2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

5:21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
 

INTRODUCTION:
Children do funny things. Sometimes when we feel we are communicating clearly a child causes us to see another side to what we have been saying. On one occasion a grandmother I know said to her granddaughter you have your shoes on the wrong feet. The little girl replied these are the only feet I have grandma.

In our text John is communicating to Christians and calls them "Little Children". Let us take heed to the words he gives as he instructs the child of God.
 

I. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. SIN NOT.............. 2:1

II. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ARE FORGIVEN......... 2:12

III. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ABIDE ............... 2:28

IV. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. BE NOT DECEIVED. ..... 3:7

V. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. LOVE ................ 3:18

VI. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. OVERCOME ............ 4:4

VII. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. KEEP AWAY FROM IDOLS. 5:21
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    SIN NOT; THINK ABOUT . . DISCIPLINE.       v 1 a "THAT YOU SIN NOT"
 

B.    SIN NOT; THINK ABOUT . . DISCIPLESHIP.    v 1 b "IF ANY ONE SIN"
 

C.    SIN NOT THINK ABOUT . . DEPENDENCY.     v 1 c "WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE"
 

ILLUSTRATION:
An officer in the army of Russian Czar Peter the Great was involved in a plot against the ruler. But though tortured terribly, the officer refused to confess. Realizing that pain would not break him, Peter went up to the man, kissed him, and promised him that if he confessed he would receive not only a full pardon but a promotion to colonel. The officer was so unnerved by Peter's tactic that he embraced the czar and made a full confession. True to his word, Peter forgave the man and made him a colonel!

Although this example is certainly an imperfect one, the ending is worth noting. Full confession, full pardon -- and a promotion! That's just what God has done for us. Moody, 4-8-91
 

APPLICATION:

MY DEAR CHILDREN .. SIN NOT.............. 2:1
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    FORCE.     ". . . I am writing to you, . . ." v 12 a

B.    FACT.     ". . . because your sins are forgiven . . ."

C.    FAVOR.     ". . .for His name's sake."
 

ILLUSTRATION:
A young girl once ran away from home to get married. Her father was very angry and said that he would never forgive her. She was sorry to have grieved her father and wrote him long letters begging for his forgiveness; however he took no notice. By and by, the daughter had a little son. When the boy was old enough to run about alone, she said to herself, "I will write no more letters to my father, but I will send my little son. He shall be a living letter. My father will know what I want to say to him when he sees his little grandson. He will know that I still love him and want his forgiveness."

So she took the little boy to his grandfather's house and sent him in alone to speak to her father. She bade him to put his arms around his grandfather's neck and kiss him. When the little fellow did this, the old man's heart melted. He sent at once for the mother and forgave her.
 

APPLICATION: MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ARE FORGIVEN......... 2:12
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    ABIDING, IMPLIES CONVERSION. v 28 a
 

B.    ABIDING, IMPLIES COMMUNION. v 28 b
 

C.    ABIDING, IMPLIES CONTROL. v 28 c
 

ILLUSTRATION:
In recent years study material call "EXPERIENCING GOD" has received wide acceptance. It ask for a 13 week commitment of daily study. People lives are being effected. If one asks why? The answer must in part be due to the abiding caused through the discipline of study.
 

APPLICATION: MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ABIDE ............... 2:28
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A    LIFE OF SIN? NO!     v 7 a     ". . . let no one deceive you;. . ."
 

B.    LAPSE INTO SIN? PERHAPS!     v 7 b     ". . . the one who practices righteousness is righteous,
 

C.    LESSONS IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.    v 7 c     ". . . just as He is righteous; . . . "
 

ILLUSTRATION:
A minister one day sat in the vestry of his church to meet anyone who might have spiritual difficulties. Only one came. "What is your difficulty?" asked the minister. The man answered, "My difficulty is the ninth chapter of Romans, where it says, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,'" "Yes," said the minister, "there is great difficulty in that verse; but which part of the verse is difficult for you?" The latter part, of course," said the man. "I cannot understand why God should hate Esau." The minister replied, "That verse has often been difficult, but my difficulty has always been with the first part of the verse. I never could understand how God could love that wily, deceitful, supplanting scoundrel Jacob."
 

APPLICATION: MY DEAR CHILDREN .. BE NOT DECEIVED. ..... 3:7
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    LOVE IS EXPRESSION.     18 a ". . . let us not love with word. . . " ONLY
 

B.    LOVE IS EVIDENCE.     18 b ". . . but in deed and truth. "
 

ILLUSTRATION:
Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, tried to measure an extremely deep part of the Arctic Ocean. The first day, he used his longest measuring line but couldn't reach bottom. He wrote in his log book, "The ocean is deeper than that!" The next day, he added more line but still could not measure the depth, and so again in his record book he wrote, "Deeper than that!" After several days of adding more and more pieces of rope and cord to his line, he had to leave that part of the ocean without learning its actual depth. All he knew was that it was beyond his ability to measure.

So too, we cannot plumb the depths of God's love, because our human measuring line is too short.
 

APPLICATION: MY DEAR CHILDREN .. LOVE ................ 3:18
 
 

EXPLANATION:
 

A.    PAST TENSE.     v 4 a ". . . and have overcome them;. . . "
 

B.    PRESENT TENSE.     v 4 b  ". . . because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
 

ILLUSTRATION:
A person evaluating the difference between Christianity and Budisim made this observation. Both paths call for righteous living. Christianity supplies the power for the righteous living. That is a tremendous difference.

 
APPLICATION: MY DEAR CHILDREN .. OVERCOME ............ 4:4
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    PLURAL YOURSELVES.        Little children, guard yourselves. . . "

B.    PLURAL IDOLS.        ". . .  from idols."
 

ILLUSTRATION:
Wilbur Reese writes with biting sarcasm:   I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.

I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I'd like to buy $3 worth of God, please. How much of God do you want?
 

CONCLUSION:

I. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. SIN NOT.............. 2:1

II. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ARE FORGIVEN......... 2:12

III. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. ABIDE ............... 2:28

IV. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. BE NOT DECEIVED. ..... 3:7

V. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. LOVE ................ 3:18

VI. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. OVERCOME ............ 4:4

VII. MY DEAR CHILDREN .. KEEP AWAY FROM IDOLS. 5:21