9/15/2024 - "A Warning to the Lady" (2 John 1:7-8)

New Woodstock Community Church Sermons

9/15/2024 - "A Warning to the Lady" (2 John 1:7-8) by Elder Owen Simiele at New Woodstock Community Church.

Sermon Outline:
“A Warning to the Lady” (2 John 1:7-8)

1. A Warning Against Deceivers (v. 7a)

a. They come from a specific location

b. They come with a specific purpose

c. They come with a specific motivation

2. A Specific Deception (v. 7b)

3. The Antichrist? (v. 7c)

4. The Cost of Being Deceived (v. 8)
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There is no audio for next Sunday's sermon since we'll be at the lake. You can find the sermon transcript below along with its outline.

9/22/2024 - "John Gets Practical " (2 John 1:9-13) by Elder Owen Simiele at New Woodstock Community Church.

Sermon Outline:
"John Gets Practical" (2 John 1:9-13)

A)To Abide or Not to Abide? (v. 9)
B)A Practical Response to Wrong Teaching (v. 10)
C)A Practical Warning for a Wrong Response (v. 11)
D)A Joy Made Full (vv. 12-13)

SERMON TRANSCRIPT FOR 9/22/24 by Elder Owen Simile
Introduction:

Week 1

- Introduction of the Elder, the lady and her children.

- What it is to love in truth

Week 2

- We saw John request something of the lady.

- This request involved a command that she heard from the beginning:

- That we love one another

Week 3

- We did a deep dive into false teachers,
- For this was the concern of John, that out of love for the brethren, the lady

would be cautious of false teachers and false doctrine. This week we will see John continue his warning to the lady :
1) concerning those who do not abide in teachings of Christ,
2 ) and her reaction to their arrival.

READ 2 John
A)To Abide or Not to Abide?

9 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.

This week we see that our first verse contains a contrast between those who hold to the teachings of Christ, and those who don't.

“Anyone...”

Before we get any further, It is important to note that in John’s estimation, no one is exempt from this standard, No one's teaching is exempt from examination. John says “Anyone”. As Christians, and especially those of you who are my age, we get tired of seeing teachers who have reached a level of fame, or notoriety who have no accountability, no team of elders, or at least none who will tell them they have gone too far.

As we know, the Holy Spirit carried John along to write this, we can set this in stone that no man in God’s economy is above having their teaching examined by those who hear it.

Who goes too far...

John's use of this word here is unusual as it is the only time it is used in a negative sense. This word is normally used in the sense of something or someone going ahead, such as:

- Matthew 2:9 - “......and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over [the place] where the Child was."

- Matthew 14:22 - "Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side....."

- Matthew 21:9 - “The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David.....”

Here John uses this word in the sense of those who go on ahead beyond what is correct teaching.

One example that came to mind when I was thinking on this was when I was hiring new employees as Stickley. I had three CNC machines, computerized machines that cut out parts and did all the routes and holes in one step versus multiple machines. I had no issue training new people on them, as they were terrified to go beyond what was taught as they could crash the machine into itself if they input a wrong command or setting. What I dreaded the most was when we hired someone with CNC experience, who did not know our standards or processes. They always felt they could run on ahead, they felt they knew enough and could figure it out on their own. These are the ones that invariably made major mistakes. They did not abide by the standards already put in place. This leads us to what John says next:

“(Who goes too far) and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God...”

What does this look like? Turn with me to 1 Tim 6:3-5.

- 1 Timothy 6:3-5 - "3 If anyone advocates and , 4 he is conceited [and] understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain."

It is like Paul is helping us understand by giving us a step by step playbook. Those who advocate for a different doctrine - that is a different teaching, do not agree with sound words.
Those sound words are 1) the very words of Christ - and 2) we might say are the words of those taught by the apostles, i.e. the gospels and epistles. This body of teaching together comprises a doctrine that conforms to godliness.

What does Websters 1828 define godliness as? Christian obedience.

I bring this up because I want us to see in 1 Tim 6 the result of those who advocate a different doctrine?, That person is:

- “....conceited [and] understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

This list of character traits lines up with John’s words - this person does not abide in the teachings of Christ- they are not living according to His teachings, thus - that person “...does not have God...”

- Following wrong doctrine will cause behavior in us not in line with the character of the Father.

Another way to look at it is:
Why does giving up the teachings of Christ automatically infer that we have given up on following God?

- First, It would be impossible to follow God alone when Christ said himself that the words he taught were not his own, but the Father’s:

- John 7:16 - "So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me."

- Thus to disobey the teachings of Christ is to turn away from the Father’s words.

a different doctrine does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,

- Second, We might think that “well, those are Jesus’s words, that doesn't mean we know what the Father thinks.” But we DO have a testimony as to what the Father thinks of what Jesus said:

- BACKGROUND - At the mount of transfiguration, Peter from “good intentions” desired to build booths to the three that appeared.

- Luke 9:35 - "Then a voice came out of the cloud, sayi...