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Lord, we can see.
Where?
I'm at the peace and the peace and life of the peace and life of the end of life tomorrow to my heart, to my heart and strength to life.
Lord.
The fizzle of John.
Well, there be something lacking if we didn't, wouldn't it?
The third Epistle of John.
The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest, prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee.
Even as thou walkest in the truth.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers 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, because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles, We therefore ought to receive such.
That we might be fellow helpers to the truth.
I wrote unto the church, but diotrophies who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, praying against us with malicious words.
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And not content therewith, neither does he himself receive the Brethren, and forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of the Church.
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.
He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Demetrius has good report of all men, and of the truth itself. Yeah, and we also bear record. And ye know that our record is true.
I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee. But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the Friends by name.
I'd like to just make a short comment.
In general on this.
Wonderful little epistle that we have before us. And the 2nd Epistle there was a warning of receiving those who came bearing wicked doctrine into the home.
And I suggest again that as we even heard in the gospel last night, in a different application, the light of the truth of God held in love was to shine on those. And that would give the ability to to not receive that which was going to bring error, blasphemous doctrine, things that would bring real hurt, and not to receive that into the home now in this epistle.
We have what's to be received, or those rather who are to be received in the assembly, even though there are those in the assembly, or in this case one particular, we might just say a spirit, perhaps acted in the assembly, that would deny receiving that which should be received. And, brethren, there's testimony given to Gaius Love charity.
Diotrephes love, too.
But it's a different Greek word. It's based. I don't know the Greek well enough, but it's based on.
Diatrophies love loveth to have the 1St place is not the love our brother Dave spoke of in our open meeting. Charity, divine love, agape love.
That was the love that Gaius used in receiving these that came diatrophies. Loving is a word that's based on phileo, and I would leave others who are more expert in Greek if they want to carry that on. But it's not that kind of love but brethren. My thought is this. Today Satan is as he always has been, but incredibly active to bring sorrow and contention and confusion and every conceivable sort of difficulty.
Among the Saints of God.
And if we're not careful, we're going to miss.
Blessings that the Lord would have us to have because of the confusion and the active work of the enemy. And we need to while we need the light, the love of the truth of God, the light of God.
To give us wisdom for what not to receive into our homes, Brethren, I've never personally known a time when we more need to know, practically, agape, love, charity, to know how to receive in a day of confusion when Satan is active. That which would be for the blessing of the people of God in the assembly, and may we be a very, very tender.
In our hearts today and seek in love.
That true divine love.
To know and to be willing to receive that which the Lord is sending for our blessing in spite of.
Acknowledged weakness sorrows confusions and difficulties among the Saints of God. Love does still receive and there's still blessing. May that be so with us.
I think I know the answer to this, but you mentioned a diatrophy spirit. He was an actual man though, wasn't he? There was a man in that assembly.
Who acted in that way and.
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It's interesting that the apostle doesn't.
Tell you how exactly to deal with it, except to overcome his evil with good, and he says I'll take care of him when I get there.
So.
I've wondered sometimes how you deal with the person who has that diatrophy spirit and maybe that could be addressed. I just will quickly say this and leave it to others, but.
To me, it's very important to see these things. There's an Absalom spirit. There was a real Absalom. There's an Absalom spirit that's out to steal our hearts from our David. There's a diatrophy spirit. There was a real diatrophies. There's a diatrophy spirit that would seek to usurp and deny that which ought to be received. And I think we have to look at it both ways. If we're going to get good. We have to see these were real people. They really did their.
Work of.
Of hurtful things. But brethren, for us today, it's the spirit of those things that's going to bring in problems. Although there are literally men, I think, **** perhaps you were saying this that can usurp that kind of a position in assembly even today, and perhaps others can help us with.
Dealing with that.
The apostle does not tell Demetrius and Gaius to leave. Very interesting. Don't, don't leave.
The Lord is able to strengthen you, keep you. This man was so wicked, and I don't hesitate using that word, that he probably had thrown Gaius out of the assembly also, and anyone that didn't agree with him and didn't follow in his way of thinking, he just tossed them up.
That's what we get in the 10th, 1St and but it's very interesting he didn't tell guys leave him. Just just leave him go away. And it makes me think of Hannah in the days of Samuel, how she took Hannah to the most wicked place. I believe in all of Israel. Why? Because that's where the Lord had placed his name. That's an amazing thing.
You couldn't find anything worse than Shiloh in the days of Samuel. I don't believe in Israel.
But that's where she took Samuel, because the Lord was there and he could keep Samuel. And the apostle here tells Gaius the same thing.
Go back.
My teacher Mrs. George told us antecedents need when you use the word we us, who is it talking about? We get into difficulty if it says receiveth not us who is a talk? Who's the US?
And that's important question here. When it says receiveth not us that we understand this epistle because he's talking, we kind of jumped great I guess to what the sore spot was to the 9th and 10th 1St here. But he's talking about walking in the truth. And what is the truth? the US is the apostles. I once asked a brother would the apostle Paul be free to preach in your church? And he bowed his head and thought for a minute thoughtfully and he said no, it would bust it up if he did.
