1 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,360 And your Bible and I hope you do go and make your way to 3rd John 2 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,720 first, second, third John. Today we complete our series in 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,440 the New Testament letters of John before next week turning 4 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,720 our attention to the story of Christmas and by the way, what a 5 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,560 great Sunday next Sunday would be. 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,720 If you've been thinking about inviting someone and they say 7 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,120 that 18,000,000 Americans would have attended church on any 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:38,760 given Sunday had they only received a invitation, and the 9 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,040 opportunity awaits and we're going to be diving in right into 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,520 the Christmas story. It's a great time of the year to 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,080 just open up the Bible in your home as a couple, as a family 12 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,640 with kids or grandkids and just spend some time in the evenings, 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,280 even if you can't do it every day of the week. 14 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,600 But to just open up and read about what the season is all 15 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,080 about, reminding your family and allowing that the word of God to 16 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,600 be heard in your home and celebrating that together. 17 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,400 Let me encourage you to do that. Third John is one of the 18 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,040 shortest and most overlooked books in the Bible. 19 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:10,720 Anybody heard a sermon on 3rd John? 20 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:13,960 Now, you're a preacher, man. That didn't count. 21 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:18,400 So, yeah, maybe a few. All right, we're about to change 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:19,040 that. Amen. 23 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,640 At least I pray it's a sermon. Hopefully we'll see. 24 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,360 So one of the most overlooked books in the Testament, The the 25 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,360 reason why Third John is written is because of a specific 26 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,760 problem. And that problem is a person. 27 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,680 Anybody ever had a person caused them problems in life? 28 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,760 Some of you just lied. You didn't raise your hand in 29 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:38,560 church. Come on now. 30 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,960 We've all experienced problems. And guess what? 31 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:45,360 Our problems tend to be caused by people because we create 32 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,720 problems as people. We experience problems as people 33 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,560 and we can, we can certainly project those those problems on 34 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,360 other people. That that the lessons of third 35 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:59,040 John, y'all are not doctrinal. They're very personal and very 36 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,520 practical. We're about to read the letter 37 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:02,800 in a second. We're going to read all of it. 38 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,560 It's a short letter. We're going to hear what the 39 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,520 word of God has to say and process through it. 40 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:09,000 And the lesson is going to be this. 41 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:16,360 Each one of us has incredible potential for a great good or 42 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,080 great harm. And the examples that we're 43 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,880 going to see are going to, they're going to push us toward 44 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,680 imitating good and not evil so that we can use the potential 45 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,160 God's given us for good and not for harm. 46 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,800 Listen to the Word of God out of third John the Elder, to the 47 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:39,160 beloved Gaius, whom I love. In truth, beloved, I pray that 48 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,480 all may go well with you, and that you may be in good health, 49 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,720 as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the 50 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,240 brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are 51 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:56,480 walking in the truth. I have no greater joy, John 52 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:01,160 says, than to hear that my children are walking in the 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,200 truth. Beloved, it is a fateful thing 54 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,680 you do and all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as 55 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,720 they are, who testified to your love before the church, You will 56 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,920 do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of 57 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:20,720 God, for they've gone out for the sake of the name, accepting 58 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,600 nothing from Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support 59 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720 people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 60 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:35,160 I have written something to the church, but Diotrophies, who 61 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:40,640 likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 62 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,760 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked 63 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,000 nonsense against us. And not content with that, he 64 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,200 refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want 65 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,640 to, who want to, and puts them out of the church. 66 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:04,840 Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. 67 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,320 Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen 68 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,000 God. Demetrius has received a good 69 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,840 testimony from everyone and from the truth itself. 70 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,240 We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is 71 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,680 true. I had much to write to you, but 72 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:22,920 I would rather not write with pen and ink. 73 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,480 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 74 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,400 Peace be to you. The friends greet you Greet the 75 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:36,680 friends each by name. Imitate good, not evil, John 76 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,040 writes. Imitate good and not evil. 77 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,000 Again, the lessons here of Third John are not doctrinal, but very 78 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,920 personal and very practical. John refers to himself here as 79 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,840 the elder, again writing to a man that we don't know much 80 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:54,840 about by the name of Gaius. Here he says about him to the 81 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:59,200 beloved guys whom I love. In truth, this is John's way of 82 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,440 writing about a friend who has a friend in Jesus. 