WEBVTT 00:00:09.090 --> 00:00:11.710 Excellent. All right. Father, I want to thank 00:00:11.710 --> 00:00:13.349 you so much for your goodness and faithfulness. 00:00:13.410 --> 00:00:15.669 Thank you, Lord, for your word. Lord, help us 00:00:15.669 --> 00:00:18.149 to walk in true liberty, to understand that the 00:00:18.149 --> 00:00:22.309 very gift of freedom that has been given, it's 00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:24.929 been given by you for the purpose of your glory 00:00:24.929 --> 00:00:31.829 and honor. That this nation was founded solely 00:00:31.829 --> 00:00:34.229 for the proclamation of the gospel. There is 00:00:34.229 --> 00:00:36.789 no nation on the earth that has proclaimed the 00:00:36.789 --> 00:00:43.530 gospel to peoples globally more than the missionaries 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:48.850 that have come out of this country. We thank 00:00:48.850 --> 00:00:52.469 you for that. And I do pray desperately that 00:00:52.469 --> 00:00:58.750 we have not lost our zeal for you and our desire. 00:01:00.390 --> 00:01:03.090 To contend for the faith and to walk in true 00:01:03.090 --> 00:01:05.549 freedom. Lord, we do praise you and thank you 00:01:05.549 --> 00:01:09.450 in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, if you guys would 00:01:09.450 --> 00:01:15.790 turn with me to 2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 2. We've 00:01:15.790 --> 00:01:18.670 dealt with the, been dealing with the issue of 00:01:18.670 --> 00:01:21.209 false teachers from verses 1 and 3. Now we're 00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:23.069 going to deal with the rest of this chapter. 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:25.329 I've decided to take this chapter and split it 00:01:25.329 --> 00:01:28.700 off into two sections. The first section is going 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:31.920 to be dealing specifically with the destruction 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:36.799 of the rebellious. And then the second part of 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:42.480 the chapter deals with the clear understanding 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:48.640 of what you see in the heart of a false teacher 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.099 or what they bring about, the reality of what 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:55.159 happens because of their character. So we're 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:57.640 going to read. The whole chapter, the rest of 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:01.219 the chapter, and then we'll dig in. Verse 4, 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:04.420 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.840 but cast them into hell and committed them to 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:10.840 chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.120 judgment, if he did not spare the ancient world, 00:02:14.180 --> 00:02:16.759 but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:20.860 with seven others, when he brought a flood upon 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:25.680 the world of the ungodly, If by turning the cities 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:29.060 of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, he condemned 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:32.879 them to extinction, making them an example of 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:36.219 what is going to happen to the ungodly. And if 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:39.719 he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:44.000 by the sensual conduct of the wicked. For as 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.400 that righteous man lived among them day after 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:51.740 day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:55.500 there. lawless deeds that he saw and heard, then 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:59.020 the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:02.520 and to keep the unrighteous under punishment 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:07.099 until the day of judgment. And especially those 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:10.199 who indulge in the lusts of defiling passion 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:13.960 and despise authority, bold and willful, they 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.080 do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:21.110 ones. Whereas angels, though greater in might 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:24.069 and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment 00:03:24.069 --> 00:03:28.789 against them before the Lord. But these, like 00:03:28.789 --> 00:03:32.849 irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born 00:03:32.849 --> 00:03:36.990 to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about 00:03:36.990 --> 00:03:40.009 matters of which they are ignorant, will also 00:03:40.009 --> 00:03:42.930 be destroyed in their destruction. Suffering 00:03:42.930 --> 00:03:46.490 wrong as the wage of their wrongdoing, they count 00:03:46.490 --> 00:03:50.849 it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are 00:03:50.849 --> 00:03:54.610 blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions 00:03:54.610 --> 00:03:59.069 while they feast with you. They have eyes full 00:03:59.069 --> 00:04:03.110 of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:08.030 unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed, 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:14.240 accused children, forsaking right Forsaken the 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:18.019 right way, they have gone astray. They have followed 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.720 the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:25.939 gain from wrongdoing. was rebuked for his own 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:29.360 transgression. A speechless donkey spoke with 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.199 a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:36.800 These are waterless springs and mists driven 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:41.120 by storm. For them, the gloom of utter darkness 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.459 has been reserved. For speaking loud boasts of 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:50.100 folly, they entice by sensual passions of the 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:54.540 flesh those who barely escaping from the from 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:58.519 those who live in error they promise them freedom 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:01.699 but they themselves are slaves of corruption 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:06.240 for whatever overcomes a person to that he is 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:11.779 enslaved for if after they escape the defilements 00:05:11.779 --> 00:05:14.079 of the world through the knowledge of our lord 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.560 and savior jesus christ they are again entangled 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:21.560 in them and overcome the last state has become 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:26.399 worse for them than the first. For it would have 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.540 been better for them to never have known the 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:33.279 way of righteousness than after knowing it to 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:35.920 turn back from the holy commandment delivered 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.860 to them. What the true proverb says has happened 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.199 to them. The dog returns to its own vomit and 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:49.459 the sow, after washing her, returns to wallow 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:53.870 in the mire. This is confusing and difficult. 