The apostle John describes the essence of the sinful desires of the world using three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. These worldly motivations are reasons why Christians are commanded not to love the world and why loving the world is incompatible with loving God. In this sermon we show the range of meaning of the Greek word “kosmos” and why the lusts of the world are wicked but we are still to live in “the world.” Jesus prayed that we not be taken out of the world but kept from the evil one. As we live in the world we need the word of God to sanctify us and keep us from living and believing as the wicked world does. There is an utter incompatibility between loving the Father and loving the world. We cannot do both. Sin never comes from God. The beliefs and values of the are inimical to the well-being of the Christian.

The sermon addresses the transitory nature of worldly lusts. Even those who seem to have everything the world has to offer, only hold these things for a short time. Those who live for Christ have eternal life. We address the fact that a biblical view of history sees Creation as the beginning and judgment as the end. False teachings that are popular today deny the future judgment and deny the reality of hell. A Christian worldview believes that those who truly serve and trust Christ have eternal life while those who do not, but live for the world and its lusts will end up in hell.