Participants: Pr John Lomacang (Host), Jill Morikone, Molly Steenson, Pr. Tom Ferguson, Shelley Quinn
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000023A
|
00:01 The Bible tells us,
00:02 "In the beginning was the word, 00:04 and the word was with God, and the word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness the implanted word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls." 00:13 And to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God... 00:17 rightly dividing the word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:24 Our study today is, 00:25 "Feed My Sheep," I and II Peter. 00:31 Hello, and welcome to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:34 My name is John Lomacang. 00:36 We are so glad that 00:37 you've taken the time to join us 00:39 for this thought-provoking, continual study 00:42 through I and II epistles of the book of Peter. 00:45 It has been a tremendous walk 00:47 through this Sabbath school lesson, 00:49 which the overall theme is "Feed My Sheep." 00:52 And the Lord calls us to be faithful shepherds 00:56 and leaders to feed the flock that God has placed us over 01:01 and we are going to enjoy our time today 01:04 as we talk about the topic of false teachers. 01:07 June 3 to 9, if you like a copy of that lesson, 01:11 go to absg.adventist.org 01:15 and download lesson number 11 01:18 and follow along with us. 01:20 But if you don't have one, 01:21 we'll do our best to keep you on track with us 01:23 and we surely do appreciate everything you do 01:25 for this network as we go and grow, 01:28 waiting for the coming of our Lord. 01:29 So good to have our panelists with us today, Mollie, 01:31 good to have you here. 01:32 Thank you. 01:34 Pastor Tom Ferguson of the Marion district, 01:35 good to have you here. 01:37 My fellow colleague in ministry. 01:38 Nice to be here. 01:40 And Jill Morikone, good to see you, Jill. 01:41 Thank you. 01:42 Jill is a staple here at 3ABN in a wonderful way 01:45 and, Shelley Quinn, good to have you here as always. 01:47 Thank you. 01:48 Before we dive into our lesson, 01:50 though we always like to begin with a word of prayer, 01:52 why speak about a spiritual topic 01:54 without asking for spiritual help? 01:57 Pastor Tom, would you have our prayer for us? 01:59 Heavenly Father, we count it a privilege 02:01 to once again come together 02:02 and break bread with one another. 02:05 We thank You for Your word 02:07 and the food to our souls that it is 02:09 and as we study this lesson today, 02:11 we invite Your Holy Spirit to give us understanding, 02:14 be with each one of us in the panel, 02:16 with our thoughts and with the things 02:18 that we say. 02:19 And, Lord, may You indeed feed Your sheep 02:22 through the discussion that we have. 02:23 In Jesus' name, amen. 02:25 Amen. Amen. 02:27 Now each of us is going to cover a different day 02:29 in the lesson 02:31 and I have the privilege of talking about 02:32 not only the overview, 02:34 but false prophets and teachers. 02:35 You know, I'll just say to my panelists, 02:37 there is never a time that the truth of God 02:39 is being proclaimed 02:41 that there are not on the grounds, 02:43 in the audience, 02:44 someone that opposes what you say. 02:46 Yeah. It's true. 02:47 And so for those of you that may be in the position 02:48 as teachers, pastors, leaders, Sabbath school teachers, 02:52 maybe even just mothers and fathers 02:54 teaching their children, 02:56 we live in a world today 02:57 where every time the truth is proclaimed, 03:00 there is some kind of opposition, 03:03 whether it's evolution versus creation, 03:05 whether it's atheism versus Christianity, 03:08 whether it's false doctrines within the church 03:12 that are coming in to challenge 03:13 the true doctrines in the church, 03:15 whether it is the Godhead versus the trinitarian views, 03:19 whatever it may be, 03:20 there are always false doctrines 03:23 that will challenge those things 03:25 that are true. 03:27 You know, when I worked in the bank, 03:28 I worked in four or five banks in New York City, 03:30 an insurance company, all in the Wall Street area 03:33 and what I learned very carefully was, 03:36 it is easier to spot counterfeit money 03:39 when you spend your time studying the real currency. 03:41 It's good. That's good. 03:43 Now that we've had an opportunity 03:44 to travel around the world, my wife Angela, 03:47 she collects all this currency from all the countries, 03:51 anywhere from a five pound note in Great Britain 03:54 to a hundred million dollar note in Zimbabwe, 03:58 which, in fact, is no longer even viable currency, 04:02 but the point to the matter is wherever we go, 04:05 there are different interpretations 04:06 of what the Bible says 04:08 and the apostle Peter was concerned 04:11 that the church would be hampered by false teachings 04:15 coming into the church. 04:16 And so I'd like to begin with the words of Jesus. 04:18 Let's go to Matthew chapter 24, 04:21 because the apostle Peter is really functioning 04:24 on what Jesus told him would already be. 04:28 The apostles and later on, Paul, and we have Barnabas, 04:32 we have Silas, we have Mark, John, 04:35 and all of those that were faithful to the call 04:38 that God placed on their lives were always exposed 04:41 to an atmosphere that Jesus said would exist. 04:45 How amazing it is! 04:46 We talk to Matthew, we talk about Matthew 24 which, 04:48 in fact, we commonly know it as the signs of the end. 04:52 But look at Matthew 24:4. 04:56 Matthew 24:4, 04:57 a very short passage but very potent. 05:00 "And Jesus answered and said to them, 05:03 'Take heed that no one...'" Does what? 05:05 Deceives. Deceives you. 05:07 "'No one deceives you.'" 05:08 Deception, in fact, is the stampel of our day, 05:11 the staple of our day. 05:12 Did I say stampel? I mean, 'cause it's staple. 05:15 The staple of our day is deception, counterfeits, 05:20 I remember years ago, 05:22 we have rhinestones instead of diamonds, 05:23 pleather instead of leather, all these fake materials, 05:27 we have composites instead of the real thing 05:30 and such has been the case 05:31 when it comes to the truth of God's word. 05:34 The apostle Peter pointed out that 05:36 as long as there are sheep, 05:40 there will be wolves. 05:42 As long as there are shepherds, 05:44 there will be those false shepherds. 05:47 Seeking to steal away and come in 05:50 and bring about heresies 05:52 that are not supported by the word of God. 05:55 Sunday, as a matter of fact brings out, 05:58 I would say in a beautiful way, 06:00 a complete picture of what the church was like 06:04 and what the church is like today. 06:06 Look at II Peter 06:07 and we're gonna follow through, matter of fact, 06:09 what we usually do is 06:11 we often read the memory text together, don't we? 06:14 It's not too late to do that. 06:15 Let's look at the memory text for our week. 06:17 It's II Peter 2:19 06:20 and since we have our Sabbath school lesson, 06:21 we'll all read that together, can we do that? 06:23 Here we go. 06:25 It says, "They promise them freedom 06:28 but they themselves are slaves of corruption, 06:31 for people who are slaves to whatever masters them." 06:35 Wow! What a powerful text! 06:36 Yes, it is. 06:38 It reminds me of Romans 6, "Whatever you yield yourself, 06:40 you become servants of that one whom you obey, 06:43 whether to righteousness which leads with sin... 06:46 "Obedience." 06:48 "That leads to death or righteousness that leads..." 