Measures for Maturity
1 John 2:12-14
by Sean Kelly

The word of God is sufficient for all who are saved to grow, mature through this. John encourage us to grow from being little children and the faith to mature others. So that's what we're going to look at this morning.

I started this out in some kind of logical order as far as what these are kind of got mixed up. So we're just going to cover in the order the paper, it doesn't make logical sense to you. That's okay.

I think there is something of a logic after I got done, this makes sense the way it did this, but we'll see. So first name, first John, chapter two, verse twelve says, I write to you, little children because your sins have forgiven you for his name's sake. So we're going to look at the little children.

Now, I am an expert in little children. At least I have experience, right? There's a reason why John uses these terms here, because what we see in life, what we see in just the regular family or the world around us, relates to our spirituality too. There's an analogy there.

And so he's using little children. This word little children here in verse twelve is, I don't give you a lot of grief, but these are going to be important words. I'm giving them to you.

This is Technia. This means a little child is just kind of a generic term for a child. This is anybody that's at any age as a child.

What I think this is starting out here, the more I study it, the more I'm convinced of this, is that what John is trying to do here is he's using this term little child in terms of all Christians. And the reason I say that is because he uses this term technion over and over in first John, and he's always talking to believers. He's always talking to believers as a whole here.

So I think that's what he's trying to do here also. So I said this could be referring to Christians in general as John used this phrase several times in first John, I listed all of the phrases, phrases that he uses, the supreme term technion. But we're not going to look at all of them.

We're going to look at two of them. Just so you can see one from a couple weeks ago, first John two, one who would like to read that you may not sin and if anyone sins. And this passage here, especially in first John one and going to two, is obviously to Christians hear my little children, these things.

I'm right to you, that you may not sin. And that says anyone, this is everyone. This is all the Christians.

So this term, little children of justice is using their affectionately towards all those who are in Christ. Another one. I think Ted's favorite verse in this book is first John 521 does not even be here to read it.

That's exactly what I did. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

He always liked that because John's going through this stuff and then he's like, awesome. At the emphasis. Little children keeps up with idols.

Amen. He's like kind of a broken. But here again, he's closing the book.

This is the last verse in first John. He's obviously closing to the whole church. He's not just talking to the little children in the church.

This is everybody. So this is why I think in this passage here in verse twelve where he uses this term technion, this is going to be referring to all of us. So what is he saying here? He's saying, little children, so let's put in Christians, I write to you Christians, because your sins are forgiven.

So as Christians, we stand for positionally forgiven and holy before God. This is true of every single person that's trusted Christ as their savior. Their sins are forgiven positionally before God.

You're never going to be judged for your sins. You're never going to have to account for your sins. Christ has taken care of that because you have made Christ your savior and he's the satisfaction of God's wrath.

So we will not be judged for our sins because Christ is satisfied as. And these are a couple of verses I used several weeks ago, Romans four, five, eight. But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies him, God.

His faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David offers God's blessedness by the man to whom God puts righteousness apart from mercy. Blessed are those whose lawless evils are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is man, to whom the Lord shall not commit sin.

In this passage here, we see a number of times, a number of different ways, how Paul talks about the person whose sins are forgiveness. It's those who do not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly. So it's because of our faith in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven.

And he talks about that the man who God keeps righteousness apart from work. So they're righteous. Their sins are found there.

Verse seven. Blessed are those who fall and deeds are forgiven whose sins are covered. Verse eight.

Blessed men in the Lord shall not be sin because of our faith in Christ. Because what Christ has done by his grace alone we're forgiveness in our sins. This is true of anybody who's a Christian, anybody who's trusting Christ as their savior.

Colossians 213 14 are the massive and you being fed in your trespasses in the uncertainty of requirements that was against us. But this contrary to us, has taken it out of the way and failed to promise. Verse 13 there, having forgiven you all trespasses, all your sins are forgiveness to the cross, and it's taken care of.

And so as Christians, and here again this little children gather, we just talked to all Christians. The thing that's true of all of us is that our sins are forgiven. We stand righteous before God.

It's not because of anything we've done. It's not because we're handsome people. It's not because we can sing who we love.

It's not because we couple things across the street. It's because of Christ's work for us. So you've trusted Christ as your savior.

Your sins are forgiven. And why are our sins? Why did God forgive our sins? Well, he adds on to the end here. He says, for his namesake, for God's namesake.

And this idea of being signed for his namesake could be understood as for God's glory, the reason why he forgives us to sin is for his glory, is to honor him, is to bring him the glory he deserves. That's why he forgives our sins. Two Corinthians 415, for all things are for your sake.

The grace having spread through the night may cross things giving to abound to the glory of God. So all things are for your sakes. This is talking about what Christ has done for us, everything that he provides for us, all the blessings he has for us.

That grace that he's given us has been spread through many and the many. As the people who trust in Christ as our savior, let's cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. The whole purpose builds up and he's even given us the grace that we have, the good things that we have from him.

I talked about this morning features one where it talks about that we have every spiritual blessing. All this stuff is ultimately for his glory. And so when he forgives our sins, it's to glorify him.

It's to show his grace, it's to show his love, is to show who he is and bring in glory so we can go around and say, hey, God has forgiven my sins. How awesome is God? God is great. I want to glorify and honor him.

And so, as Christians, every single one of us is in that position where we can say no matter what else is going on in your life, your life could be falling apart, all your loved ones could be dying, your house could be falling apart, you could have lost your job, you could have a cancer in your body. Everything is going wrong. But if you're a Christian, the thing that you have is your sins are forgiven.

You can glorify God for that. That's at the very least now, I think there's a lot more to you glorify God for. But that's the foundation point there.

God has saved me. God has forgiven my sins. God is amazing.

God is worthy of my worship. God is the one I am glorifying. So little children here.

This first little children, I think is all Christians here. And that all Christians can say, that's point one there, .21. John 213, I write to you, fathers because you have known it and goes on with that.

But he skips on the bottom of the verse. I write to you little children because you have no father. He's writing little children again.

Right. So here's .2 is also the little children.

Well, now I've seen the dumbest. Right. Well, this is where the pediatrics help hold this.

Little children's a different word. It's caveat. It means child or infant.

We get pediatrics from this. This is small child. This is a newborn baby.

This is a Joanna type child or even an Abigail. Someone who is not mature. And so when we're talking about the christian life, what's the, what is the comparison here? Well, this is someone who's a nutrition, someone who is not mature in their faith.

They have someone who is not grown. There's someone who's trusting Christ, but they're not fully mature yet. The term probably referring to new Christians who are young in their faith.

That's what this is. Different little children. Interesting note, this is totally free of charge and probably doesn't really help identify you at all.

I think it's fun in the Greek, this last phrase or is those children in the Greek, when I went to look for it and translated it, left this whole phrase out. What's going on? I had to go to the next verse and it's, oh, it's verse. So I don't know why the English and the Greek have a different verse division here, but if you wanted to know that video, that was free.

Yes, it is sweet. So, little children, there's one other place in first John where he uses this term. And as in one John 218, I wanted to give it to you just so you know that not every little children is technique.

There's one other place versus Babylon. So who when read this first. Respiratory.

Go ahead, Debbie. Little children, it is the last hour and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming even now. Many antichrists have come by, which we know that in this last hour.

Now the question is, why does he use this little children, as in the infant, small child children here instead of using technion. Shouldn't this be something all of us as Christians should know that the Antichrist is coming. The only thing I can think of is maybe this is kind of a basic document.

Doc says you ought to know this. If you're mature, you already know this, but you will quite know this yet. So I'm giving this to you.

So maybe that's his emphasis there. I'm not sure, but it's interesting that that's one of the places first child where he uses this term instead of technion, which is okay, so what does he say about these little children on verse 13 to the right, two little children, because you have known the father. Okay, so you've known the father.

So what does that mean? And the question, and if you're paying attention, you're saying, well, it sounds like you said that about the fathers too. And I'm pretty sure the fathers and the little tiny infant children are not in the same category. So if they both know the father, what's the difference? So I have to picture this, but being saved and knowing Jesus is equivalent to knowing God.

