← ArchiveThe Epistles of JohnThe Epistles of John: “When Grace Wears Shoes” (2 John 1-13)DateSeptember 21, 2025SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText2 John 1–13Passages in this sermonJohn 1512:401 John 413:35John 1825:15John 1625:552 John 427:18John 1729:36John 831:08John 18:3834:05TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to the church that gathers here locally at Bethel.0:30My name is Josh and I get to bring the word of Christ with you and for you and to you today. Let me just by way of introduction remind you why you are here. First, if you are not new, then you gather every week because we believe that we don't gather for a person or a performance, an individual.0:56We gather because of Jesus Christ, the gospel, Jesus in our place. And if you are new here, whether you're watching online, whether you're watching from the VIP balcony, as we call it, or you're new on the ground floor, just know we're thankful you're here because we know the Bible says every time we gather in his name, he is with us also.1:21So we believe that God is going to do something holy and beautiful in your life today because you have opened your life up to the spiritual endeavors of the Spirit. So, welcome. Today, I will be reading and preaching from an entire book of the Bible. The book of 2 John. So if you don't know where 2 John is and it's difficult to find, go ahead and find that now.1:50It's after 1 John and it might surprise you, but it's before 3 John. So if you can find either of those, it's somewhere in there, the book of 2 John. And if your heart is already troubled, just know the entire book of 2 John is only 13 verses. And it's amazing that the Bible, God's living inspired word, always hits us where we need.2:17Because the book of 2 John is about love and truth, not separately, but together. And I believe we live in a world that is starving, it's dry, and it's thirsty, longing for the gospel. Our world is starving for truth. But it's also starving for love, and without them, it will waste away.2:46You will waste away without truth in your life and without love in your life. Now, let me pause because the Bible always hits us where we need. Truth without love is like a hammer, banging away, one day destroying things. Because you shouldn't use a hammer to fix everything in your home. It is useful, but not for everything.3:16And so some of you will say, well, Pastor, that's why I just love. Love without truth is like a fog clouding the path and will only lead to ruin in your life. But here's the wonder of the gospel. Grace does not stand still. Grace does not stand still. In Jesus Christ, we have a man full of truth, full of love, at the same time.3:41In Jesus Christ, grace puts on its shoes. Grace walks into our brokenness where love takes action and truth lights our path. And so as we read the book of 2 John, I simply ask you this question. What places in your life need grace today? Maybe that's places you need truth.4:12You're walking on eggshells around things that you know the Bible is clear. And yet, in the name of love, you're unwilling to have difficult conversations or obey in difficult ways. And what ways does the gospel of love need to speak into your life? Where you are walking around like a hammer, trying to remove splinters and specks from people's eyes.4:35When it's the love of Christ and the delicacy that he brings, that you need. When grace wears shoes, truth and love together. Well, let's read the entire book of the Bible, 2 John. And I know that many of us, I've never preached through 2 John. Many of you have never read 2 John in your life.5:04So I get the privilege of reading this with you, maybe for the first time. The book of 2 John, the elder, to the elect lady and her children. That's a poetic way of saying, to the church and those who gather. To the lady Bethel and those who gather in her location. Whom I love. In the truth.5:31And not only I, but also all who know the truth. Because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy and peace will be with us from God, the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. In truth and don't forget love.5:59I was very glad to find some of your children walking in the truth. And in keeping with the command we have received from the Father. So now I ask you, dear lady, not as if I were writing you a new command, but one that we had from the beginning. That we love one another. And this is love.6:27That we walk according to his commands. That's another way of saying truth. This is the command you have heard from the beginning. That you walk in love. Now be careful because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. That's the truth, by the way. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.6:58Anyone who does not remain in Christ's teaching, that's the truth. But goes beyond, does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching, that's truth. This one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home. Don't greet him.7:28For the one who greets him shares in evil works. Though I have many things to write to you, I don't want to use pen and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister send you greetings. Let's pray.8:04Father, we thank you for this small, little book. Father, some people might call 2 John insignificant, but you don't. Some people might gloss over 2 John, but you don't. And Father, we praise your name. As people living among a community in a world that is starving for truth in love.8:27That in your sovereign grace, you have reminded us today that it is possible in Christ to have truth and love walk hand in hand. So, Lord, we ask that in our lives grace would put on shoes. Truth that speaks to our need, but love who helps us pick up the pieces.8:55Love that meets us when we are living in shame, but truth that says the difficult things that we might not walk into ruin. Father, thank you that in Jesus Christ, God took on flesh and grace put on shoes. Lord, today, may you meet us in our moment of need.9:19And may we see you, may we know you, and may we live for you like never before. This is my prayer in Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. I learned by asking questions, and so I'm going to ask us a question.9:45I believe two important questions. When I say that grace and truth can walk hand in hand, and truth and love can walk together, we should ask, well, what is love? And we should also ask, and what is truth? And so we're going to begin with the love question. What is love? John actually speaks to this in verse 6.10:13He says, hey, this is actually love. You don't get to define it. God defines it. This is love. Not that we define it on our terms, that we walk according to his commands. Now, if you were to ask sociologists today, and I've done so, looking at sociological polls, what is love? This is a synthesis of sociological definitions. Love is, according to our world, freely chosen.10:44It's not demanded. It's free. It's an emotionally close relationship that blends intimacy, passion, and commitment. It's expected to bring personal happiness and stability to honor each other's independence and adjust to changing ideas about identity, loyalty, and how relationships work.11:10But praise be to God that our Heavenly Father does not leave the definition of love up to us. Actually, God says, hey, Josh, pay attention, dummy. You don't define what love is. This is love. I like the more I understand the Bible, I'm thankful the Bible is written for people who are hard-headed and hard-hearted.11:38Because I read the Bible and say, well, God, what is love? Is it to make me feel happy? Because that's what our world says. Is it ever-changing based on my identity and what brings me joy in the immediacy? That's not love. Actually, John plainly says, this is love that we walk according to his commands.12:02And we should ask, well, what commands? Because as humans, we're always looking for loopholes. Jesus says, you need to love your neighbor as yourself. And so then we say, well, who's my neighbor? Because I only have two neighbors. So Jesus, you just say, I need to love them. And he tells a parable of the good Samaritan. This command that John reminds us of is the same command that Jesus gives us at the very twilight of his earthly life.12:29Jesus in John 15 says, this is my command. Love one another as I have loved you. He says, there is no greater love than this. That a man or a woman would lay down their life for their friends.12:53This is true love. True love is loving what God loves and hating what he hates. So let's look at what the Bible loves and then we'll see what truth is. And then we will figure out how to live this out together. True love, ultimate love, eternal love is grounded in the gospel. Jesus tells us that.13:23He says, this is love. And there is no greater love than this, that a man would lay down his life for another. Does that sound familiar? No, the Bible says that God did that for us. The God who is love, 1 John 4, 8, has shown his love by sending his one and only son to die for you. To die for me. So if you ask me, well, pastor, I'm a visual person. I need to see love to believe love and to understand love.13:51How can I see love? Look to Jesus. God is love. So I can't see God. Yes, you can. God took on flesh in the begotten son, Jesus Christ. That while you were still a sinner, Christ Jesus died. The embodiment is love, love is in Jesus Christ. Now he didn't come onto the world just to merely tell you I love you.14:18He showed you that. By dying on the cross. And all true love flows from the gospel fountain. When the son of God took on flesh, grace put on shoes. Actually, I would say grace put on sandals. For us. This is the love of God for us. Because of the gospel, our love now has shape.14:461 John 4, 19. 1 John 4, 18 says God is love. 1 John 4, 19 then says we love because God first loved us. And his commands define our love. And we will see shortly. So to love someone is to do what God commands towards them and to help them obey God's word for their life.15:14The most loving thing you can do for me is to help me walk in the truth of God. Because if God created me and he sustains me, then I want to do what the creator of my soul desires me to do. You want to love me well? Tell me what God wants for my life. This is what the Bible says.15:44In any action towards another person that violates God's commands. So let me just speak to my brothers and sisters in Christ. If you do or say anything towards another person that violates God's commands, that is not love. So let me start on an elementary level. God says do not murder. So if you murder me, you're not loving me. Now I know how some of you think. Stop it. You cannot murder me.16:14The Bible says it. Don't do it. That is not love. And we would say, well, okay, that's elementary. We all know that. Well, then why are we okay telling white lies to people in the name of soothing their consciences? When the Bible says that we should not lie. And God is not a God of deceits. The most loving thing that we can do16:43for someone is to point them to the word of God. So no matter how sincere you are or romantic you are or think you are or well intended, it is not love if it violates the command of God. So if someone says to me, well, if you love me, you will do these things for me or do these things with me. If what they are asking you to do is violating the commands of God, they are not loving you.17:13They are hating you. And we need to be a people who define our love based upon what God would say is loving. And the inverse is true. Any action that helps someone disobey God no matter how nice or tolerant you might seem to be is not love. And this is why the Bible says that loving fellow believers is central to the gospel.17:42Genuine love for truth always produces love for other people. So if you say to me, well, I know a lot about God. I just don't like people. I would say, you don't know a lot about God. Because how can I, church,18:11know about a God who is love and not love you well? But here's the beauty of 2 John. John that says, well, pastor, you can love God and love people at the same time. It is our broken world who has made those things mutually exclusive. So I just want you to know18:42if you think that you are full of God but you are not full of love, you are not full of God. And I want to be a person the more I know about the Lord, the bigger my heart grows. I think our heart for Christ should grow with our mind for Christ. in parallel and in consequence together. So let me ask you, as John says, he writes in here later on, he says, I have heard about you following19:11the commands of God and I rejoice with you. When you see other people walking in the love of God, do you rejoice with them? When's the last time you looked at someone and said, wow, good job. I get joy when Scott follows Jesus. Man, it makes my heart love God more because I feel like that's what John is saying. He's saying, I've heard the rumors19:41that you are following Jesus and do you know what that does to me? Man, I am so proud of you. This is how we should look towards each other. Why would we be a people who are diminishing the joy of others? We should be champion. Our hearts are Christ. When's the last time that you saw someone else's faithfulness and your heart swell with joy? One thing that we do in baby dedications here,20:11family dedications, is I say to you who are in the audience, you are committing to be this child's greatest spiritual cheerleader. so that if they do something good behind their parents' back and you see it, you have an obligation to say, hey, Eli, your dad didn't see you but I did. I'm not going to tell him, shh, but keep it up. Well done. God loves it when you do those things and I love it20:41when you do those things. This is what true love looks like. True love rejoices when others walk in truth. Verse 4. And I think, lastly, when we ask what is love, I think there are some of you here today that maybe you're listening online or maybe you'll listen later. You've never experienced true love in your life because you've never received the love21:11of Christ towards you. So that when I talk about love and genuine love and eternal love, you put your hands in your pocket and you would say, I don't know what that's like. Can I just lovingly kind of press in to you right now? You can know what genuine love feels like today if you would surrender your life to Jesus Christ. And that requires several things. First, it requires you saying no21:40to the man in the mirror. That's not easy. It's to say, God, I've messed up. God, Josh is the sinner. Yes, Pastor James provoked me, but it wasn't his fault. His provocation didn't make me sin. God, I sins. God, forgive me. Because we live in a world that likes to blame other people for our sins, don't we? And you will never find wholeness22:09find wholeness in your life if you're pointing the finger at other people. the Christian experience is built on humiliation and humility. That Jesus humiliated himself by taking on flesh and dying on the cross that we might be people by a humble birth ourself. Would you just have the humbleness today to say, God, I'm sorry. I have sinned. Forgive me. And God, I've sinned and I'm angry because I've never experienced your love.22:39And God, I want to do that today. I want to know that. I believe if you prayed that prayer, John would write to you and say, son, daughter, I'm proud of you. I was glad to find some of you leaning in to the love of God for the first time. Lay down your striving, receive his love23:08in Christ and rise to walk in his commands. And I pray that if you've never experienced the love of anyone before, that today would be the first time in your life that you would leave here saying, someone loves me. God loves me and his people love me because they love him and he is love and I've never met a people who love me for who I am. What's wrong with these people? And we would say,23:39it's grace that's wrong with us because that's how God meets us. But if we only love and we have no truth and love is a fog that can lead to ruin. So the second question we need to ask in John is what is truth? And some of you are ready, right? Some of you are the hammer. You're like Thor thinking, okay, I'm about to drop the hammer on someone today. The pastor's giving me permission.24:08What is truth? John uses the word truth at least five times. And we don't know if the John of the Gospel of John is the writer of 2 John. There's some deliberation. Most people believe that the writer of 1 John is the writer of the Gospel of John, but we're not sure if the writer of 2 John is the writer of 1 John, and we're also not sure if the writer of 3 John is the writer of 2 John who's not the writer of 1 John. Exactly.24:39Exactly. So scholarship would say for those who are listening at home, a 10-year-old girl summed up what scholars have bled through their pen for decades and generations. What? We don't know who wrote 2 John, but if the writer of 2 John isn't the writer of Gospel of John, is the beloved disciple,25:09disciple, then he would have been there when he would hear Pilate say when meeting Jesus. In John 18, verse 38, Pilate looks at Jesus and says, what is truth? And I think he would serve us well to ask that same question for a brief moment. John uses this word truth. Truth is not something that you dig up like buried treasure. Truth is not25:39something that you find on your own. Truth is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Truth is a spiritual endeavor. It is something that God himself placed in your hands. John 16, 13, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. So if you ask, well what is truth? The Holy Spirit is truth and Jesus is truth and it takes residence in the believer's26:08heart and guides them into all truth. Truth is not something you find on your own. It is something that is given to you through the Holy Spirit. Imagine truth in this way. Walking through a dark place with a friend who has a flashlight or a lantern. and you are walking safely because that friend26:37that friend is guiding you with their light. That's the truth of the Holy Spirit illuminating our path. And the word of God is like a lamp into our feet, a light into our path. That's how truth works. You and I don't generate truth. We receive it from God himself who shines a light on what is real, what is right and what is good. What is truth? Truth is from God27:07from God and it is the gift of the Holy Spirit. What is truth? Truth is God's standard for your life. 2 John 4 says this, he said, I was glad to find some of your children walking in what? Walking in truth. Truth is not something you know is something you do. And again, I'm tired of Christians,27:36Christians, I mean, they can define themselves however they want to, Christians with big heads and no hearts. They say, well, I know a lot about God. And John will say, well, pastor, if you're not walking in truth, you don't know what you think you know. Because the truth of God is to let us walk out his commands. This is God's standard for our lives. Live in step with28:06with the Spirit is what the word of God would say. In a world that defines love by affirming what feels right or what feels in that moment, God's truth is a more beautiful and eternal endeavor. It's a more beautiful and eternal endeavor. And I would just say this lovingly, it doesn't matter what the world defines truth as. The most loving and truthful thing that you can do28:35do is not affirm their sinful behavior, but to affirm what God's word says for them. What is truth? It is God's way for your life. And let me just say this, if you are affirming a lie in someone's life that is not truth, it is cruelty. You do not love them. That is cruel. It would be cruel for you to have a heart condition and I would say, well, you know what, let me give you a haircut. That's29:07That's what you need. Church, if God has given us the most beautiful answer for the world's deepest problems, why would we cruelly ignore greater needs in their life? True love, true truth love is always tethered to the truth of God. Walk in truth. But truth also shapes the soul. John 17, 17.29:3717. says that the Holy Spirit will sanctify them by the truth. That's what Jesus prays in the garden. He says, Father, sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. That means that Jesus is asking God to shape us and mold us into the conformity into the image of the Lord. Do not be conformed by the ways of the world but be transformed by the renewing30:07renewing of your mind. Truth shapes you because Jesus shapes us. When the truth gets inside of you it begins to reshape who you who you are. It humbles your pride. It softens your bitterness. It purifies your desires. It teaches you to love like Christ. Truth is not just something you know. It's something that makes you and I new. John says, I'm so glad30:37so glad to hear that truth is shaping you because that is what it does. Truth is also reality. according to God. Truth is not up for debate or determined by vote. Truth is the way things are according to an all knowing God. We don't vote on truth. We receive truth because God has told us what is true.31:07true. In John 8 Jesus says to his opponents he says you seek to kill me a man who has told you the truth. He said you have seen you should know truth because the truth will set you free. Truth is a reality according to God. They didn't want reality they wanted their own version of reality that we know. And Jesus says to embrace truth is to embrace freedom. Freedom31:37Freedom that is given by the word of God himself. John says hey church to the dear lady Bethel and to her children you can walk in truth and you can walk in love together. What is truth? It's the gospel. It's the gospel that tells us some difficult things about our life. You know the Bible actually says that you're a sinner. Shock32:07Shock I know. But there are some that we know we're sinners but we don't want other people to think that we know we're sinners. I was actually the 10 year old who just kind of shared and summed up thousands of years of scholarship in one word today. I shared my testimony with her earlier this morning and I told her I said that was one thing that kept me from following Jesus32:37Jesus Christ. I knew I knew that I needed to give my life to Christ but people in the church thought I was a Christian and I was worried about what they would think about me when they when I admitted out loud that I was a sinner. Can I just if that's you if you were like me and you're worried about what I would think to you today if you stand up and say Josh I'm a sinner I need Jesus you know what I'm going to say hallelujah praise33:07praise be to God for spiritual conviction in your life that's a mercy and a kindness from the heavens but God's word is not easy it looks at you and I and says you're the sinner and by the way the wages of your sin is death that you cannot have a relationship with God the way you sit because but that while we were still sinners Christ Jesus died33:37died for us and that God loved us in this way that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life and that son the only son of God died on the cross for your sin church if that's true that's not easy he did that for you truth is the gospel and think back in John 18 38 if34:07if I could if I could look at Pilate and have this conversation with him if he said pastor what is truth as he says to Jesus Christ I would say Pilate truth is right in front of you you you're looking at him look to Jesus run to Jesus Pilate trust in Jesus don't just wash your hands and say I have no culpability that's not enough34:37enough no Pilate surrender your life to Jesus Christ and then you can hear today you will be with me in paradise it's not enough just to know the truth but you must follow the truth and walk in his ways truth is not an abstract reality for the Christian truth is a person truth has a name and his name is Jesus Christ so35:04so let me just put this together for you what is love God is love what is truth truth is from the fountain that springs from the well of Emmanuel's veins but John reminds us he says in verse seven many deceivers will come out among you and he says beware now this is35:33this is important because John does not categorize these people as innocent he doesn't say well they were like they were trying bless their hearts like they they had good intentions no John says church you need to be cautious because there are people who will come to you in the name of love and they are not loving and they are not truthful they are ungodly deceivers who have the spirit of the antichrist and John then36:03then says there are people who will come in the name of truth like a hammer without love and they are not truthful and they are not loving avoid such people he actually says don't even bring them to your home now in the ancient world hospitality means that you are agreeing with what they say so we didn't have holiday and expresses then so if Nathan here was traveling through our city and he had no place to stay and he was a Christian for me to receive him into my36:33my home was saying he is a Christian he believes what we believe and he loves what we love and he wants to walk according to what we do and the reason John would say well don't receive deceivers is because well I'll be the deceiver if Nathan lets me in my home and you know that Nathan let me in his home then you're going to say well oh well Josh believes what we believe Josh loves what we37:03we love Josh has professed his faith in Jesus Christ and he has given his life fully devoted to the holy things of God and these deceivers were using hospitality as a tool for ungodliness and John says church be careful in people's lives where truth and love are not walking hand in hand I don't know about you but37:33but I see a lot of people in our world that claim the word love but have no truth avoid those people I don't know about you but I know a lot of people who claim truth and they are doctrinally sound but they are spiritually starving those are deceivers and38:00and I one of the books I like to read is the Chronicles of Narnia because I'm a child at heart I like reading kids books because I feel good about myself I can read them really fast look how smart I am I read 20 pages on a first grade level but in Narnia you know when the wicked the white witch takes control the whole land turns cold and38:29and one thing that said in that difficult place says it's always winter never Christmas there's there's no heart there's no warmth there's no love and for those you know the book when Aslan who represents Christ gets close everything that was cold begins to thaw and and that's what grace does in our life the38:59the cold calloused dark places in our life begin to thaw winter finds its thaw for the first time and this is what Jesus Christ embodies truth in Jesus stands like a rock steady and shakable eternal and love flows like a river warm deep and life giving and let me just share with you truth without love may39:29may diagnose your wound but it can't heal you and love without truth it might feel gentle but it can't save you only in Christ when we have truth and love walking hand in hand that our wounds are bound in our greatest needs satisfied what does your life look like today what would it look39:59look like if grace put on shoes maybe you're cold and you worship but you worship with a distant heart would you let the gospel thaw the frozen places today maybe you tend towards the love side and you're quick to embrace but you're don't talk to me about the word of God that's just too much40:28much it's a sad place to be if we're all heart and no brains would you ask the Lord to help you love and think deeply about your faith again this is what we need let me just speak plainly to some of you if your life has been a hammer lately if you're pounding on people and you're not loving them well would40:57would you ask God to convict you because you can't hammer on someone's life enough to save them that's the Holy Spirit's job maybe at some point this week you need to call on someone and say I've been too rough with you I'm sorry I was harsh because I loved you but you didn't hear my love because you only heard my words I'm sorry would you forgive me because in my41:26my Jesus love and truth walk hand in hands maybe you need to call someone this week and say I've been tolerating your sin and I'm sorry I've been doing that in the name of love but I am not loving you actually I'm causing your ruin causing your spiritual death and I need to speak into your life what the Bible says is true I can't be hospitable this week to you you can't stay with me because you're not41:56not walking according to the word would you ask for the conviction of the spirit in your life and lastly maybe you've never received the love of God ever you're living in coldness you're living in winter and it's never Christmas I pray today that that the Holy Spirit will get close enough to you that you'll feel the warmth of Christ again and42:24and if you've never given your life to Christ I pray conviction on your life that you would not leave here in sin that you would run to faith if you say pastor I don't know what to pray I want to follow Christ I believe that God sent his only son I believe he died on the cross I believe he rose again but I don't know how to come to faith what words do I need to pray I got you you can pray a prayer like this42:53this father I have sin that's ownership thank you for sending your only son Jesus to live a sinless life to die on the cross to rise again Lord I don't deserve it but you did it thank you and father today I will turn from my sin I will turn to you no matter the cost the43:21the Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved and my deepest prayer for you today is that for the first time you will find truth and love walking side by side and God made flesh Jesus Christ the only begotten43:50begotten and may we hear from the Lord one day well done I'm proud of you I saw you living for me well done good and faithful servant father - Yeah.Next in The Epistles of John →The Epistles of John: Living Like Gaius (3 John 1-8)More sermons on 2 John →
