The Love God Hates -- 2/25/07 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, February 25, 2007

THE LOVE GOD HATES
I John 2:15-17

We have been examining the tests of life from I John. Go back for a moment to the Gospel of John, chapter 20. Let’s read John 20:30-31, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." So why did John write the things in "his" gospel? You might say, "In order that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." That is true up to a point, but it doesn’t go far enough. The problem is that it is easy to say "I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the very Son of God." But how do we know if it is genuine belief, the kind of belief that saves? Remember that we have examples in John where we are told that people believed in Jesus, but it obviously wasn’t saving belief. Just go back to verse 31 again, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." There’s the test. It is genuine belief (faith), if it opens the way to life through His name. If I don’t have the life of Jesus, then my so-called belief means nothing.

So in I John we are confronted with the tests of life. How can I determine whether or not I have the life of God within? There are three basic tests: the test of belief, the test of obedience, and the test of love. Most recently, we have been looking at the test of love. We find it over and over in I John. Boiled down, here it is: "Love for the brothers is evidence of God’s life within. Absence of that love points to the absence of His life." It’s as simple as that. However, there is another aspect of the test of love. And that brings us to our text for this morning. A little over thirty years ago, I heard a pastor (John MacArthur) entitle this passage "The Love that God Hates." That seems to be a very fitting title for what John has to say in this passage. Let’s read it in I John 2:15-17…
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So the love that God hates is love for the world. That is why he gives us the command in no uncertain terms: Don’t love the world and don’t love the things that are in the world. Verses 16 and 17 explain why we are not to love the world. The explanation given in verses 16-17 does not change the command in the least; it simply explains why the Lord has given us this commandment. God doesn’t always explain the reason for His command, but He graciously gives us a rather detailed explanation for this one. So He tells us not to love the world and then tells us why.

I. Love for the World–Its Disqualification (If you love the world, you don’t love God)

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." The first thing we must do is understand what John means by "the love of the Father." Is it the love the Father has for us? Or, is it the love we have for the Father? Grammatically, it could be taken either way. While there may be some room for argument, I take this to mean a person’s love for the Father. In other words, "If anyone loves the world, then he doesn’t love the Father." The phrase "love of the Father" is found nowhere else in the Bible, but we find the phrase "love of God" back in 2:5, "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected…" It seems quite clear here that John is speaking of the love a person has for God. The Amplified renders 2:15, "Do not love or cherish the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him." So the message is clear. If you love the world, then you don’t love God.

Before we go any farther, we must define what John means by "world." Surely he doesn’t mean that it is wrong to love the people in the world. After all, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…" And surely God wouldn’t mind if we loved the beauty of the physical world He created. In the scripture, the term "world" is used in both those ways. It can refer to the people that populate the earth. It is also used to speak of the physical universe that God created and sustains by His power. However, the term "world" is also used in another sense in the New Testament, and it is this world that we are forbidden to love. This is the world that hates God and everything associated with God. Let’s read from that wonderful prayer of Jesus in John 17… (Jn. 17:9,14-16)
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine… I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

And come back to John 15:18-19, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

Do you see the hatred between the world and God, Jesus, and Jesus’ followers? When used in this way, the term "world" refers to the world system that is opposed to God. You can find this ungodly system in the world of education, the world of finance, the world of the fine arts, etc.
Those who do not have the life of God within them are a part of "the world."

In I John, it is sometimes a bit difficult to make a clear distinction in the way "world" is used, but in at least 13 of its 22 occurrences "world" refers to this system that is opposed to God. Let me just read you a few of them…
2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever
1 John 3:1 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not
1 John 3:13 "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you
1 John 4:4-5 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them
1 John 5:4-5 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God
1 John 5:19 "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Are you beginning to sense the strong hostility between the world and God? Jesus refused to pray for the world. The world is aligned with Satan himself. As a matter of fact, Jesus referred to Satan as "the prince of this world" on three different occasions (Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

Do you see why it is impossible to love the world and to love God? Let’s suppose that tomorrow a citizen of the United States, an American-born man, is arrested and charged with selling nuclear secrets to the Iranian government. What would you think of that man? Then he is interviewed by the media and makes this statement: "It is true that I was selling nuclear secrets to Iran, but I love the United States of America. This is my country." Wouldn’t most of us conclude that this man was a liar? How can he love the United States and be helping arm Iran to destroy us?

