THROUGH THE BIBLE - Judges 1..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. I want to speak to you from the scriptures, as I said, on this topic of the world, the world. The apostle is given as a clear commandment in verse 15 of the second chapter of the first letter of the apostle John, not to love the world.

And this is part of this glorious letter that if you remember when we started with the exposition of this letter, I said that this is perhaps one of the most practical letters in the New Testament. If a person is going to ask the question, what does a genuine Christian look like? Then that person can come to the first letter of John and to go through the letters, go through the lines that the apostle has written. And by virtue of the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we hope that person can understand what a genuine Christian is. In times in which professing Christians abound, in times in which people are very quick to call themselves Christians and to be in Christ, illumination of the Holy Spirit through this letter is of vital importance.

And as I said, when we started with the exposition of his letter, we could say that First John is a practical exposition of what the apostle said in John 17, verse three, in which he defines what eternal life is. Eternal life is to know the only true God and whom he sent, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is that if you are a Christian, Your religion is not defined by the label that you put as a Christian, but rather by genuine knowledge of the One who created the heavens, the earth and everything in them and sent His only begotten Son into this world, not to judge the world, but to save the world, because there's going to be a day in which indeed He will come to judge the world. Genuine salvation is to have a real intimate knowledge that affects, that transforms your soul, your mind, your thinking, your behavior, your habits, that you were a lover of sin and now you're a lover of the things of God that you did not even know that existed before. This is this letter addressing these practical characteristics of a genuine faith.

And the way that the apostle does it is with confrontation and also with comfort. As the apostle writes these letters or these writings or these statements through this letter, there is confrontation to the soul. Separation between darkness and light. God is light and in Him is not darkness at all. If you say that you are a Christian but you walk in darkness, you are a liar.

Confrontation of the Apostle through this letter. Separation between that which is and that which is not. And the apostle does it with the purpose of bringing comfort to the soul of the genuine believer. 1 John 5, verse 13 says, All of these things I have written to you, those who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you will know that you have eternal life. In other words, all of these piercing words, all of these confrontations to the soul are not for the purpose of putting a burden on the shoulders of the Christian.

Burdens are put on the souls of those who are professing Christians and who are not genuine in Christ. But those who are genuine believers and those who have the Spirit of God then receive these words of confrontation in light of their forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ and becomes their means of assurance. All of these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, all of these piercing words, so that you will know that you have eternal life. And the apostle of love, the apostle that was the beloved of the Lord, writes all of these confronting, these piercing words, but also giving comfort to the soul of those who hear. And as we find ourselves now, my brother and sister, here in verse 15, as we are going to be reading now the Scriptures, of course, as we find ourselves in verse 15, the apostle is going to give another very strong exhortation to the soul of those who hear these words.

Do not love the world. If you love the world or the things of the world, separation will happen. The love of the Father is not in you. As simple and as clear as that. If you love the world, if anyone among those who profess in Christ love of the world, their affections are for the world, then the love of the Father is not in them.

And the purpose of this exhortation is to bring assurance to those who are in Christ. And as I said, we're not going to be addressing today so much the love or the concept of love or even the commandment, but rather, brethren, if we are going to understand from the Scriptures what it is not to love the world, then we are to understand what the world is. Don't you think? If we are going to separate or if we're going to decide or if we're going to discern the ways of the love that we are not to love, that is very important for the mind and for the soul and for the heart of those who profess to be in Christ, to understand, to comprehend, not only taking a dictionary and defining our words, but from the Scriptures, what the world is. what the operations of the world are, what the extent of the world is, what the methods or the operations of the world are or is, so that we will understand that which we are not supposed to love.

Okay, brethren, so what we're going to do is that we're going to be reading from verses 15 of chapter 2 all the way to the same chapter, verse 25. So from verse 15 to verse 25. And let us read together the words of the Lord. Let us pay careful attention, brethren. Not as those who do religion just for the sake of doing something on Sunday, but rather by faith.

We have the Scriptures in our hands. Many brothers and sisters in the world do not have the Scriptures. We have the Scriptures in our hands, so let us read by faith and paying attention to each one of the words. If you have a different translation to mine, do not listen to me, just read your Bible. If you have the same translation that I have, let us read together these words so that you will hear it and that you will read it.

This is the word of the Lord. 1 John 2, verse 15. 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 of life 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. Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, the Antichrist is coming. So now many Antichrists have come.

Therefore, we know that is the last hour. They went out from us. But they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He made to you or to us, eternal life. Amen. This is the Word of the Lord.

This is the promise that He made to you or to us, eternal life, my dear brother and sister. This is the promise that God has given not only to the church, but my dear brother and sister, if you happen to be in Christ Jesus by grace through faith, this is the promise that God has given to your soul. And you know what Titus 1 says about this promise? That this promise was given before the ages began. A promise of eternal life for your soul.

