Growing Up!

Growing Up!

Growing Up!

Growing Up!

Growing Up!

Growing Up!• I. I WRITE TO YOU CHILDREN• A. Your Sins have been forgiven• 1. Justification: The act of God in bringing 1. Justification: The act of God in bringing

sinners into a new covenant relationship sinners into a new covenant relationship with himself through the forgiveness of with himself through the forgiveness of sins. Along with such terms as sins. Along with such terms as “regeneration” and “reconciliation,” it “regeneration” and “reconciliation,” it relates to a basic aspect of conversion. It relates to a basic aspect of conversion. It is a declarative act of God by which he is a declarative act of God by which he establishes persons as righteous; that is, establishes persons as righteous; that is, in right and true relationship to himselfin right and true relationship to himself

Growing Up!• Philippians 3:9, "Not having a

righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.“

• Colossians 2:10 "In Him you have been made complete.“

• 2 Corinthians 5:21, "On the cross Jesus took our sin so that He could give us His righteousness."

Growing Up!• B. You have to have a B. You have to have a

relationship with Godrelationship with God• 1 Peter 2:2 says, "Desire the

pure milk of the Word that you may grow by it. Just as a baby desires milk in order to grow, you desire the milk of the Word which is your food so that you also can grow."

Growing Up!

• 1. Sanctification: the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Growing Up!• Colossians 2:4-7 4 I tell you this so that no

one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

• Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Growing Up!• Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that

he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

• 2. Expect God to convict you and discipline you

• Hebrews 12:7-8 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

Growing Up!• II. I WRITE TO YOU YOUNG MEN• A. The Word of God• The Victory of the Word over Satan’s

Accusation• Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice in Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice in

heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.death.

Growing Up!• a. Jesus Christ, Our Propitiation and a. Jesus Christ, Our Propitiation and

AdvocateAdvocate• 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to

you so that you will not sin. But if anybody you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

• Propitiation: Turning away of anger by the offering of a gift

• Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

• Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

Growing Up!• Advocate: Jesus Christ is the “counsel

for the defense” who intercedes on our behalf before the Father on account of his own atoning sacrifice.

• Romans 8:33-34 Who will bring any charge Romans 8:33-34 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. hand of God and is also interceding for us.

• 1 John 2:24 As for you, see that what you have 1 John 2:24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. Father.

Growing Up!• b. How the Word of God Works• Jesus Christ, the righteous, died in

our place. • The wrath of God is propitiated; its

removal is sealed.• Christ is raised from the dead and

intercedes as our advocate in heaven on the basis of that propitiation.

• The word of God—the gospel—comes to us and by grace we receive it and it abides in us.

b. How the Word of God Works• In this way, we abide in the Christ In this way, we abide in the Christ

so that he becomes our personal so that he becomes our personal propitiation and advocate, that is, propitiation and advocate, that is, we experience what Christ obtained we experience what Christ obtained for us. for us. 

• Satan accuses us of condemning sin Satan accuses us of condemning sin and tries to destroy us with guilt. and tries to destroy us with guilt. 

• We—like the young men of 1 John We—like the young men of 1 John 2:14—overcome the evil one 2:14—overcome the evil one because the word of God abides in because the word of God abides in us and we are strong. us and we are strong. 

Growing Up!

• 2. The Victory of the Word over Satan’s Temptation

• a. Temptation and Testing• The word for temptation in Greek

(peirasmos) is the same for both testing and tempting.

Growing Up!• 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 because of these

surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Growing Up!• Overcoming Satan’s liesOvercoming Satan’s lies• John 8:32 , “You will know the

truth, and the truth will set you free.”

• John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Your word is truth.

Growing Up!• III. I WRITE TO YOU FATHERS• A. “known him who is from the

beginning”• 1 Thessalonians 4:1 As for other

matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more

Communion