1 John 2:12-17 – Our first service following the mandates by Governor Newsome to limit churches from meeting indoors. Praise God we have the means to meet outside under our patio. Masks, social distancing, but most of all, the people of God coming together to worship and hear the Word of God together! Listen/Watch here. Read the message below…
(transcript) Good morning church! Can you guys hear me okay? I just want to thank everyone who came out early to get everything set up this morning it’s a lot to do so thank you all. Jess and Ashley especially just moving all of our sound all this equipment out here, and at the last minute to give me a mic instead of a lapel mic, so thank you for that. So, good morning everyone. Good morning, it’s good to see everyone here is so awesome we get to be here together, and also online Hi to everybody out there listening in online this morning.
You know, Pastor Joe has been leading us through a great study in first John. Go ahead and open up your Bibles. We’re going to be looking at six verses in chapter two. So open your Bibles to first John chapter two, verse, 12. I’ll have the scripture on this slide over here as well.
You know, if ever there was any Word from God that could affirm us and clarify any doubts that we have about our relationship with God, I think it’s John’s letters. He wants us to know for certain what we have and who we are in Christ, without any doubt. And I think there’s probably two kinds of people listening to my voice today that may need a shift and their thinking…
either we are needlessly doubtful, or we’re carelessly confident and both of us can come to the Word in and get that in check. For those who wonder about God’s true love for you. As you weigh out your past, and you think about your future and your failings maybe and you have that doubt I want you to come to the Word and I want you to know with certainty that you are loved that your past is forgiven, that your future is certain, and that you can know and never doubt again there’s just no need for it and I want you to leave here today confirmed in your faith, and in God’s love and forgiveness that kind of needless doubt is a lie and it’s from Satan himself.
And there’s others of us who are carelessly confident those who have said the “Sinner’s Prayer” at one point, walk the aisle raise your hand to become a Christian and now you attend church – check. You gave some time and money – check. And you’re just really a good person, right, you consider your faith and given, because you are a good person and you do the religious things, and it’s time for you also to get into the Word and let go of your careless confidence in this once-and-done moment followed by a life where the bad guys are over there…or down there with Hitler, you know and Saddam Hussein, and that guy who doesn’t use his turn signal…that kind of careless confidence in our spiritual status is really also a lie and it’s from Satan also.
The Word brings us all into truth if we just trust it and apply it well with discernment. When we do that, we become, humbly assured. And the Word for us in this is this that we can know the greatest truth and that truth will humble us and it should, and it will anchor us, and it will give us assurance that’s rooted in truth. And isn’t that what we need today?
In a world that shifts like never before and leaves us guessing what we can really know, and if we can really know anything for certain …and a time when fake news seems more prevalent than real news …when we have to wake up and check the news to even know if we can go to the store, or visit a friend or even come to church… we can know the most important thing and that is what today’s message is about.
You see John is making a kind of abrupt shift in this letter, and he pauses the flow to make sure his readers know the truth and feel confident about it. In fact, the shift is even evident in how he formats it. If you’re looking at your Bible, you’ll see that it started by kind of a paragraph format, and it shifts to more of a poetic style. So check out verses 12, to 14, they’re organized like a poem. It’s a clear shift. John’s drawing our attention to something, But I want you to back up and read verse 11 with me. What is he shifting from?
He says in verse 11 “The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
John is pointing out those who are in the darkness and what they’re like and he’s saying to his readers: “This isn’t you.”
And he is tender and how he expresses this. It is a poetic format…a repeated Wording. Then going back and forth as you’ll see, from children to fathers and young men and then back again to children and fathers but before we really dig in, I’d like to ask you a question.
What is the greatest thing that ever happened to you? When I was five, it was going to Disneyland, for the first time, even had those little booklets, you know, E-Book and all that. When I was 16. It was of course, my first car. And one time I found $64 in a pair of jeans I bought from a thrift store…(Whaaat? I know!) Alright, as great as any of those moments or any moments that you’re thinking about in your head, whether you won the lottery – and we’d like to hear from you and your tithing…Or if you walked on the moon…the greatest moment in anyone’s life is actually the same, and it’s the moment your sins were forgiven.
