John. Second John. Finish this
little chapter tonight, Lord willing. Second John. Start reading at verse six. And
this is love that we walk after his commandments. This is the
commandment that as you have heard from the beginning, you
should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered
into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we lose
not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive
a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto
you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come
unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The
children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen. All right,
look back over here a second, John, with me. And my subject
this evening is many deceivers. He said in verse 7, for many
deceivers are entered into the world. He goes from talking about
walking in love and loving the truth and walking in love and
loving those who love the truth, and he goes from that, walk in
this commandment, that commandment that you had from the beginning,
that you should love one another. He goes from that and then turns
right around and say, those who know and love the truth, he says,
walk in this truth, be sure to walk what you heard from the
beginning, walk in it. For many deceivers, verse 7,
are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ
has come into flesh, this is a deceiver and an antichrist.
What should our attitude be toward false preachers? What should
our attitude be toward false preachers? You know, Paul asked
this question, who maketh thee to differ from another? What
have you got that you didn't receive? So anything that we
have, anything that we know, anything that we believe, We
attribute it to God. We attribute everything that
we know and we have to God. Christ taught us. God the Holy
Spirit came and revealed Christ to us. But so what should our
attitude be towards false prophets? But blessed be the name of the
Lord. I tell you, He taught us the truth. He taught us the truth
so we may expose the false. And it's how we expose the false.
We don't want to be mean or cruel or anything like that. But we
walk in love and walk in truth. And then he comes along and says,
many deceivers are in the world. And I was reading, I've read
quite a bit on this. And John, some say that John
was read at a hundred years old when he wrote this, about a hundred
years old, he'd come back from exile on Nile of Patmos. And maybe he was, he is an old,
old man. And this is the one that the
scripture said that he, the disciple whom Jesus loved, And he leaned
on Jesus' breast, the breast of our Lord Jesus, and yet he
lived long enough to see men stand up and deny the Lord Jesus
Christ, who He is, that He's come into flesh. They denied
that. He saw that. When he conversed
with Christ, walked with Christ, leaned on Christ's breast, heard
Christ preached, wrote a book about Christ being God. And then
he lived long enough to say that there's so many deceivers already
out there in the world. Christ ain't been gone very long.
I'm the last of the apostles. And after all the love and the
truth, this is what we got to deal with, what we got to face.
Many deceivers are gone into the world. And here he's referring
to false teachers, false preachers, and they're described by their
character, by their character, and by their work. They confess
not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver,
called a deceiver. Paul said they were seducers,
evil men, waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
They're seducers. And they come along and they
promise men things that they can't produce. They promise that
if you go to accept Jesus and go on back to the law, that you
can be saved over here, but it takes this to sanctify you. You
can be saved over here, but yet you've got to work your way all
the way to heaven. Christ saves you and he'll help
you. And they seduce you, and they want you to believe that
if you dress a certain way, wear your beard a certain way, wear
a certain color of clothes, that you'll be all right with God.
Be very strict in your home. Be very strict in your family.
And they'll seduce people and cause them to go astray. And
it don't take much to get somebody to go towards works. It don't
take much to get them to go that way at all. Most folks, that's
what they want to do. They want to be saved by their
works. They don't care if Jesus helps
them. They don't care if the church helps them along a little
bit. But they really believe that it's ultimately up to them.
They've been seduced by false preachers for so long that the
scriptures tells us that the way of truth is evil spoken of. The way of truth has been, lie
has been so told that the way of truth is evil spoken of. But
he goes on to say, you know, that these deceivers in the world,
and I tell you, these men pretend to be ministers of the word,
ministers of the word. I've told you, I don't know how
many times about these commercials on the radio here, pretend to
be ministers of the word, pretend to love the truth. They pretend
to be concerned for men's souls. They say they have a view to
God's glory, but they handle the Word of God deceitfully.
They're imposters. They use a half a verse of Scripture.
No, they'll use a part of a verse of Scripture. And they'll use
one thing, and they'll take one Scripture and base their whole
doctrine on it. Camelot Church does that. They
use Acts 2.38, and they base their whole premise of salvation
on that one verse of Scripture. But they handle, you know, people,
and how many times, quote, a half a verse of scripture. Just let
me give you an illustration. 2 Peter 3 says this, that he's
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come unto
repentance. Now that's what most men say, that's what it says.
