1. JOHN 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

3. Diotrephes The Hypocrite

4. 3 John 1:3-11  John Talks About Certain Brethren Who Had Just Returned From Visiting These Christians.  John Praises The Church for Their Reception of These Brethren.  John Then Tells Them This Is The Christian Thing to Do.  Why?

5. Diotrephes  Diotrephes = Nourished By Jupiter  He Loved To Be First  He Opposed John’s Apostolic Authority  He Unjustly Accused John and His Christian Co- Workers.  He Forbids Other Christians From Doing the Right Thing.  HE WAS A HYPOCRITE (compare with v. 12)

6. The Church Is Full of Diotrephes  Is This Just An Excuse?  How Are You Defining Hypocrite?  The Original Term in the Greek Referred to An Actor. One Playing a Role.  If You Define It As the Church Is Full of Sinners Then You Are Right.  A Hypocrite Is One Who Is Pretending to be a Christian. He’s Playing a Role.

7. What Do You Do With A Hypocrite?  Most People Stop or Stay Away From Church.  The Bible Tells You What to Do With Them.  3 John 10 – Call Attention to His Deeds.  Gal. 2:11-13 – Paul Opposed Him to His Face.  Matt. 15:1-3 – Jesus Taught Them The Error of Their Ways.  YOU NEVER LET A HYPOCRITE STAND BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.

8. Don’t Be a Diotrephes  Rom 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

9. Don’t Be a Diotrephes  James 3:17 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”

10. Don’t Be a Diotrephes  1 Peter 2:1-2 “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation”

11. Even If The Church Was Filled With Diotrephes  Rom 2:1 “Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”