06:49 "Obedience." "To life." 06:50 "Obedience that leads to righteousness." 06:52 "Obedience that leads to righteousness." 06:53 Whatever you yield yourself to, you become the slave 06:56 and I like the word slave for one particular reason, 06:59 it says that when we think that we are in control, 07:02 we're really not. 07:04 Either the devil is working out as well through us 07:06 because we have been taken captive by him to do his will 07:09 or God is residing in us who both wills 07:13 and does of His good pleasure. 07:15 I said to someone months ago, not too long ago, 07:19 "There is no yellow line in Christianity." 07:22 No, we have a two-lane road here 07:24 going in and out of Thompson Ville 07:26 and there's a yellow line 07:27 and I saw this ridiculous, years ago, 07:31 when one comedy was fairly innocent, 07:35 the Honeymooners, many of you in America 07:37 may know Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, 07:40 were the two that really were major focus 07:43 in that particular program and one day, 07:45 Jackie Gleason asked Art Carney which was Norton in the show, 07:49 he says, "What's the purpose of the yellow line?" 07:52 And Norton said, "Everyone knows 07:53 what the purpose of the yellow line is for. 07:56 Well, the purpose is to separate 07:57 one side of the traffic from the other." 07:59 And Norton said, "The yellow line is 08:00 for the motorcycles." 08:02 Well, the fact of the matter is 08:04 no one travels on the yellow line 08:05 in Christianity. 08:06 You're either going north or you're going south. 08:09 You're either going east or you're going west. 08:11 You're going to light or you're going to darkness. 08:13 You're going to truth or you're going to error. 08:15 There is no yellow line when it comes to Christianity. 08:18 The apostle Peter brings this out carefully. 08:20 Look at II Peter 2:1-3. 08:23 And this is the overview, in fact, of the atmosphere 08:26 that the church existed in and is existing in today. 08:31 The controversy and the context of the false teachings, 08:33 he says, "But there were..." 08:36 Past tense, 08:38 "Also false prophets among the you, 08:40 among the people, 08:42 even as there will be false teachers among you..." 08:45 so there's nothing new, it was, it will be. 08:49 "Who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, 08:54 even denying the Lord 08:55 who bought them and bring on themselves..." 09:00 What kind of destruction? 09:01 Swift Swift. 09:03 "Swift destruction." 09:04 But here's the sad reality. 09:06 "And many will follow their destructive ways 09:10 because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed, 09:14 by covetousness, 09:16 they will exploit you with deceptive words..." 09:20 And this is amazing, 09:21 "For a long time their judgment has not been idle..." 09:24 In other words, 09:26 they don't cease to be judging everything you say. 09:28 There are some people. 09:30 Pastor C D Brooks, he's resting in Jesus now. 09:34 He said, "There are sometimes, at the end of a sermon, 09:36 somebody will come to him and say, 'Pastor Brooks, 09:38 that sermon blessed me.' 09:40 Other times people will say, 09:42 'I was so upset with you about what you preach.'" 09:44 And they would take him to task on the sermon. 09:46 And he said, "I learned as I went on not to take offense." 09:49 He said, "Because just like the sun, 09:51 the sun melts butter but hardens clay. 09:54 It's not the sun. 09:55 It's not the light of God's word that's the problem. 09:57 It's the condition of the human heart. 09:59 It melts butter, but it hardens clay." 10:02 And it says, "And so in this sense, 10:05 there are people that never cease to judge 10:07 everything that is being said." 10:09 I think Pastor Tom made this observation. 10:12 He says, "To be on a panel here at 3ABN, 10:16 to be on television, to be..." 10:18 Shelley, you know this to be a fact 10:20 and I think all of us have experienced it 10:21 at one point or another, 10:23 there's nothing that's said here 10:24 that's not under serious scrutiny. 10:27 That's why we have to make sure 10:29 that we stay true to God's word, 10:30 amen for that. 10:31 Amen. Amen. 10:33 But it also says, 10:34 "And their destruction does not slumber." 10:36 In other words, somebody is always a victim 10:39 of false teachers, heresies, deceptive doctrines 10:43 but there are ways and I want to, 10:44 you know, in the interest of time, 10:46 I want to bring out in a nutshell, 10:48 seven particular points that this passage emphasizes. 10:53 False teachers will contend. 10:55 They will contend with us 10:57 as they contended with the early church. 10:59 How many movements do we have within our own church 11:02 that are branched off? 11:04 I don't wanna mention them to give them 11:06 any kind of popularity 11:07 or any visibility or any notoriety, 11:09 but in our own church, 11:11 we've got all these splinter groups 11:13 that start one teaching or the other 11:17 and pull people away after themselves 11:19 and I think the pulling away is easy 11:22 when a person is not anchored in the truth. 11:24 So what I'm gonna suggest is four ways 11:26 that we could meet 11:29 and guard against eroding truth. 11:31 Let's first begin with Romans 16:17. 11:35 And I'm gonna read this from the King James version, 11:36 a very powerful text. 11:38 Romans what? Romans 16:17. 11:42 I'm gonna read this from King James version. 11:43 I like the way it uses, 11:48 the word that I wanna emphasize is emphasized very greatly here 11:51 in the King James version. 11:53 Verse 17, it says, 11:55 "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them..." 11:59 What's the word it uses in New King James? 12:00 Note. Note them. 12:02 Another word is, put a note, but I would mark them. 12:05 "Which cause divisions 12:06 and offences contrary to the doctrine 12:10 which you have learned and do..." 12:11 What else? 12:13 Avoid them. "Avoid them." 12:14 You know, sometimes we contend more than we should, 12:16 we contend too much. 12:18 When you discover that a person is not open 12:21 to examining what God's word says 12:24 and there are many instances, Mollie, you know that. 12:27 There are many instances where people will say, 12:29 "I know what God's word says but..." 12:32 That's how you can tell the difference 12:33 between a sheep and a goat. 12:36 But. 12:37 I know what God's word says, 12:39 I know what the Bible says about the Sabbath 12:40 but, and you have even and among our own church, 12:43 there are people that contend 12:45 with the validity of the Sabbath. 12:47 There are some that have walked away from it. 12:49 There are people fighting over the trinitarian doctrine. 12:52 There are people that are questioning 12:53 the judgment and unfortunately, 12:55 people that are not grounded 12:58 become victims to that kind of activity. 13:01 That's why it is up to us, 13:02 Pastor Tom knows this as an experience. 13:04 He's had some experiences in his district. 13:06 We've had here in our church. 13:08 You've got to say, 13:09 this individual has no good approach 13:13 or no good attitude toward this congregation. 13:17 And sometimes, you've got to name 'em, 13:18 unfortunately, 13:20 but you give them room before you go that far, 13:22 but you have to mark those that cause division. 13:24 The other thing you have to do is, 13:26 let's go to II Timothy 2:24 and 26. 13:30 And this is a little more I would say, 13:34 if I could use the word here, 13:36 this is more along the lines of how we deal with people 13:39 that are willing to listen. 