Seven times in this epistle,
John addresses my little children. I've entitled this message, A
Message to Little Children. Little children, they're weak, they're needy, they're dependent,
They get dirty, need to be cleaned. They also have an amazing capacity
to believe what you say to them. My little children. 1 John 2, 1. Here's the first time. My little children, these things
write I unto you that you sin not. Now, what did he write to
them? Did he say you need to suppress
sin and keep the law and be good? These things write I unto you
that you sin not. That's not at all what he said.
I don't think I'd ever really noticed this connection. Look
what he says in verse eight. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. At
all times, we have a sinful nature. 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 that we've not sinned
with regard to any action, That's a verb. If we say we've not sinned,
we make him a liar. And his word is not in you. My
little children, these things write unto you that you sin not.
Isn't that amazing? The only thing that will make
God's people not want to sin is to be told they're nothing
but sinners, they do nothing but sin, and they're to confess
their sins. You know what that's going to
make them want to do? Sin not. Sin not. Make it your resolve
to never sin again. You think of what our Lord said
from the cross. My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? That tells us what God thinks
about sin. My little children, these things I've written unto
you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, see that
word if? Look over in chapter three. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know
that when, that's the exact same word translated if. When you do. If is not the possibility
that you won't. When you do, we have an advocate
with the Father. Not when you do, you no longer
have an advocate. When you do, we have, we possess
an advocate with the Father. We possessed him before the sin.
We possessed him during the sin. And we possess him and have him
after the sin. We have an advocate, a lawyer,
a representative with the Father. And he's not a crooked lawyer.
He doesn't try to look for loopholes to get us out of it. All he does
is present himself as the righteous one, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And here's the ground of his
advocacy. I love this. And he is the propitiation
for our sins. You know what the word propitiation
means? It means a guilt-removing sacrifice. Now, the reason the
guilt is removed is for one reason. The sin is removed. And this is the ground of our
advocate. He doesn't say, forgive him again. He committed that sin again.
I realize that. But if you just forgive him, forgive him one
more time. No, not at all. All he does is present himself
as the perpetuatory sacrifice and nothing else needs to be
said. What an advocate we have with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Arise, my soul, arise. Shake off thy guilty fears. The
bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears. My name is written before
the law of my surety stands. My name is written on his hands. And that's what the writer of
the Hebrews was talking about when he says, wherefore, he's
able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them. That's his advocacy. I'm writing these things. Don't
sin. Sin is never okay. It's not okay
in the law. It's not okay in the gospel.
It's not okay at any time, under any circumstance. Don't sin. Make it your resolve to never
sin in thought, word, deed. I'm writing these things so you
won't sin when you do. When you do. We have an advocate
with the Father. at all times, Jesus Christ the
righteous. Now I'm gonna look at that again
next week, but I wanna go through all these little children's tonight. So look in 1 John 2, verse 12. I write unto you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven you. for his namesake. What a blessed
word. Your sins. Past sins. Present sins. And future sins. I love the line
of one song. There's pardon for the sins of
past. It matters not how black they're cast. And oh my soul
with wonder view for sins to come. Here's pardon too. All
your sins. Sins of ignorance. Sins you know
of. Sins of commission. Sins of omission.
Big sins and little sins as if there is such a thing. Sins where
you confess them and commit the same old sin every day. All of
those sins. All of them. All of them. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all sins. The sins you feel bad about right
now, they're forgiven sins. To every child of God, to every
little child, every little child, weak, dependent, needs to be
directed, needs to be guided, helpless, all your sins are forgiven. Your constitutional sins, The
sins that so easily beset us are all forgiven sins and the
word forgiven is in the perfect passive tense. You know what
that means? That means you didn't do anything
to achieve this. It has nothing to do with you
asking for forgiveness. It has nothing to do with you
being sorry. It has nothing to do with you promising to do better
and making all kinds of, no, your sins are forgiven for this
one singular reason. for his name's sake. Is that
a good enough reason for you? For his name's sake. No other
reason is needed. Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. Turn with me for a moment to
Psalm 106. I've got a lot of favorite passages
in Scripture. This is one of them. Verse 6. We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We
have done wickedly. We're just like our fathers.
