WWUTT 458 Defending In Truth?

Walking in Truth and Defending the Faith

Over the course of our study of 2 and 3 John, we've talked about walking in truth, abiding in truth, being children in truth, and working in truth. We must also defend the truth when we understand the text.

You're listening to When We Understand the Text, committed to the sound teaching of the Word of God. Find videos and more at our website, www .utt .com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky. We will conclude our study of 3 John today. So if you would open your Bible to 3 John, there's not a chapter because it's just 15 verses. I'll read all the way through the text, and then we'll summarize what we've talked about and finish up what we have left to go over.

John’s Closing Words to Gaius in 3 John

So 3 John, beginning with verse 1, the elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul.

For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church.

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, for they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us.

And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Beloved do not imitate evil, but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God.

Whoever does evil is not from God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony and you know that our testimony is true. I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.

I hope to see you soon and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. So yesterday, as we were looking at that section from verses 5 through 8, John says, Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church.

So what church is it that they are testifying to? Are they testifying to Gaius's church? Are they testifying to John's church? Another way we might consider this rather is that Gaius is showing love to this church that has been led astray by the teachings of diatrophies or the wrong things that he is saying to lead hearts astray.

And so Gaius continues to show love to this church in the face of the false message that they are getting. And so these brothers, strangers to Gaius who have come to the church and are testifying back to John what it is that Gaius has done.

They are able to account for this love that Gaius is indeed showing to this church. So it's not a lost cause. Gaius is walking in the truth. Diatrophies is speaking lies. He's leading people astray. But the truth is there.

So John rejoices to know there is somebody who's walking in the truth. And surely he can help to lead this church back to the path of righteousness. And John is going to help Gaius do that when he comes there to speak about the things that diatrophies is doing.

And hopefully with the word of John present, then it will be that much more impacting, that much more powerful for the people there in that church to hear what John says rather than read it in a letter.

So that way, diatrophies is not able to either prevent the letter from being read or would change some of the wording or try to interpret it a wrong way because the guy is open to saying anything. Clearly, he's been leading the church astray.

So with John's presence there, he would be able to respond to everything that diatrophies has been doing wrong to these brothers within this church. Diatrophies also putting out the brothers who came to that church.

But Gaius was the one who, in truth, served them, even though they were strangers. He showed them love and they testified of this love back to John, who is rejoicing to hear that his children are walking in the truth, Gaius being one of them.

So Gaius likely is somebody that John may have even led to the faith because he refers to him as his child. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. So then we continue on there with verse six.

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, for they have gone out for the sake of the name, going out for the sake of the name of Christ. So every pastor should enter into his pulpit for the sake of the name of Christ, not for his namesake, not even for his church's namesake, but for Christ, speaking boldly the word of Christ, which is to dwell in us and in the whole church richly, as Paul talks about in Colossians 3 .16.

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, for they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles, which gives an opportunity for Christians to be able to serve.

Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. Verse nine, I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

I had a situation that happened to me, as might have been two or three years ago, where there were two men in my church that mocked the fact that I would refer to myself as a shepherd. And I even said to one of them, what does the word pastor mean?

And he was stumped on that. I said, the word pastor means shepherd. That's literally where the word comes from. So I refer to myself as a shepherd in humility. It is not in any way to lord myself over anyone, but to recognize the role that I have been called to as an elder, a pastor in the church.

And that is to care for the flock of God under the direction of the chief shepherd, who is Christ Jesus. One of the most fundamental ways that I serve the church that has been placed under my care is by preaching the full counsel of God and leaving nothing out when it comes to teaching the word of God.

Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verses 11 and 12 say this. The words of the wise are like goads. That's goads, not goats. OK, a goad is something that would actually drive an animal along. So the words of the wise direct the sheep like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings.

They are given by one shepherd, capital S referring to Christ, my son, beware of anything beyond these beyond these words given by the shepherd of making many books. There is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

So I commit myself to caring for the flock of God by preaching the word of God. And it is a position that is authoritative. The pastor is an authority that's mentioned in first Timothy chapters two and three in Titus chapter one in Hebrews 13, seven.

It says, remember those who taught you the word of God and imitate their faith. Peter gives these instructions to elders and first Peter five beginning in verse one. So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you not for shameful gain, but eagerly not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders, clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud, but it gives grace to the humble.

