I John 2:17

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And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

THE STUDY:

           This morning we need to look at the brief existence of worldly people, pleasures, and desires. If we place our interest in that which is here today and gone tomorrow, we reap a harvest of instability, stumbles in the darkness of sin and, because we have cast our lot with the world and face a similar end. “For this world in its present form is passing away” (I Cor. 7:31).

However, the child of God is secure, for he possesses eternal life. [Let me be sure you understand, this is not the teachings of “Eternal Security” but the teachings of a continual personal relationship with Christ. In this relationship we can have the promise of being one of God’s eternal children.] What a contrast! The person who loves the world soon passes away, “but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” John echoes Jesus’ words: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21; also I Peter 4:2). When the will of man is in harmony with the will of God, the Christian has fellowship with the Father and the Son that lasts forever ^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that our focus, interest, desires, and passion needs to be that of God! The world offers many things and there is nothing wrong with having these things. The problem arises when those worldly things supersede our relationship with Christ.  

CONCLUSION:

          I remember purchasing these nice chairs that went with the decor of the kitchen. They were these high bar stool chairs that were cast iron. My wife loved how they fit nicely up under the high counter top in the kitchen. My wife would not let our children sit on them and eat or drink anything. Living in the parsonage, we would have people over from time to time and they would bring their children. This would cause my wife to get a little nervous when it came time to eat. The kids would always want to eat at the counter.

          Long story short, those same chairs now sit down stairs in the basement. Over time those chairs have lost their value in my wife’s eyes. It wasn’t until my wife realized those chairs were becoming more to her than the will of God. She realized it was more important to build relationships than build a nicely decorated house.

          This morning, if there is any worldly things that may be taking the place of the Will of the Father, remove it and get things back in the order that was originally intended, God first, family, second, everything else third!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (272–273). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.