WHAT DOES JOHN TELL US OF THE WORD? This book will explore the importance of Truth and allowing it to be revealed in how we care for others. Gaius walked in the truth, — that is, he lived in a manner that was consistent with the principles of the gospel; and every one who would attain soul prosperity must do so likewise. Usually Christians give more attention to the former than the latter, however, as our prayers often reveal. Had a good reputation - … 3 John 1:2 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] 3 John 1:2, NIV: "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." 3 John 1:1-14 I want to try to share with you the message I believe God has for us in this brief little letter. Is the holy and spiritual law of God at all within your heart? THE LIMIT APPENDED: "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.". THE REASONS FOR WHICH THIS SOUL-PROSPERITY SHOULD BE REGARDED IN OUR DESIRES AS THE STANDARD OR MEASURE OF OUTWARD PROSPERITY. 3. 1 John Download The Bible Project's Read Scripture video on the letters of John, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Read verse in New King James Version Dare we pray thus for ourselves? "The truth" is the great revelation of the gospel concerning the way of salvation by Christ crucified for sinners. 1. II. It is but an accident, not an essential property of his being. III. As a citizen of the world, and as a member of Christ's Church, his entire conduct was influenced by what he believed and professed. 1. And if this be true of mere intellect, if even secular knowledge constitute a wealth more valuable than any outward possession, surely not less true must the same thought be when applied to that wisdom which maketh wise unto salvation. These three things, so necessary to the comfort of life, every Christian may in a certain measure expect, and for them every Christian is authorized to pray; and we should have more of all three if we devoutly prayed for them. We have no right, however, to involve ourselves in any situation or engage in any pursuit where the atmosphere of prayer cannot reach us. 5. 1. For our own sake, for the sake of our families, and for the sake of our usefulness, prosperity in temporal things is desirable. 1. Yet all is well with Philo: he has no suspicion of himself. 2. 2. His daily actions bore its holy impress. Sometimes they are made to "possess the iniquities of their youth"; particularly impurity, intemperance, idleness, or ungoverned passions. It was usual to wish health as a greeting. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Lukewarmness is an ill sign. 2. 2. He acted as a good steward of God's bounty. It is becoming more and more acknowledged that bodily disease is due not so much to outward causes as to predisposing causes. A difficulty in breathing. What I have in mind is that… THE APOSTLE MAKES THE PROSPERITY OF HIS SOUL THE MEASURE OF THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SECULAR PROSPERITY DESIRED FOR GAIUS. Shah I offer this prayer for you? There is, it will need very little reflection to perceive, a wealth which may be predicated of the inward as well as of the outward life. THE BEARING OF THIS SUBJECT ON OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. From the prayer that he might prosper, there is reason to suppose that Gaius had suffered in his worldly property, was somewhat reduced in circumstances. When the seeds of disease are already in the body, outward causes may soon provoke their development. Sermon Manuscripts and … Even As Your Soul Prospers [Healing] The Mind-Body Connection. Do you know about yourself what all your friends see in you with such pain and shame? [Some think this implies that Gaius’ health was being drained by his problems with Diotrephes.]. In Scripture there is courtesy, but it is the courtesy of Christianity. Here is the revelation of wisdom — that the spiritual state of the soul is the proper rule of prayer, and that it is the just standard of desire for health and prosperity. 4. Then, you must never forget two things: one, the fact that you have a soul, and the other, that your soul is a very delicate thing, easily and immediately affected by all outward things, and has a great tendency to relapses. Creation, Fall, Redemption, and the Holy Spirit. OF WHAT IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE WORLD IS COMMONLY DESIGNATED PROSPERITY, PERHAPS THE TWO MAIN ELEMENTS ARE WEALTH AND POWER. Yet of all mere temporal blessings, health stands as that most valuable; for without it, we can neither labour for God, nor enjoy the good with which he favours us. This is sometimes owing to disorders conveyed to them from their parents. But for one whose soul is really prospering, health and prosperity are good things. Barbara Hughes. Aye, and men cannot nourish their souls on daily newspapers and exciting novels. I. 3. Can it be doubtful to any one that wealth, power, prosperity, are no blessings where God's grace has not come before them? He manifested throughout his long and eventful life the greatest solicitude for those who were converted under his ministry. "His soul." It is the organ and agent of both; and, if it be unhealthy, our impressions of the outward will be untrue, and our influence upon the outward will be limited and feeble. Now, to this also there is a parallel in the inward life. Gaius "walked in the truth," as the only path that leads to the home on high. 4. Or every thing that is good and true in you is dying — dying slowly, surely. Our common greetings take this direction. We may ask for prosperity for our friends; especially if, like Gaius, they serve God and His cause with their substance. Labour for God. THE THREE MEN OF THIRD JOHN A. GAIUS -- A MAN WHOM JOHN WOULD HAVE PROSPER (1-8) 1. Sermon All God’s Children (1 John 3) When Christians sin, we hide our true identity. This might affect his feelings, and render the actual prosperity of his soul, while visible to others, unperceived by himself; his excellence was obvious to all who knew him, though bodily infirmity or mental depression concealed the truth from his own consciousness. He wishes him not simply a happy new year, but a happy eternity. "That which was from beginning." It is very short, but it is very comprehensive. Non-success in business is to be deprecated. If this prayer were realized, the physical would bear the true proportion to the spiritual, and the temporal to the eternal. i. 1. The instance in the text shows how unreasonable it is to conclude that your souls do not prosper, because the outward man doth not. This is perhaps the very last grace to which even gracious men, and men prospering in grace, ever attain to. Spiritual Prosperity. 14-16. Genuine Ministry Life Series. Above all things—Rather, in all respects. At any rate the situation of this Gaius was such as to call for the prayer of the Apostle John that he might again be prospered. This opinion is strengthened by the account we have in the Acts of the Apostles of the liberality of the early Christians. 1. But there will be something very sweet to take away the bitterness and lull all the pain! The sense is, “In every respect, I wish that it may go as well with you as it does with your soul; that in your worldly prosperity, your comfort, and your bodily health, you may be as prosperous as you are in your religion.” This is the reverse of the wish which we are commonly constrained to express for our friends; for such is usually the comparative want of prosperity and advancement in their spiritual interests, that it is an expression of benevolence to desire that they might prosper in that respect as much as they do in others. My dear friend. THE PERSON WHO OFFERS THIS PRAYER — it is the Apostle John. Then, use His prescription, for He is the Counsellor to the soul, always ready to listen patiently; He knows the exact treatment your constitution requires, and His remedies are infallible. If you are prospering with that great task, then you are well on to being a "perfect man" as James has it. Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for John 1:1, 2, 14 ← Back to Chuck Smith's Bio & Resources "THE WORD." b) agape love seeks to meet the needs of others (John … If an instrument be out of tune, the most skilful hand can produce no harmony. 3 John . Sermon Manuscripts and Commentaries. 3 John 1:2. 6. Or, you have no religious feelings at all; you are neither happy nor unhappy. Have you been any better of what you have heard about prayer this last year? Man is a compound being, consisting of two parts — soul and body; and if it be a duty to care for the one, it is as certainly a duty to care for the other, though certainly it is a duty of far inferior importance, and one of whose neglect there is much less risk of complaining. what an exaltation this gives to spiritual things above all temporal affairs! Alford, in all respects. | 475 views. I. 6. Feb 12, 1984. Yet what a plague lieth on men's souls, and few apprehend the half of its malignity and danger! What astounding revolutions would take place if this prayer were universally realized! Sermon Manuscripts and Commentaries. It is not a mere metaphor, for instance, when, in common language, we say that the profligate man is "the slave of his appetites.". "Know thyself," was the holiest and most urgent of the holy texts of his god to Socrates. 1. Now, honestly, do the books about God, and about the soul and God, make you uncomfortable? He prays that equally his life and health might prosper in every way, that God might ensure that life would treat him well. Another element of prosperity is SUCCESS; advancement, I mean, as distinct from mere possession. III. See this shown by Lucke, in loc. God predestined us to adoption as sons. "What is the value of this estate?" 3. To this his brethren in the Church, and the strangers that visited the place bore testimony. Jesus was to be offered as a sacrifice for sin. The common phraseology of life recognises this fact, when we speak, for instance, of "a richly-furnished mind," a mind "rich in intellectual resources," "a rich vein of thought," "an ample fund of information," and the like. ом похвалу духовному состоянию Гаия. To put it in the most elementary and superficial way: Do you know as much as your one besetting sin, and what it really is? 2. He says, “now”—right now in the present, “we are children of God.” That is our current position, and it ought to dominate every aspect of our daily lives. And, if so, in what has your soul's prosperity manifested itself? You are miserable. 3. 1. And yet, sad though these contrasts are, there is something more truly pitiful, there is a more awful, because a moral sadness, in the sight which the minions of outward prosperity, of worldly comfort and happiness, not seldom present to a thoughtful observer's eye. There is a real subjection, degradation, slavery of spirit, to which we may be reduced; there is a real power, freedom, emancipation, to which we may attain. The reason for the wish, 3 John 1:3-4 and what all your enemies rejoice over and laugh at? 4. Prayer is a wish sanctified. as a greeting. Where that is enjoyed, we can discharge those active services which our several relations and connections demand, and can enjoy the bounties of providence with relish and pleasure. Has this, or any other pulpit, been of any real assistance and service to your spiritual life this past year? Another sign is a clearer apprehension of the suitableness and sufficiency of Christ as our Saviour. The next verse also contributes evidence of this prosperity of soul. IV. "The words of the apostle seem to imply," says Dr. Binney," that the health of Gains was somewhat enfeebled. Let us examine, first, what may be at this moment THE SICKNESS OF THE SOUL TO WHICH YOU ARE SUBJECT, and from which you may now be suffering. What are the secrets of the recovery of the spiritual life to a diseased soul? Though his body was afflicted, his soul was in health and prospered. Gaius loved the truth; and without love to the truth it is impossible to obtain prosperity of soul. This spiritual prosperity is more important than material progress and success. The apostle here expresses a wish for the worldly prosperity of Gaius. 3. Scripture: John 3:1–10. Gaius was in good spiritual condition; he was walking in the light (cf. Immediately you see the word prosperity you might connote that it has to do with worldly riches, goods or money. That alone will go out with the soul into eternity. Vs. 14. Many now diseased and feeble would become sound and vigorous. When a diver goes down into the sea he takes full care to be supplied with a sufficient amount of pure air from above. 2. John MacArthur on 1, 2 & 3 John. Contributed by Allan Quak on Aug 19, 2020. Pre-eminent soul-prosperity. The brotherly love he displayed. The theme of this Letter is to praise Gaius for his good work and to urge hospitality. Here John wishes health, both physical and spiritual. But note again the discriminating character of this wish. Has your soul prospered under the preaching of the truth? The rising of a pimple on her face, the sting of a gnat, will make her keep her room for two or three days, and she thinks they are very rash people that do not take care of things in time.” Penn, Fruits of Solitude: “He is curious to wash, dress and perfume his Body, but careless of his Soul. You think that all is right; that you will be better to-morrow: that's consumption! Without this correspondence we cannot use wealth aright, riches will injure us, the material will crush the spiritual in us. Trouble tests character. III. And if you have experienced no such prosperity, why not? The state of the body exercises a great influence upon the mind and soul. I. John so loved and prayed for Gaius, because he was a man who... a. 3 John 1:2, ESV: "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." III. PERFECT SOUL HEALTH IS THE BEST SAFEGUARD AGAINST THE FORCE OF TEMPTATION. 1. IV. This is necessary to complete the idea of worldly comfort; for without this, all that rank is able to command or wealth to procure will be little enjoyed. "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." All the worldly wealth which a man possesses which is more than proportionate to the wealth of his soul, he will do well to get rid of at once, or by Divine grace bring the wealth of his soul into proportion with it. 4. For better or worse, the families into which we are born have a huge impact on how we grow up and live. He continued to maintain a reputable profession until he became a partner in the concern. We may say, then, that lowly minds are like well-watered, fruitful valleys. The first and all-important and sure remedy is to go at once to the Good and Great Physician Himself; He can and He will cure all. No one expects to nourish and build up a robust physical frame on mere condiments and confectionery. This taken several times a day, in a draught of the tears of repentance, is a sure cure. Food may be received into the system, but the body is not nourished and strengthened unless its various faculties are brought into suitable exercise. 2 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. When prayer is an irksome duty, everything is wrong with us. One more particular I must mention, which most men deem a prime requisite for a prosperous or happy life — FRIENDS. Greek. 2. 1. John Piper. 2. Christianity is a system of benevolence, nay, not of benevolence only, or of good wishes, but of good deeds. Yuri Gargarin, a Russian cosmonaut, was the first man in space. And all the prosperities of the soul point to prayer. Note first the measure of health which, in a physical and in other points of view, St. John craved for him to whom he wrote. Perhaps John had heard from the brethren (3 John 1:3) that Gains was in bad health, and was tried in other ways (3 John. He would not swerve the slightest degree to the right or to the left from its dictates. ... By Scripture . Again, if we desire them for the power, or for the gratification which they afford us, then this is mere selfishness. For an irreligious man, nothing is more to be deprecated than an uninterrupted flow of worldly good. 3475 Mainway PO Box 5070, STN LCD 1 Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8. 2. Affliction, then, is not a blessing in itself; nor is worldly prosperity in itself an evil. "And be in health." Devotional solitude combined with energetic action. In the beginning God, Elohim. Chosen by the Father (Eph.1:5) 1. If, on the other hand, it is to do good, this induces benevolence. Or you have run down to the opposite extreme; every feather is a burden, every shadow distresses you. In business, such a man will make but little way; in religion, none at all. In the little world within the breast there are stations of rank, dominion, authority, to which we may aspire, or from which we may fall. 1700 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508. In his case, love was not a weak sentiment, an effervescence merely, but a strong and rational passion of the soul. I would say, first of all, that a growing, deepening sense of unworthiness in the sight of God is one of the best and most unequivocal signs of a state of grace and healthiness of soul. , “prosper” in worldly matters. To care for the health of the body is a duty; for God has not made so fine a piece of workmanship to be carelessly destroyed. However 3 John 2 gives three dimensions of wealth; bodily prosperity, soul prosperity and spiritual prosperity. 5. IV. COMPENSATION. NICODEMUS . Prosper - in general. App-110. John calls followers of Jesus to share in God's own life and love by devoting themselves to loving one another. But what is this prosperity of soul that is spoken of? Thus we see that it is proper to pray for temporal blessings. With many self is first and last, all and in all. Revelation . The result would soon become apparent in impoverished blood and feeble pulse. II. The second element of prosperity which the good man would desire would probably be a tranquil, easy flow of his affairs, without great difficulties, great successes, or great reverses. Others, however, think, that by reason of his great liberality to the saints he had actually impoverished himself. An ungovernable craving for unhealthy things. Money, property, worldly goods, are not more real possessions than thought, knowledge, wisdom. Sermons.com provides sermon illustrations, sermons, powerpoint and worship resources, and children's sermons & bulletins. From the language of the text it is gathered that he was a man of feeble health. The late possessor referred to was the son of a pious man who supported his family by the labour of his hands. ‘ Beloved, I pray that in all things you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.’, He knows that Gaius’ soul prospers. That is a good testimony to have. If 1 John had a social media footprint, this week’s status update would read, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). Go to Calvary, and recruit thyself. Nor are the outward comforts and luxuries, the gratifications of sense and appetite that may be procured by the former, more literally a man's own, what belongs to him, what makes him richer, than are warm affections, a fertile imagination, a memory stored with information, and, above all, a heart full of God's grace. "I wish"; more correctly, "I pray." A failing appetite as to spiritual food. A The writer, 3 John 1:la B The reader, 3 John 1:1b C The wish, 3 John 1:2-4 . 2.Beloved—Commencing the real matter of the epistle with a direct address. A general lethargy: unwillingness for holy service, want of heart, etc. Our spiritual feelings and expressions are considerably toned and coloured by our physical condition. "He must surely have learned this from Jesus whose concern for people"s physical troubles is attested in all four Gospels.". The prosperous Christian lives much alone with God. 1. II. Right pleasant, too, it is to behold the ruddy hue on the cheek, and the bright sparkle in the eye of health. [Some think this implies that Gaius’ health was being drained by his problems with Diotrephes.]. Many of the indigent would pass from the abode of penury to the palace of ease and plenty. Il. This is necessary to the enjoyment of prosperity. Book of Third John Overview - Insight for Living Ministries Now there are in the spiritual condition of man elements analogous to these, of which his inward prosperity may be said to consist. Mark A. Copeland Sermons From Third John 5 a. Self-promoter -- he strove to be first - 3 Jn 9a b. Insubordinate -- he would not receive the [authority of] apostles - 3 Jn 9b c. Slanderous -- He spoke nonsense, and slandered - 3 Jn 10a d. Many pampered sons and daughters of riches and luxury would come to poverty and want. Here John wishes health, both physical and spiritual. If all Christians would live in the spirit of this prayer, how every interest of religion would prosper! I The Salutation, 3 John 1:1-4 . It can be separated from him. 5. 3. Or, on the contrary, you are very excited; you talk very much about religion, often very foolishly, very wildly. vii. III. If these things fail, here is an old prescription: "Carnis et Sanguinis Christi. [Note: See Yarbrough, p367.]. Two ingredients, however, are particularly named as forming his character. 2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 5. B. The vital spring of spiritual prosperity is found in the presence and mighty operations of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 44:3, 4; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Ezekiel 37:14). In many cases the immediate hand of God is to be acknowledged in the weaknesses and languors of our frame. The physical and general welfare of others should be of concern to us as well as their spiritual vitality. See Luke 5:31. soul. Now, if we believe this truth, we cannot but walk in it, and love God as our best friend, and we will feel that He is entitled to all the service that we are able to render; for we are not our own, but are bought with the mighty price of the blood of His Son. Probably there is no portion of the New Testament which contains severer tests of Christian character than are to be found in the three short Epistles of John. A solemn pause followed this brief answer. WE WILL CONCLUDE WITH AN EXHORTATION. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," free from all that hinders the development of the spirit's life. Why We Should Pray Like the Puritans (Even if We Don’t Sound Like Them) A man is known by his books. The particular Greek word used encourages this idea. 2. Philo will ride you forty miles in winter to have a conversation about spiritual books, or to see a collection larger than his own. I. Health—So that estate, body, and soul, should all prosper alike. It may well be that Gaius suffered from physical problems, and that he had these especially in mind. Unless our spiritual prosperity be at least commensurate with our temporal prosperity, the latter ceases to be a blessing. If we do not love the brethren, there is something wrong with us. Your soul must never omit its daily exercises: some good work which you have in hand for God, some labour of love. 3 John 1:1. Again, the truth of the gospel tells us that sin is a most abominable and dangerous thing, and that holiness is a most excellent and becoming thing; and we must walk in this truth by showing that we really believe it, in our avoidance of sin, and our practice of "whatsoever things are just, and honest, and true, and lovely, and of good report." 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