13:41 What about those that are willing to listen? 13:43 How should we deal with those individuals? 13:45 That say, well, I just don't understand 13:46 because not everyone, 13:48 I believe, has a vicious intent. 13:50 It's just sometimes, 13:51 people don't understand and sometimes, 13:53 because of that lack of understanding, 13:55 they create controversy. 13:56 II Timothy 2:24-26, 13:59 would you read that for us, Jill? 14:00 Verses 24-26. 14:02 "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel 14:04 but be gentle to all, 14:06 able to teach, patient, in humility, 14:09 correcting those who are in opposition, 14:11 if God perhaps will grant them repentance, 14:15 so that they may know the truth 14:16 and that they may come to their senses 14:18 and escape the snare of the devil 14:20 having been taken captive by him to do his will." 14:24 Ain't that wonderful? 14:25 It says, when you find somebody who is willing to talk, 14:28 be patient with them because sometimes, 14:31 they only know but this much 14:34 and they hold on to that little bit they know 14:38 and they make an entire teaching out of it. 14:40 Before we've had experiences 14:42 where people have come to our church 14:44 and Sabbath after Sabbath, Sabbath after Sabbath, 14:49 they would make the statement in my Sabbath school class, 14:53 and then we would giggle afterwards 14:55 and I say, "Don't worry about it. 14:56 We're gonna give you room to grow." 14:58 But this text has an essence here 14:59 and it's, "Give people room to grow." 15:01 But in the process, 15:02 don't leave them to grow among weeds that choke them. 15:06 But, in love, instruct those who are in opposition, 15:10 I think the King James version says, who oppose themselves. 15:14 But there's a third thing. 15:15 Look at II Timothy 2:23, we have that, Shelley, 15:19 II Timothy 2:23. 15:22 II Timothy 2? II Timothy 2:23. 15:25 "But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, 15:29 knowing that they generally..." 15:31 Or, "That they generate strife." 15:33 How many times have you gotten to the place 15:35 where you're frustrated? 15:36 Anybody here? 15:38 And it gets to the point 15:40 where you're not waiting for them to stop 15:42 and you're talking over them, because what happens is, 15:44 it becomes a contention, a strife, 15:48 that becomes heated. 15:49 I have in this age of social media, 15:53 I've had to take people off of my page 15:56 that have used my page 15:57 and as a platform, 15:59 to just spread ridiculous teachings 16:03 that are not supported by God's word. 16:05 And so when you get to that place, 16:07 try to avoid situations 16:10 that continue to develop into a strife, 16:13 in a contending back and forth. 16:15 One last one. 16:17 II Timothy 4:2-4. 16:19 Pastor Tom, I'll have you read this one. 16:21 II Timothy 4... 16:23 II Timothy 4:2-4. 16:25 Oh, wait a minute. 16:27 Mollie, you read this one for us 16:28 because you have the King James version... 16:29 I have the King James... 16:31 I want it in the King James version. 16:32 Sorry, Pastor Tom. It's all right. 16:34 II Timothy 4:2-4. 16:35 "Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season. 16:37 Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering 16:40 and doctrine. 16:41 For the time will come 16:42 when they will not endure sound doctrine, 16:44 but after their own lusts shall they heap 16:46 to themselves teachers, having itching ears. 16:49 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, 16:51 and shall be turned unto fables." 16:54 So that's what's happening. 16:56 We're living in the same thing that happened in their day, 16:59 that's happening in our day. 17:00 That's why when you have 17:02 false prophets and false teachers, 17:04 they've got to focus away from the things that divide, 17:07 to the one that unites which takes us to you. 17:08 Amen. The freedom we find in Christ. 17:11 Freedom in Christ. 17:12 We're going to look at deceptions 17:15 of false teachers 17:17 and that's Peter, II Peter 2:18, 17:21 then we're going to go to verse 19. 17:24 Let me read this to you. 17:26 II Peter 2:18, 17:29 "For when they speak, beloved, 17:31 great swelling words of emptiness, they allure..." 17:35 What does the word allure mean? 17:37 Draw you... 17:38 They attract or they charm you, 17:40 "Through the lust of the flesh, through lewdness, 17:44 the ones who have actually escaped 17:46 from those who live in error." 17:48 The NIV says, 17:49 "They entice people who are just escaping." 17:53 You know who those are? 17:54 Those are the young Christians. 17:56 The young ones, the ones that aren't yet settled 17:59 and founded in the faith and so they prey on, 18:04 I can use that word. 18:05 They prey on the young. 18:07 Now how do these false teachers deceive believers? 18:11 It's with great swelling words, they allure, 18:14 they attract or they charm through the lusts of the flesh. 18:19 Now Mark 14:38 tells us, 18:22 "Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation, 18:27 the Spirit indeed is..." 18:28 Willing. 18:30 "Willing but the flesh is weak." 18:33 You see, these false teachers use 18:36 the very same tactics that Satan used to deceive Eve. 18:41 Then I want you to go to Genesis 3, 18:44 we're going to look at verses 4-6. 18:48 What Satan did was he appealed to Eve's lust 18:53 and the point I want to make, 18:55 we're going to go to another portion 18:57 of scripture is, 18:59 that Satan has no new tricks, 19:01 he has one way of going after you, to deceive you, 19:07 and we're going to see this, again, Genesis 3:4-6. 19:12 Jill, if you're there, will you read that? 19:14 "Then the serpent said to the woman, 19:16 'You shall not surely die. 19:18 For God knows that in the day you eat of it, 19:20 your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, 19:23 knowing good and evil.' 19:25 So when the woman saw, that the tree was good for food 19:28 that it was pleasant to the eyes 19:30 and a tree desirable to make one wise, 19:33 she took of its fruit and ate. 19:35 She also gave to her husband with her and he ate." 19:39 Okay, let's look in verse six. 19:43 Remember the way 19:45 the false teachers appeal to those that are young, 19:48 not yet got a solid foundation under them, 19:54 is they appeal to the lusts of their flesh. 20:00 Now the three areas 20:02 that Satan appealed to Eve in the garden, 20:08 verse six, "And when she saw..." 20:10 What would that be appealing to? 20:12 Her eye. The lust of the eyes. 20:14 "That the tree was good for food, 20:16 and that it was pleasant to the eyes, 20:18 and a tree to be desired." 20:21 Lust of the flesh. 20:22 "And to make one wise." The pride of life. 20:27 That's good. 20:28 It says she took the fruit thereof, 20:30 so Satan appealed to Eve 20:33 the same way these false teachers 20:35 appeal to those 20:38 that they are attempting to deceive. 20:40 Now we have... 20:42 Let's go to Luke 4:1. 20:50 Because Satan tempted someone else, 20:53 and now, 20:57 when he came with his temptations 21:00 in the garden, to Eve, 21:02 did she succumb to those temptations? 21:04 Yeah. Yes, she did. 21:05 Okay, now, in the wilderness, 21:15 through... 21:17 I think I'm gonna go through 4. 21:20 Let's start there. 21:21 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost 21:24 returned from Jordan 21:26 and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 21:29 Being forty days tempted of the..." 21:32 What? Of the devil. 21:33 "Tempted of the devil. 21:35 And in those days He did eat nothing, 21:37 and when they were ended, He afterwards was hungry. 