Walk in Truth and Love

The road

Introduction

How many of you were raised on a farm? Both my parents were, and almost every vacation we had growing up was visiting the families on their farms in either Wisconsin or Kansas.

We’d go and visit my mom’s parents - my grandparents - in Colby, WI, home of Colby cheese. But we would not stay with them, because they had returned and now lived in a tiny little house in town. No, instead we stayed at the family farm with my Uncle Kenny. We LOVED the farm. Dogs! The hayloft! The attic! So much to see, and so much more to do.

While my parents would sit to visit with Grandma and Grandpa, after a while they would send us kids to Uncle Kenny’s. To get there, we’d step out of G&G’s house, and turn left. We were commanded to walk straight and stay together: past the stores, past other roads, over the railroad tracks, and out of town. The road led directly to Uncle Kenny’s farm.

The road from town to farm would go from paved, to gravel, to dirt. The nice concrete curbs and painted lines would disappear, replaced by ruts in the road and ditches on the sides that grew deeper and deeper. Sometimes a pickup truck would ramble by, and we’d be coughing and choking from the dust it kicked up. But Grandma and Grandpa told us that if we just kept walking together on the road, we would get to the farm.

There’s same walking, on a road, that God’s words from the Bible are asking us to do today: to walk in truth and love with Him and one another. Let’s look at His words, together:

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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.

4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. 5 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. 6 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 , .

FAREWELL

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.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

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 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 don’t 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

Walk in Truth

(06:00)

▪ Truth…is foundational (occurs 5 times in 4 verses)

⁃ Let’s look at God’s words here and see how foundational truth is to a thriving life.

⁃ The term “truth” appears 5 times in the first four verses, repeating it for emphasis, emphasis, emphasis.

⁃ John is almost shouting that truth is foundational. We ignore truth today at our peril. And there is one truth you have to get right before you can get any other truths right: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Father (v3), and came to make right our rebellion against God. Which means believing in truth…

▪ Truth…is commanded

⁃ John, the elder here, says in v4 that he “was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command…”

⁃ We are commanded to walk in truth by our Creator. What kids of truth?

⁃ On a simple level, not abandoning facts about his creation:

⁃ we can’t deny the sky is blue, the earth is round, or that boys are born boys and girls are born girls. That would be denying the Creator.

⁃ But, more faithfully to this text, Verses 7-11 show that these truths John is talking about are what we call the doctrines of faith, and the primary one he has in mind is that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. A real human. And really God.

⁃ But merely believing doctrines is not what the apostle John had in mind here, or he would not have used those words like “know” “remain” “forever” and “love”.

▪ ▪ Truth…comes from a person

⁃ Truth, as stated here, is not just accepting doctrine

⁃ Look at the ways truth is used:

⁃ love is connected to it in verse 1, knowing is connected, it remains in us, is with us forever.

⁃ Do you hear these words? Truth is more than facts here…in fact it sounds like…a person!

⁃ who is this person? It is Jesus Christ himself!

⁃ In John’s gospel, chapter 14, Jesus says some words many of you know: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father unless I call them.”

Let’s go back to the road analogy. On the road, there were ditches on both sides. Some people look at truth as if it were the road. But these verses show truth as a person. If truth is Jesus Christ himself, he is on the road with us.

What are the ditches? On one side we have a ditch that says “Jesus Christ is not truly God”.

That’s just what we see in verse 7! Look at it with me: “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.”

Many people get caught up in the word “antichrist”. It sounds scary. And, in the book of Revelation, one major antichrist has become important, and scary. But right here it simply means anyone who is “against Christ”…anti-Christ. That person who is against Christ is one of our ditches - it would be dangerous to fall into that ditch, under the influence of someone who is against Christ!

But, this letter says there is a ditch on the other side of our road, and that ditch also takes us away from Jesus Christ walking in the center of the road. In verse 9 John says “Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God.”

What would “going beyond Christ’s teaching” look like? Quite simply, the greatest teaching of Jesus Christ is his gospel, the good news of salvation. His teaching says that it is Christ+nothing else=salvation. So, adding anything to Christ’s work goes beyond Christ’s teaching. Christ+wearing the right clothes=salvation is teaching that goes beyond Christ…

And that is a ditch on the other side of the road!

It is good to walk with Jesus, the truth, on the road. But that’s not all we’re asked and promised. We are also asked to…

Walk in Love

(10:00)

Walk in love

▪ Love…is foundational to the letter. This letter just exudes love from John to those he writes it to.

⁃ In verse 1: he loves this lady and her children!

⁃ In verse 3: God the Father and Jesus Christ love both the writer and the readers!

⁃ And in verse 5 he asks that they love one another.

⁃ Love is foundational, but it is not the fluffy love of today - not, this is a muscular love because…

▪ Love…is commanded

⁃ Look at verse 5: love is commanded. And it is not a new command, no, it is one we’ve had from the beginning: Jesus said to love the Lord is the first and greatest and to love one another is like it.

