1 John 2.15-17: What Love for the World Costs Us

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever heard to saying, “You are what you eat”? It’s true that what you put into your mouth affects your intelligence, health, and appearance. Recently researchers fed rats a diet with lots of fat and then put them in a maze to see what effect all that fat made on their performance. They found that the rats on the high-fat diet were dumber and slower than rats that ate a healthy diet.

I read an article under the headline: “You are what you think.” A study at University of California, Berkley and Yale University found that negative stereotypes affect old peoples’ physical abilities and fitness. How we think impacts our moods and emotions, our choices and self-confidence.

Actually, that idea is in the Bible. In Proverbs 4:23—in the Good News Bible translation reads—“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Another saying is, “You are what you wear” In a psychology experiment, 58 subjects were assigned to wear either a white lab coat or street clothes. Then they were given a task to do that had nothing to do with clothes.

The subjects wearing the white lab coats made half as many errors as the subjects wearing street clothes. The researchers explained that wearing white lab coats made people identify with doctors, and doctors are serious, competent people.

Another study found that wearing formal business attire increased the ability at critical thinking, an important aspect of creativity.

A military man in his dress uniform behaves more responsibly than one wearing fatigues. That is why when we soldiers went to town, we had to wear our dress uniforms.

This is one reason why pilots, nurses, policemen, firemen, and airline captains wear uniforms.

So we have three sayings that each contain a bit of truth—“You are what you eat,” “You are what you think,” and “You are what you wear.”

But I have another saying like those other three. But this one states a truth that comes out of the Bible.

This year a book was published with the title, You Are What You Love. What we really are, deep down in our hearts is shaped by what we love.

Love can become a habit, and, according to the book, the way to change what we love is to change what we worship. This book was not written by a psychologist but by a theologian. I would like to read that book because I think that saying is more important than the other three.

A couple of weeks ago, in our Bible Study, we discussed we discussed a passage from 1 John that begin like this:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. the love of the Father is not in those who love the world…”

I. So what does St. John mean by “love of the world”? And why is love of the world a sin?

A. I looked up the Greek word for world in my Greek dictionary, and found that that word, which is kosmos, has 8 different meanings. I will give you a few of the meanings of “world” in the Bible.

“World” can mean the universe. In Ephesians 1:4 we read, “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”

“World” can mean all the people in the world: You know John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

“World,” in the Bible can mean the scene of earthly joys and possessions. Jesus said, “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

B. Or “world” can mean the world as that which is the enemy of God—and that is the meaning of “world” in the verse I read from 1 John.

The world, in this bad sense, means all the bad influences in our world that seek to destroy our souls.

This is what St. John is writing about when he writes in chapter 5:19: “The whole world lies under the power of the Evil One.”

II. After John writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world, he names three great temptations: “For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes and the pride of riches, comes not of the Father, but from the world.”

A. The desire of the flesh includes our natural appetites—what gives pleasure to our bodies: food, sex, and relaxation—all good and useful God-given appetites that can be perverted.

The lust of the flesh may involve us physically in gluttony, sensuality, and sloth.

B. The desire of the eyes is all that allures. It could be riches and possessions that serve no purpose self-satisfaction.

However we may resist, our eyes lead us to covet forbidden things, unwholesome things, temporary things, things that draw us away from God and eternal values.

C. But the most dangerous of the three worldly temptations John names is, in my translation, “the pride of riches.” The word is also translated “the pride of life” (KJV) or “people boasting of their superiority” (Christian Community Bible), or “everything in the world that people are so proud of” (TEV).

It is not a sin to want people to think well of us. But when we want others to see us as superior, it turns into pride, which is the first of the seven deadly sins.

D. Few of us would want to admit to such ugly impulses as those John names here, but they are in all of us, even though we may not see their danger to our souls.

III. After St. John names these great temptations he writes: “And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever…those who do the will of God live for ever.”

A. The way to live for ever is, John tells us, is to do the will of God.

Love for the world will carry us to destruction, unless we lay hold on Christ by faith and obedience—and so join our lives to the eternity of God.

