Why didn't Jesus just stay up in heaven?
[This message is part of a series through the book of 1 John, entitled "Salvific Assurance Through Testimony," preached by Pastor Senter].
II. The worldly are incompatible with God (verse 16).
The shortsightedness of this comment is clear when we consider that Jesus did not originate from this world, His previous point of existence was heavenly. He came down here and subjected himself to what is here for our sake. A quick review of Philippians 2:1-8 will help us understand this. The world cannot comprehend this. In James 4:4 we find that friends of the world are opposed or hostile to God. Why didn’t Jesus just stay up in heaven? Why come down here and subject Himself to all this? He is God, He could have done anything He wanted to secure our salvation, however only a perfect sacrifice would suffice. Therefore, He subjected himself to crucifixion, to the will and whims of man to free you from sin. The truth is found in another study we are currently enjoying on Wednesday nights. We are working our way through Hebrews. The fact is that only through the shedding of blood can we be free from sin (Heb 9:22). Man cannot understand this, that it takes a life to provide life. Yet, we do it every day there is a transplant of a lung. Though this provision is only temporary, Christ’s provision is permanent. Normally, the temporal transplant provider has no choice–they are dead. In Christ, He willingly provided His life for all to be saved.
Have you accepted this gift? Do you know what it is to be free from the world and in a position that is acceptable to God? The only way to be in that position is to be given over to Christ and have His righteousness imputed to you for your sake (Rom 4:24).
How do we see the things of the world then? What do they have to offer us if we are in Christ Jesus?
A. Things of the world are
What, then, are the things of the world that we are supposed to avoid. What, then, are these horrible things that take place all around us? Simply, they are anything that seems so acceptable to the world, that is progressive, that seems that we should be tolerant of because a few want to partake in them. How about the slogan “Sex Sells.” If we think for a moment that these types of billboards, commercials, or other advertisements and programs that promote anything other than a wholesome monogamous relationship is anything other than mans bent toward his own sin-filled, unregenerate heart, then we have another thing coming. All of these things feed our sensual desires of the flesh. How about drink Pastor? The Bible says that Jesus drank wine, why can’t we drink? We just cannot drink whiskey, after all that is the “strong drink” we are not supposed to drink. Turn to and read all of Luke 1:15. You will notice, it says, neither wine nor strong drink, not just strong drink. Ladies and gentlemen, anything that you place in greater importance in your life than God, including food, has the potential to be sinful. The Word of God says that the lust of the eyes is a form of pornography; it is a captivation with visual excitement. Pride or boasting, arrogance, and false braggadocios all fall into these categories. How many of us have told a “fish story”? Telling one and admitting to its exaggeration is fun and part of our ability to relate with one another. Telling a story, sticking to it, and holding it up as truth to place you in greater importance than another person, that is sin-filled.
Shun the things that this world likes. If people like the allure of a woman’s midriff showing, or a woman wearing very short cutoff jeans, or a mini skirt; they like it because of the allure, it tantalizes the eyes of men. This, then, is sin.
God made all these things though, why are they not of God?
B. These are not of God
The world considers themselves in control of all their lives. They refuse to submit to God, when in actuality, their submission is not within their control. Man continually denies God or His sovereignty. Man has no control over God and just denying His existence is has no efficacy, it does not matter. I have shared that I am color blind, that I see the UPS truck as green, not brown. My denying the truck is brown does not make it any other color than brown. Some will see it as a gray or even black because they are fully colorblind. This does not change the real color of the truck. The people who do not see the true color therefore are the impaired individuals. The truck is not changing, people are. In this relativistic world, man thinks he can decide what is individually right for himself. He does not see that the UPS truck is brown no matter what he thinks. Equally, God is sovereign no matter what man thinks. In this pseudo-intellectual and relativistic world that man creates, he expresses no need for God; expresses worldly tendencies – desires of the world; and he expresses self-aggrandizement and desires to please men not God.
