Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
Praise God.
This will conclude.
Today this message will conclude this part from 2nd Peter chapter 2. This is the heart of the epistle as he warns against false teachers against false teachers. The warning is Crystal clear by the Holy Spirit.
It tells us actually what God thinks about him. And we should heed its warnings. Praise God, let's pray our father in heaven as we bow in prayer now. And as we come to this part of the hearing of your holy word We praise you father, and we thank you for your holy word.
It is our compass. It's our God. It's our instruction manual in this life, and it tells us everything we need to know about yourself. And how to obtain eternal life. Tells us everything that pertains to godliness and how to live godly and how to to heed.
It gives us the instructions. Lord and by your word as David prayed Lord in Psalm 19 your servant is warned and in keeping your word, there's great reward and How good oh Lord and how great and loving you are to us to warn us.
To give us this warning. From the terrible dangers about false teachers savage wolves the Lord that desire to destroy your people and The destruction that they can do to those who are not discerning in the Holy Scripture says father.
We are not exempt Lord unless we Take heed to your word and stay in your word. Help us. Oh God Lord. We need your fear upon us and this land in the church. God we need a revival of your great majesty and your awesomeness and your fear and your holiness.
And God I plead with you today to help us by your Holy Spirit to give us discernment. And it begins with fear in you Oh God. But most of all Lord we need your presence as we just sung. We need your truth Lord as it's before us, but we need it as a shield and a buckler to apply it to our lives.
So Lord help us not only to meditate upon it day and night, but Lord help us to obey it. Lord help us not just to be hearers, but to be doers of your word. Help us. Oh God, I pray by your blessed Holy Spirit be our help and may you honor your word.
We pray this in Jesus Jesus mighty name. Amen, and amen where the Apostle Peter has just been describing false teachers in this whole chapter and we've been Going through for the past several weeks. We're about to embark on chapter 3 which will be the closing chapter.
And he actually goes into Great detail about the day of the Lord and that God's not slack concerning his promise. And then he closes with us being steadfast. But within this chapter here, we have been looking at the warnings about the false teachers.
Actually in verse 1 through 3 He describes the destructive doctrines of false teachers and the poison that they teach. Notice verse 3 with me by covetousness. They will exploit you with deceptive words.
Deceptive words very deceitful and they do it with their words and Then he says this for a long time their judgment has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber. So there is a day of judgment that's coming to them and it's not idle.
Judgment day will come. It will come it's inevitable. They will not escape it. Then in verse 4 through 11 Peter speaks of the doom they're doomed the doom of the false teachers giving to us given to us and He gives it to us in three biblical examples three illustrations of the doom and destruction.
And we see that in verses 12 through 17 then. Then we see. Outside of I'm sorry doom of the false teachers is basically 4 through 11. 12 through 17. 12 through 17 speaks of their depravity. Their depravity verse 12.
Notice with me verse 12, but these speaking of false teachers like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed. Speak evil. There's the speaking again. They speak evil of things. They do not understand and will utterly perish in their own corruption.
Now we conclude verses 18 through 22 Last Lord's Day. We looked at verse 18 in verse 19 and a portion of verse 20. I'd like to pick it up a little bit, but I'd like to recap a little bit because He he through the Holy Spirit the Apostle Peter makes a clear transition from their depraved Character to their awful result of their teaching.
So first of all in verse 9 18 and 19. If you notice with me, let me read it 18 and 19. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness they allure through the lust of the flesh through the lewdness.
The ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promised them Liberty they themselves are slaves of corruption. For by whom a person is overcome by him also He is brought into bondage.
Notice with me there with great swelling words. Great swelling words of emptiness. They're empty words. Vain words vain. And what did they do they allure? Through the lust of the flesh they appealed to men's lower nature.
That's why they love the false teachers. That's why people love the false teachers because the false teachers they the people have itching ears and they love to hear what they say. They tell them what they want to say.
They tell them what they desire to say. Speak to me. Peaceful words speak to me about How good I am. Speak to me what kind of good life I can have. The best life I can have now. Speak to me about how I could be how I can love myself more.
Speak to me about how positive things are. This is exactly what Joel's thing does. He's a motivational speaker. He tells them exactly what they want to hear. Any wonder why the crowd is so huge it's big as a football stadium.
People love it. He appeals to their lower nature, even though their words of emptiness they allure. Through the lust of the flesh. That's that the allure. We will look at what that means in a minute. But and then it says through lewdness the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
We're going to look at this. False teachers. Do not come with a pitchfork and a horn and say I'm I'm a false teacher. They come across with deceptive words and they deceive their prey is the weak they they prey upon the weak and Many times false teachers.
