1,2,3 John: Lesson 9

Overview

Three Lives, One Letter: Truth, Love, and Witness in 3 John

The short letter of 3 John introduces us to three men whose lives illustrate what it looks like—or doesn't look like—to walk in the truth of Christ. The Apostle John, writing as "the elder," addresses his beloved friend Gaius with a prayer worth claiming for ourselves: "I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul" 3 John 1:2. Notice the order. The first half is a petition; the second half is already a settled fact. Because Christ has died, risen, and reconciled us through His blood, things in this fallen world may not be right—and this side of eternity, they never fully will be—yet it can still be well with the soul. As Horatio Spafford wrote after losing his four daughters at sea, "Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul." The last note for the believer is always joy, because nothing can take Christ and His love away from us.

Gaius embodies what it means to walk in the truth 3 John 1:3-4. To "walk" in Scripture means to conform one's life and behavior to something—and Gaius's life was being shaped by the gospel. He extended hospitality to traveling preachers who were strangers to him, supporting them as they went out for the sake of Christ's name 3 John 1:5-8. When we are a source of blessing to others, we ourselves are blessed in the process—not as a motive, but as a fruit. Diotrephes, by contrast, "likes to put himself first" 3 John 1:9-10. The phrase describes someone selfish, self-centered, and self-seeking, and the verb tense indicates an ongoing pattern. He spread false charges against John, refused to welcome the missionaries, and even expelled from the church those who did. His craving for preeminence stands in direct opposition to Jesus' teaching that "whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant" Mark 10:42-45. Demetrius receives a brief but powerful commendation: everyone testifies to his character, and the truth itself testifies on his behalf 3 John 1:12. His reputation is the natural overflow of a life conformed to Christ.

John then issues a simple charge: "Do not imitate what is evil, but imitate what is good." Imitate Gaius. Imitate Demetrius. This echoes Paul's exhortation, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" 1 Corinthians 11:1. The question turns to us: Whom do we imitate, and are our lives the kind that others can faithfully imitate? This is not a call to perfection. The more we grow in faith, the more aware we become of how far we still have to go—Luther, Calvin, and Paul himself ("wretched man that I am!") all confessed this. But by God's grace, our words and conduct can point others toward Christ.

John closes with a longing to speak face to face rather than with pen and ink 3 John 1:13-14. In an age of unprecedented communication channels, genuine presence with one another has somehow grown harder—and more precious. There is something email and text cannot carry: the heart on display, eye to eye. The three letters of John keep returning to the same threefold call: truth, love, and witness. Truth shapes what we believe; love flows from that truth; and witness is how that truth and love become visible to a watching world. May our walk look like Gaius's, our character like Demetrius's, and our communion with one another rich enough to make the apostle's joy our own.

Transcript

I, good morning. 3s

Let's pray together, please. 6s

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor. 9s

And further us with your continual help that in all our works be gone, continued, and 15s

ended in you, we may glorify your holy name. 21s

And finally, by your mercy, obtained eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 25s

Amen. 33s

Well, last week we took a look at the second John, and we took a look at the theme of truth in love. 34s

Truth in love. 41s

And we saw how love flows from what it is that we believe, that we are drawn together, 43s

we have a mutual affection for one another, but the basis of love is born out of our belief 51s

in who Christ is and in response for what He has done for us. 58s

Well today we come to the last class, in the first, second, and third John, we're going 64s

to take a look at third John together. 69s

And this class revolves around three people. 72s

It revolves around a person by the name of Gaius, revolves around a person by the name of 78s

dyatrophys and the metrius, Gaius, diatrophys and diometrius. 85s

So that's a little outline for third John. 98s

If you follow those three, you've got the outline of where we're going to go today. 101s

So let's turn to third John, please, verse 1. 107s

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 114s

Now notice over on second John, the very first verse, the elder to the elect lady and 121s

her children, whom I love. 128s

Here's that phrase again in the truth. 130s

It's that same theme, isn't it, that our love is born out of what it is that we believe. 132s

The elder here, remember that's another word that's used in Scripture for a pastor. 139s

And so it's the elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 145s

So John here, the apostles, referring to himself as a pastor and he is writing to Gaius, 150s

whom he loves with a love that is born out of what it is that he believes about the Lord Jesus. 157s

Gaius is one of the most common names in the Roman society. 166s

We don't know who Gaius was, but we do know that he was a member of the church there, 171s

of the local church. 181s

Verse two, beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, 183s

just as it is well with your soul. 194s

I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, 199s

namely how you walk in the truth. 206s

Beloved there is a phrase that shows the love that God has for them and the love that we have for one another. 220s

