A Sermon That Really Works — 1 John 2:15-17
Jack Klumpenhower
2/3/2010

If we were to list the most famous sermons ever written, one option might come from the Scottish preacher Thomas Chalmers. Roughly 200 years ago, Chalmers composed a masterful treatise on 1 John 2:15: "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you" (NLT).

That text would make a great starting point for nearly any preacher because all believers struggle with loving what the world offers. Chalmers' take on it was special because he noticed that the heart, in this verse, is never empty. We may love either the things of the world or the things of God, but we must love. We’re made to love.

For us who want to overcome worldliness, this determines our method. Suddenly, it makes little sense to simply try harder to stop doing the sins we love. We might quit for a while, but it’d be no fun. Our hearts would be empty. Before long we’d start sinning again. We’d have to. There’s no power to stop sinning unless our hearts become full of something better—what John calls "the love of the Father."

The heart’s control

How does this method work in everyday life? First we identify those worldly things that control our hearts. John helps us out by explaining what he means by things of the world: "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions" (1 John 2:16, NLT).

Every one of us can pick out physical pleasures and things we see that have such a grip on us they become cravings. We can spot achievements and possessions—like career, family, ministry, or wealth—that so define our pride that our hearts would shatter if we lost them.

Some of these are good things, but they become oppressive when they rule our hearts. They leave us fearful and insecure. We lie and cheat to hold on to them, even though they can’t satisfy us completely or last forever. John concludes by reminding us that "this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave" (1 John 2:17, NLT).

The new love’s power

Chalmers titled his sermon The Expulsive Power of a New Affection. That’s "expulsive," as in the word "expel." Christians have a new love that’s powerful enough to force out the old, oppressive loves and to fill our empty hearts. It’s a love for God and others that springs from God’s love for us. John says, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear" (1 John 4:18, NLT).
To describe this new affection, we must begin with Jesus. John says real love is that God "sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10, NLT). As the eternal Son, Jesus knows the Father’s love perfectly and forever. Think of it—that ultimate, no-fear love, tasted and savored from eternity. No one could treasure it more than Jesus. Yet on the cross he let himself be cut off from God’s love, cursed by the Father for our worldly sins so we might share in the love he knows.

That’s just one glimpse of God’s love revealed at the Cross. Its full wonder runs deeper than we can imagine, and we must cultivate it. The way to expel worldly loves is with the Father’s better love. As we soak in all Jesus has done for us, the old things we used to love lose their appeal.

Does this really work? Well, one example is Chalmers himself. He was a popular preacher, attracting large crowds that would have tempted any pastor to take worldly pride in his speaking ministry. But Chalmers was preaching the love of God in the Cross of Christ—both to his listeners and to his own heart. It made a difference. He never lived as a celebrity or refused to keep himself distant from the poor. In fact, the methods he employed to fight poverty in his parish, using personal contact and hands-on care, became a model for today’s case-worker approach.

Can speaking and hearing and sharing and savoring the love of God have a similar effect on our lives? Without a doubt, yes.

Jack Klumpenhower is a writer and communications consultant living in Colorado. He has authored Bible study lessons and a family devotional guide.