Turn with me to Romans 16. As
I said last week, I will probably visit this chapter a few more
times. I don't know exactly how many yet. I don't want to read
just a couple verses as a text. Romans chapter 16. Now, Joe said
he wasn't going to keep us long, and he didn't. Paul didn't say
he was going to keep us long or not, and he didn't. I'm not
saying anything. The football game don't start
till 6.30. I plan on watching it. I call
it the stupid bowl. But I enjoy watching it. It's
probably one of the only football games I will actually try to
watch all the way through. I wonder how long it lasts. This
old boy may hit the pillow before it's even over with. But anyway,
I will not try to keep you long. Romans 16, two verses, verse
17 and 18. Now I beseech you, brethren,
or beseech you, brethren, we could say, Paul said, I implore
you. Please listen to me, okay? Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the
doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they that
are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that such a, bigoted,
mean, narrow-minded statement. If it is, it is. It's the truth.
If we want to label it, just like the one fellow told Rolf
Barnard, he said, your God's a monster. And he said, well,
prepare to be the monster then. Because I'm preaching the truth
about you. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. And by good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. My
title for this message is When Men Offend Gospel Doctrine. Now some goats masquerade as
sheep. This is not my message. It's
relevant to what Paul's talking about and what I'm trying to
preach on this morning. Some goats masquerade as sheep. I
am persuaded, I figure that many goats, maybe not all of them,
but many goats probably think they are sheep. But they are
indeed goats masquerading as sheep. But the alarming point
is that sometimes masquerading goats infiltrate where the sheep
gather. If they were just always out
there. If they were goats who said, well, we're sheep, but
we're not your kind of sheep. Now there are some who say that.
Well, I'm one of God's, but I don't believe what you believe. If
you don't believe who I believe, you will perish. You don't have
to believe what I believe, but you will believe who I believe.
And if you truly believe who I believe, you'll start to begin.
You'll begin to start. You'll start to begin believing
what I believe. Now, I believe very little, because
no man knows anything, yet he's the ought to know it. But Mac,
what I do believe, God's convinced me of it, because I see it right
here in his word. When for years I read this word,
for some years I even preached from this word, but never still
seen the truth of this word. Now some goats form their own
gatherings, that's true, and they'll call themselves sheep.
I don't know anybody out there with the Church of the Goats.
Most people who can at least read plain language realizes
the goats one day will be put on the left hand, the sheep on
the right hand. The goats don't have a good outcome. So I've
never heard of the Church of the Goats. But some goats form
their own gatherings. But some rise up among God's
true called ones. some reprobates, and reprobate,
most of the time, when we think of reprobate, we think of a really
bad, nasty, wicked person, right? That may be so. But some very
fine folk are reprobate, too. Some folks, compared to other
folks, are just really fine folks, but they may still be reprobate.
Reprobate's not about your character, it's about whether or not God
loves you. It's about whether or not God Almighty chose you
or whether he just passed on by you. It's about whether or
not God Almighty has done and will do and will continue to
do something for you in grace through Jesus Christ or just
leave you to yourself. So some reprobates creep in unawares
amongst God's elect. Remember Paul warned the Ephesian
elders of this. From among your own selves shall
men arise speaking perverse things. That's scary. Because I don't
want to be one. I don't want to be one. But it's
also scary, we know they exist, right in the midst. Hmm, Jude
made that very clear, didn't he? Crept in unawares. Now consider our text, our two
verses. Just a couple things to kind
of lay the foundation. These imposters are not the servants
of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's clear. Whoever they are,
They are not the servants of Jesus Christ. Because God moved,
God the Spirit moved Paul the Apostle to pin this down. Or he at least told someone,
write this down. As you can see when you read
some more of this. These impostors are not the servants
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mark them. In other words, it
doesn't mean to put a stamp on them. It doesn't mean to do something
in some outward fashion like that. That's not what the word
here, this word in our English translated from the Greek means
to be on guard of. Keep an eye out for them. That's
what we would kind of say it today. Always have your guard
up. Watch out for the red flags.
Watch out for the red flags. Now, having said that, let me
say, all of us have some red flags. All of us do things, have
things, and do things that occasionally pop up, and it's a red flag. I've told you this before, the
reprobate falls away. A reprobate, one who's made a
profession of faith, maybe even under the truce. And he or she
makes a profession of faith, but then they go into apostasy.
They abandoned it. They turn from it. They fall
away. Believers fall. They don't fall
away, but they fall. But in the beginning, it looks
exactly the same. Because both have a fall. One
just falls away. We know quite clear of the example
of Judas amidst the disciples. And even more than that, amidst
the 12, the closest of our Lord's disciples. When our Lord said,
one of you shall betray me, every one of them said, well, Lord,
is it me? Is it me? Am I the one? There was nothing
in Judas that made them think, I always thought a little strange
about that fella. but he was so trusted they had
made him the treasurer of the group. Mark them, be on guard for them.
Avoid, isn't that what he says? Refuse them fellowship. Now it
doesn't mean necessarily that we refuse to tell them the truth
of the gospel. But at the same time, there's
also a time when you don't cast your pearls before swine either.
and that you shake the dust off your feet if the truth of your
Lord is not received. Leave it alone. But we got to
get people to see Christ. We can't. All we can do by his
grace is just preach it and witness to it. And my brothers and sisters,
it's not about being a pastor. to whom God has given a gift
to publicly lead and preach the assembly, you can just tell people
what God Almighty has done for you. You don't have to have great
doctrinal points and have everything. Here's what God did for me. I
got a chance to do that. I mean, I know doctrine, and
that is bragging. I know doctrine, and I can present
doctrine, and I can, Ellen sometimes arrange it in proper order wherever
all the ducks are in a row. But preaching the Lord Jesus
Christ is not that. It's just about telling who he
is and what he done. Refuse them fellowship. Here's
the fourth thing, they are deceivers. I'm not gonna deal with the simple
because I figure most of us are far more simple than we like
to think about ourselves. They're deceivers. They use what?
Good words and fair speeches. Isn't that amazing? Their desire
is their own belly. That's a figure of speech. It
means this, they're self-centered and man-centered. There's a big
red flag. When people, anybody, I don't
care if it's a man or a woman, a preacher or just a professor
of religion, a professor of Christianity, if their message is all about
man and not about the man, Christ Jesus, That's a big red flag. It's a big red flag. Here's the
sixth thing. Last of this little foundation
here. Their words are, and we'll put
it in a different light, their words are pleasant and patronizing. This is what most of the preachers,
if I see them on TV, if I listen to them on the radio, they are
pleasant and patronizing. They try to build men and women
up in themselves, and not encourage them in the truth of the person
and work of Jesus Christ. Tobby loaned me a book to read,
and it's by John Owen, and it's, the truth of it is sound. There
is no fault in the truth of it. Good instruction. But as I read
it, Jack is just very little about Christ. And the only thing
that encourages me to do those things that John Owen wrote in
that book, Toward Your Pastor, about pastors and fellowship
with the pastor, the only thing that encourages me to do that
is not tell me about the pastor, but tell me about Jesus Christ.
What he did, what he's still doing for me. I'm not throwing
off on John Owen, Even the best of us sometimes just fall flat.
I don't need just a bunch of rules, even if they're good sound
rules. I've got to have the gospel with
it, or they become nothing but rules. Rules. Now here are just
three thoughts, scriptural thoughts, in light of these infiltrators.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11. Turn there if you're following
along. You don't have to. First Corinthians 11, just one verse. Let me make the
statement and I'll give you the verse and read it. This is for
all of us here. Do not be overwhelmed by them
or the thought of them. It will rob you and keep you
in a constant mind of fear. If you're constantly afraid,
well, somebody might be among us. But you know what you do?
you start looking at people under a microscope. Why do I have the right to say
that to you? Do not be overwhelmed by these infiltrators, these
masqueraders. Look at what Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians
11 verse 19. This is amazing. I'm not gonna
try to explain a lot of this. All I know is this is what God
says. This is the truth. for there must be also heresies
among you. Isn't that what he said? He didn't say sadly there will,
there must be. But there's a reason that they
which are approved may be made manifest among you. Charles Spurgeon
once said in a, I think it was in a message, I don't remember,
of course what I would have from him would be either printed up
of one of his messages or someone gave me something to him, but
he said, you know how to know if a crooked stick's really crooked?
Lay a straight stick down beside it. That's how you know. Some
sticks may look straight if you turn them a certain way, right?
If the bow's a certain way, you turn it up a certain way, look
at it a certain angle. Looks like a straight stick. but just
drop the stick down on the table and then have what you know is
a straight stick and lay it down, you'll see the difference. You'll
see the difference. And let me tell you something.
The stick of God's word is straight. It's straight. It's straight. I may not see and do not see
all its straightness, but I know it's profitable for all that
stuff, right? Righteousness, reproof, correction,
instruction. It's profitable for everything.
Doctrine, everything. So my brothers and sisters, those
of you out there that maybe you don't have a place together,
don't let this overwhelm you. But don't take your guard down.
Mark them. Mark them. Here's a second thought.
Turn to 2 John. 2 John. That's right after First John.
Does that help you? Second John. I'll give you the
verses in just a moment. Here's another thought. Do not
be emotionally concerned for them. You see that? Now, be concerned for their soul,
yes. Well, I at one time was a false preacher, Jack. At one
time, I did not believe nor preach the gospel. I preached a perversion
of the gospel. And God, by his grace, said,
all right, that's far enough. You won't go no further. I'm
stopping you. But don't be emotionally concerned
for it. There's nothing wrong with concern
and there's nothing wrong with emotions, but emotions can get
you in trouble. Listen to what our brother John
wrote. 2 John, it's beginning in verse seven, for the sake
of time, for many deceivers are entered into the world. Many.
Many. I'll tell you what, it's good. Sometimes it's good to have a
small group of people because you really get to know one another.
But even in this small group, sadly, we have seen these deceivers
come in, have we not? There's more that's left here
than still remain here today. and left here because they did
not like what they were hearing, though at one time they professed
that they loved it. That's sad. So just being small is no guarantee,
Jack, of anything. Be that as it may. For many deceivers
are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ
is come of the flesh, this is, and if you look this up, I have
a, Well, Joe turned me onto it years ago, a linear Greek-English
New Testament. And it actually, the Greek actually
puts it this way, because we do know, those of us who study
a little Greek, A is very rare in the Greek. Usually, it's usually
a the, or some other word to describe more than one person.
But here's what the Greek actually says. This is the deceiver and
the antichrist. Now, swallow that one. Not just a deceiver and an antichrist,
though that's certainly true, but there are many of them. And
some of us have been so taught that there's one antichrist.
John right here says there's many. So if I'm already thinking
there's gonna be just one in the end, one of them may sneak
up behind me and hurt me. Right? Huh? This is the deceiver
and the 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 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. That's not what God's book tells
us to do. That's some serious avoidin' right there, isn't it?
That's more than just, well okay, I don't wanna mess with that
person. We've got to never let our guard down. Because look,
for he that biddeth him Godspeed, is a partaker of his evil deeds. Complicit, an accessory. That sounds pretty serious, don't
it? All right, here's the third thought. I'll spend most of my time on
this one, but I'll try to move quickly. According to what we've
just read, they transgress and abide not in true Christ-honoring,
Christ-centered, Christ-instituted doctrine. You see that? Their transgression is not some
immoral thing, it's a religious thing. It's not robbing some
bank. It's lying on Christ. Lying about
Christ. Denying the truth of Christ.
And they may be a very moral, upright person. One you can trust
with a $100 bill for a week to give it back to you. But they
can't be trusted with the truth of God. See it? They transgress and abide not
in true Christ-honoring, Christ-centered, Christ-instituted doctrine. Second John, have we just read?
Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ
hath not God. A couple thoughts here. No doubt this includes the truth. Now listen to me. Don't get angry. Don't turn away from what I'm
about to say here before you listen to everything I have to
say. No doubt this includes the truth of Christ's person and
work. That's the fundamental truth
of the gospel. Who Christ is, and especially,
especially what he did at Calvary. What he accomplished at Calvary. What he actually wrought at Calvary. I have no doubt that it means
and includes, or I should say rather, includes the five points
of Calvinism. But you don't have to know the
five points of Calvinism to be saved. You have to know the Christ
that those five points talk about. And if God brings you to know
that Christ, then as you begin to hear those things, you'll,
oh, that's actually in there. You'll start then to start learning
the doctrines. But it's not that, well, if you're
not a five-pointer, then kick them out. I didn't start out
as a five-pointer. I was one of those four-pointers. That limited atonement gave me
a fit. The problem wasn't with the atonement though. It was
right down in here. All that brainwashing that I'd
had. I was not even presented the two different sides of the
argument. Even in a Sunday school lesson
way, they avoided the other side. They stood up epitaphs about
the other side. No doubt, this includes the truth
of Christ person to work. But they include these three
things most definitely. Now there's more than that, but
I want you to see where I'm going. Most certainly, the doctrine
of Christ includes, turn to Matthew chapter seven before I give the
rest of it to you. Matthew chapter seven. The doctrine of Christ is not
just who Christ is and what he did, it's what he taught. what
he taught, and I will give you three fundamental things that
Christ taught. Matthew 7, a little lengthy, let's read it. Verse
21, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Whoa. Whoa. What? Whoa. But he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven, and my flesh is, ah, okay, now
we're getting back to doing. Now we're getting there. Okay,
there is some doing here. Yes, sir. That's right. But this
is proper doing. Exactly. This is Christ taught
doing, Ellen. Amen. Yeah. Well, look. Not everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Now we'll go back
to the first part and explain. Many will say unto me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in
thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works, and then I will profess unto them, I never knew you.
Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. You see, the fundamental
truth here is what? It's not about what we do, though
doing Christ spoke. if our doing's all just about
us. Christ never rebuked them. They
knew this Christ. You see it? But their hope was
on what they were doing. Look, here's the thing. I never knew you. That's frightening. That's frightening. He that work
in equity, therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them. I will liken him unto a wise
man. What? Which built his house upon
a rock. You see it? Or we can say from
the Greek, upon the rock. Because there is but one rock. And the rain descended and the
floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and
it fell not. Why? Why? Because a house had
been built Both of these that Christ was described builds a
house. And you gotta have a house. And there's some doing. But it's
what are we building on? It was founded on a rock. And
everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, shall
be like it knowing no foolish man which built his house upon
the sand. So they both built houses. It was the foundation
that made all all, all the difference, right? This is Christ's doctrine.
And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, beat
upon that house, and it fell, and great, great was the fall
of it. And it came to pass when Jesus
had ended these things, the people were astonished at his doctrine. There's the doctrine of Christ.
Isn't it not? Now folks, I'm not saying you
gotta know this parable to be saved, but you got to experience
it to be saved. God's got to move you to build
your house on the rock Christ Jesus. God will teach you that
you don't hold the rock, the rock holds you. The rock ain't
resting in you to do something, you're resting in what the rock
did. They don't bring this doctrine.
They transgress. They abide not in the doctrine
of Christ. Now turn to Luke chapter 18. We've already been there
once today, haven't we? Paul said Luke 18. I thought,
all right now, easy. Don't preach my message for me. We'll get to the ball game. Luke
18. Think about it. The doctrine
of Christ is this. A deadly, serious, wrong action. A religious action, but a deadly,
serious, wrong action. Not all religious doing is good. This is Christ's doctrine, Luke
18, verse nine, and he spake this parable. So this is his
teaching, right? And if he just says, and he gave
them peace, The spirit, this is his doctrine,
this is his teaching. And he spake this parable of
the certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee, the other a Republican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God I thank thee that I'm not
like other men are. Extortioners, I'm not one. Unjust,
I'm not one. Adulterers, I'm not. Or even
as this publicly. I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. If you ever done this, start
to pray and look up, and then this verse just convict the devil
out of you. And you start putting your head down. Why? Because that's where our
eyes need to be. You know why? Because Christ's
feet are down here. Remember, there was a woman that
gave Christ a kiss, but she kissed his feet. Judas gave him a kiss
too, but he felt perfectly comfortable kissing him, standing toe to
toe with him. Kissed him right here. Even the apostle John,
that beloved one, when he seen him, when John was on that Isle
of Patmos, he said, I fell at his feet as a dead man. And the publican standing far
off would not so much as lift his eyes unto heaven, but smote
upon his breast, why? Henry Mahan said, because he
probably knew that's where the problem is, down in here. My problem
ain't even this Pharisee that's just cut me to the dirt. Because
the Pharisee's right, I don't do what he does, and I do what
he don't do. Smote upon his breast. saying,
God, propitiate me, the sinner. You see, mercy's not just an
attitude from God, it's an act. It's an act. And that act is
mainly seen when Jesus Christ the Lord died on that tree and
he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. I tell you, this is still his
doctrine, I tell you that this man went down to his house justified,
but listen, he didn't stop there, rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth himself
shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. So you don't have to know this
parable, but this has gotta happen to you. You gotta be like this
publican. Because if all I am and all you
are and all you are is like that Pharisee, we won't know any justification. Never. Never, never, ever. Never,
never, ever. Turn to Matthew 19. Do we see a little bit here?
That transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ.
God showed us maybe a little something here. This ain't new.
But I've heard a lot of messages from, what was the second, John,
and a lot of times it's about the five points. They're certainly
included, but that ain't all there is to it. You can be a
Calvinist and be proud of your Calvinism. You can be a Calvinist
and think that your Calvinism's what's getting you to glory,
and it's just not so. Calvinism's what's gonna make
you right in doctrine. Bowing to Christ, having God
Almighty conquered your soul is what's actually right in salvation. That's where the true doctrine
starts. You see, if God ever bows you to Christ, then when
you read, Christ say, whoa, he said that, whoa, he said that,
but that's the Christ, right? He taught this, whoa, but that's
the Christ. Back when I was in religion and
lost as a goose in a horse race, as they often say, I'd read those
things and it'd just kind of go on past. Just go on, you know. Either, well, that's too deep,
or, you know, just some kind of excuse. Get back to the passages
that talk about me. Yeah, what I can do, yeah. What
I can do. All right, what'd I say, Matthew
19? I didn't make it there. Got called away. or called up,
Matthew 19. Here we go, the doctrine of Christ,
think about it. Not preaching the doctrine of
Christ is a wrong possibility. Now look at Matthew 19, verse
23. This said Jesus unto his disciples,
verily I say unto you, and this is, remember, right after the
rich young ruler came to him. And he said, good master, tell
me what good thing I could do to inherit eternal life. He said,
keep the commandments. I did those since I was a little fella.
And he said, all right, now, of course Christ knows. He said,
all right, you take everything you've got and you give it to
the poor and you come and follow me. Whoa. Oh, that doesn't have
a whole lot to do with the law itself in its strict sense, does
it? It has to do with bowing to Jesus
Christ. He had great riches and he went
away sorrowful. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
verily or truly I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, is
that not his doctrine? Mac, is this not his doctrine?
It's what he taught, right? Again, I say to you, it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And if you've ever
seen some of these Bible dictionaries, they will show you that gate.
And it's called the needle. And they said even camels had
to bow down and crawl through. I think all that's bunk. And
that's what our Lord was referring to. I just don't think that.
I think he means exactly what he's saying. Can that camel get
through an eye of a needle? It is impossible. Right? And he says it, look. When his disciples heard it,
they were exceeding amazed, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus
beheld them. Look at it. They started looking
him right in the eye. But Jesus beheld them and said
unto them, with men this is, what? I-M, P-O-S-S, I-B-L-E. And how many people out there
do you hear talking? Preachers now, even preachers.
God made salvation possible for you. With men, this is what? Well,
but you got a free will. I don't care if you do, it don't
do you no good. Now, you don't got one, but if
you had one, it still wouldn't do you no good, because with
men, it's what? Impossible. Our will's not free,
it's as bound as our heart is, and our heart is desperately
wicked. Above all things, we still don't know it to its fullest
yet. With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are
possible. He can take a vile sinner, a
publican. He can even take a religious
Pharisee, and join those people to himself. But he can only do
it through the person of his son. As Scott Richardson used
to say, before God ever does anything for you, he had to do
something for himself. He had to slaughter his son in
your place, in your room, and in your stead. And now it's possible. And listen, God's possibilities
ain't just maybe, maybe not. The promises of God in Christ
are what? Yea and amen. See, you can have correct doctrine
about Christ, but what if I miss his doctrine about rock and sand?
What if I miss his doctrine about self-justification versus begging
God for mercy? What if I miss his doctrine about
salvation with men is impossible. But with God, it's all yay and
amen. Heavenly Father, oh God, keep
us moving forward, not looking back, but pressing forward toward
the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. God, help us to throw off all
of our idols, even ourself. Forgive us for our sins. We thank
you for that in Christ's name, amen.