Hold Fast

2 John 1–13 NIV

The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

When the Church is Falling Apart.

A number of people have left the Church to follow a teaching called Docetism

- Flesh is evil, spirit is good. Therefore, Jesus only appeared to come in the Flesh.

It denies the goodness of God’s Creation.

If the material world is evil, then there is no problem dishonoring or abusing material beings.

God does not want to redeem this world.

The Resurrection is not a bodily resurrection (which would support the idea that Jesus wants to save the whole human, and his creation he made as good.)

It is an Anti-Christ teaching, because it denies God’s plan in the Garden Purpose, and its redemption in fullness.

Regardless, John has come across some of the believers from this Church, likely in Ephesus, and they are holding Fast to the Truth and Love that Jesus taught. He wants to encourage the entire church to do the same....

Quote from Mark Batterson - If we have grace without Truth, It is not actually grace, but ...., Truth without Grace is just mean."

The Church is Called to Hold Fast to Love.

1. Verse 5 makes an important argument that many of us might miss. He makes a point to clarify that this command to love one another is not a new command. “It was a reminder to keep on walking in obedience to God’s truth by continuing to ‘love one another’ (cf. 1 John 2:3-9; 3:14-18, 23; 4:7, 11, 20-21). This was an important thing to remember, since false teachers were encouraging the readers to depart from the truth they were hearing (v. 6)” (Thomas Constable, Notes on 2 John [Sonic Light, 2017], 7).

Love is Love - Not all the time...

Idolatry is a type of Love.

Co-Dependency is love. - The wife who is abused stays in the relationship, “Because of Love.”

The Ten Commandments as Love.

Honor God above all - All Love flows from this first love.

Do not Love Idols.

Honor God’s name and reputation.

Take time to rest in God, so he may honor him with your work.

Honor your parents

Promote and dignify human life.

Honor your spouse by keeping to God’s sexual boundaries.

Don’t steal people’s stuff.

Tell the Truth to people and about people

And let people have their stuff without wishing it was yours.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NIV

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Church is Called to Hold Fast to Truth.

Seeing so many people online spouting the same untruths of Dan Brown from the Davinci Code.

- Bill Maher - Horus has a story that he was raised from the dead.

- Using Gnostic Texts

The Church, though dispersed through our the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith:

[She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them.

And in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation

And in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord.

And [the Holy Spirit proclaimed] His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father "to gather all things in one," and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess" to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all.

[So] that He may send "spiritual wickednesses," and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory. - Irenaus “Against Heresies”

Read the Apostle’s Creed

1. Have you ever been asked to describe yourself in three words, or even in just one? A question like this is often used in job interviews, in icebreakers for small groups, or at orientations for academic or church programs. We want to learn about each other in a quick way, and so we ask everyone to boil down their most important qualities and characteristics into a few words. If you were to describe yourself as “joyful,” “honest,” and “hard-working,” you would not be saying that you never faltered in any of these characteristics. There are days you feel lazy, mornings that bring frustration and stress instead of joy, and sticky situations where you find yourself telling a lie. But when we say that Jesus is truth, we aren’t saying that he is pretty truthful or even perfectly truthful. “John’s interest in truth is not so much philosophical as it is spiritual and personal. Truth is that which is embodied in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), who he is and what he has done” (D. L. Akin, 1, 2, 3 John, The New American Commentary 38 [Nashville, TN: B&H Publishers, 2001], 221).

Holding Fast to Both.

Love and Truth go hand in hand.

- Lady I was talking to who had frosting on her face. - Daughter pointed it out.

1. Have you ever been asked to describe yourself in three words, or even in just one? A question like this is often used in job interviews, in icebreakers for small groups, or at orientations for academic or church programs. We want to learn about each other in a quick way, and so we ask everyone to boil down their most important qualities and characteristics into a few words. If you were to describe yourself as “joyful,” “honest,” and “hard-working,” you would not be saying that you never faltered in any of these characteristics. There are days you feel lazy, mornings that bring frustration and stress instead of joy, and sticky situations where you find yourself telling a lie. But when we say that Jesus is truth, we aren’t saying that he is pretty truthful or even perfectly truthful. “John’s interest in truth is not so much philosophical as it is spiritual and personal. Truth is that which is embodied in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), who he is and what he has done” (D. L. Akin, 1, 2, 3 John, The New American Commentary 38 [Nashville, TN: B&H Publishers, 2001], 221).

We are called to be 100% about the Truth, and 100% about Love.