WWUTT 456 Children In Truth?

John said, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. And let us have a desire for the Church of Jesus Christ and labor for it so that we would experience that same joy when we understand the text.

Introduction to 3 John and the Joy of Walking in the Truth

This is When We Understand the Text, a daily study of God's Word that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will. For questions and comments, send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky, and wonderful to be with you all as we start another study in yet another book of the Bible, this one being the shortest book, and that is the book of 3rd John.

Now even though there are more verses in 3rd John than we saw in 2nd John, there are fewer number of words, 219 words in 3rd John and 245 words in 2nd John. In case you're curious, the entire Bible has over 780 ,000 words.

I'm going to go ahead and read through the text here, and then we'll go back through it and talk about the occasion for this letter. So John says, 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 has not seen 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.

The Occasion for Third John and the Theory About One Church

There's an interesting theory that exists regarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. We've already talked about how 1st John is a letter that was written to a multitude of churches, 2nd John was written to a single church, and 3rd John is clearly being written to an individual.

But the theory that exists is that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were all written to a single church. 1st John is a sermon that is supposed to be read to the church. 2nd John is the letter that would be read aloud to the whole congregation.

And 3rd John is written either to the host of that church, so Gaius would own the home where the church is meeting, or Gaius would be the head elder of that church. Now it's an interesting theory and it is something to consider, but there's not enough information here for us to conclude that that is absolutely the condition for all three of these particular letters.

In the case of 3rd John, it appears as though John is writing Gaius, rejoicing to hear that he is walking faithfully, but also to say, I've written something to the church, however because of what Diotrephes is doing, the church is not going to receive our authority.

And so John felt it necessary to address Gaius with this and say, hey, I'm coming and I'm going to talk about what it is that Diotrephes is doing. And it's not unusual that John would say, I've written something to the church, but I can't deliver it because they're not going to receive what it is that I say.

Jude actually starts his letter fairly the same. He begins by saying, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

So it was almost like Jude sat down to begin writing, maybe even started writing and wanted to rejoice in this common faith that we share. But as he was praying over this church and thinking about some of the things that were going on there, he realized there was another reason that he needed to write, and he needed to warn them about the false teachers that had arisen among them and were leading many astray.

And so the same is true here of John, may have started writing for one occasion, but then realized, you know, I don't know that the church is going to receive what it is that I'm saying because of all the bad representation that that diatrophies is making of us, of the apostles and their testimony.

And so he writes specifically to Gaius warning about diatrophies and saying, I'm going to come and I'm going to tell everybody and show them exactly what it is that diatrophies is doing. So John starts this particular letter by saying the elder to the beloved Gaius identifies himself once again as the elder, just as he did with the church that he was writing to in second John.

And again, not an unusual address, because we have Peter refer to himself the same way in first Peter five one. We read about the Jerusalem council in the book of Acts where the elders were present and James is identified as the head elder of the Jerusalem church.

So Gaius may have been a head elder in the church that John is writing to or again could have been a host of a church that was meeting in his home, although we don't we don't really know. We don't know exactly what Gaius's identity is.

Walking in the Truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

But John says he loves Gaius in truth, just as he said of the church that he was writing to in second John, that he loves them in truth and not just him. But there are others who love them in truth, because as we are walking in the same truth of Jesus Christ, not in these subjective, varying philosophies that vary from person to person or from place to place.

But this same truth that we all hold, that Jesus Christ, who is God, left his throne in heaven and became a man, the God man, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died the death that we should have died, rose again from the grave, ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, where he is interceding for all of his followers, advocating for us before the father.

And he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Whoever is in Christ, Jesus will live with him forever in his eternal kingdom. That is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, a truth that we all hold, everyone who is a believer in Christ, no matter what varying degrees of philosophies might shift and change with the with the winds and the generations in this world.

We will always hold true to that core doctrine of the faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ for the 2000 years that it has been preached on planet Earth. It is something that we share not only with every church who preaches it, but also every church who has preached it.

You think that you share this truth with some of the great giants in church history like Calvin and Luther and Augustine and even all the way back to the apostles like John and Paul. It is the same gospel that we've been preaching throughout the history of the church.

And so we love one another in truth. As John says, I love you in truth, as he said to the church that we read about last week, I love you in truth. And so does everybody else who is walking in this same truth.

