[b]Do not love the World
If we obey the lust of our flesh and eyes and pride, we love the world and will perish with it! We can not love our heavenly Father and the world too.
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. 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. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (I.John 2:15-17)
To befriend the world, is to commit adultery with God’s enemy!
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
(James 4:3-5)
If Christ is in us, we have overcome the world and satan.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. (I.John 4:4,5)
Satan is the ruler of this world.
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
(John 12:31) ...for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. (Jn.14:30)
It is the duty of those who have the Spirit to convict the world of sin by holy living and speach; to show forth the righteousness of God; and to warn every man of the righteous judgment of God coming upon satan, this world, and all who serve and obey him.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)
Faith in Jesus gives us the victory.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(I.John 5:3-5)
The world is condemned.
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. (I.Cor.11:31,32)
The principles of the world are contrary to Christ.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Col.2:8-10)
The righteous condemn the world by their actions, just as Cain was condemned by Abel.
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Heb. 11:7)
Walk in love instead of pleasure.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
If we truly know Him and blieve His promises, we will, by His divine power, escape the corruption and lust for pleasure that is in this world.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (II.Peter 1:2-4)
Let us be slaves of Christ and we will not turn back to the pollutions of the world. Do not listen to men who follow their ow desires.
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. (II.Peter 2:19-21)
The cares of this world must be rooted out of our lives or they will continually grow up and choke the word sown in our hearts.
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (Matt.13:22)
We, like our Savior, must lay down our lives for others and die to this world, that we may bear much fruit for Him and gain eternal life.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
(John 12:24-26)
We do not serve an earthly king. We do not fight with earthly weapons. We do not worship by earthly means, but in spirit and in truth. And we are ‘set apart’ by His truth.
Those who are of the world are not of God.
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." (Jn. 18:36)
I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. (Jn. 17:9 & 14-19)
A renewed mind will not lust after the things of this world, but will seek to find that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:1,2)
Earthly wisdom is of no value to the spiritual life, and it is not pleasing to the Lord.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
If we are dead to the flesh, the enemy has nothing with which to tempt us. The Spirit desires nothing of this world.
Only those who died with Him are truly alive in Him.
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal. 5:24)
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14)
The course of this world is set in order by satan. If we are overcome by the desires of the flesh, (pleasure, things, wants, ease) we are in bondage to him and are children of wrath.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (Eph. 2:1-3)
All that is of the world is darkness. All them that reject the gospel and serve satan are enemies by wicked works. We love them for the sake of their soul that we desire to be saved, but we have no fellowship with them, or any part with their evil deeds. Instead, we reprove them. We must be holy and separate from the vanities of this life.
He will not receive those who don’t. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
" I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."
Therefore
" Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
" I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty."
(II.Cor.6:14-18)
Oh, how big self-esteem is in america today! Those things that men esteem, (power, riches, stature, looks, accomplishments) these are abominable to the Lord. And to seek the esteem of men is an abomination to the Lord.
What a fool is the man who seeks to be justified before men, when God knows the heart.
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
‘God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.’ True children of God, by their very nature, emanate this same light that exposes all the darkness; first in themselves, and also in those around them.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
" Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
(Eph.5:8-14)
This command of the Lord Jesus is contrary to every principle of the flesh and the world. This is what all the world worries about and seeks after, but we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness before and above all else. How many actually do this? If all the church did this, Oh what a world this would be!
Let the church put the saints before the world, prayer before pleasure, worship before work, heaven before things, and see what God will do! The world is obsessed with things, but it must not be so among the saints. We are obsessed with Jesus!
"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt.6:31-34)