We turn in the word of God to 1 John chapter 2 and we're looking this evening as we work our way through this epistle at verses 12 to 14. And these verses are a sort of break in the unrelenting exposition that John is giving to us. And how often we read the scriptures in a superficial manner, which is why so much is often missed take these verses in and of themselves. How tempting it is to read them quickly and then move on because, well, we really want to get to verse 15 where it is much more important, at least as we think so. And yet, how much we would actually miss if we were to simply gloss over these particular verses. Let me remind you of the context and the argument of John thus far. He's setting out since chapter 1 verse 1 these glorious truths, the truth of the incarnation in chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. And then you have that apostolic declaration in chapter 3, that which we have seen and heard. Declare we unto you. In other words, they had a message to deliver. And the church has a message to proclaim in this world. The church ought not to be fuzzy, really minded about anything. We ought to have that apostolic position. And in verse 5 of chapter 1 there is this message, and the message is of the holiness of God. God is light and in him is no darkness at all. And then he proceeds to deal with the whole problem of sin in chapter 1 verse 6 right through to verse 3 of chapter 2. And then having done all of that, He then moves to the evidence of saving faith in verses three to six. How do you know a Christian? What is a Christian? What is the ultimate proof that someone is a child of God? And he tells us it is their whole attitude to the law of God. It's quite a surprising statement. It's their whole attitude in response to God's law. But then he anticipates someone wanting to know, well how does that work out in practice? And so he tells us what it's like in practice in verses 7 to 11. And then comes this pause in verses 12 to 14. And essentially what John is doing, he's saying to you, well do you get all of this? Are you with me? Are you following me and all that I've said thus far? He anticipates all kinds of objections and queries and problems. Perhaps someone might say, well, is this really possible? Is it necessary? What if I feel? What if it's all discouraging? All kinds of questions present themselves. When you study a passage like this from chapter 1 verse 1 right through to chapter 2 verse 11, a whole lot of questions arise, do they not? So we have this pause. So our theme this evening is a pastoral interlude. A pastoral interlude. But before we begin our examination, there is one point that needs really to be sorted out. John refers here to children, fathers and young men. Is he referring to age or to spiritual maturity? Well, whatever conclusion you come to, can I say it doesn't really matter. Commentators, they spill a lot of ink over some unnecessary questions. Well it doesn't really matter because he's covering every section of the church. In one sense all believers are children. That's in fact how he calls them in this epistle. He writes the believers as children. But irrespective of where you are in age or in terms of maturity. John essentially is saying I can say these things. All these things that I have written because of what you presently are, because of what you presently have. And that's where our fault sometimes lies. We don't really consider what we presently have, what we presently possess, what we already are. That's why there are so many questions and fears and doubts that arise in our minds. And so he has written this epistle with all its indicatives and imperatives, with all its declarations and commands. And you see that even here in these verses. Take that word because. It holds the whole section together. I say this because of that, because of this, because of something else. What he's saying is, this is what you already have. Of course you may have questions in your mind. So let's go right away back to basics. What do you have as a Christian? What do you already know as a child of God? Which brings me then directly to these verses. First of all, sins forgiven. Sins forgiven. Because your sins are forgiven you. For his name's sake in verse 12. What is the most basic and fundamental fact of the Christian's life and experience? It is this, that their sins are forgiven. There is nothing more fundamental than this in life. A Christian is one who has sought forgiveness and received forgiveness of sin. So there's a sense in which we can say they no longer seek forgiveness, they already have forgiveness of sins. So if you're not a Christian, you don't have forgiveness, you don't have pardon, you need forgiveness. So you need to be seeking forgiveness of sins. But there's a question, is there not? What does a Christian know about forgiveness. But look again at what he says, your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. So the Christian is the one who has come to realize I cannot earn forgiveness, I cannot merit forgiveness. All my righteousnesses are still derived. All my good deeds, everything that I would applaud, they mean absolutely nothing and they will earn me nothing and get me nothing when it comes to this matter of forgiveness. The Christian is the one who has also come to realize Come to understand the centrality of the Lord Jesus Christ. The exclusivity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ. For His name's sake, the Christian is the one who has come to understand, I need Jesus Christ. He's the one who has come to understand, I can go to no one else. It must be only to Christ alone. The Christian is the one who now knows that it is what Jesus Christ did that is the ground of their salvation. That's what makes them a Christian. What he did never any reference to themselves. So his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, they are all essential to forgiveness of sins. Paul writes of this too, does he not? Romans chapter 4 and those striking verses, verses 24 and 25, But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him, that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. There's the entire truth summarized for us. We believe on Him. We believe on God. But we believe on God in a specific manner. I know there are lots of religions and lots of people and they all say, oh we all believe on God. The Christians say, no you don't. The Christian says we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. That's the God we believe in. Of course it's the God who is rejected and denied by Islam and Hinduism and all these religions in the world. So this is the Christian view of God. And what is more, the Christian believes certain things about Jesus Christ. He was delivered for our offenses. It's because of sin that Christ died upon the cross. He took the sins of sinners. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. That's who we believe and understand. He was delivered for our offenses. So we have sins that need to be dealt with and they can only be dealt with by Jesus Christ. what is more and was raised again for our justification we not only believe certain things about ourselves we believe certain things about Jesus Christ that he died and rose again from the dead and that our justification is essential to our standing before God In the resurrection, God said that Jesus Christ has satisfied the demands of the law. So we know not only that we have offences, that we have sins that need to be forgiven, but also we need justification. It's not enough just to be pardoned. We need a righteousness imputed to us. God didn't just bring us from a negative into a neutral position. We have to be accepted, that's why justification is so essential. We need a righteousness to cover all these sins. But where is all this to be had? It's to be had in Christ, Jesus our Lord. He who died and rose again. And that's what John is actually saying too in verse 12. Your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. So let me ask you. Do you know anything of this? What is your response to this? What is your reaction to this? Do you know what it means to be a sinner? and to have your sins forgiven and to understand that Jesus Christ is the only way to get into heaven, the only way to be pardoned, the only ground upon which you can stand and be accepted before God. It matters not your age this evening, whether you are 2 or 102, the truth remains the same. What do you know of this, this truth of pardon and forgiveness for sins? Well, John was writing to Christians. He said, I know that you've heard all these things and you've studied all these doctrines and all this truth from chapter 1 verse 1 right through to verse 11 of chapter 2. And I know there are questions in your mind and you're wondering, well, is it possible for me to do all these things? Yes, he says, it is if you're a Christian. If you're a Christian. What is a Christian? Their sins are forgiven. So it is all entirely possible and everything he's going to tell Christians to do right throughout this entire epistle is all possible because of this first foundational fact and truth. Sins are forgiven. But then secondly Satan resisted. says in verse 13, because you've overcome the wicked one. And he repeats it again in verse 14, and you've overcome the wicked one. No sooner does the sinner receive pardon for sin than they realize something. What do they realize? They realize that they have a fight on their hands, a battle. The battle just seems to begin the moment they are converted. All kinds of problems and conflicts arise that never occurred before. In fact, the whole Christian life is one of intense battle. 24 hours a day for the rest of their life. I hear people and they say, oh being a Christian is very easy. There's nothing about it. And they think it's a sissy kind of a thing to be. What do you do? You shake your head and say, there is an ignorance. He knows nothing of what it means to be a Christian. There's a battle that goes on constantly. First there's an internal battle that rages all the time. There's an internal battle. It's referred to in Galatians 5 verse 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary. The one to the other so that he cannot do the things that he would. They are contrary. There's this enormous battle that goes on inside every Christian. The flesh versus the spirit. And he speaks of the works of the flesh. That follow in verses 19 onward. and then the fruit of the spirit. There's this battle that goes on. Isn't it interesting how sexuality is the first thing that he mentions. There's this battle that goes on between the spirit of purity and the lust of the flesh. This battle going on continuously. And all this is fully illustrated for us even in the Apostle's own life where he describes his own life before and after conversion in Romans 7. Before he was converted, he says in Romans 7, he thought he was a decent religious person. civilized kind of a person he could make boasts of certain things of his accomplishments and achievements and his lineage and all that he seemed to be doing for the kingdom of God and how he was even instructing others and he'd been taught by the best of rabbis but then the most astonishing thing happened to him he discovered he was actually a sinner and you know the Apostle never got over that discovery He refers to it continually. He never got over the fact that for years he thought he was righteous because he was religious. And then he was shown that he was a sinner. And how was he shown? He was shown by the law. And he says it was that last commandment. The tenth commandment. Thou shalt not covet. He didn't know what sin was until one day he came to understand. He was arrested by the law. He was apprehended. He was altered. He realized I'm actually a sinner. And then he was converted. And then he made another discovery. He discovered that from that moment onwards, he had a struggle between the flesh and the spirit. So he says in Romans 7.21, I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But then you see, there's the contrary part. I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Oh wretched man that I am. This titanic struggle, this constant battle between the flesh and the spirit. But there isn't just an internal battle, there's also an external battle that the believer is involved in. And you find that in Galatians 4, 29. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. So there's an external battle. So what happens? Well sometimes it happens in families. One gets converted. The rest of the family. They don't think much of that conversion. So they want to mock it and sneer at it. And then they will do all kinds of things to try and cook that person up. For some, they've been driven out of their home because of God converting. But thankfully that doesn't happen to too many in our country nowadays. But they have a different struggle. At least the same struggle in a different sphere. Sometimes it's in their neighbourhood or in the workplace. and their colleagues, and they just love to try and ruin them because they profess to be Christians. And they will be awkward. You know what it's like. You want to shift off. Oh no, nobody will help you, but they'll help every other Tom, Dick and Harry, but they won't help you because you're a Christian. And they know that. So they will try to make things as awkward as possible. And it seems constantly you're struggling to preserve your Christian witness. There's this battle all the time. trying to maintain your Christian testimony. And sometimes employers know that a certain employee is a Christian. And so Paul writes about this, doesn't he? He writes to those who are servants or who are slaves to certain masters. And the master isn't converted. He says, no matter what they do, you're a Christian. You're to act like a child of God. You're to demonstrate you're a Christian. Don't bring the gospel into disrepute. So there's a battle, there's an internal battle, there's an external battle. Then you may ask, well why is all this referred to this evening? Why is it all necessary? Why do you refer to it? Because it is Satan who is the Christian's constant enemy. Ephesians 6, 12, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, that is, not only against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirit of wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take on to you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. And he goes on to speak of the fiery darts of the wicked in verse 16. But there is one glorious truth in the midst of all of this that Christians too often forget. And the Saviour refers to it himself in John's Gospel in John chapter 12 and verse 31. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. It's the defeat of Satan. And John says in this epistle, the moment you become a Christian, you share in the spoils of land victory. No longer are you a slave of Satan. No longer are you a slave to sin. But you've been liberated. You've been set free. No longer are you under the reign of Satan. And if you're not a Christian this evening, You are still a slave to Satan. Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 2, And you have be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. Look at what he says, you were. Remember he's writing to Christians. He says this is what your life was like before you were converted. You were dead. You were dead in trespasses and sins. And then there's the whole direction of your life. You walked according to the course of this world. And then not only that, but you were dominated according to the prince of the power of the air. You were slaves to Satan. Slaves to sin. Slaves to Satan, but you were also slaves to the fashions of this world, and the course of this world. And ultimately he says in verse 3, depraved. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, and he sets all that depravity out. But then he says in verse 4, but God, ye were But God, that great transformation, regeneration and conversion. You were quickened, you were regenerated, but you were also converted. Your life has been changed. No longer are you under the reign of Satan. John says, and the word of God abideth in you. Why does he add those words? Well in 1 Peter 1 verse 23, here is why, being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. And in Ephesians 6 it is by that word of God that you survive in this world. And that is why as Christians you can say no to sin. and no to Satan, and no to all the temptations of Satan. You're sharing in the victory wrought by Jesus Christ, no longer a slave but free. And then thirdly, spiritual knowledge. Not only is it vital to know that your sins are forgiven, not only to know that Satan is already defeated, but there's something else the Christian comes to learn. They come to learn by degrees how vital it is to know God. The importance of spiritual development. See how often John refers to this point in verse 13, ye have known him that is from the beginning, ye have known the father, verse 14, ye have known him that is from the beginning. You see as you get older as Christians, as you mature as Christians, you increasingly see the importance of learning and knowledge, of acquiring more knowledge of the word of God, of these spiritual truths. Well the benefit of children amongst us, I'll illustrate it this way. When you have a birthday, you get presents. The next day you may be asked, well who bought you that present? Don't know. And so you're told, well you need to make a list. You make a list. All the names, and who gave you what, and then you're told, well you need to write them a thank you. You think it's all a botheration. Until you get older, something happens. It's not the gift that matters anymore, so much as the person who brings you the gift. You see the growth and development. When you're young, all the toys are wonderful, but I don't know who gave them to me. But when you get a teenager, when you grow up and get older, it's the person who brings you the gift. You love to meet them, talk to them. Well, that's the very same with being a Christian. As you get older, you learn more and more. I need to know God. I need to know the Father. I need to know the Son. I need to know the Holy Spirit. I need to read. I need to study. This is why Christians are readers. Even if they never pass their 11 plus as we might put it. even if they never got beyond primary school and learning. But when they become Christians they get a hunger, a hunger for the word of God, a hunger to learn and they want to listen. They may not be great readers throughout their life but oh they listen and they're acquiring knowledge. So increasingly believers put all their efforts and to knowing God, acquiring spiritual knowledge. So that they may say with the apostle, for me to live as Christ, to die as Gideon. He wants to know Christ. Wants to learn about Christ. Can't get enough of understanding the Word of God and the Scripture of Truth. And so they start to acquire books. All kinds of books, at least hopefully all signed books. They will read through them one after the other. What are they doing? They have come to learn. My sins have been