3 John 13-15 - Hope in the Hurt

Introduction

[READING - 3 John 13-15]

3 John 13–15 NASB95

13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

[PRAYER]

[TRIALS] Theologically speaking a trial is a test or examination. Although Satan may tempt us to sin against God, God tests us—i.e., He allows us to undergo trials—to strengthen our faith in Him. It for that reason that James says we should…

James 1:2–4 NASB95

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Faithfulness to God as we endure trials is how spiritual endurance is developed. Faithfulness to God as we endure trials is how we mature as sons and daughters of God.

[CONTEXT] Gaius was a man who underwent a trial. The Apostle John wrote to him in 3 John telling him to remain faithful even as others in the church around him were going astray.

We may hear that some were going astray and think that they had been duped by false teaching or that they were engaging in some sort of gross immorality, but in this case going astray was refusing to support those who had gone out in the Name of Jesus to preach the Name of Jesus.

There was one man in particular, Diotrephes, who was influential in the church. He didn’t join in with false teacher but he didn’t support faithful preachers either. He did all that he could to make sure that others in the church didn’t support them either.

But Gaius was to be different. He was to be faithful in supporting faithful preachers of the Gospel even if Diotrephes and those he influenced didn’t.

Obviously, if Diotrephes was so influential and Gaius was opposing him, this would have been a tense trying time for Gaius.

If Gaius remained faithful in this trial, he would emerge from it with greater spiritual endurance.

If Gaius remained faithful, he would emerge a more mature son of God.

[APP] When we face trials, our aim should be to remain faithful so that we develop greater spiritual endurance as we follow Christ.

Because it’s only those that endure to the end that will be saved.

When we face trails, our aim should be to remain faithful so that we emerge a more mature son or daughter of God, as James says, “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” (James 1:4).

[INTER] But everything hinges on this question, “Will we be faithful?”

That’s the question before Gaius as John closes his letter to him.

[TS] To spur Gaius on to faithfulness in as he suffers this trial, John gives him three WORDS of encouragement that will also encourage us as we face our trials…

Major Ideas

Word #1: Shortly - John says, “I hope to see you shortly.”

3 John 13–14 NASB95

13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face.

[EXP] This ending to John’s letter is very similar to the way he ended 2 John. There he also mentioned having more to say, but not wanting to include it in a letter, he hoped to come and speak face to face to the church so that their joy would be full. Here he hopes to come shortly and speak face to face with Gaius.

The word shortly highlights the urgency of the situation. John had sent out ministers of Christ in the past. He likely sent Demetrius with this letter in hand as a minister of Christ. And he would be sending other ministers of Christ in the future. But they wouldn’t find the support they needed if Diotrephes got his way. Not only was it urgent for Gaius to continue to be faithful in supporting such ministers, but it was also necessary for John to come quickly so that he could do all that he could to see that those like Gaius became more influential in the church.

But until then perhaps Gaius felt alone. Diotrephes was influential, so influential that he was having people put out of the church and others in the church were going along with it.

No matter how spiritual Gaius was. No matter how faithful he was. He likely felt lonely if many of the others in the church decided to go the direction of Diotrephes.

I don’t know what Gaius felt, but if it was me, I would have felt discouraged, isolated, deflated, defeated, powerless.

That’s why when I try to put myself in Gaius’ place and imagine how he would have felt, the words of John that I would have been most encouraged by in vv. 13-14 are these, “I hope to see you shortly.”

I think feeling discouraged and defeated, I would have responded, “I hope to see you shortly as well.”

[APP] Trials are hard, but trials are made more bearable when we know that help is on the way. They are made even more bearable when we know help is on the way quickly. But as we wait for help to arrive—even if it is due to arrive soon—, we must continue in faithfulness.

Gaius had to continue in faithfulness until John arrived.

It’s not always easy, but there’s always hope when we remain faithful.

But not only are trials hard, they also keep coming. Like the waves of the sea rolling in, some trials are bigger than others, but they keep coming. They never quit until we are with the Lord.

