Let's go to the Lord one more time to ask His blessing on the preaching of His Word. Father, we thank You for Your presence with us here today. We thank You for Your Word. We know it is profitable for teaching and reproof and for correction and training in righteousness that we would be equipped for all good works. Lord, I ask that your word would shine bright this morning, that it's your message that we would hear and your application is what we would apply in our lives. Bring this before you in the name of Jesus. Amen. Well, as you've heard, we're going to be in 2 John today, if you want to turn there. If you have trouble, it's towards the back of the Bible. You have Revelation as the last book, and then Jude, 3 John, 2 John. Elder Jeremiah Zuoh, as he mentioned, is in the midst of a series, walking through 1 John. We heard through 3 John last week. So today is kind of ending the trifecta, if you will, of John's epistles as we look at this second letter. Second John is the second shortest book in the Bible, next to Third John, which makes it easy to read all at once. So let's go ahead and do that now, and then we'll revisit the text section by section as we walk through it. Second John. the elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one 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, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Though I have much more to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister greet you. Well, there are a couple of items we should get out of the way up front. Namely, who wrote the letter and who is it written to? You'll notice the letter opens by saying, the elder to the elect lady and her children. So how do we know that John the Apostle wrote this? John, the brother of James. John, one of the sons of Boanerges, the sons of thunder, that John. How do we know? Well, simply, there's consistent historical attribution to the letter to John, and both the themes and the language that we see in this letter are common to what we find in the Gospel of John and the other epistles. There's actually a consistent thread that runs through these epistles. First and second John shares concerns about Jesus coming in the flesh, which we'll look at a bit later. And second and third John share concerns about hospitality, though from different viewpoints. But together, they have a cohesiveness in addressing who we should partner with and who we should not. Or said differently, they all address people who have strayed from truth and the need for Christians to stand firm in it. All three letters share an emphasis on truth and Christian love. Now, who is it written to? It's addressed to the elect lady and her children. Now, there are two main thoughts on this. First, some believe this is an individual person that John knows, along with her offspring, her literal offspring. And there are some creative ideas that have been given, saying that this maybe shouldn't be translated as the elect lady, but instead looking at the Greek words, and I apologize to those who speak Greek, but eclekta curia. Perhaps it should be translated as the Lady Eclecta, or perhaps the Noble Curia, thinking perhaps Eclecta or Curia are proper names. There are challenges with that approach, though, and many people believe instead that the elect lady should be interpreted as being a church, with her children being the congregation. Some of the rationale given for this include instances of the word you in the letter being plural, and formality in some of the grammar, which you would not expect if it was written to an individual that you know. And this would also seem to be the most natural interpretation based on the message, and it's the interpretation we'll use today. And incidentally, this is how we'll also interpret John's farewell, where he says, the children of your elect sister greet you. John is telling the congregation he's writing to that the people of the congregation that John is likely a part of currently says hello. Ultimately, though, just to point out, that argument is really an academic one more than anything else and does not change how we should approach what John says. This letter does not contain a secretive message with no application or relevance to the broader church. It's extremely relevant to the church at large and was obviously circulated to others to read and to heed. And ever since it was written, almost 2,000 years ago, it's been circulated and read by the church and as part of the biblical canon, Regardless of whoever John originally intended to address it to, the letter is clearly intended to be read and understood by not an individual, but by the church. It was written for the church's instruction and edification 2,000 years ago, and it is now for us today. So now that we have that out of the way, we can begin to look at what it is that John actually wants to say. At a high level, John is rejoicing in and encouraging those who are unified with him in truth and love as commanded by Jesus and his teaching, while warning the church to not welcome anybody who would teach falsely about Jesus, knowing that would result in a participation in their wicked ways. As we now pull John's letter forward to our time here, to understand what John has to say, because God's word is timeless, we find that while we rejoice in the unity we have in truth and love with other believers, we must also remain alert and protect against those who would seek to persuade us with false teaching. John has given us principles of truth to aid us, We have unity in the truth. We abide in Jesus' commands by walking in the truth. We guard the church by protecting the truth. Let's read the first three verses again. the elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son in truth and love. We have unity in the truth. John loves this church that he's writing to because they know the truth. But it's not just because the people of the church know the truth that causes John to love them. It's because John also knows the truth. They have the common bond of the truth. And it's not just John who loves them. Everybody who knows the truth loves them. They all love each other because they all know the truth. Without the truth as the underlying foundation for unity, love is reduced to mere sentimentality. John is not expressing just a sentimental emotion. He's recognizing the love that he has for them as they are all one in truth. And we all recognize this in our own lives. If you have a job, you're united with your coworkers and a common goal. If you're married, you're united with your husband or your wife as you raise your children and you seek to be a picture of Christ and his church. If you play a sport or you're in a group of some kind, you're united with your teammates as you seek to accomplish whatever you're trying to accomplish. So how much more for us as Christians who have unity with each other through Jesus Christ, who is the truth. And the truth abides in us. What does that mean? Is that just a head knowledge? We just know the truth? No, to abide means it's in us. The truth lives in us. It dwells in us. It remains in us. We know the truth and it has a grip on us, even as we hold tight to it. But deeper than that, as followers of Jesus Christ, those who know the truth, Christ, who is himself the truth, dwells in us, and he will be with us forever. This is an encouragement to the believers reading this letter, especially in light of the warning that's going to come, and the possibility that some people from the congregation he's writing to have possibly already separated themselves So who do we have unity with? We have it with all who know the church, the truth. There is a universal aspect to this as it relates to the global church. We don't have unity with everybody in the world, but we do have unity with everybody in the world who knows the truth, the truth of Jesus Christ. There are people in cities and states and countries that we will never meet this side of heaven, but we have unity with them in Jesus. And this is why it's important for us to pray for other churches, other believers and missionaries. We don't have to know them to pray for them. When my family visited Grace Covenant Baptist Church for the first time a few years ago, one of the biggest surprises and blessings that we experienced was during the pastoral prayer when they prayed for other churches. Why should that be a surprise? Shouldn't that be normal in the churches? Sadly, the churches that I've been to, I've been a part of in the past, that's not a part of their regular practice. It should be. And unfortunately, it's not just my experience, it's the experience of many other people that I know. Why is that? We have unity and truth with all these people. Let us earnestly pray for them. And members of Grace, in our member directory and in the bulletin boards downstairs, there's information about missionaries that we support. Let's pray for them. and offer encouragement and support as we have opportunity. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, John says. He states it as a certainty. They are with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son, in truth and love. Let us rejoice in our unity. And as we celebrate that unity in truth, Let's be mindful. We also abide in Jesus' commands by walking in the truth. Let's read again, verses four to six. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one 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, so that you should walk in it. John is expressing joy here about those he knows are walking in the truth. And he's not necessarily saying that some of the people are walking in the truth and others are not. This can actually be read to say that John has personal knowledge of some of the people and he's rejoicing about the ones that he knows. He's not necessarily saying, I know some of you are and some of you are not. At a minimum, though, he is saying, I know about some of the people in the church, and I rejoice to know that they are walking in the truth. I don't know about the rest of the people, but I'm rejoicing at the ones that I do know. There's still a warning coming in verse seven, so he may have those people he does not know in mind as he prepares to give that warning. But John's joy is not that people just happen to be walking in the truth as though they randomly stumbled upon it. They're walking in truth just as they have been commanded by God to do so. John seems to fixate on a few words in this letter. In these first six verses, he's used a form of the word truth five times, love four times, command four times, and walk three times. It's pretty clear the kind of message he's trying to drive home. To put it simply, God has commanded his people to walk in truth and love. The fact that God the Father has commanded His people to walk in truth is informative in a couple of ways. First, it informs us in our relationship with God. God the Father has commanded, and there's an expectation from Him that those whom He's given the right to be called children of God will obey His commands. Our role is to obey. But it's also informative in another way. If God has commanded people to walk in truth, that means truth exists. And it can be known. Truth is not relative, depending on the person or the circumstance. It's not to be redundant here, but truth is truth because it's true. Truth is based on a standard, and that standard has been established by God. And because there is established truth, established by God, it does not change. Men and women may have different experiences as we live our lives, but they do not have their own truths. The church in 90 AD, which is approximately when this letter was written, had an objective truth given to them by God. Almost 2,000 years later, we still have that same objective truth. And not understanding this has caused many to be led astray, as we see in so many denominations that blow whichever way the wind is blowing in the culture. They do not believe God has established objective truths. And if they do believe in some sort of truth, many believe it changes. What was true many centuries ago is not true for us today because we're more wise or civilized or sophisticated. And because of this, many have made a shipwreck of their faith and caused the name of Jesus to be blasphemed. But God's commandment is not just to walk in truth. He has commanded that we love. John is asking this church that they would all continue to love one another. John's not offering his own instruction here. He's asking the church that we would love one another. This is a relationship that John is a part of. He's not saying you need to do this. He's reminding them we all need to do this together. There's a warning coming. There are dangerous people out there. So can I remind you that we should be loving each other? And this is not John's command to give anyway. He's not telling them something that they've never heard before. This is instruction that has existed from the beginning. which is helpful for us to know as well. So what is the beginning? At the very least, it refers to when Jesus was with them in person, explaining the gospel. The command to love each other has always been a part of the gospel of Jesus. He said that people will know that you are my disciples if you love one another in John 13, 35. He also said, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you in John 15, 12. So this is not a new commandment to the church. Jesus himself commanded it personally. Can we trace the beginning back earlier than Jesus' earthly ministry though? In response to the question about which commandment was the greatest, Jesus said in Mark chapter 12, the most important is here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. Here Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19, 18, when he says to love your neighbor as yourself. So the beginning can also be traced back to the beginning of the nation of Israel, when God was setting them apart from other groups of people, teaching them how to worship them and how to love one another. So this command to love each other has existed from the beginning of the church and the beginning of the nation of Israel. Can we go back earlier? How about Genesis chapter four? Cain's offering was not held in regard by God, and Cain was angry at his brother Abel. When God confronted him and told him he needed to do what was right and told him that sin is crouching at your door, but you must rule over it, did God not know what was in Cain's heart regarding his brother Abel? Was God not telling Cain not just that he needed to worship the Lord rightly, but to love one another? And even earlier, did God not create Eve to be a helper to Adam that they should be together? Did he not tell them to be fruitful and multiply? Did he not say, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh? Inherent in this is God not saying, love one another. This is a command that has existed from the beginning of mankind, the beginning of Israel, the beginning of the church, from the beginning of the gospel given by Jesus himself. God has always wanted his people to love one another. And because this is true, We can understand that the love being mentioned here is not a romantic love. It's not the love we mean when we say we love pizza, or that I love my wife for picking up some pillow cookies from the new Fresh Market store that opened on Randall Road in Algonquin. I do love those things, but that's not what John is talking about here. To love one another is to care for one another selflessly, It's to look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. It's to rejoice when they rejoice, to grieve when they grieve. To love one another means we share the gospel with each other. We sharpen each other, we encourage each other. It's using our freedoms to serve one another. It is patient and kind. It is not boastful. It does not envy. Love is everything that we heard in 1 Corinthians 13 earlier. And our love for God is demonstrated in our obedience. This is love, that we walk according to his commandments. Obedience is a proof that we belong to Jesus. Our obedience shows that we love Jesus. Our love for one another is a demonstration to God and to the world that we do not live for ourselves. This is the commandment, that we love one another. But again, it's not just a sentimental emotion. The prior references to truth abiding in us and being a part of what was commanded show that this is a love grounded in truth. The truth about Jesus, And notice too, the word commandments in the middle of verse six is plural. It's not just the command to love one another, or even just a command to walk in truth. We show our love for God by obeying all that Jesus commanded. In the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus said to teach everybody who would follow him to observe all that he had commanded. And of course I have to clarify that our obedience does not earn us salvation. Nobody can perfectly obey all of God's laws, all that he's commanded. This is why Jesus came. Only he is able to fully obey every command. But as God turns our hearts towards him and we follow Christ, we're called to obey. Even in our sanctification, we can't clean ourselves up by our own efforts that we look better before the Lord. This also is the work of the Holy Spirit, giving us the desire and the ability to obey what has been commanded. And as the children of God, we must obey. So church, as we covenant together to be a part of this body, do we live in this way? As we live in truth and obedience to God's commands, are we quick to repent of our sins? Do we spend time with the Lord regularly, seeking to grow in our maturity and understanding of him? In our love for each other, do we encourage each other? Are we quick to overlook an offense? Do we believe the best about our brother and sister? And when needed, do we bring our concerns to our brother and sister so that we can be reconciled? Or do we hold on to them, bearing a grudge, holding hostility, tempting us to allow a root of bitterness to grow, to gossip? Husbands and wives, do you love one another? Do you look to each other's interests or just your own? Children, Do you honor and obey your parents, understanding that everything that they do is to serve the Lord, to do their best for you because they serve the Lord? Church, do we love our fellow believers at other churches in this city or around the world? Do we know who they are, what they need, or do we just think we're the best? We're the only game in town. We're the only good church here. Let us walk in truth and love one another. And as we walk in truth, enjoying the unity we have in it, we must also guard the truth by protecting the truth. Let's read verses seven to 13 again. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. And though I have much more to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete. John's now looking at the converse of truth as he talks about deceivers. Many deceivers have gone out into the world. What are they deceiving about? the truth about who Jesus is and what he did. They denied Jesus coming in the flesh. They did not deny that Jesus was there necessarily, but they denied some aspect of his physical being. In 1 John, we read in chapter four, many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. John seems to be addressing the same kind of false prophets here now in 2 John. They've gone out into the world, possibly they've gone out from the church into the world, deceiving people with lies about who Jesus is and seeking to draw people away from the church, away from the truth to follow them. Of course, there's nothing new under the sun. Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, drawing them away from the truth, and his work has continued in the world ever since then. These deceivers, they claim to want God, but they do not want the real Jesus. This spirit, this kind of spirit, it exists with us all around us here now today. Your friends and family and neighbors and coworkers, they're often okay if you talk about God, as long as your talk about God is just kind of a general talk about God. Or if Jesus is mentioned, that it's kind of a light and happy, Jesus died to save us from our sins, we're all going to heaven, yay. They're okay with that. But when you start talking about the real Jesus, the biblical Jesus, suddenly these people, they're not as interested. Sometimes they get a little hostile. They claim to want God, but not the real Jesus. The real Jesus was born in the flesh, taking on human form, being born of the Virgin Mary. In his very physical body, he was circumcised when he was eight days old. He ate and drank with friends and enemies. Jesus wept. When his time came, he was physically whipped and crucified, hung on the cross. He suffered physically and bled. Jesus died and his body was carried to a tomb where he was buried. Jesus rose from the dead in his physical body. After his resurrection, he broke bread and ate fish. He told Thomas to touch the wounds in his hands and in his side. Jesus physically ascended into heaven as the apostles watched. Jesus said that he would return in the same way. Jesus came in the flesh, rose from the dead in the flesh, ascended into heaven and will return with his physical body. And he did this so that he could pay the penalty for our sins. It was because he had a physical human body that he was able to make this atoning sacrifice on our behalf. It is this Jesus who calls all people to repent and believe in him. And if you are here today and have not done so, I come to you as an ambassador for Christ, God making his appeal through me. I implore you on behalf of God to be reconciled to him. It was for our sake that God made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. There is no denying Jesus came in the flesh and one day all people will see and bow before him But there are some who do deny this, and they would desire to pull you away from the truth to follow them and their beliefs, which is why John says to watch yourselves. Not just to watch each other, watch yourself. Who are you listening to? What preachers or books or podcasts are you allowing to influence you? But this is not John just saying every man for himself. It's not just about a self-focus. This is about vigilance. He's saying you yourself need to watch out, both for yourself, but also for the purity of the church. If we allow false teachers to have influence within the church and allow others to be deceived, it would cause them to be separated from us. If we allow others to be deceived, that's not showing love for others. If we allow these false teachers among us, it will cost each of us to lose what we're working for. Not just a disruption or worse within the body, there are also eternal rewards at stake. And John doesn't seem to be talking about salvation here, but rewards like we see in 1st and 2nd Corinthians, where we will all stand before the Lord. Our works will be tested by fire, and we will be rewarded for our good works which remain. These are rewards for faithful ministry and works. And it does take vigilance, because these deceivers, they come in many shapes and sizes. People we encounter may not deny Jesus coming in the flesh, but they do deny the real Jesus. Verse nine describes these people as those who go on ahead and do not abide in the teaching of Christ. They go beyond what Jesus taught. They come up with new ideas which transgress Christ's teaching. Whether they are intentionally making up new ideas to pull us away or not, that is the result. They may think they're being faithful to scripture, but they go beyond what it teaches and end up in a place that denies the reality. I love what John Stott says about this. He views verse nine as John being sarcastic, saying, this is John Stott saying, they had advanced so far that they even left God behind them. So true. They did not remain in the teaching Christ had given. In Jesus' day, the religious leaders had gone on ahead of God's teaching, worshiping him in vain as they taught as doctrines the commandments of men. Some of these false teachers who have gone on ahead in our day could be the prosperity teachers who twist verses to fit their narrative. They make up a Jesus that suits their needs and fills their pockets. It could be Roman Catholics who worship a Jesus still hanging on the cross and who they re-sacrifice in every mass instead of worshiping the Jesus who died once for all and now lives with no further sacrifice being needed. Be good, take communion, confess to a priest, pray to Mary, give enough money so enough prayers can be said on your behalf so you can get out of purgatory and we can all go to heaven. It's a false Jesus they worship. And then you have the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Muslims, who have not heeded the warning that even if an angel preaches to you a different gospel, don't listen. These are easy, visible targets, but the deceiver and his false prophets have many insidious ways to try to persuade, which is why we must watch out and abide in the teaching of Christ. We must hold fast to the teaching of Christ because those who do not, do not have God. And why would we give up so easily on that great treasure, the pearl of great price? But to abide in his teaching means we have both the Father and the Son. And to have them means you have the Spirit dwelling in you. Abide in his teaching and he will abide in you. To abide in his teaching means to have a right standing before God as we worship and obey the real Jesus. So John's warning continues. If anybody comes to you with teaching that is not consistent with what Jesus taught, that which has been commanded from the beginning, the truth, do not even greet them. Now if we're not careful, we can interpret that to mean that we should only talk and spend time with fellow Christians. But this is not a wholesale forbidding of being civil or showing hospitality to anybody who does not believe in the biblical Jesus. This is a warning and a restriction against welcoming those who would teach you a different Jesus. Not just somebody who may have errant beliefs, but somebody who would want to persuade you or others to follow them away from the true teachings about Jesus. Some who call themselves Christians would try to persuade you that God is love and that's all that matters. It's true that God is love. We must remember that doctrine matters. So can we invite people over for dinner who do not know Jesus? Yes, of course we can. Can we invite them to church? Of course we can. How else will they hear the gospel if we're not willing to talk to them? What about a Christian that just has an errant belief about something? Can I talk to them? Yes, please do. They may just need a brother or sister who's patient with them and willing to help them understand what it is that they have wrong. And that may take time, and that's okay. But we must guard the truth. guard the church, protect the truth, when we encounter somebody that has an errant view and seeks to persuade others to follow them. This is heresy, and to welcome a hearing with them, to listen to their teaching, is a danger to the body. Even here, We must be careful. There are differences in opinion among faithful Christians about a wide variety of matters, and we can agree to disagree about many of those things. But are they teaching something different about Jesus? Are they trying to persuade others about a false Jesus? Is it a different gospel? If yes, we must not give them a platform to speak, because if we do, we become co-laborers with them in their evil works. This letter serves as a clear contradiction to ecumenism. Can you volunteer at Habitat for Humanity or Feed My Starving Children, knowing you're probably working alongside other people that are from every walk of life. They might be true Christians, they might be Mormons, they might be atheists that just like to do good deeds. Yes, that's fine. But if you're going to serve somewhere in some way where you are showing Christ and presenting the gospel, it's imperative that we only join with others who walk in the truth, who know the gospel and are sharing the same gospel. As a church, we could never partner with another who does not teach the same gospel. Catholics and Protestants are not united in who they believe Jesus is and what he has accomplished. Last week, we saw on 3 John, that there are faithful preachers that go out doing the work of ministry and spreading the gospel, and we are called to support them so that we can participate with them in their good works. Second John has a different group of preachers in view. They're false teachers, and we must not partner with them. Hospitality does not require a lack of discernment or discretion. Allowing deceivers amongst us makes us one of them. Now we've come to John's farewell. It's so easy to just breeze through verses like these. John's not just wrapping up and saying goodbye here. This is still John showing his love for the church he's writing to and his desire to help protect them and to protect the truth. John says he still has much more to say. He just doesn't want to write it all. It's a short letter, 2 John, just 245 words in the original Greek. and it would have fit onto a single sheet of papyrus. And now coming to the end of that sheet, John has determined it would be better to speak in person than to use more sheets. John is sending this letter on ahead, letting them know he still has much more he wants to say. And meeting in person, especially when you have important issues to talk about, is better than just writing a letter. It's a more effective means of communication. And in this day of emails and texts, I think we could all probably attest to that. John can encourage the church and give them a heads up about the false teachers in case they show up before he gets there, if they've not already been there. But John cares for them so much that he wants to make sure he is able to deliver the rest of the message, the full message, face to face. This letter is not just some task he needed to complete or that somebody twisted his arm to do. He truly cares about these people and wants to see them. Only then will his joy be complete. In this very short letter, John has covered a lot of territory. He's discussed the unity we have with all believers, the unity that comes from knowing the truth, having the truth in us, Jesus Christ, who will be with us forever. John has stressed the importance of abiding in Jesus' commands, the command to love one another, which we've had from the beginning, the command to obey all that he has said and to walk in truth. And John has provided a warning about deceivers so that the church can guard against them and protect the truth. So that we can help each other, so we're not persuaded to follow false teachers, but instead abide in the truth. In a way, this describes all of our lives, our lives as Christians. We obey Christ. We're supposed to watch for false teachers, knowing our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour and to love one another. That's our lives. I consider myself blessed to be doing this with all of you. Let's pray. Father, I'm grateful to you for this short letter. It is short, but it is sweet. And you've given us so much to think about, to consider, to meditate on, or to use in our lives. Lord, it is impactful in all that it has to teach, in walking, in abiding, in loving, or guide us as we continue to meditate on it. lead us in a proper application in our own lives and use it for edification and the growth of this congregation. Pray this all in the name of Jesus for his glory, amen.