the Bible reveals to us that there is a powerful unseen Force at work in this world Lucifer the Fallen Angel is currently the God of this world this isn't just a vague concept it is clearly laid out in scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul writes the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel El that displays the glory of Christ this God of this age is Satan the one who has shaped and influenced the systems values and priorities of this world in such a
way that they appeal to our flesh he has carefully crafted a world that is easy for the flesh to love and let's be honest the flesh doesn't need much encouragement to chase after the things of this world oh how the flesh loves the things of this World the Flesh cves wealth Comfort power status and pleasure and Satan knowing the weaknesses of our flesh has made sure that this world is filled with opportunities to indulge in these desires this world offers us endless distractions and temptations all designed to keep us focused on gratifying the flesh instead
of pursuing Holiness why do you think people sin people don't sin because it's painful they sin because it's pleas pleasurable if sin were instantly painful people wouldn't choose it but sin comes with a seductive pleasure that deceives us into thinking that what is harmful to our souls is actually good for us this is why so many are caught in sin's trap it's why the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 5:6 but she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth there are people who have fallen so deeply into the love of pleasure that they
are like The Walking Dead they are spiritually dead even though they appear to be alive their lives are moving from one sinful pursuit to the next but they are blind to the Eternal consequences of their actions the enemy knows that if he can keep us chasing after the pleasures of this world we will lose sight of the things that truly matter our relationship with God our Eternal Destiny and the pursuit of Holiness he knows that as long as we are consumed with gratifying the flesh we will be dead to the things of God sin is
pleasurable for a season but it leads to death it lures Us in with Promises of satisfaction but It ultimately destroys us from the inside out so many today are walking down this path unaware that they are moving further and further away from God and closer to destruction they are being deceived by the Allure of worldly pleasures not not realizing that the God of this world Satan has designed it this way to keep them enslaved we must open our eyes to the truth and resist the Temptations of this world for the pleasures of sin are fleeting
but the consequences are Eternal I want to begin today with a question that may make you uncomfortable but it is a question that demands an answer do you truly love God or do you love the world I am not asking if if you occasionally attend church or if you identify as a Christian I am asking whether your heart your soul and your entire being are fully captivated by God or if they are consumed by the love of the world and its fleeting Pleasures in 1 John 2:15 we encounter a powerful and sobering warning John writes
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 let the weight of these words sink deep into your heart this is not a verse we can gloss over or dismiss lightly it is a stark warning to those who claim to follow Christ yet find themselves captivated by the world's Allure many who call themselves Christians will in fact be found guilty of loving the world more than they love God and because of this many will not inherit eternal life the uncomfortable
truth is that many Believers are dangerously entangled with with the world their lives mirror those of unbelievers more than they reflect Christ they look like the world act like the world and love the things of the world yet they still call themselves Christians what they do not realize is that by living in this way they are choosing to Forfeit their Eternal inheritance this message is not easy to hear but it is necessary many Christians will go to hell because they love the world more than they love God and they do not even realize it when
the Bible commands us not to love the world it is not referring to the physical Earth or to the people living in it God created the Earth and it was deemed good we are also called to love our neighbors and that includes loving people who are in the world what John is warning us against is the system of values beliefs and practices that are diametrically opposed to God's will this world is a system built on selfishness Pride materialism sensuality and Rebellion against God it glorifies sin while mocking Holiness it elevates the fleeting pleasures of life
above the Eternal Joy of a relationship with God yet tragically many Christians have aligned themselves with this worldly system either knowingly or unknowingly far too many chrisan Christians today chase after wealth Comfort pleasure and success as if these things will bring lasting fulfillment they pursue the temporary Delights of this world thinking they can balance both their love for the world and their love for God but Jesus made it clear in Matthew 6:24 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 there is no middle ground you cannot serve both God and the world many Believers are deceived into thinking they can have it both ways they can follow God on Sundays but then live for the world the rest of the week but let us be clear if your heart is captivated by the things of this world whether it is material possessions financial success or worldly pleasures then the love of the father is not in you this is not my opinion it is the word of God and if we are honest this truth
should terrify us why is it that so many who call themselves Christians are caught in the Trap of loving the world the answer lies in the deceptive Allure of the world the world is seductive it lures Us in with the promise of Happiness fulfillment and Status the enemy is cunning in how he presents sin he makes it look appealing just as he did in the Garden of Eden with Eve Genesis 36 tells us that when Eve looked at the forbidden fruit she saw that it was pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom the
enemy did not present the fruit as something harmful or deadly he made it look desirable and Eve fell for the deception in the same way the enemy packages the things of this world in a way that makes them appear harmless and even desirable we are seduced by wealth power and Pleasures that seem Innocent but they are deadly traps that can destroy our souls the Apostle Paul also warned about this in his explanation of how worldly distractions can choke out the word of God in our lives in Mark 4:19 Jesus says the worries of this life
