Writing to You Because

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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

http://www.gracepointeonline.com

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