What happens is I don’t think we really appreciate that moment, I mean we do, but we come accustomed to it, and it becomes kind of “spiritual white noise”, in a sense, and as a result I believe we often live in one of those two states that I mentioned earlier, either in doubt or in disregard. So, John stops the flow of his letter to affirm the greatest thing that could ever happen…the greatest moment in anyone’s life…the most significant event of them all….verse 12, “I am writing to you, little children because your sins have been forgiven you. For his name’s sake.”
John is addressing those who were born again, and where your Bible reads and says, “little children”, that’s the Greek word “teknia”, it’s a term of endearment. It kind of means “darlings” like “little darlings.” Jesus used the same word talking to full grown men, when he called his disciples (teknia) in John chapter 13 verse 33: “Little children, teknia…I’m with you a little longer.
And now John picks up on that same wording that he first heard sitting at the feet of Jesus and he speaks to all of those who were born again, and in his poetic break, he tells them the single greatest thing that has happened to them… the most important thing that defines them… and folks, nothing has changed. It’s still the greatest thing in your life today. If you are a child of God. Verse 12 again I am writing to you, little children (teknia, because that’s the Greek Word hoti. The Greek Word is translated there because it’s “hoti” and it means, “since it is true of you”, so it reads like this: I am writing to you, little children, my darlings sweet ones, since it is true of you that your sins have been forgiven you for his name’s sake”
You see, these are not just “CrINOs” (Christians In Name Only) – These dear little children are truly saved and forgiven and their sins – just like ours – have been forgiven for Jesus’ names’ sake, but why?
It is his name that is great.
Maybe you played this little icebreaker game where you wear someone else’s name tag at a party, and everyone has to guess who they are based on the name that they’re wearing. Jesus showed up to that party and just took everyone’s name tag on himself. He took your name and he took my name my name with every sin, every dark thought every denial, every sarcastic, every petty, mean-spirited, self-righteous, little-white-lie, or big, fat, ugly, moment, lazy thought, or deed and took the punishment for those sins upon himself for his name’s sake.
Why? because he promised he would. And what can ruin a person’s name faster? …when they break their word, but Jesus kept his word, the Word that was spoken as a promise, at the beginning that Satan would be crushed under his feet, that the seed of Adam would strike the accuser, and that the penalty of sin would be paid and when God’s wrath was poured on Jesus, instead of you and instead of me, and he became as John said in verse two of this chapter, “the propitiation for our sins”, it was for the sake of His great name, the “great I am” the one who was the Word in the beginning the true light that came into the world, who gave the right to become children of God to all who believed in his name….That my friends is the greatest moment of our life! And it was the culmination of all of history!
We are forgiven! Amen? Amen!
He took your name and he took my name my name with every sin, every dark thought every denial, every sarcastic, every petty, mean-spirited, self-righteous, little-white-lie, or big, fat, ugly, moment, lazy thought, or deed and took the punishment for those sins upon himself for his name’s sake. That my friends is the greatest moment of our life! And it was the culmination of all of history! That simple truth is as much a floodgate of reality pouring over us as it is a small door opening up to greater and greater moments in our maturity in Jesus Christ
And everything, new pours forth from there, and everything old treats it carelessly, or doubts it, and Satan is quite literally hell-bent on keeping us from owning and loving and rejoicing in that essential truth, because the simplest truth is as much a floodgate of reality pouring over us as it is a small door opening up to greater and greater moments in our maturity in Jesus Christ and so John addresses those “teknias” in their three stages or “seasons of maturity.”
“I have written to you children, because you know, the father.” John uses the Greek word “padeion” now for children instead of “teknia”… “padeion”. We get our word “pedestrian” from this It means “a child in training” a child putting one foot in front of the other… taking basic steps. They know their father their Heavenly Father, and that is very important, that’s the starting point for all of us. Knowing the father and having that close relationship with him. Knowing the father keeps us safe.
