Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Today we are returning to our study of 3 John

I would like to invite you to take God’s Word and turn with me to 3 John

Last week we saw the commendation of Gaius

There were three things John said about Gais:

He was “beloved” (v.1)

He was “walking in truth” (v.3)

He was faithful to the brethren and strangers (vv.5-8)

Today we’re looking at the second person mentioned in this letter

His name is Diotrephes

John writes about him in verses 9-11

Listen to what he says...

Read 3 John 9-11

What we have just read should be noted by every believer

Because what we read is pride at its highest

It is never good to exalt yourself over others

The Scripture warns against this kind of behavior:

Proverbs 30:2 says it is “foolish”

2 Chronicles 32:26 says it brings about God’s “wrath.”

God hates pride - Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.”

Pride is what caused Satan to fall - Isaiah 14:13-15, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”

Pride has brought down kings - Daniel 4:29-37, “29 “Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.

30 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31 “While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field.

You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’

33 “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

34 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ 36 “At that time my reason returned to me.

And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.””

Psalm 75:5, “Do not lift up your horn on high, Do not speak with insolent pride.’

”

Rather we are to...

Mark 12:31, “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no other commandment greater than these.””

When we compare Gaius to Diotresphes, we see a great...

LESSON

I.

The Contrast (vv.9-10)

Gaius was graciously hospitable, Diotrephes ungraciously inhospitable.

Gaius loved the truth and loved everyone humbly (vv.

3–6); Diotrephes refused the truth and loved himself, and threatened everyone from his position of self-appointed authority in the church.

One submitted to the words of truth; the other spouted words of contempt.

The difference between the two men was not primarily doctrinal but behavioral; John did not rebuke Diotrephes for heresy, but for haughtiness.

John said...

Diotresphes Elevates Himself (v.9)

John said, “I wrote something to the church; but Diotresphes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.”

John first...

He wrote to the church about this (lost letter)

Maybe Diotresphes destroyed the letter [or]

He never read it

John said Diotresphes...

He “loves to be first”

The Greek word that John uses, philoproteuon, pres.act.part., means, “to love or desire to be first or chief” (Mounce)

Philoproteuon is a compound Greek word composed of philos (“love”) and protos (“first”)

It describes a person who is selfish, self-centered, and self-seeking (MacArthur)

Proteuo appears in the NT only in Colossians 1:18, where it refers to the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ

With the use of the present tense, it tells us this was an ongoing attitude

Diotresphes needed to have the same attitude John the Baptist had in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Diotrephes is a man who puts on airs.

He is pretentious.

He is vainglorious.

He struts around as a peacock.

He has an overweening ambition.

He is puffed up, inflated like a balloon.

He is one whom you have to receive with a flourish of trumpets.

He comes in in a blaze of glory

We are told in Scripture not to be selfish, self-centered, and self-seeking in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”

“self-seeking” refers to what the selfish are after and “vainglory” to what they get when they succeed, a lot of glory that is entirely κενός, “empty,” hollow.

Yes, this “self-seeking” is minding a certain thing, and the thing is “empty glory” when it is achieved.

James said in James 3:16, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

As James earlier showed that the tongue is capable of creating disastrous evil, so here he emphasizes the destructive power of envy and selfish ambition.

From them flow all kinds of evil, including vandalism, murder, adultery, warfare, theft, slander, and other sins that violate people and provoke chaos in the community.

Everything John says from this point in vv.9-11 is the result of pride, loving “to be first among them.”

At the end of verse 9, John also says Diotrephes...

He Does Not Accept What We Say (v.9b)

The word “accept” (epidechomai, pres.

mid.

or pass.

ind.) is translated “receive” in verse 10

His desire for power and self-glory had driven him to reject the authority of Christ mediated through the apostle John (MacArthur)

Diotresphes was “lording…over” the brethren (1 Pet.5:3)

Jesus said in John 13:20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.””

Jesus said in John 13:20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.””

In Matthew 10:40-42, Jesus said, “41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.””

In verse 10, John gives a list of vices Diotrephes is guilty of, all as a result of pride, desiring to be preeminent

John says “for this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does...”

John would not overlook this challenge to his apostolic authority and to Christ’s rule in the church.

He would expose Diotrephes before the congregation, make his conduct a matter of church discipline (1 Tim.

5:19–20), and, if need be, use his apostolic authority to deal with him.

He Unjustly Accuses with Wicked Words (v.10a)

This is character assassination which is a common ploy of those who seek to elevate themselves

The words “unjustly accusing” (phluareo, pres.act.part.)

appears only here in NT

A related Greek word is translated “gossips” (phluaros) in 1 Timothy 5:13, “At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.”

Scripture repeatedly condemns gossip:

Proverbs 20:19, “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip.”

Those whom God gave over to a debased mind in Romans 1:29, are “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips”

Scripture also condemns slander:

Leviticus 19:16, “‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord.”