WEBVTT 00:00:01.580 --> 00:00:04.160 Today's, that Michael will be preaching on, is 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:09.640 1 John 2, verse 12 to 14. Desiree is going to 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:11.380 read that for us. Enough of that, invite Michael 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:25.660 to come up. 1 John 2, verse 12 to 14, and it's 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:32.750 page 959 on the Pew Bibles. I'm writing to you, 00:00:32.950 --> 00:00:35.429 little children, because your sins are forgiven 00:00:35.429 --> 00:00:39.570 for His name's sake. I'm writing to you, fathers, 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:43.009 because you know Him who is from the beginning. 00:00:43.649 --> 00:00:47.409 I'm writing to you, young men, because you have 00:00:47.409 --> 00:00:51.509 overcome the evil one. I'm writing to you, children, 00:00:51.850 --> 00:00:55.049 because you know the Father. I write to you, 00:00:55.350 --> 00:00:58.630 fathers, because you know Him who is from the 00:00:58.630 --> 00:01:02.369 beginning. I write to you young men because you 00:01:02.369 --> 00:01:05.510 are strong and the word of God abides in you 00:01:05.510 --> 00:01:14.329 and you have overcome the evil one. Good morning 00:01:14.329 --> 00:01:19.049 again everyone. It's great to be together. Before 00:01:19.049 --> 00:01:21.349 we get into this interesting part of scripture 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:24.450 this morning, why don't we come to our Father 00:01:24.450 --> 00:01:27.069 and ask for his help in understanding what's 00:01:27.069 --> 00:01:32.359 going on. Would you please pray with me? Father 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:36.120 God, we thank you that we are here together this 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.900 morning to sit under your word. We ask that your 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:43.519 Holy Spirit would teach us that we would see 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.840 the light. And Father, that you would use me 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:51.359 to speak truth to your children. That these words 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:56.560 would not be something to tickle the mind, but 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.340 by your Spirit, penetrate our hearts and change 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:02.430 us for the sake of Christ. We pray these things 00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:07.609 in his name, amen. Have you ever noticed how 00:02:07.609 --> 00:02:13.090 family traits tend to show up in the next generation? 00:02:13.849 --> 00:02:17.129 Maybe it's the shape of the nose, a certain way 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:21.030 of laughing, or a sense of humor that's passed 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:26.150 from a parent to a child. I mean sometimes, even 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:28.969 without knowing the parents, you can meet someone 00:02:28.969 --> 00:02:34.729 and say, you must belong to the Bosvelts. There's 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:37.569 just marks, there's just indicators we might 00:02:37.569 --> 00:02:42.270 say that reveal what family we come from. Well 00:02:42.270 --> 00:02:44.949 believe it or not, being part of the Christian 00:02:44.949 --> 00:02:48.979 family is somewhat similar. And I mentioned that 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:51.520 to you this morning because if you've been with 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.620 us over the past few weeks you'll know that we're 00:02:54.620 --> 00:02:59.400 in a series exploring the first letter of the 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:02.580 Apostle John where we've seen John reveal what 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:06.800 we might call the family traits of the Christian. 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:10.599 The defining marks, if you will, that show us 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:15.280 that we've been truly adopted by God and placed 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.900 into His family by His grace alone. One of the 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:23.439 marks that we've seen is that we will walk in 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:26.900 the truth. In other words, we will believe right 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:30.840 things about God, about Christ about the gospel 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.539 when from that belief we'll have a proper understanding 00:03:34.539 --> 00:03:40.240 of our sin and salvation. Remember John addressed 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:43.919 this by challenging the false teaching that claims 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:48.360 that Christians no longer have a sin nature. 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:51.530 And he corrected this by reminding his hearers 00:03:51.530 --> 00:03:55.370 that sin remains a reality in the believer's 00:03:55.370 --> 00:03:59.110 life. And thus, true Christian living involves 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:03.889 recognizing sin, confessing it to God, and continually 00:04:03.889 --> 00:04:07.810 depending on Christ in the power of the Spirit. 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:12.580 A second identifying mark concerns our moral 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:16.459 life, how we act as Christians in this world. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.379 As we've seen, the true children of God love 00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:24.639 to obey God's word, his will as revealed in his 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:29.519 word. Why? Because the light of the Gospel has 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:33.500 pierced the darkness and we now see the truth 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:37.620 of who Jesus is and as a result of this supernatural 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:41.680 work done in us we strive with all of our hearts 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.519 to keep the commandments of our Lord who we know, 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:49.600 who we know is the way, the truth and the life. 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:53.230 A third mark, which we had a look at last week, 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:56.470 concerns our relationships with one another. 00:04:56.910 --> 00:05:00.529 Those who live in the light and the truth will 00:05:00.529 --> 00:05:04.569 love one another and will do everything we can 00:05:04.569 --> 00:05:08.689 to avoid making each other stumble. As God's 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:11.970 people, we are called to be forgiving, we're 00:05:11.970 --> 00:05:15.370 called to be loving, gracious, and servant -hearted, 00:05:15.870 --> 00:05:19.790 working out our salvation in the context of Christian 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:23.949 community. Which brings us to this interesting 00:05:23.949 --> 00:05:27.730 part of scripture that we find ourselves in this 00:05:27.730 --> 00:05:31.740 morning. where our apostle gives us this highly 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:35.480 structured bit of rhetoric to essentially sum 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.860 up for us what he's been speaking to us about 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:42.139 so far. And I think he does this because the 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:47.199 Christian life can feel like something of a balancing 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:50.819 act, we might say. Knowing that we're not saved 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:54.959 by our works, yet recognizing that good works 00:05:54.959 --> 00:06:01.470 demonstrate real spiritual. It's a balance. But 00:06:01.470 --> 00:06:04.930 with that balance, there is a danger. Some may 00:06:04.930 --> 00:06:07.930 doubt their salvation because they don't see 00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:12.069 the family traits clearly just yet, while others 00:06:12.069 --> 00:06:16.410 may rely too much on their works for their assurance. 00:06:17.170 --> 00:06:20.709 And so to avoid either ditch in the so -called 00:06:20.709 --> 00:06:26.290 road, our apostle reminds us to continually return 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:30.959 to the true foundation of our confidence by giving 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:35.319 us this little saying. Now before we get into 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:37.500 the text, I just want to say a couple of things. 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:41.620 by way of preface. First, I'm going to do something 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:43.779 a little bit different for you this morning, 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:47.860 in that I usually like to follow the text line 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:51.899 by line. But here, our apostle, he gives us these 00:06:51.899 --> 00:06:55.439 three categories, or themes you'll notice, of 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:59.360 little children, young men, and then fathers. 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.839 And so instead of following the text line by 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.540 line, I want to take you through each category 00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:09.860 individually. And I'm gonna do this because second, 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.839 while John uses little children in chapter two 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:17.379 verse one to refer to all believers, remember 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:21.540 he called us my little children, I don't think 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:24.800 that's what's happening here in these verses. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:29.040 Now he seems to be describing different stages 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:33.129 of spiritual maturity. That's what I think our 00:07:33.129 --> 00:07:36.009 Apostle's doing here. He's forming an idea for 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:40.069 us on the Christian life and how we're to grow 00:07:40.069 --> 00:07:44.430 and mature in the faith. And so he gives us this 00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:48.790 picture of little children, then young men, then 00:07:48.790 --> 00:07:52.149 fathers, which is meant to give us a specific 00:07:52.149 --> 00:07:57.689 picture of Christians at various points in our 00:07:57.689 --> 00:08:00.310 journey. And so with that in mind, if you have 00:08:00.310 --> 00:08:02.720 your Bibles with you this morning, Look with 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:07.019 me first at what he has to say about little children. 