1 John 2:12-17

12I am writing to you, dear children,

because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

13I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have overcome the evil one.

14I write to you, dear children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong,

and the word of God lives in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

On Not Loving the World

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

As believers, we want to influence the world around us with the power of the gospel. But how do we know if the world around us is having too much influence on us? We must be on guard for three ways the world influences us.

1) The lust of the flesh

Think of the word "lust" as an appetite.

2) The lust of the eyes

The lust of the flesh has to do with feeding ourselves what we want. The lust of the eyes means our "wanter" is never satisfied.

3) The pride of life

In our self-promoting, me-first society, the temptation to seek the spotlight for ourselves couldn't be stronger.