All right, so we're in 2 John, and today we're looking at the behavior of hospitality, walking in truth and in love. Last time, Last time we looked at the basis of Christian hospitality. And so whenever we think about that, who can, just thinking about last week, Just kind of looking at the previous lesson. Who can tell me? It's pop quiz here this morning. Who can tell me what the basis of Christian hospitality is? I know there's some note takers out there. What's the basis of Christian hospitality? From verses one through three, I'll give you a hint. The word is there multiple times in those first few verses. He repeats it often. Truth, that is correct. Truth. Truth is the basis of Christian hospitality. And so we find that in verses one through three, when he writes, the elder to the lady and her children, whom I love in truth, not only I, but all who know the truth for the sake of the truth, which abides in us and will be with us forever, grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God, the Father, from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth, in love. And so when we think about truth, what is our standard of truth? So when we think about that, and hospitality, and the basis of hospitality, what do we do, especially if somebody comes in and says, well, I've got the truth, and someone else says, well, I've got the truth, and there's differences, what's our standard? Exactly, say it. The Bible, absolutely, the Bible is the truth. The Bible has to be our standard of truth. And so, that's where we began with this lesson, this letter. And so, and then we pick up with verses four through six. getting into the text, the behavior of hospitality, walking in truth and love. So if you think about it this way, the first few verses there, verses one through three, kind of laid the groundwork, the basis. Now we're gonna put some legs on it. And we're gonna talk about the behavior of hospitality, walking in truth and love. So verses four through six of 2 John. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received commandment from the Father. Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. And so, We begin to see how he isn't just talking about this. He's kind of putting legs on it. He's using this speech here, talking about walking and so on and so forth. And he's writing this very pastoral sounding letter to this lady. And indeed, being a pastor, being an elder that he was, being such means smelling like the sheep. It's the reason why I believe that the picture is given the way that it's given. Of course, Christ is the good shepherd, and we are, as pastors, the under-shepherd, but always, always, the shepherd must be with the sheep. It means knowing about the congregation. Being with the congregation is the only way to know them, being involved in their lives. John here is writing this very personal letter to this lady who knows something about her life, knows something about her children. Peter also, we used him as an example last time in the way that he wrote his letter, speaking of being an elder, but in 1 Peter 5, let's go over there for a moment, 1 Peter 5, beginning verse one, going down to verse three. Therefore, I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder. and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing, not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God, and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness, nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. So we see here how the wording is given here from Peter. He says, in this text, first of all, he says, I'm an elder also, but I'm exhorting you, the elders among you. The elders among you. And then he tells them in verse two, shepherd the flock of God among you. And then in verse three, being examples to the flock, he's telling them that they're to be among the people of God, among the church. They're to be, as I say, smelling like the sheep. They're to be among the people of God. The pastor who doesn't pass the sniff test, as one person put it, is not qualified. The other day, I was on a Facebook group for pastors, and this fellow said he has opportunity to pastor a church that is an hour and a half away from his home. And his question was, should he accept the call to pastor that church? And the implication is he has no plan to move to where this church meets. It's an hour and a half away. And many, many of the brethren who were in that group including I myself advised him not to take that church. Don't try to pastor a church that you're so far away from it. How can he pastor? How can he shepherd such a church being far away? Now, obviously we know that there are times when there are members that are away from the church. Those are the exception and not the rule. It certainly should be temporary, not permanent situations. But it is a terrible thing for a pastor to be separated from the church by distance. And certainly those things may come up. Maybe a pastor gets arrested and taken away from the flock or something like that may happen. But again, that should not be looked upon as a normal thing or something that a church would get into on purpose. And the point is here that John knows this lady and her family. He says, I rejoice greatly to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received commandment from the Father. He says, I rejoice greatly to find some of your children. He found them that way. He didn't say, I've heard. Someone came and told me. No, no, no, no. He found them that way. This was something that he found to be true. He was eyewitness of the fact. He was there in their midst, you see. But we also, Find in this text, something that we're able to glean here is this word walking. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth. And then in verse six, he mentions that we walk according to his commandments. And he speaks of that we should walk this way. Walking involves going a particular direction with a purpose in mind. You go out and say, I'm going to head towards the store to go get a loaf of bread and some milk, and I'll be back in a little while. You've got a purpose in mind. You're going in a specific direction. Now it may be that on your way to the store, you may get distracted or whatever, but by the time you come back, you've got what you need. Here he's referring not only to a direction, but a habit, a way of living. It's holding on to the truth and living according to it. So a way of life. this is what he sees in these children. And I think about that, and I think about, as we read this, what a great testimony these children had that he's able to write and say to this lady, I rejoice greatly to find some of your children walking in truth. What is it that, he would say about us if he were to write about us? What is it that could be said about us if our story was told? We identify as Christians this morning by assembling as a church, by coming to church this morning, but what about the rest of the week? Does the truth of Christ and His Word manifest in such a way such that if John were to be in our lives the way that he was in theirs, that he would write to those important to us and say, I rejoice to see Isaiah, to see Mary Tina, to see each one of us, to see walking in the truth, just as we received commandment from the Father. This obviously is a summary. It doesn't mean that they were perfect. None of us are, but what a joy it was for her to see this. Notice he doesn't say all of her children, but some. So, he focuses in on the positive and not the negative. And he focuses on their walk, the overall view of their walk. Does the truth of God manifest itself in your daily walk? If there was a summary written about us, would it be like this? Walking is frequently a New Testament metaphor for the Christian life. Just to give some examples here, in Romans chapter six and verse four, And you can turn to all of these or just jot them down if you'd like. Romans chapter six and verse four, we're told that we walk in newness of life. Notice what it says, therefore we are buried with him through baptism unto death so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 7 says, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Galatians 5 and verse 16 says, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. And on down in Galatians 5 and verse 25, he says, if we walk, if we live by the spirit, Let us also walk in step with the Spirit. In Ephesians chapter two and verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should walk in, so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 4 in verse 1, he says, therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Ephesians 5, 2, he says, walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice for God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5, 8, and you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Verse 15, he says, therefore, look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. Colossians 1.10, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God. 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 12, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. John said in 1 John 2 and verse 6, the one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked. And in 2 John, our text there in verse 6, he says, this is love that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning that you should walk in it. Now, if we were all, all of us to go out and say, I'm going for a walk, let's all go for a walk. And we pick a place. We all have different strengths, different abilities. Some of us are going to walk better than others. Some may have to stop and rest more frequently. Some may trip and fall along the way. Some may not be able to go as far without resting, and some may not even make it as far as others do. But when we're all done, We know we've all gone for a walk, haven't we? We've all gone for a walk. Even if somebody has to use a walker or a cane or something like that, we've all gone for a walk. There's all of us, different strides, different speeds, so on and so forth, but we've all gone for a walk. So it is in the Christian life. We can identify through the Scriptures those who are walking the Christian life and those who are not. And we can see that. And indeed, indeed, there is something to be said about walking the Christian life. And John recognized that when he saw the children of this lady and he said, some of your children, I rejoiced in. I rejoiced greatly because I found them walking in truth just as we received the commandment from the Father. John may not be around to watch us, but know this, our Father in heaven, he sees what we're doing even when no one else does. But beyond that, you know what? The world sees us. And what kind of a testimony are we leaving behind for our heavenly Father? The world may not know much about Christ, They don't know much about God's word, but one thing I've learned working out in the world, they don't know anything about the Bible and they don't know anything about God or Christ, but they're quick to tell you and me how we ought to be living our day. They see something that either you do or I do that's either real or perceived as wrong and they'll call you out on it. They will spot a hypocrite. Aren't you a Christian? You shouldn't be doing that. You say a cuss word or they think you say a cuss word and it's like, you're a Christian, you shouldn't be saying that. You went and saw that movie? Oh, you're a Christian. You shouldn't have seen that. Now, they won't say like John did, oh, I rejoice greatly that you've been walking according to the truth. But the first time that they see you trip and fall, they'll call you out on it. They'll call you out on it. It takes a lot longer to regain your testimony because they'll remember that. I'll say, remember that time you got mad? That hammer came down on your thumb and you said that curse word. I know what kind of Christian he is. I mean, they did it to our Lord. Look at Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him, and both the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling, saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So they made false accusations with the Lord. They said, he's out there eating with sinners and all that sort of, he's receiving sinners and eating with them. Well, it was true, he was eating with them, but he wasn't receiving them in their sin and all these things were swirling about him. as we're out and about, people watching us and hearing us, let's not, well, let's be sure to examine our own walk such that we're examining it in the light of the word. And may our walk always be that which is pleasing to our God. Let's not be like the Pharisees that were out there trying to make a show outwardly and trying to trip up everybody else. Let's not be like that, but let's make sure that when accusations do come our way, that they're false accusations. Let's make sure that we're like this children of this lady who probably didn't even know that John was paying them any attention. And he writes to their mother and says, I rejoice greatly. to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received commandment from the Father. He didn't focus on the negative. There's a time and place for that, but he did focus on the positive. He gives her encouragement. I rejoiced. I rejoiced. We don't know how many children she had, but apparently not all her children were walking in the truth. And you who are parents, you know how it is. Sometimes it seems like all the news you ever hear is that one child that's just so rotten and so terrible and just always giving you trouble and blah, blah, blah. But no, that's not what John does. John encourages her. John encourages her. Don't get me wrong, we as parents have responsibility, but at the same time, our children, our children are depraved and they'll stand before the Lord someday and have to give an account for their own sinfulness, rebellion, and all those sorts of things. But what causes a great rejoicing is to find some children walking in truth, just as you received commandment from the Father. Verse five, he says, now I ask you, lady, just as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another, this is the aim of John's asking or his entreaty that we love one another so that Christ's command will be fulfilled. Both walking in truth and in love is the behavior of hospitality. This is the basis and the behavior of unity and of hospitality. We're to love one another. It's not a commandment. I mean, it's not a suggestion, it's a commandment. It's a commandment given from God to love one another, to walk in truth and in love. Verse six, he says, and this is love, that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you've heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. We spend a lot of time talking about love in 1 Corinthians. John spends a lot of time with it in his letters. This ought to get our attention, but it's often lost. Like Paul, John is quick to point out that love is not simply an emotion. It's not simply sentiment. This is obedience to God's commands. Those who are obedient to the truth is contained in, in, in God's commandments. The fundamentals of the faith are identified as walking in love. I mentioned last week, the example of opening the house up for church. Everyone here has opened their home up to, to, to church service at this point. I myself have preached in many homes. It's a different element of hospitality because you really don't know who's gonna show up whenever you do that. Church is like a family. but at the same time, it's a family. When you have a church service, you're meeting as a family, but expecting some guests, and you don't know who's gonna come. And when you open up your house like that, it's a whole other level. And it's a blessing, but it's a blessing to the preacher to be able to preach in a home, but it's also a blessing to the one who opens up their home. I preached in homes in New Mexico and in North Carolina particularly. I think about whenever I was thinking about this and what a joy it was when we organized the church in North Carolina to see them as they started out. They didn't have a place to meet at first. And so they opened up their home. I think of Chris and Mavia opening up their home and Jimmy and Mary opening up their garage and their home and all those things. and what a blessing that was for the church. It's a real blessing, but it's also a test. It's a test. Because the kind of person who enjoys that, like John says here, he rejoices over these types of things, but then on the flip side, What kind of person doesn't enjoy that? There's positives being written here, but then there's negatives being implied. If the behavior of hospitality is walking in truth and love, the inhospitable person, the person who doesn't, where are they walking? Not in the truth and not in love. Now at the same time, as John addresses this lady and writes to her, There are limits to Christian hospitality. There are limits. We'll look at that next time. So while we open up our homes to the church and we open up our homes to guests and so on and so forth, we don't give just anyone a platform. Someone comes in and they say, oh, I heard you're having church. I give the example of a Catholic or a Mormon wanting to hold a service here. Okay, we don't do that. No, you're not welcome here. We're not gonna have a Catholic or a Mormon service. But what if somebody says, oh, I saw on your website that Sovereign Grace Baptist Church is having worship service here and I'm one of your neighbors, I'd like to come. And so they come and they're here. And then maybe they come back and they come back again. And after three or four services, after a little bit, they say, hey, I've got a word from the Lord and I'd like to speak. What do we do then? No, no, not until Not until we've seen some fruit in that person's life to see them submit to scriptural baptism, submit to the church authority, become a member of this church, and until we understand what they mean by word from the Lord, because we know unless they mean they're coming from the Bible, who knows what they're gonna say? because there's some weird stuff out there. People saying they've got a word from the Lord. And so there are limits to that sort of thing. And no is a legitimate answer to somebody who says, oh. Same thing with someone who says, oh, I've been called to preach. There's a reason why. that the biblical pattern is that there's a call to preach, yes, but then there's the church. laying the hands on them, sending them out, all of those things. What's that all about? Well, that's about the affirmation of the church saying, yes, this person, this person, we affirm that this person, this person is qualified. Because what happens? What happens if a man says, oh, I've been called to preach? And he's a brawler. He's got multiple wives, some strange doctrines that he's preaching, all this sort of thing. You know, what do we do? No, there's the limits to Christian hospitality. And we'll see some of those things next time, because indeed, there are many deceivers that have gone out into the world. And so, So that is true, not only in church capacity, but also in the home as well. Because if you're sitting around at the dinner table and you get a knock at the door and somebody says, hey, I'm from the Jehovah's Witnesses and I'd like to come in and tell you all about this great God of ours. Don't let them in, don't let them in. There's limits, limits to that sort of thing. We'll look at that next time, Lord willing. And so as we bring this to a close, did anybody have any questions or comments today? All right, I'll go ahead and ask for Liam Berry to come and we'll have another song.