You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part One Jan 17, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T011_20210117.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We shall begin a new series today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday January 17th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 1 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… When Moses and Aaron requested that Pharaoh let the Jewish people make a ‘three days’ journey’ into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord, initially Pharaoh did not want them to go, as to do so would have allowed the people to find rest, something Pharaoh did not want. a). However, in these verses from Exodus Chapter 8, we see a different approach. Pharaoh was content for the Jewish people to go into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord their God but on one condition, ‘you shall not go very far away’. b). In other words, they could sacrifice to the Lord, but it had to be done apart from making a 3 days’ journey. c). Now the 3 days’ journey is symbolic of a complete separation from everything connected with Pharaoh’s kingdom and is characterized in Scripture in 2 ways. Firstly, the journey that ends in the 3rd Day takes us to the Millennial Kingdom; the 3rd Day that follows the 2 days, the 2000 years of the dispensation allotted to the Jews. The Day when ‘Pharaoh’s’ kingdom will have been utterly destroyed – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. It is this 3rd Day that the one typified by Pharaoh does not want the Jewish people to arrive at, this is the journey, to that end, that he does not want them to make. And secondly, the 3 days’ journey figuratively speaks of death, burial and resurrection, pictured through the Feast of Firstfruits, the 3rd of the 7 feasts given to the Jewish people, which was to be celebrated on the 3rd day following Passover. A feast that pointed the way to Messiah’s resurrection on that Feast Day following His crucifixion, foreshadowing the fulfillment of this feast during the 75 days that follow the end of the tribulation, when the Jewish nation will be raised in the antitype of both Jonah and Lazarus – Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” 10 So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. And it is this process, leading to resurrection, resulting in rulership in the 3rd Day, that the one typified by Pharaoh seeks to stop. d). Rather than a complete separation, Pharaoh wanted to keep Israel’s ‘sacrifice’ to the Lord within the scope of his kingdom, under his jurisdiction and within his control. e). And from the golden calf incident, to Kadesh Barnea, to the Babylonian captivity, to the Lord’s first advent this is precisely what the one typified by Pharaoh has accomplished – Mt 15:7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And it is an uncomfortable truth that Israel’s past experience can all too readily become our own – 1 Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples [types], and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 2). The same 3rd Day, the Millennial Kingdom, awaits all of us at the end of the 2 days, the 2000 years of this dispensation, and the one seen through Pharaoh in the type does not want us to arrive there to receive our inheritance, he does not want us to make the 3 days’ journey so as to enter God’s Rest. a). Nor does he want us to experience the complete separation from his kingdom that comes through our own death, burial and resurrection which is the figurative process of our own 3 days’ journey – Ro 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. And after the exact same fashion that we saw in the type, the enemy of our soul seeks to keep the Christian within the scope of his kingdom, under his jurisdiction and within his control. That which Pharaoh said to Moses can equally be said to us, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… So then, what is the means by which we can be kept within our enemy’s jurisdiction while at the same time believing that we are ‘sacrificing to the Lord our God’? 3). The choice that we need to make to separate ourselves from his kingdom in order to complete the 3 days’ journey, is on one level very simple. A choice summed up for us in the account of Joshua – Jos 24:15 ¶ "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." A choice given to us through the type of Rebekah – Ge 24:58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” And a choice given through the type of Ruth – Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” This is a choice we constantly face, and one that we like to think we continually make in the positive. a). However, if we look at this choice on another level it is not as simple as it first seems, as it does not exist in a vacuum, and it is not made in a neutral environment. Rather it has to be enacted within an environment that can be blatantly hostile on the one hand and subtly deceptive on the other. b). Casualness, carelessness and most dangerous of all, complacency on our part with respect to understanding this context for our decision can so easily lead to our downfall - 1Pe 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The enemy of our soul is determined to prevent us from making the 3 days’ journey so as to receive our inheritance and there is not one of us who is immune from his efforts. c). This is what Jesus prayed to His Father for His disciples and by extension for us – Jn 17:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. We are not to be taken out of the world, but while in the world we are to be kept from the evil one. And we are to be separated from the world and thereby kept from the evil one by the Word of truth. d). Our enemy seeks to use our connection with the world through our first birth to keep us from being separated from it, to keep us within his jurisdiction. So, what exactly are we dealing with through the use of this word ‘world’? e). To begin, we are not referring to the physical globe on which we live, nor are we