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For His Name's Sake (1 John 2:12-14) · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  We're going to be covering a solid three verses tonight. We're going to be going through 12 through 14. So just a really quick recap again of where we started and where we got to last week in terms of the content of 1 John. John is writing, as we discussed in our intro, to combat a heresy which is sneaking into the church and was causing a disruption of the certainty of the believers.
• 0:26
  And we as Christians are, we discussed that we as Christians are so willing to deceive ourselves and live a fiction or a fictional life. And the enemy wants us to live in the bondage of this fiction rather than independence and openness with our loving Heavenly Father.
• 0:44
  We considered the fact that we can do this, we can live open and free in loving our Heavenly Father because Christ the righteous has paid all for my sins, which means we can now, in loving response to the love of God, walk redemptively towards...
• 1:04
  perfection ultimately in heaven. And then we can do this by growing in our knowledge of him which leads to a love for God and his children. That was kind of what we looked at last week and as we jump into our introduction for this evening.
• 1:22
  As I stated last week, John has been putting together this building, which will keep these believers free from the doubt that the enemy would have them to live under. And he has been putting together this foundation for the structure in the first chapter. And then the last couple of weeks, he has put up the walls. And I believe, metaphorically, he is now going to kind of put that roof on the building, which is going to be the house that we as believers can sit in in confidence.
• 1:51
  And John, in the first three verses we are going to look at, the only verses we're going to look at this evening, weaves together a tightly woven tapestry of encouragement as he will remind these believers and thus us this evening about the incredible gifts and assets.
• 2:10
  that they have and we have. The overarching theme and purpose for this section is to encourage and put a cap, as I said, or a roof on the building, which he has been constructing in these first two chapters of his epistle. And this evening...
• 2:24
  As we consider this portion of Scripture, I want to make sure that we consider both the context of why this epistle was written, and namely, the false teachers who had snuck into the church body, as well as the heart John displays for the readers of this epistle, and I think thus God for us this evening.
• 2:43
  We are going to read our three verses and we're going to pray and we will begin. 1 John 2, verses 12-14 say this, 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.
• 3:07
  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.
• 3:28
  the evil one. Let's pray. Father in heaven, God, we pray this evening right now that you would guide our minds, our hearts to truth, Lord, that you would direct us to what you would have for us this evening, Lord. May the study that has been put into this, Lord, be honoring and glorifying to you as well as helpful to our everyday walks, Lord. May we leave tonight being encouraged by the words of John and ultimately your Holy Spirit as he guides us this evening.
• 3:57
  I pray these things in your name. Amen. All right, 12 through 14. There was going to be a third point, but there's not going to be. So our one and only point for this evening is their assets, 12 to 14. I believe John is calling to their attention some assets that these believers had. Remembering can be a truly powerful exercise. The memory of good or bad experiences is...
• 4:25
  Much of what makes us who we are today, in fact. The compilation of our lives, our experience with God or lack thereof, our good and bad, make us who we are today. The knowledge of our past brings forth joy or sorrow based on those memories.
• 4:47
  Now, as you can imagine, I believe that these people in this church that John is writing to are no different than you and I, that they had a multitude of good and bad experiences, of good and bad memories, just as all people do. But some may have been feeling discouraged as they read the beginning of John's letter. I think that's very possible, given the tone of it to this point.
• 5:12
  After all, much of this first section has been spent speaking to the lies which were being believed by the people. If you recall, last week we ended with the statement in verse 11. It says that they had blinded their eyes because they lived in darkness. They had blinded their eyes. That statement from John, which was concerning those who had had hate in their heart for their brother. I'm guessing that as the people read this,
• 5:44
  They were not filled with the warm fuzzies as they considered the reality that their hearts probably reflected at times some of this hate for their brothers and sisters in Christ. That possibly they were the ones who were blinded.
• 6:00
  I know as I consider that statement, there was a feeling and is a feeling of conviction on me. I know there are times where perhaps not verbally, but in my inner being, I entertain hateful thoughts of a brother or sister because it is within each one of us, right? There are moments where we do not like each other. And as the readers would have heard those things, I'm sure they were not feeling great at that time.
