692 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 2 Part 4 Book 58 - 3 John

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 58 3 John "The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth." John is constantly making reference to being in truth. And as I said in that time, a couple of programs back, that you can almost always substitute "truth" with the name of the Lord Jesus, who is Truth. All right now verse 2 is an interesting verse. I imagine the casual reader would never catch it. Now evidently in spite of his wealth, Gaius, was in poor health. And so John is concerned about his health situation, which again brings up the point that just because we’re believers doesn’t mean that we are guaranteed good health. Now verse 3. III John 1:3 III John 1:4 III John 1:5 "Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;" Gaius was no doubt a hospitable man and opened his wealthy beautiful home to strangers. III John 1:6-7 "Which have borne witness of thy charity (that is his love, his outgoingness) before the church: (or that local congregation of believers) whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: 7. Because that for his name’s sake (because of the name of Christ) they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles." Now remember we’re talking to an individual but he’s been involved in a local congregation, no doubt of mostly Jews; there may have been some Gentiles in regard to verse 7, "because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles." III John 1:8 Gentiles, shut out? To Ninevah. Walked the plank! (Matthew 12:40) Matthew 10 verse 5. Now I imagine most of people never know this is in their Bible. Matthew 10:5-6 All right, so now then for John to use this term is certainly a departure from Christ’s earthly ministry. III John 1:8 "We therefore ought to receive such, (that is Gentiles) that we might be fellow helpers to the truth." Now verse 9, where John says: III John 1:9a "I wrote unto the church:…" We’ve got three gentlemen in this little book of III John – Gaius, the wealthy house owner, who was hospitable and was a close friend of John. And then we have this Diotrephes, who was an adversary of the Apostle John, and who was a church ringleader of opposition. III John 1:9a "I wrote unto the church: (I wrote to your local assembly) but Diotrephes,…" III John 1:9b preeminence…" You know people like that? III John 1:9c John one of the Twelve! John who has been in, what I’ve always called, the inner sanctum – Peter, James and John. III John 1:10a "Wherefore, (John says) if I come, (that is to that local congregation) I will remember his deeds which he doeth prating against us with malicious words;…" Here was this rank individual controlling that little local congregation and even against an authority like the Apostle John. III John 1:10b Amazing. Pentecost 29 (AD); Paul is converted in 37 (AD) and goes to the Gentiles in 40 (AD) and now the Scriptures, the New Testament is coming together from about 50 AD until 68 AD. All right, verse 11. III John 1:11a In his derogatory remarks concerning John. III John 1:11b "… He that doeth good is of God: be he that doeth evil hath not seen God." All right, now verse 12. III John 1:12 John could speak of those three years with Christ’s ministry. John could speak of the resurrection. All right, in John’s Gospel chapter 20 and I imagine this is some of what he’s thinking of. John 20:1-2 2. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, (now with that word loved, who was it? John.) and saith unto them. The tomb is empty. Somebody robbed the grave. Peter is just as shocked as Mary Magdalene. John 20:3 Shock! John 20:4 "So they ran both together: and the other disciple (John) did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre." And John, he was timid, and I think several years younger than Peter looked in. John 20:5-6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie." John probably being a little younger, lighter of foot, he gets there first. All right, so "Simon Peter following went into the sepulcher and sees the linen clothes lie." John 20:7 All right, read on, verse 8. John 20:8a What do you suppose John now figures? Well it’s safe. So now John goes in and joins him into that cave, into that sepulcher. John 20:8b The next verse. And why am I making the next verse the point? John 20:9 John 20:10 Now then, a little bit later in Luke’s account, where does Jesus find them? Remember? Luke 18:31-33 Luke 18:34 All right, let’s go quickly back to III John, maybe I can finish it and be ready for Jude next time. Now verse 13. III John 1:13a Well I imagine John was the same way. III John 1:13b III John 1:14a III John 1:14b Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name." And that’s the end of John’s little epistles. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible