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 Please turn to the book of third

John and children If you were at the very back of the Bible in the book of Revelation and 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 Gaius 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 But the atrophies 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. 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 the Lord. I pray that we'd be warned about Diatrophies a

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 Deatrophis who?

Rejected them so you now have a little power struggle with this fellow Deatrophis 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 Gaius 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 Gaius 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 Gaius 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 Gaius?

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 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 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 Sopater 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 of 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 and 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

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 rejoiced 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 Diatrophies, maybe you have perfectly orthodox doctrine, but maybe there's another

Defect. Oh, this is very sobering Isn't it? Let's be those people who are not only embracing the truth, but But walking in it.

Oh 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 him about business You need to teach him about finances You need to teach him 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 peace 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 Diatrophies 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 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 could 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 It's a 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 we're 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