It is the word of God that binds us and unifies, which is why I've said multiple times you cannot force unity. The only way that unity will ever be accomplished between persons in a church congregation or even in a convention, as in the case of the Southern Baptist Convention I was addressing just this past Friday.

We only find this unity in the shared passion and love for the preaching and application of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 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.

Praying for Health Without Health-and-Wealth Theology

Now, that's a very interesting statement to make, that John is praying for Gaius's good health. I think sometimes we get a little disenfranchised by the health and wealth gospel, which is really no gospel at all.

But it's the name it and claim it thing. If you just say, I'm going to have good health, then you'll have good health. Joyce Meyer has said that Jesus died on the cross so that we would have good health and that we would be wealthy, which is ridiculous.

That is not the reason at all why Jesus came to die. He came to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, as is talked about in Titus 2 .14.

So Jesus did not come to die so that you wouldn't have the flu anymore. That's not the reason why Jesus died on the cross. So because that message is so prevalent in our culture, especially in an American culture, I think we can get a little jaded and we'll tend to frown on anybody who prays for health.

But we should pray for health, just as John is praying for Gaius's health yesterday in church being Father's Day. We read through Psalm 128 together as a congregation. We read through this psalm, which says the following.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands. You shall be blessed and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.

Your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

May you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel. So we read about health and wealth in that particular psalm. And I don't think that it's wrong or incorrect to pray that before God, that we would ask for health.

But we do this with a right heart and with good doctrine. Because if you believe that Jesus died so that you would never have cancer, then you don't understand that all of this world is fallen and God causes the sun to rise on the good and on the evil.

That all things have been subjected to futility because of our sin. And there are some people that are going to go through illness that other people will not experience. And it's not because they don't believe hard enough.

It is because God has something in store for them that he does not have in store for another person. And that person that through their cancer or through whatever sickness that they would have would learn to glorify God in the midst of this.

And that would be a witness and a testimony to others to see that sickness is not a reason to not praise God. We praise God for all things, even the illness that would come upon our body, because we know that Christ has conquered even death itself.

So sickness is not our fate. The grave is not our lot. We will rise again and we will be with our Lord forever in glory. And when we are so certain of that promise that has been given to us in the gospel, then not even sickness or death and disease can keep us from praying to God for from praising God.

And that becomes a witness to others when they see that we profess this gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing that Christ has conquered even the grave itself and then through illness are still able to give him glory.

May the world see that and realize the transformation that has happened in our lives is genuine. It's not just something that we say and do because it is our religious practice, but we truly genuinely believe it when we are able to praise God even through the midst of the most difficult of circumstances.

And the reason why we would go through something like this isn't necessarily so it would be a witness to the world. It's primarily to teach us to rely more fully on God. And that's the way that the Apostle Paul puts it in second Corinthians chapter one when he talks about having gone through shipwrecks and persecutions for the gospel.

He says we felt like we had received the sentence of death, but that was to teach us to rely more fully upon the Lord who raises the dead. So the things that we experience in our lives, whether persecutions or calamities or even things through which we can praise God for great blessings and rejoicings, all of these things are to teach us to rely more fully on the Lord.

Whatever happens to us in our bodies affects our spirit also as we experience the decay of our body and that it is breaking down and becomes harder to get ourselves out of bed in the morning. Even through these things, it teaches us to rely more fully on the Lord.

And so John prays for Gaius that he would have good health because the healthier the body, the easier it is for Gaius to get up and praise God. Whatever happens to us in our bodies does affect our spirit.

You know, if you don't get enough sleep at night, you're moodier during the day, right? Probably grouchier. Your temper is a little bit shorter and the more rest you get, the more your body feels relaxed, the easier it is for you to respond to the people around you.

And so it goes with the ways that we praise God as well. Perhaps our spirit is not quite as thankful if we are feeling ill or we feel tired or fatigued or in pain if our body is breaking down. And so John is praying for Gaius that he would have good health.

It affects his soul in good ways. He makes this connectedness with health and the soul. It was very common in Greek letters to pray for good health. If you got a letter from a secular humanist in a Greek culture, they might say, I hope that you have good health or may health go well with you.

May you have health in your bones or something to that nature. Whereas when John writes about health, he says, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes with your soul.

