Growing in a Deeper Knowledge of Him

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:05

Please turn in your Bibles to the first epistle of John. I'm going to read the first 14 verses of Chapter 2.

00:19

This is God's holy and infallible Word. My little children these things write

00:30

I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin we have an advocate with the

00:39

Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world and Hereby, we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments

01:01

He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him

01:10

But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected

01:17

Hereby, know we that we are in him He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked

01:29

Brethren I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning

01:36

The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning again a new commandment

01:42

I write unto you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past And the true light now shines

01:52

He that says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness even until now

01:58

He that loves his brother abides in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him

02:08

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth

02:14

Because the darkness hath blinded his eyes Now our text for consideration this morning

02:22

I Write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake

02:30

I Write unto you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning.

02:38

I Write unto you young men Because you have overcome the wicked one

02:45

I Write unto you little children because you have known the father. I Written unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning

02:56

I have written unto you young men because you are strong and the

03:01

Word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one

03:08

May the Lord be pleased with the study of his word and let's ask the prayer blessing upon it now.

03:18

Oh Lord we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit that you would supply both light and heat

03:27

That you would illumine our understanding and also Set our hearts ablaze that we would have greater zeal and affection and passion for you

03:38

Christ That we'd have a greater Sense of duty and delight to accomplish your will and Oh Lord that that you would send a great mission

03:49

Ahead of us good works that we might walk in that our lives would be rich and fulfilling

03:55

As we accomplish your will and we ask all this in Jesus name Amen, please be seated

04:06

About 24 years ago. I was about to preach one of my first sermons and I went to my mentor and I said

04:14

I'm thinking about preaching 1st John 2 12 through 14 and he

04:20

Recommended I not do that because it's a little bit tricky Now I think because all these years have passed

04:27

I'm getting older. I think I can now preach 1st John chapter 2 verses 12 through 14

04:34

Today to give you an overview of really what the whole message is a thesis statement kind of a purpose of the sermon

04:41

In a very simple way. It is this the Christian in three stages of developmental maturity that's really all

04:50

I'm going to be talking about today the Christian and three stages of Developmental maturity and I can imagine from the text the first one is

05:01

Fathers in the Christian faith. There are fathers And we could add this is not specific to the male sex, but we have to confess and acknowledge

05:12

The scriptures are patriarchal. So we talk about mature fathers

05:18

We understand mature women and that same heady, but we fear not the use of the male language

05:24

This is a patriarchal book and we rejoice that it is. The second is

05:30

Young men Young men, so there's fathers and this goes in descending order fathers young men and Children fathers young men and children the

05:46

Christian life in Three stages, of course the goal for all of us is to be considered fathers

05:57

Let's consider the language to kind of have a better idea of what John is getting at We have to acknowledge as you're reading along.

06:06

This is an awkward section in terms of flow. It doesn't perfectly go

06:11

With the the cadence of that which has gone before it But it is by no means detached from it or disassociated with it

06:20

But it seems that John comes to a pause here He's been admonishing us to keep the commandments of God to walk in the light as he is in the light to love our brother in a way that is

06:34

Consistent with which the love that Christ has loved us But now it seems to be that he wants to encourage the body

06:42

So today I want every one of you to derive Encouragement and I want you to relax your shoulders a little bit because I've been coming at you with all the things you should do and today

06:54

I'm going to do that a little bit but more an air of Encouragement you have a standing in Christ You have the forgiveness of sins you have a station in Christ You have an estate in Christ and all of us should rejoice in that all of us should say amen.

07:12

Thank you Lord For putting me in the body of Christ wherever I am on the level of developmental maturity

07:22

Well, let's break down the language here a bit first. Look at verse 12

07:28

It says I write unto you John is saying

07:35

I am writing this epistle to give you direction Now sometimes when we hear scriptures

07:42

We are reading the scripture or listening to a sermon or doing our own devotions We we think maybe it doesn't perfectly apply to us in our situation

07:53

Here John is going to encapsulate the whole of the Christian Church in the first usage of little children and then he's going to talk to everyone whether they be fathers young men or children

08:08

John Seems to be Emphasizing here the directives that he gives to each according to their station.