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt, They remembered
not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea,
even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, he saved them. Why? For his name's sake, that
he might make his mighty power known. Verse 28 of chapter two. And now little children, this
is the third little children, and now little children abide
in him, that when he shall appear, this is talking about his second
coming, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him
at his coming. Now I've spent no little time
stressing over the thought of what if when he came I was committing
some kind of sin. You ever thought about that?
What if when he was coming I was committing some kind of sin?
I've thought about that and that just shows how fleshly I am because
I will be whether I know it or not when it comes right down
to it. But still John says I'm right,
you're to abide in Him so that when He comes you won't be ashamed. And you'll be confident and have
boldness at His coming. You won't be worried about anything
abiding in Him. Now what in the world does it
mean to abide in Him? What does it mean to be in Him
in the first place? This is the most important concept in Scripture. In Him. Turn to Hebrews 7 for
just a moment. Verse nine. And as I may so say, Levi also,
who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. Now, Levi was the
great grandson of Abraham, and he was the part of the Levitical
priesthood who the children of Israel had to pay tithes to.
But it says here, he's the one who did the tithe paying. And this as I may so say, Levi
also who received tithes paid tithes in Abraham for he was
yet in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. When
Abraham paid those tithes to Melchizedek, Levi did too. When Jesus Christ kept God's
holy law, I did too because I was in him. Now that's the gospel. according as He hath chosen us
in Him, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him, in the Lord Jesus Christ."
Now, to be in Christ is to be united to Him. And this cannot
be understood. It can only be believed. I've
always been in Christ. There's never a time when I wasn't
in Christ. Before the foundation of the world, I was in Him just
like old Levi was in the loins of his great-grandfather Abraham. I've always been in the Lord
Jesus Christ forever. Now, what's it mean to abide
in Him? He says abide in Him. To abide in Him is the conscious,
and note that word conscious, To abide in Him is the conscious
desire to be found nowhere but in Him. You have that? It's a conscious desire to be
found nowhere but in Him. So that when God looks at me,
all He sees is Jesus Christ because I'm in Him. And I don't want to be anywhere
else. That's exactly what Paul meant
in Philippians chapter 3 when he said, Oh, that I may win Christ
and be found in Him. I don't want God to look at me
the way I am under any conditions. I simply want to be found in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and I don't want to be found anywhere else.
I don't want God to judge me for my preaching, for my sincerity,
for my efforts. I don't want to have anything
to do with anything like that. I simply want to be found in
Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law. but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. And I don't want to be found
anywhere else. If I told you that all of God's
blessings were in this room, and nothing but God's wrath is
outside of this room, where you want to be? You want to be in
this room, don't you? If I told you that everything
God had was in this room, Where would you want to be? In this
room. Abide in Christ. Isn't that one
who abides in Christ? What's it say about them? Verse
28. And now, little children, abide in Him. Don't go anywhere
else. Remain in Him. Stay in Him. Tarry
in Him. Endure in Him. Just stay in Him. The thing that comes to my mind,
when the angel was coming to destroy the firstborn, would
you want to go outside the house? No, you don't want to be right
in that house and you wouldn't want a finger sticking out. You
want to be right in that house. Abide in Him. And here's the
blessing of abiding in Him. That when He shall appear, we
may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him that is coming.
And you know why we won't be ashamed? Because there won't
be a thing to be ashamed of. In Him is no sin. And if I'm in Him, I have no
sin, nothing to be ashamed of, nothing but confidence. abide
in Him. Chapter 3 verses 5 and 6. This is more of an enlargement. I'm sorry, verse 7. 1 John chapter 3 verse 7, little
children Here's the fourth one. Little children, let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous. There's only one reason for the
doing of righteousness. person himself must be righteous. That's the only way you can do
something righteous, is if you yourself, in your person, are
righteous. Now, how can I understand that? Well, if you're born of God,
you have his nature. You have a holy nature, a holy
nature that's incapable of sin, and that can't do anything but
righteousness. Now, you know that by faith. God tells you
that. You don't know it by sight. You
know it by faith. But if you're a child of God,
you have a righteous nature. That which comes from God. Can
something that comes from God sin? Can something that comes from
God be anything but holy if it's from him? This is what every
believer possesses, this righteous nature. And the person who does
righteousness is righteous even as he is righteousness. Now this
can only be understood in the context of what is being said.
We read of the doing of righteousness and the doing of sin. Now look
in verse four. Here's what he's talking about
sin. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is the transgression
of the law. So is there any question about
what he's talking about when he's talking about sin? If you
sin, that means what you're doing is you're transgressing God's
holy law. Verse five, and you know that
he was manifested to take away our sin, and in him is no sin. That means if I'm in him, I have
no sin. Verse 6, whosoever abideth in
him sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. Well, what that means is if you
abide in him, sin is not the tenor of your life. You don't
practice sin. You don't live in sin. You have a basically
holy life. You might trip up every now and
then, but that's what he means by not sinning. The continuous
practice of your life is you're not sinning. That's not what it means. It says you don't sin, period. And
the word used, committeth, is talking about an act. It's not
talking about what the general course of your life you don't
sin. The general course of my life, all I do is sin. And if
that's what that means, and I'm not saved, neither are you. But
that's not what it means. It's talking about this new nature
that does not commit sin. That which is born of God does
not sin. Now, like I said, you can't see
that. You can't look at some accident
and say, well, that's without sin. As long as you're in it,
as long as you're in the equation, there's going to be sin there.
But the new man didn't sin. The new man delights in the law
of God after the inward man. Now let's go on reading. Little
children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness
is righteous even as he is righteous. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ,
it came from him. Verse 8. He that commiteth sin,
and that word commiteth is doeth, the same word. He that doeth
sin is of the devil. For the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that
he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born
of God, doth not commit sin. For his seed, the seed of God,
remaineth in him, and he... What's that next word? Cannot. He lacks the ability to sin. Why? Because he is born of God. What is born of God cannot sin. Well, I sure am thankful for
that. Verse 10, and this, the children
of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever
doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth
not his brother. Verse 18 of this chapter, my
little children, my little children, let us not
love in word, Neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Now look back up in verse 14.
We know that we've passed from death to life because we love
the brethren. Who are the brethren? Everybody who's Christ's little
brother. Everybody that he died for. Everybody he loves. Look in chapter 5 verse 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. Now if you
are a child of God It is natural for you to love the brethren.
You love them. You really do. It's not something
you have to be coaxed into. You love the brethren. You can't
help it. It's your nature. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. And we know that we pass from
death to life because we love the brethren. He that loveth
not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer. And you know that no murderer
hath eternal life in him. Look back at verse 12. Not as
Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, and
wherefore slew him? Because his own works were evil,
and his brother's righteous. Cain brought his works. Abel looked nowhere but to the
coming sacrifice. God had respect to Abel, and
he had no respect at all to Cain. Cain got mad. Abel explained
to him, we've been taught you can only come through the blood
of the Lamb, that one who's coming. Cain said, I'll show you blood,
and he killed him. First Christian martyr. And he
was the murdered somebody over the blood of Christ. Verse 16. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, Because everything is going well? Because we don't have any
trials and we're healthy and wealthy and got plenty of money
in the bank and no trials in our life? No, hereby perceive
we the love of God because he laid down his life for us. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely
give us all things? Hereby receive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good,
and seeth his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? It doesn't. Now,
my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,
not just the words. Now, I love you are good words.
They're very good words. I love you. If they don't have actions behind
them, they're meaningless though, aren't they? Aye. Let us not love in word, but
in deed and in truth. 1 John chapter 4. Verse 4. Ye are of God, little children. Now what does it mean to be of
God? There are only two kinds of people,
the people who are of God and the people who are of the devil.
Remember when the Lord said, you are your father the devil
and the lust of your father you'll do? If you're of God, that means
you trace your origin, you trace your genealogy to God, to being
in Christ from the very foundation of the world. That's the only
hope you have, that you're in Christ and you know That's what
it is to be saved, to be of God. Well, how do you know if you're
of God? He that is of God heareth God's words. That's how you know. He that's of God heareth God's
words. And they said, you therefore
hear them not because you're not of God. Those who are of God hear God's
words. And notice it says, you are of
God, little children, and have overcome them. Who are they? Well, look up at verse one. Beloved,
believe not every spirit. But try the spirits, whether
they are of God. Because many false prophets are
gone out into the world, hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth,
now don't miss that word confesseth. This is a public thing. What a preacher believes is what
he publicly confesses before men. Not what he says, but what
he publicly confesses before me and while he's preaching.