Paul wasn't welcome there. His doctrine wasn't welcome there. That's what Geotrophies were shutting out.
He was shutting out the apostles doctrine and those who sought to maintain it, because it challenged the place that rightly only belonged to Christ. And geographies wanted that place and ministry will always exalt Christ, not man. And where you see man exalted, it's because Christ is a practically displaced. When the Lord spoke to Peter, he said, Get thee behind me, Satan. And what did he say? Thou savers the things that be of men and not of God.
And what is going to practically displace the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of us is the exaltation of man. Absalom craved that place. Geographies crave that place. But the apostles ministry is always going to exalt Christ and there are also those that came along that.
Thought the apostles doctrine that taught Paul's I I'm just.
Talking with some believers.
And they got exercised about the truth and the pastor prayed that they would leave the church.
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Why? Because I believe they wanted Paul's doctrine. They wanted John's doctrine. the US in this epistle is the apostles. And So what? John's longing heart for these dear ones was.
Was that they would not talk about the truth but walk in the truth. And the unique character of the assembly is that we're in the truth. Where there's authority. You go into the world and they say you can't say. But in the assembly the Lord's authority is there. And so the assembly says, yes, we can tell you what immorality is. We can tell you what marriage is and what it isn't. We can tell you what fornication is. The world says you can't say. You can't judge.
Judge not that she be not judged, but we are in a place where the Lord is in the midst, and we can open up the word of God with the Spirit of God and with the Lord's authority and say, yes, this is this and this isn't that, and people don't like to be there. We like to talk about the truth, but to walk in the truth and to walk in it collectively so suddenly we can say, yes, this is a scriptural marriage that is not a scriptural marriage, that suddenly that's where the rubber meets the road, if you may put it that way.
And so John longed to see because the truth, these truths have real. As we see the breakdown in the truth, we see the tragic effect in the lives of individuals, we see the breakdown in the truth in these so-called Christian lands is to marriage. And as to these things, what is as to the home and so on. These are the truths that the assembly supports and we see the breakdown in it and the effects have been just absolutely heartbreaking and tragic.
And so.
John delighted in the truth, and we delight in the truth. And so he desired that they would walk in the truth because he God wants us to be happy and we're not going to be happy. People think they're going to be happy by just shedding the truth like it's too much weight in their backpack. But in fact, the more truth we get, the happier we're going to be. And that's what he desired. I'm going to just thank my brother for we use words and it says in Corinthians we're not to speak in an unknown tongue.
And I can speak in French and maybe about 5% could understand me and I used a word abstract. And if 90% didn't understand it, I think I should interpret it and tell you what it means. Because I think most people believe that abstract means ugly art in an art gallery that somebody paid too much money for.
But John, what we got in Sunday school yesterday was abstract truth and it's helpful to the children that even the four year old can understand that.
I was, we were having some young people at our home, and I asked one of the young people who was 18 years old, what's sin and he kind of grinned at me and he says taking a cookie out of the cookie jar. When your mom says no and, you know, many Christians, their notion of sin does not rise above that.
But what we got in Sunday School yesterday was abstract truth as to what sin is. Every sin can be described. Sin is lawlessness. It's been a wild little donkey. It's not having a rope around your neck tied to a tree that was the law. But it's being constrained by the love of Christ and having Christ ruin my life.
And so if you ask Christians, is it wrong to steal? Is it wrong to rob banks? They'd say yes, that's sin. But if you said is it wrong to attend the Church of your choice, they say, well that's not sin.
But where did I ever get a choice? The disciples said, Where wilt thou that we prepare it's sin not to look to the Lord and not to want to know what the Lord's will is to do it, To prepare myself to do the will of God. That's sin. It's lawlessness. And so that's what we mean by abstract truth, I think if you say, what is a chair? And we could, each one of us could have 10 images in our mind of what a chair is. But a chair is a movable seat with a back that describes every chair that you ever saw.
And when you say sin is lawlessness, it describes every sin that you ever saw. And what we heard in Sunday School yesterday describes what the character of sin is. It's being a wild little donkey that wouldn't be controlled. And so that is why it's very helpful and it's practical even to the little children sitting here in the front row, they can understand that.
But I thank my brother for pointing that out because there's no point in speaking using words that people don't understand. And I I'm guilty of that and I I appreciate that. And that's the benefit of being where there's liberty to to, to bring these things out. I think it's very beautiful to see in this epistle that it begins and ends with a man, Two men, one is Gaius, the other is Demetrius, 2 men who amidst the.
00:20:10
Spirit of things that was going on in the assembly, they were seeking to go on and walk in the truth and to hold the truth in love. And I think as I thought of this as our brother Dave was speaking, because.
We might say, well we're going back to an assembly and there's a lot of things wanting. Maybe there's a bad spirit in the assembly you come from. Maybe there's someone who does like to take the preeminence, someone who's who doesn't appreciate the apostles doctrine, and so on, but we can never give the Lord a good reason for leaving the Lord's table. We might have all kinds of excuses, but what are we going to say, brethren, when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ? Are we going to say things were too bad there?
What about those? When the Lord came, things were wanting. At Jerusalem, things were wanting. In the temple. There was a lot going on that wasn't according to the mind of God and according to the truth. But there were those who were going on faithful. There was Anna and Simeon and others who are named.
Small remnant, no doubt. But they were seeking to go on faithfully amidst all that was taking place that was not according to the truth. And brethren, we can go home, and we never want to condone or be indifferent to evil. These ones here weren't indifferent to what was going on in the assembly. They were exercised about it, no doubt, but they were seeking to go on in the truth, despite the situations that they were facing.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, he wrote of the breakdown of everything, not just in the world, but even amongst the people of God.
And what did he say to Timothy? He said, continue. Thou, in other words, Timothy don't give up. And what was Timothy to continue in? He was to continue in the things that he had learned and been assured of, knowing of whom he had learned them. He was to continue in the apostles doctrine. And so again, Jude tells us to earnestly contend for the faith. And so I just say that as an encouragement. Maybe you say, I just hate to go home this afternoon.
I hate to go back to meeting next Lord State, where I come from, but God knows the situation. He knows the end from the beginning. He's in full control of the situation. Remember one time there was a difficulty in our area and I went to see an older brother and he said these words to me, said Jim. Just remember, sometimes things might seem out of hand, but they're never out of the Lord's hand. He's in full control. And John recognized that there were problems here.
And that he warns us to this man and speaks very strongly as to diotrophies. But he also is thankful that there were those who were seeking to go on even amidst this difficulty. Brethren, we can do that too.
That this little, this little letter. That's only a few sentences.
And it's really not only written to gas, but really it's it really focuses on gas. It's about gas.
And I think of August as a little stream in an obscure part of the forest and and it's a little stream that that we've stumbled across and we've kind of sat there and enjoyed it. But then we take a little hike upstream and a little ways up we see that there's some some dams across that street, some obstacles and perhaps in the context here of third John.
There was an obstacle of his health. There was an obstacle of.
Meeting problems, there was perhaps also the obstacle that he had been put out of the meeting. And yet the nature of a stream is that as it flows along, and if it comes to a dam, you know.
It just rises up and and it keeps going and it flows right on over and it flows in the downstream. It'll be in the same course, the same natural course, the same volume, the same everything about that street.
And that's what we really need to be like and that's what gas was like.
We might ask what part of that stream do is shown. What part of that stream does my family see or my brethren see or my coworkers see? Do they see the obstacle part or they do they see the downstream free flowing part?
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You might ask am IA victim or am IA victor? And if I'm pointing at the obstacles?
And focusing on that, I've really made myself a victim.
But if I see that walking in the truth and the love of God, and it can flow downstream in its natural free flowing course.
Then I'm a victor.
Because there's been overcoming.
Difficulty. It tends to constrict the affections, and I think that's what you're saying, and I it tends to narrow the affections. But Paul said to the Corinthians, you're straightening up, you're not straightening us, but you're straightening your own bowels. And Paul went through great anguish of heart as to how to write to the Corinthians, because his heart was very large to them. Their hearts were very narrow towards fall, and sometimes we get things backwards.
False. The apostles hearts is very large to us. We desire the blessing.
That the apostles desired their blessing and the truth of God desires the blessings of Saints. And sometimes we just scratch our heads and say.
How do I show love in this situation? It's difficult sometimes, and so he doesn't want to constrict the affections of the heart. And that's what he says. What thou doest to the brethren.
A beloved thou doest faithfully, whatsoever thou doest to the brethren. Can I say that the way that I act towards my brethren is faithful to the Lord?
If you can't, if I have to act in a way that compromises the truth of God in acting towards a brother that I'm not acting faithfully, If I have to surrender a principle of the word of God to act towards my brother that I'm not acting faithfully, and so he could commend this one, that he acted whatever he did, it was faithful.
And so we need to be faithful to the Lord, and then we'll act faithfully towards each other.
Isn't that interesting that?
He says.
His beloved brother.
I wish above all things.
That thou mayest prosper and being felt even as thy soul prospers. What an amazing comment. Here was a brother. That soul was in tune with his Lord and master, and we get evidence of that in the fifth verse. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever. Thou doest to the brethren and the strangers, a man that walked with his heart set on the person of Christ, and to follow in his footsteps.
Did everything.
If we have in First Peter chapter 2, the end of the chapter, that he left us an example, Gaius was following that example, and how beautiful to hear from in the fourth person, since I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. Well how did he hear it? He he heard it from other brethren that had visited, and they said Gaius is a man in that assembly that's walking for the Lord. How nice that is, if that could be true of each of us.
Set.
On him, on Christ.
And as the Psalmist said.
My heart will not be moved. Psalm 16 If I set my mind and heart on him, therefore I will not be moved.
And this was gay as the spirit of Gaius. Undoubtedly he rose above the problems and overcame, and was the victor. As our brother mentioned, there was a brother, a wonderful brother, who came into the.
Fullerton meeting, perhaps 30 years ago.
I think it was a Buena Park meeting at that time and he said, Who has a preeminence here or who presides here?
And so he was answered, of course, very faithfully by our brethren. And he said, well, we don't have a paid minister, if that's what you mean, or a pastor who presides over the Saints here. But there is one. And the Scripture says that in all things he might have the preeminence, he is the head of the body, his church. And who is that? He asked. And the brother said, well, I know who you mean.
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But doesn't anyone preside here that is a pastor that you can sit? And he said, no, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst, brother. He has the preeminent place here. And he spoke to him humbly, not as any contest, but humbly. Well, the brother didn't remain. He left because the flesh isn't a true brethren always desires to have a place.
And even with the apostles there were there was a contest among them.
They were seeking to have the 1St place Peter, James and John.
And even the mother supported her sons, and having that first place of preeminence. And as a brother, Ron and I were speaking before the meeting, even Peter on the Mount.
Said Well, we'll make 3 tabernacles, one for thee Lord, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. But how much? We have been instructed by grace in the truth, brethren, and it's not to find fault with our brethren in other places.
A beloved brother among us.
Perhaps some know this story and I'll mention his name. He is with the Lord now.
His name is Clarence Mayo.
A brother who had his beginning in the ministry from a theological seminary and very well informed and a very gifted man who loved the flock, loved the Saints.
And he was perhaps in a very preeminent place or church in Placentia, CA. And that day, perhaps 4050 years ago, it was a very popular place to go to attend church. And some very, some very prominent personalities were behind the pulpit in that church. And he was one.
But he saw the need of meeting simply, very informally, with some of the fellow believers in the church.
In the basement of that building to have reading meetings.
And as they had reading meetings together.
He saw the wonderful flow of the Spirit of God working in other believers to bring out things that he had never heard before, and saw that he wasn't the preeminent one in a certain sense, but others were gifted in that place to have a part in the ministry. Well, it came to this conclusion.
The organization, the Baptist organization, said a brother Mayo.
Either you leave this building or we will have to ask you to leave.
And he left.
Not knowing where he was going to go.
And several others followed with him beloved Saints, And the Lord showed them where to go, and they came into fellowship in the Fullerton Assembly many, many years ago, and had been a great blessing and help to the Saints, and not only brother Mayo, but many who came with him.
Sadly, his mother never forgave him. Now, I'm not saying, brethren, that every minister behind the pulpit has a spirit of Diotrephes. I don't mean that at all.
But to show the place that the assembly puts us as believers not to love, to have that place of preeminence, is a spirit that we need, and it is a spirit of Christ. And if there is that spirit among us, we will not be content in the assembly. We will perhaps leave, because there is no place for the flesh in the assembly.
Man once asked me, I was having a little reading with a friend and his two pastors came and they sat down, two of them to return at one cake pan. And they said, do you have pastors in your assembly? And I said yes, I can see some of them here. I said there's been men that have gone long out of their way, care for my soul to follow me, to write me, to encourage me in the things of God, he said, you don't get my question. He said you have one man to run things in your church. I said yes, I we do.
Do you have one man to run things in your church? I said yes, we do. And he sits on the throne of God. And he's a good song leader, too. If I read this 22nd song and the 2nd Hebrews and he said I got to go play hockey, he's beat up a little bit. Brother Neil, I can't play. I'm sorry.
He said.
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He said, do you have a pastor in your church, pastors in your church? And I said yes. And I can see some of them here. Ones that have cared for my soul and taught me and phoned me and written to me and.
He said you're not getting my questions. You have one man to run things in your church and I said yes.
And he sits on the throne of God.
Talk to this brother instead of them.
I.
He sits on the throne of God, and he's a good song leader. We do have pastors and we're thank God for them. And we should never say you don't have pastors. We do. But we have a man to run things and we're in the very place where he's in the midst and to crave the place that Christ has is that spirit.
But you know, they bore witness to the love.
They said it borne witness verse six of thy charity before the church and men, as our brother was Speaking of love. Men know what love is. And I got red hair and I met a brother who had red hair and we had a bit of a discussion about things and we argued about things a little bit too much. But he came to me afterwards and he said to me his brother was in the hospital and he greatly criticized the assembly in that place. Had lots of bad things to say about it, but he came to me and he said, Neil, I want to tell you something, he said.
Those brethren know how to laugh.
Those Brethren know how to love. I've never seen such love anywhere. Said I might disagree with you on doctrine, But he said those Brethren know how to love. He bore testimony to the love of the Brethren in that particular assembly and that speaks to the conscience of man. And I believe that they bore testimony to the fact that there's love and we've experienced it here. We came here and it didn't matter how much money we did or didn't have. We were loved and we were cared for and.
And we've experienced that love, and it's true of every St. of God that we know. We've passed from death unto life because we love the Brethren, but we enjoy a special privilege in the assembly to experience that love and to share that love in a freeway.
Of Jonathan in the 9th chapter of Judges really brings out a beautiful point that here they want somebody to reign over the trees and so they go to the fig tree. And the fig tree says well should I leave my sweetness to to reign over the trees and and the vine says the same thing and and so does the olive tree and we might say, well can't you do both?
Well, you know, we can't do both. And so here's the Bramble. And he's willing to take the responsibility while he doesn't have any fruit. So he's got nothing to lose. But if we want to have the preeminence, we've got a lot to lose. And so I think of Gaius, I don't know if it's the same one, but in Romans 16, Paul speaks of Gaius Mind host. And, you know, it's wonderful to have those brethren.
A man and his wife.
Posting and in their home and have Holstein in the assembly. And to think that Gaius could go on hosting, he could raise a family in the assembly that would go on with the Lord. Now what is this matter about the Lord allowing diatrophies in the assembly under these circumstances? Is the wisdom of God involved in this?
Please save Brother Dave.
Isn't it? Things cost a sacrifice to be made. That's the value of Christianity. It isn't the South wind blowing softly that makes quality and character and gift and sweetness. And so the Lord knows how He needs to preserve us in the assembly in which we are in. The circumstances are difficult.
Does that mean that I can't function in the capacity that the Lord has given me? And so if these things are lacking in the assembly, we know what's going to happen, why go there?
Now I say the Lord is there and we don't, but I'm just saying in a practical way, but we want to be there for the nourishment that every joint is privileged to supply for the body.
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Chapters. I think that's most useful in considering this is the very one you referred to in Judges. I had an experience years ago, I was traveling from Lima, Peru to Bolivia for to leave the Bolivia Lima conference and go to.
Go over to Montero, Bolivia.
And the brethren came to the airport with me.
We spend quite a bit of time fellowship being together.
The brother Raul Chavez, who is a brother who is very devoted to the Lord and evangelism.
Has one lung and he carries on going up in the mountains. There was one of the brethren that were waiting with me in the airport.
Brother, Raul said. Tell me a little bit about this ninth chapter of judges.
Well, I hadn't really considered it before, and all the way over on the plane I considered it. And the more I considered it, the more I enjoyed the light that the Lord seemed to give out of it. But I noticed something interesting about that Bramble.
He says if you want me to, I'm here. I'm your candidate. But if not, what does he say? Let fire come out and devour the Cedars. And so often that happens that we have one Who?
Has nothing really to offer and yet wants preeminence. It's interesting that in the Lima meeting room when you come in, there's a little sign up there that in all things you might have to preeminent.
It's nice to have that. I think every meeting room should have that reference somewhere, but.
He said. Come rest under my shadow, my influence.
But if not, let fire come out from the Bramble.
And devour the Cedars of Lebanon, how many tall?
Cedars of Lebanon have been destroyed by a Bramble that once preeminence and I I so indebted to brother Ralph Chavez for calling my attention to that and challenging me with that chapter and I think it it's exactly an antidote to what we have here.
Because that spirit of Doug mentioned spirit of diatrophies earlier and I I think that's exactly what we can see in ourselves if we're honest.
We'd like preeminence. We like to run things.
We're a lot of us do. There's there's the occasional person who doesn't, but I think most of us like to have a a preeminent place and if we can't have it.
Then we'll destroy what?
Whatever there is for the Lord, so I'm grateful you've referred to that chapter and.
I commend it to everyone here to meditate on it, because you leave in each case, each one of those things that is special. You might say ministry.
So I leave my good fruit. Shall I leave my fatness?
Ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit and and each one of them had something.
To minister.
Fake, I suppose, would speak of healing, wouldn't it? Each one had a little something to offer. And yet.
If they went to be king.
Over the trees.
They were going to be.
They were going to lose whatever they did. That and how wonderful it is to picture the assembly working together, each one with his special.
Thing that the Lord has given him to do. We don't need kings.
We don't need kings.
Jim, you were talking to us down in Carolina about is it the locust that goes worth? And they don't have any king, do they?
00:45:01
And it's something to be instructed by. Did you have a model of the locust, too? I I thought you did. Yeah. Jim had some interesting models down there. He even had hands and he was talking to the Sunday school in North Carolina about it. And we we don't need kings. We don't need king makers either. And there there's where brethren I think fall into difficulty is they like to make kings.
Because whose fault is it?
When someone steps out of the role that God has given them for preeminence.
Who is to blame?
Often it's the ones who.
Are sitting under that ministry. May the Lord preserve us from that. And I appreciate very much Brother Ron that you brought that out. It just brought back that whole conversation with Raul Chavez there and and Lima. Interesting that we have 14 verses in this little book and only two are involved with the atrophies.
I think we ought to remember that the rest of it is encouragement. It brings you out from under that burden and turns your heart to Christ. I think that's very good.
I was trying to make earlier that yes, we want to see that there is a faithful warning given by the apostle concerning this one. And you know there are faithful warnings given. I've often said there's a fine line between gossip and godly concern, and sometimes perhaps we do give a warning. I've been thankful for brethren who've come to me and said, well, just be careful of brother so and so. Thus and so is that gossiper godly concern? Well, I don't say I always discern the fine line between the two.
But sometimes we have to give warnings. If we didn't give warnings, what if we didn't give a warning and a brother was swept away with something? We hadn't delivered our soul on the matter. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. But I would like to just say this in connection with what has been said, Brother Ron and **** that love desires to serve. True love never desires the preeminence. And you know, God teaches us by contrast, Brethren, and I believe there's a contrast in this epistle.