21:41 And the devil said unto Him, 'If thou be the Son of God, 21:45 command these stones to be made..." 21:47 What? Bread. 21:48 "To be made bread." What was he appealing to? 21:50 His appetite. His appetite. 21:52 That's right. 21:53 And he goes on then, in verse 5, 21:56 "And the devil took Him up on a high mountain 21:59 and showed unto Him the kingdoms of this world." 22:02 And he offered Him those kingdoms, 22:04 he showed them to Him, 22:06 that would be the lust of the eyes. 22:08 Then he takes Him over Jerusalem and he says, 22:12 to a high pinnacle and he says, "If You be the Son of God, 22:16 cast Yourself down, because the Bible says, 22:20 the scripture says 22:21 that He will give His angels charge over thee." 22:24 What would that be? 22:25 The pride of life. Pride of life. 22:27 See, he enticed Jesus with the various three areas, 22:31 lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, 22:33 pride of life. 22:34 Those three areas that our early parents 22:37 in the garden failed in, 22:40 Jesus overcame in all three areas. 22:43 Amen. That's right. 22:44 So we can overcome as well. Amen. 22:46 So let's go on now and look at II Peter 2:19. 22:52 We just read II Peter 2:18. 22:55 Now let's look at II Peter 2:19. 22:58 "While they promise them liberty..." 23:01 What are the false teachers 23:03 promising these young Christians 23:06 that they are deceiving? 23:07 What is the enemy of these false teachers promising them? 23:11 Liberty. Promising them liberty. 23:13 The title of my portion today is Freedom in Christ. 23:18 So these false teachers are promising them freedom 23:22 but it goes on to say, 23:24 "They themselves are slaves of corruption." 23:27 Let me ask you this. 23:29 This freedom that they're promising, 23:31 the enemy in the garden, did what he promised Eve, 23:36 did it bring her freedom? 23:38 No. No. 23:39 What did it bring her? Bondage. 23:41 Bondage. It brought her bondage. 23:43 Who did that bondage effect? Every one. 23:46 It affected every one of us, 23:48 we were all brought into that bondage. 23:51 Now when the enemy came to Satan in the wilderness, 23:55 did he bring Jesus into bondage? 23:58 No. Why not? 24:00 Because Jesus overcame in every area. 24:03 Amen. How did He overcome? 24:04 The word of God. 24:06 It is written, with the word of God. 24:07 And then at Calvary, 24:09 I'll take this one step further, 24:11 at Calvary, that bondage that Eve brought us into, 24:15 that fall in the garden, what happened to that bondage? 24:18 Was broken. It was overcome. 24:20 Amen. It was accomplished. 24:21 It was broken, but let's go on. 24:24 "While they promised them liberty, 24:25 they themselves are slaves of corruption, 24:28 for by whom a person is overcome, 24:30 by him also he is brought into bondage." 24:34 You see, these false teachers and anybody, 24:38 they can only give others what they have. 24:41 That's right. 24:42 They can only give others what they have. 24:43 What do these false teachers have? 24:45 They have corruption. 24:48 The only thing they can give you 24:50 is what they have. 24:51 With great swelling words, 24:53 they are promising something they don't even have to give, 24:57 and that's freedom. 24:58 The only place we're gonna get freedom 25:01 is from the Son of God 25:03 and I've got to hurry, they are in bondage 25:06 and the only thing they can give 25:07 is what they have, 25:09 and that is corruption. 25:10 What does Peter say? 25:12 Whoever overcomes you, you are in bondage or enslaved, 25:17 and they are overcome with corruption. 25:21 Now Romans 6:16, "Do you not know..." 25:24 I think you just... 25:25 I alluded to that. You just alluded to this. 25:27 Romans 6:16, "Do you not know, 25:29 that to whom you present yourself slaved to obey, 25:32 you are the ones, slaves to whom you obey, 25:35 whether of sin leading to death, 25:37 or obedience leading to righteousness." 25:39 If in Christ we have been set free 25:41 from all bondage, why? 25:43 Because Christ has freedom to give us. 25:45 That's right. 25:47 Because we are sons and daughters of God, 25:49 through faith in Jesus Christ. 25:51 I John 3:2, I'm hurrying now, tells us, "Beloved, 25:56 now are we the sons of God..." 25:58 When are we the sons of God, Pastor Tom? 25:59 Now. Now. 26:00 Right now, we are the sons of God. 26:02 Galatians 3:26, 26:04 "For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ." 26:09 Okay. 26:11 John 8:34-36 and I'll end with this. 26:14 "Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly I say to you, 26:18 whoever commits sin is a slave to sin 26:21 and a slave does not abide 26:23 in the house forever but a son.' 26:25 " You're a son, beloved, 26:27 now you are the sons of God, but a son... 26:29 A son abides how long? 26:32 Forever. Forever. 26:34 Therefore, if the Son makes you free, 26:38 you are free indeed. 26:39 Amen. 26:40 And so freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ. 26:42 Amen. Amen. 26:44 Okay. Mollie, you're fired up. 26:45 We're gonna just cool you down. She's preaching again. 26:47 She's preaching. 26:50 Pastor Tom, we are patching the "wow!" 26:52 We're passing the flaming torch to you. 26:54 Yeah, I'll see if I can keep it going here. 26:56 But what a topic! A dog returns to its vomit. 26:59 Yeah, you know, and I had several ways 27:00 I could have gone with this, 27:02 but I have been praying a lot about this 27:03 but one of the first things I think about, 27:05 and it hit me real hard when you were speaking, Pastor, 27:08 is the seven churches, 27:10 the original context was the seven conditions 27:14 that the church was in 27:16 after an onslaught by the enemy. 27:18 Yeah. That's right. 27:19 The original context. 27:21 So you can see, if you look at the seven churches, 27:23 just see how much of your own congregation 27:26 you're looking at, 27:27 and the condition that your church is in. 27:29 We think of, in a corporate, 27:30 we think in the seven stages of the church, 27:32 we think of us being laid to see in church 27:34 but look at the seven conditions 27:36 after a generation of hits from the enemy 27:39 because it's either of God or it's of the Nicolaitans, 27:42 that's another thing to keep in mind 27:44 'cause a Nicolaitan mentality 27:45 is constantly bombarding the church 27:47 and it's really by the same enemy 27:49 that has already been brought out, 27:52 that is behind all of this. 27:53 I also thought about, what about cancer as an, 27:57 an analogy of what's going on? 27:59 All of us have either experienced 28:01 or know someone that has had cancer 28:05 and it is this, I know I'm not a medical person, 28:09 but I know that this cell just kind of goes rogue, 28:11 the cells go rogue 28:13 and they start to take over the body. 28:14 So the surgeon goes in and tries to remove that cancer 28:19 and a lot of times, people feel very confident 28:22 that it is eradicated, it is gone, 28:24 but the immune system is weak 28:26 because really all of us have, as I understand it, 28:28 pre-cancerous cells, we have, 28:30 our immune system's constantly keeping that, 28:32 that disease in check. 28:33 But their immune system is weak and, eventually, 28:38 that cancer comes back in a more aggressive fashion. 28:42 And I remember one soul, precious soul, 28:45 that she had cancer the first time, 28:47 and they removed it. 28:49 She had cancer the second time, 28:50 and I was the pastor of the district at the time, 28:52 that it was gone for several years. 28:54 They were active in the church. 