Heart to Heart

Remember how John began, pounding away with the truth, the truth, the truth.

I love you all in the truth. I'm writing for the sake of the truth. I rejoice that you are walking in the truth. I mean, truth is life. Christianity isn't a Sunday morning hour.

It's a walk. How obvious is your Christianity to your neighbors, to your classmates, to your clients? Live it out.

Put it into practice. We've been working our way through 2nd and 3rd John here on Wisdom for the Heart. We're in a series called Postcards from John. Today, Stephen Davey summarizes the truths of John's postcard into seven key principles for you to apply as you show Christ's love to others through the gifts God's given you. Before we get started with today's message, I want to remind you that we have the manuscript for these messages posted online. We have some listeners who follow along in the manuscript as they listen to the broadcast.

If you'd like to do that, you'll find them at wisdomonline.org. The message you're about to hear is called Heart to Heart. Open your Bible to 2nd John verses 12 through 13 as we join Stephen for today's Bible message. Something small can add up to making a major impact in someone's life. Today, it might be a pat on the back of someone near you or a hug, the question of how you're doing and the pausing to listen.

It can be small, but it can deliver a great impact. We arrive at the conclusion of a small act. We're going to go back one more time, this last time today, to 2nd John, a small letter. I've referred to this small letter as an inspired postcard, written to an anonymous woman and her children in just a brief little note, but it's going to make a lasting impact on her life and nearly 2,000 years later to the church today. We're still loving every word of this note. So let's go back one more time as we wrap it up. He writes, we're at verse 12 now, though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink. I hope to come to you and speak face to face.

Now stop for a moment. John obviously doesn't want to end his letter with the last paragraph. It was a strong, rather blunt command for this woman to watch out, beware of false teachers, keep them out of her home, which would have given them a vantage point for ministry, no doubt to the church that met in her home. He wants to end the letter with gracious words, so he rather quickly changes gears here. In fact, the forward placement of, in the original language of the words, many things tells us that there were a number of topics that he hasn't mentioned in the letter, but he wants to discuss them.

He doesn't want to write about them, he wants to discuss them face to face with her and her family, more than likely as well the believers who met in her home. He has a better idea than writing, making it longer he's going to visit. By the way, we could kind of go so fast that we've missed some of these telling remarks, but the word he uses here for paper I found interesting. It's from the word that refers to a common sheet of papyrus rather than the more expensive parchment, which would have been available if he'd had the money made from leather. This is what John is writing on. It's a common piece of parchment paper. In fact, the size of it would have been around five inches wide, which is the width of my study note, and just a little taller, about eight inches tall, like the normal common stationery you use today.

The edges would have some glue applied and they could attach another piece next to it and make a longer roll they could use for longer documents or letters. Several scholars that I read suggested here that the apostle John more than likely reached the bottom of one piece of parchment and he didn't want to go any further into page two. Well, we do know that John, as well as all the authors of Scripture, weren't just writing on their own behalf. They were moved by the Holy Spirit, writing under his direction, 1 Peter 1.21, 2 Timothy 3.16, so that when John did come to the bottom of that papyrus sheet, he hadn't run out of space and he didn't want to go to page two.

He had written all that mattered in the mind of God for him to write to this woman. The word he uses for ink is equally telling. It's a word that simply means black. It was the word for cheap ink. It was made from a mixture of ash and water and tree sap. There were better grades of black ink. There were combinations of minerals that provided blue and even red.

Would have been more expensive, better quality. We also know that his word for pen simply refers to a reed pen that predated John by centuries. It was a hollowed reed where they'd pour this ink into it and a tiny slit at the bottom of the tip of that reed would draw the ink down and here John is scratching out a letter on this little piece of cheap papyrus paper with cheap ink. I say all that to say this. Here's the last living apostle. Here's the renowned author of books in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, the Gospel of John, first, second, and third John. Now this old, more than likely, in his early to mid 90s, he's writing his last two little letters, second and third John, and all he seems to have in his possession is some cheap paper and some common cheap ink.

But my point is this. That's what he used because that's what he had available. He used what he had. Whatever God makes available to you, beloved, use it. Well, I'd write a note to her or him but I don't have my nice stationery. You know, it's in my favorite pen.

Inconvenient. Here's the point. Whatever God has put in your hand, use it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9, verse 10. Whether it's ordinary stationery or a cheap pen or a simple talent or a gift and maybe you wish you had more but this is what he's placed in you.

Maybe it's a larger position of influence. Whatever it might be. In fact, that doesn't even matter. What matters is you use what he's put in your hand for his glory. Use it. God will never get onto you or rebuke you for not using something he never gave you to use.

We're the ones that pine about that. What he does do is hold us responsible to use whatever he has given us to offer to others. And so what does John have?

Cheap, papyrus, inexpensive ink, ordinary stuff. But as one author wrote, this letter, it shines like a bright star in the galaxy of the New Testament. So it does. Well, John more than likely does reach the bottom of his sheet. The spirit is finished with this particular note.

Ink is still wet. Now he has an announcement. Last part of verse 12. I hope to come to you and speak face to face so that your joy might be full.

I hope. The verb he uses means that he's made up his mind. It's his decision to come but he hasn't mapped out all the plans yet. That's the idea of this verb. By the way, I love the fact that this old man is making plans.

I mean, that's a sermon all in itself. Isn't that great? What are you doing? Well, I'm 93 years old for heaven's sake. I'm not doing nothing.

Not John. I got plans. I got a trip. I want to make it. I want to come visit you. I don't know the exact arrival date. I'm not sure when I'm going to show up.

But I've made the decision and notice I want to come and speak to you face to face, stoma. Prostoma. Literally translated it would read mouth to mouth. It's a common expression in this original language when mouth to mouth. When we hear that expression, we think of somebody's dying and they need mouth to mouth resuscitation, right?

Not to the Greeks. This was an expression that meant close proximity. We might say eye to eye, nose to nose.

It's translated in my Bible face to face. Personally, I think the best expression that captures John's desire would be the expression, I want to come and be with you so that we can talk heart to heart. Heart to heart. I don't just want to talk to you and your family sitting in your living room. I want to do that. I just want to talk to you and notice this kind of conversation will bring what?

Joy, you can render it to the fullest. In other words, being together with him and talking with him about subjects he had in mind that he hadn't included in this letter and you could just let your imagination go. What would it be that John would like to talk to her about? You can imagine maybe some great theme of his Gospel account. Maybe some story that he had, some anecdote about traveling with the Lord or maybe just a little bit more information than he included in Revelation about his vision of heaven. Wouldn't that be great?

Have him in your living room where you can just talk about his tour of heaven. Wow. The result of this conversation, you can expand the text to read, in order that your joy, having been filled completely full, might persist. It might linger on. Have you ever had that kind of conversation with somebody? And the joy of discussion about Christ just lingers on.

That's the idea. So he wants to see them personally and have this conversation. Now John ends his letter by sending yet another greeting. Verse 13, the children of your chosen sister greet you.

The children of your chosen sister. And with that we conclude our exposition of this bright star in the galaxy of the New Testament. But before we set it aside, let me rehearse seven principles that we've learned along the way. Number one, this letter should teach us that the truth of God's word is intended to become a way of life. Remember how John began pounding away with the truth, the truth, the truth.

I love you all in the truth. I'm writing for the sake of the truth. I rejoice that you are walking in the truth. I mean truth is life. Christianity isn't a Sunday morning hour. Christianity is life. It's a walk.

How obvious is your Christianity to your neighbors, to your classmates, to your clients? D.L. Moody used to say the Bible should be bound in shoe leather. I love that. Shoe leather. Take it outdoors. Live it out.

Put it into practice. Number two, exposure to truth we learned does not guarantee the reception of truth. These false teachers were exposed to the truth and they rejected it. John is speaking transparently to this mother's heart as we studied when he writes in verse four how glad he was to know that some of her children were walking in the truth, that is they were believers.

Some of them were not. No doubt the desire of her heart, a prayer that was always on her lips for all her children to be saved, maybe that is your prayer today more than any other prayer. Number three, noticing the truth of Christ is never separated from demonstrating the love of Christ. Love and truth go hand in hand.

Our challenge is to balance. There are times we'd just rather love and forget the truth or we're going to deal with them in truth and forget love. Love and truth. Beloved, we can fool ourselves and we can end up damaging our own personal testimony as well as the effectiveness of the church. John makes it clear in verse five that to obey the commandments of God is to act in love toward one another. The command to love one another in verse five, remember that's in the original context where it was first delivered by Jesus to his disciples.

That disciple community and later here as it's repeated by John, it's in the context of the local church. To put this in the simplest terms possible, if there is somebody in the church that you are acting toward in an unloving manner either in front of them or behind their back, don't kid yourself. You are not obeying the commands of Christ. This is where love and truth go hand in hand. This body, this assembly, this gathering, this campus, if anything ought to be marked by grace and graciousness and love and support and encouragement. If you're unloving, you're not obeying the command of Christ. So in a practical way, a church is not made better by better climate control or better coffee, and I'm all for that, better programming, better parking, better music, better sermons. A church is made better by better relationships where truth and love go hand in hand. Number four, even faithful believers are never free of spiritual danger. Remember John is writing to a faithful woman.

The word chosen can be rendered choice. She's a choice believer, an older woman, and he's telling her to watch out. Don't miss that. He's telling her to steer clear of false teaching. I thought the older you got, the more inoculated you became against false teaching. Now he's telling her, don't get tripped up and lose your fullest reward when you stand before him. No matter how old you are in the Lord, you can never say, I got this Christianity thing down pat.

No, at that point, you are in your greatest moment of peril. Take heed while you are standing, lest you fall. 1 Corinthians 10, 12. Nobody has Christianity buttoned down, no matter how old you are in the Lord.

Nobody has Christianity nailed down. Nobody's beyond false teachers delusions. That's why you stay in the truth.

You stay in the teaching. You keep your nose in the book. He's writing to a faithful woman with a testimony of godliness and to her children, some of them are known for walking in the truth, and he tells them, be careful. With that in mind, number five, don't assume that everyone speaking in the name of Christ belongs to Christ.

Don't assume that everybody that uses the name of Jesus belongs to Jesus. They're coming to your home, John warns her. Keep your eyes open. Keep your door closed. Keep your wallet shut.

You remember? Make sure you evaluate every teacher in light of this teaching, verse 10. If they come to you and don't bring this teaching, don't let them pass your front porch. As we've learned in this letter, the devil has his own agenda. The devil has his own false systems. The devil has his own spokesman. The devil has his own preachers. The devil has his own miracle workers. He has his own global workers spread around the world, and remember they are passionate about their disciple-making mission.

Just as passionate as you are. And using biblical terminology, and even the name of Jesus has opened more doors for the devil than any other method. Number six, the older you grow in Christ, the less you need to experience joy. The less you need. I've been reading a little history of the North African church and I came across a proverb, and it goes like this translated rather woodenly into English, haste, haste, but no blessing.

I really need to put that on the dash of my pickup truck, you know. Haste, haste, no blessing. The idea is we run through life, I mean we're rushing, rushing, rushing, and we miss so many blessings.

We don't even see them. There was a time when John was in a hurry. You study his life in a hurry. I mean he wanted immediate results. Remember that village they came to? They didn't believe. He said, let's toast them right here Lord, bring down fire. They had their chance, one and only, we're done, we're moving on. No results, let's go.

That's John. At one point he says, yeah, that kingdom, I believe it, let's go, can't wait, bring it on. By the way, would you give my brother James and me thrones, one on either side of you. I mean let's make this thing matter and let's make it happen Lord. That would bring me wonderful joy. Not now. Here's what I want. I'm planning to come to your home and what I want to do is sit down with you and your family and my joy by talking with you will be filled up and it will linger on.

No gimmicks, no glory, no fanfare, just us. One more and this brings us full circle. No one, number seven, no one in the family of God is too insignificant to protect and encourage. I mean how encouraged this mother would have been to read this letter and reread this letter, his words of warning and care and hope. I mean John is the renowned apostle. You don't think they wanted his signature back then?

They sure did. He's the great author. He penned the gospel account, he penned these letters, he penned Revelation. I mean he saw heaven in his glory.

He was given visions. Few were ever given and now in his mid 90s, what are you going to write now John? And remember he says, well I'm going to write a little note. I got a little cheap ink, some cheap paper and there's a woman I want to write along with her children who could use a word or two of warning and instruction and encouragement.

What a model for us. Get in touch, get in touch. Send a private message, send an email, write a letter. There's this thing called an envelope and stamps you lick.

There's a place called post office. I mean listen beloved, if you had one more day to live, one more day to live, who would you contact? With whom would you reconcile? Who would you call? Who would you visit? What are you waiting for?

Today is all we have. Maybe today you've got a letter to write or a phone call to make for somebody to go see. Many years ago with this I closed a middle age pastor by the name of William Stiger was reflecting on his gratitude for a teacher he had had in his younger years. The teacher who had sparked in him a love of reading. Maybe you have a teacher in your past that did the same.

I certainly do in mine, a fourth grade teacher. He reflected that this was the woman that really helped prepare him for what would become his future vocation in ministry and writing. And he realized that he had never ever thanked her and she came to mind. So he decided, he sat down, found out her contact information now living alone and wrote her a letter of thanks.

Several days later he received a reply written in a shaky scrawl. It read, my dear Willie, she evidently remembered him even though it had been decades. My dear Willie, I am now an old lady living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, a bit lonely, seemingly like the last leaf of fall has already fallen. You'll be interested to know Willie that I taught school for over fifty years and in all that time yours is the first letter of appreciation I have ever received.

It came on a blue cold morning but it brought joy to my old heart as nothing has cheered me in so many years. No act is too small, no one is too insignificant to demonstrate the love of Christ, to reach out, to protect, encourage, support, thank, cheer on as we walk together in the truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so who will you encourage today? You've tuned in to Wisdom for the Heart. Steven Davey is the president of Wisdom International and we produce this daily program to help you grow in your faith. Steven is currently teaching verse by verse through 2nd and 3rd John in a series called Postcards from John. Today's message from that series is called Heart to Heart. You know, one of the things that encourages us most is hearing from listeners like you who write to tell us how God's using this ministry for his glory. Listen to this note.

The person didn't provide us with a name but it came to us from Bogota, Colombia. Daniel Cuquin, our Spanish director, translated it for me and it reads, It's a great joy for me to contact you, give you a warm greeting in God our Lord. I'm faithfully listening to the radio program and I pray that the Lord will continue to guide you, giving you revelation and wisdom so that your sermons will continue to fill us with the fullness of joy of God's word.

Well, we were so encouraged to receive that and that really is our goal, that God through his word will fill you with wisdom and joy as you study through it with us. We'd love to get a message from you. Our mailing address is Wisdom International, P.O. Box 37297, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27627. If you're trying to jot that down, I'll give it to you one more time. Here it is. Wisdom International, P.O.

Box 37297, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27627. You can also write to Stephen if you send an email to info at wisdomonline.org. I hope we hear from you. If you use social media, go ahead and reach us that way as well. We post there regularly and it's a great way to interact with our ministry. I'm Scott Wiley. For Stephen and the rest of the Wisdom International team, I thank you for listening. Join us next time on Wisdom for the Hearts.