It opens with one who whom John could confirm his love to in the truth, and one who loved the Saints and desired to serve them, in contrast with one who really, shall I dare to say, loved himself. He wanted to have the preeminence, but it wasn't really true love, true love for the people of God desires to serve and the Lord Jesus it says he made himself of no reputation.
And took upon him the form of a servant who exhibited who was love, the Lord Jesus himself, who exhibited that love in a practical way more than himself, because he came to serve even at the end of His pathway. When the disciples were gathered around him in the upper room, he lays aside his garment that which would speak of what a person is. Are we willing to lay aside our garments, brethren, to just forget ourselves?
Not try to make something of ourselves, or put a person, or put ourselves forward, but are we willing to lay aside our garments and to gird ourselves in humility and love, and to seek the blessing and refreshment of the people of God? I believe Gaius was one who desired this.
Desired the blessing and refreshment of the people of God. He desired to have them in their home. And I'd like to just say a word about that, if you'll bear with me. Because you know, when I was growing up, I'm thankful for parents who were exercised to receive into our home those that they loved in the truth and those that were a real blessing and encouragement. I knew a side of brother London when I was growing up that you didn't get when you saw him in a setting like this.
We he played with us, children had little tricks he do with us, and he'd give us little hints as to the truth as he he went along. I value a picture of myself sitting on Brother Lundin's knee when I was a young boy and others who were in our home. And I just want to say to those of us who are parents, it's a tremendous blessing to receive those that we love in the truth and those that are faithful in the truth. And your children and young people will benefit and profit.
Yes, we need the ministry in the assembly. We need to be at the assembly meetings, and I value that too in my upbringing. But I say I look back and I realize that I received a great blessing because of those that were received into our home and administered the truth to us in that setting as well.
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I grew up in a gym and I know that Jim and I would both testify. My brother Jim and I would both testify of the blessing that came from that. Now, we were not gathered at the time, but I recall a very dear brother who stayed with us regularly and he always was late coming down in the morning and we wondered what he was doing and so.
My brother and I did a terrible thing. My brother Jack. Not, not Jim. We.
We.
We eavesdropped on him. We put our ear to his door to see what he was doing, and his brother Rudolph Nehring and brother Nehring was crying out to the Lord for blessing on us boys.
That made a profound impression on me. A profound impression, He could say they're all day as far as we were concerned. After that we were very ashamed. And I just like to point out here that it says not only the brethren, but that strangers, they were not people well known, my favorite brother and that are coming around. I think the new translation makes that very clear that it was strangers, people previously not known.
And maybe some of you don't experience that because we live in a little kind of a well known community that we're all together, but I've so much enjoyed that going into places like.
Peru and Bolivia and Argentina people have never saw me before but received me.
In the name of the Lord, what a blessed thing that is, Lemoyne. Isn't that precious?
It's a precious experience. Brother Le Moines has done a fair amount of that too, and we we enjoy that so much. You don't have to be people you well know.
It's easy to receive.
Brother Jim in the house, and we know him. We've known him for many years. But what about a brother that's a stranger, but who has gone forth for the Lord's sake? And that's what it says. There, isn't it? In verse, in verse.
Six. It's they they are proud of verse five, They What he did was toward the brethren, and that strangers and what he did was to set them forth. Now what does that mean, to set them forth? I think it's important to understand that to set them forth.
Somebody told me a terrible story about a brother in Canada that overstayed.
His time in an assembly and somebody finally spoke to him about it, he said. They said, have you any thought of moving on? He said yes, I'm going to have the money for a train ticket.
Who's? That's a reproach as it does.
That he wasn't being set forth on his journey.
Well, we may talk about the.
Steve, in which we rightly should hold those that serve the Lord and Hebrews 13 gives us very clear direction on that. But I noticed a few words here in the eighth verse where it says fellow helpers to the truth and sometimes we our our our sights are settled a little bit too high to certain individuals and I don't want to run them down. But in this group here.
There are very important people, and let me just refer for a moment to a very few verses in Acts chapter 18 where it mentions Apollos verse 25. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Now the last part of that 26 verse might well have been taken away, because Apollos was eloquent. He was qualified, but there was a brother and a sister who quietly took him aside in their home and showed them a better way.
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Beloved brethren, there are those of our beloved sisters in the home that have done a tremendous task as fellow helpers. There are young people around who have done a tremendous task as fellow helpers. Can we recognize it? Can we show them the interest and the support that is needed? There was Eli Hugh in Jolt who took on some of the brethren whom he said they weren't very wise.
Well, maybe he wasn't either. But at the same time, the spirit of God saw fit to put it there. And so I just say to you that there are fellow laborers. Everyone in this room is a fellow laborer, and if it's only Brother **** or Brother Doug or whoever, it might be that our fellow laborers were missing something very valuable. There are many laborers around it, and it's so nice to have.
Some young person or some older person come up to you and just give you a word of encouragement. Those are fellow laborers. There are sisters that have come forward, their fellow laborers, and do we recognize them? Now, I want to quickly add that I'm not taking away from those whom we esteem highly that minister to us and are our teachers. And I just refer you to Hebrews 13 where it clearly tells us what we want to do. But I just want to say this.
