Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs 26. I'd like to look at one verse
of Scripture. Verse 11. Proverbs 26, 11. The Scripture says, As a dog
returneth to his vomit, So a fool returneth to his folly. Now, we have a real blessing today.
And the blessing is to have the Lord himself explain this passage
of scripture. And he explained it in the book
of 2nd Peter. So turn over. You can mark that
right there. But I'm going to spend most of
my time here for the next few minutes in this book of 2nd Peter
because here is the explanation of this passage. Where we're
not left to wonder. We're not left to wonder about
the Well, the only word I can think
of right now is the grossness. Those of you that's ever seen
a dog vomit and then eat it again, it's just repulsive. But scripture
has been pleased to take that event to teach us something of
the miracle of God's grace to send all of us a faithful preacher. The Scripture says in 2 Peter
chapter 2 and verse 22, Peter under the inspiration of God's
Spirit ends this chapter saying this, but it is happened unto
them, according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in
the mire. Now, what I want to do, I'm going
to basically, I'm going to read this chapter, 2. I'm going to
make a couple of comments. because I want us to get a hold
of what led up to that last verse. Spirit of God explained it. He
said, you know, it's happened unto them. Now, I wanna know,
let's look at the them. And may the Lord give us some
understanding. 2 Peter 2 verses 1 to 8 says,
but there were false prophets. also among the people, even as
there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall
follow their pernicious ways, their lascivious ways, by reason
of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels
at sin, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them to chains
of darkness to be reserved unto judgment, and spared not the
old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly,
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned
them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that
after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot, vexed with
the filthy conversation of the wicked. For that righteous man
dwelling among them, and seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous
soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." Now, the Spirit
of God has just set forth that there is going to be imposters. There's going to be false prophets,
back in verse 1. Where are they going to be found?
Now look at verse 1, among the people. Now, there's going to
be tares, we know that, among the weak. The Lord's promised
that. There must be those among us that prove the faithfulness
of God's elect. But these false prophets, according
to that scripture right there, are found among the true saints
of God. And it says, men who privily,
craftily, they know their craft, shall bring in damnable heresies. What is a damnable heresy? Well, the word is actually a
word of destruction, and the craft of it is that there's a
lot of truth in what is said, but there's leaven in it. They do it by stealth, and they
say grace, they speak grace, but preaching, really adding
works. And it says that these men that
shall privilege bring in these damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord, that is diminishing the work and the person and the
glory of Christ. Even denying the Lord that bought
them. Now I've made a few statements
before on this particular word, bought them. But I want to spend
just a couple of minutes here, and I want us to come by the
grace of God to an understanding of what is actually being said
here. Because if we're wrong on what
is being said right here, I'm telling you, when you say denying
the Lord that bought them, I mean, let me tell you where you're
at. You're at a crossroad. Now this is either gonna go to
works or grace, one of the two. Now when you start talking about
bought, hear that word, bought, the Lord that bought them. And
I want us to understand exactly what the Spirit of God is saying
through the Apostle Peter. And you've heard me say, if you
ever find a passage of scripture that appears to say something
that just seems to be, hmm, you know that just doesn't seem to
fit what I know is so. You've heard me say just spiritually
speaking, just set it up on a fence post. And then take scripture
that you know is so, and if I can knock it off, knock that scripture
that I think I understand. If I knock it off with another
scripture, then that means that I just didn't understand what
was being said by that scripture that I set up on a post. So here's
what I want to do. I've told you before, just bear
with me. I'm going to try to be so plain and simple, but I
have to be this way. This is how I was Looking this
up, trying to find out. I want to know, I want to know.
I don't want to think I know, I want to look this up. And I
want to try by the grace of God to come to the heart of it. What
does that word bought mean? Denying the Lord that bought
them. Well, again you've heard me say
I don't speak Hebrew and I don't speak Greek. But I've got a Vine's
concordance. I've got a Thayer's concordance.
I've got Strong's concordance. I've got concordances. Now these men that are supposedly
scholars, you know, and then I'll take them and I'll just
read one. But just because you read one,
just compare them. Find out if they're saying the
same thing. Look it up. Look it up. This word, again,
I'm not trying to impress you, I just, this is the only way
I know how to say it. This word bought, bought. The word in Greek
is agarezo, agarezo. Okay, the reason I tell you that
is because I want you to understand what that word bought means.
It means to go to market or to purchase. That's what it means. And when you look that word up,
it does have in the meaning of the definition of that word,
it has the word redeem in it. But the word that we would understand
as far as the word redeem, when we think of the blood of Christ
and that redemption, that's not what this word means. It means
to go to market. Mr. Vine, in his exhaustive concordance,
states this very plainly. He said this word, you go and
look it up in Vines, and he said this word does not mean redeem
in the sense of redemption by the blood of Christ. It does
not mean that. It means to go to market. All
right, I'm building something here, so just bear with me. Mr. Thayer says that this word means
to make one his own private property. That's what it means. It means
bought. Bought. Now, that's the word
agareso. That's the word used right here.
That bought them. To go to market. It's his own
property. It's his. It's his. Now, the
word that we understand For redemption, for redeem, that word. That word
is ex-agorago. This one is agorago, agorago. Ex-agorago is that word that
is used in this passage of scripture, Galatians 3, 13. Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for
us. Now, we don't understand that. We understand that word
redemption right there, all right? One of them means redemption
from the penalty of sin. In fact, Mr. Thayer, on that
word ex-agorago, which is not this word, I'm just telling you
what the word is. Here's what Mr. Thayer says, to redeem by
payment of a price to recover from the power of another. Okay,
I can go along with that. Alright, so ex agorago, that
word, that's the word we understand, redemption. Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. But
in our context, Who are these that have been bought? That they're
denying, they're denying, the scripture says, they're false
teachers among who bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Well, the scripture sets forth
concerning these. Look, just look, I'll read this
in just a minute, in 2 Peter 2, look at verse 12. Here, I'm
still describing them. These as natural brute beasts
made to be taken and destroyed. Birthed to be taken and destroyed. Procreated to be taken and destroyed. That's what the word means. When
it says made, made to be taken and destroyed. They speak evil
of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish
in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness
as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots
they are, and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings
while they feast with you." Now, just reading what we're reading
here, it does not sound at all like these men are even remotely
believers, does it? They're not. They're false prophets. But the scripture says that these
are they that were bought. They went to market. They're
the possession of. If that word in 2 Peter 1 meant
that Christ had paid their debt for their sins at Calvary, then
according to the scriptures that we know, now here it is, it's
sitting up on the fence post right here. If somebody tells
me, now that says that Christ bought them. So he's paid their
debt at Calvary. I know it says that they're false
prophets and I know that they were made to be taken and destroyed
and I know that they shall receive the reward of their unrighteousness
but that was because they didn't accept the Lord as their own
personal Savior. Now we've gotten into works. So now it's up on the fence post
and here's what I'm going to do. I want you to hold your place
right there and turn back to John 6. Now here's what the Lord
said, John 6. John 6, I'm going to read verses
37 to 40. Now this is what I know is so concerning all that Christ
received in electing grace from his Father, all that he died
for, this is what I know for a fact. John 6, 37 to 40, all
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will that has sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I should lose nothing. but should raise
it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the
last day. So let me tell you what I know
for a fact. If Christ has bought and paid
for a sinner by His own shed blood, bought him, redeemed him,
He's not going to lose it. He will not perish. The Lord
said that. So what does this word back in
2 Peter mean? The Lord that bought them. The
word again, bought, here has to do with possession. That is
to say, the Lord owns them. It is a word to go to market. It is a word of ownership. He owns them. And therefore,
as all men are the Lord's, He owns them. He owns them. Listen
to this, Ezekiel 18, verse 4. Behold, all souls are mine, as
the soul of the Father, also the soul of the Son is mine,
the soul that sinneth shall die. A soul that perishes in unbelief. Did that soul belong to the Lord? Yes. It was the Lord's. It was His by possession. And
turn with me. Go back to Romans 9. Romans chapter
9. What is the Lord going to do with all souls that are His? those that are bought, those
that are the possession of. Understand, keep that in your
mind, what that word means. To go to market, they're his.
I'm gonna tell you how they were bought in just one second, I'm
getting there. What is he going to do with them? Romans chapter
nine, verse 15 and 16. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I will have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. So then it's not him that willeth,
nor him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Almighty
God has the right to show mercy to one and leave another to themselves. Look at verse 9, 17, and 18.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose
have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Are all souls his? Yes. His by possession? Yes. Does the Lord have the right
with his possession to show mercy to one and leave another to himself?
Yes. The scripture bears that out.
And with that truth set forth, what do we do? Verses 19 to 23. Thou wilt say then unto me, why
doth he yet find fault? What they're saying is, if the
Lord has mercy on whom He'll have mercy and compassion on
whom He'll have compassion, and it's not of Him that willeth
or Him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy, well then,
how can He find fault with me? It's not my fault. It's God's
fault. If I go to hell, it's God's fault. Why does He yet find fault? Listen
to the answer of the Spirit of God. For who hath resisted his
will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replies against God? Why are you questioning God?
You don't have a right to question God. Are all souls hid? Yes. Will he do what he will
with his own? Yes. Does he have mercy and compassion
on one and harden another by leaving him alone? Yes. Do I
have a right to question God? No. Shall the thing formed, say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power of
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another vessel unto dishonor? What if God willing to show his
wrath? And to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering,
the vessels of wrath fitted are made up to destruction, that
he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy which he hath aforeprepared unto glory." So here's the bottom
line. We have absolutely no right to
question the fact that God owns all men, all souls are mine. Soul of the father, soul of the
son, soul that sins gonna die. He has a right to show mercy
to one and heart to another one. And we have nothing to say, nothing. Here's what we bow, here's what
we do, we bow, we bow. So when it comes to the scriptures
speaking of these false prophets among the people, those who bring
in damnable heresies, these soft, insinuating, man-centered, man-honoring
words that appeal to the flesh, words spoken that's attempting
to strip the Lord of His glory and His majesty and sovereignty,
what's going to happen to them? Swift destruction. That's what
it's at. They deny that the Lord who owns
them, they deny Him by their craftiness. And the scripture
says in verse 2, back in 2 Peter 2, it says, many shall follow
their pernicious ways. Those ways of ruin, those ways
of loss, ways of destruction. They are the Lord's property. They're the Lord's property.
That's what it meant, denying the Lord that bought them. Not
redeemed them by His blood, not what it meant. The one that owns
them. So the Lord is said to have bought
them in the sense that He owns them how? Two ways. By creation,
they're the Lord's. Colossians 1.16, all things were
created by Him and for Him. For Him. for His glory, and the
exhibition of His mercy, or the exhibition of His justice, that
are created for Him, and are His by gift of His Father. John
17, 2, Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should
give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given Him. So remember, According to these
scriptures, if God spared not the rebellious angels, spared
not the old world, and saved Noah and his family only, and
spared not Sodom and Gomorrah, but saved just Lot, his family,
what's going to happen to these? Verses 9 to 19 in our second
chapter, I'll just read it. The Lord knoweth, 2 Peter 2.9,
the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly, out of temptations
and to reserve the unjust until the day of judgment to be punished.
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
and despise government, presumptuous are they, self-willed. They are
not afraid to speak evil of dignities, whereas angels which are greater
in power might bring not railing accusation against them before
the Lord. But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken
and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand
not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, and
shall receive the reward of their unrighteousness as they that
count it pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots they are,
and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while
they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery that cannot
cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls on heart they have exercised
with covetous practices, cursed children. which have forsaken
the right way, have gone astray, following the way of Balaam,
the son of Boshar, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,
but was rebuked for his iniquity. The dumb ass, speaking with man's
voice, forbade the madness of the prophet. These are wells
without water. Clouds, they are carried with
a tempest, to whom The mist of darkness is reserved
forever, for when they speak great swelling words of vanity,
they allure through the lust of the flesh, through much wantonness,
those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty,
they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a
man is overtaken, of the same he is brought in bondage." these false prophets who deny the Lord that bought
them, who deny the Lord that owns them. Verse 12 again, they're
made, verse 12, to be taken and destroyed. Those that were made,
Young's literal says, made to be caught and destroyed. Strong's
is one that says procreated. The Amplified says, born only
to be taken and destroyed. And with this truth established,
who they are, that the Lord owns them, and He do as He will with
His own. I'm going to look at the last
three verses of this right here, and then I'm going to wrap this
up. These last few verses, we're
going to consider the truth that we read back in Proverbs 26 11,
that Peter repeated. He's talking about false prophets.
They have a form of godliness. Now listen, he says in 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 therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning. Now here's another verse of scripture.
that we need to understand exactly what's being said. If after they
have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it does not mean that
they were saved, regenerated, and then lost. Now again, I can
put that up on a fence post, but I don't need to. Those that
are regenerated by the grace of God are kept, 1 Peter said,
by the power of God through faith. So we know it does not mean that
a man can be lost, saved, and then lost again. I know that
that's not, what's he talking about? It says, let me just paraphrase
it, write it, you know. If these religious false professors,
that's who they are, I just read that. If these religious false
professors, because of the form of godliness that they have,
and this is what it is, they're deceivers. They have a form of
godliness. They have a form of godliness.
They're crafty. They're crafty. They lead many
astray. So you know that there's something
that they're doing. They're moral. They're moral.
If these religious false leaders, because of the form of godliness
that they have, Now when it says the pollutions of the world,
what it is? It's the open commission of heinous
acts of sin before men. They're moral. They're moral
people. They're moral. The Pharisees, I've said before,
the Pharisees were moral people. You couldn't get them to do anything
wrong. I mean, you didn't have to lock your door. They're not
going to come in. They're not coming in. They're moral. They've escaped the pollutions,
that heinous acts. They're not murderers. They're
not rapists. They're not. But the thing is, they've denied
the Lord. They deny His sovereignty. They're crafty. They're good
people. I mean, humanly speaking. That's
what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. If they
escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Savior, here's the thing. These guys are sitting
under the gospel. When it says through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I mean, the only place
you're going to hear of the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, is under the sound of the gospel. These guys, back
in verse 1, were false prophets among the people. Among God's
people. They were sitting under the gospel.
And they were moral people. Deceivers, but leading astray. They've heard the gospel. And
they've been kept. I mean, I don't want anybody
to think that they're a sinner. They're not a sinner. They're moral people. They've
escaped the pollution through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior. If they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter
end is worse than the beginning. Again, I'm going to paraphrase
it. If those who have a reputation
as being a believer, they've sat on to the gospel, They're
moral people, they're good people, hard-working people, church-going
people. You know them, don't I? Church-going.
Everybody's a Christian, you know. If they should quit, if
they are entangled again therein and overcome, they quit the hearing
of the gospel, of God's free and sovereign grace, and are
entangled again. They go back. That's what he's
talking about. They left and go back. 1 John 2.19, they went out from
us because they were not of us. If they would have been of us,
they surely would have remained. As we say, the latter end is
worse with them than the beginning. The latter end. If one has a life of apparent
godliness, declaring that he is a true believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ, believes the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace.
And the scripture says, and he goes back, it proves what he
is. And verse 21 says, for it had
been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness. Now he's talking about the gospel
again. There's not but one true way. He's not talking about sitting
under a false gospel here. He's talking about sitting under
the way of righteousness. It had been better for them not
to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it
to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. These people
were hearing the truth. They were hearing the truth.
And they leave. They leave. And you know what
the Spirit of God has told Peter to say? You tell them it would
have been better for them if they had never heard it. It would
have been better to have never heard it than to have heard it
and left it. Now that's serious. I'm wrapping
this up. Matthew 11, 20. Matthew 11, 20.
The Lord bore this out. Matthew 11. Verse 20-24, Then began he to
upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done,
because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were
done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you,
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted unto heaven, shall be brought low down to hell. For
if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been done
in Sodom," now listen to this, if the mighty works which was
done in you had been done in Sodom, Sodom, Sodom, it would
have remained until this day. But I say unto you, it should
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment
than for thee. Verse 21, for it had been better
for them not to have known the way of righteousness. It had
been better for them never to have heard the gospel. Then after
they've known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them. And then the Spirit of God moved
upon the apostle Peter to pen this. But it happened unto them. According to the true proverb,
the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that
was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Oh, for grace. in the midst of this wicked and
perverse generation. May the Lord keep us from the
vomit of deception. Some might say, I'd never be
deceived. Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. Pray, God, keep me. Lord, keep
me. If others have left, what would
keep me from leaving but the grace of God, power of God, kept
by the power of God? Don't ever think that you're
so strong. Don't think that you're ever
so stable. I would never, I would never
do that. That's foolish talk. Lord, keep
me. Keep me where the gospel is being
proclaimed. Lord, show me where it is boldly,
consistently, freely proclaimed. Keep me. You know how to keep
me. The Lord knows how to keep His own. That's what He said.
He's going to give grace to discern grievous wolves. He's going to
give grace, but He'll keep us. Lord, keep it in my heart. Lord,
I'm so weak. I'm so weak. But for Your grace
and Your power and Your mercy, I'd be gone today. May the Lord
be exalted and His people encouraged and edified for His glory and
our good.