Writing to You Because
Writing to You Because
Sunday, April 27, 2008
"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." (1 John 2:13, ESV)
1. First John mentions the Fathers [Pateres]. These are the
believers with long and rich experiences. They have come to
know and still know Him.
2. Him which is from the beginning. The same clear
description of our Lord as has been described in the Gospel of
John 1:1-18 as well as in this epistle (1 John 1:1).
" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things were made through him, and without him was not any
thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the
light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the
light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light,
but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which
enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the
world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did
not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not
receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of
man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from
the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about
him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who
comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God,
who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known." (John
1:1-18, ESV)
" That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and
have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—" (1
John 1:1, ESV)
3. John declares that he is writing to you mature believers, who
have known Him and still know Him. And He is working in
your life today as much as He was in the beginning of your
spiritual life to bring it to completion.
"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for
his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13, ESV)
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you
will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
(Philippians 1:6, ESV)
4. Then John says he is writing to the Young Men [Neaniskoi].
These are the youth of the church. They are full of vigor,
conflict and victory.
5. He says they have "overcome the evil one." This is a
permanent victory after a conflict [Nikao].
6. It is the prince of darkness that is defeated in this struggle,
Very clearly does this verse speak to that defeat of Satan.
"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the
devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son
of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (1 John
3:8, ESV)
"By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are
the children of the devil: whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love
his brother." (1 John 3:10, ESV)
"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your
father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has
nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar
and the father of lies." (John 8:44, ESV)
"During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart
of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him," (John 13:2,
ESV)
7. John commends the youth for having "overcome the evil
one!" He repeats the words in the next verse to indicate the
significance of this truth. They have conquered the evil one,
Satan. They have repelled the attacks of the devil, not joining
with his camp and rejoicing in their salvation.
8. They belong to Jesus and live in the light of His revelation.
They have stood firm in the face of temptation and in their
God-given spiritual strength they have overcome.
" There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in
Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done
what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he
condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who
live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds
on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the
mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not
submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the
flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but
in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone
who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin,
the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8:1-10,
ESV)
9. They possess the Word of God and it is living in them. This
possession is the secret of their strength, and the source of their
victory (and ours).
" Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might." (Ephesians 6:10, ESV)
"If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us." (1 John 1:10, ESV)
"but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is
perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:" (1 John
2:5, ESV)
"and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not
believe the one whom he has sent." (John 5:38, ESV)
10. I write [Egrapsa] to you, children because you know the
Father. Not only has the Fathers come to know Jesus Christ
from the beginning, all the believers have. And because of this
all of the believers have experienced the love of God the Father
and know Him personally through His Son Jesus.
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So
then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you
will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons,
by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if
children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be
glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to
be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for
the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected
to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in
hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to
corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children
of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning
together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the
creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now
hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with
patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we
do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the
Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to
the will of God." (Romans 8:11-27, ESV)
11. As a loving and wise pastor John calls the attention of all
the readers to the facts of what they possess. 1. Their sins are
forgiven for His names sake. 2. They have known God the
Father and His Son Jesus Christ. 3. They have overcome Satan
through the Word of God. With that Let God’s people sing,
How vast the benefits divine
Which we in Christ possess!
We are redeemed from guilt and shame,
And called to holiness.
—Augustus M. Toplady
"And we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be
the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he
predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also
justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What
then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up
for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all
things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is
God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one
who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right
hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or
sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all
the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord." (Romans 8:28-39, ESV)
GracePointe Baptist Church
2209 N Post Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73141
Phone: (405) 769-5050
