The 'Truth-in-Love' Society: Contributing to the Christ's Comm-unity in the Last Days
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, those waiting and working and living towards the Great Coming of the One who is the Alpha and the Omega, you’ve got mail!
Actually you’ve got five communications in your in box from Jesus’ beloved apostle John to you, and really from God to us. After Luke the second most prolific writer of the NT. And I really believe the order you chose to read these will shape not only your understanding but also how you live your life. These communications are the Gospel of John 1-3 John, and then Revelation. Now which would you say, after the gospel, are most popular - obviously 1 John hope you really enjoyed that. Revelation hope you really grow with that in knowledge of Jesus and the times in which we live. Spend a good deal of time in those. Not properly speaking letters as we understand them today. General for whole church in Asia Minor. Easy to rush to juicy speculative end times prophesy - controversy. Why spent time before digging in to what these churches in Ephesus - Paul, then Timothy, then John. Each generation some specific challenges - assurance, false teaching, purity and love. Don’t want you to lose site, that Revelation to written to specific churches of this area, a few years later it would seem - persecution in Roman Empire - and who knows for us - heading into such a time in church in Western civilization - or even in the very last days - need this instruction about living preserving and overcoming, every bit as much assurance and growth in Christian living. But all of these first two not just written to make us little experts on theology of Christian living and experts on the end times. But the information is needed for the purpose of these Christians actually surviving the spiritual challenges of their times, and positively, living out the truth as a light to this world. All four of these written for that purpose and especially these letters communicate that from God to us - this is the encouragement you and I need walk faithfully to Jesus in these times! In three sermons we will be encouraged to press on as a community of love, to know how to combat false teaching and teachers, and how to practically support fellow Christians workers through missionary support and hospitality. This morning we will focus on the encouragement we need to living as a community of love!
Key Truth: Faithfulness in Christian community requires loving-in-truth!
A. John’s aim for Christian community is faithfulness
What is faithfulness: is it … If as a paper boy - I delivered those 55 papers four out of every 6 days of the week? Good enough. If your bank invested 75% of your retirement savings funds, but left the other 25% earning no return. If a husband and wife live in fidelity 80% of the time. If bridge is 90% sound is that what engineers and Ministry of Transportation can be happy with? What about our Christian life? Well its not that John is looking for perfection. But John is looking for a community faithfully, consistently living out the truth of the gospel. Not perfection, but determined dying to old self, and commitment -again and again no matter how many times you try and it doesn’t seem to to work, you get hurt - faithfulness is never-giving up, get up and try it again, This is what John rejoices in 2 John 4
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.
And it is what He a few months later - rejoices in again, in the next letter. 3 John 4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
That should stop us in our tracks right there, this isn’t just new information. In fact, both letters more words are straight out of 1 John then new words, instruction, information. But John despite persistent problem this congregation has with wrong teaching, and wrong living; John chooses yes to address that, but only as he focuses on the good. He notices the good in God’s people - do you? II’m not saying ignore sin, or error, but I am aksing do you have a radar for kindnesses, and love and service. Joh writes to encourage that in the faithful, and then in 3 John 5 he adds
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are,
John was a person, who knew what it was to fail. Remember the end of his gospel - poignantly paints picture for the end - Jesus addressing his falling away - said die with me, but left me - self-protection, sinful fear. Remember how Jesus loved enough to actually probes the wrong, shame, hurt in John’s life with questions. Not first of all strong rebuke, or theological lesson, but questions that drew out faithfulness - Do you love me… feed my sheep, take care of these lambs.
Lord you know I love you. That’s what John is doing by these letters to encourage Christian community.
This is especially important when many of us like John at the end of the gospel, by circumstance or even choice - pull apart - many feel less than faithful, many feel isolated, kind of standing alone of shore of our lives…
And John even continues with that encouragement - sees kindness to strangers going on - and says: 3 John 6
who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.
Wow, do you see what John not only encourages, but then places as a highest expectation for the church to care and love in WORTHY MANNER. There are these strangers, believers, travelling through, support them as drop by, a manner worthy of God! Does that happen here, in your relationships? I am not asking if you receive that from others here, but do you offer it? SO faithfulness - is a huge concern of John’s in these short letters, but also as he writes Revelation. We will hear that book differently, if we get John concern is not so much get a precise formula for the end times figure out. John’s goal is get your bearing straight understand our times, but bigger goal is - those faithfully persevere and serve, suffer through in faithfulness!
B. Faithfulness requires living out of our Secure Identity in Christ
Well what do you need to dare to faithfully live in Christian community in these times? To dare to be vulnerable, deny self to serve others, to get engaged in the messy work of relating to others. Well, you don’t have to wait until you have a nice enough home to invite others into, you don't have to wait until you’ve reached some level of spiritual strength or outward success to live faithfully in Christian community. You don’t have to wait until you are in a stage of life when you have more time. Here is something surprising, you just have to live out of the security and identity you have in Christ.
