Forgiven” Generation
“Overcoming” Generation
“Knowing” Generation
Satan have two main weapons :
1. Accusation
2. Temptation through Lies
 Testing – ‘God is Bad’
 Tempting – ‘Sin is Better’

5. 15 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.
16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life — is not of the Father but is of the
world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust
of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever.
1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)

6. 1 John 2:15
v15 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.
Love – • Storge – affection
Gk : ‘AGAPE’ • Phileo – friendship
World – • Eros – romantic
Gk : ‘kosmos’ • AGAPE –
• Cosmonauts UNCONDITIONAL
• Cosmopolitan LOVE
• Cosmetics ??

7. 1 John 2:15
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.
John 3:16
"For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So – is there a contradiction ??
Should I love the world or not ?
The “WORLD”

8. The “WORLD” 1 John 2:15
The word “World”
has 3 possible meanings.....
a. John 1:9
The true light that gives light to every man
was coming into THE WORLD.....
Acts 17:24 "The God who made THE WORLD
and everything in it...”
 World here refers to the created universe
with planets, sun, moon & stars but with
special ref to planet EARTH.

9. The “WORLD” 1 John 2:15
b. John 3:16
"For God so loved THE WORLD that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
 “World” here refers to mankind or
humanity and not the entire planet.
 Jesus died to save humanity – people and
not the animals, plants, nature etc.

10. The “WORLD” 1 John 2:15
Consider John 1:10
He was in THE WORLD,
and though THE WORLD
was made through him,
THE WORLD did not
recognize him.

11. c. 1 John 2:15 The “WORLD” 1 John 2:15
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.
 “World” here refers to a ‘system’ that is
at work controlling the world at
present,
aligned with satan against God

14. The “WORLD” 1 John 2:15
1 John 5:19 “... that the whole world is
under the control of the evil one.”
John 12:31 “ the prince of this world...”
Eph 2:2 “the ruler of the
kingdom of the air,...”
 This is the WORLD that
John is referring to....

15. “GOD” or “THE WORLD”
1 John 2:15 is very clear : Either or ....
Jesus himself said in Matt 6:24 (NKJV)
"No one can serve two masters; for
either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will be loyal to
the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon.
James 4:4
“... friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who
chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.”

16. The Christian in the world

17. the Ways of the
World
or Worldliness...
‘Anything that keeps
me from enjoying
God's love
and wanting to do
God's will.’

18. NIV For everything in the world
The — the cravings of sinful man,
“WAYs” the lust of his eyes and the
1 John 2:16 boasting of what he has and
does — comes not from the
Father but from the world.
NKJV 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.

19. The “WAYs” 1 John 2:16
Definition of ‘lust’ Unholy
Excessive craving for the Trinity :
pleasures of the body. I, Me &
Desire for something or Myself
someone that is not yours.
A desire to possess, to own, to
consume without caring about
the needs / feelings of others
or the will of God.
Need not always be ‘physical’

20. The “WAYs” 1 John 2:16
a. Lust of the flesh:
‘Feel’ Good
b. Lust of the eyes:
‘Look’ Good
c. Pride of Life:
‘Think’ Good

21. satan’s “WAYs” have not changed since...
1 Jn 2:16 Gen 3:1-6
• Lust of • “... good for
the Flesh food...”
• Lust of • “...pleasing to
the Eyes the eye...”
• Pride of • “desirable for
Life gaining
wisdom”

22. satan’s “WAYs” have not changed since...
1 Jn 2:16 Luke 4:1-12
• Lust of • “tell this stone to
become bread.”
the Flesh
• “showed him all
• Lust of the kingdoms of
the Eyes the world... ”
• Pride of • “throw yourself
down from
Life
here...”

23. The “WAYs” a. The lust of the flesh
• The physical part ...
• “Excessive Cravings for the
pleasures of the body...”
• Anything that will make us
“Feel Good”
even if it is
–Against God’s Standards
–Hurt other people
–Hurt ourselves

24. The “WAYs” a. The lust of the flesh
• Sexual sins eg:
Adultery
Fornication
Pornography
• Addictions eg:
Alcohol
Smoking
Drugs
Shopping
Games ? Eg INTERNET
? Eg GOLF

25. The “WAYs” a. The lust of the flesh
• Materialistic
–What we buy
–Where we buy
–Latest, best, newest
• Hoarding...
• Gluttony...