If somebody wants to know what I preach, don't ask me. Ask the
people that listen to me. They're the ones who can tell
you. And that's the way it should be. That's what the Lord says.
Why are you asking me? Ask them that heard me. That
concept of confession is very important. Let's go on reading.
Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist
where if you've heard that it should come and even now already
it's in the world, ye are of godly children and have overcome
them. Now, they are those who do not
confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. That is, it's so simple, it's
beautiful. If you confess, I mean you publicly
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, you confess
that he's God, that he was before he came, that he's the eternal
son of God, the creator, the sovereign of the universe. You
really believe he's in control of everything. You confess he
was before he came, and you confess he came in flesh. The Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. And you confess that whatever
it is He came to do, He did. He accomplished it in His flesh.
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sins. And that's exactly what He did.
That's all of our hope, is that Jesus Christ has come into flesh
and that He did what He came to do. He accomplished the salvation
of everybody for whom He died. Now, do you believe that? You
believe the gospel. That's what believers believe.
Now let's go on reading. You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them because, here's why, not because you're
better or more intelligent, but greater is he that's in you than
he that's in the world. They are of the world, therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them, We are
of God. He that knoweth God heareth us.
He that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit
of truth and the spirit of error. Now here's how come you've overcome
them little children. Greater is he that's in you. Now this is true of every single
believer and if you're a believer you know this is so. Paul said
I live yet not I. but Christ liveth in me. I know this, if I have faith,
it didn't come from me, it came from him. If I have repentance,
it didn't come from me, it came from him. If I have love for
God and love for his gospel, it didn't come from me, it came
from him. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And the reason you have overcome
them is not because of some kind of moral strength or superiority
view or some kind of intellectual prowess. It's simply this, greater
is he that's in you than he that is in the world. First John chapter five, verse 21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. That's the way he closes this
epistle. It's kind of an interesting way to close it, isn't it? Little
children, keep yourselves from idols. Now, what's an idol? Well,
we can spin the whole long time talking about what
an idol is, but an idol is a false conception of God. It can be
so many different things. It can be a statue. It can be
a cross. It can be a religious relic. You can make an idol of
anything. The love of money is the root
of all evil. When people make an idol of money, you can make
an idol of Anything. And what sin did the children
of Israel continually go back to? Idolatry. And this is a very
real danger for me and you. Keep yourselves from idols. Now let me tell you one way that
you will keep yourself from idols. When you really believe that
the perpetuatory sacrifice of Christ is all that's needed to
make you accepted before God. There's no room for an idol.
Christ is all. You know how you'll keep yourself
from idol? If you really believe that your sins are forgiven for
this one reason, for Christ's sake. Doesn't have anything to
do with anything you do. It's holy for Christ's sake.
Once again, there's no room for an idol. You know how you keep
yourself from idols? By abiding in the Lord Jesus
Christ. So you don't want to be seen
or viewed anywhere but in Him. Nowhere else. And that'll keep
you from idols. You know what'll keep you from
idols? having his new nature, being born from above, that it
will not allow idols in his people. What will keep you from idols? If you love the brethren, it'll
keep you from idolatry. It really will. That's the new
commandment. Not in word only, but in deed
and in truth. What will keep me from idols?
To be of God. To trace my origin to Christ
Himself and know that's all my salvation, simply being found
in Him. Knowing that greater is He that's
in me than he that's in the world. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. May the Lord enable us all to
do that. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your salvation for little
children. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that you would that he would be our advocate.
Lord, forgive us of our sins and give us grace to sin not,
but how we thank you for our advocate, the Lord Jesus and
his perpetuatory sacrifice that actually has removed our sin.
Lord, how we thank you that we're forgiven for his namesake and
Lord, give us grace to abide in you. Lord, give us that new
heart, new nature that comes only from you for your glory.
And Lord, give us the grace to love, not in word, but in deed
and in truth. And Lord, deliver us from being
overcome by that which is false and cause us to boldly confess
that thy son is come in the flesh and all that means. And Lord,
deliver us from idolatry. We'll fall in that direction
apart from your grace. We ask that you would deliver
us from Christ's sake. Lord, bless this message for your glory
and our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.