Walking in the Truth: Does Your Life Bring Praise to the Name of Jesus?

Introduction

As we gather tonight I’d like to thank each of you for being here, but I’d also like to warn you now that tonight we will be covering almost an entire book of the Bible. But that’s ok, because the book we will be covering is the shortest book of the Bible. With just over 200 words, the book of 3 John might fit on the front and back of a postcard. Maybe you’ve been off on vacation and have taken a moment to write down some encouraging words or a quick note to a family member or friend. Imagine John here taking the time to write a short letter to one of his closest friends. Except here, John shares information that pertains to the early church and to specific individuals within it. As he writes he expresses both rejoicing and concern within the church. And tonight as we look at this text, I think we will some similarities to the modern church, and maybe even our own congregation.

As you are turning your bibles ’d like to begin tonight by asking you a question.

And the question I’d like to ask you tonight and that I’d like for you to ponder as you leave here and go home is this:

Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus?

I’d like each of us to think about this tonight. Ask yourself -

Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus? Am I walking in the truth? Is my main goal in life to live in a manner worthy of the Lord so that he might be glorified and Christ might be made known?

As born again believers in Jesus Christ this is our goal. To walk in the truth, to spread the Gospel in every circumstance and in all situations. To live a life that brings praise to the name of Jesus.

And so tonight, before we begin, I’d like for you to think about this. And as we open in prayer, I’d ask that you pray with me that as a church we would walk in the truth, that we would bring glory to God, and that we would bring praise to the almighty and all powerful name of Jesus Christ.

Pray

Gaius: A Man Stands Faithful (read intro sentences before saying this heading)

As we move through our Scripture for tonight we will see the example of three men outlined throughout the passage. And as we look at each of the men that John mentions, I want you to examine yourself tonight to see if anyone here looks something like you. And as you do again ask yourself:

Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus. Do I ive out the words in that say

So lets read together, beginning in verse 1

READ V. 1-8

As in the previous letter John identifies himself as “The elder” a name that conveys courage, commitment, and conviction. John was a man who was well respected because of his spiritual maturity. And in this letter we learn immediately that he is writing to a man by the name of Gaius. The tricky thing about the name Gaius is that it was probably the most common of all names in the Roman Empire, leaving many to debate and question who exactly this Gaius was. So all we learn about this Gaius is what we see here in the book of 3 John. But even without knowing his background or where he came from, what we can see about Gaius is that John loves him. Four times throughout this letter he mentions his love for Gaius while commending him for his great work for the kingdom.

And John’s heartfelt love for this man comes from a specific place. John’s affection for Gaius is due to their shared devotion to the truth, which is to say that both of these men had in common a faithfulness and devotion to the truth concerning Jesus Christ.

And so John gives us the first example of three men in this letter, the example of A Man Who Walks in Truth.

Gaius is a man who is walking in the truth, and as John opens his letter he both commends him for that, and encourages him to keep up the good work. And this is where the application to our lives comes in. There are four areas that John mentions we should seek to excel in as Christians. As Gaius walks in the truth in these areas so should we. So let’s look back at the text and see how we should do this.

Live Spiritually

Firstly, we should live spiritually.

READ

John’s prayer for Gaius is that he would “be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” Maybe Gaius was dealing with some health issues, or had an infirmity, and John prays for that, but as he does so he is sure to mention that Gaius doing well spiritually. As that applies to us today, think of it in terms of your life. If I were to pray the same prayer for you tonight, and if God were to answer that prayer, what would happen for you specifically? If I asked God to bless you physically to the same degree that you are healthy spiritually, would you be fit and in great shape or would you be sick? Or would you be nearly dead? We are called to live by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit. tells us but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Gaius was a man who was living for eternity and not for the temporary, and we are to live in the same manner. But how was Gaius doing this? John spells that out for us in the next two verses.

Walk Truthfully

Not only should we live spiritually, in light of eternity, but we should also walk truthfully.

