2 John

Pursue God by walk in truth by pursuing Christ and love fellow believers.

Introduction: In today’s world we have lost the art of letter writer writing. When my dad was deployed when I was a teenager, I found great comfort in the book of Proverbs. The book repeats “my son”. I would read it as if my dad was talking to me. This book is written as a sincere and heartfelt letter to a church about how to keep going and a warning.

Background:

Written to the church in Ephesus. It was encouraging the church to reject false teaching of Docetism

Lists from Church History Early Church Heresies

Docetism is the doctrine that the bodily existence of Jesus was a mere semblance without any true reality. It is the belief that Jesus only seemed to be human.

2. There is strong evidence that this community took their faith seriously.

3. The book is a pastoral letter that demonstrates the deep love and leadership that a pastor has for the church.

4. To the Elect Lady is a reference to the church and the church members

5. There are so many warnings in the New Testament about false teachers. We must understand the importance of keeping ourselves from false teaching.

A Pastor’s Encouragement to walk in truth and love

Love in Truth, we are no longer jews and gentiles. We are no longer divided but we are one in the truth of Christ. That Christ has paid the debt for our sin.

Verse 1: The Pastor loves his church, because of the truth. This truth is referring to Christ. Jesus the “way, the truth, and the life”

This love extends to all of the universal churches love for each other.

Verse 3: Grace, mercy, and love flows from the God the Father and Jesus, in truth and love. Grace, mercy, and love can only exists because God is truth.

Verses 4-6: This is not a new commandment. Love others, which was commanded from the beginning. But love is best seen in obeying God’s commandments.

Christians must embrace and obey the truth, while loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

A Pastor’s Warning do not be deceived

verse 7: There are many deceivers. These deceivers deny the bodily reality of Jesus.

Verse 8: Watch yourself. Do not become deceived. That we would lose sight of our faith and the truth.

Verse 9-11 marks of a deceiver 1. does not abide in the doctrine of God.

We are not to have any part of these deceivers. We are not to have any fellowship. Note this does not mean separate over small things, but over false teaching of the foundational truths of God.