28:55 The third time that cancer came back, 28:57 it was... 28:59 They could not cure it, there was nothing, 29:01 it was rapid, and it was a sad thing to experience. 29:04 But oftentimes, that's the way it is 29:06 for the journey of a new Christian 29:09 and the topic is A Dog Returning to Its Vomit. 29:13 So what I wanna do is I want to shift 29:15 into a little different focus 29:19 'cause we've been focusing on false teachers 29:20 and how they're having an effect, 29:22 but I wanna look at the journey of a Christian, 29:25 that is in an environment where that, 29:28 is either in the church or in their own personal life, 29:31 that is tearing, trying, attempting to tear them away 29:35 from the hole that God has in their heart. 29:37 Let's go to Matthew 12. 29:42 Matthew 12. 29:50 Now we're gonna look at verses 43 29:52 and onward and it says here, 29:54 Matthew 12, we're gonna read verse 43. 29:56 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, 29:58 he goes through dry places seeking rest and finds none." 30:02 You know, when I look at that verse, 30:03 you're talking about demonic force 30:06 that has actually had a control in this person's life, 30:08 it's gone. 30:10 We have an infatuation in society today, 30:12 we think that it's being entertained, 30:15 the idea that places are where demons wanna possess 30:19 but, no, they wanna possess people. 30:20 That's true. 30:22 And when that is eradicated, "Then he comes and says, 30:25 'I will return to my house from which I came," verse 44 30:29 "And when he comes, he finds it empty, 30:31 swept and put in order." 30:34 And in other words, yeah, 30:36 there hasn't been the influence of this spirit 30:39 but at the same time, 30:40 there hasn't been an influence of the Holy Spirit. 30:43 The Holy Spirit is not flooding the heart, 30:44 it's an empty house. 30:46 And when that happens, 30:48 then we find what the next verse brings out, 30:50 "Then he goes, and takes with him 30:52 seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 30:55 and they enter and dwell there, 30:56 and the last state of the man is worse than the first. 31:00 So shall it also be with this wicked generation." 31:02 Wow! 31:03 And I think about that 31:05 and because we have our own personal experiences 31:08 that we go through, 31:10 one of the things I want us to think about, 31:12 it really disturbs me when a new Christian, 31:15 after several months of being on fire for the Lord, 31:18 all of a sudden, they're not there, 31:21 but what disturbs me even more 31:23 is sometimes people don't notice 31:25 that they're not there. 31:26 That's good. 31:27 You know, one of the things we get accused of 31:29 is trying to bring in sheep and then forget about it 31:30 once they're there. 31:32 Maybe that does happen more than it should, 31:34 but what I realize is when that's the case, 31:37 what should the church do? 31:40 There's obviously something wrong. 31:42 And as a result, the church needs to be praying for 31:45 and reaching out too. 31:47 They need to have a network, a community of church family 31:49 which is new family for them to hang on to 31:52 because the enemy is attempting to take an empty house 31:56 and fill it up with seven times what he had before, 31:59 to wipe away everything 32:01 that God has accomplished in their life. 32:04 You know, I preached a sermon a while back 32:05 and it was entitled 32:07 "Feed the Lamb, Starve the Wolf." 32:10 Amen. 32:11 And that is something that all of us need to be doing 32:14 but a new Christian has a hard time maintaining, 32:17 feeding the lamb, and starving the wolf. 32:19 Now if you have a lamb and a wolf in the same area, 32:22 who's gonna win that battle? 32:23 Wolf. 32:25 Okay, you think about the lamb as the passive one, 32:27 the prey versus the predator. 32:30 So the predator needs to be so weak 32:33 that it has no effect on the lamb, 32:36 it's not a perfect analogy but at least we see 32:38 that Jesus needs to be the present one in our hearts. 32:41 Right. 32:43 Also, I like us to turn to Luke 15. 32:47 We're gonna look at a story, 32:49 I just wanna take a couple of quick snapshots of a story 32:52 that we all know very well, most of us do. 32:55 And we're talking about the prodigal son, 32:59 because in verses 15 and 16, 33:02 I want us to take a look at the fact that he had, 33:04 he had that, we'll call it a born-again experience. 33:07 He had that journey 33:09 but then in verse 15 of Luke 15, 33:12 "Then he went and joined himself 33:13 to a citizen of that country 33:15 and he sent him into his fields to feed swine." 33:20 When he took off, 33:21 he took his inheritance, he left, 33:23 but this is the point I wanted to bring up, 33:25 is that he joined himself with a citizen of that country. 33:29 It is so important to guard your heart from a citizen 33:34 from another country, 33:35 someone who does not know the Lord, 33:37 don't let them have the influence in your life. 33:39 Amen. 33:40 Then this could be someone that is in your family, 33:43 it could be someone that is in the church family even. 33:47 We need to guard our hearts because all they have to do, 33:50 all they have to give us is what they know, 33:53 as it was mentioned earlier, and what they know is, 33:56 has to do with feeding swine. 33:58 And when you think about 33:59 the original context of the story, 34:02 a Jew would not touch an unclean thing. 34:07 That's right. 34:08 But now he's living with and having to feed them 34:10 because that's all there is around him. 34:12 As a matter of fact in verse 16, 34:14 "He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods 34:16 that the swine ate." 34:17 In other words, that's a little closer 34:18 to the spiritual food I was used to, 34:21 but no one gave him anything. 34:23 There was no way they could do it. 34:26 So they found themselves in this condition, 34:28 this lost condition. 34:30 So what does that person say, 34:31 that is maybe been overcome by some of the things 34:35 that happen in and outside of the church in their lives? 34:37 Verse 18, "I will arise and go to my father." 34:40 They wanna come home. Amen, amen. 34:42 And also in verse 19, it says that, 34:44 "I am no longer worthy to be called your son." 34:46 They feel unworthy to come to God 34:48 and oftentimes they need us reaching out to them, 34:50 otherwise, there's no way to come home. 34:53 And, you know, we know the rest of the story, right? 34:56 "As his father sees him afar off, he runs to him. 35:02 And he just embraces him." 35:04 That's right. 35:05 And that's what the church family 35:07 needs to be for those that are in that condition. 35:09 As a matter of fact, some of us here 35:11 that are watching or listening 35:13 might actually have a son or a daughter or a loved one 35:16 that you've raised in the faith and now they're, 35:19 they're astray. 35:21 And, you know, this is the condition they're in, 35:24 they're feeding the swine, that's all they've got, 35:26 nobody has anything to give them 35:27 that they're needing, 35:28 and we need to continue to lift them up in prayer 35:32 because Proverbs 22:6 is true. 35:34 "Train them up in the way they should go, 35:37 and when they're old, they will not depart from it, 35:39 they'll come home." 35:42 We need to be praying for two things 35:44 that the enemy has ensnared. 35:46 Number one, that God will make them 35:47 miserable away from Him, 35:51 miserable away from Him. 35:52 That's right. 