Let us turn to God's Word. In
that second portion of Scripture we read, in the second epistle
of John, and I want to direct your attention this morning to
the words that we have here in verse 3. The second epistle of
John, verse 3, Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God
the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Father, in truth and love. More particularly, that last
clause in the verse concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of the Father, in truth and love. Here we have the truth of Christ
eternal sonship, and it is a subject that has been much on my mind
over the past days and weeks. As yesterday, as some would be
aware, I was asked to give a paper at the Annual General Meeting
of the Gospel Standard Trust at Red Hill, and the subject
matter of the paper was Martin Luther's teaching on the eternal
sonship of Christ. Therefore, over these past number
of weeks, one has been doing a deal of reading around that
particular subject and considering various portions of God's words. And one can only bear testimony
to the fact of God's goodness Thinking just the other day of
those words in the 104th psalm, my meditation of him shall be
sweet, says the psalmist. How good it is to meditate, to
think much upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, that great
mystery of his eternal Sonship, that great mystery of the Incarnation,
how God was manifest in the flesh. And so, thinking along these
lines, my thoughts this morning have gone to these words that
I've read for our text here at the end of this third verse in
John's second epistle. That the Lord Jesus Christ is
indeed the Son of the Father in truth and love. It's in the writings of John,
in particular, that we see so much concerning the truth of
that mystery of the person of the Lord Jesus, that he is God
and that he is man. His gospel is quite unique, so
different to the first three gospels. We often refer to Matthew,
Mark and Luke are synoptic Gospels, there's a similarity in the way
in which they write, but John's Gospel is very different, there's
a tremendous emphasis there upon the truth of the Lord's Diet. But then besides the gospel we
also of course have these three epistles of John and again in
the epistles he brings out the same truths as we find in the
gospel And then also in the last book of Scripture, the book of
the Revelation, we have set before us there Him who is truly the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. Now, John, we know, was
the longest living of the apostles. He outlived all those who were
his fellow apostles. And here, he seems to be An old
man, he refers to himself as the elder. You might understand
that, of course, in the sense of his office as an apostle.
By Peter, he was an elder. But also, I believe that here
he is referring to the fact that he was now an aged man, the elder,
unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth. And as John lived to a great
age, so John also lived to witness the beginnings of various controversies
amongst those who were the professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. There were some, it seems, who
were already beginning to deny the truth. concerning the person
of Jesus of Nazareth. Some even denied the reality
of his human nature, as if he was not a real man, that he was
some sort of apparition, because there was so much mysterious
about his life, so much miraculous about his life. Was this a real
person that had appeared? There was a heresy then that
went under the name of docetism. And John answers these false
teachers here in verse 7. He says, Many deceivers are entered
into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. and we remember the opening words
of that first epistle, that first general epistle, that which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have
handled of the word of life, for the life was manifested and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life. or John can appeal to the senses. He had seen the Lord Jesus, he
had heard the Lord Jesus, he had touched the Lord Jesus. He
knew that this was no apparition, this was no spirit. This was
a real man and so he answers those deniers of the true human
nature of the Lord Jesus. But there were others. There
were those who denied or would deny the truth of the divine
nature. He would not accept that this
man was really God, and God manifest in the flesh. And this was a
heresy that seemed to increase. And so, by the end of the 3rd
century into the 4th century, there was a man like Arius. the leader of the Arians, and
they denied the truth of the divine nature. They didn't believe
that Jesus was truly God and truly the eternal Son of God. And again John answers such heretics
here at verse 9, "...whosoever transgresseth and abides not
in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God, He that abides within
the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. To have the doctrine of Christ,
to believe that he is the eternal Son of God, is to be one who
is in the truth, the blessed truth of the Gospel. And as John states it there,
at verse 9, so we find him saying something very similar in the
second chapter of that first epistle. Verse 22, "...who is
a liar, but he that denieth the Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist
that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son,
the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also." And so, this morning, as I say, I
want us to consider this statement that we have in John's greeting
at the beginning of this second epistle. Grace be with you, mercy
and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the Father in truth and love. And two points, two
headings that I want to take up. First of all, to see how
He is the Son in truth, And then secondly, how He is also the
Son in love. He is that one, of course, who
is the mediator. That one by and through whom
we come to God. He is that one who has come to
reveal God. No man has seen God at any time.
