1 John - Protecting our Fellowship

I'm stunned, shocked. You're all sitting down within about 15 seconds. It normally takes

about 15 minutes. I don't know what happened. I don't know what to do or say. I'm going

to ask Chris to come up. She's going to read for us from God's Word. So thanks, Chris.

Two readings this morning. The first one is from Matthew chapter 6, beginning at verse

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

19, and that's on page 971 of the Church Bible. It's Matthew chapter 6, beginning at verse

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

19. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where

thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and

rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure

is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full

of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the

light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? No one can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise

the other. You cannot serve both God and money. And the second reading is taken from 1 John

1 John 2:15–17

chapter 2, verses 15 to 17, and that's on page 1226 of the Church Bible. That's 1 John

1 John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, beginning at verse 15.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father

is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes,

and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from the Father, but from the world.

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Thanks very much, Christine, for that. So keep your Bibles open there at that section in 1 John

1 John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. We have a small section, but there's a lot that's contained in it, so we're just

going to look at three verses this morning. And all this is part of a wider series. Just

as I say all of this, if you wouldn't mind handing out the pens and the...

So there's a piece of paper for you to take notes on and a pen. If you'd like a pen, just

keep your hand up and one can be given to you. So this is all part of our series on confident

fellowship. Fellowship is simply our relationship and our partnership with God the Father and

God the Son. So that's the big theme and the big heading of this series. And this morning

we're looking at protecting our fellowship with God from 1 John chapter 2 verses 15 to 27.

1 John 2:15–27

Let's pray together.

Father, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Father, please would you

help us this morning to see where the treasure that we set our heart is. And to do all things

possible to make sure that the Lord Jesus Christ is our ultimate treasure. That he would consume

consume us. That we would gaze at his beauty, at his greatness. That we would love the treasure

of the Lord Jesus. We pray that we would do everything possible to make you centre of our lives.

Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore we ask that you would use the teaching of your word to bring that about. May your Holy Spirit

bring us to a place where we can say that you are our all and our everything. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, Fort Knox is perhaps the most secure building in the world. To break in, you would have to scale four fences,

two of which are electrified, and then sneak past the armed guards lining the perimeter.

If you've gone that far, you then have to get through the granite walls, which are four foot thick, and reinforced with 750 tons of steel.

Once you've managed to get inside, you have to find your way through a maze of locked doors, armed guards, and then open the 22 tonne vault door.

That's quite simple. All you have to do is bring with you all the members of staff who each have a piece of the code and get them to key it in in the right order.

And then once you've got inside and robbed it, all you have to do is get past the 30,000 troops that are now alerted and stationed outside.

Why so much security at Fort Knox?

Well, inside is 5,000 tons of gold bullion, which is worth about $380 billion.

And that's just the gold.

It's treasure worth guarding.

Now, we have a treasure that is worth guarding and protecting.

That treasure we've been learning is fellowship with God.

Remember back in chapter 1, verse 3, it tells us there that we have been invited into fellowship with God.

Through faith, we get to share in and participate in the love that the Father has for the Son and that the Son has for the Father.

We get to join in and experience that love.

And it's in this fellowship that our joy is made complete.

This is where we are fulfilled and satisfied in this fellowship with the Father.

So the big message of the text this morning from chapter 2, verses 15 to 17 is this.

Secure the treasure.

Protect your fellowship with God.

But what are we protecting our fellowship from?

Well, the threat comes from the world.

Look at verse 15.

He says, it's a command.

Do not love the world or anything in the world.

Now, the world in this context is not the material world.

It's not the created planet all around us.

The material world, we're told, is good.

It's like God's playground that has been given to his children, people like you and me, to enjoy.

So things like music and work and creativity and food and friendships,

all of these are good gifts from God that is meant for us for our pleasure and to enjoy.

But in verse 15, the world we are not to love is the world that stands opposed to God.

So the world in this context is the pattern of behaviour.

It's a particular outlook on life that rejects God's ways.

Let me show you.

There's a very helpful verse in 1 John chapter 5 verse 19.

1 John 5:19

Just turn to that.

1 John chapter 5 verse 19.

1 John 5:19

I think this will help us get a grip on what we mean by the world.

1 John 5 verse 19.

1 John 5:19

It says,

You see, it's as if the world has declared war on God with the evil one, the devil himself leading the charge

and all the people kind of following up behind.

And it's the world is making their stand against God, saying,

We oppose you.

We don't want you.

And they oppose God by ignoring him and disobeying him.

That is what is meant by the world under the control of the evil one.

Back to verse 15.

So when he is encouraging us, or commanding us rather,

Do not love the world or anything in the world.

He is saying, do not love the world's values and attitudes because they are in opposition to God.