• 6:30
  as they read those final phrases that we looked at last week. But what I love about John is that in spite of the fact that he's dealing with a really heavy topic and addressing an evil heresy which needed to be rooted out and destroyed, he still at times in his letter comes together with these incredibly tender and loving statements. And here in these three verses, I believe...
• 6:57
  we find such statements. That is part of why I want us to consider, as I said in the beginning, the heart that John displays to the reader. And I believe the Lord displays through that to us today. And as I said, remembering is a powerful thing. Memories hold a lot of weight in us, right?
• 7:24
  They hold all kinds of emotions connected with them. And John, under the power of the Holy Spirit, is inspired to remind these Christians of truths, of facts, of assets which they have in and amongst them in order to encourage them in their faith and spur them on to bolster them in reminding them of the great assets they have.
• 7:50
  He does this to encourage, surely, but he also does it, as we're going to find out next week, because there's some things he's going to warn them that are coming their way. And he wants to bring them encouragement first. So, let's take these statements one by one as they are made through verses 12 through 14. He says first,
• 8:13
  I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. John first and really most importantly makes a statement as he reminds the readers of their assets is that their sins are forgiven.
• 8:39
  And I think in view of 1 John 1.5-2.11, the readers may have wondered why on earth he's writing them this letter. This is really kind of discouraging, John. We're not feeling uplifted and encouraged to walk in step with the Spirit. We're feeling a little bit down.
• 9:01
  They might have been wondering, is he writing because they were spiritually deficient? Is he writing because he is wondering if they are even saved? To both of these questions, John answers an emphatic and complete no. As we look closely at these three verses, it would be absurd to even consider either of these questions to be the reason for this letter. We'll see later here at the end of...
• 9:29
  chapter 2 and verses 25 and 26, really he's, as we've said, these false teachers were clearly trying to deceive the people and, as we've discussed at length, had already stolen away the certainty of these readers and knowing that they were saved. Thus, to combat and speak directly against that, John calls to their memories and ours this evening the truth that their sins are forgiven.
• 9:58
  You wonder if you're saved. He says emphatically, you are. Your sins are forgiven on account of his name. Their forgiveness, this for his name's sake, is really, really significant that John says here. Their forgiveness and our forgiveness is predicated, assured by the effectiveness and efficacy of Christ's name.
• 10:28
  We sang a song tonight called The Anchor, right? And talked about what it is that holds us. It is the power of Christ's name that holds us. And there is no other name, Acts 4.12, there is no other name under heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved. Christ's name has power. Philippians 2.10 tells us that at the end times that every...
• 10:58
  The name of Jesus, every knee on earth, above earth, and below earth, that's everybody, right? The heavens, the earth, and hell will bow a knee to the powerful name of Jesus. And it is by that name, the name that can compel all of eternity, all that has been created, ever been created, ever was, to bow a knee to him. It is by that name that you and I and they...
• 11:27
  were saved. So as he says, I am writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. The first asset he reminds them of is that their sins are forgiven by the most powerful name on earth. Next we have, I write to you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning. There's a noteworthy thing here for us to consider that in verse 12, he uses little children,
• 11:59
  uses the statement little children to address the raiders and brings into view verses 5 of chapter 1 through verse 2 of chapter 2 as they are both in context talking about the forgiveness of sins. Now as he addresses fathers, it is the subject matter of 2 verses 3 and 4 which is in view as he reminds them that they, what they know, what they know.
• 12:28
  I'm writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. Flip over a page. Verse 3 of chapter 2 says, And by this we know that we have come to know him. The word used here for know is the same word which he uses multiple times through his epistle. And we've already looked at this. And I'm going to skip a couple of these things for time.
• 12:55
  The reason why I bring this up is that because of his word know, matching the word know from chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, they tie together and are confirmed by the fact that John uses the Greek perfect tense for the kind of knowledge he is referencing, which is the same in both statements, because you have come to know him and because you know him here in verse 13.
• 13:24
  The assertion here to the readers and to us tonight is that they know him, but also that the him is someone consequential to know. You can say you know Nathan Anderson. That doesn't mean anything to anybody. It has zero consequence. But when he says that you know him who is from the beginning, what is he reminding us of? Who is this person that we know? That's a genuine question.
• 13:55
  Who is the person that we know who was from the beginning? God, Jesus, right? We know that because in chapter 1 of 1 John, he says that which was from the beginning we have heard. He talks about it again, from the beginning. And then in John 1.1, we know that he starts it off with talking about Christ and that Christ was from the beginning. So he's saying that you know him and the him is consequential because he is from eternity's past.
• 14:26
  So the knowledge of him actually matters versus the knowledge of any one of us, right? I know Adam Leslie. Great. If you don't know Adam Leslie, it means nothing. If you don't know Nathan Anderson, it doesn't mean anything. Thus, the knowing is certainly consequential, and John makes it clear of that by stating who is from the beginning. Asset number two that John wants to remind...
• 14:52
  the readers of is that you know him and that this knowledge of him is of eternal consequence, eternal consequence, because he is from eternity past. He is from the beginning. Next we see in the middle of verse 12, John speak of young men. I am writing to you young men because you have overcome the evil one. In the previous two statements, John has previously made statements.
• 15:19
  in mind right we looked at that he had the beginning of first john five one five through two two in mind is first and then he had uh two three and four in mind with his previous one well here he doesn't tie it to anything he doesn't tie it to anything he's already said i think uh the reminder of their youthful strength strength and what has already taken place um hold a two-fold
• 15:45
  If you remember the strength of your youth, remember that feeling, that courage to take on many obstacles and difficulties with vigor. John is reminding them that they actually have a youthful strength in their faith. The fact is, brothers and sisters, if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and exercise.
• 16:05
  that faith, it will only grow in strength. As contrast to our physical bodies, which is constantly deteriorating, in contrast, our spiritual bodies, our spiritual strength, can continue on a trajectory all the way into eternity. No matter how hard we try, our physical bodies will break down. But our spiritual bodies can continue to grow in youthful vigor if...
• 16:32
  You will. This, I believe, is why Paul is writing to Timothy. In his writing to Timothy, he says that physical training is of some benefit, but godliness is of value everywhere, that is on earth and in heaven. The only decay our spiritual bodies experience is of our own doing, and if we are continually washing and renewing our minds, as Romans 12 tells us to, then we will in our spirits remain youthful.
• 17:01
  We will remain youthful. We will have the strength of young men. John also says here that they have overcome the evil one. And this might sound kind of odd because if you read this, if I think of this, I know that the devil, as 1 Peter 2 says, is still prowling around like a lion, right? Seeking to devour and destroy. I know for a fact...
• 17:28
  that I still sin, and John has even talked about that fact, and that we still get influenced by the enemy. So what is John talking about when he says overcome? Overcome means like done, right? There's not a fight still. So what is he referencing here when he says overcome the evil one? Paul in his writings to the Corinthians church,
• 17:54
  has a couple things I'd like us to consider. 2 Corinthians, Paul states that Satan is actively engaged in blinding man's mind for the purpose of preventing faith in the gospel. When God breaks through the blindness and a lost sinner is saved, that directly and eternally defeats Satan's purpose. He has been defeated in that in 2 Corinthians 4.
• 18:20
  3-6 talks about this. This is because this new birth defeats Satan's purpose to blind the sinner. And so, when John says that you have overcome, it is again a connection to the fact that these people are saved. They are eternally saved and that they have defeated the plans and the purpose of Satan in experiencing that salvation.
• 18:47
  There is a new sequence. If you look at this, this is a poem of sorts as he's writing, and it repeats itself. It seems to repeat itself. Certainly the characters remain the same, but there are some slight changes in the second of the repetition. Each one has started with the same things, little children, fathers, and young men. You'll notice that that...
• 19:17
  stays the same. In our first statement, in the end of verse 13, he says, I write to you children because you know the Father. Now, the first part is almost identical. The second part is different. In our first statement, we read, which was made to the little children, we get the idea that this is the minimum required. As we read in verse...
• 19:45
  12, I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven. It's like they've experienced the gospel, the eternal transition of the gospel, right? That has taken place. Now he writes to them, little children, and he says, because you know the Father. And again, this word, know, is the same as he used previously and the same that he used in chapter 2, verses 3 and 4. So we see in the second statement from John to the little children, we see...