Have you ever walked around an amusement park or a busy mall with a young child holding your hand and you’re concerned for their safety? So, you have them look at you and remember what you’re wearing. “Don’t take your eyes off daddy. He’s wearing a bright blue shirt and a neon green hat.” They get the basics straight, so they won’t stray. They know who they’re looking at, and if they’re lost they know who they’re looking for.
And it’s the same spiritually with us as believers. We first need to know the Father, and John is affirming them in this – they do know their Heavenly Father, and next John moves from the Heavenly Father and the believers who know him to those who are mature spiritual earthly fathers. These are the ones who have been fatherly, not just literal fathers – men who have had literal children. These are the ones who have been fatherly in the spiritual sense and he says the same thing to them twice.
So I’m keeping it here on one slide, “I am writing and I have written you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning,” that’s in verse 13 and again in verse 14, someone who has been spiritually mature has become fatherly to others. Children know the basics and they’re just keeping their eyes on their daddy “Abba Father” right, and Paul calls it the “milk.” Right.
But as we mature, we long for the what, the “meat”, we want the meat, give us the meat, the deep truth of our faith, so John says to mature believers “you know Him, who was from the beginning.”
And so who is this? Well, John opened this letter with that answer, and he said it in his gospel as well. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God,” Who was the one with God?… maybe you know this already, Jesus! Yes.
John is pointing out the older more mature in their faith. He’s pointing out to them because they not only know the father like every good child should but they know the one whom the Father sent, Jesus. and this letter was written and circulated about 50 years after Jesus died. So, there is the possibility that like John some of those that he was writing to may have actually known Jesus in person. So, John is saying not only have you known Jesus literally in prison, face to face, you have touched him and seen him with your eyes, but you really “know-know” him.
You are like fathers, because you know Jesus and you are training up younger ones which is what fathers do. You don’t just attend church you attend to the church.
Mature believers don’t just attend church you attend to the church.
Then John affirms the young men. The Greek word is “neaniskos.” And again, this isn’t a to exclude women by using the masculine form, it’s a figure of speech – really kind of a generic meaning those who are in the young adult season maturity and their faith, those who are out in the real world now putting into practice what they have learned as little children as the “padeion”, and he describes these “neaniskos” these “young adults” with a great word in Greek that a shoe company borrowed – Nike. It means “overcomer.”
It’s the same Word that John uses again in chapter four, three more times in chapter five and finally 14 times in Revelation. John first said you have overcome the evil one, then says, why. You overcame you overcame because you are strong. Why? How did they get strong and if we’re mature we should want to know that as well because they were good “padeions” they were good little children, they did what good students do they stay in school. (looking at kids in the audience…) Stay in school learn at school homeschool online school – in person – hybrid — whatever, “stay in school”
They stayed in schools spiritually, they learned spiritually, they learned their facts and not only do they know the Word he says the Word of God abides in you. And there was only one way that “neaniskos” can overcome the evil one and remain strong, and it’s the same way Jesus Himself remained strong against the evil one. They know the Word.
Paul tells us to, “let the Word of God. Abide or dwell in us richly.” And I think this is one of those things that we know, but not really. I mean, we know the stories from the Bible (aside) “Yay, Jonah!”, we even know a few verses, John 3:16 – football players, right?… but could this be said of us that the Word abides in us? remains in us? grows and spreads in us from the inside out? Is that true of us?
That phrase in the Greek reads like this, “the Word that is in you abides in you.” Two things have happened. First you get into the Word and then the Word gets into you.
Jesus told his disciples in Luke chapter 21 verse 15, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” because they had spent time closely, learning from Jesus, they were his “teknia” at his feet. They knew Jesus, they knew that the Holy Spirit and Jesus told them that he would come and fill them and through the power of the Spirit, they would speak recalling Jesus’ words – overcoming and remaining strong. And this is a practical point of action now for all of us today. You want that right? “What do we do now?”
Well, first of all, I think we often can recognize that we stress about what we see going on…how we see people engaging in our own families and at work, how we see our society fundamentally changing in a dangerous direction. And I’m not just talking about politics or worldviews. I’m talking about a continued movement away from the truth. The truth of the Word into a progressive woke version of Christianity, and we’re right to be concerned because there are no “versions” of Christianity. There was only the way, and the truth and the life. And that Word was brought to us by the Christ, and Christ followers overcome not by being woke, but because of the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of true believers.
