Love The Truth Series

Love the Truth

2 John

October 7, 2001

Introduction

As I was praying about what God would have me cover over the next few weeks before entering the Christmas season, I was impressed with the idea that we should spend some time in what I call “the little guys,” or small books of the Bible that get little or no attention from most pulpits.

So I thought, “Why not?” There is a ton of truth in these books, or God would not have put them in the Bible in the first place, amen?

So today we are going to look at the book of 2 John, toward the end of the Bible. Next week we will probably go to 3 John, then Jude, then possibly on to Philemon, and then we will see from there.

The book of 2 John, which, if you’re using the Bibles in the seats, can be found on page 864, is only 13 verses long.

Yet in this short book are some truths that are of major importance, and it will do us good to look at them.

My purpose this morning is to bring home to each of you just how important the truth really is, and why it must be defended.

Let’s read the whole book, shall we? And you can leave here today saying that your pastor can cover a whole book of the Bible in one sermon.

Now that’s something to brag about at lunch, huh?

Please follow along as I read:

The elder,

To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth--and not I only, but also all who know the truth-- 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your chosen sister send their greetings.

In our attempt to get a handle on the importance of truth, I want to cover two main points and the first is that we can…

I. Triumph in the Truth. (vv. 1-6)

A. Why is the truth so important?

There is a movement out there that says truth is relative. In other words, what may be true for you may not be true for me.

It’s called relativism, and it is very dangerous.

Let me give you an example of why this is so dangerous.

We generally believe that life is sacred, and that the weak should be protected.

Yet there are others who believe that the weak are not to be protected, only exploited for the benefit of the strong.

A practical application of this would be a society where if you are ill, and recovery looks “impractical” in the eyes of the decision-makers, than you will be denied care, or killed outright.

Another example occurred during World War II, where the Nazis decided that the Jews and others standing in their way were to be eliminated.

They were of no use to the super-race they were attempting to establish. So they murdered millions of men, women, and children.

Stalin murdered even more than Hitler.

We cry out against such injustice, yet they say they have as much right to their point of view as we have.

The relativist says that all truth is equal. Yet we shudder at what some would call truth.

A number of years ago, my favorite sermon illustration, Sam Crabtree, and I met with a couple of young Mormon missionaries.