THE THREE LEVELS OF OUR SPIRITUAL STATES

THE THREE LEVELS OF OUR SPIRITUAL STATES

Look at 1 John 2:12-14; we can identify three stages of a believer's spiritual development and states: from forgiven child, to overcoming young believer, to Jesus-centred father or mother in the faith.

Chapter Markers
0:00 Opening Prayer And Focus
0:31 Text Introduced: 1 John 2:12–14
2:27 Little Children: Forgiveness And Grace
4:07 Fathers In Faith: Knowing Jesus
6:15 Young Believers: Strength To Overcome
8:45 Submission And Authority Over The Devil
11:22 The Word Abiding As True Strength
14:20 Moving Beyond Milk To Maturity
17:03 War And Worship: Take Your Stand
20:05 Signs Of Maturity: Unshakable Focus On Jesus
23:30 Fathers Pray, Young Fight: Moses And Joshua
27:30 Roles In The Church: Intercession And Battle
31:05 Call To Reflect And Advance

Transcript

Opening Prayer And Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Father, we thank you. Father, we glorify you. Father, we magnify you. Help me to speak your word with authority, without any fear of any man, to stay in the truth, heavenly Father. Take over my mind, take over my spirit, take over my mouth, take over every entity in me, oh God Almighty. You increase, I decrease. We thank you, Lord, because you're gracious, you're kind, you are powerful. We worship you, God Almighty. Jesus' name we have prayed. Amen. Amen.

Text Introduced: 1 John 2:12–14

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Child of God, I just want to bless you quickly and then we are gonna pray. Amen. If you have your Bible, kindly turn to the epistle of one John, chapter two, from verses twelve to fourteen. One John, chapter two, verses twelve, three to fourteen. This is just a reminder about our spiritual state, our spiritual maturity. The apostle John we are reading from first John chapter two from verses twelve to fourteen. The epistle of John, not the gospel of John, the letter of John, the first letter of John, chapter two, verses twelve to fourteen. This is just a brief reminder as believers about our spiritual state, our spiritual levels in God, our spiritual maturity in God. Highlighted in these few verses that we're gonna look at and then we're gonna pray. I read I write to you, little children. So we're gonna see a progression of spiritual maturity.

Little Children: Forgiveness And Grace

SPEAKER_00 2:27

The apostle is starting off by addressing little children in the faith, just as in our human world, we see the progression from childhood into adulthood into being a father or a mother. Same concept applies in our spiritual maturity, our spiritual state. So the apostle is addressing some of us as believers, we are in this stage of being little children. Who are the little children in the faith? It says, I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. Okay, so the little children are those who are newly converted in the faith, they are the new believers. One of the signs of the little children is that they know that their sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ for his name's sake. So you're still a child in the faith when you emphasize on the forgiveness, on the grace of God upon your life. That is the experience that you and I we get when we obtain salvation. We share our salvation experience with people, telling them that hey, I am saved, Christ has

Fathers In Faith: Knowing Jesus

SPEAKER_00 4:07

forgiven my sins from the past. Everything that I have done, Christ has forgiven me. That is a little children in the faith. So God doesn't want you just to remain as a little child in the faith. Just as a mother or as a father, you don't want your children to remain the same level. Our pastor doesn't want um Israel to remain a young person. We celebrated Anna's birthday last Sunday, meaning that she's growing up. God is also expecting you and I to grow up. God wants us to grow up spiritually. Yes, we can grow up physically, but God wants us to invest in our spiritual growth. Most times as believers, we tend not to invest in our spiritual growth. It's necessary for you to invest in your spiritual growth. There are levels in our faith. Do you always want to remain a child in the faith that the enemy can toss through and for? Do you always want to remain a child in the faith when you're defeated? God doesn't want that. So little children are knowing for being saved and asking God for forgiveness. Now it's addressing the fathers. Look what it says about the fathers or the mothers in faith. It says, Because you have known him who is from the beginning. So the level of your maturity in the faith, it is not based on your age, your physical age. It is based on these items that the writer is stating. So a little child in the faith thinks about the forgiveness

