"The Elder to the Elect and the Beloved" 2 John, 3 John

A Sermon 2 and 3 John

In Second and Third John, we actually get to read an apostle’s mail.  The Second Epistle of John was written to a church with which John was intimately familiar, some time in the last decade of the first century.  Very likely, this was a congregation located near the city of Ephesus, where John was an elder and the last living apostle.  John personifies this church as the “elect lady” and speaks of its members as her children.  The Third Epistle of John was written to a man named Gaius.  Since Gaius was the most common name in Asia Minor at that time, and since there are several men with that name mentioned in the New Testament, it is impossible to identify this person with any specificity.  But in any case, these two short letters tell us a great deal about both the apostolic church and the apostle John.  The contents of Second and Third John remind us of the importance of sound doctrine, as well as the role of Christian charity in the lives of God’s people.

We now conclude our series on the epistles of John by turning our attention to the two shortest letters in all of the New Testament, 2 and 3 John.  These letters contains less than 300 hundred words each, and from their contents, it is clear that John composed each of them on a single sheet of papyrus.  Since the ink of that period was made of soot and water thickened with gum (resin made from tree/plant sap), John filled up a page, and then quit so that it could dry before being folded and then sealed with wax.  A number of the same issues John has addressed in his first epistle reappear in these two epistles, although in greatly abridged form.  Both are typical of letters from this period–they follow the classic epistolary style–in which John introduces himself through the use of his title–elder–not his name.

I debated about whether or not to even preach on these letters.  I concluded that since God saw fit to include them in the canon, it is important that we treat them as Scripture–and they do have several interesting and important points for us as a church.  Given the brevity and nature of these personal letters–there are no Old Testament citations or echoes in either of them–I thought it best to treat both of them in one sermon–hence, a first lesson and second lesson, as opposed to our usual practice of an Old Testament and a New Testament lesson.  We’ll go through each of these letters rather quickly, and then we’ll draw some conclusions as we wrap up.

The immediate context in which these letters were written reflects the typical problems associated with traveling missionaries in the apostolic era.  If nothing else, the Romans were great civil engineers.  They managed to connect much of their empire through a series of well-constructed roads which made travel much easier than it had been previously.  Christian missionaries took full advantage of that infra-structure provided them by Rome–a common language and a network of good roads.  In fact, Christianity had spread throughout most of the Roman empire by the end of the first century.  In the providence of God, Roman roads and the Greek language had much to do with the rapid spread of the gospel. 

To read the rest of this sermon, click here

"Whoever Has the Son Has Life" -- 1 John 5:1-12

The Tenth in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

The Apostle John teaches by repetition.  Throughout his first epistle, repeatedly, John has spoken of the way in which we can tell the differences between those who believe that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, and those who do not.  John has told us that Christians do not foolishly think that we are without sin, while those who have left the faith do mistakenly think they are without sin.  Christians will strive to obey God’s commandments, while those taken in by false teachers are indifferent to the commandments of God.  Christians will love their brothers and sisters in Christ, while those outside the church are not interested in demonstrating such love.  Christians will strive to avoid worldliness (which is thinking and acting like a non-Christian), while those who have imbibed from the spirit of antichrist treat those who are faithful to the gospel just as Cain treated Abel.  And Christians will love the truth, and willingly defend the doctrine that Jesus is God manifest in human flesh in the face of the many antichrists who will inevitably arise and seek to undermine the truth of our Lord’s incarnation.  In the fifth chapter of 1 John, the apostle summarizes these familiar themes one final time, before concluding his epistle by returning to his testimony by which we know that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

As we continue our series on the epistles of John, we move into the fifth and closing chapter of 1 John–Lord willing, our topic in this sermon and the next.  John will once again summarize his main points, before concluding this letter with a powerful assertion of the truth of the gospel, before asking that question which all of us must ask and answer at some point in our Christian lives–“how do we know that we know?”  How do we know that Christianity is true?  How do we know that our doctrine is correct?  Why do we go to such great lengths and self-sacrifice and deny ourselves to live differently than those around us?  Why do we drag our weary bones out of bed each Sunday to come to this place, listen to yet another sermon, and stand in line to receive a tiny piece of bread and receive a very small cup of cheap (and way too sweet) wine?  How do we know that we know?