But too often we are overcome instead of overcoming. Overcomers are not impotent as the world co-ops the gospel to fit a social justice agenda and to broaden the road to heaven. Overcomers know the Word and can stand in strength because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
You have the belt of truth wear it! You have a shield, use it! God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. Christians, we are not defenseless! Amen? and we must get serious about knowing the Word and not just passively having it preached over as at church or diluted daily and little devotionals. Get in the actual Word – own it, know it, love it, memorize it – memorizing isn’t just for kids and their little sticker charts in Sunday School – it is for the neaniskos, and the patres, and the teknia – those who are living and abiding and doing God’s will. Make it a priority today to go home – no, get in your car, no, do it right now if you want to! – I won’t judge you – get your phone out and actually write it into your schedule time for actually reading and learning the Word and I promise you – God promises you – His Word will not return empty.
You will find more strength, you will have more resolve, more hope and power and wisdom than you ever have had… why? Because it is the living and powerful Word that enables us to Nike to overcome! Do not settle for remaining childish in your faith, you are not called to survive in this world, as we wait for the roll to be “called up yonder.”
It is time for us as the church to live up to the name that we claim to follow: Jesus Christ the Savior and deliverer of the world! And let’s be about that today.
And so, John has filled their cups with encouragement and affirms the mature and the maturing believers with what they have done and he gives this big introduction, and then a big warning about what not to do. We need to know what not to do…Verse 15 “do not love (agape) this world (cosmos), nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
He’s talking to the true children, the “padeion.” Remember, which has the sense of “like father, and like son.” In other Words, children behave like their father. You love the world? You are not of the Father, you are of the father of lies – the evil one. The worldly love that John is warning about is the love of the system of the world. The Greek word, “cosmos” opposite of chaos, means the “ordered systems of the world”, not the beauty of what we appreciate and God’s creation, but the ethical and the moral systems of this world the politics, and even the religious systems if they do not come from God’s Word.
John says, “all that is in the world” can be summed up in three categories and pay attention to these, the lust or desire that’s the Greek word, epithumia and it means an intensely focused passion, lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world it’s literally the only thing this world knows. Everything that happens in this world is rooted in those three views, those three approaches… that’s it. That’s what this world offers us lust, lust, lust, and not only in that sexual sense that many of you are thinking but let’s just break this all down…
Number one, the lust of the flesh. That’s what we can accomplish with our strength our physical bodies. It can be what we eat, what we drink. It is what we lust after in the sexual sense but it’s anything that involves our body and the misplaced priorities of what our bodies were created – designed – by God to do eat, drink, sleep, work, play build have sex because used for God’s will our bodies can and do glorify Him, but satisfying our flesh without God is what this world has to offer. So, we our desire to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Number two, the lust of the eyes. That’s everything we see, and desire, you’ve heard it said that the eyes are the window to the soul. Well, that’s not only because we reveal our deepest self through our eyes, but because when we see something, and have an intensely focused passion for it, it becomes our life, it becomes what we are about inside of us, right. It doesn’t just mean “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see” but what you do with what you see. Do you see and then envy? Do you covet? Do you want something with jealousy that someone else has? This robs our joy because we’re not satisfied first and fully in God’s provision for us.
And number three the boastful pride of life. This is kind of a YOLO mindset are we still saying that YOLO? “You only live once”, so go for it. Take your life do what you want with it, see it all, take it all in. Make sure no one keeps you from what you want when you want it how you want it and then most importantly, this life is all there is. So, live it up the way that you want it and here’s an important point Christians listen. Listen….
