Are You Prepared to Receive
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish, pray to God, above all things, that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Not much is known of Gaius, he was probably a faithful member in one of the churches of Asia Minor. The Apostle John conveys his own appreciation for Gaius by calling him “beloved,” 4 times in this one chapter. For the Apostle John to ask about Gaius’ health wasn’t uncommon in those days. However, for ‘one’ to compare a spiritual life with a physical was uncommon.
NLT Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy
in body, as you are strong in spirit.
John speaks of 2 kinds of prosperity:
a. There is spiritual prosperity
("just as your soul prospers")
b. And there is material prosperity ("that you may prosper in all things and be in health")
Gaius’ Spiritual condition was so excellent that John prayed for his physical health to match his spiritual.
Q&A: What if someone were to pray for your physical body, to be as well as your Spiritual? Would that be good ?
Why was Gaius favored? Key verses:
3 John 3-4 Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth.
4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
3 things to receive out of this verse.
First, “It’s God’s will, that all may go well with you.” It’s God’s will for you to be found faithful!
It’s God’s will for you to prosper;
it’s God’s will for you to live in a continual state of blessings.
In God’s Kingdom, every heartache will bring promotion.
Listen to Paul’s daily struggles: Romans 8:35-36 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” (Ps.44:22)
However, hear Paul in the next verse, Romans 8:38 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Q&A: “Most of us are more in tune with our physical bodies than our Spiritual.” What are you in tune with?
Secondly, “God wants you whole.”
The fact is, you are sick, but the truth is, God’s word will bring you health.
The fact is, you have no money, truth is, God will provide your every need. The fact is, you live with hardship, the truth is, you are more that conquerors.
Ex. 15:26 “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Is.53:1-6 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs
on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
Finally, God wants your soul to prosper. (Your mind, will & emotions!
Romans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living, and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a-new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. What I’m teaching today isn’t some pie in the sky religion, “Jesus came to save that which was lost and to bring prosperity in every avenue of our lives.”
“Are you prepared to receive?”
3 John 1:2 (KJV)
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Special thanks to a great man of God and a wonderful friend, Pastor Terry Sisney.
My name is William Poovey, and I pastor at Bethel Church in Olar, SC. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a lot of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
William Poovey