It was written in the eternal decree in the heart of God that this sinful person that you are and that I am will receive the promise of eternal life. that you in the decree of the Lord will be born in Brazil, in Colombia, in Australia, in whatever country, that you will be born and that you will live days and you will meet people and you will do things and there will be one day appointed for your soul. in which the gospel will be preached to you, the Holy Spirit will come to you. Open your eyes to receive the glories of Christ. The person of Christ open before your eyes to receive the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life.

And that life is not only many, many days, but this is the life of the resurrected victorious Lord Jesus Christ. And my dear brother and my dear sister, one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian and having indeed eternal life is that our eyes have been opened. Our eyes had been opened to this glorious Lord Jesus Christ, who is the glory of God. We were not only dead in our trespasses, my dear brother and sister, but we were blind to the power, to the beauty and to the excellences of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we were saved, when our hearts were changed, brethren, our eyes were open to behold the Son of God upon the cross, dying for our souls.

dying for you, you that know everything that is in your head, you that know everything that you have done, everything that you continue to do. The love of God was manifested and demonstrated in this way, that while you were still a sinner, Christ Jesus died for your soul. And your eyes were opened, my dear brother, to see the beauty of Christ. And it's necessary that the eyes of the person will be removed from the veil that the flesh had upon their hearts. Otherwise, there's absolutely no salvation.

That's why genuine eternal life is knowing Christ and to behold who He is. And my dear brother, my dear sister, at times we think that knowledge of Christ is only something that we receive upon conversion. But let me submit to you that your Christian life depends upon a continuous and ongoing beholding of the light and the life and who Christ is with your spiritual eyes. Your sanctification, your conformity to Christ, your maturity depend initially and more importantly upon having a genuine encounter with your open eyes and see the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Apostle Paul says, very importantly, in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 and chapter 4, that when we have an encounter with Christ, the veil, you remember that passage, the veil of the eyes is removed and is taken and we can behold, brethren, we can behold the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of you are looking for that passage. Come with me very quickly, because it's very important for what I want to say. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, this is what salvation does to the heart and to the spiritual eyes of a person. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, very important verse. The apostle is comparing the old dispensation of the old covenant against the new covenant and the glories of the new covenant and saying that the hardened heart of the Jews did not allow them to see through the law Christ Jesus to whom he was pointing because it's only Christ the one that can remove the hardening or the blinding from the eyes.

It says in 2nd Corinthians 3, verse 14, pay attention to this. But their minds, speaking of those who were under the old covenant, but their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil, the veil that Moses had, that same veil remains unlifted because only through Christ is taken away. And one will say here, well, that is speaking of the hardened heart of the Jews under the old covenant. Now, my brother and sister, this is going to be the argument of the apostle for all humanity.

If you quickly jump to chapter four in verse four, it says the same or in verse three. And even if our gospel is veiled, chapter 4, verse 3, and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. What is genuine salvation? What is genuine eternal life given to a person?

To have a genuine encounter with Christ in which the eyes are open. And we continue to read there in verse 15 of chapter 3. Please bear with me. Verse 15 of chapter 3, it says, Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. And then it says in verse 16, but when he or one turns to the Lord, but when one, brethren, turns to the Lord.

Where am I? Turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now it says, "...now the law is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Now pay attention to verse 18.

How are we going to be sanctified? How are we going to, brethren, growing maturity? Brethren, be with me here. How are we going to discern how to relate to the world? How are we going to understand how to separate, to live in the world and to have contact in the world?

How are we going to discern these matters? Verse 18 says, "...and we all, with unveiled faces..." Speaking of the Christians, "...and we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. My dear brother and my dear sister, how are we going to understand what it is not to love the world? How are we going to understand? What are the practices that we need to have to define the things that I'm going to be relating to the world and the things that I'm not going to be relating to the world? Because as you know, the Scriptures, the passage here says, do not love the world.

But it says in many other places that we are to love... People, right? That we are to love everyone, that we're to love our neighbor as ourselves. It says that God so loved the world. He says that we are to love humanity.

How are we going to understand? How are we going to draw the line between our participation in the world and the commandment that the apostle is telling us in 1 John chapter 2? My dear brother, my dear sister, the answer is not with your head. Because when you do it with your head, when you do it with your religious head and with your religious mind, You fall into two extremes or a combination of them. Either liberalism, in which you say, Hi, I'm liberalism is the word they use in English, liberalism, liberal, you know, liberalism, you say, I'm a forgiven, I'm a Christian already.

And I'm already saved. And one saved, always saved, and I have been forgiven. Now I can do whatever I want, and nothing is going to happen to my life. When you define things with your head, Or you can fall on the other extreme in which you want to separate completely from the world with self-made religion and with rules that are not in the Scriptures, but rather that you want to put yourself in a bubble so that you don't have any contact with the world and defining that as holiness and sanctification, my dear brother and dear sister. How are we going to define?

How are we going to understand how we relate to the world? Not with the head, but with the heart, brethren. The closer you get to Christ, The more that Christ is in you, the more that Christ changes you and transforms you, the more that the will of the Lord is your will, and the more that the heart of the Lord is your heart, and the more that the decisions of the Lord are your decisions, So that then you live your life to glorify the Lord in a world in which we are supposed to be light and salt to the wickedness of this world. So when Christ is abiding in you, then you can come and touch the leper. You can come and minister to the prostitute.

You can come and receive at the table the tax collector, because now it's not the rule that is in your mind that is protecting you from the deceitfulness and the unrighteousness of the world, but rather is that your mind is so fixed upon eternal things, brethren, that when you see the sinner, you're not thinking so much about you, but your heart is filled with compassion for the circumstances of the one that is a sinner. And of course, we're not to take the balance of the Scriptures because the Scriptures do call us to flee from unrighteousness. The Scriptures do call us to flee from sexual immorality. The Scriptures do call us to flee from the things that are darkness. But brethren, it's not to flee only from those things, it's rather to go to Christ.

It's always to go to Him because when we are in Him and receive His light and receive His life, we're able to discern, my dear brother, my dear sister, how we're going to relate to the world. Brother, sister, what do you prefer to have? A brother who is struggling with lust in the heart, that every time that sees a woman that is passing through the streets, turns the head, which he should do so that he doesn't fall into sexual immorality. Or one who has been so much of the presence of Jesus Christ and whose heart has been changed so much that when he sees that woman, his eyes, his heart is not even moved in temptation to those things, but rather in compassion for the soul of a sinner. to come and minister and be light and salt unto that woman.

Now, my dear brother and sister, this is different for every person. But what I'm saying here is that the life of the Christian is not to be lived with man-made rules and religions to define sanctification, but rather in the presence of Christ, the one who teaches you. And as you grow in maturity and as you grow in Christ-likeness, Yes, there's going to be needs of rules and there's going to be needs of parameters and separation and division from the world. But brethren, we have been called to be light and salt unto this world. And that light and that salt is not a light or salt of our morality, of our principles.

This is the light of Christ. And this is the salt of Christ. How are we going to give light to the world? By being in the presence of the light. How do we know that a man is a man of God?

Because the hand of the Lord has been upon that man, not because the words that they speak or the things that they do. This is, brethren, sanctification. This is conformity to Christ. So even before, brethren, even before we address this text, even before we address the concepts and the definitions we were going to do, the way that we understand how we relate to the world is not with your head. Because then depending on the denomination and depending on how conservative the group is and how liberal the group is, there will be certain parameters that we will allow or we don't allow.

Brethren, that is in the flesh. That is purely religion. Even if it's liberal or if it's super conservative and is living in a community away from the world, whatever it is, brethren, that is in the flesh. I don't know about you, brethren, but I do want to have the presence of Christ so much upon me that when I see a soul, every time that I see a soul, I see them as the Lord sees them. And I think that the Scriptures speak that the presence of Christ can be so much in us conformity to Christ, that indeed, brethren, that we can have the life of Christ in us, that we are not just seeing and doing things in the flesh, but that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided His Spirit for us to abound in these graces.

Brethren, not even think that just by understanding the words, not even think that just by understanding what the apostle is saying here, we're going to be able to define what is not to love the world. We're not going to be able to understand that with the head. That only happens by your communion with the One who is eternal life, the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, brethren, we do have to address the concepts that are here in the text, because there is a clear commandment, there is a clear admonition not to love the world. And if you return there to the passage in 1 John chapter 2, you will see that the commandment that the apostle gives, brethren, is very clear and very simple.

Very clear and very simple. We can see the structure of the commandment just in those three verses. Pay attention to the first words of each one of the verses. We have 15, 16 and 17. In verse 15, we have the commandment that is given.

You see there, do not love the world. That is the commandment that is given. And then the apostle is going to give us the reason I'm not going to be able to finish this in time. I'm sorry, brethren. He gives us the reason in verse 16, verse 15.

He gives the commandment, verse 16. He gives us the reason, you see, for that word could also be translated because. Do not do not love the world. Why? And then he gives us the reason in verse 16.

It says for all that is in the world. And then he explains what it is. The commandment is very clear. The text is very clear, brethren. There is a commandment that is given, verse 15, do not love the world.

And there is a reason that starts in verse 16 and that continues into verse 17 with the end. You see that are connected together, 16 and 17. We have the commandment and we have the reason. What is the commandment? The commandment is do not love the world.

What is the reason? For all that is in the world is temporal. You see, you pay attention there to verse 16. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father, is from the world, and the world is passing away along with its desires. Do not love the world.

Why? Because, first of all, the world is in opposition with the Father. You see, that which is of the world is not of the Father. Do not love the world, brethren. Why?

Because That which is of the world is in opposition, in separation, is not of the Father. And secondly, and very importantly, that which is of the world is temporal. We are told there in verse 16, that is passing away. The world is passing away and the last of it. And we are compared or that is compared with the eternality, if that is a word of eternity, perhaps, of the things of God.

Verse 17 says, And the world is passing away along with its desires, but Whoever does the will of God abides forever. Simple structure, simple commandment. Children, brothers, sisters, do not love the world. And then when the soul of the Christian asks themselves, why shouldn't I love the world? Then the apostle gives the answer.

Because the world is opposite to the things of the father. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. As the brother said, you cannot serve two masters because you either will love or hate one master and love or hate the other. You cannot give all your allegiance to one of the masters. The world is opposite with God.

And also, brethren, very importantly, because of your glimpse into eternal matters. The world is passing away, is temporal, is passing away. The things of God are eternal. And also, as you can see, that were their lust and desires. We know that the world here, brethren, is something that is dark, that is evil.

If it's going to be opposite to God, then that means that whatever concept of the apostle in the mind that he has, the world is something that is evil. Something that is in opposition to God. Something that is temporal and something that is darkness. God is light. This world that the Apostle has in mind is darkness.

What does the Apostle then refer to? What is the meaning of that word world? What is the meaning of the concept of the Apostle when he speaks of world? Because brethren, if you just take one of those applications or one of those computer systems in which you can check the word through the books and through the New Testament, you will see that the word world is very used by the Apostle John many, many times. together with the word love is one of those words that the apostle uses many, many times.

And there are different senses to its core, meaning the word world, my dear brother and sister means simply order. Every time that you think about world, it means you're simply an order like. portions or parts that have been put together in order. This is what the word world means. And it is basic meaning in the New Testament.

The word world refers to the created order that which has been created. For instance, when you think about or when you remember what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter one, that we have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. There the Apostle is referring that our choosing, our election happened before everything that has been created, the world, was created. But at times this same Apostle will use a different context, a different nuance for this word world. Not only that which has been created, but at times he also referred to humanity, not only the Apostle John, but in the New Testament.

Humanity, that is people. That is, for instance, when you pay attention to Romans chapter 3 verse 6. In that verse, we are told that God is going to judge the world. Of course, he's not going to judge the mountains or the trees or the animals, but rather he refers to People, people as the world. We have this general sense of the world, of everything that has been created.

And also we have this more specific sense of humanity. Those who are going to be judged. God is going to judge the world. And even, brethren, the apostles at times will make distinctions between Jews and Gentiles and refer to the Gentiles as the world. If you remember, we are told in Mark chapter 16 to go into the world and to preach the gospel to every creature.

Once the gospel has been preached and given to the lost ship of Israel, now the commandment is to go to the uttermost part of the world, of the earth, and to preach the gospel. The world, the nations, the Gentiles are sometimes considered to be the world. The promise that God gave to Abraham in the Old Testament now fulfilled for the world, referring to the Gentiles. All of those terms, my dear brother and sister, are very important to know. But here, of course, the apostle is referring to something else.

The apostle refers to this system of darkness that is evil and that is in opposition to God. A system of darkness that is temporal and is in opposition to God, and that is filled with weakness and unrighteousness. If you quickly go to chapter number 5, verse 19, you will see that in 5.19, the apostle tells us a little bit more about this concept of the world that he has in mind in chapter 2, verses 15 through 17. Verse 19 of chapter 5, it says, We know that we are from God.

And the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. Brethren, who is the evil one? You tell me, please. Satan is the one that is ruling this system of darkness that the Apostle calls us not to love in chapter 2, verses 15, 16 and 17. Remember, this is a system of darkness that is temporal, passing away.

It's in opposition with God and it's wicked because it's under the ruling power of Satan. There is a reason why he says not to love that system, right? not to love the system of darkness. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 4, I think it's verse 3, perhaps verse 2, that everything that has been created by God is good. I think it's verse 3 that he says that.

Everything that has created is good. The created order, which is the world, is good. Humanity, in a sense, of course, not speaking in a moral sense, we know that everyone is fallen, as creation is good, right? As it was created. Of course, not speaking from a moral point of view, everyone is fallen, depraved, everyone is, you know, you understand what I mean.

That everything has been created, she says, is good. And also, if you think about it, my dear brother and sister, even though we're told that heavens and earth will pass away, but the Word of the Lord will not pass away, there is a sense in which heavens and earth will endure into eternity, right? Because there's going to be new heavens and new earth, and new heavens and new earth and everything that has been created will endure into eternity. Even humanity, in a sense, in de-electing the chosen ones into eternity will remain until the end, into eternity. But this system of darkness that is opposed to God, that is in separation from God, that is ruled by Satan is passing away.

And this is what the apostle is calling us not to love. Now, this teaching is not only the teaching of the Apostle John, the Apostle Paul is going to give us even more light into this topic of the system of the world. If you come with me to Ephesians chapter 2, the Apostle is going to give us more light into this concept of the world that the Apostle is referring to. Ephesians chapter 2. I hope that you understand that I did not say that humanity, that humans are good.

You understand that, right, brethren? Ephesians chapter two. If you pay attention to the first three verses, brethren, here, the apostle Paul, in his words, is going to expand to understand this concept of the world, this system of darkness that is temporal and is in opposition with the Lord. And here we're going to learn something very important. It says in verse one, two and three, it says, And you, speaking to Christians and their condition before they were saved, and you Christians, you were dead in trespasses and sins.

in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the Prince of the Power of the Air. the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. You see here, brethren, that this is a very clear parallel passage with 1 John 2. We read here this concept of the world, which is in opposition with God. Here we see the opposition between those who were not in Christ, who were dead in their trespasses, sons of disobedience, instead of being sons of God, sons of disobedience, children of wrath.

Here we also see, brethren, that is this conflict between the things of God and also the presence of these similar words, like in 1st John chapter 2, the flesh, you see there, the lust and the desires of the flesh. Here we have information about this system of the world, this darkness or this system of darkness that is temporal, that is passing away, that is governed by Satan, the prince of the power of the air, according to the words of the Apostle Paul. But brethren, perhaps this is something that we already know, and perhaps this is something that we have already contemplated and considered. But there's, I think, something more important for us to understand what the Apostle John does in 1 John 2, verses 15-17, when we understand that we received that commandment not to love the world. And that is to understand, brethren, the extent of the system of the world.

That is to understand, once again, the beginning and the end, the extent of this system of darkness that is in opposition with God, that is ruled by Satan. because we can be easily tempted just to understand the world to everything that is outside of me and everything that is just happening out there. And I might be very quick, very quick to go and discern the news and the internet and to discern the behaviors of people and to discern the behaviors of this government and that government and the things that are going on and to point that as the system of the world that Satan is ruling And at times we do not see biblically the extent, my dear brother and sister, of this system of the world. This system of the world does not operate by itself, right? This system of the world operates commanded by the ruler.

And who is the ruler, as we have said, of this world? Satan. And in this portion of Scripture, my dear brother and sister, we are told about the operations or the workings of that person or that being who rules this system of darkness. Pay attention there to verse two. It says, or verse one, And you were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked.

following the curse of this world or following the age or following the times of this world, following the streams of this world. And then the apostle uses exactly the same word and to say, following, following the world, following the stream of the world is to follow when we were not safe, following the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of this system. When we were dead in our trespasses, my dear brother and sister, we were following the curse and the streams and the age of this system and this world. And that was to follow the prince of the power of the air, who is Satan. And then we're told something very important about this Satan.

It is the spirit, brethren, the spirit. That is that the workings of this prince of the power of the air were spiritual workings. And we were told by the Apostle Paul, it says, the spirit that is now at work, where brethren? In the sons of disobedience. Brethren, just please consider just those words, just simply by simply what is written there.

I don't even need to explain, I hope. But brethren, the person that is not in Christ, namely your soul before you were in Christ, is following this system of darkness that is in opposition with God. Opposition to God, I think is the proposition that you use. And it's ruled by Satan. And Satan is at work, not alongside, not above them, not on the other side, but rather in the sons of disobedience.

Satan has a way of working inside, in the person, those who are sons of disobedience. And of course, we are given the explanation of what is that something inside of the person in which Satan as a spirit works, these sons of disobedience. If you continue and if you see the text there, it says, among whom the apostle, this is the purpose of the apostle to speak to what we were. It says among whom we all once lived. And it says in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

Brethren, if I was just simply going to ask you a question and ask you, where does this system or where does the operations or the workings of this system of the world start? What would be the answer from the Scriptures, brethren? Where? In the heart. Brethren, this system of darkness that is called the world, This satanic kingdom, this ruling kingdom by Satan, ruled by Satan, the operations of that start, of the workings of that start inside of us, in our flesh, in our desires.

Now, but we are very quick, right? To try to separate from the world, to try to discern the ways of the world. Remember what I said to you, if we are going to understand what is not to love the world, does it happen here, brother? No, it happens in the heart, because the extent of the system of the world starts from where you are, you can go and join the Amish or the Mennonites or whoever and put yourself in a box and try to be holy and not to see anything. Let me tell you something.

Sin is in that box inside of you and the world is inside of you. Why? Because you say, well, yeah, brother, this is speaking to those who were dead in their trespasses. Oh, brethren, having you read the scriptures, What does the Scripture say about the flesh and the lust and all of these desires in the believer that are still in him or her or that you're not, brethren? That they're still in them.

