Walk in Truth and Love

Well, hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are starting a new section. We're done with Jeremiah. I wrapped it up yesterday with the conclusion. So now we continue with our J's. We go from the Old Testament to the New Testament. We go to 2 John. We've been in Jeremiah so long that now it's going to feel like we're at breakneck speed.
So 2 John. I switched around my bookmarks because of Bible study and now I've got to switch them around again. Okay, so we're at the second epistle of John. I've read this already. Yeah, all right, you even asked questions about it yesterday, that Bible study. I also literally just finished reading it. In your own devotional time? Yeah. All right, so we are going to just get it done. You ready? All right, so 2 John. How about we just go paragraph by paragraph?
Let's pray first. I don't have any more coffee or tea. We've had too much tea this morning. We've had a conversation about that, yeah? No more chai in the morning for the kiddos. A little bit of craziness. Okay, that can happen. All right, let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for time together in your word, and we pray that you would please help us to read it and understand it. Father, we pray that it would seep deep into our souls, that we would know and that we would live. God, we need your spirit to please take these words like seeds and plant them in our hearts and please water them and cultivate them and let us bear good fruit. We pray in Jesus's name, amen.
All right, second John, there's only one chapter, 13 verses. So we'll just go section by section. Here we go.
The elder, to the elect lady and her children, Whom I love in truth and not only I but also all those who have known the truth Because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever grace Mercy and peace will be with you from god the father and from the lord jesus christ the son of the father in truth and love
all right, so uh That's his introduction, right?
Mm-hmm the elder So you even asked last night, how do we know that this is from John, the elder? Is there like another elder or something? And I was gonna pull up this for you. Can you hold this for me for a second? If I go in my Bible, my Greek here. So the gospel of John, Acts of the Apostles. All right, Book of James. Alright, the epistle of John. John's epistle. So, Ioannou Epistolei Paeta. So, O Presbyteros.
Okay, so who is this Presbyteros, this presbyter? Well, could the apostles call themselves? Presbyters or elders Yeah, that's what that's what Peter even calls himself. He calls himself sim presbyteros fellow elders Right, so it's not crazy unusual for an apostle to call themselves an elder and as we'll see when we read through here There are things that are very John ask In the way, it's written.
So Who do you think this elect lady and her children are I don't know Yeah, so some people think it's talking about like the church as a lady, right, to the church, like she's a lady, and the elect children in her. That's one possibility. The other is, maybe he's talking to a patroness of the church, like Lydia or Phoebe or somebody like that, right? And there's even, she's got kids in the church. So maybe he's writing to a church, maybe he's writing to a lady and her kids. Or some widow. Or some widow, yeah, okay.
But notice what he says, whom I love in truth. That's why some people think, wait, maybe he's writing to the church as the lady. By the way, the word lady there is kuri, which is like kurios is lord. And so like, this is the female version of that. So the dignity of it and how he's treating it is either he's treating this lady as very, very high standing, or he's talking to the church. There's a whole bunch of debate on that.
So, all right, grace, mercy, and peace, right? So this is, this is his apostolic reading. All right, you want to read four through five, four through six. I rejoice greatly that I found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Okay, so does that sound like John? Have you read 1 John? Yeah, but I didn't really pay much attention. Well, next time you read through 1 John and then you go to 2 John, that part sounds extremely similar. The John. Yeah. And so, that's why we say, okay, this is John writing. But what's he saying? What's he wants, what is he happy about? that her kids were, um...
Well, I know where I've heard this before. This was what we were studying in women's retreat. I was like, why does it sound so... Get on track with me here. Okay. Verses four through six. What is he happy about? Her kids were walking in truth. Okay. Her kids are walking in the truth and that brings them great joy. And what's the truth they're walking in? Um... God? Well, look at it. The commandment from the Father. Good. Yeah, so there's commandments from the Father, right? And that's love. How do we show God we love him? By walking in the truth. Well, how do we do that? We keep the commandments. Right? Is it easy for you to say, Oh, oh, Dad, I do love you. Is that easy? In private. Yeah, but would it be, is it easier to say I love you or is it easier to obey what I tell you to do? Say I love you. Yeah, so it makes me, it brings me great joy when you say I love you, but it's also like wonderful when you say, yeah, dad, I love you. I'll do it. And out of that heart of love. I know, I know, I know what I'm saying. When your mom or I see you being obedient because you love us, it brings great joy. And that's what he's saying here.
All right, verses 7 through 10, or 11. Can you read that? I thought it was you next. Oh, OK. Well, then you have to summarize that section in your own words. What would you say to that? This section? Yeah, what is four through six about in your own words? That we should walk in... We should love, but not just say we love, like actually show it. Okay. Yeah, I have love one another, walk according to his commandments. That's what I have in mind.
All right, here we go. Seven through eleven. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him. For he who greets him shares in his evil deeds." What do you think that section is talking about? They kind of spaced out. Okay. Well, so go ahead and read it again. That's okay. Hey, that happens. We need to do devotions for sometimes, right? Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. Uh, that there are, like, deceivers who, like, try to say, like, oh, God isn't gonna come and then they, um, but we shouldn't listen to them.
Good. I'm gonna modify that just a little bit. There were people in the church then who were saying Jesus didn't come in the flesh. Oh. Right. And he's saying don't even listen to him. Don't receive him. Don't talk to him. Just, that's, that's anti-Christ talking.
Okay, and then he says bye-bye Verse 12 and 13 having many things to write you I do not wish to do so with paper and ink But I hope to come to you and speak face to face That our joy may be full the children of your elect sister greet you. Amen
Alright, so he wants to talk to him face to face. Yeah, I'm gonna come to you someday. It's a short letter. Don't worry about it We'll talk more I think this is one way that the, um, that people like think that he's like talking to, to like a church, the children of your electric sister greet you. Like it could be that he's talking about a sister church. Yeah. Like we have Washington as a sister church. Yeah. And so this is where we get the whole idea of sister churches.
So, all right. Well, summarize all of second John for me then it's just one chapter. Um, good job raising your kids. Okay, good job raising your kids. Okay, uh, I'm encouraged. John is encouraged by seeing people truly love God and each other and tells them not to listen to people who are saying Jesus didn't come in the flesh. See you later. Bye-bye.
All right, so what would you underline as the best verse to summarize that? After you've already closed your Bible. What would you summarize? Best verse to summarize. I'd say 12, actually. How does that summarize the rest, the whole chapter? Or maybe like, um, maybe chapter, maybe verse one and two. Okay. So I like verse six and I like, uh, verse seven. I think those two verses kind of get at the heart of what the main things he's talking about is. That makes sense. Yeah.
Okay. Uh, okay. So let's talk about seek calling yourself. What are you called to do? What's your call to action or how does this point to Jesus Christ? because we should, we should walk in love and show that we love God and beware of antichrists. Alright, yeah, so there are people today who might try to deceive us, right? So we can say, not today, Satan. I think you're right also, that we can turn away and try to actually keep God's commandments, not because we're trying to earn His love, but because He first loved us. And so we keep His commandments and try to love one another. Sound good? Mm-hmm.
Are you ready to pray? Mm-hmm. You want to pray or you want me to? You know, me too. Okay. God, we do confess that it is hard for us many times to actually love one another. We confess that it's easy to say we love you and then not do the things you've told us to do. And Lord, we pray that you would forgive us for that. We pray that you would teach us more and more obedience, that we indeed would be those who have raised as conquerors over the evil one. Lord, we pray that you would please help us to walk in obedience unto life. You saved us by your grace alone through faith. We can't brag about it, and yet you've called us for good works, so please help us to do those good works in keeping with obedience. Give us your spirit, Lord, we need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
May God bless you. Oh, you're already saying bye. May God bless you. May you walk as those true children of Jesus Christ, and we'll see you next time. Bye.