(1 John 2:12) "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name sake."
(2:13) "I write unto you, fathers because ye 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 ye have known the Father."
(2:14) "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written you young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
Introduction:
Now, if you have read this scripture with me and your bible resembles my bible, you may be wondering were John is going with this small passage of scripture we are working with today…
You may be wondering why after dealing so much with on the effects of sin, and after dealing with how we must keep God’s commandments, and after touching on how we must love ones neighbor as Jesus has loved us…
Why did God tell John to start writing to the Church on this particular subject?
What was God’s purpose for us here? at this particular point and at this particular time…
As I began studying and then preparing for this message, I came to understand that there are at least three points that John is sending home in this scripture…
And these points can be summed up in our dedication and obedience to at least three areas of our lives…
God can do many magnificent things, but in this particular scripture…
He was to deal with three things. He wants us to deal with our…
Conversion
Then our Commitment
And then he wants to remind us how far we have come in our spiritual walks…
And for that reason, I have entitled this sermon: "I won’t forget what the Lord has done for me".
Tell Somebody, "I won’t Forget"…
What the Lord…
Has done for me…
And in this particular passage of scripture, God describes these issues and attributes in the three groups of people that are addressed in John writings.
He Illustrates your conversion, your commitment, and how far you’ve come to through a description of 3 stages of spiritual growth God will prepare you for and actualize for you in your life…
You see, every once in a while, God wants us to remember what made us come to Him in the first place…
He wants us to remember what it was like to give our lives to the Lord…
He wants us to remember where we were and when we decided to take a walk with Jesus…
God knows that by testifying about the glory of God, and praising the Changing Power of God…Somebody out there who is seeking God will come closer to Him through our spiritual light that we are shining.
Pt. I. God Forgives and Changes His Children
This brings me to my First Point today.
That God forgives and God can change things.
He said, (2:12) I write unto you little children…
Because your sins have been forgiven for His names sake…
Now, this verse of scripture may not seem like much at the surface…
This may not seem like much at first glance…
No not at just the exterior of this verse…
But below the surface this scripture is screaming an uncompromising truth to all of God’s creation.
It is screaming out a spiritual dichotomy that is so clear and so vivid to some
Yet so puzzling, distant and confusing to others…
Because you see, Below the surface, the text tells us that there are only two families that exist on earth from God’s perspective:
Children of God and Children of Satan…
And God is writing to us through John to remind us that although we have at one time walked with the world…
Although we at one time fed the flames of the Devil…
Although we did some things that we are not very proud of…
Now, as Christians, our sins have been forgiven…
All The hurt that we have caused…
All The problems we have created…
All The situations we have been bound with…
All The people we have wounded…
Have been forgiven…
All The hearts we have damaged
All The lives we may have changed…
All The suffering we may have caused…
Have been forgiven…
All the terrible things that have been said…
All the things you wish you would have done differently…
All the things you wish you could take back…
All have been forgiven…
Because as a young believer, when we left Satan’s house…
And entered God’s house…
A change came over us that renovated our spiritual house…Come on somebody…
And when he took over our house…
He planted a seed in us that had to grow… come on now…
He planted a seed in us that had to be nurtured…
A seed that had to be cultivated…Hallelujah…
And God said that this seed of conversion…
This seed of change…
This seed of new beginnings…
This Born Again Seed…
This Renewed seed…
A Restored seed…
Would no longer be guilty of sin…
No longer be judged for sin…
No longer be condemned for Sin…
Washed in the blood of Jesus…
For the Bible says: Psalm (51:9) God will hide thy face from thine sins and blot out thine iniquities…
Psalm (51:10) God will create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit…
Psalm (17:8) God will hide me under the shadow of thine wings…
Roman (14:13) for the word says, are ye not conformed to this world: But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…
God wants you to remember when He delivered you…
When He rescued you from those pitfalls…
When He set you free from that problem you were dealing with…
When He released you from your situation…
I won’t forget…
When He blessed me during the Good Times…
When He held me up during the hard times…
When He spoke to me in the quite times…
When He cried with me in the lonely times…
I won’t forget…
When I had no where else to go…
When I had know where else to turn…
When I needed a shoulder to lean on…
I won’t forget…
When everyone was against you…
When He lifted a financial burden…
When He delivers on His promises to me…
I won’t Forget…
When He delivered my Child…
When He brought me Through…
When He protected me…
I won’t forget what God has Done for me…
Because greater is He that is in you, then He that is in the World…
And you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you…
God wants you to remember the Conversion…
God wants you to remember the transformation…
God wants you to remember the Change…
Pt. II. God Seeks our Commitment as We Grow Spiritually
Because as a child in the faith… That was our "First Step"…
That was our baby step…
That was our Initial Step…
But as we grow in our faith, there should be growth in our Commitment to God…
This is the second point I’d like to leave you with today…
That God seeks our Commitment to Him has we Grow to know Him…
Now if we go back to the Scripture… John takes us a little deeper into this teaching on spiritual growth and worship…
If we go back to Verse 13, John says…
(2:13) I write unto you fathers, because ye HAVE KNOWN HIM that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you HAVE OVERCOME the wicked one…
(2:14) I have written to you fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you…
Now, if the children are to represent the new believer… the new convert…
Those who have left the plan of the world and have entered the plan of God…
What do the Spiritual Fathers Represent?
Now, you want to listen closely here…
In the scripture, The Spiritual Fathers represent the spiritually mature…
Those with a deep knowledge of God…
Those with a deep commitment to God…
Those with a deep covenant with God…
These spiritual Fathers and Mothers if you will have:
Those that have fed upon the word of God…
Set aside time for prayer….
Walk in prayer all day long…
If you are in this group you have committed you life to the lord beyond just idle words…
You have committed your life to the Lord beyond just physically showing up at church…
You have committed your Life to Him beyond just an emotional experience or two…
You have professed boldly that it is not my will, but thine will that must be done…
You can’t wait to testify on how good the Lord has been to you…
You can wait to witness the saving power of Jesus…
You are on fire for Jesus…
You might stop someone in the street just to tell somebody how good God has been to you…
You have a reciprocal relationship with the Lord…And no devil in Hell can pluck you out of His hand…
You have an insatiable appetite for the word…
You’re committed…
You’re sacrificing…
You are so in Love with the Lord…
That you are ready, willing, and able to given all you are and all you will be to serve Christ and His mission…
And with all of this
Remembered where you came from…
Come with me to 1 Thessalonians (1:3)
1 Thessalonians (1:3) Paul told the church that we should "remember without ceasing your work of faith…
You’re labour of love…
And the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1:4) Knowing, brethren beloved your election (or your Call) of God.
As a mature believer, you will know your election…
You will know you are called to God…
You will know what ministry you must be a part of…
You will know what you must do to glorify God…
A great writer once said that:
"The Place God Calls you to is the place were Your Deepest Gladness and the Worlds greatest hunger meet."
"Where Your deepest gladness And the Worlds Greatest Hunger Meet"
What is your deepest gladness? What is the world’s greatest hunger?
As a mature believer, you will know where God is calling you to serve…
You will know what position He has placed you in…
AND God will give you wisdom on top of Wisdom to teach and Nurture…
God will grow your talents to edify the Church…
But John says…
Don’t forget where you came from…
Don’t forget where you came from…
Don’t forget what is was like at the beginning…
Don’t forget the Fire that you had when you found the Lord…
Don’t forget the needs of the people God called you to serve in the first place…
Don’t forget that in all things we must love one another as Christ has loved us…
What I’m saying here is that there is a difference between a Job and a Ministry…
If you did it because no one else will, It’s a Job…
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry…
If you do it just enough to get by, it’s a job…
If you do it to the best of your ability it’s a ministry…
If you quit because someone criticized you, it was a Job…
If you keep serving God, it’s a ministry…
If you quit because no one praised you, no one gave you a high five, no one said atta boy or atta girl. it was a job…
If you do it because you think it needs to be done… It was a ministry…
People may say "Well Done" when you complete your job…
But the Lord will say "Well Done" when you complete your ministry…
We have to remember were we came from…
And not only do we have to remember where we came from, but we have to remember HOW FAR we have come in our spiritual journey with the Lord…
Pt. III. God Has Brought Us a Mighty Long Way
This would be my closing point….
That God has brought us from a mighty long way…
And if you view this walk as like climbing staircase or running a race…
God is laying this thing out for us today so that we remember why we joined his family in the first place…
Now we have touched on the new Christian…
And we have touched on the Mature Christian…
But John brings this point out most boldly when He speaks of the Young Men/women of the Church…
These "young men" are the Mature believers of the Church…
Those who while not having the mature experience of knowing God in the Word and through Life…Do know sound doctrine and are strong against sin and error…
The Word says that I write unto you because you have overcome the wicked one…
I’ve written unto you because you are strong…
Because the Word of God Abides in you…
Because you have conquered the adversary…
How do we overcome the adversary?
James 4:7 says: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you."
James 1:5 says, "If you lack any wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally."
And Proverbs 4:14 says that: "we should enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not the way of evil men." Just to name a few…
But When I look back on my life…
And I think about how the devil has tried to rob me…
How he tried to destroy me…
How he’s tried to hurt my family…
How he’s tried to bring me down…
Attack my finances…
Break my covenant...
Fracture my dreams
Rupture my hopes…
Rip apart my future…
When I think about what the adversary has tried to do me…
I can just smile…
I can get happy…
I can have Joy about what God has done in my life…
I can testify about were God has brought me from…
I can give him the highest praise…
I can lift His name up…
I can magnify His name…
Cause when I think of How Good God has been…
When I think of how he’s delivered me…
When I think of how He’s helped me…
I can’t forget…
I won’t forget…
I can’t forget…
Because when I think about his mercy…
When I think about His protection…
When I think about His Power…
When I think about His compassion…
I get Joy in my heart…
I get joy in my soul…
I get Joy in My Spirit…
Because I know God is on my side…
I know God is my protector…
I know God is my covering…
I Know God is my Hedge…
And when He died on the Cross-…
He Died for my Sins…
And He died for your Sins…
He cleansed my Body…
He Set me Free…
He Saw a Dying man…
And Gave Him Life…
He Rescued a Drowning Man…
And gave Him Breath…
He Saw a Fallen man…
And Picked him up…
Dusted him off…
Gave Him Wings
And Said Now you can Fly…
Gave Me a new walk …
No Condemnation…
No Punishment…
No Guilt…
Just Jesus…
Reverend Robert W. Parker
Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church
(314) 521-3951
CWP240@aol.com for free audio version
Reverend John Mitchell Jr. Senior Pastor and Teacher