Being saved and knowing Jesus is equivalent to knowing God the father. If you know Jesus, you know God's father. That's pretty clear in scripture.

I'm going to go to the book of John here, John 118. So have another reader who would like to read. No one has seen of God at any time.

No one begotten son, who is the wisdom of the Father, he has declared that. He has declared him. He has shown him.

He has expressed who God is. So we know the Father because we know Jesus Christ as we, none of you, I don't think, have met Jesus Christ in person like the human Jesus Christ, but we made him through the Bible, right? We read him through scripture, we pray about his life. Gospels, the epistles are all about who Jesus is.

So as we know Jesus, we're, we know the father, right? Correct. Make sense? Let's look at John 14 six. Jesus said to him, I have the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father except for me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. And from now on you know him and have seen him.

Philip said to him, lord, show us the father and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and yet you have not known me? Philip, he who has seen me has seen the father. So how can you say show us the father? Do you not believe that I know the father and the father in me? The words that I speak to you do not speak on my own authority, but the father knows me by thee.

Believe me that I am in the father and the father in me. Or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. It's always neat to see Jesus interaction with his disciples because they sometimes are right on to give things other times a day our way off.

Isn't that so much like us? Like sometimes we get things and sometimes we're like, we totally miss the whole point of it. This one seems like Philip doesn't really get it. Jesus is actually answering a question starting verse six.

I didn't put the question in there, but somebody wanted to know what was the way to the father. Jesus said, I am the way of the truth in life and what father sent to me. And then he goes on verse seven says, if you have known me, you have known my father.

From now on, you know him and have seen him because you see me that he did. He's saying pretty clearly, in my opinion, that if you see Jesus, you see who the father is. And Philip pipes up and says, lord, show us the father is sufficient for us.

I can imagine Jesus, I just told you that if you see me, you see the father. So he has to go through and explain it again. But it makes it very clear again.

Verse nine he says, he who has seen me has seen the father. Verse ten. Do you not believe that I am the father and father me, basically that we certainly share that same nature.

If you're seeing Jesus Christ, you're seeing who the father is. Eleven. Believe me that I am in the father and father and me.

And so Jesus is making it clear here that as we know Jesus, we know the Father. So what's true of a young Christian, someone who's not mature, someone who doesn't have a lot of knowledge behind, hasn't studied the word of God a lot, hasn't grown yet. What's true though? Well, they know who Jesus is, right? They have to know who Jesus is because you have to know who Jesus is to be saved.

They don't know everything about Jesus name. They don't know every story or every doctrine about them, but they know who Jesus is, that he's the savior, he's God. He hated this world, died for our sins, rose again, and they put their faith in that.

So if they know Jesus, they know the father. And so what John here, I think, is thinking, you know the father, you have that foundation that you're on the right track. You know who the father is because you know Jesus because he's been saved.

So what do, what do little children need? Well, and we're going to talk about dysphoria in just a second here. Well, children need the milk of God's word so they can understand the basics of a faith and mature to the point that they receive solid fruit. They have this foundation, they have a good start, but now they need to grow on that.

They need to get some of the basics down, and they need to grow and get more mature and more building on that. I want to say more difficult study, more difficult, a more thorough study of who God is and what he wants to know. So little children have known about.

They have this foundation, and that's a good thing. And John says, here, I write to you, little children, because you have known the father. You have the foundation.

I'm writing to you so you can learn, so you can grow. And that's, I think, John's point, using this to say he was known about it. You have a good start.

I want you to grow a mature on that. I want you to build upon that and become more price like. So that's the other little children.

So we come to little children. I promise you there's no more little children under foot on board. So number three, I'm going to skip down to the end here because I think it'll help with the last one.

But we're going look at the fathers. Now, mind you, these next two terms are fathers and young men. If you're a young lady, this doesn't dispute you.

It's just John's talking in this way, kind of a generic father, but it meets everybody on the true Christian. And being someone who's grown, so it could be for women, too. So don't be thrown off as I'm a woman.

I'm not a father. Verses 1314, it starts in verse 13. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Hindus from the beginning.

And then down in verse 14, I have written to you father, because you have known Hindus from the beginning. Job is repeating himself. Right.