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:10.040 We see that there in verse 12 and the end of 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.879 verse 13. John says, I'm writing to you little 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:17.220 children because your sins are forgiven for His 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:21.120 name's sake. I write to you children because 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:26.259 you know the Father. As I just said, I'm not 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:29.800 taking this as John specifically addressing grace 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:34.440 kids here this morning, but Christians who are 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:39.000 very new to the faith. I mean scripture does 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.159 address children specifically in places like 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:46.100 Exodus 20 and Ephesians 6 to name a few, but 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:50.539 here he's talking to those who may be very new 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:54.539 in the faith, who may have just been born again. 00:08:54.779 --> 00:08:58.700 And notice it, he reminds these spiritual children 00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:03.899 among us of three things. He says, your sins 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:08.179 are forgiven. He says they're forgiven for the 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:14.000 sake of Christ and you now know God as your father. 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:20.600 Why does John remind us of these three things? 00:09:21.389 --> 00:09:23.590 Well, Church, I want to put it to you this morning 00:09:23.590 --> 00:09:27.450 that he reminds us of these things because that 00:09:27.450 --> 00:09:32.490 is the foundation of our assurance. Let me put 00:09:32.490 --> 00:09:36.070 that another way. John points us to these three 00:09:36.070 --> 00:09:41.289 foundational truths because if we look to our 00:09:41.289 --> 00:09:45.909 lives and to our works alone, then we're gonna 00:09:45.909 --> 00:09:49.830 be all over the place. And we're really going 00:09:49.830 --> 00:09:53.509 to struggle to have any real assurance at all. 00:09:54.409 --> 00:09:56.669 We're going to struggle because our feelings, 00:09:57.429 --> 00:10:01.809 our emotions and our love for God and his commandments 00:10:01.809 --> 00:10:07.759 and one another fluctuates all the time. I remember 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:10.720 catching up with a young man who lived a very 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.720 promiscuous life but then heard the gospel, he 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.399 put his trust in the truth and everything seemed 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:21.159 to change. He ended his sexual relationship with 00:10:21.159 --> 00:10:24.279 his girlfriend, he told all of his friends and 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:28.279 family about Jesus and he wanted so desperately 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.620 to be an evangelist. He was what we might call 00:10:31.620 --> 00:10:36.679 on fire for the Lord. But then over time, things 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:40.039 started to change. He didn't talk about Jesus 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:44.019 as much. I noticed that he didn't come to church 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:47.200 as often and a little while down the way I eventually 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.440 caught up with him and he admitted that he wasn't 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:55.000 really following Jesus at all anymore. And I 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:57.679 asked him what happened? What changed? And he 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:01.639 said that he didn't feel like God loved him anymore. 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:06.000 Like, he didn't feel like he was really a Christian 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:11.220 because he still struggled with some vices and 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:15.379 temptations. And I share that with you this morning, 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:19.440 Church, because if we lean on our feelings for 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.799 assurance, if we look to things like our loyalty 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:26.840 to Christ's commands and just how bad we're really 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:32.470 making a go of things, like my friend, we won't 00:11:32.470 --> 00:11:35.309 really have any assurance at all and then we'll 00:11:35.309 --> 00:11:40.190 feel like it's just all too difficult. And so 00:11:40.190 --> 00:11:45.710 to those that are new in the faith, if your assurance 00:11:45.710 --> 00:11:51.730 of salvation is based on how you feel, on how 00:11:51.730 --> 00:11:55.970 well you're loving others or how good you are 00:11:55.970 --> 00:11:59.399 at keeping God's commandments, then, My friend, 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:03.039 you are going to be all over the shop. And so 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:06.000 John reminds the spiritual children among us, 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:10.980 don't look to those things alone. They will fluctuate, 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:16.039 but remind yourself over and over and over again, 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:20.539 your sins are forgiven. They're forgiven for 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:27.000 his name's sake. And you now know God as your 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:31.879 father. Now what's the first thing that our apostle 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.879 points to here? It's forgiveness, right? It's 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:38.519 forgiveness. Now John points to that because 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:45.960 that is your status for all eternity. You are 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:51.279 a forgiven person. Now that isn't something that 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:54.399 you've bought about by yourself, right? That's 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:58.230 not something that you've in your own strength. 