2 John – Walking In Truth and Love

This book is the shortest book in the Bible.  It is written by the disciple John who calls himself ‘the elder’ in the book.  1 John focuses on our fellowship with God, while 2 John focuses on protecting our fellowship from false teaching.  John used the word truth 37 times in his writings.  The word truth occurs 5 times in this short book; the word love occurs 5 times.  Truth and love are inseparable.  Truth does not change and it’s what binds believers together.

We live in a time when truth is broken, distorted, and when there is actually very little truth around.  Many even deny the existence of any absolute truth.  Romans 1:25 - “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator”.  John says the truth lives in believers of Jesus.  It is truth that makes real love possible even though lying and deception are present in the world.  As Christians, the truth lives in us through the Holy Spirit.

2 John 1-3 – John identifies himself as ‘the elder’ referring himself as a leader of the church.  He writes it to ‘the chosen lady and her children’.  Some think she is a person, but he was probably referring to a church and it’s believers.  It was a time of persecution and maybe he didn’t want to mention himself or a particular person or church by name in order to protect them.  He also writes about her sister in verse 13, which means a sister church where John attended.

2 John 4-6 – He writes he had great joy to find ‘some of your children walking in the truth’.  This tells us that some church members do not walk in the truth.  All believers should examine themselves to be sure they do and say what is true.  To live in truth we must believe in truth.  Jesus is that truth who came to earth as a man.  He was God and has always been God.  He became a man, died for us and rose to life after 3 days.  To live in truth we must be loyal to God and obey God.  To live in truth we must love one another and walk in obedience to His commands.  If we love God, we will love His people.  Love is the test of truth.

2 John 7-11 – John warns about false teachers.  There were those who claimed Jesus didn’t come in the flesh just as there are today.  He calls such persons ‘the deceiver and the antichrist’.  Believers are to watch themselves and have no part in the evil work of such people.  These people oppose the Bible’s message and they are not to be trusted.

If any of these false teachers deny the true doctrine of Jesus, John says we should not give them hospitality.  If you do, you are sharing in their evil work.  This doesn’t mean we can’t have different opinions or that we shouldn’t witness to the unsaved.  It means that those that reject the core message of the gospel are to be avoided.

John seems to write a lot about false teachers.  They were to problem in John’s day and they are a problem today.  There are many deceivers hovering around this world.  They cause Christians to doubt and make their lives hard to live for Jesus.  It’s important to question everything we see, hear, and read that claims to be ‘Christian’ with the Scriptures.  Satan’s greatest weapon is deceit.

2 John 12-13 – John ends his letter by saying he has more to say but wants to meet in person so their joy may be complete.  There is always joy when friends meet together.  John was eager to enjoy their company. 

John’s final verse seems to confirm that the letter was sent from one church to another.  He concludes with a statement, “the children of your chosen sister send greetings” referring to the church members where John was located.  God chose these people because they believed in Jesus.  God has chosen everyone who believes in Jesus.  Every Christian is special to God.

Key verse:  “And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to his commands.” – 2 John 6

Principles: 

Truth and love are what binds believers together.

Show your love for Jesus by obeying the command to love each other and live in obedience to the Scriptures.

Look out for deceivers who do not teach the doctrine of Christ.

Join me next time for the study of 3 John.  Hope to see you here. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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1 John 5 - Born of God

1 John 5:1-12 – Faith in Jesus

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.  We are born of God when we put our trust in Jesus and His work in saving our lives.  When we love God and keep His commandments, we know we are His child.  John says His commands are not burdensome, but a blessing.  Jesus said, “For my joke is easy, and my burden is light” – Matt. 11:30.  Jesus indicated it was man-made rules and the teachers of legalism and hypocrisy who made the burden hard.  Christ has already taken the burden, so it should be our joy to obey.  Obedience brings us closer to Him.

How can His commandments not be burdensome?  Love seems hard and denying the flesh is a constant battle.  Jesus condensed the commands to love God and others in Matt.  22:36-40. They are not burdensome because when we receive Christ, we are born of God and become a new creation.  God begins to live in you and make real inner transformation possible.  The burden then in not all on you.  Jesus is there to help.