the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
He has declared, and we read those words in John 1.18. Truly, he says here in the first
epistle, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Well, let us turn in the first
place to say something with regards to how He is the Son in truth. Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Father in truth. Now, this indicates to us that
He is truly and properly the Son of God. He is not the Son
of God by office. There are those, you see, who
have denied that He is the Eternal Son. They would say that He became
the Son, and some would say He became the Son of God in office,
in terms of the Eternal Covenant. and so in the fullness of the
time God will send forth his son in that covenant. But he's
not the eternal son, he is the son by office. Now, when we turn
to scripture we see that there are those who are referred to
as gods by office, the judges. In the 82nd Psalm judges are
declared to be gods, and they are gods in the sense that they
have this particular office, they sit to make judgments among
men. Look at the language there in
Psalm 82, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he
judgeth among the gods. Verse 6, I have said, ye are
gods, and all of you are children of the Most High, The psalmist
is referring to men who occupy a certain position. They sit
to make judgment, and they are, as it were, in the place of God,
and so they are spoken of as gods. We know that God himself
has ordained right governments, magistrates. Think of the language
that the apostle Paul uses writing in the 13th chapter of his epistle
to the Romans concerning there is to be that proper respect
for government, it's God's ordinance. Paul says, let every soul be
subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of
God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Wherefore, therefore, resist
not Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God. And they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to
good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid
of the power? Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God
to thee for good. But if thou do that which is
evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he
is the minister of God, a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil." What is Paul saying? He's saying that those magistrates,
those in that place of judgment, they are in the position of God,
they're gods. And they have power from gods
to take life. It's the biblical teaching concerning
the punishment of sins and capital punishment. A man who is a murderer,
according to Scripture, he has forfeited his own life. He therefore
is to receive the just recompense. It is life for life. these are
in that position of God. And there are those, I say, who
with regard to the Lord Jesus say that He became the Son of
God by office. And by office in terms of the
covenant of grace. But He was never the eternal
Son of God. But what does John say? He says
He is the Son of the Father in truth. the Son of the Father
in truth. If there is no Son who is eternal,
how can there be a Father who is eternal? If the Father is eternally the
Father, there must be one who is His eternal Son. Now, Paul says, writing to the
Corinthians, there is but one God the father that's quite clear God is the
father but the father also as one who is his eternal son the
language of wisdom there in Proverbs chapter 8 then I was by him as
one brought up with him I was daily his delight rejoicing always
before him and you remember our in the course of his own ministry,
when the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates to the Jews that He is the Son
of God, when He declares Himself to be the Son of God, how offended
they are, how they accuse Him of blasphemy, how they will seek
to destroy Him. You know the language there in
John chapter 5, Verse 17, Jesus answered them,
that is, the Jews, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. He had performed a miracle. He
had healed the lame man there at the pool of Bethesda. It was
a great work that He had done, but He had done it on the Sabbath
day. And the Jews had accused Him of breaking the Sabbath.