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:03.250 No, forgiveness is something that God has bestowed 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:08.549 on you as a free gift by holding his son out 00:13:08.549 --> 00:13:12.529 to you. Your sins have been forgiven and you 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:15.710 will spend all eternity in the presence of God 00:13:15.710 --> 00:13:20.649 because of something that God has done for you. 00:13:21.049 --> 00:13:24.350 Something external to you, something done on 00:13:24.350 --> 00:13:28.879 your behalf. has saved you. You're forgiven. 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:34.200 That is your identity. You're a forgiven person. 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.460 A second thing that John points out to new Christians 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:43.360 is that you are forgiven for his name's sake. 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.539 What does he mean by this? Well, essentially 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:53.080 as we've seen, no one deserves any of this. We 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:55.340 don't deserve any of this. No, we're not forgiven 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:59.200 because we're better than anyone else. No, we're 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:03.240 forgiven because of Christ's perfect obedience 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:07.299 on our behalf and our faith, which even that 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:12.220 was a gift, which was put in him. A few weeks 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.879 ago, we looked at that fancy theological word. 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:19.460 propitiation, which is essentially a term that 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:23.000 was taken from the Old Testament sacrificial 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:26.980 system. It's a word that's associated with something 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:31.700 standing in your place to receive the penalty 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:39.399 of your sin. That's Jesus, dear one. That's Jesus. 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:44.000 You stand before the God of the universe and 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:49.720 are deemed perfect. beloved and pure all because 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:54.899 of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on your behalf. 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.919 When he placed his body as an atoning sacrifice 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:04.080 before the Father it was fully accepted on behalf 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.779 of his people and so we're forgiven because of 00:15:07.779 --> 00:15:11.700 something that Christ has done, not what we have 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.860 earned, but because of what Christ has earned 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:19.559 by His perfect life and death on our behalf. 00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:24.960 You're forgiven, as John says, for His name's 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:28.600 sake. And because of faith in what Jesus has 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:32.279 done, because of faith in His perfect life and 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:36.720 substitutionary death, that picture of substitution, 00:15:37.710 --> 00:15:42.070 You now know God as your Father. That is the 00:15:42.070 --> 00:15:46.990 result of what Jesus has done by his life, his 00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:51.649 death, and his resurrection. He brings us into 00:15:51.649 --> 00:15:56.570 the closest intimacy with our Creator, to the 00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:01.230 point that our Lord's Father becomes our Heavenly 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:06.529 Father. That's how we become part of the family. 00:16:06.889 --> 00:16:10.889 It's by what Jesus has done and our trusting 00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:18.149 in his work. Church, this is so incredibly important 00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:22.629 for all of us, not just the spiritual children, 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:25.330 but all of us to be reminded of here this morning. 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:29.750 Because no matter how long you have been a Christian, 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:34.889 we are always tempted to justify ourselves before 00:16:34.889 --> 00:16:40.759 God by how good we're going. Or fret because 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:45.460 we're relying so much on our feelings. Well John 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:48.519 says to the church this morning, the beginning 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:52.659 of the Christian life is forgiveness. You're 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:57.700 forgiven because of the work of Jesus and because 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:01.779 of the work of Jesus. God Almighty is our Father. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.960 Don't look to your work alone or rely just on 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.460 your feelings, but be reminded here yet again 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:14.619 about the assurance of your salvation. You're 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:16.940 not part of God's family because you've earned 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:21.119 a place in it. You're in God's family because 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:27.029 of what God has done on your behalf. That's the 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:30.549 first thing John has to say to the new Christians, 00:17:31.029 --> 00:17:34.630 to the children among us. And in fact, it's a 00:17:34.630 --> 00:17:37.809 good reminder for all of us this morning. Understand 00:17:37.809 --> 00:17:41.869 the foundation. Keep going back to that foundation 00:17:41.869 --> 00:17:45.970 because if you're relying on anything else for 00:17:45.970 --> 00:17:51.349 your assurance of being saved, you'll not really 00:17:51.349 --> 00:17:55.740 have any assurance at all. Yes, you'll have a 00:17:55.740 --> 00:17:58.980 love for God's Word. Yes, you will love His people, 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:02.920 but those things haven't made you a Christian 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:06.900 any more than walking into Maccas makes you a 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:10.319 hamburger. You're a Christian because of what 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.500 Christ has done. And because of faith in the 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:17.160 gospel, because of the supernatural work of the 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.819 Spirit in your life, because of His work, the 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:25.750 family traits will flow into all of your life. 00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:30.650 Remember that little children. Next John writes 00:18:30.650 --> 00:18:34.309 to the young men saying in verses 13 and 14, 00:18:34.410 --> 00:18:37.670 I'm writing to you young men because you've overcome 00:18:37.670 --> 00:18:41.089 the evil one. I write to you young men because 00:18:41.089 --> 00:18:44.750 you're strong and the word of God abides in you 00:18:44.750 --> 00:18:49.769 and you have overcome the evil one. Now, as I 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:53.049 pointed out before, we're not taking this as 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:56.950 John specifically talking to young males among 00:18:56.950 --> 00:19:01.210 us this morning, but to young believers in general 00:19:01.210 --> 00:19:04.769 who are still growing in their faith and their 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:09.470 trust of the truth. And here's what he has to 00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:15.069 say about them. First, he writes, they have overcome 00:19:15.069 --> 00:19:19.299 the evil one. He says that twice, right? Now 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:23.019 this is really interesting because if taken out 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:27.180 of context it sounds like these people have totally 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:32.019 got rid of their battles and temptations. But 00:19:32.019 --> 00:19:36.039 this is why context matters. John has been very 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:40.000 careful to show us in this letter thus far that 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:45.019 we are actually still in a battle and have temptations. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.279 And so to paraphrase the apostle Paul here in 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:52.940 his address to the Romans, once you were in bondage 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:58.140 to sin, but now you are no longer under its dominion. 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:01.500 Which is essentially what our apostle is saying 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:04.839 here. The one who is maturing in their walk is 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:08.940 the one who has had the power of sin broken in 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:13.680 their lives. Yes, sin still lingers, it still 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:18.200 threatens and tempts, but it's had its back broken, 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:22.380 we might say. Which is to say, the one who is 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:25.720 maturing in their walk is no longer giving into 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:29.779 temptation every time it comes knocking on the 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:35.240 door. Its power in their lives has been broken 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:46.400 in that sense. Now you might be here this morning 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:51.200 and thinking to yourself, but I am still wrestling 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:55.799 with the same things over and over and over again. 