We looked a little bit about this last week, but they prey upon women. Such was the case of Robbie Zacharias who would have ever thought? That Robbie Zacharias will be preying upon women and folks. That's exactly what he did.
I prayed the man repented before he left this world, but He obviously did not open up publicly about about this. Any wonder why the whole ministry went down and I'm glad it did because it speaks there was no integrity.
I don't care how well he spoke for many many years and how well he could speak and I thought very well of Robbie Zacharias at one time. I would have never thought this. That this man would have been preying upon women.
Sexually to seduce them. It's sad. These are very I tell you these these are times. They're trying men's souls and We need to be alert. We need to be steadfast. We need to be sober. Great swelling words.
I want you to think about that swelling words of emptiness. John Knox. John Knox translates this they use fine phrases that have no meaning. Fine phrases they have no meaning. That's what Knox says. They are accomplished orators.
Holding audiences.
Spellbound with persuasive words. Rhetoric that sounds good. Notice what the reason why I read Paul this morning knows. He said I did not come with persuasive words and He was the greatest man one of the greatest men of God that ever lived.
He was the Apostle Paul. He was not a great orator But he came in demonstration in the power of the Spirit of God. John and John MacArthur's commentary here. He says this they deceived the weak with high sounding words That masquerade as scholarship or profound spiritual insight and Even as direct revelation from God.
In quote.
They claim to have direct revelation from God blasphemy. But yet people believe it. I Give you an example you could go on YouTube I'm not saying you need to listen to this man, but you can listen and listen to this false teacher.
I send it to brother Keith and I don't know how much you got through it. About five minutes. He probably got disgusted and sick and with the vomit, but I'm telling you it is sickening this man sit and a personal meeting and he gave basically an interview and He came out arrogantly with great swelling words.
We're in his arrogance to Jesse Duplantis. Jesse Duplantis. He's from New Orleans and I know Sister Linda's heard of him too, and I've heard him. I've heard him years ago, and I even had Born-again Christians come to me and say that you got to listen to this man's testimony.
It's out of this world and it literally so-called was and he claimed he had a vision he said he was sucked out of his body and then the next thing he knew he was in heaven and Have you heard this? He basically talked about his trip to heaven folks and then he talks about his description and vivid detail and In a meeting that was personally arranged of this angelic being that comes to him in this vision that literally escorted him through heaven and As he was going to heaven He was describing all the glitter and the glory just exactly what the Bible speaks of and he was given the details and people's all great, you know sitting clapping and just loving it and just eating this up and Then he speaks about him meeting not only an angelic being that escorted him to heaven and he was just praising God.
He says and and then and the whole time he's saying this he said you don't have to believe it, but it was real. It was real. He said but you don't have to believe it. And then he says he comes upon this being that has.
Gold.
Plated armor and Goes into description how glorious he was and he said that was father Abraham. And father Abraham told me to come over here father Abraham. And then he speaks about King David and father Abraham points to him that's King David over there and he looks at King David and Probably the worst out of all of it is how he Has a personal meeting with Jesus Christ our Lord in heaven face-to-face speaks about all the glitter and and the glory supposedly coming out of Jesus and that he couldn't even look into his eyes because of the glory and All he's taking these descriptions and he's making it believable and he's telling these people with great swelling words.
And then he says Jesus Basically tells him you know when you go back you tell my people I'm coming back. I'm returning. Now you notice how these false teachers say they take little bits of truth From the scripture that Jesus Christ is returning and actually Peter speaks about this in chapter 3.
But this man's talking like he's an apostle like he's seen Jesus in heaven personally, but we know that's false. He's a liar. He also needs to read the end of book of Revelation that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire.
This man's a liar they speak with great swelling words, that's just an example, it's the rest of it is just.
Sickening.
It's absolutely sickening. It's not even worth the time to speak about it. But I'm just telling you about how that's an example of how these people speak with great swelling words. Experiences yes, and their revelations and their visions and folks.
He's not alone in this I'm telling you. Or Roberts did the same thing. He's he's meeting his reward now. Jesse Duplantis is getting up in age. He's gonna meet it soon and Kenneth Copeland is at the top of the list.
And I don't mind calling these things out these people out. They speak great swelling words. But they're empty. Speak and even while Duplantis is talking about this I forgot to tell you about this and but he says oh, I'm checking scripture the whole time.
You're right. He's deceived. And believe in a lie, and he's gonna be damned and he's deceiving others. Justin Peters has a whole ministry based on calling these people out by names and by the way. He studies them and and and he gets clips and he calls it out exactly and he got in he got a clip from Jesse Duplantis and he and he was at a Victory or thon it's called a victory thon to raise all this money from these poor people getting the money from these people to support them.