00:05:54.689 --> 00:05:57.610 I'm just, you read it and you go like, what is 00:05:57.610 --> 00:06:02.069 all of that? I'm going to decipher as best as 00:06:02.069 --> 00:06:06.149 I can by God's grace. So the best way to decipher 00:06:06.149 --> 00:06:11.250 this in just in a informational context is to 00:06:11.250 --> 00:06:14.290 split it into two particular sections, which 00:06:14.290 --> 00:06:18.370 I told you. The first, the judgment of the rebellious. 00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:21.990 As sure as God's salvation is for his people, 00:06:22.110 --> 00:06:24.589 so is the judgment of the wicked and rebellious. 00:06:24.850 --> 00:06:30.470 What do I mean? The reality of God's salvation 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:35.170 is sure. It's a guarantee for his people. And 00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:37.430 so is the judgment of the wicked and rebellious. 00:06:38.389 --> 00:06:42.949 It's just as guaranteed. God is just, God is 00:06:42.949 --> 00:06:50.879 salvation and just. Grace. And punishment. He 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:55.879 is both. And you can't separate the two from 00:06:55.879 --> 00:07:01.660 him. Except for us, our punishment and our judgment 00:07:01.660 --> 00:07:08.100 has been placed on Christ. In 2 Peter 3, 7. But 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:11.459 by the same word, the heavens and the earth that 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:14.720 now exist are stored up for fire, being kept 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:17.459 until the day of judgment and destruction of 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:20.600 the ungodly. See, one thing I want you to understand 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.819 is the first time God destroyed the earth with 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:29.399 water. This time he's going to flood it with 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:38.079 fire. Very important. So in 2 Peter 2, 4 through 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:41.860 10a. For if God did not spare angels when they 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:45.980 sinned, but cast them into hell or committed 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.439 them. To chains of gloomy darkness is the idea 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:56.040 here. To be kept until the judgment. The ancient 00:07:56.040 --> 00:08:01.360 world but preserved Noah, he did the same thing. 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:05.819 What does he do with the angels? Turn to Jude 00:08:05.819 --> 00:08:10.850 6. And the angels who did not stay within their 00:08:10.850 --> 00:08:13.149 own position of authority, but left their dwelling, 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.769 left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:19.829 chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:23.709 of the great day. And as you see in verse 7, 00:08:23.769 --> 00:08:26.290 he talks about Sodom and Gomorrah. It's very 00:08:26.290 --> 00:08:30.889 interesting. Revelation 20. Then I saw an angel 00:08:30.889 --> 00:08:33.750 coming down from heaven, holding in his hand 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:36.549 a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 00:08:36.990 --> 00:08:40.169 Verse 2. And he seized the dragon, the ancient 00:08:40.169 --> 00:08:43.649 serpent, who is the devil, Satan, and bound him 00:08:43.649 --> 00:08:45.809 for a thousand years and threw him into the pit 00:08:45.809 --> 00:08:48.110 and shut it and sealed it over him so that he 00:08:48.110 --> 00:08:50.169 might not deceive the nations any longer until 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:53.070 the thousand years were ended. After that, he 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:59.230 must be released for a little while. So the reality 00:08:59.230 --> 00:09:01.370 is that the Bible doesn't say how many were chained. 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:06.750 The Bible just says they were. So let's... It's 00:09:06.750 --> 00:09:11.090 not worth getting into a debate on that. We must 00:09:11.090 --> 00:09:17.870 settle with what the scripture says. In 2 Peter 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:23.490 2, in Jude verse 6, in Revelation 20, they were 00:09:23.490 --> 00:09:28.149 chained and locked up. And the number, I don't 00:09:28.149 --> 00:09:35.220 know. That's not worth a debate. But what does 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:40.840 this teach? That the rebellious angels were locked 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:44.019 up for judgment by which they would be thrown 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:48.059 into the pit and destroyed. Well, not destroyed, 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:54.480 not really. Tormented for all eternity. I don't 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:58.019 believe in nihilism, so we won't go there. Verse 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:00.440 5, and if he did not spare the ancient world, 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:04.740 but preserved, kept safe Noah, a herald of righteousness, 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:09.799 a preacher of divine truth, and seven others, 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:13.419 which was his wife, his three sons, and their 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:18.500 wives. When he brought, when he was to bring 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:22.559 upon, God was to bring upon a flood or a deluge 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:29.509 of water upon the world of the ungodly. If by 00:10:29.509 --> 00:10:31.570 turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into 00:10:31.570 --> 00:10:35.710 ashes, what's it mean that he turned, that he 00:10:35.710 --> 00:10:41.309 flooded the world of the ungodly? I want you 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:45.710 to turn to Genesis 6, 17. Genesis chapter 6, 00:10:45.789 --> 00:10:48.809 verse 17. I'm going to do a little bit of walking 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:53.750 today. Notice what it says here. For behold, 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:57.179 I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth 00:10:57.179 --> 00:11:01.460 to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:05.379 life under heaven. Everything that is on the 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:12.740 earth shall die. Well, why not Noah? I mean, 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:17.679 he was a sinner, was he not? Of course. But the 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:20.139 scripture says he was the only righteous one. 00:11:20.940 --> 00:11:25.549 Perfect in his generation. So why did God not 00:11:25.549 --> 00:11:31.230 destroy Noah? Because Noah was set apart as righteous 00:11:31.230 --> 00:11:38.529 unto God. And what's interesting is that everything 00:11:38.529 --> 00:11:44.970 else is destroyed. God has kept Noah the righteous, 00:11:45.269 --> 00:11:50.169 his wife, one flesh, and his children, the future 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:59.039 generation. them for reestablishing the world 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:01.639 again. Does that mean that sin wasn't present? 