Walking In The Truth

Main Idea

Joy at seeing Christians demonstrate the Truth

Theme

Truth, love, and goodness of God

Introduction

Henry David Thoreau once said

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth”

That ought be the request of every follower of Jesus Christ

In Plato’s Cratylus, on the philosophy of language, Socrates says that aletheia (Greek, ‘truth’) is a compression of the phrase ‘a wandering that is divine.’ Since Plato, many thinkers have spoken of truth and God in the same breath, and truth has also been linked with concepts such as justice, power, and freedom. According to John the Apostle, Jesus said to the Jews: ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’

Truth- the content of what is true

Content of Christianity as the ultimate truth

KB sang in the chorus to Church Clap

the quality of being in accord with what is true, truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed

Transition to Body- Maturation of the Apostle John to the Elder

3 John 1 ESV

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

Luke 9:51–54 ESV

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

From one of the Sons of Thunder

Wanting to call down fire

To the disciple whom Jesus loved

Caring for Jesus’ mother

To elder

Body

Love one another in truth

3 John 1–2 ESV

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 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.

Beloved- because God has set his affection on believers

Luke 3:22 ESV

22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Soul- psyche

seat and center of the inner human life in its many and varied aspects, soul

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Matthew 11:29 ESV

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

2 Corinthians 12:14–15 ESV

14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

{So walking in the truth means we:

Love one another in truth}

Testimony of your truth

3 John 3 ESV

3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.

Rejoiced-

I was glad when some fellow-Christians came and testified

Testified -to confirm or attest someth. on the basis of personal knowledge or belief, bear witness, be a witness.

{So walking in the truth means we:

Love one another in truth

and people receive

Testimony of your truth

}

Live according to the truth

3 John 3–4 ESV

3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Rejoicing greatly

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.125 χαίρω

to enjoy a state of happiness and well-being—‘to rejoice, to be glad.

No greater joy than hearing the word of our spiritual children are walk in the truth

Joy- the experience of gladness

John’s other times of expressing joy

1 John 1:4 ESV

4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John 15:11 ESV

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 16:24 ESV

24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Even though the Apostle John may have some disappointment in writing this later- he is not robbed of his joy

Spiritual Children-

1 John 3:1–3 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 3:10 ESV

10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 5:1–3 ESV

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Christian Formation

1 Corinthians 4:14–17 ESV

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

Galatians 4:19 ESV

19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

John 1:11–13 ESV

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Children walking in the truth

Walking in the truth- living in a way that honors and pleases God

Walking Blamelessly

Psalm 15:1–2 ESV

1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

Desiring to know the LORD’s ways

Psalm 25:4–5 ESV

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

The LORD bestows favor on those walking uprightly

Psalm 84:10–12 ESV

10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

{So walking in the truth means we:

Love one another in truth,

people receive

Testimony of your truth,

and

Live according to the truth

}

Fellow workers for the truth

3 John 5–8 ESV

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

Not everybody in the church is working together

3 John 9–10 ESV

9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 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.

Transition to Close- Imitate good for the sake of your testimony concerning Jesus Christ

3 John 11–12 ESV

11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 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.

1 John 1:1–4 ESV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Close- Jesus Christ (the true God) Knowing & being in him who it true

1 John 5:20–21 ESV

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

John 14:5–6 ESV

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.