and amen well this evening we're turning to third john third john and as you turn there we welcome you thank you for coming we appreciate you being present this evening and as you've probably already discerned we're not in the book of sams we're coming out of the book of sams just for this night i want to bring a message that the lord has been working in my heart over the last period of time. I want to bring it to you this evening, and then we'll get to the throne of grace. So we'll read the chapter together. We'll read the epistle together. This is the third epistle of John, and he writes by inspiration these words. The elder, unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, I wrote on to the church. But the atrophies, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds, which he doeth, pratting against us with malicious words. And not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, And he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself. Yea, and we also bear record, that ye know that our record is true. I have many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write on to thee, but I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee, greet the friends by name. Amen. And we'll conclude at the concluding verse of this third epistle of John. Christian parenting is one of the most difficult tasks to be involved in in these days. With sin abounding within our society, and the lack of a moral compass guiding the affairs of our nation, raising children to the glory of God is becoming more and more difficult. What compounds that difficult task is the downgrade that we find within the church and in Christian circles with regard to matters that 10, 20 years ago were non-negotiables. Whereas attending school discos and other such events were once a big no-no for Christians, nowadays these activities are encouraged by professing Christian parents. Dining out on the Lord's Day was just something that was not done years ago. But today it seems to be all the rage among professing Christians. The family goes to church in the morning and then they make their way to some local eatery or some local restaurant for sunday lunch this disparity between christians creates tension in the home when children look at other children from christian homes and they question why are my parents so strict why are we not allowed to go to the places that our friends can go to their parents or believers yet they allow them to go to such places why are we not allowed to do the things that they are allowed to do can i say to you i feel your pain i'm aware of the difficulty that you face as a christian parent trying to guide your home by the word of god and by the principles found therein i believe that a return by every christian parent to a biblical The principle ideal that we find in 3 John would be beneficial to all who have been entrusted with the tremendous task of raising a godly seed for God. You'll find that principle, that ideal presented to us in the 4th verse of 3 John, where the Apostle John writes these words, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. This was the thing that caused John the greatest joy in his life, to hear that his children walked in truth. Now he's speaking about spiritual children, I believe here, but I believe that it could be as much applied to the physical offspring of an individual, to hear that your children walk in truth. Surely that ought to be the aim, that ought to be the goal, that ought to be the ambition of every Christian parent, every Christian grandparent within our nation. To know that our children, that our offspring, that our posterity are those who are walking in truth. Sadly, that is not the desire of every Christian parent. There are those who desire to hear that their children have obtained the highest GCSEs, ASes or A-level grades of anyone in their school year. For them, that would cause them to have the greatest joy. Others, they desire to hear that their children have secured for themselves a place in one of the country's leading universities. Others, they desire to hear that their children have been offered a job promotion in their place of employment, or they've made their way into the first team of some sporting team, or they've got engaged to a well-mannered young woman or a young man. But surely the thing that we ought to desire most for our children is that they would walk in truth. As I came to think about this statement that really the Lord has drawn to my attention to over the last period of time, I started to ask myself or think to myself, what is required for this to come to pass? If this is the goal, if this is the ambition, if this is the desire of every Christian parent, every Christian grandparent, that their children, their grandchildren would walk in truth, How is this and how does this come to pass? What is required for that to happen? Well, I wrote down a few things, they're very simple. I want to pass them on to you for your encouragement and also for your instruction. You might be here tonight and say, I'm only a young person, we have no children, maybe not even engaged, not even married, but there may come a time that that will happen. Maybe your children are now out of the family home, but it matters not whether they're under your care. This should still be your desire. This should still be your longing to know that your children are walking in truth. You have grandchildren. Some have no children, but yet you are influential with regard to the children that belong to this congregation and to the community in which you live. The Heisney State, there are children there. And it should be your desire that they walk in truth. And so this statement, this desire, none of us can pass it by this evening with regard to our marital status, with regard to whether there are children in our home or not. It should be the desire of all that we would know that the children of our homes, of the church, and of the community, that the children walk in truth. And so if we want our children to walk in truth, whether that be the children of the church, the community, or our homes, can I say, first of all, for that to come to pass, they must first be exposed to truth. They must be exposed to truth. That's the first point. They must first be exposed to truth. And the Son of God stood in front of Pontius Pilate That Roman governor asked Pontius Pilate a question in John 18 verse 38. What is truth? What is truth? As a question, Pilate's inquiry is certainly relevant today because we live in a society that denies that there is anything that can be considered as absolute