Prioritizing God's Love Over Worldly Desires

 

Summary

In today's fast-paced, Type A world, we often find ourselves driven by our passions and desires, seeking fulfillment in our careers and lifestyles. The question we must ask ourselves is whether anything we love can truly be bad. If we love something, doesn't that imply there is something inherently good about it? However, as we delve into 1 John 2, we are reminded that we are called to love God above all else and not the world or anything in it. The world, with its cravings, lusts, and pride, is passing away, but those who do the will of God will live forever.

We are naturally lovers and worshippers, but the critical question is what or whom we choose to love and worship. John warns us against loving the world, not in the sense of the people God loves, but the system opposed to God. This love for the world is mutually exclusive with the love of the Father. We cannot serve two masters; our hearts will ultimately point in one direction. As Christians, we must examine our lives to identify rivals for our affections and ensure that God remains our ultimate love.

For those who are not Christians, the message is clear: God made us in His image, and though we have sinned, He offers redemption through Jesus Christ. For believers, the challenge is to recognize and combat the subtle temptations of worldliness. We must be vigilant, examining where our time, money, and energy go, and ensure that our love for God is supreme.

The source of our love is crucial. Worldly love stems from selfish desires, while true love comes from God. We must pray for more love for God and for others to come to know Him. This love is a gift from God, not something we can manufacture on our own. As we grow in love for God, our lives are reordered, and we find true fulfillment.

Ultimately, we must ask ourselves where our love is taking us. The world and its desires are fleeting, but the love of God leads to eternal life. We are called to live counter-culturally, prioritizing God over worldly pursuits. In doing so, we align ourselves with the eternal, finding joy and purpose in our relationship with God.

Key Takeaways:

- The Nature of Love: We are inherently lovers and worshippers, but the critical question is what we choose to love. Our love should be directed towards God, not the world, as the world is passing away, but those who do God's will live forever. [01:30]

- Mutual Exclusivity of Loves: Loving the world and loving God are mutually exclusive. We cannot serve two masters, as our hearts will ultimately point in one direction. We must examine our lives to ensure God remains our ultimate love. [10:00]

- Source of Love: Worldly love stems from selfish desires, while true love comes from God. We must pray for more love for God and for others to come to know Him. This love is a gift from God, not something we can manufacture on our own. [18:58]

- Eternal Perspective: The world and its desires are fleeting, but the love of God leads to eternal life. We are called to live counter-culturally, prioritizing God over worldly pursuits, aligning ourselves with the eternal. [31:14]

- Reordering of Life: As we grow in love for God, our lives are reordered, and we find true fulfillment. This transformation is a testament to the power of God's love, which redefines our priorities and brings us joy and purpose. [40:11]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Type A Culture
- [00:27] - Questioning Worldly Love
- [01:13] - Nature of Love and Worship
- [01:48] - Exploring 1 John 2
- [03:11] - Three Key Questions
- [03:45] - Understanding Worldly Love
- [05:21] - Message to Non-Christians
- [06:53] - Challenge for Christians
- [09:30] - Mutual Exclusivity of Loves
- [12:00] - Allegiance to God
- [14:00] - Selfishness vs. God's Love
- [18:41] - Source of Love
- [22:27] - Examining Worldliness
- [31:14] - The Passing World
- [36:12] - Doing the Will of God
- [40:11] - Reordering Life Through Love

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. 1 John 2:15-17
2. Matthew 6:24
3. 1 John 4:7

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Observation Questions:

1. According to 1 John 2:15-17, what are the consequences of loving the world? How does this passage describe the world and its desires? [02:07]

2. In the sermon, what does the pastor identify as the two different types of love mentioned in 1 John 2? [03:45]

3. How does the sermon describe the mutual exclusivity of loving the world and loving God? What analogy is used to explain this concept? [10:17]

4. What does the pastor say about the source of true love, and how does it differ from worldly love? [18:58]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon interpret the command in 1 John 2:15 to "not love the world"? What does it mean to love the world in the context of this passage? [04:28]

