The Family of God Growing Spiritually

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 2:12-14 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE FAMILY OF GOD GROWING SPIRITUALLY INTRODUCTION These verses are a summary of all that John has said so far They are also a preparation for what is yet to be said in the verses ahead In these verses we have only one family mentioned known as the “Family of God” But we find a spiritual difference in the members of that family As in our natural families there are both ages and stages In any family you will find various stages of progress and maturity You can have a six-year old that wants to act like a 16 year old You can have a thirty-year old that acts like a 10 year old So it is with the Family of God and the spiritual life John is not referring to physical age groups but to spiritual stages of the Christian life John is concerned with the difference in stages of spiritual development Some are mature, some are advancing, some are immature and need to be growing John divided the Christian Family into three stages of spiritual development John presents to us three different degrees of spirituality among believers They are identified as “Fathers,” “Young Men,” and “Little Children” Understand that his terms do not eliminate little girls, young ladies, and women He is not referring to the different sexes of physical life, no question of the sexes is involved These terms are to be applied to the spiritual life of all believers The question that is presented is, “Where is your life spiritually?” In the spiritual realm we all begin as “little children” Entrance into the family of God is not to be a stopping place, it is the starting place spiritually Just like the physical life, there must be growth and maturity in our spiritual life There are many verses that encourage spiritual growth, Peter said, 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. Christians are to “grow in grace,” God gives us the grace to grow spiritually To grow in grace we must daily live in the experience of God’s grace, Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. To “grow in grace” is to continue to come to the throne of grace and receive grace for today We can read about the Grace of God but to grow in grace we must experience it in our daily life Paul told Timothy, 2Ti 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We are not only to grow in grace, but also in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ In Hebrews we are instructed to learn the A, B, C’s of Christ and then go on to perfection Heb 6:1 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, It is time for school to start, the course is Jesus Christ, the degree to earn is Spiritual Maturity 1Jn 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. Six times in 3 verses we find “I write unto you” or “I have written unto you” John wants them to know that he has a message for them, and it is also for us today John is also emphasizing how important his message really is If it were not so important, he would not be taking the time to write it Remember when mother would point her finger at you and say, “I am talking to you” John is pointing to us and saying, “I write unto you,” so pay attention John begins by stating that he is writing to all believers 1 All believers must read and pay attention to what John has written “Little children” in this verse refers to all who are a member of the Family of God little children, “Little children” here is not a reference to their age or spiritual status John used the same word in verse one to identify all believers (1 John 2:1) They are identified as “little children” because of their spiritual birth Jesus said that we must be born spiritually, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. There is no other way to enter-into the Family of God than through the spiritual birth All Christians have been born spiritually and have a personal relationship with God We begin the Christian life as “little children” So, John has in mind the beginning of the Christian life, all Christians begin the same way The rest of the verse reveals to us who John is speaking to Only those who have been spiritually born have been forgiven of their sins If your sins have not been forgiven you are not a child of God The sins of the “Little Children” have been forgiven because your sins are forgiven you When you are first saved you know that God loves you and that your sins have been forgiven You understand the meaning of the song that says, “Burdens are lifted at Calvary” Our sins stood between us and God, but Jesus took our sins and cast them away The guilt of sin, the defilement of sin, the penalty of sin has been put away Our sins before we were saved are never to be remembered again A cripple man heard Jesus say, Mar 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. That was a disturbing statement to the religious leaders, Mar 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? Jesus proved that He had the power to forgive sins, Mar 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) A sinful woman came to anoint the feet of Jesus and she heard Jesus say, Luk 7:48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. (True Christians know that their sins are forgiven) Our present sins must be confessed, 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just toforgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How and why were our past sins forgiven, how and why are our present sins forgiven? for his name's sake. Sins are forgiven on account of the Person and Work of Jesus, on-the basis of who Christ is The “name” of Jesus is a revelation of Who He is and what He has done God forgives sins only through Him and in Him alone, only “for His name’s sake,” Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. “For His name’s sake” we become a child of God, Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: The only way to be saved is to call upon the “Name of Jesus,” Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. There is no salvation in any other name, Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Eternal life and abundant life is found only in the “Name of Jesus,” Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. 