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:05.519 Not at all. You've got to look. His son Ham was 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:12.639 a pistol. Turn to Genesis chapter 7 verse 12. 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:18.440 And rain fell upon the earth for 40 days and 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:24.929 40 nights and on On the very same day, Noah and 00:12:24.929 --> 00:12:29.110 his sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and Noah's wife, 00:12:29.129 --> 00:12:32.710 and their three wives of his sons, with them 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:36.409 entered the ark. And every beast according to 00:12:36.409 --> 00:12:38.509 its kind, and livestock according to its kind, 00:12:38.590 --> 00:12:41.009 and every bird according to its kind, and every 00:12:41.009 --> 00:12:45.190 winged creature according to its kind. They went 00:12:45.190 --> 00:12:50.080 into the ark with Noah. and two of all flesh 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:53.379 in which there was the breath of life. When did 00:12:53.379 --> 00:12:58.700 they enter the ark? The same day it rained. I 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:02.360 want you to get that. God says, Noah, get in 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:05.759 the ark. Noah gets in the ark. So do all the 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:11.559 animals. The same day it rains. The day of wrath. 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:15.429 The day of judgment. I want you to pay attention. 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:21.950 That is biblical. That's scriptural. Keep reading. 00:13:22.409 --> 00:13:25.230 And those that entered, male and female and all 00:13:25.230 --> 00:13:30.309 flesh, went in as God had commanded him and the 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:38.269 Lord shut him in. Same day. When was their salvation? 00:13:38.669 --> 00:13:42.250 When was their removal from the earth? Their 00:13:42.250 --> 00:13:47.080 rapture. If you want to say. They're taking out. 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:57.220 The same day. So that puts a monkey wrench. A 00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:03.779 real big one. Into dispensational theology. Same 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:07.539 day. It's there for a reason. And you know good 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:10.059 hermeneutics. You got a scripture upon scripture. 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:16.220 So. That being said, what else do we understand? 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:25.679 God shut him in. Who saves? God. Who guarantees 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:29.440 you're in? God. In the same way that God has 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:33.519 placed Noah in the ark, God has placed us in 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:38.860 Christ. By the Holy Spirit. Who is the guarantee, 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:42.840 our seal, guaranteeing our inheritance. He has 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:48.159 closed the door for us. We are in the ark, Christ. 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:53.440 That's the point. If by turning the cities of 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.279 Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, he condemned, 00:14:56.419 --> 00:15:03.399 he judged them to death. Interesting. He condemned 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:11.860 them to extinction by a catastrophe. So. If you 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:16.259 have any question that God makes extinct cultures 00:15:16.259 --> 00:15:22.299 of people, it's right here. When I say extinct, 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:26.620 when we read it, you're going to go, everything's 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:31.519 extinct. Okay? Making them an example. Why did 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:35.639 he destroy the two cities by fire and leave nothing 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:40.460 behind? As an example. As a warning to avoid 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:47.059 or shun of what's going to happen to the ungodly. 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:56.200 It's a warning. Don't follow them. This is what's 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:58.799 going to happen to the ungodly. What does the 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.320 word ungodly mean? The destitute of reverential 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:07.330 awe of God. They have no awe, no reverence, no 00:16:07.330 --> 00:16:11.470 splendor and majesty of the great king of all 00:16:11.470 --> 00:16:15.970 creation. Turn to Genesis chapter 18. Chapter 00:16:15.970 --> 00:16:20.870 18, Genesis verse 20 and 21. And the Lord said, 00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:25.679 because... The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:27.919 is great and their sin is very grave. I will 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:30.919 go down to see whether they have done altogether 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:33.480 according to the outcry that has come to me. 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:37.279 And if not, I will know. So why? You'll be like, 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.899 why does God do that? I thought God is omni -omniscient. 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:45.879 He is. But do you know what he says in Matthew 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:52.059 18? To establish a crime, because that's what 00:16:52.059 --> 00:16:55.990 this is. You must have two or three witnesses. 00:16:57.350 --> 00:17:00.049 Do you ever thought about that? How many went 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:08.990 into the city? Two. We won't get into who, though 00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:12.710 I desperately want to. But I do encourage you, 00:17:12.769 --> 00:17:20.109 read chapter 18 and 19, you'll know who. So these 00:17:20.109 --> 00:17:26.670 two men go in as a witness to the destitute of 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:32.910 the ungodly, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It's 00:17:32.910 --> 00:17:37.329 not the issue of proving that they're sin. It's 00:17:37.329 --> 00:17:41.390 an issue of you have clearly sinned. And God 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:44.109 does never break his word, right? He always does 00:17:44.109 --> 00:17:45.930 what his word says. And that's what you read 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:49.069 in Genesis. Now look at chapter 19, verse 24 00:17:49.069 --> 00:17:54.029 and 25. It says, Then the Lord reigned on Sodom 00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:57.069 and Gomorrah, sulfur and fire from the Lord out 00:17:57.069 --> 00:18:01.230 of heaven. And he overthrew the cities and all 00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:03.690 the valley and all the inhabitants of the city 00:18:03.690 --> 00:18:07.650 and what grew on the ground. Did you hear that? 00:18:08.990 --> 00:18:13.230 What's interesting is when you read about Lot, 00:18:14.289 --> 00:18:16.859 which we're going to get to in a minute. God 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:21.880 destroyed not only every building, but even what 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:25.160 was growing. And you can easily go there now 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:27.859 and just see there's a bunch