Connecting the health of the body with the soul, because the whole purpose is ultimately to be able to give glory to God and all things which we find easier for us to do. The more healthy our body feels, the body does affect the the the spirit.

Also, verse three, for I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth as indeed you are walking in the truth. So John, having heard from other witnesses, maybe brothers in this church, maybe some who had visited that church and then said, oh, hey, yeah, we we happened to see Gaius while we were there.

He is walking in the truth. So the church may not be receiving the authority of John and the other apostles, but Gaius is walking firmly in the truth. And then John says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Children Walking in the Truth and Spiritual Offspring

My dad years ago said to all of us kids, he said, if you ever want to give me something great for Father's Day or for Christmas or for my birthday, the only thing that I really want to hear is that my children are walking in the truth because of me.

And so he said, that's that's all you ever have to give me for Father's Day is to say my that that dad, I am walking in the truth because of you. And ever since he said that, I have not ever had to buy him a Father's Day present ever again because all I have to do is say, dad, I'm walking in the truth because of you.

No, truly, it means a lot to him. And it means a lot to me as well to be able to say that, to thank my dad for the faith that I have, that he was so diligent to raise me in the truth of the scriptures.

My mom and dad have six kids. And very unfortunately, I am the only one that is walking with the Lord. And it is with no sense of pride that I say that because my heart yearns for my siblings to turn from their sin and follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but in the meantime are still walking in the sinfulness of their flesh.

So so it is with great joy that I can say to my father that I am walking in the truth because of him. But there's also some sorrow in that as well, in that I'm really the only one of his children that is that is indeed saying that to my dad.

But I hope that he greatly rejoices in hearing some of the things that have been accomplished in the ministry that I do through the church where I pastor. And this is the continued fruit that my father produced because of his faithfulness to the word and the ministry that God had called him to do as a father and and also the ministry that he led for so many years.

So let's go back to the psalm that I read earlier. It was Psalm 168, where it says, bless it. I'm sorry, that's too many psalms. There's only 150. Psalm 128, where it says, blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways.

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands. You shall be blessed and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house. Your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. So there is a physical application to this, clearly talking about a wife who is like a fruitful vine eating the labor of your hands. But there's also a spiritual application to this.

And when we talk about a person having many children, though you can take that literally and you can pray and ask God that he would bless you with many children or with fruitful blessings to be able to eat the fruit of your labor.

There is also a spiritual application to this. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands. You shall rejoice in seeing that there are those who believe in Christ and follow him because of the spiritual work that you did.

You shall be blessed and it will be well with you. Your children will be like olive shoots around your table. These are those whom you led to the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion. Not a physical place anymore, but the Lord bless you from his holy hill in heaven.

May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem. Again, not a physical place, but you would see the prosperity of the kingdom of heaven manifest in what you do for the gospel of Jesus Christ in seeing others being added to that kingdom when they turn from sin and follow in truth all the days of your life.

May you see your children's children. May you see those who were led to the faith produce others who are now walking in the faith. Peace be upon Israel, not the physical land of Israel, but the Israel of God that Paul mentions in the book of Galatians, the Israel of God, and that is all who are in Christ Jesus, spiritual Israel.

So we see a spiritual application of a psalm such as this as much as a desire to want to have physical health and physical blessings. May we desire more so those spiritual things, spiritual health and spiritual blessings, rejoicing together to hear that our children are walking in the truth.

Prayer, Benediction, and Closing Announcements

Let us pray. Our Lord God, we thank you so much for the testimony of those who came to us with the gospel, who shared the gospel with us that we would turn from sin and that we would rejoice in our savior Christ and live.

And may we continue to grow in the knowledge of these things as we read your word and apply it and give us the boldness and the strength to then go to the world with the message of the gospel so that others would turn from their sin and they would learn also.

And then we've produced offspring, spiritual offspring, children by the gospel that we proclaimed and help us to see also that those children grow up in the truth and continue to walk in the truth. It's a responsibility of every one of us, especially in the church, that we would be an encouragement to each other, discipling one another in the ways in which we were discipled when the truth was first given to us.

Thank you for your grace and may we continue to extend this grace to many more in the name of Christ.

Amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website, www .wutt .com, and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study, When We Understand the Text.