In this series, given in the early days of Waverley Christian Fellowship, Kevin Conner teaches through the New Testament letter of 1 John.
Be sure to get a copy of Kevin’s book on this topic. Visit www.kevinconner.org/1John for details.
Kevin Conner Teaches
Jewels from 1 John (Part 5)
In this podcast series, given in the early days of Waverly Christian Fellowship, Kevin Conner teaches through the New Testament letter of One John. Be sure to get a copy of Kevin's new book on this topic, visit KevinConner.org/OneJohn for details. In two weeks, two sessions on this area together, we've only got three verses, but I thought that the importance of this area in John's epistle that we should spend two weeks on us. We're going to read 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15 through to 17. 1 John chapter 2 and verses 15 through to 17, and why don't we again read it as a congregation? All together, love not the world, need are the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world calls it away and the lust thereof, that he that doeth the will of God abides forever. Now let's get somebody, don't we, eh? Who wants to abide forever? The only way a person can abide forever is doing what? The will of God. We spent several weeks on the will of God. Alright, now, just to sort of without taking too much time to sort of review areas we've been covering. Just the last session, or the last couple of sessions I want to bring you out here, you'll notice the progression we're going to be picking up now in verses 12 to 14, which we spent two weeks on really, the enemy there that we were looking at was, where John said, "Right unto your young men, because you are strong, and you have overcome the wicked one." Right under your little children, because in the initial stages, they've known their sins forgiven, just the initial salvation experience. Right under your fathers, because you've known him from the beginning, their concept, and understanding God's purpose goes way back to the beginning, and into the eternal purpose of God. Right under your young men, because you're strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you've overcome the wicked one. So the enemy in verses 12 through to 14, particularly here, is the wicked one, the devil himself. Now, in the section we just read now, verses 15 to 17, you'll find that the key word in this section is the word world. Just run for you, that passage again, and tell me how many times the word world is used. Verses 15 to 17. And then you say 5. How many say 6? 6 is heaven. Love not the world. Don't love the things that are in the world. Many men love the world. A love of the Father is not in him, for all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the Father is not of the Father, but he's of the world. And the world passes, or literally is passing away, and the lust thereof. But he that deals the will of God will abide forever. So we have the wicked one, and the world, we've got to be spending two sessions on this air, and then after next week, we want to go in the next session, verses 18 through to 29. The theme of this section is the antichrist, or the antichrist, singular and plural, which we'll deal with. So once you sort of notice progression here, the wicked one, the world, the antichrist. So the night and next week we're going to be dealing with this air, then the following week we'll be attaching a bit on this area. So enemies, enemies within the church. Now, enemies of the church has to overcome. We've seen the progression of John's epistle of life and life and fellowship, and walking in the light and the blood of Jesus, and then stages of spiritual growth, love and hatred, hatred and light, light and love, I mean hatred and darkness and so forth. Then the three spiritual stages of spiritual development. Now we're getting into conflict enemies, overcoming the wicked ones, overcoming the world, and overcoming the antichrist. All right now, as we've sort of been going through, in each of these there is sort of a keyword that sort of gives us the key thought that John's trying to get across. Now, I want to sort of define this word world a little bit because someone asked me last week about it, and it was a very good question, and I'm not going to try and baffle you with Greek, but I do want you to take this down because, as we're going to see in a moment here, one of the keywords in John's epistle, as well as John's gospel is this word world. And we need to define right at the start, because what we're going to be dealing with tonight or next week is this worldliness, the evil trio, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of art, is not of the father, but that evil trio is of the world. So we need to define clearly what we mean by world, a worldliness. There are many churches that are worldly churches, and any church is a worldly church, and we'll be defining that in due time. Let's just turn over to a verse in Revelation 12, a moment, Revelation 12, or is it Chapter 13? It's Chapter 12, Revelation 12, just for a moment. And I want to say it again before I read the verse, any church that is a worldly church that has Christ in one hand and worldlyness, in the other hand, is open to deception. Now listen to Revelation 12, we all love Revelation 12, I think we do. We think we have a few ideas about it. The verse 9, don't forget that. And the great dragon was cast out that all serpent called the devil in Satan, which deceived it the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels would cast out with him. So the world is going more and more, further and further into deception. So when you get a church that is a worldly church, then that church having Christ in one hand and