Beware of False Prophets: Part 1

We continue our study through 2 Peter, a wonderful book, and now we have come to the heart of the book. It's only three chapters, but it has a lot of content to it. And as I was studying this, I should have known the first three verses, as short as that is, there's much here about false teachers and false prophets.

So this is going to be part one of a two-part message, and we're going to get through maybe half of what I need to say, and there's so much more that could be said of what the Bible has to say concerning false teachers, false prophets within the church.

So much that's said there, but we want to look and see what God's Word has to tell us. God is very clear about it, but we just ask that the Holy Spirit would help us. He's the real teacher to teach us what, He's the spirit of truth, to teach us what truth really is concerning these false teachers that's within the churches.

So I'd like to minister to you, beware of false prophets, beware of false prophets. So turn with me, if you're not already there, to 2 Peter 2, 2 Peter 2, we're looking at just the first three verses, the first three verses.

So hear the word of the living God. I'm reading from the NKJV, the New King James Version. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers, teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

And many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words, and for a long time their judgment has been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

We'll stop right there, and ask God to help us now. May God richly bless the reading of His holy word from our ears to our hearts this morning. Please bow with me in prayer, and let's ask our Lord to help us in this time of worship as we continue to worship Him.

Our Father, and our great God, oh how we thank You for this morning that You've given unto us. This is the day that the Lord has made, and we're to rejoice and to be glad in it. Father, we rejoice that we have Your holy word.

We rejoice that we have the written truth, and that it has come to us at a great price. This word that's been preserved down through the ages, Your holy word, there's nothing like it. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Your words will continue to abide forever.

Will not pass away. So Father, we thank You. We know that this book has come on a sea of blood through the martyrs and the reformers. Many has paid a heavy price for it. And may we never forget that great truth.

So many has died for this truth, and they counted it as something worth dying for. But most important, Father, is the one who came from heaven. The one who died on Calvary's cross to shed His precious blood for our redemption.

Father, this book is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. So we thank You for the Lord of glory that came from heaven and to earth to ransom His people. The church, the true church. Lord Jesus Christ, the one, Father, that You are well pleased in.

The one who is the way, the truth, and the life. So Father, we would just pray by Your blessed Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth. Heavenly teacher, the comforter, the true teacher. The Spirit of truth, the Spirit of holiness.

Help us, O God, to depend on His power and His might. Father, we thank You. Lord, we just ask You to help us by Your grace now. To apply these great truths into our personal lives. Thank You for the warnings that You give us, O God, that's in love.

To show us the way of truth. So Lord, help us within this hour. We will forever give You glory. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen and Amen. One of the most successful rackets in this world today is selling fake art.

If you look around you today in this world, it's very popular. A lot of fake art out there. And even some of the finest galleries and private collections have been invaded by paintings that are ever clever counterfeits.

Of the great masters. It's hard to tell the genuine from the counterfeit, especially when it comes to art. Even publishers have also had their share of the hoaxes. Purchasing so-called genuine art that weren't really so genuine after all.

But counterfeits are really nothing new, are they? There's nothing new under the sun, as Solomon tells us. Satan is the great imitator. He knows how to imitate the truth. And he does a good job at it.

Actually, in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 13 -15, the Apostle Paul says,. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, Paul says, no wonder.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness whose end will be according to their works.

It's interesting that the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter is pretty much saying some of the same things. But it's the Holy Spirit of God that actually compliments each of these words. Because it's the same Spirit of God that guided and moved the Apostle Paul as well as the Apostle Peter.

I was reading in Pastor John MacArthur's studied Bible, in which I have, and he says this about false teachers, and I thought this was worth noting.

He says, quote,.

Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God, to the salvation of souls, when in reality he speaks for Satan, to the damnation of their souls. End quote. Those who promote heresy are the ultimate terrorists in our time.

And they are the ultimate terrorists from days past as well. And that they deceive people to follow a path that leads sadly, tragically to eternal hell fire. Don't hear much about that today, do we? We don't hear much about the warnings of Christ.

And I like what J .C. Rowell says, It would serve the church of God to study the warnings of Christ as well as we study the promises of Christ. But here in 2 Peter at the end of chapter 1, the Apostle Peter actually lays out the very foundation of our faith.

Which is the inspired word of the living God. We just looked at that from the last of chapter 1. That he says, Knowing this first that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but by holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

So he gives us this to his readers. And he knows that he is about to pass off the scene. Which he says earlier in chapter 1, That, let me find the place. In verse 13, Yes I think it is right as long as I am in this tent to stir up you by reminding you.

