It is a great honor for me to
be here. I love and appreciate you, congregation,
that the Lord has raised up and kept this many years. Your pastor
is a precious and dear friend of mine. I love him. He's been
a great help to me. I'm gonna ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 20. Proverbs chapter 20. I'd like
to read one verse of scripture. Verse one. Proverbs chapter 20. Verse one. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging. And whosoever is deceived thereby
is not wise. I've been going through the book
of Proverbs for quite a while there in Fairmont. And I'm constantly
drawn back to a question that the disciples asked the Lord. Because the Lord taught. Scripture
says that without a parable, he didn't teach. He taught in
parables, Proverbs. And they asked him, why do you
teach in parables? And here was the Lord's answer.
He said, because It's given unto you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of God, but to them it's not given. That's the reason. Because I've been pleased to
teach you through the Proverbs, through the parables. Now here's
an amazing thing about the Proverbs. You can read them and there's
a sense in which It makes perfect sense to everybody. Now let me just, let me ask you
something. Wine is a mocker. Alright, now
right now I'm talking about just drinking. I'm talking about drinking
wine. Excessive drinking. Scriptures
doesn't forbid the partaking of wine. Now the excessiveness,
the drunkenness of it, were gravely warned against. But I'm talking
about just drinking wine. Now, let me ask you something.
Is there anybody in here that has any doubt in their mind that
the excessive drinking of wine mocks a man, scoffs at him, makes
him think that he's ten feet tall and bulletproof, that he's
wiser and stronger, you know? You've seen these movies, you
know, where people, they get in a bar and they're drunk and
they think that they're the toughest guy in the place. I'm talking
about just mocking. That strong drink is raging,
loud, clamorous, great commotion, and whosoever is deceived thereby
by the excessive drinking of liquor is not wise. They're deceived. That wine has
mocked them. Is there anybody in this congregation
this morning that doubts that excessive drinking is not good? Anybody doubt that? I don't either. Okay, all right now. We've got
that part done. Now, we're all in agreement,
but I'm gonna tell you something. This verse of scripture, spiritually
speaking, has nothing to do with what I was just talking about.
There is a wine, there is a drink that is spoken of in the scriptures
that's more gravely dangerous, more deceptive, more mocking
than any liquor that comes in a bottle. Let me tell you what
it is. It's the wine of false religion
and spiritual adultery. Now I want you to just take your
Bibles and turn with me to Revelation 17. Revelation chapter 17. I want to read the first few
verses. Revelation 17. Now listen to
what the scripture has to say. Now this here, why do you speak
in parables, Lord? Because it's given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Now I'm going to talk
to God's people this morning that's been given some understanding
on the deceptiveness of this world's religion. May the Spirit
of God cause us to see something of that which the Lord has revealed
to us and called us out of. Now listen to what God has to
say. Revelation 17, one to five. There
came one of the seven angels which had the seven vows and
talked with me, saying unto me, come hither. I will show unto
thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many
waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,
and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the
wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the
Spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting upon a
scarlet-colored beast. full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and 10 horns, and the woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones
and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations
and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name
written, Mystery, comma, Babylon the Great, comma, the mother
of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered
with great admiration. Now, here's here's a woman. She's described as a harlot. And upon this woman's forehead
was something written. And the first word in that which
was written upon her forehead was this. Mystery. Mystery. But mystery concerning
what? Now, From this golden cup that
she had in her hand, the scripture reveals that the kings of this
earth were drunken with the wine of the wrath of her fornication. She is wrathful. She's got a drink in her hand. Wine, it's said to be. Spiritually
speaking, it's a wine that men of this world are drunk upon,
duped, in a drunken spiritual stupor. And it's in a golden
cup. Anything comes out of a golden
cup to the natural man. Now that's a nice cup. You just
don't put anything. And to this world's religion,
whatever's in a golden cup must be good. But the scripture reveals
that what's coming out of that cup, that golden cup, is mocking
the kings of this world. And they're drunken with the
wrath that this harlot, this spiritual harlot of false religion,
has against God. The wrath of her fornication
and unfaithfulness toward God. This world is just drinking it
in. Oh, give me another drink of that. The more I drink of
that, the more I drink of that. The more I want to drink of that.