That is a very fitting analogy. When we love the world, we are working to destroy the cause of our Lord. We are aiding the enemy. James states this most clearly in James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Let me put that in as plain language as possible: "You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vows to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God" (Amplified). Let that sink in. If you want to be a friend of the world, then you make yourself the enemy of God.

II. Love for the World – Its Inventory (Nothing in the World Is of God)

Now come to verse 16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Now John gives us an inventory of what is in the world. He tells us what it is that makes up this anti-God system which is designated "the world." In so doing, he gives us further reason why we should not love the world. We must not love the world because the things that make up the world are not from God.
John does not leave us to imagine what it is that makes up the world. He lists them as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Let’s take a few moments to look briefly at each one of these. Taken together, they give us a pretty good definition of the world that is opposed to God.

First of all, there is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. The word "lust" is a common New Testament word that is almost always used with a bad connotation. It speaks of strong desires, almost always evil desires. Some would speak of the lust of the flesh primarily as "sensuality," sins of the lower nature, especially all kinds of immorality and sexual sin. They would then define the lust of the eyes as the desire for things, materialism, linking it most closely to covetousness. However, I must tell you that the division between the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes is not a clear one. For instance, while some would see the American lust for entertainment as an example of the lust of the flesh, others would see it as an example of the lust of the eyes.

Perhaps we would be safe to lump these two categories of evil desires together. After all, the flesh and the eyes work together in their evil desires. What we must understand is that the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes are not restricted to things that immediately appear to be evil. We must not limit our thinking to sexual immorality and such "ugly" things, though such things are certainly included.

Let’s take the example of entertainment. We have a tendency to define entertainment as wholesome or not wholesome. Our first inclination would be to put an x-rated movie in the category of the lust of the flesh or the lust of the eyes, while a G-rated movie would not fit that description. That is a perfect example of the way Satan has deceived us in the way we view the things of the world. Think about this with me. When that is our outlook, we are no different from many other people who are a part of this world. Many non-Christians would absolutely refuse to watch X-rated movies. Some non-Christians would not even watch R-rated movies.

Consider television. We have been deceived into thinking that the danger of television is in seeing immoral things on the screen. Make no mistake about it, that is a great danger. However, that is only a small part of Satan’s strategy in the world. The reason we are blind to the dangers of entertainment is because we have been conformed to this world and have not paid sufficient heed to the warning, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:1). We have been conformed to think that as long as there is no immorality on the screen, no filthy language, no denouncing of the Lord, it’s message is perfectly legitimate for God’s people.

But let’s back up for a minute. We have been printing this little note at the end of our bulletins…
Why does this local church exist?
We exist solely for the glory of God.
We pursue His glory by Knowing Him and Making Him Known.

Do we believe that? Do we believe that this local body exists for the glory of God and only for the glory of God? Do we believe that we pursue His glory by knowing Him and making Him known? Are these the driving principles in our lives both when we are together and when we are apart? If so, let’s take these principles and apply them to everyday life.

When one of us sits down and watches a two-hour movie, does that glorify God? How does it help me pursue His glory by knowing Him and making Him known to others? We don’t even try to justify our entertainment on those grounds. Rather, we are most likely to say, "Well, there’s nothing wrong with it." Do you see how messed up our thinking is. That line of thinking does not have for its goal bringing glory to our Lord while we live on this earth. Or one might say, "But Ron in this messed-up world, we need some diversions. Yes, we need some entertainment to relieve the stress we are under." Nowhere in the scripture can we find such a thing. We don’t need it; we desire it. We lust after it. And while we are watching the two-hour movie, Satan applauds. Not because we have seen something filthy, but because he is keeping us from the Word of God, which has the power to renew our mind, to reshape our thinking and show us the vanity of this world’s entertainment. And, of course, the problem isn’t the watching of a single two-hour movie; the problem is that entertainment has a way of sucking us in until we can hardly live without it.

