“The Process of Growth” - Pt 2
Notes
Transcript
The Basics #11
READ TEXT (1 John 2:12-14) - PRAY)
12 I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
There are at least three stages or levels of growth in the Christian life:
I. SPIRITUAL PEDIATRICS: CHILDREN!
I. SPIRITUAL PEDIATRICS: CHILDREN!
A. BABIES (τεκνία)!
A. BABIES (τεκνία)!
(v.12) - “I am writing to you, little children,..."
1. Their BASIC NEED: ASSURANCE!!
2. Their BASIC PROBLEM: DOUBT & QUESTION!
3. The GREAT GOAL AT THIS LEVEL: COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE!
4. The METHOD: ACCEPTANCE BY BELIEVERS!
10 This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another,
B. TODDLERS (νήπιοι)!
B. TODDLERS (νήπιοι)!
From Gr. [NEPIOS] - "without speech." (Eph 4:12-14) (Heb 5:11-14)
1. Their GREAT NEED: DISCERNMENT!
2. Their GREAT PROBLEM: DECEPTION!
3. The GREAT GOAL: PERSONAL STABILITY! -- In the LORD!
4. The METHOD: KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE! (Acts 2:42)
It's not bad to be at this level, it's however, bad to stay at this level!
C. CHILDREN (παιδία)!
C. CHILDREN (παιδία)!
14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father…
1. Their BASIC NEED: DISCIPLINE!
2. The PROBLEM: DISCOURAGEMENT! - “Why?”
3. The GOAL: GREATER PATIENCE!
4. The METHOD: TRIALS & SUFFERINGS!
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,
4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
God teaches us the qualities we need for greater service and influence through suffering!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
When you've gone through the fire, you are uniquely qualified to minister to those who are suffering!
II. SPIRITUAL MATURITY: YOUNG MEN!
II. SPIRITUAL MATURITY: YOUNG MEN!
From the Greek, νεανίσκος, ου; νεανίας, ου: a young man beyond the age of puberty, but normally before marriage—‘young man.’Mentioned twice in our passage:
13 …I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.
14 …I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
NOTICE the repeated phrase regarding young men: “…you have conquered the evil one...”
From νικάω; νίκη, ης f; νῖκος, ους n: to win a victory over—‘to be victorious over, to be a victor, to conquer, victory.’
You may be considered a “young man/woman” when you begin to experience victory over sinful behaviors in your life!
Every Christian has overcome the wicked one through the blood of Christ by way of position!
But all of us who have known the Lord still have certain sinful practices in which we experience defeat by the enemy!
We struggle with this--we desperately WANT victory!
You can tell by the questions:
“Why can't I get victory over this? I try and try, but I keep failing!”
“I've confessed my sin, but I keep doing it!”
I like to think of this as the Romans 7 stage of maturity!
15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.
This stage is common to us all. Whether it's in attitude, thought, verbal, physical, whatever it is, we all struggle with this stage!
A. THE NEED: VICTORY! (v.13)
A. THE NEED: VICTORY! (v.13)
If we are not at a stage where, as a habit of life (not a momentary lapse), you are overcoming sinful habits in your life, then you're right back here again!
In some sense, we are all immature, when we struggle over a sinful practice that we can't seem to get victory over!
It does not matter how much knowledge of the Bible you have, if you are not overcoming sin in your life, you are still immature!
B. THE PROBLEM: DEFEAT!
B. THE PROBLEM: DEFEAT!
“Have you ever experienced spiritual ups & downs?”
One minute you're on top of the world and the next you're in the pits!
Defeat sets in and depression! You feel like a defeated Christian and it hinders everything you do!!
* It is a measure of maturity to understand this problem!
The ability to say, "I'm not competent...I've not arrived...I'm not victorious" is a mark of MATURITY!
18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.
19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me.
22 For in my inner self I delight in God’s law,
23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
That doesn't mean that we accept this position, because if something continues to defeat us, it shows that we are immature, and we need Jesus Christ to help us “conquer” it!
Habitual sin in our lives hinders our service to the Lord—it grieves the Holy Spirit—and we serve way below our potential!
C. THE GOAL: CONTINUED REPENTANCE AND CLEANSING!
C. THE GOAL: CONTINUED REPENTANCE AND CLEANSING!
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.
20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable use and some for dishonorable.
21 So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
That is the precise meaning of John in the last part of (v.14):
14 …I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
The primary ingredient for my being useful to God is spiritual cleansing!
D. THE METHOD: GOD WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE TESTED!
D. THE METHOD: GOD WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE TESTED!
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.
11 These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.
13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
“Have you ever felt God tempted you beyond what you are able?”
We like to soothe our consciences by telling ourselves that the temptation was too great and there wasn’t anything we could do!
WRONG!
(v.13) - “God...with the temptation will also provide the way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”
“Do you think that God is teaching you something through temptation?”
YES!
God taught us many wonderful things through the temptations of Israel in the wilderness. They were written for our example!
God is also teaching us everyday of our life through temptations!
Tomorrow, if you go to work, and there's a giant temptation, you can say, “Praise God!”
III. SPIRITUAL PRODUCTIVITY: FATHERS and MOTHERS in the Lord!
III. SPIRITUAL PRODUCTIVITY: FATHERS and MOTHERS in the Lord!
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning…
Spiritual Fathers and Mothers have an experiential knowledge of God!
You have a level of maturity!
You have a confident, experiential knowledge of God and His ways.
You know His character, His attributes, how He does things, you've got this!
The question is, “What for?” “Why do we have all of this wonderful insight?”
Turn to (1 Cor 4)
A. THE REAL NEED IN FATHERS: REPRODUCTION!
A. THE REAL NEED IN FATHERS: REPRODUCTION!
Q: “How does one become a Father (πατήρ)?”
A: BY HAVING CHILDREN!
The real need of parents is to reproduce yourselves in others!
14 I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.
15 For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
How? By EVANGELISM! It's that simple.
“How do I do that?” (4:16) - Not only by EVANGELISM, but also by EXAMPLE!
16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
ILLUSTRATION: whether good or bad, little children imitate their parents!
17 This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
B. THE PROBLEM: DISOBEDIENCE!
B. THE PROBLEM: DISOBEDIENCE!
We know what we should do, we just DON'T! We make all sorts of excuses as to why we don't evangelize!
“I don't have the time...I've worked too hard today and I'm tired...I've put my time in...That's not my gift...etc.”
BELIEVE ME! I know what you're going through! The hardest door for me to get through on calling night is my own!
C. THE GOAL: SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT!
C. THE GOAL: SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT!
The greatest words that you'll ever hear will come from Jesus when He says,
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’
We have to stop looking at our circumstances and instead fix our eyes on Jesus, who will one day make it all worthwhile!
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I'm looking for fathers and mothers here this morning, because this church desperately needs them!
D. THE METHOD: OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE YOUR FAITH!
D. THE METHOD: OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE YOUR FAITH!
They are EVERYWHERE! And when the door is open, we must use it!
John tells us in Revelation that it is Christ Himself who opens the door!
8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
One reason for negligence in this area is because we've stopped spending time with Jesus!
It's very easy to develop this apathy of heart (the "I don't have time" syndrome) and often it's rooted in the fact that we simply don't know the Lord ourselves!
There are babies and children in the Lord who desperately need the influence of spiritual moms and dads!
They need someone to follow—someone to imitate!
I urge you this morning to not stop growing—not stop producing spiritual children through the power of the Holy Spirit!