Helpers out to the truth that could be baking a cake or making a glass of of of kool-aid let's Washington brothers underwear that may not be easy to do some sisters are very wonderful in that way and but I think setting forth is is all those little things that are necessary isn't it to help them on their journey and there are those that the Lord values.
Thank you Norm for that point. It's such an important point and we need to keep it in mind that we not deteriorate into a clergy idea, because the work of the Lord is done by those who are the Lorde people, isn't it? Every member of the body of grace functioning together the sisters kennel.
Getting them on a journey with two eggs for breakfast.
But it is in the truth, and that's the point just.
Just tell another little incident in my childhood that impressed me to follow up what we've said earlier. I remember one time a brother did come to our home and he stayed a couple of days, but it was very evident by Saturday afternoon that he held that which was error. And I still remember as a young boy and it rather impressed me, my father taking him to the train station by Saturday evening, you know, that stuck with me. And so there were those in our home that we had happy fellowship with.
That my parents loved in the truth and they were a help to us. But immediately on my father detecting that there was error being held by this brother, and I believe he was a brother in the Lord, but there was error. It's love governed by truth, brethren and brethren. That's the point of John's ministry. We've had this expression several times. We've kind of passed over it. We've skirted around it, but it's love in the truth. And later on the apostle John when he sees the vision of the Lord Jesus.
Walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, 7 literal assemblies that existed on Earth at that time.
In Revelation chapter 2 and chapter three, we find that the Lord Jesus walking there is gird about the paps with a golden girdle. What is that? The paps speak of love. The golden girdle speaks of righteousness and it's love governed by truth. Just take a minute and go over to a verse in two Timothy. I just want to apply in this connection.
Second Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 22.
Flee also, youthful lusts, but follow. Now I want to notice the order of this list. Follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. And I just want to say this about this list here. If I had been writing the list, I probably would have put love and peace at the beginning of the list. And that's what people want to do. They say, well, we're all Christians.
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We're all believers. We're all on our way to heaven, brethren, that's true. We are all Christians. We are all members of the body of Christ. We're all on our way to heaven, and we ought to have a largeness of heart to embrace all the people of God in our hearts. But again, I say it's love governed by truth. And the Spirit of God hasn't put love and peace at the beginning of this list. He's put righteousness and faith and faith. Because, brethren, if we have love.
At the expense of righteousness and truth. That's compromise. And again, who showed more love in a practical way than the Lord Jesus? But did he ever compromise the truth? Did he ever compromise a principle of Scripture? I've enjoyed it in connection with Hezekiah. You know, because there are two things that characterize King Hezekiah that I think are very precious in this connection. One was a large heart he did, in his heart, embrace.
All the people of God Hezekiah came to the throne of Israel when Israel was in a very divided state, and 10 tribes were meeting at Dan and Bethel where they ought not to have been meeting. And Hezekiah comes to the throne, and he comes to the throne in Jerusalem, and he's thankful to be there where God had placed his name. But his heart embraced all the people of God. And he writes letters to them, inviting them to come up to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem.
And to keep the Passover. But wouldn't you think it would have been broad minded of Hezekiah to have gone up to Dan on one Sabbath and Bethel on another Sabbath and then invite and hope that some of the people of God would come up to Jerusalem on the third Sabbath? That would have been broad minded but it would not have been faithful. And the point I want to make is Hezekiah had a large heart. He loved the people of God. He recognized that they were the people of God.
But he had the exercise to walk in a narrow path. It was love governed by truth. And what was the result? Well, the result was that many laughed and laughed them to scorn and moth the letters. But there was also another result that sometimes, perhaps, we missed. There were those that came up. There were those that were exercised because they saw that Hezekiah loved them, but they also saw that he was faithful.
That it was love governed by truth. And brethren, if we are wishy washy with people in our relationship to people and we think, well, if we go along so far it'll exercise them. We're never going to help somebody if we're wishy washy when it comes to the truth. But if we're faithful in the truth and they see that we hold the truth in love, then I believe the spirit of God can exercise souls so that they see those two things love in the truth.
Well, I believe, brethren, this is very important. Do we love all the people of God? I trust we do. Are there certain of the people of God we can't practically manifest that love to? Yes, there are, because they're not walking in the truth. They're holding that which is not according to Scripture. They're walking in a wrong path. And it's interesting that Gay is here. He confirms his. I'm sorry, John. He confirms his love to Gaius. Does he confirm his love to diotrophies? No. Did he love diotrophies any less? No. I'm sure he did love Diotrephes. He didn't want to see Diotrephes acting in the flesh and wanting the preeminence.
But he restrained in confirming his love to him because of the spirit and the conduct of this man. But how wonderful, Gaius, he could confirm his love, because he was going on in the truth for the blessing of the people of God.
Should look at the last four verses, really. And then the next verse that comes before us here is the 11Th verse. And beloved, follow not that which is evil and that's just been given to us.
But that which is good, he that doeth good, is of God, but he that doeth evil has not seen solemn. But then the next verse. And this man, Demetrius, every single one of us has already been said, can be a Demetrius. Every single one of us. Here's a man that I don't know if any of us ever have been in a situation as bad as what Demetrius was in. I don't know, maybe some of us have, but he.
