Where Do You Stand?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
As we come to the final message in our series through 1, 2, and 3 John, I want us to think about something John has been doing from the very beginning.
Throughout his letters, John has been drawing lines.
He has not been vague.
He has not been unclear.
He has drawn a line between light and darkness.
He told us in 1 John 1 that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. So we cannot say we have fellowship with God while we continue walking in darkness.
John has drawn a line between obedience and disobedience.
He told us that the one who says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, is not telling the truth.
John has drawn a line between love and hatred.
He told us that we cannot claim to love God while refusing to love the brethren.
John has drawn a line between truth and error.
He told us to test the spirits, because not every teacher, not every message, and not every religious voice is from God.
John has drawn a line between Christ and antichrist.
He warned us about those who deny the truth of who Jesus is and refuse to abide in the doctrine of Christ.
And all throughout this series, John has been making us answer one question…
Where do you stand?
Not where do you say you stand?
Not where do you think you stand?
Not where do you want others to believe you stand?
But where does your life show that you stand?
And now, as John closes this little letter of 3 John, he gives us real-life examples of people standing on different sides of the line.
Last time, we looked at Gaius.
Gaius stood in faithfulness.
He walked in the truth.
He served in love.
He helped the gospel move forward.
Today we will look at two more men…
One by the name of Diotrephes.
And the other named Demetrius
As we look at these final verses and these two men this morning, we will see that…
One man stood in the way of the truth.
One man stood as a testimony for the truth.
And John calls all of us to decide what we are going to imitate.
He draws a clear line between what is evil and what is good, and every one of us must decide where we are going to stand.
So lets read these final verses of John’s Epistles…
(Read vv. 9-14)
Some Stand…
Meat:
After looking at the faithfulness of Gaius last week, John now turns our attention to a man named Diotrephes.
And Diotrephes becomes a warning to every one of us.
Because it is possible to be religious, involved, and influential, and still be standing in the way of what God is trying to do.
So first, we see that…
Some stand…
1. In The Way
1. In The Way
Look at v.9…
3 John 9 “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.”
John…
One of the 12 Apostles
Some would argue, the best friend of Jesus
Directed by the Holy Spirit
… had written to the church… but Diotrephes would not receive what John had to say….
Now…
The issue was not that Diotrephes was confused.
it wasn’t that he lacked information.
… The issue was his heart.
John said that Diotrephes… “loves to have the preeminence.”
That is just a fancy way of saying…
He wanted to be first.
He wanted the place of prominence.
He wanted control.
He wanted influence.
He wanted things to revolve around him.
And that kind of spirit is always dangerous in the church.
Because when a person is more concerned about being first than being faithful, he will eventually stand in the way of the truth.
The attitude that Diotrephes had, could be summed up in one word… … Pride…
1.1 Pride Wants To Be First
1.1 Pride Wants To Be First
Again… John said that Diotrephes “...loves to have the preeminence among them.”
Before John mentions his words,
before he mentions his refusal to receive the brethren,
before he mentions how he hindered others,
John points to the heart issue…
Diotrephes loved preeminence.
He wanted the top spot.
He wanted to be in control.
He wanted to have the final say.
He wanted the attention and influence that belonged only to Christ.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
That is the place Diotrephes wanted.
He wanted the place that belongs to Christ alone…
Sound Familiar…
That was the very sin that led to Lucifer’s fall.
In Isaiah 14, we hear him say…
“I will ascend into heaven,”
“I will exalt my throne above the stars of God,”
“I will sit on the mount of the congregation,”
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,”
“I will be like the Most High.”
Each statement reveals a heart determined to exalt itself and take the position of supreme authority and glory that belonged to God alone.
At its core, pride is a refusal to be satisfied with the place God has given us and a desire to take a place that belongs to someone else.
This was the attitude of Diotrephes…
He loved to be first.
And because of that, he would not receive any authoritative instructions from John or anyone else…
John specifically said that Diotrephes “…does not receive us.”
He was refusing John’s authority, which came from the Holy Spirit, and in doing so he was rejecting the instruction God had given…
Why…
Because pride does not like accountability.
Pride does not like being corrected.
Pride does not like being challenged.
And…
1.2 Pride Works Against Others
1.2 Pride Works Against Others
We see this in v.10…
3 John 10 “Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words.
That means he was speaking foolish, empty, harmful words against John and those with him.
He was using his mouth to tear down instead of build up.