of softball balls 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:29.880 everywhere. And it only takes a match to light 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:36.660 it. They still catch fire. Because of sin. But 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:42.339 verse 7, this is your hope. If he rescued, if 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.700 he dragged out of danger. Is literally what this 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:51.240 word means. Righteous Lot. The just and upright 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:57.400 Lot. Because great distress. He was greatly distressed 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:01.180 by the sensual conduct of the wicked. This word 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:05.640 distress means to wear out. Lot was worn out 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:11.680 by the lewdness and their way of life. He was 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:15.690 exhausted. You ever get to a point when you're 00:19:15.690 --> 00:19:19.170 in a situation so much that you're around it 00:19:19.170 --> 00:19:23.910 so much, bad company corrupts good morals, and 00:19:23.910 --> 00:19:27.890 what ends up happening to you? So if you think 00:19:27.890 --> 00:19:30.650 because you look at yourself as godly and a Christian, 00:19:30.730 --> 00:19:33.569 you can go into a very debauched environment 00:19:33.569 --> 00:19:35.509 thinking that you're going to go in and save 00:19:35.509 --> 00:19:37.910 these people, I'm going to tell you right now, 00:19:38.049 --> 00:19:43.470 one good apple doesn't make a batch of bad apples 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:47.809 good. Eventually, they're all rotten. And that's 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:51.549 exactly what's happened here. He was worn down. 00:19:52.230 --> 00:19:56.170 Walked in there all about the God of Abraham, 00:19:56.289 --> 00:20:00.049 and then he was literally saturated with sin, 00:20:00.130 --> 00:20:03.190 the sin of the people, and became conditioned 00:20:03.190 --> 00:20:13.569 to the environment. For as that righteous man 00:20:13.569 --> 00:20:17.170 lived among them day after day, he was tormenting 00:20:17.170 --> 00:20:22.190 his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that 00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:25.869 he saw and heard. Isn't that interesting? Why 00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:29.069 would God call Lot righteous? I mean, after all, 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:31.690 Lot didn't want to leave Sodom and Gomorrah. 00:20:33.470 --> 00:20:36.009 Because what is God's promise concerning the 00:20:36.009 --> 00:20:39.349 righteous? He will keep them. It's called the 00:20:39.349 --> 00:20:42.940 doctrine of perseverance. He persevered of the 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:46.779 saints. And what you see concerning the reality 00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:53.740 of Lot is that he is righteous not because of 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:56.400 anything Lot has done. It's because God has declared 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:00.720 him righteous through a promise that he made 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:11.230 to Abraham. We call that election. Look what 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:14.250 it says. Then the Lord knows how to rescue the 00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:18.069 godly, the reverent, the devout from trials or 00:21:18.069 --> 00:21:22.769 tests or the putting to the proof is the idea. 00:21:23.529 --> 00:21:26.849 And to keep the unrighteous under judgment until 00:21:26.849 --> 00:21:29.170 the day of judgment. Under punishment until the 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:33.869 day of judgment. He knows how to keep the unrighteous 00:21:33.869 --> 00:21:39.930 under punishment until the day of judgment. What 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:44.029 about Lot? And especially those who indulge in 00:21:44.029 --> 00:21:48.450 the lusts, in anything they go after concerning 00:21:48.450 --> 00:21:54.430 the flesh. Of defiling is the word they use here. 00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:56.849 The corruption and the pollution of passions. 00:21:56.990 --> 00:22:00.750 And despise. They look, they scorn authority. 00:22:04.890 --> 00:22:09.900 Isn't that interesting? God knows how to rescue 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:14.680 the righteous. Do you want to know how God rescues 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:24.500 the righteous? Turn to Genesis. Chapter 19. Chapter 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:28.839 18. Sorry. I want you to pay attention to this. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:32.740 Very important. Genesis 18. How did God rescue 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:36.259 the righteous? Remember the term I used over 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:39.269 here? The word rescue means to drag. Genesis 00:22:39.269 --> 00:22:53.289 19. Verse 15. As morning dawned, the angels heard 00:22:53.289 --> 00:22:56.309 Lot saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters 00:22:56.309 --> 00:23:00.109 who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment 00:23:00.109 --> 00:23:07.650 of the city. But he lingered. He's like, I don't 00:23:07.650 --> 00:23:13.640 want to go. It's okay. I really don't want to 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:18.759 go. But what did the men do? So the men seized 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:22.720 him and his wife and his two daughters by the 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:29.740 hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and brought 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:34.359 him out and set him outside the city. I thought 00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:41.049 salvation was my choice. Did Lot have a choice? 00:23:44.990 --> 00:23:51.329 No. He was dragged out. Screaming and kicking. 00:23:51.950 --> 00:23:56.930 I don't want to go. Not really, but. But then, 00:23:56.930 --> 00:23:59.410 you know, you know what Lot says after that. 00:24:00.009 --> 00:24:02.250 You need to go away. I'm going to destroy this. 00:24:02.529 --> 00:24:05.009 Can't I just go over there? I mean, it's not 00:24:05.009 --> 00:24:08.609 that far. It's not as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah, 00:24:08.690 --> 00:24:20.119 but. God's like, yeah, go ahead. Then look, they 00:24:20.119 --> 00:24:25.059 despise authority. They scorn authority. You 00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:28.599 know what's really scary? Is that authority scorns 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:33.839 authority in our country now. When those who 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.960 are in authority scorn authority, we're in deep 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:45.819 trouble. Look what it says in verse 10b. Bold, 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.279 daring and willful, arrogant and stubborn. They 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:53.500 do not tremble. They don't fear as they blaspheme, 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.180 as they insult or slander the glorious ones. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:58.640 Now I want you to understand something. The reason 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:01.079 why they use the word glorious ones in the translation 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:04.619 in the English is because it's between two particular 00:25:04.619 --> 00:25:08.960 discussions. First is Lot being dragged out by 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:16.170 angels. Okay? And also in verse 4, dealing with 00:25:16.170 --> 00:25:19.829 the issue of God did not spare the angels. And 00:25:19.829 --> 00:25:24.289 then in the next verse, verse 11, whereas angels, 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:26.789 though greater in might and power. So they use 00:25:26.789 --> 00:25:28.569 the word glorious ones, but I will tell you in 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:32.329 the original language, the word ones isn't present. 00:25:33.950 --> 00:25:36.329 And what's really cool is whether you use glorious 00:25:36.329 --> 00:25:39.529 ones or just glory, it actually keeps the context 00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:46.799 anyway. I believe that the proper translation 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:51.819 for this particular verse is this way. Bold and 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:55.799 willful, they do not tremble, but they blaspheme 00:25:55.799 --> 00:26:02.420 the glory. Of what? Of God. Why? How? How do 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.720 they blaspheme the glory of God? The glory of 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:08.920 God is seen in his creation. The image bearer. 00:26:13.869 --> 00:26:16.230 is Peter particularly talking about? He's talking 00:26:16.230 --> 00:26:21.930 about the men who are blaspheming God in their 00:26:21.930 --> 00:26:27.109 attractions to one another. We got kids, so I'm 00:26:27.109 --> 00:26:32.230 trying to... But I really think it's the issue 00:26:32.230 --> 00:26:38.829 of blaspheming the glory. We see that in Genesis 00:26:38.829 --> 00:26:44.349 19, 10, and 15 through 16. Which is what I just 00:26:44.349 --> 00:26:51.069 read to you. So, second principle. Not everything 00:26:51.069 --> 00:26:52.970 that is called Christian is Christian. So I want 00:26:52.970 --> 00:26:55.789 you to get this. We have a problem in our country. 00:26:56.789 --> 00:26:59.309 That everything that we consider Christian is 00:26:59.309 --> 00:27:02.250 Christian. Just because it says it's Christian, 00:27:02.450 --> 00:27:05.329 we think it's Christian. Listen to me. Don't 00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:12.650 believe the hype. It's not true. I don't know 00:27:12.650 --> 00:27:18.049 about you, but certain people just aren't Christian. 00:27:21.069 --> 00:27:24.569 And certain positions that they carry just aren't 00:27:24.569 --> 00:27:27.750 Christian. And certain music that is being played 00:27:27.750 --> 00:27:34.049 now just isn't Christian. Why do I say that? 00:27:35.089 --> 00:27:41.339 AI music is one of the most growing. genres in 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:44.480 music today. It's crazy. There's AI Christian 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:47.980 music everywhere. What's the problem with AI 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:51.279 Christian music? It doesn't come from the heart 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:56.859 of a man who is in love with Jesus. There is 00:27:56.859 --> 00:28:02.339 no genuine beauty of worship. of a man pouring 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:05.660 out his love and his adoration and his reverence 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:08.140 and his fear for the living God. It comes from 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:11.240 a computer that feels nothing, but it just feeds 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:13.559 you information. And we go, oh, that's good Christian 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:17.960 music. Just because it's Christian doesn't mean 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:23.099 it's Christian. Be careful. There is deception 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:27.119 everywhere. Pay attention to the warning and 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:29.720 hold fast to the scripture. How can we tell what 00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:36.559 is true? Scripture. What is worship? Obedience 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:44.799 out of love for God. Second Corinthians 11, 13 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:47.359 through 15. For such men are false apostles, 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:51.140 deceitful workmen, describing themselves as apostles 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:55.440 of Christ. And no wonder. For even Satan disguises 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:58.660 himself as an angel of light. It is no surprise 00:28:58.660 --> 00:29:02.619 if his servants also disguise themselves as servants 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:07.819 of righteousness. Their end will correspond to 00:29:07.819 --> 00:29:14.339 their deeds. Chapter 2, verse 2 Peter 2, 11 through 00:29:14.339 --> 00:29:20.940 16. It's 10b, but... Whereas angels, messengers, 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:25.660 though greater, though they exist... As greater 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:29.059 in might and strength, or might meaning strength 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:32.279 and power, they do not pronounce, they don't 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:36.539 bear, they don't carry a blasphemous or a slanderous 00:29:36.539 --> 00:29:40.500 judgment against them. Well, remember, Peter's 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:45.460 still talking about a particular event. We haven't 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:49.759 gotten done the comment concerning Lot. So this 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:51.819 bold and willful, they do not tremble, should 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:56.180 be up. Next to despise authority. And it should 00:29:56.180 --> 00:30:03.140 continue because these angels that came to rescue 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:08.859 Lot did not slander him or did not make a judgment 00:30:08.859 --> 00:30:13.039 against him. Didn't even say a thing about the 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:15.799 issue of his sin. It's interesting, isn't it? 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:23.349 Why? Because they came to rescue. He came to 00:30:23.349 --> 00:30:31.009 rescue. I .e., Lot and his family is the them. 00:30:32.730 --> 00:30:35.450 So they didn't come to make a judgment or slander 00:30:35.450 --> 00:30:40.549 them before the Lord. The Lord has already dealt 00:30:40.549 --> 00:30:45.869 with the issue of the sin of the city. Not one 00:30:45.869 --> 00:30:48.049 thing did you hear about why they were destroying 00:30:48.049 --> 00:30:50.609 the city. They just said the sin of the city 00:30:50.609 --> 00:30:57.339 is an outcry. Didn't say anything else, did they? 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:01.180 No. But these, now he's changing his thought. 00:31:01.859 --> 00:31:07.059 These who? Chapter 2, verse 1. But false prophets 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:10.480 also rose among the people, just as there will 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.839 be false teachers among you who will secretly 00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:16.380 bring in destructive heresies, even denying the 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:18.960 master who bought them, bring upon them swift 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:24.019 destruction. These. That's who he's talking about. 