The Growing of Fellowship
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
Life is full of growing. When we are born we begin growing. We learn many things in our first five years. We learn how to walk, talk, behave, to dress ourselves, we learn how to clean ourselves, and take care of ourselves. These are the formative years where a child will learn to be the person he or she is going to be. We learn how to treat others and how to be treated. The learning doesn’t stop there. From 5 to 6 years old the child goes to school and for the next 12 years they will be learning and growing. After school many will go to college and some will go to work. At college the professors will stretch the students and challenge the students to learn and be responsible. At work the boss will give the man or woman job responsibilities. As they perform their jobs and begin to grow in their knowledge and production they at times will get raises or job promotions. They are constantly growing. Life is full of growing.
The Christian life is no different. The entrance into fellowship is not a stopping place, but it’s a starting place...
This is a theme throughout Scripture...
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Perfection here isn’t talking about perfect as we see it, but maturity...
Let me ask you a question, and don’t answer it…Give yourself the answer in your head...
Are you a growing Christian?
I did not ask are you a Christian. I asked are you a growing Christian? Are you moving toward maturity?
This has nothing to do you with your physical age by the way...
You can be young only once, but you can be immature a long, long time. And the problem in many of our churches is we have people that have been born but they’ve ceased to grow.
Tonight’s message is “The Growing of Fellowship” - This is an important subject because fellowship in churches comes about when we grow.
In I Jn. 2:12-14, he mentions three categories of persons: “CHILDREN”, “YOUNG MEN”, and “FATHERS”. What he is talking about here is growing into MATURITY. Coming from children to fatherhood.
You might wonder, what are the marks of spiritual maturity?
It’s not necessarily you spiritual health or your spiritual gifts...We are talking about going on to maturity. What is maturity? Maturity is Christ-likeness...
Ephesians 4:13 (KJV 1900)
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (not talking about being sinless, but mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Let me tell you something, I don’t measure ministry by the size of the building, the offering, or the attendance. I measure ministry by looking at those I am teaching and see if you are becoming more like Christ.
This was the goal of Paul’s ministry:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
There’s that word perfect again…meaning “mature...”
Let’s take a look at the classifications of maturity given in these verses:
1-Little Children
1-Little Children
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
Children in this verse literally means, “born ones.” - It comes from a verb meaning ‘to birth’ or ‘to bring into existence.’ This is a term of endearment describing all of God’s people. If you have been born again you are a child of God.
John addresses every one of the believers. When we are saved we are born again and we are babes in Christ. No one is born into the family of God fully mature. Just as it is in the physical realm, no baby is born into this world mature…This is where we begin!
It’s obvious that John is writing to believers here...
Guy King wrote, “That is true of every real believer, of whatever age, the oldest or the youngest, in God’s family. We are, indeed, never in the family unless, or until, that has happened. Oh, the bliss of it, that what we have done as sinners is forgiven for the sake of what He has done as Savior.”
Christians can say that it is well with their souls because their sins have been forgiven. John reminds the people of God that their sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
It is the blessed name of Jesus! We call on the name of Jesus as Lord. It is for Jesus’ name sake that God forgives all our sins.
2-Fathers
2-Fathers
1 John 2:13 (KJV 1900)
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning...
1 John 2:14 (KJV 1900)
14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning...
John addressed another level of spiritual maturity here.
John moves from talking to the saved to talking to the sanctified.
He writes unto “fathers” in this portion. Who are these folks?
In this context, the term “fathers” is a reference to those were spiritually mature in Christ. The Greek word translated “father” here had a variety of meanings and applications.
I thought this was interesting...
One meaning was a reference to teachers, as those to whom students traced back the knowledge and training they have received.
John mentioned twice the knowledge that the fathers had of the Lord. These are Christians who not only know the wonderful doctrines of the Bible, but they know the author of the doctrines.
The Christians that have grown to this level of spiritual maturity have a deep knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and an intimate relationship with Him. Such knowledge and love provokes worship and praise for the Lord.
This kind of maturity is what we should all desire in our lives. In fact, Paul put it this way,
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
John reminds us that God want us to grow in Christ and to mature in the Lord. The problem, however, is many Christians could care less about growing in the Lord and being like Christ.
Look at verse 13 again:
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
The Greek word for little children in this verse is different than the one used in verse twelve.
The word here carries the idea of “immature ones,” or little children still under the authority of teachers and tutors. These are young Christians who have not yet grown up in Christ. Like physical children, these spiritual children know their father, but they still have some growing to do.
H.A. Ironside wrote, “There are many who have been saved a great many years but are spiritually dwarfed because they give so little attention to spiritual things, because they give so little time to the word of God; they are so little exercised in holy things, and know so little of the blessedness of prayer and communion with the Lord, and therefore they do not grow.”
Many Christians never grow because they refuse to listen to spiritual instruction. They have the attitude that says, ‘you can’t tell me what to do. I’ll do it my way.’ Many Christians live defeated because they have not grown in their Christian life.
Many in the world today that are Christians are just saved, they have never moved to sanctification.
David Jeremiah speaking of the father’s in the faith said, “They have lived the longest, survived the most fights, won the most battles, failed the most, and been forgiven the most. Therefore, their hindsight is invaluable. They can look back and declare to the children and young men, ‘God has never failed me. God is faithful.”
So, we have little children, fathers, and now we see:
3-Young Men
3-Young Men
1 John 2:14 (KJV 1900)
14 ...I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
John writes unto young men. Who is being referred to here?
Young men is a term referring to believers who have grown and continue to grow in their comprehension and understanding of the Scriptures. They have moved beyond the stage of being a baby Christian and have learned to base their lives on the foundation of God’s Word. They look at life through the eyes of Scripture and are not afraid to stand up for Jesus Christ. They are not afraid of spiritual battles because the Lord has strengthened them.
Little children have to be served, but young men, serve...
Young men are in the battle, they are warriors, they are workers.
Many in the church though, are sitting around still being served…They are the immature little children from verse 13…Some come to Church and think they are doing God a favor!
You might be saved, but you’re not working, you are not a warrior, you have simply gotten saved and said Hallelujah, thank God, my sins are forgiven, and you stop when you really ought to go on to move to the next stage.
You know why you have that attitude when you could be a young man fighting? You know what the difference is? You know why the young men in this verse are strong, verses those who are so weak?
The Word of God. The Word of God abideth in you, is what the verse says.
Do you desire to move from those that are saved to those who are soldiers? Here’s the key: the Word of God…The word of God didn’t abide in them because they were strong; they were strong because the word of God abided in them.
When you’re strong, you’ll stop being a punching bag for the devil and you’ll be able to overcome him.
H.A. Ironside wrote, “It is the Word of God first thing in the morning, the Word of God all day long, and the Word of God the last thing at night. You go to bed with the Word of God in your mind and you will wake up with the Word of God in your mind. It is the Word of God that keeps from the power of the enemy all the hours of the day.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you a growing Christian?
If you are a child, thank God that you have been born into the family, praise God. But I want you to become a young man. There is a battle. There is some work to be done.
Are you a young man, a worker, and a warrior? Thank God, but I want you to become… A Spiritual Father.
I want you to remind others of God. I want you to become a giving person. I want you to become a reproducing person. I want you to be a person who has the knowledge of God. And if somebody has a problem they can come to you. You have been so much with God that you begin to act and look like Him.
The first step is BIRTH. Have you been born again? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? God wants to save you. He wants to forgive your sins and He will do it. Would you ask Him today?
If you’ve never grown, if you’ve never matured in your Christian life, would you get right tonight, and begin growing? This has nothing to do with your physical age…Would you come lay it all on the altar tonight?