He was spreading accusations.
He was damaging reputations.
He was trying to turn people against faithful servants of God.
This should serve as a warning to us…
One of the easiest ways to stand in the way of the truth is through the careless or sinful use of our words.
Words can encourage,… but they can also wound.
Words can strengthen the church,… but they can also divide the church.
Words can help the work of God move forward,… but they can also create confusion, suspicion, and hurt.
Diotrephes used words in a destructive way.
But he did not stop there.
John says:
And not content with that,
not satisfied with just speaking against John and probably the other Apostles…
he himself does not receive the brethren,
These were likely faithful traveling servants of Christ, the same kind of men, that we read about last week, who Gaius received and supported.
Gaius helped them.
Diotrephes rejected them.
Gaius stood with the truth.
Diotrephes stood in the way of it.
And it gets worse…
He not only refused to receive them himself… John says…
“…he… does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”
In other words, he tried to stop other people from doing what was right.
And if they did not follow his control, he put them out of the church.
Pride can take a person so far that they not only refuse to serve God, but they will actively hinder others from serving as well.
Diotrephes is a stark warning that when self is exalted instead of Christ, a person can end up standing in the way of the truth being shared…
Secondly…
There are some who stand…
2. At The Crossroads
2. At The Crossroads
John has given 2 very different examples…
Faithful Gaius
and
Prideful Diotrephes…
And we have to remember that John is writing these letters as a Pastor… as a shepherd… who has a flock that needs…
guidance,
protection,
and direction…
He wants us to understand that examples influence us, and every one of us must decide which pattern we are going to follow.
So he gives one last challenge in v.11…
3 John 11 “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
John draws the line very clearly.
There is evil, and there is good.
There is a wrong example, and there is a right example.
And every one of us has to decide which one we are going to follow.
This is very similar to the same challenge that Joshua gave to Israel in…
15 … choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served… or the gods of the Amorites… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua called God's people to make a decision.
John is doing the same thing here.
And the choice we make will shape the testimony we leave behind…
We must…
2.1 Refuse What is Evil
2.1 Refuse What is Evil
John says:
“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil…”
That word “imitate” means to follow a pattern or example.
And whether we realize it or not, we all imitate someone.
We learn…
attitudes,
habits,
priorities,
and ways of treating others from…
the people around us.
from the things we read
from the things we watch or listen to…
That is why the examples we follow matter so much.
That is why John gives this warning…
Because bad examples are powerful.
If pride, malicious speech, a controlling spirit, or opposition to the truth are tolerated long enough…
people can begin to see those things as normal and even follow the same pattern themselves.
So John says:
“Do not imitate what is evil.”
We must…
2.2 Follow What is Right
2.2 Follow What is Right
John said “Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good…”
Meaning that…
it is not enough to avoid the wrong example.
We must pursue the right one.
The Christian life is not merely about saying no to evil.
It is also about saying yes to what honors God.
Yes to humility.
Yes to truth.
Yes to love.
Yes to obedience.
Yes to faithfulness.
Yes to service.
Yes to anything that looks like Christ.
The Apostle Paul gave a similar charge…
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
The ultimate example is Christ.
We are to follow godly examples only as they follow Him,
and we should strive to be examples worth following ourselves.
Whether at home, in the church, or in positions of influence, others are watching and learning from our example.
And the example we leave, reveals the truth of where we stand…
John says, in the last half of v.11…
“…He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
John is stating that…
A genuine relationship with God will be reflected in the direction of our lives.
That has been John's message throughout these letters.
Our walk should match our talk…
So there are some who are standing at the crossroads…
They have a choice to make…
There is a pattern to reject,
and there is a pattern to follow.
There is the way of Diotrephes, marked by…
pride,
selfish ambition,
and resistance to the truth.
And there is the way of faithfulness, marked by…
humility,
obedience,
and a commitment to what is good…
Again, the words of Joshua…
“… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…”
Some are standing in the way
Some are standing at the crossroads
and Some Stand…
3. As A Testimony
3. As A Testimony
John introduces us to one more fella…
v.12…
3 John 12 “12 Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.”
Now, we do not know a lot about Demetrius.
We do not know where he was from.
We do not know everything he had done.
We do not know how long he had been serving the Lord.
But we do know that Demetrius had a good testimony…
And from his example, we can see what a good testimony looks like…
A good testimony is…
3.1 Seen By Others
3.1 Seen By Others
“Demetrius has a good testimony from all…”
This does not mean he was perfect or that everyone liked him…
but it does mean there was a consistency in…
his character,
his conduct,
and his faithfulness that others could recognize.
