genuine desires 1 john 2:15-17 march 1,...
TRANSCRIPT
Genuine Desires
1 John 2:15-17 March 1, 2020
Dr Ritch Boerckel
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 desires of the flesh and the
desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.
We begin with a bit of a simple science experiment. If you had access to every modern
technology and your purpose was to get all the air out of this glass, what would you do?
As we think of that, there might be a number of methods. You could attach a vacuum
pump to the top and press all the air out of it. With all the technology, you could take it
into outer space. But there is a simpler and more complete way. Perhaps many, if not
most of you have already thought of it. You could just simply take a bottle of water and
then just sort of slowly fill it up. And guess what? I’m not going to fill it all the way to
the top, but for the most part, that glass now has no air in it. We could get all the air out
of it if we filled it all the way to the top. The water is heavier than the air. It displaces the
air. And so the water squeezes the air out of the container and no air remains.
How do you get the sin out of the Christian? That’s a question that God’s people have
considered and sought through Scripture. And many have come up with a number of
methods. Some might say, “What you need to do in order to get the sin out of the
Christian is to place signs and remembrances all over your house and your office and
your car just reminding you what God’s law says. ‘Do not do this. Do not do that. Do
that.’” The hope would be that these reminders would drive sin out of our soul and they
would be effective. If we just were not forgetful, then we could obey and we could get rid
of sin.
Others might say, “If you punish sin really harshly, every time it enters the community.
That punishment would strike fear and that fear would strike sin out. So we need to adopt
maybe more of a one strike and the member is out. There’s no hope really for confession
and restoration in the community.” The theory again is that the harshness in response to
sin would leave the sinner in a strengthened state to overcome sin.
Others might say, “Well, what you need to do is just add more discipline to your life. If
you more frequently read the Bible, more frequently prayed, more frequently went to
church, more frequently talked with other believers and fellowshipped, more frequently
were part of the kingdom witness, then all of that discipline applied would drive the sin
out.”
Some might even suggest some mystical practices. You can have people who are more
godly lay hands upon you and cast out demonic forces or pray specific prayers and bind
Satan to keep him from bringing temptation.
Now to be sure, some of these methods are not entirely wrong. It’s right for us, for
instance, to keep God’s law in front of us. It’s right to establish spiritual discipline in our
life. But what we want to observe from the gospel is that these methods, on their own,
will fail us. They won’t remove the sin out. That sin will remain. It will stay an active,
pervasive, indeed, enslaving problem. How do we get the sin out of the Christian? We
look in verse 15 and we find an interesting statement.
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 tells us that when the love of the Father fills the heart, there is no room for the love
of this world. This is so absolutely true that if anyone, he says, continues to habitually
love the world, in other words, love sin in it, that means that the love of the Father is not
in him. It’s not effective.
Remember that John is writing to us so that we would know that we know that we have
eternal life. John takes up the subject of worldliness and applies it to this new life that we
receive when we place our faith in Jesus. He reminds us that a love for God and a love for
His people, the love of the Father that is inside those who are His people, this love is
completely incompatible with a love for the world.
Now, we’re not to be passive with this new life and this new love that God gives us. We
have to fight to feed it. We have to fight to nourish it. The world, the flesh and the devil
are very real enemies to the Christian. While again, the love of the Father drives out the
habitual, continual love of the world, that doesn’t mean that the love of the world can’t
stain us, can’t still corrupt us, can’t still hurt us. And that’s why John gives this
command. It’s such a gracious word. It’s a gracious command from God to help us as we
pursue assurance that we indeed are of those who are now born of God and part of God’s
family.
The main idea that we’re going to look at in these three verses, these so powerful and
simple verses, is that God’s salvation creates a love for God and love for one another.
That’s what the love of the Father is. It’s a love that the Father now places in the souls of
His own children. This new love for God and this new love for His people is both upward
as well as horizontal to all of God’s people. This love drives out the old love that we had
before we had this new life. It drives out that old love of the world from our hearts.