But He answers them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the
Moor to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath,
but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal
with God. And then he continues, verse
20, The Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that
he himself doeth. And he will show him greater
works than these, that ye may marvel. Oh, what a revelation
we see in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! How is that one
who is to be recognized, and recognized as the eternal Son
of God? And the Father is that one who
is to be recognized as the Father by His relationship with His
eternal Son. Again, look at the language of
Paul at the beginning of 2nd Corinthians. He says, Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And remember
now at His resurrection, He says to Mary, I ascend unto my Father
and your Father. His relationship with the Father
is different, it is unique, it's different to every other relationship. Believers might call upon God
as their Father, who is in heaven, but the Lord Jesus only is the
Eternal Son of the Eternal Father. No man knoweth the Son, but the
Father neither knoweth any man, the Father save the Son. And
he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. Oh, He is the Son
of the Father in truth. Whosoever transgresseth and divides
us not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that divides
us in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. Oh, we see clearly then here
the truth of the Father, eternally the Father. Why? Because He has
an eternal Son. But then consider more particularly
what scripture says concerning Him who is God's Son. We've referred many a time to
those words of Proverbs 8, where as wisdom the Lord Jesus speaks,
when there were no depths I was brought forth. when there were
no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled,
before the hills was I brought forth." Twice he speaks there
of being brought forth. Brought forth before anything
was created, brought forth in eternally, eternally begotten
of the Father, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. He is the Son. And how he speaks
there in that second psalm, and that seventh verse of the psalm,
the Lord said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee. This day, today, have I begotten
thee. Oh, that expression today neither
implies a yesterday nor a tomorrow. but always the present time,
today, God's day, the day of eternity. This day, says God,
the Father to God the Son, I have begotten thee. He is the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. In truth, He is truly
the Son of God. and observe the general testimony
and teaching that we have here in Holy Scripture. There are
Old Testament passages that clearly refer to God which, when we come
to the New Testament, are taken up and they're applied specifically
to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's the language, for example,
of Psalm 45 at verse 6. And we see how those words are
taken up by Paul in the opening chapter of the epistle to the
Hebrews. And there in Hebrews 1 verse
8. Unto the Son, he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy kingdom." And the passage he is referring
to there is found back in Psalm 45 at verse 6. In the psalm it's
clearly a statement that is applicable to God. But here, Paul makes
it plain that this is what was said to the Son unto the Son
he said. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of Thy kingdom." And again in that same remarkable
opening chapter of the Hebrew Epistle, at verses 10, 11, and
12, we have the Apostle taking up the words of the 102nd Psalm. and there at verse 27, and applying
those words that belong to God in the psalm directly to the
Lord Jesus. Here in Hebrews 1.10, Thou, Lord,
in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, the
heavens are the work of thine hand, they shall perish, But
thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment,
and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed.
But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. And again here in the opening
chapter of Hebrews, those verses are being spoken in terms of
the Lord Jesus, the one who in the beginning laid the foundation
of the earth. the one of whom it is said the
heavens are the work of thine hands and all these things are
to perish oh but the Son he is that one that remaineth he is
the Son of the Father in truth and then there's that remarkable
passage really that we have in John's Gospel in John chapter
12 at verse 37 following. And there's a reference to Isaiah
chapter 6 in what we have in that particular passage. In John
12, look at what's said there at verse 37 in the following
verses. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, so
He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not on Him. that the saying of Esaias the
prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, you hath believed
our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? quoting
from Isaiah 53. Therefore they could not believe
because Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened
their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor
understand with their heart, and be converted And I should
heal them. Again, quoting Isaiah, but this
time in chapter 6. But then we have this statement,
verse 41. These things said Esaias when
he saw His glory and spake of Him. In reference to that statement
then, from Isaiah 6, where you remember Isaiah is in the temple
and he sees that remarkable vision of the glory of God, he sees
the throne of God, he sees the seraphim about the throne worshipping
God. And what does John say? These things said Isaiah when
he saw His glory, that is the glory of the Lord Jesus, and
spake of Him. There are those passages then
that we find in Old Testament Scriptures that are taken up
in the New Testament, as they're in John chapter 12 or in Hebrews
chapter 1, and those statements concerning God are immediately
applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. But then also, in the Old Testament,
There are certain passages that speak specifically of the deity
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And again we see it there in
Isaiah. Remember the language of Isaiah
9.6, Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called. Now what is that name? Well,
there are many names. Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. But amongst
those names, He is referred to as the Mighty God. That Child
that was born, that human nature that was conceived in the womb
of the Virgin Mary, that Son, the Eternal Son of God that was
given, He is to be called the Mighty God. Isaiah 9 verse 6
and then again. in the prophecy of Jeremiah and
in Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah 23 verses 5 and 6. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and
the king shall reign and prosper. and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth." Who is this man referred to as a righteous branch
that comes out of David? This is the Lord Jesus. He comes
of the house and the lineage of David. It's a promise of the
coming Messiah. And then it says, verse 6, in
his days, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely,
and this is His name whereby He shall be called the Lord our
righteousness." He is not only the mighty God, as we have it
there in Isaiah 9, He is the Lord, He is Jehovah. He is the Lord our righteousness.
