Lesson 21
Second Peter
Warning against dangers
facing the Church
Review:
Def:
worldliness is cosmic thinking, cosmic values; cosmic opinions; cosmic
aspirations; all that comes together to make up ones norms and standards untouched
by the Word of God.
What are some of the elements of
Worldliness? What is its make up? the elements of this
world?
1. It is Ordered
by Satan. 2 Cor. 4:4; John
2. It has men/mankind as inhabitants/subjects; Eph. 2:2
3. The world has standards; it has a philosophy, wisdom. norms/opinions 1 Cor 2:6
Worldliness
is an organized and attractive system of ideas, concepts, attitudes, and
methods which Satan uses to compete with God's expressed viewpoint of how
people are to live on planet Earth.
Worldliness is most
often presented as something beautiful, desirable, and enlightening and when
the OSN rules it causes a corruption of our perception of reality, our ability to
think straight.
Worldliness is
Satan's window dressing, presenting evil in a way that makes it seem like its the good, right, proper thing to do.
If we want to be
successful as Christians in avoiding worldliness we must first understand its
basic characteristics.
In 1 John
The added words "nor the things in the world" particularize this love of the world,
prohibiting such a love relationship with any particular aspect or feature of
this evil world.
The "things" then
are those realities that are rooted in and characterized by this evil world.
What does it say
then about the individual that loves the world?
That the things of
the world have become more important then God and our relationship w/Him.
The reasons for the prohibition to
stop loving the world (2:15b-17).
John gives us here
three reasons believers should not love the world:
(1) because it reveals ones personal condition (v. l5b);
(2) because of the character of the world (v. 16);
(3) because of the contrasted ends (v.17).
#1 The personal condition revealed by love of the
world (v. 15b).
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
John presents a
hypothetical situation to illustrate "If
any man love the world"
The conclusion
declares negatively the reality of his spiritual condition- "the love of the Father is not in him"
#2 The character or nature of the things in
the world (v. 16).
John details the
components of the world that we as believers are not to love. Points out for us
the contrast with what our lives should be as believers.
The following three phrases are an
unfolding of the character of these things: the mindset of the world.
"the lust of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the
world."
The first component is the "the
lust of the flesh."
"The lust of the flesh"
denotes what?
The second component is the "the lust of the eyes."
This
has to do with desire for things that we see, things
which catch our eye. The emphasis is on
external attractiveness without
examination of the underlying values.
"The lust
of the eyes" then is associated with what?
The
third component is the "The
boastful pride of life"
It is the arrogant
attitude by which people think more highly of themselves than they ought. It is the ambition to center one's life
around self rather than God.