08:16

So you need to find out today Locate yourself with some self -diagnosis. Where am

08:22

I? Am I a young child in the faith? Am I a young man in the faith or am

08:28

I a father in the faith? You and I need to look at our own spiritual maturity whether we are those

08:37

Christians who are little children in that diminutive sense the little ones the infants or Are we fathers or young men?

08:48

Now We think about knowing Jesus as the Messiah and the divine logos, which has been introduced in chapter 1

08:58

We also need to think about our fellowship with the broader church

09:03

John is saying essentially if you are united to Christ you are united to Christ himself

09:08

But also to me the the Apostle You're also

09:14

United to the broader and larger Church of Christ and all these things are our

09:20

Sources of joy and comfort to us when we consider who we are in Christ and this would follow

09:27

Some of the teaching that Mark gave in Ephesians about our identity in Christ Now If we walk in the light

09:40

It means we have no fellowship with darkness If we have the blood of Jesus Cleansing us from all of our sin

09:51

If we are those who confess our sins and are waging war against the flesh

10:00

We Should rejoice today because in the power of the Holy Spirit He calls you to keep his commandments you operate from a place of strength you operate from a place of security to keep his word to love the brethren as Christ has loved us and Of course this drumbeat that's been happening in our section up till now live as the children of light walk in his light

10:30

Now let's look at our text beginning at verse 12 and the use of little children one of the reasons

10:40

I have argued in the past that we need the preaching of the word is the word for little children in verse 12 and The word for little children in verse 13 are different words

10:53

But in our text they are translated simply Little children We've already covered this first part before and it's a very

11:04

Useful to John phrase little children. It's the word technia and it's the deeply loved ones

11:11

So even the fathers in this case are considered the deeply loved ones

11:19

The darlings of the apostle the

11:24

Christian Converts Every one of us in this room even old guys like me are

11:32

Considered by John to be little children this usage of course encompasses all believers and is frequently used by John to communicate his love and affection for The Saints it is a kindred address from teachers to their disciples

11:55

So John in this almost poetic way says I'm writing to you I'm writing unto you.

12:03

I have written unto you little children because I love you I want you to know who you are in Christ and and what you are capable of and What you are aspiring to be

12:17

It's very encouraging to me to think of the Apostle saying to all of the church

12:23

You are the beloved ones you are my darlings. I care so much for you.

12:29

It helps me to receive some of the hardness of his teaching

12:36

When they get to the idea, which is so basic, but how often do we?

12:42

Consider it a trifle to say we're forgiven of our sins Do you realize the burden that has been lifted off of you?

12:56

You are wretched beyond belief The sins that you harbored in your heart that you have performed in secret

13:08

Which would startle us as the people of God God has seen all of those sins and he has laid them upon the

13:18

Lord Jesus Christ and he has cleansed you from all of them. Oh Today to take heart and to rejoice and to give thanks and to be glad that all

13:31

Of my sin has been paid for by Jesus Christ. I can face anything

13:38

Because Christ has forgiven me my sins

13:44

Have you experienced if you shared this heart of gratitude and thanksgiving to God recently for?

13:52

The forgiveness that is in Christ alone when when

13:58

Mark declared the the absolution the declaration of Pardon did your heart rejoice within you or was it common to you now liturgy?

14:13

Let's not miss the opportunities that are presented to us both in the liturgy in this text today

14:18

Oh people of God take heart Rejoice your sins are forgiven

14:25

You've been washed You're clean in Christ and now From this place go out and make some noise for him go out and live the

14:36

Christian life Go out and be joyful and thankful go out and conquer And take some ground for him

14:44

The next thing I'd like us to consider and we think about having a Christo centric

14:51

Kind of doctrine which I hope our church has characterized our theology

14:57

Sometimes when we think about the forgiveness of sins we merely think about it

15:03

For the benefits that are conferred to us certainly appropriate for us to be

15:09

Rejoicing that our sins are forgiven, but there's an important phrase here and it says for his namesake our sins have

15:19

Been sent away reminiscent of the scapegoat Our sins have been carried as far as the

15:27

East is from the West Our sins have been laid upon Christ and they are no more as it concerns us because he has faithfully

15:37

Discharged our sin he's released us from it But all this happens really in the first case

15:49

For the glory of Christ for his namesake It's on account of Christ.

