DIGGING DEEP NO. 894 – August 3rd, 2021 THE LOVE GOD HATES (PART 2) 1Jh.2: 12- 17

We studied last week about the danger of getting entangled with the world. This raises a practical and important question:

How do we keep from getting worldly? The answer is found in the unusual form of address used in 1Jh.2: 12- 14 little children, fathers, young men; what was he referring to? To begin with, “little children refer to all believers. All Christians have been born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, and their sins have been forgiven. The very fact one is in God’s family, sharing His nature, ought to discourage him from becoming friendly with the world Jam.4: 4. But something else is true; we begin as little children, but we must not stay that way. Only as a Christian grows spiritually does he overcome the world. John mentioned three kinds of Christians in a local church family: fathers, young men, and little children.

The “fathers” of course, are mature believers who have an intimate personal knowledge of God. Because they know God, they know the dangers of the world. No Christian who has experienced the joys and wonders of fellowship with God, and of service for God, will want to live on the substitute pleasures this world offers.

The “young men” are the conquerors: they have overcome the wicked one, Satan, who is the prince of this world system. How did they overcome him? Through the Word of God 1Jh.2: 14. The young men are not fully mature, but they are maturing. The Word is the only weapon that will defeat Satan Ephe.6: 17.

The little children carry the idea of immature ones. These are young Christians who have not yet grown up in Christ. Here then is the Christian family! All of them are “born again”, but some of them have grown out of infancy into spiritual manhood and adulthood. It is the growing, maturing Christian to whom the world does not appeal. He is too interested in loving his Father and in doing his Father’s will. He realizes that the things of this world are only toys, and he can say with Paul “When I became a man, I put away childish things” 1Cor.13: 11. A Christian stay away from the world because of what the world is (a satanic system that hates and opposes Christ).

1Jh.2: 17 – the world is passing away. Spiritual Christians keep themselves loosely attached to this world because they live for something far better Heb.11: 13; 13: 14.

John was contrasting two ways of life: a life lived for eternity and a life lived for time.

A worldly person lives for the pleasure of the flesh, but a dedicated Christian lives for the joys of the Spirit.

A worldly believer lives for what he can see, the lust of the eyes, but a spiritual believer lives for the unseen realities of God 2Cor.4: 18.

A worldly-minded person lives for the pride of life, the vainglory that appeals to men, but a Christian who does the will of God lives for God’s approval; and he “abides forever.” This present world system is not a lasting one. The fashion of this world is passing away 1Cor.7: 31. Everything around us is changing, but the things that are eternal never change.

1Jh.2: 17 – God wants us to understand His will, not just know what it is Ephe.5: 17; Israel knew what God was doing, but Moses knew why He was doing it Ps.103: 7. After we know the will of God, we should do it from the heart Ephe.6: 6. And the more we obey God, the better able we are to find and follow God’s will. God’s goal for us is that we will stand complete in all the will of God Col.4: 12.

How does one discover the will of God? The process begins with surrender Rom.12: 1- 2.

A Christian who loves the world will find it difficult to discover and do the will of God. God reveals His will to us through His Word; but a worldly believer has no appetite for the Bible.

God also leads us into His will through prayers and the working of His Spirit in our hearts. As we pray about a decision, the Spirit speaks to us.

To sum it up, a Christian is in the world physically Jh.17: 11, but he is not of the world spiritually. Christ has sent us into the world to bear witness of Him Jh.17: 18. A Christian cannot help being in the world, but when the world is in the Christian, trouble starts. The world gets into the Christian through the heart “Love not the world”. Anything that robs a Christian of his enjoyment of the Father’s love, or of his desire to do the Father’s will is worldly and must be avoided. A Christian must decide, “Will I live for the present only, or will I live for the will of God and abide forever?” Jesus illustrated this choice by telling about two men. One built on the sand and the other on the rock Matt.7: 24- 27. Apostle Paul referred to the same choice by describing two kinds of material for building: temporary and permanent 1Cor.3: 11- 15.

In Conclusion – Love for the world is the love God hates. It is the love a Christian must shun at all times.