WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.020 Well, if you'll get out your Bibles as the children go to their classes. 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:08.500 And as Pastor Mike said, the third grade to fifth grade classes. 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:12.060 Sticking with our parents this morning because teachers are sick. 00:00:12.259 --> 00:00:15.359 So everybody else, head to your classes. 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:16.760 Learn well. 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:22.660 Everyone else, let's open our Bibles to 1 John chapter 2. 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:29.800 Remember 1 John, if you're wondering where it is in your Bible, it's toward the end. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:31.500 It's not the Gospel of John. 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:37.640 It's the letter of 1 John, which is located toward the back of your Bible. 00:00:38.019 --> 00:00:44.079 Not quite the Revelation, which is the book at the very end, but almost there. 00:00:45.620 --> 00:00:49.120 We're going to be in verses 12 to 14 this morning. 00:00:50.519 --> 00:00:57.859 When I was in college, I sat down with some friends and watched the film Blood Diamond. 00:00:57.859 --> 00:01:00.659 It sounds really gory and graphic. 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:06.400 Well, it's a little bit, but it's historical. 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:09.560 It's not this gratuitous film. 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:21.379 It is a depiction of a true story that happened in the 90s in Sierra Leone of a civil war that 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:24.000 happened there with different militias fighting back and forth. 00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:30.280 And it zeroes in, the movie zeroes in on a father, Solomon Vandi, an African man whose 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:32.060 son was kidnapped by a militia. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:35.200 And he was forced to become a child soldier. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:38.500 And this man is doing his best to try to find his son. 00:01:39.379 --> 00:01:42.060 And there's a critical scene at the end of the movie. 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:45.840 It's probably my favorite scene in all of cinema that I've ever watched. 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:48.719 Solomon Vandi does find his son. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:55.539 But his son has been so brainwashed by the militia that he picks up a gun and points it at his 00:01:55.539 --> 00:01:57.299 father because he's so confused. 00:01:57.379 --> 00:01:58.260 He's so brainwashed. 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:00.719 He's forgotten how good his father is. 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:03.319 And Solomon doesn't miss a beat. 00:02:04.140 --> 00:02:07.319 He looks at his son right in the eye and he says, his son's name is Dia. 00:02:07.960 --> 00:02:09.800 Dia, what are you doing? 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:11.300 Look at me. 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:12.979 Look at me. 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:14.039 What are you doing? 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:19.000 You are Dia Vandi of the Prumande tribe. 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:21.560 You are a good boy. 00:02:22.359 --> 00:02:25.259 You love soccer and school. 00:02:26.379 --> 00:02:28.739 Your mother loves you so much. 00:02:29.739 --> 00:02:33.620 She waits by the fire making plantains and red stew. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.000 I know that they made you do bad things. 00:02:37.959 --> 00:02:39.299 You are not a bad boy. 00:02:40.019 --> 00:02:42.479 I am your father who loves you. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:47.199 And you will come home with me and be my son again. 00:02:48.259 --> 00:02:53.359 I can't do it in the same Nigerian accent that he has, but it's a very powerful scene. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:57.359 Dia Vandi had forgotten who he was. 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:06.079 He needed a tender reminder of who he was, of his truest and most fundamental identity. 00:03:07.379 --> 00:03:09.019 And friends, this is the case with us too. 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:16.439 We too can grow distant from our truest and most fundamental identity. 00:03:18.700 --> 00:03:20.580 Particularly as God's children. 00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:22.860 We can forget who we are. 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:24.500 We can take it for granted. 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:32.240 We can slip into a way of thinking and living that does not line up with our true identity. 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:40.100 And the group of Christians that John is writing to in 1 John were also in danger of forgetting their true identity. 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:46.280 Instead of a bloodthirsty militia, a group of false teachers had come in and had confused the church. 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:49.260 And they weren't sure if they really knew God or not. 00:03:49.420 --> 00:03:51.120 They weren't sure what was right. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:57.740 And they were in danger of joining these false teachers and disobeying God's clear commands in Scripture. 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:02.379 And they were in danger of losing their hold on the truth of who Jesus was. 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:09.420 That he was God come in the flesh to die for sinners and to rise again and to call us to follow him and have eternal life. 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:15.799 They were in danger of losing their love and affection for each other through division and strife. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:22.479 They needed a tender reminder of who they were in Christ as God's children. 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:26.339 Now up to this point, John hasn't addressed his audience very directly. 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:33.860 Usually when you write a letter to someone, you start by kind of greeting them personally, making some direct personal remarks. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:35.659 Paul does this in his letters. 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:38.860 He says, greetings, grace and peace to you. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.240 I give thanks to God for you for this and this and this. 00:04:41.640 --> 00:04:42.600 John hasn't done this yet. 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:44.500 He just kind of jumped straight to business, right? 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:46.920 From the first one, the first chapter. 00:04:48.520 --> 00:04:51.060 But now he does. 00:04:51.780 --> 00:04:56.540 He waits until now to address his audience very directly. 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:58.180 Look at verses 12 to 14. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.220 It's a very unique address. 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:08.340 There are six statements, six reminders, six direct statements that he makes to his audience. 00:05:08.900 --> 00:05:10.800 And it's got this little pattern to it. 00:05:10.900 --> 00:05:12.280 See if you can pick up on it as we read. 00:05:13.140 --> 00:05:18.300 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 00:05:19.080 --> 00:05:23.460 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:29.360 I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:33.379 I am writing to you, children, because you know the father. 00:05:34.080 --> 00:05:38.040 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. 00:05:38.840 --> 00:05:46.699 I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:50.819 So he's writing very directly and personally to this church. 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.460 Six times he addresses them and says, I'm writing to you. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:55.280 And then he gives a reason. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:06:02.259 He's reaching through the pages of his letter to grip them by the shoulders and say, look at me. 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:03.779 Listen to me. 00:06:04.899 --> 00:06:08.439 Child of God, remember who you are. 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:11.379 That's the big idea of this passage. 00:06:11.559 --> 00:06:15.859 Child of God, remember who you are. 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:20.840 Just like Diavandi, we are forgetful children. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:25.600 We need the tender reminder in these verses. 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:32.660 And notice that John has custom designed this direct personal reminder to three groups of people. 00:06:32.840 --> 00:06:36.180 Little children in the first and fourth statements. 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:38.860 Fathers in the second and fifth. 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.060 And young men in the third and sixth. 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:45.220 And he addresses them each twice in the same order. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:50.139 So as you can see on your bulletin, that's how we're going to unpack this tender reminder together. 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:55.459 We'll see what John is saying to the little children, then to the fathers, and then to the young men. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:59.300 And then we'll wrap up with an important application question at the end. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.000 So first, let's look at the little children. 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.939 This is what all believers must remember. 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.319 That's your blank right there on number one. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:12.740 So when he's saying little children, he's referring to all believers. 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:19.180 It makes most sense that he's not talking to kind of the babes of the faith, the new converts. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:20.639 I don't think that's what he's getting at. 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:22.759 He's talking, I think, to the whole church. 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:27.539 And the reason I think that is because back in chapter 2, verse 1, he says, 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:29.980 My little children, talking to the whole church. 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:33.339 And he does this six other times through the rest of the letter. 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:35.779 My little children, and he's addressing all of them. 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:37.019 So I think that's what he's doing here. 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:40.379 He's saying, all of you need to remember this. 00:07:41.099 --> 00:07:49.039 And therefore, when he talks to the fathers and the young men, those are two specific age groups that fall under the whole church. 00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:50.500 And we'll address those in just a moment. 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:57.579 By the way, ladies, don't be turned off by the masculine-only language here of fathers and young men. 00:07:57.639 --> 00:07:58.759 This still applies to you. 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:06.319 Back in the first century, it was common for authors to only use the masculine terms and not both masculine and feminine. 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:15.579 So the ladies in this congregation would have known he's talking to them as well, as the mothers of the congregation or the younger women of the church. 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:18.199 So this is addressing all of us, not just the men. 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:24.300 So let's ask ourselves, what is John saying to all the believers? 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:26.879 What does he want his little children to know? 00:08:28.479 --> 00:08:35.519 Little children, I'm writing to you because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:40.919 I'm writing to you, children, because you know the Father. 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:47.219 This is what John wants every Christian everywhere to have in the front of their minds. 00:08:48.079 --> 00:08:51.979 You are forgiven and you are adopted. 00:08:52.899 --> 00:08:56.360 You are forgiven and you are adopted. 00:08:56.599 --> 00:09:04.360 This is the most basic and foundational set of truths that define anyone who trusts and follows Jesus. 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:05.719 This is where he starts. 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:11.860 Friends, what is your most pressing problem in life? 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:15.800 Let me tell you what's not. 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:20.120 Your most pressing problem in life is not the coronavirus. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:23.620 It is not the outcome of an election. 00:09:24.540 --> 00:09:26.720 It is not your strained relationships. 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:31.540 It is not whether you have enough money coming into your bank account. 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:34.060 It is not your social isolation. 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:37.479 It is not your stress at work or at home. 00:09:37.939 --> 00:09:39.279 Although all these things are hard. 