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1 John 2: 12 -14 "You Have to Live It"
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is 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 wicked one. (1 John 2:12-14)
This is the address of John’s letter. Until now
John has told us two reasons why he is writing the letter. "These
things we write to you that your joy may be full.", in chapter
one, verse four, and then in the first verse of chapter two, "these
things I write to you, so that you may not sin." His message so
far has been an invitation to walk in the light because God is light.
This invitation is perfect for those who do not know Jesus Christ, but
now we find out that it is also perfect for those who do know Jesus.
Do you know that the gospel is just as important to you today as it
was the very first time you heard it? John is not writing to those who
don’t know God, to convict them of sin. Instead he is writing
to those who do know God that their joy may be full. He is writing to
Christians so that they might walk daily in fellowship with Christ,
daily in the light of the gospel, daily in love for one another.
John addresses his letter to three different maturity groups in the
church; little children, young men, and fathers. Each of you are unique
in your Christian walk. There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter mold
for a Christian. You cannot force maturity. It is not an age group,
or a grade, or a level that all can reach after so many years of study.
My wife used to play the Japanese Okoto (a flat harp-like instrument)
for many years. Of course when she went to America for college she could
not take it with her and so for about 10 years she did not really pursue
it. Last year she decided to take it up again and found that her fingers
had never really forgotten. However, when she joined a class she was
forced to start again from the very beginning. She was very frustrated
to see others whose skill was far less than her own being promoted simply
because they had been in the class longer. Being a Christian longer
does not guarantee maturity. Graduating from a class does not guarantee
Christian maturity. In fact I cannot teach you to be mature. I wish
I could. I wish I could say to you, "Come join this one year program
where you will learn everything you need to be mature." I can only
point you in the right direction. What does the Bible say about spiritual
maturity?
Little Children
John tells us two things that are extremely important
for every new Christian to know. First, your sins are forgiven in Jesus’
name. This is the basic issue that you need to understand. God loves
you and will never let you go. Any mistake you make is forgiven. Jesus
Christ will never kick you out or abandon you. You are safe. When I
was a little child I was terribly afraid of the water. When we visited
a swimming pool I would cling to the side and circle the pool with a
firm grip on the edge. One day my brothers threw me into the middle
of the pool and I very quickly swam back to the side and grabbed on
again. My son and I swim in the pool and he rides on my back like a
turtle. The first time he swam by himself I let him ride out to the
middle with me, and then I let him swim back by himself. He had water
wings on so that he could not sink! He struggled and struggled to keep
from going under, until he realized that he could not possibly go under.
Not only that, but a little later he figured out that he could even
touch the bottom! New Christians, it is the same with your faith. You
don’t have to struggle and struggle to keep afloat. You can rest
in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is not something
that should wear you out. You can stand! It should be a great source
of strength. You are not in danger. You are safe.
The second thing that John tells us is that even the newest Christian
knows the Father. You now have a relationship with God. Your relationship
with God is just as real and important as any other Christians. You
can pray to Him, ask, and expect to receive answers. You can expect
Him to work in your life, guide you, and change you. God loves you just
as much as He loves someone who has been a Christian much longer. God
loves you just as much as He loves the pastor. In fact, in much the
same way that we love a newborn baby, I think God showers special blessings
and affection on newborn Christians. Just because you are young, does
not mean that there is anything wrong with your relationship with God.
It is not deficient, it has all the potential to be a mature relationship
and will be if you allow God to do it in you.
Young Men
What is the next step in Christian maturity then? John
tells us three things about the young men of the faith. They are strong,
the word of God abides in them, and they have overcome the wicked one.
In the book of Hebrews, the author tells us that there comes a time
when those who have been learners should become teachers. I don’t
think that everyone has a gift of teaching, but each one of us should
be a model of Christlikeness to others who come after. You might not
preach a sermon on Sunday or teach a Bible study, but you can teach
all the same through your life as you apply what you have learned. The
difference between spiritual childhood and adulthood is simply this,
a child expects to receive all it needs, but an adult is himself expected
to give. How do we get to spiritual adulthood, changing from little
children to young warriors?
The young men are first described as being strong. On Wednesday I took
a good portion of our belongings to the thrift shop at my son’s
school. Actually, because we are moving, one whole room in our apartment
was full of stuff to be taken. I drove back and forth to school five
times with a full van to unload. On one trip, one of my son’s
little friends offered to help me. It was a very thoughtful offer, but
wrestling with the heavy boxes and furniture, his help just would not
have been very effective. You don’t ask a boy to do a man’s
job. There are some things that even the most well intentioned boy just
is not capable of doing. It is the same way in our Christian life. A
baby Christian is just not capable of doing the ministry that a mature
Christian is led to do. Mature Christians are strong. They have the
ability to get the job done. They know what it is like to suffer through
and persevere to the end without any thanks or reward. They take responsibility
for what they are doing and pride in their work. They see for themselves
what needs to be done and do it. A child has to be reminded again and
again, "put away your toys, eat your vegetables, do your homework."
A child must be constantly rewarded or else they lose interest. Sure,
it is a great experience for the child to do some work, but it is the
adults that get the job done!
How do the young men get to be that strong? Well, back in the book of
Hebrews, the author tells us that there is a difference between milk
and meat. Milk is much easier to digest. Even the youngest babies can
drink milk. But if you want to be strong, if you want to develop spiritual
muscles, you need meat. The milk is exactly the thing that the spiritual
babies need. The great truths that their sins are forgiven, that they
are saved by the grace of God, that they have died with Christ on the
cross and are also alive with Him through the resurrection and will
join Him in everlasting life. The gospel is milk. It is easy to digest,
easy to understand so that all those who will repent and believe in
Jesus Christ can be saved. What then is the meat? John tells us that
these young men have the word of God abiding in them. There is a lot
more in the Bible than just the gospel. The gospel is the foundation,
no doubt, but the whole Bible is profitable to equip us for every good
work. Is your knowledge of the Bible confined to just the gospel? If
so, God wants you to grow up. He wants to teach you how to be more like
His son in your relationships, in your business, in your finances and
in your family life. He wants to shine His light deeper into your heart
and show you sin that you never even knew was there. He doesn’t
just want to clean you out but He also wants to replace what was there
with something better. He wants to show you the right things to do and
help clearly see the wrong. He wants to show you how to be like Jesus.
All of this is done through His word.
Finally, the young men are described as having overcome the wicked one.
Many tribal cultures have "rites of passage" that the young
boys must go through before they can be called men. They often are forced
to spend an extended time in the wilderness by themselves. If they overcome
they are given the right to be called an adult. We Christians also need
practical experience before we can become strong. All the knowledge
in the world does not mean a thing if when the time comes to use it
you are afraid. God often calls us to do things for Him that are risky.
We expose ourselves to strangers who might ridicule us, take advantage
of us, or even attack us. We have an enemy, the wicked one, who seeks
to destroy the work of the Lord. A mature Christian is described in
the book of Hebrews as one, "who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil." In the tribes a child
might walk through the jungle at night by himself and be afraid of every
harmless little sound, and yet walk totally unaware into the lair of
a deadly beast. But the man knows by experience which is dangerous and
which is not. It is not enough just to know what the Bible teaches,
we must also put it to use in our lives. We must exercise our spiritual
senses. We must see the enemy for who he is, avoid the temptations that
he puts before us and press on unafraid even though he might threaten.
This is the young man, the warrior, the strong mature Christian that
God will use to change the world.
The Fathers
John only writes one thing about the fathers and what
is surprising is that it is very similar to what he wrote about the
little children. John writes, "I write to you, fathers, because
you have known Him who is from the beginning." Even newborn Christians
have a relationship with the Father, but there is something different
about this relationship in those who are elders in the faith. Their
relationship with God is not just a shallow thing. It goes deep. They
have known Him who is from the beginning. They understand, not only
the things that they have personally gone through, but God’s work
in all things. They understand that God has been working from the very
beginning and see His hand in everything. They see life through God-colored
glasses, through a God-filter. Their relationship with God not only
goes deep, but it lasts. They have seen the Lord working in their lives
and know what His hand feels like. They have seen His faithfulness again
and again. They have a history with the Lord.
I think there is a time when all the good works, getting the job done,
reaching the goal, is no longer the most important part of your ministry.
For the young men it is! But for the fathers being strong is no longer
the focus, the ability to do things for God is no longer what is important.
Instead, the most important thing is the relationship with the Father.
These elders, fathers in the church, are a well from which the rest
of us can drink deeply.
There is no such thing as "Maturity Class" for
Christians, you have to live it, not just learn it. But we can point
the way. If you are a baby Christian… got milk? Learn exactly
what the gospel is and what it has to do with you. What difference does
it make to your life that Jesus died for you? What difference does it
make to your relationships that your sins are forgiven? What difference
does it make to your self-image that God has chosen you? The best way
to get milk is to join a Bible study or ask a friend who has been a
Christian longer to teach you.
If you have been a baby long enough and you want to be a mature Christian
you need meat. Get into the Word and dig in. Ask the Lord to use it
to equip you for service and then jump into the work. Look for any way
you can gain experience. My brother has been a pilot for many years.
He is always looking for ways to log in more hours in the air. Do the
same. Exercise your faith.
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