24. 1 Jn2_12-14 Fathers

1 John 2:13,14 Fathers in the Faith

1Jn 2:7-17 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. (8) At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. (9) Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. (10) Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. (11) But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (12) I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. (13) I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. (14) I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (15) 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. (16) 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. (17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

This morning we will be looking at John’s address to fathers in verses 13 and 14. Just by way of reminder he use of two different forms, ‘I am writing’ and ‘I write’ is what has been written before versus what he is writing now. He is addressing the gnostic heresy and he is not writing them because he thinks they are not Christians but because he knows they are. His pattern in this digression is addressing the whole ‘little children’ teknon that we have seen in chapter 2:1 as a term of endearment he uses throughout the letter and children, paideon. Teknon refers to the relational aspect of believers being in the family of God and paidon, as children under authority. Brethren, no matter where we are in our spiritual maturity we will never be outside of the authority of God our Father.

He then addresses two specific groups; fathers and young men. Though these are masculine nouns does not mean he is addressing men exclusively. For in this context they are used as spiritual indicators not physical or material status. This morning we will be addressing the subject of fathers in the faith. The Greek word for father is pater. It is used over 366 times in the NT and the Hebrew form over 144x in the Old Testament. Most commentaries will say that the term is in reference to actual age or Christian maturity, or a combination of both. I am inclined to think it is a combination of both. What is maturity? It is the word of God + the Spirit of God. But just like in secular education you learn of years and years of study so to the passage of time in the application of God’s word in the power of the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with Christian maturity. There are certain aspects of growing in Christ that you will only experience with the passing of time. I stand here testifying to you this day that physically speaking I am not the man I was 40 years ago. There has been an ever-growing realization of my complete and total dependence upon Christ that goes beyond the theoretical. We all understand on one level or another that there will be a day that we will draw our last breath. But Evan’s understanding of that and my understanding that are very different based upon the stage of life we are in. In the natural order of things, he has more of his life before him. When I was his age, I did not think much of my own mortality. But now I know most of my days are behind me. I think often of my remaining days and how I should spend them. An older friend of mine calls it the 4rth quarter of our life.

Time in the faith + age will bring you through trials and afflictions. You will come face to face with your own inability, your weakness and your absolute lack of power. You will come to the end of yourselves. There are too many examples of what you may face in future days. If you are a parent, you may face the loss of a child to illness or accident or the potential loss of a child through illness or other means only to come to the realization that there is more than one way to loss a child than through death. These are so far outside of our control that all you can do is cry out to the Lord, pray because as long as they draw breath there is hope.

It may be you or your spouse who suffers through a prolonged illness. Powerless to control the outcome, powerless to relieve the suffering and pain. Having adequate words to comfort. And those who time and time again have been sifted like wheat and have maintained their good confession and grown in their faith and love of Him who is from the beginning. These are the fathers in the faith. Brethren, it is not the end of your struggles that prove your maturity but your endurance today.

John uses the Greek verb ginosko – to know. It indicates past knowledge with present or continuing results. It is experiential knowledge. It is not knowledge of facts, but of a person. It is not that they merely know about Him but that they know Him. They have seen Him as faithful, ever faithful in upholding and sustaining them in their weakness. The know Him by the Word and the working of the Spirit in the midst of sore trials and afflictions. Seeing Christ drawing near and entering into our afflictions.

But there is yet still more. We must look at the plain meaning of the word. Fathers are progenitors of children. As John is pointing to spiritual realities, spiritual fathers begat spiritual children. And this is where there is added significance to John’s writing ‘because you know Him who is from the beginning’. Every Christian, every truly born again believer in Jesus Christ confesses His deity, His incarnation, His death burial, and resurrection and the forgiveness of our sins through His shed blood. Everyone without exception. So why does John write this specifically about fathers? I believe it is in part because spiritual fathers look at the ministry of Christ Jesus while He was on the earth and emulate it.

Was Jesus ministry preaching the gospel of the kingdom? Yes, it was but it was more. It was about discipling 12 men in preparation for what was to come after. While Jesus is the chief corner stone the apostles are foundation stones.

Eph 2:19-20  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  (20)  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

An important part of His ministry was discipling the 12. What was a great emphasis of Jesus high priestly prayer? Beginning in verse 5

Joh 17:5-26  And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.  (6)  “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  (7)  Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.  (8)  For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.  (9)  I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.  (10)  All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.  (11)  And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.  (12)  While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  (13)  But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.  (14)  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  (15)  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.  (16)  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  (17)  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  (18)  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.  (19)  And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.  (20)  “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,  (21)  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  (22)  The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,  (23)  I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.  (24)  Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  (25)  O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.  (26)  I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Did the apostles follow the model of Jesus? Yes, they did. But it is not something new in the NT only. There was Moses and Joshua who accompanied him. There was Elijah and Elisha who followed him. Paul calls Timothy and Titus his true children in the faith. Peter calls Mark his son. Peter and Paul were spiritual fathers to their spiritual children. Paul passes on this principle to Timothy.

2Ti 2:2  and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

This is, to quote a term from Vodie Baucum, multi-generational discipleship, training others to become spiritual fathers.

I have been doing a great deal of counseling lately at home. What I have found is there is a lot of theoretical knowledge of what we should do but not a lot of practical knowledge in how to apply it. For example, everyone affirms what paul says in Ephesians about wives submitting to her own husband and husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. They may know generally what that means but what I have found is that many people don’t know how to practically work that out in day-to-day living. Often we make assumptions that people know more than they actually do.

The disciples were Jews who had been in synagogue for a good portion of their life and probably had at least some religious training. Yet what did they ask Jesus? Lord, teach us to pray.

Discipleship and training is not only about doctrine but how it is fleshed out in every day lives. Not lessons on paper but doctrinally rich life lessons. In Timothy’s travels with Paul he saw Paul’s faith worked out under the harshest conditions. He witnesses the beating , the arrests, the times they were thrown in prison. The principle of discipleship was given to Titus to pass on the church as a normal function of the church.

Tit 2:3-5 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, (4) and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, (5) to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

How do we apply this?

Mat 28:19-20  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  (20)  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You could translate Go therefore – ‘as you are going’. I take this to mean not only to the furthest ends of the earth but also as you are going on in the everyday activity of life. You don’t have to be aged and bearded, you only have to be further along than someone else. There are older and younger Christians in this congregation. Growth is not only measured in numbers, though we would all like to see our churches grow but also measured in maturity. We need to keep that in proper perspective.

A word to those who need instruction. That means all of us. You can’t add to a cup that is already full. What that means is if you think that you already know it all, your pride will prevent you from receiving any benefit from training and instruction.

You may be thinking this is just one more burden I don’t have time for. You don’t have time to sit down with someone. Focus on the as you are going, the everyday activity of life and invite someone to join in. You older moms and dads are a blessing to these moms and dads who have younger children. You younger moms and dads have a resource for learning and growing as parents in those who have gone before you. The same principle applies to marriages. Men instructing men on how to love their wives even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her and women teaching, discipling women.

Tit 2:3-5 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, (4) and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, (5) to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Right doctrine means right practice so that the word of God may not be reviled. May we all aspire to be fathers in the faith strengthening and encouraging others to grow in knowledge, grace, and obedience.