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:47.139 Your most pressing problem as a human being is that you have offended your God by your sin. 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:56.439 Your most pressing problem is that you are estranged from God by your sin because of your sin. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:01.779 This is the most basic foundational message of the Bible. 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:05.620 This is the problem that the Bible seeks to address. 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:20.139 And it is the problem that God has acted decisively in the pages of Scripture and in history out of grace to deal with our sin and to make us, his enemies, a part of his family. 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:24.319 This is the most important thing that we need to remember. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:27.240 Did you notice that little phrase in verse 12? 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:28.480 For his namesake? 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:31.860 You could rephrase that because of his name. 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:33.280 Whose name? 00:10:34.040 --> 00:10:36.720 It seems that John is referring to Jesus here. 00:10:37.300 --> 00:10:41.500 And when the Bible talks about someone's name, it's not like this magic formula. 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:44.220 It's referring to who they are as a person. 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:59.220 In other words, because of who Jesus is, because of what he was sent to do by his Father, to die in the place of sinners, to rise again, our sins are forgiven when we trust in him. 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:05.980 Our greatest, most pressing problem is fully taken care of. 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:10.080 God no longer holds our sin against us. 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:17.000 As our memory verse for this month reminds us, Jesus is the propitiation for our sin. 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:18.060 That's a big word. 00:11:18.160 --> 00:11:18.860 What does that mean? 00:11:19.400 --> 00:11:28.440 It means that God has acted to make himself favorable to us through the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:36.700 That his wrath is now taken away from us and now his favor is upon us because of the sacrifice Jesus offered in our place. 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:40.259 And that means that we are forgiven. 00:11:42.300 --> 00:11:46.300 This isn't just the key that gets us in. 00:11:46.780 --> 00:11:47.980 This is everything. 00:11:49.160 --> 00:11:51.140 We are forgiven. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.980 We're not supposed to kind of just throw this get out of jail free card away once we use it. 00:11:57.680 --> 00:12:04.640 We are to look at it day after day after day and remind ourselves of the goodness of being forgiven. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:04.699 Your sins are forgiven. 00:12:06.699 --> 00:12:09.600 Your sins are forgiven because of Jesus. 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:13.139 And not only are you forgiven, but you are adopted. 00:12:13.819 --> 00:12:16.319 You know God as your Father. 00:12:17.439 --> 00:12:22.980 I write to you, children, into verse 13, because you know the Father. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:26.319 You have been adopted into God's family. 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:37.120 So not only has God the judge pronounced you innocent in his court, but he has come down and stood beside you and pronounced you his child. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:44.780 He has invited you into his home to sit at his table and to reside with him forever because you belong to his son. 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:55.740 So if you hear what I'm saying this morning, if you've placed your confidence in this Jesus, then all of this is true about you. 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:58.699 Let that settle in for a moment. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:02.480 You need to remember this. 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:04.659 You need to call it to mind. 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:06.100 You are forgiven. 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:08.399 And you are adopted. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:14.819 These simple, basic truths are things we must live in and delight in. 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:16.379 This is who we are. 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:23.019 And if you're here this morning and you realize you're not sure if that's the case for you, 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:28.059 if you're not sure if your most pressing problem has been taken care of or not, 00:13:28.959 --> 00:13:32.039 then run to Jesus, as the song said this morning. 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:36.139 It is good for us to run to Jesus. 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:41.539 God offers full forgiveness for you through the bloodshed of Jesus. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:43.559 There is power in the blood. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:49.219 And he offers you not only forgiveness but adoption into his family. 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:52.259 So come, run to Jesus. 00:13:52.819 --> 00:13:53.899 I'd love to talk to you about that. 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:57.879 Me or Pastor Mike or any of us would love to talk to you and pray with you about that. 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:03.320 So, all believers must remember that they are forgiven and adopted. 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:05.439 How about the older believers? 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:06.860 The fathers. 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:09.659 This is the second group of the people that John is writing to. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:10.299 The fathers. 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:14.539 This is the older set of believers in the congregation. 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.500 What do they need to remember about who they are? 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:23.480 Well, it's helpful to remember that John is writing to the church of Ephesus in this letter. 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:28.820 Three or four decades before John wrote this letter, the apostle Paul showed up in Ephesus 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:33.120 and spent a considerable amount of time making disciples there. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.080 And a thriving church was born. 00:14:35.560 --> 00:14:41.379 Many of the converts that Paul had made then were probably still in the church at this point, much older, 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:44.300 and now they're being addressed by John as fathers. 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:48.379 So what does John want them to remember, the older folks? 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:49.899 Why is he writing to them? 00:14:49.899 --> 00:15:01.579 Well, if you'll notice the beginning of verse 13 and verse 14, the second and fifth lines show us that John wants them to remember the exact same thing twice. 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:07.659 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. 00:15:09.199 --> 00:15:12.120 John likes that little phrase, from the beginning. 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.159 He uses it a few other times in this letter. 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:23.539 Usually, it's referring to, like what Pastor Mike preached last week, the commandment you have had from the beginning to love one another. 00:15:23.959 --> 00:15:28.439 So it's usually referring back to when these believers first came to know Jesus. 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:35.959 It's referring to the beginning of their walk with Christ, when the gospel first came to them and they received it with faith and responded. 00:15:36.699 --> 00:15:40.139 It also shows up with reference to Jesus. 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:43.220 Look at the very first verse of this letter. 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:52.120 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands. 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:58.560 It's talking about the message of the word, of the message about Jesus. 00:15:59.300 --> 00:16:09.420 About the one who came as a man, who is God, and revealed the Father to us, who died in our place, rose again so that we might have life. 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:18.059 So, I think what John is telling the older believers with this from the beginning language, you come to know the one who is from the beginning, is this. 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:23.219 The Jesus you knew at the beginning is the same Jesus that you know now. 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:28.659 The Jesus you knew at the beginning is the same Jesus that you know now. 00:16:28.659 --> 00:16:42.600 He's saying, listen, dear older believers, the same Jesus you first came to know and love in the beginning is the one you must continue to know and love now. 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:45.159 Don't stray from him. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.399 Don't get tired of him. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:49.299 Don't take him for granted. 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:51.620 He is still your life. 00:16:51.620 --> 00:17:00.720 One of the dangers that older Christians face is losing the freshness and the vibrancy of knowing Jesus. 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:09.140 We lose a sense of the privilege and childlike wonder of having fellowship with the one who saved us at the beginning. 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:11.460 And this isn't just for folks who are in their 70s and 80s. 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:13.839 It's for folks who have been walking with the Lord for a long time. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.400 I've known Jesus for 30 years. 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:25.000 It's a danger for me to take for granted what I have known in the past and to continue to have a fresh and vibrant relationship with him now. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:32.259 As we age, our faith should not match the deterioration of our bodies. 00:17:33.740 --> 00:17:36.200 It should season, of course. 00:17:36.300 --> 00:17:37.700 It should mature, of course. 00:17:38.100 --> 00:17:41.800 But it does not mean our faith should get stiff and arthritic. 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:47.819 Our faith should get more confident, more sharpened, more discerning, more jealous. 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:56.419 We must regularly remember that we know the same Jesus whose love the Spirit poured into our hearts at the beginning when we first came to know him. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.599 We still know him now. 00:17:59.879 --> 00:18:07.480 A couple years ago, we, as a staff and elders, we went to a Gospel Coalition event down in Chicago. 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:10.680 One of the preachers said something like this. 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:15.279 We don't want to just become old versions of ourselves. 00:18:16.159 --> 00:18:18.980 We don't want to just get older and not mature as we get older. 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.019 There's a difference. 00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:23.440 Getting old does not necessarily mean becoming more mature. 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.859 Our faith needs to grow as we grow. 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:33.279 John was going to write to this same church years later in the book of Revelation. 00:18:33.919 --> 00:18:36.639 In Revelation chapter 2, he writes a letter to the church of Ephesus. 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:39.680 And he warns them of something very scary. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:44.240 You have lost your first love. 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:51.920 He's saying that this church, which knew the Gospel, knows Jesus, is faithful in their doctrine. 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:57.320 They're doing all the right things, but they've lost their affection for the one they knew at the beginning. 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:01.919 And it's a really scary thing to hear from the Apostle. 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:09.839 Dear older believers, whether that puts you in the older category of age or just older category of being a Christian, 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:11.960 don't get tired of knowing Jesus. 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:16.200 There's a freshness that we need to have in our faith. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.980 My grandmother died two months ago at the age of 102. 00:19:19.980 --> 00:19:23.500 She had been a Christian for 86 years. 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:26.200 And she had seen a lot. 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:27.299 She had suffered a lot. 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:31.900 And dementia had started to take over in her mind in the last couple of years. 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:36.079 But Mary Nye's faith did not get arthritis. 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:40.860 The older she got, the firmer her faith became. 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:44.759 She knew the one whom she had believed at the beginning. 