forgiven. Yes, I have this great struggle that goes on. But there's something grand. I need to know more of God. I need to understand the scripture of truth. And so they will read the scriptures. They will hear it being read. They love to hear it being read. It's a strange sort of a Christian who knows nothing more after ten years of seemingly making a profession of fear than when they first made a profession. What a strange being is that? It raises all manner of questions that are uncomfortable. John writing, he says, see these three things about being a Christian? Sins forgiven, Satan defeated, spiritual knowledge, well that's what you have, that's what you already possess. This is what you've come to understand. Let me come to application of this. First of all, in light of all that has been said, what is your response? Do you understand any of these things? Does any of it resonate in your hearts? Or is it all a mystery to you? Do you say, well, I think I understand some of it, but it's pretty much a mystery to me. Don't quite understand the enthusiasm for wanting to acquire more knowledge of the word of God. Take the most basic elementary truth, forgiveness of sin. Do you understand anything of this? Do you know what it means to be a sinner? Have you ever seen the sinfulness of your sins? Tremble before a holy God that you're a sinner. Take this second one. Do you know anything of this conflict that goes on in a Christian's life between the flesh and the spirit? A struggle with sins. A struggle with temptation. Being distracted. Lust stirred up and you follow after it. A struggle to fight against sin. than having to mortify your members that are upon earth. Do you know anything of this struggle? Then take this third truth. Are you interested in communion with God? Of knowing more of God? Do you delight to open his word constantly? To read it? To hear it preached? To take off good boots? in relation to the word of God and to read them and thus advance in spiritual knowledge? Are you interested in spiritual things? Well, if your answer is no to this, then let me say to you this evening, do not let this day end without you coming to know sins forgiven. That you can say before the darkness comes, My sins are forgiven for his name's sake. You see, all this is a test of where you stand, you see. It's a test of where you're at in the presence of God. Of course, if you can say, Preacher, I know. I know about sins. My sins. And I know about this struggle. But you only knew what struggles I had. He struggles every day between particular sins and I know where my weaknesses are. And I see that He just seems to use those weaknesses. He plays upon them to tempt me. I know about this. And I also have a love for God, a love for Christ. I love to pray and I love to sing to Him. I love to read His Word. Well, then you have passed the test, so to speak. But your life is not yet over. There is yet much struggling to be done, and much yet to learn. And then secondly, it means for self-examination. Here are these constituent elements of what it means to be a Christian. So I ask you, if you profess faith this evening, well how lively Are these things in your life? Take for example, knowledge, learning, understanding spiritual things. Are you growing in knowledge? Are you growing in grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you have a hunger and thirst after righteousness? In other words, are spiritual things lively? Or is there declension? All Christians know much about declensing, don't we? Or we go through those periods where we just seem to be acquiring much. We feel almost like giant. And then all of a sudden, everything seems to collapse. And we feel as if we're declining and going backwards. But let me ask you, overall, are you experimentally advancing your knowledge spiritual things. And then thirdly and finally, spiritual strength, it comes from the Word of God. As John says, that the Word of God abideth in you. That's where your strength comes from. Psalm 119, And verse 9, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee, O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Where does the Christian strength come from? It comes from the word of God. So the Word of God abides within, but are you abiding in the Word? Are you getting into the Word of God? Are you reading it, studying it, learning it, memorizing it and meditating upon it? Or you can read the Word of God and yet not meditate upon it, not mull over it, not chew the cud so to speak over the Word of God. You can have a careless, flippant attitude to the word of God. You take these verses, verses 12, 13 and 14. Now supposing 1 John was your own particular daily reading, would you have skipped over these three verses? Or would you have said to yourself, well there's something important here and I need to understand it. And if it takes me a week, well I'll spend a week upon just these three verses. You see the difference? You could simply read it and say, oh well, verse 15, that's really important, love not the world, so I can get into the world and worldliness. Well, we'll come to that. We had that 12, 13 and 14. First, getting into the word. So I say to younger ones, children and teenagers, get into the word of God. Don't neglect it. Oh, there are so many other lessons that you have to learn and so many other subjects that need to be covered. And they all have to be done and all done in a hurry. But here is one area study. Don't hurry in it. Read it. Meditate upon it. If necessary, get a good commentary to help you. Ask questions. Ask questions from others. Read these verses. What do you make of them? Oh, I know every Christian loves questions. They love someone to come and ask them, what do you think of this verse? Or can I tell you what I learned from another passage? And other Christians love that too. You know what happens when someone says that to you? They go home and look up the passage. In fact, they might study the whole chapter, maybe the whole book, just because someone said to them, I really enjoyed this particular verse. Getting into the word. Children, get into the Word of God. Teenagers, get into the Word of God. Adults, get into the Word of God too. That's where your strength lies. That's where your strength will come from. That's why it's part of the armour, isn't it? It's the sword of the Spirit. It means by which you shall battle in this world. Amen.