Morning, everybody. If you'd like to, turn over to 1 John, chapter 2. 1 John, chapter 2. When you get there, look down at verse 12. It'll be the beginning of our text. John writes this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he says in verse 12, I write unto you little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake.

I write unto you fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children, because you have known the father. I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. 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.

Now what is John saying here? Is he relaying some sort of hierarchy of spiritual growth and maturity? You got little children and young men and fathers. No, not really. He's speaking to every single individual believer, and he's saying you're all three. You're a dependent little child, and you're a strong young man, and you are a wise father.

And there were five blessings. I think there's five. There's either five or six in there. I think I've narrowed it down to five. There's five blessings in there. If you're a believer, If you're this completely and utterly dependent creature, completely dependent on Christ alone for everything in your salvation, you have all five of those blessings.

I'm going to spend the large majority of the message looking at those blessings because when I saw them, they blessed me greatly and I was greatly comforted. And that's what I pray the Lord would do this morning, that he would join our hearts. But for those of us who find all our salvation in Christ, let's be comforted this morning, if God be willing. But on that note, though, this thing of little children and strong young men and wise fathers, if there is a sense of hierarchy here in some way, this is what Peter has to say about it. He says, 2 Peter 3, 18, he says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I think it's important when we talk about growing in grace, what is it and what isn't it? Because it's very, very important. Can a believer grow in righteousness? He cannot, because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, told them to believe. He cannot grow in righteousness. He cannot grow in holiness. That would mean that Christ is not completely and utterly holy. He can't grow with acceptance with the Father, because we have perfect peace and acceptance with the Father in Christ, and that's right now. So where is this thing of growth?

Let me give you just a few scriptures. See if this lines up with your experience. Paul said this to the Philippians in Philippians 1-9, and this I pray, that your love may abound or grow yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment. Our love for Christ and his grace, it does in fact grow, doesn't it? It is by God, the Holy Spirit, that we love him at all. And I recognize our love is all over the place, folks.

One day it's hot, one day it's cold. One day it seems so much, and some days it seems so non-existent. I get that. But that love is there. It's given by God, the Holy Spirit, and it grows. And why, though? What is the experience? Why is it that it grows? And here's what I thought of.

You remember the story of the prodigal son? that son that said, father, give him my inheritance early. And he goes and he takes it and he squanders it on riotous living. And then when he's all out of money and there's a famine in the land, he goes, he joined himself to a man of that country and he's feeding swine. He's trying to eat the husks that the swine are eating and he can't fill himself and he comes to himself. He says, my father's house, there's plenty to eat. The servants eat real well. He'll never accept me as a son, but maybe I can go back and he'll make me a hired servant.

He's got a whole speech laid out, and he goes back, and the father's been looking for him the entire time. And he sees him afar off, and he runs, and he falls down on him, and he kisses him, and he hugs him, and he puts a ring on his finger, that sign of the covenant, the everlasting covenant of grace, puts the best robe, the righteousness of Jesus Christ himself on him, shoes on his feet, the ability to look to Christ, to walk in the gospel.

And he said, slay that fatted calf. My son was dead and he's now alive. That's your salvation in a slaughter. And I used to think that that was a one-time story for every believer. Well, we left an Adam brought back by Christ. That is my continual experience. Here's my continual experience about myself. Wandering, sinful, disloyal, unfaithful, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. But this is my constant experience of him. He abideth faithful, for he cannot deny himself. He always comes back and gets me. I wander, I stray, I go, and he always comes back and he gets his people every single time.

He says, you wanna know why? Look at your hand, you see that ring? That's the covenant, I promise, that's why. You wear my righteousness, it really is yours, nothing changes that. Your waywardness doesn't change that. All that's gone, all that's put away. causes us to look to Christ all over again, shows us one more time, your salvation is found not in you, but in that slaughter, in my slaughter. And you live that over and over and over again. And what do you do? You can't help but love him. We abound in love, we abound in spiritual gifts.

Paul said this to the Romans in Romans 12, he said, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. You think about that when you read Romans 12, Paul talks about all kinds of gifts that differ. If you're a believer, you have at least one gift of some sort. He talks about the gift of ministering, the gift of teaching, he talks about the gift of exhortation, of giving, of being merciful, all kinds of gifts.

And if you're a believer, you have these gifts and you grow in these gifts. But you think about this, some gifts more public and some gifts more private, right? Some you see more and some you don't. But this is the important part, none more important than the other.

It's because it's for the edification of the body for all of us. I need somebody to preach the gospel to me. I need the Lord to give somebody some understanding in this word and give him his word and preach the gospel to me so I'm comforted, I'm blessed, and I'm pointed to Christ all over again. And that's going to be a very public thing. And then I need somebody when I am lonely, and I am sad, and I am uncomfortable, to have that gift of exhortation and sit me down and be like, it's going to be okay.

Everything's fine. And you know what? I have to have them both. One more public than the other. One more private than the other. Can't be without either one. We grow on those gifts. And finally this, and this list isn't exhaustive. We only have so much time. We grow independence in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, I'll tell you this, if there is a sense of hierarchy in here some way, some map of growth and maturity spiritually, if you were to go to the wise father, a man whom the Lord has truly given God-given wisdom to, and you said, okay, here's the chart, little children, strong young men, wise father, which one are you? Every single wise father will tell you this. I am a little child. What is a little child?

What is their chief attribute? They're dependent creatures. They can't do anything for themselves. They have to have everything done for them. That's the greatest level of spiritual maturity there is. And we grow in that. Growth and grace, it's always down. Let me show you that from the scriptures. Turn to Luke 18. Luke 18 and look at verse 15. This is a good illustration of what we're talking about here. Luke 18, 15.

It says, And they brought unto him, speaking of Christ, also infants, or little children, that he would touch them. But when his disciples saw it, they rebuked him. But Jesus called them unto him and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. You think of the illustration our Lord gave his disciples here. All they saw was infants, these little tiny babies, and these parents bringing them to the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, you gotta be just like that. You gotta be just that dependent. Could they get to Christ?

No. Could they feed themselves that day? No. Could they sustain their own life? No. Could they give themselves water? No. Could they provide shelter for themselves? No. They were completely and utterly dependent on somebody else to do everything for them. And he says, if you're not like that, I'm not for you.

I'll tell you what, folks, what a blessing it is, though. Understand this, if you are that completely dependent creature, If all you have is Christ, if you are completely and utterly dependent on him to do everything and having done everything in your salvation, and everything else for that matter, understand this, you're a believer. That's how we receive the kingdom of God.

Dependent creatures. I've got nothing but Christ and him crucified. Either does it all or I go to hell and there's no in-between state there. Completely dependent on him. You've been born of God. You've been chosen of God. You are a believer. And let's think of dependence, folks. You can't take this too far. There's no possible way you could take this too far. What am I dependent on?

I'm dependent on God the Father to have loved me and chose me before the foundations of the world unto salvation. This is what the scripture says. 1 John 4.10, herein is love, not that we loved God. but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Not that we love God, but he first loved us.

I need Christ to be the propitiation for my sins. What is a propitiation? A guilt-removing sacrifice. What is the only way guilt can be removed? If it's paid for and put away. I need him to have borne my sins in his body on the cross and literally put them away to where I stand before the Father without guilt right now. That's a need that I have. Either he did it or it will not be done because there's nothing I can do about my sin.

Relying on Christ for my holiness, he who sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one, therefore he is not ashamed to call them brethren. I need Christ to be my righteousness, not just make for me a righteous or make me righteous, but yet be my righteousness. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called the Lord our righteousness. I'm relying on God, the Holy Spirit, to give me life and to cause me to look to Christ and to cause me to persevere in the gospel and to keep me to the very end.

I'm relying on Christ to be my friend, that friend that sticketh closer than the brother. relying on him to be my protector so that I walk through this valley of the shadow of death, I truly can fear no evil because he's with me. I'm relying on him to keep me relying on him. We can't even do that for ourselves. You feel the same way? You're one of God's people. That means all five of these blessings, they belong to you.

Now I'm gonna read them to you. Here's the first blessing. He says in verse 12 of your text, if you want to look at any scripture, you can, but I'll read them to you. He says, your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. Now let that wash over you for a second.

If you were this complete dependent creature, completely dependent on Christ alone, your sins, the sins you know about and the sins you don't, the sins of yesterday, the sins you are committing this very moment, the eventual sins that you haven't committed yet. All your sins, they are presently, right now, eternally forgiven. How could that possibly be? That your sins are forgiven for his name's sake, how could that possibly be?

Because your sins are no more. The only way God can forgive sins is if there really is no sin there to forgive. You have no sin. You've been justified by the Lord Jesus Christ. You're perfect in the eyes of the Father. But think about the statement for a second. Think about it. He says, your sins.

Not the sins the devil made you do. Not the sins that aren't really your fault because God is sovereign and who can resist his will. Not the sins They're kind of understandable considering the circumstances you were in. He says, none of those, your sins.

