Passing Away

“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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 

—1 John 2:15-17

Even as followers of Christ we are prone to getting down at some time or another. Watching the news, reading the headlines, and keeping up with what is going on in the world is bound to shake us eventually. Seeing individuals who live lives of sin and rebellion toward God being valued and praised as objects of desire and admiration can make the Christian quickly depressed. It seems that ours is a losing battle—the battle for righteousness. This world glamorizes wickedness at every turn, and righteousness is mocked, ridiculed, and worst of all—ignored.

But the believer need not give in to the discouragement that flows over the airwaves, because Christ is on the throne. His rule is secure, and one day—the culmination of that rule will be seen by every single person who lives. As John wrote in the book of Revelation,  

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him”—Revelation 1:7. 

He came the first time as the suffering servant, born in a lowly manger, but the second time, He will come as the conquering King of the universe.

When Christ appears the second time,  

“every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”—Philippians 2:10-11. 

No one will escape God’s judgment. Everything He has written will come to pass. The wicked will be judged, and all of us who have trusted in Christ will pass through the judgment because Christ was judged on our behalf and was deemed the only one worthy.

God’s plan does not change, and Satan cannot stop it. He is like a bird in a cage—he squawks and flies around, but he is trapped and defeated. God has declared that wickedness will endure only for a while, but eventually He will show Himself and judge the world in His righteousness. He has declared it to be so, and we cling to that promise.

Our passage for today is about the passing and the permanent. This world—this fallen world with its values and virtues, thoughts and ideas, is passing away. It will pass away. Like sandcastles on the beach when the tide rolls in, the ocean of God’s purpose and greatness will wash away this fallen world. It will pass away, but those who have done the will of God—we will abide in God’s presence forever.

What does this mean to us? It means that we should “turn our eyes to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and set our minds on Him, for this world is not our home. We cling to the cross and the promises found in His Word. We cling to hope in Him; God will vindicate Himself, will wipe away our tears, and will judge the wickedness and sin that one day will no longer cling to us. May we rest in His provision and place our hope in Him. Amen.