2 Everyone who believes in Jesus receives the forgiveness of sins and is born spiritually But Christians are not to remain as a new-born spiritual child of God Too often Christians never begin to grow spiritually from the time that they are saved Many are still spiritual infants and have never grown since they were born spiritually John reveals that to us as he identifies degrees of spiritual progress John divides the spiritual life into three classes beginning with the top or the highest level He writes to the “fathers,” then to the “young men,” and then to the “little children” So, we find in verse 13 the truth of “Family Relationship” 1Jn 2:13 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. In the previous verse we learned that all believers are members of the Family of God But within the Family of God there are spiritual relationships based upon spiritual growth The goal of the Christian life is to become “Fathers” or “Spiritual Adults” All Christians begin as “little children” and are to grow into “fathers” or mature ones spiritually John is referring to “Fathers in the faith” He wants us to see where we are to be going spiritually, he wants us to set our spiritual goal high Our desire should be nothing less than to be a spiritually mature adult No other word better expresses that spiritual state than the word “Father” Referring to Christians who are advanced in the faith and in the authority of Christ Spiritual fathers are those who have faithfully walked and talked with the Lord daily They have become “Spiritual Fathers” through daily fellowship and daily walking in the light Spiritual fathers have a knowledge of God from their daily experience with God because ye have known him “You have known” has reference to an “experiential knowledge” Referring to that which they have come to know and that they are continuing to learn Fathers have not only read of the promises of God, they have experienced the promises of God Through their daily path of life, they have experienced the presence of God They can look back on their path of life and see that there were two sets of footprints in the sand That is what Job learned through all-of the trials of his life Job knew the Lord, but he came to “know the Lord” through his personal experiences In the beginning of the book we are told that Job was an upright man, Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. That is a great testimony and one that any Christian would be proud to hear God say about them But only after all-of his trials of life did Job feel that he really knew God and could see God Job came to a deeper knowledge of God through his many trials Job says, “Now I see you,” Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Spiritual fathers have a knowledge of God because of their daily walk with Him They have walked together with God “Through it all,” good and bad One song says, “Trusting Jesus as the days go by,” that is how you become a Spiritual Father Another says, “Through it all I have learned to trust in Jesus, I have learned to trust in God” If you can sing those words from your heart, you understand the meaning of “Spiritual Father” “Spiritual Fathers” have a knowledge of Jesus, they have learned Jesus by walking with Him that is from the beginning. The Fathers know Him that is “from the beginning” In the first verse of this letter John speaks of what they had heard “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1) 3 He was referring to what the disciples had heard from Jesus as He walked upon earth (1 John 1:2) In 1 John 1:3, John says that he declares unto us what he had heard from Jesus John is now applying what was heard from Jesus to the life of the Christian Spiritual Fathers have come to know the truth of the Person of Jesus Christ Spiritual Fathers are advanced in the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He does They can discuss with you the Incarnation, His sinless life, His Substitutionary death They can discuss with you the truth of the resurrection, ascension, and return of Jesus Christ Spiritual Fathers have learned to live by faith in Him and be obedient to His will I write unto you, young men, I believe that “young men” represent those who have recognized the fact of spiritual growth Children reach a stage when they know that they are growing, and they are filled with questions They are in search of an understanding of what life is all about By the time they reach the teenage stage they are in a battle with those issues of life Spiritually believers reach a stage where they must deal with many decisions for their new life That involves their daily spiritual talk and their daily spiritual walk Christians must determine the path of life that they are going to travel In-order to travel the right path of life Satan must be defeated “Young men” are those who are on their way to becoming “Spiritual Fathers” The strength of the church tomorrow is in the hands of those who are growing spiritually today They have learned the same truths about Christ but have not had as much experience as “Fathers” They have also learned about the Devil-because ye have overcome the wicked one. “Overcome” is another favorite word of John The original word is found 28 times in the N.T. and 24 of them are written by John It is significant that the word “overcome” is found 17 of those 28 times in Revelation Revelation is the book of “overcoming,” it is the coming of Christ as the “Overcomer” To “overcome” means to be victorious in a struggle or to win a victory Victory in Jesus is not just a song that overcomers sing, it is the life they live The path of the Christian life is not easy and is not going to get any easier The battle against Satan is a daily battle and will continue until Christ returns Spiritually we must continue to overcome the temptations of Satan which come day after day The Christian life is a struggle because of Satan who is “the wicked one” Victory over Satan begins when you are saved, but you must continue to conquer Satan Satan is the “wicked one” or literally the “evil one” His title means that he is wicked, malicious, and mischievous, and is out to harm you, 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: He will eat you up one bite at a time Satan must be defeated daily, He will attack you with fiery darts, Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. The word translated “little children” is