Assets to Fellowship

1 John 2:12-14

Review

Read 1 John 1:1-4 “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— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

Joy Comes From Knowing God and the Life He Gives. 1 John 1:1-4

Fellowship begins when when we understand the reality of origin of life. (Physical and Spiritual)

God is the Creator of all that exist and Jesus is God in human flesh. We must believe in God the Father and the Son. To fail to believe in one is to fail to believe in both.

Life (not just mere existence, but the life we were meant to experience from the beginning) was manifested in the person of Jesus. He was personally experience by those who saw Him and spent time with Him. When we accepted the Son we accepted life. This life is eternal, but it also the life we were meant to experience in fellowship with the God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Joy is the result of the fellowship we now have with the Father and Son. Fellowship with God and his children (fellow Christians) All this is ours because of the new life we have in Christ. Although this new life we have in Christ is our forever, here, on this side of eternity the joy we experience in fellowship with God suffers in the Darkness of sin.

The Joy of Fellowship Suffers in the Darkness of Sin. 1 John 1:5-8, 10

Though our joy of fellowship with God suffers when we sin, the good news is we can never loose our salvation. When we sin and thus fail to reflect the glory of God in our lives, our relationship may temporarily suffer, but never our adoption into his family.

We know from John himself that even in our failure to walk in the light where God dwells we will never be separated from the love of God. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Paul also affirms this in Romans 8 when he tells us that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.

However own confidence in our eternal destination is not an excuse to continue in our sin. We have recieved new life in Christ. It is life eternal. That life begins now, not when we die. Paul said it well when he said in Phil. 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Listen to Paul’s words once again in

Romans 6:1-7 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

Romans 6:1–7 ESV

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

John therefore, encourages us to first be honest about our sins and then humbly confess our failures.

++Be Honest About Sin

++Humbly Confess Sin

It is the goal of the Christian life to reflect the glory of God in our lives. This is done through our thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes. However, the reality is that we don’t always behave the way we ought. When we fail we know we are never outside of God’s love for us. We are never divorced from being his children. However, when we find ourselves in the position of failure, we can know with certainty the Joy of Fellowship can be restored through Forgiveness.

Joy of Fellowship Restored Through Forgiveness 1 John 1:9, 2:1-2

As we said before, to experience this restoration we must first be honest about our sins and humbly confess them before a forgiving God. At times this is not an easy thing to do.

Pride gets in the way of confession.

We like to be right, so we don’t want to admit wrong. It is an unpleasant emotion

We may feel like it is a position of weakness to admit wrong.

We don’t want others to receive the satisfaction of our asking for forgiveness.

We see the sins of other bigger than our own

Whatever the reason, we need to, by the grace of God, work through the issue so we can come humbly before our God and admit our failure. Only in doing so can we experience the Joy of Fellowship through forgiveness. If we fail to seek God’s forgiveness we will allow sin to continue to rob us of our joy.

Remember, God is faithful to forgive.

Jesus our Messiah stands before the Father as our Advocate.

We have the one whom God chose (the Christ), the righteous lamb of God, who directed by the Father, became our propitiation (that is the means by which our sins are forgiven), whose righteousness we now have recieved, advocating on our behalf. What better stand can we have? Given all of this, we can have confidence that God loves us. Consider the length He has gone through on our behalf so we can experience the joy of fellowship with Him and his children. Can there be any doubt He loves us. All of this is an expression of His glory

If all this true, what should be our response? When mediating on these truths it seams natural to want to know better our awesome God. Certainly to know Him must then bring joy as well. And indeed it does.

Joy of Fellowship is found in a growing awareness of God and His Word and through obedience to Him.

Joy of Fellowship is found in a growing awareness of God and His Word and through obedience to Him. 1 John 2:3-11

We have moved from joy of fellowship in knowing God, to the joy of experiencing His forgiveness and the security He offers despite our failures, to the joy of knowing Him more intimately through His Word. This is the joy that comes through a maturing faith.

This is a faith that seeks not only to know God, but by grace, walk as He walked and to love has He loves.

Certainly all of us who have been saved for any length of time, and have persuade a close walk with God, would say there is a Joy of Fellowship that is experienced in the pursuit of knowing God.

However all such pursuits must include a living out of what is learned. This is the only way that joy of fellowship can be experienced.

James is right when he said James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

and also

… James 1:25 “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

John also reminds us in 2:10 that to walk in the light (that is to be in close fellowship with God) means to love our brother.

To truly experience the joy of fellowship with the Father is also to enjoy the fellowship of His children.

This then brings us to our text today.

Read 1 John 2:12-14 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 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. 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.”

Challenges

A Moment of reassurance - John’s goal here was not to have any of fellow Christians to question their salvation, so he take a moment to assure them of their standing before God.

First, Second, and Third John: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Commentary)

John writes these next verses to his readers because he is sure of their salvation (justification). The role of these verses in the flow of thought is that they provide assurance for readers who might be questioning themselves after what John has said (Akin, 101; Burge, 110; Schnackenburg, 124).

John addresses 3 categories of people twice. children, fathers and young men - This has led to various interpretations

The represent three age groups

Unlikely - sequence is wrong

Unlikely - what is said of each group does not necessarily reflect one’s age as much as one’s maturity

They describe 3 levels of spiritual maturity

Unlikely - sequence is wrong

Unlikely - the traits described should be true of all believers

They describe all of John’s readers viewed from each of three perspectives

Possible - John does address the church as a whole using the term “children” (2:1, 2:8, 3:7, 4:4, 5:21)

First, Second, and Third John: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary Commentary

When John’s readers see themselves as little children, they are reminded of the forgiveness of their sins. When they see themselves as fathers, they have a knowledge and relationship with God that results from obedience to His commands. When they see themselves as young men, they are strong.

Unlikely - Not all ascribed attributes are true of all believers, especially new believers or immature believers.

The describe 2 groups “Fathers and Young men” with “Children”

This reflect the order of the names

First, Second, and Third John: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary Commentary

If John had intended three groups, he most naturally would have placed “fathers” first. Also, “ ‘children’ is commonly used in the Johannine literature for whole communities, while there is no evidence that ‘fathers’ or ‘young men’ are ever used in this way” (Burge, 111).

Attributes ascribed

First, Second, and Third John: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary Commentary

The experiences attributed to the children, namely forgiven sins and knowing the Father, can be said to be true for all believers, whether new or mature. The things said of fathers and young men, on the other hand, need not be the experience of every believer.

I personally believe the first two interpretations of this passage are much easier to dismiss than the latter two. So for many it is a choice between John speaking to the church as a whole or possibly two groups.

It seems easiest to think of John addressing each grouping (children, father, and young men) as one group rather than two distinct groups. However, that is an interpretive decision you will have to make on our own.

For the purposes, of the remained of this message I will be looking at the assets each of these grouping possess.

Each asset aids in our fellowship with God.

The first thing John wants his readers to see is that they have been Forgiven. Likewise We have been Forgiven.

We have been Forgiven

1 John 2:12-14 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 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. 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.”

1, 2, 3 John 3. Know Your Spiritual Status (2:12–14)

The first and most fundamental word of encouragement that John can give to all members of the church is that in the past they were forgiven of their sins and that this forgiveness remains effective in their lives.

As children the believers understands a very basic truth; their sins are forgiven.  John wants them to be reminded and assured of this fundamental truth. They are living in a state of forgiveness. This is one of the first and most fundamental understandings for a Christian.

The forgiveness that we have received is not based on our righteousness, but as a result of Jesus cleansing work (1:7, 9, 2:2).

The forgiven that we have recieved is build on the foundation of the grace of God in our lives and the ministry and work of the Jesus Christ on our behalf. Not only did we receive the forgiveness of God when we placed our faith in the work of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, but Jesus himself continues to be our ongoing Advocate with the Father.

“for His name sake” - The grounds for forgiveness lies in the character of Jesus. He is the one who became the sacrifice (1:7) He is our advocate and the Righteous Messiah (2:1)

Next, John tells his readers that as “fathers” they know God.

We Know God

Read v. 13a and 14a

When he speaks to the “fathers” or when he views his audience as "fathers” he sees them as having the knowledge of God the Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. While there is some debate over whether the word “Him” in this verse refers to God the Father or Jesus Christ, it is clear to us to know the Father is to know the Son. You cannot know one without knowing the others. Some would say it is clearly pointing back to how John’s opening of his letter speaking of the person of Jesus. Read 1:1

“from the beginning”

Eternal

Gospel ministry

Personal Conversion

Whatever the case, we know all of these are true. Explain...

The point here is that “fathers” know God. The meaning behind the word “knowing” is that as “fathers” we have moved beyond basic knowledge.

Certainly then, we can say We know God if we have a growing knowledge of Him.

12th Grade Apologetics class. We have talked about God wanting to know known.

Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,”

Proverbs 18:15 “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

Philippians 1:8-11 “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

1 John 2:3-5 “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:”

The one who know God is the one who keeps his commandments and thus has close fellowship with Him. The one who is continually increasing in the knowledge of God is the who to therefore experiences the joy of fellowship.

As believers we know God. This is evidenced by our obedience to him. And the consistency of our obedience and our desire to be obedient, in spite of temptation, is evidence of a growing relationship and thus a growing knowledge of God.

Lastly, when viewed as “young men” We have been made strong to overcome the wicked one. In other words we are victors through Faith and the Abiding Word of God

We are Overcomes Through Faith and the Abiding Word of God

Read 13b and 14b

Lastly, When he speaks to the “young men” or when he views his audience as "young men” he sees them as strong, having the abiding word of God, and having overcome the wicked one” (v.14b).

The Christian life is characterized by a constant battle against evil. It seems the moment we gain one victory, a new temptation is awaiting our next move, in order to set us back a step or two. However...

1, 2, 3 John 3. Know Your Spiritual Status (2:12–14)

The Christian can take heart in the midst of this battle because the victory is assured through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in the resurrection.

For we have been made overcomers by the grace of God. Satan and the world of sin no longer has dominion over us. We have been set free to walk in the light, where God dwells. Darkness and evil have lost their power to keep us from being in the light.

1, 2, 3 John 3. Know Your Spiritual Status (2:12–14)

This security comes from the fact that “the evil one” has been defeated by Jesus Christ by victory over death and sin. As a result, when someone is born of God, Jesus Christ secures victory over death for that person.

By the grace of God we have been made alive Ephesians 2 tells us. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins and our righteous Advocate before the Father.

The “young men” are identified as strong (v. 14b). This is not referring to a physical strength but spiritual. This strength comes through faith. They know the Father. It is this faith that gives them the victory over the evil one.

1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Secondly, they have victory because the word of God abides in them.

Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

1, 2, 3 John 3. Know Your Spiritual Status (2:12–14)

It is through constant contact with the word of God that the believer has communion with the Father and gains direction and spiritual energy for the battle.

Three assets we have in living the the Christian life, walking in the light and thus having the joy of Fellowship.

We have been forgiven - This is necessary for the start of a relationship

We Know God - Not just know God but we have the opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God. We can experience the joy of knowing God and being obedient to His word.

We are overcomers through Faith and the abiding Word of God.

How Amazing is to be able to say this is true of us. We have been forgiven, we know God, We have been made overcomers through our faith and the abiding Word of God.