So that tells you that God's willing not that anybody perish,
but he wants everybody to come to repentance. But that's not
what it says. God is long-suffering to us.
to us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that we
should be brought to repentance. So they'll take something and
they'll go, you know, and give me another illustration. Everything
in the Old Testament that does with whosoever has to do or whosoever
will has to do with freewill offerings. free will offerings. Every time you find the word
whosoever in the Old Testament, it says whosoever will, let him
bring of his silver, his gold, or whatever he's got, let him
bring it, whosoever will. And there's only one place in
the New Testament where whosoever will, let him take of the water
of life freely and let him drink freely. But they'll take that
one verse of Scripture and they'll base the whole doctrine a free
will on whosoever will. And then it says, whosoever will,
let him take. How can you take something that
you don't even know exists? Take of the water of life freely.
Now, how will you get the will? That's the first question that
you would ask somebody. Somebody asks, where would you
get the will? Where would you get the will to take of the water
of life? Where are you going to get the
will? So they, you know, men, that's what I'm talking about.
They handle the Word of God deceitfully. They're impostors. Look with
me over here in 1 John 2.18. Right back over here in 1 John
2.18. Oh, you know, Paul called them
impostors. They're false apostles, false
apostles. And look what he says here. Little
children, 1 John 2.18, little children. It is the last time. That's how
far he thought. Boy, this is the last time. This
is the last days. We're at the end of this thing.
As you have heard. that an Antichrist shall come. You've heard that, that he's
going to come. Oh everybody, I mean people are looking for
the Antichrist now, a great big man to rise up and deceive the
whole world, lead the whole world astray. They're expecting one
man to rise up. The world is, and religion is,
one man going to rise up and be this great Antichrist. You've
heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many many
antichrists whereby we know that is the last time. What is an
antichrist? Anybody that preaches anything
but Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation, the only righteousness. And that's why you know I read
it to you. Look over here in 2 Peter. Let me show you 2 Peter
chapter 2. Back over to your left. 2 Peter
chapter 2. That's why, you know, I read,
I believe it was Sunday morning out of Matthew 7. It said, Beware
of false prophets. He said, you know, at the gate,
straight gate, that's where the false prophets hang out at. Beware
of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing. They
come dressed like sheep, look like sheep. They come in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly, inwardly, they're ravening wolves. And
then he says, you'll know them by their fruits. Will men gather
grapes of thorns? Or will they gather figs off
of thistles? And he said, that's how you'll
know them, by their fruits, by their fruits. And they're inwardly
raven and wolves. And look what the apostle said
here in 2 Peter 2.1. But there were false prophets
also among the people. Oh my, how many false prophets
there was. And when the true prophets came
along, they belittled them and ridiculed them. Jeremiah was
blessed of God to write a book. And he said, you take that up
there and see that the king gets it. Well, the king got it. He
got mad and took a knife to it, a pen knife to it, and threw
it away. And while he was prophesying to them, telling them what God
said, these other false prophets would get right up in the king's
face and say, oh, don't listen to what Jeremiah says. Don't
hear anything he's got to say. God's not going to do anything
he says. So what did he do to Jeremiah? Put him in the dungeon,
kept all the false prophets around him. But there were false prophets
also among the people. even as there shall be false
teachers among you, coming among you, who shall privately, privately,
they're going to sneak in, they're going to come in and get a few
over here and get a few over there, shall bring in damnable
heresies, Listen to this, even denying the Lord that bought
them, they deny the power and effectualness of the blood of
Christ and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And listen
to this, and many shall follow their pernicious ways, deadly
ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be even spoken
of. And this is where they're at, through covetousness. They
covet you, they covet your money, they covet your praise, they
covet your honor, and with covetousness shall they with feigned words,
made-up words, phony words, make merchandise of you. All you are
is a piece of merchandise to use, whose judgment now of a
long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Now that's where we're at. But now let's go back over here
in 2 John. What was their message? John
said these deceivers confess not that Jesus Christ is come
into flesh. You know what it is to confess
something? When he says here, confess not, and we do confess,
confess is what you believe. I confess every time I preach
that Jesus Christ is all in all. I confess that. I confess that
I have no ability. I confess that I'm impotent. I confess that if I have a righteousness,
it's Christ's righteousness. If I have a salvation, salvation's
of the Lord. If I'm saved, it's by the grace
of God. If I'm washed by my sins, it's
the blood of Christ. That's what I confess. And I
confess that publicly and you confess the same thing publicly
But these men they won't confess that you know what their confession
is wow that Jesus Christ is just a man He's not God come in the
flesh. He's just a man. That's all he
is. They confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
Now, they'll admit. They'll say, oh, he's a prophet.
Oh, he's a good prophet. The Muslims believe Jesus Christ
is a prophet. And they'll still go on and say,
boy, what a teacher he was. Oh, never heard such teaching.
His teaching that people can just live by his teaching. And
oh yes, oh listen, he was a healer. God gave him special powers to
heal people. And they'll even go so far as
to say he was a messenger from God. But they deny that he is
incarnate. They deny that Jesus Christ was
incarnate. That our Lord Jesus Christ, before
he came, before he came through the womb of a virgin, was God.
Oh, they denied that the Word was made flesh and sent to dwell
among us. They denied that. Again, look
over here in 1 John 4. You know, Isaiah said it like
this. Unto us a child is given. Unto us. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. What
are you going to call him? Wonderful, counselor, the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. So Isaiah
knew that the man that was coming was gonna be the mighty God.
But here's what John said. Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits, whether they are of God. Why do you want
to try them? Why, everybody loves God. Everybody
loves Jesus. Everybody believes Jesus is the
Savior. Because many false prophets are going out into the world.
Now look how he changes here, the word spirit. Hereby know
ye the Spirit of God, capitalized. How do we know the Spirit of
God? Every spirit that confesses, confesses, you confess this,
I confess this, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God. You believe that that man who
came here, Jesus Christ, never was flesh before, but he became
flesh. Assumed a body. God prepared
him a body. And we confess that. Who else
could forgive us our sins and have the power to save us other
than God in Christ? Who could bear our sins in His
own body other than God in Christ? And oh, and they said, and this,
and here's how we know the difference. And every spirit that confesses
not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And
this is that spirit of Antichrist, wherever you have heard that
it should come, and already it's now in the world. Now in the
world. All who deny that Jesus Christ
is what he went on to say. All that deny that Jesus Christ
is a deceiver and an antichrist. I want to show you one thing
before I get on to my next verse. Look over in John 10, 33. John
10, 30, excuse me, John 10, 30. You know, it's a sad, sad thing. You would not believe how many
people are out here in these churches today that absolutely
have no idea of who Jesus Christ is. Have no idea who he is. Try this experiment. Try this
experiment. Get on the phone. Call some of
these preachers around. Call some of them up. Call a
Camelot preacher up. Call a Free Will Baptist preacher
up. Call a Baptist preacher up. Call up the Methodist preacher
and ask him, say, who is Jesus Christ? What do you think of
Jesus Christ? Who do you think he is? And see
what they say. Just try it and see what they
say and see what they say. See if they tell you he's God.
See if they tell you said, well, if you let him, he'll be your
personal savior. Well, he came here to save the
whole world. If you listen, if you want to be safe, come up
here and we'll tell you how it's done. Try it. Now you honestly,
you get on the phone and call some of them and see what they
say. I know some of the teachers and
I know some of the preachers and I already know what they
believe. I already know what they say. And oh, listen, it's
down here in John 10 30. Look what it says. Our Lord Jesus
says this, I and my father are one, are one, are one. Now me and my son are not one.
We got the same nature, but I'm my own man, he's his own man.
Got two distinct natures, two distinct personalities. But he
said, I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. Our Lord answered them, said,
for how many good works have I showed you from my father?
I showed you from my father. For which of these works do you
stone me? The Jews answered him saying,
for a good work we stone thee not, listen to it, but for blasphemy,
because that thou being a man makest thyself God. You may be somebody, but you
ain't God. That's what they're telling him.
Now back over here in verse eight. So we deal with them deceivers.
Then he says, he talks to the elect lady. Now he exhorts the
elect lady and her children. He said, look to yourself. You
know, look around you. Look to yourselves. Pay attention
to what's going on around you. You look and see for yourselves
that this error has taken place out here. And then you take care
of yourselves. You beware of these false teachers.
Beware of their doctrine. Beware of them and their doctrine.
And then he says, and then he goes on to say, that we lose
not those things which we have wrought. And in the margin, it
says, which we have gained. You know, don't lose those things
or throw away all that we've labored for and that we've gained,
the truth that we gained, the love that we gained, Christ that
we've gained, forgiveness that we've gained. What you've gained
in Christ, and he says, don't lose your reward, but that you
may receive a full reward. Now here's the thing, here's
the thing, what he's saying is if you follow these deceivers,
you look to yourselves, you and your children. Because if you
follow these deceivers, and you go after them deceivers, all
that gain that you've had, every place you've been, you'll lose
it all! And you won't receive the reward,
which is Christ. And if we depart from Christ,
there remains no more sacrifices, excuse me, for sin. And Christ
is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And oh, beloved, so what he's saying is, persevere in the faith
of Christ with all this error and all this deceivers out in
the world. Persevere in the faith of Christ until we're made like
Him. And I tell you, beloved, And
I look over and just go to your left a little bit to get to Hebrews
chapter 3. You know, there's no danger. You know, it says these deceivers
are going out into the world. But the Scriptures tells us that
they would deceive the very elect if it was possible. But John
is saying, now listen, these deceivers are going out. And
you're God's elect lady, but now, oh listen, you've gained. God's blessed you to gain Christ.
blessed you to gain your family, and blessed you to gain the truth,
and whatever you do, you look to yourselves. Don't let these
fellas deceive you. You listen, you pay attention
to this error that's going on around you. Don't fool around
and lose. Look what he said in Hebrews
3.6, But Christ, as a Son over His own house, whose house are
we? If we hold fast, or when we hold
fast, you could say it that way, if we hold fast the confidence
and rejoicing of hope, firm to how? To the end of our life or
when Christ comes. Look down at verse 14. For we
are made partakers of Christ. And this is not an if of uncertainty,
but an if of evidence, if I could say it that way. For we are made
partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast to the end. I mean, persevere in Christ,
persevere in Christ. And then back over then in verse
nine, let's look at verse nine just for a minute. You know what,
it's a sad, sad thing to watch people fall away, to watch people
fall away. It's a sad thing. I've seen two
or three from this place fall away, just lose interest. I don't
know what happens to them. You know, you pray for them,
you talk to them, you just don't, it's a sad, sad thing. You don't
want nobody, nobody to walk away from the gospel. But it don't
happen all at once. That's another thing about deception
and error. People don't just walk away from
the gospel at once. They hear this truth, and then
they'll go home, see if that's so or not. And then if they listen
to somebody else, they say, no, no, that can't be right, because
it says it's over here. And the next thing you know,
in just a little while, they miss a service, and then they'll
come back, and then they'll miss another one. Next thing you know,
They'll miss more, and more, and more, and more, and more,
and then you, they're gone. That's sad, ain't it? That's
sad. We don't want that to happen. We don't want that to happen.
Look what he says in verse 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. Whosoever transgresseth, Now
he's not talking about transgressing the law, because there's not
a person who doesn't transgress the law of God. But what he's
talking about, transgressing and abiding not in the doctrine
of Christ. The doctrine of Christ. But all
the person, and that's what he's saying, the person who denies
the doctrine of Christ. The Messiah. He says here, has
not Does not, will not, cannot believe God. Hath not God. That's what he says. You transgress
the doctrine of Christ and you don't know God. Not at all. But
look what he says here now. And that's a fact. That's a fact. Do you think a Catholic knows
God? Do you think a Jehovah's Witness knows God? Do you think
a Christian science knows God? Do you think a Unitarian knows
God? And that's what I'm talking about. These people all deny
the doctrine of Christ. All deny it. But look what he
says here. So they don't know God. They
haven't got God. There was a fella come up to
my house about a year ago. He was a preacher and he had
somebody with him. He told me he was a preacher and I forget
where he said he was from. And he wanted to talk to me and
witness to me and everything. I just said this, I said, you
know, I'm a pastor myself. I've been pastor of the same
church for 38 years. He said, well, I see you. I said, I see you. He asked me if I believed in
what I believed about God. He did ask me that question.
I said, I believe he's sovereign. I believe He rules and reigns
over everything in this world, including the numbers of the
hairs of our head, and the fowls of the air, and everything that
happens. God rules and reigns in this world. And He said, well,
I'll see you then. I tell my neighbor that all the
time. God reigns. I tell him, God reigns. See that
leaf? God directed that leaf. If he
didn't, if anything, listen, if anything's out of the control
of God, I mean to the smallest dust in the air, that means somebody
else is controlling it. Now ain't that right? Either
God controls and runs everything to the dust particles in the,
when you're looking at the dust particles in the winter, in the
winter you see them floating in the air, if God ain't in control
of them, who is? Now that's how sovereign I believe
God is. And that's what he says, but
he that abides, and he said in verse 9, he that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. Well,
what is this doctrine of Christ that we abide in, dwell in, live
in? Well, first thing is it about
His person. The doctrine of Christ has to
do with the person of Christ. The person of Christ as the Son
of God. As Scott used to say this all
the time, he said, ìHeís as much man as if he was not God, as
much God as if he was not man, and yet heís God and man in one
person. Two unions joined together and
they wasnít in conflict.î Huh? Two natures, God nature, manís
nature, in one person. And he was as much God as if
he didÖ Sometimes you never know heís a man when heís walking
on water. when he was calming the storms,
when he was raising the dead, but when he fell asleep in a
ship, then you knew he was a man. Then you knew he was a man. And
also, the doctrine of Christ has to do with the person of
Christ. Shirley asked me the other night, she said, do you
ever picture Christ in your mind? I said, no, I don't ever see
a picture in my mind of Christ. I don't ever. Years and years
ago you would, but I've never since I've learned the gospel,
when I close my eyes, I do not see a picture of Christ. I don't
see this long-haired person, I don't see that. You know what
I know about Christ? I know something about His personality. I know something about His character.
I can tell you something about His nature. I can describe to
you His holiness. I can describe to you His love.
I can describe that He's powerful. I can describe to you that He's
compassion. I can describe to you that He's
merciful. I can tell you so many things
about Him as a person. He's a shepherd. I can describe
him as a person, but I can't tell you a thing in the world
about what he looks like physically. And I don't care. I'll see him
as he is one of these days and I'll know what he looks like
then. It don't make no difference what he looks like now. It's
who he is. We're dealing with a person.
And then his offices. Oh, the doctrine of Christ is
his offices. He has so many offices, but the
first office he has is as a mediator. You know, we got to have a mediator.
How in the world can we go to God without a mediator? Somebody
between us and God. Well, the only mediator between
us and God is the man, Christ Jesus. There's a man in glory. And then his assurity, he said,
you know, it's like Judah said when he wanted Benjamin to come
down there. He said, you let him come and if I don't bring
him back home to you, he said, you hold me responsible. You charge it to my account.
And Christ is our assurity. He said, if I don't bring all
the sheep home, then you can hold me responsible. You reckon
he's going to take us all home? to bring us all back, huh? And
then, oh my, he's a prophet. He was God's prophet. Oh, he
told out God. He said, the words that I speak,
they're not mine, but my father's. He is a prophet, and he is a
priest, and he offers sacrifices. And who did he offer as a sacrifice?
Himself! And then he's the king. Oh, the
Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. And the third
thing about the doctrine of Christ is His redemptive work. He came
here to do a work to save His people. And how He's going to
save His people was by being obedient from the day He was
born, even obedient unto the death of the cross. He was obedient
to His Father in every way. Then He suffered. He suffered
for our sins. He suffered under the wrath of
God. He suffered at the hands of men. He suffered. And He died. And then on the third morning,
He was raised from the dead. Forty days and forty nights He
appeared unto His disciples. And then one morning they walked
out to the Mount of Olives and our Lord Jesus Christ started
going back to glory. And just the same way He'd come,
He's going to come back. That's His return. He's going
to come back. And you know what He's going
to do? He's going to judge the whole world. And everybody that
don't know Him and bowed the knee to Him, they're going to
have everyone bow. Goats will be put over here,
and the sheep will go yonder. Oh my, that's the doctrine of
Christ. That's our King. That's redemption. That's eternal
glory. And the man who abides, lives
in this doctrine, delights in this doctrine, rejoices, lives
in this doctrine. He said, I rejoice that your
children walk in the truth. We abide in this truth. He has
both the Father and the Son, if you abide in this blessed
truth. And I tell you, we want to know the true God and Jesus
Christ whom he has sent. I want to know him. I want to
know him. I want to know him. And then
he says in verse 10, if there come any unto you, any unto you,
and bring not this doctor and receive him not into your house,
neither bid him God's preaching. So if one of these fellows comes
to your house, comes into the church here, somebody wants to
come into the church, and they come as a preacher, they come
as a teacher, a religious leader, and they don't preach the doctrine
of Christ, but despises it and denies it, don't allow him to
preach. Don't allow him to preach. Don't
allow him to preach in the house of God. Don't entertain him into
your own home. You know, Paul says, you know,
they come preaching another gospel, which is not another. And I marvel
that you're so soon removed from the grace of Christ unto another
gospel. And oh, look in Romans 16, 17.
I'm taking way too long. I know I am, but look in Romans
16, 17. This, I'm telling you, People
don't want to be rude, don't want to be rude, but I'm telling
you what, when somebody comes and they want to, they want to
debate with you whether Jesus Christ is God or not. And there
are, there is a group of people that say that if you, if you
say Jesus Christ is God, you've made an idol out of him, is what
they say. Well, he's an idol for me then. I idolize him, I
idolize him. I do, I really do. Look what
he says in verse 17, Romans 16, 17. Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. Avoid them. I don't even let them get out
of the car if I'm outside when they come to my house. They ain't
coming years ago. I don't even let them get out
of the car. If Elder comes, as sweet as she is, if she was a
Jehovah's Witness and come to the house and started getting
her foot out on the ground, I'd say, just put it back in the
car. Just don't even bother getting out. But, but, there ain't no
buts, just put your foot back in the car and go on. The old
Frank Sapp, any of y'all remember Frank Sapp? Sittin' out in his
yard one day and a fella come up and wanted to talk to old
Frank. Frank was tough, oh my goodness he was tough as a pine
nut. And he was sittin' out in the yard doin' something or another
and this fella wanted to talk to him, wanted to talk to him,
there's some poker layin' there in the pile of wood. And old
Frank said, now I'm tellin' you, get away from here. God, I don't
want to hear nothing you got to say. Get on out of here. That
fella just kept talking. Old Frank Rage got that poker
and said, I mean, get out of here right now and don't let
me see you can't shake the dust off your feet or I'll take his
poker to you. Don't even shake the dust off
your feet. Don't get out there and do like that. Oh boy. I tell you, that's a... And that's what he means. Oh,
listen. Come anybody bringing this doctrine
in, and look what it says. Don't receive him into your house,
into the church, or into your house. Don't say, come on in
here. Neither bid him Godspeed. Don't
say, God bless you. May the Lord bless you with health
and prosperity. Don't encourage him. Don't give
him the impression that you're sympathetic with him. and that
you understand him and that you're sorry that he's so misinformed. No, no, he's not misinformed.
He believes what he's out telling other people. And then look what
he says in verse 11. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. Those who wish false teachers
well, and who encourage them, who converse with them and talk
with them in a friendly, familiar way, instead of reproving them,
shunning them as they ought to. You're aiding, the Bible tells
us we're aiding and abetting them and supporting in them their
tax on Christ. And He said, if you do that,
you're just as well as guilty as they are of preaching that
false doctrine. Now, I don't want to be guilty
of that. And then he says, I have many things to write unto you
in verse 12, but I would not write with paper and ink. I've
got a lot of things I want to talk with you about. And I have
wrote unto you, but I'm not going to sit down with paper and ink
and write to you. But I trust, I hope to visit
you and talk with you personally, face to face, mouth to mouth,
look at you, embrace you, and you embrace me, and we can talk.
And oh, listen, we get to be able to talk face to face. And
when that happens, our joy will just be so full of being able
to visit, be able to talk. And then look why. Evidently,
she had a sister that was elect too. Not only was she the elect
lady, but look what it says. The children of thy elect sister. He's got a sister that's elect
too. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. What he's
saying was, be sure and tell the elect lady that we said hi,
that we're thinking of her, and we love her, and send them our
greetings, tell them how much we appreciate them, and that's
what he's saying to them. And then he said, amen, amen. Our Father, in the blessed name,
blessed name, blessed, blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
oh, our Savior, our Savior, our hope, our righteousness, Our
only standing, our only access to You is through Him, by Him,
because of Him. We're forgiven for His sake. You receive us for His sake.
And Lord, help us never, ever to deny Christ, deny the doctrine
of Christ, and keep us believing and abiding in the doctrine of
Christ, the truth of Christ our Lord, as God, manifest in the
flesh, as the Word sent to dwell among us, full of grace, full
of truth, full of glory. We ask these things in His holy
name. Amen. Amen.