Come with me to first Peter, please. And you will see a couple of verses that are very important for us to understand. First Peter, first Peter. Read with me, please, in Chapter 4. Bear with me through the reading of the Scriptures.

I think the reading of the Scriptures is going to help us just to get more light into this. It says in verse 1 of Chapter 4, Brethren, Since therefore Christ suffered... Peter uses this word to speak of his death. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking for whoever has suffered in the flesh, has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, that is, this time in our bodies, No longer for human passions, which is the same concept that the apostle addresses in Ephesians chapter 2. That the time that we have in this world, we will not live it according to human passions, but for the will of God, verse 3.

For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality and all of those things. These are the human passions for which the Christian, yes, who was dead in his trespasses and yes, who has the Spirit of God dwelling in him, is not supposed to live for those any longer, because those passions are still inside of the Christian. The apostle makes it very clear in chapter 1, if you turn your page, in chapter 1 of the same letter of 1 Peter, in verse 14, he says, my dear brother and dear sister, as obedient children, verse 14 of chapter 1, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. You think that the apostle is going to give that commandment if we could not be conformed to the passions of our former ignorance? No, the Christian can be conformed to the passions of the former ignorance, the passions that were used by Satan to work in him as a spirit under this system of darkness that was the world.

It says, verse 14, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy for I am holy. And if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to nature's deeds, Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, the time of the exile in this world. Conduct with fear, not conforming to the passions of your flesh that you inherited from your forefathers, he will say in the following verse. But rather, he will say there in chapter 2, verse 11, and pay attention to this verse, brethren.

Beloved, in chapter 2, the same apostle Peter, verse 11. Beloved, I urge you, you remember this time of your pilgrimage? Conduct yourself with fear, verse 11. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. If I was going to ask you once again a catechism question on children, brothers and sisters, it says there in verse 11, abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Against what do we Christians battle or fight, brethren? According to Peter, against I don't know whether English is for that question, but you understand what I mean. What do we fight against, if you understand there? Against what do we fight as Christians, brethren? Against the passions of the flesh that are making war.

But don't you remember something about the system of the world, the system of darkness that the apostle says that we do not battle against flesh and blood? Come with me to Ephesians chapter 6, brethren. Ephesians chapter 6, in which the Apostle tells us a little bit more of this battle of the Christian. The Apostle Peter says that it starts where, brethren? Where does this battle start?

Inside. These passions are making war within our soul. Chapter 6 of Ephesians. Finally, brethren, verse 10, a very well-known passage also in chapter 6. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of Satan, the devil. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm, to stand against the schemes. You know what the word schemes means? The methods. What is the methodology of Satan or the operations of Satan, the schemes, the methods of Satan?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against these spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. And you know the passage, it continues and it continues. What is the extent of this system of darkness that is passing away, is in opposition to God and is ruled by Satan? What is the extent? Where does it begin and to where it goes?

It starts in the heart of the person, brethren. And it ends up in all of these spiritual realms and realities, this cosmic power of the heavenly places. Satan is the ruler of this world. He receives authority in the kingdom of this world. He's the one that is ruling over this system and of course, brethren, I'm not saying that Satan has a power inside of the Christian, because we know that now the Spirit of God dwells inside of each one of the believers.

We know that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but brethren, there is an ambassador of this system of darkness inside of you. There is a representative of Satan inside of you, and the name of that ambassador, the name of that representative that is inside of you is called sin. seen in your flesh, seen in your passions, is the representative, the ambassador. Not that Satan or the devil can come and move you and influence you or take possession of you, as some people will wrongly teach, because you're now the vessel of the Lord and the Holy Spirit is in you. But rather, brethren, He has a friend inside of you and that friend is your flesh.

Where does the battle or where does discernment with the things of the world start, my dear brother and sister? It starts inside of you. Because that's what the Apostle John is saying, if you return now to the passage that we're supposed to be addressing. Because when the apostle, my dear brother and sister, when the apostle is going to speak about those things that are in the world, did you pay attention to verse 16? It says for all that is in the world, that is all of those things that are in the world.

And the apostle is going to list different things. Now, these three different things or these three different concepts represent the majority of the things that are in the world, brethren, according to the text. See the text with your eyes and you answer, please. Do these three things that the Apostle lists here, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life, do those three things represent only a fraction of the things of the world or all that is in the world? According to the text, all that is in the world.

Everything that is in the world, my dear brother and my dear sister, everything that is in the world is going to be defined primarily by things that exist where? inside of the person. We are told there are the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life. My dear brother, my dear sister, these are all the things that are in this system of darkness that is in separation from God, this system of darkness that is ruled by Satan. My dear brother, my dear sister, I don't know if you see it and I hope that you do, because this should bring us, brethren, to much humility.

