Letter to the “Lady”
I. Same ISSUES, shorter LETTER. (2 John)
A. To the “LADY” and her “CHILDREN”. (v.1,13)
B. LOVE is the COMMAND from the BEGINNING. (v.2-6)
C. A WARNING against the biggest LIE. (v.7-12)
This second letter from John takes up the same themes as the first, but does it in the short span of 13 verses. John, after years of following Jesus has developed a laser focus into the the things that really matter. You have to believe Jesus is who He said He was, and the trust in what He said. This will lead to love.
1. Kid’s Question: Who are the people who love you the most? How do you know that?
2. Do you think this letter is written to a specific “lady” or a church? Why or what not? How can we know when to interpret Scripture metaphorically?
II. “You keep USING those WORDS…” (v.1-6)
A. TRUTH: 5x in 4 verses. (v.1-4)
B. LOVE: 5x in 6 verses. (v.1-6)
C. COMMAND: 3x in 2 verses. (v.5,6)
D. OBEDIENCE to the TRUTH yields LOVE. (v.6)
One of my favourite movies is “The Princess Bride.” In it, Inigo Montoya, the skilled swordsman says to Vecini, the criminal mastermind. “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” John keeps using words over and over as well, but he is pretty clear on what they mean.
3. What other themes or ideas do you see John repeating or emphasizing in these 13 verses? (Other than Truth, Love, and Command)
4. Does obedience always lead to love? If so then why are Christians sometimes seen to be unloving?
III. Walking in TRUTH instead of LIES. (v.7-11)
A. JESUS is more than an IDEA. (v.7-8)
B. NEW isn’t always BETTER. (v.1-6)
C. OBEDIENCE doesn’t equal LEGALISM. (v.1-6)
The challenge is always you build our lives on the truth and not on lies. The people who were leading others astray in the church John is writing to have subtly distorted some important truths that will not lead to a life of love. These subtle lies are all around us today as well.
5. In what ways is the physicality of Jesus as a real person important to your faith? Is this a new idea to you?
6. How can we call people to obedience without becoming legalistic?
IV. The TRUTH right before our EYES. (1 Jn. 1:1; 2 Jn. 1:1-2)
A. The CENTRALITY of Jesus in the FLESH. (2 Jn. 1:7; 1 Jn. 4:2-3)
B. The TRUTH is a WAY of LIFE. (Jn. 14:6; 1 Pet. 2:21; Gal. 5:22-25)
C. OBEDIENCE taps into/engages divine WISDOM. (Jn. 6:68; Rom. 8:1-4)
D. The SOURCE of OBEDIENCE is FAITH. (2 Jn. 1:6; Rom. 1:5; 16:26)
E. LOVE is the EVIDENCE of obedience. (2 Jn. 1:6; Jn. 13:34-35)
Often the truth we need to know isn’t some great revelation that we must work our way toward, but the slow realization of the truth that has been right in front of us all along. Jesus is God in the flesh, and He alone has “the words of eternal life.” Listening and responding to what we already know is often the next step to take.
7. When have you seen the value of obeying and living in light of “divine wisdom”? When have you see cultural ideas push back against divine wisdom?
8. What does it mean that faith is the source of obedience? Describe what the faith that motivates obedience looks like? How do you try to motivate your own obedience and how is that working?