I said I would just hit a few highlights in 1 John, and I have. We close our time in John’s epistles with the messages of 2 John and 3 John. They are simple:

• 2 John is written to a lady, and the message is: don’t welcome or help false teachers.

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. (2 John 1.10, 11, ESV)

• 3 John is written to a man, and the message is: do welcome and help true teachers.

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. (3 John 1.5 – 8, ESV)

3 John closes with a warning about a guy named Diotrephes:

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. (3 John 1.9, 10, ESV)

Diotrephes:

• Likes to put himself first
• Does not acknowledge John’s authority
• Doesn’t welcome the traveling teachers
• Prevents others from doing so as well

There will always be a Diotrephes!

But there are also people like Gaius (the addressee of the letter) and Demetrius (verse 12) – good guys.

It’s all about discernment, but God helps us with that!

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world…Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4.1, 4, ESV)