Those Who Go Away (5 of 20)
BLESSED ASSURANCE
Dr. Stan Coffey
I John 2:18-27
One of the phrases that John uses again and again in I John is the phrase "little children." You'll notice in I John 2:18 he begins by saying, "little children." He's talking there about those who are babes in Christ, those who are infants in Christ. He calls them his little children. That's exciting to me because there are so many in our church who are babes in Christ; they haven't been Christians very long. But I praise God that our babes in Christ are not going to stay babes the way they're growing. They're going to pass some of the fathers up. It's just so exciting to see them learn to pray and learn to witness and learn how the Holy Spirit can fill their life. They learn how to give sacrificially. I just don't know whether it's more exciting to see people saved or see the new ones grow after they're saved. It's just all-good.
But he's talking about little children, about those who have not been Christians a long time or those who have been Christians a long time but haven't grown. Either way, he's saying to them, it is the last time. Little children, it is the last time. One thing you've got to teach a little child is how to tell time. It's very important. He wants these new Christians to know how to tell time on God's timetable. In that day there were many who had professed faith in Christ and had given their lives to the Lord. They had made a public decision for Jesus; they'd become a part of the church. Then they turned and went away from the church. It confused these new believers; they just couldn't understand how anybody could profess faith in Jesus and claim to be a Christian and then turn their back on Christ and go out into the world. John is explaining to them that the fact that there are some who are turning away from Christ is a sign that it's the last time.
The last time or the last days in the Bible refers to the time between Jesus' asc ...
BLESSED ASSURANCE
Dr. Stan Coffey
I John 2:18-27
One of the phrases that John uses again and again in I John is the phrase "little children." You'll notice in I John 2:18 he begins by saying, "little children." He's talking there about those who are babes in Christ, those who are infants in Christ. He calls them his little children. That's exciting to me because there are so many in our church who are babes in Christ; they haven't been Christians very long. But I praise God that our babes in Christ are not going to stay babes the way they're growing. They're going to pass some of the fathers up. It's just so exciting to see them learn to pray and learn to witness and learn how the Holy Spirit can fill their life. They learn how to give sacrificially. I just don't know whether it's more exciting to see people saved or see the new ones grow after they're saved. It's just all-good.
But he's talking about little children, about those who have not been Christians a long time or those who have been Christians a long time but haven't grown. Either way, he's saying to them, it is the last time. Little children, it is the last time. One thing you've got to teach a little child is how to tell time. It's very important. He wants these new Christians to know how to tell time on God's timetable. In that day there were many who had professed faith in Christ and had given their lives to the Lord. They had made a public decision for Jesus; they'd become a part of the church. Then they turned and went away from the church. It confused these new believers; they just couldn't understand how anybody could profess faith in Jesus and claim to be a Christian and then turn their back on Christ and go out into the world. John is explaining to them that the fact that there are some who are turning away from Christ is a sign that it's the last time.
The last time or the last days in the Bible refers to the time between Jesus' asc ...
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