In other words, do not love each other's sinful behaviours.

Do not love them because the world is in opposition to God.

Now the reason, and this is important,

the reason we are not to love the world is, yes, it's in opposition to God,

but because the world robs us of our joy.

It robs us of our joy.

Look at verse 15 again.

Do not love the world or anything in the world.

Why?

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them.

You see, you simply cannot enjoy the love of the Father and at the same time love the world.

You can't mix and match.

They don't go together.

You can't enjoy the love of the Father and at the same time love the world.

It's a little bit like having an affair.

If I came home with a young lady on my arm and I sat down in my living room to watch television together

and Kirsty walks in and says,

Who's this?

Oh, don't worry.

She's just my new girlfriend.

No.

It can't work.

You either love one or you love the other.

To enjoy the love of your spouse, to experience that deep, intimate relationship,

you cannot give your love to another.

And that's what he's saying here with our love with the Father.

To love the world is opening up your heart to a thief that is going to come in and rob us of that deep,

personal and relational joy that we have with the Father.

So we need to be very careful of where we focus our loves.

Because wherever we focus our loves, that's where our treasure will be.

And love for the world will rob us of our joy.

Love for the world will rob us of our joy.

So let's have a look at what this love of the world looks like.

The danger is, every one of us in this room has the capacity to love the world.

Instead of protecting the love with the Father,

instead of enjoying that rich relationship with Him

and making sure we do all things possible to enjoy that relationship,

we begin to look to the world for our pleasure and our joy.

So look at verse 16.

For everything in the world,

the cravings of sinful man,

the lust of his eyes,

and the boasting of what he has and does

comes not from the Father,

but from the world.

So what we're going to do now is

we're going to look at the three ways in which

we can love the world that are listed here in verse 16.

Now we're going to take a bit of time to go through it

and look at each one individually.

And it's going to be quite heart-searching for us.

So let's look at the three ways we love the world.

Again, let's read the beginning of verse 16.

Number one.

For everything in the world,

The Cravings of Sinful Man.

You know what it's like to be sitting down watching the TV.

I'm sure you all do that.

And all of a sudden,

as you're watching your favourite programme,

you have this sudden craving for chocolate.

Or is it just me?

You put it off for a while,

but the desire for that rich, smooth, galaxy chocolate,

or whatever your favourite bar is,

consumes you so much

that you can't help but to get up out of your seat

and go to the cupboard or the fridge

and get that chocolate.

And it's never just a bite, is it?

You scoff the whole lot.

You see, craving something means

you have to have it.

It consumes you.

It masters you.

Rather than you being able to control the desire,

the desire controls you.

So, shaped by the values of the world

and driven by our sinful hearts,

we crave material wealth.

We crave sexual gratification.

We crave success.

We crave the perfect body.

We crave...

You fill in the blank.

What is it that you crave?

What is it that I crave the most?

We have to have it.

Because the world says

you will not be satisfied or fulfilled

without it.

So, we crave it.

Now, that doesn't mean to say

any of these things that we crave

are necessarily wrong.

The problem is

the attitudes to them

have become distorted.

We are controlled

and mastered by them.

You see, what we crave

becomes more important to us

than the deep personal joy

we have with the Father.

In fact, our cravings

for something else

begin to replace

our fellowship with God.

So, rather than looking

to the Father's love

to be satisfied and fulfilled,

we begin to look to other things

and other people.

Rather than looking

to all that the Father

has given to us

and the immensity

of his love to his children,

we take our focus of that

and we begin to love

other things

and look to be filled

with that.

You see, the point

is very simple.

We can't enjoy

the love of the Father

and at the same time

love the world.

You cannot mix

and match.

So, that's the first love.

The second,

let's read verse 16 again.

For everything

in the world,

the cravings

of sinful man,

the lust

of his eyes.

Now, I have a confession

to make.

I have a lust problem.

I was walking around

B&Q the other day

and I saw a beautiful

set of screwdrivers

made by

Stanley.

Not B&Q Stanley,

the real Stanley.

Now, the problem is

I've got lots of screwdrivers.

I've got a whole toolbox

full of screwdrivers.

But what I saw,

I wanted

and I said to myself,

I want that.

and I came home

with another box

of more screwdrivers.

You see,

lust

is just like

a craving.

Shaped by

what we see

and what we look at,

we say to ourselves,

I want that.

And so,

we take it

regardless

of the consequences

to our fellowship

with God.

And the world

constantly tell us

through the media,

and through

every other means,

that if you

see something

and you want it,

take it.

You deserve it.

You're worth it.

Take it for yourself.

So,

fuelled by the values

of the world,

we take all sorts

of things.

We swap our wife

or husband

for the virtual image

on our computer screen

and gaze

at endless images

and videos.