Almost everyone wants to live on after we die on earth. But if our master passions in this life are food, and possessions, and sports, and amusements, and trivial pleasures—what is there in us capable of surviving the death of our bodies?

What is there in us capable of participating in God’s eternal world of Glory?

According to St. John, it is doing the will of God that fits us to live forever.

B. Most of the work done for Jesus through the ages was done by people long forgotten. But their work lives on in the lives they blessed. Someone said, “The smallest work done for Jesus lasts forever, whether it abide in men’s memories or no” (Alexander MacLaren).

Every one of us has come to faith through a long chain of believers, each one of whom passed the faith to others. And that chain of believers extends back in time to the original followers of Jesus.

And we have become part of that chain. If we have done the will of God, we will have a part in passing the faith on to those who follow us.

There will come a time when all the people who knew us on earth will be gone and no one living will remember who you or I were.

But whatever we have done for Jesus will last for ever in the lives of those we have blessed—even if they don’t’ remember us.

C. When St. John writes that those who do the will of God will live forever, he doesn’t mean that we earn eternal life by our obedience. But he does mean that those who are united to Jesus by faith and obedience will live forever.

I say, “united to Jesus by faith and obedience,” because the New Testament always assumes that faith means commitment, and commitment means living for Jesus.

That is what St. John means by “those who do the will of God live forever.”

CONCLUSION

I read in an old book—it was written in the 18th century—that one winter, an ice palace was built in St. Petersburg, in Russia. Its walls, roof, floors, and furniture were all colored to seem to be made of proper materials, but in reality, the palace and everything in it was really just ice. It must have been impressive, but when spring came, all that remained was a pool of water.

There is a Latin phrase, Sic transit Gloria mundi, which means, “Thus passes the glory of the world.” It is sad when humans, who have the potential to live forever, spend their lives building ice palaces, when, by living for God, we can build something we can enjoy forever.

I have read that the ancient Greeks were gloomy people because they had little idea of blessedness after death. They had a proverb: “The world’s a stage. Life is the side entrance. You came. You looked. You departed.”

That proverb expresses the temporariness of life without God. But with Christ in our life, we become sharers of his eternal life. We are not like those without God, to whom death is a terror.

If we have faith, we can look forward to the life to come with joyful anticipation.

This world is a world of illusions. Our world has the values of things all mixed up. It is as if one night someone got into a hardware store and exchanged the labels of everything, so that when we enter in the morning we find that lawnmowers are two for a dollar, and nails are $100 a box, a chain saw is 50¢, and paint stirring paddle is $250.

A dying woman said to her pastor: “You hear in sermons about this world being a tricky, shallow place, but you never believe it until you stand at the door and look around just before you go out.”

When we come to the door, ready to make our exit from this world, we won’t be thinking about the money we’ve made, or the house we lived in, or the car we drove, or the honors we received.

If we have lived for God, we will be able to think back to what we’ve been able to do for others, and be thankful for those who have loved us, and remember that God has been with us every step of the way.

We’ll be able to look forward to the welcome we will receive from our Lord Jesus when we fall into his arms--as we enter into life with the saints and angels.

“Lord, Let Me Not Live to Be Useless!”

INTRODUCTION

One of our friends here remarked not long ago, “Half of the people here feel that they are useless.”

When John Wesley grew old, his constant prayer was, “Lord, let me not live to be useless.” And the Lord granted that prayer. Wesley lived to be almost 88 and could preach almost until the end. An observer wrote of seeing him preach in his last days with an assistant on each side holding him up in the pulpit.

Some people don’t mind being useless. They only need pleasure.

But most of us want to think we have some purpose in life, and for us to be useless is discouraging.

A life of television, books, jigsaw puzzles, cards, and Bingo passes the time and gives us the opportunity to be with people, but we aren’t satisfied if all we have to do is amuse ourselves.

I. Lately, I have been thinking about how God’s promise of eternal life motivates us to live for God until the end of life.

A. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul devotes a long chapter to the Resurrection. He argues that Christ rose from the dead and because he rose, we also will rise again. He writes excitedly about God’s promise of resurrection. And then at the end of the chapter he writes—

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,

be steadfast, unmovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that, in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.

In this way, St. Paul is telling us that our hope of resurrection should spur us on to be diligent in our work for the Lord.

B. In reading an old book last week, I came upon a startling statement by a 17th century pastor—Thomas Traherne. He wrote this: “It ought to be a firm principle rooted in us, that this life is the most precious season in all Eternity, because all Eternity dependeth on it. Now we may do those actions which hereafter we shall never have occasion to do.”

We look forward to a glorious future in Glory with Jesus, but we should never forget that this life is our preparation for that glorious eternity. Opportunities lost here cannot be recovered in the world to come. When we get to Heaven, we will live with the consequences of the choices we made on earth.

When we get to Heaven, it will be too late to prove our love for Jesus by patient faithfulness in times of suffering.

When we get to Heaven, it will be too late to bear witness to our Lord Jesus and invite others to join us on the journey to the Promised Land.

When we get to Heaven, we will no longer have opportunities to serve the poor and afflicted.

When we get to Heaven, we will no longer be able to honor God by walking by faith. In Glory, we will no longer need faith—everything will be clear then.

This life is a time of testing, of proving, of serving—of laying up treasure in heaven. In heaven our lives will be full of joy. But still, the Bible insists that in the coming world we will experience the consequences of our actions in this world. Maybe we will have regrets.

II. We all want to be useful. You want to serve Jesus, or you wouldn’t be here this afternoon. But we can’t do what we used to be able to do.

A. A few years ago, I could go to church for work days and paint all afternoon. I planted flower gardens around the church. I taught Sunday school. I drove people to appointments.

Some of you sang in choirs, provided hospitality in your homes, wrote big checks for worthy causes, cooked meals at church.

You volunteered in various ways.

You found satisfaction in serving people in your work.

You raised children, cared for the sick, visited the shut-ins.

It would be interesting to know all the ways the people in this room served others in the name of Jesus in days gone by.

We can’t do what we used to do, but we still want to be useful. Some of the most inspiring people I have known were old people. We don’t have the same opportunities younger people have. But we have some opportunities they don’t have.

B. In Psalm 92, we read—

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.

Planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age;

they will stay fresh and green.

We can be weak in body but strong in spirit. We may be limited, but there are still things we can do. We can “still bear fruit in old age!” That’s God’s promise.

III. Here’s a list of things we might do—even with our limitations—and still be of use in our world.

A. We can pray. We can thank God for people in our past who have blessed us. We can pray for people we don’t know, and for people we know. We can make a list and pray through it every day.

     

I suspect that when we get to Heaven and find out how much was accomplished by prayer, we will wish we had prayed more. And our prayers, not only change things for other people. Our prayers also change us. Prayer keeps us connected to God. Prayer keeps us connected to people with needs. Prayer keeps us from being useless.

B. We can bear witness to our faith.

I have found that as I get older, it is easier to talk about God, heaven, and faith. People are less likely to be offended by old people talking about eternity. And the nearer we get to our Homecoming, the more credible our witness is.

We can take time to listen and sympathize. We can encourage others by caring, by honest compliments, and by sharing our struggles, so others know that they aren’t alone.

A few days ago, I was talking to my sister in Chicago and she told me about a friend of hers who is coming near the end of life on earth and is an impressive witness to the reality of God in her life. This friend has written her obituary and has written out her testimony to be read at her funeral.

C. We can write letters. Nowadays a handwritten letter in an envelope with a stamp on it is a gift. A phone call becomes only a memory; a letter can be saved and re-read. I have letters that I have saved for more than 50 years. They are treasures. Letters are valuable because they take time and effort. We can write letters of appreciation, of encouragement, and of sympathy to those you know and love.

D. We can write checks. I know this is a touchy subject—except that Jesus talked so much about money as a part of faithfulness.

Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:32-34).

I know some of us are fearful that we will live so long that our money will run out. I wonder about this too as we dip into our savings each month. I know some of you support missions because I see the magazines and calendars lying around. For us, who have limited means, to part with money to support a Christian ministry is an expression of faith.

Almost all of us spend some of our money on little indulgences. We spend money on things that aren’t actually necessary, but are nice to have. We can ask ourselves, “What could I do without so that I can have more to give?” For 60 years of married life, Charlotte has kept track of every penny we’ve spent. It helps to keep us honest about what we are spending on things we don’t really need.

Suppose you decided to forego some luxury and send $10—or $100—each month to your church where you intend to have your funeral? It would help you feel connected with your friends back home. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). There’s joy in giving.

Some people hide behind the idea that giving doesn’t have to be money. But for most of us, money is the hardest thing to give—because we don’t have much, and we worry about it. And because money is hard to give, there is a special blessing in giving. Jesus said, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

E. We can do acts of kindness. A resident comes to our door to ask me to open a jar for her. I do her the favor of opening her jar, and she does me a favor by helping me feel useful.

Sometimes the favor is more costly than opening a jar. Some residents do others’ washing—or check writing—or taking them to appointments—or helping them get to dinner on time.

An act of kindness can be done just out of kindness—but Jesus said, “What you have done for the least of these by brothers and sisters, you have done for me” (Matthew 25:40). It is satisfying to think that we are serving Jesus by serving others.

G. We can be grateful. More than once I’ve heard residents criticize those who work for us here because they don’t do some extra thing they would like them to do for them. When I point out how busy our employees are, I’ve heard this: “Well, it’s their job is to serve us!” I want to say, “Yes, it’s their job is to serve us—and it’s our job is to be grateful for their service!” The people who serve us here aren’t getting rich at their jobs. We can help make it up to them by our appreciation.

H. We can pray with people. A hospital janitor was sweeping the floor outside a patient’s room and singing to himself as he worked,

No one ever cared for me like Jesus;

There’s no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me –

O how much He cared for me!

The janitor looked into the room and saw a dying man. The man was a pastor and he recognized the song and was beating the time with his hand. The janitor went into the room and put his hand on the patient and said, “Lord, put new strength in this man.” A short prayer, but that was a turning point. The man recovered and was soon back serving his church.

One of our men residents told me, “It made me feel so warm when you put your hand on me and prayed for me!” A woman who lived here—she never came to our services—was soon to move to assisted living asked me to bless her before she left. I touched her and asked God to bless her in her new situation.

If you can’t trust yourself to compose a prayer on the spot, you can repeat the Lord’s Prayer with someone who is hurting. As they pray that prayer with you, it may put them in touch with memories of past experiences with God.

Once at a nursing home, I repeated the 23rd Psalm with a woman who had dementia. When I had finished, she turned to me, her eyes filled with tears, and said, “No one ever talks to me like that any more.”

CONCLUSION

Suppose you should become so dependent that you can’t do much for yourself at all. You know you are a burden. But you are not useless. You can be pleasant and thankful. You can pray for those who serve you and let them know how important their work is.

No matter how much we are hurting, we need to try to let those who serve us know that we appreciate what they are doing. We can pray for them and tell them that we pray for them.

I had an aunt who lived to be 100. Beside her bed in the nursing home she had multiple copies of a devotional booklet that she invited her CNAs to take. Some of them would come to her and ask her, “Do you have another one of those little booklets?”

When we began our Bible studies and church services many years ago at Ridge, we had a friend there named Evie. She lived in memory care, and she always came to our Bible studies and church services.

Evie had lost her only two children in infancy. She told me that a little boy at church adopted her as a second mother and would always sit with her in church.

Evie was so full of love that as I watched her walk down the hallway, I saw the CNAs stop to hug her. Evie couldn’t do much except love people. But whenever I came away from seeing Evie, I felt blessed.

Let me close with an old children’s Sunday school song. I’ve never heard it sung, and I’ve never seen it in a hymnbook, but I heard a preacher quote it when I was a child, and I’ve remembered it ever since:

There’s a work for Jesus, ready at your hand,

’Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.

Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true;

There’s a work for Jesus, none but you can do.