I feel that I need to point out the fact that having a good testimony is not a prideful thing.
Demetrius was not promoting himself or seeking attention.
Rather, his godly life was evident to those around him.
There is a big difference between seeking a good reputation and simply living faithfully before God so that others can see His work in your life.
Every one of us is building a testimony.
Our words,
attitudes,
actions,
and our choices…
all say something about us.
Over time, those things shape how others see our walk with Christ…
From Demetrius, we can also see that a good testimony is…
3.2 Supported By The Truth
3.2 Supported By The Truth
John said that Demetrius had “…a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself.”
Demetrius was actively living out what he said he believed…
Again, not with perfection, but his conduct consistently reflected God’s truth, so that his walk agreed with his words…
John’s point is that a good testimony is not built on our talents, or our personality…
A good testimony is built on our integrity and obedience to God.
Ultimately, what matters is not whether people admire us or think well of us…
but whether God is pleased with our lives.
Demetrius was a man whose life agreed with God’s truth…
and that is the kind of testimony every believer should desire.
And as we can see from the last line of v.12… a good testimony is…
3.3 Affirmed By Godly Witnesses
3.3 Affirmed By Godly Witnesses
In speaking of Demetrius’ testimony, John says “… And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.”
So Demetrius had a threefold testimony.
He had a good testimony from all.
He had a good testimony from the truth itself.
And he had a good testimony from John and those with him.
John is basically saying,
You can trust this man.
His life has been examined.
His testimony is solid.
Others have seen it.
The truth confirms it.
And we bear witness to it as well.
A much different message than what he had for Diotrephes…
Diotrephes stood in the way of the truth.
While Demetrius stood as a testimony for the truth.
Closing:
After all that John has addressed throughout these 3 letters, he brings it all back to the heart of fellowship…
He closes this letter, almost identically to his previous one…
3 John 13–14 “13 I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.”
Listen…
Authentic Living is not just about standing against what is wrong.
It is also about standing together in what is right…
It is about God’s people walking together in the truth of Christ.
That is what John has been trying to get us to understand throughout this entire series.
He has drawn the line between light and darkness.
He has drawn the line between truth and error.
He has drawn the line between love and hatred.
He has drawn the line between obedience and rebellion.
He has drawn the line between Christ and antichrist.
He has drawn the line between what is evil and what is good.
And now, as we close this series, the question remains…
Where do you stand?
Are you standing in the way of the truth like Diotrephes?
Are you standing at the crossroads, knowing what is right, but needing to choose what you will imitate?
Are you standing as a testimony for the truth like Demetrius?
Are you standing with the faithful like Gaius, walking in truth, serving in love, and helping the gospel move forward?
Ultimately, this is a question about your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Because the only way to truly stand in the truth is to first belong to the One who is the Truth.
You cannot stand in the truth while rejecting Christ.
You cannot have fellowship with God while walking in darkness.
You cannot be right with God through
religion,
good works,
church attendance,
baptism,
or trying to be a better person.
The Bible tells us that
all have sinned…
All of have fallen short of the glory of God.
All of us, apart from Christ, stand guilty before a holy God.
But God, in His love, sent His Son.
Jesus Christ…
came to this earth,
lived the perfect life we could never live,
died on the cross for our sins,
shed His blood in our place,
and rose again the third day.
He is the Savior.
He is the Son of God.
He is the only way to the Father.
The call of the gospel is to repent of your sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are here today, or if you are listening later online, and you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, the most important question is not…
“Do people think I am a good person?”…
The question that you need to ask yourself is…
“Where do I stand before God?”…
Are you still standing in your sin?
Or are you standing by faith in Jesus Christ?
And for those of us who do know Christ, the question is the same…
Where do we stand?…
Are we giving Christ the preeminence,
or are we trying to take a place that belongs to Him?
Are we using our words to build up,
or to tear down?
Are we imitating what is evil,
or what is good?
Are we building a testimony that lines up with the truth?
Are we walking with God in such a way that others can see His work in our lives?
So the final little bit of your outline just makes you write the question out for yourself…
** Where do you stand?**
** Where do you stand?**
May God help us to stand with Christ.
May God help us to stand for the truth.
And may God help us to live in such a way that our testimony points others to Him.
Prayer:
