What Matters Most: Truth and Love (2 John 1:1-14)

I. Introduction. A. Orientation. John wrote his first letter To show his readers Who professed that they knew Jesus Christ That they really had eternal life, That they really were Christians, That they had the Holy Spirit Living in a saving way in their souls.

He didnt tell them As so many Christians often do today That if you believe, youre saved, Or if youve prayed the sinners prayer, youre sure of heaven. He pointed instead to the evidence of this conversion: A change of mind and a change of heart.

Do you want to know you have eternal life, That you have been born again by the Spirit? You must believe the truth, And you must love the truth enough To live according to it.

2 B. Preview. John deals essentially With the same subject in his second letter, And gives us not only a refresher course On what it means to be a true believer, But also the blueprint on how to fulfill The Great Commission Jesus has entrusted to us.

John begins by addressing his audience: To the chosen lady and her children, Which seems like a strange greeting. To whom was he writing?

Some believe he was writing To a particular Christian woman and her household. The Greek word kuria, which is translated here lady, Was a common title of respect for a woman. The children would be her natural children.

Others believe John wrote to a particular woman But that these children refer to a church that met in her home.

Still others believe the woman is a particular church And that the children spoken of here Are her spiritual offspring or the members of that church.

Any of these views could be the right one, Though I suspect the last one is correct. If it is, then these children Are those this church has reached with the Gospel Those she was instrumental in saving.

What a vivid illustration Of what the Lord calls us to do in the Great Commission: As the bride of Christ, We are to be laboring to bring children to new birth Through the Gospel.

What John writes to this church Can help us to do the same.

Lets consider again the importance Of the two main elements of the Christian life, As well as the two main elements of evangelism: Truth and love.

These are the two things You must have to be a Christian, And, not surprisingly, the two things you need To fulfill the Great Commission. II. Sermon. A. Lets consider, first, the importance of truth.

4 You probably noticed That John used the word truth A number of times in this letter.

He uses it twice to assure them He is telling them the truth and isnt trying to deceive them: Such as where he says in verse 1 That he loves them in truth. Or when he says in verse 2 That Jesus is the Son of the Father in truth That He really is God incarnate!

But he also uses the word To refer to the truth of the Gospel.

He begins by expressing not only his love for them, But also the love of all those who know the truth (v. 1) That is, those who know the truth of the Gospel.

He writes to them for the sake of the truth The truth that abides in us and will be with us forever (v. 2) By which he likely means the Gospel. Its those who hear it And hold it close in their hearts That are true believers

5 And will bearing the fruit well see later.

And he writes to let them know How happy he was to find some from this congregation Walking in the truth Or according to what The Lord calls them to do in the Gospel.

I dont think that I need to say too much About how important the truth is And how important that it abides in us That is, that we dont just hear it And then forget what weve heard, But that we hold it close in our hearts And do what it says.

Its through the truth That we can escape judgment, Come to know God, And live lives pleasing to Him.

Its through the truth That we can help others Do the same.

Perhaps we can better see

Just how important truth is When we consider the consequences Of not knowing the truth Or believing what is wrong.

John was warning this church about the many deceivers Who had gone out into the world. He points to one error in particular: Their denial that Jesus had come in the flesh.

In Johns day, there were those who rejected the incarnation Who denied that God had become man. They had adopted the Greek notion That spirit was good and matter evil And had blended this idea with Christianity.

The result was they believed That God, who is spirit, who is good, Couldnt have come in the flesh He only appeared to be human.

Have you ever wondered Just how important it is That you believe in the incarnation? Without it, there wouldnt be a Gospel!

Jesus had to become one with us He had to become a man So that He could take our place And do what we failed to do: Obey for us and to die for us. If He hadnt become a man And done these things, There would be no salvation This was the only way.

If thats true, then how destructive Was this teaching? John tells his readers That if they adopted it, They would lose any reward with God, Including heaven: Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God (vv. 8-9).

You have to believe in the incarnation To be saved, The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son (v. 9).

If this teaching is so dangerous, Then what is true about the one who would teach it? John says, he is a deceiver and the antichrist (v. 7).