00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:27.079 Now that we've gotten through the examples of 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:29.700 the destruction of what was happening to those 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:33.119 who rebelled, he talks about these particular 00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:38.279 false teachers, these people who bring in these 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:44.539 false teachings. These false teachers, they're 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:47.839 like, they're irrational, they're unreasonable, 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:52.519 they're brute. They live by instinct like animals. 00:31:56.359 --> 00:31:59.619 Creatures of instinct. Born. Interesting term. 00:32:00.579 --> 00:32:04.980 The word born literally means to beget. They 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:10.299 were begotten. They were born to be caught and 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:16.400 destroyed. Anybody like fishing? That's what 00:32:16.400 --> 00:32:20.789 fish are for. But that's what it says here concerning 00:32:20.789 --> 00:32:27.970 these people. Why is this important? Let me share 00:32:27.970 --> 00:32:33.609 with you Romans. I'm going to make sure I get 00:32:33.609 --> 00:32:38.710 this verse right. If I can remember where it's 00:32:38.710 --> 00:32:45.269 at. There it is. Romans chapter 9 verse 22. I 00:32:45.269 --> 00:32:49.769 want you to hear this. What if God, desiring 00:32:49.769 --> 00:32:53.230 to show his wrath and to make known his power, 00:32:53.470 --> 00:32:57.450 has endured with much patience vessels of wrath 00:32:57.450 --> 00:33:01.269 prepared for destruction? In order to make known 00:33:01.269 --> 00:33:04.670 the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy. 00:33:06.589 --> 00:33:10.430 Now why does he use this statement here? The 00:33:10.430 --> 00:33:12.849 previous verses, look what it says previously 00:33:12.849 --> 00:33:18.640 in verse 19. What will... You will say to me 00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:24.700 then, why does he still find fault for who can 00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:27.420 resist his will? Why does God find fault if I 00:33:27.420 --> 00:33:31.720 don't have a choice? If I'm not in control of 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:37.000 my own destiny? That's what Paul's saying here. 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:41.319 Verse 20. But who are you, O man, to answer back 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:46.319 to God? Will what is molded? Say to what's molder, 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:50.319 why have you made me like this? So I want you 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:57.180 to get this. Every one of you are clay. Do you 00:33:57.180 --> 00:34:00.079 have any question about that? When we go to heaven 00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:02.000 and we see Adam, say, Adam, like, what are you 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:06.660 made of? He'll be like, dirt. There's a reason 00:34:06.660 --> 00:34:10.320 why Paul uses this terminology of potter and 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:17.769 clay, because we are clay. And I was knit together 00:34:17.769 --> 00:34:20.329 in the secret place, was I not? Was I molded 00:34:20.329 --> 00:34:29.090 in the womb? God is still molding. Has the potter 00:34:29.090 --> 00:34:33.630 no right over the clay to make out of the same 00:34:33.630 --> 00:34:37.889 lump one vessel for honorable use and another 00:34:37.889 --> 00:34:41.090 for dishonorable use? And what if God, desiring 00:34:41.090 --> 00:34:43.659 to show his wrath, and to make his power known, 00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:46.239 has endured with much patience vessels of wrath, 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:49.380 prepared for destruction. And in order to make 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:53.900 his riches of his glory known, that's in parentheses, 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:56.420 because that's what he's implying here, for vessels 00:34:56.420 --> 00:34:59.559 of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for 00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:04.639 glory, even us, whom he has called, not from 00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:08.650 the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles. Doesn't 00:35:08.650 --> 00:35:11.989 God have the right as God to do as he pleases 00:35:11.989 --> 00:35:14.570 for his own glory and purposes according to his 00:35:14.570 --> 00:35:18.050 word? Absolutely. That's what he means here. 00:35:18.650 --> 00:35:22.489 And if he does, then he also, back to 2 Peter 00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:33.170 chapter 2, he has the right to bring about creatures 00:35:33.170 --> 00:35:38.300 to be caught and destroyed. These creatures, 00:35:38.420 --> 00:35:42.179 blaspheming, they blaspheme, they slander, they 00:35:42.179 --> 00:35:44.960 curse, they revile, they defame. They talk about 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:47.840 matters which they are ignorant, they have no 00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:51.679 knowledge of. They act like they know, but they 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:56.480 know nothing, is what he's saying. Will also 00:35:56.480 --> 00:35:59.980 be destroyed. They will also be depraved and 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:02.360 corrupt to destroy. In other words, they will 00:36:02.360 --> 00:36:06.280 not be redeemed. In their destruction. That's 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:09.280 interesting they use this word twice. They will 00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:12.139 be destroyed in their destruction. It means to 00:36:12.139 --> 00:36:16.460 destroy in order to destroy. Look at this term 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:19.239 here in verse 13. Suffering wrong. That means 00:36:19.239 --> 00:36:25.559 to bring payment as a payment. They will be destroyed 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:31.480 for payment because of that is what they've earned. 00:36:32.139 --> 00:36:36.539 Destruction. For what? For their wrongdoing, 00:36:36.659 --> 00:36:38.699 for their evil, for their falsehood, for their 00:36:38.699 --> 00:36:44.000 deceit. They, the false teachers, count it pleasure 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:53.840 to revel in the daytime. They lead the way. These 00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:56.360 false teachers lead the way in gratification 00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:59.539 and sensual pleasure. And they self -indulge 00:36:59.539 --> 00:37:02.840 and they carouse in it during the daytime. Now, 00:37:02.860 --> 00:37:07.219 I know you guys, you know, I mean, we live in 00:37:07.219 --> 00:37:11.300 a woke culture, right? And what's the woke culture 00:37:11.300 --> 00:37:14.619 statement? They don't even hide it anymore. It's 00:37:14.619 --> 00:37:16.960 all out in the open. No, it's been out in the 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:22.480 open forever. It's always been open. We've just 00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:26.440 been blind. Because we don't want to think the 00:37:26.440 --> 00:37:30.179 worst of people. You're like, you sound so negative, 00:37:30.300 --> 00:37:34.179 Pastor. I have to. It's false teachers. I can't. 00:37:34.760 --> 00:37:40.719 It's not like pleasant. Then look what Peter 00:37:40.719 --> 00:37:44.300 says. They are blots. They are stains. Blemishes. 00:37:45.300 --> 00:37:48.380 You guys know what a blot is. Who eats spaghetti? 