15:57

It's because because of Christ It's through Christ Christ is the author of this action

16:08

He's also the instrument of it He is the efficient cause of our sins being forgiven

16:18

It is by his love Service and intervention that our sins have been forgiven

16:26

He forgives us not only to clean us But that his name might get glory the angels of heaven

16:37

Rejoice and give glory to Christ in the repentance of a sinner because he does it

16:44

It's not the sinners ability that's so spectacular It's the name above all names, it's the name of Christ Christ saves and Forgives and this flows out of his character

17:03

It's for his fame It's for his reputation. He doesn't want to have a

17:11

Harlot wife he wants a spotless bride so he makes her clean and according to Hebrew notions

17:21

A name is inseparable for the person to whom it belongs it is something of his essence

17:34

The name of Christ accounts for his rank his authority His interests his pleasures his commands his excellencies his deeds

17:47

Think of the sacraments of baptism in the Lord's Supper And these we are bound

17:55

To the name of Jesus Christ We publicly declare our union with Christ and we pay homage to his dignity and his

18:06

Authority and he gets all the glory When sinners are saved they receive many benefits, but the glory belongs to the name of Jesus Christ alone

18:24

And that's where we are every Christian regardless of their development

18:30

Whether they be the newest Christian or the most seasoned saint Your sins have been forgiven for the glory the pleasure of Christ the reputation and the fame of his name

18:49

What makes me think of your name When they say

18:57

Limpki What's the world going to say about the Limpkis well

19:03

I Think they're gonna say as for me in my house. We serve the Lord.

19:10

I hope the Breno name will mean something in The future there'll be a legacy of faith the

19:16

Brenos are the people of God They walk in his ways the

19:22

Stevens The Breno 3 .0 s the 2 .0 s whatever the designations are

19:29

But that name is going to mean something the Mahars Carly's the

19:37

Clark's the Fuller's Zeno's the

19:42

Santa Cruz's the Revis's That name is now going to be associated

19:49

Through baptism through faith through the Lord Jesus Christ through the Lord's Supper for their

19:55

Vibrant membership in the local church in the church universal those names

20:00

Mean something because of their connection and union with Christ So today

20:07

I urge you to continue and to amplify That your name is going to be

20:15

Connected to the great name that your name will exist and function and thrive for his

20:23

Namesake and glory and your family will be swept up in that glory and honor

20:32

So the Clark's what will that mean in the generation What will it mean for the

20:39

Limpkis the Mahars? Will mean everything in the world if you're following and serving

20:46

Christ Well, there's another thing to consider here the next designation is the top of the maturity chain of developmental maturity is

21:04

Fathers I write unto you fathers Because you have known him who is from the beginning a father

21:19

Is one who? imparts life He's a nourisher

21:27

He's a protector He's an upholder of course this

21:34

Immediately causes us to reflect upon the person and character of the first person of the

21:40

Trinity God the Father The fathers of families and churches and society are defenders of the faith

21:52

They uphold the truth They nourish their families and the body by applying the word to those under their charge

22:05

Everyone here should aspire to this level of Responsibility and commitment

22:14

The fathers I don't know if you know this but the fathers are all about the future

22:21

Everything they do really is future oriented they build for the future and They leave both inheritances and a godly heritage

22:34

And if they're successful Their children will stand on their shoulders and they will

22:41

Take the kingdom even further they will take greater ground than their fathers

22:49

These are the elders of the church and society they're the leaders through rank and experience these

22:58

Saints have attained a degree of sanctification that enables them to lead

23:04

Conquests They are God's field generals and the reason

23:10

I'm invoking this military language and the connection to the young men You'll make it'll make more sense a little bit then