2. The sermon mentions that worldly love stems from selfish desires. How does this understanding affect the way Christians should view their own desires and actions? [21:28]

3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the love of God leads to a reordering of life? How does this transformation manifest in a believer's life? [40:11]

4. How does the sermon explain the eternal perspective of loving God versus the fleeting nature of worldly desires? What implications does this have for a believer's priorities? [31:14]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own life: Are there specific areas where you find yourself loving the world more than God? How can you begin to address these areas this week? [07:24]

2. The sermon challenges believers to examine where their time, money, and energy go. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your resources are aligned with loving God above all else? [08:31]

3. Consider the concept of mutual exclusivity in love. Are there "rivals" for your affections that you need to identify and address? How can you begin to shift your focus towards God? [09:43]

4. The pastor encourages prayer for more love for God and others. What specific prayer can you incorporate into your daily routine to cultivate this love? [29:23]

5. How can you live counter-culturally in a way that prioritizes God over worldly pursuits? Identify one specific action you can take this week to align yourself with this eternal perspective. [17:37]

6. Reflect on the idea that true love is a gift from God. How can you cultivate gratitude for this gift in your daily life, and how might this gratitude impact your interactions with others? [27:20]

7. The sermon mentions the fleeting nature of worldly desires. What is one worldly pursuit you are currently engaged in that you need to reconsider in light of its temporary nature? How can you redirect your focus towards eternal values? [34:02]

Devotional

Day 1: The Direction of Our Love
Our lives are shaped by what we choose to love and worship. In a world filled with distractions and desires, it is crucial to direct our love towards God rather than the fleeting pleasures of the world. The world, with its cravings and pride, is temporary, but those who align their love with God's will find eternal life. This calls for a conscious examination of our hearts to ensure that our ultimate affection is reserved for God. By doing so, we align ourselves with His eternal purpose and find true fulfillment. [01:30]

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: What is one worldly desire you find yourself drawn to, and how can you redirect that affection towards God today?


Day 2: Choosing Our Master
The love of the world and the love of God are mutually exclusive. We cannot serve two masters, as our hearts will ultimately be drawn in one direction. This requires us to examine our lives and identify any rivals for our affections that may be competing with our love for God. By prioritizing God above all else, we ensure that our hearts are fully devoted to Him, allowing His love to guide our actions and decisions. [10:00]

Matthew 6:24 (ESV): "No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel torn between worldly pursuits and your devotion to God? How can you make a conscious choice to prioritize God in that area today?


Day 3: The Source of True Love
True love originates from God, while worldly love is rooted in selfish desires. We are called to pray for an increase in our love for God and for others to come to know Him. This divine love is a gift from God, not something we can manufacture on our own. As we grow in this love, our lives are transformed, and we experience a deeper connection with God and those around us. [18:58]

1 John 4:7-8 (ESV): "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Reflection: Who is someone in your life that you find difficult to love? How can you ask God to help you love them with His love today?


Day 4: Living with an Eternal Perspective
The desires of the world are fleeting, but the love of God leads to eternal life. We are called to live counter-culturally, prioritizing God over worldly pursuits. By aligning ourselves with the eternal, we find joy and purpose in our relationship with God. This eternal perspective helps us navigate the challenges of life with hope and assurance in God's promises. [31:14]

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV): "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Reflection: What is one way you can shift your focus from temporary worldly concerns to eternal values today?


Day 5: Reordering Our Lives Through Love
As we grow in love for God, our lives are reordered, and we find true fulfillment. This transformation is a testament to the power of God's love, which redefines our priorities and brings us joy and purpose. By allowing God's love to guide us, we experience a profound change in how we live and interact with the world around us. [40:11]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What is one area of your life that needs reordering to align with God's love? What practical steps can you take today to begin this transformation?