By antichrist he means One of the many that had risen in his day Who stood opposed to Jesus Christ. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. . . . Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also (1 John 2:18, 22-23). Far from promoting the Gospel Theyre actually standing against Christ.

How does John say we should treat those Who dont believe in the incarnation? You are not to receive them into your home Or even give them a greeting (v. 10).

He doesnt mean by this That you cant let them into your house Such as what you might do When you try to evangelize a JW or a Mormon Even though their errors are equally dangerous But that you are not to put them up for the night As Christians did for other Christians Who were serving the Lord in those days To them in propagating this teaching, Or to greet them in the way

You would greet a brother or sister in Christ And so confirm to them and to others That they are doing Gods will.

John says to do either of these things Is to become a partaker of their evil deeds (v. 11). If you help them spread their false doctrine You become partly responsible for what theyre doing.

There are certain non-negotiables That we should never forget And should always insist on Before we embrace anyone as a believer Or help them in the work they are doing for God. They are the same things You must believe to be a Christian.

You must believe the Bible is Gods Word and His Word alone.

You must believe in the true God: the Triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

You must believe in the true Christ: The One who is both God and man, The One born of a Virgin.

You must believe that man stands in need of salvation

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That he is born dead in sin and guilty enough for hell.

You must believe in the true way of salvation: By grace alone, through faith alone Not by faith plus works, That God might receive the glory alone.

And you must believe in a faith that is not alone The grace of God that gives you faith Also transforms your life into the image of Christ.

If you get these things wrong, You will not only destroy yourself, But others, if you convince them theyre true!

Does that mean all the other differences arent important? No. As weve been noting in the evening services, Whenever we believe something the Bible doesnt teach We hurt ourselves in some way. All of Gods truth is important, But only part of it is saving.

The bottom line is this: If you would be saved, you must believe the truth. And if you would be the means of saving others

11 You must communicate that truth to them. God only saves through the truth. Truth is non-negotiable.

B. The same is also true of love, Because only the truth can produce love It is the end or purpose of salvation.

What was it that John was happy to see In these children/converts? That they were living according to truth. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father (v. 4).

What did he mean? He meant that he could see in their lives The fact that they loved Jesus Christ. How could he see this? The same way that others can see it in yours: That you are walking according to the commandments. He writes in verses 5 and 6, Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

What is the evidence That someone has received the truth

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So as to be born again? Its love!

What kind of love? The kind that submits to Gods commandments. Which commandments? The Ten Commandments. Remember what Paul wrote to the Romans, Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:8-10).

As I said, this is the end redemption: To turn us from being rebels Into obedient sons and daughters; From those who disobey, To those who obey; From those who hate, To those who love.

And not to love just any way we please. Those of the world think theyre loving When they offer drugs or alcohol to each other, When they sleep together without being married, When they tolerate each others religion,

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Even when that religion will lead them to hell. That isnt love. God tells us what love is: How we should love Him in the first four commandments, And how we should love our neighbor as ourselves in the last six.

Jesus tells us that this is actually whats behind all the commandments. When He was asked which was the greatest, He answered, The foremost is, HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. The second is this, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).

These are the greatest Because as Paul wrote earlier Love is the fulfillment of all the commandments. Thats why God gives us His Spirit in the first place, To work this love in our souls. Paul writes to the Galatians, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (5:22-23).

If you want to know youre a true believer Look at your life and see whether You love God and your neighbor As He calls you

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Not perfectly, but consistently, And with increasing intensity.

If you dont see this love in yourself, Then check to see whether you know and believe the truth: That you believe His Word, In the true God, In the true Jesus, That you see your sin and confess it, That you turn from your sin And trust in Jesus alone. If you havent done this, This is where you need to start.

But if you do know Gods truth And have trusted Jesus Christ, And you have His love in your heart, Then you also have everything you need To reach out to others As He calls you to: To love your neighbor In the greatest way possible.

May the Lord help us

15 To take this message out to others, Moved by the love of His Spirit, Especially at this time of the year When we have this open door. Perhaps with His blessing He will allow us to give birth to spiritual children as well. Amen. http://www.graceopcmodesto.org