Christians know better than to say YOLO right (unless we’re just joking around with Pojar.) And yet Christians, we live in effect like this. Let me explain…If you’ve ever thrown up your hands and exasperation at the craziness of this world – and who hasn’t done that a million times in the last few months? If you’ve ever done that and just said, “Maranatha! Lord come quickly!” You know, “Calgon, Take me away!” If you’ve ever just wanted it all to resolve. If you are just holding on until Jesus returns, then you are living a Christian version of YOLO. You are. I’m telling you, God never gave us the promise of his return so we could escape this world. This world is not our home, Yes. We are citizens of heaven. Amen. But we are indeed here and we do have a mission and our mission isn’t some escape room challenge to see how fast we can solve it and get out, or if you’ve been in one of those rooms, to see how fast someone smarter than you can figure it out so everyone else can get out.
For God so loved this world – the people – and we should too! Our mission is to do and to love and to walk in this cosmos in the name and the power of Jesus Christ and for the glory of His kingdom, not stay sheltered in place in our, silos of “Country Club church.” John warns mature believers that loving this world will keep us off mission. Because what this world system offers is literally point by point in direct opposition to the greatest commandment… that we love God with hearts soul and might.
Do you see it there, the lust of the flesh opposes the love that we should have for God, it opposes it with our might, the lust of the eyes opposes the love we have for God with our soul, and the boastful pride of our own life opposes the love we have for God, with our heart. The great commandment is the opposite of the world’s view.
Verse 17. The world is passing away. And also it’s lusts…
Yes, the world is passing away. I mean we all feel it these days. More than ever before in any of our lifetimes, and we all say “Heck yeah, the world is going to h E double toothpicks in a handbasket!” Right? And we focus our emotion and our energy on that part of the verse, and we come into agreement with ourselves as Christians in our little club, as if we wear this badge, as if we all have the inside scoop on it and we kind of do, but we shouldn’t be smug about it. We absolutely should be thankful that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We are…
but we are not here to survive this world. We cannot park our focus on that part of the verse, read on because this is the priority. “But the one who does the will of God lives forever.” We are here to know the Word of God, to love like Jesus, and to transform our communities. The ones who are truly the “teknia”, the beloved children of the Father, are the ones who do God’s will, who instead of lusting in our flesh with our eyes and our life. We love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our mind and our strength, and we do His will. These are the ones who abide with him and now and forever living out today begins then at the cross. It begins because you are forgiven. We are forgiven. And like I said at the open at the opening of this talk, either you know this in a humble assurance like dear little children, or you’re doubting it needlessly or you are careless in your confidence. So come to the cross today and ask God to confirm on your heart, the truth and the power of knowing your sins are forgiven.
Maybe you realize right now that you have never truly surrendered your heart to God…today is the day to do that. Maybe you’re realizing that you need prayer for that humble assurance – you have said yes to Jesus, but you are not living in the kind of assurance today. And maybe today you realize that this is church is the community that you want grow with and you want to become a member here at La Mirada Church…you can message us online for prayer or with your questions and you right here in person can meet in the Gazebo for prayer or find me after worship and I’ll pray with you.
We’re going to turn our hearts to focus on the elements of the Lord’s supper – the bread and the cup which remind us of the body and blood of Jesus poured out for us. Please take time to quiet your heart, pray, and meditate on God’s word to you this morning. After the service, thank you for leaving your offering in one of the boxes provided.
Communion is prepared for you with the bread and juice in one cup. You can get up to take communion as you feel led or raise your hand and an usher will serve you during this closing song.
Please stand and let’s pray…
Heavenly Father, there is no way we could ever express how needy we are for you today – man, oh, man do we need you – this world is just crazy and we have been guilty too often of just wanting it all to pass away so you will come and take us Home…but Father you are waiting…you’re waiting for us not in the slow way that we think of it but in your perfect timing so that all will come to repentance. So, we repent right now before you and confess that we lose sight of the power of your forgiveness. We have become too worldly in our worries in and concerns and we have loved this world more than we should. Father forgive us and restore us and bring us together in unity here right now at your table and in this time of worship. Amen.
This transcribed message has been lightly edited and formatted for the Web site. No attempt has been made, however, to alter the basic delivery style, or to produce a grammatically accurate, publication-ready manuscript conforming to an established style template.
©Dwelling Richly and ©Jennifer G. Richmond, 2020
Thank you for visiting today. Please leave a comment and share this blog if it was helpful to you. Blessings, Jennifer
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