Are my sins my sins? Whose fault are they? If they're all my fault, if they are my sins, you know what that means? They've all been forgiven. Your sins are presently forgiven. That word, you know what it means? It means eternally. Before you came into this world, you were forgiven of all your sins that you hadn't even committed yet.

Why? Because Christ entered into a covenant with his father to be a surety. Because he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner, an elect sinner, there was salvation and a redemption for that sinner in Christ.

And this is what he says, your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. not having anything to do with you. John says in another place, in the first chapter, he says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Well, that's the magic formula, isn't it? We confess our sins and the Lord responds to us with forgiveness. That's the way it works, right? No. Salvation begins with the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake, for his great namesake. And what does that cause?

You're gonna confess your sins. Not that you know all of them. You say, Lord, whatever you say about me, that's exactly what I am. I confess my sins. My only hope of salvation is in you. That's it right there. And this actually means something more for his name's sake, for his blood's sake, but it's also for his reputation's sake. Turn over to Deuteronomy 9 for just a second. I want you to see this.

Deuteronomy 9 recounts the story of the children of Israel when Moses went up to Mount Sinai to get the law. Remember, he's up there for 40 days. And during that time, what did the children of Israel do? They built a golden calf and they said, Israel, this is your God right here, right? They'd gone to idolatry just 40 days later. After everything they'd seen, being delivered from Israel, the porting of the Red Sea, everything, the cloudy pillar, all that, they'd seen all that, and yet they say, this is your God, Israel. So this is the Lord's commentary on it, speaking to Moses in verse 14 of Deuteronomy 9.

He says to Moses, let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they. Lord said, Moses, we'll start over. I will wipe out this people, I'll get you new people, they'll be mightier, they'll be better, be easier on you, they wouldn't be so stiff-necked, you wouldn't have to fight with them all the time. I'm over it, I wanna wipe them out. Now Moses is gonna make intercession for them. Look at verse 26.

I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness. which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy servants, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. What he's saying there is remember your covenant you made with them.

Look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin, lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Listen to Moses' persuasion, and that's exactly what it is. Don't try to write it off as anything. He is attempting to persuade God, and he says this is his persuasion.

Lord, all your enemies, Egypt, everybody else, when you brought out this great people, when you said, this is my people, I'm gonna deliver them into a land of milk and honey, Israel, I'm promising you this land. If you slam in the wilderness right now, what they're gonna say is, the Lord couldn't do it. Jehovah's not really God.

He's not that powerful. He made a purpose. He made a promise. He didn't fulfill it. He wasn't able, he wasn't capable of delivering these people. That's why he slaughtered them in the wilderness. You know what the Lord did? He stayed his hand. Why? For his name's sake. For his great reputation's sake. You think about this.

Number one, it is not possible that the Lord Jesus Christ lose even one of his people. It's not possible. But if it was, and one of us was lost, that would be a great loss to that one individual member of the elect. But Christ would lose so much greater. He would lose his godness. He would have broken his word. He would cease to be God. His reputation would be smeared.

And this whole thing, folks, is about his reputation. It's about His glory. Now, your sins are forgiven you. Why? For His reputation's sake. Not having any reason in you, but strictly and utterly for Christ's sake, for His great glory's sake, and He's not going to lose His glory. That's guaranteed. Now, here's the second blessing of your text.

It says, you have known Him that is from the beginning. Now, who is it that is from the beginning? You could say that of the entire Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is eternal, triune God. They are before the beginning. They are self-existent.

But I think, almost positive, that John is speaking of the second person of that trinity. Because this is how he opens the book of 1 John. He says, 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, for the life was manifested. Who was manifested?

That second person of the blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ. You have known him that is from the beginning. You know Jesus Christ, but that's not really the blessing. The blessing is what Paul says here in Galatians 4 and 9, but now, after that you have known God, or rather, are known of God. If you're a dependent creature, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the blessed trinity, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells, manifest in the flesh, knows, loves, and thinks on you. Now, I know that's a very, very simple thought, but let that wash over you for a second.

He knows you. Who is he? It's he who is from the beginning, that independent God. He's before the beginning. He always has been, and he always will be. And you think about this, Todd talks about that a lot, the independence of God. He has no needs, he is self-sustaining. You think about this.