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:47.339 And her walk with him was always fresh. 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:51.839 Even in the last few years with dementia deteriorating her mind, 00:19:51.959 --> 00:19:57.139 she could not talk about Jesus or pray to Jesus without tears rolling down her cheeks. 00:19:58.459 --> 00:20:01.799 So, seasoned believers, hear God's Word. 00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:06.039 Remember the one who you came to know at the beginning. 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.819 Don't lose the love that you had for him at first. 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:12.079 Don't let your faith get arthritis. 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:15.539 Keep your spiritual legs limber and moving. 00:20:16.639 --> 00:20:18.119 Remember who you are in him. 00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:21.059 Now for the young men. 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:25.960 The third and the sixth lines of our reminder set here. 00:20:26.439 --> 00:20:30.079 What does John want younger believers to remember? 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:32.919 These are the under 40 crowd. 00:20:33.939 --> 00:20:38.339 You've got energy and passion, strong convictions, strong ideals. 00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:43.679 And yet you lack some of the seasoning experience of the older believers. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:48.980 And what's unique about your particular season of life is that there's a lot to be done. 00:20:49.939 --> 00:20:53.259 There's so much that happens in the first 30, 40 years of your life. 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:56.159 There are lots of really important decisions that you make. 00:20:56.839 --> 00:20:58.199 Positions that you take. 00:20:59.079 --> 00:20:59.939 Battles to fight. 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.519 Children to raise. 00:21:01.919 --> 00:21:03.119 Maturity to grow into. 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:05.219 It's a lot of work. 00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:06.879 A lot to be done. 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:08.719 What does the apostle want them to remember? 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.519 Look at the third and the sixth lines here. 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:18.299 John says one thing in verse 13 and then repeats it and expands it in verse 14. 00:21:19.179 --> 00:21:23.239 I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:31.140 I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:35.440 So this is what he wants the younger believers to remember about who they are. 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:41.759 You are warriors fighting a battle that has already been won. 00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:46.720 You are warriors fighting a battle that has already been won. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:48.799 And what is that battle? 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:51.960 Well, it's the struggle against the evil one, Satan. 00:21:52.579 --> 00:21:58.039 And particularly for John's audience here, it's the world. 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:04.740 The system of the world that is opposed to God and Satan stands behind it. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:08.440 It's Satan's instrument to discourage us, to distract us. 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:11.339 The world shows up quite a bit in this little letter. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.480 It shows up in the very next passage that Pastor Mike is going to preach next week. 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:17.039 Do not love the world or the things in the world. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:20.680 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:27.420 John's trying to remind his flock, particularly the younger members, that they are strangers in a hostile land. 00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:33.240 And these false teachers and the rest of the world around this little church are trying to stunt their growth. 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:41.420 Satan has a host of diabolical schemes that he's trying to employ to try to stunt our spiritual growth, 00:22:41.420 --> 00:22:45.680 to weaken our faith, to distract us from what's most important, 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:50.000 and discourage us on our way from making forward progress. 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:56.560 But how can it be that John is saying that these younger believers have overcome these forces of evil? 00:22:58.060 --> 00:23:00.039 Surely that sounds a little bit arrogant, doesn't it? 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:05.859 If anyone's overcome the evil one in this church, I would guess he would say the older Christians, 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:10.440 because they've fought the battles, they've had the experience and the wisdom. 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:14.920 So why does John tell the younger generation that they have overcome the evil one? 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.659 I think it's because he wants them to take courage from the fact that it's been won for them. 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:23.140 Remember what Jesus said in John 16? 00:23:24.120 --> 00:23:28.480 In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart. 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:32.340 I have, same word, overcome the world. 00:23:33.580 --> 00:23:36.860 So through Jesus' self-sacrificial death and resurrection, 00:23:37.120 --> 00:23:43.420 Jesus overcame Satan and secured Satan's defeat as the enemy of God and God's people. 00:23:43.860 --> 00:23:46.580 And that's what God promised would happen way back in Genesis 3. 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:49.379 When Satan gained his first victory in the Garden of Eden, 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:54.159 God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.539 and though the serpent would wound his heel. 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:04.879 So if you flip real quickly to the very end of our letter, 1 John 5, verse 4, we read this. 00:24:06.179 --> 00:24:07.859 Same word is being used here. 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:13.059 For everyone who has been born of God, and that includes the younger ones, 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:16.679 everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. 00:24:17.879 --> 00:24:21.839 And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. 00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:29.059 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes, faith, that Jesus is the Son of God? 00:24:29.659 --> 00:24:33.299 So in other words, our faith in God, no matter how weak or small, 00:24:33.379 --> 00:24:37.059 is strong enough to hold the advancing line of the kingdom of God, 00:24:37.059 --> 00:24:43.480 not because our faith is strong in itself, but because the object of our faith is strong. 