All right, let's turn to 2 Peter
3. This study will wind up our study
in the books of Peter. And I want to go back and recap
just a little bit before I finish the chapter. In chapters 2 and
3 of 2 Peter, He began to warn us of the presence
and danger of false prophets, false teachers. And he tells
us there that these men, these false teachers and false prophets,
in various ways find their way in among us. Now, there's probably
as many ways as you have an imagination to think of that they come in. Some may be relatives. Some may
be friends. Who knows how they get in, but
they come in. The word used in the scripture
is privately, privily. They come in quietly, unnoticed. Nobody notices it. Nobody thinks
anything's wrong. Not that you don't know they're
there. You know they're there, but you don't see anything wrong
with it. You don't see the problem. Somehow
they found a place among us and come in quietly and unnoticed.
They find their way into the assemblies of God and they bring
with them, and this is the thing you need to understand, they
bring damnable heresies. What in the world is a damnable
heresy? That's a teaching that will result
in the damnation of your soul. That's what that is. You don't
see that in their face. You don't see that in their countenance.
You don't see it in their behavior. But where you see it is in their
teaching. You see it in their conversation. That's where it's
sent. They don't bring in optional
opinions or simply another view, but damnable heresies. Things,
if they are believed, that will bring the judgment of God upon
your soul. Things like free will, man's
free will. Do you know that this whole concept
of man's free will is in direct opposition to the character of
God, the gospel of God, and the Word of God? He said it's not
of him that runneth. It's not of him that willeth.
Isn't that what it says? But these men say it is. They
teach that it is. And people who listen to them
lean on that. They trust in that. And so they
do that. They exercise their will. And
in the exercise of their will, these men are patting them on
the back and saying, now you're okay. Now you're okay. One of
the scriptures teaching the direct opposite. Damnable heresy. He says the new birth. Listen
to this. It's not of blood. This is in
John chapter 1. He said He came into the world
and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not and
He came unto His own. And His own received Him not.
But to as many as received Him, to them, the reason they received
Him is because to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name. They believe on His
name because He gave them power to believe. Who were born, not of the will
of the flesh, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not
of the will of man, but of God. The emphasis on salvation, the
new birth, and faith in the scriptures is always the will of God. Of
his own will begat he us through the word of truth. Whose will? His will. His will. Man's free will is a damnable
heresy. It denies the fall of man. If
a man has a free will, then he didn't fall in out. Because those
who fell in Adam, their will is in bondage to their nature.
It denies their fall in Adam. It denies the total depravity
of man. It denies the Word of God. And
it denies the necessity of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Why
would God give the Holy Spirit and pour it out on His church
to do the things that He gave it to do if man has the ability
in himself to do anything? You see what I'm saying? It's
in direct violation. This is not just another opinion. It's not just another view that
we can tolerate. It's a damnable heresy. It leaves
men hoping in something that's not there. Salvation by works is another
damnable heresy. Scripture said, by the works
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Utterly millions are being told
today that they are justified by their works. That they can
earn God's favor through their works. That they can find communion
with God through their works. That they can make themselves
pure through their works. I'm not talking about a handful
of people. I'm talking about millions are told this. Paul said, if righteousness comes
by the law, Christ is dead and vain. There's no reason for Him
to come, no reason for Him to live under the law as a servant.
He's the lawgiver. He didn't live under that law
for Himself. He lived under that law so that we might be made
righteous. I'll tell you another damnable
heresy is the carryover of Old Testament ceremonies. Old Testament
ceremonies. Paul said, if you so much, he
told those Galatians, all these men wanted them to do was be
circumcised. Didn't want them to offer lambs,
they didn't want them to do this, didn't want them to do that,
just be circumcised. Paul said, if you so much as
be circumcised for religious purposes, Christ will profit you nothing. Now we see it. Not only that,
if you so much as be circumcised, he said, now you're under the
obligation to keep the whole law. If you're going to go law,
you don't just go one precept, you go the whole law. And I'll
tell you this, you just flip-flop that around. If you're going
to go grace, you're going all grace. You can't go part grace
and part work. You're going one or the other. So you see what I'm saying? These
men come in and they present these things like it's just another
view, just an optional view. It's not an optional view. It's
a damnable heresy. The carryover of Old Testament
ceremonies. In Scripture, see, Christ blotted
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us over in Colossians
chapter 2, and contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to His cross. Well, what does all that mean?
Here's what it means. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat or in respect of a holy day. You did work on the Sabbath. Don't you let men tell you that.
Don't you let men tell you that. Don't let them judge you in meat,
or in respect of a holy day, or a new moon, or of Sabbath
days. These things are a shadow of those things which were to
come. The body is Christ. You want to know what the Sabbath
day is all about? That's about God resting everything that He
purposed to do into the hands of His Son. That's what the Sabbath
day is all about. And it's not just circumcision. It's not just these one or two
things, the Sabbath day. It's not just that. It goes for
the priesthood. It goes for priestly robes, altars,
holy days, and dietary laws. Don't eat no fish on Friday. Don't eat no meat on Friday.
Have to eat fish. God don't give two wits what
you eat on Friday. He don't care. Eat fish, eat
soup, eat pigs. I don't care what you eat. Eat
what you want to. Don't let anybody try to bring
you back under these old ceremonies and these old days. These men
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord at bottom. They
do that through this universal love and universal salvation
and all these things. And they bring swift destruction
upon themselves, and they cause many to stumble and fall. Peter
says, through their covetousness, they will, with feigned words,
make merchandise of your souls. You're just merchandise. You're
just something they're trading off. It's a means to an end for
them. That's all it is. And then in
chapter 3, he moves from these false teachers and false prophets,
and he begins to tell us something about the scoffers. Scalpers
are ignorant, deceived men who mock and make light of the promises
of God. My friend, God has never said
anything that didn't come to pass. Huh? Show me anything in
the Word of God that He said that didn't come to pass. You
can't find it. Here's what the Lord said through
His prophets. He said, now you want to know
who a prophet is? If he tells you anything that's
going to come to pass and it don't come to pass, you take
him out and stone him. He's not my prophet. That's how
you know my prophets, everything they say comes to pass. Abraham was fully persuaded that
what God had promised He was able also to perform. And then thirdly, Peter tells
us something of the impending doom upon this world. Sleeping the sleep of deception.
Resting in the lies which has become their refuge. Hoping in
their broken cisterns that can hold no water. And he goes on
and on with these pictures of men's unbelief. They'll be awakened
suddenly by the coming of the King of Zion, awakened unto the
reality of God and of Christ and of judgment. This world is under the spell
of anti-Christ religion. What do you say, preacher? When
Paul saw the Galatians being drawn away into works religion,
ceremonialism, being dragged back under that law, Listen to
how he describes this to them. He said, who hath bewitched you? Huh? Isn't that what he said? How did this witchcraft come
to be? Who put this spell over you?
Who hath bewitched you? that you should not obey the
truth. Not only is an impending doom coming, but those who are
hasting toward it are taken captive by this anti-Christ religion.
And these men are preaching peace, peace, where there is no preach.
They're saying peace and safety. That's what they're saying. You
listen to me. There's peace in it. You listen
to what I'm telling you. You listen to what this church
stands for. Safety. We're going to make you safe. But they're crying that where
there is no safety and where there is no peace. Look at your uncles. Look at
your aunts, your brothers and your sisters, your mothers and
your fathers. Huh? Are they not under a spell? Have
you not told them in so many plain words that a child can
understand? And they just look at you like
this and look like that little dog people put up in the window
of their truck. They sit there shaking their head, no, no, no,
no, no. Could you show me at least a
verse of Scripture in here that stands for what you believe?
No. No, I can't. Is that not being under a spell? Look at those you know, your
neighbors, people you were raised with, all being kept in store,
reserved under fire against the day of judgment. Now listen,
and perdition of ungodly men. Is that not what's going on? Not a pretty picture, is it?
Well, preachers, there's no hope. No hope for my aunts and uncles
and brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. There's
no hope. Sure, there's hope. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. But he that believeth not...
Now, don't you listen to what Scripture says. He's condemned
already. He condemned already, because
he had not believed on the only begotten Son of God. The reality of what's taking
place this very minute, this sends chills up and down my back.
I tell you, I've come to see, I didn't see all this in the
beginning, but I see it now. I see it now. We're not ignorant of Satan's
ways. We know Satan's ways. I see what's
going on. I see that men dead in trespassions
and sins are walking according to the course of this world.
Isn't that what I just told you? And not only that, but they're
walking according to the prince of the power of the air, the
Spirit who now worketh in the children of disobedience. All right, 2 Peter 3, verse 13. Nevertheless, knowing all this,
knowing all these things are going on, nevertheless, we, His
elect, His beloved bride, His church, those who truly believe,
we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. We're able to see past the condemnation,
past the judgment, past the fire, whatever that fire is, past that.
to the new heavens and the new earth. And he says, wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Not righteousness to be had,
or righteousness offered, or righteousness reserved, but those
will dwell there who have been made the righteousness of God
in Him. That's the righteousness. Wherein
dwelleth righteousness. What's their name going to be?
Same as His, the Lord our righteousness. Verse 14, Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you
may be found of Him in peace. We've got nothing to fight about. What have I got to fight about?
I've been reconciled to God. He is our peace. I have peace with God. Be diligent that you may be found
of Him in peace without spot and blameless. The only place
you can find those things is in Christ. Now let me tell you something.
The only way you can be found in peace without spot and blameless
is in the Lord Jesus Christ in whom and on whom we have believed. The old hymn writer said, near
to God. Isn't that what we want? Near
to God. Nearer I cannot be. For in the
person of His Son, I am as near as He. Paul's hope was to be found in
Christ, not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of
God by faith. To be grounded and settled in
faith is to be grounded and settled in Christ. That's what that means. Verse 15. and account that the long-suffering
of the Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also,
according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you,
as also in all his epistles, speaking of these things, and
which are some things hard to be understood, which they that
are unlearned and unstable rest, as they do also the other Scriptures
unto their own destruction. Well, what do we say about these
verses? God's patient preservation of this present world is not
because of His affection for the world. God's not letting this world
continue because He loves the world. It's not because of His
affection for them. It's not because of His willingness
to save them. It's quite the opposite. It is that He loves His elect
and is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come under repentance. So when we look at
this long-suffering of God and we look at these days like we
have today, Paul said, you count the long-suffering of God's salvation
because that's what it is. The minute the last one of His
elect is saved and called to repentance, this world is done. It's done. Believers are to count this time
in which they live and the order of it and the means He's maintaining
as salvation. Listen to how Paul puts it over
in Romans chapter 9. He said, you're going to accuse
God of being unjust and unfair. He said, I know what you're going
to do. It ain't my first message. I know how men reply. But he
said, God's the potter and you're the clay. Can not the potter
do with the clay what he will? Can he make a vessel? If he wants
to, he reaches down there and out of the same pit he gets a
handful of clay and he makes a vessel unto honor. Is God somehow
chargeable for that? Or he reaches down and he gets
another one and he makes a slop jar? We're going to charge God
with being unfair? He's the potter. We're just clay. And of the same lump, of the
same lump, he makes one vessel to honor and one to dishonor.
Wasn't nothing in the lump, but they were of his making. He's
the potter. Now, Paul said in verse 22, Romans
chapter 9, what if God willing to show his wrath, and to make
his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath fitted for destruction. Used them to whatever end he
wants to use them for. Raised them up just like he raised
Pharaoh up. Let him gain his offices. Let
him gain his renown for no other reason than to throw him in the
sea. What if God willing to show his
wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us, not just Jews,
but Jews and Gentiles." He's sovereign, ain't he? He can save
whom he will. Believers count the long-suffering
of God as salvation. There's no other reason for Him
to tolerate what's going on in this world except His love for
His elect. Listen to this. David said, this
is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice in it. Now, wait a minute. You mean
that day when that doctor came out and told my wife that she
had terminal cancer. I'm to rejoice in that day. I
will if I know what that day was all about. That day was purposed of God
before the foundation of the world for the salvation of His
elect. I ain't gonna save every one
of them. Huh? How'd I know God was gonna save
anybody? The sun comes up in the morning.
Huh? It takes a while to understand
what I'm telling you this morning. But if you do, you'll rejoice
in your heart. This is the day David said that
the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. This day was made and ordered
for the salvation of his elect. There's no other reason for the
sun for the day to dawn. There's no other reason. And
knowing this, we'll be glad. and rejoice in it. Actually,
election is not a closed door that this world would make it
out to be, that religion would have you to believe it is. If
God had not chosen some, he would have destroyed this world in
Adam. There wouldn't have been the first day. Or maybe I should
say the first day would have been the last day. But God had
a people. And when Adam sinned, nothing
happened. The sun didn't blot out. The heavens didn't catch
on fire. Nothing happened. Nothing happened.
All happened in here, in him. But it didn't happen. God didn't
fold the whole world up because Adam fell. Because he had a purpose
that predated Adam. And that purpose was to save
a people for his glory. Election is not what prevents
men from believing. Unbelief is described in John
3, 19 as men loving darkness rather than light. It has nothing
to do with God's election. Unbelief is owing to man's rejection
of Christ, not to any fault of God. Did Christ not stretch His
hands out to everybody in the place and say, is anybody thirsty? Come on. Why didn't you come? Huh? Is that God's fault? God didn't
put your name in the Lamb's Book of Life? No, you rejected His
Son. You see what I'm saying? Election's
not the closed door that religion would have it to be. Election's
the open door. If it wasn't for election, there
wouldn't be a door at all. Listen to this Scripture. The
natural man. That man untouched, the natural
man, he won't receive the things of the Spirit of God. They're
here. Here's one of them. He won't
receive that. Well, you say men will receive
the Word of God. You try it. You try that on. You take your Bible over there
and open it up and read them something and see what they say. Election is the reason for God's
patience in His putting up with this antichrist religion in this
world. Men aren't saved because they
want to be saved. Men are saved because God wants
to save them. And what He wants, He gets. Any and all that would charge
God with any wrongdoing in His eternal election, they do so
in complete denial of their fallen Adam, and in complete denial
of the merciful God who would save some for the glory of his
name. And then again, Peter warns us that these ignorant scoffers
and false teachers who rest the scriptures under their own destruction.