Exhortation - John's 3rd Epistle

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Insight

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John’s Third Epistle

Good morning my dear friends in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maturity & Responsibility

As we mature in the truth it becomes evident that our personal responsibilities to this house and our Brothers and Sisters, increases as we grow older together in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also true that the only way we can keep “grounded” in the faith, is if we load our shoulders with a right kind of responsibility. Not one of us here could ever fathom the responsibility of having an entire divine government upon their shoulder Isaiah 9:6: and the wisdom required to support the inner workings of an entire nation like “Israel”, and of the whole world is far from us.

Like Moses we could not bear the people...some even struggle to guide their own families.

But the one we remember today can and will succeed, where others have failed.

Today we see John taking upon himself the “weight” of church affairs upon his shoulder. And no doubt at times, he groaned under its burden.

But unlike the Lord Jesus Christ we have not been called to solely bear the weight of a church, nor have we the measure of wisdom to do so. But rather our individual calling and responsibility is to learn together how to follow after good and avoid the evil 3 John 11.

We seem to have great difficulty in fulfilling these simple words, often being anxious over many things.

However, the Apostle John brings with him a great many experiences and being a full age is well matured beyond our experience here today. His empathy for the Lord Christ surpasses anything we have seen on this earth in these latter days.

John understood the Love of God, His purpose and the fullness of those spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ. John fully comprehends all the actions required to respond diligently to both the Father and the Son. John walked in the light, he endeavour to fully walk as Christ walked, being humbled, he worked hard to show the divine love and avoid all evil and hatred – John disciplined himself to be separate from this world because the word of life abided in his heart and mind and this over the course of his life had fashioned him into a Son of God. The Word perfected the love of God in him showing all his actions to be loving and not mere words.

Friends, he is greatly respected of us because he was chosen to carry the deepest of messages “the manifestation of divine love in a precious son” a powerful Gospel and a profoundly deep Revelation to us.

He kept his Masters commands and assisted others to do so and his empathy for those he loves is beautiful to watch and behold as this morning we are shown insight into the lives of three brethren.

John was fully cognisant of his responsibilities to Jesus Christ and as such John experienced a deep overwhelming joy in fellowship that few ever attain.

It was this fellowship which John jealously guards with all his substance – at the basis of his thoughts he knows without the joy of fellowship we have absolutely nothing.

Complete joy was the desire of Jesus Christ in John 15,16,17; it was the desire of the Apostle Paul and of the Apostle John. Peter knew it to be exceeding joy and James viewed suffering for Christ as pure joy.

The hope of all fellow-labourers is to be full with the Joy of the Father through Jesus Christ. So the basis of this all his letters was and is “that their (our) joy may be full” through the fellowship in the Gospel.

So we find here in John’s 3[sup]rd[/sup] or the 4[sup]th[/sup] depending on how you look at it...
  • Johns greetings to Brother Gaius, whom he loves in the truth: 3 Jo 1:1–8
By stark contrast:
  • Johns displeasure in Diotrephes: 3John 1:9–11
  • And his praise of Demetrius: 3John 1:12
  • And Conclusion: 3John 1:13,14
It is important we acknowledge, as we sit here before these emblems, any one of us could be named in this 3[sup]rd[/sup] epistle of the Apostle John; either as those who are “proving their worth” Phil 2:22 or those who are high-minded who do not, acknowledge the authority of Jesus Christ.

It is of course our desire to prove our worth as Disciples of Christ that we too are well beloved of the Master and welcomed into his presence at his appearing.

So John begins his third letter regarding this situation.

(3Jn 1:1) The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

I perceive that Bro Gaius would be “easy to love”, very likeable, gentle and easy to approach, one who is dedicated to the work of Christ and serious about his salvation and the salvation of others.

He was well-beloved of John because the love of God was also being perfected in him (1Jn 2:5) and it was evident to all in the congregation’s his desire was firmly placed in the heavens.

However, this introduction prompts me to ask “how comfortable are you with this statement of John?”

I mean, have you told another brother or a sister that you love them "in" the truth? Do you have this type of relationship with those you see from week to week?

You know it’s the first responsibility we have to each other!

It’s no good if it’s only in thought, it useless!!

