July25-31: Walking in the Light: Renouncing Worldliness

Teaching Points

1. Observe 1 John 2:12-14

• I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
• I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
• I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.
• I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
• I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.
• I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

OBSERVATION:

• What can we learn from above comparison? Maybe John was trying to describe Christian growth.
• Little children – come to the Father with repentance, through forgiveness we know the love of the Father.
• Young men – grow in Christ by overcoming sin. Overcome sin by God's word abiding in you.
• Fathers – mature, understanding and experience with Jesus, who is from the beginning.
• Another possible observation.
• Little children – forgiveness: justification
• Young men – overcoming: sanctification
• Fathers – combination of justification and sanctification which is "to know Him" John 17:3 "This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent"

2. The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot coexist.

• 1 John 2:15 ... If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

OBSERVATION:

• What things of the world that we should not love? 1 John 2:16
• The lust of the flesh
• The lust of the eyes
• The pride of life
• The negative part of the world can be summarized by two words: lust and pride (evil thoughts and feelings)
• God has given us the desire to eat for our flesh, to behold beautiful things with our eyes, and to live a good life. However notice how Satan changed that desire into something else when he tempted Eve with thing that God forbid. Therefore good desire is desiring after what God has intended for us to enjoy and lust is desiring after what God has forbidden.
• Compare the love of the world and the temptation of the serpent 1 John 2:16 and Gen. 3: 5
• The lust of the flesh- Ye eat thereof
• The lust of the eyes- Your eyes shall be opened
• The pride of life- Ye shall be as gods
• Godly love is a self-sacrificing love 1 John 3:16-17. Therefore lust and pride cannot coexist with self-sacrificing love
• Compare with 1 John 3:1 -By the love of the Father we become sons of God. And the world does not know the sons of God because the sons of God do not live according to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

3. Lust and pride shall pass away.

• 1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

OBSERVATION:

• What shall pass away?
• Earthly wealth- James 1:10
• First heaven and the first earth-Rev. 21:1
• Former things-Rev. 21:4
• What shall not pass away?
• The Word of God-Matt. 24:35
• The kingdom of God-Dan. 7:14
• It is God's plan that the world should pass away. Therefore before the world passes away, we need to allow our "old things" to be "passed away" and become "a new creature" "in Christ". 1 Cor. 5:17
• Lust and pride are not eternal. However the true love is everlasting.
  

CONCLUSION:

• Heb. 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season