The answer to these questions is to be found in the nature of John’s own experience and life as an apostle.  In chapter 20 of his gospel, John tells his reader that his purpose in composing that gospel is as follows.  “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).  John has composed his gospel precisely because he wants us to believe in Jesus Christ so that we will have eternal life.  John is writing to convince us that Jesus is that one whom John (and the other apostles) claim that he is–God manifest in the flesh.  According to John, our Lord’s entire messianic ministry bears witness to his identity as the Son of God.  This is evident in Jesus’ teaching, through the fact that he is that one promised throughout the Old Testament, and through his miracles–done in the presence of those who means and motive to expose them if they these things were fake or nothing but magic.  But the capstone of John’s case for Jesus is the fact that once crucified, God raised Jesus from the dead.  And to all of this–that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh–John is witness.

To read the rest of this sermon, click here

"Confidence for the Day of Judgment" -- 1 John 4:7-21

The Ninth in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

I think it safe to say that most people would identify “love one another” as the primary ethical teaching of Christianity.  No doubt, the love of neighbor is an apt summary of those things required by the second table of the law (commandments 5-10).  Jesus even spoke this way in Matthew 22 when he summarizes the law.  But whenever the Bible directs us to love our neighbor, we must never forget that the context for this commandment is always God’s prior love for us.  As the Apostle John puts it in verse 10, of the fourth chapter of his first epistle, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  It is because of God’s prior love for us–a love which moved God to send his son to suffer and die to take away the guilt of our sins–that we, in turn, are to love our neighbors.  The indicative–the gospel, i.e., what God does for us in Christ–must be properly related to the imperative–the necessity of obeying God’s commands.  Understanding this distinction is vital if we are to make full sense of 1 John and the Apostle’s stress upon the necessity of obeying the commandments of God, specifically the command to love others as we would ourselves.

We continue our series on the Epistles of John.  As we have seen throughout this series, understanding the specific historical circumstances which prompted John to write these epistles is essential if we are to understand why John addresses the particular topics in the way that he does.  These three epistles of John most likely were written late in the first century to Christians throughout Asia Minor (in and near the city of Ephesus), where John was an elderly man and the last living apostle.  

Having composed his gospel (likely a year or so earlier), John must now respond to a group of false teachers who had departed from the faith, having supposedly gained insight into the secret teachings of Jesus.  Having imbibed from what John calls the spirit of antichrist (a form of proto-Gnosticism), these individuals were denying that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.  While affirming that Jesus is truly God, the false teachers also affirmed that Jesus merely took the form of a human–explaining his physical appearance as recounted in the gospels.  This fully divine but not truly human Jesus, flies directly in the face of everything John had taught in his gospel, which depicts Jesus as the eternal word manifest in the flesh.  The denial of Jesus’ human nature poses a great threat to the church, which explains why John opens this epistle with the declaration that he himself had seen Jesus in the flesh, that he had heard Jesus preach, and that he had even seen Jesus perform miracles.  Jesus was no docetic phantom without flesh, blood, and bones.  Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.  As we have seen, to deny Christ’s true human nature is to deny Christianity.  It is to embrace the spirit of antichrist.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

