Sunday Morning Bible Study

September 30, 2012

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?

This is a book about Real Issues

What’s real? What’s the truth? Questions like:

Who is God? What is He really like?

What is a Christian? What is a Christian really like?

We’ve seen John write about things in groups of three (“If we say” and “He who says”).  We now look at two groups of three all bound up in three verses.

He’s going to be writing about three groups of people:  Little children, young men, and fathers.  I believe he is talking about three kinds of Christians, three levels of maturity.

2:12-14 Growing Up

:12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

:12 I write – grapho – to write

Present, active, indicative

:12 little children – teknion – a little child

It comes from the word teknon, a word for “child” that has an emphasis on the birth, on the fact that they have been born into a family.  But it’s a “smaller” (diminutive) child.

As believers, become part of God’s family when we are “born again”, with God as our Father.

Teknion is a word that is used affectionately to describe the followers of a spiritual teacher.

John uses this word seven times in 1John.

When you look at the other uses of “little children” in 1John, you begin to realize that it is used of all believers, though as you work your way through our text, you will see that in our current passage, it is used to describe a level of maturity for certain believers.

The fact that John uses a different word for “little children” in verse 2:13 gives us the clue that he’s not just using this as an affectionate term for all his readers, but for a specific group of them.

:12 forgiven – aphiemi – to send away; to let go, give up a debt, forgive

Perfect, passive, indicative

This is in the “perfect tense”, meaning it is action that happened in the past with the results continuing on into the present.

Little children are characterized as those who have had their sins forgiven in the past, and they are still forgiven.

:12 sins – hamartia – to miss the mark; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong

:12 for – dia – through; of means; by; by the means of; the ground or reason by which something is or is not done; on account of

:12 name’s sake – onoma – name; the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name

:12 for His name’s sake

It’s in the name of Jesus that we find this forgiveness.

:13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

:13 I write … I write … I write – grapho – to write

All three times:  Present, active, indicative

:13 fathers – pater – generator or male ancestor; the originator and transmitter of anything; one who stands in a father’s place and looks after another in a paternal way; teachers, as those to whom pupils trace back the knowledge and training they have received

:13 you have known – ginosko – to learn to know, knowledge grounded on personal experience

Perfect, Active, Indicative

The verb here is also in the “perfect tense”, meaning that it is an action that took place in the past, and the results continue into the present.

Fathers are those who have come to know God in the past, and continue to know Him in the present.

:13 from the beginning – arche – beginning, origin

This phrase calls to mind two different things we’ve already seen in this letter.

It can be talking about God as the “eternal” one, the one who has always existed, which is what your translations reflect.

But John has also used this same exact phrase to talk about the beginning of a believer’s walk with the Lord:

(1 Jn 2:7 NKJV) Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

The idea was that they had been taught to love each other from the beginning of their walk with Christ.

I’m going out on a limb here, but I don’t think John is talking about God’s eternal nature, I think John is simply saying,

I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning…

Keep in mind the words in our verse “who is” (in italics) is not in the original Greek text, but were added by the translators to help carry what they felt the sense of the verse was.

I’ll talk about the implications of this at the end of the study…

(:13) I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.

:13 young men – neaniskos – a young man, youth

:13 you have overcome – nikao – to conquer

Perfect, Active, Indicative

This also has happened in the past, and the results continue on to the present.

A step in maturity involves victory over evil, and maintaining that victory.

:13 the wicked one – poneros – full of labors, annoyances, hardships; bad, of a bad nature or condition; evil wicked, bad

Because the word is accompanied by the definite article (“the”) is usually denotes a title, “The Wicked One” (i.e. Satan)

(:13) I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

:13 little children – paidion – a young child; an infant

Diminutive of pais – “child”; refers exclusively to little children

This is not the same word for “little children” that was used in verse 12.

Here, the emphasis isn’t on the “birth” of the child, but the level of maturity, the fact that this believer is very young, immature.

:13 you have known – ginosko – to learn to know, knowledge grounded on personal experience

Perfect, Active, Indicative

They came to know Him in the past, and continue to know Him in the present.

But this phrase is slightly different than what John writes to “fathers” in that the “little children” have known “the Father” (as opposed to “Him who is from the beginning”)

This is the same idea as what the “fathers” have, that they have “known” the Father, but a “little child” just hasn’t “known” the Father as long.

:13 the Father – pater – generator or male ancestor; here referring to God the Father

:14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

:14 fathers – pater – generator or male ancestor; the originator and transmitter of anything; one who stands in a father’s place and looks after another in a paternal way; teachers, as those to whom pupils trace back the knowledge and training they have received

:14 you have known – ginosko – to learn to know, knowledge grounded on personal experience

Perfect, Active, Indicative

They came to know Him in the past, and continue to know Him in the present.