Quotes

"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 this 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." [00:01:58]

"John warns us against loving the world, not in the sense of the people God loves, but the system opposed to God. This love for the world is mutually exclusive with the love of the Father. We cannot serve two masters; our hearts will ultimately point in one direction. As Christians, we must examine our lives to identify rivals for our affections and ensure that God remains our ultimate love." [00:04:28]

"Friends, we as Christians face Temptations and we are helped in not loving the world in stopping loving the world if we know what those Temptations are if we can name them and self-consciously oppose them uh we'll certainly face temptation to care too much what others think of us sometimes we will be thought well of us for something the Lord Has Done in our lives or in our church or in our ministry other times we'll be thought poorly of because of that brothers and sisters we should care more that we present ACC corporate witness that isn't worldly that has stopped loving the world." [00:08:38]

"Friend find what it is that chiefly orders your life what you chiefly love and you will find what you chiefly worship you can't have God as the chief and ultimate end of your life and this world they will too often conflict the world commands you to put it first but God commands you to submit all to him the world continually commands you to engross yourself in its concerns but God commands you to use the world very carefully to hold it lightly." [00:11:36]

"Worldly love stems from selfish desires, while true love comes from God. We must pray for more love for God and for others to come to know Him. This love is a gift from God, not something we can manufacture on our own. As we grow in love for God, our lives are reordered, and we find true fulfillment." [00:18:41]

"Now friend if you're here and you're not a Christian that's what I want you to most understand from this talk feel free and take your after lunch nap now but if you can just remember that part and talk to a Christian friend here afterwards about that about what it means to stop loving the world now for us as Christians and I'll spend most of my time here we need to realize that John was writing these words to those who knew themselves to be Christians and I think Christians today find these words very challenging." [00:06:34]

"Friends, it is a false religion that idolizes the world and the things of the world whether it is land or power or riches or reputation it's too much weight to ask our society or our landholdings or our reputation our job our car to Bear to be the ultimate end of our Lives friends they're just not up for the task that they weren't made for that and so where do such disordered loves come from well the source of this love is one's heart it is selfishness they're simply the desires of our flesh our sinful nature." [00:21:00]

"Worldliness is taking an inferior ior good and treating it as your final ultimate end whether those are the pleasures of your flesh or riches or pride in Earthly Grandeur it is to feel the attraction of it and to have your heart bound up with it this list here is really good list I think for us to pray for ourselves and our own Hearts about my friend as you come to this text though what you want to do you want to ask yourself are you worldly like this I mean examine yourself." [00:22:54]

"Now friends how contrary and inconsistent are these two masters in their commands God Alone is to be our final Master that's why as Christians we can't give our ultimate allegiance to our country that ultimate Allegiance is reserved for God Alone this has cost many Christians their lives around the world and it may again here in this country if public opinion continues to go in the direction that vilifies Christian morality it may at some point be said that in order to have a cohesive pluralistic society no one can teach or perhaps even believe to be true something that is unpopular." [00:12:41]

"Friends we realize the love that we are called to have is not the love of the world but the love of God one matter here that I want us to take a moment and note specifically John writes a little later in 1 John 4:7 dear friends let us love one another for love comes from God everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God the kind of love that we're supposed to have comes only from God you can't work it up yourself you can't take two sticks of your own righteousness and your own works and willpower rub them together and come up with this kind of love this kind of love is a gift of God." [00:26:40]

"Now the idea of living forever would have been new to some of John's hearers new that is with Christianity you may remember the response Paul got when he preached about the bodily Resurrection in Athens partly caused a riot it certainly caused people to dismiss him caused others to be intrigued because it was a new idea well John here is certainly not teaching that we are simply saved by doing the will of God no he's we're saved by the work of Christ and trusting in Christ but doing the will of God is what typifies those who are saved." [00:36:47]

"Friends we are by Nature worshippers we are by Nature lovers so the question that you need for your Soul's sake to answer this afternoon more than any other is do you love God or the world supremely my friend love God today as one Puritan put it remember how dear you pay for your your beloved Idols God Alone can satisfy those Made In His Image what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul." [00:41:02]

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Transcript
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