[ILLUS] A few months ago, we had a leaky tire on our van. The little tire pressure warning lit up telling us that we needed to get it fixed. I think I may have talked about it in a sermon or Bible study, and one kind individual from our church fixed it for us.

But do you know what happened?

A few weeks ago, the tire pressure warning lit up again telling us that we had another tire that needed some air.

We put some air in that tire and the warning light went off. So far so good, but it won’t be long before the warning light lights up again, alerting us to a new problem.

The warning light for trials in our lives is always lighting up. Sometimes it feels like it stays lit no matter what we do. You know this to, because we all have said, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” which is just another way of saying, “If it’s not this trial, it’s that trial.”

[APP] Because they won’t quit coming, sometimes we need help remaining faithful in our trials.

I said there is hope in remaining faithful as we experience trials, but there is also hope in those that encourage our faithfulness as we experience trials.

John hoped to be that encouragement for Gaius.

We need to be that encouragement for one another.

In order to be that encouragement for one another, we need to give one another hope in the form of help that comes shortly and hope that comes in eternity.

When John encouraged Gaius face to face that would be help coming shortly, help for his immediate need.

John’s compassionate understanding and willingness to listen would’ve been an instant blessing to Gaius.

John’s wise counsel and insightful instruction would’ve been an immediate boost to Gaius.

All of those things and more would’ve been instant help to Gaius when John arrived.

But we can be sure that John also would have pointed Gaius to the hope coming in eternity. This is the hope that Gaius always had in Christ Jesus no matter what he was going through on earth.

When we experience trials, we sometimes say to ourselves, “This too shall pass.” That saying can be cliche’ but it can help us to also keep things in perspective. Maybe when John came to Gaius and spoke with him face to face, he said something similar. Maybe he said, “Gaius, this is hard right now, but one day the Lord will come and we will be with the Lord face to face! One day there will be no more conflict, no more struggle, no more worry or anxiety, no more pain or fear, no more loneliness or discouragement, no more battle with sin and temptation! Gaius! We will be with the Lord Jesus in eternity!”

All those things were Gaius’ certain hope in Christ Jesus.

All those things are our certain hope in Christ Jesus no matter what we suffer here on earth.

[TS] But notice that I said, “All those things are our certain hope in Christ Jesus...” Only by faith alone in Jesus alone can you have any real hope of peace.

That bring us to our second WORD of encouragement…

Word #2: Peace - John says, “Peace be to you.”

3 John 15 NASB95

15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

[EXP] Peace refers to tranquility or freedom from disturbance in every area. This peace refers to spiritual tranquility that only comes through faith in Jesus. This peace refers to tranquil circumstances.

But Gaius didn’t have tranquil, peaceful circumstances. He was in conflict with Diotrephes and possibly others in his church!

As I said earlier, Diotrephes was influential in this church. He had people put out of the church for not following his lead, and here John was asking Gaius to not follow Diotrephes’ lead. John was asking Gaius to directly oppose Diotrephes by showing hospitality to brothers like Demetrius who was likely standing nearby as Gaius first read this letter from John.

But if Gaius was in the midst of conflict, how could John say, “Peace be with you,”?

Well, the peace John prays onto Gaius is the peace of a settled spirit in unsettled circumstances.

The peace John prays onto Gaius is the peace that comes through continued faithfulness rather than the shallow, temporary peace of compromise.

The peace John prays onto Gaius is the inner peace of confident hope of future peaceful circumstances.

It’s the peace that hopes Diotrephes repents of his sin.

It’s the peace that hopes all false teachers repent.

It’s the peace in the midst of the peace disturbed that can only be ours by walking faithfully with Jesus.

[APP] Do you believe that you can have peace in hard times? Do you believe that you can have inner peace even when your external peace is disturbed? Do you believe that you can have peace even when peace seems possible?

You believe all those things if you have peace with God through faith in Jesus.

You see, your sin made it impossible for you to have peace with God, but all things are possible with God.

When it didn’t seem possible that we could be saved, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to live perfectly under His law, to die sacrificially for all our sins (i.e., our breaking of God’s law), and then because Jesus had no sins of His own, He was raised from the dead as proof that all who trust in Him for salvation will have peace with God.

If you’ve felt the weight of your sin—the impossibility of your salvation—but then the joy of amazing grace, then you know peace is possible even when peace seems impossible.

You know that peace is possible even when trials are hard.

If by God’s grace you’ve experienced the peace of salvation, then you know that by God’s grace you can have peace in any situation.

[ILLUS] I’ve been praying that my Aunt Marcie would have peace at a time when peace would seem impossible. This past Wednesday night, right before choir practice broke up, my sister sent me a message that said one of our cousins had been shot and killed that very night. It was my cousin, Matthew, my Aunt Marcie’s oldest son, a cousin that I played with and fought with when we were little boys in my Granny’s backyard.

I don’t know all the details, but apparently there was an argument that escalated. Weapons were drawn, and Matt, 43 years old with three sons and a wife, didn’t make it.

How can they have peace at a time when peace doesn’t seem possible? How can my Aunt Marcie have peace when peace doesn’t seem possible?

Only through Jesus Christ.

Only by being saved by His death and resurrection.

Only by clinging to Him, the Prince of Peace, when peace seems impossible.

Only by the knowledge that He, the Prince of Peace, is clinging to us when peace seems impossible.

[TS] Our final word of encouragement is…

Word #3: Friends - John says, “The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.”

3 John 15 NASB95

15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

[EXP] I don’t know if John meant to do this. I think he probably did, but I know the Holy Spirit that inspired John to write these words meant to do it. I know that the Holy Spirit intentionally encouraged Gaius to continue in faithfulness as he suffered this trial by reminding Gaius that, although he may have felt isolated, he had friends near and far.

John said, “The friends greet you.”

There were brothers and sisters in Christ with John, and as John sent his letter to Gaius those friends sent their greeting with it.

Perhaps this was John’s way—and it certainly was the Spirit’s way—of reminding Gaius that he wasn’t alone in this hard time.

John also said, “Greet the friends by name.”

There were brothers and sisters in Christ with Gaius, and as Gaius received this letter from John those friends were to be made aware of its instruction.

Perhaps this was John’s way—and it was certainly the Spirit’s way—of reminding Gaius that he wasn’t alone in this hard time.

He had friends far, and he had friends near.

In a trial, a true friend is a treasure.

[ILLUS] At the end of the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul was beaten, bound with chains, , hounded by a murderous mob, and almost scourged.

Later he was struck in the mouth and had to be moved to a secure location because people were threatening to tear him to pieces.

The next day there was conspiracy to kill him in which more than 40 men promised to not eat or drink until Paul was dead.

And then Paul was imprisoned.

And then there was another ambush to kill him.

And then Paul was finally sent to Caesar where he would stand trial for preaching Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.

Paul endured quite a trial, but throughout the trail there were sprinkles of God’s grace in the form of friends.

For example, Acts 24:23 says…

Acts 24:23 NASB95

23 Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him.

And Acts 27:3 says…

Acts 27:3 NASB95

3 The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.

In his trial, Paul needed friends to encourage him to be faithful, to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

In our trials, we need friends too.

[APP] Proverbs tells us that “a man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” (Pro. 18:24).

We need a friend to stick to us like that when we are suffering through a trial.

We need to be that kind of friend to other whens they are going through a hard time.

Who are your friends you call on when the going gets tough?

Who calls on you when the going gets tough?

Perhaps you’re thinking, “I don’t know if I have a friend like that.”

You do in Jesus.

In John 15, Jesus is talking to His disciples when He says…

John 15:13–15 NASB95

13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

We know Jesus is our friend because He has laid down His life for us.

We know that we are friends of Jesus if we obey His commands.

We know Jesus is our friend because He has revealed the truth to us—the truth of God’s grace through faith in Him.

As the old hymn says…

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

“Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

“Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?

“In his arms he'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.”

[TS] …

Conclusion

Your friend, Jesus, is ready to hear from you this morning. He is ready to take all your cares upon Himself. He is ready to perfect your prayers as they rise up to the Father. He is already praying for you.

Do not be afraid to call on Him this morning.

Ultimately, He is your hope, He is your peace, and He is your friend in every trial.

[PRAYER]