He is as a name which is worthy
to be praised. And we are a blessed people who
have been called by his name to worship him in spirit and
truth, enabled to worship him in spirit and truth. There is in men by nature a religious
bent in which they will seek the Lord for their own benefit. Not uncommon to have men become
fearful when they hear of approaching death or they fear, they hear
of the sure destruction of the wicked. All of these things can
naturally move men to fear of one sort or other, but only the
Spirit of God can use those same things, that same word which
tells us of these things, and apply them to our heart in such
a way that we seek not the Lord primarily for our own benefit,
but in order to give glory to his name. And that's the thing
that God's people are called to, is to bring glory to his
name. He said, if I be lifted up, I'll
draw men to myself. And he is the Savior, and he
saves men for his name's sake, for his glory. And that's what
we desire to do, is to proclaim the gospel in such a way. that
he alone is magnified. Now men do indeed receive a benefit
from hearing the gospel. We are blessed people if we have
heard it. If we have heard that joyful
sound and it's come into our heart and it causes gladness
to come forth in our mind and heart, we are a blessed people.
But the only way that that can happen is if he visits us. And we have seen Brother Al's
done a good job of reminding us again of those that, like
Joab and Shimei, who at certain points of time walked in a proper
path, but in the end, they turned away, walked no more with the
Lord. And the Lord said that a man was unworthy of the kingdom
of God who putting his hand to the plow and looking back becomes unfit for that. Oh, that we might be a people
whose eyes were ever on Christ. not looking at that place from
whence we have come. We've certainly been delivered
and well it is that we remember that we've been delivered. But
better than dwelling upon where we have been is to dwell on him
who has delivered us from that place that we once were. And
so we desire to rejoice in him today and not to be as Joab,
who was a faithful servant, so it appeared to David till such
time as it suited him better to serve Adonijah. And so we are by nature a people
who will seek our best interest. whether it actually is our interest
or not, if we think that it is. I mean, isn't that what moved
Adam to do that which the Lord told him not to do? He thought
it was in his better interest to do that. And so that's what
he sought. Saul, whom the Lord told to go
and kill all of the Amaleks, I mean, when the Lord said, kill
every one of them, even the babies, He said, don't leave any of them
alive. Saul did that to a great extent,
but not completely. And so it is that there are many
who make a show They have an outward appearance of coming
to the Lord and walking with him until such time as it's inconvenient. And then they walk no more with
him. Judas, as you brought out, is a good example. I mean, he
is the prime example in the scripture. The Lord mentions him even in
the giving of the table of the Lord that we remember his death.
He said in the same night in which he was betrayed, because
he was, because that's the nature of men. And we need to be ever
mindful that that is our nature and never have any reliance whatsoever
upon ourselves. Because your faith will fail.
That faith that you've brought up in your mind and whatever
your determination, it'll fail you. It'll fade away. You'll grow weak. Peter said
he wouldn't, but he did. Because the Lord showed him what
he was by nature. Oh, that the Lord might teach
us that lesson today, that we might be a people that ever Seek
the Lord. We might not be as that one whom,
after the Lord had sent his disciples in the parable, or sent those
servants out to gather in a crowd to come. Now these were the ones
that he gathered in. And the Lord came in amongst
that crowd of those waiting guests there, and he saw one amongst
that crowd, and he said, how did you get in here? He said,
why are you here without a waiting garment? Oh, that we might be
a people ever clothed in the righteousness of Christ, because
there's no other garment that's suitable in the kingdom of God.
You know, there's a lot of garments that men think are suitable.
Saul thought what he had done was suitable. I mean, he killed
everybody except they gave the king why would you want to kill
a fine king like that i mean here's a trophy that we can show
the people and all these fine oxen and sheep now he said that
well i just wanted to offer them to the lord that's quite a questionable
probably that that was his total but he wanted people to believe
it like Ananias and Sapphira. Yeah, this is, we've given all
to the Lord. I don't know how I got off on all
that. But anyway, we're looking in 3 John. 3 John. And John writes, I have no greater
joy than, this is verse four. I have no greater joy than to
hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou dost faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers which
have borne witness of thy charity or thy love and service before
the church, whom if thou bring forward on their journey, if
after a godly sort thou shalt do well, because that for his
name's sake they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive
such that we might be fellow helpers to the truth." John speaks a lot about the truth
in all of his epistles. And this one, of course, is no
different. And he said, and we talked about this last week,
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
truth. What a glorious thing. that John writes about, he says,
nothing gives me greater joy than to find those whom I have
preached to, those who have made professions of faith and said
they wanted to follow the Lord, that I come to them again and
find them walking in the truth. Because it is a very common thing
that men sometimes fade away as we began our speaking. It is a true thing. I was raised,
of course, in a church that placed a great emphasis on getting people
to make a decision. Getting people down the church
aisle, getting people baptized, getting people in. And that was
the big thing, you just get them in. But I see, as I study the
scripture, as the Lord has taught me a few things, that the beginnings,
merely that, it's the beginning, and the beginning that appears
to us as the beginning is not always the beginning. It could
be just a passing phase. Because the Lord said, my sheep
hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. And so this is
the thing that gives, John speaks about as causing him great joys
to find his children walking in the truth. And I believe it's
a true thing that any parent who is a Christian, who seeks
to follow the Lord, nothing gives him greater delight than to know
that his children are walking in the truth. Not just being
religious, not just going through some habit that they were taught. I think it's pretty true that
most Christian parents would teach their children to thank
the Lord for their food before they eat. I mean, that's a minor
thing. It's really kind of a very small
thing, but it is a thing that I think would be, you would say
that would be a universal thing. But you know what happens is
a lot of times people learn to do that and then they just do
it because they're going through the habit of because it's something
they learned. You know, like brushing your teeth or combing
your hair or whatever. But what John's speaking about
here when he says, see them walking in the truth, that they're not
doing those things because of the habits that they learned,
but because of the one whom they have been caused to rejoice in. To walk in his truth. And that's
the place we want to be, not just walking in some things,
but in his truth. Now we could spend a lot of time
trying to define what is the truth, but the truth, the Lord
said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to
the Father but by me. So if somebody says, how does
a man walk in the truth? Then he must walk in Christ. I mean, there's no other way
to do it. There's no walking in the truth
that's defined by men. It's walking in the truth as
the Lord set it forth and as the Lord is pleased to apply
it to our hearts and our minds and our soul. And surely, you
know, there are sound doctrines and doctrines that define in
a measure truth from error. But a man can know all of those
things. He can even believe that they're
true and not be walking in the truth. Because the Spirit of
God alone can apply that to a man and cause him to walk in it.
And that's the place of John's delight. I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children walk in the truth. What a blessed
thing. to have gone away and come back. And those whom I have
ministered to are still walking in that which they profess to
believe. Beloved, thou doest faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers. Now
he's commending them. And this is part of walking in
the truth. Remember in the book of Hebrews,
the apostle writes, and he says, be not forgetful to entertain
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Now sometimes people take that
passage of scripture and they over-spiritualize it in the sense
that they use this term angels as being some heavenly creature
that comes down. Now surely it is a true thing
that the Lord, if he sees fit, can send one of his heavenly
creatures down to visit you and speak to you. We have accounts
of it in the scripture. He did to John the Baptist's
father, did he not? I mean, he appeared to several
people in the scriptures through angels. But an angel is a messenger,
and when the apostle writes, be not forgetful to entertain
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,
he's saying, Don't turn men away who come to you in the name of
the Lord that you are not fully, that you don't know specifically,
because many times the Lord may send a messenger to you that
is not somebody that you know. And so, of course, in those days,
more so perhaps than in our present time, People were more dependent
on brethren when they traveled and went places to have somebody
to take care of them. It wasn't like you could go to
the Holiday Inn because there wasn't a Holiday Inn. I mean,
there were inns and places like that, but it's not in the same
situation now. I mean, when you're going somewhere
now, you don't even think about where you're gonna stay, you
just either make a reservation or plan to figure out a place
to stay when you get there. But it wasn't so in that time.
And of course, people didn't have the wherewithal and money
and capabilities that we do. And so usually, men were traveling
on foot. And so it was a sign of Christian
hospitality and love to the brethren when a brother was coming from
another location. that they would be housed, they
would be taken care of, they'd be fed, and their needs would
be met as they were coming, and that's what he's saying here.
He said, I can tell that you're walking in the truth because
you have a consideration of the brethren, those that you know
and those that perhaps you haven't met. Now sometimes people get
so caught up in everybody being stamped out with a cookie cutter
and having the same complete understanding of things that
we do that we would say, well, he can't be a Christian because
he doesn't do this or he doesn't look like this or he doesn't
say this or this or the other. Now, God's people have one common
trait And that is, they love Jesus Christ, they hate their
sin, and they look to Christ alone as the Savior, and the one who has satisfied
the claims of God's justice in their behalf. Now, those are
the things, that's what you remember, I've shared this before, but
John Newton on his deathbed was asked, what was the thing that
What great knowledge could he share with them on his deathbed?