the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it unfruitful Jesus pains a vivid picture of how the pursuit of wealth and worldly desires can suffocate our spiritual lives leaving us unfruitful we become so caught up in chasing after the things of this world that our love for God grows cold and lifeless it is important to recognize how the love of the world Creeps in unnoticed many Believers think they are Walking With God all while they are being consumed by their worldly Pursuits they attend church they say
the right thing and they may even give generously but their hearts are far from God their true passion and excitement are not for God or his kingdom but for the things of this world they are more concerned with their next vacation promotion or social status than they are with growing in Holiness or advancing the gospel this is why the love of the world is so dangerous it deceives us into thinking that we are okay when in reality we are drifting further and further away from God Jesus warned in Matthew 16:26 for what will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul loving the world is a sure way to forfeit your soul you may gain the temporary pleasures of this life but you will lose your soul in the process the tragic reality is that loving the world leads to destruction the Bible is filled with warnings about how the love of the world separates us from God and leads to Eternal death consider the strong language used in James 4:4 you adulterous people don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God therefore anyone who
chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God James uses the term adulterous because those who love the world are being unfaithful to God it is as if they are cheating on God with the world friendship with the world places you in direct opposition to God furthermore 1 John 2:17 warns us that the world and its desires pass away but whoever does the will of God lives forever everything in this world is temporary the love of the world is ultimately feudal because the things we cling to will one day vanish the
wealth you are chasing the status you are building the material possessions you are accumulating none of these things will last when your life ends none of these worldly things will go with you the house you worked so hard to buy will one day crumble the career you sacrificed for will one day end even your physical body will waste away why would you place your hope your affections and your trust in things that are destined to disappear we must also remember the chilling example of Lot's wife Jesus himself said in Luke 17: 32-33 remember Lot's wife
whoever tries to keep their life will lose it and whoever loses their life will preserve it Lot's wife serves as a terrifying reminder of what happens when we cannot let go of the world her heart was still tied to the sinful city of Sodom and as a result she was destroyed she could not fully leave behind her love for the world and she paid the ultimate price many Christians today are like Lot's wife they have one foot in the church but their hearts are still tied to the world they cannot let go of their attachment
to worldly pleasures and Pursuits and if they do not repent they will face the same destruction as Lot's wife the truth is following Jesus is costly it requires us to die to ourselves to crucify our flesh and to abandon our love for the world the problem with many Christians today is that they want to follow Jesus without paying the cost they want the blessings of Salvation without giving up their worldly desires but Jesus made it clear in Luke 9:23 whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow
me taking up up your cross is not optional it is a requirement for every believer the cross represents death to self death to worldly desires and death to sin if you are not willing to give up your love for the world you cannot truly follow Christ consider the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19: 16-22 he came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal eternal life Jesus told him to obey the Commandments and the young man replied that he had kept them all but when Jesus told him to sell his
possessions give to the poor and follow him the young man walked away sad he was unwilling to give up his wealth and as a result he forfeited the eternal life he sought how many of us are like the Rich Young Ruler we want eternal life but we are not willing to give up our world ly Comforts pleasures and Ambitions we want both Jesus and the world but Jesus made it clear that we cannot have both let us not forget that the road to eternal life is narrow and few find it Jesus warned us in Matthew
7: 13-14 enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it the road to destruction is wide because it is filled with people who are deceived by the love of the world it is a comfortable Road a road where you can indulge your desires chase after success and pursue pleasure but it leads to Eternal death in contrast the narrow road is difficult it requires
self-denial sacrifice and unwavering commitment to Christ few are willing to walk this road because it demands that you abandon your love for the world but this is the only road that leads to eternal life as we reflect on this message we must examine our hearts where do our True affections Lie do we love God or do we love the world many Christians will go to hell because they have chosen the world over God do not be among them the time for lukewarm Christianity is over the time for half-hearted devotion is over Jesus is calling us
to examine our hearts and determine where our true love and devotion lie it is not enough to identify as a Christian it is not enough to attend church or perform religious activities the question is do you truly love God or are you still in love with the world in Revelation 3: verses 15 and 16 Jesus rebukes the Church of leadsa for their lukewarm Faith he says I know your Deeds that you are neither cold nor hot I wish you were either one or the other so because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am
about to spit you out of my mouth Jesus is disgusted by lukewarm Christianity he would rather we be fully devoted to him or not follow him at all than to pretend pretend we are Christians while our hearts are tied to the world we must repent of our love for the world we must turn away from the fleeting pleasures of this life and fix our eyes on the eternal glory that awaits those who are fully devoted to Christ the world and its desires will pass away but those who do the will of God will live forever
let us be among those who forsake the world and cling to Christ with all our hearts today I urge you to examine in your heart and ask yourself the difficult question do you love the world or do you love God the answer to that question will determine your Eternal Destiny many Christians will go to hell because they chose the world over God do not let that be your story choose God choose life choose Eternal joy in the presence of your savior