23:16

They preside Over the taking of ground for Christ and his kingdom

23:22

These are believers of a high level of maturity and wisdom

23:30

So are you a father of the faith? I was thinking about this

23:37

Illustration, I think obviously I think I'll make a little bit more sense as we continue through the next two stages

23:45

When I was first buried I Had to mow the yard myself and now

23:54

I never mow the yard really We need to mow our yard though, by the way boys

24:01

There's something that's happened If we need to do if I needed to do a yard cleanup if I've been gone for a week or several days and it's

24:10

Been raining like it has I would come home and I would have to pull all the weeds and do all the edging and mow all of the grass

24:17

But now I can put three or four bodies on the yard and The yard can be whipped into shape really fast.

24:26

It's very surprising particularly Jameson gets out there and gets excited He'll just start knocking it all out

24:32

You see there's something about fathers they they impart life and and mothers as well right in front of us these babies

24:40

They're multipliers the mature among us multiply They don't subtract they are multipliers

24:49

The kids will look in the cupboard and they'll say we need to order a pizza There's no food in the house

24:55

And then mom will come in and make a four -course meal and dessert from strange ingredients

25:00

That are in the cupboard and in the freezer This is the kind of thing that mature people do well

25:09

More on that in just a minute the fathers are Described as possessing something that is very incredible It says

25:20

I write into you fathers Because you have known him that is from the beginning, you know, the ancient of days, you know

25:30

Christ You know the Father, you know, the Son, you know the Holy Spirit and I was thinking about this it's like a young first -year seminary student or Bible college student who knows everything but nothing by experience

25:54

The spiritual fathers of the church can take the attributes of God and they can say that they have tangible experiential evidence of the reality of God and his existence and his goodness and his mercy and grace their lives

26:14

Testify to the reality of God they know him intimately through personal experience

26:23

The mature Christian knows understands and perceives Who God is?

26:31

The glory that is due that most glorious name They know and understand something of the sum of all of his

26:40

Perfections and this goes beyond which we spend so much time on here an intellectual assent

26:49

He speaks of a knowledge properly But also of a knowledge experientially, of course knowing is used of the act of marriage and it refers to the intimacy that is shared between a husband and a wife and The fathers of the faith the mothers the mature in Christ.

27:16

They they know God Deeply and intimately he's not an idea

27:22

He's a living person and the fathers know the father

27:28

They know the son and they know the Holy Spirit They understand the messianic dignity of Christ his divinity his unending and consummate kindness and love toward us

27:43

They they understand of all the benefits that have redounded back to us because of the saving work of Christ They can plumb the depths of it.

27:51

They they know it intellectually, but they know it in their hearts. It's in their bones It's in their bowels

27:58

They know what it means to be united to Christ and To have fellowship with him.

28:05

It's important also to see that they know him

28:14

Who is from the beginning they are authorities themselves they are rulers themselves

28:19

These fathers of the faith know his kingly and magisterial rule

28:27

In the beginning was the Word And the Word was with God and the

28:32

Word was God They recognize that Christ has the first place

28:40

He has the dominion. He has the principalities. He makes the rules

28:47

The whole of creation is under his dominion and by rank title and name he is

28:57

The king he is the Lord so fathers themselves leaders are the humblest and most submissive to the will of God Sometimes we approve in this era of lack of masculinity

29:14

We we like brashness and boldness But we need to esteem humility and strength real strength.

29:24

It's humble submissive to God What takes us now?

29:32

That's the father It takes us now to the young men in the middle of verse 13.

29:39

Take a look at that He says I write to you young men

29:47

Now in the depth of meaning of this word I don't think there's much more to say than young men and if we lived in Scotland, these would be the lads

29:55

Not the little boys, but the the buddies at the pub the guys who play rugby the soldiers these are the ones who overcome

30:08

And that second word that second descriptor young men He writes to them and encourages them because they have overcome

30:17

Young men are conquerors. That's actually what overcome is meaning here.