talking about humanity, in a general sense, that populates it, but rather we are looking at the present world system of governance and all that would be associated with it. And according to - 1Jo 2:15 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. And the reason why we should not love the world or the things in the world is twofold. Firstly - 1Jo 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Therefore, everything connected with the present world system, connected with the governance of this age, is under the control of the wicked one and is set diametrically opposite to everything that is of God. Hence the reason we are to be aliens and strangers during this present time. We are living, so to speak, in enemy territory – Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world……………… And then secondly - 1Jo 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. The present world system is passing away – we know for sure that it has an expiration date that was set at the beginning of Genesis, and the clock is counting down. f). We must grasp the reality that in the very near future the church, all of us, will be resurrected or raptured to the Judgment Seat and from that point onwards nothing will ever be the same for us again and therefore nothing that we may cling to in this world has any lasting value. g). The ‘world’ is passing away – governments, political systems, educational systems, financial institutions, the military, the internet, TV, bank loans, mortgages, credit cards, our house, our car, it’s all going – and at the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom the physical earth and the heavens associated with it, and all the works that are in them, will pass away with a great noise and fervent heat and there will be a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell. h). Now the catalogue of things that are passing away form part of our everyday experience, but in these systems is neither our security, nor our hope, nor our future. i). During the present pandemic and the strange time that we find ourselves in, we all experience uncertainty in our day-to-day life, but in the midst of this we need to keep a Scriptural mindset – Php 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 4). Now as we continue to consider ‘the world’ we find that scripture provides its own commentary for us on what we should expect – 1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. According to this verse, all that is in the world is described as, ‘the lust of the flesh’, ‘the lust of the eyes’ and ‘the pride of life’ and these are not of the Father, but of the world and therefore of the god of this world. a). So, as we look at these it would be helpful to understand what the word translated ‘lust’ is all about. b). The word has to do with setting our heart upon anything in a covetous way. It does not of itself speak of sexual sin. c). In other words, ‘lust’ would translate into, ‘I must have’, ‘I can’t do without’ – normally with the idea that once I have whatever it is, then my life will be better - Lu 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Pr 28:16……..he who hates covetousness will prolong his days. And the first reference to ‘lust’ that we see in 1 John 2:16, is that of the lust of the flesh – And this has to do with being carnally minded. And to be carnally minded is to be governed by the wisdom and desires of this world rather than the truth of Scripture - Ro 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, we could understand ‘the lust of the flesh’ as having a greedy desire for something which is other than God’s word, in the deception that in having this ‘something’ is our contentment and security, rather than both of these only being found in the Word of truth. d). The more stocks, the more shares, the more bonds, the more houses, the more cars, the bigger, the better – if I can just have ‘this’ I’ll be OK - Lu 12:16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22 ¶ Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Then secondly, in 1 John 2:16, we have ‘the lust of the eyes’ - Now, whereas the lust of the flesh has to do with covetousness with regards to material things, the lust of the eyes seems to deal with covetousness with respect to people - De 5:21 'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; We can of course be dealing with inappropriate sexual desire as seen here in Deuteronomy, but we can also see this as envying someone because of who they are or what they have. e). There is no point in looking longingly at them and thinking, ‘if only’ – God has given each one of us our own circumstances and within those circumstances, as we would be faithfully obedient and as we would patiently endure, lies our own narrow pathway to glory – Php 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And let’s not be deceived into thinking that someone else’s pathway is easier than our own. Such thinking would be contrary to the evidence of scripture - Re 2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Ac 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." 1Co 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; And the final element of the world, found in 1 John 2:16, is ‘the pride of life’ - We can understand this as having a prideful, self-confidence in who and what we are in our own strength and ability, apart from any reference to our dependence on the Lord. To get a good idea of what this looks like we can use the Laodicean Church of Revelation Chapter 3 as an example – Re 3:17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— This would be the same attitude as that of the certain rich man from the parable in Luke Chapter 12. And again, in this we can see a focus on ‘Me’ in the present rather than having the 3rd Day and the fulfillment of God’s purpose in us as our focus – Ro 14:10b…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And I am sure we will realize that the pride of life is not necessarily expressed through the spoken word, although it can be, but rather through action. f). A self-check on our engagement with the teaching of the Word in the governance of our life would reveal this to us. If Sunday morning and Bible study are not a priority for us, then we may already be walking in the pride of life, choosing to be self-reliant rather than God-reliant. And this of course can come about insidiously and subtly over a period of time without us even realizing what is happening – the good news of course, is that we can repent and make a change if this is where we find ourselves. 