Think about it in your own personal life among family or friends. When you don’t feel loved - when you feel like I deserve to be treated this way - get grumpy , stingy in your loving - almost a tit for tat - and that is not community , anti- unity, what world stuck in -sin separates,
But when you are surprisingly loved, accepted, noticed, engaged - something strange happens to your soul - all that tit for tat kind of I need to be loved like this, falls away and you just love others freely -after experiencing love like that! Well, look how John’s greeting goes in this letter, how he begins. 1 John didn’t have one , so this one really important for all the rest of his communication to these Christians. How does he see them. How are you as an individual Christian greeted by John?
2 John 1
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
Now here is a wonder: who are you Christians scattered in your homes across Simcoe county? Who are you Covenant CRC. Little ones who struggle, who fail, no no no - faltering community if that is how we see ourselves. We will just live tit for tat kind of loving here, if just see ourselves as isolated little suffering Christians.
Only time we really here - that word is President Elect Joe Biden. That was big choosing wasn't it - changes his life, his position his power - but the people chose him. Out of all the people in that nation -selected him. The word carries that idea of choice material - the greatest quality; It is the word for election, predestination - God not because of our quality but because of the quality of His love - worth measured by His love - he chose us - we are precious and choice in His sight, as He chose us in Christ. Who have you and I become in this world. This isn’t speaking of a particular lady that hosts the house church. No, in both OT and NT, the chosen of God - is the bride, the wife of God - Hosea.
NT church to be personified as a woman: the ‘Parable of the Ten Virgins’ (Matt. 25:1–13); Christ as husband and the church as wife (Eph. 5:21–33); the Corinthian congregation as ‘betrothed …to one husband’ and presented ‘as a pure virgin to Christ’ (2 Cor. 11:2); and the church as the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:17) 2 John 1:1, Ephesians 5, Revelation - the lady is a corporate personality a group of people. And like the First lady of the USA, the church has special position and love of the Chosen Son, Saviour.
Do you recognize that God’s loves you in this way. Do you receive that love and live out of that awareness. From heav'n He came and sought her To be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died.
That is the church - doctrine of election remember is not about us speculating who, nor questioning God’s justice and right to have mercy on who he will, it is given to us to ponder after the fact that this mercy freely made available has been received - to with certainty know - pure mercy and grace and he loves me - without regard to my sin, failures, - . Sing Remind me who I am to You… And John looks at all the individual children, all the little you and me scattered and struggling - says that’s who you are - and I will love you in this truth - love one another like that! What a community - we are in Christ. Nicest complement ever heard paid to you - visiting pastor once said - something special - feel and experience they truly sense that they are the people of God!
Absolutely essential experience this if I want to live faithfully in community of Christ. And John attaches to that identity a promised blessing that is to be regularly relied upon. So important that greeting we use in worship - relying on our identity like that, Beginning of the service - not asking God give g,m,p, but listen to him: 2 John 3
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
The lady isn’t an individual, but all these children together, it is us - and John is saying - rely on God’s resources as gathered into Christ to be His precious bride. And so you can count on - grace -unmerited favour, getting what you don’t earn, freely bestowed, The only other time John uses this word is in John 1:16-17
So in the truth in Christ - grace given in continual supply just when one measure is used up, another replaces it = wave after wave! FULL of God’s grace to us, never used up in Christ. can count on mercy - speaks of our utter need as sinners, all and any from the worst sinner to the most upright Pharisee all in Christ can have our punishment stayed , and it speaks of the result : Count on Peace - God working wholeness in the middle of the brokenness - shalom! And at the beginning of this letter, at the beginning of our worship service - remember who we are to God, His bride, and in full expectation of ongoing grace and mercy and peace Christ won. When you have your identity and security, ready to give same grace you’ve received, mercy, peace work for wholeness in each other's lives.
And that brings us to the action in Christian community that John exemplifies and calls each one of us to:
C. Start, Keep-On, and Grow in ‘Loving-in-Truth’ & ‘Truthing-in-love’ with Others!
You know what happens when the hammer of suffering, affliction, attack, persecution, plague, controversy happens - for many when ultimately Satan does this to the Church and to our world, the sheep, the dear children SCATTER. Prophesied in OT, lived out in life of Christ. But also happens in our day, especially in the last days - time of testing. It is that reality that John uncovers the central dynamic of Christian community. Loving-in-truth, and truthing-in-love!
He says that’s how he and all the Christians through out Asia Minor are loving this congregation: 2 John 1
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
As he gives instruction next week about how to love fellow Christian workers, some strangers - he says that walking in the truth. 3 John 3. What does this in the truth mean, how is loving in the truth different than what the world does when it tries to love and create community?
Carl Truman - love sentimentality real shift in Western culture from community to radical individualism that ultimately is anti-Christian love and community. Love in our culture has nothing to do with truth. This kind of love says - love is all about my feelings - tolerance which is a good Christian principle about freedom, gets turned into - license and right to complete self-determination with no regard for others to the truth, Live in society where only limit is don’t step on others persons freedom to self-determination, self creation. In our world, love and truth are often seen as opposites, and people either using truth as ammunition to win their way, their view, and annihilate the opposition to their view, and love is often with no real engagement in where our lives are heading. Wrong view of unconditional love, as if I love and accept you means - I don’t really care where you are heading or if you are being transformed. Love you and just stay where you are in sin and brokenness! Because of this we have shallow relationships that can’t handle the truth and rarely love deeply in action.
But Christianity, the gospel, John the true Church says, love and truth necessarily go together. John says, elect lady, we are those who know the truth - not as bunch of words and ideas. But the truth, including those words & ideas are about the Person of Jesus Christ - who is the truth. Remember what John said in 1 John - Jesus is the truth from the beginning. And to listen/heed to His truth to receive it is to know Truth like you know your best friend, or your mother or Father. We know, experience, we are related to Truth in Christ like that, and as a result the Spirit of that Truth, the Spirit of Jesus says, John abides in us 2 John 2
because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
Do you get this? Truth isn’t just intellectual data, it is also that or He who lives in you and directs your life.
Listen to how he put it in the first epistle: 1 John 4:6,20
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The spirit of antichrist in this world - works an error, a lie in all of our lives that is anti-truth and anti-love. But knowing God in Christ - truth and love work together and are activated by the Spirit by whom that truth love dwells and remains, abides in us.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
What does this means practically? For your action and my action in this Christian community, in the middle of this world where the lie grows and spreads and even tries to infiltrate the church? It means we listen first, we aren’t afraid of the truth and letting it expose who we are and who God is. We asks questions about how we are really doing - what’s your reality in body and soul - listen for suffering, hurt, uncertainty - Listen to where struggle, temptation, sin and failure are. Open ourselves up to each other and ask for prayer. We say can I pray for you in that, and then through the week actually pray and even find a Scripture truth -addresses that situation. Been on my heart. And it means that expect truth to transform us, face reality and bring the hope of the gospel - just listen to John expressed desire in 3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Love in action practically - in body, sickness, struggle, how can I help in material ways, but also in soul. Radical community that not only learns to speak the truth in love in our relationships, but also loves not only in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18
Think orphaned teenager JR Tolkein. Boarding school - bullied, outsider. But facing harsh realities, yet seeking a plan for their lives, boys even one who bullied him, - truth-ed-in-love, loved, in truth - formed a little life long club. Even in trenches with Mustard Gas and bullets flying faithful - published pens of fallen friend in troubled family! Lster when decided to write from the heart - explains to his children, it will be a story about FELLOWSHIP!
Oh, what a call to action - ask yourself if got that balanced reach into people’s lives around you? Go to extreme of just truth, or go to extreme of just love - dare to believe that as know truth of Jesus and love of Jesus as experience and abide in it - reach into people lives balanced. And so John says, you in Christ, you choice elect lady, church of Jesus Christ - loved like this in truth you can too… : 2 John 5
In the next sermons ,we’ll see how to proceed when love calls us to share the truth, when someone is persistently holding to error about Christ and the gospel in the church. When that person teaches against the truth, what do we do? This is not about when someone stumbles and falls, but when someone persistently teaches falsehood about Christ and the Gospel. And then we’ll also see what we must do when need, shows up in our fellows believers lives and how with loving hospitality we are to meet needs, and walk beside each other.
Conclusion:
I can’t wait to get to Revelation, but I don’t want us to receive that precious communication from God paying attention to the wrong thing. You have probably heard the saying: I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.
That’s the focus caring and protecting and actual Christians in their suffering and serving, and caring and protection and nurturing the truth of the gospel in this Christian community.
Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 , futuristic society - burns books - classic knowledge of Western civilization - Greek Philosophers, Bible memorized… I would want to be on the side of knowledge… But says one who is the truth must be abiding in us, then experience and know the Truth - come to us wave after wave, with g,m, and p from IN TRUTH AND LOVE … 2 John 3
Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.
Not nostalgic or elitists - knowledge - secret society - but in defiance to kingdom of darkness, God forgetting, self-centred individualism… in setting when deserters of their truth and those unwilling to love in costly simple ways… He says: 2 John 4
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.
We can’t know why he only found some - whether only knew of a few from this congregation, or whether many in congregation - actually unfaithful. Whatever the case, like the experience of reading watching F 451 - there’s no point of knowing this truth, particularly of the end times, unless we are participants- in this truthing-in-love, and loving-in-truth society! Speaking Gospel words of love and truth. Acting in each other’s lives with love and truth. The Church in these last days is to be a truth in love society, that will be like a city on hill, lamp on candle stick in a dark, unfriendly world. Amen.