Okay. He is making a statement here. Father is his potter father.

So we can use some of these words in English. So this refers to those who are mature in their faith. And you think of this in a life cycle.

Those who are fathers, those are those who have matured to the point that in human life they can reproduce, basically, right? So they're fully mature in that sense. And the fathers have. I'm a father, I have ten kids.

So I would say, yeah, I'm probably grown up now. I'm at least physically. So yesterday's my birthday.

I usually don't make a Mandela, but I can do illustration. How I've not thrown up two of my presents. One is like 23 2400 piece Lego set of Concord.

The airplane. I like airplanes. I like Legos.

It's great. And then Molly came by later and she dropped off this model. It's a 553 piece model of the existed hand, which is general previously shipped.

And that was three. So that's pretty cool that way. So I'm all excited about the labels now.

Sometimes I'm a little kid still. I'm still technical, but physically I'm a father. I'm an adult.

You know, I live 51 years of my life. So I'm not growing anymore. I'm mature.

And in our faith. John's talking to fathers here. You find out people that are mature in their faith, that have grown to a point where they can say that they've reached that maturity in their faith.

I want to give a couple examples. Different states of spiritual growth. These verses don't technically necessarily always talk about maturing people, but it shows a level of maturity and I think humble here.

So I threw it in here. I probably done it earlier, but first Corinthians three. One, three.

Somebody read that for us. Nathan, go ahead. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to beg in Christ.

I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until after now you were not able to receive it. And even now you are still not able, or you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? So we know that there are different levels of maturity here.

Paul talks about these people as being babes in Christ and calls them carnal, that are so worldly. So there's different levels of maturity. He says, I can't speak to you as spiritual people.

There are spiritual people that Paul can speak to. They weren't in the church, unfortunately. We need to look around and say, okay, people are on different levels of maturity.

Some people are so based on Christ. Some people are spiritual people. Some people are acting carnally.

There's different places where we can be, and we need to evaluate that. Another testament talks about different levels of spiritual world. Hebrews 512 through 14.

Go ahead and decide for though by this time we want to be teachers. Need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. He have come to meet them and not sell us food.

For everyone who partakes is unskilled in the word righteousness, for he is a baby. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age. That is, those who, by reason of ease, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The Hebrews here is talking about solid food and milk. So there's even different levels of what people can take in and understand and study. Some people need the very basic stuff.

They need the milk. We've been watching Joanna grow up in the church, and I know there's a time where she was struggling, and she really wasn't interested in food. And I know that frustrated you a little bit at times.

Now she's starting to eat a little bit, but we're not getting her a whole slice of pizza as they go at it. There's different levels where she can handle so much, but she's not that point where she's downing a large piece of ribomos. Right? Or Nathan, I'd be fine here with a large piece for abdominals and probably appreciate that.

So there's different, different people. And so there's the spiritual base in Christ that still needs the milk. And there's the spiritually mature who take the solid food.

You need that. And so there's these different fathers. These fathers are the people that are the ones.

And this is why we use this throughout the lesson here. These fathers are the ones that are taking the solid food, that are understanding it, that are using it, that are growing through it. So what does it say about the fathers? It says, you have known him who is from the beginning.

In fact, it says it twice. Exact same phrase. Well, how is this different than the little children who have known the father? A little different here.

He says, have you known the father? You discuss how the father and the Son are the same. So knowing the Son is knowing the father, this is. You've known him who is from the beginning.

There's a higher level of understanding here. It's not just that you know the father, but you know about him. You know about who he is, you know about what his character is like.

That's what I think John is doing here. So it sounds similar to what I said. To indicate that those in spiritual maturity know God in a more complete manner in from the beginning that they have a full knowledge of God.

Let's look at two. Peter 317 18. I know that's on the other page.

Sorry about the page. I tried to make it work out, but there's many verses, and so it doesn't always work. So first Peter two Peter 317 eight.

Be therefore beloved, since you know this beforehand. Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness. Be led away with the error of the wicked.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, now and forever. Amen.

So there ought to be a growing in our life. Growing in the knowledge, the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't just be like, okay, we're saved, we're good, whatever.