So to support their lavish Covetous lifestyle, that's why they that's why they do this. That's what Peter says. If you notice so, what does he say? It's through covetousness. That's the reason the love of money and in that clip Justin Peters points out that something that Jesse Duplantis mentions about in his teaching and he says about he mentions about Zacchaeus why Jesus pointed Zacchaeus out and called him down to come to this.
He says that salvations come to your house and he said but you know, this is exactly the words of Jesse Duplantis. He said but you know, he didn't point out his sin. He pointed out his goodness folks that is blasphemy to the core that turns the gospel upside down and Justin Peters brings that out and then he goes through the scriptures as there's none good.
No, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This man is a liar. Jesse Duplantis is a liar. He's one of many many folks I'm telling you. These are signs of the times that's about us today and people by the thousands and millions love these people.
Because they speak persuasive words great swelling words. They give them what they want to hear. Verse 18 they speak great swelling words of emptiness they allure that's what that word. Allure it's like a bait they're victims.
That same word is means beguile in verse 14 in other words enticing. Unstable souls, we're gonna look at what them in unstable souls are they're not redeemed born-again people. They are people that come and within the church.
They find themselves at the bottom of the Barrel and they're in trouble and they're lonely and they're hurt and and they're looking for some hope. They're unstable souls and these false teachers pray upon them.
Weak souls and this is why the judgment to these false teachers is so severe folks. I Wouldn't want to be in their shoes when they stand before God. They do this knowingly. Even they did don't even though Peter says they don't understand about the things that is being taught in the scriptures.
But they were so deceived but they knowingly they deceived because they know Exactly what they are doing in the sense of their motive of deceiving. This word here unstable souls. This is a word used in the Greek for fishermen's bait it's like the bait used here and there's a hook and Of course, he's not going to put the hook out there and say here's a hook.
They're gonna bait the hook. Just like we bait a hook to catch a fish, right. Well, what do they use as a bait verse 19. Notice verse 19 while they promise them Liberty, let me stop right there. There's there's debate right there debate is they promise Liberty and Of course, this is a false Liberty that indulges in the lust of the flesh in the name of God.
Like those great visions and that so-called Revelation that Jesse Duplantis was talking about he's baiting the hook. He's basically giving them promises there and say oh, this is real. You don't have to believe me, but it's real.
In other words, he's basically off in a sense calling himself someone special he's like an apostle today and We know there's no apostles today as many would say they are but they're not. The falseness of their promise is described as great swelling words in other words They're bags of empty wind.
That's what it means bags of empty wind. There's a catch. There's the hook. They themselves are servants a bond servants of corruption. And that's what the scripture says. The Greek word here is do loss.
For slaves.
They're slaves of corruption. They're slaves of corruption. Let's look at that slaves of corruption. False teachers have no power. In other words They had no power within themselves to deliver because they themselves are in bondage to sin to corruption.
And.
Any person they catch will become slaves of corruption as well. They make disciples after themselves and that's the way it happens beloved. This is this is their ploy of deception. This is the way they deceive and it isn't one.
It's any any wonder the Apostle Paul brings brings us out. It's just what Satan does. They are messengers of Satan got chapter and verse on that. Oh, absolutely. I do turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 the Apostle Paul is defending his apostleship by the way, and he's defending his apostleship from false apostles and He makes a statement by the Holy Spirit here.
That's absolutely profound. At verse 13 through 15 listen to what he says for such our false apostles. Deceitful workers. Underscore that they are deceitful workers. And what do they do? Transforming themselves.
Into apostles of Christ that transforming themselves is their cloak. That is their cloak of hypocrisy. That's what they're doing. And you know, the word hypocrisy is play-acting. They cloak themselves.
They play act they learn the language. Within the church and remember what I said last week false teachers are bred within the church. Do not bread outside of the church the bread within seminaries liberal seminaries sometimes even good seminaries, but they're bred within seminaries and They learn these words.
They learn the Bible. They learn how to do this and then Paul says and no wonder. No wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also Transforms themselves in themselves into ministers of righteousness.
Listen to that. They transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. They do. Whose and will be according to their what works? Their works look at their works. JC Rao is absolutely right. He says where there's no holy living.
There is no Holy Spirit. You could take that one to the bank. False teachers prey on unstable souls. Unstable souls they entice. They entice. They have a hook and they bait it and they use it as a lure to pray upon the weak.
Again who's the weak? The ones who have actually escaped the Bible says from those who live in error now beloved I challenge you here a lot of people. I've read some commentators on this and they think that they actually believe that those people those weak people are born-again people.