00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:52.559 I'm Italian. We got some Italians here. You ever 00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:54.739 wear a white shirt and it's real nice and then 00:37:54.739 --> 00:37:59.559 you're killing the pasta and it splatters and 00:37:59.559 --> 00:38:02.130 you're like, oh. And you try to get your Tide 00:38:02.130 --> 00:38:03.650 pen out and it doesn't work because there's too 00:38:03.650 --> 00:38:07.429 much oil in it. You know what I mean? You throw 00:38:07.429 --> 00:38:08.969 it in the wash thinking it's going to come out 00:38:08.969 --> 00:38:15.869 and what do you see? The blot. That's what he's 00:38:15.869 --> 00:38:19.989 talking about. They're blemishes. They're a disgrace. 00:38:20.849 --> 00:38:23.510 Reviling in their deceptions, in their delusion. 00:38:24.210 --> 00:38:29.590 They are in delusion. Chapter 1 of Romans. While 00:38:29.590 --> 00:38:31.650 they feast with you. While they have a love feast 00:38:31.650 --> 00:38:34.929 with you. They sit down at your table. They're 00:38:34.929 --> 00:38:38.769 part of your gathering. And they're sitting there 00:38:38.769 --> 00:38:43.070 and they're just causing their stuff. They have 00:38:43.070 --> 00:38:47.590 eyes full of adultery. Insatiable, unceasing, 00:38:47.630 --> 00:38:50.909 unrelenting for sin. They love sin and they invent 00:38:50.909 --> 00:38:54.429 ways to do it. They entice. They seduce. They 00:38:54.429 --> 00:38:57.349 lure. What do they lure? Who do they seduce? 00:38:57.349 --> 00:39:00.929 The unsteady, the unstable, the weak, the unsettled 00:39:00.929 --> 00:39:05.869 soul. They don't go for the strong in the faith 00:39:05.869 --> 00:39:07.530 and in doctrine. They go for the weaker in the 00:39:07.530 --> 00:39:09.710 faith and the doctrine. Why? Because they can 00:39:09.710 --> 00:39:13.929 be convinced quicker. And they have hearts. They 00:39:13.929 --> 00:39:20.030 have hearts trained in greed. They practice greed. 00:39:21.989 --> 00:39:24.269 It's one of the things I don't... I don't like 00:39:24.269 --> 00:39:28.090 about the spiritual advisor of our president. 00:39:30.469 --> 00:39:35.409 I know. She's like, give me $1 ,000. The Lord 00:39:35.409 --> 00:39:42.090 wants you to give me $1 ,000. I'm like, I can't 00:39:42.090 --> 00:39:47.570 get over that video. And people believe she's 00:39:47.570 --> 00:39:53.090 a believer. Shakataka, wakataka, shakataka. I 00:39:53.090 --> 00:39:55.710 mean, I can't. That's the easiest tongues I've 00:39:55.710 --> 00:39:58.829 ever done. I'm just. You want me to translate 00:39:58.829 --> 00:40:01.710 it? I want your money. Give me your money. Give 00:40:01.710 --> 00:40:05.110 me your money. That's what I think. That's what 00:40:05.110 --> 00:40:14.190 she said. Only in America. Now, look what else 00:40:14.190 --> 00:40:18.940 it says. They are cursed children. They're cursed. 00:40:19.360 --> 00:40:21.539 They're forsaking the right way, the straight 00:40:21.539 --> 00:40:25.219 road. They have gone astray. They have wandered 00:40:25.219 --> 00:40:31.039 into deception. They are deceived. They have 00:40:31.039 --> 00:40:35.880 followed. They have obeyed. They have imitated 00:40:35.880 --> 00:40:41.340 the way of Balaam, the son of Baor, who loved 00:40:41.340 --> 00:40:44.260 gain from wrongdoing. Now, I want you to get 00:40:44.260 --> 00:40:48.659 this. Balaam. Balak, I'm not going to go back. 00:40:48.659 --> 00:40:50.940 We're not going to read this. Balak, the king, 00:40:51.179 --> 00:40:55.719 says to his elders, I want you to go get Balaam. 00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:57.960 I don't want Balaam to come, and I want Balaam 00:40:57.960 --> 00:41:01.360 to come and curse the people of Israel. And I 00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:04.519 want you to take a bunch of money to him. And 00:41:04.519 --> 00:41:09.099 they do. I mean, they show up with bags of money, 00:41:09.179 --> 00:41:14.440 right, for him to do a divination. A divination 00:41:14.440 --> 00:41:22.289 is to curse. Okay? So Balaam's like, I don't 00:41:22.289 --> 00:41:24.530 know if I can do that. So Balaam falls asleep. 00:41:25.309 --> 00:41:27.469 And in his sleep, God talks to him and he says, 00:41:27.510 --> 00:41:33.710 Balaam, if the men come to you, you can go with 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:36.110 them, but only tell them what I say you're going 00:41:36.110 --> 00:41:43.409 to tell them. Balaam's like, okay. He wakes up 00:41:43.409 --> 00:41:48.139 in the morning and he just goes. The men never 00:41:48.139 --> 00:41:52.139 showed up to say, hey, Balaam, let's go. Come 00:41:52.139 --> 00:41:55.420 with me. No, he decided he's going to go anyway. 00:41:56.420 --> 00:41:59.139 I'm just going to wake up and go. That's what 00:41:59.139 --> 00:42:01.179 he does. He wakes up and he goes. He gets up 00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:03.579 in the morning. He gets his donkey ready and 00:42:03.579 --> 00:42:08.280 he's going to go meet them. Why? God said, don't 00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:10.840 go. The only time you can go is if they come 00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:13.039 and get you. But they never came and got him. 00:42:13.059 --> 00:42:18.360 Why? Balaam wanted the money. And you guys know 00:42:18.360 --> 00:42:22.860 the rest of the story. Donkey goes walking. Donkey 00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:28.340 sees Jesus with a sword. And he's like, no, it's 00:42:28.340 --> 00:42:31.659 going that way. It goes this way. Gets between 00:42:31.659 --> 00:42:35.139 a wall. Sees, no, it ain't going that way. Gets 00:42:35.139 --> 00:42:38.619 between the hedges. No, I ain't doing that. And 00:42:38.619 --> 00:42:42.840 drops down. And every time the donkey makes a 00:42:42.840 --> 00:42:46.719 turn, Balaam smacks the donkey. And the donkey 00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:49.599 turns around and says, yo, why you keep hitting 00:42:49.599 --> 00:42:51.599 me, man? I've been with you all these years. 00:42:51.679 --> 00:42:53.619 You keep smacking me. You know I haven't put 00:42:53.619 --> 00:42:55.820 you in a bad situation. Well, why ain't you going 00:42:55.820 --> 00:42:59.880 where I want you to go? Because of him. And all 00:42:59.880 --> 00:43:02.280 of a sudden, the Lord reveals himself to Balaam 00:43:02.280 --> 00:43:04.380 with a sword in his hand. And he says, Balaam, 00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:07.360 I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you. 00:43:12.139 --> 00:43:13.739 I don't know about you, but the donkey starts 00:43:13.739 --> 00:43:20.280 talking. Now look what it says here. But, the 00:43:20.280 --> 00:43:24.920 donkey, but was rebuked. He was rebuked for the 00:43:24.920 --> 00:43:28.239 transgression. A speechless donkey spoke with 00:43:28.239 --> 00:43:31.559 a human voice and restrains the prophet's madness. 00:43:31.840 --> 00:43:34.119 Why was the prophet mad? He wanted the money. 00:43:34.940 --> 00:43:37.460 And when you read Balaam's conversation, oh, 00:43:37.500 --> 00:43:39.260 you can give me gold and silver in your house. 00:43:39.690 --> 00:43:42.230 And I'm not going to say anything against what 00:43:42.230 --> 00:43:44.809 the Lord tells me to say. Really? Well, you're 00:43:44.809 --> 00:43:46.610 in trouble now anyway because you weren't supposed 00:43:46.610 --> 00:43:51.190 to go with them in the first place. Verse 17. 00:43:51.849 --> 00:43:55.309 These false teachers are waterless springs. They 00:43:55.309 --> 00:43:59.030 do not quench. They do not satisfy. They are 00:43:59.030 --> 00:44:02.610 mists like clouds driven by a storm. We've seen 00:44:02.610 --> 00:44:05.610 that yesterday. Just clouds get blown wherever. 