The World Against Us (2 of 2) (Part B)

Let us pursue the things which make for peace in the things by which one may edify one another. What are you doing to your brother in Christ you are you and all water generator or drain you drain the blessings anyways happy you walking around and was quiet, not because of respect is all know it comes to this court. Don't be that guy or are you the one that you would any chance you get. We have a lot of them. We have a lot of folks here that build up each other.

This is cross-referenced with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-referenced specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick with his continuing study called the world against us as he teaches verse by verse through first John chapter 2 now we come to verse 16, we covered verse 15 the last session, so we moved to verse 16 and there he says 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. He just encapsulated all of Greek mythology, the gods that were not mythical to the people living at that time their gods were lustful, and in the flesh, and just proud and all these other problems, and so were the people because the people were like the gods they made and he says tells us, for all that is in the world.

Here is a love that God hates God does not want his people to love the things that are in the world. Now we we will in time to time but we know what we struggle against it because it's appealing. Many of the things that are here. We gotta learn on strike that balance, that little bit more in a minute.

But this world is the enemy of God does not out. Does not the mainstream media week of that you can smell their hatred of Christ and everything they do.

They typify the world for us. James chapter 4 do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

We try to line up with them. Let them dictate policy to you. Tell you what to believe how to do this and how to do that concerning spirituality and morality than you've goofed up big.

We want to chase with Christ's wants us to have because chasing the priceless and priceless and this harms us. Mark's gospel Jesus said we all know this one all you believers know this one for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his so much aggression to the mountain flying first class is still crashed into the mountain and that's how death will be for those who insist on stiff arming the gospel of Christ and the Jesus of the gospel says the lust of the flesh S now that word for lust here can mean anything this strong desire good or bad, but the context alerts us to its application and of course John here is talking about the unrighteous desires the urges the impulses and they sneak up on us many times we don't look for them. They find us, we discover that we have wants that we should not have that are not good for us to not even good for those around us and when we have these desiderata atoms. We sat must have it. I must have it. That's the lust of the flesh in the Iliad. That story that I briefly covered in the Trojan war and demonstrates this for us, that whole thing was the lust of the flash and it had heroes and cowards. It had manipulators, politicians, lovers, everything that makes for good reading Conley speaking so these exciting things of the world. They distract us. They dim our light.

Remember the tabernacle in the wilderness had tools to keep the wakes burning brightly.

So we need these things in our lives exciting things of this world. They do distract us.

They do dim the light and they do cause damage rather than edifying and equipping us, and they do it very easily because we are born in iniquity.

First Corinthians 10 verse 23 Paul writes all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify says it again in a different place is not that there lawful for me, but they're not very helpful when he says all things are lawful. He doesn't mean that he and go kill someone murder someone steal from them. Why is that doesn't mean that he means is a Christian.

There are gray zones and there are things I'm free to do, but I am not free to come under their power they not helpful and I have to learn how to identify when something is pulling me down, not lifting me up. We are always striving for perfection in Christ. Christ likeness be you perfect your father in heaven is perfect. All things are lawful for me, but they don't bill me up.

He says, Romans 14, nine Paul writing that letter also having kind of a hard time wrapping it up. I wonder where we get it from. Let us pursue the things which make for peace in the things by which one may edify one another. What are you doing to your brother in Christ you are you you know our generator or drain you drain the blessings advise happy you walking around and was quiet, not because of respect his own hawk it comes to this court. Don't be that guy or are you the one that you would any chance you get. We have a lot of them here. We have a lot of folks here that build up each other everything is a Christian is filtered through the Scripture in Christ world. It feeds out temptations. It feeds our flesh.

The world majors in the temporary majors and that which is wrong and doesn't even know it because to the full. They are doing the right thing. There are the full because they're doing what they do without the right God world majors temporary and false things and it minors in the eternal, and it minors. In truth, it has a little bit of it just to make you think that they are concerned with medical know this is happening. Think back when you were lost. Those of you who may have been adults in lost, not knowing Christ you thought you are right. More than likely I did. I am who needs to charge Muzak like those Christians took the God of the universe to save me as it takes for everyone else, the lust of the eyes, even if you walked around blind, you would still have this one. There would still be things that you see in your mind that you want that you shouldn't have word lust qualifies for us and inordinate and coordinate desire for things you want what you shouldn't have, because God is saying this will damage this will dim your life.

This will distract you all that I can see and desire that is contrary to Christ.

I have to fight second Kings chapter 16 tells a story of lodges read a King Ahaz, he's bad. I don't mean to do this bad. I may know he's bad.

