A Godly Mother - 2 John 1-13
INTRODUCTION:
Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers, thank you for joining us on your special day. A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I was going to continue in Revelation today or if I would have a special message for Mother’s Day. Rather than preach on the seven bowls of God’s wrath which is where we are in Revelation, I think it is appropriate for us to honor our mothers this morning with a special message.
I’ve entitled my message “A Godly Mother” and our passage is a letter written to a godly mother Let’s pray and then get into out passage of Scripture for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 2 John, this is a very short book only 13 verses long and only about a half a page in my Bible. If you are having difficulty finding it go to Revelation and then go backwards and you will find Jude, then 3 John and then 2 John. Please stand if you are able for the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
2 John 1:1-13,
“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also 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 and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do 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. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he 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, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. The children of your chosen sister greet you.” (2 John 1–13, NASB95)[1]
TO BE A GODLY MOTHER YOU MUST KNOW THE TRUTH (2 John 1-3)
The apostle John opens this letter by identifying himself as “the elder.” This title conveys for us John’s advanced age, this was written late in his life, but as the elder it also conveys his authority and his status during this foundational period of Christianity. He had been with Jesus during His time on the earth, he had been one of the inner circle of disciples that was close to Jesus. But here he is older, and he writes to this lady as an elder would to a younger person giving some advice on living a godly life. John addresses the letter to the chosen lady and her children. She was chosen because she was one of God’s children, she had put her faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Some people think that this phrase “chosen lady and her children” refers metaphorically to a particular local church in Asia Minor and the children would be the members of the congregation. I think that the more natural understanding along with the context is that it refers to a particular woman and her offspring, her children. It is possible that a local church met in her home, and John was well acquainted with her from his ministry in Asia Minor.
John uses the word “truth” five times in the first four verses. John believes that “the truth” is very important. This word that is translated truth is a word that means “reality” it is not something that appears to be true, but it is the truth. Jesus Christ described Himself as “the truth” and we know that God’s Word is “truth.” God has revealed the truth to us in the person of His Son and in the pages of His Word and He has given us the “Spirit of truth” to teach us and enable us to know the truth.
John gives four aspects of knowing the truth in these first three verses that we experience as we begin to know the truth. We learn to love in truth, we live for the sake of the truth, the truth abides in us and the truth will be with us forever. John teaches these four things about the truth as he opens this letter speaking of how he and those who know this lady and her children love them in truth because they are brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who know the truth live for the sake of the truth because the truth abides in them and will be with them forever. Warren Wiersbe writes concerning the truth, “This means that ‘knowing the truth’ is much more than giving assent to a body of doctrines, though that is important. It means that the believer’s life is controlled by a love for the truth and a desire to magnify the truth.”[2]
How did this godly mother and her children come to know truth and become children of God? Through the grace and mercy of God. It is only by God’s mercy and grace given to us through Jesus Christ that we can know truth and become God’s children. We are not saved by God’s love, but by His grace, God’s unmerited favor to undeserving sinners, God giving us something that we do not deserve; forgiveness of our sins through faith in Jesus Christ. God loves the whole world, but the whole world is not saved, only those who receive His abundant grace experience salvation from sin. When we agree with God that we are sinners and helpless to save ourselves from His wrath, but we believe that Jesus Christ died for us, taking on Himself God’s wrath for my sin and that He was buried and three days later rose from the dead triumph forever over sin and death on my behalf I receive God’s overwhelming grace and I am saved forever, I have come into the knowledge of the truth and the Spirit of truth indwells me. The result of God’s grace and mercy received by faith is peace. Romans 5:1says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1, NASB95)[3] This grace, mercy and peace are ours from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father and it came to us in truth and love.
John in these opening three verses affirms for us the truth that Jesus Christ is God, that He is equal with God. This is very important and that is why John writes that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Father. Our faith is built on the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ, the fact that He is God, this is part of the truth. If Jesus Christ was only a man, then He could not save us, no matter how He lived or how gifted or unique He was, if He were only a man He would not be sinless, and His death would not have satisfied the wrath of God on our behalf. If He is not God come in human flesh then our faith, the Christian faith is built on lies, not truth. So, John affirms right here in his opening words on truth that Jesus Christ is God.
TO BE A GODLY MOTHER YOU MUST WALK IN THE TRUTH (2 John 4-6)
As John begins the main body of this letter he commends this godly mother for training up her children in the way they should go. John writes that he was glad to find some of her children walking in truth. This does not mean that some of her children were not, but the ones that John was acquainted with were walking in truth. To know the truth is not enough, to walk in the truth means to obey it, to let it control every area of our lives. Commending this mother about her children led to John’s next point, the importance of walking in the truth. John said that walking in the truth was a commandment that we had received from the Father. In verses 4-6 John equates the truth with God commands and God has commanded us to walk in truth and in love. When we focus on the commands of God in His truth we find them to be not to be simply laws, but His will for us expressed to us out of His heart of love for us. In turn our obedience to His will, keeping His commands should be an expression of our love and devotion for God. The apostle John wrote in his first epistle in chapter 5, verse 3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3, NASB95)[4]
John asks this dear lady to remember the importance of not only knowing the truth, but walking in the commandments. He reminds her that he is not giving her something new, but the commandment that we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. Is it possible to command love? When we are walking in the truth, being obedient to the Word of God we will love one another. The love that John is speaking of is not an emotion or a feeling that makes us reach out and accept others. Emotion is involved, but Christian love is an act of the will. Christian love is treating other people the same way that God treats you. In fact, when we do this it is possible to love people and we may not even really “like.” John says that love is walking in God’s commandments because His commandments are how we should live in this world in relationship to the others around us. John tells this godly mother that he is not teaching her anything new, but reminding her of what she had heard and learned from the beginning, know the truth and walk in it.
TO BE A GODLY MOTHER YOU MUST DISCERN WITH THE TRUTH (2 John 7-11)
John goes on to his third point concerning truth, not only must we know the truth, not only must we walk in the truth, but we must discern with the truth that which we allow in our homes. John writes that there are many deceivers that have gone out into the world, these deceivers deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. John had already emphasized the fact that Jesus Christ is God, but not only is He fully God, but also became fully man. The humanity of Jesus is just as important as His deity. If He had not taken on human flesh and became like us, then He could not have died for us, He could not have taken our place and received God’s wrath on our behalf. But in John’s day there were those that were teaching Jesus did not have a real physical body, it just seemed that He did. John says that these deceivers are teaching error, not truth by denying the true nature of Jesus Christ. This deceptive teaching leads to wrong living. John labels these false teachers as deceivers and antichrists. Not the Antichrist that comes in the end times, but antichrists in the way that they are against Christ’s true nature.
John warns this godly mother and us that we must watch ourselves. We must use discernment with truth. These false teachers seem offer us something we do not have, when in reality they take away what you already have. John writes, “Do not lose what we have accomplished.” To fall into the error of false teaching is losing ground in what already was accomplished in your life. John is warning us to keep moving forward in the Christian life and not to go backwards in false teaching. John’s desire is that we discern with the truth, weigh what is taught by the truth that we know and walk in so that we are not pulled away from the truth by false teaching. John wants us to receive a full reward that comes from faithfully walking in the truth our whole lives. It is essential that we hold fast to the truth of God’s Word, that it is the measure of everything that is taught.
John writes that anyone who goes to far, who adds to the Word of God and does not abide or walk in the teaching of Christ, this person does not have God. This person never has had God, or they would not go beyond the Word of God. John goes on to say that the person who abides or walks in the teaching of God’s Word and sticks to it alone, this person has a right understanding of the person and nature of Jesus Christ, affirms that He is God and that He is Man, this person has both the Father and the Son. He is walking in the truth.
But, John says we must use the truth to discern the teaching of those who come to us. John says if they come to you and their teaching does not line up with the Word of God then do not receive them into your house, do not show them hospitality because they desire to lead you astray. We would not let someone in our house that wanted to rob us, why would we let someone in who wants to lead us into wrong living. This is an area that was lacking in the church in Russia, any man could come into the church and say that he was a brother and he was allowed to preach. The church failed to check out what they wanted to teach. This calls for discernment with the truth.
John goes on to say that we should not even give these deceivers a greeting, give them nothing that they can carry to the next place and say that you gave them greeting, you bid them go in peace. John says if we do that we are participating in their evil deeds. Have nothing to do with these deceivers, these false teachers so that they can in no way twist your words to make it look like you have commended or recommended them.
John closes his letter to this godly woman with some personal remarks. He has more that he would like to say, but he hopes to come and speak face to face so that they can rejoice together in the fullness of God’s love and grace.
John closes his letter saying the children of this lady’s sister, also a believer, send their greetings through John’s letter.
CONCLUSION:
John in this letter written to a dear Christian lady and her children reminds us of three important things we must do if we are to live a godly life. First, we must know the truth and that begins when we acknowledge before God that we are sinners and that we deserve His wrath and we are helpless to do anything about our sin, but we believe that Jesus Christ did do something, He went to the cross and He died in our place, He experienced God’s wrath on our behalf, we believe that He truly died in our place because He was buried and three days later He rose from the dead proving that God accepted His death on our behalf, when we believe this by faith we are saved from God’s wrath and become a part of God’s family. This is the first knowledge of the truth that we must have, but once we know the truth we must begin to walk in the truth. We read and study God’s Word and find the commandments He has given us, and we begin to be obedient to them and as we are obedient because of our love for God and what He has done for us that love overflows to those around us. But John warns us that being godly also requires us to be discerning, the world is full of deceivers who want to lead us astray into ungodly living. We must beware of them and discern with the truth of God’s Word what they are teaching, are they staying true to God’s Word or are they adding to it and denying the fundamentals of the truth? If so, we must steer clear of them. John teaches us to know the truth, walk in the truth, and discern with the truth.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible Exposition Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 534). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995