83 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,000 You can have a lot of friends, but there's no friends like 84 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:10,240 friends who are your friends in Jesus, followers of Christ, part 85 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,400 of the family of God. You ever met somebody you don't 86 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,120 even know they're a Christian that bear like I think this 87 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,240 person's a Jesus follower. I can just tell by the way, when 88 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,600 you run into somebody like that, you literally share the same 89 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,000 Holy Spirit inhabiting you both. No wonder there's a connection 90 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:26,400 before you even know this specific reality. 91 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,440 Our brothers and sisters in Christ, we may have nothing else 92 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,400 in common with them outside of Jesus and we got everything we 93 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,160 need in common with them because we're going to share heaven 94 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,560 together with them. And these are people, right, 95 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,000 that have acknowledged their sin, that their sin separates 96 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,600 them from God, that only Jesus, the way the truth and the life 97 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,520 who's died and paid for sin, can offer salvation from that sin. 98 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,960 There's come a point in time in their life and they've called on 99 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,000 Jesus to save them. They've received salvation, 100 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,880 they've been born again, they've been made alive, and now they're 101 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,240 joined in Jesus. They know the truth. 102 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,440 John says Gaius is such a man. I love this guy. 103 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,600 He's a friend of mine in Christ that he's writing to. 104 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,280 Gaius was as common a name as Michael or Bill was an ancient 105 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:11,040 Asia Minor. We don't know really anything 106 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,560 definitively about Gaius's life except what we learned in this 107 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,640 letter. But what we do know is wonderful 108 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,000 because it shows us that Gaius was a man who's worthy of 109 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,760 imitation. The whole goal here is imitate 110 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:24,120 good, not evil. So we're going to name each of 111 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,960 these three characters we come across. 112 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,000 I felt like I was nicknaming all week long. 113 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,400 The first one is Good Gaius. Good Gaius, you could call him. 114 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,720 What's so good about Gaius? Well, John tells us three things 115 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:40,040 about this man that are worthy of our imitation as Christ's 116 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:41,520 followers. Here's the first one. 117 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,440 Gaius is growing spiritually. He's growing spiritual. 118 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,360 How do we know that? Because John here says he's 119 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,640 praying for his physical health, that it may go well with him 120 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:57,560 physically as it is going well with him spiritually. 121 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,240 He's essentially saying, hey, may it go as well with you 122 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,280 physically, Gaius, as it's going well with you spiritually. 123 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:09,360 Obviously Gaius is facing some physical challenges to his 124 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,360 health to some degree or another. 125 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,320 And yet John is saying, I'm praying for those Gaius that 126 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,400 you, which is a wonderful prayer request when we have physical 127 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:21,680 needs or physical illness or fighting for our health. 128 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,320 A wonderful example here of praying for physical health. 129 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,600 But he's also reminding Gaius that even more importantly, that 130 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,160 he's praying that his physical health follows the health of his 131 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,840 spiritual health. Here's the deal. 132 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,480 As wonderful a thing as physical health is, this is a good place 133 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,880 to remind ourselves that compared to our spiritual 134 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,920 health, our physical health cannot compare in value to the 135 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:52,320 value of our spiritual health. It would be interesting to apply 136 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,760 this test. What if on the outside 137 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:02,400 physically, you were projecting a picture through your physical 138 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:08,000 health of your spiritual health? What would you look like if your 139 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,360 spiritual health was obvious on the outside through your 140 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,200 physical health? What would you look like? 141 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:20,360 Strong, healthy, fit and active or out of shape? 142 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,040 Fighting disease? Unhealthy. 143 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:30,400 If your physical shape showed your spiritual shape, what would 144 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,520 you look like? I'm not sure there's ever been a 145 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:33,760 time. Maybe there has been. 146 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,640 I just don't know about it. When physical health, the 147 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,280 pursuit of physical health has ever been more in vogue? 148 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:43,000 Would you all agree with me? I kind of sat down and write out 149 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,600 some things that came to mind about our culture and its 150 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,800 pursuit of physical health. We are cold plunging sauna, 151 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,400 sitting, cross fitting cortisol, eliminating greens, drinking 152 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,760 vitamin, supplementing gluten, avoiding an organic eating, 153 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:58,440 trying to get healthy, all that's wonderful. 154 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:00,680 I love that. I love some of that stuff, by 155 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:03,400 the way. But none of that is near as 156 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:04,920 important as our spiritual health. 157 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:06,880 And here's the deal. If you're elevating your 158 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,440 physical health above your spiritual health, you got things 159 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,520 backwards. Can I be even more specific? 160 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,080 If there's a day you exercise or take vitamins or supplements or 161 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,200 seek to eat healthy and you don't get in the word of God, 162 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:22,080 you're doing life backwards. You're more concerned about that 163 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,040 which will not last versus that which will. 164 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,920 My believing says physical training is of some value. 165 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:32,560 It's of some value, but it doesn't compare with the value 166 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:36,160 of godliness and the training that lasts forever. 167 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,920 Which one are you prioritizing more? 168 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,680 Gaius was a man who might have had some physical health issues, 169 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,720 but he's a man who's spiritually strong. 