35:54 And the other thing is that the Lord will bring someone 35:56 into their lives to bring them home. 35:58 Amen. Amen. 35:59 And the prodigal situation, now verse 18-24, 36:05 I shared the returning prodigal's experience, 36:07 this is what we need for all of those 36:10 that have drifted away. 36:13 "A Christian who has a heart devoid 36:15 of the Spirit of God 36:17 is easy prey for the enemy of souls. 36:20 And without Christ in your heart, 36:22 your hope of glory, 36:24 all we can do is return to our vomit." 36:26 Yeah. That's right. 36:28 And so we need to be sensitive, as church leaders, 36:33 you need to be sensitive to what's happening 36:35 with the parishioners, 36:37 and I just had this recently happened, 36:38 and I said, "Who has their number?" 36:40 And we were in a meeting. 36:41 I said, "Who has their phone number?" 36:43 And people started sharing the cell number 36:45 and they're reaching out. 36:46 Amen. Praise the Lord. 36:47 And they're loving the fold. 36:49 They are sensitive to the fact 36:51 that they're under the attack of the enemy, 36:53 that maybe someone got a hold of them, 36:55 and they're listening 36:57 to someone that is drawing them away. 36:58 Amen. 37:00 So that is what I had to share today. 37:01 Amen. 37:02 Thank you, Pastor Tom, that is beautiful. 37:04 And God wants to bring us, all of us back to the fold. 37:07 And as brothers and sisters in Jesus, who are in Jesus, 37:11 He calls us to reach out to our brothers and sisters, 37:13 and then bring them back. 37:14 That's right. 37:15 I have Wednesday which is Peter and Jude. 37:17 So let's turn back to II Peter 37:20 and we are also going to be bouncing 37:22 between Peter and Jude. 37:24 So we'll also go to Jude 37:25 and keep our finger in II Peter. 37:28 And there is, II Peter and the book of Jude 37:31 address many similar concerns. 37:34 They both address God's judgment 37:37 and that He is in control of the destiny of the wicked. 37:41 Many times we focus on God's grace and mercy 37:45 and that is powerful. 37:47 The Lord is not willing that any should perish 37:49 but that all should come to repentance. 37:52 God is a God of love, and of grace, and mercy, 37:55 and He's extending that door of probation 37:58 for each one of us. 38:00 However, there is a time when judgment will come. 38:04 Amen. 38:05 And II Peter specifically addresses 38:07 many of the false teachings that had crept into the church 38:12 and there was the false teaching, 38:13 and II Peter 1 talks about the second coming as a myth 38:16 and Peter addresses that false teaching. 38:18 The false teaching that prophecy 38:21 is of human interpretation 38:23 instead of divine interpretation, 38:26 and now on this day, 38:27 we're looking at the false teaching 38:29 that there is no coming judgment, 38:31 and Peter and Jude, 38:33 both address the false teaching. 38:35 And so we're looking at II Peter 2, 38:39 and Peter takes three examples, 38:42 three Biblical examples of judgment of God. 38:46 Judgments that have taken place in the past. 38:49 And we're gonna read II Peter 2. 38:51 Shelley, you wanna read verse 4. 38:55 "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, 38:57 but cast them down to hell, 38:58 and delivered them into chains of darkness, 39:00 to be reserved for judgment." 39:03 Thank you. 39:04 We're gonna go to Noah next, in the flood. 39:05 So right now, 39:07 we're just looking at the first judgment 39:08 that Peter talks about. 39:09 He asserts the certainty of coming judgment 39:12 by looking at the examples of judgment in the past 39:15 and this example 39:16 is the banishment of the evil angels from heaven. 39:20 They did not keep their proper domain, 39:22 you see it says that there, and delivered them. 39:26 No, that's in Jude, it says, 39:27 "They did not keep their proper domain." 39:29 So we'll go to Jude, but here it says, 39:31 "He cast them down to hell." 39:33 Meaning, He cast them down here to this earth, 39:36 to be reserved for the coming judgment 39:38 which will come at the end of the thousand years. 39:41 That's right. 39:42 Let's go to Jude and we will look at, 39:44 did not keep their proper domain. 39:45 Keep your finger in II Peter, we'll be coming back to that. 39:49 Verse 6, I must say chapter 39:51 but there's only one chapter in the book of Jude. 39:52 So Jude verse 6. 39:55 And, Pastor Tom, do you have that? 39:56 Yes, "And the angels 39:58 who did not keep their proper domain, 40:00 but left their own abode, 40:01 He has reserved in everlasting chains 40:03 under darkness for the judgment of that great day." 40:05 It's very similar to what we see in II Peter 2. 40:09 "They did not keep their proper domain." 40:11 They were not satisfied with their status. 40:13 It reminds me of Isaiah 14, 40:16 and Satan there was saying, what? 40:18 "I will ascend to the sides of the North, 40:20 I will be like the Most High." 40:23 Not keeping his proper domain and instead, 40:26 God cast judgment over them, 40:28 they were cast down to the earth. 40:30 Revelation 12 tells us 40:31 how they were cast down to the earth 40:33 and then Revelation 20 talks about 40:35 how they were locked up on the earth 40:38 until the final judgment. 40:39 Let's look at number two, we'll go back to II Peter 2. 40:42 So the first judgment 40:44 Peter talks about is the banishment 40:45 of the evil angels from heaven. 40:47 The second judgment is the judgment of the flood. 40:49 And, Mollie, do you have that? We're in verse 4 I think. 40:52 II Peter 2:5. 40:53 "And spared not the old world, 40:56 but saved Noah, the eighth person, 40:58 a preacher of righteousness, 41:00 bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." 41:03 Yes, so here we see God's justice and mercy. 41:08 He opened up the ark for everyone 41:10 and whoever wanted to be, there were only eight people 41:14 who chose to listen to the warning, 41:16 and chose to accept God's mercy, 41:18 and be saved in the ark, but we see the judgment 41:20 that came upon that wicked world 41:22 and Jude does not talk about the flood, 41:24 so we'll go on to the third 41:25 which is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 41:28 and we're in verse 6. 41:30 Pastor John, do you have that? 41:31 Sure, verses? II Peter 2:6. 41:34 And it says, "And turning the cities 41:36 of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, 41:39 condemning them to destruction, 41:41 and making them an example to those 41:44 who after would live ungodly." 41:48 Yes, turning the cities 41:50 of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, 41:51 seeing the judgment that came on that city 41:53 and at the same time, 41:55 we won't look at it but if you go back, 41:56 you see the mercy of God too 41:58 because He gave, remember, 42:01 Abraham pleaded with God and said, 42:03 "If there are so many righteous people, 42:05 will You spare this city?" 42:07 And He said, "I will." 42:09 And then the number came down a bit, 42:10 "If there is so many righteous people, 42:12 will You spare the city?" 42:13 And He said, "I will." That's right. 42:16 So we see that and then in Jude, Jude 7, 42:21 he talks, Jude as well talks about 42:23 the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 42:24 "As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them 42:26 in a similar manner to these, 42:28 having given themselves over to sexual immorality 42:32 and gone after strange flesh, 42:34 are set forth as an example, 42:36 suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." 42:39 Now in this case, it does not mean eternal fire 42:41 that burns forever and ever. 42:43 It's showing that the judgment is irreversible and complete. 