Young Believers: Strength To Overcome

SPEAKER_00 6:15

of God. A father in the faith, what qualifies a father in the faith is their knowledge of God. So your knowledge of God is very essential for your spiritual growth. The more you know God, the more you are built up, the more information, the more knowledge, the more revelation, the more experience, not just education about God, but experience about God. That also acquires knowledge. So those who are fathers in the faith, they are knowing by their knowledge of God. You have known Him who is from the beginning. So who is from the beginning that this this uh the author is addressing? If we go back to um to the same um letter in 1 John chapter 1, verse 1, it says, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, with our hands we have handled concerning the word of life. The life was manifested, and we have seen, and will be a witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father was manifested to us. This is pretty much referring to Jesus. The writer experienced Jesus, the writer here, who is John, saw Jesus, the writer touched Jesus, the writer communicated with Jesus. So he's not just speaking of somebody he doesn't know, he knows who he is talking about. So as a father in the faith, you have to know the one from the beginning, and the one from the beginning here is Jesus. Now it's addressing the second category of believers in the faith. These are the young men. We can also refer to them as the young woman. It says, I write to you, young man or young woman, because you have overcome the wicked one. It's very fascinating that the author is referring to strength when it comes to young men. Okay, when it comes to fathers, he emphasizes knowledge.

Submission And Authority Over The Devil

SPEAKER_00 8:45

The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that the glory, the glory of the young is their strength, and the glory of the old is their wisdom. The glory of the old is their wisdom, and the glory of the young is their strength. So for you to fight the devil, you have to be strong. Just as physically, young man and young woman, they're strong. The older you become, the more weaker you become physically. But God expects you to become more wiser in the faith. When you are a child in the faith, you talk about grace, you talk about forgiveness. But when you're a young person or a young man in the faith, that is when you have to deal with the devil. So for you to deal with the devil, you have to be strong. So the young man category or maturity of our faith is they overcome the wicked one. Who is this wicked one? The devil. So you just being a child of God and you're not able to defeat the devil, you are still a child. So when you defeat the devil, then you're a young person in the faith. It's not just about forgiveness. You have to move to that level of forgiveness and walk in righteousness and walk in victory and walk in triumph. That is a stage in your life where you face the devil and overcome the devil. Most of us we're still struggling with the devil. And the reason why we cannot overcome the devil is because the Bible says we refuse to submit to God. When we submit to God, when we resist the devil, he will flee from us. We cannot fight the devil on our own without God. You cannot fight Satan by yourself. He's stronger than you. So for you to overcome this wicked one, you have to submit to God. And when you submit to God, when you abide in him, he abides in you, and you have the authority now to tell the devil, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. And you can resist him, and he will flee from you. So your strength as a young man or as a young woman in the faith lies in your obedience, lies in your submission in Jesus Christ, who is your strength, to help you to overcome.

The Word Abiding As True Strength

SPEAKER_00 11:22

And then he continues, I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. So you have knowledge of God, you have knowledge of God the Father. Okay? So those who are fathers of the faith have knowledge of Jesus. There's a difference here. So if you are a father in the faith, you have knowledge of the one who was in the beginning, and the one who was in the beginning is referring to Jesus. So as a child in the faith, you have knowledge of God as your father. Because you're a child, so you relate to God on a fatherly basis. When you do something wrong, your father will forgive you. Just like in the natural sense. So when you are a child in the faith, it's about forgiveness and it's about God the Father. Oh, God is my father, I can mess up, He will clean me up, I can falter, He will forgive me. That's your relationship with Him. But that's not enough. You have to move, progress to that young man or woman stage in your spiritual life. So you need to have knowledge of God as your father in that little children's stage, and then when you are a father, you have knowledge of Jesus. Why? Paul said that I may know him, that I may know him, the power of his resurrection. So you knowing Jesus is you knowing internal life. It's all about relationship. Now, look what it says about the fathers now, addressing the fathers. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known who is from the beginning. Again, nothing has changed when it comes to those who are fathers or mothers in the faith. And the basis of you being a father or a mother in the faith is your knowledge of Jesus. It's your knowledge of Jesus. This is very important. It's your knowledge of Jesus. Those who are matured in the faith, they walk with Jesus. Those who are matured in faith, their life is centered around Jesus. Everything about them is Jesus. Inside is Jesus, outside is Jesus. And now

