11-18-18 Sermon Prep

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. [vv1-3]

2Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

2Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

3For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you aare walking in truth.

For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you aare walking in truth.

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

4I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

5Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;

Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. [vv4-8]

5Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;

6and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

6and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

7For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

9I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. [vv9-12]

9I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

10For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.

For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

11Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

13I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink;

I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. [vv13-15]

13I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink;

14but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face.

but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

15Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth.

John’s introduction is much like his previous postcard to “the Chosen Lady and her children” found in 2 John. He calls himself “the Elder”. Again, this term is one of position and respect. He is likely the last surviving Disciple, all others having been persecuted to death according to tradition.

John’s recipient of this postcard is not the church, but an individual, Gaius. In scripture, a couple of Gaius’ are mentioned. Luke mentions Gaius of Derbe (one of Paul’s traveling companions) and Paul mentions Gaius of Macedonia (another traveling companion). It is probable that this Gaius to whom John is writing is neither of these two men.

Whomever this Gaius is, it is evident that John has great affection for him. John wishes Gaius good health, both physically and spiritually. The spiritual health of a believer, of anyone for that matter, is of much greater importance than their physical health. Yes, we don’t want to see loved ones suffer through illness or pain; but this is just temporal. John has received word that the spiritual walk of Gaius is prosperous and so he is comfortable with praying for his physical health as well.

This postcard is John’s encouragement to his brother in Christ. And in encouraging Gaius, John reveals the encouragement he has received: vs. 4

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

Nothing should bring greater joy than to see people devoted to God, walking in the truth. When I see, or hear, of kids that Kristen and I taught as youth or as children that are now serving God in various ways; my heart swells. When I see you, the congregation of First Church of God, serve the community, serve one another, & serve God; my heart swells. Likewise, when I witness believers fall into sin, or turn away from God; my heart breaks.

Have you heard the illustration that you may be the only Bible someone ever reads? Sad, but true. You may be the first introduction to spiritual things someone ever encounters. Paul says this in and continues in -

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

2but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

So, if you are the letter written by the Spirit, as Paul has declared, then we should not bee ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; but declaring it as a manifestation of the truth. The truth wherein we walk.

Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

On of the demonstrations of the walk of truth is in how we treat others, especially those in the faith. Remember in John’s last two epistles, he warned of false teachers and that those who welcomed them into their homes/ church/ pulpit were culpable of the sin perpetrated by these false teachers. But John, in this postcard, commends Gaius for his discernment and hospitality; even towards strangers. The writer of Hebrews notes:

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hospitality is not an easy gift. I have friends, Brook and Renee Anderson, that are the most hospitable people I have ever met. They have opened their home up to anyone that has a need. If you’re in Montana (around Billings) and you need a place to stay, I’ll give you their number. You’ll likely get a meal or two out of it as well.

Hospitality is not just being willing to entertain guests, but welcoming them into your home regardless of the state it is in. Most of us want to make sure our homes are presentable before inviting someone inside. But true hospitality is having an open door policy. I’ve told the youth and young adults, “You can come over to our house anytime, but if it’s after Mid-night make sure you have a pizza in your hand to share.”

Paul says, in Romans 12,

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Practice hospitality. This is the walk of truth. If Christ is in our hearts, we are to be hospitable. This doesn’t mean that each of us will have the gift of hospitality, but we will all be hospitable. It becomes a part of your character.

Not everyone who professes to be a Christian, follows the commands of God. Such was the case in John’s postcard. He warned Gaius of Diotrephes behavior...

I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. [vv9-12]

According to John, this is not his first letter. Perhaps he is referring to 1 John or even 2 John if “the chosen Lady” referred to the church. Nonetheless, John is pretty fed up with this posers behavior. He refuses to accept what John has said. He unjustly accuses using wicked words. And finally, he is not receiving fellow believers. This is a bully and a man who uses his position for personal gain. We’ve certainly seen people who have acted this way. John’s response was to properly discipline this Diotrephes by calling attention to his actions.

There is a proper way to discipline within the church.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 18

15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

16 “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.

17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

But in all situations, we are to imitate God, not man. We are to respond in love, not evil. Providing a poor example in Diotrephes, John then offers a good example in Demetrius. Just as Gaius is a common name, so too is Demetrius. We know little of this man except that he has a good reputation.

Prov. 22:1

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 22

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,

Favor is better than silver and gold.

Prov. 3:1-4

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

1 My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your heart keep my commandments;

2 For length of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good repute

In the sight of God and man.

A good name; a good reputation. What’s in a name? One finds honor, respect, humility, service. Luke reported that seven men of good reputation were chosen to be leaders of the first century church. When we seek leaders here at First Church of God, we look at the reputation of those people. Paul’s letter to Timothy sites the requirements of such leaders:

New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version Chapter 3

1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Above reproach. Respectable. A good leader is one who honors his/her word; both to others and to God. Prideful people should not be leaders in the church. Pride has no place; for pride is sin. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. []

I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. [vv13-15]

As I mentioned last week, it was not safe to write down every thought just in case the messenger was caught with the letter or postcard. But John was hoping to visit Gaius soon and at that time would straighten Diotrephes out and share more encouragement for his friend.

In the meantime, John offers Gaius peace. Reminiscence of the many time John witnessed Jesus give parting words of peace, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” []. Peace, offered by the Prince of Peace is peace that passes all understanding. It is that which keeps us going, even when we don’t understand. Peace - the psalmist said to seek it, pursue it.

11-18-18 Sermon Prep

Introduction:

Passage: 3 John

Main Body: