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...
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?
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
- Johns displeasure in Diotrephes: 3John 1:9–11
- And his praise of Demetrius: 3John 1:12
- And Conclusion: 3John 1:13,14
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?