Let's go. Turn to 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2. I will read only a portion of
what Peter deals with in this second chapter. And, of course,
if you read 2 Peter, you will see that the chapter divisions
are quite adequate in this epistle, in this letter.
2 Peter chapter two, verse one.
But there were false prophets also among the people. Among
who? Among God's people back during
the time of the Old Testament. Even as there shall be false
teachers among you. Who privily, that means stealthily,
secretly. Who privily shall bring in Damnedable
heresies. There's a word you don't hear
much anymore. Damnation. Damnedable heresies. Even denying
the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Any man that's ever damned of
God Any woman that's ever damned of God deserves it fully. Fully. And many, this is sad,
but it's true, and many shall follow their pernicious ways
by reason of whom the way of truth, now who do you suppose
that is? by reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall
they with fame, that is, pretended words, make merchandise of you. Yes, sir. They'll take advantage
of God's people. Yes, they will. And they do it
to get gain from it. Yes, sir. whether it's monetary
gain, whether it's dollar bills, whether it's notoriety, whatever
it is, prestige, whatever it is, they'll make merchandise
of you. That's why we need to hear about
this. They'll make merchandise of you,
whose judgment, not you, but them, okay? Whose judgment now of a long
time. Now this is odd language. Now
of a long time, been this way a long time, slumbereth not.
And their damnation, or I'm sorry, of a long time lingereth not,
and their damnation slumbereth not. In other words, their condemnation
by God is absolutely sure. God hadn't forgotten. Not getting
a little senile. He's not just being patient.
He is being long-suffering. For if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into
chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. Think about it.
Angels were created Beings I don't know how to say this completely
scripturally, but they were created beings Who were right before
God There are created beings who
were right before God, but they fail They failed and they are
beings who can feel torment pain anguish and yet God didn't save
one of them. How self-important do we human
beings think we are when we demand God must at least try to save
all of us? You don't hear religion talking
that stuff. down here at the First Baptist Church or First
Presbyterian Church or the Pentecostal Holiness Church, you're not gonna
hear them talking about this stuff. 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, sexual perverts. What's he talking
about? And turning the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah into ashes, condemning them with an overthrow. He burnt
those people alive. making them an ensample unto
those that after should live ungodly. And delivered righteous
lot, it's not talking about only lot, it delivered just lot, that
is righteous lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the
wicked. And Peter says, let me explain
that to you so you know exactly what I'm talking about. For that
righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed
his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. Don't think that uncouth accompaniment
will not affect you in your life. Do not think it will not. Do
not think you're above it. Do not think you're higher than
it. I can handle this. No, you righteous lot couldn't. You won't either. You won't either. Vexed his righteous soul from
day to day with their unlawful deeds. And there was not even
a law back then. The law of Moses had not been
given. I should've said that there was
no law of Moses back then. But there was still that law,
the law of God written in men's hearts. That some things are
right and some things are wrong and every man knows that unless
their conscience has been seared with a hot iron. And God Almighty
does that. I don't believe that's wrong,
then you're in danger. I don't see the problem with
that. Then you're in danger. You're in danger. The Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve. Do you see that? To reserve the
unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. God intends to
do both. Do you see it? Some people think,
well that sovereignty stuff, that's just found in Romans nine. But chiefly, let's not lose sight
of what Peter's talking about. You hear me? But chiefly, them
that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise
government. This next verse or two, I had
no idea what these things meant when I was in this world's so-called
Christian religion. No idea. But chiefly them that
walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government,
presumptuous are they, notice that next word, self-willed. What is free will, what men call
free will, but self-will? Now, we don't have a free will,
but even if I did, what is it? It cannot be anything other than
Mack Hatfield's self-will. Peter here says God damns it. You see, free will is nothing
more than self-will disguised with religious rhetoric and emotional
tactics. Exactly what, a man preaches
free will, he's preaching a damnable heresy, because man's will is
self-will. Self-willed. They are not afraid
to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater
in power and might, that's talking about those angels, the elect
angels, the ones that never fail. Whereas angels, which are greater
in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them
before the Lord. So let me tell you something,
I'm not talking about these men. Peter's not talking about these
men. Peter is writing, and look at the context in the last part
of chapter one, Peter's writing what God Almighty is saying about
these men. This ain't my take on it. This
ain't Peter's take on it. This is God's take on it. I'm going to sum this, everything
Peter says in chapter two up. And there's more. You go on,
I would encourage you, go on later to read the rest of that.