Moving Beyond Milk To Maturity

SPEAKER_00 14:20

it's saying, I have written to you, young men, because you are strong. Like I was saying, for you to overcome, you have to be strong. So the emphasis of those who are young in the faith, young men and young women, you have to obtain strength and power. Some of us, we are at that stage in our spiritual life where we are young men and young women. And the criteria, what we need to pray to God tonight, that God, I don't want to just be a child in the faith. Yes, I know you as my father. I know that you have forgiven me, but I'm tired of being defeated. Are you not tired of being defeated all the time? Are you not tired of witches and wizards pursuing you at night? Don't you have oh God, oh God. God is saying that you have the authority. You have the authority. When you are a father in the faith, you don't focus on the devil. You don't, you focus on Jesus. When you are a father in the faith, your presence itself aggravate Satan. You don't even need to pray long prayers when you are a father in the faith because you carry Jesus. When you are a father in the faith, when you stand and speak, you usher in the presence of God. You don't have to do anything special because you know Jesus. Satan cannot mess with you when you are a father in the faith, because you have moved to that level of being a child, being a young person. You know how to deal with the devil. Some of us, the enemy can intimidate you because you don't know your level yet, you don't know your spiritual state. That is why God wants to remind you and I to have a reflection. God, what stage am I in in my walk with you? Am I a child? Am I a young man or a young woman? Am I a father? Am I a mother? God help me to know. It says, I have written to you, young man or young woman, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you are overcome the wicked one. Again. Oh God. So, so you can never, as a child of God, as a young person in God,

War And Worship: Take Your Stand

SPEAKER_00 17:03

as a father in God, you can never live without the knowledge of God. You can never live without knowing God. Your entire Christian life is about knowing God. From a child state to a man or woman state to a father or a mother state. The only distinction is that when you're at that stage of being a young man or a young woman, for you to overcome the devil, for you to be strong, there's one thing that you need. It says the word of God abides in you. So the strength is not your physical. The strength that we're talking about here is not your physical strength. The strength that we're talking about here is not your muscles, it's not your intellect, it's not your resources. The strength that is emphasized here for us to be at that level, we need to have the word of God abide in us, abide in you. Because Jesus said, abide in me and I abide in you. Without me, you can do nothing. Yes, you can have the physical stamina, you can have the physical strength, and you can still be defeated without the word of God in you, without having the word of God abide in you. This word of God, this Bible, that the Bible states that you are a blessed man or a blessed woman when you delight in the word of God and you meditate upon it day in and day night. You shall be planted like a cedar in Lebanon. But most of us, our devotion, the only time we get the chance to read the Bible is when we are in church on Sundays. That is why we are weak. That is why we are defeated. We can't even talk about being on the fatherly stage. We are still some of us we're still on that child stage. But God wants to take us from being a child to being a young man and a young woman in Christ. But for us to attain that, we need the word of God abide in us. That's the only way you and I we can become strong and overcome the devil. There's no other way you're gonna bypass this principle. Even when Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus was a young man, he was in his 30s, he was a young man, he wasn't an old man, he was a young man, and he needed the word of God to overcome the devil. He quoted the scripture to overcome the devil, he said, It is written. So at that stage in your spiritual life, you're gonna need the scripture in you, in you, inside of you, in your head, in your heart,

Signs Of Maturity: Unshakable Focus On Jesus

SPEAKER_00 20:05

for you to have an edge over the devil. That's the only way, child of God, you can become strong. This word of God, the Bible, can make you strong. This word can make you strong. When you read this word, you study this word, you speak this word, you believe this word, you live out this word. You are the most powerful man or woman on earth. I know at times we think that power comes from wealth and resources and influence, but God has given us the greatest power, and we don't even know there's power in us when we become strong in the word of God. I'm just here to encourage you, child of God. God wants us to progress so that we can have power, so that we can have authority, so that when Satan comes to your house, when Satan is attacking your life, attacking your health, attacking your resources, attacking your children, attacking our church, we can stand firm, a strong man and woman in the word of God and speak the word of God against him, and then we can overcome him. It is possible, child of God. When you are a father in the faith, you don't worry about the devil. Because you have passed that stage of dealing with the devil. All that matters to you is to know Christ, like Paul said. Paul is a father in the faith, and his aim in life is that I may know him. Can you imagine? He said, All I want to do that I may know him, because he has passed that stage of dealing with the devil. He has passed that stage of God, forgive me. He has passed that stage of God, you're my Father, I know when I mess up, you can clean me up. Say, no, no, no. It's all about Jesus Christ. Wherever I go, it's just good works. This is just to remind us as believers that there are levels in our spiritual life. God wants us to mature spiritually. Some of us, ask yourself, God, what stage am I in? Have a reflection. You can be in church for ages and you're still a child in the faith. So the Bible has given us how we can weigh, evaluate, accept who we are in these stages. Are you a child? Are you a young man, young woman? Are you a father? Are you a mother? Do you know Jesus? Do you know God as your father? Are you strong to overcome the devil? What is your stage in life? Have a reflection. Because this would determine how far you go with God. This would determine the type of encounters and experiences you will have with God. God wants us as a

Fathers Pray, Young Fight: Moses And Joshua

SPEAKER_00 23:30

church to move from that level of being children. Yes, God has forgiven us. Yes, God is our father. To that level where we exercise authority. Because we are in a stage right now where we have to fight. The Bible says the kingdom of God suffer violent, and the violence takes it by force. Satan is not gonna make things easy for you. The Christian life is a life of war, worship and war. But most of us we don't want to fight. We still want to remain a baby Christian, just praise and worship. That is why your life is not good anywhere. That is why your life is inconsistent. That is why you have mood swings. Because the enemy comes and takes your mood, it steals your joy, but you have to fight for that joy. You have to fight to maintain your joy, you have to fight to maintain your sanity, you have to fight to maintain your peace, your composure, your faith. How can you do that? You have to be strong. When you want to be strong, don't you want to be strong? Be strong for yourself, be strong for this church, be strong for your family, be strong for your children. Are you not tired of being weak? Are you tired of being weak? I'm tired of being defeated. I'm tired of losing. It's time for us to win. It's time for us to claim our authority in Jesus Christ. Because the enemy is constantly fighting us, fighting our church, fighting our growth. Let's focus on our own growth. God, what stage am I in spiritually? Am I still a child that drinks only milk? Are we not tired of milk in this church? Or do we want meat? We want meat, substance. When you're you see, you can tell if you are mature in Christ when when you come to church, your focus is strictly on Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter who is here, who is not here. Your experience with God, music cannot influence it. Mean nothing can influence it. Because you believe in the word that says, where two or three are gathered, he is there. Your attitude changes completely. You are faithful in the little things, and God is watching. That is growth, that is maturity, where your focus, oh God. That is why a father in the faith, his focus is on just on one person, that is Jesus. He doesn't care about all this church drama, church administration. Remember when Peter, oh God, Peter was a young man in the faith because he was always fighting to the point where when Jesus was arrested, he fought. He fought, but when he became a father in the faith, he said, guys, I don't have time to do hospitality. Assign other people to do this job, but as for me, I will entrust myself in prayer. That is a father in the faith. Where your focus is solely on Jesus. They talk to Jesus, they see Jesus, Abraham. Why do we call him the father? Father. Have you noticed those who are called fathers in the faith? They are always in the presence of God. Nothing moves them. And when they come out from the presence of God, wow! You can tell that, man, you have seen God,

Roles In The Church: Intercession And Battle

SPEAKER_00 27:30

you have experienced God. You can see the difference between Moses and Joshua. Joshua was a young man, he was in the battlefield fighting. Moses was a father, always in the mountain talking to God. That is the experience of a father stage in your walk with God. Joshua fighting. So in this church, we need the children in the faith, we need the young man and the young woman in the faith. We also need the fathers in the faith. All of them have a role to play because the fathers are now required to fight physically. Do you want your father to fight? Do you want your mother to fight? Do we want our mama, mama Jane, my elder to for them to fight? Are you mad? You expect me, Israel, Shiva, and Anna, Mama Melidia used to be looking. Mama and Lydia for them to fight. What would you expect from them for them to be in the presence of God? That's why they are called elders. Ah God, elders are also fathers. Do you expect our mamas for them to fight? Do you expect them to be where in the presence of God? To have knowledge of Jesus Christ. Their battle is Jesus. What are you saying concerning this situation in this church? They do not even have time to deal with the devil, they have time to deal with Jesus. It is people like us that that will baka ta ta every witch must die. That's that's the stage that we are in, because we're full of energy. Joshua was fighting. You see, oh God, all these three stages are needed. Do you know why? Because when the children of Israel were fighting, Moses lifted up his hand. Moses got tired. He got tired. He had Aaron, and Joshua. The young man was fighting. When Moses lifted up his hand, Joshua was winning. Fathers, fathers in the faith. You will determine the victory of the young people in the church. Fathers, mothers in the faith, you will determine the victory of the young man and the young people in this church. While Moses, oh God, while Moses was lifting up his hand to who? To God the Father, Joshua was winning. But while Moses' hand was coming down, guess what happened to Joshua? He was losing. I think God is speaking. I'm not the one speaking, he's speaking. For us to know our levels spiritually and to work on these levels so that we as a church can grow. When Moses got tired, Aaron all intervened to help Moses. God wants to bring more

Call To Reflect And Advance

SPEAKER_00 31:05

fathers in this church. God wants to bring more young men and young women in this church. The ones that will fight. And the ones that will seek the face of God. Me as a young man, I might not have time to seek the face of God. I have to walk. I have to move. But you, the elders, I know in Canada, elders also walk. It's oppression against our seniors. They should not be walking. Our pastor said something that she's an elder, she's also young. She's actually playing an elderly role, she's also a young woman. Because she's fighting, she's also seeking the face of God. You can rotate. You can rotate both roles. And she mentions something that I can bring to this message. If she stops praying, if she stops seeking the face of God, this church will go down. Do you know why? If she stops praying, if she miss any Wednesday intercession or miss any morning glory, believe in me. The responsibility of fathers. You see, you know many times God wants to destroy the children of Israel. Guess who intervened? Moses. Because Moses was like a father. Interceding. Fathers intercede. Children don't intercede. They like to play too much. Like this young man always plays in church. At times he's concentrated. At times he's playing. He's a child in the faith. But you can expect the mom to monitor him. No, she has to do what? Seek the face of God. This is serious business, child of God. This is serious business. I think God is speaking. He wants to lighten our loads. He wants us to be very strategic how we operate in ministry. Those who are young, fight. How do you fight? Fight with the word. That is why we have our Bible study. That is why I do the Bible study. Because I'm a young man. I have time to study this word. But God wants many young men, many young women to be strong for this church. While our elders, our pastors, seek in the face of God. God is giving them direction, like He did with Moses. And Moses will come and tell Joshua and tell Aaron, Aaron, this is what God is saying. Let's do this. That is the role of a father. A father is a leader, a father gives direction, a father protects, a father provides. Amen. I just want to encourage you. Have a reflection between you and God. God, where am I? Am I at times acting in the role of a father? Am I at times acting in the role of a young woman? What do I need to do to move to that stage of my life? Amen.