Address—C. Hendricks
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This afternoon.
I'd like to look at 2 very short epistles.
At the end of the New Testament.
The second and third John.
And what brought this before me was.
What we had before us this morning.
In the reading of the word.
Has turned to 2nd Epistle of John.
And we'll read that epistle and the third epistle of John.
Second John.
The Elder unto the elect Lady and her children.
Whom I love in the truth.
And not I only, but also all they that have known the truth.
For the truth sake which dwelleth in us.
And shall be with us forever.
Grace be with you, mercy and peace.
From God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth.
As we have received a commandment from the Father.
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning.
That we love one another.
And this is love that we walk after his commandments.
This is the commandment that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an anti Christ.
Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
Whosoever transgresseth.
And abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God?
He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine.
Receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed.
For he that biddeth him godspeed as partaker of his evil deeds.
Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink.
But I trust to come unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
The children.
Of thy elect sister, greet thee.
Amen.
And now the third Epistle of John.
The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
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 diotrephes, 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.
And not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, but 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 hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself.
Yeah, and we also bear record and you know that our record is true.
I have 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 don't believe that we can understand these two epistles.
If we take them up separately.
I believe that they supplement and complement one another.
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And I would say that the second epistle of John.
Has written over it that God is late.
And the third epistle of John has written over it that God is love.
Second, John, is what we would call negative.
3rd John is positive.
The key verse in second John is verse 10.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine.
Receive him not.
Into your house. Neither bid him godspeed, neither greet him.
Second, John is instruction from the Spirit of God.
Whom we are to refuse.
Whom we are to reject, whom we are not to receive.
And the eighth verse of third John says we therefore ought to receive such.
That we might be fellow helpers to the truth.
There John tells us whom we are to receive and to express fellowship with.
And the commendation in that epistle.
Is.
To the beloved Gaius, that he had received the brethren.
And had shown fellowship with them.
The warning.
In the second epistle of John.
Is given to an elect lady and her children. We were talking about children this morning.
You might say they have the least measure of responsibility in the family of God.
The sister certainly doesn't have the same measure of responsibility as the brother.
And the children even less. But he writes second John.
To the elect lady and her children.
Both epistles stress the truth. Notice in second John verse one whom I love in the truth.
Not I only, but also all they that have known the truth.
For the truth sake which dwelleth in US and shall be with us forever.
The end of verse 3. The son of the Father in truth.
And love verse 4I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking.
In truth.
In the third epistle, verse one, the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Verse three. 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.
Verse 8. We therefore ought to receive such that we might be fellow helpers to the truth. Verse 12. Demetrius at good report of all men, and of the truth itself. So we see how that both of these epistles stress the truth.
And what I learned from this is the instruction in Second John.
If I'm going to be walking in the truth, and young people, if you're going to be walking in the truth, the instruction found and the principles found in these two epistles must be characteristic of us. We can't have one without the other.
The tendency of my heart and of our hearts is that we either stress that line that God is holy, God is light. We stress that line.
Or we stress that line, that God is love, gracious, tender, merciful, gracious.
And we can air either way.
There's two ditches on either side of the road that we're traveling and the one is legality and an austere hardness.
That is not Christ, and the other is looseness.
And a wishy washy handling of the truth.
Not one of principle, not one being led by the spirit of truth.
Either one of those errors, looseness or legality, is not to be walking in the truth.
And so I'd like this afternoon with the Lord's enabling to look at these two epistles.
To look at them in their similarities.
And then to look at them in their differences. Because if we're going to be walking in the truth as every one of us desires.
What is found in these two epistles?
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Which you might say form the appendix to 1St John, the first epistle of John, where God is presented as light in the 1St chapter and as love in the 4th chapter.
Both epistles are addressed to an individual.
Second, John is addressed to a sister and elect lady and of course, her children.
3rd John is addressed to a brother.
Now, if I had written these two epistles, I would have made the mistake.
Of addressing second John to the brother.
And third, John to the sister.
Because the instruction in two John.
Is whom to reject?
How to deal with an enemy? Notice verse seven of second John. Many deceivers.
Are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver.
And an Antichrist. Second John deals with enemies, with those who are deceivers, those who go forward.
And don't bring the doctrine of Christ. They don't bring the truth.
As to the person.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now the second John had been written to a brother, and one had come to the home of a Christian wife with her children.
And she had let him in and he was one of those that was connected with that which was not true to the Lord Jesus Christ. And there are many groups like that.
And she had entertained him and shown hospitality to him, and then when her husband came home at night.
She told him what she'd done.
He would have said why did you do that?
Why did you let him in?
She would have said well.
That's just my nature.
I like to show hospitality.
I like to be gracious and kind to people that come to the door.
It's not my responsibility to discern what he's bringing. I'm just a sister.
That's your responsibility. Second, John was addressed to you, not to me.
But she can't see that now.
Because second John is addressed to the sister and her children.
And what do we learn from this? That there isn't one of us, from the very simplest and least taught in the family of God.
That is not held responsible to be true to the person of Christ.
Everyone of us.
From the.
Least significant child.
Is responsible to be true to the person of Christ.
And the instruction in Second John is that this elect lady and her children, whom he loved in the truth, was responsible to discern.
What?
The one that came to her door was bringing and whether he brought.
That truth as to Christ or not.
He says in verse 9.
Whosoever second John 9 whosoever transgresseth or another translation reads, that goes forward.
It's what is known as progression in the things of God.
I was passing out gospel tracts on the elevated platform as a young man in Chicago, and it happened to be a platform where the where you could change from the elevated to the subway. And right there was a theological seminary that used to be sound in the faith, but now it's all modernistic.
And as I passed this gentleman a gospel tract, he smiled and he started to talk with me.
And he questioned me as to what I held.
And I told him that I hold to the virgin birth of Christ, I hold to the deity of Christ, that he is God and man and one inscrutable person.
And I believe in the atoning death the Lord Jesus Christ, and that there's no salvation outside of.
The shed blood of Christ hung the cross.
And I believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit.
And the Blessed Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And that the Spirit of God is a divine person, indwelling all believers, and that the Lord is coming to take us home. And he smiled at me as I went through all these precious truths that we hold so dear and vital.
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And he smiled at me and he said, well, that's nice.
He said. But now you have to go on to the deeper things.
Now you have to go on to the deeper things. I see you've got a hold of the rudimentary truths, but now you have to go on to the deeper things. Well, that's what John is talking about in verse nine of two. John, whosoever goes forward, whosoever goes beyond these truths which are basic and essential and fundamental, into what? Into Darkness.
Into error for one step beyond the person.
Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. One step beyond that is deadly error. It is darkness, it is not light, it is evil, it is error. And this is where this poor man was. He was what we call a modernist. He called himself a Christian. He was one that didn't bring the doctrine of Christ.
He no longer held if he ever had, and I don't believe he ever did.
He no longer held to the truths that are so dear and precious to us. Who are the Lords.
He was one of those deceivers and antichrists, and yet he called himself a Christian. So here is this.
Elect Lady and her children.
And one comes to her.
And doesn't bring the doctrine of Christ. Now you know that the Church is set before us in the scriptures in figure as a woman.
A bride.
And we have the types in the Old Testament, so many types where the women typify the assembly.
And the assembly is in the place of subjection.
But her responsibility?
Your responsibility and mine.
Our chief responsibility is to carry the ark.
Through the wilderness to be true to Christ no matter what.
To be true to him.
Well, let's just look a little more at the details of Second John.
He says in verse 2, For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever.
That reminds me of John 14 verse 17 and I'd like to read it to you.
John 1417. He's talking about the comforter.
In verse 16 he says, I will pray the Father.
And He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Now compare that verse.
With second John verse 2 For the truth sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever.
The Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. He's going to be with us forever. He dwells within us and He's going to abide with us forever.
And so the truth remains and dwells in US and shall be with us forever.
We have the spirit of truth.
We have.
That one who is truth, the Lord Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life.
He is the truth, objectively.
He is the truth. Outside of ourselves, we can look to Him and we have the truth.
But then the Spirit of God in first John chapter 5 we might look at the verse 1. John chapter 5 verse 6 is called the truth also.
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is.
It should read the truth. I believe the article should be there.
Christ is the truth objectively. The Spirit is the truth subjectively. That is, the Spirit makes good to my soul within as he dwells within me, the truth of Christ who is outside of me.
All the truth of God is centered in the person and work of Christ, and the Spirit of God within gives us to enjoy that and to make it good to our souls.
And so he speaks here to this elect lady and her children, whom he loved in the truth, and he says, for the truth sake which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever.
The weakest 1.
And the youngest one in the family of God, who is sealed of the Holy Spirit, has the truth in Christ outside of himself and by the Spirit within himself.
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So John says in first John two, you have no need that anyone teach you for.
As you have the unction from the Holy One, and he teaches you of all things and his truth.
The unction from the Holy One, the Spirit of God.
We have the truth in the midst of the evils that are so prevalent and increasing everywhere around us. How wonderful.
That is.
Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I rejoiced greatly that I have found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
Now it's very instructive, verse 5.
You might expect to find verse 5.
In the third epistle, but it's not there.
It's in the second epistle, and notice what he says.
Now I beseech you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning.
That we love one another.
And yet this is the epistle where the apostle John instructs this elect lady and her children to say no.
To close the door, not to receive into her house.
This is not the epistle where he commands for showing hospitality and love and fellowship.
To those of like precious faith. But here he speaks of love.
Being expressed in a firmness to say no to the enemy.
And what is being what is being passed off today is a false pseudo charismatic type of love which throws its arms around anyone and everyone that calls himself Christian.
And the truth goes out the window.
The truth falls in the streets.
But the emphasis in these two epistles is the truth.
And if I'm going to be walking in the truth, I'm going to have to discern who is not of God.
And close the door to such.
To throw my arms around one who is not true to Christ.
Is not love. It's called love. It's being paraded as love everywhere in Christendom, but it's false. It's honey, it's natural sweetness, and it's not allowed. It was not allowed in the meat offering. There was none of that in Christ.
He was that holy one of God.
There was not that mere amiability of nature.
Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.
Love one another. Notice what verse 6 says. And this is love.
That we walk after his commandments.
This is the commandment that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
To walk in obedience to the expressed will of God. And that's what His commandments are.
The expressed will of God to walk in obedience to that is divine love. That's love.
And the way I can show love to my brethren the world over is for my feet to be walking in the path of obedience to the Scriptures for myself. Turn back to first John 5 for two verses.
Verse 2.
First John 5 verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. And this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous.
So the love of God is shown to my brethren elsewhere.
By myself, by yourself, walking in obedience to His Word.
And to his revealed will, which is spoken of here as his commandments.
The whole path of the Lord Jesus is summed up and I want to read it. John 12.
John's Gospel chapter 12 verse. Well, it's the last two verses.
Verse 49 and 50.
He says. For I have not spoken of myself.
But the father which sent me, he gave me a commandment.
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What I should say and what I should speak?
And I know that his commandment is life everlasting.
Whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. He sums up everything that he spoke.
And all this pathway down here, everything was the commandment of the Father. It was done in obedience to His Father.
He was the obedient 1. He was the one that never spoke from himself.
But always from what the father had given him to say.
Have I been so long time with you, Philip? And yet hast thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then show us the Father.
Yes, he was the living embodiment of the truth.
He could say when asked, Who art thou? He could say altogether that which I say to thee. He was the expression of the very truth which He was in His own person. He was the truth, and everything that He expressed and everything that He did was the living witness of the truth.
And we have that Blessed One as our object, and the Spirit of God as our power.
So how are we to love one another?
Is it love?
Is it love to?
As some have done in these modern days.
Is it love to call upon those?
In an evangelistic meeting, who deny in the virgin birth of Christ, or the deity of Christ, or the atoning death of Christ, to call upon them to pray.
And thus to command their spurious Christianity.
By an expression of fellowship.
We are told in second, John, very clearly not to have fellowship with those that are not true, those who are deceivers. You say, well, how do I know who is a deceiver and who is not a deceiver?
Well, what they bring.
And he says.
He says in verse 9 again.
Whosoever goes forward and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, he has not God.
He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. That's one who remains true to Christ, if there come any unto you, and he's writing not to a brother.
That he's writing to this elect lady and her children, and he says, if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed, or that expression simply means don't give him the common greeting.
No expression of fellowship to those that go around posing as Christians.
Who come and don't bring.
The truth of Christ.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house. Now this is addressed to a sister and her children.
And if that be so, the brothers are responsible, the assembly is responsible. Indeed all are responsible because those in the position of least responsibility are held to this.
Are held to this.
If this epistle, I say it again, had been addressed to a brother.
Then those who are lower in the.
In responsibility might be able to get out from under it by saying, well that's not my responsibility. Verse 11.
This is so serious.
That it says he that biddeth him godspeed, he that greets him.
