You know, we started talking
about false prophets and false teachers being among the people
as they were among the Jews. As Peter said, there'd be false
prophets and false teachers come among the saints. And that's
why he told Timothy, said, the time is coming when they will
not endure sound doctrine. And they'll heap to themselves
teachers. Having itching ears, tell me
something new, tell me something that'll satisfy me, tell me something
that'll stop this itching. I wanna hear something. And they'll
be turned away from the truth and be turned unto fables. And
that's what he said. And our Lord said that there
were so many people that would say, oh Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name, preached in your name, done many wonderful works
in your name, cast out devils in your name? And he said, depart
from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you. And the Lord
knows how in these hours and all these things that happens.
He knows how to deliver his people out of this world, out of these
temptations and the things that goes on in this world and reserve
to judgment those that deserved to be punished and will be punished
in the day. But now look in verse 10. But
chiefly, This is reserved the unjust under the day of judgment
to be punished. But chiefly them that walk after
the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, despise government, presumptuous
are they, self-willed, and not afraid to speak evil of dignities. And these preachers, these false
preachers and teachers, besides denying the gospel, Denying the
blood redemption of Christ. Denying that blood, that bought
him and paid for him. They deny the particular redemption
of Christ. They're guilty of two great errors
here. And the first one is they walk
after the flesh. They walk after the flesh. They
don't walk after the Spirit. They're not interested in the
things of the Spirit of God. They're not interested in what
God has to say about it. They walk in the lust of the
flesh and the lust of their uncleanness. That means that the tenor of
their life, the tenor of their life is the satisfaction, pampering,
Attention to the flesh. Attention to their bodies. Attention
not to their souls. They're not interested in their
souls. That's not their main concern. They want to lead a
life of luxury after the flesh, and content the flesh, and pamper
the flesh, and take care of the flesh, and take care of this
old body that's going to go back to the sun. And you know, and
how I know this is so, you go to most places today, and you
see it on television, you see it everywhere. Why are people
more interested in anything else? Two things. They want healing
for their body, and they want prosperity. And that's walking
after the flesh, and that's what these preachers are giving them.
I can heal your body, and I can tell you how to prosper at the
same time. And that's what they're doing. And they love entertainment.
I mean, they got to have the drums, they got to have all this
big whoopity-doo, and a lot of people jumping and singing and
carrying on. And they're more interested in their financial
well-being, and so if they can talk you out of a dollar, and
everybody in the building gets a dollar from them, they're going
to make out pretty good. And that's what Paul says, this is
the greatest thing they walk after the flesh. Walk after the
flesh. They're not interested in anything.
They're not in the soul. Then look what else it says here.
They despise government or despise dominion. Now what does this
mean? That means they despise authority.
They absolutely despise authority. They despise this. Now what I mean by that is that
they're not talking about the government. He's talking about
the things of God. They boast and brag about the
free will of man. and how powerful man is and how
glorious man is and great abilities man has, but deny and despise
the absolute sovereignty of God Almighty. They despise the authority
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And these false teachers and
preachers and their followers never preach the sovereignty
of God in salvation. They ain't gonna do it. They
never declare the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
tell you, they never emphasize authority of the local assembly. They want nothing to do with
the church government. They don't want a church to have
a preacher or no church to have any authority over them. They'll
make fun of the local assembly. They'll make fun of the pastor.
They'll make fun of how, and they'll say, oh listen, oh you
know what we need? We need just to forget all this
doctrine and let's just go, everybody do things their own way. And
I tell you what, and I tell you something else, you take the
women out of that religion and they would go to nothing just
like that. Now ain't that right? Wayne Borden
was talking to me yesterday and he was talking about, you know,
this fella that died, he'd been going to a place where he said,
I started to say a woman preacher, but a woman gets up and talks.
He said, don't call her a preacher. But that's it. You take women out of free willism.
You take women out of Pentecostalism. You take women out of all of
these organizations that's all interested in the flesh and raising
money and they go to nothing just like that. Now you know
I'm telling you the truth. And oh, they lead, they usurp
authority, and they just on an equal basis with men. They don't
despise local assemblies. They always work outside the
church. And then look what else it says
about them. Presumptuous are they. Presumptuous. Presumption
is an awful, awful thing. It's bold and daring. They're
not afraid to speak of holy things in the most familiar ways. They
presume that they're right. They presume because success.
Presume because they've got some money. Presume because they have
people listening to them. Presume because they've got people
following them. Presume because they've got great big cars and
big bank accounts. They presume they're pleased
with themselves. Proud of their accomplishments.
And oh beloved, there's no reverence, no fear of God in them at all.
None whatsoever. And then it says they're self-willed.