Knowing that shortly I must put off my tent just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. So he knows his time is very short. When he writes this letter he is up in age. He knows he is about to leave this world.

Now he knows that he is about to pass off. And now he desires his readers to stand firmly on the truth of God's word. That is his desire, that is his passion. But he also knows something else that is very important before us here.

Is that false prophets are a continual threat to God's people. This kind of threat is not going to go away, not until Jesus Christ comes back. So in contrast to the godly prophets which he spoke of, For God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

He begins chapter 2 by contrasting them to false prophets who have played God's people down through the ages. And we see this all through the Old Testament. These false teachers take their place right inside the church, don't they?

They pose as ministers of the gospel as Paul the Apostle, we just read, says. And if they actually came right out and said that they were atheists and agnostics, people would be on their guard. But they don't do that, do they?

No, they got a cloak. They transform themselves into ministers of light, of righteousness, while all together they're wicked. They carry a bible and they can even preach somewhat motivated sermons. I wouldn't dare call it good sermons, because in light of what scripture says it's not a good sermon.

But we know that they learn how to preach and that doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how to preach. Satan himself has many of his ministers and they preach all the time. They're very good at twisting the word of God, aren't they?

They know how to take it out of context. This reminds me of Acts chapter 20, you could go there if you like, as the Apostle Paul exhorts the elders from Ephesus. And if you notice or if you remember in the text in Acts 20, I love Acts 20 because it's so full.

It's so full of admonitions, it's so full of warnings, and you see the heart of the Apostle Paul and his burden. There's no doubt about it, he has the burden of the Lord on his heart and his life. So he calls for the elders to come from Ephesus.

He gives to them these serious warnings and the burden of the Lord from his life. Notice in verse 27, I'm not going to read all of it, but I'm just going to start right there. He says this, let me back up to 26, I think this is important.

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. What a statement. He can honestly say that he is innocent.

He's clean.

From the blood of all men. And he tells us why. For I have not shunned, I have not shunned, or in other words, I have not avoided declaring to you the whole counsel of God. The whole plan of God. Basically what he's saying is that I have not held back and given to you the complete and full gospel.

Everything.

Verse 28, therefore take heed to yourselves. Notice the take heed there. Now we're going into some warnings. Anytime you see take heed, that means, like Peter says, gird up the loins of your mind. Have your ears perking.

Get ready to receive this. To yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Now keep in mind he's speaking to elders. To shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

That's how important this is. To shepherd the church of God, which God has purchased with His own blood in Jesus Christ. Then he says in verse 29, for I know this. Notice he says the same thing that Peter says.

No, I will, no, will. After my departure, savage wolves,.

These are false teachers.

Savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking, speaking perverse things. Perverse things. Misleading things. To draw away the disciples after themselves.

And then he says, therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. I tell you, that has such an impact. And it's one of the reasons I love this part in this chapter 20 because the Apostle Paul was so genuine.

A father of the faith, the Apostle, had founded many churches. One of the greatest missionaries had ever lived outside of Jesus. One of the greatest theologians. But yet he says here, I did not cease to warn everyone night and day.

Night and day? With tears? He was broken because of false teachers coming within the church. What a powerful statement. Oh, how these apostles were grieved about the false teachers making their way inside the church and deceiving many.

So basically the apostles are echoing the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. I read this quite often because it's so important. But Matthew chapter 7 has a lot to tell us.

Jesus' sermon on the mount, the greatest sermon that was ever preached. Preached by the greatest preacher that ever lived. The greatest man that ever lived. The Lord Jesus Christ himself. And I think, you know, if the apostles tell us it's important, the prophets tell us it's important.

It's all God's word, right? But this is the master. This is the master. This is Jesus. This is the Son of God from heaven. And he says in verse 15, let me back up a little bit. He mentions in verse 13, Enter in by the narrow gate.

For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. There he talks about destruction. And there are many who go in by it. Notice the contrast here. Because narrow is the gate. And difficult is the way which leads to life.

And there are few who find it. Hear the opposite in the world, don't we? The world says many goes to heaven. Many goes to heaven but few to hell. Well the scriptures contradict that because we know it's not true.

Basically Jesus is saying very few there is going to be going to heaven and many go to hell.

That's the truth.