not the same word as found in verse 12 Two different Greek words are used in-reference to the “little children” In verse 12 the meaning of the word refers to all who have been born again spiritually Referring to all who are a part of God’s Family and known as a “child of God” In verse 13, the reference is to “little children” who need parental guidance and care “Little children” who have not grown up and need to be taught, they are still in an immature state They need training, education, instructions, and discipline in-order for them to grow spiritually 4 They are still in the spiritual nursery learning their spiritual A, B, C’s Still currently being instructed and quite often through discipline They are the spiritual infants who need spiritual nourishment They need to learn more about God and more about the Devil The Bible presents two categories of spiritual infants There are those who have just been saved and have not had time for spiritual growth There are Christians who have been saved for a long time but have not grown spiritually Over the years they have spent little time in prayer and Bible study Over the years they have failed to take the opportunities to learn from Bible teaching They have not been faithful to the church services which offer the opportunities to learn They may have been regular in church, but their minds were not upon the message And their hearts were not set upon spiritual growth, yet they are saved, they know the Father Physically babies learn very early who their mother and father are Babies begin with a basic knowledge of who their parents are, but that knowledge grows quickly But babies must learn more about life than the fact that their parents love them Spiritual life begins with a knowledge of God the Father, He loves me, 1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. But Christians must learn that because God loves them, He instructs them and guides their life John is saying to the “Little children,” you have come to know and recognize the Father But you must now learn to trust Him and follow Him because He is your Father How old were we when we began to realize that our physical father really did know something? There was a time when we discovered that he knew what he was talking about Spiritual children must come to the realization that our Father knows what He is talking about He does know what is best for us and it is wise to listen to Him and obey Him The Christian life begins by coming to know the Father The Christian life is to be lived learning more about the Father The Christian will die physically knowing the Father The Christian will then live with the Father throughout eternity The truth presented is that there is to be a progressive knowledge of the Father From the time that you are saved until the time that you enter heaven, knowledge is to increase 1Jn 2:14 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. Verse 14 repeats verse 13 without anything added concerning the Fathers The point is that there is nothing to be added The “Fathers” are to continue to be and do what they have been in the past In the world of successful people many forget and forsake the way they gained success A change from the way that they gained success can lead to failure The road to a higher level is the same road that brought you to the present level You go beyond where you are spiritually the same way you came to be where you are spiritually The road to spiritual maturity does not end until physical death, we can never let up spiritually What could be added to close fellowship with God and daily obedience to His Word and prayer? Nothing can be added to recognition, reverence, awareness, and understanding of God Spiritual Fathers must keep on doing what they are doing for God, desiring to grow spiritually There is no other path to travel, the way to learn and live is to live and learn The same Christ that you have learned is the Christ that you must continue to learn You continue to mature in the same way you have matured You move on spiritually the same way you have been moving spiritually The context of the passage suggests a period-of time resulting in a deepening spiritual experience Knowledge which comes from walking with God through all experiences of life 5 Walking with God when all is well and good Walking with God when it has all fallen apart and the road ahead is difficult to travel You have held the hand of God through prayer and faith Your heart has been opened-up to Him through the study of His Word The steps of your life have been strengthened through fellowship with God’s people John has more to say to the “young men,” three things are said concerning the “young men:” (1) They are strong (2) John explains why they are strong, “the word of God abideth in you” (3) John explains the results of that, “you have overcome the wicked one” I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, These are the same “Young men” as in verse 13 who had overcome the wicked one John now tells us that they were overcomers because of their spiritual strength Something that they had already attained They were of strong mind and moral character because they were strong in the faith and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Now we know why they are spiritually strong, and we know why verse 13 is true They are not strong in themselves but there is an inner strength God is strong within them through His Word abiding in them Christians must be strong in doctrinal truth, Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: The Word of God was their strength, it had found a home in their life All Christians have the same weapon and Satan has a fear of that weapon All Christians will face the attacks of Satan As a young Christian you must learn how to defeat the devil Satan must be defeated before we can grow spiritually How can we defeat Satan? The same way described in this passage Love God--Love God’s Word--Love to live God’s Word-Love to learn more about God’s Word The classic chapter of faith in Hebrews teaches us to live by faith just as our Spiritual Fathers did Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Christians will grow spiritually as they daily trust God and obey His Word As Christians we are to learn more about God through every experience of our daily life Listen to the song 6