5). Then in conjunction with 1 John 2:16 we can apply this in – Jas 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. For our purposes this morning we will focus on keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. Now, there should be one thing we notice immediately here, ‘to keep oneself’ – who then has the responsibility for doing this? We do. a). There is then an individual responsibility for each of us keep ourselves unspotted from the world – Which is to be without spot, or wrinkle or blemish. And this will hopefully call to mind – Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal [age lasting] life. The result of keeping ourselves unspotted from the world has the certain and glorious outcome of a marriage relationship and therefore rulership, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world is a process that cannot be separated from the washing of water by the word. c). And again, it is the Word, as a result of our proper engagement with it, that is the only thing that can make the washing a reality. And it is this alone that will keep us from the evil one - Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Here in Romans, we see the same thought as keeping ourselves unspotted from the world here described as not being conformed to the same pattern as this world – therefore not being overcome by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. d). Rather, we are to be ‘transformed’, the metamorphosis, by the renewing of our mind through the truth of Scripture – to replace the mindsets and thought patterns, that are a part of our sin nature, that part of our being that is at home in the world, with the Word. e). Our 3 days’ journey then, has to do with not allowing our thought patterns to follow their fallen desire, but instead to allow the Word of God to change the way we think so that we might follow the righteousness of the Living God – 2Co 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, And the obedience of Christ is seen in the submission of His will to the will of the Father. This is what the washing of water by the word has to do with – submitting our will to the will of God, thereby accepting and embracing the truth of Scripture and thereby rejecting the wisdom of the world. e). It is the Word of God alone that will bring about our separation from the world and the lusts of it, if we will allow the Spirit to lead us out of Satan’s jurisdiction, to complete the full 3 days of our journey. We will continue with this next time – If the Lord is wiling. You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part One Jan 17, 2021 Speaker: John Herbert Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T011_20210117.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We shall begin a new series today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday January 17th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 1 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… When Moses and Aaron requested that Pharaoh let the Jewish people make a ‘three days’ journey’ into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord, initially Pharaoh did not want them to go, as to do so would have allowed the people to find rest, something Pharaoh did not want. a). However, in these verses from Exodus Chapter 8, we see a different approach. Pharaoh was content for the Jewish people to go into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord their God but on one condition, ‘you shall not go very far away’. b). In other words, they could sacrifice to the Lord, but it had to be done apart from making a 3 days’ journey. c). Now the 3 days’ journey is symbolic of a complete separation from everything connected with Pharaoh’s kingdom and is characterized in Scripture in 2 ways. Firstly, the journey that ends in the 3rd Day takes us to the Millennial Kingdom; the 3rd Day that follows the 2 days, the 2000 years of the dispensation allotted to the Jews. The Day when ‘Pharaoh’s’ kingdom will have been utterly destroyed – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. It is this 3rd Day that the one typified by Pharaoh does not want the Jewish people to arrive at, this is the journey, to that end, that he does not want them to make. And secondly, the 3 days’ journey figuratively speaks of death, burial and resurrection, pictured through the Feast of Firstfruits, the 3rd of the 7 feasts given to the Jewish people, which was to be celebrated on the 3rd day following Passover. A feast that pointed the way to Messiah’s resurrection on that Feast Day following His crucifixion, foreshadowing the fulfillment of this feast during the 75 days that follow the end of the tribulation, when the Jewish nation will be raised in the antitype of both Jonah and Lazarus – Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” 10 So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. And it is this process, leading to resurrection, resulting in rulership in the 3rd Day, that the one typified by Pharaoh seeks to stop. d). Rather than a complete separation, Pharaoh wanted to keep Israel’s ‘sacrifice’ to the Lord within the scope of his kingdom, under his jurisdiction and within his control. e). And from the golden calf incident, to Kadesh Barnea, to the Babylonian captivity, to the Lord’s first advent this is precisely what the one typified by Pharaoh has accomplished – Mt 15:7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And it is an uncomfortable truth that Israel’s past experience can all too readily become our own – 1 Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples [types], and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 2). The same 3rd Day, the Millennial Kingdom, awaits all of us at the end of the 2 days, the 2000 years of this dispensation, and the one seen through Pharaoh in the type does not want us to arrive there to receive our inheritance, he does not want us to make the 3 days’ journey so as to enter God’s Rest. a). Nor does he want us to experience the complete separation from his kingdom that comes through our own death, burial and resurrection which is the figurative process of our own 3 days’ journey – Ro 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. And after the exact same fashion that we saw in the type, the enemy of our soul seeks to keep the Christian within the scope of his kingdom, under his jurisdiction and within his control. That which Pharaoh said to Moses can equally be said to us, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… So then, what is the means by which we can be kept within our enemy’s jurisdiction while at the same time believing that we are ‘sacrificing to the Lord our God’? 3). The choice that we need to make to separate ourselves from his kingdom in order to complete the 3 days’ journey, is on one level very simple. A choice summed up for us in the account of Joshua – Jos 24:15 ¶ "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." A choice given to us through the type of Rebekah – Ge 24:58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” And a choice given through the type of Ruth – Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” This is a choice we constantly face, and one that we like to think we continually make in the positive. a). However, if we look at this choice on another level it is not as simple as it first seems, as it does not exist in a vacuum, and it is not made in a neutral environment. Rather it has to be enacted within an environment that can be blatantly hostile on the one hand and subtly deceptive on the other. b). Casualness, carelessness and most dangerous of all, complacency on our part with respect to understanding this context for our decision can so easily lead to our downfall - 1Pe 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The enemy of our soul is determined to prevent us from making the 3 days’ journey so as to receive our inheritance and there is not one of us who is immune from his efforts. c). This is what Jesus prayed to His Father for His disciples and by extension for us – Jn 17:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. We are not to be taken out of the world, but while in the world we are to be kept from the evil one. And we are to be separated from the world and thereby kept from the evil one by the Word of truth. d). Our enemy seeks to use our connection with the world through our first birth to keep us from being separated from it, to keep us within his jurisdiction. So, what exactly are we dealing with through the use of this word ‘world’? e). To begin, we are not referring to the physical globe on which we live, nor are we talking about humanity, in a general sense, that populates it, but rather we are looking at the present world system of governance and all that would be associated with it. And according to - 1Jo 2:15 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. And the reason why we should not love the world or the things in the world is twofold. Firstly - 1Jo 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Therefore, everything connected with the present world system, connected with the governance of this age, is under the control of the wicked one and is set diametrically opposite to everything that is of God. Hence the reason we are to be aliens and strangers during this present time. We are living, so to speak, in enemy territory – Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world……………… And then secondly - 1Jo 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. The present world system is passing away – we know for sure that it has an expiration date that was set at the beginning of Genesis, and the clock is counting down. f). We must grasp the reality that in the very near future the church, all of us, will be resurrected or raptured to the Judgment Seat and from that point onwards nothing will ever be the same for us again and therefore nothing that we may cling to in this world has any lasting value. g). The ‘world’ is passing away – governments, political systems, educational systems, financial institutions, the military, the internet, TV, bank loans, mortgages, credit cards, our house, our car, it’s all going – and at the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom the physical earth and the heavens associated with it, and all the works that are in them, will pass away with a great noise and fervent heat and there will be a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell. h). Now the catalogue of things that are passing away form part of our everyday experience, but in these systems is neither our security, nor our hope, nor our future. i). During the present pandemic and the strange time that we find ourselves in, we all experience uncertainty in our day-to-day life, but in the midst of this we need to keep a Scriptural mindset – Php 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 4). Now as we continue to consider ‘the world’ we find that scripture provides its own commentary for us on what we should expect – 1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. According to this verse, all that is in the world is described as, ‘the lust of the flesh’, ‘the lust of the eyes’ and ‘the pride of life’ and these are not of the Father, but of the world and therefore of the god of this world. a). So, as we look at these it would be helpful to understand what the word translated ‘lust’ is all about. b). The word has to do with setting our heart upon anything in a covetous way. It does not of itself speak of sexual sin. c). In other words, ‘lust’ would translate into, ‘I must have’, ‘I can’t do without’ – normally with the idea that once I have