Title In the truth, for the truth!
Contents
♡♥♡ In the truth, for the truth! / 3 John 1:1-8
***Introduction
No matter what country or nation in the world, there will be no one who hates blessings. People use all sorts of methods in their own way to obtain blessings. In particular, how much our people like good luck, such as blankets, pillows, bowls, spoons, chopsticks, dining tables, hanbok, food (dolsang, fruit), houses, etc. Place engraved characters 'clothing (福)' all kinds of things. But unfortunately, I do not know jeongjak a warehouse of clothing.
Do you know the storehouse of blessings? The Bible is a storehouse of blessings. Blessing is the first thing God gave to man when he created him. In Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them… .” And choosing Abraham as his chosen people, he said to him, “It will be a source of blessing.” In Genesis 12:2, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Deuteronomy 28:1-14 says, “I will make you into a great nation.” He speaks of the many blessings that come to those who do. In the New Testament, the entire Bible is embroidered with blessings, starting with “the Beatitudes” in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and ending with the “Seven Blessings” of Revelation.
However, the problem is how to receive the blessings that God has prepared. People want to be blessed, but the way they do it is wrong. Early on, Jesus taught how to receive blessings from the Sermon on the Mount. And in today's text, John's blessing is on Gaius, following Jesus' method. Let's find the way of true blessing through this text.
1. A life blessed to possess the truth.
If you build any machine there is definitely an order. There are things that need to be assembled first, and parts that need to be fitted later. If you ignore this order and assemble this and that, you will never be able to make the right machine.
There is an order to human happiness. The first true blessing for a person is the “prosperity of the soul”, the inner person. Maintaining the right relationship of the human spirit with God is the foundation of everything and the blueprint for spiritual life. If you assemble according to the blueprint, everything will go well, and you will follow the corridor of physical health. This is the normal sequence of happiness. So Jesus says in Matthew 6:31-33. “Therefore, do not be anxious and say, What shall we eat or drink, or what shall we wear. This is what the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. And all these things will be added to you.”
So, the first way to receive God's true blessings is to 'have the truth'. In the first part of verse 3, “Brothers will come and testify of the truth that you have… ” he said. This proves that Gaius is a person who possesses the truth. People came to John and testified that the words they spoke with one voice were “Gaius is the one who possesses the truth.” To have the truth here means to have Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” That is, those who live by keeping the word of God As such, possessing the truth is the first path to happiness.
2. It is a blessing to live in the truth.
This is the second half of verse 3. He said, “I am very glad that you are walking in the truth.” Gaius not only possessed the truth, but he was a man of godly faith who lived in the truth. When John heard the news, he rejoiced, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth."
Gaius was a man who was honest with his brothers and strangers, showed love in front of the church, and lived worthy of God. The people around him testified to this life of Gaio. A sincere Christian does not speak of love only with his mouth. There are also gospel chants. “Don’t draw love with your eyes. Don't say love with your lips. Those who desire eternal love know the truth of love. True love has neither poverty nor wealth. Share your pain and joy with the Lord. My most precious thing is to give it.”
A true Christian shares what is most precious to him. This is the labor of love. Such a sincere and true Christian life is a beautiful life that not only pleases God, but also shows joy and example to all people. This is the second way to achieve happiness by exalting, practicing, and obeying God's Word.
3. It is a blessing to work together for the truth.
Reasonable transport here means to supplement the supplies and travel expenses necessary for their trip. We can find its meaning in verse 7 when it says that we receive nothing for working for the name of the Lord.
In today's context, sending missionaries, meeting their needs, helping non-self-reliant churches, and all kinds of relief and mission work for the purpose of witnessing the gospel are included. It is said that this is the result of sweating and toiling together for the truth. In this way, making the truth the truth is possible only when we possess the truth, live in it, and work together with sweat for the truth. This is the way to enjoy true happiness in God.
That's right. The path to true Christian happiness lies in the spiritual fullness of possessing the truth, living in it, and laboring together for it. This spiritual fullness works in all the work of the saints, bringing about prosperity in all things and strength in the body. We all seem to lose money without even showing any signs right now, but let's live for the truth in the truth that guarantees the most certain life and happiness.