1 John 2:15-17 - The Lustful World & The Will of God.

1Jo.2:15-17: The Lustful World & The Will of God.

1 John 2:15 (KJV)  Love not the world, neither the things that
are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
1 John 2:16 (KJV)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:17 (KJV)  And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 2:15 (NASB)  Do not love the world, nor the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him.
1 John 2:16 (NASB)  For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1 John 2:17 (NASB)  And the world is passing away, and also its
lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 2:15 (CWB)  Don't love the world.  If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is no longer in him.
1 John 2:16 (CWB)  For everything worldly - the cravings of our
sinful human natures, the desires of our eyes and pride in our
possessions - does not come from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:17 (CWB)  This world and every lustful thing in it will
pass away, but those who are doing the will of God will live
forever.

Three facets of worldliness: (1) "the lust of the flesh," (2)
"the lust of the eyes," and (3) "the pride of life." These areas are
appeals to misuse the appetites, to misapply the sense of beauty
(aesthetics), and to fall prey to the peril of inordinate ambition.
[Believer's SB]

The things of the world may be desired and possessed for the
uses and purposes which God intended, and they are to be used by his
grace, and to his glory; but believers must not seek or value them for
those purposes to which sin abuses them..... The things of the world
are classed according to the three ruling inclinations of depraved
nature. 1. The lust of the flesh, of the body: wrong desires of the
heart, the appetite of indulging all things that excite and inflame
sensual pleasures. 2. The lust of the eyes: the eyes are delighted with
riches and rich possessions; this is the lust of covetousness. 3. The
pride of life: a vain man craves the grandeur and pomp of a
vain-glorious life; this includes thirst after honour and applause. [Matthew
Henry]

Some people think that worldliness is limited to external
behavior--the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we
enjoy. Worldliness is also internal because it begins in the heart and
is characterized by three attitudes: (1) 'the cravings of sinful
man'--preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; (2) 'the lust of his
eyes'--craving and accumulating things, bowing to the god of materialism; and
(3) 'boasting of what he has and does'--obsession with one's status
or importance. [Life Application SB]

Many of the people of God are stupefied by the spirit of the
world, and are denying their faith by their works. They cultivate a
love for money, for houses and lands, until it absorbs the powers of
mind and being, and shuts out love for the Creator and for souls for
whom Christ died. The god of this world has blinded their eyes; their
eternal interests are made secondary; and brain, bone, and muscle are
taxed to the utmost to increase their worldly possessions. And all
this accumulation of cares and burdens is borne in direct violation
of the injunction of Christ, who said, "Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves
break through and steal." They forget that He said also, "Lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven;" that in so doing they are working for
their own interest. The treasure laid up in heaven is safe; no thief
can approach nor moth corrupt it. But their treasure is upon the
earth, and their affections are upon their treasure.  CS209

Sensual indulgence weakens the mind and debases the soul. The
moral and intellectual powers are benumbed and paralyzed by the
gratification of the animal propensities; and it is impossible for the slave
of passion to realize the sacred obligation of the law of God, to
appreciate the atonement, or to place a right value upon the soul.
Goodness, purity, and truth, reverence for God, and love for sacred
things--all those holy affections and noble desires that link men with the
heavenly world--are consumed in the fires of lust. The soul becomes a
blackened and desolate waste, the habitation of the evil spirits, and the
"cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Beings formed in the image
of God are dragged down to a level with the brutes. PP458

It is impossible for any to discern the truth while the world
has their affections. The world comes between them and God,
beclouding the vision and benumbing the sensibilities to such a degree that
it is impossible for them to discern sacred things. 1T530

Conversion is a work that most do not appreciate. It is not a
small matter to transform an earthly, sin-loving mind and bring it to
understand the unspeakable love of Christ, the charms of His grace, and the
excellency of God, so that the soul shall be imbued with divine love and
captivated with the heavenly mysteries. When he understands these things,
his former life appears disgusting and hateful. He hates sin, and,
breaking his heart before God, he embraces Christ as the life and joy of
the soul. He renounces his former pleasures. He has a new mind, new
affections, new interest, new will; his sorrows, and desires, and love are
all new. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride
of life, which have heretofore been preferred before Christ, are
now turned from, and Christ is the charm of his life, the crown of
his rejoicing. Heaven, which once possessed no charms, is now viewed
in its riches and glory; and he contemplates it as his future home,
where he shall see, love, and praise the One who hath redeemed him by
His precious blood. 2T294,5

Knowing that this evil world and our desires for its pleasures
will end can give us courage to control our greedy, self-indulgent
behavior and to continue doing God's will. [Life Application SB]