I. "I WRITE UNTO YOU LITTLE CHILDREN."
A. Here is John, the last of the original apostles, probably now in his nineties, writing to the church.
1. Sort of like a grandfather to his grandchildren.
2. "I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake."
3. What a glorious thing to be able to declare, "Your sins are forgiven."
4. Jesus said to the apostles, "Whosoever sins you remit, they shall be remitted them. Here John is exercising this authority as he declares that their sins are forgiven. This declaration was made on the basis of their receiving Jesus as Lord.
a. There are so many that need to hear those comforting words.
b. Even Christians many times need to hear those words, for Satan is so often holding up our past to us and seeking to keep us in a sense of condemnation.
c. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
5. David prayed:
PSA 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it [is] great.
6. Jeremiah prayed:
JER 14:7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, save us for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
7. Peter testified before the council saying:
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
8. When Peter came to the household of Cornelius in Caesarea he said to them concerning Jesus:
Act 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
9. Our only access to God is through Jesus Christ.
a. No man cometh to the Father but by Me.
b. If you shall ask anything in My name I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
c. Henceforth you have asked nothing in My name, Ask that you might receive that your joy may be full. 10. What a relief to know that our sins are forgiven; it brings such great joy.
a. In
Psalm 51, as David is praying for forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba, he pleaded, "Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation."
b. After the prophet declared to Him, "The Lord has forgiven your sin, David said:
PSA 32:1 Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.
PSA 32:2 Blessed [is] the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile.
c. The word blessed means "Oh how happy."
10. Are you being plagued tonight because of some sin in your life? You can bow your heart before God just now and ask Him to forgive you for Jesus' sake, as you recognize that Christ died for our sins, and if you confess your sin to Him, you can be sure that your sins have been forgiven.
II. "I WRITE UNTO YOU FATHERS, BECAUSE YOU HAVE KNOWN HIM WHO IS FROM THE BEGINNING."
A. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God."
B. When the prophet Micah foretold the birthplace of the Messiah, he said,
MIC 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.
C. At the first chapter of this book, John wrote,
1JO 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1JO 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
D. For John to say that they have known Him, would infer that they were keeping His commandments. For back in verse 4, John said, "If you say you know Him and do not keep His commandments you are a liar."
III. "I WRITE UNTO YOU YOUNG MEN, BECAUSE YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE."
A. We are in a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness.
1. Paul wrote to those in Rome,
ROM 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
2. In the book of Revelations, Jesus made special promises to the overcomers.
REV 2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
REV 2:11 He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
REV 2:17 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it].
REV 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.
REV 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
REV 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.
REV 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
REV 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
3. Peter wrote.
2PE 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
a. Whatever habit by which you are overcome, it brings you into bondage.
b. Whatever temptation overcomes you, you are brought into bondage by that sin.
c. Look at what bondage men are in to pornography, sex, drugs, alcohol.
d. Again, be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
4. In chapter 5, John said,
1JO 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
1JO 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
a. We overcome the world through our faith that Jesus is the Son of God.
b. We then stand against Satan in the victory of the cross of Jesus Christ.
IV. I WRITE UNTO YOU LITTLE CHILDREN BECAUSE YOU HAVE KNOWN THE FATHER.
A. They had come to know the Father through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
B. It is by knowing the Father that their sins were forgiven.
V. I HAVE WRITTEN UNTO YOU FATHERS BECAUSE YOU HAVE KNOWN HIM WHO IS FROM THE BEGINNING.
A. This is just a repetition of what he said earlier.
VI. I HAVE WRITTEN UNTO YOU YOUNG MEN BECAUSE YOU ARE STRONG AND THE WORD OF GOD ABIDETH IN YOU AND YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE.
A. He now gives to us the reason why they were able to overcome the wicked one.
1. They were strong.
2. The secret of their strength was the word of God that was abiding in them.
a. David said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You."
b. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you may ask whatsoever you want and it will be given to you.
c. Paul wrote to the Ephesians to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
3. What great strength the word of God gives to us as we battle with the powers of darkness.
a. Paul speaks of taking the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.
b. We see how Jesus used the word to overcome the temptations of Satan.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