"The Spirit of Truth" -- 1 John 4:1-6

The Eighth in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

In his first Epistle, John is defending the doctrine that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh against a group of false teachers who have departed from the truth by teaching that Jesus was not a flesh and blood Savior, but a deity who merely appeared in the form of a human.  John calls this teaching–which is known to us today as the heresy of docetism–the spirit of antichrist.  For the Apostle, Christianity is not a religion in which one learns a set of secret principles revealed to a few enlightened individuals who have managed to gain insight into the “real” teaching of Jesus.  For John, Christianity is a religion grounded in the historical work of a flesh and blood Savior (Jesus Christ) whom John has heard preach, whom John witnessed perform miracles, and whom John even touched with his own hands.  To deny that Jesus is truly human is to deny Christianity.  Given the importance of this essential point, John once again returns to a discussion of the nature of the Christian truth claim, and warns us yet again of false teachers and antichrists, who will inevitably come and attempt to deceive God’s people.  But John does more than merely warn us about these false teachers, he gives us a test to determine whether or not someone has imbibed from the Gnostic heresy–“does a teacher confess that Jesus is God in human flesh?”

We have been working our way through John’s epistles, and we now come to fourth chapter of 1 John.  As we have seen in each of the last few sermons, John is returning to issues in chapter 3  he’s already addressed in the first couple of chapters.  John likely does this for the sake of emphasis.  In chapter two John had emphasized the need for Christians to obey God’s commandments, to reject worldliness (the non-Christian way of thinking and doing), and to heed his warning about the presence of many antichrists in the age in which we now live.  

In chapter three, John repeats these themes while emphasizing different aspects of them.  For example, not only must God’s people strive to obey his commandments, they are no longer to be characterized by the practice of sin.  Furthermore, Christians will strive to love their brothers and sisters in Christ, while rejecting the murderous ways of Cain, who is the epitome of worldliness, and whose indifference toward God (i.e., his produce offering) and hatred of his brother Abel (whom he killed) prefigures those whom John describes as antichrists.  These false teachers, says John, deny that Jesus is God in the flesh.  They seek out “esoteric,” secret truths about God, and they deceive themselves into thinking that they have somehow risen above sin.  This explains their indifference to God’s commandments and their lack of love for both God and his people.  They may claim to have gained “wisdom,” but John has repeatedly exposed them to be theologically clueless, which is a very serious and dangerous place to be.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here  

"By This We Know" -- 1 John 3:11-24

The Seventh in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

In the first two chapters of his first epistle, the Apostle John sets out the contrast between those born of God and those who embrace the phantom Jesus of the proto-Gnostics.  John says that this contrast is as clear as the difference between light and darkness.  Indeed, those who believe that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh will walk in the light of that one who is the light of the world.  But those who deny that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh instead prefer to live in darkness.  And so in the next section of this letter (chapter three), John continues to develop this theme when he tells us that the contrast between believers and the proto-Gnostics can be readily seen in the lives of those who are children of God.  The way in which someone demonstrates that they are a child of God is very simple.  Those who have been brought from death to life by Christ will strive to obey God’s commandments, while those who embrace the gnostic heresy are not at all interested in obeying the commandments.  This is because such people have deceived themselves into thinking that they have somehow gained enough knowledge and insight into the mysteries of Christ that they no longer sin.  And since they think they have risen above their own sinfulness, their conduct inevitably reflects their indifference to the commandments of God.  Those who abide in death (as John puts it) love darkness, hate Christ, and are indifferent to righteousness.

As we continue our series on the Epistles of John, we are making our way through chapter three of 1 John, where John is discussing the contrast between those who are children of God and those deny that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh (whom John describes as children of the devil).  As we saw last time, in this chapter John repeats a number of themes he’s already addressed in the earlier chapters.  John does this to emphasize to his reader the importance of realizing that all those who believe that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh will walk in the light that Jesus came to reveal.  

As we have seen, as John develops this contrast he sets forth a cause and effect relationship, which can be expressed by the indicative and imperative moods (or as is often expressed in terms of the contrast between law and gospel).  Those who are born again (the cause) will strive to obey God’s commandments (the effect).  John’s opponents not only deny this cause and effect relationship, but they also deny that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh because of their view that matter is evil.  They also see no need to reign in their sinful impulses because they think they have been able to purify their own souls through the religious secrets they have learned.  To put it bluntly, they are about as wrong as one can be, hence John’s labeling their teaching as the “spirit of antichrist.”

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

"He Appeared to Take Away Sins" -- 1 John 2:28-3:10

The Sixth in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

The Apostle John makes a direct connection between Jesus as God manifest in the flesh and the fact that Jesus died to take away the guilt of our sins.  But there were some, John says, “who went out from us, but who were not of us” and who were doing everything in their power to deny this essential connection.  As John has set out in the opening chapters of this epistle, those who are Christ’s will live in the blessedness of the knowledge that their sins are forgiven.  Those who are Christ’s have the benefit of knowing that Jesus Christ is presently in heaven interceding for them as their advocate before the Father.  And those who are Christ’s, will not be characterized by sin–something John describes as “practicing sin.”  Why?  Because God’ people walk in the light.  Those who walk in the light wage will war upon their sins as well as strive to mirror that righteousness which is found in Christ.  The behavior of God’s children stands in sharp contrast to those whom John will now characterize as children of the Devil, who practice “sinning.”

As we continue our series on the Epistles of John, we now make our way into the third chapter of John’s first epistle, which includes the second main section of this letter.  Throughout this portion of his epistle, John will repeat–for the sake of emphasis–a number of themes he’s already set out in chapter two.  In 1 John 2:28-3:10, John once again addresses the importance of obeying the commandments of the Lord (our topic this morning).  As John will put it, Christians are people who are characterized by the “practice of righteousness” and not by the “practice of sin.”  Then, in verses 11-18, John reminds his readers of the necessity of loving their brothers and sisters in Christ, while in verses 19-24, John speaks of the assurance of our salvation in light of our own sinful hearts.  And then in the first six verses of chapter 4, John returns to the theme of discerning truth from error.  Although in many ways this section of 1 John is a repetition of the first section–something which was often done in letters of this period–John now tweaks each of these points to emphasize their importance in light of the challenges then facing the churches to which John is writing.

Throughout our time in these epistles, we have seen that historical context is everything.  If we don’t understand why John writes these letters as well as have knowledge of the errors he is refuting, we’ll make a mess of things–as many have done, especially with the section we are covering this morning.  The Apostle John writes these three epistles at some point toward the end of the first century.  While at many points in these epistles John alludes to his gospel–likely written a short time earlier–John is writing to both state and defend the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.  The incarnation of Christ–that Jesus is fully God and fully man–is the very foundation of the Christian faith.  To deny the incarnation is to deny Christianity.  To deny the incarnation is to embrace the spirit of antichrist.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here 

"Antichrist Is Coming!" -- 1 John 2:18-27

The Fifth in a Series of Sermons on the Epistles of John

It is difficult to find anything in the Bible which has provoked as much unbiblical speculation as has the doctrine of antichrist.  The very mention of this mysterious figure sends the Christian imagination off and running.  But this is nothing new.  The church fathers, by and large, thought the Antichrist would be an apostate Jew who would come to power after the fall of the Roman Empire.  The Reformers–and virtually the entire Reformed tradition–have seen the warning about antichrist fulfilled in the Roman papacy.  More recently, the dispensationalists have taught that the Antichrist will appear near the time of the end in connection with the rapture of the church.   At the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period, dispensationalists tell us the Antichrist will make a seven-year peace treaty with the nation of Israel before turning on God’s ancient people, declaring himself to be God in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.  Much of this antichrist speculation is so far afield from the way John uses the term “antichrist” in his epistles, it is truly remarkable.  For the Apostle John, antichrist is not some dreaded future foe, but a very present threat to those to whom he is writing.  John warns his readers in Asia Minor, “Antichrist is coming.”

We are continuing our series on the Epistles of John and we take up John’s warning regarding the antichrist in verses 18-27, the final of the four things in this part of John chapter 2 which John says should characterize all those who walk in the light.  The first thing which should characterize Christians, John says, is that they confess their sins (1:5-2:2).  The second thing they will do is to strive obey the commandments of God, which are a published revelation of God’s will (2:3-11).  Those who walk in darkness have no interest in God’s law.  Then, in verses 12-17, John warns us not to love the world.  I attempted to make the case last time that John is not referring to the physical world (the universe) when he warns us not to love the world.  Rather, John is referring to the fallen world as it is currently under the control of the evil one (cf. 1 John 5:19).  John puts this in very stark either/or terms.  If we love the fallen world in its opposition to God, we cannot love the Father.  

This brings us to verses 18-27 and the fourth characteristic of those who walk in the light–they will oppose the many antichrists who have already gone out into the world.  In order to make sense of John’s warning about these antichrists–these arch-enemies of Jesus Christ who is the word made flesh–recall that John is responding to an early form of Gnosticism, which held that reality exists in the form of a dualism between pure spirit (the good) and matter (evil).  As we have seen, this conception of the universe makes Christ’s incarnation a metaphysical impossibility because if these proto-Gnostic categories are in fact correct, God (who is pure spirit) cannot take to himself a true human nature (which would be evil).  In order to explain the physical appearances of Jesus in the gospels these proto-Gnostics opposed by John were affirming that while Jesus was truly God, he only appeared to be human (or took the form of a human).  It is this so-called docetic heresy which John will now label the “spirit of antichrist.”  This definition is quite different from the way in which most people use the term.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

"Do Not Love the World" -- 1 John 2:12-17

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

Christians don’t seem to worry about this much any more, but in the churches of my youth it was common to hear sermons on the evils of “worldliness.”  “Worldliness” was always tied to certain things–cigarettes, alcohol, playing cards, women wearing pants, men with long hair, and other assorted man-made blue laws.  We were taught that if you avoided these things, you would not become “worldly.”  If you are old enough to remember such sermons, you know exactly what I am talking about.  If you are not, count your blessings!  Yes, John commands us “do not love the world, for the world is passing away.”  But John is not warning us about sinful things, but a sinful attitude tied to the lusts of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of possessions.  Not only does John warn us about loving the world, he also reminds us that everything connected to this fallen world is destined to perish.  Darkness will one day give way to light, because the light (and everything connected to it), will abide forever.  

We are continuing our series on the Epistles of John, which give us a fascinating look at some of the serious issues facing the churches of Asia Minor toward the end of the first century.  We are now in the second chapter of 1 John, working our way through John’s catalogue of the four things which should characterize those who walk in the light–those who have been given life by the word of life, who is God manifest in the flesh.  According to John, those who walk in the light will confess their sins (1 John 1:5-2:2), and will strive to obey the commandments of God (2:3-11).  We have covered these two distinctives on previous Lord’s days.  The third thing which should characterize those who walk in the light is that they are not to love the world (2:12-17).  This is our topic in this sermon.  And then in verses in verses 18-29, John warns the churches that many antichrists have already come into the world–a topic to which we’ll turn next time, Lord willing.
 
Recall that John is dealing with an early form of Gnosticism which stresses “secret knowledge” and which sets up a dualism between spirit (good) and matter (evil).  In our previous three sermons, I’ve spent considerable time on the distinctives of this proto-Gnosticism, so I would encourage you to listen to these sermons to help you understand the circumstances and context in which John’s three epistles were written.  In order to properly interpret these epistles, we need to know three things: 1).  Why does John write these epistles?  2). We must understand the error John is writing to correct, and 3). We need to notice that virtually everything in these epistles echoes John’s earlier statements in his gospel.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

"The Darkness Is Passing Away" -- 1 John 2:3-11

The Third in a Series of Sermons on the Epistles of John

The contrast between Christianity and false religion is as apparent as the contrast between light and darkness.  John the Apostle, must deal with certain men who have departed from the faith, and who were now denying that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.  To expose their errors, John uses a simple contrast.  God is light.  Darkness cannot exist in his presence, because light casts out darkness.  Since Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, Jesus is that light which has come into the world.  That light which gives life, enables God’s people to walk in the light, even as Jesus is the manifestation of the light.  And since light casts out darkness, so too Christ’s coming in the flesh means that wherever the word of life is proclaimed, darkness passes away.