whatever it is, then my life will be better - Lu 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Pr 28:16……..he who hates covetousness will prolong his days. And the first reference to ‘lust’ that we see in 1 John 2:16, is that of the lust of the flesh – And this has to do with being carnally minded. And to be carnally minded is to be governed by the wisdom and desires of this world rather than the truth of Scripture - Ro 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, we could understand ‘the lust of the flesh’ as having a greedy desire for something which is other than God’s word, in the deception that in having this ‘something’ is our contentment and security, rather than both of these only being found in the Word of truth. d). The more stocks, the more shares, the more bonds, the more houses, the more cars, the bigger, the better – if I can just have ‘this’ I’ll be OK - Lu 12:16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22 ¶ Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Then secondly, in 1 John 2:16, we have ‘the lust of the eyes’ - Now, whereas the lust of the flesh has to do with covetousness with regards to material things, the lust of the eyes seems to deal with covetousness with respect to people - De 5:21 'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; We can of course be dealing with inappropriate sexual desire as seen here in Deuteronomy, but we can also see this as envying someone because of who they are or what they have. e). There is no point in looking longingly at them and thinking, ‘if only’ – God has given each one of us our own circumstances and within those circumstances, as we would be faithfully obedient and as we would patiently endure, lies our own narrow pathway to glory – Php 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And let’s not be deceived into thinking that someone else’s pathway is easier than our own. Such thinking would be contrary to the evidence of scripture - Re 2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Ac 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." 1Co 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; And the final element of the world, found in 1 John 2:16, is ‘the pride of life’ - We can understand this as having a prideful, self-confidence in who and what we are in our own strength and ability, apart from any reference to our dependence on the Lord. To get a good idea of what this looks like we can use the Laodicean Church of Revelation Chapter 3 as an example – Re 3:17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— This would be the same attitude as that of the certain rich man from the parable in Luke Chapter 12. And again, in this we can see a focus on ‘Me’ in the present rather than having the 3rd Day and the fulfillment of God’s purpose in us as our focus – Ro 14:10b…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And I am sure we will realize that the pride of life is not necessarily expressed through the spoken word, although it can be, but rather through action. f). A self-check on our engagement with the teaching of the Word in the governance of our life would reveal this to us. If Sunday morning and Bible study are not a priority for us, then we may already be walking in the pride of life, choosing to be self-reliant rather than God-reliant. And this of course can come about insidiously and subtly over a period of time without us even realizing what is happening – the good news of course, is that we can repent and make a change if this is where we find ourselves. 5). Then in conjunction with 1 John 2:16 we can apply this in – Jas 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. For our purposes this morning we will focus on keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. Now, there should be one thing we notice immediately here, ‘to keep oneself’ – who then has the responsibility for doing this? We do. a). There is then an individual responsibility for each of us keep ourselves unspotted from the world – Which is to be without spot, or wrinkle or blemish. And this will hopefully call to mind – Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal [age lasting] life. The result of keeping ourselves unspotted from the world has the certain and glorious outcome of a marriage relationship and therefore rulership, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world is a process that cannot be separated from the washing of water by the word. c). And again, it is the Word, as a result of our proper engagement with it, that is the only thing that can make the washing a reality. And it is this alone that will keep us from the evil one - Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Here in Romans, we see the same thought as keeping ourselves unspotted from the world here described as not being conformed to the same pattern as this world – therefore not being overcome by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. d). Rather, we are to be ‘transformed’, the metamorphosis, by the renewing of our mind through the truth of Scripture – to replace the mindsets and thought patterns, that are a part of our sin nature, that part of our being that is at home in the world, with the Word. e). Our 3 days’ journey then, has to do with not allowing our thought patterns to follow their fallen desire, but instead to allow the Word of God to change the way we think so that we might follow the righteousness of the Living God – 2Co 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, And the obedience of Christ is seen in the submission of His will to the will of the Father. This is what the washing of water by the word has to do with – submitting our will to the will of God, thereby accepting and embracing the truth of Scripture and thereby rejecting the wisdom of the world. e). It is the Word of God alone that will bring about our separation from the world and the lusts of it, if we will allow the Spirit to lead us out of Satan’s jurisdiction, to complete the full 3 days of our journey. We will continue with this next time – If the Lord is wiling.