These are Old Testament verses that speak quite specifically
of Christ as that one who is truly the eternal Son of God,
very God of very God. And then of course, not surprisingly,
when we come to the New Testament, there are many verses that speak
plainly of the deity of the Lord Jesus. Think of the opening verses
there in that Gospel of John, In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him.
Without Him was not anything made that was made. Oh, He is
that One who is the eternal Word of God, as He is the eternal
Son of God. And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, says John. the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And what does the Lord say at
the end of the 8th chapter in John's Gospel? Verily, verily,
I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. He declares himself
quite plainly there to be the I am that I am. He is Jehovah. He is the Lord. This is why the
Jews sought his death. He was a blasphemer, they said.
He said that he was the son of God. He made himself equal with
God. But he is not claiming anything
that does not belong to him. Oh, He is the Eternal God, being
in the form of God. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God. He was not seizing something
that He didn't have by right. He is God. Now Paul there in
Romans 9, 5 speaks of Him, Christ who is over all, God blessed
forever. Such plain statements we find
scattered throughout the New Testament Scriptures, without
controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Or there are these statements,
we can multiply them. We've referred already to that
opening chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Read it. Meditate
upon it. Oh, you see, the meditation on
Him is so sweet, how it feeds our souls, how it encourages
us when we have right views of the glories that belong to the
Lord Jesus. And what else do we read there
in Hebrews 1 at verse 6? When He brings us in the first
begotten into the world, He said, and let all the angels of God
worship Him. Oh, when He is brought into this
world, the only begotten Son of the Father, that One who is
born of the Virgin Mary, let all the angels of God worship
Him. And now we see the angels worshiping Him. Now the angels
appear to the shepherds there in the fields about Bethlehem. but how they are praising God,
glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill towards
men, and all these centers in that little Bible, that great
mystery of godliness, how God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly
made man. And how this is the great message
of the Gospel, this is what was preached, by the apostles of
the Lord Jesus. Again, look at the language there
in that first general epistle. We've referred to it already
at verse 22 following, "...who is a liar, but he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father, but either the knowledge of the Son
and the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you,
which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have
heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall
continue in the Son and in the Father. What is John saying here
when he speaks of that that they heard from the beginning? He's
reminding them of the message of the gospel that was preached
by the apostles. That's what he's saying in verse
24. How these apostles preach the
truth. They recognize that Jesus of
Nazareth is the Son of the Father in truth. And this was that message. that they proclaimed, the person
of the Lord Jesus, the work of the Lord Jesus. That's the preaching
of the Gospel. Paul says in his own epistle
to the Corinthians, I determined not to know anything amongst
you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Jesus Christ, the
person, Him crucified, the work, His obedience unto death, even
the death of the cross. When we acknowledge Him then
as that One who is the Son of the Father in truth, that sonship
in no way suggests any subordination. Remember the words We refer to
there in John 5.18, how the Jews sought the Moor to kill him,
because he said that God was his father, making himself equal
with God. That's how they understood it.