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Held forth he followed the dictates of the person of Christ, and that we can do every one of us.
The truth. He had a good report of the truth. And so that's really the brother **** spoke last night on God is love, and God is light and God is love. That's what he is in his essence. And if it's not according to the truth, it's not love.
We say, well, he loves them, but it's not according to the truth. Then it's not love.
It's love is not some kind of feeling. It's not people have all kinds of ideas of what love is in the world, but if it's not according to the truth, and this is a wonderful thing about Demetrius in the ninth verse, he said. I wrote on to the church that.
Deus received those who John could commend, who the truth could command. And so it says here of Demetrius was a good report of all men, and of the truth itself. And so.
This is, I believe, the the essential part here. And you know that our record is true. And so fellowship is a real thing. It's a real thing. We know the strangers come, they come not just recommended to us, but they come commended to us. Maybe somebody comes from an assembly from South America. We don't know them. They don't come recommended to us. They come commended to us. And it, fellowship becomes a known thing and that's why we can receive a stranger.
Because we know our brethren in South America walk in the truth. I've never been there.
Know if somebody comes from Japan with a letter of commendation, they're not recommending them to us. We know that they walk in the truth and they're commending us, them to us and they have a report. And so fellowship is a known thing and Demetrius was of that character and that's what the devil wants to do. He just wants as our brother was saying in his address yesterday, he just wants to lower and lower and lower fellowship so that it's nothing more than playing mini golf. And it's fine to play mini golf, but.
It is, but fellowship is in the truth.
Brethren, before we get too far beyond this 11Th verse, I'd like to remind our hearts that we tend to follow what we focus on.
So often.
We are occupied with what's wrong. If we're occupied with what's wrong, are we really following what is good? We tend to follow what we focus on. So let's not read this verse casually. Follow that. Follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. And we've got a book full. We've had three days full of what's good.
Let's focus on it. Let's concentrate on it.
Like to make this comment about verse 12.
We're very quick to sit down and write letters sometimes.
And letters are necessary sometimes, but they're cold.
Letters are cold, they don't convey.
The tears or the smile or the.
They're just not the same.
So there are some things that John says. I have many things to say.
But I'm not going to write it with pen and ink. I want it mouth to mouth, face to face. But the coward in US always says be nice to write. I'm scared to talk to him face to face. I'll write him a letter and that's not God's way to do it in my opinion. I think what we have here is an exhortation or an encouragement that we.
Defer the letter writings. Sometimes I have files at home that I.
Have burned recently of letters back and forth, back and forth on matters.
And I don't detect any of the real heart, many of the real.
Feeling that is there, but sit down and talk to a brother, mouth to mouth, face to face, makes a big difference, doesn't it? And it may be hard to do, but we ought to be courageous enough to do it, and we might have a lot less difficulty between us if we do that.
I'd like to make a final comment.
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From myself, the rest of you, you've got all day but.
Where do we, each and everyone of us really fit into our home assembly? And do we run into a situation that makes us maybe angry?
What about this man? If we get into that problem, let's turn to the scriptures where we can find men that have gone through far, far worse and what they did. And this man Demetrius is a beautiful example. I don't know. As I said earlier, any of us ever have been in the situation this man's in and look what he does. He just goes on and we can do the same. The person of Christ is our example. And again I quote first Peter 2.
The very last 3-4 verses he left us and example, He's our example.
Sin, Matthew 15.
Cried out. Have mercy on me, thou son of David.
And he doesn't pay any attention to her.
The disciples say send her away.
And she comes and falls at his feet, and says Lord.
And he says it's not meat to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.
And she says.
Truth, Lord.
But the puppies eat to come from the table.
Truth, Lord, but the puffies eat the crumbs from the table.
If I just could have the crumb I.
I'd have the blessing.
You know the word of God says Remember the pit from which you were digged?
There is a depth of suffering the blessed Son of God has gone to.
However deep that pit was I was in, he went deeper still to get under me and bring me out of it.
He says remember the pit. He doesn't say remember the sins you committed.
You're entitled. Forget them.
There's a reason why she says truth. Lord, we've had truth much before us in these meetings.
Let's look at 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 just one more time. We touched upon it a little bit yesterday.
We know our time is gone, but just these two verses.
Verse 10.
There's a reason why after the Rapture, as was mentioned last night, there will not be a second chance for those who have rejected the grace of God. And it's given in the end of verse 10 because they received not the love of the truth.
That they might be saved. Then look at verse 13.
Or verse 12.
That they might, that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Now that's those who are left after the rapture. But look at verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
Wonderful, isn't it? That truth empowers the soul to be.
For God in fellowship with God in this world, Gaius had it. Demetrius, perhaps, was one of those not received by Diotrephes.
But the love of the truth.
As a preserving effect, it has the salvation of your soul at its very state.
Truth is an uncreated thing. God is true, every man a liar.
Truth is what is.
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And we get in Psalm 119, verse 89 forever. O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
Dear soul, God empowers you with truth from His Word, that you may walk through this world in fellowship with Him and in fellowship with them who call upon Him out of a dear heart. What a wonderful privilege.