No big deal. No, we ought to be growing. We ought to be knowing God more and more.

And that's a big thing. When you talk about the Bible teaching us our maturity. Most often talks about it talks about knowing who God is, about knowing what he is like.

And by knowing him, we know what he wants for us because we're to be like Christ. So we know Christ, we know how we're supposed to act. And so this knowledge here, when it says, you have known him from the beginning, this has the idea that they know about God, they know his characteristics, they know who he is.

They've ensured to the point that they have deceived knowledge and relationship with God. And actually the word know here has that kind of connotation that's like knowing by experience, studying out, by having a familiarity with it. So knowing him was from the beginning.

I think this leads to a spiritual maturity of a knowledge of who God is, a knowledge of his word. And that is someone, the type of person you go up to and say, hey, I'm having a problem. I don't know what they're doing.

Let's go here. Look what it says here. This is what we should do.

They go, oh, wow, that is amazing. How do you know they know that? Because they spend time learning new patterns. I put down here.

The father should be. Should be to the point of teaching others and reproducing those around them. They ought to know where he got so much that they're just investing in others.

And other people are going through them and saying, hey, I need to know what to do here. Yes, this is what you do. I know what to worry about says, and that's why we all should be getting to this, what we should be working.

We ought to know more tomorrow than we do today. We ought to know more today than we did yesterday. There ought to be the growth process in our life.

Second Timothy, very familiar passage. I'm sure this is a great source to show how discipleship works. Paul is teaching Timothy.

Timothy is to be teaching faithful men. Faithful men are used to teach others. I want to focus on the faithful member.

Exactly what I'm talking about here. The sure man, the father in the faith, is someone who's a faithful. Help them to know how to obey and know what to do.

That's who these fathers are. Again, that's where we ought to be headed towards. You may not be there yet.

That's okay. As long as you're going in that direction. As long as you're moving forward towards that point, mature.

So number three are the fathers. Now number four. Anybody want to guess? I know I'm not very creative with these.

Father. Again, the father. John ned.

Thank you. So, verses 13-14. It says, I write to you, young man, because you have overcome the wicked man.

14 I have written to you, young man, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the cut off the wicked one. They're young men. This is the anesthetist.

It means a young man beyond the age of puberty, but normally before marriage. This is our guys right here. They're starting to mature.

They're starting to become adults, are trying to figure out their life, but they're not quite the father type person. They haven't had that life experience. They haven't grown to that point.

So they're in that in between kind of stage. So this could refer to those who are growing price those who have started moving on the basis of Christianity and desiring the solid fruit of the word of God. So these would be the people maybe that aren't fully mature yet, but they're not based in Christ anymore.

They're moving along that line. They're learning, they're growing. The word of God is giving them all kinds of insight about who they're to be and who God is.

So what's their characteristics here? Well, the first thing you see is it says, you have overcome the wicked one. And it says this twice, even though I cut it off on the copying case, but it's there twice. You have overcome the wicked one.

So what does that mean? Let's look at Ephesians 611 13. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against rulers of the darkness of his age, and against spiritual hosts of the wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand all. I want to give you the context by love, verse 13. There.

Take up the whole armor of goddess. You may be able to withstand an evil day. So when the world's pressures are coming around, when temptation is around you, when things are trying to pull you away from doing what's right, you're able to stand in that, you're able to stand.

And having done all to stand, the young men, they've learned enough. They're starting to grow, and they're starting to learn how to stand. They're starting to learn to be faithful.

They're starting to learn to do what's right, even when the pressure's on them, even when the temptation's there, that they're standing. That's what it means to overcome the wicked one, that they're standing firm in their faith. I have it.

These men have learned. These men have learned to stand in the baseline because I just said that. That's the idea here.

They're starting to mature to that point, that they can be counted as faithful. They can be serving the church. They're sharing the gospel with others.

They're making right decisions, making good decisions. And they're trusting the Lord, so they've overcome the wicked one. It also says that you are strong.

The young men are strong. One of the things that's very hard for as a dad is to see my kids pass me up in certain things, including strength. Nathan's my prime example, because Nathan works this very physical job.

