Name: Christian, Don't Sin - Tim Conway
Uploaded: 2015-04-25T17:28:57.000Z
Duration: 41 min 47 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

1st John chapter 2, "My little children,"

not about his actual biological children,

you know many believed that John was an aged, old apostle

and certainly a title like this would give reason for us to see him

the tender affection of an aged pastor, a spiritual father.

Even old men in their 50s and 60s and 70s are little children to him.

"I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to focus your attention

on not only the first verse here in this second chapter,

but I want, right here in the beginning, I want us to focus

on the first sentence of this first verse of this second chapter.

"My little children, I am writing these things to you

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

Just simply reading these words, I mean just think about it;

Pastoral. Practical. These things were meant to be practical.

So often, we turn things into theological debates.

That doesn't mean we don't need to discuss what things mean,

but a lot of times we use verses more from a theoretical stand point;

in our ivory towers, you know, we want to discuss and debate theology.

But that's not what Scripture is primarily intended for.

It's meant to deal with people right where they are.

That's what John is doing, he's addressing these people.

What's John saying here? What's he saying?

I mean, just a practical, pastoral sense,

what do you hear coming from the heart of this apostle?

He's teaching, he's encouraging his spiritual children.

I ask you this question, Is John not clearly indicating

I mean, think with me. What's he saying here?

I'm not saying John is teaching perfectionism here.

You've got your Bibles open before you, you can see for yourself

What does it sound like John is saying here?

Grace Community Church, some things have been done

in order to equip you so that you don't sin.

Some things have been done so that you may not sin.

It certainly sounds like John is expressing his desire

that these Christians he's writing to might not sin.

Again, perfectionism isn't the issue here.

But is he not writing to them that they not sin, when?

And I mean, you live a whole life like that,

that clearly John wants his little children to live like.

His desire is that they may not sin, period.

This isn't just him giving an expression of his desire that they not sin.

John is not just a passive observer on all these,

in his own effort in helping them not to sin.

By writing in the way that he believes is calculated

to prevent these Christians from sinning.

so that Christians who would potentially,

perhaps sin in a certain situation, had John not written to them

what he's written to them, they might now avoid sin

precisely because of what he has written to them.

You can see the pulse of John's pastoral heart here.

Here he is, an old man, and he's penning this letter.

He's penning it with a heartfelt purpose.

His earnestness is about this little flock.

What does he want? He wants them not sinning.

I mean, for one, John is not casually writing.

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Christian, Don't Sin - Tim Conway

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