How many of you have told a fish story? When was the first time the fish got bigger? How many of you have looked upon someone that is not your husband or wife and had thoughts conjured up in your mind about that person. Men, the committal of scripture to your mind will alleviate those wicked thoughts. However, have you asked God for forgiveness for that thought, or do you conjure it up in your mind once and a while to refresh your memory about it? On the other hand, do you just dismiss that as something that all men do and all men have to deal with? All of these alluring ideas, all of these misconceptions, all of these personal rationalizations are thought of, brought about because of, and conceived in man’s mind, not God’s. The influences of Satan, the one this world is turned over to for spiritual dominance, are predominant. God is in control, His will will be done. However, for the sin-filled issues in life, the curse has effected us since the fall of man, and God has given Satan permission to influence these things. The only protection you have against this influence is to accept the Savior who sends the Holy Spirit, and gives you God, therefore, to combat the temptations of this world. In this way, therefore, the things of this world are not the things of God.
Because man handicaps himself by denying the existence of a true God, he continually shortens his horizon, he can only see so far.
III. The worldly is short sighted (verse 17).
The reasons for this view are multitudinous. Who can say specifically why any one man or woman would only consider the things of the world? The entire outlook is hinged upon getting and living all that can be gotten and lived in this lifetime. Think about the limits of man’s vision. He can only learn from what other men know. Other men thought, initially, that the world was flat. One man who read scripture dared to venture out into the world God had made and when he disappeared over the edge, the limit of man’s thought initially counted him as lost. Then, one day Christopher Columbus returned and man was proven wrong. Think about the scientific blunders of our current time dealing with stalactites and stalagmites. How many of you have heard of the Lincoln Monument in Washington DC? In 1929, that monument was sealed. The base would not be opened for some 36 years and in 1965, it was opened for cleaning. What did they find? Five foot stalactites extending from the ceiling. Before this, science thought, they took millions of years to develop. We are continually making scientific breakthroughs and dealing with medical problems with what we know now. How many decades ago did cancer take over 90% of its victims, and now we save that many. You say “Preacher, what’s the point?” The point is that man’s knowledge is ever expanding, but it will never grasp the infinite God we serve. He is all knowing, all-powerful, and all encompassing. Man denies God because he cannot comprehend God. This is circular because if man could comprehend God, God would not be God. The fact that He is incomprehensible, the fact that He is infinite, the fact that He is all-knowing is part of why we know He is God. Saving faith must be functional in a Christian life. Obedience versus that of the world, which is rebellious. The will of God versus the desire of the world. Abiding forever versus that which passes away.
Those who seek the exhilaration of danger, the thrill-seekers of today, the extreme games they play will only see the offerings in this world as the ultimate achievable thrills. They will never see the exhilaration of seeing a soul saved for eternal existence with God.
What do you tell anyone that is just starting out in any profession? Look at the product, you are training for this end goal, you will get there soon, you have to stick with it. If you have children in college, you have to constantly encourage them to stay with the program for the four years. Stick it out; stay the course; keep your eyes on the prize. How many times have you said these very words, and yet here in the most important thing in life you fail the one Father everyone reports to. Here in His word He is lovingly saying to you and me, ”Stay the course, stick it out, keep your eye on the prize, watch the ring, do not loose sight of the goal, and do not get side-tracked.” You have to ask yourself, have you been side-tracked lately?
In these two posts we have considered 1 John 2:15-17, and the fact that our focus should be eternal, not temporal. We considered that the worldly are without God. They are incapable of serving two masters. We looked at the worldly being incompatible with God. They focus upon the things around them, they see things relatively, and they only find solace in the things of man. We also found in verse 17 that the worldly are very short-sighted. They are incapable of seeing things eternally. You, on the other hand, should be seeing things in a broader spectrum. Your view should span the horizon and look past it to see what may be waiting for you on the other side. Your concentration, therefore, is not centered upon the things here, where you stand. You look outward toward a grander goal, a goal that only those with an eternal perspective can see. You do not find in this broader goal excitement in the evil things of this world. Your only focus is to use the things of this world that God has given in Scripture as tools to achieve eternity with Him.
I invite you now, therefore, if you do not see this as your goal, if you are still holding on to the things of this earth, if you are still seeking the things temporal–please, contact us so you can talk to someone about Christ today. Change your focus from here and now, to there and then. Without a proper focus, eternity will never find you, you have to seek it, and it can only be sought through Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.
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