When he said that God was his father, when he said that he
was the eternal son of God, he was saying he was equal with
God, he was saying he is God. And that was what they accused
him of, before the Roman governor. We have the law, by our law he
ought to die. Because he made himself the son
of God, he is a blasphemer. Oh, he is the son of the father. He is the son of the father in
truth. But then also, here, John speaks
of Him as the Son of the Father in love. The Son of the Father
in truth and love. The Father loves the Son. Oh
how the Father loves the Son. Remember those words back in
Proverbs 8, I was daily His delight. Oh how the Father was always
delighting in Him. John tells us in chapter 4 of
that first epistle in verse 8, again in verse 16, God is love. Now, love is one of the attributes
of God. Love is the very character of
God, but love is the very nature of God. God is love without reference
to anything outside of himself what is the relationship between
those three divine persons who are the one living and true God
well the father loves the son and the son loves the father
and the father and the son love the Holy Spirit And the Holy
Spirit, He loves the Father and He loves the Son. All this is
that great mystery, the doctrine of God. That God is one and yet
God is three persons. And in His very nature, God is
love. The Father loveth the Son, says
John, and hath given all things. into his hands. Oh, what does the Lord Jesus
Christ say when he comes to his high priestly prayer there in
the 17th chapter of John? Thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. That's the relationship between
the persons in the Godhead. The Lord Jesus himself acknowledges
that. and now when we see the Lord
Jesus here upon the earth the father owns him and acknowledges
him at his baptizing as he comes up out of the waters of the river
Jordan as the heavens open the spirit descends upon him in the
form of a dove and the father utters those words this is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased and then again later
When He takes those favoured disciples into the mountain,
He's transfigured before them again. What is it that Peter
and James and John hear? They hear the voice of God. This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. All is owned and acknowledged
by the Father, even in the days of His humiliation. Of course,
when we see him here upon the earth executing all that work that
he had covenanted with the Father to perform in the eternal covenant,
here we see him as that one who is truly the servant of God. In the covenant he is God's servant.
He is the eternal Son. He doesn't become the Son in
the covenant, as some would say. No, in the covenant he becomes
God's servant. Behold my servant, God says,
whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. The
Father delights in him as his servant as he comes to serve
the will of the Father in the outworking of the covenant. But
though he be God's servant, he is never anything less than God's
Son. He is always the eternal son
of the eternal father and the father loves the son and as the
father loves the son so we see that remarkable love that the
father also has towards sinners. Doesn't God love sinners? God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that is,
whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." There is the greatness of the love of God. When the
fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son. That was what had been determined
in the councils of the Trinity, in the covenant of grace, There
was a time appointed, the fullness of the time, and God sends forth
His Son. How remarkable it is! Paul says,
thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. And what is that gift?
It's the gift of His Son. And what does God give the Son
to? He gives the Son to a sinful
world Again, look at the language of John. In 1 John 4, verse 10, here in
his love, not that we love God, but that He loved us, and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Oh, that's the
love of God. He loves the sinner. That He
sends His Son to be the propitiation for the sinner. And you know
the significance of that word propitiation. It has to do with
that God would aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus. Because
God is a holy God and a righteous God and God cannot wink at sin. And God must punish sin. That's
what God's justice requires. Even the death of the
sinner. And the Lord Jesus dies bearing
in his own person all that wrath of God. All that holy indignation
of God poured out upon his soul as he suffers and bleeds and
dies as the substitute of his people. This is the love of God. He sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Here is the love of God to sinners.
He doesn't withhold his son, his only begotten son, but delivers
him up. And remember how the apostle,
when he writes in these epistles, I'm thinking of Paul, and time
and again as he addresses the churches, he turns from addressing
those believers in the churches and he addresses God, he prays
for them. And there at the end of Ephesians 3 we have one of
his prayers. And what does he say? Here is
his prayer that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that
ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that
ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. You see, He
is the Son of the Father in truth and in love. And if we know Him,
this prayer must have its fulfillment in us, to know the love of Christ.
It passeth knowledge that we are filled there in Him with
all the fullness all the fullness of God in Him dwelleth, all that
fullness of God bodileth, all to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
Joseph Hart says that Christ is God I can avouch, and for
His people cares, since I have prayed to Him as such, and He
has heard my prayers. He hears our prayers. He answers
our prayers when we come to Him, when we plead with Him, all that
He might come and reveal Himself to us in. and make Himself known
as that One of whom John is here speaking. Or that we might know
this grace of God in the Gospel. In the Gospel of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace be with you. Mercy and
peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the
Son of the Father in truth and love. The Lord be pleased then
to bless this word to us. Amen. Let us conclude our worship
this morning as we sing the hymn number 20, the tune submission 421. There
the blue heavens were stretched abroad from everlasting was the
world with God's He was, the Word was God and must divinely
be adored. Number 20.