Is Partaker.
Of his evil deeds.
Well, you see, as you look at this epistle, that it has a very solemn character to it.
Now let's quickly look at third John.
This is the positive side.
Here he's dealing with friends, not enemies. Notice the last verse. The friends salute thee. Read the friends by name.
Here, he's dealing with those that he can call friends.
Those who are true to Christ, those who are real, those who are genuine, not the spurious deceiver and the Antichrist of the second Epistle. Who is to be rejected, Who is to be discerned and refused fellowship.
Not to be received. We were talking this morning about whom we are to receive and whom we are not to receive. Well, second, John tells us whom we are not to receive.
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3rd John tells us whom we are to receive, verse 8. We therefore ought to receive such.
Notice in 3rd John we have the word beloved mentioned in the fourth in the first verse, the well beloved Gaius.
In the second verse, beloved.
In the fifth verse, beloved.
In the 11TH verse, beloved.
Oh, there's such affection, there's such endearment, there's such terms that would draw at the heart because now the spirit is free.
Now the Spirit is free to go out in commending one who was one of the beloved of God. And that's such a precious and wonderful expression, beloved the well beloved guys.
You don't. You don't read that word, beloved in second John.
It's out of place there. There's an austere tone to second John.
There's a serious danger in Second John, and that is.
To express fellowship under the pretense of love to those who are.
Untrue to Christ, and that's not love.
That's not love at all.
That's being traitorous to the blessed Lord Jesus.
But in 3rd John.
It's a it's a wonderful spirit of fellowship. And so he says, beloved.
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.
For I rejoice 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 the truth and everyone of us who is a parent.
Can relate to that and we can say, oh.
That's what fills our hearts with joy to see our children going on in the truth and there isn't anything more sad and more heart rending to A to a father and a mother is when their children do not go on in the truth.
And then notice how he commands him in verse 5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers, that is, these brethren that Gaius was showing fellowship with.
Hospitality. That's more a feminine trait.
Would be much easier for the brother to close the door on the Antichrist. Very hard for a delicate woman. Sensitive nature.
To do that.
But that responsibility is laid upon her in Second John.
And that which is more on the level of nature.
In 3rd John for a sister to do is commended for a brother to a brother. So these two epistles are not written on the level of nature at all. If they were, Second John would have been to the brother and 3rd John to the sister, but they're written on a level altogether above that of nature.
Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and that strangers, those those brethren that you've taken into your home and had fellowship with, and you're going to bed to sleep in at night.
I've traveled around some and.
Many places I've gone to spend the first time I've ever met them.
And I have often mentioned this verse to them. I've said, well, you've done to me well. That fifth verse, you, you never knew me before. You've never seen me before. I was a stranger.
But I came and you checked out a number one once. They didn't know who I was.
And they made a phone call and say, who is this that's coming? And the brother said, well, explain who I was.
And they received me and they showed fellowship and they treated me as a friend.
And all that was so sweet and precious. Well, that's what Gaius did here. He treated these strangers that he'd never seen in the flesh before.
He treated them as brethren.
Verse 6 which have borne witness of thy charity or love before the church, whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well. That is Gaius had received these brethren that had traveled around ministering the word bringing the word of God. They brought the doctrine of Christ wasn't any need for the warnings of second John here there was fellowship, there was the free flowing of of affection and this is what we were talking about this morning.
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It's not a matter of intelligence how much we've entered into the truth of God, the deep things of God, but is the heart real? Is it genuine? Is it real before God?
In second John it was not.
And third, John, those that came as Christian ministers, they were received, they were given housing and fellowship and food, and then sent on their way, because that for his namesake they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. And Gaius is commended.
For dealing with those who were truly friends in this way.
We therefore ought to receive such.
That we might be fellow helpers to the truth. And then we have.
Those sad verses in this epistle.
Where the keyword is to receive such. In second John we've seen the keyword is not to receive them, but here in 3rd John, he's commended for receiving them. We therefore ought to receive such. But in verse 9 there was one of a different spirit.
And how important that.
We guard against this.
We're living in.
The most difficult days that church has ever seen.
We're living in days when there are many antichrists.
There are many false prophets.
And the enemy is working in ways that I believe some of us are asleep to.
We are not in the realization of what the enemy is doing in many cases.
But it's so wonderful that here in this epistle there was that spirit of love and hospitality and extension of love to those that were true to Christ. Sad to read about Diotrephes.
