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December often feels like the safest month of the year. Lights are glowing, carols are playing, families are gathering, and the world feels—at least for a moment—peaceful. But looks can deceive. In December of 1941, America learned this the hard way. While Christmas trees were shining in living rooms, enemy planes were already in the air. Peace was only an illusion.

And according to Scripture, many Christians today are living under a similar illusion.

We are at war—not with nations or armies, but with three deadly spiritual enemies:
the devil, the flesh, and the world. Last week, we looked at our enemy, the devil. This week, John helps us see the danger of the world.

And the truth is unsettling: one of your greatest enemies is the world you’re living in—and loving—without realizing it.

What Exactly Is the World?

When John says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world,” he’s not talking about the beauty of creation or the people God made and loves. Scripture uses “world” in different ways. Here, John is referring to an organized system of human life in rebellion against God—a culture that normalizes sin, celebrates pride, and seduces our hearts away from Christ.

C.J. Mahaney put it well:
“The world we’re not to love is the organized system of human civilization that is actively hostile to God.”

This means the world isn’t just “out there.” It’s in our desires, our habits, our entertainment, our values, and the air we breathe. And John warns us: if you love the world, the love of the Father cannot dwell in you. Your heart can only hold one ultimate love.

Why Is This Enemy So Dangerous?

John gives us three reasons—what Charles Spurgeon called “the devil’s trinity.”

1. The World Appeals to Our Internal Desires

“The desires of the flesh.”

The world doesn’t primarily attack from the outside—it awakens desires inside us. Some desires are good but can become too strong. Some are good but become disordered. And some are never good at all.

The world whispers, “If it feels good, do it.”
God says, “Your desires are not the authority—I am.”

2. The World Attracts Us with External Beauty

“The desires of the eyes.”

Advertisers know: if they can capture your eyes, they can capture your heart. Every image, commercial, and curated social media moment tells you that fulfillment is just one more purchase or experience away.

Even a spinning metal top—beautifully crafted, cleverly marketed—can grab our attention for half an hour and plant a seed of coveting where none existed before. The world knows how to distract us with the shiny, so we never look for the holy.

3. The World Assures Us of Personal Glory

“The pride of life.”

This is the most dangerous of all: the belief that life is all about us. That we can build our identity, worth, success, and happiness without God.

It’s the oldest lie in the book—literally.
In Eden, the fruit appealed to Eve’s desires, captivated her eyes, and promised her glory. She took and ate. So did Adam. And so do we.

But there was One who didn’t.

The One Who Resisted the World

When Jesus faced the devil in the wilderness, He faced the exact same three temptations:

  • Turn stones into bread — desires of the flesh.

  • Show your power to the watching world — desires of the eyes.

  • Gain all the kingdoms now — pride of life.

Where Adam failed, Jesus overcame.
Where we stumble, Jesus stands.
Where we love the world, Jesus loved the Father perfectly.

And then—wonder of wonders—He died for world-lovers, world-chasers, world-obsessed sinners like us.

How Do We Resist the World?

We resist with the Scriptures, by the Spirit, beside the saints.

1. We Need the Scriptures

The Bible unmasks the world’s illusions.
John says, “The world is passing away.”
Everything that feels so urgent, compelling, beautiful, and important—it’s all fading.

Scripture is the lens that helps us see clearly.

2. We Need the Spirit

You cannot stop loving the world by sheer willpower.
You must be captured by a greater love.
The Spirit creates new desires—holy desires—that push out the false ones.

This is the expulsive power of a new affection.

3. We Need the Saints

Worldliness thrives in isolation.
Holiness grows in community.

We need other believers—older and younger, wiser and weaker—to challenge our habits, question our assumptions, sharpen our consciences, and cheer us toward Christ.

You cannot resist the world alone.

Where Have You Made Peace with the World?

John’s warning is God’s mercy.
We are nearing Christmas—a season of joy, generosity, and light. But it is also a season where the world’s seductions grow louder: materialism, comparison, distraction, indulgence, and performance.

The world will offer you everything… only to take everything in the end.
Jesus offers you Himself… and with Him, everlasting life.

So ask yourself:

  • Where have my desires grown too strong?

  • Where have my eyes been captured by the shiny instead of the holy?

  • Where have I pursued my own glory instead of God’s?

And most importantly:

Do I love the Father more than the world?

The World Is Passing Away — But You Don’t Have To

Your enemy is not just around you—your enemy is wooing you. But John ends with hope:

“The world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

This is the invitation of Advent:
Don’t settle for what is fading.
Don’t chase what cannot satisfy.
Don’t decorate your life with illusions of peace while the world wages war on your soul.

Take up the Scriptures.
Walk in the Spirit.
Stand with the saints.
And fall more deeply in love with Jesus Christ—the One who is better than anything the world can offer.