He's out there as a plumber. I know he followed around heavy pipes, right? I know it's very physical. He comes back tired.

He comes back full of dirt sometimes and stuff. But he's working a very physical job. Me, I sit at a computer all day, and I was around.

Nathan has grown very strong. I used to take pride in, like, arm wrestling my boys and be like, ah, the dad's gotta do stuff like that. I don't want arm wrestling anymore.

Cause I don't want to be embarrassed about that. I know he's gotten strong. Young men are strong.

They tend to be strong as they're maturing, as they're growing. And in the tradition of faith, these young men should be strong in their faith. They should be standing for what God wants us.

Yeah, I'm gonna go back one verse from what we just read, Ephesians 610, if you wanna read that one, too. As long as you guys father, my brother, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. So be strong in the Lord and the power of his life.

And then it goes into this idea of fighting off wickedness. And our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against personality, power, all this stuff that we can be strong in the Lord. It starts with having a strength in your faith, believing that, moving on to that, knowing that it's right and trusting in it.

Let's look at two. Timothy, two, one. You were there before, my son.

Strong in the grace that receive Christ. Their strength is not in ourselves. Unlike David, who wrong metal and pipes and stuff all day.

Our strength in our faith is being strong in the grace of our Lord. So it's trusting in him. It's depending on him.

It's being on who God is. That's what makes us strong. And these young men are learning to do that.

They're coming to the point where they're trusting in God and they're knowing what God is teaching is true. And I'm going to be strong and faithful to that. And that's a good level of maturity.

Right? So they are strong. And then the third thing, the word of God abides in you. I put abides in here.

We've seen this, like, three or four weeks in the road now, and I'm going to keep putting this word in here because there's so much in one john. This must be like his favorite word in the word world. It's abides mental means, to remain, to stay, to abide, to live, to dwell.

It's like you could use this word and say, I live in Des Moines. That's my belonging place. That's my point.

Where is the home of these young men? Their home is in the word of God and abides in them. So the word of God. Ephesians 411 16.

Who would like to read? Okay, go ahead. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the quicking of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, toss to and fro, carried about with every bit of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning crathies of the secret body. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things with a family twisted head.

Christ, from being the whole body, joined in it together by what every truth supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body of itself to muck. And at last, that's where it went to. You know, something's happened here, like in the middle of a word, and it pays if you want to.

But you look at this passage. What does this have to do with the word of God? Well, it has everything to do with the word of God, because what he starts out with, he starts out with apostles. Who are the apostles? They're the ones who witnessed the Christ, who gave us the word of God.

They're the ones who wrote the New Testament. Prophets. Prophets are people who spoke the word of God.

Evangelists, people who bring the word of God to unsaved people and pastor teachers, who are people that teach us what we're supposed to be doing. So this is all about the word of God here? And what's the word of God there? It's for the equipping of saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. It's for us to be able to do what we're supposed to be doing so that we can help each other out, right? And then look at this.

We offer the union of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, the idea of perfect here, complete Mandev to measure stature, of fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be what children. That's what this whole lesson we're talking about going from children to fathers, right? The goal is that we don't stay children. If Joanna.

If we were to go off into wherever and come back 18 years later, if she's still one year old, that's a problem. If she's still eating little yogurt bites and kind of spitting out the food and stuff, that's a problem. She better be growing by then.

I've seen my kids grow up. I remember kind of stimulated. But they're not anymore.

Most of them are well on their way to being adulthood. And that's expected. I'm not surprised by that.

That's what's supposed to happen. Well, guess what, Aaron? Faith. That's what's supposed to happen, too.

We're not supposed to stay children in our babe. We're supposed to grow. We're supposed to get more knowledge of Christ, more knowledge of who he is and what he wants for us and be applying that and doing that in our life.

We shouldn't stay children here it says going on verse 15, but speaking to the people grow up into all things. Who is ahead? Christ. So we're growing up into what Christ is.

That's the goal. That's the maturity, is to be like Christ. And it goes on to talk about how the body works together.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that because we talked about that before. But you see, the idea here is that the word of God ought to be working you to make you grow. And these young men who are growing, who are maturing, the word of God is abide in them.