170 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,200 Let me just talk to you about if you're going to be spiritually 171 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,000 strong, here's going to have to be some things that are 172 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,240 realities in your life. You can just mark it down. 173 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:52,880 You ready? Let me just be very practical 174 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,160 here. Number one, if you're going to 175 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,880 have a healthy soul and be healthy spiritually, your soul 176 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:03,000 must be saved. It needs to be rescued from the 177 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,240 sin you have committed, that it's going to separate your soul 178 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,800 from its Maker forever. Unless there comes a time when 179 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,080 you realize Jesus died for your sin as the way, the truth, and 180 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:15,880 the life. He offers the only way of rescue 181 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:17,880 from your sin. And there comes a point in time 182 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:19,560 in your life and you trust Him as Savior. 183 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:21,960 You call on Him as Lord. You're born again, you're made 184 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,000 alive. You're snatched from the Kingdom 185 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,960 of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of light of God's 186 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:28,920 one and only Son. How's that happened in your 187 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:30,320 life? If not, there's nothing else you 188 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,120 can do for your soul until you get saved. 189 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,720 Do you need to be saved and trust Jesus #2? 190 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:38,440 If you're going to have a healthy soul, you need to daily 191 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,880 feed on the Word of God. If your soul doesn't eat, it's 192 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,400 going to starve. It can't be healthy without 193 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,320 daily eating on the Word of God. Your soul's not going to be 194 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,800 healthy unless you're in daily fellowship with God in prayer. 195 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:54,880 The one and only one that can that leads you to grow and, and, 196 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,120 and give you the strength for every day and the one you need 197 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,400 the presence of God and being in communication with him. 198 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:01,960 And, and fourthly, let me say this, A healthy soul is one 199 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:05,440 that's going to be in close contact with other brothers and 200 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,080 sisters in Christ in a local church. 201 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,720 You can't live on an island spiritually as a Christian and 202 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,920 be spiritually healthy. Just like physically, you can 203 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,960 choose to live homeless if you want to and survive. 204 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,760 It's just not healthy. The same is true spiritually. 205 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:22,360 You can choose to live homeless if you want to. 206 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:24,960 It's just not spiritually healthy. 207 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,440 So the first good we see in Gaius is that is what's worthy 208 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,560 of imitation. He's a man who's growing spirit. 209 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:32,720 Let me ask you, are you growing spiritually? 210 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,280 Do you, do you need the reminder that there's actually no sitting 211 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,720 still in the Christian life? You're either growing 212 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:44,880 spiritually or you are reverting in your spiritual health. 213 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,480 It's one of the other. Second, Gaius is walking 214 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,800 faithfully. Notice the word of God says you 215 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,680 are walking. John says in the truth. 216 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:54,920 What does that mean? It means he's putting his faith 217 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,080 into practice. His talk is also his walk. 218 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,360 Let me just be very practical on what it means to be walking 219 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:06,280 faithfully #1 it means to be seeking to eliminate sin in your 220 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,920 life. Now, some of us get to the point 221 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:10,800 where we think we're really not struggling against sin, and 222 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,720 that's false. In fact, if you're not actively 223 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:15,720 fighting sin in your life, you're not doing the Christian 224 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:20,440 life right. I just finished doing a fall 225 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:25,000 semester long mentorship by Zoom with a pastor, retired pastor by 226 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,120 the name of Bill Ella. If you've heard him preach here, 227 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,920 perhaps he's done our ministry staff retreat Monday afternoons 228 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,440 about every other week. Pastors from around the country 229 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,480 just trying to pour into us as younger leaders. 230 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:37,280 One of the things Bill told me that I tried, it was actually 231 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,200 super convicting. I want to challenge you to think 232 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,920 about because it opened up my eyes, he said. 233 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,200 Kyle, one of the things I'll do and I just feel like my soul is 234 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:47,160 struggling and I need to be fighting sin. 235 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,880 I don't even know where to start The fight is I'll make myself a 236 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:54,560 sin list like sin that I'm struggling with that I knows in 237 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,000 my life and I'm just going to write and specify them down. 238 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:03,240 So I, I did one recently and it was not encouraging because it 239 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:07,440 was quite comprehensive. I wrote things down like pride 240 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:13,760 and selfishness and anger and unkindness, and I could name you 241 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,120 examples where I've done all those things in the flesh and 242 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,200 not the spirit. But you know, it's hard to fight 243 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,960 an enemy you're not naming, that you're not identifying, you're 244 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,920 not fighting sin you don't know about. 245 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,320 So it might be that you might just need to be reminded by 246 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,720 making a little sinless God, what is it that I need to be 247 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,240 actively fighting in my life right now? 248 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:35,080 Putting to death what is to put it to death? 249 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:39,360 It means to say no to it by the power of God, to walk away from 250 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,840 it and walk by the power of God, saying yes to the righteousness 251 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,560 of God that comes by putting into practice what the Word of 252 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:47,680 God says. So walking faithfully means 253 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:50,720 dying to sin, and it means embracing the righteousness of 254 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,120 the way of the word of God, which again, you're not going to 255 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,680 know unless you're in daily. So Gaius is growing spiritually. 256 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,600 He's walking faithfully. There's a third thing he's doing 257 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,000 we ought to imitate. He's living missionally. 258 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,080 Look at verse 5 again, beloved. It is a faithful thing you do 259 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:10,120 and all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are. 260 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:11,440 What in the world does that mean? 261 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,920 Gaius and the church there that he's in that John's writing to 262 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,080 has received this group of men that are obviously traveling 263 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,920 missionaries, preachers or evangelists and teachers 264 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,160 somehow. They probably were actually 265 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,640 trained by the apostle John, known by John, but they're not 266 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:29,800 known by Gaius. They were strangers when they 267 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,240 showed up. But Gaius has gone out of his 268 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,040 way to minister to these men, to provide for them, to perhaps 269 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,680 welcome them, to show them hospitality, to lead in the 270 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,000 prayer for them and the financial support of them, maybe 271 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,040 even their lodging and all their care so they could do the 272 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,320 ministry that they've been sent to do. 273 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,680 So this is how he's living missionally. 274 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,120 It says about these men, by the way, that they've gone out. 275 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,080 They've left home, house, family, way of living, and 276 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,360 everything that's comfortable to go out in response to the call 277 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,560 of God on their lives. Notice again that they'd gone 278 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,640 out for the sake of the name. Why have they left house and 279 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,000 home, family and fields and ways of living and what's 280 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:10,640 comfortable? Why? 281 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,880 So they can spread the name of Jesus on mission because they've 282 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,920 been called by Him to do so. And then further, they're 283 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,360 accepting nothing and from the Gentiles, that means they didn't 284 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:24,160 look for support to anyone or on the unbelievers to support 285 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:26,640 because they were the people they were trying to reach. 286 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,320 We don't know their names, but they too, like Gaius, I want you 287 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,600 to note, are worthy of imitation. 288 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,640 What does that mean? I actually believe with all my 289 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:39,480 heart, God's calling people in our church to go and leave house 290 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:43,080 and to leave home and to leave family and to leave friends and 291 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:44,680 what's comfortable and the way of living. 292 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,160 Perhaps you think you're going to do or are doing because he's 293 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,280 calling you to go short term or long term for the sake of his 294 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,280 name and spreading the gospel somewhere on the planet that 295 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:58,520 you're not there yet. I believe that in fact, God is 296 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,880 always calling, calling out from his bride. 297 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,720 Those are willing to say here I am what? 298 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,600 Send me. If that's you, you know who you 299 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:11,640 are. Are you listening? 300 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,200 Are you willing to imitate these and respond to God's call on 301 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,400 your life, no matter what your age is or what your 302 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:20,840 qualifications are or are not? Are you willing to heed the call 303 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:22,880 of God? If that's you, I pray God would 304 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:26,840 call dozens and dozens out of our church to go to be those, 305 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:30,800 whether they go short term, long term, to go near or far for the 306 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,360 sake of the name and the Kingdom of God. 307 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,160 Notice what Gaius hears from John. 308 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,760 He says, therefore we ought to support people like these, like 309 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,120 these men that have gone forth, that we may be fellow workers 310 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,880 for the truth. They've just said yes to God by 311 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,400 going. Now, John de Gaia says we ought 312 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:52,880 to say yes to God by giving. By doing so, he says, we become 313 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:56,720 partners together in God's mission for the Great 314 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:58,960 Commission. You see, by serving and 315 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,720 supporting these missionaries, Gaius has become a partner with 316 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,319 them. He wasn't the one going, but he 317 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:09,400 linked his life to the mission by serving them and giving 318 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,720 towards them and making sure they had everything they need 319 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,000 for the journey. Here's the deal. 320 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,079 Every Christian is called to the Great Commission. 321 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,400 Every Christian, every Christian is called to make disciples. 322 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,680 Let me say it like this, Every Christian is called to ministry. 323 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,760 That might not be ministry, might not be what pays your 324 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:34,040 bills, but it doesn't mean you're not called to it, and it 325 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,200 doesn't mean whatever your calling is any is any less 326 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,840 worthy. I know so many of you that do so 327 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:42,920 many different things and what you do put you on the front 328 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,520 lines of contact with lost people. 329 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:50,320 You are in the ministry. You might serve them through 330 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,440 law. You might serve them through 331 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,320 teaching. You might serve them through 332 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,080 engineering or manufacturing or a chemical plant or a grocery 333 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:02,800 store, but you're on the front lines delivering things, 334 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,480 counseling. You're on the front lines of 335 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,240 ministry, contacting lost people every day. 336 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,840 You are, you are. And if you're there, you realize 337 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,280 God has already sent me here. And I'm always listening to God 338 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,560 if he's sending me elsewhere, but I know he's sent me here. 339 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,320 So I want to live on mission here, telling and showing and 340 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,800 displaying the love of Christ for the lost world to see. 341 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,240 Living on mission. And God's going to call all of 342 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,320 us to go somewhere, even if it's across the street. 