30:24

They are victorious They prevail They subdue

30:31

They carry off the victory. I should point out to you that Depending on where you land this the little children designation probably extends to seven years old and The young man the full adulthood not mature adulthood, but full adulthood in the scripture some evidence is 20 years old

31:02

Somewhere between seven and twenty years old the young man energy and strength is developed

31:09

In the recent anniversary of D -Day

31:14

I saw that famous picture or whatever it is from time There's somebody taking a picture in the amphibious vessel and they are little boys.

31:23

They all look younger than Elijah going to storm the beaches of Normandy so that age idea helps us to get a picture of the development of them

31:35

This these designations aren't really attached to age you could be a younger man Who's a father or you could be a an old man?

31:44

Who's an infant in the faith, but this idea of young man and strong and overcoming?

31:51

guys who go and win the victory The nature of this implies a battle the young men of the

32:00

Christian faith go to battle and They emerge victorious

32:07

They take ground for the Lord and they occupy it

32:13

They are the foot soldiers in the Lord's army they conquer

32:21

They are the ones who we say we boys we got to go take that hill the boys go run and they take that hill

32:28

With wild zeal and strength and passion we need our young men to be more like that But also causes me to ask the question

32:41

The culture and the society has said that young men are slaves to their lust

32:49

But that's just the way young men are There's no accounting for a spiritual adolescence by John Young men are supposed to be conquerors

33:02

They're supposed to be able to mortify their flesh and put sin to death They're supposed to carry themselves in a way that shows the triumph of Jesus Christ young men

33:14

I urge you to be conquerors and victorious and to typify and be an example of what a young man ought to be a conqueror

33:26

Isn't just sit and play video games all day He goes out and takes hills

33:33

He conquers ground he discovers new lands. He's always on the move pushing the mission of God forward

33:43

We've been too soft on our boys It's too soft on the young people in the church

33:51

They're called to be overcomers conquerors victors subduers the young men go to Take the hill and the father's orchestrate the conquests of that hill and future hills

34:10

I was thinking about this recently As you may know the the priestly system in the

34:16

Old Covenant At 50 years old you stopped Sacrificing animals that was the retirement age your priestly service didn't stop his very physical labor

34:28

Slinging couple hundred pound animals around and doing a number of them in a day.

34:35

I Was thinking about the great wisdom of the Lord When we have that Early strength of our our teens in our 20s.

34:47

We don't have the same discipline of mind and wisdom We haven't experienced enough

34:52

To walk in the right ways we tell our children this is not the right direction

34:58

But it's hard for them to see it, but when you're 50 or 60 or 70 years old things come into sharper focus

35:06

I Remember very vividly my dad is now a smaller man because he's shrunk

35:13

He's never as big as me but I remember my uncles were trying to move this big heavy thing and and they're considerably younger than him and he's much more frail compared to them big football kind of guys and He was managing the weight very well

35:31

He did not have the strength or the force that they did But he had wisdom

35:36

He understood leverage and levers and where to be and where to put himself

35:41

Is the Lord wise? when a man's Physicality begins to diminish a little externally.

35:50

It's made up for Exponentially by his ability to think and reason and be wise and apply truths to every situation

36:01

The fathers are taking big ground for Christ because the young men are able to labor physically and spiritually and the difficulty in the harshness of The work the young man is a righteous man he has

36:22

Overcome the evil or the wicked one look again at verse 13 young men in this case

36:34

They're not struggling with lust. They're not having a hard time Controlling their emotions and their body there.

36:43

These are young men under control They're not slaves to their passions

36:50

There is no rebellious Adolescence allowed you move from infancy to young Man very quickly in the

37:02

Christian life So if you have been stagnating in your development know that that you're not putting your shoulder to the plow

37:12

You're tolerating immaturity in yourself, you're not holding yourself to the higher standard you have been called to bigger and greater things

37:22

Than you may realize And finally the last designation

37:29

Is little children look at the end of verse 13 This word is different than that overarching word of those who are all who are forgiven this really means

37:42

Infants little ones This is a child under training an immature

37:52

Christian Now what's so startling about this when we go to verse 14, which seems to be somewhat of a recapitulation of these ideas

38:03

John doesn't address the little children again. Are you spiritually mature?

