A Daily Walk

John Randall: Is there anything that you are currently observing that might entice you to sin within your heart and eventually lead you to sin in your action? If so, repent of it, turn from it today. Someone once said that if you sow a thought, you will reap an action. If you sow an action, you will reap a habit. If you sow a habit, you will reap a character. If you sow a character, you will reap a destiny.

Guest (Male): Who do you love? And how do you live? A couple of key questions we'll explore today on A Daily Walk as we continue through 1 John. This would be a good time to look in the mirror and examine our affections to see if they need to be realigned with God's will. The fact of the matter is, there are a good number of people in love with the world or the things of this world, and that will all pass away one day.

But those who do the will of God will live forever. Here is Pastor John Randall with more from 1 John chapter 2.

John Randall: When Paul wrote to the Romans, he talked about the fleshly mentality, the mindset. He called it being carnally minded, the flesh. And here is what he said in Romans chapter 8 verse 6. To be carnally minded, he said, is death. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is at war or at enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God, nor can it be. So then those who are in the flesh can't please God.

For those who adore this world system, that this represents a way of life. However, for the child of God who loves the Father, we live in stark contrast to the world system. The lust of the flesh is a desire that is rooted in the fallen human nature, often triggered by what we observe in, here's the next thing, the lust of the eyes. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.

The lust of the eyes refers to a strong desire or coveting of things we see, especially material possessions or beauty or anything that draws our attention away from God and leads to sin. It's closely tied to greed, to envy, idolatry, wanting what is not ours and being consumed by what we visually observe.

A man who had more than probably almost anyone in history wrote this. His name was Solomon. And Solomon said in Proverbs 27:20, "Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied." Job realized the importance of protecting one's eyes, what one sees, when he declared in Job 31:1, "I have made a covenant, an agreement with my eyes. Why should I look upon a young woman?"

Jesus also gave us a warning concerning our eyes and what we see. You remember in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, "You've heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery within his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. It's better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell."

He said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 22 concerning the eye, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, that is what you are visually taking in is bad, then your whole body is going to be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?"

The warning against what comes through visually due to the fact that the lust of the eyes is a very powerful tendency to draw us away from the Lord. So it's not like I can walk around with horse blinders. I just have to be very aware and cognizant of what I see and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and turn from that which could turn me away.

There are several biblical examples of this very thing. I'm sure you're familiar. Let me cite a few. The first one, Genesis. Her name was Eve. Chapter 3 verse 6, it says when the woman saw that the tree, saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, she took of it. Her visual desire played a role in her disobedience.

Another example would be that in the book of Joshua chapter 7, a man by the name of Achan. It says concerning Achan when he confessed having been confronted by Joshua, this is what he said in his confession. "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them, I took them, and there they are hidden in the midst of my tent with silver under it." I saw it, I coveted it, I took it, I hid it. Where did it begin? The lust of the eyes.

Another tragic example of this, seen in the life of the man after God's own heart, David. 2 Samuel chapter 11, a time when the kings should have been at battle, David decided to stay home. Up on the balcony, and visually he took in a woman bathing. Her name, Bathsheba. Entered into a relationship with her which resulted in adultery and murder. Where did it begin? With the eyes.

Is there anything that you are currently observing that might entice you to sin within your heart and eventually lead you to sin in your actions? If so, repent of it, turn from it today. Someone once said that if you sow a thought, you will reap an action. If you sow an action, you will reap a habit. If you sow a habit, you will reap a character. If you sow a character, you will reap a destiny.

The third element that is foundational to this system of the world: pride. Pride. The pride of life. The pride of life refers to those who glorify themselves instead of God. They create idols out of their possessions, their careers, their achievements, or their social status. Many theologians believe that pride is the root of man's fall as it involves placing oneself above God. Some rank pride as the queen of all of the vices and a root sin from which others flow.

Did you know that the Bible indicates that pride is directly linked to the devil and his downfall? In Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 through 15, it says, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer," that was the devil's name before he became the devil, "son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations!" And why is it that he was cut down? Notice his pride.

"For you said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'" God's response to the devil's pride: "You shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit."

The Bible speaks extensively about the dangers of pride. For one thing, the Bible says that God opposes the proud. In James chapter 4 verse 6, it says, "God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble." Pride also leads to destruction. Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18, it says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 18:12 says, "Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor."

Pride is also a sin and something that God hates. In Proverbs 8, it says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil; pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." God hates pride and arrogance. And let me just pause for a moment and say this. Sometimes this question comes up. Is there a difference between being proud of someone and being arrogant? Yes, there is a difference. And it lies mainly in the intent, focus, and emotional impact.

For example, being proud of someone. You're proud of your kids. You're proud of your husband. You're proud of your wife. Being proud of someone, the focus is directed outward toward another person. The intent is encouragement, recognition, celebration of someone else's achievement, their growth, their character. I'm happy about this. I'm pleased by that. The tone is positive, supportive. It's humble.