John tells us the Jesus is the One who came by water and blood.  He defined three witnesses that tell us who Jesus is: water, blood, and the Spirit.  The Spirit is the Holy Spirit who bears witness about Jesus as God’s Son.  The water refers to Jesus’ baptism when He came out of the water there was a divine proclamation from heaven that He was God’s beloved Son.  Also through His baptism, He identified with us.  The blood is proof because of the blood He sacrificed on the cross.  Even the centurion was convinced who Jesus was just as many others were.  These three witness are in agreement and tell us who Jesus is.  There is a bonus witness: God.  We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it’s the testimony of God Himself.  Rejection of Jesus makes God a liar. 

Principle:  The three witnesses - the Spirit, the water, and the blood tell us who Jesus is.

1 John 5:13-21 – John’s Final remarks

John gave us the purpose for writing these things to us.  “So that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:13b.

If you know God, you are to have confidence that He will hear your prayers.  If you pray according to God’s will, you know your prayers will be answered.  John said to ask anything according to His will.  This indicates we should pray about anything and everything.  We pray according to His will because He wants to bring our will into alignment with His will.  God cares about our lives and nothing is too small or too big to pray about.  (1 John 5:13-15)

A while ago, I went shopping with a friend.  She prayed that she would find a yellow shirt.  I thought that was such a trivial thing to ask God for, but we all ask God for trivial things we want.  Nothing is too small to ask God for.   He cares for us and what we care about.  Sometimes He gives us what we ask for and sometimes He doesn’t.  It’s all about what His will is for our lives.  We don’t always understand why we don’t always get exactly what we ask for.  Remember His ways are not our ways and He always knows what is best.  So when we pray we should pray in His will.   

Whether you pray to find a yellow shirt or not, God cares and we should ask ourselves if we should really care about that shirt in the long run.  The real purpose of prayer is to put God at the center of our thoughts and establish a relationship with Him.  Scripture says, “Do not be anxious about anything , but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. “ – Phil. 4:6.

Principle:  God cares about our lives and nothing is too small or too big to pray about.

John’s tells us we should love at all times and avoid sin at all times.  This may cause some discomfort or fear if you are struggling to love or to abstain from temptation.  These words of John are meant to comfort, not condemn.  They are meant to provide assurance, not doubt.  If you have placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your life in hidden in Him (Col. 3:3) and no one can take it away. 

John ends by saying to keep yourselves from idols.  If you love God, you don’t need or want to love or worship any other gods. (1 John 5:21)

Principle:  We should love at all times and avoid sin at all times.

John gives believers assurance throughout this book:

1 John 2:3 - we know that we have come to know him if we obey

1 John 2:5 – this is how we know that we are in Him

1 John 2:13a – you have known him who has been from the beginning

1 John 2:13b – you have known the Father

1 John 2:14 – you have known him who is from the beginning

1 John 2:18 – this is how we know it is the last hour

1 John 2:20 – all of you know the truth

1 John 2:29 – you know that he is righteous

1 John 3:2 – we know that when he appears…

1 John 3:5 – you know that he appeared

1 John 3:10 – this is how we know the children of God

1 John 3:14 – we know that we have passed from death to life

1 John 3:15 – you know that no murderer has eternal life

1 John 3:16 – this is how we know what love is

1 John 3:19 – this then is how we know that we belong to the truth

1 John 3:24 – this is how we know that he lives in us

1 John 4:6 –  whoever knows God listens and can recognize spirit of truth and spirit of falsehood

1 John 4:7 – everyone who loves knows God

1 John 4:8 – whoever does not love does not know God

1 John 4:13 – we know that we live in him and he in us

1 John 4:16  we know and rely on the love God has for us

1 John 5:2 – this is how we know we love children of God

1 John 5:13 – so that you may know that you have eternal life

1 John 5:15 – if we know he hears us, we know that we have what we asked

1 John 5:18 – we know we don’t continue to sin

1 John 5:19 – we know we are children of God

1 John 5:20 – we know the Son of God has come and know he is true

Join me next week for the study of 2 John and 3 John.  Hope to see you here. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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1 John 3-4

 

1 John 3:1-10 – Loving as God’s Children

If you are a believer, you are a child of God.  So you are a stranger to the wor
ld.  He loves us, but went further than that to call us His children.  By receiving Him, He gave us the right to become His children.  We can know and have the assurance that we are included in His family.   We grow in the image of Jesus now, but when we see Jesus we will truly be like Him. (1 John 3:1-3) 

If we make a practice of sinning, we practice lawlessness.  Our sin is an offense against God, but the work of Jesus is to take away our sins.  We cannot do it ourselves.  Only Jesus can do that because He had no sin.  No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning.  True fellowship with God cannot result in ongoing sinful living without repentance.  We all sin because we are human, but believers do not live a life style of habitual sin. (1 John 3:4-6)

Just because you are a Christian and have been forgiven your sins doesn’t mean you will never sin again.  We sin daily, because we are human.  But as a follower of Jesus we don’t habitually sin.  Yes, we mess up but Jesus forgives us.  So don’t beat yourself up.  That’s what the devil wants you to do.  He wants you to be unhappy and doubt.  Don’t let him win, but be confident in your salvation.

