Podcast: 1 John: Lust and Pride, Part 2

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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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
-1 John 2:15-17

Welcome to the Christian Pilgrimage Podcast; I’m your host, Paul Lytle. Today we’re going to be finishing up in our discussion on “Lust and Pride.”

If you were with us last time, you’ll probably remember that we were talking about these three categories of sin listed by John in this passage. They are “desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions.” Let’s quickly review them.

The “desires of the flesh” are simply those urges of your senses. It is the desire for sex, food, drink, or the like. None of these things are inherently bad, but they become idols when put before Christ.

The “desires of the eyes” can be described as coveting. We desire things that we see, but are not ours. We desire things, women, families, or even a full head of hair. Again, this is a form of idolatry, because instead of being content with what the Lord has given us, we desire more.

That last one, “the pride in possessions,” is normally translated “pride of life,” which I think is a better translation. This isn’t just being proud of what you have, but also who you are, your abilities, etc. This is the category of sin that tells you that you deserve better pay or a better house. It tells you that you know best in certain situations and do not need God’s direction.

I wanted to a take a second look at these three categories because of what they teach us. The first thing they teach us is that we aren’t good enough. We fall for these three things daily. If this is the definition of loving the world, then we have fallen flat on our faces. But the second thing it teaches us is of the character of Jesus.

To learn that, let’s turn quickly over to Matthew 4. This is a familiar passage for us, one in which Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Let’s start reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Let’s stop right there for a minute. What just happened? Satan has tempted Jesus based on the desires of the flesh. He is trying to get Jesus to turn from His Father and, in essence, love the world.

It’s not wrong to eat, but it is not okay to put that before God. That is the temptation here. The Holy Spirit has led Jesus out into the wilderness, but Satan is trying to get Him to turn away from his purpose there, which is to walk in submission to the Father. So Jesus turns to the written Word for His answer, reminding Satan that it is by that Word that there is true life. Let’s continue.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

“Declare yourself!” says the devil. “Teach all these crowds who You are by letting your angels take you up. In this You will prove to everyone that You are the Christ.” Surely Jesus is the Christ, and surely He deserves to be recognized as such, but in this Satan tempts Him with the pride of life, to be recognized immediately and worshipped.

But Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. He came not to receive accolades, but to lay down His life for us. No, He tells Satan. He remains humble and in submission to the Father.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Finally, Satan tempts Him with the lust of the eyes. He puts everything in front of our Savior’s eyes to try to get Him to swerve off His mission. Think about this. We covet over simple things like our neighbor’s new lawnmower. Think of that! Satan offers Jesus all – every bit of it.

Jesus will not have it. Remember this – all of that is Jesus’ for the taking! It all belongs to Him. He created it all. But He will not be tempted into blasphemy. He will not bend a knee to the devil. He will not look away from the Father for even a moment!

Satan tried to get Jesus to love the world in the same ways that he tempts us to love the world. But Jesus stood firm, living without sin.

Oh, how I wish I had even half such resolve. I wish I had half so much faith! I fall for these same lies every day. Every day I let food and sex become my focus. Every day I get puffed up about what I have accomplished and desire for others to be impressed by me. Every day I falter and covet after something I see. Every day! Every day I do it.

I do not deserve His grace. I do not deserve His mercy. I have failed my Lord and my God in every way imaginable. I have chosen the world over and over again.

But the good news is this – that when Jesus walked through this life without sin, He was walking it for me. When Jesus resisted the devil in the wilderness, He was resisting for me. When Jesus was raised upon the Cross, He died for me. And when they buried Him, they buried Him in my place.

I owe a debt that would take me eternity to pay, and yet Jesus, perfect and sinless, paid that debt for me with His Blood. It is a free gift to those of us who repent and believe in Him. By His death, we can have eternal life.

This passage teaches us that we are not good enough for Heaven. This passage also teaches us how Jesus lived a life that WAS good enough so that we could have the Heaven we could not earn. Let’s pray.