The Truth That Is In You

Please be remain standing for the reading of the word. I'm sorry remain standing for the reading of the word. I want to remember this line today to do your will Oh God. To me is my delight. I wonder if that is truly our delight or something else our delight.

Your law is part of me deep in my heart. Oh God promise of the new covenant is that the law of God would be written on the hearts of? his people. Lord we ask that you would not allow us to be silent about these things but to proclaim them as we go.

Amen.

Introduction to Third John and the Setting of the Letter

Please turn to the book of third John and children. If you were at the very back of the Bible and the book of Revelation you went two books over to the left. You would find first Jude and then the third epistle of John and that's where we're going to be studying today.

This is God's holy and infallible word the elder. To the beloved God yes whom I love in truth. Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers. For I rejoice greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you.

Just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved you do faithfully Whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers who have borne witness of your love before the church.

If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God you will do well. Because they sent forth for his namesake, excuse me, they went forth for his namesake. Taking nothing from the Gentiles.

We therefore ought to receive such that we may become fellow workers for the truth I wrote to the church, but theatrophies Who loves to have the preeminence among them Does not receive us. Therefore if I come I will call to mind his deeds which he does prating against us with malicious words and not content with that he himself does not receive the brethren and Forbids those who wish to putting them out of the church.

Beloved do not Imitate what is evil? But what is good he who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has a good testimony from all and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness and you know that our testimony is true.

I Had many things to write. But I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink. But I hope to see you shortly and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you our friends greet you greet the friends by name.

May the Lord be pleased with our Study of his Holy Word, please pray with me. Oh Lord. We thank you that you are interested in people and the problems that we face. We thank you for the faithful testimony of your servant got yes.

We thank you for Demetrius. We thank you for John and Oh Lord. I pray that we'd be warned about Diatrophies. Oh Lord, I pray that we would be hospitable and submissive and receive correction and understand that that you have established authority of Which you reign and we ask all this in Jesus name.

Amen, please be seated in my study on the epistles of John it seems there's a a working hypothesis that The package of the three letters was sent out. With the first letter intended to be distributed immediately to all of the churches.

But that may be possibly the second and third epistles would be going to one church. Where this individual got yes is the pastor or some prominent man in the congregation? So the questions are many about the occasion.

We don't know many of the particulars, but we do have some some evidence. The first thing we should point out before I give some of the outline is That this man is known for his hospitality. He is known for walking in the truth.

And these are aspirational goals for us. We need to be people who are known for our allegiance to Christ in the truth of God. They say those people believe in the Christ they believe in the Word of God they walk with God.

It also Brings to mind that the church has to deal with some thorny issues occasionally and apparently they were traveling brethren who have been endorsed and commended and approved of by the Apostle John and there's a fellow in the church named Deatrophies who Rejected them.

So you now have a little power struggle with this fellow Deatrophies. Really resisting and rebelling against the authority of John. So there's really a call for some church discipline or censure on this leader.

Who has rebelled against the Apostle and the brethren? And then there's another commendation to Demetrius probably the letter carrier you see in verse 12. He is the one who probably brought the letter from John to Guyus in the church.

Let's consider this today the title of the message. We're going to only look at the first four verses. The truth that is in you that's the title of the message today the truth that is in you. And those of you who need an outline I supplied it last evening in the slack channel.

I'm going to briefly go over it now. I'm not going to probably go line by line over each of these that way but I'm gonna give it to you now first is John writes to this fellow Guyus whom he loves in the truth.

That's the first thing. Let me some explanation about that. Second John offers a prayer. For this man John offers a prayer. And then third we're gonna see that John has a source of joy. John's joy. John's writing to Guyus he prays for him and He has a great source of joy.

The truth about Jesus Christ binds us to himself. To the Godhead and for us to one to another. To love to pray for and rejoice in all those who walk in the truth. It also because we care so much about the truth of the gospel.

We care so much about biblical doctrine. It requires the church to have a strong defense of the truth against errors of both doctrine and practice. What's interesting here is we had false teachers in 1st John and 2nd John.

Diotrephes is not described as having false doctrine. So imagine a man who preaches the truth. But he's a self-willed man. He wants to have preeminence in all things another kind of danger. So we have to have orthodoxy.

We have to have orthopraxy. We have to be serving God out of a pure heart not out of some other selfish motive. But it begs the question then Who is this fellow Guyus? And some of us would say Gaius or Gaius, of course, that's fine to have an English Transliteration or pronunciation of it to the beloved Gaius.

Those of you who are visitors today, it says the word the elder in verse 1. That word is presbyteros. That's why our churches are called Presbyterian churches. We believe in elders and eldership. That's what it says there Presbyteros, that's how John refers to himself presbyter.

Elder, he's the one who's writing and he's writing to the beloved Gaius. Now, why does he write to him? And maybe the question is Which of these fellows named Gaius is the man? Let's turn over to the book of Acts really quickly.

Gaius in Acts, 1 Corinthians, and Romans

Acts in chapter 19. It's important. I was really struck by The people in 3rd John. I'm a person who probably starts first with ideas and theology and I think about people second. It's my natural inclination.

I hope after Time now in the Lord that I am being sanctified. Now, I see people right in line in conjunction with Theology and in fact the theology occurs not in a vacuum. It doesn't curve just in the ivory tower.

The theology happens amongst the people. And we have to have a proper understanding of theology that we might know how to live Among the people of God. It's a very high and noble end. Sometimes we're satisfied with empty, shouldn't say empty, mere knowledge about the things of God where we should be thinking about.

How do the things of God inform not only my thoughts about God, but also my thoughts about my fellow man. So now we're trying to find out who this fellow is and I'm not sure we're going to have a clear answer when we're done Matthew 19.

I'm just going to look at verse 29. Listen to what it says. This is the occasion is Paul at Ephesus and There is a riot that breaks out and some individuals are listed and we believe that this person at least shares the same name as a recipient of John's third letter verse 29.

So the whole city was filled with confusion and rushed into the theater with one accord having seized Gaius and Aristarchus Macedonians Paul's travel companions. This is very important. They're Macedonians.

Now children, do you know where Macedonia is? Well, there's two cities in the Bible that are mentioned are from Macedonia. One of them is Philippi from which we get the book of the Philippians. The second is I can't look over there because the pronunciation debate.

Thessalonica.

In the book of the Thessalonians. And in fact, you'll remember the Macedonian call, this vision ends up bringing the gospel to Europe. So this is the entry point from Asia Minor into Europe kind of divide between the Middle East and Asia and Europe.

The Macedonian call is this missionary call for Paul to take the gospel to Europe. But there's another reference turn over one chapter To verse 20 and I need your biblical scholarship to be on high alert.

You can maybe help me understand who this is.

The.

Person named Gaius in chapter 19 is he's in the Ephesian Church, or at least he is when the riot breaks out and he's been seized along with Aristarchus and he's one of the travel companions of Paul from Macedonia.

After the uproar had ceased, this is Acts 20, Paul called the disciples to himself and Braced them and departed to go to Macedonia. Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece and stayed there three months.

And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia and Mesopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia. Now I should stop here. So imagine Greece.

Then what's next to it is Turkey. So Paul is traveling back toward Israel and Asia is Turkey. So he's coming from Europe, Greece Macedonia that area and he's coming now toward Toward Israel. I Stayed there many months.

He says he decides to go through Macedonia again with these gentlemen. With Aristarchus, that name sounds familiar. Secundus of the Thessalonians and Gaius of Derbe. Now is this the same guy as in verse 19?

Now when you look at internal biblical evidence the descriptor of Derbe makes it seem as though this might be a different fellow with the same name. He could be the same person, but this further description may indicate that it's someone else.

However in 19 we have Aristarchus and Gaius and in 20 we have Aristarchus. So maybe it's the same person. Well, it doesn't get any easier. Let's turn to the book of 1st Corinthians really quickly, thank you for your patience.

There is a world of wonder and treasures to be explored even in trying to find out who someone is in the scripture. So sometimes we need to go through the process of looking up the references and try to find out some of these details that may May normally we would just pass over the book of 1st Corinthians.

