God the Father's family is classified into fathers, young men, and little children, with a particular focus on the dangers faced by young men in 1 John 2:14-17. The sermon highlights that while young men possess spiritual strength from God's Word and have overcome evil, they are susceptible to loving the world and its enticements: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This affection for the world distances believers from the Father's love, as demonstrated by the example of Samson's fall and Demas's desertion. Ultimately, believers are called to crucify self to the world and focus on doing God's will, which abides forever, rather than pursuing the transient pleasures of this world.
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Beloved radio, friends, we greet you in the ever-precious and worthy name of our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus. We are grateful to have the privilege to represent the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we have been meditating in recent days upon God the Father and his family. We rejoice in the revelation of the fatherhood of God, It is our deep and earnest prayer that every one of our radio friends has the privilege, as well as the right, to call God by that precious name, our Father, which art in heaven.
It implies relationship, a relationship into which we can only be brought by the new birth and our faith in the Son of God. For we are all the children of God, through faith, which is in Christ Jesus, wrote the beloved Apostle Paul in Galatians three, twenty-six. The earnest desire of one's heart, in so speaking of the family of God, is that anyone who may not be in the family, such as may be listening to my voice even now, may be brought to know God, and through the Lord Jesus come to the Father.
For did not the Lord Jesus say, I am the way, the truth, and the life? No man cometh unto the Father but by me. We have been specially this week, been considering the family in detail. We have noted from First John chapter two, that the family is divided in the mind and heart of God into three classifications. There are those who have spiritually, faithfully, continued on to know the Lord, and grown in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and matured. And they are called in first John two, verse thirteen, as well as fourteen, fathers.
We have considered a second classification. Those who may not have reached that maturity yet, but are well on their way, whom John calls young men. in first John chapter two, also in verses thirteen and fourteen. And then we have those who are called the little children, undoubtedly for the greater part, perhaps newborn babes in the family of God. Now we have touched upon the classification of the fathers in detail, and even to some degree the young men. We would like to read verse fourteen through seventeen of first John two again.
I've written unto you fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I've written unto you young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you. And ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passes away in the lust thereon. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. These are the words that John by the Holy Spirit writes directly to the young men.
We have noted their three special characteristics, as we touched upon verse fourteen. They have the possession of spiritual strength. They knew the true source of that strength. It was the Word of God that was dwelling in their hearts. They proved and brought to pass the result of that strength. They were victorious over the wicked one, even Satan. But may we now point out, from verses fifteen through seventeen of this first chapter, first epistle of John chapter two, the apostle speaks of a danger that ever faced them. and it was an affection for the world.
Note this particular statement in verse fifteen. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man loved the world. The love of the Father is not in him. Now may we state again, though we are in the world, remember what the Lord Jesus said. In John seventeen we are not of it. Tis one thing for a Christian to be in the world. But it is a sad thing when the world may be in the heart of a Christian. And the Apostle John is pointing out one danger, an affection for the world.
The world is that whole system of things about us, organized by man and controlled by Satan. The Lord Jesus speaks in John twelve thirty-one, John fourteen verse thirty. He speaks of Satan being the God of this world, or the Prince of this world. And Paul in second Corinthians four in verse four, the God of this age. And we may truthfully describe the world in these words. It is the place where men seek happiness without God. Now the beloved apostle is warning of the danger of a Christian putting his and her affection upon that world. Did you never notice the words of Paul written to his son in the faith, Timothy, a sad commentary of one of his fellow companions by the name of Demas?
Paul writing to Timothy had to state, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. Now we have no indication that Demas had gone into sin and deep moral degradation. Paul doesn't state that. But what he states, instead of Christ having the full occupation of his heart, he had turned to find satisfaction and place his affection upon and in the world. Beloved, may God remind you in me, know what John says, if any man loved the world, that is, if a Christian has his and her whole heart within that world, centered upon that world, The love of the Father is not in him.
Now it does not say the Father does not love him. It says the Father's love is not dwelling in him. My Christian friend, may you and I ever remember, when we give the world a large place within our affections, we also place the Lord Jesus, as well as our Father, in a place of distance. from our love. My fellow believer, may I say, Christ and the Father himself are sufficient to satisfy and keep the heart of the believer constantly happy.
And so may we ever remember one of the dangers, the world which we are passing through, that great system, under man, as well as under the control of Satan, who is the prince of it, and the God of the age. But there was not only the love of the world that was a danger. There was an affection for the things of the world that would be a danger. Love not the world, says John, but he adds, neither the things that are in the world. Now while you and I, my fellow Christian, are passing through this world which is Satan's dominion, we are exposed to special dangers, the things that are in it.
You see, what are they that are in the world? Well, read what John writes in verse sixteen, for all, all the things that are in the world, meaning the things that are provided by the system of Satan and the world without God. They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father but of the world. One can recognize all these things in the world as Satan's dominion, They are avenues to the soul coming through these three main channels, the lust of the flesh, offering what the flesh desires, the lust of the eyes, what the eyes may see, and then when we have it, the pride of life.
May we point out, I'm sure this is the truth we can all take to our hearts. It is easier to keep the enemy out than to expel him after he has entered. And, beloved, we need to keep strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and keep the enemy out, my fellow believer. Let us remember the example of one biblical character in the Old Testament, who was a strong man, who was separated to God. Yet he became the object of Satan's attack, and he fell through one of the things that were in the world. He fell through the lust of the flesh. The one we name is a man called Samson, a man whom God had raised up to be a deliverer of his people Israel from the bondage and the tyranny of the Philistines.
But he spoiled and ruined his testimony as a child of God and as a vessel of God because he yielded to the lust of the flesh. Oh, then we may remember the words of the Lord Jesus. went to the disciples in the garden, he said, Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Now in the seventeenth verse of our chapter in John, first John chapter two, we have the fact that the character of this world is really only temporary, for the world passeth away, and the lust thereon. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
May I point out two things regarding this verse? First, the temporary or the transient character of the world. It's not going to stay here. The world with all that which it possesses. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life that it offers. Tis only temporary. But there's something very permanent for the child of God. The eternal blessedness of doing God's will. For he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. And thus we may recognize that our responsibility is to realize these facts. First, the Father's love will not be enjoyed by a believer if that believer loves the world.
We should remember that it was the world that crucified the Father's Son and demonstrated the power of Satan as its prince. We should remember that as a child of God, It is our responsibility to crucify self to the world. For Paul said, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. Just what is our attitude, my Christian? My fellow believer, what is your attitude in mine to the world as a system that is organized by man still under Satan's power? This is what we should realize.
We should not live for this world, but as believers, live for eternity. It has been well worth said. Heaven is worth dying for, but the world is not worth living for. Oh, my fellow believer, are you living for this world, or are you living to do the will of God? Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will sanctify the divine truth in our Savior's name for his glory. Amen.