Again, that’s not to say that this old love can’t be operative, that it can’t be present at any
time in the Christian. It’s just to say that its rule, its reign is over because we have a new
love that displaces it, a heavier love, a weightier love, a more glorious love. That is God’s
gospel. As we look at this passage, we think about these old desires and these new desires
that God creates in the heart through Jesus. We first observe that
I. Our new life in Jesus creates new desires within us.
It’s one of the most profound and basic principles regarding the blessings the gospel
brings to a man or woman or child. Begin again in verse 15. God says
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.
So what we’re going to be learning and have already learned throughout this letter of 1
John is that new life that comes to us through faith in Jesus brings about a real, inward
change. It brings a real, inward transformation. And this real, inward change promotes
practical holiness. It has a real effect on our every day life. This new, inward change
produces a new relationship with God’s law. It becomes one of resistance to one of relish.
It becomes one where we were disobedient to one where we delight to obey. And this
new inward change also produces an effect upon our lives where we have a new love. We
have a love for God and a love for His people.
In the Old Testament, God promises that this change would come about when His
Messiah comes and when His people receive the Messiah. This is part of the new
covenant that Jesus instituted in His blood. Ezekiel talks about this and he says
Ezekiel 36:26-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I
will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey
my rules.
The heart of stone is a heart that is hard toward God and hardened toward His will, His
commands. The heart of flesh is a heart of softness, a heart of submission, indeed, a heart
of love. That’s what God says He is going to give to everyone who comes to the Messiah,
who receives the benefits of this new covenant. There is a real change.
Now, there are varying degrees of this inward change among believers. While we are yet
in this broken world, we still are a work in progress. The work that God begins when we
come to faith in Jesus will be carried on to completion until the day of Jesus. The day of
Jesus is the day when Jesus returns. We see Him and that transformation becomes
complete. We’re like Him because we see Him as He is, John says. But until then, we
must actively press on, we must actively fight, we must actively run this race to win it.
That’s the language that God uses to describe the Christian life. We fight to make more
and more progress in our transformation into the image of Jesus.
We will gain more assurance of our salvation as we see God’s Spirit make progress in
this specific practical transformation in our day to day lives. The Apostle Peter writes of
this very thing most beautifully in 2 Peter chapter 1. I just want to read a bit from that
letter.
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and
godliness,…so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Prior to this new life, we didn’t have the resources necessary pertaining to life, spiritual
life, and to godliness, practical holiness. Through these resources, now we can become
like God in His character, in the qualities relating to practical righteousness. His life now
becomes ours through Jesus. There was sinful desire in our flesh and there was sinful
desire in the world. That was a terrible combination; indeed, an overwhelming opposition
apart from Jesus. Now this is what we’re to do with that. He says
2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with
virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with
steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they
keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is sharing with us that the response to this new life, this divine nature that becomes
ours and this new power to be able to live out a life that is godly, our response is not one
of passivity. It’s not saying, “God’s got it covered!” John is saying here, “No, don’t love
the world. Make every effort not to let the love of this world invade and take over your
soul. God has already released you from that.”
2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and
election,…For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is about assurance. Be diligent in these things because the more you see of the
practical effect upon your life of the gospel, the more assured you are that that’s God
working, because we could never produce that. The more we are assured that God is
working, the more we are assured that God is going to continue to work because it’s
God’s work and He completes everything He begins.
Here’s the truth that we learn from 1 John 2:15. Where there is change in our affections,
there is evidence of God’s salvation in our life. Where there is no inward change that
promotes practical holiness, there is no new life. John is going to repeat this theme over
and over and over.
John has made one very slight reference to this thing he calls the “world” in chapter 2,
verse 2. Pastor Josh talked about that verse where God says that Jesus
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins
of the whole world.
It’s the only time that John mentions this thing called “world” up to this point. But now,
in three verses, he is going to light it up six different times. If you are using your Bible
Study booklets that we have given to you, hopefully you observed that. Circle, circle,
circle world, world, world, world, world. Now, what is it that John is referencing when he
talks about the world? In the Bible, this term is used in three primary ways. This term
“world” is used to refer to the natural universe, the world of creation. John would say that
Jesus
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did
not know him.
This term is also used to refer to the people who live in the world, in this earth. And of
course in John 3:16, John uses it that way.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It’s right and good for believers to love the world in these two senses. We’re right to
rejoice in God’s creation. We see Jesus doing that. He rejoiced in the lilies of the field
and the birds of the air. It’s right also for us to love the people who live on the earth. God
certainly does. He loves the world so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die so
that there could be hope.
