"1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father."
Today's Message: What Is Truth?
Open with me your Bibles the book of II John, although this is a very brief book, in which John offers little in the way of detail, it does contain some great insight and wonderful instruction. John did not identify himself by name in this letter, though he did adopt for himself the term "elder."
There has been much debate as to whether an author named John the Elder wrote this letter, as well as 3 John, which is addressed in the same way, or if John the
apostle wrote it, and was using a different title for himself. There is no reason to believe this was not written by the Apostle John, in fact, the early church from the second century testified in unison that this letter and its companion, III John, were written by the apostle.
By the way, it was not at all unprecedented for an apostle to use the term "elder" for himself, the Apostle Peter did that very thing in his first epistle I Peter 5:1.
The best place that you can be is under the hearing of the divine truth of God. And, II John makes clear what our position should be regarding the enemies of the truth. Divine truth is essential to the Christian life, because we are saved by the truth, we are sanctified by the truth, we speak the truth, we manifest the truth, we obey the truth and we walk in the truth. As those who walk in the truth, we should be people who love others.
Because we are judged by the truth, it should significantly impact how we think and how we speak and how we act.
"The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father."
II John was likely written as a brief follow-up to his first letter to
the church. He repeats many of the same ideas and addresses many of the
same concerns. I'd like you to notice that the
apostle addressed the letter "to the chosen lady and her children," a
rather mysterious phrase that has also been the source of much debate.
It has also been debated whether it refers to an actual woman or if it is a metaphor for a church. Regardless of the position you take in these debates, the application of its instruction should remain unchanged. John’s encouragement to us is not simply to love but to love others within the limits that truth allows. The word "love" is mentioned three times.Truth and love and intrinsically linked.
Our love is dependent upon truth, our obedience is dependent on our love. When we don’t love, we don’t obey. And when we don't obey, the truth is not in us. Sadly, many people think their disobedience to God only affects ourselves, our actions, whether obedient or disobedient, have far reaching effects beyond our own limited vision.
In I John, he focuses on our fellowship with God, whereas in II John, he focuses on protecting
our fellowship from those who teach falsehood. The apostle went so far
as to warn his readers against inviting false teachers into the house or
even offering them a greeting I'd like you to note, that five times in those four verses, John uses the Greek word alētheia, meaning truth. Because John lives in the realm of truth, controlled and motivated by the truth, clearly, John is writing this brief letter to call us to that same truth in a world of lies, presided over by the father of lies, Satan himself. Who dominates and controls those in the world so that they will fail to comprehend, believe
the truth, or speak the truth.
In fact, the prophet Jeremiah 9:5 says "They have taught their tongue to speak lies;They weary themselves committing iniquity."
In Psalm 58:3, "The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth."
That's the way the world lives, pursuing one unfulfilling deception after another. The Apostle Paul's indictment to the lost in Romans 1:25 sums it up quite well, "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator."
The world then is divided into two camps. And everybody in the world either lives in the realm of the truth or they live in the realm of lies. By the way, if the church ever abandons the way of truth, it then ceases to be the church of Jesus Christ. I am embarrassed to say, there are a lot of such organizations in the world today, they are really utilizing a name they’re not entitled to. The church exists to represent the truth, that is our purpose. The church is to be the monument of truth.
I have to say, one thing that really irks me, is how flippantly people treat the church today. The disdain they have for the revealed truth of God’s Word. They carelessly waltz in and out, as if it's a cocktail party, giving no thought to the fact they are there to interact with God. It is sheer and utter madness! The church of Christ has become the church of antichrist! Christ's church upholds the truth, it doesn't tear it down.
If people have a desire to see the kingdom of God, I strongly advise that people change they way they view the house of the Lord. The problem is today's church is severely lacking in godly leadership. We need godly leaders to bring the church back to the basics of the faith, so that the members can avoid destructive behaviors.
We have something far worse to fear than being considered as offensive and divisive, and the rejection of an unregenerate society. I believe that persecution of the church would be beneficial to holding onto the truth, which would really help us, because if there were outright persecution against those who believe the truth, the hypocrites would disappear.
I realize that may come off as being harsh, I'm not trying to be unkind or unloving, but we really need to wake up folks, we're talking about your eternal future. I have often been asked, "Don't you worry about being so bold? Don't you care what people are going to think of you?" I have to tell you, I really don't. It's not about me, its about Jesus Christ. So, the thought really doesn’t enter my mind.
God has entrusted me with His truth, that weight is very heavy upon me. A far greater weight than what people think of me. The weight of the truth is why my preaching is so intense, because the weight of proclaiming God's truth is my responsibility. I believe that this is the calling of every true man of God. Nothing is as important to me as God's divine truth. I am called to instruct and remind you to live in God’s truth. So, if I get defensive about protecting the truth, I pray that you will understand the mandate. Because if the church loses the truth, it is no longer Christ's church.
I imagine that the Apostles felt the weight of truth, much greater than I do, having walked with Jesus Himself for three years, being inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us these letters, to
remind us of the weightiness of the truth, to call us to live in God’s
truth. When we draw our last breath on this earth, only one thing is going to matter. That our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life!
There is something to be said about where the books at the end of The New Testament appear. It ends with I John, II John, III John, Jude, by the way, these are the shortest epistles in the New Testament, and then Revelation. II and III John call us to live in the truth, followed by Jude, which warns us about the
liars, which is followed by the book of Revelation, which promises us Jesus is coming back and instructs us to be ready for His return. I believe that's pretty strategic placement of these last several books.
I know that a bit of an introduction, so now, let's look at verse 1. "The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I
love in truth and not only I but also all who know the truth."
Truth and love underlies the theme of this entire letter, our connection is in a body of truth, the revealed truth of God. That is to say that all believers are linked together by the knowledge of and belief in the truth, it is God's revealed truth that unites us. It's not a particular denomination. If you do not believe in the true living God, if you do not believe in Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel, as revealed in Scripture, you are not a Christian, period!
You may believe in God, you may believe in Christ, but if it's not the God, as the sovereign Creator and Jesus of the Bible, the one and only Savior, then you have fallen short of salvation. If you don’t believe God's Word as revealed in the Bible, it's anti-Christ.
As we mentioned earlier, John uses the term "elder," at the time John wrote his epistle, it was at the end of the first century, around 90 to 95, he would be the only elder alive, who was also an apostle chosen by Jesus Christ, this is the only time, by the way, when the word "elder" appears in the singular in the New Testament. John was now the shepherd of the church, all the other Apostles had passed. So, John would have certainly been viewed as a patriarch. The elder of all elders so to speak.
Having been the writer of the gospel, three epistles, and receiving the book of Revelation, he identifies himself, as the elder, in order to maintain his immense spiritual authority.
John identifies this lady as " the chosen lady and her children," which the word "eklektē," or elect, which was a common way to identify a believer. It is really no different than calling someone a child of God, saved, born again, a believer, or a Christian. It's really not that difficult to understand, and then, John, being the elder.
However, because the doctrine of election has been so suppressed, we are reluctant to use it in the church today. I’m not ashamed that I’m elect, in fact, I rejoice it in. And, if you are a genuine Christian, you should too. I can't wrap my head around the fact that so many are afraid to use the word elect. While the doctrine of election may offend some modern Christians, with a weak perspective
of God’s sovereignty, as we find here, it never offended the New Testament writers and it
never offends the Holy Spirit who inspired them to write it. It simply refers to the fact that God had chosen us for salvation. And, I believe that the reassurance that God chose us to be His beloved children gives comfort when we are under attack or facing trials.
Now, as I mentioned to you earlier, that there has been some debate as to whether it refers to an actual woman or if it is a metaphor for a church. Allow me to share a few things concerning that, it is too brief to have been written to a church. As we get further into our study, I believe that you will agree, it would be very unnatural to sustain such a figure of speech if this letter refers to a church. Because this lady had a house and this lady had a sister and so forth. Apart from that, letters that are written to people are brief, such as Philemon. The except is Jude, which is at least twice this long, and it is addressed to more than one individual.
It's interesting to note, there's no mention of her husband, she may well be a widow, but that's not necessarily the case. Perhaps, her husband, being the bread winner, was out there doing whatever husbands need to do to support their families. So, I don’t want to belabor the point, I just thought I'd mention it. But we do know that she, along with her children, were responsible for the matters of hospitality in the home, as Scripture teaches elsewhere, this was the woman’s responsibility.
Then John says "whom I love in truth and not only I, but also all who know the truth." Here, he is linking the bond between love and those in the truth. We can conclude that the lesson here, is that the truth must always govern the exercise of love. John doesn't indicate whether he knew this lady well or not, but you know as well as I do, there is always a profound immediate affection between genuine believers. Sort of a weaving together of the hearts, because we are bonded together in the truth.
You know, sometimes, there are people who talk about Jesus, but because the deny the Trinity, or the deity of Christ, we have no real connection with them. That connection belongs only to those who are obedient to the truth. That's why we cannot compromise the truth and accomplish the purposes of God.
In verse 2, "for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever." Here, we see the truth not only unites us, but it indwells in us. We love in the truth, this is the reality of the depth of all our Christian love, our Christian fellowship, we manifest love in the power of the truth.
That's why Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The truth is the benchmark of our Christian faith. Every message ever preached should be for the sake of the truth. Because it’s all about the truth, that's why we're here. You can’t be saved, you can't be a Christian without the truth. A true Christian knows truth from error. You can't believe the Qur'an, you cannot believe the Tripitaka or the Catholic doctrine and be a Christian, because they don't have the truth. The truth is the only source of salvation! We are reconciled to God because Christ bore the penalty for our sin. The unchanging truth which is "in us, will be with us forever."
Jesus Himself makes that very clear in John 14:6, when He says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
Having the right belief, the right doctrine, the truth is critical! I believe the Apostle Paul is a wonderful example of that. In Philippians 3 he said "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ."
We don't have time to go into it today, but you can read the details of Paul's conversion in Acts chapter 9.
Verse 3, " Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love."
You already know this is the benediction which is common in the New Testament. God’s grace is directed more towards our guilt and our need for forgiveness of sins, whereas mercy is directed towards God's relieving the devastating consequences of our sins. All salvation grace, all salvation mercy, all salvation peace comes to us in truth from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son. Salvation, grace for our sins, mercy for our sinful condition, peace for our separation from God, results in reconciliation to God.
Over the years, I have heard the cry of people who have said that doctrine divides. Truth unites, doctrine only divides if you're standing on the wrong side of the truth. Love and unity is never increased by decreasing truth. Any such love, any such unity is not of God. God's truth never changes.
Notice John's says "From God, the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father." The word "from" is intentionally repeated, this is to place them both on equal ground, as not to blur the line between them as unique persons. This is in keeping faithful with the Trinity. The truth unites us, indwells us and blesses us.
Then in verse 4, "I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father."
Here, John is emphasizing the importance of making obedience a priority in our lives, truth control us. "I was very glad," he is rejoicing, he's overjoyed. "To find," is the Greek verb "eurēka," which means to
discover, especially after searching. "Some of your children walking in truth," the truth is not just to be believed, it is be lived out. It's living a life of obedience to the commands of God. John is saying they are conducting themselves as true believers, living a life that is controlled by the truth.
discover, especially after searching. "Some of your children walking in truth," the truth is not just to be believed, it is be lived out. It's living a life of obedience to the commands of God. John is saying they are conducting themselves as true believers, living a life that is controlled by the truth.
This echoes Jesus' teaching in John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
When we walk in the truth, the truth of God shapes the way we think, speak and act. The truth defines everything. We don’t just know the truth, we don't just believe the truth, we live the truth.
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for Your Word for us today. We thank for giving us the truth that causes blind eyes to see, deaf ears to hear. The truth that causes hardened hearts to change and lives to be transformed. Lord, we pray that everyone hearing this truth will receive it and come to the Savior Jesus Christ. We pray for those who know Christ, keep them faithful Lord and grant them discernment that they may never fall victim to deceit. We pray for those who have abandoned the truth and still call themselves a Christian, a church, forgive them, restore them and reconcile them to the truth. May we all worship and adore You and Your Son, in truth and in spirit and boldly proclaim the truth that saves, to a world unbelieving.
In Christ's name we pray
Amen
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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