He said, I don't know but two things. He said, what a great
sinner I am and what a great savior Christ is. Now, I've thought
a lot about that. What else does a man need to
know? I mean, if the Spirit of God teaches a man those things,
has he not told him the gospel? Has he not told him the truth
of God? Is that not the work of the Spirit
of God to bring a man to that place? Now, I know there's counterfeits
in everything, but you can't tell a counterfeit except by
the standard, and the standard is Christ in this case. And so
it is, as John says, I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in the truth. And faithfully, he said, whatever
you do, you're doing to the brethren and the strangers which have
borne witness of thy charity. What a glorious thing that others
would bear witness that we have shown charity, love, to them
in Christ, not because they make us, they enhance our life, but
because we desire to enhance theirs, because we believe they
belong to Christ. Whatsoever thou doest to brethren
and to strangers. Now, the brethren, of course,
what he's speaking about there would be the brethren that we
know. The strangers are the ones we don't. That's what the apostle
said. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers. Those whom you haven't met. Those
who come to you in a time of need. Be not forgetful. which have borne witness of thy
charity, thy love before the church. He's stating here what
manifests their love and their following of Christ. They're
standing in the truth, he said, because the testimony of others,
of your charity and good works, it goes before you. You've brought them forth in
their journey after a godly sort. You desired their benefit. Because for his name's sake,
they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. They didn't
come seeking money. Most at this time, of course,
most of the early Christians were Jews. I mean, they had gone
out into the world preaching the gospel, but most of those
still, even at this present time, John's writing, most of the Christian
churches were primarily comprised of Jews. Many of the disciples went forth
preaching among the Gentiles, but they didn't go out there
collecting an offer, and that's what he said. In other words,
they didn't take anything of the Gentiles. Paul said that
he would take nothing for his ministry. He reminded the Corinthians
that he had never asked them for money, but he came among
them preaching the gospel. Now obviously, you know, if a
man goes forth preaching the gospel, and that's the sole means
he has of, or that's the sole effort that he's putting forth
in the world, then it's incumbent upon the people of God to have
consideration of those things that he has expended in the behalf
of the things of God, and we're reminded of that. They that preach
the gospel should live of the gospel. Now, I think that's been
greatly twisted in our day, and it's become a thing where it's
like a demand of a deal, you know, that this be so, but that's
not what the scripture's speaking about. I mean, if a man gives
of himself, then it's only right that those that receive of those
things that he benefits them with, that they would give unto
him as he stands in need. Now, it's a true thing. Everybody that's in a position
and a calling from the Lord, they're not necessarily in that
place of need. You know, I've known of men that
they felt like, well, and of course it's obvious amongst many
of the false preachers in the world that they go forth preaching
for the purpose of enriching themselves, of getting money.
Now, I can't think of anything that is more contrary to the calling of a
man to preach the gospel than having the thought of what he's
going to get out of it. The only reason that we preach
the gospel, the only reason a God called preacher preaches the
gospel is because necessity is laid upon him. and he can't do
anything else. In other words, he can't neglect
that. He can't just say, well, I may
do it or I may not do it. I mean, if the Spirit of God
moves upon a man and gives him that calling, that's the calling
that he has. And so John's speaking here.
about those that have been called and are sent out into the world
to declare the gospel. And at this time, there was little
way for anybody to make money. And so they had to have money
in order to eat and do the things they needed to do. So that's
what he's speaking about. He said, because for his name's
sake, they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. They
didn't go preaching for money, and so therefore it's incumbent
upon the people of God to see that the gospel is not hindered
in that respect by helping them. John said, it's an evidence that
you're walking in truth because you have regard under these things.
And I rejoice that it is so. And we're gonna stop right there
because we're at a good point to stop. As we get into this
subject of diatrophies, And Diotrephes himself is dead, but Diotrephes
has had many children, and they are presently walking about,
and they find a great place to be often among the people of
God. They love to have the preeminence.
Paul said, I know nothing as I ought to know. He said, I'm
determined to know nothing among you, say Jesus Christ and him
crucified. No places of preeminence among
the people of God. There's no places of honor except
in Christ. And may the Lord remind us of
that and ever keep us looking to one place, one place alone,
and that is Christ our Lord.