Ishmael LaBiosa: Welcome to 40 Days Through the New Testament. This podcast is led by Pastor Rusty Small at Liberty Baptist Church in Appomattox, Virginia. Listen as he guides you through all 27 books of the New Testament in preparation for Easter. Get your Bible ready. Here's today's message. Today we look at the letters of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. 2nd and 3rd John are very brief. They're not even a chapter long. They're just a few verses and 1 John is five chapters long, but nicely, 1 John chapter five gives us a thesis statement and always like a thesis statement because that tells me what is the main idea. So as we look at 1 John first today, we'll be able to notice exactly the main idea and then we'll be able to reason backwards how this book is put together. We ought to notice that 1 John 5 verse 13 is the thesis statement. And it's nice when John says this, I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. So I just wanna highlight a few things here. John says, I've written these things to you and then I would note who believe in the name of the Son of God. And then I would note. so that you may know that you have eternal life. So two big ideas here. The person that John is writing to already has believed, but evidently the person that John is writing to is struggling not with belief, but assurance. We often talk about having the assurance of salvation. Now, I want you to notice how John points out how assurance of salvation is brought about because many people who have read 1 John note that there are... it's hard to outline 1 John. We've got a thesis statement but it kind of vacillates back and forth but there are typically about three main ideas that just kind of vacillate about in 1 John. Here they are. Number one, What some people have called like the belief test. Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Do you believe He's come in the flesh? This truth is contrast over against those who deny Christ and have the spirit of Antichrist. So it's kind of the belief test and then the what is maybe called like the moral test. Several times it says, we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments. It says that quite a few times. It's kind of like the moral test. And then lastly, kind of the relational test, which says, you know, if anyone hates his brother, he lies and the truth is not in him. So you have like, and the love ethic is always about in John to love one another. So I'm just going to give you kind of the simple on this today. that the thesis statement John writes to those who believe so that they may know and listen carefully, I'm very confident this is the message of 1 John, that the basis of one's assurance that one knows that they are a Christian is do they see, this is John's answer, the fruit of faith in their life. I just think about the counsel that we often give here. A right profession is important. And lots of times people say, well, do you know that you're saved? And they say, well, I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. I'm still doubting it. And then oftentimes people want to check, did they say the right things or believe the right things long ago? And by the way, you do need to believe the right things. You do need to turn from sin and self-and-trust in Jesus. And that's very important. And that is foundational. to becoming a Christian. But John says the way we really know that that profession that we had in the past is real and genuine and deep is do we have the fruit of faith now? And so John writes 1 John 1, 2, 3, 4 that kind of vacillate between do you believe the right things? Are you living in obedience to God's commands? Not perfectly, but progressively? Do you love people? And John says these are the basis of assurance. So I would just carefully read 1 John, but notice the clear thesis statement that is there in chapter 5. 2 John is very brief and it's the elder to the elect lady and her children. That's how it starts. The elect lady and her children is likely a church, not a woman. It's just kind of a euphemism. And what is John happy? He's happy to hear that his children are walking in the truth. And by the way, for a pastor, it's always nice to see that the people that you talk are still living it. That's real important and encouraging. And John points out that he's so glad that there are some walking in the truth because this theme of false teaching appears. He says in verse seven, many deceivers have gone out into the world and they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Just a quick aside. Many in our day are quick to say Jesus is a man, but they're not sure he's God. In the earliest times, even here in 2 John, people actually believed that Jesus was so divine, he couldn't be human. Because notice what the false teachers were denying. It says, do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. And Orthodox Christian teaching about the person of Jesus is that he is the God-man. Let's talk briefly about 3rd John. 3rd John has quite a few more characters to it and here they are. The first character is John who writes to evidently his old friend Gaius. Gaius seems to be one of the guys who's been in the church for a while but maybe is in the twilight of his life because John prays for his health. And then we notice that John is always sending out people. Just like Paul had people and Peter had people, John has people to send out. Sometimes these are like Christian missionaries and John sends them out and they look at the churches and report back to John. Well, John gets a report that some of the people that he sent out weren't welcomed in other churches. And John's like, what is going on here? And John directly names, well, the perpetrator. He says in verse seven, I wrote something to the church, but diatrophes who loves to have first place among them does not receive our authority. This is why if I come over and remind him of his works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words, and he is not satisfied with that, he not only refuses to welcome fellow believers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. If you want a good book in the Bible to address problematic pastor, 3rd John's your book. Because diatrophies has every characteristic, not every characteristic, he has some key characteristics of a really bad pastor. And what are those characteristics? He really likes himself. That's one of the characteristics. He loves to have first place. He has a domineering persona. And it's his way or the highway. And if you don't get on diatrophies program, he kicks you out. And if diatrophies finds out that you're supporting somebody he doesn't like, he kicks that out too. And John says, diatrophies, you shouldn't be a pastor. And so then he notices, he says in verse 11, after he talked about diatrophies, dear friends, don't imitate what is evil. Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God. The one who does evil has not seen God. And then John says, well, everybody speaks well of Demetrius. And I think it's kind of funny at the end, because John says at the end, I have many things to write to you, but I don't want to write to you with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon. And we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends send you greetings. Greet the friends by name. I can imagine. When the aged John shows up, if diatrophies is not already removed from the pastorate, he will be upon John's arrival and the church will get another pastor, Diometrius. First, second and third John. Three different books that have some different themes, but all very important for us to understand and grasp the New Testament. Thank you for listening to this podcast, A Ministry of Liberty Baptist Church. We pray that this is an encouragement to study God's Word and that you will join us for the next episode.