343 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,600 But we also ought to be like Gaius giving, which is by the 344 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,320 way, why this envelopes in your worship God, remember last week 345 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,760 we kicked off a week long prayer for our international 346 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,560 missionaries, those that God has called out to go permanently 347 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,400 somewhere around the world. We as a church have a goal of 348 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,640 $100,000 to give, to support, to provide dollars that go directly 349 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,560 to them. The Bible says we ought to 350 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,960 support people like what? Like these that have given up 351 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:57,280 everything to go, literally sold their stuff, moved away, 352 00:18:57,560 --> 00:18:59,520 planning their lives. If you followed the week long 353 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:01,640 prayer guide of where our missionaries are embedded around 354 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:03,960 the world, y'all by the way, we have the largest missionary 355 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,480 force in the world as the collective of 50,000 Southern 356 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,920 Baptist churches and we ought to give extravagantly, generously 357 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,360 to serve our missionaries extravagantly. 358 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,880 I pray God would lead you to decide what he'd have you do 359 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,600 sacrificially this year. This doesn't go to me, doesn't 360 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,160 go to us. It goes to them, it goes to 361 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:23,040 them. What would God have you do? 362 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,800 We ought to link our lives to the Great Commission by living 363 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:27,760 mission. We can't all go, but we can all 364 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,600 give. Let me ask you, are you growing 365 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,160 spiritually? Are you walking faithfully? 366 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:39,040 Are you living missionally? Imitate good, not not evil, 367 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,960 right #2 there's good Gaius. But unfortunately, next is 368 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,080 destructive diotrophes. I got real creative here. 369 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:50,840 Y'all like that? Destructive diotrophes 370 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:56,400 Unfortunately, the history of the church all the way back to 371 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:01,000 the 1st century contains more examples than we would like to 372 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,280 admit, both on the leadership side and church member side of 373 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:08,040 destructive men and women. Just like diotrophies. 374 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:13,840 Diotrophies is a perfect example of what any single one of us are 375 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:17,920 capable of, even as Christians, if we do not. 376 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,400 Actively seek to kill, sin in our lives and live daily and 377 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:31,360 surrender to the Holy Spirit. Satan's most effective weapons 378 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:37,080 against the Bride of Christ are not outsiders. 379 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:44,880 They are insiders. People just like diotrophies. 380 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,720 We don't know if he was the pastor, we don't know if he was 381 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,160 an elder or a Deacon or just a church member. 382 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,840 You can have a bad apple in any of those seats. 383 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,560 And unfortunately the church, even all the way back to the 1st 384 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,720 century, contains examples of them. 385 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,480 The atrophy is to be specific as a We name things what not to 386 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,520 imitate #1 diatrophy is acting selfishly. 387 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,240 He's acting selfishly. Look what John says. 388 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,760 Diotrophies likes to put himself first. 389 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,280 Did you know that nobody has to pay you to be selfish? 390 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,360 It comes standard in the human life. 391 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,000 Every single one of us likes to be first in some form or some 392 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,280 fashion. We may not all struggle with it 393 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:33,760 in the exact same way, but all of us love ourselves in ways 394 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,680 that cause us to naturally, selfishly to seek to be first. 395 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,240 Diotrophies. Let's be specific. 396 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:45,840 He obviously loves his way diotrophies, loves to be in 397 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,640 charge, he loves control, he loves authority, he loves 398 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:51,360 position. He is full of himself, 399 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,080 diotrophies and loves himself. Some diotrophies. 400 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,000 I heard a preacher say some people are so proud they can 401 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,240 strut sitting down. I've seen some preachers that 402 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,120 can strut sitting down. But anyway, the root of 403 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:09,520 selfishness is pride. Let me give you some reminders 404 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:13,440 on pride, which is thinking more highly of ourselves than we all. 405 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:18,680 That's what pride is. The worm of pride is ever 406 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,680 threatening to eat into the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your 407 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,120 life. If there's any fruit of the Holy 408 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:28,240 Spirit, the worm of pride wants to get in it. 409 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,240 Pride has been called the hound of hell that can only be 410 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:36,000 defeated by the hound of Heaven, which is the Holy Spirit. 411 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:43,040 Seek to make humility the spouse of your soul to whom you've 412 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,000 wedded yourself forever. I love this next one. 413 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,640 Even the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on knew the 414 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:56,400 applause wasn't for him. If you ever get too big for your 415 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,920 britches, don't be surprised if God gives you a smaller pair to 416 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:07,480 wear. John Stott pretty, pretty 417 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:13,160 accurately I think, says this. He says personal vanity still 418 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,960 lies at the root of most dissensions in every local 419 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,000 church today. In other words, he says you got 420 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,000 a problem in your church, Trace it back and the problem is 421 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:29,360 probably personal vanity. Somebody thinks of themselves 422 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:35,400 more highly, they ought. Somebody wants to be 1st instead 423 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:41,360 of adopting the mind of Christ that saw others before himself. 424 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,120 The question is right. This is the negative diotrophes 425 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:47,360 is acting selfishly. Are you acting selfishly in any 426 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,800 area of your life, bringing destruction with it? 427 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:54,840 In your home, in your marriage, in your parenting, in your 428 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,520 family, in your neighborhood, in your office, in your work, on 429 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:02,280 your team, in your class, in your church? 