If I need something from you, and you know that, what can you do to me? You can manipulate me. You can get me to compromise. You can get me to negotiate. You can string me along, make me do whatever it is you want me to do. But if I need absolutely nothing from you, do you wield any power over me whatsoever? No. He needs absolutely nothing from you. He needs absolutely nothing from any man. There is no compromise. There is no negotiating with him. He cannot be manipulated. He is absolutely sovereign in salvation and in everything else.

But think about that everything else for a moment in light to who he is to you based on the scriptural examples. He says he's our husband. He's an altogether sovereign, independent husband who has a perfectly good will toward you. He's a friend. a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, a sovereign friend who has a perfectly good will toward you. He is our elder brother. Now this is a, it's a crude example, but it's what I'm into, so you guys have to listen to it. We watch a little MMA fighting at my house, right? And there were a couple UFC fighters back in the day, and I say back in the day, like mid-2000s, who were pretty good.

Their brothers, Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz, right? And Nate actually became more popular than his brother Nick, but his Nick came first. And so as Nate rose in popularity, he went on this, I guess, he did an interview with somebody on TV. It's on YouTube, I saw it. And the interviewer wanted to kind of stab at Nate a little bit and see if he could get him to squirm in the seat.

And so he goes, Nate, he goes, you've had a lot of success in cage fighting. He goes, why'd you pick this sport? He goes, did you get picked on when you're younger? You got kind of a chip on your shoulder? Did you get beat up a lot? What's going on, Nate?

And Nate didn't flinch. He just sat there, and he smiled, and he sat back in his seat, and he said, no, no, I never got picked on. And so the interviewer tries again. He says, he goes, oh, he goes, because you're such a tough guy, right, Nate? Just trying to really work him up. And he goes, no. He goes, it's because I had an older brother. Nick Diaz was his older brother, who was like the middleweight champion at the time, things like that. And the interviewer just kind of sat back. He said, yeah, nobody probably did pick on you if Nick Diaz was your older brother.

Here's the point I'm trying to make, folks. If God be for us, if he who is from the beginning, the independent God who rules sovereignly over everything he created, if God be for us, as our husband and our friend and our elder brother, who could possibly be against us? Nobody. Here's the third blessing.

He says to the young men, you have overcome the wicked one. Where's your mind naturally go with that? It's a strong young man, right? And he can, he can overcome the wicked one. Satan's tempting him, trying to get him to sin and do all these things. And he's just, he's got so much reserve and he's got so much self-control that he's able to resist that. Is that your experience? Certainly not mine. How is it we've overcome? I'll read this to you.

This is Revelation 12 verse 10. It says, and I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. You think about that name of Satan, the accuser of the brethren.

In another place, the Lord calls him a liar. And there's only one time when he's not lying. It's when he's accusing us. He doesn't have to. He can just go with what we've done and what we thought and what we said, and he can just sit there day and night and accuse and accuse and accuse, and he never lies, he's just telling the truth.

But this is what it says in verse 11, it says, and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. What's our overcoming, folks? Jesus Christ died and put away our sins, and we bear them no more, and it really is that simple. He says this, he says, and they overcame them by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. What's your testimony? It's very simple, and it's every believer's testimony. It's always the same. This is my testimony. I overcame by the blood of the lamb. I didn't overcome, he did.

What's the one thing you have? What is your one hope of salvation? What is the only thing you have? Christ in him crucified, that's it. Say, you've oversimplified it. No, that's really it. They overcame them by one thing, one thing, by the blood of the Lamb. And that is the word of our testimony. He is the word of our testimony, the blood of the Lamb, by Him we overcame. That's it. Now here's the fourth blessing. He says unto the young men, he says, you are strong. I'm fortunate because John preached this point for us in his reading.

So I thought about this, of all the points that I want to be strong in, where do I want to be strong? Number one, I want to be strong in faith, in God-given faith. And I am thankful for weak faith. I'm thankful for strong faith. I just want faith, real saving faith in Christ. But I want strong faith. I desire that. And so why? If weak faith, strong faith, it's all saving faith, what's the difference? Why would we desire that?

I thought of two reasons. Number one, this, and it's very selfish, because in strong faith, there's no worry. When I'm unable to simply look to Christ and to trust him for everything in my salvation and to put food on my table, and to lead me through this life, and protect me, and all these other things, when I'm enabled just to look to Him, there's no worry, and I don't like worry. So it's a very selfish reason, but Lord, give me strong faith for that reason. Here's the second reason, though.

Because He deserves strong faith. He is so utterly reliable. He is so utterly believable that He deserves to be believed on strongly, firmly. with a full heart. Lord, give me faith that honors who you actually are, that God who cannot lie, that God who cannot fail. I want strong faith. He deserves strong faith. He deserves to be relied on heavily. I want to be strong in zeal.