I think it's one of the most beautiful words that we can use together. 229s

And what a beautiful, beautiful prayer is that we have a love that we can use together. 236s

This is, who would not long for the very things that are being asked for in this prayer, 239s

who would not long for that for themselves and for others. 244s

I pray verse two again that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, 250s

just as well with your soul. 255s

I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived, testified to your faithfulness to the truth, 257s

namely how you walk in the truth. 262s

That all may go well, that all might be right. 267s

Because there is a lot of things in life that are just not right. 273s

Right? There's a lot of things in life that's just not right. 279s

I think of a man by the name of Hiroshio Spafford. 283s

And Mr. Spafford, he was married and had four daughters. 287s

His wife and his four daughters went on a ship. 291s

There was a collision at sea. 294s

The four daughters all perished. 298s

His wife was the only soul survivor there of his family. 301s

As he boarded a ship to go and meet his grieving wife, 307s

as he was sailing, he penned these words. 312s

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way. 316s

When sorrows, like sea, billows roll. 323s

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 327s

it is well, it is well, with my soul. 331s

Now you think on that and you say, well, 338s

how can he possibly say that it is well with his soul? 342s

When his four daughters have just been tragically killed, 348s

how can he possibly say, well? 353s

Let's go back to verse two again. 357s

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you 360s

and that you may be in good health, 364s

just as it is well with your soul. 369s

The first part of that verse is an expression of prayer, isn't it? 375s

And it's followed by a fact. 380s

So the expression of prayer, I pray that all may go well with you 383s

and that you may be in good health, 386s

and here's the fact, just as it is well with your soul. 388s

See, Jesus has come and He's died for us. 395s

The tomb is empty. 398s

The sacrifice for sin has been accepted. 399s

We've been reconciled through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 401s

We're claimed in the waters of baptism. 407s

We're washed in His promises. 410s

Surely things were not right for Mr. Spaffert. 415s

But it was well with his soul, wasn't it? 422s

We all live that, don't we? 428s

We all live that. 430s

Whereas we reflect in our lives, 432s

and we can say, not all things are right. 435s

They're just not right. 439s

Because we live in a sinful world with fellow sinners 442s

and we are sinners ourselves. 445s

And the world reflects sin so also do we. 447s

The world is not right. 451s

And you know what? 454s

It never will be. 456s

It won't. 457s

There will not be utopia here. 459s

The Garden of Eden that sinless existence has long gone by. 463s

Not all is right, but what is it that we can say? 469s

But it's well with my soul. 473s

It's well with my soul. 478s

And so we pray. 481s

I pray that all may go well with you 482s

and that you may be good health just as it is well with your soul. 484s

So we join with John, and we join with Spaffert, 494s

and we join with the fellow Christians that have gone before us. 498s

We join with those of us now, and we say, 502s

because of the Lord Jesus Christ, things may not be right. 506s

But it's well with my soul. 512s

And that is our hope. 517s

One author puts it this way. 519s

The last note is joy. 521s

The last note is joy because nothing. 524s

No news, no one, no event, no loss can take Christ 527s

and his love for me. 533s

The last note then is always joy. 536s

It's always joy because Christ has called us his own. 543s

Let's go on in verse four. 550s

I have no greater joy than this to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 553s

So Jesus writes here to a fellow disciple. 561s

He writes to Gaeus, and he writes as a loving father, 566s

might write to his beloved son. 570s

It's beautiful, beautiful language. 574s

That phrase there, I have no greater joy than this to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 577s

To walk in the truth or walking in the truth, 584s

that is a phrase, this whole image of walking that pops up in holy scripture. 588s

For example, let's go over to first John chapter 1, verse 6. 596s

First John chapter 1, verse 6. 603s

And John says, if we say that we have fellowship with him, 610s

while we're walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true. 614s

So there's that imagery then of walking once again. 622s

Walking means to conform our lives, to conform our behavior to something. 626s

And the phrase walk in the truth, it appears four times in the scriptures, 634s

three times here in these little letters here. 639s

So you've got second John, verse 4, 645s

says, I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, 649s

just as we have been commanded by the Father. 654s

Then you go over into third John, verse 3 again. 658s

I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived, testified to your faithfulness, 663s

to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. 667s

I have no greater joy than this to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 671s

The Apostle here is expressing his joy for the fact that gayists and others their lives are being conformed to Christ, 678s

being conformed to Christ, so that their lives and their behaviors point to and reflect the truth. 687s

The truth of the Lord Jesus. 697s

Verse 5, 701s

Beloved, you do faithfully. 703s

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, 705s

even though they're strangers to you. 709s

They've testified to your love before the church. 712s

You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God 717s

for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, 721s

accepting no support from non-believers. 723s

Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we may become co-workers with the truth. 728s

