Assurance that leads to spir..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Very good, brethren. Once again, I extend my greetings and love in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome to church. I'm going to invite you to please open up your Bibles to the first. a letter of the Apostle John, the first letter of the Apostle John. If we please open our Bibles to the first letter of the Apostle John, we are going to continue with our studies to the first letter of John. And as we usually do, we have a corporate reading of the scriptures in the Old Testament.

And then we have our sermon in the New Testament. And this time, I'm going to invite and call your attention to the first letter of the Apostle John chapter two. And by God's grace, brethren, we are going to be moving on to the next section from where we left last time that I had the opportunity to preach from this pulpit like a month ago. And that is going to be in second or in first John chapter two from verses twelve through 14. That is what we're going to address by God's grace this afternoon.

So calling your attention there to those three verses. And before we read, I'm going to get you to read from chapter one, verse five, all the way through chapter two, verse 14. Before we read that, let us read those three verses. And as we read those three verses, I just want to ask you that in your heart, in your mind, did you simply think and try to answer to yourself what is the apostle speaking about, or perhaps writing about there in those three verses. Okay, so let us read those three verses.

And before we give the introduction and the explanation, and before we read the whole context of what we're gonna be discussing together, let us read together those three verses there. And I'm asking you that question, what do you think, or you have read these multiple times in the past, Let us see what the Apostle says there in 1 John 2 from verses 12 through 14. It says in those verses, in the ESV, it says, I'm writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. Remember, what is the Apostle speaking about? I'm writing to you, fathers, because you know him or have known him better, who is from the beginning.

I'm writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. And I write to you, fathers, in verse 14, because, or better translated, I have written to you, in verse 14, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. And I write, or better translated, I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. That is the passage that we have before us, dear brother and dear sister.

And perhaps you have already thought in your heart, in your mind, what the apostle is trying to speak and communicate to the church. And what I want to speak to you about from this passage of the scripture that we have here is about assurance that leads to spiritual maturity. I'm not sure if that's the thought that you had in your mind or in your heart. But what I want to speak to you, and of course, I'm going to present that from the scriptures. I want to speak to you about assurance that leads to spiritual maturity.

When I say assurance, I refer to the biblical spiritual certainty that we are to have that our sins have been forgiven. that we have known Him who is from the beginning, that we have known the Father, that we have the Word of God in us that gives us victory over the evil one. The assurance, the certainty that you are not only a professor in your mouth, but that the Spirit of God has visited you and you have been transformed. An assurance that when it's in power, leads to spiritual maturity. spiritual maturity that perhaps in your case is the maturity of an infant, or the spiritual maturity that perhaps by God's providence in your case is that of a young man, or spiritual maturity that perhaps because of his providence and the way that God is working in your life is that of a father.

You see the text out there, brother? I want to speak to you about assurance that leads to spiritual maturity. So I'm going to invite you, first of all, to pray together that the Lord will help us, that the Lord will guide us, that the Lord will help me to speak with clarity, and that the Lord will help you by His Spirit to receive the words with clarity, and that we will be edified. Just one line. If the Lord speaks to us just one line, and that line is treasured up in our hearts, then we are more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

No need of 40 minutes or one hour or two hours. Only one word of the Lord stored in our hearts transforms us. into the conformity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the prophet moves from verse 11 into a pastor in verse 12, in which now the apostle is going to move this piercing prophetic exhortation into a pastoral consolation that wants to bring assurance to the church, an assurance that he's supposed to be connected or they're supposed to lead to a spiritual maturity. And that is what we have, my dear brother and sister, in verses 12 through verse 14.

And I want, as we are now going to read the context of the scripture from verse 5 in chapter 1 through chapter 2, verse 14, I want you to sense and I want you to perceive the strictness and the piercing power of the words of the apostle as he moves towards this section and how his heart changes there in verse 12 now offering and giving the consolation that the church needs. Now speaking on the gospel certainties that are supposed to be in the hearts of those members of the church, the recipients of the letter. So let us now read, my dear brother, my dear sister together, paying much attention to each one of the words from chapter number one, verse five, all the way through chapter two, verse 14 of the first letter of the Apostle John. And let us not waste our time. Let us read with faith, brethren, and paying attention to each one of these words.

And let us see, I hope now the transition of the pastoral to the pastoral heart of this apostle. Verse 5 of chapter 1. This is the word of the Lord. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have no sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he himself is a propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. And now by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandment is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word in him truly, oh indeed, the word of God is perfected. By this we know, we may know that we are in him.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Brethren or beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he's going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His namesake. 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. I write, or 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 evil one. And that is the reading of God's Word. Amen.

My dear brother and sister, this is the piercing power of the word of the Lord. I pierce in power that is not compared to the thoughts of men." When God speaks to the heart of a soul and when he intends to discern and to separate the depths of the spirit of a man, everything is absolutely left open and naked. That is the two-edged power sword that we have in the Bible. That when God speaks, even the depths of your soul and the depths of your spirit is left naked before the Lord.

There's nothing that can be hidden from the eyes of the Lord. There's no place where you can go and hide yourself from the power of the Spirit of God. That once the Spirit of the Lord comes into your ears and discerns the intentions of your heart, then you're left there naked before him. The one who is going to require an account of absolutely everything that you have done, said and thought. He is the one that searches and inquires successfully and efficiently into the depths of your being.

This is the word of the Lord that divides and separates. This is the word of the Lord that asks the very important question of the soul of that person. Where are you going to spend eternity? What is your situation and your condition before the Lord? Oh, my dear soul, those of you who are seated before my eyes and those of you who are within the sound of my voice, answer the question before the one who sees it all and the one who hears it all.

Where will you spend eternity? What is going to happen on that day when the books are open and when the one who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it will reveal even the secret is taught that you have had in your heart, even those that you are even unaware that you have got. What is it going to happen when he's going to require an account of all the things that you have done, the thoughts that you have had, the words that you have uttered, the words that you should have uttered that you did not do, or the things that you were supposed to accomplish that you did not accomplish? What is it going to happen on that day? Because on that day, my dear soul, nothing is going to count.

works or deeds or anything that you have done. None of that is going to be able to account for righteousness before the creator of heavens and earth. But only if you find yourself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Where is your soul? Where is your heart?

Yes, the one that is listening to the sound of my voice. Where is your heart? Where is your soul? Are you in the person of Jesus Christ? This is the dividing power of the words of the Lord.

And not only a dividing piercing power that asks you the question about your eternity, but about the genuineness of your profession of faith. Because on that day, many will say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all of these things on your name? Didn't we prophesy on your name? Didn't we cast out demons in your name? Didn't we do all of these mighty works in your name?

Many professing Christians will come on that day. Many people who said, I pray the prayer. I belong to a Christian family. I was going to a particular church. Even the church in which I seated, it was a conservative good church.

Many on that day will receive the scary words from the mouth of the one who sees all things. Depart from me, ye workers of inequity. I never knew you. That is the piercing power, not of the words of the one who preaches, but a piercing power of the words of the Spirit of God that confronts your soul, not only on a Sunday, but every time that you come and your conscience testifies about you, about your spiritual condition. That is the work of the scriptures, not only in the canon, but this is the same work that the Apostle John has been doing through his writing of this letter.

Didn't you read with me together? If you say that you have fellowship with him while you walk in darkness, you are a liar. the piercing power of the word of the Lord. If you say with your mouth that you are a Christian, if you say with your mouth that you have fellowship with him while secretly you walk in darkness, while secretly you watch pornography, while secretly you have thoughts of envy and bitterness, while secretly you waste your time in wicked things, while secretly you do things that you don't want anyone to see, while secretly you give yourselves to things of the flesh while you walk in darkness. You are a liar.

And that is not the testimony of the one who preaches, that is the testimony of the power of the words of the Lord. That if you say that you have no sin, you make him a liar and his word is not in you. If you're a self-righteous person that is easily offended with things that are told to him or her, are easily offended by the confrontation of the Word, that easily goes and runs and hides themselves from the piercing power of the Word and says, I have no sin. I have not done anything against you. You are a liar.

You deceive yourself. And His Word is not in you. The truth is not in you. That is the piercing power of the Word of God in the writing of the Apostle John. If you say that you know him and do not keep his commandments, you are a liar.

And the truth is not in you. Hypocrites, self-righteous, disobedient, all of them, according to John, liars. And they do not have the word of God in them. They do not have the spirit of Christ in them. If you say with your mouth that you love your brother and sister, and if your brother and sister is in need, and you do not provide for them what they need, for their food, for their shelter, you are a liar, and you are in darkness, you walk in darkness, and you're stumbling.

All of these words have been written, have been uttered by this apostle who knows of the need that the church will see all of these important truths and discern those truths in their hearts. But now the Spirit. moves this prophet, old, I imagine him very old, writing these words, such powerful words, brother, very powerful words, old, perhaps very weak in his flesh, many days that he has lived and very few days or few days ahead, perhaps not even many days ahead, that he has written all of these words in the power of the spirit, not of his flesh, because he's weak. written all of these mighty words. And now his experienced heart is moved from the spirit of Jeremiah and Isaiah is moved to the consolation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then he writes his words there in verse 12, given to us very important truths, brethren, very important truths that teach us something very important. You see how many times the word because is used in those verses? I'm writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing all of these piercing words, all of these words that we have just read, All of these penetrating words that calling us liars, well, not calling us liars, right? But trying to make us discern that if we don't walk in the light, that we are liars.

He says that all of these words, brethren, all of these deep, strong words about our souls to discern our ways, to consider our ways, that all of these words have been written because, And then it says, verse 12, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 13, I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I'm 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, I have written 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 the evil one. Brethren, that is the power of the Spirit of God in a genuine believer, that the presence of the Spirit of Christ enables the person to receive the piercing power of the word of the Lord, not for the purpose of distraction, but for the purpose of edification. That is the difference of receiving the word of the Lord in the flesh and receiving the word of the Lord in the Spirit. The one that is easily offended, the one that feels shame, the one who runs away and says, I am not that person. I am faster and quicker to see your sin rather than to see the sin that is in my heart.

That person that receives the piercing power of the word of the Lord in the flesh. is not with certainty that his or her sins have been forgiven, does not have the assurance that they have known the Father, does not have the assurance that they have experienced the Lord Jesus Christ, does not have the victorious power of the word of God in them that is moving them to have victory over the evil one. All self-examination is to be done in light of the gospel realities. I've heard many times, perhaps not many times, but a few times that people say that for every single look that we have itself, we are to have 10 looks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, the balance is not quantitative.

The balance is qualitative. every single time that you look into your heart, that you look into your heart as you look to Christ. And every time that you look to Christ, you're to look into your heart with the power of his words. It is not about times. It is about the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we do not examine ourselves in light of the Lord Jesus Christ and his power and his life in us, then our introspection is going to be carnal, it's going to be fleshly, and it's going to move us perhaps not to have victory over sin, or just to be like one of the first chapter, I have no sin. I have no sin. I have no sin. Self-righteous hypocrites, not dealing with the sin that they have. Quicker to see or faster to see the sin in others and not to see the sin in themselves.

Or if we see ourselves and see our hearts, not in light of the presence of Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we may be like the one that is completely self-condemned all the time, lacking assurance of salvation. How is the person going to receive the piercing power of the word of God if they are walking in the flesh? Yet the apostle has said all of these words, piercing words, because you are forgiven. My dear brother and my dear sister, this life as Christians that we live is not meant to be lived in the flesh according to our reasoning and according to our power is to be lived in communion with the Lord Jesus Christ so that he ever whatever he says to us is either for. building up through the destruction of our ways or just by building up by his grace.

But every time that he speaks to us into our hearts, he always seeks the best for his people. And many times, my dear brother and my dear sister, for him to achieve Humanly speaking, right? For him to achieve edification and Christ likeness, he has to pierce the heart. He has to pierce the soul. He has to destroy.

He has to reveal the things that is in us. The times that pain and it is so sorrowful and it's so difficult. So that by dividing and separating, by piercing to the depths of our souls, he is the one that comes and reveals with his presence and brings identification and conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot do any of that process at all if we are not walking in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what makes complete sense that the apostle will speak all of these words and then move into these pastoral words of consolation for the church, of strengthening to the church, that they will be confirmed in their faith, the ones they have been confronted with all of these words, my dear brother and sister, now they will have certainty, assurance that leads to spiritual maturity.

That is not my sermon, but it was important to say, my dear brother, my dear sister, no, they want us to see it here. They want us to see here from these verses, I want to present to you these two ideas of assurance that leads to spiritual maturity. The main idea that the apostle has in his mind is to bring assurance to the church. That is what he wants. You know, he has done all of these words, piercing strong words.

So now he wants to bring assurance and confirmation in the gospel. But as he brings this assurance of salvation, the apostle reveals, I don't know if intentionally or unintentionally, perhaps I don't know about him, but it was intentional for the spirit of God. issues or matters that concern spiritual maturity. And there is a direct correlation, if you want, between assurance and spiritual maturity. In other words, the more assured we are of our belonging and a life to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more mature that we will be spiritually speaking.

And I think it makes complete sense, brother, right? the more certain, in other words, the more faith that we have in our belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ and in our profession of faith in our walk with the Lord, the more spiritually mature that we will be. And I think that this is found here in these verses. Let's see how the Lord guides us and moves us as we try to communicate this. Now, I want to speak to you primarily.

I'm giving you my intention. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to accomplish that. But I want to speak to you about four practices, perhaps, or four characteristics, if you want, or let's say practices or gospel realities that will help us to be assured. And they are given there. One, that our sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

Another one, that we have known him, he who is from the beginning, that we have the word of God dwelling in us. And the other one is that we have known the father. So spiritual realities, if you want, that helps us to be assured of where we are, that are supposed to lead us to spiritual maturity. But the first thing that we have to do here is to answer a couple of exegetical questions from this text so that you will get the truth from the scriptures. Not because I'm just simply saying it, but because it is actually written.