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:48.980 The one we trust in, Jesus, the Son of God, He has won the victory. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:54.220 And we participate in that victory, in that overcoming, through our faith in Him. 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:59.039 John wants these younger believers to remember that they've got battles to fight. 00:24:59.399 --> 00:25:02.019 Folks, there are battles we're fighting right now. 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:04.379 Now, we actually have a role here. 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:06.420 We're not just passive participants here. 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:08.039 We're not spectators. 00:25:08.139 --> 00:25:08.660 We're in it. 00:25:09.879 --> 00:25:11.000 But they are strong. 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.079 And they are already victorious as they approach those battles. 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:18.639 And in verse 14 here reveals the source of that strength and that victory. 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:22.000 The Word of God abides in you. 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:24.980 In other words, younger believers, 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:28.940 stick closely to what you know to be true about Jesus. 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:37.059 Let the good news of Jesus' rescuing grace soak into every corner of your being, 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:40.200 and that will be the source of your strength. 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:46.019 That will be your victory, your trusting in what Jesus has already done and said. 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:50.820 As a parent of young kids, I watch a lot of Disney movies. 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:53.299 Disney can tell a good story. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:54.960 They're really good at that. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:58.940 But it is interesting how most Disney movies climax. 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:07.120 Most Disney movies kind of climax when the main character discovers that their strength to overcome their obstacles 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:09.360 comes from within themselves. 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:11.920 We just watched Moana the other day. 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.840 The climax of the film is she says, 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:15.140 I am Moana! 00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:20.519 She's like, I am the key to my victory, myself. 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:25.720 But fellow children of God, that's not where our strength lies. 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:28.359 That's a false gospel. 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:32.859 The reason we came to Jesus in the first place is because we know we can save ourselves. 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:35.519 We aren't strong enough in ourselves. 00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:38.339 We need strength from the outside. 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:43.839 We must trust in the saving power of Jesus to overcome the enemy of our souls. 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:46.900 And in that trusting, in that faith, we overcome. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:54.560 So believer, particularly my fellow younger believer, what battles are you fighting? 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:58.420 Where is your faith floundering? 00:26:59.880 --> 00:27:02.960 What temptations do you find yourself faced with? 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:07.180 Are you distracted by the world? 00:27:08.080 --> 00:27:10.500 Are you discouraged by the world? 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:13.080 Are you confused? 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:15.580 Are you apathetic? 00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:18.620 Are you overwhelmed? 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:23.300 Do not forget, dear fellow warrior, 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:29.980 you have overcome by your faith in Jesus. 00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:33.080 The battle you fight has already been won. 00:27:34.360 --> 00:27:39.500 It is your faith in Jesus, the victor, that allows you to participate in his victory. 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:44.220 So press forward with confidence in the strength of your captain, 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:46.360 even when you stumble, even when you're wounded. 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:49.400 The war will not be lost. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:51.400 The battle has already been won. 00:27:52.320 --> 00:27:54.280 So remember who you are, younger Christian. 00:27:54.820 --> 00:27:59.340 You are a warrior fighting a battle that has already been won for you. 00:28:00.040 --> 00:28:00.820 Press into it. 00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:07.119 Now let's wrap up with a two-pronged question of application for these reminders. 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:12.439 Why and how must we remember who we are? 00:28:12.439 --> 00:28:15.159 This is a strange little passage, isn't it? 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:17.559 It just kind of comes out of nowhere. 00:28:18.659 --> 00:28:23.739 John's kind of saying, don't neglect the command to love your brother, 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:29.019 because if you are not loving your brother, you're proving you're not in the light. 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:32.220 And then after this passage, he says, don't love the world. 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:34.660 It's kind of like, why is this passage here? 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:36.160 Why does it come up here? 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:38.700 I think it's very purposely placed here. 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:44.859 This is why we need to remember who we are, is because of where this passage is. 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:48.459 Because we do fail. 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:52.919 There are ways in which we do fail to obey. 00:28:53.799 --> 00:28:55.459 There are ways in which we do fail to love. 00:28:55.899 --> 00:28:57.959 And in our failure, we forget who we are. 00:28:58.659 --> 00:29:02.899 In our failure, in our shame, in our condemnation, we do forget who we are. 00:29:02.979 --> 00:29:04.000 We need to be reminded. 