38:15

Because John doesn't go back to them again. He goes back to the young man. He goes back to the fathers

38:22

Little children that is a brief window of life and time if you are a new

38:28

Convert in the Lord Jesus Christ, you better start reading your Bible coming to every meeting of the church

38:34

You better pray you better read some more Bible You better rapidly progress in the faith because there's no allowance for a long period of little childhood here, but again, he swings it back around and says

38:52

You have known the father if George and Henry were here today and We have the

39:03

Mahar girls. They there are finer points of theology. They simply don't know They have no frame of reference

39:11

But very early on and my grandson Cal I can see it very early on they

39:18

Recognize they know who their father is They know him

39:25

They don't know all that he goes through but they know that if trouble comes I'm running to him

39:30

If I need a protector or a provider or somebody strong, I'm going to him That's The assurance that even the youngest

39:39

Christian the least mature Christian among us has because They have known the father

39:48

Just like in our families. They have an early intimate acquaintance and knowledge of Their father they have a childlike trust.

39:59

It's going to serve them very well and Sadly as they get more mature, they're going to lose it

40:05

They're gonna have to recapture it in order to have be young man strong or father wise that childlike trust in the father

40:16

So we have verse 14 Now it seems to replay what we just said and we have to acknowledge that this is here for a reason

40:26

So let's go and look at verse 14 It says I have written unto you fathers

40:33

Because you have known him from the beginning. I Have written to you young men

40:40

Because you are strong There's nothing new in the first part of verse 14, but this idea of strength is related to physical strength

40:56

Endurance, I wonder how much Strength in the church is lost by young men who don't know they have work to do and Capacity for a great amount of work in the life of the church, but not only that You have a great capacity for work in the marketplace

41:18

You could have a couple of jobs and a couple side businesses because you're strong When you're in your 50s and 60s, you won't be able to do that as easily

41:29

And the idea of strong here is an Engaging combative strength

41:36

We want the elders of the church It seems the old guys of the church to fight all the battles for us, but the young men

41:44

They have the engaging Combative strength to wage the good warfare

41:51

Not only against their own sin and to to purify and unify their homes and to take a wife and build a business family

42:00

But they also have this capacity to do it in the public sphere. They should be the most zealous evangelist in the church

42:07

They should be discipling younger men because they have this strength they do it in God's power and His power stands ready to unleash itself to bring about his will through faith

42:26

The young man of faith is valiant He has the strength of soul to sustain the assaults of Satan the culture has feminized us

42:43

But it's also kept us all in boyhood Young men are strong Your ten -year -old boys.

42:55

You should be giving them 15 year old boy things to do and Let them fail but have some success

43:03

Our 50 year old boys need to be doing 20 year old men things so on does that make sense?

43:09

Young men are strong You have Overcome the wicked one

43:21

But the Word of God abides in you the most passionate readers of the scripture in my experience in the churches are older people and married women

43:36

It's not universally true Young men can squeeze in a couple of minutes for the

43:43

Lord But it seems to me with all this strength and energy.

43:49

They should be consuming volumes of the word and systematic theology and biblical theology and apologetics

44:00

It says here that the young men of the faith What's really striking is this is the rank lower than the father in development

44:08

So think about how the father has to be The young man has the Word of God abiding in him

44:14

The Word of God does not depart his mind his heart or his lips it's been a permanently established in his soul and Exerts its power within if you don't have this power and this strength

44:30

You have not been drinking from the deep wells of Christ in his word and again the closing

44:40

Admonition to the young men is you have Overcome past tense

44:47

The wicked one a present reality for the maturing Christian With an increasing manifestation of it and its practicality

44:59

I want to leave you with a couple of ideas It could be helpful

45:06

This will serve as further application of the message and we'll conclude after this

45:13

You should take some comfort today little children in the faith young ones Rejoice your sins are forgiven and you know the father

45:25

But now you got to start drinking not only some milk, but you got to have some solid food You got to start developing and growing young ladies

45:36

Don't wait until you're getting married or we don't wait for some artificial date today be the most mature godly woman you could be young men

