Love and the Outcome

3 john is a little a little different than other books as there are only a few that are addressed to certain individuals, like Philemon for example.(McArthur) John wanted to write a short letter to Gaius just to show some contrast to how well he well he was doing as a Christ like example to the region around him. He will tell Gaius more when he visits him.

We must also understand that this book continues along the same ideas of hospitality as 2 John, although keeping ever so close a guard up for false teachers. To which john so argued for us not to be hospitable towards.

This book demonstrates that pride can divide Christians if they are not living by God’s Word. To avoid the dual dangers of false teaching and division within the church, believers should practice the dual virtues of love and discernment.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 3 Jn.

B. Hospitality and Love linked

We need to understand how hospitality and love are linked. In the series of letters that John writes remember that he starts with very evident and contrasting qualities of a Christian, and all of those stems out of a key quality found in our Father in heaven. “God is Love”- 1 John 4:7-8

1 John 4:7–8 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

That follows earlier a section of verses charging us all the way back to the beginning. Not of Jesus’ ministry, need I remind you, but all that way back to Genesis. John tells us this to remind us how ‘true’ Christians act as evidence of the Spirit in our lives. 1 John 3:11

1 John 3:11 ESV

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

This is the Gospel. Live in such a way that you can be such a friend to someone that you are willing to lay down your life for someone, even death on a cross, selflessly. That is where all this is rooted. (John 15:13). Love like Jesus.

let’s read our passage for today.

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

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. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Support and Opposition

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 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. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

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

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016),

3 Jn 1–15.

Hospitality is not about inviting people into our perfect homes; it is all about inviting people into our imperfect hearts- anonymous

I. Examples in Hospitality

A. Productive Gaius -vss. 1-8

In verses one and two is John’s greeting to his friend and is praying a blessing on his life.

Walking in the truth of God’s word- v 3-4

Gaius was becoming renown for his hospitality and love for all Christians who would come his way. 3 John 3-4

3 John 3–4 ESV

3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

-Supporting our own when in need- v.5-8

This ‘love’ he is portraying is the ‘Agape’ love- He was treating people as God would treat people in a manner where hospitality should be practiced. This is a continued practice from the OT. Rahab towards the spies, Elijah receives hospitality of the widow of Zarephath, and of course back to:

Genesis 12, 14, 18, & 19

My family and I sat around a table in the middle of Israel while actors portrayed what it would have been like to be welcomed like Abraham did to his visitors

B. Proud Diotrephes - vss. 9-10

The language used here in these verses suggest that Diotrephes is someone who is in leadership at either the church where Gaius is or close by as well. Either way Gaius would have been familiar with him, and the reputation of his actions as well. John had written a letter to the church and Diotrephes either never read it to the church or destroyed it, since he did not acknowledge John’s authority. (McArthur) Lets remember what John thinks of false teachers rising up within the ranks of the church even among the leadership.

1. Selfishness is his own authority- v. 9

It’s made very clear by John that Diotrephes is seeking his own ‘kingdom’ and wants his name to be great. He is going as far as not even recognizing John as an Apostle.

Selffishness is everybit 180 degrees for who Jesus is and wants us to be.

1 John 3:17 ESV

17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

2. The Elder will confront him- v. 10a

So whether he is a leader of the church who needs rebuking or a false teacher who is needing to be ushered out of the church, either way we know Diotrephes is not acting like Jesus.

McArthur points out 4 things He is acused of:

a. Empty jabber, talking nonsense (pratting) against John

b. malicious words- not only were the things he was saying false and unjustified- they were evil

c. deliberately defied other believers, especially those who came in John’s name

d. He put them out of the church- the language used here is that they were ‘excommunicated’. All those who resisted his authority.

maybe that’s what happened to Gaius?

3. Discontent for Christian brothers- v. 10b

Diotrephes did now welcome Christian brother and sisters in love and hospitality.

C. Pleasant Demetrius - vss. 11-12

1. Have you ever seen those memes. (see picture) That’s how John is setting up Demetrius. Verse 11 is the theme verse in my opinion of the book.

3 John 11 ESV

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

Be ‘good’ and imitate good, like Demetrius.

2. He is Good. Three sources confirm this: v. 12

a. From Everyone- John has only heard good reports of Demetrius. His reputation is growing as a ‘good’ man.

Proverbs 22:1 “1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1 “1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.”

b.From the ‘Truth’

God’s word was practiced in his life. It was evident and made him a good role model. (McArthur)

This which is described of Demetrius is a word used in the ‘genitive’ form. The genitive normally marks a noun as the source or possessor of something, or refers to the kind of relationship that noun has to another noun.

Michael S. Heiser and Vincent M. Setterholm, Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database Terminology (Lexham Press, 2013; 2013).

Jesus himself spoke to wanting His disciples to be identified by the truth. And it is something that you possess in your life.

John 17:17 ESV

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

c.From John himself

The Apostle himself was putting his stamp of approval on Demetrius. Someone like Gaius himself, he can rely on.

Sum up here why the Gospel is here in 3 John

II. Application

A. Is Christ increasing and you decreasing?

B. How’s your reputation? When people think of you do they think of how much you love people?

C. God is love..and how you treat others is a direct indicator of the kind of love present in your heart.

D. Now is it love for yourself or love for the Father; indirectly those who are your neighbors?