Book of 3 John - Vs. 1-15 (10/06/2002)

We're in 3rd John this afternoon. So turn with me to 3rd John verse 1

I thought this would be an appropriate book for us to have our winter

Bible study series from and That's a joke. There's only one page only one page of it

We might finish this one, let's pray father. Thank you for our fellowship time together

We ask you to bless our Bible study time now in Jesus name. Amen The elder and to the well -beloved

Gaius whom I love in the truth Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prosper it for I rejoice it greatly when the brethren came and Testified of the truth that is in thee even as thou walk walkest in the truth

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth

Let's cover those and then we'll see if we go on from there this according to Unger This is not the

Gaius of Macedonia that you find in Acts 19 29 Nor is it the

Gaius of Derby that you find in Acts 20 and verse 4 or the Gaius of Corinth found in Romans 1623 and 1st

Corinthians 114, but this is the Gaius of Ephesus and He seemed to be a wealthy man a man of distinction in some city near the city of Ephesus Around the year 90

AD Now how they know that couldn't be the same person traveling, but I'm sure

I'll think I'll trust mr. Unger on that there probably are ways that the scholars know that it's not the same person but rather different people with the same name

But we know that who Whoever and I won't say this couldn't have been one of he could have been the same as one of these other people

I don't really know But what we do know about this particular man Is that he did live near?

Ephesus we know that he was wealthy and a man of distinction and we know about the time period

Probably the time period is what eliminates some of these others but We know that John loved this man in the

Lord He says in verse 2 beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.

I Think we can learn something from that verse that some some folks from the

Baptist circles probably need to learn Imagine that the charismatics and some of the others don't have a problem with this particular fact because they

Seem to think that everybody if they're in God's will is supposed to be wealthy and prosperous But I think on the other hand some of the

Baptists tend to think that if you're in a God's will you're supposed to be poor and sad and I've seen

Evangelists I've seen missionaries come through I've seen like I say evangelist who who is like this at all poor pitiful me

And so it made them feel more spiritual and they were never happy though. Just Nothing good going on because if I had good things, it would be fleshly and carnal and I'm spiritual so poor pitiful me and this verse

Kind of rebukes that attitude because if you'll notice what John says is that He Witnesses the prosperity of this person's soul.

In other words, this is a spiritual person He is feeding his soul with the Word of God He is walking with the

Lord and he's strong spiritually and he says I wish that your physical Prosperity and health would match that So that's a little different than the mindset of some

Baptists. I've known in the past It is not sinful or fleshly for us to wish for our brothers and sisters that they may prosper

Economically and have good health physically in direct proportion to how they are prospering spiritually

It would be wrong to wish they would prosper in that area and be weak and not grow spiritually

Because that certainly is not more important than the spiritual but he just simply matched it.

He said I wish you would prosper and have health Correspondingly to the amount that your soul is prospering

In other words, you're growing in the Lord and I wish you would have prosperity and health as well Verse 3 says for I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee even as thou walk in the truth

John rejoiced when he heard that a nobleman had come to the truth first Corinthians 126 says for ye

See your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called

But when one was saved John Rejoiced over it and I think that's very

Instructional for us because I think many times in these hyper spiritual groups of people that we just discussed that think you need to be poor and sad if you're going to be spiritual that many times if If a noble person a wealthy person is saved.

They are a bit jealous about it. They resent it they don't even want that person in the congregation because Either he's more educated or has more or whatever the reason they don't want him around And so that's why you see many churches where it'll be a church that tends to be predominantly of the same economic and social

Group, you don't see the groups mixing very much well John wasn't that way

John thought it was fantastic that this wealthy nobleman was saved He praised

God for it because he knew that once that man was saved all of that money belonged to God I mean it did anyway

But the man didn't recognize it and so it began to be used as it is in this book as we're gonna see in a moment used for Christian efforts and for the ministry and to help other

Christians who didn't have any money And so John rejoiced in it and told the man

You know in writing if not to his face that I'm so thrilled that God saved you out of darkness into light

Now verse 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth Gaius we see from this was a convert of John's because he called him his child his spiritual child

So this wealthy man is someone that John witnessed to So that tells us that we ought not be afraid of the super abundantly wealthy if we were to go and and we're thinking in terms of witnessing we ought not shun the

The mansion on the corner because oh, well, that's a wealthy person. They won't listen to me well

John witnessed to him just like he would someone that had nothing and gave him the truth and This man came to know the

Lord So he had great joy in this First five beloved

Thou does faithfully whatsoever thou doest To the brethren and to strangers which have borne witness of your love before the church

Whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort thou shalt do well

You see how his money is going to be used to even send a mission at what we call missionaries I don't think they called him that in those days.

They called him evangelist Biblical word, but there were men that were going out to spread the gospel who were poor some of them maybe from Jerusalem in different places and just didn't have any money and this wealthy convert was giving his money to send them to do

God's work it takes money to do God's work and He was giving the money to make this to make this possible and John John Commended him for it and said, you know you do well if you send these on on their way to do

God's work verse 7 because That for his namesake they went forth Taking nothing from the

Gentiles. In other words, they weren't taking money from the lost people. They weren't taking the world's money

So it's good that you as a child of God gave your money To support

God's work. It should be done by God's people. God's work should always be supported by God's people

We therefore ought to receive such that we might be fellow helpers to the truth now this points out an interesting spiritual truth

John commended him for taking care of the financial needs of other brothers even strangers to him.

He didn't know him He just knew they were brothers Who were in need and who would not take anything from the lost world, but who wanted to spread the gospel?

So John told him that sending them on their way You then became a fellow helper of the truth so that that teaches us the principle that is we send what we call in modern terms missionaries and We give our finances to help them get on the field and to spread the truth

That we are actually partakers in their ministry and their rewards. I know brother Rocky used to tell churches that everywhere he went that Anything that you've given towards this ministry you will receive some of the rewards of this ministry as well and this verse teaches that First nine

I wrote into the church but Diotre fees who love to have the preeminence among them

Receiveth us not now. This is a very interesting teaching. It's very apropos in the fundamental independent

Baptist movement That I'm glad many of you are not as familiar with as I am and and Roger I would say

Certainly is familiar with this group and see if this verse doesn't hit that group In the

Greek language this word preeminence I Don't know that I could pronounce the word in Greek, but I can pronounce the two small words

It was made up. So let's go that route. The first little word was this Phylos are

Actually in the Greek you would pronounce I like an e so it's phylos But It's spelled philos, are you familiar with that?

You've probably seen that one before Do you remember that there are at least three different Greek words for our one

English word love you have agape? Well phylos is one of the other kinds and it means brotherly love

All right So that's one of the little words this big word is made out of this word preeminence

Now the second word is this protos who knows what that means? What's a proton? What protos that gives you a little clue what it might mean?

Actually nowadays Physics or would that be chemistry? I guess both Has changed so much it would it might lead you astray as a clue, but it means the first the first a proton

They thought maybe at one time was one of the smaller particles. It is one of the smaller particles

But it's not the smallest That it means the first so you put these words together protos the first and five phylos to love

It means you love to be first Isn't that interesting? So here we have this man that John says he loves

To be first among them and he won't receive us Now this word receive means to admit

So What we find out is that diatrophies Started one of the most ancient sects among the

Christian groups now, what is a sect? Sectarianism is condemned here by John While it is true that the

Holy Spirit wishes to work within this local church ours and others But let's look at it from our point of view

He wants to work within our little group to make us unique and to work out

Within us his perfect will for this local group and it is true

We're not supposed to be under the authority of denominations or other groups We're supposed to be a local church under Jesus's headship

All those things are true But at the same time we are not supposed to be so inward

That we learn nothing new from Christian brothers who are strangers to us Because if you ever get to that stage, you will become a sect a sect is a small group that has their own doctrinal stance very tightly knit together in a perfect box and Anyone that believes anything that contradicts that is not accepted in to speak because it would threaten the leader who put forth that nice neat little box and so If you're going to err

You can You can be in trouble either direction You can be in trouble if you invite people into the pulpit who are liberals and don't believe

God's Word is all true Or someone that you bring in maybe you didn't know they were that way

But all of a sudden you find out they are and they get up and they preach and they teach something That's not true.