worldlyness in the other, which we're going to be defining, then that church is open to deception. That believer is open to deception. So I think you know me enough by now. Those of you who know me for 20 years are a strong person and a strong believer in holiness and separation from the world and worldlyness. And there's so much worldlyness that creeps into the church, so much worldlyness that attacks our young people. And we can think we can have Christ in one hand and worldlyness in the other. Well, the moment we do that, we leave ourselves open to deception. So we want to be looking at some of those areas. So we need to define what John means, love not the world. Does he mean the world out there, the pretty flowers and the birds and the bees and the ducks and everything like that? Is he talking about that world? Okay, let's look at four Greek words. And I'm just going to take it slowly tonight because two areas we're going to be covering in our session tonight. So I won't try and baffle you with Greek or anything like that, but not to confuse you at least. All right, there's four Greek words for the word world, and this information, the fourth one which you've got on your sheet, but I thought I needed to at least define these others. This is all from Vincent's Word Studies. Okay, the first Greek word we have for world, it's translated world in the King Jimmy's translation, a gay word about the Greek there. You don't want to, but land, ground, territory, and it refers to the earth as the distinguished word from heaven. I will be done in earth as it is in heaven is just the land, the ground, the territory. So we had that Greek word, gay, translated world. Then another word we have, another Greek word here, and number two here is Oiko, Oiko Manae, might help me. John. Oh, all right, Oiko Manae. Anyway, it's awkward, whatever it is. Ah, I had one year of Greek and it was about it, but that word anyway, Greek, Oiko Manae, that means the inhabited world. And for instance, one example, that Matthew 24 verse 14, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for witness. It's the inhabited world. You don't go preaching out to the land or the ground. When Jeremiah said, "Oh earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." Does he talk about the ground having ears? Or is he talking about us who are made from earth? I mean, no, he's talking about us. Okay, the third Greek word we have here is I own, I own it, I own it. And it simply means a time or a period of existence at age, like Galatians 1 verse 4 is one example where Paul speaks of this present evil world, this present evil age. So I am with you unto the end of the world. It doesn't mean the end of the world means the end of the age. So, but it's translated in our pinky new translations as this I own it, maybe it's something like that anyway. So we've got land, ground territory, the earth is distinguished from heaven, and then the inhabited world, and then a third Greek word here referring to an age, the time period of existence and age, and then the fourth one, this is the one that we're looking at. Everybody finish with the first three. All right, this is the one we're looking at and this is the word that is using John. Let me raise this up a little bit then. This is the word cosmos, cosmos, cosmonauts. Greek word, cosmos, and it has this meaning, ornaments, a range, and order. First Peter chapter three, we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, a new arrangement, a new order. B, it also refers to the sum total of the material universe as a system. Now we're getting to it, the world system, the sum total of the material universe as a system. We'll look at some very good scriptures on this in a moment here. C, it also includes the thought of that universe as the abode of men, John 16, and I John 3 16. God so loved the world, that he loved the planet earth, or that universe as the abode of men. And then under D here, it also has the thought of the sum total of humanity in the world, or the human race, very much like John 1 29 is an example. He holds the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And by the world there, he means not the late planet earth, but the sum total of humanity in the world, the human race. All right, so this is the word we're looking at, cosmos. Now, under E here on the sheet the hand out I thought tonight, rather than you try and take so much of this down, I'd be gracious. And by the way, brother Richard and sister Gary said, they loved everybody, they were going to come to the meeting tonight, but at about 6 30, he suddenly felt led the lady for the Lord. And we said, well, you do that. And so he's looking forward to seeing all the family on Sunday. This, we're going to get off on the machine, reminded me. All right, now under E here, as per sheet, in ethical sense, the sum total of human life in the order world, considered apart from, alienated from, and hostile to God and of the earthly things which seduce from God. I'd like you all to read that. How about everybody reading that with me? Okay, let me get down to clear a sheet. I was reading my writing then. All right, so this is what John is using. So when he says, love not the world, not the things that are in the world, the things in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the father is of the world. And the world is passing away. And the lust there are. But only those who do the will of God are going to buy forever. So that's the thought in under E that we have when we're talking about the world. Okay, let's all read it together. Don't worry about the Greek words. In ethical sense, the sum total of human life in the ordered world, considered apart from, and alienated from, and