This morning our text is 3 John.
Adam Clarke notes that we seldom hear 3 John quoted but in reproof of lordly tyrants, or prating troublesome fellows in the Church. He says that it has been the lot of both the minor prophets and the minor epistles to be generally neglected, because with many readers, bulk is everything.
Today, we complete our study of the writings of John in the New Testament. We have gone through John's gospel, the Revelation, and the letters of John, and now come to this final little post card, as David Proctor called it.
What does God have to tell us from this little New Testament note? We actually call it a book of the New Testament, don't we? Someone told me that the little letters of second and third John each contain just enough writing to fill one side of one piece of papyri. Jude contains enough to fill front and back of one piece of papyri.
We should be careful not to judge its value by its size. Lincoln's Gettysburg address, which has been called the most important presidential address in our history, contains 10 sentences, 3 John contains 10 sentences in the KJV (although it contains17 sentences in the RSV and 23 in the NIV). The Gettysburg address contains 269 words, 3 John contains 294. The Gettysburg address contains 1,192 letters or punctuation characters, 3 John contains 1,318.
Second and third John are the twitters of the New Testament, small in size, but powerful in message.
The key word in both little books is "truth." John takes delight in seeing Christians walking in the truth. The truth John refers to is the gospel of Jesus Christ: who He is, what He taught and what He did for us. Jesus Christ himself is indeed the incarnation of God's truth in this world. By the time of this writing of John, the church has spread far and wide through the Roman empire. It faces troubles from within and without. John warns in his second letter against many false teachers that have gone out into the world. These deceivers are preaching the name Jesus Christ, but not the truth about who he is, what he taught and did for us.
So it is still today that many speak the name of Jesus Christ, who do not faithfully represent who Jesus is or what he said and did. John McArthur, in his book, The Gospel According to Jesus, wrote: (p. 59).
What McArthur is describing is a faulty theology as old as the Bible itself. On the other hand, as we have seen in 1 John, there are certain things we can know, here in 3 John vs. 11, we are again reminded of how to tell the difference between who is and who is not one of God's faithful people. (Read verse 11). That's simply an echo of all John has said in his first letter, is it not?
Let me refresh your memory with a few lines of 1 John:
From chapter 1: 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
From chapter 2: 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
From chapter 3: 4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
From chapter 4: 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
From chapter 5: 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
How are we doing? Isn't that plain? Why can't we all see and do what these words say?
I was listening to WMBW yesterday and a program called, "Let My People Think" came on. On the program were two Christian Apologists who were discussing how Christians deal with evil in the world. At the end of the program Oz Guinness frankly declared that American Conservative Christianity has lost its way. He said we want concert, feel good, Hallmark card theology. He described in shock how many typical American evangelical Christians have these expectations so that we get angry at God at the drop of a hat, and that this kind of Christianity is profoundly worldly. Instead of forming Christ in us, as God's word teaches, today's goal is reinterpret Christ so that he is like us, accepting of our passions and practices.
May God help us be a church that looks to Jesus, listens to Jesus, learns from Jesus, lives in Jesus and loves like Jesus Christ according to what God's word teaches! May we walk in theTruth!
Third John gives us a glimpse at three members of the church in that day who serve as examples for us in our day. Gaius and Demetrius are faithful Christians who walk in the truth and are commended and blessed by John. Diotrephes, on the other hand, is a member of the church in a position of authority there but who is walking contrary to the truth. He is exposed by John as a power hungry gossip who actually rejects John's authority and puts people out of the church when they welcome brethren sent there by John. I encourage you to read this little letter and make note of the characteristics of all of these and consider how to imitate the good examples given and avoid the bad.
If a letter that was God's word were written today and had your name in it, what kind of things would God say about you and your life? How might he describe your faith and obedience to Jesus Christ? How would he describe your words, deeds and attitudes?
The truth is, we will all stand before Jesus Christ some day and give an account for what we have done during this life he has given us. We will all be judged according to what we do here and now.
Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins, not to save us so we could continue in sin. Jesus Christ is the risen, reigning King of kings and Lord of lords, and he calls us to come. He calls us to leave sin and follow Him. He calls. We must answer. God himself rejoices when we walk in obedience to the truth before Him. There is nothing more beautiful than a faithful Christian life! On the other hand, there is nothing more ugly that a Christian who turns his or her back on Jesus Christ and rejects the sacrifice of the cross and returns to the darkness of sin and death.
God's word in John's writings have spoken plainly to us, have they not? May we have ears to hear and hearts to follow the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