But you know what most of the people That if you've been in the word you would recognize it just as well as the pastor would

So it wouldn't be the end of the world if that happened Because as soon as he walked out the door one any one of us could get up and stand up and say well, you know

It seemed like he said this I don't find that in the scriptures. Do you? So it wouldn't do permanent damage probably but on the other side of the coin

It's just as dangerous to never ever have a voice from another place

Come inside the little group because if you never ever have another voice come in you can become looking at things from such a

Myopic point of view that you can't see the forest for the trees and all of a sudden you you've got your own little doctrine

That's in here and it's leaving out the whole picture and you don't even know it and there's so many groups like that The independent

Baptists are just amazing at this particular there. There must be thousands of Dioptrophies is because they will let some people come in but it'll only be if they're in their group and the only way they can be in their group is to accept the peer pressure to Conform to believe exactly like they believe on every issue and if you ever utter anything that differs from that you don't come back

I've seen it. Have you and So this is sectarianism and in John rebukes it he rebukes this man openly names his name

He says in verse 10 wherefore if I come I will remember his deeds which he do it

Prating against us with malicious words. They always do that. Have you any of you ever heard of the sword of the

Lord? We used to think it was just the most wonderful thing in the world and and Perhaps it was better in one day

But nowadays you have several little quick quote Christian newspapers put out by these independent

Baptists and you'll find it the great majority of the material in these magazines is condemning other leaders who have stood up and said something that didn't fit their little criteria and they'll

Treat them just like they're Hitler or somebody when in reality they just disagree with a certain viewpoint that they might have in their group and so Paul says

I mean John says that they prayed against us with malicious words and Not Content therewith

Neither doth he himself receive any of the brethren to come to his little local thing

He's got going and he forbids them that would come and he cast them out of the church

So if there were any people in his local group that said hey, I don't think what they believe is so bad

Maybe we should take a look at it. Then he kicks them out Well, there are a lot of them like that in local churches of all brands

Catholics are that way But independent Baptists are that way and any time we get that Inward it's unhealthy and John points it out under the

Holy Spirit's inspiration. So that's something always remember You young people you children if you go off to college someday

And get married someday and go away someday. God forbid to another place and there's another church and you go and your husband or your wife or whoever it is takes you and It's a whole different situation far from here and you're sitting there thinking

It's a pretty neat place and you stay there about six months or a year and all of a sudden you start to find out that the that the preacher

Really has his own thing going. It's got his own ideas his own Maybe even terminology

That you won't find in other Writings you can't pick up a commentary it's his own that he's created and they don't let others come in that differ with their belief then you need to say we're in the wrong place and Do the wifely thing.

It's mostly young ladies here They do the wifely thing and counsel your husband say dear we might should pray about a different church

Let's go back to Corsicana That would be good. And then you young men

Have enough guts to Go sit down with the pastor and point it out to him and read this verse to him

So what do you think this verse means pastor? He won't know what it means because he obviously will not have read it and understood it or he wouldn't be that way

But just say what do you think? John is getting at here and let him talk a little bit and then maybe bring the point home

That you think he's not open to anybody but himself very dangerous So John Calls this evil in verse 11

He says beloved follow not that which is evil and he just got through talking about this particular sin

So that's what he's referring to this sectarianism is evil But that which he said don't follow that but follow that which is good

He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not beheld God That's the same

John that wrote 1st John that Has so many of the phrases like that, you know, he that hated his brother hath not

You know the Lord and so forth. He writes a similar phrase here where he says if if he

Does good he's of God, but if he's doing evil, he's not of God now I'll tell you what that's frightening when you think about it with this particular sin in view.

