"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.  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.  And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God lives for ever." (1 John 2:15-17)

May the Lord be eternally glorified for only He is worthy of all praises! Not only did He save my life as I was ready to take mine, but He bought me out of the darkness into the light, restoring my vision (spiritually) to see "the Way ,the Truth & the Life" (John 14:6) He has bolted my feet onto the path of righteousness, and only through His wisdom and the Holy Spirit I can finally understand the God's definition of "SIN". The Holy Spirit continues to transform me, and strengthens me to not fall into temptation and abstain from sin. Through my trials and tribulations the Lord is cleansing my body, testing my faith and teaches me humbleness and patience! Aleluia! I owe my life to You, Lord Jesus! As a result of my extreme disobedience to God, He has allowed satan to show me what this evil & sinful world has to offer....  deceit, destruction and death!

I am often reminded of the words: "love not the world..." Oh, how tragically, I, loved the world, just like most people love the world today! Too many people today love their SIN! They love the nightclubs and stripclubs. They love the pubs. They love pornography. They love the booze. They love fortification and playing family before marriage. They love being adulterous. They love those who mock and curse God. They love gambling. They love the cinemas. They love worldly movies, the wordly entertainment. They love worldly music. They love worldly TV shows. They love worldly singers and actors. The love dressing & behaving like the world. They love anything that is unholy and against God's Word! They may claim to know & love God, but John 15:8 teaches us that they infact, do not!

➡ WHAT IS THE WORLD?

What does the Bible mean by the term "world?" The world is that mass of humanity which has alienated itself from God and is therefore hostile to the cause of Christ. The world lives for superficial and meaningless things. So many people's minds are consumed with their looks, or their job, or their new car. Others live for their hobbies - footy & fishing, or the latest fashion.

It is tragic that the Word of God means so little to so many people. So many do not understand that the same God who spoke the universe into existence also authored the Bible! People spit on the Word of God by obeying what they consider relevant or completely ignoring the Word of God! Alert: The world lives for it's belly..."Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things" (Philippians 3:19). This describes the average person today, living for number one: SELF!!

The world is Elton John and his music. The world is Madonna, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Justin Beiber.  The world is Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. The world is Hillsong and Joel Osteen. The world is Corona and VB. The world is Walt Disney and Movieworld and it's sexually perverted and satanic movies. The world is The Bachelor & Games of Throne. The world is movies with ungodly evil scenes - sex, drugs, gays, violence! The world is Beyonce and her adulterous songs. The world is rock n' roll, rap, rnb, jazz & easy music. The world is MTV. The world is Broadway. The world is Oprah Winfrey and her damnable New Age teachings. The world is Hollywood. The world is gambling casinos. The world is the race track.The world is nightclubs and stripclubs wasting $$$$ on booze, drugs and harlots. The world is materialism which the world overvalues their car, house, clothes, shoes, furniture. The world is living for money, for a career.

The world is everything that this temporal life has to offer us to draw us away from God; away from holy living, away rom obeying the Word of God, away from praying, away from living for Jesus, away from soul-winning, away from giving to the Lord's work, away from going to church, away from righteousness, and even away from getting saved. THE WORLD IS GOD'S ENEMY (James 4:4). If we are friends of the world, then we are enemies of God!

➡ ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD

The "world" to which the Bible refers to is both the sinful world and the materialistic world. Something doesn't have to necessarily be sinful to be worldly.  For example: There is nothing wrong with owning a car, but you can easily turn that object into a god that consumes your heart and mind, and that is sinful. God warns us about all that is in the world: the LUST of the eyes, and the LUST of the flesh, and the PRIDE of life. So many people today are filled with wicked lust & pride, they don't care to hear the truth, or about the Lord Jesus Christ, or repent!

Lust & pride of man are perhaps the strongest known element in the universe. Luat and pride sends people to hell!! Lust & pride keeps people from coming to Christ for salvation. Lust & pride causes people to hate and kill. Lust & pride is what causes the feminist to mock God in rebellion. Lust & pride is what causes the world to hate Jesus Christ and those called by His name, Christians. So many people are living without God.  And then there's those who profess to know God, but God is last place in their life. They do not obey the Word of God!

God wants to be all-in-all in our life. God doesn't just want to be first in oour life, because then He won't be a part of all the other priorities we have. We must include God and the teachings of the Bible in EVERYTHING we do. Many people think they are putting God "first" by going to church on Sunday, but then they forget about God and His Word for the rest of the week. They are really putting God last in their life. 

To place God first means that we look to the Scriptures for answers and guidance in every facet of our daily lives, and then obey the Word of God. Of course, one cannot even begin to please God or put Him first until they are born again by the Spirit of Christ!!!

➡ SATAN ONLY SHOWS US THE NEON LIGHTS OF SIN CITY

I must confess, the devil never shows us what's hidden behind the neon lights of Sin City. God hates the casinos, the prostitution, the booze & drugs, the evil music...etc. The world hates God. The world is like a man shooting a gun in one hand while playing a saxophone in the other, he drowns out the cries of his victims with the saxophone. Is this not the world? While millions upon millions of christians are horrifically persecuted by the satanic islamic puppets, the music and movies of Hollywood captivate our every thought. The scores of the footy game captivates others thought ! Our exterior - hair, nail make up, perfume & fashion we wear is foremost priority! Gossiping about each other is more entertaining! 

While millions of children are starving to death around the world, people are enamored with their hobbies and luxury toys. Alert: The devil will lalway shows us the well-watered plains toward Sodom, but he doesn't show us Sodom. Lot "pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12)," and before he knew it... he lived in Sodom. The devil always looks for the weakest link, a way in. And if we are not vigilent, he will find a way to drag us into Sodom. Let's not forget, by God's approvals the world is controlled by satan (2nd Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2).

➡ THE WORLD & LUSTS PASSES AWAY 

That physically beautiful young woman, that causes so many men to lust after her, will one day return to the dust from which she came. Oh, how wicked are the hearts of men and women (Jeremiah 17:9). Do we not realize that nothing  matter except what we do with Jesus Christ and the Word of God? 

That new car will one day burn to ashes. In fact, everything we own will one day burn to ashes. Everything!  So many people want to build mansions, drive the most expensive sportscar, become rich & even fight, go to court, and get even with others over money and materialistic things. My friend, the best things in life aren't things. Life itself is a miracle and gift from God. Thank You Lord!

The ability to go to work is a gift from God. Our health is a gift from God. Children are a gift from God. Our home and car is a gift from God. Yet, so many people arrogantly take credit for everything they own. Many take it all for granted and spit on God by rejecting the inspired Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We cannot live forever, my dear friends. Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Justin Beiber, Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce - all Hollywood stars, all sport stars, all singing artist will die and meet their Maker. They will give account for their wicked life and for rejecting the Saviour. Unless they repent from their worldly way and follow Christ, they will be burning in the fires of Hell according the the Word of God (" In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2nd Thessalonians 1:8). 

Perhaps you don't believe the Bible either, well, I must warn you that Revelation 21:8 says that "unbelievers" will be cast into the lake of fire, the second death. Ask your ignorant self if you'd be willing to spend all eternity in suffering and misery, just for a season of sinful pleasure in this wicked world??

The unbelievers and phoney christians boast of their abomination and promote sin! Do you think you can mock God and get away with it?  Do you think you can violate God's Word and not be judged in eternity?  No, you cannot (Galatians 6:7). Hell will be hot for those who die in their sins, especially those who have wasted a lifetime of wild living and debauchery! 

➡ PHYSICAL DEATH IS INEVITABLE

The millions of women who have murdered their child with an abortion, will all die. The doctors who murdered the children will all die. The godless puppet Supreme Court judges who pass law against the law of God will all die. The wicked people who make, distribute, and sell drugs will all die. The wicked people who own and operate the vile gambling casinos will all die. The evil bankers, lawyers, and politicians who are destroying the world will all die. The evil and monstorous islamic terrorists will all die! The wicked producers of rock-n-roll music, rap, and adulterous music and movies will all die. The godless music video producers and all the sleazy idols like Justin Beiber, Kanye, Beyonce & Britney Spears will all die. Their beauty will fade and they will be replaced by more of satan's puppets. But them too will die! This world WILL pass away. We were born with nothing and we can take nothing with us... "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (1st Timothy 6:7). 

➡  LIVE BY THE WILL OF GOD & LIVE FOREVER

"And this is the WILL of Him that sent me, that every one which looks to the Son, and believes in Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)

The Bible is not just asking us to believe  and be saved, as some foolishly believe. But also give up the world, turn from sin and follow Jesus Christ, our Saviour faithfully! Certainly, the world is wicked and tempting, but God clearly has demanded that no believers should be of this world. The Word of God warns that a person's love for the world will prevent them from coming to Christ for salvation. Jesus tells us the reason why the unsaved world will not come to Him in John 3:20... "For every one that does evil hates the light, nor do they comes to the light, unless his deeds are exposed."  

I know all too well that this evil world offers sinful pleasures, materialism, and self-gratification; all of which are directly opposed to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. God is simply telling us in  1 John 2:15-17 that humans need to get saved, and if it's the pleasures of sin that are keeping us from coming to Christ, then we need to forsake the world and come to Christ. This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:29-30 when He said it's better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand that you sin with, than to go to Hell. Jesus says a man would be much better off if he was disabled (or crippled), than to be cast into Hell whole.

It is one's love for sin that keeps him or her from coming to Jesus. Bluntly, one is not a true Christianif living in sin!  Unbelievers may live in sin and not knowingly continue to sin until they hear the Word of God and may chose to repent! Or many unbelievers simply enjoy living in sin and refuse to come to Christ for forgiveness and repentance! Some believers may claim to be born-again but continue to live in sin, but reality is that they are fooling themselves if they believe they will be saved unless they repent!

Everyone will eventually die and everything will eventually burn to ashes so what will matter then? What will all of the money, fame, and pleasure in this world matter when we are dead and gone? Are we willing to risk our eternal soul upon the foolish assumption that God loves us the way we are? That God turns a blind eye to sin? That God let's us off the hook with some small sins? That the Bible is not God's Word?  For eternity's sake, we better be right with God before we breathe our last breath!  Are you studying the Bible? Can you not be bothered or are you afraid you might find the Truth? It may be frightening but the Bible has never been disproved and every word is gradually being fullfilled!   

One thing I know for certain, without accepting Jesus Christ; without repentance by being born-again, without water baptism, without baptism with Holy Spirit, without departing from sin; without studying & obeying God's Word, without living life within God's will, without faith & good deeds .....satan, death and eternal burning furnace awaits us! 

This world is temporal, but God offers to us "eternal life" through Christ Jesus! Let's live each day for Christ for He died in our place to offer us the free gift of grace and salvation and forgiveness in fullness! What a Wonderful Saviour! Hallelujah! May the Lord be eternally glorified for ONLY He is worthy of all praises, worship, love, obedience & glory! In Jesus name, Amen!