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:59.900 Sometimes there's great seasons and sometimes 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:03.799 there's terrible seasons. Well brother, sister, 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:08.420 John is saying the very fact that you're not 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:12.059 following and indulging in that thing, that that 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:16.619 vice blindly anymore and that you hate it, that 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:19.940 you're fighting with it, should encourage you 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:23.319 that you have indeed been enlightened to the 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:26.980 fact that there is sin and that you still need 00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:30.099 to do battle with it, that you need to put that 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:36.599 thing to death. But take heart. Take heart because 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:41.500 that sin's hold on you is a pale comparison of 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:45.240 its former self. It doesn't control you anymore. 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:50.619 Jesus has come into your life and given you the 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:54.640 Holy Spirit to follow him. You're not doing the 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.140 Christian walk on your own. You're not maturing 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:01.779 on your own. And that's why second John calls 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:05.930 maturing Christians strong. How do Christians 00:22:05.930 --> 00:22:08.769 battle sin and mature in their walk? Well, it's 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:11.990 because they've been made strong and they've 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:16.730 been made strong because third, the word of God 00:22:16.730 --> 00:22:21.670 abides in them. It's really interesting phrase 00:22:21.670 --> 00:22:27.349 that our apostle uses for Christians here. Let 00:22:27.349 --> 00:22:30.170 me draw your attention to something though. Remember 00:22:30.170 --> 00:22:33.109 when Jesus was in the wilderness and being tempted 00:22:33.109 --> 00:22:37.779 with sin? Remember what he said in the face of 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:42.819 great temptation. He said, man doesn't live by 00:22:42.819 --> 00:22:47.900 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:52.319 from the mouth of God. And I remind you of that 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:56.359 because our Lord trusted what God had planned 00:22:56.359 --> 00:23:02.559 for the Messiah as revealed in his word. And 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:06.099 with that, he was able to resist temptation. 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:09.799 Well, very much in the same way, those that are 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:13.279 growing and looking more and more and more like 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:16.519 their big brother Jesus, well, they're people 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.799 who are not just hearing, but believing and applying 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:25.059 the word of God in the face of temptation and 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:29.519 trials and taunts from the evil one and the flesh. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.079 which is making them stronger and stronger in 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:38.420 their pursuit of God and a life of holiness. 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.700 Hence why John can say to the one who is maturing, 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:51.220 you are strong, but they're overcomers. You know, 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:53.660 I don't know how many of you started out in your 00:23:53.660 --> 00:23:56.700 Christian walk thinking that once you became 00:23:56.700 --> 00:24:00.230 a Christian, it was going to be the easiest life, 00:24:00.849 --> 00:24:02.890 that sin wasn't going to hinder you and you'd 00:24:02.890 --> 00:24:09.009 just kind of dawdle into the great pearly gates. 00:24:13.029 --> 00:24:17.630 That's actually a very immature view of the Christian 00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:22.730 life, Church. In fact, according to our apostle 00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:27.750 here, it's a very wrong view of the Christian 00:24:27.750 --> 00:24:32.519 life. No, the maturing Christians among us are 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:36.779 not the ones that are ignoring sin and pretending 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:40.599 that they don't have problems and issues, but 00:24:40.599 --> 00:24:44.539 are the ones who have come to terms with just 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:49.579 how deceitful our own flesh really is. And instead 00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:53.059 of relying on themselves to overcome their deeply 00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:57.279 embedded self -centered desires, they're battling... 00:24:57.210 --> 00:25:02.650 sin in the strength of the Spirit by believing 00:25:02.650 --> 00:25:10.089 and applying the Word. Church, brothers, sisters, 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:15.009 dead people don't fight sin. Dead people don't 00:25:15.009 --> 00:25:17.950 fight sin because they don't know they're actually 00:25:17.950 --> 00:25:22.410 in a battle. Only people who are alive in Christ 00:25:22.410 --> 00:25:29.839 can see it for what it is and fight it. That 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:34.180 life comes through Jesus Christ who has given 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:39.079 it to his people. He is the one who has totally 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:43.859 overcome the evil one in its fullest sense. So 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:47.259 be encouraged here this morning to lean on him. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:51.240 Maturing in your walk isn't being someone who 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:57.230 doesn't fight and battle and sometimes get some 00:25:57.230 --> 00:26:01.369 scars and get punched up and not have such great 00:26:01.369 --> 00:26:06.049 seasons. Maturing is someone who is trusting 00:26:06.049 --> 00:26:10.869 and obeying and relying on Christ more and more 00:26:10.869 --> 00:26:16.410 in the midst of their battles. One last group 00:26:16.410 --> 00:26:19.490 is addressed there in the beginning of both verse 00:26:19.490 --> 00:26:24.039 13 and 14. And it's who John calls fathers and 00:26:24.039 --> 00:26:26.720 he says the same thing about them twice you'll 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:30.700 notice. And that's that you know him who is from 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:34.119 the beginning. You know him who is from the beginning. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:37.140 Now that word beginning has actually come up 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:41.299 in 1 John before in chapter 1 where our apostle 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:45.440 told us that that which was from the beginning 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:51.200 they had heard, they had seen and they had handled. 00:26:52.650 --> 00:26:56.150 And that was Jesus Christ himself, the eternal 00:26:56.150 --> 00:27:00.230 word of God who was in the beginning with the 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:04.069 Father. And so John's saying those in the church 00:27:04.069 --> 00:27:07.049 that are mature Christians, they're the ones 00:27:07.049 --> 00:27:10.849 that have really come to know and trust Jesus 00:27:10.849 --> 00:27:15.269 Christ. Now that's not to say that John's talking 00:27:15.269 --> 00:27:19.269 about people who just know a lot about Jesus. 00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:23.140 like they have great theological insights or 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:26.059 a theological giants or some scholar in an ivory 00:27:26.059 --> 00:27:30.079 tower. Now John's talking about a person that 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:33.640 by living a life of faith in the gospel that 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:37.440 trusts God's word, that applies it, has come 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:41.660 to have those family traits of God on full display 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:46.960 for the world to see. Those fathers, those mature 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:51.450 people, are those that walk their Christian life 00:27:51.450 --> 00:27:53.529 out in this world so people can see them and 00:27:53.529 --> 00:27:57.250 they go, wow, you must belong to the living God. 00:27:58.529 --> 00:28:02.089 I don't know if you have people in your life 00:28:02.089 --> 00:28:04.569 that you would say that when you're with them, 00:28:04.869 --> 00:28:08.650 you feel like you're with someone who really 00:28:08.650 --> 00:28:14.869 knows Jesus. My Nan was like that. My own Nana. 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:18.220 She never threatened me. She never terrorized 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:21.680 me in my younger, prodigal days with hell, fire 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:24.980 and brimstone. No, but she would always speak 00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:30.480 about Jesus like she knew him. She knew him like 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:33.640 her best friend. She would always speak to me 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:37.119 about Jesus like she knew him personally and 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.559 in real time. In other words, church, she held 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:45.089 Christ out to me. and the transforming power 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:48.430 of the gospel and the things that she said, but 00:28:48.430 --> 00:28:52.369 also in the decisions that she made throughout 00:28:52.369 --> 00:28:57.029 her life. The Christian life wasn't a theory 00:28:57.029 --> 00:29:00.009 for her. It wasn't something that she just did 00:29:00.009 --> 00:29:04.009 on a Sunday or when other people were watching 00:29:04.009 --> 00:29:08.950 her. The Christian life was something that she 00:29:08.950 --> 00:29:13.539 believed in. Christ was who saved her and she 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:16.240 applied what scripture said and lived it out. 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:19.539 She wasn't a flawless person. In fact, she'd 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:22.539 be the first to tell you that. But she took the 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:25.799 word of God to be true. She believed it. She 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:29.319 applied it and she lived it out. I would say 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.160 that John had something like that in mind when 00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:36.000 he was talking about those that know him from 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:39.640 the beginning. And that's what God wants for 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:43.700 all of us church. He wants us maturing to the 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:48.680 point that we hold out Christ to this world in 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:52.779 all that we say and all that we do, because we 00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:56.480 have so been transformed by the truth and the 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:00.819 power of the gospel. He wants the world to know 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:06.690 that we are part of his family. So as we finish 00:30:06.690 --> 00:30:08.910 up this morning, I want you to notice what we've 00:30:08.910 --> 00:30:11.690 seen again from our apostle. He hasn't pointed 00:30:11.690 --> 00:30:16.089 us to ourselves, to our works, to our feelings, 00:30:16.170 --> 00:30:19.650 but he has pointed us to something outside of 00:30:19.650 --> 00:30:23.170 ourselves, and that's God's gracious forgiveness 00:30:23.170 --> 00:30:27.390 through his son, Jesus Christ. Our apostle, he 00:30:27.390 --> 00:30:31.910 holds out the gospel to us yet again. We're forgiven 00:30:31.910 --> 00:30:34.829 for the sake of Christ, and because of Christ, 00:30:35.069 --> 00:30:40.170 We are part of God's family. God Almighty is 00:30:40.170 --> 00:30:44.109 our Father, and as a result, we will have the 00:30:44.109 --> 00:30:47.910 family traits becoming more and more evident 00:30:47.910 --> 00:30:51.910 as we grow in the light and the truth of our 00:30:51.910 --> 00:30:55.069 faith. We'll have the marks of grace becoming 00:30:55.069 --> 00:30:59.930 more obvious as we mature. We will battle against 00:30:59.930 --> 00:31:04.039 sin, absolutely. but we'll grow in a real knowledge 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:07.460 of how Jesus is right there with us through it 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:10.559 all. We'll have hard seasons, we'll have rough 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:15.079 seasons, but we will be desiring to be more like 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:19.259 our Lord. And because of God's work for us, because 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:26.119 of His Word abiding in us, take heart. We are 00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:30.220 strong. We are strong. So I just want you to 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:33.680 think, about a couple of things here this morning. 00:31:34.099 --> 00:31:39.299 First, if you do not know Jesus Christ, if you 00:31:39.299 --> 00:31:43.160 have never heard that there is forgiveness of 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:47.000 sin, that there is eternal life that is held 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:50.319 out to anyone who would just put their trust 00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:54.920 and their faith in Jesus. then please do not 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:58.519 walk out of this place without speaking to someone 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:02.900 about the hope that we have. You are here by 00:32:02.900 --> 00:32:08.720 no mistake this morning. You are no mistake. 00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:13.539 You're in this place to hear that you've been 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:20.180 created with a plan. That sin may have ravished 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:27.440 and killed But in Jesus there is new life. And 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:32.980 he calls you to himself because he wants you. 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:36.240 Second, if you're here this morning and doubting 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:38.900 your salvation, then might I suggest remember 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:42.680 the foundation of your assurance once again. 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:47.619 It's not your works. It's not your feelings that 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:51.460 have saved you. No, it's Christ. who has died 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:56.579 in the place of his people for our sin. And more 00:32:56.579 --> 00:32:59.319 than that, he has been raised victorious. His 00:32:59.319 --> 00:33:04.680 life, his eternal life is given to all those 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:09.819 who would simply call upon his name. If you have 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:13.779 heard, if you have believed, if you have trusted, 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:18.500 then everything that was his, is his, has become 00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:23.230 yours. his life, his covenantal blessing, his 00:33:23.230 --> 00:33:28.950 father. They have been freely given and faith 00:33:28.950 --> 00:33:33.509 freely receives. Why don't we pray about these 00:33:33.509 --> 00:33:39.130 things now? Would you pray with me? Lord, we 00:33:39.130 --> 00:33:44.450 thank you that nothing happens by mistake. Lord, 00:33:44.549 --> 00:33:46.349 that you've brought us together here this morning 00:33:46.349 --> 00:33:51.900 to hear your word. Lord, these words are Yours 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:57.619 and they are of eternal thought. And so Lord, 00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:00.819 we just ask that as we think on what we've heard 00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:05.220 this morning in Your Word, Lord, like I asked, 00:34:05.859 --> 00:34:08.719 that it wouldn't just stay in our heads but by 00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:11.380 Your Spirit be plunged into our hearts. We ask, 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:14.340 Lord, that You would show us more of Yourself, 00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:17.699 more of Your beauty. more of your grace so that 00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:20.480 we would be transformed and from the overflow 00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:23.480 hold Christ out to the world in all that we do. 00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:27.820 We ask for this for the sake of Christ in his 00:34:27.820 --> 00:34:28.579 name. Amen.