How are we not going to love the things of the world? What are we going to do not to love the system, the things that we see and the things that we observe? If everything, not only people around us, and if everything that is built by men is built upon human nature, a nature that is already inside of us, and desires and lusts that are already still in us. The presence of sin is going to remain in us until the day of glory. Yes, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin.

Yes, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to have victory over the passions of our flesh. Yes, we have been given the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, So that when those passions, according to 1st Peter, that make war within our soul, or even when we are making war against all of these things that are not flesh and blood, but all of these spiritual things, we have been empowered and entrusted the Holy Spirit and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ to be overcomers of all of these things. Because the same apostle will say in 1st John chapter 5, that we have overcome the world. And you know how we have overcome the world? by and through our faith.

But brethren, still in us, already not yet, there is in us the presence of sin that is a representative, an ambassador of this system of darkness. Now, brethren, let me please address super quickly these three things that we have here listed. This lust of the flesh, this lust of the eyes and this pride of life that primarily represent realities of the person. The first one, as you can see there, is exactly the same words that the Apostle Paul uses in Ephesians chapter 2. The lust or the desires of the flesh.

Those desires of the flesh that are in opposition to the Spirit. That the same Apostle acknowledges, my dear brother and sister, that the Christian still has. You remember Galatians chapter 5? Come with me, click super quickly there, please. Galatians chapter 5.

These passions of the flesh, of this lust of the flesh, of these desires of the flesh. We are told by the Apostle Paul in verse 16 of chapter 5. Verse 16, brethren, but I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify. What is other translation that you have for gratify in your Bibles?

Fulfill the desires of the flesh. It says for the desires of the flesh, remember, What are all the things that are in the world? The passions, the lust of the flesh is the first one. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. You see this opposition of the two systems?

Opposition, contradiction. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other. to keep you from doing the things that you want to do. But if you're led by the Spirit, you're not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident in all of these things that we have.

They're brethren, my dear brother, my dear sister. These are the desires of the flesh that are still within us. Now, they are not exactly the same desires for every single person, but every single Christian still has the desires of the lust of the flesh. For one person will be something, for another person will be another thing. But the person is still in war from within against the passions of the flesh.

And that is part of these things that are in the world. Second one that the apostles said there in first... John chapter 2 verse 16. Remember the second one? The first one was the passions of the lust of the flesh.

The second one, brethren, if you remember, the lust of the eyes. And our brother quoted there the verse in Matthew chapter 6. So quickly come to Matthew chapter 6, please. When the apostle, in Matthew, when he's speaking about two masters, I think it's Matthew chapter 6, I hope. I'm doubting...

Yes, Matthew chapter 6. Brethren, desires of the flesh. Now, please pay attention to this one, my dear brethren. It says, the last or the desires of the eyes. Let me perhaps just try to explain, because today I'm speaking Brics and not English, and I will just try to make it as clear as possible.

My dear brother, my dear sister, the eyes. Let me just explain it first, and then I hope that I'm able to explain it, not only from this text, but in general explain it. The eyes are not so much referring to your physical eyes, of course, it is that, but it's more. Your eyes are representing your channels. Do you understand this word channels?

Between you inside and the things that are outside of you. It's kind of like the gates, it's like the doors between the things that are outside, which is the next one, the pride of life. The things that are outside and the things that are inside of you, the gates and these eyes are not only representatives of what you see, but rather is representative of everything that you use to channel everything that is outside of you. Your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your senses in general. Everything that you use to receive that which from the outside into you, that put it into you.

That's why here it says, and we could even read it the whole passage because the whole passage is beautiful. But now I think I'm going very long. So let us just read verse 22 of chapter 6. It says, the eye, you see, is kind of like the channel. Just pay attention.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, so that if your channel is clean, is healthy, your whole body, the inside of you, will be full of light. But if your eye, that is your channel, not only the eyes, but your ears, your hands, your senses, everything that is a channel of the outside into you, But if your eye, if your senses are bad or is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. Your whole body, everything that is inside of you, brethren, will be full of darkness. And remember that you don't have a nice, very organized insight.

You know, like your body, your heart, your soul, the passions of the flesh are there. The passions of this system of this world are there in your inside. And if your eye is healthy, then you have light inside of you. But if your eye is not healthy, then you have darkness. And it says a very terrifying statement there in the end.

If then the light in you is darkness, which is not possible, but it's the hypocritical statement of a person who will say that it's light, you understand that. If then the light that is in you is darkness, How great is the darkness? How dirty is the inside? How... I want to use this word in Spanish, but I know that only Pedro Norelis will understand.

You know, how rotten... Rotten is the word, right? Give me another word for rotten that you have in English, please. Putrefact? It will be inside of you, my dear brother, my dear sister.