It's working in their lives. You can see it going. They might not be to the point of being fathers.

They might not have a full maturity, knowledge of God, but they're going that direction. The word of God is working in them. Two Timothy 316 and 17.

Probably another area from the universe. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is gospel over doctrine to reproof, corrections and instructions. Righteousness as a man of God may be cleansed thoroughly.

But look at this very quick. We've talked about this verse before, even in this class. You know, all scripture is given by inspiration.

As God breathe by given by inspiration of goddess is profitable. Basically. You want to sum that up, is profitable for every single thing you need in life.

There's nothing that the word of God is not going to help you with. Verse 17 I want to focus on here that the man of God may be complete and he may be mature as that idea of what complete is. In this passage here, they may be mature, thoroughly equipped, or given the things he needs to do every good work, to do everything God wants you to do.

The word of God ought to be working in our lives. These young men that we see in this passage, John says the word, that word of God is working on them. They're growing in the word of God.

They're submitting themselves to do it. They're learning and they're maturing each and every day. That's the type of people these young men are.

These men have found a secure standing in the word of God. So young men here who are growing through God's word are able to receive the solitude of the Lord. They are living consistent lives of obedience and learning more and more about God.

So John gives us this little thing. We're all. We start off as the actual little children, the babes as we mature, we eventually mature to be young men or women.

That's a natural progression. Let me ask you a question. Does this always happen with Christians? No.

Some stop maturing at some point along the way. Some give up or some get brought down by the things in the world, the parable of the receipts. Some are crushed by the cares of the world.

Some fall on the dry ground. They start off really strong, and then they shrivel up. And some of them immature.

Natural way. It should be for us as Christians that we're moving from you Christians to maturing Christ now. Maturing Christ doesn't necessarily perfect in Christ, right? There's no way it's perfect, but we're living a lifestyle that's consistent.

We know God's word, we know what it's said and what we're supposed to do. So that's where we should be. Okay, some takeaways.

I think I covered everything in that part of those takeaways. So I got three takeaways this morning. First of all, all who have trusted Christ as their savior knows the father because they know the son.

We all have that firm foundation that we're building on. We all have forgiveness of our sins. We can rejoice in that.

That's a great place to start. Somebody who's new in the faith is right where they need to be at that point. They have the forgiveness of sins.

They have the foundation. It's time to build on it. Secondly, here, each of us on our path of growth.

John uses three phrases to show different steps along the way. Little children, young men and fathers. I think the idea here also, we should know where we are along this path.

We need to evaluate where we are. If you've been safe for 10, 15, 20 years and you're still down here, okay, know that you're down there. Know that there's something about that.

If you've been safe for a long time, you're getting up here, you're moving along. That's good. You're going in the right direction.

Keep study on that. Keep faithful to that. So I think we should know where we are.

What category do you fit into? This will help us understand what we need forgotten. That's why at the end of my notes, I got running my notes, I put those little boxes of hair gaps at the bottom of each point because I wanted to say, here's where you need to be going with, this is what you need to be doing, or this is where you're at. So he puts us on our catholic growth.

Number three here we should be growing in our baby and maturing. Just as it's unnatural for a baby. Remain a baby forever is unnatural for a baby, Christian.

Remain a baby Christian forever. And the question I just simply have is, are you going? Are you moving along the path? You don't have to be all the way over here with somebody else if that's not where you're at. As long as you're moving that direction, that's what God wants to do.

I think John's trying to encourage you by written these things. I've written to you little children. Because guess what? The things I'm writing to you are important to you.

They can help you. They'll make you. No longer do those children help you grow out of that.

I'm writing to you young men. You're doing good. You're in the right direction.

But I'm writing because there's more. You need to learn more. You need to grow it.

I'm writing to you. Bye. Because even though you're mature, the word of God is still important for you.

So we need to be continuing in that no matter what state you're at. Any thoughts or questions this morning or concerns other than my mis typing and miscasing? Some of that. Okay, so I'm very far.

This is dear heavenly Father and stable that are able to come together and learn from your word. Just waiting to allow us to use the north side of our computer to reach people ask for you. Bless our fellowship.