I'm gonna sum it up here. A free willer. A free willer,
you know what a free willer is? A free willer is a person who
says basically this. When man fell in the garden,
he may have failed in all of his faculties except for his
will. I'm boiling it down, but that's
what, in other words, you still have that ability to will to
come to God, and that's not so. What did the first thing, the
first thing that Adam and Eve manifested when they failed,
right after they failed, rather. One, they tried to establish
a covering for their own sin. Two, when they heard the truth
of God, they heard him walking in the cool of the day. Did they
run to seek him and look for his mercy and forgiveness? They
hid themselves amidst the trees of the garden. And that's the
kind of will you and I got by nature in Adam. We cannot help
but do that. And that only. Only. The freewheeler, the legalist.
What is the legalist? It's any person who thinks. I
don't care whether it's Mosaic law, church law, whatever it
is. Any person who thinks that obedience to some kind of religious
precept will make you righteous before God and he will accept
you because of that. That's a legalist. A freewheeler, I'm summing up
what Peter's saying in all of this. A freewheeler, a legalist,
a duty faith promoter. You know what a duty faith promoter?
We are surrounded by them today. There are those who say, yeah,
God's did all of this to save sinners in Jesus Christ, and
he did it for everybody on the earth. Now you must come up with
faith, and you exercise that faith in Jesus, and everything
Jesus did will be of value to you. They make faith to be a
duty. The scripture says faith is what?
The gift of God. Those who are free willers, legalists,
duty faith promoters, denominationalists. There are people who think they're
going to heaven. They think God has accepted them and will accept
them simply because they follow what their denomination says.
Have you ever said, well I bet you we have, well here's what
we believe. Well there's two problems with
that. One, it don't matter what we believe. It matters what you
believe. But here's the second problem.
Most of the time we say, I know what I believe. Paul said, I
know whom I have believed. I experienced that again this
past week. Someone come in to me and they
must have heard something down the pike through the talkings. And we're just playing up predestination
and election. And I said, knowing all the doctrine
will do you no good. You have to know Christ. And of course the conversation
didn't go on a hold a long time. No, the freewheeler, the legalist,
the duty-faith promoter, the denominationalist, in other words,
all of this is self-righteousness of one sort or another. Summoned up, a freewheeler, a
legalist, a duty-faith promoter, a denominationalist, all of them,
all self-righteous religion. no matter how moral it might
be, shall be damned with the sodomite, with the violent, like
the violence that was taking place in Noah's day, and they
shall be damned with the fallen angels. Think about the gravity
of that truth. Do you think about that? In this chapter, damnation and
deliverance both is mentioned, aren't they? Damnation and deliverance. That's the title of the message,
damnation and deliverance. Briefly, seven facts concerning
damnation and deliverance. And I'm gonna refer you back
to the verses, and a few I didn't even read, but they're all here
in chapter two of 2 Peter. Seven things, seven facts concerning
damnation and deliverance. Number one, some men and their
many followers shall certainly be damned. God will damn them,
not deliver them. Verses one and two. That's what
it says. Don't try to make it more palatable
for humanity. Speak the truth of God in Christ
and lie not. Some men and their followers,
many, what Peter puts it, shall certainly be damned. God will
damn them, not deliver them. Number two, second fact, the
damned promote damnable heresies. The damned that Peter's speaking
about here promote damnable heresies. Now they will still do it today.
They sneak in stealthily. They don't bring it right in
the front door, as you'd say. But I'll tell you what, it stealthily
entered into this country, but now the damnable heresies have
become the norm. The norm. They're no longer,
Peter said they'll come in. They've come in. They snuck in. The truth has been so lied about
in our day, most people think that what I'm preaching is some
kind of weird thing. This is the truth of God. Look at verse one. Look at verse
one. Thirdly, the damned deny their
creative owner. Doesn't say he redeemed them,
said he bought them. God Almighty, even in Christ
Jesus, bought every man, not with blood, but by simply creative
power and right. You exist today because God gave
your mama an egg, and gave your daddy a sperm, and both of them
had life within them, and he brought them together, and he
formed you in your mother's belly. He owns you, lock, stock, and
barrel. He's your God, whether you want
him or not. The damned deny their creative owner, not as atheist.
An atheist is a weak-minded fool. You know what I just said? An
atheist is a weak-minded fool. The damned deny their creative
owner, not as atheists, but by lies about him. That's what Peter's
talking about. Even speaking evil of the gospel
of Christ's free reigning grace, their damnation is a just damnation,
verses one through three. You wanna go join up with them?
What did you use the word, Joe? The word you used when you just
preached. You gonna join up with them?
You gonna be a part of them? You gonna try to smooth in with
them? I can't think of the word, but it doesn't matter. No. Number four, Peter interjects
two great examples of God's deliverance. Noah. Noah. Most of us think quite
high of Noah, don't we? Do you remember what happened
to Noah after the flood? And wait a minute, Lot? You remember
what happened to Lot after Sodom and Gomorrah burned? And when
I read this just the other day and began pondering all this,
I thought, what if he meant Joseph? Didn't he deliver Joseph? But
who do you think moved Peter to use these two examples of
the deliverance of the godly? Now, somebody said, I know where
you're going, preacher. Yeah, you know where I'm going,
but if you got that kind of attitude about it, you don't really know
where I'm going. I'm telling you, God saves sinners. I'm telling
you, God saves sinners. It amazed me when that dawned,
Noah and, why did, Joseph is a prime example. Find me one
real fault in Joseph. Now, I know he had it, I know
he's a sinner, but find me one real fault, Mason, in all the
things that he did. When Potiphar's wife come down
and said, come on, lay with me, let's get it on. He said, no. But Peter is moved by God to
use two great examples of divine deliverance, Noah and Lot. Now that says a world in itself,
and God willing, maybe next week we'll talk about Lot. But we're
not gonna deal with all that right now. Number five, Lot made
bad choices. That's right. Don't you kid yourself. Lot here is grouped with the
godly. God knows how to deliver, he
don't call him godly, but God knows how to deliver the godly
out of temptations. And he uses Lot as one of the
examples, so I know Lot was a godly man. He calls him specifically
a righteous man. And said he had a righteous soul. And I would encourage you to
do this for benefit of this message and for the benefit of God willing
next week. Go back and read the account a lot. I don't see it
much. What little glimpses of it I
do get just seem to be covered up by the other choices Lot made. Folks, I'm not trying to give
anybody what men call license to sin. I'm telling you the truth
of what God's word says. given it to you like it is. Lot
made bad choices. They were in this large land. And the herdsmen of Abraham and
Lot began to strive. It was coming testy, Joe. And
Abraham and Lot realized, we got to break this thing up. And
Abraham said, Lot, here's all of it. You choose which way you'll
go. We'll separate our herdsmen and
I'll go the other way. Didn't he? And what did he do?
He looked down on the plains of Sodom. He wasn't looking to
sodomy, folks, oh no. He wasn't saying down there I
could go down there and have me some fun, no. He was looking for them
plains, well watered. A great place for his flocks!
But it wasn't a good place for him. Exactly, that's it. Now let's be honest. I know people
that say, we preach in grace, you don't care nothing about
whether you sin or not. Oh, you're such an idiot. You're such an
idiot, you don't get it. You don't get it. But God delivered
Lot, verse seven. Yes, sir. Hear it? God delivered Lot in spite of
those bad choices, Mason. Exactly. Number six, Lot's witness to
the truth of God and his family suffered severely. His family
really suffered because of his poor choices. Do you hear what
I'm telling you? Do you hear what God's telling
us? Let me put it that way, that's better. Do you hear what God's
telling us? Lot's witness to the truth of God and his family
suffered Balaam preached two of the greatest
messages ever preached on the face of the earth as to the sovereign
glory of God in the salvation of his people. And he just wanted
a few dollars for his preaching. God condemned him as an apostate.
Verses 15 and 16. I didn't read those, but that's
right there in the context. Mason, I didn't pick that as
one of my points. Peter mentions that under divine
inspiration. You say, preacher, it's a little
confusing right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Damnation and deliverance
are not that simple to engage in a discovery of. Not if you're
honest in the face of God's book. Number seven, here's the last
one. The Lord delivered Lot. The Lord, do you hear what I
said? He delivered Lot from that judgment. And Peter says it's
an example, right? One of two that he gives, Noah
and Lot. The Lord delivered Lot. And yet
the last of Noah's, or Lot's, account is this. He's in a cave
with his two daughters only. You hear what I'm saying? Thus saith the book of God. He's
in a cave with only his two daughters and in the next three or four
days Both of them end up pregnant. Yeah, I Wonder what happened
there Hmm now the Bible is not being as obtuse as I am I It
tells you exactly what happened if you go back and read it, does
it not? And yet right here, in the midst
of holy rite, right here in the midst of divine inspiration,
Peter uses Noah, and you go back and look, Noah didn't have much
on Lot, did he? He gives two examples of divine deliverance
over divine damnation. Noah and Lot. And again, I say, well, you're
giving men a license to sin. You don't need a license to sin.
You're gonna go out and you've sinned while you sat in this
building this morning. So have I. Don't lie to yourself. Well, I don't treat people like
so-and-so does. You're still an ugly, wretched, corrupt maggot
in God's sight. And so am I. And so am I. God incinerated the cities of
the plains, incinerated them, but not lot, knowing full well
what was coming down the pike in just a few days. Yes or no? Yes or no? Answer it, God's people,
yes or no? Yes, is what the book says. That's
what it says. And yet we get a little backwards
about saying it because we know people, no, not might misunderstand
us. They will misunderstand us. Joe,
that's exactly what you was talking about this morning. Our messages
are closer than some people might think they are. Lot, now I'll give you the seven. Now I'm gonna preach to you.
That's my introduction. Now prepare for 45 minutes of preaching. Lot is declared by a God-inspired
writer to be a just man. Amen. That boggles my mind. Yes,
sir. But it gives me hope. Amen. Huh? That's right. Does it give
you any hope? Amen. Or does it cause you to
stand up in your self-righteousness and say, well, at least I ain't
done this, or at least I ain't done that? Huh? We're not talking
about how you look in my sight. We're not talking about how you
look in this church's sight. We're not talking about how you
look in this world's sight. We're talking about how we look in
God's sight. Lot is declared to be just, that
means righteous. It's the same thing. Same word. Almost all the places in the
New Testament, it's the same word. Lot is declared to be just
and having a righteous soul. Now most of you already know
the account of Lot, but if you don't, go back and read it. Think
about it then, think about it. Here's the gospel in just a small
snapshot. Think of it, deliverance then
must, I emphasize that four letter word, M-U-S-T. Deliverance then,
now men are damned because of their sin. Always, God don't
send people to hell just for the sake of sending people to
hell and laugh when they go to hell. Men are damned because
of their sin. Look at the angels. Look at the
violent in no one's day. Look at the sodomites in Lot's
day. God damns men because of their sin. But not all sin is
equal in the sight of men, though it's equal in the sight of God.
You hear what I'm saying? and we'll get off on a side track.
Deliverance then, deliverance then must, again I say, it must
be based upon something other than human merit. Here's a, somebody, a fellow
once told me, not too long ago, told me, well, the epistles,
they're not evangelical. What? This is warning to me not
to follow after a bunch of immoral corruption or a bunch of religious
corruption, either one. And yet at the same time, it's
still evangelical to bring my soul down before Jesus Christ. To rest in him and trust in him.
Think about it. Deliverance then must, must be
based upon something other than human merit. Even Noah. Cut off that arc. plants Joe
were beginning to grow, and evidently he planted him a, Mac it says
a vineyard. And it was a vineyard based upon
something that had some kind of sugar in it. And he let that
stuff set for a while, and evidently I think Noah already knew how
to make it, I don't think it was cut by accident. And he made
it, and he drank way too much of that stuff. And some bad things happened.
And they always do when you drink way too much of that stuff. And yet, those are the two examples
of divine deliverance God moves Peter to use right here when
he's talking about fallen angels, violent men during the day of
the flood, and the sodomites in the plains. Yes or no? Yes or no? My brothers and sisters,
there is a stark difference a great spiritual difference between
being fallen in Adam. God help you to follow along
with me here now. There's a stark difference between being fallen
in Adam, finding grace in God's sight. Do we not even hear that
about one of our examples? Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. There's a stark difference between being fallen
in Adam, finding grace in God's sight, and yet still showing
that we're still fallen in Adam even after that. Those are the
two examples of knowing a lot. There's a stark difference between
that and between this, being fallen in Adam, staying only
in Adam, but then becoming religious and outwardly moral and greatly
proud before God and me and in it. Most people think, well, that
second one's gotta be saved too. I'm in Adam. I remain in it,
but all of a sudden I become moral and religious and I believe
in God, I believe in Jesus, and I'm just working for the Lord
so that I can get to go to heaven. Peter is saying those kinds of
people will be damned with the Sodomites. Most people read this and don't
get none of that. They think it's just Peter's
preaching against being a fallen angel, which you can't be. You could be some of the violent
in Noah's day. Or was preaching against all
that violence and the whole world had corrupted God's way. That's
what God said. And what way is that? What is
God's way? The truth about Jesus Christ. The truth about the Messiah. Those people back then were,
the godly people, the righteous people, they were passing down
that story, that account of God promising that coming seed. You go back and read the Old
Testament, you'll see it. They were looking for the Messiah,
but then the whole earth corrupted his way, and the earth was filled
with violence. And people think, well, here
Peter's preaching against sinning like the angels did, sinning
like the people in Noah's day did, and sinning like the old
Sodomites do, right? He is talking about that, don't
you get that wrong. They shall perish, but so shall
a bunch of so-called Christian religions as well. That is what he's talking about,
Joe. The free willer, the legalist, the duty-faith promoter, the
denominationalist, all of self-righteous religion, even if it has the
name Christian, shall be damned with the sodomites, with the
violent, and with fallen angels. Yes or no, my brothers and sisters?
Is that not what this is teaching us? When people talk about a
license to sin, I'm giving you license to be free from that.
I'm talking about a license to be free, paid for by the blood
of Jesus Christ, to be freed from all of it. Right? All of it. Oh, to be delivered
by God. Not based upon any merit in myself. Because one sin will damn you
before a thrice holy God. And that's why I say again, deliverance
then must be based upon something other than human merit. Yes or
no? Yes or no? I'm glad to hear you
say, it's nice to preach to a group that would say yes to that. But
God help me, if I preach to whatever group, I still preach the same
message. The same truth. But I'm just
now, oh wait a minute, that was all introduction. Now let's get
to the real message. 45 minutes is usually what we
preach, right? So we start now. Peter says,
yes, yes. Peter gives three examples of
damnation. Fallen angels, the ungodly world
of the deluge, and the sodomites. Yes, he does. Don't ever forget.
Don't play games with that now. But his warning is about false
Christian teachers. Yes, sir. Exactly. Isn't it? Isn't that the context? Chiefly,
Peter says, but chiefly, I'm talking about a specific group
of folk now. But chiefly, those who what? Walk after uncleanness. He defines it for us here. Now
what do most of us think of? We think of some immoral, especially
sexual things. We human beings love to talk
about the nastiness of sexual things. Listen, sex is not wrong.
if it's done in Christ, in marriage between one man and one woman.
Outside of Jesus Christ, I don't care if you're just one man and
one woman, everything you do is a sin against God. No, what's
he talking about? I'm not gonna read it, but you
can go back sometime. Luke chapter 16, verses 13, 14, and 15. And
our Lord said to a group of men that were very moral, very religious,
believed in God, knew about the Messiah and thought he would
come, expected him to come. And he said, you are those which
justify yourselves before men. That's the kind of people that
Peter's talking about here. And that which is highly esteemed
among men is what? Is sodomy an abomination? Oh
yes it is. But so is trying to justify yourself
among men. Were men committing great abominations
back in the day of Noah? Yes they were. Murder evidently
run rampant, Mason. Rampant! God says self-righteousness
is just as abominable. The angels committed one sin.
They fail. They followed evidently after
Satan. He's the one with the great pride
and a great group of them. Anyway, he swept them up with
his tail, the Bible metaphorically says. And Christ said, I've seen
Satan falling as fire, lightning out of heaven. God groups self-righteousness
as an abomination just like that was. That frightens me. Oh God, deliver me from my self-righteousness. My immorality? Sure, yes. Yes,
but also, also my self-righteousness. We even get self-righteous when
we look at other people who we think are being self-righteous.
Oh, so-and-so, I've heard that. I've heard that said, listen
to me. I love you folks. I've heard that said from people
here about other people here. Criticize. Really? Look at yourself. Look at yourself. Get off your
high horse. Get off your high horse. And
some of you think I'm preaching to somebody else. I'm preaching
to you. And you. And you. And you. You. Me. They walk after uncleanness. They despise government. Civil
government, sure. Sure. But they're not all anarchists. Now listen to me now. We need
to change the government. Now wait a minute. We need to
change the government? The powers that be, I read from
inspired Holy Rite, The powers that be are ordained of God. Even if we change the government,
it's because God ordained it to be changed. We need to change,
but it's more than that. No, they despise government.
What's that mean? God's government. God's rule,
God's absolute authority over all things, civil and ecclesiastical,
natural and spiritual. They despise God's sovereignty. It's exactly what Peter's talking
about. It's exactly what they despise government. God rules.
What does the book say about Jesus Christ and the government?
Of what? Everything! shall be upon his
shoulders. These people I'm talking about,
these people Peter's talking about, I used to be one of them. But thank God he called me out
of that, and Joe, I have reason to believe he won't damn me with
them. Despise government, that's God's
rule. Presumptuous, Peter says, and
self-willed. presumptuous. Does not so-called
Christian religion today presume on God all the time? Here's God's book. Do they run
to it only? No, they debate and philosophize
and try to figure out how it really fits so it's not quite
so offensive. This book is offensive because
it tells me what I really am by nature. And God's gospel of
his son is offensive to me because it tells me you can't do this,
not even on your own, you can't do it at all. And you ain't gonna
help me do it. I've gotta do it for you or it
don't get done. Presumptuous, self-willed, and
folks, that is free will. Any reasonable mind knows that.
But those Jews you was talking about, Joe, And those Greeks
you talk about? No, they wanna philosophize it
away. That might not be the right word or phrase, but that's what
they, they wanna try to talk it away. Here's another one, he says,
not afraid to speak evil of dignities. You know what that means? The word dignities here means
glories, majesties, wonders, high, exalted, lofty things. And these people, Peter says,
will perish with the Sodomites, and perish with the violent of
Noah's day, and perish with the fallen angels. They what? They
are not afraid to speak evil of what? Glories! What glories? God's glories. Did he not start
off with they? who privately shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, bring
upon them swift destruction, and many shall follow their pernicious
ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken. They don't deny it, they just
speak evil about it. What do they speak evil about?
God's holiness. There are people who think holiness,
the reason God's holy is because they don't smoke cigarettes and
they don't drink beer. Now you know, there are people in this
county, probably in this vicinity, that really think that's what
it's all about. God's holy, cause he don't drink beer and he don't
smoke cigarettes. But I'll tell you something,
folks. When that very God, it seems to be a reoccurring theme
in scripture, but when that very God was made flesh and came to
this earth, what was his first public miracle? He made some
Welch's grape juice and they just really just enjoyed a good
Jewish marriage. No, he turned water, well no,
he made water wine. Reoccurring theme about us, ain't
it? But folks, the Lord of glory did that. When he came into this
world, he ate and drank with publicans and sinners. and they called him a wine bibber
because of it. Folks, that's God Almighty enjoys
a good wine. He said, listen, this ain't my
opinion. This ain't me trying to justify
drunkenness. He said one of these days when
he winds this all up, we gonna drink that wine new with him
in his father's kingdom. Did he not? So if you ain't a
wine drinker now, that's fine. You don't have to be. But if
you're saved one of these days, you will be. At least one time. We're not
told that's gonna go on and on. We're gonna drink it new with
him and the Father. Yes or no, Mac Hatfield? If you don't like
wine, that's fine. It's probably best for you if
you don't like it. Y'all get me started now. I'm
already in trouble enough some people will see this. But am
I telling you the truth of God's word or not? Or am I trying to
sneak things in and make everything feel smooth and nice? What are they not afraid of speaking
of love? God's sovereignty. God's predestinating,
electing love in Christ. Christ dying for his sheep. Are
they afraid to speak evil of that? No, they condemn it. They
say we're the one preaching damnable heresies. And he said I die for
my sheep and told some people you're not my sheep. And yet
they call us the ones preaching damnable heresies. Isn't that
odd? Isn't that odd? We're not afraid to speak evil
of Christ's made flesh. Christ made the curse. They're
not afraid to speak evil of sin. And I'm not talking about condemning
it. You think of the things that are accepted in our, just in
our day today, that when I was 30 years younger, you did not
dare. If you did it, you kept it in
the closet. Now what do we do? We bring it out of the closet
and everybody else is supposed to love you for it and accept
you for it. Is that the way you think Peter
would talk to you about it? No, sir. And from the highest
moral, self-righteous person to the lowest, nastiest sodomite. Do you hear what I said? God
will damn them. But if God is pleased to deliver,
from the highest moral Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, down to
some Sodomites who lived in Corinth. Is that what this book says? God will save them and deliver
them. Yes or no, my brothers or sisters?
So again, I'm gonna sum it up for you. A freewheeler, a legalist,
a duty-faith promoter, a denominationalist. It's all headed under this, self-righteousness. You have no righteousness of
your own. I have no righteousness of my own. The only righteousness
I have that is acceptable to God must be Jesus Christ himself. A freewheeler, a legalist, a
duty-faith promoter, a denominationalist, all of us by nature are self-righteous
in this. And all of that shall be damned
with the sodomite. Damned with the violent and damned
with the fallen angels. And then spirit born gospel converted
believers, even if they do on occasion drink too much. Am I
going outside the scripture or not? They will be delivered. Now folks, I'm not trying to,
this is what this is saying. I mean, it amazes me, Joe. When
I really seen this, I thought, Peter uses two examples and both
of them got way too carried away one day. Right? But is this God's truth? He knows
how to reserve the ungodly to damnation. But to what? Deliver the righteous. To deliver
the righteous from temptation. Huh? Oh, thank God that this
is a faithful saying. that Christ Jesus came into this
world to save sinners. And I had one. I'm still one. I still all too often manifest
that sinfulness. But thank God, Joe, it's how
he sees me. It ain't how I see myself. Father, oh God teach us these
profound things. I think seeing some of those
things that our beloved brother Peter said about our beloved
brother Paul, some of them hard to be understood. Oh God help
us, in Christ's name, amen.