We see what our friend

has

and,

driven by envy,

we go to the shops

and buy one too.

We're enticed

by that new gadget

that's just come out

and we convince ourselves,

I really can't operate

without it.

I need it.

So,

instead of looking

and gazing

at the goodness

and the beauty

of God,

we begin

to focus

our eyes

and turn our eyes

to other things

and other people

and we convince

ourselves

and say,

if I have that,

I'll be satisfied

and I'll be fulfilled.

And all we're doing

is replacing

that love

of the Father

with something else.

You see,

we can't enjoy

the love

of the Father

and at the same time

love the world.

We cannot mix

and match.

You see,

this is a really

deep-rooted problem.

Let's have a look

at the third love.

Let's read

verse 16 again.

For everything

in the world,

the cravings

of our sinful hearts,

the lust

of our longing eyes

and the boasting

of what we have

and we do

comes not

from the Father

but from the world.

Have you ever

watched the TV

series,

The Apprentice?

All those people

who go on

to be

Alan Sugar's

Apprentice?

If you listen

to them,

they talk

non-stop

about their

achievements,

their academic

qualifications,

the money

they've earned,

the businesses

that they've set up,

the awards

that they've won.

They are God's

gift to

everybody.

It's just

one boast

after another

and they talk

non-stop

about themselves,

how great

they are.

Now the thing

is about

watching The

Apprentice,

it's actually

like watching

a mini-series

of our own

lives.

Not that we

necessarily have

the same

academic

qualifications

or business,

but do we

ever kind of

take that

little moment,

that little

moment of

pride,

and we

look at our

careers and

say,

I've got a

really good

job.

I earned

this.

I got this

through my

hard work at

college.

I earned

those points

and I did

well and

look where I

am today.

Or we get

in our car

and we

say,

I earned

this,

as we put

the boot

down a little

bit more.

I bought

this with my

hard-earned

money.

Or we walk

around our

house and

sit down in

the comfort

of our

living room.

We look at

our possessions

and we take

that moment

of pride

and go,

I own

all of

this.

And inside

we might

necessarily

broadcast it

to the world,

but we

boast inwardly

of all we

have and

all we

do.

You see,

the subtle

and destructive

attitude of

the world

says,

I don't

need God.

Every boast

that we make

about ourselves

says,

I don't

need God.

I can

manage without

God.

I can live

life without

God.

And our

love for the

world leads

to live

independently.

from God.

So instead

of turning

to God

as the

source of

all that

is good

and right

and beautiful,

instead of

turning to

the one

who gives

the gifts,

we look

to ourself

as the

means of

getting all

that we

want and

desire.

And it's

back to the

same issue.

We can't

enjoy the

love of

the Father

and at the

same time

love the

world.

we cannot

mix and

match.

It's

serious.

Now can

we begin

to see

how dangerous

and how

destructive

love for the

world is?

Loving the

world might

seem at one

level innocent

enough,

but the

world is

not our

friend.

world will

only rob

us of

our joy.

It takes

that deep

rich

fellowship

that we

have with

the Father

and it

ruins us.

It takes

it away

from us.

And we

do not

experience

the love

of the

Father.

God

love the

love of

the

Father.

Let me

ask us

all this

searching

question.

Do you,

do I

experience

the love

of the

Father

in my

life?

Are you

experiencing

the love

of the

Father

in your

life?

if not,

if not,

then everything

we are

living for,

look at the

end of

verse 16,

comes not

from the

Father,

but from

the world.

If we do

not experience

the love of

the Father

in our

lives,

it's because

we are

looking to

other things

and other

people,

instead of

the source

itself.

it's

dangerous

and

destructive

to love

the world.

So,

last point,

how do we

protect

ourselves

from loving

the world?

How do we

protect

ourselves?

Well,

there's two

ways we

can protect

ourselves.

If you

like,

two security

systems

that we

must download

or install

into our

lives

so that

we protect

and enjoy

our fellowship

with God.

So,

every time

there's a

temptation,

every time

there's a

drawing away

from the

love of

the Father

to love

the world,

there's like

an alarm

that goes

off in

our lives

and we're

drawn back

again to

gaze at

the beauty

and the

love of

the Father

instead of

turning to

the world.

So,

what's

these security

systems that

we download?

Well,

they're very

simple.

here's the

first one.

It's called

What the

World Offers

is Temporary.

Download

this into

our memory

system.

Make it

your security.

Verse 17.

The world

and its

desires

pass

away.

It's

simple.

The lie

of the

world

says,

love me

and I

will satisfy

you and

fulfil you.

Love me,

says the

world,

and everything

will be

good.

Well,

the truth

is,

what the

world offers

is all

temporary.

It doesn't

last.

Look at

verse 17

again.