So the pastor is a position that we are to submit to when it comes to their authority. Now, when I say this to you, as you hear this coming from me, you're going, well, of course you think that way. You're a pastor.

So you want that authority and you want people to submit to it. Understand this. I serve in a church with a plurality eldership and I submit to those guys. They submit to my teaching since I am the elder that is considered worthy of double honor.

As Paul talks about, I'm a full time pastor. So I receive my wages from the work that I do as my occupation. Whereas there's another pastor on staff that is part time. And then there are three lay elders.

But these guys all hold equal position of authority in our church. So I submit to their instruction as much as they also submit to mine. So I'm not coming at you with this as somebody who is the height of authority in my church as I have authority that I must submit to as well.

But this is the way that God has structured the church. The pastor himself submits to the authority of the apostles who wrote the word of God, the New Testament that we preach from, that we teach the Christians to live according to.

And then it is underneath the apostles that we have the evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry. So the elder or pastor position in a church is a position of authority.

And the members of the church are expected to submit to the authority that he has been given according to his faithful handling and teaching of the word of God. So anyway, I had these couple of men in my church that just thought it was ludicrous that I would respond or I would define myself as a shepherd.

And they did not want to submit to that authority. One of them was a Sunday school teacher, and we had to tell him, look, until you can learn this, we're going to remove you from your class. And what ended up happening is he just left the church, decided that, you know, I'm just going to take my family and go somewhere else.

And then what he did was he wrote a paper about me online. You can still find it if you search for the right corners of the Internet. He wrote a paper about me talking about how I was abusing my authority and all these kinds of things, which there were plenty of witnesses that verified I was not doing that.

That's another benefit of plurality eldership, by the way, as I'm accountable to those guys and they can say, no, sorry. Gabe is not doing what you were accusing him of doing. But anyway, in this paper, he defined himself as a Christian in capital letters, C-H-R-I-S-T caps and then lowercase I-A-N.

So I was not a Christian with capital letters. He was a Christian with capital letters. So it was it was kind of this display of putting himself first. And he even said things in that paper about things the church needed to do different or things that I needed to do different and wasn't willing to listen to him.

And so he put himself first before anybody else in the congregation. He was the authority. He had all the knowledge and he was the one that everybody needed to listen to. And I remember going through that entire circumstance thinking of diatrophies.

I have written something to the church, but diatrophies, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. And so what diatrophies is doing, even by not recognizing authority, is bringing the entire church down.

And this this situation that we had that happened in our church was the same thing. While all of this was going on, it was such a massive distraction. And it brought the growth, our spiritual maturity down in the church because we had to focus on this and we're missing out on the growth in the word of God that we should have been embarking upon.

And so this is one of John's concerns as well. Because of what diatrophies is doing, it is hindering the growth of the church. And clearly, you've got so many people in this church that are being led astray by what diatrophies is saying.

So John feels an urgency to need to be able to come and talk about what it is that diatrophies is doing in his presence would make his message that much more impactful. So he says in verse 10. So if I come, I'm going to bring up what he's doing, talking wicked nonsense about us.

This isn't just a difference of opinion here. It's wicked nonsense. It's stuff that is worthy of diatrophies being removed from the church until he can learn that he must not blaspheme in this way. I think also in First Timothy, when Paul is giving instruction to Timothy on how he is to lead the Ephesian church, which, by the way, is the same church that John is writing from.

He says the following. This charge I entrust you, Timothy, that he would teach in sound doctrine, according with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them we may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. Now, what does that mean when Paul says that he handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan?

It means he put them out of the church until they can learn how serious it is or how serious it was what they had done. They could not be in the church because they would just lead people astray. And everybody needed to see that this is unacceptable behavior and unacceptable teaching.

And so they were removed from the church congregation. And we know that's what that means based on something Paul says in First Corinthians 5, where he says, purge the evil person from among you and turn him over to Satan.

And so that's what this is in reference to regarding Hymenaeus and Alexander. They've been removed from the church for the purpose of teaching them that this is not how we are to conduct ourselves in the church of Jesus Christ.

And hopefully they would repent and come back into fellowship with the body and the grace of Christ would be shown through that repentance and acceptance of them back into the fellowship. So John would have the same thing in mind here.

