The Lust of the Flesh Our Enemy, pt. 1: (1 John 2:15–17)

15Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for

when you love the world, you do not have the love of the

Father in you.

16For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure,

a craving for everything we see, and pride in our

achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from

this world.

17And this world is fading away, along with everything

that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God

will live forever. NLT

indicating a place of corruption, a place antagonistic and strong aversion to God, a place in the grip of the demonic “powers.” ISBE

Here John uses the term world in a highly negative connotation,

Love is used 3 times in v. 3 and

in every case it is agape.

Agape of the world is sin.

Don’t love the world because it

Opposes God

Fading away

2 Timothy 4:10 - Demas has deserted me because he loves

the things of this life… NLT

Matthew 13:3-23

Rocky Soil They fall away as soon as they

have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s

word.

Matthew 13:3-23

Thorny Soil The message is crowded out by the worries of this life and

the lure of wealth

Matthew 13:3-23

Only the Good Soil that produces fruit is a

true believer.

James 4:4

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of

God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the

world, you make yourself an enemy of God. NLT

1 John 2:19

These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us;

otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left,

it proved that they did not belong with us. NLT

physical pleasure

everything we see

pride in our achievements &

possessions

Luke 22:15

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired (lust) to eat this Passover with you before

I suffer. ESV

Lust of the flesh is an offer that comes from outside of us

that stirs up the sin in us two ways

1. By what it is (pornography)

2. How it is achieved (premarital & extramarital

sex).

At the fundamental level, the sin in us perverts or

distorts a God given desire (Jeremiah 17:9)

1. Set your sights on the realities of heaven

Colossians 3:1-15

2. Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Colossians 3:1-15

3. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you

learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Doing good for one’s own sake rather than for God’s is not doing good at all, but is

merely a hypocritical projection of the sin of

self-love.

Romans Commentary, John MacArthur

Meditation & Application

Say No to the offerings of the world by Trusting that Jesus is

sufficient for you now.

Meditation & Application

Take time to identify the values

of the offer.

Meditation & Application

Be mindful that sin is in you

Meditation & Application

Ask the LORDto reveal sin in your life.

Meditation & Application

Ask the LORDto to make the

Two Great Commandments realities in your life.

Meditation & Application

Grow in the skillful use of your Offensive Weapon -

The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

(Eph 6:17)