Paul apparently didn't baptize a lot of people as part of his apostolic ministry. But he did baptize some people and guess what? One of those gentlemen's names is Gaius. Look at verse 14 1st Corinthians 1 14.

I Thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius. Lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized. Wait for it the household Stephanus besides I do not know whether I baptized any other for Christ did not send me to baptize.

But to preach the gospel not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. So is this the same guy? Hard to know. We'll add some complication now turn over one page to the left the book of Romans chapter 16.

There is a group of people with Paul and It's widely believed that Paul wrote the book the letter to the Romans from Corinth.

And.

Listen to what he says Timothy my fellow worker and.

And.

Lucius Jason and Sosapater you remember those names those were associated probably some of the seven traveling companions of Paul I. Tertius who wrote this epistle greet you in the Lord. Guy yes, my host and the host of the whole church greets you so Guy yes is in Ephesus.

He's in Derby. He's in Macedonia. He's in Thessalonica. He's in all of these different places but it kind of makes sense because Paul says these are traveling companions of Paul and This person is known to be the host not only of Tertius who is the scribe for Paul, but also for Paul himself and.

This individual is known for his hospitality throughout the whole church. He hosts the whole church. Maybe the church is meeting in his house. It gets more complicated. In early church tradition looking particularly from the Eastern but knowing pretty good history about the early church fathers.

They have a guy yes as bishop at Ephesus that seems to be fitting. He was there at the riot. We know John was very closely associated with the church at Ephesus. So was Paul and so there's probably greater crossover.

Sometimes I think we think about John and James and Peter. Operating so independent of one another apparently there's a lot of crossover and the individuals who are working. It's maybe a testimony to us of how we work together within the church.

Early tradition guy yes Bishop at Ephesus, but still another. Has him to be the bishop at Pergamum and that made it sound familiar. That's one of the seven churches both Ephesus and Pergamum are missed are mentioned in Revelation 2.

From the churches of Asia Minor whom Paul who John had a message from. To complicate it all we might have one guy yes, we might have two we might have many others and it's even possible. That the recipient of third John is not one of those guys.

But I actually think he is. I think there's probably at least two men named guy yes, and one of those guys prominent in the church is the recipient of The letter how many of you have read Pilgrim's Progress?

I read that book a Pilgrim's Progress. Do you remember the name of the innkeeper? His name is guy yes, probably gay us how we would say it. John Bunyan names the innkeeper the one who shows hospitality.

He gives him the name guy yes because of the biblical Language associated with his name hosting the church the whole church of Corinth. Hosting Paul one of Paul's traveling companions. A leader certainly.

Love in Christ, Prayer, and Walking in the Truth

But now in our text he gets a letter from John, so let's turn back there. Third John. John Loves this man. He is beloved to him in his heart and and this seems to be so important in John's writings you and I.

In Christ we have to really really love each other. Guy yes is beloved to John. We should love each other in this way the way that we could say that is my beloved friend and brother sister in Christ. And this love was not as the world loves this love Is based and rooted and grounded in the love that they have and shared in Jesus Christ.

So you and I may have some common interests. We might like the same teams or white like to do some of the same social activities. There is a kind of superficial relationship that we can have on that basis.

But John loves this man because of Christ and what Christ has done. You and I have to love each other not just merely on the basis of our affinities that we share. But we have to profoundly and deeply love each other because of what Christ has done for us.

Both individually and corporately. This is why the church is so different than the world.

I.

Was thinking about the hospitality culture of the Middle East and You know, you would probably not have an enemy come to your house to eat. But they were so known in that culture for showing hospitality is very important to show hospitality, so the the bare minimum standard of Hospitality culturally in this ancient world is probably higher than our Hospitality to one another.

It makes you wonder the extraordinary lengths that people would go to beyond merely the cultural hospitality but to show hospitality and love and service to to one another that it would be Spectacular and different that the world would see the difference in Christian fellowship and hospitality From that bare basic cultural Hospitality, which was so much higher than even our own.

John loved this man in Christ. You and I ought to love each other in this way. He continues. He offers a prayer. He says beloved again. I Pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health Just as your soul.