So who are the friends here? Probably they're traveling preachers. 737s

Gayists would have shown them hospitality. He would have given them food. 742s

He would have given them shelter, perhaps money. 746s

But gayists here, what John was lifting up, was a source of blessing here for these traveling preachers. 749s

And gayists then was blessed in doing that, because that's true, isn't it? 758s

That when we are the source of blessing for someone else, 764s

we wind up being blessed also in return, 769s

even though we don't set out to say, 772s

well, I want a blessing in return, so I'm going to be a source of blessing. 776s

That's the wrong motive, right? But it's true, isn't it? 779s

As we are a source of blessing to others, we find that in the process that we ourselves are blessed. 783s

So then there's this lovely language here around gayists. 791s

By the grace of God, his life is conformed to Jesus Christ, his life is reflecting, 795s

his confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's reached out in kindness here to these traveling preachers. 801s

He's walking in this truth. It's a beautiful, beautiful language and affirmation that John is giving with regard to gayists. 810s

Then we come to diatrophies. Then we come to diatrophies. 825s

And John has some things to say about diatrophies. 831s

Gayists here, he walked in the truth. He lived a sacrificial life of love. 837s

Diatrophies rejected the truth and rejected sacrificial love. 845s

And the problem's identified in verse 9. 854s

He says, I've written something to the church, but diatrophies who likes to put himself first. 859s

There's the problem. So gayists have been lifted up here, affirmed here for his sacrificial love, etc. 870s

Is helping of the traveling preachers, etc. And then the comparison here, John lifts up a problem that is evident in the church. 877s

And that is diatrophies. He mentions here, I've written something to the church. 887s

We don't have what he has written here. We don't have that, but obviously he wrote something to the church. 891s

And he's lifting up diatrophies who puts himself first. That word about putting yourself first, that phrase, it's used to describe a person who's selfish, self-centered and self-seeking. 902s

Selfish, self-centered and self-seeking. And it's in the present tense, which tells us that diatrophies was continuing to live in this, continuing to live in the selfishness and self-centeredness and self-seeking. 919s

It was a desire for power, for self-glory and a rejection of the authority of the apostle, John. 937s

Back into nine, I've written something to the church, but diatrophies who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 951s

So diatrophies is doing his own selfish thing here. And John sees, and that sure sees, that that is a problem. 963s

There's ignoring here what Jesus said about selfish ambition. Let's keep our fingers here and let's go to Mark 10th chapter, Mark 10.42. 973s

So Jesus called them and said to them, you know that among the Gentiles, those whom they recognize as their rulers lorded over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 1004s

But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to be great, become great among you, must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you, must be slave of all. 1018s

For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. 1033s

Diatrophies is the opposite then of Jesus' warning here. And John outlines the charges against him, verse 10. 1043s

So if I come, I will call attention to what he's doing, in other words, he's going to deal with this problem here. He's not going to look the other way, he's going to deal with it. 1055s

So if I come, I will call attention to what he's doing, and here it comes, insreading false charges against us, and not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends. 1067s

So the atrophies then is saying false things with regard to John. He's refusing to welcome here the traveling preachers as Gaius did, and then going on and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church. 1082s

So Diatrophies here is kicking people out of the church here because they're following John's authority because they are helping with those that are the traveling preachers. 1100s

So he slanders John, he gives the cold shoulder to the missionaries, and he excommunicates faithful believers because he wanted preeminence. 1117s

Then notice what John says, beloved, do not imitate what's evil, but imitate what is good. 1131s

John is saying imitate Gaius. Don't imitate Diatrophies because Diatrophies does not know God, imitate Gaius. 1144s

First Corinthians, the 11th chapter, let's turn the very place. Here you hear a very similar theme, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans. 1164s

First and second Corinthians. First Corinthians, the 11th chapter. You hear a very similar theme here. 1175s

Where Paul writes, be imitators of me as I am of Christ, be imitators of me. John's saying imitate Gaius. Don't imitate Diatrophies. 1188s

You know, as we reflect on our own lives, who is it that we imitate? Who is it that we imitate? 1207s

Who is it in our lives that we say, I want to be more like them. And how are we, by the grace of God, imitatable for others? 1217s

So that people look at us and they say, I want to be more like them. Now, does that mean that any of us ever reach a stage of perfection? 1235s

Of course not. In fact, the more that we grow in our faith, the more we realize we have to grow in our faith. 1244s

The more we grow in our faith, the more we realize how infantile we are in our faith. 1252s

I mentioned it before. You look at their reformers. You look at Luther, you look at Calvin, et cetera. 1259s

They had a profound sense of their own sinfulness, just a profound sense of it, of realizing how much more they had to grow. 1266s

