Spiritual Development Lesson 10
An Honest Look at the Church t the Chruch and the World.
I am writing to you, little children, becauseyour sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you knowhim who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, becauseyou have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children, becauseyou know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you knowhim who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, becauseyou are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
1John 2:12-14
If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him,
and he who has thesmile of the ungodly must look for the frown of God.
C.H. Spurgeon
Introduction: Don’t take the harsh words personally. Believers are not in darkness. The new age has dawned:
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34
“The impulse to write thus does not spring from doubt of their Christian standing or of their progress in Christian experience, but that, on the contrary, it is his confidence in their Christian character and attainments that inspire him to write as he does. The motive of the address is, in the first place, apologetic and conciliatory – to obviate possible misunderstandings, or even possible offense.”
Robert Law; The Tests of Life, 1968.
Interpretive Problems
A. John’s Audience 1 John 2:12-14
“Little Children” - “Fathers” - “Young Men”
1. Three ways of looking at all Christians
C.H. Dodd William Barclay
2. Three separate categories of Christians
Children - recent knowledge of God and exuberance over forgiven sin
Fathers - over time, the gift of wisdom and a deeper walk
Young men - the front line of the church’s spiritual warfare
Augustine John Stott F.F. Bruce
3. Only two categories under all “little” or “dear” children
Robert Law Brooke Westcott Alexander Ross
John Calvin Martin Luther
1 Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
Col 1:28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ
B. The Change of tense
“I write” “I have written” NKJV NASV
The present letter - a previous letter
The present letter - the earlier part of the present letter
The present letter - resumed after an interruption
“I am writing” “I write” ESV
“I write” “I write” NIV
First he writes - then confirms
I. Evaluation of the Church
A. Children 2:12a; 13:c
1. because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
Isa 43:25 I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake ; And I will not remember your sins.
2. because you know the Father.
Rom 8:15-16
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
B. Fathers 2:13a; 14a
because you know him who is from the beginning.
1. The process
2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Heb 5:11-14
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil.
2. The product
Ps 90:1-2
1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
(The Fathers) “...are already consciously living in eternity” Stott
C. Young Men 2:13b; 14b
because you have overcome the evil one.
Ps 119:9-11
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
“Satan’s primary emphasis is not on tempting individuals to sin, but on working through manifold false religious systems to deceive the world and lead most to damnation.” MacArthur
Martin Luther nails his 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg Church 34
George Muller Started his first orphanage in Bristol England 27
John Bunyan jailed for preaching without permission and wrote Pilgrim’s Progress 32
William Booth founded the Salvation Army 36
David Brainard set out to convert the American Indian 25 (died at 29)
William Carey went to India and started the modern missionary era 32
1 Tim 4:12 Let no one despise your youth , but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
II. Evaluation of the World 1 John 2:15-17
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.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—
is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
John turns from abruptly from assurances about his readers position to warnings about their behavior.
A. Don’t love the world
1. The what? So what does “world” mean ? (from lesson 7)
1. The physical earth
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Acts 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,
2. Hyperbole
John 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.
Look, the world has gone after Him!"
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
3. Every person on the earth
Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
4. Every people group that dwells on the earth
2 Cor 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them,
and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain,
and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
5. “The life of human society as organized under the power of evil” Dodd
“The order of finite being regarded as apart from God” Westcott
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
John 14:30 ...for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
John 16:11 ...of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
2 Cor 4:4 ...whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe,
Eph 2:2 ...you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
Rev 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;
Reconciling John 3:16 with 1 John 2:15
1. the nuance (and context) of “world”
John 3:16 Viewed as people. Mankind as a race. People in every people group for whom Christ died
1 John 2:15 Viewed as an evil system under the power of Satan
2. the nuance (and context) of love
John 3:16 the holy love of redemption (to save sinners)
1 John 2:15 the selfish love of participation (to share in sin)
B. Don’t emulate the world
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—
is not from the Father but is from the world.
1. desires of the flesh our own sin nature with its selfish cravings (internal)
“It is to live a life which is dominated by the senses. It is to be gluttonous in food; effeminate in luxury; slavish in pleasure; lustful and lax in morals; selfish in the use of possessions; regardless of all spiritual values; extravagant in the gratification of worldly, earthly and material desires. The flesh’s desire is forgetful of, blind to, or regardless of the commandments of God.” Barclay
2. desires of the eyes temptation to covet keeping up (external)
“The tendency to be captivated by the outward show of things, without inquiring into their real values” C.H. Dodd
I.E. Eve’s view of the forbidden fruit Genesis 3:6
Achan’s view of the spoils of Jericho Joshua 7:21
David’s view of Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11:2
Our view of TV commercials, billboards, magazine ads, the next door neighbor’s greener yard
“The love of beauty divorced from the love of goodness” Robert Law
3. the pride of life ESV
the boasting of what he has and does NIV
“one who is a conceited, pretentious humbug” Dodd
“one who seeks to impress everyone with his own non-existent importance.” Barclay
How close to sin can you get without getting burned? Lessons from the Grand Canyon
“It does not matter what you may think of it, but I am certain that grace is at a low ebb in your soul when you even raise the question of how far you may go in worldlyconformity.
I will not attempt to point my finger at any of my brethren, or expose their faults, buta man must be blind not to perceive that many Christians do their utmost to be asworldly as they can be consistently with their idea of getting to heaven at last.” Spurgeon
C. Why not?
1. It is incompatible with love for the Father
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life —
is not of the Father but is of the world.
James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God
Matt 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke 18:22-23
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
2. The world is transient
1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Ps 39:6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
1 Peter 1:24 All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
Ps 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
Prov 10:25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
John 10:28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
III. Conclusion
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.