Jesus says beware of false prophets. Directly after that, he goes right into the warnings about beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing. They don't come to you with a pitchfork and horns and all that saying I'm a bad guy, I'm a devil.

No, they come with sheep's clothing. But inwardly, there it is. Inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Just like Paul says very close to the same language, savage wolves, savage. In other words, they're not going to spare the flock.

They're not going to spare a sheep. They're going to go after the sheep and they're intended to eat the sheep. Devour it. Jesus basically gives us some great revelation here, doesn't he? You will know them by their fruits.

Know who?

The false prophets.

In context to what he's saying, you will know these false prophets. You will know them by their fruits.

By their fruits.

Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. And therefore, by their fruits you will know them. He's speaking of false prophets, isn't he? That's undeniable. That's basically within the text, that's the context.

He's warning about false teachers. And then he goes from a different scene about how you would know them to what's going to happen on judgment day. He goes to the judgment day and then he says, not everyone who says to me, in other words, everyone's going to stand before the judge.

He's the judge. He's the righteous judge, Jesus Christ. Going to stand before him because he's going to judge every man. He's going to judge every person. Not everyone who says to me, that's speaking, Lord, Lord, they even call him Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

And then he says this word many again. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, notice what he says. Have we not prophesied in your name? Basically preached. Have we not cast out demons in your name?

Used in Jesus' name? And done many wonders in your name? Used in the name of God. Used in the name of Jesus. Then they make that declaration. He doesn't deny that they do those signs and wonders, does he?

He doesn't deny that. But there's one terrifying thing here, and I believe this is the most terrifying words you will ever hear. And pray God that none of us will ever hear this as we stand before the king of glory one day.

Because he says to them, then I will declare to them, these false teachers, these false prophets, I never knew you. In other words, they never were born again in the first place. They never were regenerated in the first place.

I never knew you. Depart from me. You who practice lawlessness. That's an explanation point there. So that's what they practice. Lawlessness. And then he basically goes into another section of this conclusion.

And it's really one of the greatest conclusions that you will ever hear on any sermon, especially this greatest sermon that ever was preached. And he talks about those who hear my words and does them.

He speaks about obedience. Well, liken them to a wise man who built his house on the rock, that foundation. So the warnings are there, right? And this is what happens on judgment day to those false teachers.

Go with me quickly to the Olivet Discourse in the same book, chapter 24. Jesus speaks again. Now, the question comes up and I like what has been said about this because the question is given to Jesus about the end times.

And He basically... They come upon the temple. In verse 21, I'm sorry, in chapter 24, verse 1, then Jesus went out and departed from the temple and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Surely I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. Now, He knew that judgment would come. And we know that in A .D. 60, A .D. 70, my correction there, my bad, is that this was fulfilled.

Titus overcame Jerusalem and the temple was what laid waste. Jesus knew this. But a question came up here in verse 3. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. This is a private talk with the Lord saying, Tell us, when will these things be?

And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Very first thing Jesus says, and Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed. There's that take heed again. That no one deceives you.

Deception.

Deception comes. No one deceives you. You know, everybody wants to hear about end times. Show me the signs of the times and everything. Show me about all the end times. Remember, the first thing Jesus says, For many, many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many.

False teachers.

Look about us today. There's swarms of them. We could go on and on about that, but these false teachers will come. Notice, jump to verse 22. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the likesake, for those days will be shortened.

Then if anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ or there, do not believe it. And then again He says, For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive. If possible, even the elect.

Now, I don't know about you, that just makes me to sit still for a moment and just turn the searchlight on my own heart. We better make sure that our salvation is in Jesus Christ and we better make sure our calling and election is sure.

That's critical. Many false teachers. Now, as we study this chapter in 2 Peter, it's interesting that there are no direct exhortations. There's no direct commands. What's Peter doing? Peter just describes the false teachers and their evil ways at length.

That's what he does. He gives them a description. As one preacher said it like this, as if he's holding up a most wanted poster. He's holding up a poster. Now, it makes me think about the wild west. This person's wanted, this one's wanted, and he's holding up this poster with all these faces.

Most wanted. These are the most hideous, evil looking characters there are.

Take heed.

This is what these counterfeits look like. Don't listen to them. They're false. It makes me think that. They're dangerous. So chapter 2 of 2 Peter basically serves as a warning to us. It serves as a warning to the church.

And we need these warnings. I need these warnings. We need to hear these warnings. And it's sad to say today that many churches today will not hear these kind of warnings. There's some will. But many will hear like Paul says with itching ears.

They're going to hear what they want to hear.

That's the truth.

They don't want to hear about wrath. They don't want to hear about judgment. They don't want to hear about warnings. They don't want to hear about sufferings. They surely don't want to hear about Jesus Christ being crucified.

He's what the church is all about. He's to have preeminence.

So our text actually,.

What Peter is saying in essence is beware of these false prophets. Beware of them because they leave a trail of spiritual devastation in their wake. Let's look at some of these warnings. And by the way, we're only going to hit three of them today.

I don't have an outline, but we're just going to look and see what the text says. And 2 Peter here. And these first three verses. So we're going to break this up because there's many other scriptures I'd like to tie into.

That's going to take a little time, but I think they're very important for us to see. So the Holy Spirit brings this to light through the apostle. We'll be looking at seven reasons to beware of false prophets, but we're going to look at three today.

Lord willing, the rest of the four next Lord's Day. The first is, no doubt, beware of false teachers because they are a threat to God's people. I've already mentioned that. But I think that's the number one thing we see here.

They are a threat to God's people. But there were, verse 1, but there were also false prophets among the people. They speak into the past, but that doesn't mean that's not relevant to the present tense.

Even as there will be false teachers among you, see, and he tells us, okay, there was false prophets in the past, and there's false prophets here in the present. And there will be in the future as well.

But who will secretly bring in what?

Destructive heresies.

Destructive heresies. Now that's important.

It's what they teach.

That's why you think the Bible says so much about not only false teaching, but it also, what counters that? Sound teaching, healthy teaching, sound doctrine. Paul constantly is talking about this, and nowadays in the days we live, oh, don't mention to me anything about doctrine.

Whether they know it or not, they believe in something. Even if they say they don't believe in something, they don't believe in doctrine, they do believe in something. And teaching is so important. So the first phrase actually refers back to the history of God's people.

Now we could spend a long time here, but we're going to spend a little time here. But we know in history, and if you go in Scripture, now down in the history of Israel in the Old Testament, there's another being that God created.

And no, it's not God's fault, is it, that he became what he did, because he chose to become what he did. And in heaven, did God know that he chose to be what he was going to be? Absolutely. And it's the mystery of the sovereignty of God, but God had the plan all arranged, and now Satan's being used in the sovereignty of God.

But it had to fit this in in the church. A lot of people try to reconcile those two things, but God has given us his word to be on guard and to take heed against Satan, because Satan is really the number one false prophet.

Jesus said he's a liar, right? And Jesus said he's the father of all lies. So even though God created him as a beautiful, angelic being to guard the throne of God, he rebelled. We know that, don't we, in Scripture.

And he lifted himself up against God Almighty. I believe it's Isaiah 19, if I'm correct, that speaks about... Is it 19? Or is it chapter 11? But it speaks about Lucifer that rises up against God Almighty.

And I want to make sure I'm right on that, because I don't want to give you... I believe it is 19. Oh, I'm sorry. My mistake. Chapter 14. Oh, verse 12, chapter 14. How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?

How are you cut down to the ground? You who weaken the nations, and you have said in your heart... Notice how many times he says, I will. I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will also sit in the mount of the congregation on the farther sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.

I, I, I, I.

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit. And that pretty much tells about his rebellion. And as we read in Revelation, many of the angels went with him. And we also know from the Revelation of Jude that many of them was chained up.

So God can easily chain them all up and destroy all of them, right? By the word of His power. But He allows them to continue. And He uses them. As, as Luther said, He's on the leash. Aren't you guys so glad that God is sovereign?

Now, Satan deceived Eve in the garden. He was waiting for them there. And he even uses now a false teacher to deceive people ever since. We see this in the Old Testament. I want to touch on a few of these.

Now go with me to Deuteronomy chapter 13. I believe Brother Keith brought this to my attention because it's important that we go to the foundation, foundational books. Deuteronomy, and that's as Brother Willem has started reading in chapter 1.

Deuteronomy will be telling us much about this. Chapter 13. Moses, let me give you a backdrop of this. Chapter 13, Moses has basically warned Israel about false prophets who would deceive by performing signs and wonders to get people to go after false gods.

He sees that this is to serve a threat that he says even if your brother, your child, or even your wife you cherish, you must not follow him or her after these false gods. Rather, you must not have pity on them, basically.

There is to be judgment executed to them. You must expose them so that they can be put to death. Now that sounds harsh, doesn't it? Let's read just a little bit. I want to read 1 through 18 of chapter 13.

These are some warnings. Here's the Pentateuch, the foundational book. Let me just read 1 through 18. And if there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and if he gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign or the wonder comes to pass or which he spoke to you saying let us go after other gods which you have not known, let us serve them.

You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commands and obey his voice and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

That's what we are to do, right? That's the command. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has spoken an order to turn you away from the Lord your God. That's the sin he does, folks.

Who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage and enticed you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

God's serious when it comes to holiness. Then he says in verse 6,. If your brother and the son of your mother and your son, your daughter, the wife of your bosom or your friend who is as your own soul secretly entices you saying let us go and serve other gods which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far from you from one end of the earth or to the other end of the earth, you shall not consent to him or listen to him nor shall your eye pity him nor shall you spare him or conceal him.

But you shall surely kill him and your hand shall be first against him to be put to death and afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones until he dies because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.

So all Israel shall hear in fear and not again do such wickedness as this is among you. And then he says this,. For if you hear someone of your cities which the Lord your God gives to you to dwell in saying corrupt men shall have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their cities saying let us go and serve other gods which you have not known, then you shall inquire and search out and ask diligently as if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you.

You shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroy it and all that is in it and its livestock with the edge of the sword. And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street and completely burn the fire of the city and plunder for the Lord your God.

It is shall be a heap forever and it shall not be built again. So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you just as He has sworn to your fathers.

Because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God to keep all His commandments which I command you today to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God. That's the word of the living God, folks.

And that's God's basic definition of how to deal with false teachers. Now that sounds awful harsh, doesn't it? It seems to be very extreme to us and our ears because our age is so tolerant of false doctrine.

It breaks my heart, folks. I really, when I'm ministering this, my heart really breaks within me because we shrug it off as not being a big deal but God makes it, it's a big deal to God. False teaching is serious.

False prophets that teach the false heresy in the teachings is even more serious. As a matter of fact, Moses knew that false teachers would infect God's people like a cancer causing an irreparable damage to God's people.

J .C. Rowell said this in the 19th century. You know Rowell, a godly man, a very godly man. Lived in the 19th century, a bishop. In his book, The Warnings to the Churches, I thought about his admonition and warning here about this and he says it so right.

He said this,.

Conversely, in religion is a hateful thing. It is hard enough to fight the devil, the world and the flesh, without private differences in our own camp. But there is one thing which is worse than controversy and that is false doctrine.

False doctrine tolerated, false doctrine allowed, and permitted without protest. Three things, he says, which men never ought to trifle with. A little poison, a little false doctrine, and a little sin.

That's serious, isn't it? That shakes me. And I say, you know, oh God, Judas, as Judas lived, he heard Christ's sermons. He really thought he was right in there. The other apostles didn't realize this.

Of course, Jesus did. The Master did. And Jesus called him the son of perdition. I'm telling you, it's very serious, isn't it? Go with me to Jeremiah, chapter 23. I want you to see this. We're going to be visiting Jeremiah quite often here.

This is a broken prophet. This is the weeping prophet. Chapter 23. There is some great, great warning here. Look at the first few verses. Look at verse 1 through 4. Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture.

Whose pasture is it? It's God's pasture. That's God's pasture. You don't mess with God's people. He says, woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people, you have scattered my flock, you've driven them away and not attended to them.

Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doing, says the Lord. You don't want God dealing with you. But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to the folds and they shall be fruitful and increase.

It's wonderful that God takes His own people if they are being led astray by false teachers. God, if they are of God, they will be taken out from that and led right into the truth. And He says, I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them.

Feed them.

And they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the Lord. And from verse 5 to verse 7 basically speaks a prophecy of Jesus. Because it says, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness.

A king shall reign and prosper. Now God is concerned. He said, I'm going to take care of His people and I'm going to raise up these shepherds of shepherds. He's the great shepherd of the flock. He's the great shepherd of the sheep.

He speaks about Jesus and He says, A king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. And in His days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is His name by which He will be called the Lord our righteousness.

This is Jesus.

This is the Christ. The Son of the living God. Jump with me to verse 9. My heart within me is broken because of the prophets. All my bones shake. I'm like a drunken man and like a man whom wine has overcome because of the Lord and because of His holy words.

For the land is full of adulteries. He had it in His day folks. Listen to this. For because of a curse of the land mourns the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil and their bite is not right.