These Things I Have Written... 1 John 2:12-14

Introduction

Up to this point, we have joined together to lay down a foundation through the book of 1st John.

The highlights of the passages have been:

We know God because He was revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is pre-existent and entered history to teach us God’s word. (1:1-4)

God is light. In Him, there is no darkness. We cannot lie and claim to know God while actively walking in darkness. (1:5-10)

Jesus is our lawyer and has the ability to speak on our behalf before God. He met God’s wrath and appeased God on our behalf so that we can be saved. The way that we know show our love to God is by being obedient to Him. (2:1-6)

The other way that we love God through our obedience is by how we love other people. When we choose not to love other people, according to the scriptures, we are choosing to express hate. There is no in between. (2:7-11)

All of these messages are building towards something important. We want to prepare our selves to learn the same lessons that the Jewish Christians were learning.

They were facing opposition from the culture they were living in and John was teaching them how to overcome.

Circuits in High School Offseason. In the hysteria of workouts, coach would give us a 1:00 break to breathe. This wasn’t a time for talking, moving around, or anything. Every second was crucial to get our breath regulated to finish the workout for the day.

Our passage today is an opportunity to reflect from all of the messages that John was teaching.

1 John 2:

1 John 2:12–14 NASB95

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

John is reminded his audience that—unlike those who walk in darkness ()—they have overcome evil. In this verse, there are three designations.

children

fathers

young men

No matter where you are in your spiritual life, God is developing you.

“little children” - Early believers

All children of God enjoy the fruits of salvation. They rejoice in the forgiveness of their sins through Christ. They have fellowship with God and the Holy Spirit has made them aware of this relationship.

They can enjoy the privilege of salvation.

“Fathers” - spiritual adults in the congregation.

Their salvation experience in receiving forgiveness and fellowship with the Father was long ago. Their battles as young men had past. They had progressed into a deep communion with God. The children know them as the fathers. They find refuge in Him who had been with them from the beginning.

Knowledge is the characteristic of a father. They have the fruit of experience.

“young men” - in between the children and the fathers. Busily involved in the battle of Christian living.

The Christian life, then, is not just enjoying the forgiveness and the fellowship of god, but fighting the enemy. They are in a conflict but it has also become a conquest.

You can have the strength to overcome evil and stand for what is right against false teachings. in order to overcome the world through the blood of Jesus, we must be willing, like Christ, to part with whatever the world belongs to us.

You can overcome evil. (Satan)

“I am writing” refers to the present time of this letter and Johns standing with the people.

“I have written” refers to the readers ability to write.

John wanted to assure the true Christians that they were exactly where they needed to be.

Driving to Southwestern seminary and asking the question, “Am I doing this all right?”

Many Christians fall into 1 of 3 places:

“I don’t know what I should be doing”

People will drive themselves crazy trying to figure this out.

Join bible studies.

Volunteer.

Try everything out.

“I don’t want to

“I should be doing better than I am right now”

These people never learn to be satisfied with where God places them. They often worry that someone else might pass them by.

“I want to stay right where I am at.”

These people are terrified to try something new because they feel the pull to expand their horizons and lead in a different area. The best way to handle it is to stay in one place and refuse to look at other areas of service.

**These are all wrong.

The correct place to fall: “I want to be exactly where God wants me to be.”

Church life is not a contest. None of us have privilege that depends on where we stand in terms of being a child, father, or young man.

John is telling you and I that our privilege depends on the work of the cross. No matter where we stand, we have the ability to lean on God to get us to the next step.

Our goal isn’t to impress God with our progress. We want to know God in a deeper and better way the way a child learns about their father better.