Love Not the World: Set Your Affections on Christ

John writes so that joy may be full and so that God’s children “sin not.” First John does not give anybody permission to get forgiveness and then run right back into the same old life. God forgives every confessed sin, and thank God for that, but God does not want sin to become the pattern of a Christian’s life.

The command, “Love not the world,” does not mean Christians should not love people. God so loved the world in John 3:16, meaning the people of the world, including people in every country and people trapped in every kind of sin. Christ died for the homosexual, the drunkard, the drug addict, the liar, the idolater, and every other sinner. The world system, however, stands against God, against righteousness, and against Jesus Christ.

The world system offers temporary pleasure, but its pleasures always lead away from God. The world can tolerate religion, but it does not want Jesus Christ brought into the public square, the schoolhouse, or everyday life. The world says, “Keep Jesus in the church,” because the world hates Christ and hates the righteousness of God. The contrast is not between loving sinners and hating sinners. The contrast is between loving people as Christ loves them and loving the sinful philosophy that destroys them.

The things of the world can get hold of a heart through amusements, sports, possessions, and Sunday distractions. Sunday Funday may sound harmless, but the world would rather fill Sunday with games, races, parks, and entertainment than worship. Amusement means no thought, and the world wants minds fixed on anything except God. A baseball game, a scholarship dream, or some other good-looking opportunity can slowly pull a family away from church and leave nothing lasting behind.

John says the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. Games change, possessions rot, houses decay, cars disappear, and the newest thing quickly becomes old. The will of God alone abideth forever. The question is not whether somebody owns things, but whether those things possess somebody’s heart, money, attention, and devotion.

John names the same three tools Satan used in Eden: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Eve saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and able to make one wise. Satan still uses the same playbook, whether through fleshly cravings, the chase for more stuff, debt, or fear of looking square before other people. The heart cannot love the world and love God at the same time. The call is to give the heart wholly to Jesus Christ and refuse the devil a foothold.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Love people, not the world system God’s love for the world in John 3:16 is love for people, not approval of the world’s rebellion. Christ’s people must never confuse opposition to sin with hatred for sinners. The world system promises freedom while leading people into destruction, but Christ still calls sinners out of that destruction. [34:32]
• 2. Worldly amusements can steal devotion The world does not always pull a heart away through obvious wickedness. Sports, entertainment, and good opportunities can become dangerous when they displace worship, Scripture, prayer, and church. Anything that regularly wins when Christ calls for devotion has become more than a harmless pastime. [47:41]
• 3. Nothing worldly will last forever The world and its lusts are passing away, no matter how important they feel right now. Possessions, trends, games, and achievements eventually become dust, decay, or somebody else’s junk. The will of God is the only investment that abideth forever. [54:26]
• 4. Satan still uses Eden’s old playbook The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life worked in the Garden and still work today. Satan knows how to turn legitimate desires into ruling desires and good gifts into heart idols. A guarded heart recognizes that temptation often begins with what looks good, feels good, or makes somebody feel important. [59:25]
• 5. Christ deserves the heart’s first place The real test is whether anything would keep a believer from the Lord’s house and the Lord’s will. Love for Christ cannot remain merely verbal when the heart is devoted elsewhere. God calls His people to bring the competing affection before Him and refuse Satan a foothold.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:04] - Why John Writes: Full Joy and Sin Not
• [30:06] - Love Not the World
• [31:19] - God Loves People, Not Worldliness
• [34:32] - The World System Opposes God
• [36:24] - Christ Loves Sinners Trapped in Sin
• [40:51] - Why the World Hates Jesus Christ
• [44:19] - The Danger of Worldly Amusements
• [45:27] - Sunday Is the Lord’s Day
• [49:16] - When Activities Pull Families From Church
• [52:27] - The World Passeth Away
• [55:19] - Lust of Flesh, Eyes, and Pride
• [56:14] - Satan’s Temptation in the Garden
• [60:19] - Possessions, Debt, and the Lust of Eyes
• [65:39] - Pride of Life and Peer Pressure
• [69:17] - Examining the Heart’s Affections

Bible Reading

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.” [30:18]

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” [31:34]

Genesis 3:1-6
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” [56:48]

Observation questions

1. In 1 John 2:15-17, what three forms of worldly temptation are named, and what contrast is made between the world and the person who does God’s will? [55:24]
2. How does the passage distinguish between “the world” that God loves in John 3:16 and “the world” Christians are commanded not to love in 1 John 2? [34:32]
3. In Genesis 3:1-6, what does the serpent cause Eve to focus on, and what three features of the tree draw her toward disobedience? [58:36]
4. What examples were given of activities or opportunities that can slowly pull a person or family away from worship, prayer, Scripture, and church? [49:33]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is love for people—including people trapped in serious sin—not the same thing as approval of the world system or of sin itself? How can a believer hold both truth and compassion together? [36:17]
2. Why does John connect love for the world with a lack of love for the Father? What does this reveal about the direction and loyalty of a person’s heart? [34:54]
3. Genesis 3 shows temptation coming through desire for pleasure, attraction to what looks good, and a desire to be important or wise. How do these same three temptations show up in ordinary choices today? [59:23]
4. Why can good things—such as sports, possessions, career opportunities, or recreation—become spiritually harmful when they begin to rule a person’s schedule, money, attention, or worship? [01:00:43]

Application questions

1. Is there an activity, hobby, game, entertainment habit, or opportunity that regularly competes with time in worship, prayer, Scripture, or fellowship with God’s people? What would it look like to put that thing back in its proper place? [47:41]
2. When considering the lust of the flesh, what cravings or desires are most likely to pull your heart away from obedience? What practical boundary could help keep that desire from becoming a foothold? [01:00:09]
3. The lust of the eyes often promises that the newest, bigger, or nicer thing will finally satisfy. Are there purchases, debt, or possessions that have begun to control your peace, generosity, or priorities? [01:01:11]
4. Where does the pride of life show up through fear of being left out, appearing “square,” or wanting the approval of others? In what situation is courage to follow Christ needed this week? [01:05:39]
5. What is one thing currently receiving a great deal of your heart, money, time, or attention that will not last? How could that same area of life be redirected toward something that abides forever? [54:26]
6. Is there a person in your life who is caught in sin and needs both the truth of God and the compassion of Christ? What would loving that person without approving of sin look like in a real conversation or act of care? [33:48]