Only one man has had the power to read minds and we remember him this morning. Can we read each other’s thoughts and feelings?

John was only doing what he himself had been commanded to do:

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

So I will ask you again, have you in the past week or month, expressively communicated your love for another “in the truth”? If the Love of God is being perfected in us this is what it looks like B&S?

There are number reasons why it may be hard to tell someone that you love them in the purpose of truth.

1[sup]st[/sup] We may not be in the truth?
2[sup]nd[/sup] Maybe our fleshly fears outweigh our divine love?
3[sup]rd[/sup] Maybe we are not seeking that love in others?

True love only comes from above and it manifests itself this way…

But notice what John goes on to write?
 

Insight

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Immediately John has already prayed for Gaius, before even writing this letter, John had meditated and been thoughtful towards his brother’s circumstances.

(3Jn 1:2) Beloved, I (pray) wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

I pray above all things – for the continuance of his prosperity in Christ – all physical blessings are captured in his prayer – for me its shows the extent of John’s consideration towards his brothers plight. That he acknowledge for Gaius to persevere in serving, that his physical needs be meet.

So applying another layer?

Are we given to such prayers?

Or are there no fellow-labourers to pray for in these last days?

Can we pray more for the prosperity of our fellow labourers, those who need their health to serve?

And here the Word of God confirms with itself, what is right... John’s greeting to Brother Gaius comes to him with an assurance that the prayers have ascended; and in faith, they shall be answered.

(3Jn 1:3) For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
  • So we have an intense pray
  • A sincere expression of love in truth
  • And encouragement of his walk in that truth
Can you recall a person passing away that is and was a great loss to the body? How they are missed so much because of their walk in truth; because many have testified to their walk...not just one or two!

The Gauis’ who give their lives for the truth and its furtherance, and when the die they are always missed, they leave a hole that often cannot be filled – because they adhered to their responsibilities of their Master.

They don’t need to be speakers and front men, but are always doers of the Word. James 1:22

Are there B&S in this hall who can be prayed for? Can they be loved and encouraged to continue their walk?

So John has demonstrated his personal responsibilities through...
  1. Prayer
  2. Love
  3. Encouragement
  4. Joy
(3Jn 1:4) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Brother Gaius was a man who fully acknowledged his personal responsibilities to the truth and are we surprised this reputation went before him?

Are we shocked he was loved by so many? How many prayers ascended the Father and Son because of his offering of “dedication” of loving service?

How would you individually receive such a letter? If it was addressed to you?

How would receive such commendation? From such a mature Apostle, who possessed the Holy Spirit? To know that these are actually confirmed by Yahweh and His son in the Heavens?

Can you see this reality of this letter?

If you are like me, you desire your daily living to mirror your beliefs. (It’s hard) You want to be able to preach Christ to every person, you don’t want to be ashamed of him – it makes you feel ill in the stomach, to miss an opportunity to preach – Well Gaius did preach B&S – He did all the time, because B&S his faith was sincere and it gave an old faithful Apostle (John) great joy to here they were walking in truth.

This interaction between John & Gaius can only occur if they are both walking with the same walk, in the same love and for the same purpose of mind.

And Joy begets Joy.
 

Insight

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(3Jn 1:5) Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

Gaius understood that love cannot be in word but must be in deed and action also. And he wasn’t partial with his actions. To those he knew and those he didn’t know!

(3Jn 1:6) Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

It just goes deeper doesn’t it B&S...it’s like a ripple on a pond that is far reaching...John’s prayer of encouragement continues to flow through Gaius to all those who are travelling and ministering for Christ. It’s like he’s an anchor to their work. In other words “Keep on loving them Brother Gaius”! Its working...the truth is spreading. YOUR DOING WELL!!!

This place B&S ought to be a place of refuelling a place of sharing your successes and failures of personal preaching and of welfare in the work place of discussing prayers answered because of your deep intimate relationship with Lord Jesus Christ. You come together because you too have been out there taking the name of Christ before you wherever you go, and here you regain strength and encouragement to continue in this warfare...knowing that our faith has overcome this world.

“thou shalt do well” Nothing more is expected of Gaius than to continue in the steadfast love and faithful works he is personally responsible for. NOTHING more brothers and sisters expected of Bro Gaius than this example.

Let that rest on you for a moment B&S..."Thou shalt do well"? Allow these words to sink into our hearts and examine our lives truthfully before these emblems (bread & wine).

(3Jn 1:7) Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

Fulfilling Matt 10 they were under the commands of Christ and they willingly carried the joy of his name from town to town.

Matt 10:9

The disciples took regular preaching tours in pairs to teach the coming Kingdom, although far from mature they were sent out!

The advice the Lord gave these men is extremely relevant today as it was for the Apostle John, for Gaius and for Diotrephes also Demetrius...And they followed them.

Jesus warns the disciples that they would be dragged “brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles”. Matt 10:18 Even though they were not in this instance going to preach to the Gentiles, so we find this advice was far reaching into many generations of preachers.

But does it apply in Melbourne Australia in 2011?

What difference is there between these men in John’s letter and us today?

Gaius, Diotrephes & Demetrius are all Greek names and being Greek and once strangers from the Commonwealth they are now bound with the Hope of Israel; so these commands applied to them also as much as us today.

However, the disciples and Jesus spake in Matt 10 were sent “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”
Mat 10:6.

But look at this B&S when we read Matt 10:23

“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come”.

As we know B&S the son of man did come and yes they did flee throughout all Asia Minor when the Romans attacked Jerusalem in AD 70.

Many unbelieving Jews died a ghastly death but many escaped!
 

Insight

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And if we assume the 3[sup]rd[/sup] Letter of John was in fact written by John in his later years somewhere between AD 85 – 90 then these men and women who were scattered abroad did flee and did begin to preach from place to place and how far reaching the Gospel was sent because of these passionate and willing disciples.

Do we share their enthusiasm for preaching some 2000 years later?

We do not. Do we go in pairs?

Do we take no money on preaching campaigns?

These days everything is planned, over planned, our comforts and food, everything is planned, so where can God work?

These brethren who went from town to town were indeed disciples in the making...eventually B&S a disciple will need to put self to death and start to personally preach the Lord Jesus Christ and it is then that our real training begins – Jesus Christ I believe is still making disciples in the Earth today, those who like these Brethren & Sisters who stayed with Brother Gaius were practicing the commands, putting Jesus Christ to the test to see him working in their lives.

And here in Matt 10 the inference that one day, men and women like you and I would venture out into Gentile lands to preach and when we get to Johns 3 the time had come and that preaching had commenced and Gentiles those “untrainable dogs” where now being trained in Holiness and Righteousness.

The Jew first, and then the Greek, and these disciples sought out every opportunity to have fellowship with their fellow- labourers in Christ.

In Matt 10 though these men were not allowed to go into the Samaritans. (Which we will not go into now) one day they would enter into those cities. Jesus went there and so on. That harvest was not ready...but a time would come when all nations in the Earth would be ready for harvesting...but it’s true the harvest is evident but the labourers are few. So this place must become a place of training disciples.

No different to the advice provided by the Master in Matt 10 (Lets revisit our Lord words)

Mat 10:8 1. Heal the sick, 2. cleanse the lepers, 3. raise the dead, 4. cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

What a list of duties!
 

Insight

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Now we do not have in our possession the Holy Spirit Gifts (1 Cor 13:6,7,8) therefore ought we to preach?

I cannot heal the sick? I don’t see any lepers? And I have never seen anyone be raised from the dead?

But we know they were still healing sick minds?

They were still getting people to see their diseased thinking and it’s remedy. And it’s marvellous to witness a mind that starts to heal!

To instil morals…

I myself had a fully polluted mind and if it wasn’t for God awakening my defiled conscience through suffering and His Word I would not be here today. My mind rose from the dead. And to be brutally honest B&S I still require help to rid my life of devils(ill thinking), casting them out...but we like to hold onto one or two, don’t we because we are too weak to fully trust in God.

That’s our problem. It only takes a courageous brother or Sister to begin to build a preaching party with in these walls to see God bless an individual’s work.

These Brethren in John’s epistle were trying daily to help people see the word of God as their only hope of salvation.

You see we cannot be timid with this world...we can’t think that as long as we are perceived holy that we have a pure persona that we stay separate and keep away from the unclean that this means we are not to get involved in people’s lives.

