I. Christmas traditions, but not in the Scriptures
A. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey
B. Turned away by innkeepers; stayed in a stable outside
C. The shepherds followed the star to see the infant Jesus
D. Three kings from the Orient traveled on camels to see the baby Jesus the night He was born
II. The Biblical record of Jesus’ birth
A. Matthew 1:18-2:16
B. Mark – silent about the birth of Jesus
C. Luke 2:1-20 (cf. Luke 1:30-33; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14)
D. John 1:1, 14 (cf. Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Timothy 3:16)
III. His glory does not end in Bethlehem
A. A momentous event in history
B. Jesus grew up (Luke 2:52), lived a life of perfection (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 4:15), and shed His blood for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28)
C. Nor does His glory end at Calvary; He was raised from the dead! (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
D. What now? (Romans 6:3-6; Luke 2:17, 20; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:2)
A. John’s opinion of him
1. “Beloved…whom I love in the truth” (1; 2 Timothy 4:11; 1 Peter 5:12; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:2)
2. Prayer for wealth and health “just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2)
B. Gaius’ faithfulness caused John’s joy (3-4; 1 Cor. 3:6)
C. Gaius’ support of missionaries (3 John 5-8)
II. Diotrephes (9-10)
A. A heart dominated by pride and love for power (9; Romans 12:3)
B. Prating with malicious words (10; Ephesians 4:29)
C. Refusing to receive traveling brethren (10)
D. Forbidding the hospitality to the point of disfellowship (10)
III. Demetrius (11-12)
A. Good testimony from all (12; Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Timothy 3:7; Proverbs 22:1)
B. Good testimony from John and his fellow workers (12)
C. Good testimony from the truth (12; Romans 12:1-2)
A. Exclusively “the doctrine about Christ”? No!
B. All that was taught by Christ? Yes! (John 12:48)
II. What does it mean to “transgress”? (2 John 9)
A. “Goes on ahead;” “goes too far;” “runs ahead”
B. Rejects, ignores, or contradicts revealed truth (Colossians 3:17; Matthew 28:19-20)
C. We need dedicated, active, soul-seeking disciples to fill this house (Romans 12:1-2; 2 John 8)
D. To be trusted with much, we must first be faithful in little (Luke 5:1-4; 16:10)
III. We must be vigilant against error (2 John 10-11)
A. Error promoted by false teachers (Matthew 7:15; 1 Timothy 4:2-3; 2 Timothy 3:2-7)
B. We must not support false teachers (Titus 1:10-11)
C. There are sound alternatives to false teachers like Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Franklin Graham, Joyce Meyer, etc.
1. Gospel Broadcasting Network (gbntv.org)
2. Good News Today (gnttv.org)
3. International Gospel Hour (internationalgospelhour.com)
A. The recipient of this letter: the elect lady and her children (1)
B. The love for this recipient from both John and “all those who have known the truth” (1-2)
C. Blessings available to those in Christ (3; Ephesians 1:3)
II. Love for God (4-6)
A. Demonstrated by how we walk (4, 6; Ephesians 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 3:10-11; 1 John 5:3; John 14:15)
B. Demonstrated by love for one another (5; 1 Peter 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
III. Love for the truth (7-13)
A. Warning against deception (7-8; 2 Corinthians 13:5)
B. Warning against accepting false teachers (9-11; 1 John 4:1; Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29-31)
C. Warning against miscommunication (12-13)
A. Golgotha, “Place of a Skull” (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17), or Calvary (Luke 23:33 – “The Skull”)
B. Why was it called that?
C. Outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12)
1. Uncleanness (Numbers 5:2-3)
2. Executions (Numbers 15:35; 1 Kings 21:13; Acts 7:58)
3. Carcasses of sacrificed animals (Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:21)
II. The journey to Golgotha – via dolorosa, “Way of Suffering”
A. Carried the cross Himself (John 19:17)
B. Simon of Cyrene carried the cross (Mark 15:21)
C. Two robbers also in the procession (Luke 23:32)
D. Tasting, then refusing, the sour wine and bitter gall (Matthew 27:34; Psalm 69:21)
III. The journey to our death to sin
A. We cannot do it alone; we need Christ! (Ephesians 2:12-13)
B. We need the help of the church (Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:24-25)
C. Acknowledge and fix our shortcomings along the journey (1 John 1:8-10)
D. Develop a distaste and disdain for sin and refuse it (Romans 12:9; Proverbs 8:13; Ephesians 5:11)
A. A blessed promise from the Father to the faithful (1 John 5:13; Titus 1:2; John 17:3; 20:30-31)
B. Assurance of our relationship with the Almighty
1. Walking in the light (1 John 1:7)
2. Obeying God’s commands (1 John 2:3-5)
3. Loving the brethren (1 John 2:9-11)
4. Believing in Christ, the Son of God in the flesh (1 John 2:22-23; 4:1-3; 5:1-5)
5. Practicing righteousness (1 John 2:29-3:10)
II. Confidence in prayer
A. God hears us (1 John 5:14-15; Luke 18:10-14; Hebrews 4:16)
B. Praying for the penitent (1 John 5:16-17; 1:9)
III. Confidence in the righteousness of God
A. Faithful Christians do not lead a life of sin (1 John 5:18-19; 3:6; 1 John 5:18; Jude 1:21; Philippians 2:12; James 4:7; 1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:1-2)
B. Knowing God is to have assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:20; 1:1-3)
C. Keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21; Colossians 3:5)
A. Steward – one who manages or oversees the property, affairs, or care of something on behalf of another (Genesis 39:1-5; Titus 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
B. The danger of negligence (Hebrews 2:1-3)
II. The steward’s concern (16:3-8)
A. Don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone (16:3)
B. Showed kindness in hopes of future kindness shown to him (16:4-7)
C. Demonstrated shrewdness in worldly affairs (16:8)
III. The Lord’s application (16:9-13)
A. The commendation is based on the steward’s prudence, not his practice
B. Have we properly used material things to prepare us for the spiritual things of eternity? (Matthew 6:19-21; 25:35-40; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
C. What are you doing with what you have? (2 Cor. 8:12)
D. Are you preparing yourself for the treasures of heaven? Or do you love God more than gold?
A. How does God describe “a worthless person” and “a wicked man”? (Proverbs 6:12-14)
B. What does God hate? (Proverbs 6:16-19)
C. Gossip is the vocabulary of hypocritical (“godless” [ASV]), untrustworthy fools (Proverbs 10:18-19; 11:9, 13)
D. Gossip is perverted (Proverbs 16:28)
II. Think before you speak
A. How would you describe your words? (Philippians 4:8)
B. Is it something that “ought not” be said? (1 Timothy 5:13)
C. The buck stops with YOU (Proverbs 26:20-22)
III. Do your words build up, or tear down?
A. Edify, or corrupt? (Ephesians 4:29)
B. Bless, or curse? (James 3:9-12)
C. The value of encouraging speech (Proverbs 25:11)
IV. The eternal consequence of gossip
A. God will give you up (Romans 1:28-32)
B. The lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8)
C. You will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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