2 John 4-6 Teaching

Introduction

Context

Last week we began 2 John by discussing who wrote it and who was it written to.

On top of this, we discussed the importance of loving others in the truth of the Gospel (aka authentically) rather than “loving” someone with false pretenses.

We concluded looking at the grace, mercy, and peace that we have in Christ.

You can split the body of John’s second letter up into two halves.

The first half (v.4-6) is about walking in love/in Christ’s teachings

The second half (v.7-11) is about those who do not walk in love/Christ’s teachings, but instead deceive.

Message Thesis

To walk in love is to follow the commands of Christ, namely to love one another.

Passage Of Scripture

2 John 1–13 CSB

The elder: To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not only I, but also all who know the truth—because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. This is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love. Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and do not greet him; for the one who greets him shares in his evil works. Though I have many things to write to you, I don’t want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

Pray

Verse 4 — News of Loving Church Members

2 John 4 CSB

I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father.

Notice, John begins this letter stating that he loves this church and its members in the truth. Now John takes the attention off himself and praises some in this church who are “walking in the truth.”

[I] rejoiced very much [to] find out of your children walking in the truth, just as [we] received the commandment from the Father

These church member’s lives showed they were walking in truth or obeying the commands of the Father/the Word.

The Pastoral Encouragement of John

It is important to note that there are two encouragements happening here.

Encouragement of John in seeing faithful church members

Encouragement of church members in being recognized by John

John either saw directly or heard that there were certain members of this church truly walking in the truth of the Gospel in how they lived.

Either way, this caused John to rejoice. I imagine after the church heard this, they, too, were rejoicing

Your Walk is Not About You

You need to know that your walk with God does not only affect you. Pastors, fellow church members, believers from other churches (or regions or nations!); all will be led to rejoice when they see you walking in the truth of the Gospel.

This means that your walk with God is not just about you. In fact, I would encourage you to let “you” be the last reason to continue walking in the truth.

Spend your life pouring out for the sake of others and see the need to know God and walk in the truth of His Word to be mainly for the sake of others.

Note that I am not saying it isn’t important for you to pursue the Truth of God’s Word for your own growth in your love, faith and knowledge of God. But, this is only step one. As you pursue God, it is expected that you are pouring out for other’s sakes. You are discipling those younger in their faith. You are teaching the truth of God’s Word to others when given a chance. You are encouraging others in their walks with Christ. You are helping other’s in their times of struggle and hardship.

There are many who think that you following Jesus is primarily about you. “Spend a lot of time contemplating your walk with God. Spend a lot of time reflecting on the depths of your sin.” How self-centered is this? I am not saying never to think about yourself, but we have made it the main priority of following Jesus when the Bible simply disagrees.

In John recognizing the faithfulness of these church members, we should be reminded to walk in the truth of the Gospel for everyone around us first. Spend less time thinking about yourself.

Verse 5 — Love One Another

2 John 4–5 CSB

…walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

So, John acknowledges the faithfulness of those in this church, rejoicing in it, and says how they were being faithful:

…walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received form the Father.

John is praising their obedience to God. But “command” could also be translated “commandment,” either way, it is a singular word. This implies there is one specific command John is praising them for being faithful in. What is this command? Well, he tells us a verse later

So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

Implication of the Command

There is an implication I want to address before I talk about the explicit command.

John praises “some” of the church’s members for walking in truth, meaning they were obeying God’s command to love one another.

But then John writes to this church to love one another.

The implication is that, while some church members were walking in truth and loving one another, the church as a whole was not.

I think John was intentional in his wording of praising some then speaking to the church as a whole. He wanted to make plain that this church was not being obedient to God.

In fact, John was being intentional from the very beginning of this letter.

2 John 1–3 CSB

The elder: To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not only I, but also all who know the truth—because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Do you see it?

John loves this church in the truth

John says that everyone who knows the truth, loves this church in the truth

John then speaks of himself and other churches in saying “the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever.”

In specifying this, it is like he is giving his credentials for making this contrast to this church.

And finally, John points out that they all have grace, mercy, and peace from the Father and the Son in truth and love!

It is almost like he is saying “I love you in the truth, the other churches love you in the truth, the truth is forever in us because we trust in God. We see some of you are walking in the truth, but I am telling all of you, obey the truth of God’s command to love one another!”

A Cold Church

Did you know a church can turn cold? Its love can lose its warmth. In “loving” others with false pretenses, earnestness dies. It becomes a big system designed for quantitative growth and profit. Oftentimes this does not happen because the pastor/pastors are trying to make it happen. Rather, they think what they’re doing is faithful but they are missing it.

I want to speak on this because many of us are either going somewhere else or staying here or searching for a church. You need to know that churches can turn cold. With them being full of people, they can run into such error. We must be extremely patient with our churches when this happens.

Notice that John does not call those “some” to leave this church, or even write directly to them. He writes to correct the whole church. It wasn’t his intention to split the church or kill the church, but to bring life back into it.

As you pursue Christ, I pray you do so in fellowship with other believers in a church. You simply can’t find established Christians in the Bible who are not a part of a local church. But as you do this, you may find either your love for that church grow cold, or that church’s love as a whole grow cold. Let me encourage you, this doesn’t mean you must leave. This means praying a lot and being even more involved.

Why does John encourage the “some”? So they continue walking in the truth even more! So they, Lord-willing, spur on the church to do the same.

If you are the “some” who is walking in the truth and loving earnestly, do it even more and pray for those who don’t!

If you are the rest, whose love is cold, i implore you to repent of this sin and, as we will discuss more, go back to the command you have heard from the beginning: love one another.

The Explicit Command

Now with the implication in mind, let’s discuss the explicit command.

2 John 5 CSB

So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

Turning his attention to the entire church, addressing it as “dear lady,” John points to a command that he knows they have heard from the beginning, that is to love one another.

The command to “love your neighbor as yourself,” is first seen in Leviticus 19:18

Leviticus 19:18 CSB

Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Notice how that verse starts? As direction for how to treat members of your community. So John rightly reemphasizes this Law as “love one another” referring to the other believers in your specific church, as well as other believers in any church.

But then Jesus interprets all of the Law to some Pharisees in Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 22:34–40 CSB

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

So Jesus takes this one verse from Leviticus that swims in a sea of laws and calls it the second greatest commandment behind loving God with all of yourself.

Then, he says All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. What does this mean?

This means the sea of laws that exists from Exodus 20-the end of Deuteronomy, all these laws are summed up under loving God or loving your neighbor.

I encourage you to read through the Torah and look at the Laws God gave Israel and see how what Jesus says is true!

So, back to John’s explicit command, he surely is not writing something new. He wrote with the entire Old Testament, the Gospels, and likely other books of the New Testament that were being shared in mind.

Please see the Apostles as they wrote these letters and books and sermons were not trying to come up with a new religion, but were rightly interpreting the Scriptures they had along with the work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

And this is what this church needed to hear and do: love one another. We can assume, John desires them to do so as he and other believers love this church: in the truth.

What turns a cold, hardened church warm and soft again? Overflowing love from the members of that church! Love from one member to another member to another member to another! Love for pastors and pastors love for their sheep.

Paul talks about how to live consistently as a Christian among your brothers and sisters in Christ in Ephesians 5:15-21

Ephesians 5:15–21 CSB

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

This is loving one another! Pursue God’s Will, stay sober-minded and be filled with the Spirit! What does being filled with the Spirit drive you to do? Speak[ing] to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks for everything… submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

A warm, loving church has members in it who sing praises loudly, washing over those around them; who share Gospel, God-edifying music to his fellow church members; who are thankful to God in everything, and who submit to one another in fear of Christ.

If you are curious on how this should be displayed in marriages and families and workplaces, read the rest of Ephesians 5.

Verse 6 — Genuine Love For One Another

2 John 6 CSB

This is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.

John then interprets what love is based on all he knows from all the Scriptures! What is love? That we walk according to His commands

Obey God in Love

John Piper tells a story about his son when he was a teenager.

Son asks John “can I use the car tomorrow night?” John says “Yes, just be sure to wash it first.” Tomorrow comes, son comes to John “Alright, am I good to use the car?” “Did you wash it?” “No I didn’t have time because…” John replies, “Wash the car and then you can take it.” His son, in a fit of rage storms through the house, grabs the cleaning supplies angrily, and very quickly and ragefully washes the car.

Did his son obey him? Yes, he did. But did he do so in love? No. His son obeyed with gritted teeth, acting in hatred for his dad and his dad’s command.

This is why love is walking according to God’s commands and the command is walking in love: God desires His children to obey what He says out of a genuine love for Himself. Not just because He said so. Not so His children can receive some benefit. But earnestly out of love for their Father.

In the same way, God desires us to love one another earnestly. Ask about your brother or sister in Christ’s day out of a genuine care for them, not just to seem nice when you really will gossip about them later. Check up on one another when you don’t see someone in service. Pray for one another even if they don’t ask for it. Go out of your way to serve and submit to one another, even when you feel they don’t deserve it.

I have to go back to what I said at the beginning of this lesson: this Christian walk is not about you. It’s about God and the church. And you need to spend your life pouring out for, and in love for, God and His Church.

Order of Worship

Scripture of Praise - Psalm 108:1-6

Prayer of Praise

Praise His Name (Psalm 148)

Here is Love

2 John 4-6 Message

Have Mercy on Me

Time of Prayer

Benediction - Eph 5:15-21

Doxology