by Pastor Daniel

Introduction
On the cost of discipleship, Jesus taught, “One must deny himself, take up the cross and Répliques Montres Hublot follow me”. While self denial is the first, the second is taking up one’s cross in following Jesus.  We have come to interpret taking up one’s cross to mean widely, to deny the world, saying no to the world.
 
That is true but the apostle John in I John 2:15-17, wrote about the denial of the world as a natural course of a Christian who has eternal life. He wrote, “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.”
 
Thinking along the line of our theme, “let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” - that beauty is the love of God that is in us. If there is beauty, then there must be the love of the Father. How can that happen and how do we achieve it?
 
Love not the world
When John said, “Do not love the world”, it is obvious he did not mean the physical world. Afterall, it is the world that God created and pronounced, “GOOD”. It is not even the people of the world because God too loved the people of the world whom He longed to redeem and restore into relationship that they all may be sons and daughters of God.
 
Clearly what John meant was a world that is in hostility with God. A world that hates God. Is there such a world?  I believe it is in reference to the philosophy of the world that runs in contrast to God. It is this world that put Christ on the cross. It is the culture of the world that does not think it needs God or even believe in God. It is the world of hypocrisy.
 
Jesus during His time on earth constantly spoke against that world. When the disciples were arguing about greatness, Jesus said, “The Gentiles lord it over them but to those who want to be great must be a servant.” What a contrast?
 
For one to be rich is God, it is “more blessed to give than to receive”. To the religious and hypocritical world, Jesus at the mount preached, “You have heard it said that you shall not commit adultery, BUT I tell you that if one looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her.”
 
To that kind of a world John says, “DO not love the world” - do not believe in that kind of a philosophy”
 
Incompatible and Temporal
John continued to write that they are not compatible with God. Loving and believing in that kind of a world, will simply push us away from the love of God. We are told not to be friends to this kind of a world.
 
Furthermore, the world is passing away along with its desires but whoever does the will of God abides forever. We all know too well how temporary our lives can be. We don’t even know what will happen the next moment. Richest, comfort, even desires and ambitions are temporal. They will vanish. If that is the case, why do we pay so much attention to this world?
 
The flesh, the eye, the heart
What are those things in the world? John mentioned the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the heart of pride. They became a great summary of what the world meant.
 
Drawing the parallel from the temptation in the garden of Eden, when Eve encountered the serpent, she saw the fruit and it was good for food (flesh), a delight to the eyes (EYE) and a desire to make one wise like God (HEART), she fell.
 
Jesus faced a great deal of temptation in the wilderness. Here again it was summarized in these three.  He was challenged by Satan to turn stone into bread (FLESH), to jump from the pinnacle of the temple (PRIDE) and to bow to Satan to worship him to inherit the kingdom (EYES).
 
However Jesus showed us the way to victory which John calls “whoever does the will of God abides forever”. TO the first temptation Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God” - it is the belief and obedience to God’s Word. To the second temptation, Jesus said, “Tempt not the Lord your God.” is the belief in God and finally “You shall worship the Lord thy God and Him only shall you serve” is a total faith in God.
 
Conclusion
How are we to do the will of God and let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us?  It is this: to believe God’s word and obey him, to believe God wholeheartedly and not put him to test and finally Jaquet Droz Replica to worship Him and Him alone.

May this Easter season be a reflection of our relationship with God.