Love Not The Flesh

Lk 21:34-36 December 30, 2016

How many times have we said this to ourselves and others? “I’m a good person.” I think we have all heard people, including ourselves, state that they have worked very hard to build a “good life” for themselves. There is a gospel hymn that says: “I wanted all things, that I might enjoy life. But Jesus gave me life, that I might enjoy all things.” These words are so true and perhaps a key to understanding this passage from the scriptures; “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.” 1 John 2:15-16

The pride of life encompasses many areas that have become a source of man’s worship of himself. When a man begins to worship the creation rather than the Creator it is idolatry. When a man is unable to cease from the works of his own hands to observe a Sabbath this, too, is sinful. Anything that would separate us from the love of Christ is probably the result of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. In order to be delivered from the pride of life, we must seek to put on the mind of Christ, and put off the former man, no matter what temptations are working in our lives. This begins when we “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” One by one, all of the distractions of the world will become less of a priority, and listening for God’s voice will be your first thought. Serving the Lord will be your heart’s desire, no matter how He calls you to do that. It may not be according to the conventions you have seen or heard before, but in time you will see the perfection in all that He calls you to do. Peace will begin to abound in your heart and spill over into your home and your relationships if you want to be freed from the pride of life and the natural grip it has on every person.

Our Roots: A Source of Pride
Let us examine more closely some of those areas in life that may seem noble, but could turn out to be nothing more than a lie, in the form of the pride of life. The Bible is full of genealogies and most people are curious to know where their ancestors came from and what they accomplished. America is the great melting pot, and many here identify themselves more by their ethnic background, rather than as an American. To the world, we could even be considered mongrels, partly because we hold so much stock in our ancestors and their roots. It is a source of personal pride for many. God too is interested in backgrounds and especially genealogies, but for a different reason. Why were those long genealogies included in the divine word of God? They are difficult to read. Then the Lord gave me the revelation that it was all about establishing Jesus as the rightful heir to King David’s throne. Spiritually speaking, Jesus earned it by being God’s only son. He purchased the right to the throne as well as the lives of all who would believe in Him, by willingly spilling his blood on the cross. But for the sake of God’s promises to the Jews (His chosen people) it was also necessary to establish Jesus as a descendant of King David. God had promised that the King of the Jews would come through the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… and David. Salvation is through a single seed, not seeds, is the way the Bible puts it.

Satan, always the one to pervert God’s word in an attempt to nullify the prophecies contained in it, has tried to divert attention away from the one true genealogy that we should take stock in and throw it on to our own fleshly ancestors. In this, Satan has succeeded in making mankind believe that our natural genealogy really matters and is something to be proud of, but in truth, the only inheritance that will not pass away is the spiritual inheritance we receive from Jesus Christ, when we accept him as our Lord and Savior.

Our Own “Creations” Can Cause Pride
It is only natural for new parents to be proud of their new baby. First time parents tend to be exceptionally proud of their offspring. More seasoned parents can be made weary from listening to the new parents enthusiastically tell about the first laugh, or the first words, etc. This is one more thing that Satan can use to subtly fill our hearts with the pride of life in our own little creation. The bubble bursts for most parents around age two, when the child displays a willful determination to be himself, and leaves off being the perfect little angel the parents first saw.

If parents hold on to the notion that their child is somehow special or above normal, they could invite serious spiritual consequences upon the child. The child could grow up to believe he doesn’t need a savior or that he is somehow above the law and not subject to it. If that is the case, then the child is on a course charted for destruction, save God’s divine intervention. Parents need to be especially careful not to allow a child to think more of himself or herself than he or she ought to. The best thing a parent can instill in a child is a godly fear of the Living God. For babies, that should normally begin as a godly fear of their own father until they can begin to comprehend that God is the Father of all those who will obey Him.

Laboring in the World Without Resting in God
It is no secret to me why the Lord wrote into His Law the need to observe the Sabbath. Men and women can so easily become consumed by their own labors that they won’t quit working until there is a crisis, or their bodies begin to fail them from exhaustion. How many of us are running around constantly trying to get “caught up” when it is impossible to accomplish everything we put on ourselves? What the Lord desires for us is to be caught up in the wonder of His great love and to contemplate what He tells us in the Scriptures and in His still small voice. How can we ever hear from Him if we won’t cease from our own labors?

Today, as in the past, what job a person does tends to define him in society. In that identity, many people tend to derive pride in the work they do. Some can even derive deeper pride in seeing something concrete in the fruits of their labors. Men have perceived themselves as master builders and rulers over all they survey. King Nebuchadnezzar stands as a Biblical example of one who had a severe case of the pride of life, and this was not without good reason; his kingdom was one of the greatest in history. God had to show Nebuchadnezzar who truly had the power of life and death in His hands by debasing him to the extreme of turning him into a demented animal.

”At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?
While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, 0 king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee.
And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws.
And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever and ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” Daniel 4:29-37

Materialism: A Form of Pride of Life
In contemporary society, the pride of life can be manifested in materialism: the acquisition of material goods through the financial affluence people enjoy. Many people will work two jobs or, both spouses will work to maintain their standard of living. In their hard work they are building their own kingdom here on earth. If you are ever able to acquire all of the material goods you need in order to achieve perfect happiness, why would you look to those things which are above?

All of these aspects of labor can distract a person from the one whom all these blessings originate. As it was revealed to king Nebuchadnezzar, God is the creator of all things and we would have nothing without Him. In fact, working hard can get one into an early grave, and even cause one to miss out on the eternal treasure which Jesus Christ has stored up for us. The cares of this world can also cause us to miss many wonderful gifts that the Lord will dispense to us daily by listening and being obedient to His voice. Included in those gifts are precious moments with our family and friends.

Several years ago, the Lord spoke powerfully to my step-father and told him to forget his father’s house and his old roots and to seek out his new identity in Christ. If we are really seeking to be delivered from this present evil world, we would be wise to do the same. It is right to physically care for our children when they are small. We can hope to provide a stable secure home for them and to guide them to the truth in God’s Word and in salvation through Jesus Christ. But ultimately, they all have to confront their own sinful nature and receive salvation, just as we did. If we could save them, we wouldn’t need Jesus. Our little darlings are not our own creation, rather that of the Father. We need to keep reminding ourselves of that.

In the same vein, our labors are also given to us by the grace of God, and it is our job to fit into that and be thankful. It is also important to be thankful for His words to us and to keep the “Sabbaths” which He offers. As Jesus taught we must remember that the Sabbath was made for man and not the other way around. If we will heed His voice, we can lead a happy peaceful life, resting in the assurance we are in God’s hands. It won’t be necessary to prove to anyone how smart, or talented we or our children are. And we won’t have to work ourselves to death, to keep up with the Joneses. Then our pride can come in the knowledge that we have a whole new inheritance in a heavenly city with our Lord Jesus Christ.