Your eyes. Your ears, your hands, all of these are channels of this system inside of you. These are part of the world. And then it concludes there, if we return to 1 John 2, with the third one, the last of the desires of the flesh, the last of the desires of the eyes. And what was the third one, brethren?

The pride of life, moving from the inside The eyes now to the things, the pride, the desires of the things of life. This word, life, speaks of the treasures of this world. We should have read the whole Matthew 6 there that speaks about not treasuring up things here on the earth, but in heaven. The treasures of this world. You know how this word is used?

If you go to chapter 3, verse 16 of the same letter of John, it says, By this we know love. that He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone says, but if anyone has the world's treasures, that is the same word that is used for the pride of life, the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him. How does God's love abide in him? The same thing.

He does not abide, brethren, because that person has love for the pride of life, has love for the possessions, has love for the things that are perceived. The things that are observed are outside. Now they have been captured or entered through the eyes and through the senses. And now this person has been taken away in the passions of the flesh, captive. lover of the world.

And the one that is a lover of the world is... Does that person have the love of the Father? No, my dear brother and my dear sister. This is this system of darkness that is temporal and is passing away. All of these things will pass away.

And those who are in love with that system, you think that they will remain forever, brethren? No, they will pass away. They will pass away with this whole system because new heavens and new earth will come. The righteousness of Christ will come. And all of this system, this ruling system of Satan, of darkness that is in opposition to the Lord will pass away.

And all of these things also will pass away, my dear brother and sister. Yet the apostle is very intentional to tell us, do not love the world. And my dear brother, my dear sister, my only intention was to speak to you about the dangers of this world so that you will see, my dear brother and my dear sister, that we are to be humbled before the Lord Jesus Christ. And before thinking that we are super holy and that we are super spiritual and I wish everyone will be like I am and will understand and know the things that I know and would have walked with the Lord as I walk with the Lord and would do the things that I do as I do. Before thinking all of those things, brethren, consider your heart.

Take heed. lest you fall. If you think that you stand firm, take heed, lest you fall, my dear brother and sister, because there is an ambassador of this system of darkness that is in us, a representative of Satan that is inside of us. And if it's not because of the grace and the condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ, brethren, We will be completely taken captive by the things of this world. You see the sports and the music and the TV and the advertising and the colors and all of those things will take us captive and make us love.

Now, my dear brother and sister, of course, as I said to you, the line drawn with the mind, It's not, the line is drawn with the heart, because the way that I discern and how I'm going to relate to the world once again, and as I said, and I repeat it, is by coming to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that I will not be in my morality saying, I'm not going to touch the leper. I'm not going to go and minister to the prostitutes. I'm going to remove myself from all of these darkness and all of these things, which we are at times we're supposed to do. But brethren, that the presence of Christ will be so much in our hearts.

that even though we are in this world and knowing that we are not of this world, that we are of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, still we will have the power of self-control and love and compassion to come and to touch the leper, to minister to the prostitute, to have the tax collector at our table and to minister to them and not to be fearful of the things of the world, but rather to be valiant in Christ, to be empowered by the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and indeed to be light and salt into this world, to have the Lord Jesus Christ enthroned in our hearts, that the abundance of this heart will be Christ Himself, so that the abundance of our mouth will not be the unrighteousness of the passions of the flesh that are within us, but Christ Jesus Himself. And my dear brother, my dear sister, the Scripture is very clear that a Christian is given everything that is needed for life and godliness to receive. the Spirit of Christ to indeed to be light and salt unto the world. And my dear brother and my dear young believer, my dear children, let me just tell you this. Your mind, your eyes, renew your mind.

You think that a little bit of this and a quick 30 seconds prayer before you eat is going to suffice. It's going to be suffice with the things that you see and the things that you observe and the things that you do. Of course, the Lord is powerful to work through one second prayer and to two minutes in your Bible. But my dear brother and my dear sister, we have to understand that we are not John the Baptist walking in the presence and the fullness of the Spirit, that we are feeble and we depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ. How are you going to give yourself five minutes per week or from time to time to the book?

or how you're going to bend your knees just from time to time or just pray 10 seconds before you eat and then you give yourselves to this and that and then call yourself a Christian. That's why then you define your rules to put yourself into a box because you don't have the power of Christ in you. Brethren, we are called to walk in Christ and to live at His feet, that the power of Christ will be in us so that we will be valiant, that we will not just be here in this place that nobody knows that we exist, but rather we will be outside preaching the gospel, offending this world, offending this city with the truth of the Scriptures. And for that, we need the power of Christ. We don't need our morality or our principles to be happy on a Sunday just because we do and we relate to each other.

Brethren, we need Christ, the One that empowers us to live in this world. And apart from that, we will not bear fruits of righteousness in Him for the glory of the Father. Amen. Amen.