This is No Picnic - 2 John 8

There is an ever present danger that the church needs to be on guard Stephen Davey describes it like this watch yourselves that you what we have accomplished a lot but let me tell you, none of us could ever consider ourselves beyond the reach of Allstate should have her daughters off thinking I got nailed down the history of the church is why deception rising after another battle that involves nations armies. It's a battle that each of us space in our Christian life throughout Scripture were charged to put on our armor and use every weapon.

The Lord has given us for spiritual battle. As we continue through our current series from second and third John. John warns us to stay alert, so that we don't lose the ground we've gained or forfeited our full reward in heaven Stevens teaching today contradicts the prevalent theme espoused by those who claim that coming to Jesus will solve all your problems following Jesus might actually cause you problems Stevens calling this lesson. This is no picnic.

Well I read recently of a bright Sunday afternoon and this idea caught among many of the families said individuals living in Washington DC and they packed their picnic baskets and loaded their families into carts and buggies. The date was July 21, 1861 people from the area around Washington DC brother horses and buggies to Manassas to watch their union soldiers brain was swift and what they thought would only be a brief skirmish and they actually unfolded their blankets near the battlefield ate there chicken sandwiches and whatever else they packed away and prepared to cheer from a distance. One soldier described them as quote a throng of sightseers that came in all manner of ways solving stylish carriages others in buggies, some on horseback and some on foot.

It was Sunday and everybody seemed to have taken the general holiday."

A reporter from the London Times happens to tackle any road.

The spectators were all excited. There's even a lady with an opera glass and she was quite beside herself.

The sound of an unusually heavy discharge of Canon and she said I don't lie is that not one was a long before reality arrested the sound of combat side of blood screams of wounded soldiers.

People soon realized this was no picnic fathers grabbed up their children. Husband's call for wives and the rest of the wagons and buggies and horses. One reporter noted that many of them were caught in a stampede of retreating union soldiers.

One spectator among them, a congressman from New York was actually caught by Confederate soldiers and Prisoner for six months. That was the last time onlookers took picnic baskets to a battlefield or was it, is it possible that the average church in the average Christian today make the same mistakes we embrace as if it were reality. This false assumption that Christianity is more like a pick Nick that a battlefield and you know it's not really working out the sun does not shine, and I want to stay on this isn't for me, instead of a place of battle, the apostle Paul warned the believers living in Ephesus that they were in a battle. One author paraphrase that this was no afternoon athletic contest. I just inserted my own paraphrases was no picnic combined their paraphrase of that classic text so that it reads in conclusion, Paul writes to the Ephesians. Be strong, not in yourselves but in the Lord in the power of his boundless resource put on God's complete armor so that you can successfully resist all the devils methods of attack for our fight is not against any physical enemy is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.

We are up against an unseen power that controls this dark world with spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil to take everything the master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials and put them to use so you'll be able to stand up against everything the devil throws your way. This is no picnic. You're up against far more than you can handle on your so take all the help you can get every weapon God has issued truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation are more than words.

Learn how to apply that you'll need them throughout your life. God's word is an indispensable weapon in the same way. Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare praying hard, long, pray for your brothers and sisters keep your eyes open.

Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops that the reason for the assembly is just that, exactly, the heart of it all possible name John we been studying if anybody gets a vegan is formerly exiled, persecuted church planting pastor. This original disciple and by the way, was the only one of the original 12 to go up that hill and stand there by the cross and watched Jesus die.

He was among the first to arrive at the tomb and see that empty cocoon shape of those grave closers linen wrappings already hardening although probably sunken in the chest. Nobody in their with her head back and folded nearby.

The gospel tells us he's seeing Zach belief is the first of the 12. The believe in the resurrection he will be the disciple who live the longest.

He will suffer the longest.

He will see some of his fellow comrades executed he will see the early church scattered bloodstained and weary. Now he writes one of his last letters preserved for us in Scripture rewrites to an unnamed lady, Christianity is no picnic. Are you ready to battlefield, so keep your eyes open that with go back and rejoin our study at verse eight we moved past this. I thought we get a little further than this verse but there's too much here it's not hurry on second John verse eight, the apostle rights watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward watch yourselves you could render that lookouts you could put the that it! There are three!

Points in this little letter. This is the first of three and parroted this is not a polite suggestion. This is an emphatic warning to watch out.

Keep your eyes open to those false teachers.

Keep your eyes and ears open to detect false teaching.

Watch your step, the verb what about this command means to observe accurately simply earnestly listen carefully. Keep watch. Why John is in a point at least two reasons. Number one, so you don't lose forward progress in maturity. John writes that you do not lose what we have accomplished.

John is talking about losing forward progress in spiritual growth you you you stop moving forward, we tend to call bad in the South backsliding. Whatever you call it means you're not heading in the right direction that you do not lose that view by the way is plural.

John is including no doubt this woman and her children.

I believe that these also including the church that meets in her home. More than likely, this letter will be shared lookout false teaching false teachers can lead an individual Christian, a strike by the way is will see they're not does not put on her door. They want to stand by the pulpit. They want to teach that house church. Be careful what the deal with that a little later. Watch your step as you rights to this woman and her children and her church watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have accomplished.

11.

Let me tell you, none of us would ever consider ourselves beyond the reach of falsity. None of us should ever does off thinking I got that nailed down the history of the church is one deception rising up after another with you doing today. I remember seminary professor looking at us in class saying the church in every generation. In some ways wrong. You know where it all today. If you're leading a Bible study. Think about the people in the Bible study that way you don't want to be wasted. Lord please don't let me waste their time. Don't let this be wasted on them in their lives.

Your small group leader or disciple or whatever you you know what you mean here you get it we agonize, I have to tell you, I've been over these now nearly 33 years, been involved in personally leading people to Christ, baptizing them, discipling the men many men spending hours with him, only to see some of them become enamored with some aberrant teaching and just sort of slipped away. Others get tangled up in some sinful temptation and cure all others with fruitful ministry is getting involved in a device to this unifying distraction in the assembly and they walk away never read Jane the potential of their ministry.

They literally lost ground is the concern of John the apostle for you and me. He doesn't want to see it happening happening in this woman's life for their family as well as the church, which he is invested so much Phillips. In fact, paraphrases this phrase in second John to read this white don't throw away all the labor that has been spent on you, you fall into false teaching you stray you waste the work you personally invested in your Christian experience and even save the time you know it is picnic so we call things spiritual disciplines are difficult and challenging, but you're also going to waste the work invested in you by disciple others, friends, Bible study, teachers, parents, this was the same concern of the apostle Paul or the Galatian who were who were leading into this area.

Teaching that had evidently been delivered by supposedly some angelic vision and he said to them, you're straying from that which was first delivered to you and he says I fear for you that perhaps I have labored the vein of Galatians 4: keep in mind John and Paul are not talking about somebody losing their salvation which is impossible that John is Artie preferred this lady and her children as being in the truth. Verse one is Artie talking that them biting the truth which is in the forever John is simply concerned about them as believers backsliding getting off track being distracted ignoring God's word choosing to be self centered, choosing sin, hiding our testimony in fear, refusing to serve others in order on RRR on it goes. Any know that you know the drill. This is the apostle Paul writing to a young man he disciple in the fate of Timothy Gardner that which was entrusted to you, Timothy Gardner, through the Holy Spirit dwells in us the grandeur that was entrusted to you.

Continue keep calling in the things which you have learned for 76. Second, the one thing she moving forward. We prepared this is picnic to battlefield. Keep your eyes open first so that you don't lose forward progress in maturity.

Secondly, so that you don't lose a full reward in glory and this is a confusing text to some. Some will use it as a pretext that is talking about salvation. He isn't telling them they're gonna forfeit their salvation is dulling the negative forfeit full reward Sony just cannot pull off on I 44 minute okay and must make sure we get this theologically straight. If I had a conversation with with a truckload of people over the years is this conversation. Let's make sure we separate saving grace from good deeds, not that they are supposedly related but in theological terms, saving grace is not the same thing as good deeds. Let me give you a couple of statements, salvation from sin, judgment and hell is by grace through faith in Christ, Linux. It isn't the result of works makes it very clear in Ephesians 2 it is all of Christ and faith in him alone. Secondly, salvation is actually initiated by God. Since your dad incident trespass is one of the dead person do nothing when they respond to nothing but dead spiritually. You can't even begin to respond.

Apart from the initiating gift of faith. Ephesians 215.

Listen to John's recording at Jesus's words were he rights my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give eternal life to them and they will never perish. Nobody forfeits this only loses this.

Why is no one to snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me by the label of ever thought about the fact that you are both the bride and the wedding gift. You are the gift of the father to the sun that makes you the bright and the gift he has given them to me. Jesus is greater than anything or all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father said I and the father are one. So to lose your salvation would mean that something God the father planned from eternity past. Somehow it didn't last. It would mean that even though God saved you he couldn't quite hang on to you. That would mean the God's efforts proved futile, he failed as a relates to you know God loses none of his own.

This is John's point earlier I mentioned it in his first letter about these false teachers remember you wrote.

They exited from their ducts. They went out from among us to show that they really were not all of us lose their salvation. They never had it that I run into somebody try to talk them into just believing that they were saved as a sign the card if they say to me you know what I did that back then, but I don't care about Jesus. I don't care about the church, I hear about his word and I don't want to follow my looking forward to this weekend following my last visit. Just like you prayed that prayer giving evidence that nothing will.

Not that they lost, but that they've never had one God loses none of his depraved so you don't do good things to get saved and you don't do enough good things to stay saved good if you been lately.

I know you're in church you look really good to you know to becoming a Christian is not a reward. We deserve for cleaning up having people tell me you know I I need to take a few more steps in the right direction. Before I could say will be ready. That's deception, maybe you're thinking today that well I'll become a Christian. One day when I deserve it a little more you know maybe when I clean myself up. Maybe when I make myself a little more presentable to guide how embarrassing would it be for me to come to God that what I am such a mess for your great center great news because God has yet to save a good person who was good enough.

He only saves sinners he will save you and he will keep you not because your good but because of his grace becoming a Christian has nothing to do with what you do for God.here's my point to get to my point becoming a Christian has nothing to do with what you do for God, but behaving like a Christian has everything to do with what you do for God and what John is doing now is reminding us. There is coming a day when he will reward us for the good.

We did, doing good, not so that we can go to heaven but because we are not so God will be more pleased with us and loving us and grateful that were in the family know, but because we are in the family but were were talking about this battle. It involves resisting the sin it involves confessing when we don't resist sin quickly does it take you to confess please and by confessing early quickly. It involves studying the word of God involves praying even the day that the word I hear it won't be something that I simply hearing that all not just be. I hear the word but what do our of the word. James 125 so so what don't backslide, don't don't lose ground in spiritual maturity. John says, watch out.

Don't lose your full reward in glory. This verse eight that you may receive a full reward. John is pointing way out into the distance. Paul describes it more fully.

Is that moment of rewarding the believer when we stand before and this is a personal encounter were not even told exactly when it'll take place, but it will definitely take place when we stand before them at some point and it might surprise you define what a nurse any thing. I think frankly were to be surprisingly that he backed the truck out. I miss it anything that you're doing in obedience to that which he calls you today what is it a diaper. Dirty dishes discipling someone this afternoon. That's of obedience and surrendering serving him in the community. In his book entitled affect the skin or lives of studying this text I love looking at my library I found wonderful little book by John Piper: don't waste your life you've read it you'll know he opens his book by talking about a couple of events will bring one your mind for today that marked his young mind.

His father, also a pastor preacher used to tell the story of an older man who was converted to Christ in his old age church at prayed for this man for decades.

He was resistant. He was stubborn, but one Sunday for some reason showed up and John wrote that his father preached at the end of the service to everyone's amazement as they were being dismissed. He came and took my father's hand and they sat together on the front pew of the church and God opened his heart to the gospel of Christ, and he was saying, but this is the part marked what he referred to himself as Johnny's young mind.

This man sat there after becoming a believer saw solved.

His tears flowed down his wrinkled face. He repeated these words. I've wasted I've wasted. Piper writes more than all the stories of young people who died in car wrecks before they were converted. That old man weeping with the recognition yes save but he wasted his life awakened in me a fear and a passion not to lose or waste my I think you can boil verse eight down to that. Don't waste your life are you on the sidelines did in the gay yet been kicked off the team and he didn't lose your spot in the game has it all begun to circle around you till the Lord died itself today that can receive the fullest potential. I frankly in the makeup some time to John wants us to be on the alert is writing to believers battle is in your front yard is over there somewhere. We cheered on every once in a while you hear a little Canon fire is that marvelous eye with the church today and heard about the battle get it get involved don't stop progressing in spiritual maturity work toward receiving the fullest possible reward is a good steward of one talent torque three talents or five talents of 10. John doesn't just want us to look around. You want us to look ahead.

Be alert and also anticipate all the way to the bema anticipate that moment where he will say is we've heard some that welcome home you are in the race that I planned just for you. You ran, you didn't run it perfectly fell often confess Dragon you limped along you complained of cramps often times it was harder than others, but you didn't leave the race he ran and nine finished.

I have some rewards for you that are probably going to surprise you. Remember the diaper pail.

Dirty dishes that the cycle Jesus will say you beloved and this is just another staggering frustration of his grace is going to say to him. She where he can save all of us will finish well done.

Welcome.

Thanks for joining us today. In this lesson. Life is no picnic. It might be that, as Stephen was teaching and you thought about the battles in your life that you didn't feel quite prepared to face them. I want you to know that we want to help our mission here at wisdom for the heart is to equip and encourage you and we have resources to help do that, please visit wisdom online.org to learn more about the lessons books and other resources we have available for you if you'd like to send Stephen a note you can address it to info@wisdom online.and join us tomorrow for more wisdom from the heart