READ

From what John was hearing about Gaius, he was a man that was full of truth, and was living out that truth every day, and this brough John great joy. The emphasis here is that Gaius faithfulness was not tied only to the fact that he was holding to correct doctrine, but that he was living in correct action. Gaius believed the right things, and he also lived the right way. His life was bearing fruit.

Is this how your life looks? Are you living for Christ in a way that is unmistakable to those around you. The truth is, people cannot see your heart, but they can see your life. It’s one thing to know what the Word says and to keep that knowledge in your mind and heart. It’s another thing altogether to walk and live out, day by day, the gospel. Gaius was doing this, and in our lives we should be to.

Serve Faithfully

As Gaius lived spiritually and walked truthfully, he also served faithfully. He was sensitive to the needs of those in the church.

READ 3 John 5-6

In v. 5 we see John mentioning that Gaius was faithful to the “brothers.” These brothers were a group of missionaries who had been sent out by John to the early Christian churches in order to determine their health. As they would return, they would literally stand before the congregation and give a testimony of what they had found from each individual church. Imagine the church doing this today, sending “strangers” as John called them, into our church to determine the health of it. What would their report for our church look like?

From the report that John had received, Gaius not only welcomed these men so much that upon their return they testified before their church of the love they had recieved from him. As a church are we so sensitive to the needs of others that if they were to tell others about us they would testify to the love they felt among us? Are we serving faithfully in a way that each guest who walks through the doors of Belle Fountain feels so loved that they can’t help but tell everyone about it?

Minister Generously

Finally, in order to walk in the truth, we are to minister generously.

READ

As these brothers went out to assess the early churches, they went out in the name of Christ, and yet even so, there were those in the church who did not accept them. As John states here, they accepted nothing from the Gentiles. Who were these Gentiles? Normally we would think of the Gentiles as those who were not of Jewish decent. In that case Gaius would have been a Gentile. And yet we’ve already been told that he accepted and loved the men sent to his church. John uses the word Gentile here to describe those within the church who did not accept the brothers who were sent.

Instead John tells Gaius that by supporting these believers, although they were not a part of his specific church, they would become fellow workers for the truth of the Gospel. These men depended on the support of the church for their livliehood. And this support came in many forms, whether financially, through prayer, or simply in showing love. As a church are we ministering generously to those who enter our doors. As Christians, are we supportive of the full body of Christ, or just the body we see every Sunday or Wednesday?

As a church, if we are not careful we can find ourselves so entangled in our own pursuits that we lose sight of the fact that our ministry here serves a larger purpose. As a body of believers our purpose is to live spiritually, walk truthfully, serve faitfully, and minister generously to all who are a part of the body of Christ. When we lose sight of this outward focus, and instead pursue what keeps us comfortable and happy within these four walls, we are in a very dangerous position.

And as we continue reading, John talks about the danger of those within the church who selfishly seek to put their own interests and desires before others.

Diotrephes: A Man Who Stands Opposed

READ

If Gaius had the right balance and stood faithful to the Gospel, a man by the name of Diotrephes did not. He was basically Gaius’s alter-ego at every turn. Rather than living by the Spirit and walking truthfully, he lived for himself. Rather than serving faithfully and ministering generously he refused to be hospitable and to welcoming. The bottom line here is that Diotrephes wanted to be the boss of the church. With a dominating Spirit, he set opposed John and set himself up as the Lord over his church. And the main reason for this is that he was driven by prideful ambition.

This serves as a very important example to our church today, that we cannot allow ourselves to be driven by prideful ambition.

Do not be driven by prideful ambition

As John states in v. 9 he had previously attempted to write to Diotrephes, a leader in the church, but it is likely that he disregarded this letter and refused to let John’s envoy of brothers speak. tells us that Christ is the head of the body and of the church, that he should be preeminent. From what we see in these verses, Diotrephes took for himself the position only Jesus should hold.

Tragically today there are those in the church who try to take the position that only Jesus should hold. To put yourself first stands in complete contrast to what Christ did, as he came humbly to serve and lay his life down for us. And yet, in the church today, like Diotrephes, there are those who whether knowingly or not, assert their agenda in a way that disregards the authority of Christ.

