Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20041205.htm

1 JOHN: DEFEATING MISLEADING SPIRITUAL ERROR TRULY TO COMMUNE WITH GOD
Part VI: Blessings The Mature "Father" Has In His Walk With God
D. The Blessing Of A Settled Conviction Of Spiritual Realities
(1 John 3:16-18 with 3:19-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. True fellowship with God produces a tremendous, multifaceted, spiritually fulfilling lifestyle even on this earth, something John briefly stated in 1 John 1:3-4.
    2. So, having laid out the three basic levels of spiritual maturity, John supplied insight into the blessings that spiritual "fathers" have as a result of overcoming a dependence on others as a "little child" and the world's lusts as a "young man". The fourth blessing "fathers" then enjoy is the blessing of having a settled conviction of spiritual realities that is based on God's absolute truth (as follows):
  2. The Blessing Of A Settled Conviction Of Spiritual Realities, 1 John 3:16-18 with 3:19-21.
    1. We have learned from 1 John 2:18-27 that immature "little children" believers tend to rely on other people around them for blessing only to get "burned" when others let them down. We have also learned from 1 John 2:15-17 that maturing "young men" tend to rely on the gratification of their worldly lusts for blessing only to get "burned" as they discover the world passes away and is unable to fulfill them.
    2. Thus, immature believers become spiritually insecure as "little children" in relying on other people and the gratification of their worldly lusts or as "young men" in relying on their worldly lust gratification for determining spiritual realities; that can be devastating, especially in times of crisis and human weakness!
    3. However, mature "fathers" come to enjoy a settled conviction of what is spiritual truth and reality, for, in turning from depending on other people or worldly lust gratification to determine what is spiritual reality, they reject these false bases of reality and even their OWN subjective evaluations of what is reality to rest entirely upon the stable absolute truths of GOD as found in His Word alone (as follows):
      1. The confidence mentioned in 1 John 3:19 is founded on statements made in the verses written just prior to 1 John 3:19 itself, and these verses expose the true nature and function of godly brotherly love, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 897; B. F. Westcott, The Epistles of John, p. 116.
      2. That being so, John revealed in 1 John 3:19-22 that the evidences of love in the mature believer's relationship toward others as detailed in 1 John 3:16-18 supplies the confidence mentioned in verse 19.
      3. So, in contrast to the "insecure blindness" that either a "little child" or a "young man" will experience, spiritual "fathers" shift their definition of what is spiritual reality away from other people and worldly lust gratification and even all subjectivism to the sure, objective revelation of Scripture (as follows):
        1. The mature spiritual "father" assures his heart he truly fellowships with God as BASED on the evidence John has written [in 1 John 3:16-18 in Scripture] that he (1) sacrificially (2) gives of his goods (3) along with his claims of love (4) to meet the needs of other believers, 1 John 3:19, 16-18.
        2. This assurance is built upon the mature "father's" choice to resist all doubts about his fellowship status before God that might stem from his having formerly relied on others (as a "little child") or on worldly lust gratification (as a "young man") to define spiritual reality; rather, he uses Scripture (in this context, by John the Apostle) as the SOLE basis for spiritual reality, 1 J ohn 3:20.
        3. Thus, the mature believer overcomes his past insecurities that were created by his having relied on the false definitions that others and worldly lust gratification used to give him of what was reality to find secure confidence in DEPENDING ONLY on Scripture revelation for all realities, 1 Jn. 3:21.
Lesson: Spiritually mature "fathers" escape the INSECURITY immature believers find from seeking to gauge spiritual reality on what other people say or do only to get "burned" when these fail, or from seeking to gauge spiritual realities on the gratification of their worldly lusts (as does a "young man") only to get "burned" when such gratification fails them; rather, the spiritually mature put God's Word above these other futile bases of defining spiritual reality and thus EVEN above their OWN subjective views to find blessed SECURITY and peace of mind and heart in evaluating spiritual realities.

Application: May we GROW in Christ so that we come to rest on the WORD of God ALONE for evaluating ALL spiritual realities, and so cease getting "burned" and being spiritually INSECURE!