⁃ We say things about love like “love is never having to say you’re sorry”. But John says “This is love: that we walk according to his (God’s) commands.

⁃ At he very least, our minds could go to the 10 commandments from Exodus chapter 20.

⁃ But let’s get more specific. Since we are commanded to walk in love, what does the Bible say love looks like?

⁃ Most of you know a very clear passage on love, in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. It’s often read at weddings, but it’s not meant for weddings. No, it’s meant for use just like Johns letter: in the church, between believers. How we are to love God and one another:

⁃ Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

⁃ This is the kind of love John is commanding us to constantly practice (walk in) with one another. But, frankly, that kind of love is impossible if we are on our own. Thankfully…

▪ Love comes from a person

⁃ the Bible is clear on love: patient, kind, is not envious or rude. And then John, in the letter we call 1 John, makes this startling claim in 1 John chapter 4, verses 7-8 (turn there)

⁃ “love is from God…The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

⁃ God is love! Let’s look back at our verses on love…if you are a follower of Christ:

⁃ Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus is not arrogant, Jesus is not rude, Jesus is not self-seeking, Jesus is not irritable, and Jesus does not keep a record of wrongs.

⁃ This is the only way we can continually walk in love: walk in the presence of love itself.

So, back to our road.

On the road, there were ditches on both sides. Some people look at love as if it were the road. But our verses showed love as a person. If love is Jesus Christ himself, he is on the road with us. By walking close to him we avoid the ditches of impatience, of arrogance, of unkindness, cruelty, hatred. And the ditches of sappiness, of “never-having-to-say-your-sorryness”

It is good to walk with Jesus, who is love, on the road. But John has so much more in mind for us, when he asks us to…

4. Walk in Truth and Love

Walk in Truth and Love

(14:00)

Walk in Truth and Love.

We’ve looked at truth & love separately, making sure we get them right and hold them fast. But John never means to separate them:

Look at verse 1: he loves…in the truth

Verse 3: the Father and Son have love and truth for us

And, of course, the next verses show we are commanded to walk in love and truth.

How do we live this way? Thankfully, John tells us right here! Let’s look together at verses 7-11.

We’ve seen that these are two ditches of danger: one is the teaching that denies Jesus Christ is God and came in the flesh.

The other, in verse 9, is the false teaching that goes beyond the gospel and turns good news into bad news.

John then says how we practice muscular love, like his. We don’t welcome people who teach these things into our homes, and don’t greet them (v10)

Back them, traveling teachers were common, and “greeting” meant approval.

Today, traveling teachers are common, but in a different way: on TV, and on the internet. And approving of them means supporting their ministry in any way.

John is warning us to turn the TV off when we realize the preacher on it is tuning the good news into bad news with teaching like “if you have enough faith, you will be healed of all your illnesses.” That turns good news into bad news, and goes beyond his teachings.

And, certainly, don’t send these people money or support them in any way, for John was us that if we do that we share in their evil works.

But what do we get if we walk in truth and love? Remember, these come from a person, so it’s no surprise we’re told what else comes from having love and truth through Jesus Christ:

Grace, mercy, and peace.

How?

(18:00)

Jesus is the truth, walking right in the center of the road. By staying close to Jesus and all he teaches we avoid the dangerous ditches on the sides of the road, and have a hand out to help steady other people who may be headed to the ditches if we don’t help.

But! Since he is God, he is also love itself. By walking close to him we avoid the ditches of impatience, of arrogance, of unkindness, cruelty, hatred, and we have a hand out to steady “one another” who may be heading to the ditches if we don’t help out.

Brothers and sisters, these are not two separate things, they go hand in hand if we are walking with Jesus himself.

What does that look like for us, for you, today, since it is clear that Jesus is not here, physically, with us. It’s simple: the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself told his disciples that it was better that he go to the Father, because when he did, the Holy Spirit - our helper - would come. He is here with every believer, today. Some of the descriptors given to him are helper, comforter, guide.

Maybe you don’t know the kind of truth and love John talks about. To know it, you have to trust in what John says in the beginning: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, both savior and Lord. None of the blessings of grace, mercy, and peace flow to us without him. We would be on the road of life, alone. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, alone, and never be alone.

Maybe you have your faith in Christ, but don’t feel the relationship John proclaims. He diagnoses why: we have to watch ourselves, and operate in truth and love. You’ve probably fallen in one of the ditches. If so, don’t despair! You don’t have to get out on your own, because remember the name for the Holy Spirit: helper. His hands are infinitely strong and infinitely gentle. Call to him, and he will carry you up and set you on the road again.

Isn’t that just like someone you’d need to have, walking in truth and love on this long road of life, on your way to the farm where joy resides forevermore?