42:47 That's right. Showing these effects. 42:48 If you go over there, you know, that's right, 42:50 showing the effects. 42:51 So let's look at what are the sins 42:53 that brought these severe punishments? 42:55 We're gonna look at the false teachers here, 42:58 and there are five different ones, 43:01 hopefully, we'll get through all this. 43:02 And we're going back to II Peter 2:1. 43:06 And, Pastor, you talked about this. 43:07 Those who bring in destructive heresies... 43:09 That's right. 43:10 "There were also false prophets among the people 43:12 even as there will be false teachers among you, 43:15 who will secretly bring in destructive heresies..." 43:18 And then it goes on what those heresies are. 43:21 One of those is destructive heresies. 43:23 In the Greek, the word for heresies 43:24 is a self-chosen opinion. 43:29 Holding on to my own opinion 43:31 or what I think is my own corner 43:33 of the word of God versus 43:36 what God's word really says. 43:38 Another thing, those who despise authority. 43:42 We see that in II Peter 2:10, it says, especially, 43:46 well, verse 9, it talks about, 43:48 "He's reserving the unjust for punishment 43:51 at the day of judgment." 43:52 And what are these unjust people, 43:53 what did they do? 43:55 Verse 10, "Especially those who walk according to the flesh, 43:59 and the lust of uncleanness, and despise authority, 44:04 they are presumptuous and self-willed, 44:06 they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries." 44:09 Those who despise authority. 44:11 We also see in that same verse, 44:13 those who walk according to the flesh, 44:16 instead of walking according to the Spirit. 44:18 So first, those who bring in heresies. 44:20 Those who despise authority is number two. 44:23 Number three, those who walk according to the flesh. 44:26 Number four, we're still in II Peter 2, 44:28 we'll jump over to verse 18. 44:32 And I know we've talked about this one before, 44:34 "When they speak great swelling words of emptiness, 44:36 they allure through the lusts of the flesh, 44:39 through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped 44:42 from those who live in error." 44:44 They pull other people into sexual immorality, 44:48 into sexual sin. 44:51 And then verse 19, 44:52 they become slaves of corruption. 44:55 "While they promise them liberty, 44:57 they themselves are slaves of corruption, 45:01 for by whom a person is overcome, 45:03 by him also he is brought into bondage." 45:05 And the lesson brought, 45:06 I thought this was a fabulous point. 45:08 Many times we would think those who are being judged, 45:11 it's for some great sin, 45:13 for going out and pulling a trigger 45:15 and killing someone. 45:16 Or robbing a bank or doing something serious. 45:19 But you know what? 45:20 These sins, you could find them in the church. 45:23 What? Do you see that? 45:25 Bringing in heresies. 45:27 Pastor John, you talked about the different heresies 45:30 that are coming into the church, 45:32 despising the authority that God has placed us under, 45:35 whether it's in the church, 45:37 whether it's in civil government, 45:39 whether it's in your workplace. 45:41 Walking according to the flesh, 45:44 becoming the slave of corruption. 45:46 So what does God want us to do? I know I'm almost out of time. 45:49 How do we experience revival and reformation? 45:52 In our own lives and in the church, 45:55 reformation follows true revival 45:57 and revival comes from God. 45:59 So I'm gonna give you an A, B, and C. 46:02 A, allow God to change you, surrender. 46:05 Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, 46:09 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 46:12 That word in the Greek is, metamorphose like a butterfly. 46:17 The caterpillar crawls, 46:18 and then the cocoon and chrysalis is formed, 46:20 and then the butterfly emerges a complete transformation. 46:24 A, allow God to change us. 46:26 B, behold Jesus. 46:28 II Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, 46:30 with open face beholding as in a glass 46:32 the glory of the Lord, 46:33 are changed into the same image from glory to glory." 46:37 That word for change is the same word 46:39 as it is in the Romans 12:2, metamorphosed, 46:41 we are completely transformed by beholding Jesus. 46:44 A, allow God to change us. B, behold Jesus. 46:47 C, choose His way. 46:50 Romans 13:14, it says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, 46:54 and make no provision for the lust, 46:56 to fulfill its flesh." 46:58 They're right. Amen, amen. 47:00 Ours overlap so much that I don't need to talk. 47:04 Oh, I'm sorry. No, no, no, no, no. 47:07 I think it's wonderful, I wanna just go back in, 47:09 there'd be a few little points 47:11 that you may not have brought out 47:13 that I can go through, 47:14 the Thursday's lesson is the more Old Testament lesson, 47:18 more Old Testament lessons is what it's supposed to be about. 47:23 And he said to read II Peter 2: 6-16, 47:26 but I also went back to 4, because what, 47:30 what he's doing here is as Jill has pointed out, 47:34 he is showing that 47:36 there is the inescapable judgment of the Lord 47:41 is going to come on the evil. 47:43 And, but he's also, it's the juxtaposition, 47:46 of how God judged the angels, 47:49 how He, how He judged the antediluvian world, 47:52 but He saved Noah and seven of his family members. 47:55 So you see how God deals with those who reject Him, 48:00 how God deals with those who accept Him. 48:03 Same with Sodom and Gomorrah. 48:05 But I do wanna point out in verse 4, 48:08 when it talks about, 48:11 that the angels were cast down to hell 48:13 because there are so many people 48:15 who try to use this 48:17 to talk about eternal burning fire. 48:20 The word "hell" here is a word 48:23 that was used in Greek mythology, 48:25 it was tartarus. 48:27 Am I saying that right "tartarus"? 48:29 And this was a deep abyss, 48:33 a place where 48:35 they were supposed to be tortured and burned. 48:38 It is only used one time in the Bible and what I believe, 48:41 it's right here. 48:43 I think that Peter is speaking figuratively. 48:45 We know he is, if you look at the rest of the teaching 48:48 of the Bible on what hell is. 48:51 But when he said that, 48:54 when he's talking about Sodom and Gomorrah, 48:57 and how God destroyed them with eternal fire, 49:02 now that's another thing that people get so confused over. 49:06 In the Greek, the word for eternal is "aionios". 49:11 And it is relative to, it's a relative term, 49:18 it's relative to the object that it's modifying. 49:22 The Bible tells us that only God has immortality. 49:27 So if you use aionios, everlasting, 49:31 modifying something about God, that means, it's without end. 49:37 But if you use that word to modify, 49:42 a mortal human being, or a place, or a thing, 49:47 then the eternal means that it only lasts 49:52 as long as that thing lasts. 49:54 So there's a destruction there. 49:56 God will destroy, in the end, the people in the eternal fire. 50:00 They're destroyed, 50:01 so the fire only lasts as long as it takes to destroy them, 50:04 just like you just read in Jude 7, 50:06 that Sodom and Gomorrah are, 50:08 are an example to us of eternal burning fire. 50:13 Well, Sodom and Gomorrah aren't still on fire. 50:16 So now let's jump down here. 50:19 And I want to, I'll skip to verse 6 50:25 which is where I'm supposed to begin, 50:26 "Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, 50:29 He condemned them to destruction, making..." 