Self-willed. That's one thing that I know
a believer's not. I know this without a shadow
of a doubt. We are not self-willed people. We want God's will done. Get me out of the way. Do you remember that thing you
read? self, and how awful self is. God's people, they're not saying,
no, no, their whole tenor and heart of their life is, Lord,
not mine, but thy will be done. Oh God, you direct me, you keep
me, you preserve me, and whatever your will is, that's what I want.
These people are just the opposite of that. They're just the opposite
of that. They're pleased with themselves.
I mean, they make all kinds of reports about their numerical
success and financial successes and all. They just go on and
on and on about it. And then look what it says, it
says, they're not afraid to speak evil of dignities. You know what
that means? They're not afraid to speak evil
of things of God. the things of Christ, the things
of the scriptures. They'll take the name of God
Almighty and they'll throw it around, just let it roll off
their tongue just like it ain't nothing. Never hold him in reverence,
never hold him in awe. And they talk about Jesus like
he's their next door neighbor. Never call him Lord. Never acknowledge
his power. Never know anything about his
glory. He's your friend. He's the answer. And oh, I tell you what, they
use the word God as frequently, as meaningless as they would
the name of somebody else. And they don't hesitate, they'll
even take issue with the Apostle Paul in the scriptures. And you
run something by them in the scriptures, you know what they'll
say? Well, I just don't see it that way. He's wrong about that. He's wrong about that. But now
look what else it says about in verse 11 and 12. But these as natural, whereas
angels greater in power and 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. Now when he says the angels,
it's greater in power and might than these men. We're also greater
in power, superior in might, power than any man. In fact,
the scriptures tells us that we have angels that watch over
us. Angels that God sent over us, watch over us, and heirs
of salvation. And they even preside over kingdoms. And they don't bring charges.
They don't bring accusations against the other angels that
fail. They wouldn't dare to do it. No, no, they won't speak
against any dignitaries. They won't do it. Those are in
authority, but these false teachers who are like, look what it says,
natural brute beasts, like a dumb animal, made to be killed, made
to be consumed. They're like a cow, they're like
a horse, they're like a hog, you know, that's a dumb beast,
made to be killed and consumed. And they like that, and they
don't hesitate. To speak about mysterious and
holy things they don't either understand their love and don't
care anything about. And look what it says there,
and they shall perish in their own corruption. They got so much
corruption in them that they'll perish in their own corruption. And then look what it says there
in verse 13. And going on with it, he starts, oh, they walk
after the flesh, despise government, presumptuous, self-willed, not
afraid to speak evil of dignities and powers and dominions. And
angels don't even do that. And oh my, they shall receive
the reward of their unrighteous, the reward of unrighteousness.
Their life is unrighteous, their acts are unrighteous, they're
unrighteous, their thoughts are unrighteous, everything about
them is unrighteous. And you know what they're going
to get paid in? Unrighteousness. They're going to get just exactly
what's coming to them. And you know, over in Revelation,
it says, He that's holy, let him be holy still. He that's
filthy, let him be filthy still. He that's unjust, let him be
unjust still. And he says, the Lord said here,
that these men, you know what their reward's going to be for
all their unrighteousness? They're going to be rewarded
for it. You know this, the most popular preacher in America now,
maybe in the world is this, what's his name? Osteen. Osteen. He wouldn't know God
from a goat. Just, all he does is power positive
thinking. That's all it amounts to. Manipulating
people's minds. Manipulating their wills, using
psychology. And they do that. And that's
what he says here. These thieves are going to receive
the reward of their wrong doing. And then it says here, and as
they that counted pleasure to ride in the daytime. You know
what that means? That means to ride means to party,
to enjoy yourself, have great pleasure. Well, they love to
have great pleasure and having a great pleasure all day long.
They just live in pleasure, enjoy pleasure, delight in pleasure.
And they want to do it all day, every day. But I tell you, the
night's coming and the day will cease to be one of these days.
And look what else it says here. And spots they are, and blemishes,
sporting themselves with their own deceivings. They claim the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They claim the fellowship of
the body of Christ. But they're only spots, they're
only blemishes. And look what it says there,
sporting themselves, reveling in themselves, bragging about
themselves, greatly impressed with themselves, with their own
deceivings. They're deceived and they revel
in their deceptions. And then they'll sit down and
feast with you and say, boy, we're all on the same page, we're
all going to the same place, we all got the same objective.
No, no we don't. No, we don't. I've told you this
before. I've met a couple of men over the years and we'd have
some pretty good conversations and after a while I'd have met
two or three that says, well, at least we're brothers. No,
we're not brothers. We're not worshiping the same
God. We're not worshiping the same Christ. We ain't reading
the same Bible. I tell you, I don't have no Armenian
brethren. I don't have anybody that, like
these fellas here, there's no way in the world. There's parts,
I mean, you know, they'll sit down and feast with you. And they're all sporting in their
own deceivings. And look at what happened. He
said here that, verse 15 and 16. It says in verse 14, having
eyes full of adultery. Oh my. They have lustful, adulterous
eyes. They have hearts that are filled
with covetousness. See how their hearts are filled
with covetous practices. They are still interested in
materialism. And look what it says. And they cannot cease from
sin. And then they take this and beguile
unstable souls. They can take an unstable soul
and just beguile them and entice them and get them to follow.
Get them to follow. I was talking to somebody the
other day, trying to witness, this man told me he's trying
to witness to this woman that cuts his hair and she'd been
pretty rowdy and then she got religion. And she was witness
to him all the time. But she became a Pentecostal. She joined a Pentecostal church.
She was just really into that. He'd be trying to talk to her
about the gospel. He'd read things to her in the
scriptures. She said, I never saw that before. She said, you
a preacher say anything about that? Oh no, no, don't say nothing
about that. But I know it's real. She said, I know it's real. I
was there and you would not believe what I felt, what I experienced.
And that's what these folks are doing. They go by feeling. They go by emotion. They go by
how somebody talks them into something. And all the There
was years ago, I think about 10 or 12 years ago now, there's
two men got together. And they went somewhere outside
of Chicago, one of those big little towns outside of Chicago
where people move out in the suburbs and build them $300,000
houses, $400,000. And they decided, I'll tell you
what we're going to do. We're going to go from house
to house to house, and we're going to ask him if you had a
church, and if you was going to go to church, you want that
church to be like. And they went all over house
to house to house with that survey and gave these people what kind
of church would you like to attend? What would you want? If you was
to go to church, what would you want? You know what the first
thing they said? They said, well, I want some good entertainment.
I said, you know, church is boring. Secondly, I want a real, real
comfortable place to sit. Even couches would be nice. And they talked about, you know,
I don't want to dress up. You know, it's one of the worst
things about going to church. You have to dress up. I don't
want to dress up. And I don't want to be preached
to. I just can't stand to be preached to. And they went through
a whole list of things like that. And those fellas, went and got
a place and they set couches all over the place and got them
a band and wore their shirts, you know, their open neck shirts,
you know, polo shirts and that stuff to the services. And that
band played. Next thing you know, that place
was running over with people. They had coffee shops in it.
You could sit and drink coffee sitting around the table while
they was entertaining. As old Henry used to say, preachers
are entertaining men on the road to hell. Entertain them on the
road to hell. But look what it says now here
in verse 15 and 16. He says, they are covetous practices,
cursed children. And they have forsaken the right
way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of
Bozar, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked
for his iniquity, the dumbass speaking with man's voice forbade
the madness of the prophet. Now what does he mean? Balaam
was a man, a prophet, and this wealthy, wealthy man, wealthy
man, They come and offered him, I mean offered him great, great
sums of money and clothes and everything if he'd go down there
and curse the children of Israel. Well, away he went. God said,
no, no, you're not going to curse my children. Go back to the house.
Well, he went over there again and that fellow said, listen,
it didn't work the first time. I'll give you that much more
money. I'll just double it all. And old Balaam says, boy, that's
a pretty good deal. I'll go back down there again.
And on his second way down there, says, he's not going to let a
false prophet curse his children. He ain't going to let a false
prophet even preach to his children. He's not going to let a man who
wants money above the gospel go deal with his children. And
he was on his way down there the next time, and he went through
this way, and he's riding his ass. And now that's his stop
in the middle of the road. He got off and kicked it, beat
it, beat it, beat it. And that thing turned around
and spoke to him. Don't you see that angel standing there with
that sword? Don't kill us both if you don't shut up and get
your act together. And all he was interested in
was what he could get made. He was interested in his money. And he got paid. And the only
thing that saved him from God killing him was that Donkey saw
that angel standing in front of him with a sword in his hand.
And I tell you what, Balaam's in hell right now. You know what
one thing he has to do before he died? You know what he said?
Oh, I'd like to die the death of the righteous. I'd like to
die the death of the righteous. And I tell you what, and that's
the way they are. They leave the way of truth and
go for the rewards of unrighteousness, greedy, money, and praise. And then it says in verse 17,
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with
the tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.
You know, you've got this beautiful well here, and it looks deep,
and all you say, man, that'd be some good water down in there.
And it looks promising, but boy, when you drop the bucket in there,
it's bottom, there's no water. No water. No water to satisfy
anybody. No water to satisfy a thirst.
No water to cool a man's tongue. No water to cool him at all.
And, oh beloved, they have nothing in them. And that's what they
promised their followers. But it's dry, empty wells. And
Christ alone is the well of living water. If a man drinks of him,
he'll never thirst again. Then it says there are clouds
that are carried with a tempest. The wind, just a good wind carrying
them clouds high in the sky, just whipping by. And boy, you're
needing a good drain. You think it's going to just
put us some good fresh rain down the middle of the summer and
the wind comes running by and then it's gone by. No rain. He said, that's the way these
people are. They look promising. They look like they got some
everything they need. But you know what's reserved
for them? Darkness. Darkness. Darkness and then looking
at 18 and 19 for when they speak gray swelling words of promise
Vanity great swelling words of vanity. Oh, they lose these great
flattering titles and words and titles and praise the flesh Praise
everybody in the services, you know and make everybody feel
so Good about themselves and brag on them and all that and
they wouldn't they do this for worldly worldly events and making
merchandise out of it And they are lured through the lust of
the flesh. They understand people's fallen nature. They understand,
they know exactly what buttons to push and get folks to come
after. They beguile and lure the people with promises of health
and happiness and prosperity and eternal life. And look what
it says, but they through much weakness, Oh, they're led astray. These people are so led astray.
They're ignorant. Those that were clean escaped
from them that live in error. Oh, they got them back. They
brought them in that lived in error. And then it says here,
while they promised them liberty, they promised them, oh boy, this
is going to set you free. You're not going to have to worry
about nothing. Everything's going to be alright.
You know, they promised them liberty and freedom from worry
and anxiety and poverty and ill health. And they promised them
all this great liberty, but they themselves are servants of corruption. And because He said, if a man's
overcome of something, that is what holds him in bondage. If
he's overcome of the flesh, the flesh is holding him in bondage.
And you know what these fellows do? They go about to establish
their own righteousness. And when men follow these false
teachers and preachers, they become enslaved in the greatest
bondage there are, worldliness and self-righteousness and pride.
Deadliest form of worldliness. And then verse 20 through 22,
look what it says. This is just self-explanatory.
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
of them is worse than the beginning. If somebody comes and they hear
the gospel and they say they love the gospel and they delight
in the gospel and they escape the world and its pollution for
a while, And then they go back and get entangled again back
in that world. Get entangled again back in that
flesh. Get entangled again back in that
bondage. Get entangled again in the things
of the world. And overcome the latter end is
worse for them than they ever started. that it had been better
never, never to have heard the gospel or been unsound of it,
never heard the name of Christ and that's why he says for it
had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness
than after they had known it to turn, turn from the holy commandment
that was delivered to them. Turn from it, turn from the gospel,
turn from the word And oh, you know what happens here is if
a man is temporarily excused, escapes this world and exposure
to the gospel and becomes entangled, his conditions worse. For he
came in and he had a refuge, he thought he did, and now he's
gone and he's hiding in a false refuge. And before, beloved, he had no
refuge. It would have been better for
him never to have one. Boy, he sought mercy and then
he turns and goes and sins against the light. Before he comes to
the light, he can at least plead ignorance. But after he comes
to the light, and that's what he says, he says, but it's happened
unto them, and this is in Proverbs 26, it's happened unto them,
according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
vomit again. Every one of us seen a dog do
that. If you've had a dog very long, you've seen a dog do that.
And the sow, they take them up there at the county fair, take
them to the state fair. I mean, they look great. Curl that tail up, you know,
and they show that thing around. I mean, it's spotless. They took
the hose to it and got it all scrubbed up and take it out in
the ring, show it off, you know, and then all that. But when they
carry it back so far, you know, turn it loose, you go right back
that mud hole. And it'd been better for a man
never to have known. And that's why John said, one
of the brethren read it the other night. He says, they went out
with us. But they were not of us, for
if they had been of us, they no doubt would have continued
with us. But they went out. They went out. And oh my, God
keep me. Keep me, keep me. I know what
I, I know me. Lord keep me. Preserve me. Preserve
me. I can't imagine. By the time
I was 22, 23, 24, I had all the slop I wanted. I don't want to
go back to hog bed. And I look at a hog, I think
of them things. I don't want to go back. Leave this and go
to the slop. God, no. Our blessed Savior, Lord, Thank
you for these great words of warning, instruction. Lord, keep
us from false teachers, false prophets. Keep us from our flesh.
Keep us from our pride. Keep us from our self-righteousness.
Keep us, O Lord Jesus, in the dust. Keep us down. Keep us humble. Keep us cleaving
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us not to get above and
exalt ourselves in any way. but to be humble before you,
and you humble us down, and you put us in the dust. You bring
us to where we worship you and you only. We never consider ever
leaving the gospel, turning from Christ, turning from the thanks
of our Lord Jesus. Hedge us about, protect us and
preserve us, seal us, and oh Lord, make us to know what it
means to be sealed. Oh, blessed be your name. Honor
yourself in our lives. We ask these things in Christ's
name. Amen. Amen.