• 20:15
  what is a little graduation in their experience of forgiveness. They now know the Father. This word for know is the same, as I said in verse 3 of chapter 2, in verse 12, where he says, come to know. And if you remember, this was an experiential knowing that came from growing in the knowledge of God. And it's the same idea here. These little children have believed, were saved, and are now coming to know him in a more deep way.
• 20:43
  and meaningful way. Next, he makes the exact same statement in verse 14 as he did in verse 13. He says the exact same thing. So little children has changed a little bit. They've grown in their faith a little bit. But in verse 14, as he starts that one off, he says, I write to you fathers because you know him who was from the beginning. That is literally word for word what he said in verse 13.
• 21:15
  Why would he, and there's actually an expanding on the young men section, and there was a slight change to the little children. Why would he not change that section? We have to ask ourselves, what is the significance? If he changes two and leaves one the same, what is he drawing our attention to? Can there be any improvement on Christ being saved for his name's sake? Absolutely not. Absolutely not.
• 21:46
  I believe he does this, makes the same statement over again, to reflect the incredible truth of the sufficiency of knowing Christ, that knowing him who was from the beginning cannot possibly be improved upon. This should give us some eternal security, brothers and sisters. Since it can't be approved upon, it would be sound reason that it cannot be.
• 22:16
  degenerated either we cannot take away from it if we cannot build upon it we cannot make it more perfect we cannot make it imperfect it is a permanent record which is held by the sufficiency of his name and his record for all eternity there is no progress in this statement because it is already perfect Christ
• 22:44
  His perfect, his sacrifice is perfect. Next, John builds on his statement about the young men as he says, you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. He ends with the same thing, but he adds in these two statements. You are strong and the word of God abides in you. Jesus.
• 23:10
  If you remember in John 15 says, if you remain in me, I will remain in you. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he is that bears much fruit. I think it's very possible that this is an example of what abiding in God looks like. There is strength. There is power in knowing abiding in Christ. He uses.
• 23:40
  I think it's very possible John has this statement in mind as he writes this, and he uses the same word abides as he does in John 15. And I think you see the fruit of what it means to abide in Jesus. There is strength, strength to overcome what the evil one would come against us with. The word of God abiding in the believer has an incredible ability to give the believer all they need for every situation.
• 24:08
  The promise which Christ makes in John 15, 1-8 shows that there is this reciprocal interaction between the believer and Christ. This cycle that happens as we seek to know more about Him. He gives us more and as we get more, we desire more of Him because it is inexhaustible and continues to fill us up with grace, joy, and love.
• 24:38
  John, I believe, is ending this section with this as a final reminder of their assets, which they possess as he readies them for the battle, which he is about to speak to them about. Asset number three that he tells them of is their youthful strength, which comes from abiding in the word. From abiding in the word. Let's take a step back. We've looked at the detail of...
• 25:06
  these three verses. But let's take a step back from this section as a whole and consider the impact of the doubling of statements, the repetition that he does here. This would have been done for a reason. He wanted to make a point. John wanted to make a point by doing this. Let's consider that repetition which was done in Genesis 41 where it discusses Pharaoh's dream. The doubling there was to establish that the prophecy was from God.
• 25:35
  Here in this section, the focus on knowing or knowledge of God attained and the victory which is spoken of as already being achieved creates a very strong impression on us this evening that the Apostle John regarded his readers well equipped for the spiritual dangers which he is about to warn them about.
• 25:58
  John considered them and wanted them to know that he considered them well equipped for the fight, the battle, which they would now be told of in the following verses. Brothers and sisters, the encouragement of John to his readers was because of the power that is in his name, you can and have victory.
• 26:26
  no matter our physical age, are spiritually youthful, spry, and strong, as we have already experienced the victory over the evil one, then the question I would have for us tonight, are you walking as somebody who has already won? Because we have all the assets we need at our disposal. If we have accepted Christ, we have God's written word, we have all the things.
• 26:55
  All of these assets that John commends to these believers, these readers of his epistle, we have at our disposal, forgiveness of sins. We know the one who is from the beginning at our fingertips, youthful strength, which comes as we abide in his word, all because of his namesake, because Christ is sufficient in his sacrifice and is effective.
• 27:25
  in the believer to bring about these things.