We must be “forth coming” by telling them openly without shame that Jesus Christ is coming. Like these brethren we must use our voice and take confidence in God. You can be morally pure but if you cease to preach Christ you have nothing and you are nothing. You take refuge in this congregation, where we rarely coming into contact with an unbeliever and that is safe.

So let’s pray that Jesus Christ will wound our conscience so we will respond, going forth accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

Go out there into the world to heal the sick in mind and through you God and Christ will cleanse them on their internal sickness, they can be raised from the dead B&S, as many as you come into contact with we can offer resurrection. And for any gain B&S!! No gain whatsoever other than the unspeakable Joy which comes from being a name bearer of Jesus Christ.

“Freely ye have received, freely give” Matt 10:8
 

Insight

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He showed he care for their physical, we ought NOT to put any worthwhile energy at all into business and careers – Jesus Christ tells what we can and can’t do and we need to fall under his command and respond accordingly.

These men in Johns letter who were travelling, were carrying a gift that they never paid for, no amount of money could ever be afforded its worth and this is what makes this letter of John so sad B&S , so depressingly sad.

And I am sure your minds are already gone to the record!

(1Pe 5:2) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

(1Pe 5:3) Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Heritage = Clergy

Don’t be lords of God clergy!

Christ promised their basic needs would be meet in Matt 10 they had their shoes and clothing but no additional items, that could get in the way of their responsibilities as Disciples of Christ. But they went out expecting B&S like us that our homes would be opened to feed the flock of God! Ecclesia’s visitors would be made very welcome to this fellowship, as those who are healing the sick in mind...this is the reality of this house B&S. Its a place to feed the flock of God – regain strength and wisdom to confronting present Christ to all men and women, and if we are not aiming for this ideal then we have failed our Master. And lost all concept of why we are called.

We don’t need money to heal and sick of mind!

We don’t need extra coats to instil good moral living!

And while we are preaching we must learn to trust that God will provide all our needs in food and drink and not to be entangled with the cares of this world.

BUT sadly when we return to the record...in John 3

We find Brother Gaius is grieved in his heart, that one of his brethren Diotrephes was rejecting Brethren from coming into this fellowship! Men and Women who were representing Jesus Christ on earth and they were being thrust away!

Diotrephes who like to exalt himself (Lord over his brethren) putting himself first; Skeptical of these Disciples of Christ who were travelling from place to place in the Jesus’ service. Controlling, dominant a brother full of envy toward those who loved the Spirit Mind of Gaius and Demetrius and others who with humility served Christ and not themselves.
  • Does not acknowledge our authority. – Cannot yield, is not submissive but self exalting.The positive is one who seeks out others authority and encourages them to grow stronger and lead. One who falls behind
  • Talking wicked nonsense defamatory remarks about others may well be out of envy and jealousy. To be open with you I have felt jealousy and envy of my B&S especially those who preach overseas. So who knows what Diotrephes circumstances were, but clearly he was misled.
  • Refuses to welcome the brothers Hospitality no doubt one of the most common ways we can communicate our love for each other is through hospitality, which I know you are all good coming together and eating although we can take this further into the community to preach and assist where necessary.
This man wanted to Lord over Gods heritage and the damage this type of behavior can afflict is so far reaching
that it removed joy from the Apostle John, Brother Gaius and Brother Demetrius. And doubtless many others.
The exhortation then is rather simple from John’s letters – and very practical

1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know (Jesus) him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Our very life hinges oon these words “Keeping the commandments of Christ”.

So in conclusion B&S I would like to finish on some motivating thoughts and something for us to take away this week and beyond.
  • After you partake these emblems, will you truly go from here “for his name's sake” will Jesus Christ be your purpose in all that you do?
  • Once we return to our homes do we look to “receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth” Are our homes open? Maybe ask a those around you if you are perceived to have an open home? If not how can you change this?
  • Do we speak often with one another about what it means to follow the good...so we can be of God. Is preaching and Welfare in our conversations?
  • Do we have a good report of men and of the truth?
And finally B&S as we are about to partake of our Master in these symbols this morning will we also, like John Pray above all things?

That we have no greater joy than to see this congragation walk in "truth” and preach the Gospel Kingdom to all men

I pray it is so.