Prospers.

You and I must must labor to pray for one. When is the last time you just randomly prayed for the members of the church and went through the membership in your mind and and the pews on the church and prayed for Paul and Ethan and Caleb and Alex and Maya and just kept going through the church and just started and really Petitioned the Lord and beseeched the Lord on their behalf.

John is praying for the blessing of God upon Gaius. He wants him to be in physical health and he wants his soul to prosper. This is legitimate for us. We need to be healthy so that we can serve the Lord.

We need to be healthy so that we can not be distracted by our illness and serve the Lord. Some of us are going to be sick in the future. And part of that is so that the body could minister to you and show the love of Christ in your trial in your affliction.

When you love each other things are very different. You should be praying for the prosperity of Your brethren's souls. You should be praying that they would in all ways have the comprehensive shalom and peace of God upon them.

Again, not superficial Not transactual a deep Abiding love for one another and Gaius Apparently had it from John. Now let's look at verse 3 and I want you to really be thinking about this. What would the brethren say about you if they were told to give a report About your life in Christ in in the church.

So imagine that going to Presbytery in May all the churches assembled there. That we were required to give a to have someone in the church give reports on each of the families in the church. John heard a report report about this man.

It says in verse 3 for I rejoice greatly. When brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you. What would they say about you. If people who knew you what would be the Characteristics that they would describe about your walk with Christ your love for the brethren your service to the body.

This should give us some pause. I'm not really sure what they would say. You might think Gaius is so committed to the Lord and so committed to serving the brethren. He's not thinking about the appraise or Applause of men.

He is being faithful in his in his duties as a Christian. He's faithfully discharging his responsibilities and brethren multiple witnesses Establishing the matter have testified that the truth is in him and That he walks in the truth.

Not only does he talk about the truth rightly and in a way that consistent with orthodoxy. He actually walks in it. What would they say about you. Would they say he has good theology. She has good theology.

She's very nice. She's very polite. What would they say about you. What would be the report the testimony that would be given about you. I Often think and it'd be terrible. What kind of church would this be if only I and Was a member and that was multiplied with my gifts and my particular things.

Where would the church be? Where would Ascension humble little Ascension be if everyone in the church were like you? It's this hard thing to think isn't it. And this is not a guilt trip. This is an opportunity for us to think soberly to to walk on a better path.

I Want to be the cause of someone's rejoicing. I want someone to leap to their feet and say that man that church that family. They walk in the truth. They know the truth. They believe it to the core their very essence they walk in it they they act upon the truth.

This is the kind of Christian you and I ought to be. What ways are you? Compromising in the truth in the matters of doctrine. Maybe you're like Deatrophies, maybe you have perfectly orthodox doctrine, but maybe there's another Defect all this is very sobering.

Isn't it? Let's be those people who are.

Not only.

Embracing the truth, but. But walking in it. Well, finally John has a great source of joy. We've rehearsed this a couple of times because of the epistle previous had basically the same level. This is my great aspiration.

My great hope is that it will be said of your little children and their children. Because of partly the ministry of that church and their family that they are walking in the truth. That would be the thing that would cause my heart to sing.

I can live with that legacy. We can be small if we're faithful. But if all of us are walking in the truth and our children's children walk in the truth. It would be a beautiful testimony of our faithfulness as a church.

What's your greatest joy? Parents are you laboring and praying over your children? Are you Diligent to instruct them in the things of the Lord? What is your endgame. What are you working toward. What is the goal it says.

I have no greater joy Than to hear that my children walk in truth. What are you teaching them? You need to teach them about business. You need to teach them about finances. You need to teach them about being healthy.

Maybe there's some important things in all those areas. You need to teach them. But is the aroma the every breath coming out of you? Is it pushing them calling them to walk with Christ? That's what we should be doing.

Making money is important. It doesn't rise to the level of this. Having a good family order it's important. It does not rise to the level of this. This has to be the main business of the Christian Discipleship of our families husbands leading their wives wives.

Instructing their children older women instructing the younger discipleship all these things. This is what the church should be about. This is what your family should be about. This is what you Individually Should be about.