As we continue our series on the Epistles of John, we are now making our way through the second chapter of John’s first epistle.  In this section of John’s letter (vv. 1:5-2:29), John describes four ways in which Christians demonstrate that they are walking in the light.  The first of these four conditions is the necessity of repenting of our sin.  We discussed this last time as we made our way through 1 John 1:5-2:2.  The second condition mentioned by John–that Christians must be obedient to God’s commandments–is found in verses 2:3-11.  This is our topic in this sermon.  The third condition is spelled out in verses 12-17.  John says that Christians must reject all appearance of worldliness, which refers to both the lusts of the flesh and the desires of the eyes.  The fourth condition–that we must hold fast to the truth in the presence of antichrists–is spelled out in the balance of the chapter (vv. 18-29).  According to John, these things are characteristic of all those who live in the light of the word manifest in the flesh.

Since I spent a fair bit of time on background material for the epistles of John in the previous two sermons–in which I explain why I am approaching these epistles in the way that I am–I would ask you to listen to them, if you haven’t yet heard them.  Throughout these epistles, John (the apostle) is dealing an early form of Gnosticism, in which it is argued that a dualism exists between spirit (good) and matter (which is evil).  In this dualistic scheme of things, the Christian doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus Christ is an impossibility because God (pure spirit) could not in any sense be manifest in human flesh (because flesh is material, and therefore evil).  This is why John opens this epistle with the emphatic declaration that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.  John has seen Jesus, heard Jesus, and even touched Jesus.  The good news (of the gospel) is that Jesus has come as a flesh and blood Savior.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

"If We Walk in the Light" -- 1 John 1:5-2:2

The Second in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

Imagine stumbling through life in complete darkness, not knowing where you are going, and unable to avoid danger or disaster.  For the Apostle John, walking in darkness is a powerful metaphor depicting the fate of those apart from Christ–forced to live as slaves to sin, in complete ignorance to the things of God, and at the mercy of false teachers who claimed to be “enlightened,” but who are completely in the dark about the things of the Lord.  As John opens this epistle, he reminds us that God is light, and because we have eternal life, we walk in the light of God’s revelation of himself in the person of Jesus Christ, the word of life made manifest in the flesh.

We return to our series on the Epistles of John.  As we saw last time, the three epistles we know as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were written by the Apostle John, who is also the author of the Gospel bearing his name.  We know this to be the case based upon the grammar and style of these epistles, which repeatedly allude to, or are dependent upon, the gospel of John.  As I mentioned last time, it is highly probably that these epistles were written after John had completed his gospel.  Christian tradition tells us that John had fled Jerusalem at some point before the destruction of the city in 70 A.D., eventually relocating to Ephesus, where it is believed that he lived well into old age, dying during the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan.  Since I spent a fair amount of time on background material last time, I would ask you to consider the previous sermon so as to understand the situation in which these epistles were written.  

Since we are covering new ground, it is important to briefly recap John’s purpose in writing before we work through our text.  Based upon the content of these epistles it is reasonable to conclude that they were written for the purpose of explaining and elaborating upon themes within John’s gospel, as well as to correct the errors of various false teachers who were distorting things John had stated earlier.  This will become clear shortly when we come to verses 6-2:1, in which John responds to a series of errors being taught by those who departed from the faith.  

Like the Book of James, John’s first epistle is probably a sermon of sorts in which John proclaims to us that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, who came to earth to bring the word of life.  At many points, John simply sets out the truth regarding the person and work of Christ in full confidence that the truth will cast out all error.  At the heart of this truth is the fact that Jesus is God manifest in human flesh who came to save us from our sins.  This is the light of the gospel, and those who know and understand Christ’s person and work will walk in that light.  Walking in the light means repenting of our sins, loving our brothers and sisters, and living confidently in the hope of eternal life.

To read the rest of this sermon:  Click here