truth, as the truth. It might be a truth, Some people might go at least as far as that, but as to the truth, the definite article, absolute truth, we live in a society that denies the existence of absolute truth. In our increasingly postmodern culture, a number of voices argue that there is no such thing as absolute truth. So what you find people saying is something like this. You have your truth. I have my truth. And so there can be no such thing as absolute truth, the truth, because the two truths, the one you hold and the one I hold, are not compatible with one another. And so there cannot be such a thing as. Absolute truth. Truth is deemed by such people to be subjective. What I mean by that is that we as human beings with fallen finite minds, we become judge and jury as to what is truth and what is not truth. It's really your truth, my truth. You hear that very often. What you find then is that the concept of absolute truth is rejected by the vast majority of people in our nation, even this evening. But the Christian is of a different persuasion. The Christian believes that there is such a thing as absolute truth, and that truth is preserved for us between the pages and in the pages of the holy scriptures, which are described as the scriptures of truth, the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 17, verse 17, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. Not that it contains truth, but that it is truth. In other words, the scriptures in essence is truth or are truth. It is this truth. The truth as it is contained in the word of God that children must be exposed to if they are ever then to walk in the truth. How can we expect our children to walk in truth if they have never been exposed to truth? This exposure of truth takes place in many different forums, primarily It is to take place in the family home. In the family home. As Christian parents, it is our responsibility, and even as non-Christian parents, if you're watching on and you're maybe not a Christian parent, it is still our responsibility to expose our children to the truth of God that is found in the Word of God within the home setting. That is to take place when we gather our sons and our daughters around the Word of God on a daily basis and communicate to them the truth of God as it is found in the Word of God. Now that may be simply done by reading a psalm. It might be done by reading some other portion of God's Word. Maybe using a little devotional book or sharing a thought. from a verse of Scripture or from a portion of Scripture. But it is our duty, it is our responsibility to train and nurture our children in the things of God and in the truth of God. As I did a little bit of research for this evening, I came across this statistic. Did you know if you were to gather your family for worship in the home every day, by the time your child reaches the age of 18, you would have had 6,500 opportunities to read the scriptures, sing, and pray with him or her. If you met every day, you would have had 6,500 opportunities to tell them truth. If you'd read roughly a chapter a day, you would have read through the Bible four and a half times by the time they reached the age of 18. If you'd learned a new hymn or a new song or a new psalm at the rate of one a month, you would have learned 215 new hymns, songs, or psalms by the time they reached the age of 18. You think of the cumulative effect of that on a child's mind and on a child's life. As Christian parents, we must take time to consider the spiritual condition and need of our children. And so let me ask you this, do you spend more time thinking about your children's physical and temporal needs than you do their spiritual needs. Now, it's proper, it's right, it is your responsibility to take care of their physical and their temporal needs. The Scriptures would encourage us to provide for our children and for no neglect to happen in our homes. But is it the case that we think more about the physical need than we do the spiritual need? Are you more concerned about their placement in school, how well they do in school, the social group in which they run, their success in secular employment, than you are with regard to their spiritual growth and their spiritual health? Cyprian was a North African church man from around the third century. And he said that a parent that is more concerned about the physical and temporal needs of his child than the spiritual needs of his child was like a man watching his dog drown and his child drown at the same time and choosing to save his dog. I hardly need to say it, but it is vital that we should be concerned and take time to consider the spiritual needs of our children, the children of the church, the children of our families, the children of the community. And so the primary forum in which this exposure to the truth is to take place is within the family home. But secondary forums can also be employed to see that our children are exposed to truth. Attendance at the place of public worship on the Lord's Day. Enrollment into a Sunday school. Attendance at a children's meeting or a holiday Bible club. Participating maybe in some youth camp or children's camp. Viewing biblically signed internet sites and DVDs can all be employed to see to it that a child is exposed to truth, biblical truth. It's interesting in Deuteronomy 6, verses 4 through to 9, a portion in which the responsibilities of a parent is spelt out with regard to nurturing a child in the truth, that it's not just one location that they are to utilize in nurturing children in the truth. It's everywhere, wherever they go, when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Not just at God's house, not just at family worship, but everywhere in life, a parent, is to look for opportunities to nurture their children in the truth. May God help us to look for those opportunities to instill truth into their young minds. The questions then that come to us are these, what are we doing to expose children to the truth? Have we a heart for children? Have we a heart for the children of this church? Have we a heart for the children of this community? We're coming at the end of June. We're going to give ourselves to going out and reaching the children of this community over there in Calabasas and then here for a number of nights in Port Lanone. Do we have a heart for that? Do we have a desire to have children exposed to truth? They're not hearing it at home. They're certainly not hearing it watching CBBs. whatever it is I see BBC or whatever it is they're not getting exposed to truth watching Netflix and so have we a heart for this or do we just see it as well A little sideline for the church. Something to do. Sure, they've nothing else to do. They may as well go out and try and reach children with the gospel. Is that how we see it? Do we place as much emphasis in exposing children to the truth, the truth of God's word, as we do when we'll reach the month of November, when we come to have our gospel mission in the will of God? Will we be as much engaged at the end of June as we will be in November? Brethren and sisters, we must never be charged with withholding the truth from our children, because they make up the group every creature that Jesus Christ spoke about in the Great Commission. Whenever he commissioned his church to go into all the world and to preach the gospel to every creature, children were involved and incorporated in that statement. Every creature, every human being, young and old. And so, they must be first, if they're to walk in the truth, in truth, they are to be exposed to truth but if we want our children to walk in truth they must secondly they must be taught truth taught truth it is a good start to expose your child to truth but it's better that they're actually taught truth let me read that passage that we read just or I mentioned there Deuteronomy 6 if you want to turn there you can so if you so desire let me read from the verse 4 here therefore oh Israel and observe that ye do it that it may be well with thee that you may increase mightily as the Lord God if your fathers have promised thee in the land It floweth with milk and honey, verse 4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And so, first of all, it must be in the heart of the Christian. And thou shalt then teach them diligently on to thy children. Notice that we are to teach the words of God. Thou shalt teach them these words, these words which I command thee Now that word teach is a very interesting word. The Hebrew word means to sharpen, to sharpen or to wet, W-H-E-T, to wet or to sharpen. In other words, that you may teach them that these words may pierce deeply into their hearts, with a sharp point that they might reach right into the heart of the children. The metaphor signifies the manner of instructing children. It is to be done diligently, earnestly, fervently, discreetly, so it sticks in their hearts and in their minds. How keen, how diligent we are. and seeing our children's education and seeing to our children's education in areas like literacy, numeracy, and other spheres, science, the arts. But what about their education in the sacred things of life? Secular education is only partial education. It omits to train the moral, and the spiritual, the higher elements of our being. What would it matter if your son or daughter was the best student in literacy and numeracy, and they went to hell? What would it matter? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. What motivates a Christian parent to teach their children in the truth of God? There's a question. What motivates a Christian parent to do this? Is it some stipulation placed upon them by the minister of a congregation, this is what you should be doing? No, the thing that motivates a Christian parent to teach their child the truth is love for the Lord. Verse 5 of that chapter, chapter 6, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently on to thy children. Here's the motivation, because you'll love the Lord, you'll love God, and your love is truth. Our love for God is what inspires us, what motivates us to teach our children truth. Samuel Lavington said that teaching your children truth is the best proof of love to your children. Many a parent, they claim that they love their child, but they don't teach them truth, God's truth. How sad that many a parent within our society now withholds truth from their child by neglect of truth themselves. They've never come to know the truth themselves. They've never allowed themselves to be exposed to the truth of God's Word. And if they go to a church, well, they make sure that it's not a church that preaches too hard. They'd rather go to some place where easy-believe-ism reigns. And so they neglect the truth themselves. Others, they go further. They ridicule the truth before their very children because of their own unbelief. I know that to be the case. I know that to be the case. Parents who ridicule the truth in front of their own children. You don't believe in God. Don't be listening to those Christians that come into school and take the school assembly. Those open air preachers. Look at them. Crazy men. They're every, on a bi-weekly basis, down on the street in Portland alone. And that's what they say. As they drive past and their children are sitting in the back of their car and they stand and they sit and they ridicule the gospel preacher. This is what people do today. You've heard it before. but example is often the best teacher. When it comes to the matter of truth, our children need to see the outworking of truth in our daily lives. You know, it's all well and good teaching our children the truth about patience, but do they see us being patient when things don't go as planned during the day? Or do they witness our impatience, our frustration? It's all well and good to teach them about self-control, temperance, but do they see it in our lives or do they witness a lack of self-control when it comes to our spending? Is that out of control? Our eating, Is that out of control? Are emotional outbursts, are they out of control? It's all well and good to teach our children about forgiveness, but do they see us holding grudges instead of forgiving those who seek our forgiveness? It's all well and good to preach and to teach them about holiness, but do they see us living holy lives? Or is it the case that they witness our worldly living? Do they see us watching things that are not wholesome? Listening to those things that are not wholesome? What about the importance of prayer? It's well and good to speak about and to your child about praying, but do they ever witness us praying at home? Do they ever hear us praying for them by name? And I preach to the converted here tonight with regard to coming to the midweek prayer meeting, but there are others and their children watch on and they wonder, does mom, does dad, do they really believe in prayer? Do they really believe in the importance and the value of prayer? What about the value of reading the scriptures? Do they see us reading the scriptures, opening the Bible in our home and reading it for ourselves, or do they see Our Bible's lying at the back seat of our cars until the next time we come to God's house. You see, they need to see the outworking of truth in our lives. For example is always the best teacher. A poet once wrote, and I've quoted it before, I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I'd rather one would walk with me than merely show the way. The eye's a better pupil, much sharper than the ear. Fine councils can confuse me, but examples always clear. The lectures you deliver may be very wise and true, but I'd rather get my lesson by observing what you do. All we can say, going to God's house is important, but we set it home. If our children are to follow our example by walking in truth, then we ourselves must walk in truth. If we are not, then they will only come to see us for the hypocrites that we are. Now, we don't get it all right. There are times that we do lose impatience. I'm not saying that. But are they seeing our attempts in being patient, keeping control, forgiving, living a holy life? Matters that I spoke to you about. D.L. Moody said, a man ought to live so that everybody knows he's a Christian. And most of all, his family ought to know. Jerry Marcellio. had a little booklet called Rediscovering the Lost Treasure of Family Worship, and this is what he wrote. Often, so often, a child sees behind all the religious garb of his parents and finds what is really precious to them. He sees patterns of heart which lure them toward a pursuit of wealth, leisure, athletics, entertainment, television, shopping, and religious business. A child may easily see when these things are more exciting to his parents than devotion to Jesus Christ. When this proves to be the case, a child will embrace those same affections to the detriment of his own soul. However, when children see parents who pant after God, parents who are constantly pouring over the Scriptures and going to God in prayer about everything, Parents who have a proper balance between the enjoyment of legitimate recreation and seeking to conform to everything that would bring glory to God, their children can be expected to adopt the same balance. Whatever or whoever is precious to you, the same will be precious to your children. Is He precious to you? The Savior is a precious to you. We need to be an example to our children in our lives when it comes to the priorities and the choices that we make. They need to see truth outworked in our lives if they themselves will walk in truth. But having said all that I've said, I have one final point, and it is the most important. our children are to walk in truth, they must be convinced of truth. They must be convinced of truth. And brother, sister, that is something that we cannot do. To be convinced of truth so that they receive truth and then they walk in truth, is something that only the Spirit of God can affect in a child or in an adult's life. It is the Spirit of God who causes a person to embrace the truth, having been exposed to the truth, having been taught the truth from the Word, from preaching, and having witnessed the outworking of truth in a Christian's life, the Spirit of God is the one who causes a person to embrace the truth. No human reasoning, no sophisticated apologetic methods, No presentation of logical arguments can persuade a child to believe the truth of God. This requires the supernatural working of God the Holy Spirit in the soul of the individual. And that's why we are here to pray tonight. We can expose our children to truth for years. We can teach them truth from morning to night. We can live out the truth before their eyes day after day, but until the Spirit of God convinces them of truth, they will not embrace the truth and they will certainly not walk in truth. I believe that everyone present here tonight is convinced of that. I believe everyone present is convinced of that, and that's why you come so faithfully week after week to the prayer meeting of this congregation. You are convinced that unless the Spirit of God moves, And unless the Spirit of God convicts, and unless the Spirit of God convinces my son, my daughter, my brother, my sister, my mother, my father, my neighbors, unless He comes and convinces and convicts them of the truth, then they will continue to live as they are living, and that is in their sin. It is the Spirit of God. And his ministry that we need, a convicting ministry, a convincing ministry, and a conveying ministry, a ministry that conveys the sinner to Jesus Christ that we need to see exercised in our society. And so, Christian parent, Christian, pray on. Persevere in prayer. until you know that your loved ones are walking in truth. And don't settle for anything less. I fear that there are Christian parents and they are settling for something less than this. They content themselves with the fact that I exposed my children to the truth when they were young. They content themselves with the fact that they taught and catechized their children in the truth. and that they left out the truth before their very eyes, and they have settled for that. But brethren and sisters don't settle for that, because they're not walking in truth. They're not converted. And we need to labor in prayer until God, by His Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, brings them to that moment where they embrace the truth, and then they begin to walk in the truth. Don't stop short of what is required. Our children must walk in truth. Don't content yourself that they know the truth, that they've been taught the truth, but continue in prayer until you're assured that they are walking in truth. And then, like John, you'll be able to say these words, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. May God instruct us all and challenge all of our hearts with regard to the children of our congregation, community, and of our families, with regard to this matter of walking in truth. Let's seek the Lord in prayer. Very briefly, loving Father, we commit now this message to Thee. We have delivered that which has been placed upon the heart of the pastor. We recognize that there are many here tonight. We're very thankful for that. We think of others who are not. And they needed to hear this message, but they have chosen, Lord, to be elsewhere. Thou dost know the cause, the reason for all that are there, but we're glad that there are a people gathered. We pray, Lord, that we'll not stop short, we'll not settle for anything less, nothing less than this, that our children walk in truth. We'll answer prayer, Lord. We rejoice in your word and the instruction found therein. Help us now, even as we make the announcements and then get to prayer. We offer prayer in Jesus' precious name.