Am I saying that all entertainment is wrong? Not necessarily. But let me show you the problem. As I talk about these things, some of you have already become very defensive in your mind. Without even thinking, you have already begun to defend your rights to enjoy entertainment. Yet when Satan offers you the entertainment, you are not the least bit offended that you might be taken away from opportunities to glorify your Father in heaven. You are far more concerned about your right to entertainment than you are for the glory of God.

I am a man who has been hooked on all kinds of entertainment – everything from various sports to the Rubick’s cube. Yes, God has forgiven me, but how I wish I had invested my time, my energy, myself in the pursuit of God’s glory instead of fulfilling the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.

Do you remember the parable of the sower? The sower sowed his seed in four different soils. When Jesus was alone with His disciples, He explained that the seed is the Word of God and that the ground represents the heart in which the Word is sown. Now listen to what Jesus says in Matt. 13:22, "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." Notice especially the care of this world. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are closely connected to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. The issue is not primarily whether these worldly concerns are wholesome or not wholesome. The issue is that they are the concerns of the world and they choke out the Word of God in our lives. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes focus on me and choke out my desire for the glory of God.

Again, let God search your heart. You can use these last few minutes as a gauge of where you are. As I have spoken to you about the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, if you found your heart grieving and longing for a greater desire for His glory, praise God. Fall on your knees this week and cry out to Him, "Our Father, which art in heaven; hallowed by thy name. Let your name be honored in my life." On the other hand, if in your mind and heart you find yourself defending your habits of life, understand that you are flirting with the world. The Word is being choked out of your life. You are robbing God of the glory due His name. Will you defend your defensiveness? Or will you fall on your knees and repent?

And what about the pride of life? The word translated "pride" in the King James is a word that is found only here and in James 4:16, "But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.". It is not the usual word that is translated "pride." "This word implies an arrogant self-sufficiency and a vain sense of secrutiy, both of which are based upon a false estimate of the stability and value of worldly things" (Curtis Vaughan in A Study Guide: 1,2,3 John, p. 55). The word translated "life" is the Greek bioV (bios), which speaks more of physical life, and is not John’s normal word for "life." Found one other time in I John (3:17, where it is translated "good"), this world speaks of that which supports physical life and might be translated as "livelihood" or "possessions" (see Luke 15:12, "…And he divided unto them his living"). So "the pride of life" might be understood as "the vainglory of life" (ASV), "the proud display of life" (Moffatt), "the proud pretensions of life" (Williams), "the boasting of what he has or does" (NIV).

Taken together, this unholy trinity sums up the inventory of the world. While we sit here this morning, viewing this things calmly and objection, we may conclude that the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride (boasting) of life are very ugly things. Indeed, they are. But we must understand that when dressed up and used as the tools of Satan, they appear attractive, reasonable, and justifiable. O that we would invite the Word of God to come like a hammer and smash these idols of the world until they have no attraction for us.

III. Love for the World -- Its Destination (The Word and Its Lusts Are Passing Away)

Now 1 John 2:17, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Now John steps back and takes the long look. When we are right in the thick of the battle, it is sometimes difficult for us to see clearly. So let’s step back with John and look down the road a few hundred years. At present, that thing that we want so desperately seems all important, but let’s move a half century into the future and take a second look.

This world and the lusts that go along with it are passing away. That’s right; "passing away" is present tense. John could have said that the world will pass away, and that would be true. However, what he says is even stronger. In this present moment, the world is passing away. It’s on its way out. When Jesus died on the cross, the ruler of this world was judged. The world is on its last leg. The world is breathing its last. Though the world is so busy and seems so full of life, if you observe more closely, you can detect the smell of death. Yes, this world is passing away, along with all the lusts associated with it. The knowledge of the world, the wealth of the world, the cultural achievements of the world – all of them are in the process of dying. All of it stands under the judgment of God.

Perhaps we can best understand the implications of this truth by considering an illustration. Let’s suppose that you live in the south Texas town of Galveston, which is situated on the Gulf of Mexico. You have recently moved there and are looking for a house. In your house search, you find this beautiful home right down on the waterfront. This is exactly what you have been looking for. You enjoy fishing and the grandkids would love to walk along the beach. And the price is the most amazing thing of all. You thought it would be three times that much. There is only one drawback to buying this house. The land around the house seems to be eroding away at a rather alarming rate. A couple of people have warned you that this house is in trouble, that the sea is steadily reclaiming the land it’s sitting on. When you ask the realtor about the crack in one of the walls, he assures you that it is only a cosmetic problem.

So here is the big question. Will you buy the house? The people who have warned you have lived in Galveston all their lives and seem to know what they are talking about. However, you can’t seem to hear them. Their voices are being drowned out by your daydreams of watching the grandkids walk along the beach, of breathtaking sunsets observed from the front deck.

We know that anyone would be a fool to invest their money and lives in that house. That house is going to fall into the sea. It’s not a matter of "if" the house will fall, but only "when" it will fall. Despite your desire for such a luxurious home and a rock-bottom price, you must choose to pass it up.

So it is with this world. It is passing away. We don’t know when it will come to an end, but we know it will. The prophets of God and even Jesus Himself have warned us about the temporary nature of this world. The problem is that these holy voices can be drowned out by the pleasures the world offers us. Satan uses the attractions of the world in conjunction with the desires of the flesh and the eyes, tempting us to ignore the warning from God. The Lord is telling us that we are fools to invest ourselves in a world that is passing away. Such an investment will bring us nothing but trouble, with no eternal returns.

But is there any alternative? It’s easy to say, "Don’t do that," but is there something better? Is there another house which doesn’t seem as exciting, but which will stand the test of time? Listen again to 2:17, "And the world is passing away, and the lust thereof; BUT he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." Notice the contrast here. The one who loves the world is set over against the one who does the will of God. Remember what Jesus said in Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

You may say, "But who can do the will of the Father"? No, this isn’t speaking of the person who never messes up, who never fails his Lord, but it is speaking of the one who by the grace of God consistently lives a life that is according to His will. That man or woman will abide forever because he or she is investing in the eternal kingdom and not in this temporal world. And herein is our motivation not to love the world. Why should I love this world, when I myself am a citizen of another world? Why should I invest myself in this world, when I am bound for an eternity with our Father? Surely wisdom dictates that I must prepare myself for life with Him. Paul speaks of this attitude in Tit. 2:11-14…
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Conclusion

The true children of God do not live a lifestyle that could be defined by love for the world. The person who consistently loves the world demonstrates that he is the enemy of God and does not know God. He is investing himself in the present world and his rewards will be only in the present world. Praise God for this other side of the test of love, for sometimes it is easier to detect the love of the world than absence of love for the brethren. If you sense you are a lover of the world, come to God with an honest and open heart and ask Him to search your heart and reveal to you the truth of where you are. Make no mistake about it, love for the world is indeed the love that God hates.

However, what we said of brotherly love is also true of love for the world. Remember, we put it like this: "What if I fail the test? What if I find that there are instances where I do not love my brother and sisters?" And you remember our conclusion. That lack of love may indeed prove that I do not know God, for John says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love" (I Jn. 4:8). On the other hand, it is possible for me to fail in some specific circumstances, though the my life overall is characterized by love for my brothers and sisters. In that case, I can expect the Lord to correct me, for the Lord chastens those whom He loves.

We can apply that same principle to loving the world. If you truly know the Lord, you will not be a lover of the world, for no one can love God and love the world at the same time. However, there may be instances when you fail the test and run after the allurements of the world. If and when that is true, expect God to bring correction. For some here this morning, these words from I John 2:15-17 and James 4:4 may be that correction from God. Perhaps He brought you here this morning to hear a very clear message, "Stop loving the world and the things in it." I confess that I need this message. I don’t want to be cozy with a world that is passing away. I don’t want to flirt with a world that can detract from the glory of God in and through my life.