00:44:06.960 --> 00:44:10.639 For them, the gloom of utter darkness. Now I 00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:12.619 want you to understand this term, gloom of utter 00:44:12.619 --> 00:44:17.199 darkness. That means the blackest or darkest 00:44:17.199 --> 00:44:25.480 of darkness, that is dark. It's like dark. Why? 00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:28.860 For speaking, for proclaiming loud boasts, they're 00:44:28.860 --> 00:44:34.539 pompous, they're bombastic. And they're bombastic 00:44:34.539 --> 00:44:36.960 about their emptiness and their futility, their 00:44:36.960 --> 00:44:40.019 folly. They brag about it. They think it's good. 00:44:42.639 --> 00:44:46.139 And then it says they entice, they seduce by 00:44:46.139 --> 00:44:48.980 sensual passions, by desires and longings of 00:44:48.980 --> 00:44:52.380 the flesh, meaning they live life in a debaucherous 00:44:52.380 --> 00:44:57.420 way, those who are barely escaping from those 00:44:57.420 --> 00:45:02.000 who live and return back in error. For the ones 00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:04.460 that are in the continual delusion and deception 00:45:04.460 --> 00:45:07.579 of wandering and fraud. They just keep, it's 00:45:07.579 --> 00:45:09.739 just a cycle. They keep going through. They do 00:45:09.739 --> 00:45:12.159 over and over and over again. Nothing changes 00:45:12.159 --> 00:45:14.960 and they keep taking people with them. Verse 00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:19.159 19, they promise, they announce freedom for you. 00:45:19.579 --> 00:45:22.159 They'll tell you to get free. This is where it 00:45:22.159 --> 00:45:27.360 is. This is where your freedom is. But they themselves 00:45:27.360 --> 00:45:31.389 are slaves of corruption. perishableness, depravity, 00:45:31.469 --> 00:45:36.969 destruction. For whatever overcomes, whatever 00:45:36.969 --> 00:45:41.630 is lesser and inferior, that is what they're 00:45:41.630 --> 00:45:45.210 enslaved to. That's what this means. For whatever 00:45:45.210 --> 00:45:49.369 overcomes them, overcomes a person, that he is 00:45:49.369 --> 00:45:52.309 enslaved to. It's the lesser, the inferior that 00:45:52.309 --> 00:45:57.409 he's enslaved to. Verse 20. For if, after they 00:45:57.409 --> 00:46:00.449 have escaped the defilements, the pollution and 00:46:00.449 --> 00:46:03.090 the corruption of the world through the knowledge 00:46:03.090 --> 00:46:05.550 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. See, I want 00:46:05.550 --> 00:46:09.469 you to see this. For if is the term. And that 00:46:09.469 --> 00:46:18.230 is in the original. If. Not that it is. If they 00:46:18.230 --> 00:46:22.309 had escaped because of the knowledge of our Lord 00:46:22.309 --> 00:46:25.070 and Savior Jesus Christ. And then, again, if. 00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:32.579 They were involved in the lesser things. Whatever 00:46:32.579 --> 00:46:36.139 happens with them in the state they were in, 00:46:36.340 --> 00:46:40.880 it gets worse than the first time. In other words, 00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:44.739 they're far worse than they were before they 00:46:44.739 --> 00:46:49.559 knew. We know what this is. This is the Matthew 00:46:49.559 --> 00:46:52.940 12, 43 through 45 conversation that Jesus has. 00:46:53.960 --> 00:46:58.280 Turn there. You guys know this little story, 00:46:58.340 --> 00:47:08.880 right? Chapter 12. When the unclean spirit has 00:47:08.880 --> 00:47:12.920 come out of a person, it passes through waterless 00:47:12.920 --> 00:47:17.400 places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it 00:47:17.400 --> 00:47:21.079 says, I will return to my house from which I 00:47:21.079 --> 00:47:24.480 came. And when it comes, it finds a house empty, 00:47:24.559 --> 00:47:28.739 swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings 00:47:28.739 --> 00:47:32.019 with it seven other spirits more evil than itself. 00:47:32.260 --> 00:47:36.480 And they enter and dwell there. And the last 00:47:36.480 --> 00:47:38.960 state of that person is worse than the first. 00:47:39.880 --> 00:47:43.579 So also it will be with this evil generation. 00:47:48.099 --> 00:47:54.000 It's a parable. Isn't that interesting? And that's 00:47:54.000 --> 00:47:59.730 exactly what Peter says here. Verse 21, for it 00:47:59.730 --> 00:48:02.250 would have been better for them never to have 00:48:02.250 --> 00:48:04.409 known the way of righteousness, meaning the gospel. 00:48:05.429 --> 00:48:08.250 They should have never known the gospel. Then 00:48:08.250 --> 00:48:11.070 after knowing it, to turn back from the holy 00:48:11.070 --> 00:48:15.750 commandment of the gospel. Remember I told you 00:48:15.750 --> 00:48:19.610 the gospel is not some invitation where it's 00:48:19.610 --> 00:48:22.909 like, hey, do you want Jesus? You know, I want 00:48:22.909 --> 00:48:27.389 to give you a way into heaven. No, this is a 00:48:27.389 --> 00:48:30.289 commandment. Repent and believe the gospel. That's 00:48:30.289 --> 00:48:33.510 the commandment. It's an imperative. That's what 00:48:33.510 --> 00:48:36.469 he means here. The way of righteousness is the 00:48:36.469 --> 00:48:40.690 gospel. Then after knowing it, to turn back and 00:48:40.690 --> 00:48:43.329 disobey the commandment of the gospel that was 00:48:43.329 --> 00:48:48.210 delivered to them. This is the analogy Peter 00:48:48.210 --> 00:48:52.170 uses to describe this. What the true proverb 00:48:52.170 --> 00:48:56.030 says has happened to them. The dog returns. The 00:48:56.030 --> 00:48:59.769 dog returns to its own vomit and the sow, after 00:48:59.769 --> 00:49:03.210 washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire. 00:49:03.530 --> 00:49:06.449 Proverbs 26, 11. The dog returns to its vomit. 00:49:06.510 --> 00:49:10.130 A dog is a dog because it's a dog. It will always 00:49:10.130 --> 00:49:12.590 be a dog. The only way I'm no longer a dog because 00:49:12.590 --> 00:49:18.010 I was a dog. God had made me a new creature. 00:49:19.469 --> 00:49:22.409 I'm no longer a dog. I don't return to my vomit. 00:49:25.360 --> 00:49:28.019 And the reason why so many people do is because 00:49:28.019 --> 00:49:34.039 they're not changed. They have believed a false 00:49:34.039 --> 00:49:38.260 teacher. And this is important because we live 00:49:38.260 --> 00:49:43.400 in days where things are off the hook. It is 00:49:43.400 --> 00:49:47.940 crazy what is being given and taught as Christian. 00:49:48.199 --> 00:49:51.599 And we've been told by preachers, you know, we 00:49:51.599 --> 00:49:58.949 shouldn't judge. We live in very evil days. And 00:49:58.949 --> 00:50:01.909 if you can't judge the right from the wrong, 00:50:02.030 --> 00:50:04.969 how in the world, what do we just pacify it? 00:50:06.730 --> 00:50:12.150 It's wrong. It's sin. As we read in Jude, the 00:50:12.150 --> 00:50:15.409 scripture says that you should drag them out 00:50:15.409 --> 00:50:19.570 of the fire. I love that. You're supposed to 00:50:19.570 --> 00:50:25.510 go into the burning house and rip them out. Read 00:50:25.510 --> 00:50:30.320 it. So if you ever want to know, Jude is the 00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:35.500 sister letter to 2 Peter. It's amazing how close 00:50:35.500 --> 00:50:39.000 they are. Jude says it very concisely. Peter 00:50:39.000 --> 00:50:42.679 says it very distinctly. But they're almost identical. 00:50:43.159 --> 00:50:47.400 It's quite remarkable. So that's my encouragement 00:50:47.400 --> 00:50:51.179 to you guys. Stand firm in the faith. Know your 00:50:51.179 --> 00:50:54.500 doctrine. It's the only way you're going to be 00:50:54.500 --> 00:50:57.960 able to tell the difference. Not everything is 00:50:57.960 --> 00:51:01.699 Christian that calls itself Christian. Okay? 00:51:02.539 --> 00:51:04.679 All right. Father, I want to thank you so much 00:51:04.679 --> 00:51:06.199 for your faithfulness and goodness. Thank you, 00:51:06.219 --> 00:51:08.119 Lord, for your word. Thank you, Lord, for our 00:51:08.119 --> 00:51:10.780 time today. And Lord, may you be honored and 00:51:10.780 --> 00:51:13.539 glorified in all things. In Jesus' name, amen.