45:45

It's time to set childish things behind you should still go out and have fun

45:51

But you are the people who have to take care of business Do the people have to conquer hills the old men don't conquer the hills anymore

45:59

They orchestrate the conquering of hills you have to be the ones To accomplish this work take comfort today in your station

46:09

Fulfill your duties and your obligations according to that station wherever you are with a view toward mastery and taking on greater responsibility and This is coupled with a burning aspirational desire to grow up to full maturity the full maturity of spiritual fatherhood

46:35

Here are six things you need if you're taking notes. This would be helpful first If you are not personally growing in godliness, you're gonna have little impact in your marriage your family with the church or the society these

46:58

Strong people they train and they train in the word They're disciplined in the word if you're not growing spiritually if you're not

47:08

Rabidly pursuing Christ and more and more knowledge of him to grow in godliness

47:15

You're gonna be rendered less effective for all this great kingdom work the next thing you need to do is you need to take a wife or if you're a wife to be taken as a wife and establish a home and then you need to be engaged in the nurture and admonition of physical and Spiritual children we say well you're the young moms and young families.

47:46

You got your hands full with nurturing Physical children. It seems to me that you also still have to nurture spiritual children

47:56

Don't wait until you're 40 to start discipling other ladies or other men Need to grow in your competency and skill and your vocations and callings if you're a farmer

48:09

You better become really good at planting corn and Animal husbandry whatever your vocation and calling is become better at it with greater competency and skill

48:21

So that you'll have more influence more resources more responsibility

48:27

That's what you want. You want to take on more and more and more Responsibility this next one is very important We need the employment of your gifts and building up the church

48:46

Every Christian from the youngest person here today. Jonathan was the greeter

48:52

Whatever it is the job that you can do We need every Christian in the church every member to have a ministry in the church

49:00

Ryan takes care of all the bulletin stuff DJ selects psalms and music

49:07

Alyssa helps us with the music and selecting psalms that go with the proper tunes that we can sing together

49:15

Caleb and Alex print the bulletins the Carly's do all the things that they do Every person needs to have a list of things they do in service to the church.

49:25

They have to have jobs We need you to take on a job create a job. There isn't a job to put to work

49:32

In the life of the church in Particular as we embark on this grand ambitious mission to change

49:41

Longwood We need the employment of your gifts talents and wisdom in the church But also to be at work and building a

49:49

Christian culture that glorifies Christ wherever you are if you're a child and You're above 12 years old

50:05

If you're a child in the faith you are now behind You to be on the young lads side of things so start moving in that direction if You're a young man in the faith.

50:18

You better start taking some hills You better be asking the Lord to give you great wisdom that you might be a spiritual father someday

50:27

But you today have to accomplish the mission and if you're the father in the faith, you have to multiply labor

50:37

In the family the home the church The public sphere that's what the fathers

50:44

Of the faith have to do It's amazing that our

50:50

God Gives us all these gifts and Then his kindness and his mercy really speaking to us being created in his image and Created with these wills and volition and ambitions.

51:05

He has provided a place for us to thrive and flourish Individually in our private devotion in families in the church in our business life and in the community

51:24

Let's take up our responsibility and move the needle forward Competency where we are with a view to greater maturity and responsibility for the future.

51:37

Amen Let's pray together Oh Lord Wherever we be and I pray that you would allow us to see where we are on this maturity scale

51:51

I Pray that you would cause us to give thanks for where we are But that we would have holy ambition to move beyond where we are.

52:04

Oh Lord, I pray that you would quadruple and 10x and 100x my abilities to study and to preach and to pray to be a pastor.

52:16

I Pray that you would grant that to everyone here that today would be a force multiplier and the power of your spirit

52:23

Whatever we are That there would be an enlargement of our gifts and our talents and our labor and our diligence

52:31

For your glory Oh Lord help us to see that these things make a difference now, but they have a tremendous impact on The future help us to labor today for a greater harvest tomorrow.

52:43

I Pray that all this would bring glory to the name above all names the name of Jesus Christ our