If a man walks with God, other godly leaders will acknowledge that fact. Therein lies the explanation for the majority of church problems down through history! Lesson 13 Lesson 3. E. Everything was “made through Him” (John 1:3). "Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Rather than being a prosperous soul, Diotrephes was a destitute soul. 1 John 3:11–24. John 4:7, 13, 14, 24. He mentions it in verses 1, 3 (twice), 4, 8, and 12, plus the world “true” in verse 12. Materials: candles (I used electric.) Join the Jesus Film Project's email newsletter to see how the story of Jesus changes everything. Often the slanderer will say something that is partly true, so that he can claim that he spoke the truth. Word Search International Bible Lesson Puzzle. John assures Gaius that he will deal publicly with Diotrephes when he visits the church in the near future. In 1987, Marla and I had the privilege of traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, and China for ministry. In the case of Demetrius, everyone testified that he was a godly man. John affirms (v. 1) that he loves Gaius in truth, which means, in the sphere of the truth about Jesus Christ. Also…. John was out in the desert building anticipation for the coming Messiah. The Bible is packed with the promises of God. But it leads to poverty of soul, not to prosperity of soul. If I say something to my children once, they may or may not listen. Being hospitable is one qualification for being an elder (1 Tim. He submits to apostolic authority, which we now have in the New Testament, seeking to serve rather than to be served. We would be wrong to conclude that we should remain ignorant so that we can stay humble! The prosperous soul walks in the truth and in love. You can read all about it in Mark's Gospel (6:14–29). Of course, love not only confronts sin. I thought to myself, “Sorry, but I’m not into building a power base in the church!” Paul specified that an elder must not be self-willed (Titus 1:7; see 1 Pet. There are times when it’s important and appropriate for us to speak up. Judas is the ultimate lesson of what it means to reject Christ. But if I repeat a request over and over, they get the point that I really expect something to be done. If not, how can you correct this situation? What are the marks of such pride. Because he did not value people and relationships. Lessons from the Gospel of John (3): The Need of the Immoral—Life’s Satisfying. John 19:39 – Nicodemus brings a hundred pounds of perfumes for Jesus’ burial. Walking implies steady movement in a purposeful direction. Why did the aged apostle hammer on the truth so often? Our main prayer for our children and for every Christian should be that they have prosperous souls. It's heartening to know that even John, who saw Jesus first hand, struggled with some doubts. 24 Weeks . The point is, we all need godly examples to follow, but we must be careful in choosing those examples. It runs TV shows with a supposedly successful, but ruthless boss, whose trademark line is, “You’re fired!” As Jesus said (Mark 10:42-44), the “rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. A. He was a faithful Christian leader in a local church that was under the care of the apostle John. This means that his life was consistent with the character qualities and moral standards of God’s Word. But all believers are commanded to “pursue hospitality” (Rom. If you didn’t go along with him, he would force you out of the church, no doubt under the pretense of keeping the church pure. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'. In John 3:21, “he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” In John 4:23 & 24, Jesus explained that the Father seeks those who “worship in spirit and truth.” In John 8:32, Jesus said, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Do you think churches should beg non-Christians for financial support? Why is the “health and wealth gospel” a serious error? Sometimes, love requires confronting a person who is in theo­logical or moral error. In John 1:14 (see also, 1:17), John testified that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” In John 3:21, “he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” In John 4:23 & 24, Jesus explained that the Father seeks those who “worship in spirit and truth.” In John 8:32, Jesus said, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” In John 14:6, Jesus claimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). 4. Gossip is sharing information (which may be true) with those who have no business hearing it. The chapters have been broken down into sections to make it easier to follow. A fresh new start. Gaius of Macedonia was with Paul at Ephesus. Lesson 16 Lesson 6 . Author. 3. That’s exactly how the world operates. But since God is the God of truth and love, godly people will be characterized by both truth and love. Lesson 14 Lesson 4 . Many of us struggle when we come upon evangelism because we wonder what do I say; here the simple answer is come and see. I’ve seen many pastors and church leaders that play by those rules, seeking to lord it over the flock. But many American Christians and now many in other countries have fallen for this unbiblical teaching. One practical way for you to show Christ’s love by good deeds is to help support missionaries who go out for the sake of His name. Positively, the prosperous soul walks in the truth and love. A: The contrast of light and darkness are prevalent throughout John’s Gospel from the very beginning. John has one job: to prepare the way for Jesus. Rather than being domineering, as Diotrephes was, Demetrius was a humble servant. 3 Lessons from John the Baptist. He barred these traveling teachers from the church because he wanted to be the sole authority and leader of the church. While we were yet enemies of God, God loved us and sent His Son to die for us. Again, how like the world! Happy New Year: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives. What Is True Christian Love for Others? At the very least, it’s dangerous when a Christian’s material prosperity gets ahead of his spiritual prosperity. Look at his deeds (v. 11). Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Ecclesiology (The Church), Spiritual Life, Love, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. John describes for us here the prosperous soul: The prosperous soul walks in the truth and love, submits to apostolic authority, and imitates godly examples. 9; 3 Jn. The Messiah is eating with tax-gatherers. They dressed the corpse in his sportiest clothes, put a cigar in his mouth, seated him behind the steering wheel, and set the speedometer at 80 miles per hour. [] Part of the series: Life in the Know. This free Bible lesson is based on John 3:1-17 when Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about what it means to be born again. 3:6-8) w brotherly love and concern (1 Jn. Lesson 21 Lesson 11. Consider these themes of the Lord™s teachings that are given emphasis: w fellowship (1 Jn. The decision to call out Herod for his sins put John in prison (and would eventually cost him his life). As the unusual coffin slowly sank into the ground to the appropriate words of committal, a millionaire friend of the deceased brushed a tear from his eye and sighed, “Man, that’s living!”. John encourages Gaius to continue doing so, and he commends to him Demetrius, who was probably the bearer of this letter. "When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus" (John 1:35–37). So often, people who are big on the truth use it as a club to wail on those who don’t agree with them. Life Lessons from 1, 2, 3 John and Jude: Living and Loving by Truth. True prosperity is not to live as a millionaire and be buried in your Cadillac. None of them were perfect, of course, but all of them have shown me in practical ways what it means to walk in the truth of God’s Word. The following lessons covers nine cases from John 3 through 11, which show how life meets the need of man's every case. A delegation that returned from visiting Gaius had testified of his love. He had given hospitality and financial support to these traveling missionaries. They aren't to welcome or show hospitality to the false prophets. He prayed (John 17:17), “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Jesus told the skeptical Pilate (John 18:37), “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. As we saw in the last point, John recognizes and celebrates Jesus' arrival on the scene. As I’ve said before, I have found more help spiritually by reading the biographies of godly men and women than from any other source outside of the Bible itself. Please try again or contact website administrator. 3:18-21, those who do evil hate the light. It was church politics at the worst! Herod ends John's life to appease his wife and her daughter. God the Father Loves Us – 1 John 3:1-3. Discuss. He's sitting in prison because of his ministry, and the man that he has endorsed is behaving in ways that don’t make any sense. Lesson 15 Lesson 5. Boldness is a sign you’re close to Jesus. Bible reading. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”. I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. His negative example gives us four characteristics of the destitute soul that we need to avoid if we want to have prosperous souls: Diotrephes “loves to be first among them” (v. 9). It threatened him if people learned from others, and so he used gossip and slander to criticize even the apostle John. Sometimes it's important to speak up anyway. John sums it up well when he says, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30). As we’ve seen, truth and love are not opposed to one another. Diotrephes did not submit to apostolic authority (he did not accept what John said, v. 9). Steven J. Cole: Lesson 3: The Prosperous Soul (3 John 1-15) [, ] Part of the series: 2 and 3 John. Now when he is old he … The way to move up in the world is to build relationships with powerful people. Invite a student to read John 3:1–2 aloud. When Someone You Love Has Been Hurt by the Church. John Wick 3 is all about consequences. John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Peter and John were locked up by the temple guard for preaching about Jesus. 3. If He had not been gracious, we would still be in spiritual darkness. Lesson 23 . In all sincerity, he looks at Jesus and says, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Paul warned (1 Tim. Diotrephes did not receive the brethren and he forbade those who desired to do so, putting them out of the church. John 3:1-16. What does the Bible say to the church, and to the individual Christian, about the role of politics in the church? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. As noted in Jn. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' 2:14-15). But John doesn’t stop there. But it was not the whole truth, and sharing it misled others to believe something false about the person. Is he really the Messiah or not? At one point, John's remaining followers confront Jesus, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" God did not sit in heaven while His Son … I would suggest that we should listen to the Bible, e… But, of course, it’s not living—it’s death! https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-general-epistles/third-john If Satan can’t prevent us from knowing the truth, then he tries to get us puffed up with pride over how much we know that others don’t know. Jesus said to her, Give Me something to drink. If these false teachers would bother to read 3 John 2 carefully, they would see that it really pronounces a curse, not a blessing, on them! Gaius had welcomed them into his home, even though they had been strangers to him before their visit. We need to maintain pure doctrine here. Numbers 21:6 – Moses made and set-up the serpent. A person with false concepts in these areas will live differently than the person with a biblical view in these important matters. But as John sits in Herod's prison, he starts hearing disturbing reports. It’s worth pondering, if someone prayed that for you, would it be a blessing or would we need to call the paramedics? John says (v. 8) that God’s people should support such workers, and in doing so, we become fellow workers with the truth of the gospel that they proclaim. Luke tells us: "But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison" (Luke 3:19–20). Lesson 19 Lesson 9. … 6:5), “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain” (see also, 2 Pet. John's Gospel gives us a glimpse into John's humility: "The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. Ouch harsh. So--here are three lessons from John 15:1-11, that I pray will be encouraging to you today: ONE: The fruit borne in our lives does not make us clean; rather, our righteousness in Christ frees us to bear much fruit. 2:17), receiving donations from the unbelievers that they were seeking to reach. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The Pharisee was confused. John never seems to fall victim to this mentality. Please make notes of the things you want to discuss. But, Diotrephes was a self-serving, unloving man, and John hits him very hard for these sins. The Need of the Dying—Life’s Healing: 5. Summary of the Book of 3 John. 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." I usually don't write such harsh statements, but the truth is that this walk of faith is about becoming more and more like Jesus and less and less and less like the flesh that we temporarily inhabit. He always lived up to God’s Calling . The next day the elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem and began to question the two disciples. Contrary to the current postmodern philosophy that denies absolute truth in the spiritual realm, the Bible clearly affirms that there is theological and moral truth and error. Capitol Hill Baptist Church. How would you refute it biblically? In these 2 verses people had asked about Jesus and if he was real or what he could do and the fitting answer was come and see. The Need of the Moral—Life’s Regenerating: 3. Twice (vv. 3 John encourages Gaius to show hospitality to Demetrius, a Christian missionary, and not to follow the example of self-centered leader Diotrephes. The decision to call out Herod for his sins put John in prison (and would eventually cost him his life). The story is told of a Texas millionaire who wanted to be buried in his Cadillac. Since Jesus Himself is the truth and since God’s Word is truth, Satan works overtime to undermine the truth about the person and work of Christ and the truth of God’s inerrant Word. So truth was a huge emphasis in Jesus’ ministry, and therefore, too, in the life and ministry of the apostle John. When I explained to them that some in America were teaching that it is God’s will for all of His children to be healthy and wealthy, these young women shook their heads and laughed softly. 4:1) At one time or another, we all feel alone. _ _ _ 4. 12:13). Rather, he used people to build or protect his power base. True prosperity is to have. Mark Driscoll: Epistles of John [] 1 lesson. I will not deal with technical aspects, nor with questions such as authorship, provenance, etc., since there are ample scholarly resources available for the student to examine those aspects of Biblical study. Usually they will repeat a statement more than once. International Bible Lesson “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (1 John 3:18—NRSV). Jesus points to the miracles and work being done as proof. Gaius, however, to this point had resisted the strong-armed tactics of Diotrephes. From there they mailed dozens of Bible correspondence courses. 1 John 3:11–24. Peter immediately speaks up and preaches to them about Jesus. You do favors for them so that they owe you in return. The apostle John said (v. 4), “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (not, “prospering financially”). He was talking about his spiritual children, of course. (Matthew 9:14) It makes sense that John's confused. 5) w false teaching (1 Jn. John warns us about counterfeit Christians – “children of the devil.” I. But, we should always remember that anything we know of the truth is only because of God’s grace. John MacArthur: 3 John 2 lessons. Lesson 3: Come and see (John 1:39,46) He saith unto them, Come and see. When John writes these letters he is an elderly man. The way to that eternal prosperity is to walk in the truth and in love, to submit to apostolic authority as revealed in the New Testament, and to imitate godly examples. Many well-meaning and devout leaders are led astray when they begin receiving recognition for their piety. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2006, All Rights Reserved. _ _ _ 2. And another lesson from John the Baptist today.... this faith life is not about you. Lessons on 1 John . And while we typically won’t be locked up for our honesty, there are other consequences. But, Christian parents should be able to say about their children, that their greatest joy is to hear that their children are walking in the truth. God Makes the Necessary Easy - John 3:1-21 My Joy is Fulfilled - John 3:22-36 The Woman at the Well - John 4:1-42 Two Miracles - John 4:43 – 5:15 Who Am I? Diotrephes unjustly accused John and his delegates with wicked words. We know nothing about this man (or the other two individuals mentioned in this letter) except what we learn here. The gossip uses it to bolster his status: He’s in the know! As we’ve seen, truth and love must always go together. Is there a danger in bequeathing a large inheritance to your children, especially if they’re not walking in the truth? Matthew 3:11 (John 1:26, 31, 33) – John baptized with water … They said, “I don’t think that Christians in China would fall for that!”. So when he died, the undertakers dug an enormous grave and placed the Cadillac on a huge lowering device. 9-10) w worldliness (1 Jn. Of course, such clubs must have rules. Follow me! I highly recommend that you read the lives of these great saints from the past. (There is a bibliography of Christian biographies on the church web site.). Why didn’t Diotrephes welcome these godly Christian workers? Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me'" (Matthew 11:2–6). Then, look at the person’s reputation. 2:15-17) w righteousness (1 Jn. John fulfilled this calling in several ways. True prosperity is to be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). No one in this world under the dominion of the father of lies and deceit, walks in the truth accidentally. Gaius prospered in his soul because he walked in the truth (v. 3). “Everyone” obviously means, “everyone in general.” Diotrephes, I’m sure, would not have testified of Demetrius’ good character or deeds. You must purpose to walk in the truth, studying to learn and then apply God’s truth to your daily life. What a marvelous prospect lies before Nicodemus! 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