EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/17/2025 9:33 PM
My Worship Time
Focus: Focus: PT-10 “Truth: “The Test of Christian Hospitality”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 John 9-13
Message of the verses: “9 Anyone
who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have
God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone
comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your
house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting
participates in his evil deeds.
12 Though I have many things to write to you,
I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and
speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. 13 The children of your
chosen sister greet you.
I continue to quote from John MacArthur’s sermon in
this evening’s Spiritual Diary, and just to let you know with this SD we are
now over ¾ through this rather long sermon.
It is best to look at the previous Spiritual Diaries on this sermon so
that you can follow what is being taught in this sermon.
“And
what was necessary to be an elder? First Timothy 3, they had to be -
end of verse 2 - didaktikos, skilled teachers. So you wouldn’t expect a
false teacher to just invade a church. He’s not going to get in here. We have
elders who are skilled teachers. Titus 1:9,
“Elders are able to hold fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the
doctrine and are able both
to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict.” And they
can handle the rebellious men, the empty talkers, and deceivers. That’s what
elders and pastors do.
“So they don’t come to the church.
That’s where they ultimately end up, that’s where they’d like to end up. They don’t come there first,
they go to the home. They want to get you on your front porch. They want to get
you through the television or the radio. They want to find their way to those
who are vulnerable. In 2 Timothy 3 and verse 5, it says, “These false
teachers have a form of godliness without power.”
“And verse 6 says, “They enter into
households and they captivate weak women.” Hmm. It’s what they do. They look
for the weak and the sympathetic and tender-hearted and compassionate and embed
themselves there and start their divesting of those people’s resources and the
confusion of their minds.
“Don’t let them in your house. “Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” And this doesn’t apply
to new Christians or those who seek a full knowledge of Christ. These people
are not learners, they are what? Teachers. The emissaries of deception.
“But that’s not all it says. They
are so dangerous, not only do you not let them in, look at the end of verse 10.
“Do not give him a greeting.” Do not give him a greeting.” Saintly Polycarp met
a heretic and greeted him with this, “I recognize Satan’s firstborn.”
Greeting - greeting is chairein. Means to give a greeting literally means
to rejoice. That was the Christian greeting, standard Christian greeting, to
rejoice. That is to say to someone, “Rejoice.” In other words, this is a happy
occasion to see you, it produces joy. Your presence is a source of joy. Welcome
to the fellowship, as an affirmation of solidarity.
“You don’t ever want to say that to a false teacher and a
deceiver and a liar and an emissary of Satan, somebody who’s gone beyond what
the Bible teaches about Christ. Don’t ever say that to a false teacher.
You say, “Well, that’s narrow.” You bet. You say, “That’s harsh.” You got it
right. You say, “That’s unloving.” Absolutely. But nothing is as dangerous as deception because nothing
is as precious as truth, right? He’s speaking of dangerous wolves, Acts
20. He’s speaking of thieves in the language of Jesus in John 10 who come
to kill and destroy the flock.
“Any hospitality, any commendation, any acceptance of them
would be dangerous exposure to antichrist influences. You can’t
overstate this. It would be impossible to overstate this. If you ever put
yourself in a position in which you give yourself over to lying teachers,
you’re in defiance of this text. You may think they’re academic and you may
think there’s something very elite about being a part of some academic
environment. The appropriate thing would be to borrow from Polycarp and tell
your Christ-denying religious professor, “I recognize Satan’s firstborn when I
see him.” Shut the door in their face, John says.”
I remember when I was young, living
with my parents and there was a group of people from a false religious cult, (I
won’t name it here), who came around to peddle their poison. They bothered our
neighbors so much that our neighbor who was a big man picked the short little
man up and set him on the walk and told him not to come back again.
5/17/2025
8:13 PM
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