Thank you. Look at 2 Peter chapter
1. The book of 2 Peter chapter 1. One of the great concerns of
Peter and actually One of the great concerns of all of the
Lord's servants is that the people that we minister to be preserved
in the truth and not deceived, not led astray in the religious
error. Peter says in 2 Peter chapter
1 and verse 16, For we have not followed these cunningly devised
fables. And I would ask you this question. If an individual has not followed,
if he has not yielded to, If he hasn't bowed to, if he hasn't
submitted to these cunningly devised fables, these artfully
invented fables, what's the reason for that? Why is it we don't
follow lies? I mean, we're sinful and we're
polluted in our thinking and in our hearts. We readily embrace
error. There's lots of error. What is
the reason that you and I and these to whom Peter wrote And
Peter himself, speaking as an inspired apostle of the Lord,
what is the reason why we haven't followed these cunningly devised
fables? Is it because we're wiser? Is
it because we're stronger? Is it because we have more faith?
Is it because we're more learned? Is it because we're more educated
in the things of God? Exactly what is the reason? Multitudes
are deceived by error. Religious error. Thoughts. Gospels
are numerous. We know there is one gospel.
Thank God there is one gospel. There is one message of good
news and it is the glad tidings of a work finished. You know,
my job here this evening and every time I stand before you
is to just give the report. I was talking to Brother Joe
this week, stopped by the office, and I was studying this and he
came in and I thought I'd try this out on him to begin with.
But really, all I'm doing is giving the report. I've got a
report to give. The gospel is a declaration of
something that's already finished. It isn't an invitation. It's
a declaration. The gospel is not a proposal.
It's not if you will do something, God will do something. No, the
gospel is simply the declaration of what God in Christ Jesus has
already done. He's already finished something.
And it's the work of redemption. It's the work of reconciliation.
Now you may love the gospel or you may not love the gospel,
you may believe the gospel or you may not believe the gospel,
but it's still a message of glad tidings from God to His people. And every preacher of the gospel
has this responsibility, just give the report. I listened to a message not very
long ago and it greatly bothered me that a man said that we really
need to have some some validation with the world. We need to get
the ear of the world so we can't be too hard, we can't be too
narrow, and we've got to preach a love of God in a general way
and the kindness of God. Otherwise, the people of the
world, they're not going to respect us, and they're not going to
listen to us, and they're going to come to the conclusion that
God has a kindness and a love only for His elect. Well listen,
God does have a kindness and a love only for His elect. And
I'm not trying to win the approval of the world. I'm not trying
to get their ear. I'm not trying to say something
that will make them to listen to me or listen more closely
to me. All I'm up here to do is give
the report. I'm not to edit the report. I'm
not to change the report. I'm not to make the report more
beautiful. I'm not to doctor it up. I'm
not to water it down. Just give the report. That's
what the responsibility of every preacher is. Just tell what God's
done. That's what Peter did. That's what all of God's servants
do. Sometimes, like Isaiah, we get
in the depths of despair and we say, Lord, who hath believed
our report? Is anybody believing the report? But after he said that in Isaiah
chapter 53 and verse 1, you know what he did? He gave the report
again. Because that's the gospel of
the Old Testament. And we preach this report. We
preach this gospel. We set forth the good news of
salvation for sinners, forgiveness and righteousness in the Lord
Jesus Christ. A work that's already been finished.
We just declared it. And it's going to be good news
to somebody. There are some hearts that will
rejoice. That everlasting righteousness
has been established for us. That there is a way to God and
He's a living way and He opened that way by the substitutionary
death of Himself in the stead of His people on the cross. And
the way is opened up. Come on sinners! That's good
news to somebody. We just give the report. And as we do so, it is our desire
that you be kept from error. Others have fallen victim to
error. Other preachers. I mentioned a couple of preachers
this morning, actually, who used to preach the gospel. I didn't
call them by name, of course, but in my illustration, actually
both of them are still pastoring. They preached right here in this
pulpit years ago. Where are they? Why is it that some leave and
others stay? Why is it that we haven't bowed
down to a false gospel? Why are we still here? Why are
we still listening? Why are we still interested?
Why does this gospel still have our hearts? You know who makes
the difference? The Lord makes the difference.
It isn't because of us. It isn't because we've studied
more, or we've learned more, we've memorized more. It's because
God, by His omnipotent grace, He won't let us stray. He won't let us leave the truth.
Because I'll guarantee you this, if you can leave the gospel,
you will leave the gospel. You will leave. And you will
find something else that suits your fancy, something else that
entertains you, makes you feel good, makes you feel better.
There are a multitude of fables out here, myths, man-made, man-invented
false gospels. There are a bunch of them. And
there are multitudes of people who believe those false gospels,
but there are some who still believe the true gospel. God
preserves them. We know this. Everything that
we are and everything we hope to be is only by the grace of
God. God's got to keep us. God's got
to keep us. Now, to prevent the Lord's people
from falling into error, God's servants, we continually remind
folks of this gospel. Now Simon Peter, he's a good
teacher. He's a good teacher. And a good
teacher, though we have several teachers in the congregation,
either teachers or retired teachers. But a good teacher knows this,
students tend to forget. They forget. So you build on,
you just keep on repeating. You go back and you've laid a
foundation, but you don't ever leave that foundation. And in
the preaching of the gospel, the foundation is Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. And guess what? We never leave
the foundation. We never get away from the basics. Ours is a ministry of repetition. We remind people of who God is. We remind folks of what we are. Not what you are, but what we
are. Because I'm in the same boat as the rest of us. And we
remind ourselves of God's grace and God's mercy, God's everlasting
kindness for sinners as displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ and
His substitutionary death. That's what we keep doing. We
remind people. We ask you to remember. Over
and over again, we're reminding people. You know, we visit museums. We visit memorials. Why do we
do that? I've been to Bedford, Bedford
County, Virginia. There's a World War II memorial
there. We visit there. You know why
we visit? To remember. Lest we forget. Lest we forget. You go to other
types of museums, historical places. Why do you go there? To bring back to your memory. It's like the Lord said to the
Israelites. He said, when you observe the
Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then your children, they
ask you, what's this all about? Why do you do this? You tell
them. You tell them. It's because of
what the Lord did for Israel a long time ago. It's to remind
them. You see, if we don't remind people,
we tend to forget. We tend to forget. Throughout
the Old Testament, throughout the New Testament, the Lord continually
reminds us of His truth. Moses said to the children of
Israel, in Exodus chapter 13, Moses said unto them, Remember
this day, that God brought you out of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage, by strength, by the strength of the hand of the Lord,
He hath brought you out of this place. Remember that. Numbers chapter 15. The Lord
said, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them make
fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations. What's that for? They put on
that fringes a ribbon of blue. And it shall be to you for a
fringe that you may look at it and remember the word of the
Lord. The word of the Lord. In Deuteronomy chapter 5, and
this is a verse that John Newton, he had this on his desk so they
say. And this was the verse, Deuteronomy
5.15, that ye may remember, excuse me, and remember that thou wast
a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought
thee out hence with a mighty hand, and by a stretched out
arm the Lord did it. Remember. Remember what the Lord
said to the people of His day who were all wrapped up They're
wrapped up just in outward religion in the world. He said, remember
Lot's wife. As though to say, have you forgotten
her? Have you forgotten what happened
to Lot's wife? Her heart was in the world. And she looked back. God smote
her in judgment. Remember Lot's wife. In 1 Chronicles
chapter 16 we read the words, Remember His marvelous works
that He hath done, His wonders in the judgments of His mouth.
O ye seed of Israel, His servant, ye children of Jacob, His chosen
one, He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the
world. Be ye therefore mindful of His
covenant. Remember His covenant. Remember
what the Lord has done for you. Well, why do the servants of
God over and over again, and you get your concordance and
look up the word remember. Well, what is the reason that
these servants of God over and over and over again are commanded
by the Spirit of God to tell us to remember what the Lord
has done? Is it not because we tend to
forget? We forget. And I wonder why it is that we
have such a great memory for things that we ought to forget. We have a great memory for things
that we ought to forget. And things that we ought to remember,
you just can't remember them. Somebody asked me the other day,
what did Brother Tim James preach on last Friday night? Well, let's
see. But, you know, you can ask a
secular question, we probably remember the answer to that.
We tend to forget. Our Lord said to the 12th, He
said, remember the word that I said unto you? The Apostle
Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse 35, remember the words
of the Lord Jesus? Jude wrote in his little book,
he said, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ? And then he said, I will put
you in remembrance, though you knew this, I'm going to put you
in remembrance of it. What is it God's preachers do?
We call upon people to remember. I'm just reminding you. It's
a repetition. It's like I said this morning,
when God's preachers come before you, we don't come with something
new, something novel, something different, something you've never
heard before. Wow, I've just had a revelation,
and this is something I've never heard any other preacher, any
other gospel preacher say, and you'll be the first ones to hear
it out of my mouth. Well, please don't even say it,
because I don't want to hear anything new. There's a lot of new stuff being
said today. Stuff we've never heard before. New things. Oh, I want the old
gospel, don't you? I want the old. I want that which
is tried and true. I want that which is according
to the Word of the Lord that doesn't change. This book doesn't
change. Ever. I mentioned in the first chapter
this morning We went through and we read these verses where
Peter talks about remembering. What's going to keep us from
error? To remember the truth. For somebody to remind us of
what God's done for us. Notice what he says. Let me just
read this again. Look back here in verse 9 of
chapter 1 of 2 Peter. He that lacketh these things
is blind. He can't see afar off. He's forgotten. He was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you
shall never fall. You shall never fall. You say,
I don't want to fall into error. I don't want to fall into false
religion. I don't want to fall into believing
one of these myths. Well, make your calling and election
sure. That's what Peter says. Well,
how can I know my election? Well, I know my election by my
calling. If I've been called by the Spirit
of grace. Remember, remember, don't take
for granted your salvation. Look what he says in verse 11.
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Wherefore
I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of
these things, though you already know them." Listen, you've had years and
years of preaching here, preaching of the pure gospel. I'm very
much aware that you know these things. But I'm just going to tell you
the same thing Brother Parker told you and the same things
that Brother Parker told you and Brother Mahan told you. I'm
just going to tell the same things because you don't want to hear
anything different. Because if it's something different, it's
contrary to the gospel. Isn't that right? If it's different,
it's contrary to the gospel. I'm not going to be negligent.
I'm going to put you in remembrance of these things, though you already
know them and you're established in the present truth. And several
of you, you've been established in the present truth for many
years. Guess what? I'm still going to
remind you to stir up your memory. In fact,
he says in verse 13, yea, I think it meet as long as I'm in this
tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance because
I know that I'm going to die. That's what he says. I'm going
to die. Verse 15, moreover I will endeavor
that ye may be able after my decease, the word decease is
exodus, after my exodus, after my decease, after my death, to
have these things always in remembrance. Because we've not followed these
fables that were cunningly devised. So the preacher's job is repetition. Now, as we call upon you to remember
some things that you may be preserved from error, what do we lay stress
upon? Well, we lay stress upon knowledge. Knowledge. Hosea, the Lord said,
my people, they perish for a lack of knowledge. If we're to successfully,
successfully survive the pervasive and persuasive onslaughts of Satan, if we're
to survive so much false preaching that's out there, if we're to
be victorious and not fall victim to those seducing spirits that
preach these fables, We've got to be instructed in the things
of God. There has to be knowledge. I
want you to notice how much emphasis Peter puts on knowledge. Not just any knowledge. It's
not just knowledge for the sake of, well, we'll know more. It's a specific kind of knowledge.
Look what he says in the second verse. Well, let me go back and
read verses one and two. Right here, it's 2 Peter 1. 1
and 2. It's Simon Peter, he introduces
himself. There's his Gentile name and
his Hebrew name as well. A servant and an apostle. He
says, I'm a servant, I'm a bondservant of Christ Jesus and I'm an apostle
of Jesus Christ. Who's he writing to? He's writing
to those who have obtained like precious faith. The word obtained
means to receive by divine appointment. He's writing to those who have
received by divine appointment like precious faith. In other
words, the same faith that He's got. And the word faith here
can mean that body of truth. Christ Jesus is the full embodiment
of the truth. There's one gospel, one faith. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. We've obtained like precious
faith. We believe the same gospel. This
gospel is precious. Or it may mean belief, that this
matter of believing is precious. We've obtained like precious
faith to those who've obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. How
is it that men obtain like precious faith? By the righteousness of
God our Savior Christ Jesus. By that righteousness He established. By His death on the cross. You
see, our faith, our belief in this gospel, Our embracing the
Lord Jesus Christ is the result of that righteousness Jesus Christ
established for all of His people. Now look at verse 2. He says,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, watch it, through the
knowledge of God. He's emphasizing knowledge now. Now what's going to keep us from
these fables? A knowledge of God. Not just
the knowledge of things, but a knowledge of God, the perfections
of God, the attributes of God, the ways of God, the works of
God, the salvation of God, the grace of God. Through the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord. It's through a knowledge of God
who ordained salvation. It's through a knowledge of Jesus
our Lord who accomplished salvation by His substitutionary death.
Knowledge. Do you remember what the Savior
said in John chapter 17 in His high priestly prayer? This is
eternal life. What is it, Lord? That they might
know Thee, a knowledge of God. And Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent, all to know Him in the power of His resurrection. This is a true knowledge of God. What's going to keep us from
the fables? What's going to keep us from
the error? A knowledge of God. A knowledge of God. And of Jesus
our Lord. Now look at verse 3. According
as His divine power, hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness." Listen, anything that pertains to life
and godliness, divine power gave it to us. That's what he said. You just listen, whatever it
is, if it pertains to spiritual life, eternal life, everlasting
life, if it pertains to godliness, God had to give it to us. Through the knowledge of Him
that hath called us to glory and virtue. Through the knowledge
of the Lord. whereby unto us are given great
and precious promises. The faith is precious, the promises
are precious, that by these you might be a partaker of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. Now watch verse 5. And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith, that word add means bring alongside of,
Bring alongside of your faith virtue. And then bring alongside
of virtue, you know what? Knowledge. Knowledge. And then bring alongside of knowledge,
he mentions temperance. Knowledge. And look at how Peter finishes
up this letter. Go over to the third chapter.
The last verse. The last verse of the epistle.
Watch how he finishes this up. But grow in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to whom be glory
or to Him be glory both now and forever. If we're to be careful
to maintain a steadfastness in the gospel,
if we're to avoid falling into the traps of error, then we must
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grow
in grace. Is this some kind of progressive
sanctification he's talking about? No. Because sanctification isn't
progressive. Sanctification's in Christ Jesus. A lot of people have trouble
with this matter of sanctification. They think, well, that's something
we do. Well, I'll just, I think maybe I can clear it all up.
Have you got to be sanctified to be with the Lord? You betcha. Absolutely. Well then it's of
the Lord then. That settles it. Isn't that right? Can an unsanctified man appear
before God and be accepted? Absolutely not. No more than
an unjustified man could stand before God and be accepted. You've
got to be sanctified, you've got to be glorified, you've got
to be redeemed, you've got to be justified, you've got to be
pure in God's sight. Well that means you don't have
anything to do with it. of Christ Jesus. The scripture
says God has made Him to be our wisdom, righteousness. What's
that third one? Sanctification. This is not about
growth in sanctification. This is growth in grace. But
grow in grace. How can I be kept from the fables? Grow in grace. What does that
mean? What does it mean to grow in
grace? Well, I think it includes growing
the gifts of grace. But more than that, I believe
it means grow in the awareness of and in the knowledge of how
desperately you need grace. And grow in an awareness of the
fact that this salvation is all of grace. You just need to study
the grace of God. And the more we study the grace
of God, two things are going to happen. God is going to be
exalted and we're going to be humbled and that's always good.
That's always right. When you read about the grace
of God, you'll find out there was an election of grace. And when you read about the grace
of God, you'll find out there was a redemption that was by
grace. We're justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. When
you read about your conversion, you're going to find out you're
saved by grace. You're quickened by grace. You're
given the gifts of repentance and faith due to the grace of
God. You're kept by the grace of God.
You're preserved by the grace of God. You'll be taken to glory
by the grace of God. And in the end, grace shall have
the glory for all of it. Grow in grace. Grow in grace. And as you grow in grace, you
know what? you will realize how desperately
you still need the grace of God. It's not like, well, I needed
the grace of God to begin with. No, you still need the grace
of God. Because if God, if He took His
hand of grace off of you right now, you'd fall prey to these
fables. I guarantee you. It happened
just about like that too. Grow in grace. What's going to
keep me from the wiles of Satan? What's going to keep me from
the errors that are so prevalent today? What's going to keep me
from these myths, these religious fables? Growing in grace! Grace! Grace! Grace! I had somebody tell me not too
long ago, all you talk about is grace. Somebody actually said
that to me. All you talk about is grace.
And they said about our congregation, all you sing about is grace.
Yeah. And what's your point? Is it
too much grace? Years ago when I was in Rocky
Mountain, somebody came and listened to me for a little while and
they left. Why didn't you continue to go? It's too much grace for me. Too much grace for me. Well,
bless your heart. I tell you what, you can't give
me too much grace. I can't hear too much grace.
Can the preacher preach too much grace to you to where you say,
well, that's enough. Keep it coming. Keep that grace
coming my way. I want to hear about the grace
of God. Tell me about the amazing grace. Oh, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me. I was lost, but I'm found. I
was blind, but now I see. What do I owe that to? Grace.
Grown in the grace of God. Grown in grace. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. By grace you're saved. It's all
of grace from first to last. You don't get weary of hearing
that, do you? How many times have you heard
from this pulpit? Those of you who've been charter
members, how many times have you heard from this pulpit, the
grace of God preaching? Are you weary of it? Anybody
weary of hearing, oh, that's too much grace for me. I wish
you'd preach about something else for a while. No, you say,
oh, preacher, I need that grace, that's the salvation for me.
And that's what helps my poor soul. Isn't this what helps you?
It's what encourages you, the grace of God in Christ Jesus?
But grow in grace, watch it, and in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. If you want to be kept from fables,
grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And really,
this is the principal thing in the growth in grace. is a growth
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no greater
security against falling victim to fables than growth in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Seek to know him. What it was
that the Apostle Paul said in Philippians chapter three, oh
that I might know him in the power of his resurrection. Now
what he said, I want to know him in the power of his resurrection.
But Paul, you're an apostle. You know the Lord. I want to
know him in the power of his resurrection. But you're a Christian. I want to know him in the power
of his resurrection. And every person listening to
me who's a child of God, deep down in your soul, this is your
desire. I want to know him better. I
want to know him better. I want to know more about his
person. Study him. Study him. I want to know more
about his offices. Antecessor. Redeemer. Mediator. Prophet. Priest. King. Study his offices. His offices. Study his work. Oh, for a knowledge of his work.
The work that He's already accomplished. The work that He did before the
world began. When He stood as our surety.
Our surety. And we were one with Him. Don't
you believe in the eternal union of Jesus Christ with His people?
We were given by the Father to the Son. We're one with Him.
And He accepted full and total responsibility for our safety
and eternal salvation. Study His suretyship. Study the
fact that He put Himself under covenant obligations to save
us. Study about the sweet Shepherd
who laid down His life for the sheep. That dear Shepherd who
came seeking us, seeking the lost, and He found you, His lost
sheep, and He picked you up and put you on His shoulders. He's
carrying you all the way home to glory. Learn about Him. Isn't that what the Savior said?
He said, Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden.
I'll give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Learn
of Me. What is that? That's knowledge.
That's knowledge. I want to know Him better. I
want to know Him more fully. That's the reason we're all the
time preaching Jesus Christ. Seek a greater knowledge. of
the Savior. One writer said, leave no scriptural
stone uncovered in your search for an increase in your knowledge
of the blessed Savior. If you want to be saved from
these fables, you study Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Just
focus on Him. That will keep you straight.
Isn't that right? That will keep you straight.
You just read the word of God. You focus in on the grace of
God. That'll keep you straight. And I know there's all kinds
of fables today. There's a fable that God loves
everybody. That's a lie. God doesn't love
everybody. There's some Esau's out here.
He doesn't love his Esau's. Jacob, have I loved Esau? Have
I hated? Well, he didn't really hate him.
He loved him less. Why don't you go ahead and just
take a pen knife and cut out of the Bible everything that
offends you then. But the Bible says he hates the
workers of iniquity. That's what Psalm 5 says. The
fact of the matter is God has an everlasting love for his covenant
people, and he doesn't love anybody else. But those he loves. Oh, I tell you, they're loved
with all of God's heart. I mean, he's loved his elect
from old eternity. It's a love without beginning
and a love without end. That's a fable that God loves
everybody. That's a fable. See, God's love's
in Christ Jesus. That's where it's at. Another
fable is that God wills the salvation of all men without exception.
You know what proof text they use? Right here in 2 Peter 3,
in verse 9, where it says, The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness. But as longsuffering
to us, we're not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. And they say, see there, God's
not willing that anybody should perish. God don't want anybody
to perish. He wants everybody to be saved. Let me tell you
something. Everybody God wants to be saved, they are saved.
They are saved. That's God's will. He's talking
to the usward. He's talking to the elect. In 1 Peter chapter 1, He addresses
His letter to those who are elect. And in 2 Peter chapter 1, he
addresses that letter to those who have obtained like precious
faith. This is God's people. God wills the salvation of His
people. Now, your God may be able to
be defeated in His purpose, but not the God of the Bible. And
if your God can be defeated by man's will, or by man's work,
or by man's whatever, man's non-cooperative spirit, if your God can be defeated,
I've got news for you. You're worshiping a false God.
You've got an idol. You need to destroy that idol
and find out who God is. He's a God who does His will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of death and
none can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest thou? The
God of the Bible says, I do all my pleasure in heaven, on earth,
under the earth, all deep places. That's the God of the Bible.
The God of the Bible says, I'll show mercy to whom I'll show
mercy and I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. The God
of the Bible says, I'll save whom I will, I'll harden whom
I will. Who are you to argue with me?
The God of the Bible says, I'm the potter, you're the clay.
And out of the same lump, I'm going to make some as vessels
of honor to the praise of the glory of my grace and others
as vessels of dishonor. They're vessels of wrath fitted
for destruction. You got a problem with that,
take it up with God. If you dare. Let the pochards
of the earth quarrel with the pochards of the earth. But don't
you take on God. Try to tell God what to do or
say, well that's not fair of God. He'd just throw you in hell
right now and that'd be the end of you. Like a big juggernaut,
he'd just roll over you, there won't be anything left of you,
even a memory of you and the purpose of God just keep on going,
just keeps on tracking. Folks don't even know who God
is. That's sad. It's so ignorant of God. Why
are people so ignorant of God? Because the man behind the pulpit
doesn't know who God is and they just listen to the men behind
the pulpits as they spew out their fables. Better find out who God is. Another
fable, the Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood and died to redeem
and save everybody. Another lie. That's another fable. Our Lord Jesus Christ never suffered,
bled, and died in vain. He paid somebody's debt. And
whosever debt he paid, they're debt free. And those who are debt free are
going to find out about it by the power of the Spirit. God
the Spirit is going to send them the gospel. and convince them
in their hearts, this is indeed the good news that my soul is
so happy with and contented to hear, that he paid my debt. What an insult to Jesus Christ
to say that he died for the sins of all the world, but his death
really saved nobody unless you cooperate with him in your saving
faith. You know what that does? That
just makes salvation a man. That's what that does. They say He died for all men
without exception. No, He died for some men. He died for His people. Thou
shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins. And He did. Oh, these fables. Well, what
will keep us from these fables? Let me give you this and I'll
quit. Down below this, Peter begins to talk about, back in
chapter 1, he begins to talk about how that he was an eyewitness
of the majesty of Christ Jesus. But he says in verse 19, we got
something more sure than that. You know what it is? It's the
Word of God. You want to be kept from error?
You want to be kept from these false gospels? Be kept from the
fables? You stay in the book. And when any man gets up before
you and preaches, if it's me, or Bill, or whoever, take the
scriptures. Search the scriptures to find
out those things you saw. That's your responsibility. I
don't say believe something because I say it. Now listen, I'm not
going to lie to you, at least not on purpose. I don't have
a grasp of all of the truth. I don't think anybody does. Nobody's
got a grasp of every single truth there is to hold. And I might
say something wrong. I don't aim to. But hey, I'm
not inspired. I'm not inspired. Something may
come between my brain and my mouth, and when it comes out
between my mouth and your ears, it might just get distorted and
might not even be what I aim to say. No, I'm not inerrant. That's why we must be like the
Bereans. Search the scriptures daily.
Make sure these things are so. Now if they're so, if these things
are so, you better believe them. And if they're not so, better
go listen to somebody else. Is that right, Alvin? That's
right, isn't it? If it's so, Boy, you've got a great responsibility
on you now, because you done heard the truth. You've heard
of the glory of God in Christ Jesus. My, what a responsibility,
what a privilege you've had to sit under the sound of the gospel,
if indeed you are sitting under the sound of the gospel. That's
a great privilege. But if you're a preacher, I'm
talking to people on the internet now, If you listen to a preacher,
maybe somebody is listening to a CD later on or watching a DVD. If you are a preacher, he doesn't
preach these things. He doesn't preach Christ, Him
crucified. He doesn't preach grace of God,
the grace of God in all capital letters. You need to find you
another preacher. And I will tell you this, the
sooner the better. You need to quit that guy. But he's such a nice guy. Well, I'll tell you what, there
have been a lot of nice guys that led people astray. I mean, most false preachers,
they don't come to you and say, well, I'm preaching a bunch of
lies. If you don't want to believe it, fine. No, they come with
a smile on their face and a Bible in their hand. You say, whoa,
wait a minute. They speak not according to this
book. It's because there's no light
in them. If there's no light in them, I don't want to listen
to them. And I'm not going to listen to them. You better not
listen either. Oh, beware of fables. Beware
of fables. Stay in the Word. Let's sing
the closing song.