you take and take out a copy of God's Word and open it up to 2nd John. 2nd John, this will be our last night in the book of 2nd John. We've actually made it through an epistle, a book in the Bible, and less than four messages. This will be our fourth message here tonight. 2nd John, and we have said many times before that you can bowl down the epistle of 2nd John with one statement and that is that the epistle of 2nd John was written to counter falsehood by presenting divine truth. Counter falsehood by presenting divine truth and what a joy it has been to study through this epistle thus far. So we'll begin our reading tonight for the sake of time in verse 7 2nd John 1 chapter 13 verses in verse 7 for many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an anti Christ, look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrines of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God's speed. For he that biddeth him God's speed is a partaker of his evil deeds, having many things to write unto you. I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come unto you and speak face to face that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen. We're considering for the final time, part four of a four-part series, the necessity of the truth, the necessity of the truth. Bow with us as we ask the Lord to bless our study together here tonight. Father, Lord, we come to you again tonight acknowledging that we are a needy people. Father, we acknowledge that the only way that we can understand the scriptures is through the inner working of your spirit. Father, we thank you for the scriptures. We thank you for what they mean to us. We thank you that they are good for everything pertaining unto life and to godliness. They thank you that they are a wellspring of life from which we can draw truths from. And Lord, now as we look for the final time at the epistle of 2 John, we pray that we would glorify you by both the words that I preach, Father, and the words and the message that we apply to our hearts. Father, please be with us here tonight. Lord, we thank you for your son, Jesus, and it's in his wonderful name that we pray a Men, the necessity of truth. It's what the entire epistle of John, 2 John, is about. And the truth that we are presented with, we have said four times now, is the truth which is Christ, the truth which is the word of God, the truth which is the Holy Spirit, and the truth which is the gospel and we have discovered that the truth is the necessary condition of several things as we have combed through this epistle to quickly review where we have been thus far we first on night one said that truth is first of all the necessary condition of our love we see the apostle john say in verse one i love in the truth. What the apostle was really saying is that my love operates off of truth. My love is directed by truth. My love stems or is originated from truth. truth and then we said that truth is the necessary condition of unity you see it was the truth that not only bound the apostle john to this elect lady but it was the truth that bounds as verse two says all they that have known the truth together as one so it's the truth that bounds us to this elect lady. It's the truth that bounds us together. It's the truth that bounds us to the apostle John. The truth is the unifying force in the church. And then we said that the truth is the necessary condition of our ministry. In verse 2, John says it's for the truths sake. John is saying that it's because of the truth that I wrote this epistle to this elect lady. The truth was a necessary condition of his ministry and it's a necessary condition of ours. Next, we said that the truth is the necessary condition of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In verse 2, we see the statement that John makes. He says, He's talking about the very Spirit of God. John is saying with absolute and complete certainty that the Holy Spirit will continually be in our midst, will continually be in our company throughout the expanse of time. Truth is then the necessary condition of our salvation. It's because of the truth of the gospel that was shared with each and every one of us and the Spirit working on our hearts that we can claim the salvation blessings of grace and mercy and peace through God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that we find in verse 3 of this epistle. And we started to develop this next truth last Sunday night. And we said that truth is the necessary condition of our protection. We first learned in this theme or this way that we categorized truth and how it is the necessary condition of our protection. We first saw that the enemy was identified. Look back to verse 7. The apostle says, for many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-believer. So there are a great number of deceivers that are going out into the world and they are identified as those who confess not that Christ is come in the flesh. What John is saying is that anyone who does not have a biblical Christology is a deceiver and they are an antichrist. And on top of that, John goes on to say in verse 9 that anyone that goes beyond the teachings of Christ that we find in the scriptures, either that talk about Christ or teachings that Christ taught, they are too a deceiver, and they are an anti-Christ. We clearly see the enemy identified. And then we see not only the enemy identified, But next we