I know a church in Longview, Texas that The pastor's name is dr.

Bob Gray, it's not really a doctor, but they all have honorary doctorates It didn't earn them with academic study.

They just one one of their college will bestow it upon another so they all give each other doctorates and One of their problems is they're ignorant.

They don't know how to study properly So it it leads them into a place where they're they really they don't know how to compare things.

They don't know how to Even stay in the right Dispensational background as they study the scripture and so they run into all these problems, but I'm telling you they're so sectarian

He actually sends buses as far away as Louisiana To Baton Rouge and places.

He's comes here to Corsicana Knocks on doors and witnesses because the other churches like us that are here are not good enough to witness

Because we don't believe their little box which happens to be very legalistic and driven by a dictatorial type person

And it's a it's a borders on being a cult group, but it definitely is a sect And his name is

Bob Gray. What's the name of the church? You remember? Longview Baptist Temple Charlotte knows it, but she's must be the children.

I think it's Longview Baptist Temple very very strange group of people And it's because of this particular sin

Well, let's move on with verse 12 now. He talks about a different kind of a person Demetrius has a good report of all men and of the truth itself

In other words his life and the words he says match and line up with the scriptures

They don't contradict the scriptures like this other persons Yay, and we also bear record

John says and I say Demetrius is a good man And you know that our record is true

I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen writing to thee

But I trust I shall shortly see thee and we shall speak face to face peace be to thee

Our friends salute thee greet the friends by name It is a good principle not to write things to each other when?

It is possible to speak face to face if you have the option It's always seems easier, right

Because you seem to be able to think more clearly at least I do I think a lot better writing than I do just on my feet talking

But he lays down a principle here that he's got a lot of things to write which he could have written perhaps

But he said but I'm gonna see you face to face to be better for us to just talk That is a great principle of communication for all of us that when we have maybe something bothering us or something we need to Bear it out and see well, what if what are you thinking?

What were you thinking when you said that or what's going on here? The hard thing is to do it face to face, but it's the better thing

Just go see the person sit down and say I'd like to just talk with you a little bit about something and bring it out

And communicate and it'll work. Well, it's better than a thousand written words because when you write words

They can't see your facial expression. They can't see your body language You could say something and mean it totally positive they take it negative it's happened to me a lot and So, I mean,

I'm not against writing little emails to each other I'm not speaking to that issue But what I am saying is when it's something in major and there may be a problem involves best face -to -face if possible

If it's impossible then right Paul certainly wrote the Corinthians when he had to because of time and space and distance perhaps but when possible face to face is better because the

Holy Spirit will work through the eyes if nothing else you can look into your brothers or sisters eyes and You can read the truth and you can see with it

What I thought was a major problem is probably not even a problem because I see this person Loves the Lord loves me and didn't mean it that way da da da da da

So it's a good application in the local church to speak face to face

Every time that that's possible right as little as possible on issues when it's a negative thing or something needs to be work

It's not always negative when you have to work something out. You know what I mean? It's usually not fun It's usually something you have to do this the right thing and you don't look forward to it

But it usually works out better if you communicate do those kinds of things face to face where possible

Now notice that the close of this letter Is as so often is done in the early church

The close is normally always peace be to thee Why is that because they were under constant tribulation persecution and they reminded one another that they had the peace of God through it all

And notice he ends it by saying greet the friends by name teaches us that each

Individual was important to John and that's because they were important to God Let's pray together father.

We thank you for this little book But some important truths that your spirit teaches us no, there are others there that we didn't glean this time, but thank you for the ones that you gave us and Help us to be guarded and protected by some of these warnings and then help us to be uplifted by this

Ending of peace be to us and same thing can be true of us. We have your peace through it all and That we're each individual

Individually important to you as your children and help the young children in this room to always understand the importance of their own person their self to you

That each individual matters enormously to you because you gave your son for each one of us

We thank you for these truths as well. Go with us our different ways protect us on the highway

Bring us back safely to school tomorrow or to church or whatever the case is when we would be with one another again