Real Satisfaction | 1 John 2:12-17

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

- 1 John 2:17

 

Do you ever feel like you’re chasing your tail when it comes to finding real, lasting contentment in life? Do you have a craving that, no matter what you try, you can’t seem to satisfy? To be sure, we seek to find contentment and satisfaction in many places in this life. And to be sure, this world offers many pleasures. There is a seemingly endless supply of things that could feed our cravings and lead us to real, lasting contentment and satisfaction in life.

 

Oh, you know what these things are. They are as big as a new car or new house and as small as a candy bar at the checkout stand in the grocery store. Something new. Something comfortable. Something sweet. Something savory. All of these things are designed to bring us satisfaction.

 

Or are they?

 

Perhaps they are designed to bring us the illusion of satisfaction. Perhaps they are designed to bring us just a little taste of satisfaction. But never the real thing.

 

In our series on the book of 1 John called “Real Faith” we have been discovering what a real, genuine Christian faith looks like. Not surprisingly, what we’ve found is that it’s all about Jesus. It’s about the Real Gospel which comes to us in the flesh and blood of Christ. It’s about Real Confession that leans solely on the grace and love of God for the forgiveness of our sins.

 

This week we take up the topic of Real Satisfaction. In 1 John 2:15-17 John writes,

 

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 of life—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.

 

As Christians we are called to live in the world and engage with the world outside our doors. However, we are not called to find our ultimate satisfaction in the world. All that the world can offer will, ultimately, pass away.


But what can offer us Real Satisfaction? Only the love of Jesus. Only the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Only the resurrection of Jesus which brings us everlasting life with Him.