430 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,800 Are you acting selfishly in any way #2 diotrophies is rebelling 431 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,640 against godly authority. Did you know that authority 432 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:17,720 exists because God exists and because God is good, His godly 433 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:21,000 authority is good. And because we as mankind are 434 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,960 made in the image of God, God has designed us to operate with 435 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:28,280 authority that He's entrusted to us, and then under authority 436 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,120 under which He's put us. And yet the original move of the 437 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:37,080 devil was to rebel against what godly authority? 438 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,800 That's the original move. It's the move of any sinful 439 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,200 move. It's always the rejection of 440 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,840 godly authority. Deotrophies is rejecting the 441 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,760 godly authority of the apostle John. 442 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,000 And by the way, every single pastor and every single leader, 443 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,520 many of you are leaders, by the way, a leader, someone who 444 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,320 influences other people, all of you are leaders in some way. 445 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,400 Some of you might have official capacities of leadership, but if 446 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:02,760 you're in leadership in any way, guess what? 447 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,960 You're going to face everybody going to like you and your 448 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:11,640 leadership. No, ma'am, right. 449 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,040 You're going to face opposition. And guess what? 450 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,080 It doesn't matter how godly you are. 451 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:19,160 And by the way, none of us are perfect. 452 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,640 So we all going to have some rightful criticism of our 453 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,520 leadership. But even how matter God if 454 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,520 you're the apostle John this this brings comfort to me that 455 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,520 in the Bible John had somebody reacting and rebelling against 456 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,400 his authority. If if John had it, guess who 457 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,920 everybody else following seeking to do godly leadership is going 458 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,600 to exemplify going to experience right. 459 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,960 And yet Can you imagine being the guy who rebelling against 460 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:50,200 the guy who walked with Jesus? But who does diotrophes think he 461 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,560 is? I mean, you know what I'm 462 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:54,400 saying. I can't imagine. 463 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,880 And yet people do this, right? And yet when authority is abused 464 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:01,200 or misused or done sinfully, mark it down. 465 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,320 We ought to stand against it, mark it down. 466 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,240 But that's not the case here. What we have a case here of, of 467 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,920 selfishness, then wanting to be first in rejecting godly 468 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,720 authority. Pride will make you do and say 469 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,760 crazy things, just like diotrophies is doing. 470 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,040 He's rejecting godly authority #3 diotrophies is talking 471 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:26,120 destructively. How do people rebel against 472 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:27,680 godly authority? How do they start? 473 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:31,840 What do they use? They start with their tongue. 474 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,880 They'll talk destructively. They'll attack suddenly. 475 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:42,360 They will question maliciously, they will criticize constantly. 476 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,200 Most of the time it's completely made-up nonsense. 477 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,480 Like John says here, diotrophies is doing it's things they've 478 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,400 assumed. It's things that they have 479 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,520 misinterpreted. It's things that they have fit, 480 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,240 mis misread or twisted to fit their narrative. 481 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:58,400 I came across some words of another preacher. 482 00:26:58,400 --> 00:26:59,920 He says this. I think this is true. 483 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:06,960 There is entirely too much idle, foolish talk, too much 484 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,280 unprofitable talk, too much backbiting in the church today. 485 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,320 If we could get church members to talk on their knees to God as 486 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,640 much as they talk or text on their phone or across the fence 487 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:20,840 to their neighbors about their brothers and sisters in the 488 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,920 church, we would have revival. That would run the devil out of 489 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:27,320 our country. I think that's true. 490 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,160 Notice John says how he's going to handle it, and if I come, 491 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,760 I'll bring up what he's doing. That's not what you really 492 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:36,960 expected to read in the New Testament, right? 493 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:40,840 John says he's doing this publicly. 494 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,920 Guess what I'm going to do if I come Church, get ready, I'm 495 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,600 going to bring it up publicly. John says that's interesting. 496 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,560 But you see, when sin emerges in the life of a local church, in 497 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:59,600 reproof and rebuke are what's called for, It isn't Christian 498 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:05,120 to refrain. It's cowardice, failure to act. 499 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:08,320 When action is called for, it's not an expression of Christian 500 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:14,160 love, it's a expression of cowardice #4 Diotrophies is 501 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:18,920 refusing hospitality instead of welcoming those that have gone 502 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,720 out for the sake of the name, spreading the name of Jesus in 503 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,480 the gospel. Diotrophies doesn't like anybody 504 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,680 else getting any attention and he's refusing hospitality. 505 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:33,200 Notice what he's doing next. Number 5, He is hindering 506 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,320 ministry. Hindering ministry. 507 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,560 He's not content to just personally refuse hospitality 508 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,320 himself. He's actually going out of his 509 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,480 way to stop anybody else from doing it. 510 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,800 He's hindering the ministry of the church. 511 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:53,320 Number six diotrophes is truly abusing the bride of Christ. 512 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,400 Because of pride, because he wants to be first, because he's 513 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,240 jealous of John, because he likes attention and he likes 514 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,920 himself. Some diotrophes he is abusing 515 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:07,640 the bride of Christ. Pride will make you do and say 516 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:13,320 crazy things. Specifically is abusing the body 517 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:18,640 by attacking anyone who opposes him and seeks to put them out of 518 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,960 the church. And by the way, there is a 519 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:24,480 process in Matthew 18 when somebody who's in sin like 520 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,280 diotrophies and refuses to repent, no matter how many times 521 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:32,080 they've been lovingly pursued to repent and refuses to repent for 522 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,000 them to actually be separated or put out or away from the body of 523 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,880 Christ so that sin doesn't continually infect the body of 524 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:39,360 Christ. But that's not what we have 525 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,400 going on here. Diotrophes is using this in a 526 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,240 twisted, evil, malicious way to actually abuse the body for his 527 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:50,520 own good and selfishness. But let's be clear about 528 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,000 something. Let's rewind to the 1st century 529 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,960 and say, hey, what if we could talk to Diotrophes? 530 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,000 How would it go? Can I tell you how it'd probably 531 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,640 go? We would approach the atrophies 532 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,760 in love, bring up these six things, and he'd likely deny 533 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:18,200 them all. Likely he'd have a reason to 534 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:23,240 justify his actions. He'd have some good sounding 535 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,400 reasons. Potentially his pride and 536 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,520 jealousy would not be one of them. 537 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,880 He wouldn't actually name. The real problem being his 538 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,640 selfishness. He'd have some very smooth 539 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,280 sounding, maybe godly sounding excuses. 540 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,880 He'd have a good story. And yet that's how deceptive sin 541 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,200 is, right? It never comes out and says, 542 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,320 hey, I'm jealous of John. I'm going to talk destructively, 543 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,760 I'm going to hinder ministry, I'm going to try to make myself 544 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:48,600 look good, and I'm going to abuse the bride of Christ if I 545 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,080 have to. You ever heard anybody do it 546 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,000 like that? Nope. 547 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:01,400 That's how deceptive sin is. But you can be sure when someone 548 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:07,880 likes position, being in charge, their way, the limelight, and 549 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:11,880 doesn't have the mind and humility of Christ, you can mark 550 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:15,040 it for what it is. You can mark it for what it is. 551 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,640 It's a desire to be first and this is what brings destruction. 552 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,800 Verse 11, Beloved, John says this is the essence of the 553 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,400 letter. Do not imitate evil, but imitate 554 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,400 good. Whoever does good is from God. 555 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,880 Whoever does evil is not seen. God imitate good, not evil. 556 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:37,160 If for no other reason then this statement right here that 557 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:41,080 explains John's comment after that, that who you imitate 558 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:46,440 illuminates your origin. Who you imitate consistently and 559 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:50,440 habitually illuminates who you're who you know, whether you 560 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,920 know God or not, whether you're from God or don't know God, as 561 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:55,600 John says, as if you potentially never seen God. 562 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,880 Who you imitate illuminates your origin. 563 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:01,760 You've got good Gaius. We've got destructive 564 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,320 diotrophies. We've got one more guy. 565 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,320 We're going to call him dependable, Dependable 566 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:10,720 Demetrius. Dependable Demetrius, this guy 567 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:15,800 is establishing a faithful testimony A3 fold one with 568 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,720 church members, with the truth itself, the word of God, and 569 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,480 with church leaders like John and others. 570 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,320 And John says, unlike diotrophies, Demetrius is a man 571 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,080 you can trust. He's a man of the truth. 572 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:31,040 Let me tell you some things that obviously Demetrius is doing in 573 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:36,040 his life. Listen to these Demetrius has 574 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:41,480 obviously placed himself under godly authority. 575 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:49,080 Demetrius is obviously serving Christ and the Church humbly. 576 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,960 Demetrius is obviously not looking for position, 577 00:32:54,520 --> 00:33:00,920 prominence, or recognition. Demetrius is obviously living 578 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:06,120 for the glory of who? Demetrius or Christ? 579 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:14,480 Christ, and not worried if anybody gets his name or not. 580 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:20,160 Imitate good and not evil. Good Gaius, destructive 581 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,120 diotrophies, dependable Demetrius. 582 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:24,480 Young people, I think I've said this before in a sermon, but 583 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,160 I'll say it again. Speaking of who you imitate, 584 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,480 it's been well said. You ought to lodge this in your 585 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,040 brain. Show me your friends and I'll 586 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:41,600 show you your future. The character of people you 587 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,120 choose to surround yourself in, especially your closest circle. 588 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:49,600 You're probably not going to arise above the character of the 589 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:53,840 closest companions in your life. I'm going to say that again. 590 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:58,280 You're probably not going to rise above the character of the 591 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:06,960 closest companions in your life. Show me your friends and I'll 592 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,280 show you your future. Imitate good, not evil. 593 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,400 Let me close with some final comments out of verse 13 and 15. 594 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,800 He says here, greet the friends each by name. 595 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:25,560 John tells Gaius those in the church to greet them from him by 596 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:30,760 name and I think he says that because John knew their knew 597 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:32,719 their names. Remember, the church is met in 598 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:35,320 houses back then. We're not talking about a large 599 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,560 number of people. Most likely John the Apostle 600 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:41,080 knew these people. But could you imagine being 601 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:45,520 greeted by name by the apostle John in the middle of a sermon 602 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:47,800 shared? I had to make one feel pretty 603 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:51,120 special, right? That he would know know your 604 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,840 name. This is not from a Christian 605 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,120 perspective, but this is true especially when put into a 606 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,880 Christian context. Dale Carnegie was right when he 607 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:02,320 said that if we want to win friends and influence people, 608 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:04,720 which by the way, we're wanting to do something much higher than 609 00:35:04,720 --> 00:35:08,080 that, which is when people too Jesus and make disciples, but 610 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,920 that does involve making friends and seeking to influence people 611 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:13,840 with the gospel. He says if we want to win 612 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,800 friends and influence people, we should remember that a person's 613 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:21,680 name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language 614 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,040 to him or her. When you remember someone's 615 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:28,360 name, you pay him or her a subtle compliment. 616 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,840 What do we say though, right? I'm not good with and it was 617 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,760 loud. We say, well, I'm not good with 618 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:38,040 names. That's kind of a little cultural 619 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:41,080 expression, which honestly, we really just use as an excuse, do 620 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:48,090 we not? I'm not sure what you said, 621 00:35:48,090 --> 00:35:52,410 Brad, but when you get old, that may be a better excuse. 622 00:35:54,330 --> 00:35:58,090 It's amazing what happens, though, when we're called by our 623 00:35:58,090 --> 00:36:04,930 name, is it not? And sometimes the deal is, yes, 624 00:36:04,930 --> 00:36:07,050 where's age? And yes, there's other things, 625 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,320 but often times we don't know a name because we've never tried. 626 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,920 We've really just never cared enough to really, really try. 627 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,720 What if you had the challenge to say what? 628 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:23,920 On any given Sunday, I want to walk away from worship with one 629 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:28,440 new name I didn't know before. On my Rd. where I sit, somebody 630 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,320 I pass in the hallway, somebody in our adult Bible Fellowship. 631 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:35,840 Why? It's just a way of not putting 632 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,520 yourself 1st and putting somebody else 1st and you've 633 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,760 prioritized loving them enough to give them the compliment of 634 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:47,800 knowing their their name. It's just a way of living that 635 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:52,880 gets you outside of you first and somebody else first. 636 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:56,680 Just these simple ways to show the love of Christ. 637 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,120 Let me challenge you with these questions before John and praise 638 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:00,320 team come up. Listen to this. 639 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:02,920 Imitate good and not evil and our invitation. 640 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,880 In just a moment, I want you to think about how God might have 641 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:10,960 you respond to one of these. Do you need to start growing 642 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:17,040 spiritually? Do you need to start walking 643 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:18,960 faithfully? Do you need to go home and make 644 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:23,120 a sin list and then commit to getting God's word to find out 645 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,880 what direction God would have me go in walking in truth? 646 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:33,760 Do you need to make a shift to live missionally, either going 647 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,680 because God is calling you to go or giving because God you know 648 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,760 has called you to give in some way, some form or some fashion 649 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,160 linking your life to the Great Commission? 650 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,080 Do you need to grow spiritually, walk faithfully, live missionly? 651 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:48,040 Are are you living destructively in any way that you need to 652 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:53,320 stop, that you need to stop by God's help you can. 653 00:37:53,320 --> 00:38:00,080 If you ask, let me ask, is your testimony for Jesus growing like 654 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,400 it is in Demetrius life? People in your church see you 655 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,200 growing as Jesus? Is the word of God being more 656 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,000 faithfully implemented in your life? 657 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:15,040 Would the leaders in your local church see the progress you're 658 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,200 making as you seek to follow Jesus? 659 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:22,640 Is anything holding you back from growing in your testimony 660 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:26,520 to your Savior? I'm going to stand right here 661 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:29,640 because you might need to step out and say, Kyle, my soul needs 662 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:33,440 to be saved and I can't save you, only Jesus can. 663 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:35,840 But I can talk to you about it. You can just come and kneel. 664 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:37,800 You can come talk to me. You could get on your knees 665 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,120 about wanting to grow spiritually or living missionly 666 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,440 or having something in your life that's destructive, that needs 667 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:43,840 to stop. You need to lay at the altar 668 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,880 today and not take home. But you need to respond in 669 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,960 whatever way that is. I want you to respond unashamed 670 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:51,960 and faithfully to Jesus. I'm going to pray. 671 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:53,760 We're going to stand. I'm going to invite you to come 672 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:55,400 and you respond as the Lord lead you. 673 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,480 Heavenly Father, that I pray for us as a family, a church family, 674 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:05,080 that today you would make us people that put you first, that 675 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,440 aren't people seeking to live selfishly but unselfishly, that 676 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,360 are not destructive but constructive. 677 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,720 Father, that are edifying and building up for the Kingdom of 678 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:14,400 God. That I pray that the mind of 679 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,320 Christ would be ours, Lord, that we would live that at home and 680 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,160 in our offices and workplaces and here in the life of our 681 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:21,840 church and our families and beyond. 682 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:23,480 You got to pray. If anyone is here and needs to 683 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:26,040 trust you by fate, today would be the day and that you would 684 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:30,160 work in our lives to imitate good and not evil, all for your 685 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:32,240 glory. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 686 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:34,760 Would you stand with me? Let's worship, let's sing, and 687 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:36,760 you come as God leads you this morning.