John said to not let anyone lead you astray.  Those who habitual sin are not the children of God, but are of the devil.  Jesus’ purpose is to destroy the works of the devil.  If you are born of God, you change from being of the devil to being children of God.  Your old pattern of life dies and you are born anew.  This is how you know who the children of God are.  (1 John 3:7-10)

Christians were deceived in John’s day just as they are today.  Make sure you are righteous before God.  How can you be made righteous?  We are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Principle:  God loves us so much that He made us part of His family.

1 John 3:11-24 – Love One Another

John focuses on love for one another.  We are not to be like Cain who murdered his brother.  Cain is a good example of failure to love.  He was disobedience from a lack of faith, full of pride, gave into the sin of hatred which led to murder, and then tried to hide it.  John said anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murder has eternal life in Him.  To hate someone is to murder in our hearts.  (1 John 3:11-15)

What is love?  Jesus laid down His life for us, so we know what love is.  We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  We are not to love with only words, but with our actions.  If our hearts condemn us, we can rest in the truth and in His presence, because God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything.  If we obey his command to love others, we know He lives in us.  (1 John 3:16-24)

To love means to want what is best for them.  We stop thinking highly of ourselves and put the interests of others ahead of our own.  Jesus didn’t say we have to like everyone, but He did say we are to love them even if we don’t like them.  

What does it mean to lay down your life for someone?  I don’t think John had in mind physical death.  Jesus didn’t have to lay down His life, but He chose to do it.  To lay down your life means we should see it not as ‘have to’ but as ‘want to’, because Christ did it for us.  It may mean we have to die to ourselves for them.  It means to sacrifice time, talent, possibly treasure, but the real sacrifice of love comes when it costs you something that has real value to you. 

Principle:  Love one another.

1 John 4:1-6 – Test the Spirits

Believers are not to believe every spirit, but tests the spirits to see whether they are from God.  If they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is from God, they are from God.  If they don’t acknowledge Jesus, they are the spirit of the Antichrist. (1 John 4:1-3)

There are a lot of false teachers and religions out there in the world and sometimes they seem to be the real thing.  Some deny that Jesus is really God – like Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons.  They may teach a little truth which makes them seem like the real thing.  They might confess that He has come in the flesh, but deny that He is God as the Bible teaches.  You can tell they are false teachers if they distort God’s Word, seem to desire material gain, their teaching leads to inappropriate behavior, they don’t preach the gospel, they seek Glory for themselves instead of God, they don’t exhibit right character qualities, or they seek to divide the body of Christ.  So read and study the Bible and know what it says.

These false teachers speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them.  John said he and the disciples are from God and whoever knows God listens to them.  Believers need not fear the Antichrist, because the Spirit of Jesus in them is from God.  “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” – 1 John 4:4.

Principle:  Test the spirits to see if they come from God.

1 John 4:7-21 – God’s Love For Us and Our Love for One Another

Let us love one another for love comes from God.  If you love others, God lives in you and you have been born of God and know God.  If you do not love, you do not know God, because God is love.  John says we ‘ought’ to love one another.  This implies an obligation.  Love demonstrates God’s presence in our lives and serves as evidence to the rest of the world.  (1 John 4:7-12)

We use the word ‘love’ in many different ways – we love pizza or we love the beach or we love our spouse.  But biblical love is different.  It is self-sacrificing.  It shows in seeking the highest good of someone.  It’s a caring commitment and action.  God is the source of genuine love.

Anyone who claims to love God must prove it by loving his brother.  We shouldn’t worry if God truly loves and forgives us.  Believers have no reason to fear that God will not accept us.  His perfect love removes the need of this fear.  God is love.  “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18

We love because He first loved us.  John says if you hate your brother and say you love God, you are a liar.  If you hate your brother, you don’t love God.  He has given us the command, “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” – 1 John 4:21 

Principle:  We love because He first loved us.

Join me next week for the study of 1 John 5.  Hope to see you here. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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