"I'm so proud of you for working the way you have and reaching that goal. Congratulations." The emotional impact of that inspires someone. It inspires confidence. It reinforces connection and appreciation. That's not a bad thing. That's a blessing. But there's something different when you consider being arrogant. The focus is directed inward, often about oneself or how one compares to others.

And the intent is to elevate oneself, often diminishing others. The tone: overconfident, dismissive, boastful. Example: "Of course I've succeeded. I'm better than everyone else, and I'm humble about it." No, you're not. That's arrogance. And the emotional impact of such an attitude: you alienate others or you come off as self-centered. There is a vast difference between being proud of someone and being arrogant.

There are examples in Scripture of those who were filled with pride whom God humbled. Several. One that stands out to me, I should say rather, is in Daniel chapter 4. A man by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. Oh, he was so powerful. He was so powerful. And one day he's walking through and he's looking at all he's made and he's just like, "Man, I am something. And I think everybody ought to check me out." I mean, he didn't exactly say that, but that's basically the mindset that he had.

And when he did this, the Bible said God immediately humbled him, turned him into an animal. His hair grew long. His fingernails grew long. He ended up living in a field eating grass like a cow until he realized that God rules and is sovereign. He was humbled and confessed it later on. God knows how to humble us if we think we are all that. Better to humble yourself than be humbled.

The Bible calls us to humility. In Philippians chapter 2 verse 3, Paul exhorted us, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." The prophet Micah declared in Micah chapter 6 in verse 8, "What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Humility is repeatedly presented as the virtue that contrasts and cures pride.

Chuck Swindoll summed up the things that make up this world that John mentions by saying this. He said, "The things in the world include the lust of the flesh, which energizes us from within; the lust of the eyes, which entices us from without; and the boastful pride of life, which erupts from our lips."

These three elements that make up the system of the world are also closely connected to the temptations that we face as believers. When Eve was tempted in the garden, did you know that the devil used these three things: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to tempt her to take of the fruit of the tree? It says that she saw that it was good for food, that is the lust of the flesh, Genesis chapter 3.

It was a delight to the eyes, that speaks of the lust of the eyes. It could make her wise. "You can be like God if you eat this, Eve." Wow, pride. And she took it. She was tempted. James describes for us how temptation works. He tells us in James chapter 1, this is how it works. This is how it happens. He said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God.' God can't be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."

Here's how it works. "Each one is tempted when he's drawn away by his own desires and enticed." The lust of the flesh kicks in. The lust of the eyes, the pride of life. "I can do this. I can handle it." And enticed. Then when the desire has conceived, it says here that it gives birth to sin. And sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.

Folks, the New Testament also records that Jesus was tempted by the devil in these same three ways. After He had fasted for 40 days, the Bible tells us at His weakest point, the devil shows up with a temptation. And the Bible tells us that he appealed to Jesus in these three areas. You remember? He said, "Since you are the son of God," as the translation, "command these stones to become bread." You're hungry. Lust of the flesh. There's a desire.

Jesus refused. He said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." A second temptation in the three. At one point he said, "The kingdoms of this world can be yours." Oh, the lust of the eyes. Look at it all. It's all available. All you gotta do is get down and bow. That's it. It can be yours. Jesus refused. "It is written."

Another temptation. "Throw yourself down from here. You know, everyone's going to see. You throw yourself down from here, the angels are going to bear you up." Oh, the pride. I could reveal to everybody that I'm the Messiah, just hovering above them as I throw myself off the pinnacle of the temple. Again, "It is written."

Folks, each of us battle the flesh every single day. There's not a person in here that doesn't battle the flesh. We all do. And the remedy for the flesh is crucifixion. I've been crucified with Christ. I have to die daily to those things that want to live within me. The flesh just wants to breathe. Just let me breathe. Just let me fight another day. I gotta crush it. I gotta battle it. So do you.

Can we overcome these things? Yes. How? How do I overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Through the word of God and the power of the Spirit of God. That is how we overcome.

In verse 17, John provides another reason why it is essential to live for God's will instead of this world. Look at what he says in verse 17: "The world is," notice the emphasis, "is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." The apostle John describes now the temporary nature of this world system. It's passing away.

And the verb translated here "passing away" is in the present tense, meaning to disappear. The present tense of the word indicates that the world is already in the process of self-destruction. John is looking ahead to the destruction of the satanic world system and all those who cling to its lust, its ideologies that oppose God in Christ. And says it's coming to nothing. It will disappear.

J.C. Ryle, such a powerful quote on this. He said this. Listen carefully. "The possession of the whole world and all that it contains will never make a person happy. Its pleasures are false and deceptive. Its riches rank, and honors have no power to satisfy the heart. So long as we do not have them, they glitter, they sparkle, and they seem desirable.

But the moment we have them, we find that they are empty bubbles and cannot make us feel content. And worst of all, when we possess this world's good things to the utmost bounds of our desire, we can't keep them. Why is that? Because death comes in and separates us from all our property forever. Naked we came upon this earth and naked we go forth, and of all our possessions we can carry nothing with us. Such is the world which occupies the attention of thousands. Such is the world for the sake of which millions every year destroy their souls." Powerful.