00:29:04.939 --> 00:29:10.019 And not just in our failure, but in the temptation that surrounds us. 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:15.039 In verses 15 to 17, what comes right after this passage, John is very clear. 00:29:15.420 --> 00:29:16.960 Don't love the world. 00:29:17.619 --> 00:29:22.139 Because that's not, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:28.799 In other words, if you forget who you are, you're going to love something else, not the Father. 00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:30.420 You're going to forget that you're his child. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:32.859 So, why? 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:35.059 Why do we need to remember these things? 00:29:35.379 --> 00:29:37.000 The simple answer is because we forget. 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:39.420 We forget because of our failure. 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:42.339 We forget because of the temptations that surround us. 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:50.200 There is a desperate need that we have every day to remember who we are. 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:53.299 We've got a lot of things against us. 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:55.400 It's our natural, human, sinful hearts. 00:29:56.139 --> 00:30:00.619 We've got the powerful influence of a God-denying world around us. 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:02.579 We have the evil one who's over all of that. 00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:04.660 And life is just hard. 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:08.160 So, it's easy for us to forget. 00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:09.579 We can be like Diavandi. 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.960 We can be blind to the goodness of our Father. 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:18.119 We need strong hands to grip our shoulders and say, look at me. 00:30:18.779 --> 00:30:20.539 Remember who you are. 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:23.139 How? 00:30:23.639 --> 00:30:25.000 How do we do this? 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:27.599 How do we remember who we are? 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:35.420 Earlier this week, I was angry and discouraged because of something unkind that someone said 00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:35.700 to me. 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:37.599 And I was laying in bed. 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:38.319 It was late at night. 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:44.740 And I was trying hard to fight the temptation to craft the perfect insult to get back at this 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:45.019 person. 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:46.539 And I was not necessarily being successful. 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:52.720 And all of a sudden, a ray of light pierced my mind. 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:57.440 I had been meditating on this passage all week because I was preaching it. 00:30:58.180 --> 00:31:00.880 And the Holy Spirit brought verse 12 to my mind. 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:02.980 I told Mike this later in the week. 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.259 He reminded me of verse 12. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:10.700 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his namesake. 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:13.380 That verse just popped into my head. 00:31:14.120 --> 00:31:15.740 And I remembered who I was. 00:31:17.340 --> 00:31:19.299 The burden on my heart got lighter. 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:25.000 I could see past the sadness and the pain because I remembered that my most pressing problem 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:25.759 had been solved. 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:29.200 That my sins were forgiven. 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:30.980 I remembered my Father's love for me. 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:37.740 I embraced his tender reminder in the dead of night of my true identity. 00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:39.180 And I was able to sleep. 00:31:39.180 --> 00:31:41.660 And I didn't take the pain away completely. 00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:43.160 I didn't resolve the problem completely. 00:31:43.180 --> 00:31:44.220 But it changed my outlook. 00:31:45.340 --> 00:31:48.299 It changed how I was going to respond to the situation in particular. 00:31:49.820 --> 00:31:51.000 Now, why was this possible? 00:31:51.620 --> 00:31:52.660 Because of verse 14. 00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:54.259 Look at verse 14. 00:31:55.259 --> 00:32:00.180 I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you. 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:06.160 The word of God was abiding in me. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:08.340 I had been meditating on it all week. 00:32:09.180 --> 00:32:13.120 I think that's how we remember who we are. 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:15.860 It's easy to overlook. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:19.080 But do you know what the most repeated pair of words is in this passage? 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:22.240 I write and because. 00:32:23.180 --> 00:32:28.080 We glance over it because we're getting at the content of what John is writing to. 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:29.919 But it's important to notice. 00:32:30.139 --> 00:32:31.500 I'm writing because. 00:32:31.639 --> 00:32:32.599 I'm writing because. 00:32:32.740 --> 00:32:33.679 I'm writing because. 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:34.960 Six times. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:38.139 He's writing words. 00:32:39.179 --> 00:32:41.679 And this letter's words are not just John's words. 00:32:41.779 --> 00:32:42.819 They're God's words. 00:32:43.559 --> 00:32:47.559 Words of life that penetrate our minds in the haze of this world. 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:48.740 In our own sinful hearts. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:50.839 And he's writing because. 00:32:51.079 --> 00:32:52.700 He's writing these words because. 00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:55.900 Not just because these things are theoretically true. 00:32:55.960 --> 00:32:57.599 But because they are true of us. 00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:04.099 He wants these true words to sink in such that they abide and dwell and reside in us. 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:10.480 The part of this sermon is not to make you feel like you need to read your Bible more. 00:33:10.879 --> 00:33:12.799 I'm just going to say that from the beginning here. 