Pastor Lowell Nelson teach about 1 John 2: 15-17 "The Danger of a Divided Heart" on 11/29/2009 for our Sunday service.
1 John 2
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 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. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Building on the epistle's purpose to provide believers with full joy and unwavering confidence, Pastor Lowell introduces the section on the "Prudence of Fellowship" – a series of crucial warnings. This segment emphasizes that our actions, not just our words, are the "proofs" of our devotion and will either promote or purge our joy and confidence in salvation.
The core of this warning is clear: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Pastor Lowell explains that the "love" mentioned here is agape, a complete giving over of one's passion. A divided heart cannot serve both God and the rewards of the world, leading to compromised loyalties.
John then dissects what "all that is in the world" entails: "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life". These desires are "not of the Father, but is of the world". These three categories represent mankind's original fall in the Garden (Eve seeing the fruit, desiring it for wisdom) and continue to be the enemy's subtle tactics today, as seen in David's sin with Bathsheba.
Pastor Lowell powerfully illustrates the dangers of these worldly lusts through the story of Achen in Joshua chapter 7. Despite God's clear command to abstain from Jericho's "accursed things" and dedicate its "treasury" to the Lord, Achen saw a beautiful Babylonian garment, silver, and gold (lust of the eyes), coveted them (lust of the flesh), and thought he deserved them (pride of life). Achen's secret sin of compromise brought God's anger and defeat upon the entire nation of Israel at Ai, demonstrating how one person's unrepentant compromise can affect the whole fellowship.
This warning is further reinforced by Jesus's Parable of the Sower, specifically the seed that fell among thorns, representing those who hear the Word but allow "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and he becomes unfruitful". These "thorns" highlight the danger of a divided heart. In contrast, Jesus, when tempted in the wilderness, rejected the shortcut to worldly kingdoms by declaring, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve".
Pastor Lowell Nelson concludes with the profound truth of 1 John 2:17: "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever". He challenges us to consider whether we are pursuing temporary worldly "upgrades" or investing in the eternal things of God's kingdom. This sermon is a heartfelt call to the Calvary Chapel Milwaukee body to conduct a vital heart check, repent of worldly desires, and find true contentment and purpose in God's will alone, so that their joy may be full and their confidence in eternal life unshakeable.