On the other hand, he who does the will of God abides forever. You ask, "Well, what then is the will of God? I want to abide forever." God's will, for one thing, is that people would know Him and follow Him. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 3 and 4, "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." God desires people to know Him. That's His heart. That's His will.

Folks, we're not to love the world but God's will. We're not to live for the temporal but for the eternal. How do we put these warnings into practice? This is important. And here's what's important: avoiding extremes. And let me give you two.

First of all, avoid isolation. "I just got to isolate myself from everything that is in the world. I can't have non-Christian friends. I need to go to a Christian restaurant, I need to go to a Christian gym, I need to go to a Christian this, I need to go to a Christian that." And I don't find everything Christian, then how are we going to reach the world if it's all Christian?

Folks, that's by the way, that's why we're here. We're not here to isolate; we're here to infiltrate. I'm not saying compromise. I'm not saying go back on your convictions. But I am saying if you just isolate and you go up on a hill somewhere in a white gown just waiting for Jesus to come back, maranatha, that is not the point. That is not the point. We are here to win people to Christ. Isolation, an extreme to avoid.

Here's another extreme to avoid: provocation. Meaning every place you go, you openly insult those who embrace the things of this world. You assert your moral convictions in a way that makes you obnoxious about your displeasure with the world. You go out of your way to insult people who disagree with you. You put them down because they're more liberal and you condemn them.

Folks, listen. We are to be gracious and kind, but also firm in our convictions without compromising. Some Christians are just straight obnoxious. It's not about winning arguments; it's about winning souls. It's about having a conversation that may lead to conversion rather than winning the argument. "Ha, told you liberal kook. Get out of here." Like, wow. You're really in the name of Jesus? Really? I just don't see it. People are arrogant. That's the flesh. We read it. So avoid provocation.

I think Peter said it best. Here's the balance in it all. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you." How? "With meekness and fear." There's an element of humility that should be noticeable in the life of a Christian.

You can disagree with someone agreeably. You can disagree with them lovingly. Are you married? You know how this works. You disagree, doesn't mean you don't love them. You do. But you disagree. And there's a way to do it in a way that honors God. Sometimes I see Christians on social media contending for the faith and they are arrogant and it bothers me. I think that is to me, I just see a misrepresentation. You can agree with the content, but the presentation of the content sometimes is stumbling.

Guest (Male): We'll stop right here for just a minute or two, but don't go away. Pastor John Randall has a bit more to say here on A Daily Walk. His message today, "Who do You Love?", can be heard again at adailywalk.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Pastoral ministry isn't easy, to put it mildly. Yes, there are good times, but also pressures and personal costs as well. Much of that goes unseen by the congregation. In his new book, The Other Side of Sunday, Pastor John shares candidly what he has learned so far in pastoral ministry with the hopes of encouraging other pastors and leaders. Whether you are a pastor, a church leader, or a member of a congregation, this book will deepen your understanding of the heart of a shepherd and point you to the one who sustains us all.

The cost is just $15, and you can order it right now at adailywalk.org. Get an extra copy for your pastor as well. Again, adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828 for all the ordering details. And we want to take this time to invite you to partner with us. Large or small, your gifts are appreciated and put to good use, making it possible to come to you over the radio and the internet.

Right now, people are looking for truth in a world full of lies, and God's word contains that truth. With your help, we're able to bring that to them at a time when they really need to hear it. You can donate online at adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. Now, let's finish up today's study with these closing words from Pastor John.

John Randall: As we conclude, let's consider this. We started with the question. Let's end with it. Who do you love? How do you live? Do you live for only that which is temporary or for that which is eternal? There are only a few things that actually last forever. You know that? The word of God and the souls of men and women.

The Bible tells us in Daniel chapter 12 verse 3, "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." There is a difference between a firework display and the stars in the sky. Oh, we love to see the sky light up, the sounds, the brightness, the color. It's amazing. Sometimes we wonder, "Was that the finale? Or do we, oh wait, wait, wait, there's more!"

But when it's all said and done, what remains? Ash, smoke, a mess. But when all the smoke is cleared and it all settles, what remains? Stars. They're still there. How do you want to live your life? Just ash and smoke and gone. Or as Daniel said, like the stars that remain and shine.

And those who turn those to righteousness shine like the stars forever. What we love reveals who we are, and I would say where we're going. The world promises a lot but delivers emptiness. God offers something so much better: Himself and eternal life in Christ. I'm reminded of that quote by C.S. Lewis, so profound, makes a lot of sense.

He said something to the effect that if I find within me a vacancy which nothing in this world can satisfy, then I conclude I must be made for another world. And I would agree with that.

Guest (Male): Next time on A Daily Walk, we're talking about living in the last hour as our study of 1 John resumes with Pastor John.