The world

and its

desires

pass away.

Just like

the lush

flourishing

leaves in

summer,

so they

wither and

they die

and they

fall in

autumn.

The things

and people

of this

world,

they simply

do not

last.

So,

sorry to

burst your

bubble,

but your

beauty

fades.

Your

strength

fails.

Your

loved

ones

die.

Your

money

gets

spent.

Your

possessions

break.

Your

careers

end.

Everything

is

temporary.

It

will not

last.

You

see,

when we

crave

something,

when we

lust after

something,

when we

get it,

we're not

only realising

that the

happiness that

it brings

is only

short-lived,

but our

fellowship with

God is

broken and

the deep

personal joy

is lost.

And in

its place,

we're left

with guilt,

disappointment,

and

emptiness.

So,

security

system

number

one.

What the

world offers

is temporary.

Remember

that.

Security

system

number

two,

that we

must

download.

Here it

is.

What God

offers is

eternal.

Let's

read all

of verse

17.

The

world

and its

desires

pass

away.

But the

person

who does

the will

of God

lives

forever.

You see,

the promise

of God

is life

now and

life for

all eternity.

That life

as we've

been seeing

is fellowship

with the

Father and

with his

Son.

This is

where we

experience

life in

all its

fullness.

It's

sharing in

that deep

relationship

that will

never fail

us.

Entering

into the

love the

Father has

for the

Son and

the Son

has for

the Father.

And in

this

fellowship,

in this

relationship,

we find

joy in

all its

fullness and

all its

completeness.

This is

life.

And if

we are to

know this

life,

look at

verse 17,

it says,

we must

do the

will of

God.

We must

do the

will of

God.

So what

is God's

will?

What must

I do

to have

this

life?

You may

be remembered

to what

Ralph said

as he

introduced

the

songs.

We don't

have to

do anything

because it's

all by

grace.

So what

do you

mean we

have to

do

something?

Well,

have a

look at

chapter 3

verse 23.

It's just

over the

page.

Okay,

here's what

God's will

is.

This is what

we have to

do to

experience

this life

in all

its

fullness.

Chapter 3

verse 23.

And this

is his

command.

So this

is God's

will.

Here it

is,

to believe

in the

name of

his son,

Jesus

Christ.

That's

his command,

that we

would simply

believe,

that we

would simply

trust in

the Lord

Jesus

Christ,

that

everything,

that all

we should

ever want

or imagine

is in

him.

God's

will is

that we

would believe

that God

loves us

and gave

himself for

us.

So my

encouragement

to us all

this morning

is to

readdress

the cravings

that we

have.

Crave a

deeper

understanding

of God's

love for

you.

How do

we do

that?

Pray for

it.

Ask God

for a

hunger

and a

desire

to know

more of

God

and to

experience

his love

in your

life.

Look at

the beauty

of God

instead of

looking at

other things.

Look at

the beauty

of God

in all

that he

is and

all that

he has

done for

us.

Gaze

at his

mercy and

grace as

you open

up your

Bible and

read about

God and

all that

he has

done.

Just marvel

at his

mercy and

grace.

Let the

goodness and

greatness of

God begin

to control

you and

consume you

and direct

your passions

and your

desires to

the Father

who loves

you.

And boast

not in

ourselves

but boast

in the

cross of

Jesus where

we find our

all and our

everything.

so install

these two

security

systems into

your life.

Every time

we're drawn

to love the

world the

alarm will

sound, it

will bleep

and it

will tell

us and

we will

remind

ourselves that

what God

offers is

eternal but

what the

world offers

is temporary.

do not

love the

world.

If anyone

loves the

world, the

love of the

Father is

not in

them.

Let's pray

together.

as for

man, his

days are

like grass.

He flourishes

like a flower

of a field,

the wind

blows over

it and

it is

gone and

its place

remembers it

no more.

But

from

everlasting

to

everlasting

the

Lord's

love

is with

those

who fear

him.

Our

Father God,

it is our

desire

that you

would be

our

treasure

that you

would be

our all

and our

everything.

And so we

pray and ask

that you

would give

us a

hunger for

you,

that our

passions and

our desires

would be

directed to

you,

that we

would long

for your

spirit to

work in

our lives

to see

that the

Father's

love is

sufficient

and is

enough.

Please

forgive us

for the

times we

look to

the world

instead of

looking to

you.

And we

pray that

you would

help us

to see

that everything

around us

is temporary

whereas you

and your

son are

eternal.

Help us

to walk

closely with

you, we

pray.

In Jesus'

name.

Amen.

As we

finish, we're

going to

sing

When I

Survey the

Wondrous

Cross.

And as we've

been thinking

about where

we place

our gaze,

where we

look, what

consumes us,

what

consumes us,