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:15.639 But. 00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:18.459 You and I get spiritual amnesia. 00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:23.439 If the word of God is not taking up active residence in our hearts and minds. 00:33:25.139 --> 00:33:26.119 What does that mean? 00:33:26.219 --> 00:33:28.839 What does it mean for the word of God to abide in us? 00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:30.299 I think it means this. 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:33.460 I think it means that God's word is not only in our intellect. 00:33:33.619 --> 00:33:35.240 But also in our affections. 00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:39.419 Bear with me for a bit of a silly analogy. 00:33:39.639 --> 00:33:39.759 But. 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:41.139 I think it'll be helpful. 00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:46.339 It means that we not only have the shelves of our minds well stocked. 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:47.639 With the truths of God's word. 00:33:47.740 --> 00:33:48.460 Which is necessary. 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:53.099 But that we're constantly taking those truths off the shelves of our intellect. 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:55.659 And into the shopping cart of our affections. 00:33:57.159 --> 00:33:59.039 We take that home with us. 00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:00.899 We take the time and energy to. 00:34:01.059 --> 00:34:02.920 To take them into our kitchen. 00:34:03.659 --> 00:34:05.259 Take them into the kitchen of our hearts. 00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:07.759 To do some work with them. 00:34:07.879 --> 00:34:09.099 To consume them. 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:10.119 And to savor them. 00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:13.199 This is what I mean practically speaking. 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:14.800 This afternoon. 00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:15.420 This evening. 00:34:15.619 --> 00:34:16.320 Tomorrow morning. 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:18.099 Whatever your next devotional time is. 00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:20.039 Open your Bible to this passage. 00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:21.480 1 John 2. 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:22.440 12 to 14. 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:26.659 Ask God to help you absorb what he's saying to you. 00:34:26.659 --> 00:34:29.659 And then read the passage like three or five times out loud. 00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:33.000 And whatever starts to stick in your intellect. 00:34:33.339 --> 00:34:35.219 Whatever starts to stand out to you. 00:34:35.859 --> 00:34:37.339 Take it off the shelf of your intellect. 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:39.899 Put it in the shopping cart of your affections. 00:34:40.539 --> 00:34:41.639 Repeat it out loud. 00:34:42.359 --> 00:34:43.699 Summarize it with your own words. 00:34:43.879 --> 00:34:45.659 Pray it back to God in gratitude. 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:47.239 Take it off the shelf. 00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:49.000 And take it home with you. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:51.619 Take it to the kitchen of your heart. 00:34:51.779 --> 00:34:52.579 And stew on it. 00:34:52.779 --> 00:34:53.719 Savor its aroma. 00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:54.859 Savor its flavor. 00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:59.160 Let it work its way into the affections of your heart. 00:35:00.640 --> 00:35:02.840 I think that's how we remember. 00:35:03.800 --> 00:35:05.960 Not just stalking our intellect. 00:35:06.200 --> 00:35:10.400 But letting God's truth get absorbed to the very core of who we are. 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:13.740 There's a reason John wrote this. 00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:19.280 God's people then and now needed not only to hear and understand this. 00:35:19.380 --> 00:35:20.400 But to take it to heart. 00:35:21.120 --> 00:35:22.380 To remember who they are. 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:23.780 And to act accordingly. 00:35:23.780 --> 00:35:26.820 You might be hearing God's word this morning. 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:29.080 And you know you've forgotten who you are in some way. 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:32.660 The Holy Spirit's reminding you of who you are in Christ. 00:35:33.340 --> 00:35:35.760 It might be a gentle nudge away from anxiety. 00:35:36.100 --> 00:35:37.740 Or temptation to sin. 00:35:38.680 --> 00:35:41.040 It might be a tender wooing of your heart. 00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:47.280 From setting your affection on something other than the one who made you and died for you. 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:51.720 It might be a whack of a two by four right between the eyes. 00:35:52.460 --> 00:35:54.920 That's getting your attention off of the world. 00:35:55.540 --> 00:35:57.120 Off of yourself and onto Jesus. 00:35:57.119 --> 00:36:00.299 Like D'Avandi. 00:36:00.299 --> 00:36:02.199 We need to remember who we are. 00:36:02.699 --> 00:36:03.779 We need to remember. 00:36:04.380 --> 00:36:05.400 And we need to respond. 00:36:05.819 --> 00:36:06.500 So as I pray. 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:09.480 And as Matt leads us in the song of gratitude to Jesus. 00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:10.799 Let's respond well. 00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:11.599 Let's trust. 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:12.599 Let's obey. 00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:13.839 And let's remember. 00:36:14.299 --> 00:36:14.739 Let's remember. 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:15.379 Father. 00:36:18.859 --> 00:36:19.459 Father. 00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:22.059 Thank you for gripping us by the shoulders. 00:36:23.399 --> 00:36:24.939 Looking into our eyes. 00:36:25.659 --> 00:36:27.919 And reminding us of who we are in Christ. 00:36:28.419 --> 00:36:29.519 As your beloved children. 00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:33.419 Thank you for reminding us of our true identity. 00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:35.819 Thank you for reminding us. 00:36:36.319 --> 00:36:38.519 That we have known you for a long time. 00:36:38.779 --> 00:36:40.179 And it is right for us to continue. 00:36:40.779 --> 00:36:42.539 To know you and delight in you. 00:36:42.539 --> 00:36:45.099 Thank you for reminding us that we're in a battle. 00:36:46.219 --> 00:36:48.059 And we need to take courage. 00:36:48.159 --> 00:36:49.420 Because you have already won it. 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:53.199 Lord strengthen and minister to your people now. 00:36:53.279 --> 00:36:53.900 In Jesus name. 00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:54.360 Amen.