see the enemy's plan is revealed. The enemy's plan is revealed. Now let me set this entire epistle in its context before we start to develop this truth. So in John's day, as we have said a time or two before, in John's day the gospel was spread mainly from place to place through what we would call itinerant preachers or modern day evangelists. These itinerant preachers, they would travel place to place, town to town, city to city, and they would stay in the homes of Christian families. You might ask, why would they stay in the homes? Well, it was because the inns or the modern-day hotels of the time, they were nasty, vile places with high crime rates and prostitution. So Christians, especially those gifted in hospitality, they would open their homes and would allow these itinerant preachers who were traveling from place to place, they would allow them into their homes. These Christians would feed and care for these pastors because these pastors, these preachers were spiritually feeding and were spiritually caring for the church. Well, what would happen is you would not only have Bible-believing preachers traveling from place to place and staying in these homes, you would have heretical teachers teaching a false gospel and promoting fallacies, and they would try to stay with these well-meaning and hospitable Christians. So you had deceivers and antichrists literally invading Christian homes. which was in that day and is today extremely dangerous. It was dangerous for this elect lady and it is dangerous for us as well. So with that context in mind, let's go back and read verses 7. The Apostle John says, for many deceivers are entered into the world, they are in our midst, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. So after the apostle John clearly identifies the enemy as deceivers and antichrist in verse 7, he then gives us their battle plan in verse 8. John says, look to yourselves. Which translated in terms we can understand means to watch yourselves. It means to be alert. It means to be on guard. But on guard for what? He goes on to say that we lose not those sayings which we have wrought, but receive a full You see, the Apostle John is not talking about a loss of salvation here. This lady, she is the elect of God. She has been predestined since the beginning of time to be saved. She has been called to salvation by God and has been drawn to salvation by the Spirit. She is truly saved, and John says in his gospel that no man can pluck her out of the Father's omnipotent hand. John is not talking about a loss of salvation. He is talking about a loss of spiritual growth. Look back to verse 8. He says, look to yourself that we lose not those sayings which we have wrought. He is lovingly warning this dear lady of the enemy's battle plan, which is to take what spiritual ground has been gained in her life, away. It is to tear down the spiritual progress that this elect lady's life has encountered. It is to hinder any further spiritual growth that is occurring in her life. So the Apostle John is lovingly declaring to this Dear elect lady, he is lovingly telling her the goal of these deceivers that either may have already entered her home at some point or will soon enter. Their goal is to steal the spiritual growth that John and the other apostles had fostered through the clear and faithful teaching of the word. The enemy's plan is revealed. It is a plan of present spiritual destruction. The enemy is identified. The enemy's plan is revealed. And thirdly, we see that the saint's protection is sealed. The saint's protection is sealed. Look back to verse 9 of our passage. John says, Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. You see, our protection as children of God is to abide in the doctrines of His Son. We are to continually stay, or we are to take up a permanent residence in the doctrines of Christ. That is, the doctrines about Christ and the doctrines from which Christ taught. That is, all of the doctrines. We are not to forsake a single one. Everything He taught, We must believe. Every step that he took must guide our steps. Every word that he said must control our tongues. We must allow the way that he worshipped to guide our worship. We must allow the way that he rejected fallacies to guide our rejection of fallible doctrines and false gospels. Christ must be everything to us, because if he is not, he is nothing to us, and if he is nothing to us, then we have nothing protecting us. Listen to what the Apostle John, you can turn there if you want to the Gospel of John in chapter 14. Listen to what he records that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said in John 14 beginning in verse 23. John 14 in verse 23. Jesus answered and said unto them, If a man love me, he will keep my words. And my Father will love him, and he will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I love how Christ says, peace, I leave with you. And to let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Friends, this is the reason that our hearts are at peace and can remain untroubled and not afraid. And that is because our hearts abide in Christ. Christ says, if a man love me, he will keep my words. You see, our eternal protection as believers is sealed at the moment of salvation. There's nothing we can do to lose what God has sovereignly given. But our temporal protection or our earthly spiritual protection can be lost when we do not love Christ by not keeping his words. You see, that's why John in 2 John states that only those who abide in Christ have the Father and the Son. It's only those who are presently abiding in the One who gave them life that are presently protected from the many deceivers and the many antichrists that are actively and presently attacking and trying to take that life. And how is it that we abide in Christ? Christ told us himself, we keep or we abide in his words. It's a simple equation. It can be summarized in a simple statement. It is this, no submission to scripture results in no protection from deception. You see, when there's no submission to the Word of God, there's no protection from deception. We must read and study and learn and then we must submit to the truth, the totality of the truth of the Word of God to be protected, spiritually protected on this earth so that our spiritual growth is not taken away by the evil one in his deceptive ways. Truth is the necessary condition of our protection. And then eight on our list, truth is not only the necessary condition of our protection, but truth is the necessary condition of our rejection. The necessary condition of our rejection. Look back to verse 10. The apostle John says, if there come any, any unto you and bring not this doctrine, Receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. Now remember, we are talking about heretical teachers trying to invade the home. We are not, and I repeat, we are not talking about a lost person trying to inquire of answers. or a lost person inquiring about salvation. We are not talking about a biblically ignorant person trying to get answers. We are not even talking about a person of a different religion or professing a different religion here. John is referring to deceivers. and Antichrist and they are those who are outright teaching doctrines that are totally against Christ or doctrines from which they had added to the learned doctrines of Christ that we find in His Word. So with that in mind, we clearly see two ways that us, as children of the truth, must reject in the truth. First of all, God's people must reject deceivers and antichrists at all cost. At all cost. The word used for receive in verse 10, it comes from the Greek word lambbano, and it means to admit. It literally means to actively take hold of something. This is not a passive reception, sort of like a baseball player standing out in the outfield. of somebody pops the baseball up and they stand there like they do in the movies with their eyes closed and the baseball somehow lands in the glove. We're not talking about that. To Lambano something is a baseball player actively running towards a line drive diving for that ball and catching that ball midair in his glove. He actively pursues that ball. He actively catches that ball. It's intentional. It's active. John uses that same word in the same context in John, the gospel of John, chapter 6. In chapter 6, we find the disciples on the boat. We find a great storm happening, and they see something out in the midst. At first glance, they thought it was a ghost, but they soon realized that it was Jesus Christ. And listen to What happens after that in John chapter 6 and verse 21? It says, then they, we're talking about the disciples, who were on the boat, then they willingly received him into the ship. And immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. You see, the disciples willingly received Christ. Can't you just picture them almost falling into the water? getting Christ into the boat. They willfully received Christ. They wanted him there. They welcomed him into the boat. So if we go back to our passage in 2 John and verse 10, the same word used for receive in John chapter 6 is used in 2 John verse 10 when he says, receive him not, speaking of the deceivers and the antichrists, receive him not into your house." And house, as used here, is referring to their dwelling place. John is saying that if false teachers seek a dwelling place, a place where they will be supported, a place where they will be fed and housed and even financially supported, if they seek this type of a support, you, as a believer, should not provide it. you are not to provide it. He is saying don't let them in their door. He's saying don't let them in your window. Don't let them past your threshold. Don't give them money. Don't give them clothing. Don't give them food. Do not support them in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Why? Because the home is the primary place of instruction for the family. We clearly see that in scriptures like Deuteronomy 6, verses 4-9, when it says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest where? In thine house. And when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up, and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and thou shalt be as a frontless between your eyes, and thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house and on thy gates." Simply put, our home is nothing less than a Bible school. A school where the Word of God must be taught. A school where we not only teach the Word of God, but we teach our children how to apply the Word of God to their walk. A school where we teach from sunup to sundown the principles of the Scriptures and how these principles guide our day-to-day decisions. A school from which the Word of God is posted on our walls. A school from which the Word of God is taught both inside our walls and outside of them. So John is telling us to not let false teachers in our homes because they will mess up, they will tear down, and they will destroy our home-based Bible school. How likely? Was this to happen? How likely is it to happen in today's time? Well, if you look back to verse 10, John starts it out using the conjunction if. And he followed that conjunction with the indicative verb come. This means what John is saying is very likely to occur. He is saying that either this dear elect lady has already housed these heretics in her home or that she will likely be faced with the decision to house them. So he's telling her, if you are doing this, or when these heretics arrive, you are not under any circumstance to allow them to enter your home. God's people are to reject deceivers and antichrists at all costs. But then John goes a step further. Next, God's people are to expose and shun deceivers and antichrists. Look back to verse 10 and 11. It says, if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, talking about the doctrines of Christ and about Christ, receive him not into your house. neither bid him God's speed. For he that biddeth him God's speed is a partaker of his evil deeds." Now that word God's speed, it's an unfamiliar phrase and it's used two times in two verses both in verse 10 and verse 11 of this epistle and if you go back to the greek it is one word which is calrio and it means a rejoiceful greeting, to rejoicefully greet someone. This is an honest, heartfelt excitement that you are in the presence of someone else. And this was a customary way in John's day for one believer to greet another believer. By greeting in this way, they were making an affirming statement that they were in solidarity or that they were in unity with that person from which they were greeting. So the Apostle John is telling both this derelict lady and the entire church, which includes us, he is telling them that they are not to greet heretical teachers in this way. He is actually telling them to shun them and to not affirm them as Christians. Do not agree with them. Do not wish them well. Do not act like everything is hunky-dory when you're in the presence of these heretics and deceivers. And if you look at verse 11, John warns us of what we are doing when we do greet a heretical teacher in this way. He says, for he that biddeth him God's speed, or greets in this rejoiceful way, is a partaker of his evil deeds. So anybody that greets a heretical teacher in their homes in this way is a partaker of his evil deceptions. We literally help further their deception by greeting them. as a Christian. Some may read this passage and they may think, well, this is awful narrow minded. And that's correct. Some may read this passage and say, man, that's harsh. We ought not be like that. No, we ought to be like that. Some may read this passage and treat and say that treating a heretical teacher in this way is unloving. Well, again, that would be a correct statement. This, my friends, is blunt advice that was given from a pastor who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give to us with the expectation of obeying it. So the question remains, what does this look like in today's time? Well, we don't have these itinerant preachers traveling from place to place requesting to stay in our homes. But we do have televisions. We do have Facebook. We do have radio stations. stations, we do have podcasts that are absolutely packed full of heretical teachings. So if we apply verses 10 and 11 to these ways that we communicate in our modern day era, we are not to turn the TV on and allow a heretical teacher to enter our home through the TV. We are not to read Facebook posts from a heretical teacher. We are not to listen to a broadcast on the radio or a podcast on our phone from heretical teachers. We are not to have books written by heretical teachers on our bookstaves. And let's take it just a step further. According to verse 11, it says, If we apply that to this context, greeting them in today's time will be joining with them in a so-called Christian cause. Because when we join with them for a so-called Christian cause, we are by our actions accepting them and identifying them as Christians. We are not to donate funds to their ministries because when we do, we are supporting their teachings. We are not to fellowship with them or affirm them as believers in any way, shape, form, or fashion. All we have for a false teacher is the gospel. We do not have fellowship. We are not to affirm them. They are lost. They are deceived. They are headed straight for hell. And the moment we affirm them as believers by welcoming them into the house of God, welcoming them into the fellowship of God, the moment we allow them or give them a platform to teach in our church, we are just helping further their downward spiral of deception. Christ in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 15. He compared these heretical teachers. He actually called them out. He called them by these two names. He said they are false prophets and ravening wolves. So as we encounter these heretical teachers in our day, we must view them the same way that we view a vicious wolf. A vicious wolf that is not only vicious, but that is extremely hungry and is prowling around seeking fresh meat to devour. These ravening wolves may teach in our school systems. They may preach from pulpits. They may travel from city to city. They may write book after book. They may author study Bibles. They may sing songs. These wolves are literally everywhere. And we as God's people must avoid them. We must shun them. We must reject them. We must deter them from even being in our presence so both we and our families are protected. And when we are protected and our families are protected, friends, our church is protected. Truth is a necessary condition of our rejection. It's a necessary condition of our protection, of our rejection. And then truth is a necessary condition of our fellowship. Truth is the necessary condition of our Christian fellowship. Go back to verse 12. of our passage. The Apostle John says, Having many things I write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come to you and to speak face to face. That phrase, speak face to faith, in the Greek literally means mouth to mouth. This is the Apostle John's preferred way of communicating with his brothers and sisters in Christ. But communicating what? Did he want to communicate the latest weather, or the latest sports news, or the latest commentary on the crooked world governments? No, if you look back to verse 12, he says, having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink. You see, John desired to be with this elect lady and to communicate to her the same things that he had communicated to her in the scriptures, in this very letter. This is biblical. fellowship. This is not the COVID way of fellowshipping or the COVID way of worshipping. This is not what we call the CEO Christian way of worshipping and fellowshipping. This, my friends, is an in-person meeting where one Christian pours biblical truth into another Christian. There are several passages that give us examples of what this biblical fellowship looks like and how that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, walk this Christian life together. Let's just look at a few of them. In the Old Testament, in Psalms 55, the psalmist says, beginning in verse 12, he says, For it was not an enemy that reproached me. Then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that I did magnify himself against me. Then I would have hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked into the house of God in company. The well-known verse in Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 17 says, iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his hand. friend. In the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 10, we oftentimes quote verse 25, but we forget verse 24. Verse 24 says, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a matter of some is, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. Paul says in Galatians chapter 6 verses 1 through 2, he says, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. But ye bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Friends, when we are together, we must have fellowship. We must walk together in the house of God. We must take sweet counsel together. This life, it's burdensome. So we must bear one another's burden. The world The world out there, the world hates us. So we must love each other and we must provoke one another unto good works. Sin, it's all around us. So when another brother and sister in Christ sins, yes, they must repent. Yes, they must do business with God and business with the church. But then we as a church must forgive and restore. We have a mutual faith that comforts one another. when we are together. So when we do gather together, our gatherings must be more than activities. Our gatherings must be more than playing games or telling jokes or just having friendly talk or worldly conversations. It must be a time to where we learn the Word of God, when we encourage one another in the Word of God, when we bear each other's burdens, a time when we grow together into what God has called each of us to be. All of this learning, it's all based on the truth. The truth that's found in what we call the Bible. The truth is a necessary condition of our fellowship. Then truth is a necessary condition of not only our fellowship, but it's a necessary condition of our joy, of our joy Look back to verse 12. John says, having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come to you and speak face to face. Why is that? That our joy may be full. You see, the word used for joy here is kara, which is a divine And just to go a step further, this is a divine gladness that is sourced from a divine truth. You see, in verse 12, it was because John wrote this epistle and the future fellowship of him and this elect lady that her joy would be made And if you go back through the New Testament and you comb through the words from which the word kera or joy is used, what you will find is that word kera or joy in our English language, it normally comes after a divine act or it comes after knowing divine truth. For example, Luke in chapter one, And verses 13 and 14 says this, But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John, that's divine truth. What was Zacharias response? And thou shalt have joy and gladness and many shall rejoice at his birth. You see, it was after Zacharias was given divine truth from a divine angel that he had divine joy. In John chapter 14, we find Jesus with his disciples in the upper room. John chapter 15, I'm sorry. And in verse 11 of John 15, Christ says, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. You see, it was after the giving of the divine truth that the apostles were given from Christ that their joy was full. You, I know it amazes me how that so many Christians walk through life so defeated. They are so beat down with whatever they are facing at work and home and sometimes even at church. And the reason why is because they do not either know divine truth or they are not basing their joy off of that truth. They rather base their joy off of their bank account. So when it's low, they're low. And when it's high, they're high. They base their joy off of their friends. Well, I'm living proof to tell you that even within the body of Christ, friends will I'm talking about friends of whom you have known and you have worshipped with for years. I could count family after family from which I have babysat their kids. I've even taken their kids' places and taught their kids Wednesday after Wednesday, Sunday after Sunday, but yet you'll come in here one Sunday and they're gone and you'll never hear another word from them. They don't even say bye. If I was to base my joy off of them, I would be the saddest. person in this room tonight. But my joy and your joy, all of our joy must be based off of the truth. The truth that is never changing. The truth that is inherent. The truth, as we heard this morning, that can be understood. The truth that can transform. This is where our joy comes from. This truth, it's glorious, it's eternal, it's divine, and it is the necessary condition of our joy. So if you think back to what we have learned for the past four weeks on truth and how truth is the necessary condition of really everything that we do in this life, we have said that truth It defines our love. It controls our love. Truth, it unites us together. Truth is the very reason that we serve. Truth is the very reason that we are not only saved. You see, without the truth of the gospel, there would be no salvation. And with no salvation, there would be no indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Truth is the condition of our walk. Truth is how that our families are protected. Truth is what defines our rejection in this world that tells us to love everybody no matter what they teach. Truth that is the very core of our fellowship and truth that is a necessary condition of our joy. You see, the truth that we have considered, it is the gas in our car. It is the electricity in our home. It's the yeast in our bread. It's the very basis from which we build our entire life off of. And as we have considered the truth week after week, We applied this message the first night with an application of commitment. From Romans chapter 12 that commanded us really to lay our life down, to sacrifice all that we are for the sake of the truth. Two weeks ago we applied the message with an application of evangelism. As we looked at Acts chapter 8 and how that Philip used the truth to explain the gospel to that eunuch and that eunuch was saved. Last week we applied the message using an application of examination. We said we as believers must examine our hearts And if any heresies lie there, we must deal with it. We must see if we're truly saved. We said that we must examine our homes. We must take out the trash of heretical teachings that may be taking up residence in our home. We must examine our church and always be alert. Well, this week, As we apply the message for the final time about the necessity of truth, I want us to consider a necessary application of knowledge, of knowledge. You see, John ends this letter to this elect lady talking about knowledge gained in two distinct areas, or two distinct ways. Number one, biblical knowledge was gained through the actual letter, and then he closes out this letter by talking about knowledge that is going to be gained from a face-to-face conversation. So let's consider both. First of all, we can apply this message by realizing that God's people must acquire knowledge from God's book. This is exactly what John was doing in this letter. He wrote this epistle to give to this elect lady. He wrote it to her to give her divine knowledge from the divine what? Listen to what the psalmist says in Psalm 73 verses 23 through 24. The psalmist says, nevertheless, I am continually with thee. Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Friends, we have the counsel of God right in our hands. This book is our go-to book. This book, it is the light of our path. This book is our guide, it's our source for life, it's our source for godliness. We must read it, we must study it, we must meditate on it, we must memorize it, and we must obey it. There are many good books, many good godly books, but the book, the Bible must be the most used book on our shelves. We must go to it daily. We must study it as if our life depends on it, because it does. It will keep us out of trouble. It will keep us in line with the will of God. It will teach us how to be a good daddy. how to be a good mommy, how to be a submissive and obedient child. This book will tell us how to be a good student. This book will tell us how to be a good brother and sister in Christ. It will help us both discover our spiritual gifts and it will help us to know how to use our spiritual gifts. We must acquire knowledge, number one, from God's book. And number two, we must acquire knowledge not only for God's book, but from God's people. You see, God in his infinite grace has given the church teachers and preachers of the word. And he uses these teachers and preachers not to come up with new truths, but to explain the already revealed truths in the word. Turn with me back to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter four, there's a incredible passage in Ephesians chapter four, beginning in verse 11 that clearly lays out both what those who are called to teach and preach are to do and those who are students sitting under that teaching and preaching are to do with what they learn. And Ephesians chapter four will pick up our reading in verse 11, Ephesians 4 in verse 11. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Why did he do that? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. So Christ gave some apostles, the apostles are no more, we just have their writings. He gave some prophets, modern day prophets just simply explain the word of God. He gave some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints. That means that those who stand behind pulpits, In sanctuaries, Sunday after Sunday, those who stand in podiums in classrooms Sunday after Sunday and Wednesday after Wednesday, they are doing so not to take up our time or to give us a motivational speech. They are called by God in these roles to train and equip those of whom they are teaching to do the work of the ministry. So the job of teachers and preachers are to train us to use the Word of God. And the job of everyone who is under this teaching is to apply what we learn and to do the work of the ministry. This is so very important to our Christian life. This is why it is so critical to be under biblical teaching. Because if the teaching that you are under is just the scratch the surface type of teaching to where just the elementary doctrines of the Bible are learned, you will only scratch the surface in your service to the Lord. You see, what is the end result of biblical teaching and preaching and saints serving? It is to edify the body of Christ. You see, only when everyone in the church does what they are supposed to do is the whole church edified as a whole. So I ask each and every one of us Are we acquiring biblical knowledge, first of all, from God's book, and second of all, from God's people? Are we taking that knowledge, let's go a step further, and are we applying it to our ministries? Are we taking that knowledge and teaching it in our homes? The truth is, there may be some here tonight or some that may watch by live stream that could really care less what the Bible says. And don't take time to read it. You may be coming to church out of habit or maybe coming to church to make someone else happy. I'm here to tell you if that's you, you better evaluate your salvation. Because if you do not want to hear from God through His Word, you've never been saved in the first place. Because after the transformation has taken place in your heart, through that new birth, old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And here's the all things. We live in the Word. We study the Word. We do what the Word tells us to do. Will there be times in our life when we may not study as we should? Of course there will be. But we will not stay there for long because the Lord will chasten us. The Lord will put us back on the correct course. I wanted to end the service. I read something from John Flavel and I shared this this past week with a few individuals and I absolutely love what he said. John Flavel was an English Puritan Presbyterian. That's a mouthful. English Puritan Presbyterian. minister during the 1600s. John Flavel said this, and I quote, and I think I'll have it up on the overhead. He said, when the will of Christ is understood and known, we have no liberty of choice, but we must be governed by it, even if the duty commanded is very difficult or the sin forbidden, very tempting. You see, I don't know what duty is in front of you, or what sin may be tempting you. I know what duties are in front of me, and I know what sins tempt me. But friends, just like Flavel said, when we know the will of God, which is gained from knowing the truth, we have no choice but to follow it, no matter how hard it is. So I first ask, Do we know the will of Christ by knowing his book? And are we willing to follow it no matter the cost? Lord, we are so thankful that you've allowed us to come into this sanctuary here tonight and to worship you together. We thank you for every Christian that is gathered here in this special place. Father, you have called us here by your providence, and we are so thankful for it. Fathers, we have opened up your word and we have considered the epistle of 2 John. We have considered many truths. Father, I pray that we would take that truth and we would allow it to really work a miracle in our hearts, to work in and through us so that we could change the lives of others that we will encounter this week. Father, thank you for changing us from the inside out. And Fathers, we have this time of invitation. I pray that each and every one of us would recommit ourselves to the truth, would recommit ourselves to having nothing but the truth in our homes, would recommit ourselves to teaching and learning nothing but the truth in our homes. Father, thank you for this time of invitation. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your written and revealed word. Father, we love you and we thank you for your son.