How disgusting is it that he should do so great love unto me? were the realm of nature mine, that were present far too small. Love so amazing, love divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. Considering what he has done for us, and what he has sacrificed for us, how disgusting is it to not be zealous for his character? Lord, make me strong in zeal, and in every spiritual gift, and compassion, and patience, and all these things.

But if you wanna talk about the chief spiritual gift, of every believer. It's this, this thing we are strong in. It's in weakness. Now John read it just a moment ago. Paul was talking about it. He goes, I have a thorn in the flesh. And he sought the Lord three times to remove it, and this is what the Lord said to him. 2 Corinthians 12, 9. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. We can't even come up with weakness on our own. but his strength is made perfect in weakness. You know, that's a reoccurring theme in the scripture. That's just not a one-time thing. You can go all the way back to Judges chapter six. You remember Gideon, the judge?

He was absolutely terrified of the Midianites. The Lord finds him in a threshing floor, he's threshing at night, to where they can't see him making bread. The Lord comes to him, he goes, you mighty man of valor, this guy who was absolutely terrified, and he says, raise up your army, let's go, we're gonna go against the Midianites. And so he shows up, and he's got all his soldiers with him, the whole land's there, and the Lord says, that's too many. He's like, send some back, and 22,000 people leave, and leave them with an army of 10,000. The Lord looks at them, he goes, no, that's too many. He goes, you take them down the river, I'll try them there. And when it's all said and done, he gives them 300 men against an army of the Midianites that he said looked like grasshoppers on the ground, right? And the Lord was very clear about why he did this.

This is Judges 7, verse 2. He says, He said, I made you low in number. I made it to where it was absolutely humanly impossible for you to win this battle for this one reason, so that you'll know that the only reason you won is because I fought the battle for you. And the point I'm getting to is this.

What a blessing it is to be a sinner. Now, sin is a terrible thing. You know what I mean by that. But what blessing it is for the Lord to reveal to you you're a sinner, and you're weak, and you can't do anything without Him, because that's when His grace is sufficient for you. It says, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came to this world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. What a blessing it is to be able, that's exactly who I am, I'm a sinner.

That means Christ died for me. And finally this, it's a fifth blessing. He said, the word of God abideth in you. Now that word of God is Christ himself. Now one of my favorite things to watch while we're here is a baptism because I love the illustration of baptism.

It truly is all finished. I've already lived. I must be punished because God is perfectly just. I've already been punished in Christ. I've already been raised from the dead. I'm already seated in the heavenlies with Christ right now. As he is, so are we in this world. That's union with the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is the inverse. This is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let me read you this.

Galatians 2.20.

Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul said, I live. And you know what? Right now, if you're looking to Christ alone, you live. Once again, simple point, but let it sink in for a second. Christ dwells in you. That's why you believe. That's why you live. That's why you've been brought to repentance. You don't think the way you used to anymore because Christ dwells in you.

He abides in you. Wherever he abides, he does not leave. He says, the life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, yet not I. Do you believe the gospel? Do you look to Christ alone? You better. You go to hell if you don't. And you must believe him. Nobody can believe for you. And if you do, folks, yet not you, but Christ liveth in you. That's Christ in you, the hope of glory.

There is a new man, a perfect man, a man who cannot sin, who is incapable of sin, who is residing in you right now. And he needs absolutely nothing. Once again, as he is, so are we in this world. That new man in Christ Jesus is perfect, and he needs absolutely nothing.

When you die, you're still gonna be you. You're gonna be the new man in Christ Jesus. You say, well, why do we sin? It's because this old man is still here, and that's how much he drags us down. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. And we know that by faith and by experience. All I do is sin. But that new man in Christ, he is not under the dominion of sin.

He is absolutely free, and that's why he looks to Christ alone. You think about that. When you die, you're going to put down that old man. Nothing about that new man is going to change. As you are right now in the new man, he's just going to live on forever. That's how much this flesh drags us down.

Christ actually abides in you if you're a dependent creature. Once again, it says unless you receive the kingdom of heaven like this, like an dependent child who can do absolutely nothing for themselves, just trusting Christ alone, that's how you must receive him. And if you have, if you are that dependent child, your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. You have been known of him that is from the beginning. You've already overcome the wicked one. You overcame by the blood of the lamb. The word of God abideth in you, and you are strong. Your weakness, folks, is in fact your strength. What a blessing we have in Christ. I'll leave you there.