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~ DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD OR ANYTHING IN IT ~
WHAT IS THE WORLD?
1 JOHN 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the worldthe lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of lifecomes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
What is this passage referring to, when it talks about not loving this world?
THREE THINGS THAT CONSTITUTES "THE WORLD"
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THE LUST OF THE FLESH (GALATIANS 5:19-21)
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SEXUAL (Adultery, Fornication, Masturbation, Sodomism, Orgies, etc...) |
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SOCIAL (Anger, Conflit, Venganse, Jealousy) |
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GLOTONY (Parties, Drunkenness, etc...) |
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THE DESIRES OF THE EYES (EPHISIANS 5:5-7; COLOSIANS 3:5-7)
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COVETTEOUS (Jealousy, Envies, Trophy Spouses) |
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MATERIALISM (Wealth, Money, Manssions, New Cars, Jewelry...) |
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LUST (Pornography, Movies y Worldly Music) |
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GLOTONY (Parties, Drunkenness, etc...) |
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VANITY OF LIFE PRIDE (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
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AGE (Lie about ones age, Youthful attire y Hair Dos) |
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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE (Silicone Breasts y Gluteous, Plastic Surgery) |
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EXPERIENCE (To be the best Doctor, Arquitect, Hair Stylist, etc...) |
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BLOOD LINE (Royal Blood, from Abraham, The Kennedies) |
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PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS (Christopher Columbus, Joan Of Ark, Napoleon) |
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MONEY, POSITION Y POWER (Fame, The King Of Babylon, Adolf Hitler) |
The world is anything that doesn't include God. Since there is two ways to acquire wealth. Serving GOD (1 CHRONICLES 29:12 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.) and serving SATAN (MATTHEW 4:8-10 Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. 10 Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.)
::WEALTH EITHER COMES FROM GOD OR SATAN::
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GOD:
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God Honoring Business (That honor God, benefits humans) |
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Inheritance |
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Donations |
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Gifts |
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Discoveries (Treasures, Medicines...) |
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Inventions |
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Education (To be blessed in our careers) |
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Investments |
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Work |
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Fame (Preaching - Pastors, Service - Madre Teresa, Heroes...) |
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SATAN:
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Selling Drugs (Prescription, Street Drugs) |
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Prostitution (To Mary for money, Exchanging Sex for money or favors) |
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Stealing (Fraud, Forgery, Embezzlement, Piracy) |
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Murder (Whether we commit the murder ourselves or pay someone to do it for us.) |
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Witchcraft (Sell your soul to the devil, amulets, witchcraft, etc...) |
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Immoral Businesses (Bars, Prostitution homes, Abortion Clinics, etc...) |
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Lying (Blackmail, Changing Prices according to the customers) |
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Gambling (Cards, Roulette, Lottery, Bingo, Casinos) |
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Abuse (Taking Advantage of the needy, stealing from the defenseless) |
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Fame (Singers, Actors, Murderers, False Prophets) |
MATTHEW 6:24-34 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe youyou of little faith? 32 So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Is it a sin to have; a beautiful house, brand new car, nice jewelry, a healthy body, designer clothes, travel the world, To be President, to be famous, to be the best neurologist/painter/athlete/lawyer, etc...?
The answer is NO, NO and NO!!!
Sin is NOT having all these things, SIN is how we obtained them. and the place they take in our life.
PSALMS 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
1 CHRONICLES 29:11-12 Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
JOB 1:9-10 Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied. 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
This passage lets us know that neither MADRE THERESA, nor BILLY GRAHAM went in search of FAME and HONOR. Both went after GOD, and both went in search of God's Kingdom and its righteousness and God made sure that they would also get FAME and HONOR.
MADRE THERESA in poverty because that is what she believed in, and took Bible instructions out of context (MATTHEW 19:16-24).
MATTHEW 19:16-24 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? 17 Why do you ask me about what is good? Jesus replied. There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. 18 Which ones? he inquired. Jesus replied, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. 20 All these I have kept, the young man said. What do I still lack? 21 Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. (You can see here clearly that this young man, loved wealth more than serving God 1Timoteo 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves. In addition, we can observe that the young man was not a believer, since he didn't know the law of God, that is the reason he asked Jesus "what should I do?")
PROVERBS 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, Who is the LORD? Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
ECCLESIASTES 10:19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything. With money you can build Churches, Orphanages, Help the needy, finance ministries, etc...
BILLY GRAHAM is not just as famous as MADRE THERESA, but in addition is a multi-millionaire and is abundant in finances, since we Protestant Christians, believe that ONE of the proofs that allows us to know that we have found favor with God, is through financial blessings, but there are many more like; health, long life, happiness, joy, peace... DEUTERONOMY 28:1-14).
DEUTERONOMY 28:1-14 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestockthe calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperityin the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your groundin the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.