Reasons To Rejoice

Alba 10-20-2024

REASONS TO REJOICE

II John 1-6

Ed Skidmore, a graduate of Ozark Christian College and longtime minister in Texas told this story. He recalled a memorable moment many years ago when Susan (his wife) and he were taking Kimberly (their daughter), age 2 , and her slightly younger cousin, Able, to church in the car.

He said Kimberly was in a foul humor that morning, but her smiley faced cousin decided it was time for a word of exhortation. Though he could barely talk, he looked her in the face and said happily, "Rejoice Kimmy!"

Ed said, “We didn't think Able even knew that word, but he certainly knew the context in which to use it.” And he added, “Since that time, we’ve often used Able's exhortation when ever we see Kimberly's mood begin to deflate.”

There are many things in life that can get us down, but God gives us reasons to rejoice. As we take a look at the little letter of Second John, we are given reminders of the good things that God provides. Lets read II John verses 1-6.

1 The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

This letter is addressed to “the elect lady”. Some scholars think that this is a particular woman whose children John knows. Others believe it is a reference to a church and its members. In either case, as John writes this letter, he finds some things about which to rejoice. He uses the term in verse four, but other verses also show us reasons to rejoice. First is a word repeated five times in the first four verses.

1. We Can Rejoice Because We Have Truth

There seems to be little of that around today. We have heard for some time that many in our culture don't think anything can be known for sure. There is a resistance to absolute truth today because people say it is relative: “What’s true for me may not be true for you.” This is the odd part about truth: even those who say there’s no absolute truth are making the point that there is in fact, absolute truth. To say, “No one can make universal truth claims” is a universal truth claim.

But in John 8:31-32 it says, “Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'” The Bible, God's Word, is the place of truth to guide our lives. If you have no truth, you have chaos.

Tim Smith, a minister in Louisiana, said that he worked out 5-6 times a week. So, if someone new came to the gym, they were pretty easy to pick out. He told how a guy in his late 40’s joined them who wore the Dr. Dre headphones which canceled out all of the other sounds in the gym.

He said it wasn’t long before the guy started to sing out loud. And it was a squeaky voice to whatever song he was singing. And worse yet, he was out of tune. It was the kind of voice that was like nails on a chalkboard. And every person in the gym was miserable…and annoyed. Everyone was talking about it, but nobody wanted to say anything to the guy. They were all hesitant to speak the truth. They even went to the managers, and they didn't want to say anything to the guy.

They all knew the truth, but were hesitant to speak the truth. Why? Because the truth is hard and can lead to confrontation. And they didn't want that. But unless one knows the truth, it is possible to be in very great danger. What if the ice on a pond is too thin? What if the brakes in your car don't work? Wouldn't it be better to know the truth before you take a walk on that pond, or drive your car into town? We all need truth. It is the foundation of all things good.