For he was not of that spirit.
I wrote unto the church, verse 9. But deotrophies, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
Here was one that had such power and such dominance over the spirits of those there.
The Saints there that he could even.
Not receive the Apostle John.
Wherefore if I come, he couldn't stop him from coming, but he didn't receive him, didn't show him fellowship, didn't receive him into his house.
Like Gaius had done, he says, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, praying against us with malicious words, and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of the Church.
I have a difficult time relating to that verse and justice, seeing how one man could have that kind of power, should have gained such an ascendancy over the minds of the other Saints as to control their very thinking and to be able to manipulate them.
You say, well, that'll never happen amongst us.
Then this epistle isn't needed today.
We're not in any danger like this.
You don't believe that, do you?
Everything that's written here.
Is because we need it.
And because we're in danger.
Of the very things that are warned against here.
We're in danger today of Diotrephes.
The danger today is to do just the opposite of Second John.
And that is to throw your arms around those who are not true to Christ.
That's the charismatic type of love, which is not divine love.
And the danger in 3rd John is to reject.
And to refuse fellowship with those who are true to Christ and who are real and who are truly friends.
And who ought to have fellowship? We were talking about that group this morning, I believe.
In our reading, those who are real.
But there are so many that come.
And they might have been connected with things which are very questionable. I'm not talking about those raised in the meeting, Children of the Saints. I believe that's what we were talking about this morning. And there, there should be no question with us as to associations or evil doctrine or a bad walk, because the parents can observe that and know whether the child who's asked for fellowship.
Is going on in a way which is proper.
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To being at the table.
But what about those that come from?
The many kinds of.
Evils in Christendom.
The many kinds of evils that are out there.
Well, I believe we have to be careful.
There are so many scriptures that.
Would warn us lay hands suddenly on no man. Paul tells Timothy be not partaker of other men's sins. And I'd like to read a verse in connection with these thoughts. Nehemiah Chapter 7.
Verse one.
Now it came to pass when the wall was built that I had set up the doors.
And the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed.
That I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem.
For he was a faithful man.
And feared God above many.
And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened.
Until the sun be hot.
And while they stand by, let them shut the doors and bar them.
And the point watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, and everyone to be over against his house. Now the city was large and great, and the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
Well, this is a Remnant testimony.
They had just set up the walls.
And that's the wall of separation. And thank God for the porters.
Thank God for those that.
That we're faithful.
Thank God for carrying out the principles that we have there. They weren't to open the doors. They weren't to open the door until the sun was hot, that everything was perfectly clear. And when we're dealing with that kind of a situation.
Let's wait until the sun is hot before the doors are opened to receive into fellowship one that might not be.
Truly a friend.
It takes priestly discernment.
In such a case.
Well, going back to three John and I'll close with this comment.
He says in verse 11.
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. And that implies to me that Diotrephes was not real.
There was a wrong spirit with him, and there was that which was not real.
He that doeth evil, and he was doing that, hath not seen God. And then he commends Demetrius. He hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself. Yeah, and we also bear witness, and ye know that our record is true.
Well, I thought that in this short.
A time that we had together this afternoon to bring before us the characteristic features of these two epistles. Second, John warning against enemies, against deceivers and antichrists, and the faithfulness to close the door and to refuse fellowship with those that were not true to Christ. And 3rd John, Speaking of the friends, those that were true to Christ and going on.
The truth fellowship to be extended to such gaius commended for that, but all it takes discernment on our part to know the difference between those that come.
Under the guise of being Christian teachers and don't bring the doctrine of Christ.
And those that guys come under the guise of being Christian teachers and do bring the doctrine of Christ, our conduct towards them is to be entirely different.
And it's love in both epistles.
You don't have to speak of love in the third epistle because it's manifest, it's flowing everywhere. But in the second epistle, verse 5 and 6 brings before us what real divine love is. It's to walk in obedience to His Word and to His expressed will, His commandments. And that may mean to say.
No, with firmness to one who doesn't bring.
The doctrine of Christ May God give us.
To act upon these two epistles, the only way to be in the truth. Second, John is negative. Third, John is positive. Second, John says God is late.
There, John says God is love. Both are needed and both are always present when we're led by the Spirit of God in our pathway here.
00:45:05
In closing, let's just sing the last two verses of 256.
256 verses 4:00 and 5:00.
Keep us Nordo.