1st John chapter 2 verses 12 to 14 is the text that Pastor John will be preaching from this morning.

I am writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven for his sake.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you young men because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you children because you know the father.

I write to your fathers because you know him who is from the beginning.

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.

Let's try to get one obstacle right off the bat.

When John addresses children, fathers, young men,

I don't think that he means what he says to each of those groups is true only of them. So that if you're not a father, that's

not true of you. I don't think that's the case because as you read the whole letter all those things that are said to children,

fathers, and young men are also said of the whole church in other contexts.

Which leaves us with the question, how come he addressed these three categories, children,

fathers, young men? I'm not sure, but I have a suggestion. I think that John began this section with a desire to encourage and be affectionate with the church.

It's a very encouraging passage as we'll hear in a moment.

And so he uses his common term of endearment and affection, children.

He doesn't mean the little ones among us.

He means all of us.

He calls the church children in five other places in this letter. So his first

tack is to address the church with his affectionate term as an aged apostle, my children. And then he stops and he thinks he pauses and he says to himself,

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