In America today - more than 25 million people are profoundly lonely. A significant number of people are struggling with abuse issues - typically at the hands of their own family members. Substance abuse continues to plague our nation.

We could go on listing these problems. But, the bottom line is that people - and we ourselves - are looking for real and lasting relationships - relationships that heal and help - a fellowship that encourages and builds us up for the experiences out there. There is a real critical importance to developing deeper true fellowship together and with God.

Today, we want to look at the Generations of Fellowship. I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to 1 John 2:12-17. We’re going to look at John’s teaching about spiritual maturity and fatherhood.

Let me encourage you - if this morning you’re not a father - what John has written applies to all of us. His focus is on being spiritually mature and the example we set for others who are growing in their faith.

1 John 2:12: I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written 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 pause here and see what John is saying. First, notice that there are three groups that he writes to: “little children,” “young men,” and “fathers.”

Notice also that John is very encouraging. He says, “You’re doing great! You’re on the right track. What I see is children who are experiencing forgiveness and identity with God - youths who are succeeding in the challenges of life - fathers who are enjoying a rich and deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Then second, its important for us understand what John is describing. On one hand John is talking about chronological generations - children - youth - adults (fathers) - and the relationships between those generations.

On the other hand John is describing different stages of spiritual growth and maturity. Those who are looked up to as being spiritually mature - “fathers” - who are leading those those who are new in their salvation - “children” - teaching them how to live in a maturing - deepening - fellowship with Jesus Christ - “young men.”

Here’s the bottom line. What John is talking about is the process of spiritual maturity that impacts generations.

Let me explain that.

When I graduated from high school I spent my first year of college down here at Cañada College. In those days we used to call junior colleges “high schools with ash trays.” Things were different back then. In those days smoking was permitted anywhere. So all these high school kids - who used to sneak around at high school to smoke - could do it right out in the open. Along with the smoking there were drugs, alcohol, parties. It was like high school - the maturity level was about the same - with ash trays.

What was sad - was seeing someone in their 30’s or older - sometimes in their 50’s - endlessly taking basic classes at a junior college - acting with the maturity of a high schooler - with no direction and purpose in life.

We’ve all seen this - just because someone gets physically older doesn’t mean that they become more mature. The same is true spiritually.

Last week we celebrated Graduation Sunday. During the Sunday School luncheon and program a number of awards were given out to the children - awards for attendance - awards for scripture memorization. Which are all great. But, we need to careful to remember that these are only a means to an end.

I’ve shared before with the congregation about a man who one day proudly showed me his “Sunday School 5 Year Attendance Pin.” He had never missed a day of Sunday School for 5 years. Imagine that. Not once in 5 years. At the time he showed me this pin he was in his 70’s - a long time attender of the church - well respected and liked.

But beyond that there was not one shred of evidence in his life to indicate any spiritual growth or maturity. When he attended our neighborhood Bible study - which he came to because it was in his home - because his wife allowed us to come - during our discussions he gave no indication of any understanding of God’s word - no evidence of God’s working in his life.

Spiritual maturity - the kind that we look to as an example for how to live our lives - spiritual maturity doesn’t happen because we get older. It doesn’t happen because we spend time in and around Christians or because our parents were Christians or we were raised in a Christian home. It doesn’t happen because we know a lot of things about Christianity. It doesn’t happen because of our position in the church or the number of years we’ve been attending.

Its like the story of the little boy who fell out of bed. When his mother asked what happened, he said; “I don’t know, I guess I went to sleep too close to the place I got in.”

That’s what’s happened to so many Christians. They may be saved - but they’re not maturing spiritually.

Please hear this: Spiritual maturity is produced in us by the Holy Spirit as we learn to live in daily - total - consistent - obedient - unbroken fellowship and continued dependence on God. Spiritual maturity comes as we allow God to work in us - through us - changing us to be more and more like Jesus - reflecting His character and fellowship with God.

That’s the goal. Its not that any of us have arrived there. Some day we’ll be in Heaven and that will be complete spiritual maturity. Today, we’re in process. But, its a process - and its crucial for us as Christians to be in that process.

What John is describing is these Christians who are going up - maturing in their faith and fellowship with God. He commends them and holds them up as an example for us to follow.

Going on - verse 15: Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The enemy of our deepening fellowship with God and each other - the enemy of our growth towards spiritual maturity - is the world.

Understand this - there’s nothing wrong with the world. John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world - the people of the world - each of us. Physically this world is beautiful - especially here in the Bay Area.