26. The “WAYs” a. The lust of the flesh
• Even in church settings
– Need for “Feel Good”
sermons ....
NB: There is a place &
occasion to encourage
and comfort ...

27. The “WAYs” a. The lust of the flesh
the small voice within telling us ...
It’s OK no one
Something will know ...
that feels so
good, cannot
be wrong ...
Everyone is
doing it,
it’s OK
Only once, no
harm done, Do not worry,
just once... God understands,
He will forgive...

28. The “WAYs” :
b. The lust of the eyes
• Need to “LOOK GOOD”
“mesti ada gaya”
Preoccupation with status, reputation, social
position, academic level, image, glamour --
sometimes subtle sometimes not.
Concern over appearances
Keep up with the ‘Jones’
Need to flaunt your success
• COVETOUSNESS
– “Thou shall not covert”

29. • 1st published
1951
• 300 pages
• 12,000+
products
• 55 different
editions
• 27 Languages
• 35 countries
• 197 million
copies/year

30. The “WAYs” : b. The lust of the eyes
• If ‘others’ have it – I must also
• If only ....
• Affect all ages, both sexes ...
• All social class
• All educational classes
even the ‘blind’...

31. The “WAYs” : b. The lust of the eyes
• Can be “Inter-related”
eg King David 2 Sam 11
Jesus’ teaching Matt 5:27
Consider Job 31:1
"I made a covenant with my
eyes not to look lustfully at
a girl.”

32. The “WAYs” : b. The lust of the eyes
In Church settings
• Need to guard against this...
• What values are we teaching our
children...

33. The “WAYs” : c. The pride of life
• Need to not only Feel Good, Look Good
but others must THINK GOOD of me
• Craving for honour and compliments
• The need to be acknowledged
• To have a Position of importance ...
• Fear of ‘losing face’
• Tendency more in the
‘older people’

34. • NIV “the boasting of what he has and does”
• NET “the arrogance produced by material
possessions.”
• The person who thinks he has enough
wealth and property ...
to protect himself and insure his security
frankly hard to see the need for God...
The “WAYs” :
c. The pride of life

35. The “WAYs” : c. The pride of life
• Happens even in the Church ...
 Position & Power ...
 Admit a wrong ...
 Decision making ...
• Parable of Pharisee &
Tax Collector Lk 18

36. The “WAYs” : c. The pride of life
“Hi, Let me show you
something several of
your neighbours said
you couldn't afford..."

37. The “WILLs” : 1 Jn 2:17
1 John 2:17
The world and its desires pass away, but the
man who does the will of God lives forever.
God’s Will must be done.
Rom 12:1-2...
“... his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

39. The “WILLs” : 1 Jn 2:17
Man’s Will - James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do
what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a
mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and
immediately forgets what he looks like.
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law
that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not
forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he
will be blessed in what he does.

40. The “WORK”
“Knowing the TRUTH do not change lives
It is TRUTH APPLIED that changes lives.”

41. Resist
Flee 2 STEPS ARE OURS
TEMPTED
WANT TO TO MAKE
BY SIN SIN YIELD 2 SIN

42. Jesus high priestly prayer
in John 17...
“to be in the world and yet
not of the world ...”

43. The “WORK”
a. 1 Cor 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your
own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore HONOR GOD WITH YOUR BODY.

44. The Question :
How Then Do You
Get The Air Out Of
This Water Jar ?
Question : How Do You SIN
The Answer :
Out Of Your Life?
By FillingLife
Answer :By Filling Your It With
Water.
With The HOLY SPIRIT

45. The “WORK”

46. The “WORK”
b. Matt 6:8b
“... your Father knows what you
NEED
WANT before you ask him.”
Is that how your Bible read ?
Jesus asked in Matt 16:26
“What good will it be for a man
if he gains the whole world, yet
forfeits his soul?
Or what can a man give in
exchange for his soul?”

47. The “WORK”
c. 1 Peter 5:5b
.... "God
opposes the
proud
but gives grace
“Actually the pains
to the humble." are just God’s way of
keeping you humble”

48. 1 Tim 6:6... The “WORK”
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can
take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that.
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation
and a trap and into many foolish and harmful
desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered
from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs.

49. The “WORK”
1 Tim 6:6...cont
11 But you, man of God,
flee from all this,
and pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, endurance
and gentleness.
“God owes us NOTHING
Yet gives us EVERYTHING”
CONTENTMENT IS A CHOICE