Imitating What is Good
Based on a sermon by Pastor Trent Thomas
Presented on Sunday, March 15, 2026
At Christ Hills Church in Monroe, NC
3 John 1:9–15
The older I get, the wiser my parents seem to become. When I was younger, I was fairly confident that I understood how the world worked. My parents gave advice that sounded outdated, cautious, or unnecessary. But time has a way of giving us perspective. Years later, situations arise where I suddenly realize: that’s exactly what my parents were talking about. The wisdom was always there—I just couldn’t see it yet.
Perspective changes everything. Something similar happens when we read Scripture over time. Passages we once skimmed suddenly come alive because we’ve seen the kinds of situations they describe. One such passage appears near the end of the New Testament in 3 John.
In this short letter, the apostle introduces us to a man named Diotrephes. He is not an outsider to the church. He’s not a pagan critic or a persecutor. He is a church member. And yet, John says he is doing evil things.
Diotrephes loves to put himself first. He refuses to acknowledge the authority of the apostles and their teaching. He won’t welcome traveling brothers who come in the name of Christ. Worse yet, he tries to stop others who want to welcome them. In other words, wherever Diotrephes goes, he scorches the earth.
John doesn’t ignore the problem. He says plainly that when he arrives, he plans to address the issue and set things straight. The church cannot flourish if pride and control are allowed to rule the day.
But then John gives another example—a man named Demetrius.
Demetrius represents the opposite spirit. John says that everyone speaks well of him. Not just one group or one church, but believers across the board. Even the truth itself testifies to his character.
While Diotrephes leaves division and damage behind him, Demetrius blesses every church he visits. That contrast is striking.
But John’s point is not simply about reputation. After all, it’s possible to do good and still have others speak ill of you. Even Jesus experienced that. What matters is whether the testimony of godly people and the witness of truth align with a person’s life.
A helpful test of character might be this: Does this person love their enemies?
That kind of love doesn’t grow naturally from the human heart. Scripture paints a sobering picture of humanity’s default condition. In Romans 3:10–18 we read that no one is righteous, no one truly seeks God, and there is “no fear of God before their eyes.”
Left to ourselves, we tend toward pride, self-promotion, and control—the very qualities we see in Diotrephes.
But the gospel tells a different story. As theologian J. I. Packer once wrote, “We do not make friends with God. He makes friends with us.” The initiative belongs to Him. Through Jesus Christ, God reaches toward us before we ever think to reach toward Him.
That’s why the most important question is not, Are you trying to be a better person? The real question is: Do you know Jesus Christ? Not just facts about Him. Not just religious habits. But a genuine relationship with Him.
You see, salvation is not something we manufacture through effort. As Ephesians 2:8–10 reminds us, we are saved by grace through faith—not by works. Yet the passage continues by saying that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared in advance for us to do.
In other words, good works are not the cause of salvation—they are the result.
When we truly know Christ, our lives begin to reflect Him. We move toward other believers rather than pushing them away. We encourage rather than control. We welcome rather than exclude. Instead of tearing places down like Diotrephes, we bless the places God sends us—like Demetrius.
And that kind of life grows in the soil of fellowship. As we walk with Christ and with one another, we learn to imitate what is good.
So let’s pursue that together: knowing Christ deeply, walking in fellowship with His people, and letting our lives point others toward the goodness of God.
Questions for Reflection & Discussion:
When you look at the contrast between Diotrephes and Demetrius, which attitudes or behaviors challenge you the most personally?
How does knowing that salvation is by grace (Ephesians 2:8–10) change the way you think about doing good works?
What are practical ways you can move toward other believers this week in order to encourage them and practice healthy Christian fellowship?