But then there is this third sense of this term “world,” and that’s the way that John uses
this term here. It’s a moral or ethical sense. He is referencing the world as a society who
opposes Jesus’ rule. This term is used to refer to a culture or a system that rejects God’s
rule and that is hostile to Him. This world system of rebellion has its own values. It has
its own pleasures. It has its own priorities. It has its own desires and its goals. And these
values, pleasures, priorities, desires and goals stand against the values, pleasures,
priorities, desires and goals of God and His kingdom. So these are two in opposition. And
this world that owns these values, priorities, pleasures, desires and goals seek to wrestle
control over this entire sphere of God’s created universe. And so there is a war that is
taking place from the very beginning of sin entering the world with Adam and Eve. There
is a war that is taking place between these two systems; the kingdom of God and the
kingdom of this world.
Our new life in Jesus creates new desires within us. These new desires are contrary to the
desires of this world. The world hates anyone who aligns with the values, the pleasures,
the priorities, goals and desires of God. It hates such ones because that person stands as a
source of resistance to the complete control of the world over all creation. So it goes after
such a one. There is tremendous pressure from the world to conform to this system. So
friend, we must not try to be free of the love of the world first until we have received new
life in Christ. It’s just too overwhelming and we’re too weak. It’s impossible to overcome
the world and love of the world and the things of the world until the love of the Father is
in us. We may as well hope to find apples growing on pine trees or get grape juice from
squeezing bananas. It’s just impossible! It can’t happen! But thank God that everyone
who is in Christ has been granted new life. It is such life that qualifies us for everything
pertaining to that life and to godliness. That is our inheritance.
So first, at the outset, the beginning part of this message, we have to ask: Have you
believed in Jesus? Have you received new life in your soul? Otherwise this message has
no application and no hope for application until that change, that grace has been received.
The second idea that we want to trace through this passage is that
II. Our new desires fight against the old desires of the world.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and
pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
When my sons were in grade school and high school, I often quoted these verses to them
as they headed out the door in the morning to school. I knew that they were entering into
hostile territory. It was hostile not so much physically or even emotionally or
academically, but it was hostile spiritually to their soul. They were entering a sphere, a
culture that is not friendly to the Jesus way of life. And if they were not aware of the
battle that they were about to enter, they would be overcome by it. And by the way, I
quoted these verses to them when they went to Dunlap and when they went to PCS. And I
quoted these verses to them even when they were being homeschooled. You see, the
world is everywhere. We cannot isolate ourselves from the world. The world is here. It’s
pressing in against us even now inside the assembly of the saints. I knew that my boys
had new life through faith in Jesus. I thank God for the testimony they had early and
God’s work of grace, God’s answer to our prayers. I know that’s all a work of grace. But
I also knew that they needed to fight if they were to win against the forces that were
squeezing them into a mold that is contrary to God.
What a gracious word God gives us here! This is not a command given to a people who
are looking for loopholes. This is a command given to people who say, “I have a new
desire. That’s a desire to live for God. Help me!” And God says, “I’m going to help you.
Here is my Word. I’m going to give you a command that’s going to be really helpful to
you. It’s going to be strengthening. It’s going to be encouraging. It’s going to be
uplifting.” In this broken world, though we are made new in Christ, we still battle these
three great enemies of God. And John talks about them right here in this passage. The
three enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. He talked about the devil in verse 14
when he says
1 John 2:14 I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God
abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
He talks about the world here. And in verse 16, he talks about the desires of the flesh. So
why does God give this command to a people who have already been given new life? The
answer is because God’s commands, along with His promises, are a means of grace.
They’re a means of strength, of nourishment to help us in our fight against the world, the
flesh and the devil.
New life in Christ eliminates the certainty that we will love the world. However, new life
in Christ does not eliminate the possibility that we will love the world. Do you catch that?
It’s possible to live a very low-level abysmal Christian life that has much of the love of
the world in it. And we must fight if we would win; if we would make progress toward
glory, toward goodness, toward joy. So God gives us gracious commands for the same
reason that a king gives a sword and a shield to his mighty warriors. The warriors need
weapons in order to fight if they are to stay alive in the midst of the battle. The battle is
hot and they don’t want to go off into battle with no weapons. That would be terrible to
have no weapons!
Now if a king gave a weapon to a person who doesn’t believe there is a battle going on
and doesn’t believe that they should be fighting, or doesn’t want to fight at all in that
battle, then a sword and a shield is not a gift. It’s like, “What do you mean? I have to lug
these things around every day? That’s terrible! It’s heavy. It’s clunky. It’s not
fashionable.” And many times, believers take that kind of attitude toward God’s
commands. They view them as a gift from a king that they don’t need, they don’t want,
and they think these gifts kind of mess up their life a little bit.
But if you are a believer who understands that there is a battle on to wage war against
your soul, against the joy, against the hope, against the love and against the peace of your
life, against your eternal future and your eternal reward, your eternal good, then you say,
“I’m going to take a different view of God’s commands. I’m not going to take a view of
God’s commands that says, ‘That’s kind of tough. I’m looking for a loophole here. I’m
looking for a way out or around it. If I could find a way around it, then I might be able to
have a real good life.’” A person who has new life in Christ looks at God’s commands
and says, “Those are weapons in my arsenal. I’m going to need them because there’s a
real battle, there’s a real world, there’s a real flesh inside of me, a principle, and there’s a
real devil that is prowling around to devour me. And if I don’t have weapons, I’m going
to be completely lost. I’m going to be undone.”
Skip forward to 1 John chapter 5.
1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and
obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.
He’s talking about this new life. I love this here because it’s such an important line to
memorize and to understand and to know as a Christian. It’s so strengthening. He says
1 John 5:3 And his commandments are not burdensome.
To whom are the commandments of God not burdensome? The answer is to God’s
children. God’s commandments are terribly burdensome for those outside of His family.
They are terribly and overwhelmingly burdensome because all God’s commandments do
to a person who is not in Christ is condemn. But to a person who is in Christ, these aren’t
burdensome. These are life-giving principles. These are so helpful. These are so
enriching. These are so encouraging. These are so motivating. John goes on to say
1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
The life of God in our soul changes God’s commands from being tedious burdens, to
becoming life giving weapons. There are two reasons why God’s commands are now
viewed as friends to help us and not troublers to perturb us. And I would ask you, too, by
the way, how have you viewed God’s law up to this point? Have you viewed it as sort of
a trouble in your life that you kind of say, “Okay, I guess it’s there. I guess I should do
this.” Or do you say, “These are friends. They’re not burdensome. They’re not hurtful to
me. They’re really helpful to my life.”
There are two reasons why children of God view God’s commands as friends. One is that
we can now obey God’s commands. In other words, God gives us victory over the power
of sin, over the devil, over this world. In Christ, we have grace to obey them. And
secondly, we are no longer deceived by sin. God gives light to see that the sins which
these commands teach us to avoid and the righteousness that the commands teach us to
follow, that those sins only bring death and that righteousness only enhances our life. So
we’re no longer deceived. We understand the root of the command is God’s goodness.
Now, the world is not going to let us off without a fight. John says
1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
Followers of Jesus are peace loving men and women, but the world won’t cease to come
after us and pressure us to conform.
I love this translation that J. B. Phillips gives to Romans 12:1-2. Paul also talks about the
world here. And I love it because it’s so picturesque. I read it when I was in high school
and it still has captured my imagination and is still with me. He says
Romans 12:1 (JB Phillips Translation) With eyes wide open to the mercies of God,
That’s this new life. That’s where we start. Before we look at God’s commands, we have
to have God’s new life. And it’s ever with viewing God’s commands through the mercies
of God. He says
Romans 12:1-2 (JB Phillips Translation) I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent
worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable
by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-
mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for
you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
I like that where he says “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” If you’ve ever
played with Play-Doh, you understand what squeezing into a mold is. And if you haven’t
played with Play-Doh, you gotta go out and get some Play-Doh because it is awesome!