50:32 This is II Peter 2:6. 50:35 "Making them an example of those 50:37 who afterward would live ungodly." 50:40 When, when you think of Sodom and Gomorrah, 50:43 it's introduced in this first significant way 50:45 in Genesis 13. 50:47 And how we're introduced to this 50:49 is Abraham and his nephew, Lot, were working together. 50:54 I mean, they were, 50:55 they had all of their herdsmen working together. 50:58 And they multiplied, they became so successful 51:02 that they had to divide 51:03 because their herds were too large, 51:06 their herdsmen were arguing, so what happened? 51:10 Abraham graciously gave Sodom to, 51:13 I mean, gave Lot the choice and said, 51:16 "You choose which way you wanna go." 51:18 And he chose the Jordan Valley. 51:20 And the Bible says 51:21 that he pitched his tent towards Sodom. 51:24 So what happens though is that we see in Jude 1:7, 51:28 it talks about how they went after strange flesh, 51:32 the word sodomy comes from the acts of the men of Sodom. 51:37 And I wanna be careful how I say this, 51:41 acting out on unnatural lusts 51:46 is going against the order, 51:50 it's a consequence of going 51:52 or rejecting God's created order, 51:55 I'll just put it that way. 51:56 So, but Sodom's, that wasn't Sodom's only sin. 52:00 In Ezekiel 16, we see that they had pride, 52:03 abundance, abundance, abundance of idleness. 52:08 They neglected the poor and the needy. 52:09 They were haughty. 52:11 They committed abomination before Me, 52:13 He says in Ezekiel 16:50. 52:17 "They were haughty. 52:19 They committed abomination before Me, 52:21 therefore I took them away as I saw fit." 52:25 The city was destroyed and only Lot 52:27 and his two daughters escaped this destruction, 52:30 but once again, 52:32 you see the juxtaposition of God judging the evil, 52:36 and taking away and preserving, 52:40 preserving the righteous if you will. 52:42 Because it says, "Righteous Lot, 52:44 he was utterly disgusted with what was going on 52:47 and he just tormented at so over what was going on." 52:50 So it said, "He delivered righteous Lot, 52:53 who was oppressed by the filthy conduct 52:55 of the wicked." 52:57 So this demonstrates 52:58 how God can rescue the righteous from trials. 53:03 And it, I'm gonna jump down to... 53:05 Well, I'll read verse 8, "For that righteous man, 53:08 dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul 53:10 from day to day, 53:11 by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds." 53:15 And then it says, "But then the Lord knows 53:18 how to deliver the godly out of temptations 53:20 and to reserve the unjust 53:23 under punishment for the day of judgment." 53:26 So we're gonna go down to verse 10. 53:28 "Especially those who walk according to the flesh 53:30 in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. 53:33 They are presumptuous, self-willed. 53:35 They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries." 53:40 In their uncleanness, in these defiling acts, 53:43 they, they polluted moral purity. 53:46 They despised the authority of Christ Lordship. 53:51 And they were denying that, that Christ had bought them 53:55 with the precious blood, His own precious blood. 53:59 And they were recklessly arrogant and defiant. 54:03 And they were slanding spiritual realities 54:06 that they did not understand. 54:08 Now there's different interpretations on this 54:10 but it's quite possible that it's meaning 54:12 that they took the devil's power lightly 54:16 because it says, "Whereas angels, 54:18 who are greater in power and might, 54:19 do not bring a reviling blasphemous accusation 54:24 against them before the Lord." 54:25 The angels are more powerful than these false teachers, 54:31 but they were maintaining discreet silence. 54:34 It reminds me of Jude again, verse 1 and 8, 54:38 or verse 8 and 9. 54:40 It says, "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, 54:43 reject authority, 54:44 and they speak evil of dignitaries." 54:46 Yet Michael, the archangel, in contending with the devil, 54:50 and we know that Michael is a name for Jesus Christ. 54:54 In contending with the devil, 54:55 when he disputed about the body of Moses, 54:58 when he was wanting to resurrect Moses, 55:01 dared not bring against him a reviling action, 55:04 accusation but said, "The Lord rebuke you." 55:08 That's right. 55:10 You know, one thing that we have to be careful 55:12 in spiritual warfare, 55:13 one time I was taught to say, 55:15 "I rebuke you, Satan, in the name of Jesus." 55:18 I don't do that. 55:20 I say, "The Lord rebuke you." 55:22 Because if the archangel Michael wouldn't say, 55:26 "I rebuke you." 55:27 He says, "The Lord rebuke you." 55:29 Then I'm not gonna slander this, 55:32 to take this upon myself. 55:34 Verse 12, it says, "But these..." 55:37 I'm looking at my time here, "Like natural brute beasts, 55:42 made to be caught and destroyed, 55:43 speak evil things of the things that they do not understand." 55:47 They were ignorant of the facts 55:48 and they chose to remain ignorant. 55:50 I'm back in II Peter by the way. 55:51 Thank you, okay, okay. I'm sorry, Chapter 2:6. 55:55 "And will receive the wages of unrighteousness..." 55:58 They will suffer for their intentional wrongdoing. 56:00 Verse 13. Thirteen. 56:02 Thank you, verse 13, 56:05 "As those who count it pleasure to carouse in the day time. 56:09 They are spots and blemishes, 56:11 carousing in their own deceptions 56:13 while they feast with you." 56:15 Well, this goes on to talk about the things 56:18 that you pointed out, what were their sins? 56:20 But then the scripture goes as you go down 56:23 through verse 16, 56:24 it's talking about Balaam 56:27 and how he was rebuked for his iniquity, 56:31 but the whole point of this passage is that for people 56:36 who are wearied by persecution 56:40 and you've got all of this going on in the church, 56:42 don't worry, judgment's coming to those who defy the Lord, 56:49 but the righteous will be saved. 56:51 Wow! Wow! 56:52 This is, this is such a concentrated lesson. 56:55 Oh, yes. 56:56 I mean, it'll take a, actually a couple of weeks to deal 56:59 with this lesson. 57:00 One of the things we try to do here 57:02 at our Sabbath school panel is to awaken your thirst 57:06 to really dive in to God's word, 57:09 summarizing the lesson of the week. 57:11 We are given the commission as leaders 57:13 to protect against false teachings 57:15 and to, and to protect against false teachers, 57:18 also, thank you, Mollie, 57:20 freedom is only found in Christ. 57:21 No matter what anyone else tries to offer you, 57:24 if it's not from Jesus, it's not liberty. 57:26 Amen. Amen. 57:27 Pastor Tom did that so wonderful. 57:29 And I summarized what you said, 57:30 new food removes the desire for old food. 57:34 You won't really go back if you get the new food 57:36 that's really nourishing, God's word. 57:39 Jill, the need for revival and reformation, 57:42 how important that is in our church today. 57:45 And, Shelley, I could summarize, 57:46 learn from the past, 57:48 the Old Testament is not old stuff. 57:51 It is solid food that will keep us and nurture us 57:55 and strengthen us. 57:56 If you learn from what they should not have done, 57:58 you learn what we can do in Christ. 58:00 Until we see you again, 58:02 may Jesus be your constant example 58:04 and your guide. 58:05 Amen. God bless you. 58:07 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2023-10-16