On March 6, 2016, at First Baptist Church, Irving, TX, I preached on 1 John 2:15-17. This is the famous passage where Christians are exhorted not to love the world. What on earth does John mean?
The structure of this text is often missed by expositors.
The text has one main point, encoded in the imperative “Don’t love the world.” This is followed by two sub-points which provide the grounds for this exhortation: 1. You can’t love God and the world simultaneously (15b-16); 2. The world is temporary (“passing way”) (17).
Text-driven preaching attempts to stay true to the substance, structure, and spirit of the text.
Here is the sermon. Begin at the 30:15 mark. The first few minutes cover 1 John 2:12-14.
You’re a wonderful teacher of the Word and God’s gift in the preaching ministry of this end time. Remain blessed in the Lord. Preachers at the Nigerian Baptist Seminary Preaching Conference appreciates you. Thanks.