The earliest days of the New
Testament Church saw a great ingathering of many who professed
faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God, who was
crucified, dead, buried, and risen again as the Savior of sinners. It is quite often true that many
are swept into the external kingdom of the Lord during various outpourings
of the Spirit according to the Lord's purpose. Just as surely
as He calls His sheep in this manner, there are generally many
goats among them who are caught up in their midst for one reason
or another. The Lord illustrated this fact
in the parables of the tares and the wheat and the sower.
It is often very difficult to discern the wheat from the tares.
Thus we are told to leave them alone until the time of the harvest,
when he comes to gather the good grain and to cast away that which
is not his to be burned. We live in an age of easy-believism
when it has been drummed into the heads of the majority of
those who have some profession of faith in Christ that they
can believe and follow Christ according to the dictates of
their free will and natural choice. Those who are given no understanding
by the Spirit of God will ultimately reject the truth of God in favor
of whatever religion is more suitable to them. They might
not reject what they think is the gospel, but they will count
the truth to be a lie and a lie to be the truth. They are those
who have received not the love of the truth that they might
be saved, and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion
that they should believe a lie. Paul told Timothy that the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto fables. Paul knew that this was the way
of men, and he forewarned Timothy that he should not be surprised
when this occurred. It has happened in every age,
and the one in which we live is a stark testimony to the truth
of Paul's observation. Every man who professes faith
will turn his back to the truth and depart from the way of the
Lord unless the Lord shall keep him from falling. The sow that
is washed will always return to its wallowing in the mire
apart from the Lord's mercy to prevent it. The Lord uses the
examples of those who turn aside from the gospel in order to stir
his own people up with even greater desire not to be found among
them. They are stirred by the admonitions to walk circumspectly,
and this which Paul spoke to Timothy. Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. These are not warnings for some
time in the distant future, but just as they were applicable
to the day in which Timothy lived, much more are they so in the
present. Men do not embrace the tenets of Christianity with the
thought in mind of departing from the truth which they profess
to believe. Yet the fact that many do so
serves to remind the true sons of God that they do not stand
in the power of their flesh. These departures are generally
gradual as error creeps in little by little. Many who at one time
seem solid in faith swerve ever so gently at first until they
ultimately turn from that which they once claimed to believe.
Those who would depart from the faith and those who would lead
them down this path are suited for one another. And as the antithesis
of the sheep of the Lord's pasture, they do serve as a counterpoint
to that which the Lord said of His own sheep. His own sheep
follow Him, for they know His voice, and a stranger will they
not follow, but will flee from Him, for they know not the voice
of strangers. In reading the letters of Paul
to the various churches, it is obvious that even very early
on there were some who were seeking to corrupt the one clear doctrine
that Paul was faithful to declare. For I determine not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There is no appeal
to the flesh in such a singular and unadorned message. Only those
who are bought with this precious blood can find complete satisfaction
in dwelling upon this topic. It is not surprising then to
see men get bogged down in endeavors to keep the law and thereby in
some measure to establish their own righteousness. Most of those
who come teaching another gospel appeal to this innate bent of
men and scratch the itch which men naturally have. Great followings
are established in this manner and many are deceived thereby. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.