But what is this mystery? Written on her head is a name. Mystery. Hold your place there. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians
2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Verses one to 10, 2 Thessalonians
2, one to 10. Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together
unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither
by spirit nor by word nor by letter, as from us, as that day
of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any
means. For that day shall not come except
there come a falling away first. And that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he as God,
sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these
things? And now ye know what withholdeth
that he might be revealed in his time, for the mystery of
iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth will
let until he be taken out of the way, and then shall that
wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming,
even him. whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish because they receive not
the love of the truth that they might be saved. Now there was
something spoken of in that passage of scripture called the mystery
of iniquity. This mysterious thing, there
was something written on her head and it said mystery. The
Apostle Paul talks about this mystery of iniquity, this secret,
this hidden thing of sin, this secret thing that is withheld
from the world. that they don't know that they're
being mocked with. They're being duped. Something
is being kept from them. Something that they don't know. It's that wine of fornication
that the kings of this earth spiritually drink. It's a wine
of deception. And in 2 Thessalonians it's spoken
of as having a Personality. It says, let no man deceive you
by any means that that day shall not come except there come a
falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition. It's deeds, this deception, this
wine of mockery, it exalts itself. Above all divine authority it
opposeth and exalted itself above all that is called God or that
is worshiped. So that he as God sitteth in
the temple of God showing himself that he is God. But the key to
the understanding of what this wine that we read about in Proverbs. Wine is a mocker. That wine that that woman has
made the kings of this earth drunk upon, that they're being
fooled by, that they do not know what is fooling them. They have
no understanding. They're in a drunken spiritual
stupor. The key to understanding what
that mystery of iniquity Now there's a term, the mystery of
godliness, but this is the mystery of iniquity, that secret thing
of sin. The key is knowing where this
heresy, where this man of sin, this son of perdition originates. The scripture says, whose coming
is after the working, the operation of Satan. with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and ask to those that follow after
this mystery of iniquity, that follow after it, and the Lord's
gonna give them what they want. You remember when these two spies
came into Jericho, and Rahab, they came to the house of Rahab,
And Rahab told him, we heard, we've heard how God, the God
you serve, we heard how you, the Lord destroyed the kings
before you. We've heard that. We know this.
He's gonna give you this city. And she said, I'm gonna ask you
something. When the Lord delivers Jericho into your hands, will
you have mercy on me and my family? Because we've heard. We've heard.
And when she said we heard, everybody in Jericho heard. Everybody. We've heard. But then the king sent some fellows
over to Rahab, and she had hidden those two spies, you know, under
the straw there. She hid them. These men from the King came
and they said, where's the spies? We want to know where the fellas
are. They've come to spy out this city. We know they are. Where are they? Well, what did
she tell them? She said, you know what? You're not going to
believe this. They just went out the gate. And if you hurry,
you can catch them. I mean, they just left, and there
they went. You said, well, she lied. Over
in the book of Hebrews, God justified what she said. Rahab was listed in the list,
that long list in Hebrews 11 of those who by faith, by faith,
by faith, She told those spies, we heard, everybody heard. But
because they would not receive the love of the truth, the rest
of the city, what did God give them when they came, Larry? He
gave them a lie. Gave them just exactly what they
wanted. God gave them what they wanted. What did they want? They
heard the truth and wouldn't receive it. So what's God gonna
give them? I don't give you a lie. These that receive this untruth,
this mystery of iniquity. Almighty God, the scripture says,
shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie,
that they might all be damned who believe not the truth but
had pleasure in unrighteousness. And the destruction of the wickedness
of that man of sin, that son of perdition. The scripture says,
the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall
destroy all the brightness of his coming, or shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming. Now, knowing what the scriptures
has to say about this mystery of iniquity, that wine, wine
is a mocker. What wine are you talking about?
I'm talking about the wine of the wrath of the fornication
of false religion that she makes all the nations of this world
drunk with. Knowing what the scriptures has
to say concerning that concealed secret of depravity that's hidden
from the wise and the prudent in their own minds. It's hidden
from them. My question would be, What is
it? What is the mystery, the secret
of sin that's hidden from the kings of this earth, the wise
in their own mind? What is the mystery? Now there's only two kinds of
people in this world. Those that are deceived, and
those that God's given some knowledge of Himself. There's only two
kinds. It's only those that are lost
in trespasses and sins and those that God's called out of darkness.