That is it never says that in the Scriptures Brother Keith brought it out. We're gonna be looking at the text again, but these are people that basically turn over a new leaf. They reform themselves Externally and they look for hope and they are in trouble and they turn toward religion and Their house is not filled with the Holy Spirit.
They're not filled with Christ and therefore their house is opened up for any unclean demonic spirit to come and by the way False teachers come and they give them what they want to hear and they go out there hook line and sinker.
These are the ones that what one translation says has actually escaped. I believe that's what the New King James that I read says here.
Yes.
It's a person is overcome. And by him also is brought into bondage. For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world or some translations say have actually escaped. Yes back in first verse 18, I'm sorry have actually escaped from those who live in era.
There is another translation that would probably a little bit better as barely escaped. Barely escaped from the ones who live in era. Again these are the unconverted. These are the unsaved. Now some commentators would disagree with that.
You could check that within yourselves and check check the Scriptures. But basically these are people Like Felix that missed heaven one preacher said 18 inches. He was trying to reason it with his his mind, but his heart did not turn to righteousness and repent.
He missed heaven by 18 inches somebody said.
He rejected Jesus Christ, but think of that. These are people who wants that once indulged in And in the pleasures of the world in the muck and the Mary clay The corruptions of the world and had a so-called heart change.
They had a heart change and again that they did not have true repentance. They did not truly repent from their sin, but they reformed themselves.
Externally.
It's all about externals just like the Pharisees. They decided to reform and they even may say I've decided to follow Jesus, but there's reform there's no Regeneration there is no Christ within their heart.
They have not come to true faith. They have not truly repented. They basically turn over a new leaf. They start doing good. Supposedly they say they start attending church. They start reading the Bible.
They even start praying Folks I check me on this. Have you not seen people like this? They wander into the service a church service and guess who they come upon. Fault Shepard. Fault Shepard may be holding a big crusade or a conference and in his arrogance.
He gets up and he starts talking how wonderfully Wonderful God is and how really how great he is. And that good that's a dead giveaway. Just like I said about Jesse Duplantis right from the get-go. It's a dead giveaway.
He's talking about him how special he is. He's got Dave you notice even or Roberts before he died. I Remember this y 'all y 'all remember this and recall this he needed a million dollars for his ministry.
And he said I'm gonna go up to my watchtower and get that million dollars and ask God to give me that million dollars. He says I'm not going to come down until from that watchtower until I get my million dollars.
Now that's a dead giveaway good night a million dollars and he basically bribes and and is Manipulating people and there is some poor old soul. They gave the money. He's answering to God now these did.
I thought that this man a Lot of people say he's lost his mind. No. Yeah, I lost his mind. He knows exactly what he's doing. He's manipulating. Well, he's met God now. There's no turning back from eternity.
Instead of hearing the true gospel these poor weak souls goes in.
They don't get the power. The true gospel had the Holy Spirit through the faith in Jesus and through the Holy Scriptures. They and they don't hear about their sin, and they don't hear about judgment. No, they hear about how sin is condoned.
And how you can live permissive. Or is that in Scripture? Listen to Jude forward. Certain men for certain men have crept in. You hear that crept in within the church unnoticed. Who long ago were marked out for this cannot condemnation.
Same thing Peter says. Ungodly men ungodly men who turned the grace of God into.
Licentiousness or.
Lewdness.
There's the word.
They turned the grace of God into lewdness licentiousness and Denied the only Lord God our and our Lord Jesus Christ these false teachers twist.
The Scriptures.
Just like Satan does they twist it to fit their own meaning and they put their own meaning in into it and They talk about Christian Liberty. Listen to now that this is not only in the charismatic camps.
This is in the reform camps. I've heard this myself from supposedly smart reformed sound doctrine preachers. Taking Christian Liberty and changing it into license to pervert freedom to serve and to freedom to sin.
This is tragic. Churches are full of them and honestly on this all camps. Just not charismatic camps. Pentecostal camps the liberal camps. It's in the reform conservative camps, I'm telling you Satan knows what he's doing folks.
He's very cunning. These are his messengers. False teachers who turned the grace of God into lewdness licentiousness. Now they learned that sin is given religious approval. Oh, they love that. Oh in the name of God, I can be religious and now It's approved and somehow they justify their sinning.
Because it caters to the flesh but notice what Peter says. They allure through the what? lust of the flesh. They do it in the name of God. Think about the holy holy God his how holy his name is. They do this in God's name.
Doesn't that make you tremble? These false teachers pray upon the unstable souls the weak souls the people who are hurting the people who are lonely. The people that are seeking God and they're hurt that people who supposedly they reformed themselves, but they're not regenerated.
MacArthur's commentary again says this he quote though they are not redeemed in fact in their Dissatisfaction loneliness and self-betterment attempts. They are highly vulnerable. Highly vulnerable to the seductive exploitations of false teachers.
It's exactly right. Give you a better quote than that. Or Keith went to it this morning and go with me into Matthew chapter 12. Once again. This whole chapter how right for the Keith is we need to read that this whole chapter because this the chapter is.
Really an.
Eye-opener it speaks of. First of all the first half of it technically speaks about how Jesus is dealing with these self-righteous Pharisees. About Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath and he heals on the Sabbath and then he.
Jesus.
Qualifies himself, which he is the only one that is qualified and he speaks about that. He is the servant. In verse 18 behold my servant whom I've chosen my beloved in whom I'm my soul's will please he quotes from the prophet Isaiah I will put my spirit upon him and he would declare justice to the Gentiles.
He's speaking of himself. But this is actually Matthew that's speaking it from the Holy Spirit, but he will not quarrel no cry. Nor when anyone hear his voice in the streets is a bruised reed. He would not break a smoking flax.
He would not quench till he sends forth justice to victory and his name and In his name Gentiles will trust now. Then he goes into the house divided cannot stand and.
Basically, if you look at there's a demon-possessed person that's brought brought to him. It says in verse 22, then one was brought brought to him who was demon-possessed blind and mute. He healed him so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
But what did they say. All the multitudes were amazed said could this be the Son of David. And now when the Pharisees there's there they are. Heard it they said this fellow does not cast out demons and said by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.
Jesus knew their thoughts verse 25, but Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them every kingdom is Kingdom divided against itself is is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself would not stand.
If Satan cast out Satan he's divided against himself. How then listen to his question. How then with his kingdom stand. Jesus knew how to silence his critics. And then in verse 31 32 he speaks to them about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit the unpardonable sin powerful.
But what I want to get to is here verse 33. The verse 37 then we're gonna jump to 43 and 40 through 45, but notice what he says either make the tree Good and it's fruit good or else make the tree bad and it's fruit bad for a tree is known by its fruit.
Then Jesus points them out brood of vipers. What a preacher. Brood of vipers. Hear any preachers talk like that today. How can you being able speak good things for out of them out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks a Good man out of the of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things and the evil man out of the evil Treasure brings forth evil things.
It's his works. It's what he speaks. But I say to you that every idle word this is every careless word. This is so convicting that men may speak they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.
I'll tell you I don't think there's any more sobering Bursts of scripture than that one right there that everyone we better be careful. That's why the scripture says not only be slow to speak but let your words be viewed.
We're going to give an account at the day of judgment. All the slander are the backtalk all the gossip on the day of judgment. Verse 37 for by your words you will be justified by your words. You will be condemned.
He's speaking to the Pharisees and then he talks about. The only sign that is given to them in this wicked adulterous generation is a sign of the prophet Jonah. Three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish the great sea monster.
Well, so also with the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth that Jesus is basically saying You don't need us. That's the only sign. I'm gonna give his death and his barrel and his resurrection.
But notice with me in verse 43 through 45. He says when an unclean spirit goes out of a man. He goes through a dry places. Brother Keith brought that out. Seeking rest and finds none. In other words what he's saying if you notice if you go back.
Earlier.
He speaks about these. Pharisees are all about externalism. They have reformed and they're playing. Like they're righteous, but they're not truly righteous. And then he says I will return to my house.
Speaking about the unclean spirit from which I came. And when he comes he finds it empty swept and put in order. That is so convicting because you see so many people doing this today. They they sweep it they empty it.
They they put it in order. Then he goes. Takes with them seven listen this seven other spirits. Yeah, Jesus said it. Jesus knows seven other spirits more wicked than himself. This is why the false teachers are so bad folks right here.
And They enter and they dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation? Now the reason I mentioned that is and this is exactly where Peter got.
His.
Words back to 2nd Peter now about what he's about to conclude with. This is where he got it. MacArthur is so right. The whole New Testament is commentary on the words of Jesus Christ and if you notice look at verse 20 for if After they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
They are again entangled in them and overcome and the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. This is where he is alluding to what Jesus said in Matthew 12. Now let's look at that's powerful Graphic illustration, isn't it?
And Peter reveals that apostasy here is the outcome of the false teachers. And let me read verse 20 through 22. We're going to get through this in Closing. This is what he says for if. Let me let me read verse 20 again verse 20 for if they have escaped through the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are again again get that again entangled in Them and overcome the latter end is worse for them than the beginning verse 21 for it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness and that Then having known it to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered to them but it has happened to them according to the true proverb a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow Have having washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Let's look at this. There we see here we see the false teachers perversion the perversion of the false teachers. Because they're all about externalism. They're all about appearance. They're all about eternal chauvin ship.
Play acting as we looked at they masquerade they put the mask on and they play church. And they're on the way to hell. These false teachers are outwardly very dangerous very religious people. Like I said, they talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.
They speak the language. They know they know how to articulate they speak great swelling words the great orators they get up behind pulpits their motivational speakers and.
They have professed the faith in Jesus Christ and Probably convinced that the people that they knew far more about him than they actually did. Otherwise, they would have not been able to infiltrate the church.
So effectively they pursued religion specifically Christianity. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world Let's look at this text through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
They are again entangled in them overcome. They're not overcomers. They are overcome. They're not overcomers through the blood of the Lamb they are overcome and Enslaved to the corruptions in which enslaves them and the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
That word pollution means defilements and the Greek word is Miasma. Miasma, this is important Greek word. This miasma and I got this from MacArthur's commentary is transliterated word in the English that conveys the same meaning as it does in the Greek and he basically says this a vaporous Adzilliation excels basically Adzilliation formerly believed to cause disease.
An.
Influence or Atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt. Unquote. That's what the Greek word miasma basically means the pollution of the world the pollution something you exhale.
You know what? It speaks up. It speaks about the world system. This world system is corrupt. It's corrupt with deceitfulness. It's corrupt with wickedness. It's corrupt with look at the social media. You could see all kinds of lies Immorality Pornography you could go on and on.
It's like it gives off a vaporous poison to breathe to the soul to kill poisonous vapors. Evil wickedness Moral pollutions and every conceivable form and Unsaved lost souls of humanity is contaminated by the world's immorality.
Vanity.
And some such as those become false teachers. They seek to escape the miasma. The false teachers think the same thing to escape the pollutions of the world. They come in Within the church and they infiltrate the church.
Well Miasma the pollutions of the world. Scripture tells us He's false converts. He's false teachers. Fun. Provisional shelter within the church. Knowledge, you know, they they intellectually like Satan knows that There's a God and believe but yet they don't even tremble.
At least the demons tremble. These false teachers are so arrogant they don't tremble. They have an intellectual knowledge, but a safe not a saving knowledge folks. They do not have a sailing a saving knowledge of the truth.
If it were the case They would have been truly regenerated and born again. They would have come to true repentance, but they don't have not come to true repentance. They have not turned. They actually have taken the smuck and the smut of the world and taken it within the church.
Put a.
An icing on it. They made it nice to lure people in and lead them away from the right way. They are devoid of the truth. They're devoid of genuine faith the devoid of true repentance. And it's very evident that these false teachers are not really in Jesus Christ are.
Because they are again entangled. They are again entangled. So if they're entangled again and the alarm it's in the pollutions of the world the Miasma. Then they're overcome by it again. They overcome by the miasma.
They're not overcomers by the blood of the lamb the pollutions of the world and. It makes me think of Demas. Paul had a Demas. Demas. Demas forsook him.
Why?
Because he loved this present world. That's why the command stands in 1st John. Believe it's chapter 2 Love not the world. Neither the things are in the world if any man loved and the things of the world and if any man loves the world the love Of the Father is not in him.
Very clear, isn't it? Well, have you noticed that false teachers love the world? They love flying around in their Lear jets and by the way Kenneth Copeland has got a multi-billionaire a billion a mansion.
Boy, is he gonna take that one with him when he dies?
Nope, he's worth billions. They say.
He's one of the richest men and one of the richest preachers and guess how he started has been a chauffeur for Roberts. Well, God don't care. God doesn't care. They have forsaken the right way. They have forsaken the way of truth and that God cares about and what Rick God really does care about is how.
How they use deception and in leading weak porous and souls to believe their lies. They these false teachers defect and regress and ultimately they go apostate. Just like the Church of Laodicea. They become lukewarm.
Thinking they're rich, but they're poor. Jesus says it makes them sick. They're not truly in Jesus Christ and they are not truly Regenerated. They're not born again. There's no grace to be received because they do not have the power to overcome sin.
They do not walk by the Blessed Holy Spirit. They do not live in the Holy Spirit. They live and they walk according to the flesh. They are entangled again, and they sink sink back into the pollution the miasma of the world.
The smut of the world and the Bible says the last state is much worse than the first. Far worse far worse. Well, I need to close this out. There's many other scriptures. I can go to. I had Matthew 10.
Matthew 11 Talks about actually look at this up in your devotional time but it speaks about that one day that all these people that have an understanding of the truth not a saving knowledge of the truth, but an understanding of the the truth here and Still turn away will face a far far greater judgment than those who have never heard the truth in the first place.
That's what the Bible teaches. They have known the way of righteousness and having known it to turn away from the Holy Commandment. That Holy Commandment is they turn away from the Holy Scriptures. They go apostate.
The way of righteousness is the way of faith and that was once delivered to the Saints. The Holy Commandment is the Holy Scriptures the truth and these false teachers ultimately Renounce Jesus Christ and is saving power and truth.
They spurn and turn away from the true way of salvation folks. Terrifying judgment go with me to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 6. I want you to see this. This is so so sobering as I was reading this it just it checks me as well.
Listen to what the Word of God says in verse 4. For it is impossible for those who have were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have Tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come if they fall away.
Listen as they fall away, that's apostate folks. They fall away. To renew them again to repentance since they Crucified again themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame. Powerful. They were entangled again.
Go with me to Hebrews 10 and I'd like to start with verse 25 because verse between verse 25 and 26. There is an apostasy there's there's there's a point here and you know. You usually see this when someone leaves the church they go outside of the church.
They would never of us in the first place. They leave us. They never were of us. Not forsaking the assembling ourselves together. This is a grace. The as in the manner of some but exhorting one another but so much the more as you see that they approaching.
There is there is good reason to meet together. Is it not to exhort one another to love one another to pray for one another to assemble together? But for for what reason. Because we are to exhort one another for what reason.
Much the more as you see the day the day of judgment approaching.
That's grace.
Verse 26.
There's apostasy for if we sin.
Willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth. There is no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Listen what he says, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery indignation which would devour the adversaries.
And if anyone who has rejected Moses's law that dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses of how much. How much worse punishment do you suppose? Will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God under foot?
Counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of grace. For we know Him who said vengeance is mine. I will repay says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people.
It is a fearful thing a terrifying thing to fall into hands of the Living God. This is what we need to be telling the false teachers today. A Fearful judgment awaits them a fearful judgment. One more quote from MacArthur.
He says apostate teachers as Peter describes them actually developed from within the church we're particular partial. Partially exhumed from the mulk of the society's wickedness. They hear the truth, but ultimately reject it.
Like Judas Iscariot they breed in close proximity to Jesus Christ in his word cloaking themselves in the feigned righteousness of hypocrisy. Ultimately, they use the church solely for their own selfish purposes like spiritual parasites seductively.
Seeking to drag as many as possible down with them to the fetish.
The fiendish.
Satisfaction of the host of Satan in quote and 1st Timothy chapter 4 backs that up. Now we see the despicable dirty nature of these false teachers. Look at back to 2nd Peter. And I want you to see this now we're going to see their nature.
This is why they behave the way they do they got the nature like he likens. An Illustration like into animals a graphic imagery from the animal kingdom folks dogs and hogs. Dogs and hogs. This is their nature.
He's actually Peter cut let me read it first. Then he says. But as it has happened to them according to the true proverb a dog returns to his own Vomit and a sow having washed to a wallowing in the mire Proverbs 26 11.
This is where he's got in mind as a dog returns to his own vomit. He returns. So a fool repeats his folly. Peter's warning is crystal clear. Is it not? We see right here that the dogs and hogs a dog you you can't stop a dog.
They they are really filthy animals. They will eat their own vomit. They will eat trash. They're vomited up and they'll go back and eat the vomit. That's pretty in that nasty, isn't it? So what Peter's saying this is how bad these false teachers are.
They're terrible. They're disgusting. This is the way God feels about them. And if you notice in the in the book of Revelation Those that are outside of the city or what?
Dogs and.
Sorcerers.
Liars.
The unbelieving the fearful. Abominable, they will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone folks. That's serious. That is so serious. There are dogs.
Dogs.
They're dirty dirty and filthy. Wow.
How about a hog?
You can wash your heart. Clean them up on the outside. I've seen this. I grew up on a farm.
My.
My great-grandparents had a farm he had hogs and I remember he washed him up and put him in a show and put him back in that pen. He's right back in that pig style waller in that mud. Because he loves the mud.
He loves the dirt. He loves the fit. That's what he loves. He didn't like to be washed up. He didn't like if he could talk he'd probably say get me out of this show. I don't be in this show. I don't care about blue ribbons.
All I care about that, but. That's the way false teachers are folks. They love the field. They love the mud and that's what he's saying. We are to avoid avoid them. Well very quickly, let me give a quick application and I want to make this as simple as I can but the application I only got a couple of minutes.
How can we know? What is genuine saving faith and what is not? How can we know and how can we tell what is false and what is true faith genuine faith? I'm gonna run through this very quickly. And if you got a MacArthur study Bible, you can see this in the back of his study Bible.
This is where I'm taking this from. He goes to 2nd Corinthians 13 5, which is I think is a very key verse. He says examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith test yourselves. Do not do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you have disqualified.
Or you are disqualified. In other words that you do not stand the test. You know God knows our heart, but you know what the problem is. We don't know our own heart.
That's our problem and.
That's why David cried out in Psalm and Psalms 139, but Psalm 51 as well. He said create me a clean heart Oh God and renewed a right spirit within me. But in Psalm 139 right after he goes through scriptures about how God literally speaks and hates the wicked he turns the searchlight on himself and then he cries out says search me Oh God and See if there be any wicked way in me, this is a godly man and You know is Isaiah and all the prophets that saw a true vision of Jesus Christ.
They wouldn't flippantly going around with great swelling words talking about they seen angels and all this. They were on their face and they said woe is me. For I'm undone. That's another reason right there that should tell people that Jesse Duplantis is a false charlatan.
Well, how do we know? Well, the evidence is that neither prove nor disprove one's faith is visible morality that does it. Prove or disprove one's faith does it. You can have visible morality and go to hell.
You can have intellectual knowledge like the false teachers and go to hell. You can have religious revival and be in church all your life and go to hell. You can be active in ministry and go to hell. You can have even conviction of sin and supposedly assurance of salvation because they are deceived and go to hell and.
And there's a scripture. I believe in Hebrews. It says that even he saw salt repentance with tears and he didn't get it. Well, but what about what's authentic? Here's the fruit and proofs of authentic true Christianity and you don't see this here.
I guarantee in false teachers. Love for God number one. Now we're talking about a true love for God holy affections for God and this is why Paul says Whoever does not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Let him be what?
Cursed.
How about repentance from sin true repentance? You don't see him repenting and repenting and repenting. You won't hear them preach repentance. No, you will you see repentance out of them? How about genuine humility?
Oh, no, you see arrogance, but you don't see genuine humility. How about devotion to God's glory. I heard Kenneth Kenneth Copeland one time I was on vacation years back and I cut the TV on and then his face was right there and he says I'm hungry for the glory of God.
And Buddy, he wasn't talking about God's true glory. He wanted glory for himself. I cut it off. I said you charlatan. Somebody's saying something like that about God.
That's what the devil wants.
He wants God's glory. God kicked him out. So you won't have people these false teachers really having a real true devotion to the glory of God because it humbles them. And they're hidden behind the cross and they die to themselves.
You don't hear him talk about self-denial and taking up your cross and counting the cost. And if they do speak of those scriptures, it's sheep's clothing. It's all you don't see him continuing in prayer.
How about continuing prayer. You pray and pray and pray and you love praying? Selfless love. Separation from the world. Spiritual growth and maturity. Obedient living. How about the conduct of the gospel proclaiming it defending it demonstrating it sharing it suffering for it?
You don't hear them talk about suffering for Not to hinder it not to be ashamed of it, but we to preach it be empowered by.
The.
Garden, oh folks. I'm telling you this is so sobering.
Turn the searchlight on yourself and seek your Seek. The Lord's why he may be found. Amen. This makes me want to repent right now. These are savage savage wolves, they are serious and All they want to do.
They're in sheep's clothing day and Paul says they will come within the church And call disciples to themselves. That's why he warned the elders in Acts chapter 20 Take heed take heed take heed. I'll leave you with that.
Take heed take heed.
Let's pray father in heaven. This is such a sobering sobering text and it helps us Lord to search our own.
Hearts Lord that God that we're not playing church Lord help us to love your word.
More than anything These false teachers turn from the Holy Commandment they turn from the scripture that was delivered to them and then that warning comes as It has happened to them. According to the true proverb a dog returns to its own vomit in the South washed and wallowing in her mire.
Never been born again. Oh God churches.
So full of so many people tears. That is raised and grown up right beside the wheat. May we be the true wheat? May we be the true sheep of your pasture? Born again of the Spirit of Christ and filled with Jesus Christ and filled with your Holy Spirit.
And. Help us to be sober. Help us to be vigilant because we do have an adversary. The devil who roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. There's many false teachers. Oh God that he is sent out.
May we warn people Lord? May we be bold for you? Oh God to warn people about these false teachers. Because there is a terrifying day of judgment that's coming and may we be ready. May we be ready just like a sign.
I saw Lord the other day. Are you preparing to meet Jesus? May we be prepared. May we be prepared in Jesus name? Amen and amen.