Click here to view listing below for Eph 2:19
I. LOVE NOT THE WORLD.
A. That is, the world order that is governed by Satan.
1. Twice Jesus referred to Satan as the prince of this world.
2. Paul spoke of him as the god of this world.
3. In
Ephesians 2, Paul said that they once meandered according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that even now works in the children of disobedience. He is thus declaring that the fads and fashions of the world are being directed by Satan.
4. In chapter 5:19, John will declare that the whole world lieth in wickedness.
5. Jesus told His disciples that they were not of this world, if they were of this world, the world would love them, but He had chosen them out of this world, thus the world would hate them.
B. I am shocked and surprised at how much the Christian church is willing to compromise with the world.
1. So often we see worldly practices even brought into the church.
2. Many of the parents of the High School kids are the ones who are constantly pushing us to have school dances.
a. I will let you make the decision. Is dancing a spiritual activity or a worldly activity?
b. Does it draw your mind to the Lord or to the flesh?
c. Can you picture Jesus line dancing?
3. We seem to ignore the words of Jesus that He chose us out of the world.
C. John defines here what he means by the world. For all that is of the world...
1. The lust of the flesh. This can take many forms.
a. We read in
Numbers 11:4, that the mixed multitude fell a lusting, and they said, "Who will give us meat to eat, we remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, and the cucumber and melons and the onions, leeks and garlic. All we have is this manna."
NUM 11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
NUM 11:11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
NUM 11:12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
NUM 11:13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
NUM 11:14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me.
NUM 11:15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
NUM 11:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people,and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
NUM 11:17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyself alone.
NUM 11:18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for [it was] well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
NUM 11:19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
NUM 11:20 [But] even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which [is] among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
NUM 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I [am, are] six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
NUM 11:22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
NUM 11:23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
NUM 11:24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.
NUM 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it] unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, [that], when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
NUM 11:31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let [them] fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits [high] upon the face of the earth.
NUM 11:32 And the people stood up all that day, and all [that] night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread [them] all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
NUM 11:33 And while the flesh [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
NUM 11:34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.
b. How many people today are being buried in graves of lusts? Paul tells us that all these things were examples for us that we should not lust after evil things.
c. The desire for inordinate sexual experiences.
d. The giving yourself over to sexual indulgences.
e. Achan brought a curse on the whole camp of Israel because when they had conquered Jericho, he saw a beautiful Babylonish garment that he lusted after and hid it in his tent.
f. Paul tells us not to make any provisions for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.
g. Paul told the Galatians that they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its lusts and affections.
h. Peter begs us to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.
2. The lust of the eyes.
a. Looking at prurient pictures that arouse and stimulate you sexually.
b. Peter speaks of eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin.
c. The eye has been spoken of as the window of the soul.
d. We must be careful what we allow to come into our lives through the eye gate.
e. Jesus said that if your eye is evil, then your whole body will be filled with darkness.
f. Job said that he had made a covenant with his eyes that he would not think upon a maid.
g. Solomon observed that a man who lusted for silver would never be satisfied with silver.
3. The pride of life.
a. What the Bible called pride is often today passed off as self esteem, and made a virtue.
b. The exaltation of a person's flesh.
c. How God hates pride.
PRO 16:18 Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
d. A proud look tops the list of things that God hates.
e. Peter tells us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
f. Satan took Jesus up to a high mountain and showed Him kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. That is the pride of life. The glory of the worldly kingdoms.
4. We find all three of these involved in the temptation of Eve.
GEN 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food,(the lust of the flesh,) and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, (The lust of the eyes,) and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, (The pride of life,) she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
II. THE WORLD IS GOING TO PASS AWAY WITH THE LUSTS, BUT HE THAT DOES THE WILL OF GOD WILL ABIDE FOREVER.
A. So many of the rich of this world are heavenly paupers.
B. So many of the poor of this world have stored up great eternal riches.
1. Only one life, twill soon be past, And only what's done for Christ will last.
C. All of these things that people are lusting after are going to pass away. The earth with all of its works is going to be burned up and dissolved. What a sad and tragic day that will be for so many people. Especially those who have laid up all of their treasures on earth.
D. In contrast, "He that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
1. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that their labor for the Lord was not in vain.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