There's only two kinds of people. But there's a mystery that men,
by nature, is drunk upon. And it's that man of sin, that
son of perdition. And if that was one person, the
son of perdition, the man of sin, if that was just one person,
why would it not have been Judas? The Lord referred to him. Listen
to this. The scripture says, those that
thou gavest me, John 17, 12, I've kept. And none of them is
lost but the son of perdition. that the scripture might be fulfilled.
If it was just one person, that man of sin, that son of perdition.
1 John 2.18, listen to this. Little children, it is the last
time. And as you have heard, that antichrist
shall come, even now there are many antichrists. It's plural. Whereby we know it's the last
time. false religion these denominations of this world's
false religion false religions it doesn't matter what's on their
little placard on the outside they can call themselves whatever
they want but there is one deception that all false religions are
drinking off and they're blinded by sin, that mystery of iniquity
that's written on her head, mystery, that secret of depravity that
mocks, that men are drunk upon, that great mystery of false religion
all the lying deceptions here's what i want to know here she
is false religion and she's bragging on it it's written on her forehead
mystery of iniquity she's just coming right out just tell and
men are just drinking it down what is the hidden mystery of
all false religion They all believe that they have
a free will. All false religion believes that
they have a will that is separate from God's will. They all believe
that they have the last word. They all believe that salvation
is in their hand. And it's mocking them. It's mocking. False religion is mocking the
carnal man. The false religionist, it doesn't
matter if he believes that water washes away his sin. It doesn't
matter if, as you was talking about, Lindsey, that all he has
to do is just walk down the mountain. All you gotta do is walk, that's
about, that's about 25 feet from here to that back door. All you
gotta do is walk down 25 feet and give the preacher your hand
and recite the sinner's prayer and then get in the water and
your sins are washed away. And by your action, It doesn't
matter if you are told that you have to speak in unknown tongues.
It doesn't matter if you have to come down to the altar. It
doesn't matter. It all comes back to this. The
mystery of iniquity is a man believing that his will is above
God's will. And the key to knowing that,
it says it's after the workings of Satan, this son of perdition,
this mystery of inequity. It's after the workings of Satan. Let me ask you this. Was it not Satan himself that
said, I will ascend into heaven? I will exalt my throne. above the stars of God. I will
sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of
the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I
will be like the Most High. Let me tell you something, but
a man thinks that Almighty God is offering him something and
it cannot be received unless man thinks. If I accept it, I
will, by my will, make it effectual. You're duped. That's mocking
you. That great wine of deception,
wine is a mocker. The wine of false religion, the
wine that's in the golden cup of that great whore, Revelation
18.3 said all nations have drunk. All nations have drunk. You know
that includes all nations. Of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication and the kings of the earth have committed fornication
with her and the merchants of the earth waxed rich through
the abundance of her delicacies. Go back and read Proverbs 7. and see the deceitfulness of
that harlot that takes that man and just talks to him. The good
man's gone. I've made my bed. Let's take
our fill of love. All the things are ready and
he will not know until it comes through his heart like a dart
he's been deceived. Wine, a false religion, mocks. strong drink, rages, loud. But by the grace of God, there's
another drink that Almighty God eternally has been pleased to
give freely unto His people. To those it's been made to thirst
after righteousness. And the only qualification is
that Almighty God makes a man thirsty. But for the grace of
God, no one would ever desire to have any drink except that
wine of this, the mystery of iniquity, that wine of deception. But listen to what the Lord Jesus
Christ has to say. Revelation 21.6, here's the wine
of, I mean the drink of God's grace is what I've entitled this. And He said unto me, Now listen
to this, listen to this drink. It is done. What a refreshing drink, Mark.
What a taste. It is done. I'm Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, and I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Without any cause in the recipients
of my grace, I will give all you that know it. Do you not
drink of this drink, of this fountain of the water of life? I love that. It is done. It's
done. The wine of the wrath of the
great whore, this world's false religion, says you have to. You have to. It's left up to
you. The water of life says it's done. The vessels of God's mercy are
not left to themselves, desiring that wine of deception. Here's the drink of a believer.
It's finished. It's finished. God's people know
that the whole work of redemption, the accomplishment of making
all things new is all due unto Him. All praise and honor and
glory finished at Calvary. And that's the refreshment. of
their drink. The water of life, all that God
Almighty has purposed to do for those that he's everlastingly
loved, he brings to fruition. That's what he said. I'm alpha,
I'm the beginning, I'm the omega, I'm the end, and in other words,
salvations of the Lord. There's the fountain of the water
of life. And all that the Lord has made
thirsty, for righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ is gonna
satisfy that thirst. The redeemed and regenerated
saints thirst for pardon and for righteousness. He has quenched. In regenerating grace, he gives
them a new heart. He gives them a new will. God's
people come, they will to come. They're gonna be made willing
in the day of God's power. And he's going to satisfy. Let
me ask you this. You that thirst for communion
with, for conformity to, you that thirst for a greater knowledge. Paul the apostle said, oh, that
I might know him. You think Paul knew him? Yeah. Boy, did he want to know him.
I desire to come. When I come and I hear, just
tell me one more time how he put away my guilt. Just tell
me, I want to hear it one more time. How he hath made him to
be sin for us. He who knew no sin. that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. Tell me about the
substitute. Tell me again how it's done. By God Almighty's grace and mercy,
He makes His people thirsty. In that last day, that great
day of the feast, the Lord Jesus Christ cried out, if any man
thirst, How's he gonna get thirsty? God's
gonna have to make him thirsty. He's gonna have to give him a
thirst for Christ. And he'll satisfy that. That wine of false religion,
telling a man that his will, what God's waiting upon, mocks
him. It appeals to that carnal heart.
And whosoever, the scripture says, is deceived thereby, It's
not wise. When the Lord came to the woman
at the well, he asked her to drink and she said, how is it
that you, being a Jew, ask me, Samaritan? And the Lord said
this, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith
to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him and
he would have given thee living water, the water of Christ himself,
the water of mercy, the water of God's grace, that fountain
of which a man drinks and he'll never thirst again. If the Lord
has made you spiritually thirsty, if any man thirsts. Thirsts for rest from his labor. Thirsts for forgiveness with
God. Thirsts for true righteousness
and acceptance with God in Christ. Here's what the Lord said, if
any man thirsts, let him come to Me. If Almighty God gives a man,
a woman, a heart to come, they come. They just come. By God's grace, he just arrest
them. Like he arrested Saul of Tarsus
on the road to Damascus. Just stopped him. Saul had one
thing on his mind. I'm going to Damascus. I'm going
to get those who are of the way. I'm going to take them, bring
them bound back to Jerusalem. I've got papers right here. I've
got authority right here. And the Lord just stopped him
and made that man thirsty. Lord, what would you have me
to do? If any man thirst, let him come
unto me. Not to the law, not to the baptismal
pool, not to the preacher, not even come to the doctrines of
grace. I've heard people say, I came to the doctrines of grace.
The Lord said, you come to me. And here's what he said. And
drink. And drink. Oh, how precious is
the Lord's command to his people. Listen to this. If any man thirsts, let him drink. Listen to this. Moses, you take
a piece of brass and form it into the shape of a serpent,
like that which was biting the people. There's a picture. Put it on a pole, raise it up.
And he said, whoever looks shall live. If Almighty God gives
me a heart to look by faith unto Christ, God's done something
for me. Listen to this. Oh, ye dry bones,
here's what I want you to do. Hear, hear the word of the Lord. Do you know if he gives me ears
to hear, I'm gonna hear. If he gives me eyes to see, I'm
gonna look. Listen to this, you that are
thirsty. Taste and see that the Lord is
good. Listen to his command. Come to
me. And I'll give you rest. You know
the only way a man's gonna come if God makes him with a heart
to come. Listen to this. Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Drink of this chosen
in him from before the foundation of the world. Oh, I've loved
you with an everlasting love. I lay down my life for the sheep.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. You that know him. Is that not
the most refreshing drink you've ever taken? Lord, bless these
words to our heart. And thank you, Lord, that it's
been according to your good pleasure to not leave your people in spiritual
darkness, but have been pleased to save them by your grace. For
Christ's sake, we ask and thank you. Amen.