hostile to God and of the earthly things which seduce from God. Okay, so that's what he's talking about now. Very interesting that this word cosmos is particularly John's word. For instance, it's only used nine times in Matthew Gospel, three times in Mark's Gospel, three times in Luke's Gospel only once in the book of Acts. But John's Gospel uses this word 79 times. And in his epistle, he uses at least 22 times. So when he's talking about the world, he's talking about the world system. So let's be final simply in that way. He's not talking about the material world, but he's talking about the world system that's in hostility towards God. So I'd like you to sort of take that and that's sort of sums up all I want to do on the Greek stuff here. So let me say it again. The world system in hostility towards God. So when he says love not the world nor the things that are in the world and everything that's in the world is none of the Father, he's talking about that world system that's in hostility towards God. So that's what we're talking about the world. Okay, everybody clear on that? The world system that's in hostility towards God. All right, now I'd like you to go through some scriptures with me on this before we sort of go into the next area of our session tonight. Let's go to... let's see, we'll go to John's epistle. First John chapter 2 verse 2. Now these are just scriptures I'm giving you on this word world or cosmos. First John 2 verse 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins, not for our only, but also for the sins of the whole world. So Jesus Christ died for the whole world, the human race. Okay, chapter 3 and verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world, nor does not because it knew him not. The world didn't recognize him, the world system. There was a hostile towards him, and the world doesn't know us as the sons of God. The world knows us not because it didn't know him. Chapter 3 verse 13. Marvel not my brethren, if the world hates you, and the world hates Christians. They taught me somebody last week, guess that you were. They just hate you, some of them, just the very fact that you were Christians, just the very fact that you don't enter into the banning and gambling and lot of ease and everything like that. Even if you say nothing, just your life is a conviction to them, because what they do, the very fact that you don't enter in with them, that makes them feel they wrong. So they're not going to like it. So he says don't marvel about it if people hate you, the world system, it hated Jesus Christ. Chapter 4 and verse 1. Beloved believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Verse 3, the latter part, and even now already is it in the world. Thank the Lord for verse 4. Year of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And then chapter 5 and verse 4, for whatsoever is born of God, chapter 5 verse 4, for whatsoever is born of God, overcome with the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, and even our faith. Chapter 5 verse 19. That is pretty heavy, this one. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. The world system, that's hostile towards God, lies in wickedness. So we're diametrically opposed. The people of God, the Christians, the sons of God, and the world system, we're diametrically opposed. Amen? So how can we love the world and the things that are in the world? All right, let me give you a several from John's gospel. And I'm not going to turn it to them because I want to move on the next day. John chapter 7 verse 7. John chapter 7 verse 7. Jesus said, the world hated me. The world doesn't love Jesus Christ. The world hates Jesus Christ. So how can we love the world and hates Christ? We can't. John 14 verse 30. He said, the prince of this world is coming. The prince of this world is coming. Satan is the prince of this world. So when a Christian loves the world, then he's putting himself under the ground of the prince of the world. John 1715. This is a tremendous scripture. I'd like you to turn to this one actually and see this one. And it's a scripture that the Lord burned into my heart and into my wife and my heart too over the years for kids down in Mark particularly. And I just want to encourage you parents to pray and everyday children. I don't think there's a day went by probably when our children were insured that we didn't play this prayer. John 17 verse 15. I pray not that thou should have taken them out of the world, but that thou should have keep them from the east. And we used to pray that didn't we, George. It was just a repetition prayer every day. We laid hands on Jonah and Mark as they went to school. We said, Lord keep them from the east world. Keep them from the east world. Keep them from the east world. I think we pray that every day of their life that they went to. I'm going to have a good prayer for parents to pray. Keep them from the evil. Don't take them out of the well by a sneaky raptor. But keep them from the evil. That's in this well. I'd like to encourage you parents to do it over all your children. Galatians 6, 5, 14. I won't turn into it. Galatians 6, 14 pauses. The world is crucified. I am crucified to the world and the world system and everything is hostile to the Lord's God and crucified to the world. And the world is crucified to me. Colossians 2, 8. He says we are to be aware of the fluffy of the world. And so I propose today when we think of the humanistic philosophy, the philosophy of the world that is anti-God and anti-Christ and anti-mora and moral. The philosophy of the world, Colossians 2, verse 8. Galatians chapter 4, 1 5th young world on the world. Just to understand, we're talking about the world system. No, James, I'm sorry, James 4, 4. Let's turn to James 4, 4. Take a look at this one. James 4. James 4, 4, and he says he adulterers and adulterers know enough that the friendship of the world, this world system that is hostile to the Lord's God, know enough that the friendship of the world is enmity with God, who is to wherever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. So how can Christians have God in one hand and the world in the other? I'm going to warm in this end of the church and so we're going to use the things of the world to get the world. I believe that the bride of Christ is going to be a church that's separated from world in this and everything of that world. Amen? The world hated my Christ, still hates it. If Jesus were here today, the world would crucify him again and you know who would head up the crucifixion and the league just lead it. I headed up back there and the league just lead us haven't changed because Jesus would go in so many synagogues and upset the little theological apple cards and they crucify him. He hasn't been through our theological centiparies. They wouldn't give him credentials. How many think Jesus would get credentials today in the obvious church? Get the left for the fellowship. All right, now going to your sheet here, you can put that off. Thanks, so go to your sheet here. We'll start filling in the first two things here and then I want to go on your sheet here. We're going to spend the rest of our, well, our time just moves here. We're going to spend the rest of the time on this process of sin. But in your first column here, you've got the word temptation, temptation. All right, now John is talking about the things in the world. Let's see what he's saying again. Love not the world and don't love the things that are in the world. There's not talking about flowers and birds and bees and all that type of thing. My wife loves all those things that when the bees things. He's talking about that world system, that world system that's hostile towards Jesus Christ and things of God. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. You cannot love the world and love the Father at the same time. For all that is in the world and then he lists this trigunity. All right, so your first block is last of the flesh. Last of the flesh. Second block here, last of the eyes. Well, this is just powerful here. Last of the eyes and the third area, the pride of life. Pride of life. Now the temptations that we experience as Christians and where we have to overcome. Last of the flesh. Last of the eyes. Pride of life. Now we're going to be dealing with this in a moment here. All right, the next column we have is first verse 11 in chapter 5, 23. And there we see that Paul plays. He says, "I pray of God that your whole spirit and soul and body be holy sanctified. Paul's sanctification, total sanctification, holiness, separation from the world. You'll be holy sanctified. And this sanctification, this life of holiness, has to touch the whole man." All right, now these three things. And I'd like you to turn to to, let's see, Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 here. Hebrews 4 verse 15 quickly. Hebrews 4 verse 15. Oh, and then it's a prayer. Yeah. Right. But we have not on high priest, which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Now I've asked this question before, but I'd like to ask again, make sure we're all got it. How many points can a person be tempted in? Three and three only. The points that we are tempted in, and Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, there are temptations of the flesh of the body, lust of the flesh. Temptations of the soul has been said that the eyes are the windows of the soul and temptations of the spirit. Now man was created to try him being, we'll fill in the next column because the next columns are going to be examples of the principle I want to get across tonight. All right. So the lust of the flesh that appeals to the body, the lust of the eyes that appeal to the soul and the pride of life that appeals to the spirit. So man is triune and his temptations are triune. The worldliness, the trio, the evil trinity, the evil trio, and this is what the world appeals to, appeals to the body, the soul, the spirit, appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, pride of life. Anybody see that? So all our temptations fall in one of those groupings, and we haven't got time to develop this tonight, but when generally as a younger Christian, your greatest temptations, you've got to overcome them in this area of the flesh and the body. As you get older, you'll find temptation becomes more subtle. I found it in my life more subtle, overcoming here temptations in the soul. What are those temptations? Now I'm 54. I find my greatest temptations are probably in this area. The devil never leaves you alone. Do you think the devil leaves me alone? How many know the devil like me? He loves me like poison. He loves you like poison. So don't think Kevin Connor behind the pulpit preaching up here like a mighty man of God is free from temptation. If you go above the kind of the devil never touches him, you ask him that. He, he has access to me. So don't think God's free for me. You are all the people open to the victims of the devil. Whether on you go with God, the more he hates you. The devil is mad and I'm glad he lost one man he thought he had. Okay now, does everybody got that in your column? All right now, I want you to go on to the next area here. I want to pick up this word lust. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes. I want to pick up this word lust now and it's particularly in relation to temptation. Next week we're going to go through some examples of this thing that I'm learning out. Okay now I want you to turn over to James, the epistle of James. And you've got it on your sheet there. You'll see, see on this sheet here, process of sin, James chapter 1 and verse 13 to 15. I want you to look at it with me. James chapter 1. All right now I said all our temptations that Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. We're tempted in the same point. We have temptations of the flesh, temptations of the soul, temptations of the spirit. All of them get harder as you get older in the Lord. But there is victory. It's not a sin to be tempted. Amen? The whole song is still true. Year not the temptation for yielding is sin. John chapter 13 and then we'll go to why don't you hold John 13 and also turn to Acts chapter 5 while we'll try and get two verses in here. John 13 and then Acts 5 so we can link up the scriptures. All right, first set one paraphrase before the feast of the past average. Jesus knows these arrows come. He's going to depart out of the world under the Father. He loved his own unto the end. Now verse 2, pick up and supper being ended. The devil, the devil who is the father of lies, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas, Simon's son to betray him. Now let's put another word up here. In the matter of temptation the first thing the devil does, you see, the sperm, the male sperm comes from the father. Now Satan is the father of lies. So the first thing he wants to do in all temptation, every one of us, and once we get to this thing and say God help me right there. The devil puts into our mind the seed thought. Let's put it up. The seed thought and seed thoughts that come from the devil are like male sperm. Seed thoughts, seed thoughts, and as we're going to see in the examples I want you to sort of meditate on this between them next week, but we see how the devil puts the thought into people's minds. See, but notice can help these thoughts because all of us, I get thoughts from God, I get thoughts from the devil, I get thoughts from myself, but I have to descend where those thoughts come from. And as someone has said you can, it's like thoughts going through your mind. You can't stop the birds lying over your head, but you can stop them making a nest in your head. Now, Acts 5, listen to this, Acts 5. And I want you to notice the natural birth language you hold his spirit using, a better certain man named Alanis with Sophia, his wife saw the possession and kept that part of the price. His wife also be privy to it and brought a certain partner laid at the apostle's feet. But Peter said, Alanis, why had Satan filled thine heart to deceive the margin to lie, to deceive the Holy Ghost and to keep that part of the price of the land? Why was it remained? Was it not thine heart? Was it not thine heart? Was it not thine heart? And after it was saw, was it not in thine heart? Why has dah conceived this thing in thine heart? Now, let's see what happened. The devil came along. Why had Satan filled thine heart? Does devil came along with all these thoughts? Ah, there's money. Everybody's laying money at the apostle's feet. Why don't you get in the bandwagon? And, ah, now you saw that land for so much. The land's gone up. He got all this money. Listen, you really don't have to give it all. Nobody's going to know. Have a talk to your wife about she's in unity. You're both spiritual. You hear what I'm saying? And all these thoughts sperm coming into the mark because the mind is like a womb. So they talked it over. Yes, yes, yes. Well, what we'll do, how we'll do it. Well, we'll sort of say we wouldn't give something to what's a building of fun. Where did that thought come from? Yeah, how many have now? I mean that too. So, I'll tell you what, let's lay part at the apostle's feet. They won't know how much we've got in the bank because interest has gone up ahead of it. So they lay it and give the appearance of giving a deception. But you see, what was the problem? Now, I want to tell you, what is the egg? What is the ovum that's in a person's heart? Let me give you the word. That mark didn't meet it. Here's the word. The word is lust, which is equivalent to covetousness, lust or covetousness. And I want to give you a definition of the word lust. So we're talking about the lust of the world, lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of blood, not of the father, lust, lust, covetousness. All right, let me give you a definition of the word covetousness. Covetousness or lust is... Here it is here. It's an unlawful or inordinate desire, an unlawful or inordinate desire, unlawful or inordinate desire. You see, all of us have this in us and you see it's like this, what is it? How many have ever gone past a prince and it's got wet paint? Do not touch. Now what are you laughing at? Now what do you want to do? Mommy cooks the cookies and puts them in the cookie jar. Do not touch the cookie jar. What does it do to you? There's some inner response in you because you get a thought from somewhere and then that thing can seize and then you open the cookie jar and touch the paint and say, that's wet. That's what it said, wet paint. Do not touch. Now you see what we're talking about here? All right, can we hold it there? Can you sort of hold your thoughts there and hold the tape recorder till next week because I don't want to rush this because it's so important. Then the examples, we're going to give you examples of what happened in each. Now we haven't finished with this process yet so we'll take up this in the Bible and the rest of this next week. Be sure to visit kevinconner.org for more information about Kevin, his books and his ministry. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO]