Supporting the Truth

02/15/09

3John

Rev. Michael A. Trask

Albertville, MN

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Have you ever read 3 John? It’s such a slight little book of scripture. Having only one chapter, it occupies less than half a page in most bibles. It’s easy to miss; easy to overlook. A lot of people cannot recall what 3 john is even about. I don’t think I’ve ever used it as a text for any of my sermons during my 22 1/2 years of preaching. As I examined it recently, I thought it I high time that I did! For in this slight little book, we find a glowing example of how we Christians should carry on the work that God has given us.

This letter from John, actually began as a personal letter to a dear friend named Gaius. We don’t know exactly where Gaius lived, but we do know how he lived. John reveals that as he writes. I’d like to read the section of the letter that come just before what appeared in your bulletin, 3 john 1-4. And as I read it, I want you to listen for one word that his repeated again and again.

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Did you figure out which word is repeated as John commends his good friend? Truth! And more specifically, THE truth....the definite article which precedes it makes it clear that this is no mere run-of-the-mill, every-day, ordinary truth....but THE truth. The truth that makes all other truths look small in comparison, the ultimate truth.

So what is this ultimate and superior truth to which John refers? Let’s chase down the meaning of this word by seeing how it is used in other places in scripture....this will help us get a handle on it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Father, Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)

for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

“[God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)

Are you figuring it out? What have we learned so far? The truth is deeply connected to Jesus. In fact, he is the the truth. He testified concerning the truth. He was full of The truth. The truth is knowable. The truth saves. You know what the truth is don’t you? It’s the Gospel: the good news that God loves sinners and saves them from their sins by grace through faith in Christ Jesus! “The truth is that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life!”

That’s the truth! Issued by God into this world to counteract the great lie that the whole world has swallowed hook line and sinker! The great lie which was first told in the Garden of Eden and has taken various forms from Evolution’s assertion that God did not create us to the humanist manifesto which asserts “There is no God to save us” to every false religion in the world that says that man must save himself by following various rules. The great lie always tries to take God out of the picture and make him seem far far away

God countered this lie of lies by bursting into our world in his Son Jesus with the truth. God does exist! God did create us! God is totally engaged and totally involved with our race God does love us! Loves so much that he is willing to die our death for us. This is the truth made plain in Jesus Christ. This is what John’s friend, Gaius had by the boatload! Hear it again:

It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Do you see? But did you notice Gaius not only possessed the truth that God saves sinners in his Son Christ Jesus; not only did he know this truth; not only was he faithful to this truth, but he also WALKED in the the truth. In other words this truth this monumentally important truth of the ages determined how he lived his life. Now that would make sense wouldn’t it? If a person comes to know and believe the ulimate truth that it would change him? Change the way that he saw things; the very way he lived his life? Of course it would. And we see that in Gaius

I’m sure the effects of this ultimate truth on Gaius were profound and manifold, but John in his personal letter, focuses in on only one. That’s the text that is in your bulletin 1John 5-8:

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

Apparently, missionaries came through the town where Gaius lived, and he was very hospitable to them. He helped them out. Perhaps with food, clothing, shelter, and money. And why? Paul puts it so clearly “So that we may work together for the truth.” There’s that word again: truth. Helping missionaries is working together for the sake of the truth. Think of it! Missionaries are front-line soldiers for the truth. They go into the hopelessly dark places in the world, the places where the big lie is crushing people and they bring the truth. Gaius supported them and John commended him for it. And said “We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men.” We ought and we do!

Did you know that a sizable part of our church’s annual budget goes to help people doing the mission? We support people in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, China, South Korea, Japan, Poland, Lithuania, Argentina, Brazil. I’m just cherry picking a few. Our church is involved in supporting the work of missionaries in many different places around the world. And of course, you know of Leif Camp, in Russia, with whom we have been personally and directly supporting.

People sometimes react negatively when they are asked to give in order to further the cause of the truth; as if it’s somehow untoward. But in this the littlest book in the bible, we learn that this is exactly how it has always been done: Gaius, who was more then likely a layperson, eagerly supported missionaries with money, food, clothing shelter, or whatever else they needed. Why? so they could dedicate their lives to spreading the truth. This is why John commended Gaius. And this is why I commend you. I have never heard a big argument in our church over increasing mission giving. Never. As john put it, I think you see the importance of the truth and the need to spread it. In a time when so many other churches are withdrawing into themselves and seeing what they do to be the only thing that is important and vital. What I have sensed in you is a desire to look outward. The mission director Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in Minnesota once said to me “You guys keep increasing your mission giving, how’d you get ‘em to do it pastor?” I was kind of taken aback by such a positive comment from a synodical official and didn’t know what to say. So I simply said, “Their just cool people!” And so you are.

God called us into the truth. It is my prayer that we will continue to walk in the truth, be beacons of the truth, and supporters of the truth AMEN