He's evil now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet take left police or king of Assyria and saw an altar that was at Damascus and King Ahaz sent to Uriah, the priest, the design of the altar and its pattern. According to its workmanship to see you look at the world what the world had he saw a pagan altar in Damascus. I must have it. I must have one just like it is your artwork is your designer and of course the devil fell not only of goofy evil king and Ahaz but the silly priests just waiting to accommodate the wishes of an evil man to attack the significance of God because God's altar was to be different. This was about whose God or little God was going to be God in the lives of the people, and it is still this way a picture of what often happens in Christian ministries is that they look at the world and is thus okay what do you have that we can take that is worldly so that we can have more people come to the church and enjoy the place somebody sees something out in the world that would fit nicely in the Lord's work, but it's not of the Lord kills churches.

We are to imitate Christ, not the world. Paul said first Corinthians 11 one imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. That is true of the church. The individual as well. God becomes and retains goodness by what it allows in and what it blocks out and this is called stalking to another pastor.

I don't have but a few friends.

I mean use deodorant, but anyway we talking and I said I would see my side of the story because my site better than his side as I'm I'm more humble and wiser than him so you get the filtered version. Now if you're visiting you have to know I'm being goofy. That's what I like to do every now and then because my brain will rest up here but back to it so I mention him. You know it's it's a week.

Will we understand more talking about some passages don't yet if the business is war and I said you know when I was coming up. I think I was good enough with my hands.

I was a Christian I was in the past, but I felt I could handle myself but I always knew I always knew who were really the guys I didn't want any piece of guys that I knew were tough. They might've been thinking that about me. I hope so but anyway probably not. And he says the name of the high school you know about someone in high school, where the recent so so that's what was in my high school, 98% knockout rate in school fights in the art saying we could.

That's why we have this connection with the D understands war and we better understand to when dealing with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Don't approach this is this is a nice theological lesson on John this is knockdown drag out ugly on choreographed war. The enemy will attack you two times for sure when he's ready and when you're not. So we are to be ready in season and out of season to come against that and it's going to take a lot. Satan attacks the mind corrupts the spirit messes with our insight and eyesight as well and we have to work to not permit this to get out of control contraband that wants to come into the eye gate the ear date. Some port of entry says the pride of life. The Greek word for pride here. Alex Honea, it means braggart. It's the root of the word.

That is the word it's translated to Jell-O.

James uses the word to use. It is translated arrogance in James 416 says you boast in your arrogance.

All such boasting is evil, says James.

So let's go back to that the pride of life that arrogance of life. How do you get the arrogance of life we given to Christ and you have the arrogance of life. It is putting life on a pedestal. That's what that is, we don't put this life on a pedestal. It's the eternal life that we have exalted because Christ is exalted Christ is said to his church get there get here about you but when we were singing. When the Saints go marching in a tell you I just love it be in that number. We are around the throne. That's was what is real to us. We who believe to want more than what we are entitled to. That's the pride of life to consider ourselves taller, better, smarter, wiser, more important than those around us even when we know were not that's putting ourselves up on this battle that self exaltation that is self esteeming the problem with humanity is not been poor self-esteem.

The problem of humanity is self exaltation hate myself no you don't because you be walking around beating yourself up with your fast or asking me to help you which I'm I'm helpful to know the gift of helps me you hate yourself you do that miss you but you love yourself you just not happy with the outcome.

That's the part that we have to address getting in that and Joshua were the tribes getting their boundaries as Christians, we have worked with in our boundaries. Maybe I cannot be the best something other. I just can't bring myself to say I can't be the best pastor I just can't do it. I try with everything I have and still can't get there the little tug that would but anyway we have of growing up we we had used to have a say thing you may know it to me myself and I that's what John is talking about the pride of life notices for me and for myself and for me by all about me, self-centered life above all others, self glory watch against the thirst of I don't know, applause, applause of men. That's Hollywood. Is it not. They live for that everything is about being on that pedestal everything is about standing in front of the cameras and watching the flashes all the attention you could drink up. John is saying that's not us.

That's not who we are, in John's day being a former fisherman know he had to deal with the pseudo-intellectuals, the guys at that.

They were so much deeper than him.

They could write books and they can outline things academically.

They were to know Christ better than John. They weren't even close. And it's the same. To this day.

You could walk on water. You can go to seminary I was going to respect you. Some people like that they have deified education in a very subtle way is a difference between education and learning didn't go to school all your life.

Get all your degrees and still be a smart dumb guy. Or you cannot go to school and be the dumb dumb guy. It's about what we do with what we have within our boundaries and how God uses us accordingly and how we love and care for one another, be tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you that's what counts. And so Paul writes for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world. This the world's wisdom is not the world's knowledge. We benefit from knowledge already at any time is probably 600,000 people up in the sky somewhere flying around his planes all over the playsets of the benefit from of man's knowledge, but in those airplanes and helicopters and other machines.

Their center still.

When that craft lands and they get out their iniquity will be upon those who don't have Christ in the blood of Christ will be on those who have them so it's not so much what we have the knowledge is what we do with the revelation arrogant people, whether in church or out. They always leave a stench behind. We always pick up guys. Eric I do know about you, I find it unattractive. Now let me pause here.

