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 12:31; 14:30;    1 Jn 5:19

 

 

 

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 2:16 and James 3:15 are two crucial passages in the New Testament which detail the nature of this world-system that we are not to love.

 

 

 

 

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.