We're known by our joys, aren't we. I Wonder if our joys need some amending. What makes us really joyful. Golden State Warriors basketball championship. Fortigators plug in your poison, whatever it is.

Financial success. Material possessions. Plug all these in and they don't rise to this level. They're far below it. We need to be employed and laboring for true riches. We need to know what real joy is.

I'm fearful that we often don't even know what real joy and happiness is because we're so inculcated in the ways of the world. May the things of God the person and work of Christ may be these be the great sources of our joy may be said of us that our children walk in the truth and we find this to be satisfying not only our natural born children and grandchildren, but also our spiritual children in the Lord because we've led so many people to Christ and we've Discipled so many people that there are hundreds and hundreds of people who are walking around because we poured out our lives in service to them.

That they might know the truth that is in Jesus Christ and that they Might walk in it. Have a couple of words of application here for you first. Abide in the truth that word abide means to Take up a permanent residence.

I'm not going to entertain any Christological errors, I'm not going to believe wrong things about the person and work of Christ but I'm also Though I may be orthodox in my doctrine I'm also going to abide in the truth that I have to love my brothers and sisters.

The atrophies was theologically sound it seems but He didn't love the brethren. He was rebellious wouldn't submit to John's lawful authority. What are you doing? What is the pattern and characteristic of your life that you might abide in the truth?

Jesus is the way the truth and the life. Hold to sound doctrine certainly, but it also demands the truth be put into practice. We need to have a matching orthopraxy. Second you should not only look out for your own interest.

But you should seek the sole prosperity of the brethren and look after one another. You ought to pursue the comprehensive piece that shalom that's described in the Bible that means a comprehensive wholeness of wellness in the Lord.

Every facet every angle of my life is encompassed with the peace of God in Jesus Christ. You and I Should not only be seeking that for ourselves and not only for our children, but we should be promoting that in our brothers and sisters.

Third. Walking in truth means to drive out errant doctrine and practice. Diatrophies as we're going to learn needs disciplinary correction. He's unsubmissive to authority and self-willed. He loves to have the preeminence of the body appears as though Diotrophies did not want the teachers who are approved by John to come because they were a threat to his control and his preeminence.

Fourth and finally There's a fellow named Demetrius. Look again at verse 12. Demetrius has a good testimony from all and of the truth itself. And we also bear witness. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they said Dana Sue has a good testimony from all Jeremiah and Abigail and Jonathan Susanna and Jameson and Christopher and Elijah and Elijah and one second Reuben and think about that one David Todd Nathaniel Cheryl girls Ryan Shadel their children Mitch and Gina and their children Haneen all of us all of you included.

Wouldn't that be wonderful. They can say that about us. Just faithfully living our Christian lives walking in the truth that we would have a good report a good testimony. And maybe we would even be entrusted with something grand like carrying a piece of the New Testament to a church.

So high honor. Have your name written in the Word of God. All because Demetrius was faithful. May what has been said about this man with the funny name? The truth that is in you may that same thing be said about everyone who's here assembled in the name of Christ.

When that be grand and glorious. The truth that is in you may it abide. And that we might walk in it all our days. Let's pray together. Lord we we want to be known for our fruits and Lord, we know that this requires some inspection of our own tree and Lord.

I pray that you would prune us Lord if there be any way that is crossed with your purposes if there be anything in us that is Contrary to your will. Oh Lord. I pray that you would put it to death and that we would cut it off.

And.

Lord if there be some some error and hole in our doctrine, I pray that you would close it. Oh Lord if there be some deficiency in our practice and our love for one another Oh Lord I pray that you would bring heavy conviction upon us that we might love each other as you have called us to.

And Lord, we don't do these things to get the praise of others With the applause of men. Oh Lord. We want the applause of heaven Because of Christ and his work in us. We want that to ring. Oh Lord, we know that you understand our creatureliness that we are frail that were made of dust.

But Oh Lord, I pray that you would be glorified in your name hallowed because of us and your work in us. But we would say not unto us Oh Lord not unto us But to your name be the glory we ask all this in Jesus name.

Amen.