What John is talking about is the part of this world that is under the control of Satan - that hates Jesus - that works in flagrant enmity against God or through promoting indifference to God. Our enemy which is continually seeking to lure us away from maturity in our fellowship with God - to trap us - delude us - defeat us - destroy us.

John calls this trap the love of the world - a devotion to living the way the world lives apart from God. In verse 14 he gives a description of what he means.

First - “the lust of the flesh.” God has created us with certain urges and hungers and to satisfy these isn’t wrong. The “lust of the flesh” goes beyond our satisfying God given desires.

We hunger for food because we need food to live. “The lust of the flesh” pursues gluttony and devotion to food. We need shelter to keep our bodies healthy. “The lust of the flesh” seeks wanton luxury and ease. God gives us the intimacy of sex. “The lust of the flesh” urges us to lewd and immoral behavior.

Second John says there’s the “lust of the eyes.” God has given each of us a desire to explore what’s around us - to seek to understand and experience God’s creation. But there are limits. When I was in Sunday School we learned a song - one verse said, “Be careful little eyes what you see....”

“The lust of the eyes” goes beyond what God desires for us to see. When we look into the world of the occult - seek out the erotic - pornography - the perverse - the vulgar - we’re giving into the “lust of the eyes.” When we covet more - greed that’s never satisfied - seeing and wanting - we’re under the control of our lustful eyes.

Third is “the boastful pride of life” - desiring to create jealousy - envy - praise - from others. It happens when we focus on having a more expensive house in the best neighborhood - a more prestigious car - when we send our kids to schools that others admire - even when we compare our church facility thinking its better than others. When our reputation matters more to us than the glory of God or the well being of His children then we’ve succumbed to “the boastful pride of life.”

The Bible teaches us - from cover to cover - that every breath we take - every beat of our heart - every talent we have - that we even know of God and His love - that we experience His grace and His mercy - our very salvation - all of this comes from God - not us. Paul writes in Romans 3:27 “Where then is boasting?” Who are we to draw attention to ourselves and not to glorify God?

And yet, this is where our world is today. Lost in the pursuit of the flesh - controlled by insatiable desires - climbing over each other to get to the top of the heap. John warns us - these things are not from God - but from the world - which is dying. They keep us from what really matters - a deepening - maturing - fellowship with God that lasts forever.

So, on one hand John is talking about spiritual maturity. On the other hand is the effect this maturity has on the generations of those who are coming behind us - who look to us as examples of Godly maturity.

One of the great tragedies of our time is that families have abdicated their responsibility to lead children towards spiritual maturity. Families have abdicated their responsibility to the church.

Have you heard this? “We bring our child to Sunday School because we want her to have the same religious education we had.” Mothers - grandparents - rarely fathers - who bring their children to church so that the children can learn about God.

Imagine - if there are 162 hours in a week and generously a child spends 3 of these in church related ministries - who has the greater influence - the church or the family?

In the Bible there is example after example - where the family is seen as the primary place where spiritual maturity is taught - and example after example - when the family fails at that responsibility - there’s tragedy.

The heaviest weight of this responsibility falls on the shoulders of fathers. Its not by accident that John uses “fathers” to describe those we’re to look up to as examples of Godly maturity. The head of the home is the father - he is the one who is to set the spiritual tone of the family - the one to take the spiritual lead - to set the example - the pattern for others to follow.

If a father is a believer in Jesus Christ there is a 75% likelihood that his children will be. If the mother alone is a believer that likelihood goes down to 15%. If a father comes with his child to church there is a 80% likelihood that the child will continue coming as an adult. If the mother alone comes that likelihood goes down to 30%.

I’m a father of 3 boys. I know this is hard to hear. Fathers today are expected to work 7 days a week - 15 hours a day - traveling all over the place - trying to provide for a good house - an education - food - cars - all the things that kids want and need these days - to give their kids a better start in life than they had.

But we have to be careful. Are we being trapped by the world - or are we teaching our children - living before our children in a mature fellowship with God?

One leads to death. One leads to eternity with God.

Its intimidating to say that we have the responsibility to teach our children what it means to be spiritually mature because it means that we ourselves need to be maturing spiritually. It means openness on our part to God. It means intense and systematic Bible study - a deepening prayer life. It means leading conversations in our home around God’s word - reading Bible stories with our children - praying with them. It means sharing with our children our struggles and God’s working in our lives.

But imagine the depth of fellowship - the eternal ties that bind - when an entire family studies the word of God together - shares their life in Christ together - prays with each other. Imagine a church - made up of families - all maturing together through their fellowship in Jesus Christ.