1 John 2:15-17 Beware Of What You Love

Do not love the world! What do you think of when you hear this command? What does worldliness look like? To define worldliness, most of us would point to something “out there,” (and that is not incorrect), but John will define the world we must not love as desires and attitudes within our hearts. He will define the world with the phrases, “the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Therefore, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” is not a call to a stricter list of rules or behaviors to avoid, but an invitation to examine what our hearts truly desire and pursue. Last week, in verses 12-14, John told the believers who they were. Children whose sins are forgiven, Fathers who know Him who is from the beginning, and young men who are strong and have overcome the evil one. Now, in 1 John 2:15-17, John warns us not to love the world because we are all becoming increasingly like whatever we love, and what we love will shape the direction of our lives. So, he calls us to guard what we love and do not love. Sunday, we will examine how we discipline and cultivate proper and improper love, and guard against the values, attitudes, and philosophies that center on self (which is how John defines “worldliness”). We will walk through John’s command not to love the world, his explanation of what worldliness looks like at the heart level, and the promise for those whose hearts have been changed by the gospel to love and follow Christ. Ultimately, this passage points us back to the gospel itself, since only God’s transforming love can reorder our affections and free us from chasing after what is passing away. I. The Command To Not Love The World (v. 15) II. The Characteristics of Love For The World (v. 16) III. The Consequence Of Love For The World (v. 17)