(Laughter!) You get some Play-Doh. You have a mold. You squeeze it, and out comes a
dinosaur or a butterfly. It becomes whatever that mold is shaped. And that’s the idea. The
world sees us as Play-doh and it has its mold that says, “This is what the values and
pleasures are that I want to squeeze you into so that you fit in with everybody else.” And
everything around us in this world is squeezing us; from media, to people, to just work.
Everything is squeezing and saying, “You have to conform to this world. We have to get
everybody the same. And if you don’t conform, I’m going to be really mad at you.”
I remember when I was in junior high, my buddies and I loved playing basketball. We
had a great time together. Someone brought in the summer, this big cooler. I didn’t know
what the cooler had. I thought it had a bunch of water in it. Silly me! Afterwards, they
popped it open and there was all this beer. We’re 8th
graders and they’re all slaking it
down. I’m saying, “No thanks.” I’m still talking with them and I’m still hanging out, but
they’re slaking all this beer down. And one of them was quite a bit bigger than myself.
He got really mad at me for not drinking beer. Now, I didn’t find him to be overly
generous before, but he really, really, really wanted me to have a beer. And he popped it
open, he stuck it in my chest, and he said, “We’re going to make you drink this!” Why
would he do that? Why would he care? It’s the same reason why people care that you
would conform to every thought, every motive, every value, every goal. “You have got to
come along and be like us.” For the Christian to follow Christ, just that life is a
repudiation and the world won’t have it. The world understands that there’s a war.
Christian, we have to understand that there is a war!
How might I engage in this battle? Every one of these could be a sermon. Let me just
recite these very quickly. Keep God’s mercies in view. That is verses 12-14.
1 John 2:12-14 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his
name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the
beginning…I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God
abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Before he says “don’t love the world,” he says, “I want you to know that your sins are
forgiven. And fathers, I want you to know that you have known the Father from the
beginning. That’s your relationship with Him. And young men, I commend you that God
has given you strength. You’re strong. He has given you the Word. Abide in that Word.
You’ve overcome the evil one. Keep God’s mercies in view.”
Secondly, feed the new affections that God has given you. Abide in God’s Word. Don’t
just sprinkle a couple Scriptures here and there, but saturate your life with God’s Word.
It’s impossible to overcome the saturation of the world around us if we don’t saturate
ourselves in the Gospel.
Third, press into knowing God and enjoying Him. The more we know Him the more we
will love Him. The more we love Him, the less we will be tempted by this world that
offers nothing in comparison to Him.
Fourth, be ruthless and courageous in putting away anything that stimulates sinful
passions. Jesus says
Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
Fifth, keep looking to Jesus in faith. We’re not our own Savior. He is! Look to Him
constantly. Wonder at His death. Rejoice in His resurrection. Rest in His loving care.
Rely upon His intercession. Submit to His authority. Obey His commands. Trust in His
presence. Keep looking to Jesus. He’s your Savior. Don’t try to be your own Savior in
this.
Sixth, pray with faith, pressing God for victory. Persevere in those prayers. Wait on the
Lord in those prayers. Know that He hears you. And if we ask in faith and we keep
asking and keep asking, He will give us victory.
Seventh, know that God is with you. He will not leave you. He will never forsake you.
He is with you even as He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when the world
squeezed them and said, “You have to bow down to the idol.”
This response from Nebuchadnezzar was so hostile. They were thrown into this flaming
fire. Nebuchadnezzar was looking on and wanting to see them burn up. But all that
burned was their ropes, and Nebuchadnezzar was shocked! He looks down into the fire
and what does he see? He sees another who is walking with them. And that one had an
image of glory like “a son of the gods,” he says. That’s Jesus! That’s a picture. That story
is for us. The world is Nebuchadnezzar squeezing and saying, “You better bow down to
this idol. If you don’t, we’re going to make you pay.” We get thrown into the furnace and
suffer, but we know that Jesus is with us. And their faith is so great. “We might die, but
we might not. I don’t think we will, but even if we die, Jesus is faithful.” That’s it. That’s
the Gospel. That’s what we believe.
III. The old desires of the world are obvious.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and
pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
The lust of the flesh is any appetite that appeals to our physical senses and replaces our
hunger for God. That’s what the lust of the flesh is. Commonly, these lusts chase after
sensual sins related to sex and substances and shiny stuff.