Same thing with Paul. Same thing with Paul. Paul says, oh, wretched man that I am, who will save me from this body of death? 1279s

And then he points to Jesus Christ. Right? 1288s

And so it's not that we reach a stage of perfection where people say, I want to imitate them because of their perfection. 1293s

No, we're constantly in the state of growing. We're constantly in the state of repentance. 1302s

But by grace of God, we've come to a place where people can look at our lives and what it is we say and how we say it and say, I want to be more like her. 1308s

I want to be more like him. I want to be more like them. 1320s

And we ask ourselves for those around us what type of witness are we making to others in terms of us being imitatable to where they will look at us and say, I want to imitate that. 1326s

Because you hear a lot about role models. They're just kind of a different vernacular to put on it. 1347s

But that's kind of what it is to where Paul says, imitate me and then what did Paul say as I imitate who? Christ. Christ, you see? 1355s

That's the call here. John is saying, Gaeus, this is not one to imitate. Don't imitate that. It's not right. 1366s

Gaeus walked in truth and loved sacrificially. 1381s

Diatriathes rejected the truth and therefore did not walk in love sacrificially. 1393s

Then we come to Demetrius. Let's look at verse 12. 1405s

Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius and so has the truth itself. 1415s

We also testify for him and you know that our testimony is true. 1424s

Nothing is known about Demetrius apart from this verse. This is it. This is it. 1433s

So John's got a greater knowledge there of Demetrius than what we do. 1441s

But what is being lifted up here with regard to Demetrius? His character. His character. 1447s

And John says everyone has testified favorably to him. In other words, his character has been manifest. 1460s

His reputation is known in the community. The truth of God's word. Testifies to this. In other words, he is committed. 1467s

He is walking back to that word. He is walking, being conformed to the truth and that is expressing itself. 1480s

Back into verse 3 again of 3 John. I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. 1490s

It is the witness of character. Gaeus, he walked in the truth. He conformed to sacrificial love. 1508s

Diatripes did the exact opposite and what is being lifted up about Demetrius. It is the character born from Christ in his life. 1517s

Who do we imitate then? It is Gaeus, right? It is Demetrius. Here is the negative example. Gaeus, Demetrius, John, lives up. 1531s

He ends in with such a fiction. He said everyone, or verse 13, I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 1547s

Instead I hope to see you soon and we will talk together, face to face, peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. 1561s

We live in a day where there has never been a day where we have the most avenues in terms of communicating with one another. 1591s

And is it fair to say we live in a day that it is probably the most difficult to communicate with one another? 1604s

Right? I mean it is incredibly difficult. I remember growing up in the phone would ring. You always answered the phone. 1612s

You always answered it. Why? One of the reasons was is because of the potential of a long distance call on that. 1622s

And remember when long distance calls, at least in our home, what we were instructed is to talk fast. 1633s

You know, and my folks would say, come on, come on David, come on, come on the phone. Talk fast, it is long distance. 1638s

It is long distance there. There was an availability on that. 1646s

There was meeting face to face and conversation in much greater way than it is today. 1653s

Again, no, no their time in history. Have we been able to communicate with each other through so many avenues and in so many respects how difficult it is for us to communicate with each other? 1662s

There is really something beautiful. There is really something beautiful in sitting down with someone and talking with him. 1674s

Right? I mean there is something there that attacks that an email or I mean it just doesn't do it. 1684s

But when you sit across from the other person and you can look them in the eye and you can see here what the eye is saying, along with what the body is saying with the words, you get a greater understanding of where that person is that you are talking with is coming from. 1691s

Right? Because the heart is much more on display than behind the other communications that we have. 1713s

It is a lovely here isn't it? Where he says, you know, I said, I would rather not write with pen and ink. 1721s

Or he might have said, loose interpretation of the Greek. I would rather not text. 1730s

I would rather not send an email. I would rather not listen to the answering machine. I would rather see you and be with you and encourage you in that way. 1740s

There is a lesson I think there for us isn't there. 1757s

Well, first, second and third, John, these little letters, they keep coming back to the same themes. 1763s

Truth of love and witness. Truth. That truth forms what it is that we believe and what it is that it forms how we love. 1776s

And the witness is linked to the truth because we want to be faithful to the truth and the communication of it. 1797s

John's beautiful message, reduce it down to three words, truth, love and witness. 1806s

Well, next week, Pastor Malonex is going to begin a class for the next three weeks. She's entitled the class, lessons from the mission field. 1815s

And so she's going to examine with you various aspects of scripture that talks about the mission that we all have in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1823s

And then you're going to hear of examples of people putting that into practice. I commend that to you. That starts next Sunday. 1831s

Blessings. 1841s