There is a couple of questions that we need to ask ourselves from the text and that they are going to teach us about Spiritual maturity and assurance and I hope the spirit will lead us to actually get to the spirit of Christ from these words and be spiritually matured The first question that we need to ask why I think we need to ask ourselves from this test Text is what is the apostle? speaking about What is the apostle speaking about? You see how he made names, fathers and young men and children. And he once again, he names children and fathers and young men. What is the post?

What is the apostle speaking about? Is he addressing or is he speaking about group ages or group, what do you call it? Age groups, age groups, age groups in the church. Is he talking about, you know, fathers, older people and young men, younger people and children? And then, you know, children.

Is he talking about physical age? And more than that, is he talking about only male? groups in the church, right? Because you pay attention there that says fathers. It doesn't say fathers and mothers.

It says young men. It doesn't says young men and young women. What is he talking about? Is he talking purely physically these age groups, parents of fathers or young men and children? Or is he talking spiritual?

And, of course, the answer, perhaps given in verse 13, is that he is speaking spiritually. It's important that we build these exegetically in front of the text, brethren, because otherwise we're just building our trust on the words of men and not on the words of the scripture. So pay attention here in verse 13. It says in verse 13, I am writing to you, fathers, And who are these fathers? Because you know him who is from the beginning him Christ from the beginning.

So this is an spiritual knowledge. These fathers are characterized because they have known the Lord Jesus Christ from the beginning. Of course, this is speaking of an spiritual knowledge because many of them have not seen the Lord face to face. speaking spiritually. If you continue there in verse 13, it says, I'm writing to you, young man, because you have overcome the evil one.

This is a spiritual language. The characteristic of these young men is that they have overcome the evil one, and the evil one is spiritually speaking. So a spiritual language. And then the continuation of verse 13, it says, I write to you, children, because, you know, the father once again is spiritual fellowship with the father. So we conclude very easily from verse 13 that the apostle is not speaking about human physical categories of age, but rather the apostle is speaking a spiritual language, spiritually speaking.

But why is he using only mail? Why is he only using male words? Why is he just saying, you know, older people and all the young people? Why is he using the language for fathers and men? And I'm really sorry, but I do ask myself those questions when it comes to the text.

And I think that it's important that the word gives details about that. Come with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. And I want to show you something there that perhaps will give us a little bit of light into that text. So the reason why I think and I'm going to show you here from the scriptures, why the apostle is using these spiritual categories and speaking of fathers and young men and then children is more particularly for male people in the church, is because when it comes to a spiritual growth, the Bible usually refers only to men, not excluding women. But the Bible speaks of being manly, manly, manly.

being a man, OK, not excluding women, but it speaks from that masculine point of view. If you understand what I'm just saying here now, 1 Corinthians chapter 16, brother, here, I think the point is made very clearly. Now, read with me. I know that sometimes you're tempted just to go ahead with the reading. So just read with me here the instruction that is given in chapter 16, verse 12.

Now concerning our brother, Apollos, I strongly urge him to visit you with the other brothers. But it was not at all his will or the will of God to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. He's narrating that. Now jump to verse 15.

Now, the exhortation that he's given is directed to everyone, it says in verse 15. Now, I urge you, brothers. Right. But this is this is actually translated better, brethren. Right.

Because he is brothers and sisters. The instruction or the information that the apostle is providing is directed to the whole church. Now, let us read in verse 13. It says in verse 13, be watchful speaking to the whole church. Brothers and sisters, be watchful, stand firm in the faith.

What comes next in the ESV? Act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in love. Now, I urge you, brothers and sisters, And then he continues with the with the exhortation. A spiritual growth in the Bible is equated many times, and not only here, with acting like men. You will see and you will know so that when the Bible is warning us about false teachers, about false prophets, there will be men who crept into the church.

It's not only that there will be men that are false teachers that will crept into the church. There are men and women. But when from a spiritual perspective, the Bible considers that this category of spiritual aspect is one of men alone. What I'm trying to see here. say here is that women are not excluded from the category that we see in 1st John chapter 2 verses 12 through 14.

So when he's speaking about fathers and when he's speaking about young young men, he's speaking about a category of age or if you want a spiritual age of fathers and mothers and young men and young women. And here we can see the definition of what it is to be strong spiritually. Pay attention to verse 13. It says, Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith.

Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. The apostle is not referring to a strength that abides in the physical muscle. The apostle is referring to a spiritual characteristics that all Christians who are mature are supposed to have.

What is to be like a man, spiritually speaking, for both men and women, physically speaking, is to be watchful, is to stand firm in the faith, is to be strong, is to do all things in love. Both women and men are able to be strong and mature before the Lord, or in other words, to act like men. Having cleared that from my conscience, I'm just going to simply ignore that aspect of the passage. Let us just return to 1 John chapter 2. This is what he is talking about, my dear brother, my dear sister.

He is talking about spiritual matters, spiritual matters. But now the question is, who is he talking to or referring to? Who is he communicating this message to? We know that he's communicating this to the church, but is he communicating this message to the church in general? Or is he really dividing the church in at least three categories of spiritual people?

because we have here fathers, right? We have young men, and we have children. And this is very important, brethren, because that will teach us something about the reality of the community of the church. Is the apostle, brethren, speaking here to the church in a general sense, and he's just only using these words of fathers and young men and children just to speak to everyone without distinction in the church, or is he really dividing, let us not put division in the church, distinguishing in the church between fathers and young men and now children? And the answer to that is that he's doing both.

He's speaking to the church in a general sense, and he's speaking to the church in these three categories of people. Now, of course, we have to prove that from the scriptures. Let me prove the first one. And I'm going to submit to you that the first verse, verse 12, refers to the church in general. First 12 refers to the church in general.

And from verse 12, 13 and 14. Now the apostle is speaking to three categories of people within the context of the church. I don't want to feel uncomfortable using the word category, but you understand what I mean, right? Like different distinctions. Not that there are different categories of people in the church, but distinctions, spiritual distinctions within the church.

One that is of fathers, one that is of young men, and one that is of young children. The first verse, verse 13, is speaking to the church in general. How do I know that? I know that because the apostle uses this word little children a lot. And every time that he uses the word little children, he's referring to the whole church.

OK, pay attention to chapter one, verse chapter two, verse two, chapter two, verse one. Pay attention with me, brother. My little children, chapter two, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. Is he making any distinction in the church? No.

He's speaking to the church in general. If you turn your page and then just go to chapter two, verse twenty eight, It says, And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. He is speaking to different categories of people in the church. No, he's speaking to everyone. Go to chapter three, verse seven.

It says little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Is he dividing the church in different categories of people? No. Every time that he says little children, he's referring to the church in general.

Go please to verse chapter three, verse 18. Bear with me. Chapter 3, verse 18. Once again, little children, let us not love in word or talk, but indeed and in truth. Is he dividing the church in different categories?

No, he's speaking to the church in general. And if you go to the last verse of the of the. Letter chapter 5 verse 21. There's more, but I'm just just presenting those 21 verse 21 in chapter 5. It says little children keep yourself from idols.

Does he wants this? He divided the church. No, he wants. everyone to keep themselves from idols. Verse 12 in chapter 2 is referring to the whole church when he writes, I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for this namesake.

And it makes complete sense, because if he's coming from this piercing exhortation that he has given in all of these verses, now he wants to console. Console is the word? Everyone. But from verse 13 onwards, he's going to start with a specific categorization, if you want, if you allow me to use that word with grace of three different type of the spiritual people in the church. And perhaps the question that now you have you may have in your head is why is he then using the word children in the end of verse 13?

You see, in verse 13, I write to you children because you know the father. How do we know then that these Children there is not the same that the Children that is in general in verse 12, right? Well, the answer is that that were Children. There is actually a different word that was translated Children for English, but it's a different word. That word there is infant.

Come with me to First Corinthians chapter 14, please, and I'll show you how the word is used. First Corinthians chapter 14, verse 20. First Corinthians chapter 14 verse 20, that word that we have there in verse 13 is speaking of children is different to the my little children. My little children is speaking to the whole church. This apostle is very old.

Imagine in his eyes. Everyone is a little children. He's very, very old. But when he's speaking about inverse 13, he's speaking about infants, infants in the faith. 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 20.

This is how this word is used and how it is exactly the same word that we see there in the passage. It says, brothers, do not be children or infants in your thinking. Be infant in evil, but in your thinking be mature. This verse, brethren, is very important, not only because it's a parallel verse to the same usage of the word, but also because it gives us an insight on how the word is used. It is about maturity.

You see that verse 20? Brothers, do not be children in your thinking, be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. So the type of infancy, if we return to our passage in 1 John chapter 2, the type of infancy that we have is a spiritual infancy. Now, brethren, this is now very important because now I'm saying to you here that the apostle is speaking to the church as little children in general. but that he is acknowledging three levels, if you want, or three stages.

I don't feel comfortable with any of those words, but you know what I mean, right? Three categories or three levels of spiritual maturity. One that is infants in the end of verse 13, another one that is young men in the middle of the verse 13, and the other one that is fathers. Spiritual maturity. This is now very important because he's acknowledging this reality in the context of the Church.

Who are those infants? Those infants are explained to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. You may remember this. Come with me. And I'm really sorry that I'm pointing you to so many scriptures, but this is the best way, I think, just to make sure that we understand everything from the Word.

Who are these infants, spiritually speaking? These infants, spiritually speaking, are explained to us in First Corinthians chapter three. Now, here we have to make sure that we understand the difference. The Apostle John in First Timothy chapter two is speaking from a positive point of view. He wants to give assurance.

He wants to bring consolation. to the infants, to the young men, and to the fathers. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is everything but happy. He's very upset. But as we read his words, when he's upset, you know, righteously upset with the situation in the church, he's going to give us insight into what it is, spiritual infancy.

Chapter three, verse one. But I, brothers of first Corinthians, brethren, but I, brothers and sisters, could not address you as spiritual people. The apostle is very upset to the point saying that the immaturity is carnal. Not that they are carnal, but the immaturity is almost carnal. It says in verse one once again, but brothers and sisters, I could not address you as a spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready. Spiritual infancy. They are only able to be fed what it is, the milk. They are no mature enough to receive the other things.

If you quickly come to chapter two, you may remember the famous passage in First Corinthians that speaks about how the apostle came to preach to the Corinthians with much power. And he wanted that the faith of the church will not be established upon the wisdom of men, but upon a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the gospel that came first to the church. And then in verse six of chapter two, he says, Yet Among the mature, we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age who are doomed to pass away. Unto the mature, spiritually speaking of the church, we do impart a wisdom.

And that wisdom is given to us in verse 13 of chapter two. Quickly go there to chapter two, verse 13. And we impart these words of verse 12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart these in words, not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Spiritual maturity being acknowledged by the apostle in the context of the church. Children or the infants, spiritually speaking, are those who are fed with the milk. Are those who are not able yet to receive the meat of the word of the Lord. Something that is confirmed in Hebrew chapter five. I need to, I see your faces and I hope that this is making sense.

Chapter five, please, this is going to confirm that. Hebrews chapter five, brethren, speaking of spiritual maturity. Yeah, bear with me, bear with me, bear with these ways. Not very traditional ways of preaching a sermon, but bear with me, brethren. Bear with me.

Let me just show you this from verse seven. It says, In the days of his flesh, Jesus, or he, offered up prayers and supplications in chapter five, verse seven. In the days of his flesh, he, Jesus, offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. You remember Gethsemane? And he was hurt because of his reverence.

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect or complete. He became a source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. What is this? What is this related to? Verse 10.

Being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Then the author just has this thought. The priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. And then he knows that is a high thought, that is a high doctrine, that is something that is not easy to explain. So he comes in verse 11 and says about this.

About this, the fact that the Lord suffered, he was perfected into obedience. He became a priest after the order of Melchizedek. About this lofty doctrine of the word of the Lord, verse 11, about this we have much to say. And it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing, for though by this time you are to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk.

Not solid food for everyone who leaves and milk is unskilled. And here we have now a practical picture of the infants in Christ. for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. Is the infant in Christ just only a small and weak, physically speaking, according to this? No, the infancy or the spiritual immaturity is related not to the size of the person, not to the age of the person, but unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Now here, my dear brother and sister, we have now that the presence of the words of the Lord in the person defines the level of spiritual maturity. So when the apostle is thinking about children, and when he's speaking about young men, and when he's speaking about fathers, spiritually speaking, he's not speaking primarily about the age, even though the age is important, as we're going to speak very soon. But he's speaking about the word of the Lord inside of them. And not only the word of the Lord in their mind, but the word of the Lord being practiced.

Being, as he says here, constant practice to distinguish, train and be trained, distinguish between good and evil. Constant practice. That is that the sword now has come into the mind and to the heart of that person. And now that person is able to use the sword to distinguish between that which is evil and that which is right. This glorious example is given in 1st Corinthians chapter 4, and I'm really sorry about this once again, but come with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 4, because this passage, even though it speaks about something completely different, illustrates this doctrine very, very well.

1st Corinthians chapter 4, brethren. Let us see here now, a father, spiritually speaking, a child, or a young man, spiritually speaking, and the children, spiritually speaking. Chapter 4, did I say the verse? 14. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 14.

Let me just read this with you, brethren. Chapter 4, verse 14. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children." Who is writing this, brethren? Who?

The Apostle Paul, right? I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For you have countless guides, he says here in the ESV, in Christ. You don't have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

I urge you then be imitators of me, brother, brother. We only have one father, right? And that only one father is our father who is in heaven and we are to call him father. But the apostle is speaking about a spiritual relationship, a spiritual reality of his relationship to the church. and saying that you were, spiritually speaking, begotten of me.

Of course, we know, you know, we know that he's the father who gives life to the Holy Spirit. We know all of those things. But the apostle is speaking of a relationship that he has with the church. Now, being the father, being the father, he does not say, do as I say. What does he say, brethren there?

Be imitators of me. No, it's not his apostolic authority. He could have said, I'm an apostle. You are to do whatever I say that you have to do, right? No, but he says, be imitators of me.

This is a father, spiritually speaking. One who has the word of the Lord abiding in him or her so much. Remember the him or her discussion that we had before? But the word of God abiding in them so much that this word now is seen, observed in the ways that they do, say, behave and act. Even the ways that they don't do, they don't say, they don't think.

All of the things that they do, they don't do, the things that they are, and the things that they are not, are governed by the presence of the word of righteousness in them that equips them to be trained in discerning evil from good. And as they do so, they are fathers in the church, being examples unto others, and they can be imitators of them. Continue in verse 16. I urge you then, be imitators of me, 17. That is why I sent you Timothy, a young man, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord to remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach them every word in every church.

Paul, Timothy, the church in this case. But here in 1 John 2, and if we return there, my dear brother and dear sister, we have the acknowledgement of three different stages of spiritual maturity. Infants in Christ, young men, those who have received the word of the Lord, and we are told there that they have the word of God dwelling in them and they are victorious over Satan, the young men and also the fathers who are worthy to be followed, not in the things that they say, but in the things that they do. Why is this important and why am I taking all of this time, my dear brother and my dear sister? First of all, because it's in the scriptures, of course.

But secondly, and I list of secondly here, is because the scripture acknowledges that in the context of the church, there is going to be at least or maximum this type of spiritual stages. that there is going to be perhaps in the context of the church people who are infants in Christ, infants spiritually speaking, that there are people in the church who are young men, and now you know that I mean young men or young women in the faith, and also fathers in the faith. The scripture, the apostle acknowledges that in the church there are these three levels. And if you think about it carefully, you will see that there are only three categories of three types of Christians in the church. But there are three stages of what the Christian life is supposed to be, right?

Do you think that the Holy Spirit is that a person who is begotten of the Spirit, that they will remain in the ways of a child for the rest of their lives? No, the Bible and the Holy Spirit expects that the Christian, once they have been saved, that they will move from being a child into being a young man and into being a father, that they will grow in ways of maturity, that they will grow in ways of conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ, that they will Leave the things behind that correspond to the flesh and that they will receive the things of the Lord Jesus Christ that they will move. Now, the apostle here is speaking in a positive sense because being an infant in Christ is not necessarily a bad thing as the apostle Paul was addressing in first Corinthians chapter three. There are some people who have been walking in the Lord for 20, 30, or 40 years, and they are an infant in Christ, and that is a bad thing. But there are people who have been just recently saved, which I think is what the apostle is addressing here.

Those who have been saved in the last year, or the last couple of years, or three years, or I don't know, a short period of time, and they are infants spiritually speaking. And that brings us to the question of time. Right? Because we're speaking about spiritual realities. But also, these spiritual realities are lived in a world, and the world works with time.

We are born again, and then we live our lives. Now, let me just simply tell you this, my dear brother and sister, and this is for the young people, young whoever, whatever is young in your mind, 10, 20, 30, so whatever it is young in your mind. Time is absolutely necessary for maturity. Let me just tell you this. I've been saying for 10 years now, I'm 37 years old in the flesh, and I can tell you that time and experience is necessary.

No thing replaces days that you live and things that you face and pains that you suffer and struggles in your life. Nothing replaces the reality of experience. Nothing takes the experience that older brothers and sisters have lived. And that's why it's very important that if you are young in the faith, that you will be close to those who are older in the faith. Why?

Because time is very important. Now, let me just tell you, for those who are older, time is not the most important thing. The most important thing is fellowship with Christ. Because just as time is necessary for the younger, it could be a two edged sword. How long have you been saved?

10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. That time was time that you were supposed to be diligent in your Christian life. And as an older person who has been walking in the Lord for many, many, many, many years, you're gonna have to give an account of the things that you have done before the Lord with all of these many years. Time is important, but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fellowship from day one to day one million. Fellowship from the day in which you were saved through your infant years, through your younger years, to your elderly years. Fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with his word is of uttermost importance. We are not to become like a hyper Calvinist when we turn 70 or 80 and say, I'm still struggling with this and that, but you know, this is the sovereignty of the Lord over my life. No, no.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. He's the one who wills in you, the one who accomplishes in you, but work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Your ways of lack of diligence and your distractions with the things of the world are not to be just simply camouflaged and just disguised with the sovereignty of the Lord over my life. We are to be diligent in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, because even though time is important, the most important thing for the life of a Christian is genuine fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, how Timothy was who Timothy was, it was by virtue of the presence of the Spirit of God from his very early years and the Word of God that was in him, moving him into ways of maturity to the point that the apostle could trust him so much.

My dear brother, my dear sister, this is the most important thing, fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ for the young and also for the older. How is the young man going to keep his ways pure according to Psalm 119? How does he keep his ways pure? By treasuring up the word of God in his heart. That is the way that you young people mature.

by keeping the word of the Lord in your hearts, by being a well in which you receive the word of the Lord. I'm not going to be able to preach my sermons, so I'm sorry. But this is a very important point, my dear brother and sister, my dear young brother and sister, my dear young brother, you who are just walking in the Lord for the very first time or one year, two years or three years. The most important thing is that you keep the word of the Lord in your heart, that you are not taken by the distractions of this world. This is what Satan wants to do with the many things that are in this world.

They want to capture your attention and deposit in your well a vast amount of sinful, wicked information that is going to take from you genuine spiritual maturity. That when you find yourself in your 20s, in your 30s, in your 40s, you're dealing with things as a child. You're speaking to your wife as a child. You're dealing with important matters as a child. brother and sister, it is of utter importance that the things of this world will not distract you from that purpose, to be skilled in the word of righteousness, to discern the ways of Christ, to have the Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in your heart, to be able to give an answer to everyone who asks of a hope that is within you.

Do not give yourself to the things of this world that are passing away. The things that you think that are important today, let me tell you, when you turn 30, 35 or 37, they are not important anymore. And I suppose that that pattern follows when you turn 40, 45, 50 and 60 and 70. They are not important anymore. The only thing that is important is what you deposit in your heart, because you're going to have to give an account for the life that you have lived.

And my dear brother and sister, you who are in elderly years, communion with Christ. Whatever remaining time we have ahead is communion with the Lord Jesus Christ that moves us from our childish ways. And this is everything in the words of the Lord. Very quickly, let me see if I can do this. If you pay careful attention and you return to the text in 1 John chapter 2, the apostle focuses on a few things there.

Let me see. Few things there, my dear brother and my dear sister, that is very important for us. Assurance that leads us to a spiritual maturity. My dear child of God, my dear infant in Christ, you who were recently saved, you have been walking with the Lord not a long time. Pay attention to the end of verse 13.

It says, I write to you, children, because you know the Father. Because you know the Father. The Spirit of God has come and visited you so mightily and powerfully that even though you may not have all the answers in your mind to all the doctrines and all the things of the Bible, yet you have the certainty by the same Spirit that He is your Father. And that he makes you cry, Abba, father, these adoption, my dear brother, my dear sister was predestined before the foundation of the world. And this is the power of the gospel in the one who just believes that you are a child of the father.

Think about your earthly fathers, how they protected you, how they guided you and how they led you into life. Imagine how much more the heavenly Father, the one who cares for your soul and the one who has given his son to die upon the cross to set you free from all sins. Young men, my dear young brother and young sister, the word of God dwelling in you might be in the end of verse 14. It says, I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the words of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. Brother, sister, why will you give yourself to human fleshly pursuits, instead of giving yourself to treasure up the word of the Lord in your heart, so that you will be victorious over the evil one, that you will be an example of victory in Christ, that you will be an example of victory in holiness, that you will be an example of victory over wicked and righteous things, that you will be an example to be followed by the infants who are in Christ, This is for the young brothers and sisters and my dear elderly brothers and sisters, he says in the beginning of chapter 13, verse 13, I'm writing to you fathers because you know him who is from the beginning experiential fellowship with God.

The many years you remember, five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, when the Lord first saved you, you remember the many times that He sustained you in His providence, the many times that you felt, and then you thought that that was the end, and then He just lifted you up? You remember the many times that the experience of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ was so clear? Do you remember the many times, the many sins that you have had victory over just by virtue of your long lasting communion with the Lord? My dear father or mother in the Lord, do you remember that glorious moment? in which the word of the Lord came to your heart so mightily that all of these baggage of burdens and unrighteousness that you never thought that it was going to be removed from you was removed like this, just by virtue of having a glimpse into the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

enduring, ongoing experience and communion with the Lord, that the elderly has, that we don't have, perhaps the younger, that when we see behind and then we see our children being sustained, some of our children being saved, some of our children just being brought into the kingdom, that when we see all the problems that we had that were just simply mightily taken through brethren, this is experiential communion with the Father. And may the Lord Jesus Christ make us all fathers in the faith so that we will be like the Apostle Paul, worthy to say, be imitators of me as I am imitator of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we consider all of these things, my dear brother and sister, let us open our eyes in our church because there are infants and there are young men and there are also fathers in the faith. And all of us are supposed to nourish one another, support one another in this work of faith. Okay?

Amen.