Diotrephes absolutely needed to be removed, but there would also be a heartfelt expectation that he would repent. So if I come, I'm going to bring up what he's doing, talking wicked nonsense about us and not content with that.

He refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. He's preventing anybody from exercising the love that all who are in Christ Jesus are supposed to be displaying for the brothers and sisters of Christ in the church.

He is hindering growth in every way possible. And so John means to come and address this particular issue. And then in context with that statement about what Diotrephes is doing, he gives an instruction to Gaius to not be like Diotrephes.

Imitating Good Rather Than Evil

Verse 11, beloved, don't imitate evil, but imitate good. Imitate what you've learned from me, John is saying. Follow the example that you have given to you by the apostles. Don't imitate what it is that Diotrephes is doing.

Even though Gaius is walking in the truth, John still feels an urgency to instruct Gaius to not imitate that behavior. You might feel like a loner. You might feel like you are the only one that is showing the genuine love of Christ to the members of this body.

But don't let that discourage you into falling into step with this wicked individual who is speaking nonsense and leading the people of God astray. Do not imitate evil, but imitate good. And we have good examples that have been set before us in Christ Jesus, our Lord, of course, but also the apostles.

And the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11, 1, imitate me as I am of Christ. And then the pastor of your church should be someone that is worthy of imitation. Perhaps your teacher in a Sunday school class, somebody who has mentored you or discipled you in the faith.

These who have led you in the truth of Christ should be people who are worthy of imitation that we would encourage one another, even in our behaviors to be more Christlike. And John says, whoever does good is from God.

Whoever does evil is not from God, has not has not seen God. They are from Satan. And Jesus said that to the Jews. If you knew if you truly were of your father, Abraham, if he was your father, you would know who I am because Abraham knew who I was.

But you are of your father, the devil, and your desire is to do your father's desires. He has been a murderer from the beginning. And so the people who follow in step behind Satan do not do godly things, no matter how much they might acknowledge it with their lips, that they are followers of God.

If they're not loving the brothers and sisters of Christ, if they're not loving the word of Christ, if they're not teaching the whole counsel of God, then they're not of God, but of the devil. Demetrius, verse 12, has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth itself.

We also add our testimony. And you know that our testimony is true. I've had much to write to you, John says, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

And this is another way that John is showing Gaius an example of true brotherly love, not just leaving this to a written word, but showing that he has a real and genuine desire to get on his feet and get to that place so that this would be more than just words on a paper.

Action is going to be behind it, that John has a genuine love for Gaius and for this church that Gaius genuinely loves and has been testified to John that the true love of Christ is there in the heart of Gaius.

I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you and greet the friends each by name. There's something greatly significant about knowing one another by name, not just a friendly handshake or a friendly smile or eye contact, but that we would even know one another's name.

And when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and he said to Moses, I am the God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that was hugely intimate for God to address Moses that way, using names.

And he gives Moses his name, Yahweh. I am who I am, showing a fellowship with Moses. And indeed, we have a fellowship with God, and it is through the name that is above every name, Jesus Christ. He is our fellowship with God.

So knowing one another's name, that is important. And if you have a tight fellowship in the body of Christ where you worship, I encourage you to know everybody's name, for that is part of the growth of knowing one another and getting closer to one another.

Holding Fast to the Word of God

Let us conclude with prayer. Our wonderful God, we thank you for the truth that you have shown to us through your apostles and prophets, through the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers, to equip us, saints, for this work of ministry.

I pray you keep us steadfast in the truth, not being tossed to and fro by the winds of shifting doctrine, by people who would come and speak wicked nonsense, who would lead people astray. But we're so fixed and steadfast upon the word of God that we're able to identify the difference between the counterfeit and the real thing.

We have the Bible by which we can test all other words. This word is firmly fixed. As Jesus said in Mark 13, 31, heaven and earth will pass away. My word will never pass away. As David wrote in the Psalms, it is firmly fixed in the heavens.

And so let us plant ourselves upon this word, testing all other words by it and grow in your word by the blessing of Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.

This has been When We Understand the Text of Pastor Gabriel Hughes. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more, visit our website at www .utt .com. If you'd like to submit a question to this broadcast, or just send us a comment, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

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