Be Careful What You Love

May 5 | Rick Thiemke

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John, the disciple of Jesus and writer of the Gospel of John, has aged in years. He is overseeing house churches that have gone through a crisis. People have broken away, denied Jesus’ divinity and are hostile to those that remained. This letter is very much damage control. It reads like a poetic sermon, with most of its content coming from Jesus’ teachings found in the gospel of John. The themes of his main message are life, truth and love. He uses hyperbole and stark contrast to make his points. Our text today is found in the first half of the letter where John is emphasizing that God is light. In Him there is no darkness. He calls believers to walk in the light of Jesus in a world that is held captive to darkness.  

What You Are In Christ and Cannot Lose

C. S. Lewis said, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.” As we surrender, God takes us into His Kingdom, brings us into His family and we become His children and He our Father. His Spirit takes up residence in us and we gain victory over “the evil one” (verse 14). 

John tells us the truth of who we are:

• You are forgiven (verse 12)

• You know the Father (verse 14)

• You are an overcomer with the Word abiding in you (verse 14). 

The work of Christ and the Word of God empower us to gain victory and overcome the evil one. When the enemy of my soul accuses me of sin, I trust the work of Christ. My debt has been paid. When I experience temptation, I turn to the Word of God. 

What the World Offers but Cannot Give

John warns us not to love the world in verses 15-17. He is using the word “world” as a worldview perspective that is led by “the evil one” and is characterized by 

• The desires of the flesh

• The desires of the eyes

• The pride of possessions 

To live for these desires, to be controlled by them, is to love the world. To love the world is to be devoid of love for the Father (verse 15) and to give ourselves to things that are temporary and have no lasting or eternal value. John is not telling us to reject any and all aspects of culture, much of which reflects the glory, goodness and gifts of God. He is saying that we are not to love and idolize thoughts, values and behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word (verse 14) and His will (verse 17). 

The longing of the human heart is to be loved and to love. The objects of our affection are to be rightly ordered if we are to truly find ultimate and lasting satisfaction. To love the world is to not love the Father - which is what we really need. John is calling believers to be careful what we love. He calls us to choose God the Father, not worldly enticements of the father of lies (John 8:44). Turning good things into idols makes them a bad thing. It is to give your love to a lesser love - one that can never satisfy, who can never give you what you truly need. The world cannot give you what it promises. The world cannot give you what will last. A life lived loving the world is in stark contrast to a life lived for the Father.