Sometimes you can think someone's arrogant and not the just not poorly be careful of judging others.

Eve was tempted of course with the pride of life me she got Satan engaged her and he just said just just brought her right on in Genesis 3 verse six so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. So she also gave to her husband, and he ate with her. He did not protest the lust of the eyes verse six of Genesis 3. This was pleasant to the eyes. Also, it says the lust of the flesh that the tree was good for food, and then the pride of life to make one wise to give me the edge to be like God, Satan told Eve Joshua chapter 7 a Ken when he was finally caught for his sin. He says when I saw when I saw among the spoils, a beautiful Babylonian garment as he could to see how he'd look in that on that pedestal so you have the eyes, and you have the pride and then he says 200 shekels of silver, a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels. I commented I had to have them, the lust of the flesh. That's what he said I coveted them and took them any paid John says is not the things of the world is not of the father but is of the world. The original manufacturer. The OEM is God.

We are to dance to his doom if he should play one we are to march to his instruction, his command we muster on Sundays like this because God has laid this pattern down for us in the New Testament. Christ rising on the Sunday morning and so what the priceless have concerning morality and spirituality is not from heaven. Any good deeds they do is common grace. It's not special doesn't come from God, humanity, God is allowed a common grace. Otherwise, civilization would break down, but that does not because man can get along with himself to a point to build certain cities that will eventually be attacked anyway. Ergo, the story of the city of Troy. For example a man can build these things but they are corrupt.

Nonetheless, because they built without God. This is the story of the Tower of Babel man can build towers without God, but they are an offense to God because he's not factored in.

So John then says verse 17 in the world is passing away in the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever is passing away. So who would want to build a foundation on that we get saved we recognize that instantly we realize.

Wait a minute. This life is transient and not only have just as far as a question. Blood goes with it has nothing to offer. After this life to me.

Christ has everything I want him for me when I became a Christian.

That instant was him it was all him.

Everything was him I wanted Jesus. I didn't care about anything else. I didn't know anything else. I just knew he was real in a flash.

I knew he was the one to worship. I wish we could stay there and I I wish it just stayed like that, you know, I could just be a little baby in Christ, but you've gotta grow up and you gotta go into the world and you gotta go out into war. But how special that time was and I hope you have fond memories of your conversion to an end, not cookie-cutter there, and some are gradual, some instantaneous, but you still know when you started to worship Jesus Christ. Esau, he lived for this life, as do those in the flesh. He lived for this world is always all about what he could do he miss used this life as did Sampson and Solomon both Sampson and Solomon knew they were wrong regretted their wrong and paid for. First Corinthians 7 Paul says to those who use this world as not misusing it for the form of this world is passing away bosses that we were here. We gotta use these things within these boundaries make them work for the king we can enjoy ourselves is nothing wrong with harmless past time pleasures so long as the don't get out of control. First John two verse eight to repeated again a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away fast enough. Lord, in the true light is already shining this present darkness, as Paul labels it in Ephesians, this present darkness, when you see evil for this to stay Nazi Germany on an entire nation demon possessed every single citizen of Germany is a difference between the Germans and the Nazis of the Nazis evil was exalted. That's what was going on.

It happens on individual level can happen in the small level are large-scale at the same time in Japan, Imperial Japan evil was exalted nobody else counted on matters.

Every other human being was like a rat to them. They were the ones that with the divine people. Shinto religion that caused them to think the wrong way about everything so we respect these forces that when evil is exalted. We have a problem and we work to keep that from happening within the circles we are in. So our old nature. It clings to this world with the new nature reaches and longs for the new heavens and new earth. Revelation 20. When I saw a new heaven and a new earth first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more CNE goes on to talk about this experience. I saw a new heaven. John is saying from a prison on Pat must on the island as a prisoner.

You see, I saw this is not how it's going to stay and we look at John's Revelation. We say he did see indeed, because things he called out were possible in the days that he lived. They are now and he said this would be the end. Well we close with.

But he who does the will of the father.

I don't want what I want I want what God wants and it takes a whole lot just find out what that is and to find out what was exactly how it is to play out in my life, a flesh rebel spirit longs for something different were in many ways, our spirit is under siege by our own flesh. So Paul writes for what I'm doing.

I do not understand what I what I will do.

I do not practice but what I hate that I do. Of course he goes on and says that is delivered by Christ. Revelation 2217 the Spirit and the bride say, come let him will hearsay come let him who thirsts, whoever desires, let him take the water of life really that's what makes all the difference.

We've taken this water.

So here in this bottom verse, verse 17, John contrast two things that are passing the world is passing away that which is permanent. That will abide forever. That is what we are passing to world is passing away. We are passing to that which abides forever circles with this verse. II not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe will be notified of new editions of cross reference. Just search for cross reference iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps. You can also follow the links@crossreference.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time you learning from the book of first John pastor I hear cross-reference