In the case of Diotrephes this was done out of selfishness which was detrimental to the growth and furtherment of the church. But when done out of ignorance, this kind of attitude can have the same harmful affect on the body.

V. 10 shows us that Diotrephes was talking “wicked nonsense” against John and the brothers. About fellow believers. Have you ever found yourself talking in an ungodly manner about fellow believers because of your own personal preference for things? That church has an egotistical pastor, or that church uses drums and a guitar during worship. That church doesn’t meet on Sunday nights, they don’t do things the way they should be done.

In talking like this, we are literally running people out of the church. We are putting people out of the church by creating an atmosphere that is in opposition to everything other than the way we do things. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well that’s how we do things here” or “That’s how we have always done it?” When did we become so selfish? Those are some of the most harmful words a Christ follower can say and they are words that can kill a church.

Akin, Dr. Daniel L.. Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) . B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

We don’t learn about the outcome of Diotrephes church in the Scripture’s, but I could make a pretty educated guess that his church did not last very long with the kind of attitude that he had toward believers. At least I hope it didn’t

And today I pray that this kind of thinking would leave the church. There is no room for a me first attitude in God’s church. If you find yourself driven by your personal preference rather than led by the Holy Spirit, please remember the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew, that “the son of man came not to be served, but to serve.”

We are not about what keeps us comfortable in our seats, we are about what keeps Christ’s command to serve.

What we need in the church instead of those like Diotrephes are more people who are willing to be like the final example John gives in the text. We need more Demetrius’s in our church today.

Demetrius: A Man Who Serves as an Example

Read with me the final two verses we will cover tonight, verses 11-12

READ

Each of us imitates someone. As much as we want to be individuals and we want to be unique, whether we like it or not, we all imitate and admire someone. And we should be careful of who that is. John is very smart here in his writing, because he sandwiches the bad example of Diotrephes between the examples of Gaius and Demetrius. If your going to imitate and admire someone, make sure its one of the latter and not the former.

Following his exhortation to pursue what is good, John presents a series of tests by which true believers can distinguish themselves from the world.

“Anyone who does what is good is from God, anyone who does what is evil has not seen God”.

And then he gives us an example of a man who has done this. Who has done what is good in the sight of God and who has brought praise to the name of Jeus. And he has done such a great great job of this that not only has John received word of his devotion to Christ, but he also testifies to it himself.

Through this we see that Demetrius possesses a good testimony. It’s obvious that over time people have watched him and found him to be a man of integrity and a man of godliness. At the same time though, this meant that it was very likely that not everyone agreed with Demetrius on every decision he made, or every thing he said. Often when we live above reproach and serve Christ faithfully, we will lose some friends and maybe even family simply because of our walk with God. But for Demetrius, it was worth it to serve Christ.

I think of Demetrius as a man that I could point my children to and say, “Be like him.” And along that kind of thinking, are you someone that I could point them to as well? Could you point your children to me and say the same?

The example that we set for others to see should be rooted in the truth. If others were to watch your life for a day, would they see Christ in you? Does your life bring praise to Jeusus in a way that makes you a good example to follow?

Closing

As we began tonight I asked each of you to ask yourself the question:

Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus. And as we prepare to close tonight, I hope that from the examples we observed in Scripture, your life is like that of Gaius’ or Demetrius. I pray that as a church we bring glory to Christ in a way that allows us to shine like a city on a hill that can’t be hidden. Not for our glory, but for the glory of Christ.

So as we close tonight I will ask you one more time to ask yourselves:

Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus? Am I walking in the truth? Is my main goal in life to live in a manner worthy of the Lord so that he might be glorified and Christ might be made known?

As the musicians come and we bow for a word of prayer, I’d ask that if you are struggling to answer, maybe you need to take time to come to the altar and ask God to allow you to bring praise to him every day. If you are unsure of what that means, then this time is an opportunity for you to come forward and learn what it is.