John repeats EXACTLY what he wrote back in verse 13.

(:14) 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.

:14 I have written

Back in verses 12-13, John used “I write” in the present tense, and now he switches to a past (aorist) tense for the last two comments about “fathers” and “young men”

Both times:  Aorist, active, indicative

To the fathers and the young men, John says that he has written to them in the past.

The “little children” haven’t been around enough to have gotten these messages in the “past”.

These messages to the young men and fathers are things that have been written about in the past, things that are a part of their heritage, part of their past.

:14 young men – neaniskos – a young man, youth

:14 strong – ischuros – strong, mighty; of one who has strength of soul to sustain the attacks of Satan, strong and therefore exhibiting many excellences

:14 you are – eimi – to be

Present, active, indicative

:14 the word – logos - word

:14 abides – meno – to remain, abide

Present, active, indicative

At this present time, continuously

:14 you have overcome – nikao – to conquer

Perfect, Active, Indicative

This has happened in the past, and the results continue on to the present.

:14 the wicked one – poneros – full of labors, annoyances, hardships; bad, of a bad nature or condition; evil wicked, bad

Because the word is accompanied by the definite article (“the”) is usually denotes a title, “The Wicked One” (i.e. Satan)

:14 young men … strong … word … overcome

John repeats what he said in verse 13 about the young men overcoming the wicked one, but adds that they are “strong” and God’s word “abides” in them.  Those were the parts that he wrote to them in the past, hinting that these are reasons why they overcome now in the present.

Growing Up

If you summarize what John says about each of the three types of people, it looks like this:

Little Children	Sins are forgiven, know the Father
Young Men	Overcome the wicked one, strong, word of God abides in them
Fathers	Know Him from the beginning

I want to share three lessons, one from each of category of maturity.

Lesson

Start with forgiveness

The lesson on forgiveness is that we come to the point where we realize that when God forgave me of my sins, they are still forgiven (“perfect tense”)

When He forgives us, we stay forgiven.

When He forgives our sins, He removes them far from us.

(Ps 103:12 NKJV) As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

How do you measure the distance between the “east” and the “west”?

If David had written, “as far as the north from the south”, then in our modern minds we could actually put a number to that, about 12,450.5 miles.  That’s still pretty far.

But you can’t measure the distance between “east” and “west”.

East is simply heading towards the rising sun, and you never reach the “eastern pole”.

West is simply heading in the opposite direction.

God removes our sins a long ways from us.

When God forgives our sins, He actually forgets about them.

(Je 31:34b NKJV) … For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

(Is 43:25 NKJV) —25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

The hard thing for us is that WE remember our sins when God doesn’t.

We can tend to beat ourselves up over things we’ve done a long time ago, things that we’ve asked for forgiveness, and God has forgotten.

I think that some of us will get to heaven and want to say to God, “I am so sorry about that thing I did”, and God will say to us, “What thing?”

Our forgiveness isn’t based on how many good things we do to pay for our sins, but on what God did to pay for our sins.

Our forgiveness is based on Jesus dying in our place, paying for our sins with His own blood.

(1 Pe 1:18–19 NLT) —18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

We’ve already been told by John how we can find that forgiveness:

(1 Jn 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

An important step of maturity is coming to the place where you take God at His word and believe that He has indeed forgiven you.

God desires that ALL of His children realize the blessing that He offers of forgiveness.

David wrote,

(Ps 32:1–2 NLT) —1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

Can God forgive me?

Yes He can.  Will you start trusting Him?

Play “Trash” video

It’s when you take that step of trusting in God’s forgiveness that move into the realm of “knowing” God.

Lesson

Grow through victories

The difference between “young men” and “little children” is not the battles they face, but that the “young men” have experienced God’s victory in their lives.

They have crossed the line of just “struggling” (like we all do) with sin, and have begun to taste consistent victory over their struggles.

They have been victorious and the results continue on into the present. (perfect tense)

Play “Do or do not” clip

There are believers who have swallowed the lie from Satan that they can never be victorious over their struggle.

The truth is, Jesus didn’t just come to make sure you find forgiveness for your sin, He came to give you victory over your sin.

A significant step of maturity comes when you begin to experience consistent victory over your sin.

Illustration

The Five Chapter Book:

Chapter One:  A man was walking down the street.  He fell into a hole.  He groped his way in the darkness.  After a long time, he made his way out of the hole.

Chapter Two:  A man was walking down the same street.  He pretended not to see the hole.  He fell in.  After a long time, he made his way out of the hole.

Chapter Three:  A man was walking down the same street.  He sees the hole.  He falls in.  He says it's not his fault.  After a long time, he made his way out of the hole.

Chapter Four:  A man walks down the same street.  He sees the hole.  He knows it's there.  He tries to walk around it.  He falls in.  He knows it's his fault.  He quickly gets out.

Chapter Five:  A man takes another street.

Consistent victory comes when we stop making excuses about our sins, and learn to change the path we’re on.

John hints at how these “young men” have “overcome the wicked one”.

Strength

John said they were “strong”.  The phrase “Be strong” shows up in 30 verses in the English Bible.

When young Solomon took over the kingdom from his father David, David said to Solomon:

(1 Ki 2:2 NKJV) “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.

When you have “strength”, you don’t give up.  You don’t back down from doing what is right.

When Joshua took over the leadership of the nation of Israel and was about to take the nation into war to conquer the Promised Land, God spoke to him:

(Jos 1:9 NKJV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Sometimes “strength” comes from training.  An athlete prepares for his moment by training hard.

Play “Rocky” clip

Our “training” isn’t about our physical strength, but our spiritual strength.  Our “training” isn’t about running or pounding meat, but about practicing the disciplines of prayer and studying God’s Word.

Yet how do we do this when all we feel is “weak”?

Sometimes the only strength we have is God’s strength.

(2 Co 12:7–10 NKJV) —7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

But that’s still being “strong”.

Part of the process of “youth” is learning to find your source for strength:

(Is 40:29–31 NKJV) —29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Sometimes the only “strength” I can draw on is God’s strength.  And that’s more than enough strength.

The Word

The Word of God abides in them.

I’m convinced this means more than just knowing a lot of Bible verses.

It’s about letting God’s Word impact your life.

When Jesus was faced with Satan in the wilderness and tempted three times, He responded with the word of God.

When Satan tempted a hungry Jesus to turn stones into bread …

(Mt 4:4 NKJV) But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus’ implication was “I’m not going to do what Satan says and turn stones to bread, but I will choose to live by God’s Word”.

When Satan tempted Jesus to jump off the top of the Temple,

(Mt 4:7 NKJV) Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Jesus was saying, “I’m going to choose to do what God’s Word says and not tempt God by jumping”.

When Satan tempted Jesus to bow down to him in exchange for gaining all the kingdoms of the world,

(Mt 4:10 NKJV) Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Jesus was saying “I’m going to do what God’s Word says and only bow down before God”.

It’s not just quoting Scripture that gives the “young men” victory over Satan, but learning to submit to what the Bible actually says.

Jon Courson writes,

The wicked one flees when he hears a man or woman say, “I don’t care what my fleshly tendencies are, here’s what God’s Word says—and with His help and by His grace, His Word is what I choose to follow.”

It’s finding consistent victory over the evil one that moves a person into the maturity of a “young man”.

Lesson

Mature relationship

The thing about each “level” of maturity is that as you grow in maturity, you don’t abandon the lessons learned in the previous levels, but you are adding to them as you grow.

The “fathers” know about and experience the forgiveness of God.

The “fathers” have struggles with Satan, but they have learned to find victory.

And through it all, they continue to “know” God.

Maturity (“fathers”) could be defined here as…

Reproduction

Fathers raise children

Note:  Even young men can “reproduce”, but a healthy family doesn’t flow from the “mistakes” of young reproduction, but by maturity.

Any young person past the age of puberty can “reproduce”.

But it takes maturity to progress from simply being a sperm donor to becoming a “father”.

Mature believers are those who take seriously the call to encourage and “disciple” those who are younger in the faith.

You don’t have to have “mastered” everything in life to begin the process of looking out for others that you can encourage and help.

David was young when he killed Goliath, but towards the end of his life, you see a generation of giant killers having been raised up in the nation.

Long continued obedience

It’s like running a marathon, or even better, an ultra marathon

Play “Cliff Young” video

Maturity is learning to run, even if it’s a shuffle, but learning to stay on track over your life.

There’s nothing “sexy” about maturity.  It’s not about “flash” and “pizzaz”.  It’s about enduring.

Thirty years ago, Eugene Peterson wrote a book titled:  “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”

Haven’t read the book, but I love the title.

It’s that “perfect tense”, that they have come to “know” God in the past, and after all they have experienced, they continue to “know” the One they’ve known from the beginning.

The “little children” have also “known” God, but the “fathers” are the ones who have gone through the battles of youth, and still continue to “know” the Father.

It’s not reaching a level of “perfection”, because none of us are going to reach that in this lifetime.

But it’s learning to run, one victory after another.