Sermon Tone Analysis
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It’s that awkward time of year between Christmas and New Year’s.
Recovery from a very busy holiday, reflecting on a previous year and looking ahead to the year to come.
Have you had a change to look at 2022 and imagine what God might have for you in the year ahead?
The elders met last week and we talked about where we’ve been, where we are and where we sense God might be leading us in the months and years ahead.
A couple of themes came from our conversation:
Crossroads has a rich history in raising up men and women of God, and releasing them to their call - both locally and elsewhere.
Crossroads loves to worship the Lord through music and singing.
Crossroads is a community of believers that helps others heal.
Children are loved, accepted and encouraged to grow in their faith in Jesus at Crossroads.
As we look to the next months and years ahead, these will be some of the areas that we want to make sure our church is leading the way.
We are not going to try to be like some other church or do something because another church somewhere else did it, but we will move ahead in the ways God equips and leads us.
We are still prayerfully considering how God would have us move forward.
One thing is certain - we want to be where God is already moving as we partner with Him to see His will be done.
If you are sensing God speak to you about where God might be leading us, please reach out and let us know.
The elders and I look forward to our many conversations with you as we put one foot in front of the other following the Lord from where we are to where He is bringing us.
Amen?
With that as the backdrop for the message, it is tempting to talk about something new, but instead I want to talk about a not so new command.
***Put up title slide***
In the months and years ahead, we may see some “new” things happen.
We may try a few new ways of meeting together, a few new ways of organizing ministries, new ways of ministering to people, but the commands of Jesus will be the same as they have been.
Today we are going to look at the book of 2 John.
If you have your Bibles, turn there with me.
If not, we’ll put it up on the slides.
A few things to mention before we start reading…much like the letter 1 John we covered much of last year, this letter was written to the church who was in the midst of standing up against false doctrine.
People were trying to insert them into the leadership of the church and lead people astray.
John spend a good part of his first letter telling the church to beware…this short letter is along those same lines.
Let’s read:
Most church scholars believe that John was speaking of the church when he says lady.
Much like when Jesus refers to the church as His bride, John here refers to the church as a lady chosen by God.
The members in the church are her children.
John loves the church and so do all those who know the truth.
If there is an encouragement for us to consider loving all other churches who follow Jesus, this is it.
We are not in competition, we are in cooperation with one another.
We have the same Jesus living in us and the Jesus will be with us forever.
So much in this sentence.
Have you ever done sentence diagramming?
I know some people who do that for fun.
I am not one of those people, but it is helpful to be able to break a sentence down.
Just to be clear, I will not be diagramming this sentence…but the first step is to find the verb and the subject of the sentence.
If we do that for this sentence, we have:
Grace, mercy and peace will be.
This is good news.
These three things happening and being are good news to me.
Then we can add the first of the two prepositional phrases at the end…
Grace, mercy and peace will be with us.
I would like to see this happen in the world around us.
The world is a much better place when we act in grace and mercy.
Often out of grace and mercy comes a peace.
But there is another prepositional phrase that tells us how this happens:
Grace, mercy and peace will be with us in truth and love.
Ah…truth and love.
These cannot be separated.
When a church or a believer becomes too focused on just truth, there is a harshness and edge that happens.
Likewise, a hype focus on love gives us the 60’s.
Peace and love man…
So there is a balance of the two.
A truth with love.
Love with truth.
We want to be a church known for both.
The only way is to go to the source of both truth and love…Jesus.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
John makes sure we don’t miss where the Grace, mercy and peace comes from.
In fact he is quite specific.
The church was under attack.
People were trying to teach things contrary to truth.
John says truth and love are gifts we receive from the Lord and that we need to be “IN”.
When we are in truth and love, grace and mercy and peace will be with us.
Good news!
Remember, this letter is written to the church…John is saying…hey I ran into some of your old members…I could tell they were walking in the truth.
This verse is pretty similar to the verse in 1 John 2:7…I wonder why John had to repeat this several times.
Looking back to the words of Jesus, he had to repeat this commandment a few times.
If we are not careful to keep love as a daily decision, we can turn pretty rotten pretty quick.
Jesus said it like this:
Jesus was our example for love.
This love came from the Father by keeping the Father’s commands and remaining in the Father.
And now our love for the world around us comes from remaining in Jesus and keeping his commands.
Jesus tells us to love each other as Jesus has loved us.
Back in 2 JOhn, listen now to the contrast of love - Truth:
Love is not love without truth.
Truth follows the commands of the Lord, but a follower of Jesus also loves.
Remember, this letter is for the church.
If someone comes teaching something that is contrary to the Gospel, the truth of Jesus, we cannot have them bring that teaching to our church.
This is how we are to handle deceivers coming.
This is not how we handle unbelievers.
We are to open are arms and welcome those who are seeking the truth.
We are to love them and share the truth.
If someone comes wanting to deceive and draw God’s people away, we are not to welcome them.
It is best just to have them stay away.
Truth.
Love.
There is a fine balance between the two.
Paul says it this way in his letter to the Ephesian church:
Teach the foundational aspects of the Gospel.
Teach it in truth and in love.
When we get it, we will grow to a mature body with each one doing what God has made us for, in the way he has knit us together.
Can you see it?
A growing body of believers, speaking truth in love…that body growing and being built up in love.
That is Crossroads.
As elders, we will keep Jesus the focus as we walk this next season out in faith.
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