Then there is the lust of the eyes. The lust of the eyes is a focus that desires things we
don’t have, and that blinds us to the goodness of God. Commonly, this lust chases sins
related to coveting and greed. “Oh, that person has something I don’t have. I think I want
it.” It’s what the eyes appeal to, especially when others have stuff we don’t have or have
blessings that we don’t have.
And then there is the pride of life. This is the outward display of our possessions, gifts or
accomplishments in order to convince ourselves and others that our life is valuable. It is
that internal longing for others to notice us for who we are, what we have done, and what
we offer in this world. It’s a little boy saying, “Mommy, daddy, look, look, look!” It’s
that attitude of “I want to be noticed for me and my accomplishments and that I am
worthwhile.”
And the Gospel comes along and it replaces all of these desires with something that is
eternal, something that is abiding. With the lust of the flesh, we are given a desire for
God, a delighting in Him. Replacing the lust of the eyes, we’re able to see God and we’re
able to enjoy Him and see His kingdom and see His work. With the pride of life, we’re
able to boast in the Lord. Jeremiah would say
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let
not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him
who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who
practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I
delight, declares the LORD.”
And that command again, is one of those gracious commands. It’s not burdensome. Why
would I boast in the things that are passing away when I have something so glorious to
boast in? I don’t want attention drawn to me or my accomplishments. I want it drawn to
God because I have nothing apart from God. So I would encourage you to examine your
life. Are there any lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes or boastful pride of life that is
robbing you of fellowship with God? If so, make war, not peace with it!
Friends, we have to remember what life is and why we are here. Life is all about knowing
God. It’s all about enjoying Him. It’s all about becoming like Him. It’s all about telling
others of Him, both those who are in the family and those who are out. That’s what life is
about. That’s what gives us meaning and purpose. Let me use an illustration and I’ll close
with this. And with that, last words about what abides forever.
I’m not a huge boxing fan, but I’ve taken notice last week of this heavyweight boxing
match between a guy, American, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. These two guys were
undefeated, so boxing is now on the front page again. A year ago, they boxed and they
tied. So these two undefeated guys who tied a year ago were going to be boxing again.
Everybody thought the American was going to win because he was so much more
powerful and quicker. And so that’s what everyone assumed would happen. But boxing
experts from the very first ring of the bell when the boxing match started, they were
observing something about the American. They observed that he was slower. They said it
seemed like “he had no legs.” And sure enough, this cost him all the way until he was
technically knocked out by this man from Britain.
Afterwards, the American was trying to explain what happened. And I think this
contributes so much. I don’t think he was trying to make excuses. He was trying to make
an explanation. He said, “I let fashion designers design the costume for me that I was
going to walk out in.” Because you know, it’s all theater. “And this costume that they
designed for me weighed forty pounds. I put this costume on.” And he also had a mask
where he wasn’t able to breathe very well. And it was a long walk. It was really cool
walking down. He got down to the middle and he said, “I took off the costume and all of
a sudden I just felt tired.” It was like he had boxed several rounds before he started.
Now again, I don’t know the accuracy of his analysis there, but Wilder wasn’t there to
participate in a fashion show. There is nothing wrong with having a costume. He’s just
not there for that. He’s there for one purpose; get in the ring and box. That’s why he is
there! If you do anything else that hurts you in that, then you need to get rid of it. And I
think that’s so often what is happening to us as Christians. I think that’s why so much
worldliness is in us. We think, “Well, there’s nothing wrong with putting on a costume.
There’s nothing wrong with doing this or that.” But if it’s weighing you down so that
when this battle against the world and the flesh and the devil is such that you’re tired
already before you get in the fight, we have forgotten why we’re here. Why are we here?
To know God! Why are we here? To live for His glory! Why are we here? To proclaim
His Name! That’s why we’re here. And it is a fight! Do not let yourself get distracted or
worn down by anything that keeps you from this, the one thing that lasts forever. I’ll
close with verse 17. John says
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.
We sing a song called Give Me Jesus.
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus
May that be our song, the song of our hearts as we apply the gospel every day!
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 desires of the flesh and the
desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.
That’s our promise!