Sermon

Roman 16:17:20

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  1. We've been in the book of Romans around two years, I think, and it's been an awesome time.

  2. We've learned a lot of really great truth together.

  3. I'm kind of coming to a close on this.

  4. So Paul has talked about how awesome our great salvation is in Christ.

  5. He's told us that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and nothing else.

  6. And now he's kind of wrapping up the letter to the church at Rome.

  7. And he throws out some things here at the end that are really, you want to ask, why did he kind of like end this way?

  8. Look at verse 17 of Romans 16.

  9. We're going to read our text for this morning.

  10. It says,

  11. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.

  12. Avoid them.

  13. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.

  14. And by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive.

  15. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you.

  16. But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent to what is evil.

  17. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

  18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

  19. Just pray with me.

  20. Father, I'm overwhelmed and thankful to be here this morning with your people, the church.

  21. Those who have been bought with the blood of Christ.

  22. And I pray that you would help me communicate well this morning in a way that would only bring you glory.

  23. This isn't about me.

  24. It's not about anyone here.

  25. We were made for you, Lord.

  26. And I pray that I know that I can sometimes rely too much in myself or not rely enough in you.

  27. And I pray that you would just fill me and control me and allow me to speak the words of life that we just sang about.

  28. That men have died for throughout the centuries to preserve translators and people that love you.

  29. So God, just find us faithful this morning.

  30. In Christ's name, amen.

  31. Amen.

  32. So, throughout Scripture, throughout the Old and New Testaments, but particularly what we're going to look at a lot this morning in the New Testament,

  33. there are sober warnings against those who would teach a gospel contrary to the one that they had received.

  34. False teachers, false prophets.

  35. False.

  36. What we need to understand is that there are no new truths from God.

  37. There's no new revelations from God.

  38. No new morals, whatever.

  39. Like what God has taught throughout the centuries, there's nothing new at all.

  40. God is not changing things.

  41. He's not up in heaven at the moment saying, I wish I got something else into this book.

  42. He's not doing that.

  43. That's a puny, pathetic God.

  44. But throughout the Scripture, there are all kinds of warnings to look out for, be on the watch for false teachers,

  45. those who would attack the truth of the gospel.

  46. And so we're told as believers to examine everything carefully under the Word of God

  47. and to almost develop like a sixth sense for when something is not right and something is untrue.

  48. So we're going to have just maybe five places to turn other than our main text,

  49. but hold your place in Romans 16 so you can flip back.

  50. Return to Mark 13.

  51. We'll just look at some words from Christ.

  52. Mark 13, verse 21.

    Mark 13:21

  53. And some believers have been fooled into thinking, well, I have the Holy Spirit, so I'm good.

  54. Like whenever something is not true, the Holy Spirit is just going to tell me it's not true.

  55. That's not true.

  56. Jesus said in John, when he's talking about the Holy Spirit, he said,

  57. He will remind you of everything that I have taught you.

  58. He will remind you of the things that I have put into your heart.

  59. And so you have to ask the question, well, if you don't know what Christ said,

  60. how can the Holy Spirit remind you?

  61. And it is possible for even genuine believers to believe lies and to believe false teachings.

  62. And we're going to see that right here.

  63. Mark 13, verse 21.

    Mark 13:21

  64. And then this is Jesus talking.

  65. He says,

  66. And then if anyone says to you,

  67. Behold, here is the Christ.

  68. Or behold, He is there.

  69. Do not believe Him.

  70. For false Christs and false prophets will arise

  71. and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray.

  72. If possible, the elect.

  73. See that?

  74. So even God's people can be deceived by false teaching.

  75. But take heed.

  76. Behold, I have told you these things.

  77. I have told you everything in advance.

  78. Like I have told you.

  79. So look out for this stuff.

  80. And in Hebrews 13, it says this,

  81. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

  82. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings.

  83. Like it's just this constant theme.

  84. There's actually two books in the New Testament

  85. that are completely dedicated to apostasy and false teaching.

  86. That's the book of Jude and the book of 2 Peter.

  87. Totally dedicated to like exposing false prophets

  88. and warning us that they will be coming.

  89. So a second place to turn today.

  90. Flip over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

    1 Thessalonians 5 chapter mention

  91. And we're going to kind of look at what we're called to do as believers

  92. in light of this storm of false teaching and false doctrines that are out there.

  93. We're going to talk about some later in the message.

  94. So, in light of that, believers are called, I should say commanded,

  95. to use discernment in everything that they read and everything that they hear.

  96. And this is what, verse 21, chapter 5.

  97. Very simple, it says,

  98. But examine everything carefully.

  99. Hold fast to which is good.

  100. Abstain from every form of evil.

  101. And these words there, examine,

  102. it means to like to make a distinction,

  103. to analyze, to test,

  104. to prove, like you would like precious metals,

  105. and to deem worthy, to scrutinize.

  106. That's what this means.

  107. So, how many of us actually do that

  108. when we read and when we listen

  109. to things outside of the Word of God itself?

  110. We need to learn to discern truth from half-truth

  111. and truth from error.

  112. One of the best vehicles of false teachers

  113. is not to just teach you an all-out lie,

  114. but to teach you a lie sprinkled in the midst of some truth

  115. under the guise of familiar language and jargon.

  116. And the writer of the Hebrews

  117. also gives very sober warnings about this.

  118. He said,

  119. he pleased with them

  120. not to depart from the truth that they had received.

  121. And in chapter 2, he says,

  122. Therefore, we must pay much closer attention

  123. to what we have heard,

  124. lest we drift away from it.

  125. And in chapter 5,

  126. he actually classifies those who are spiritually mature

  127. and those who are not spiritually mature.

  128. The distinction he makes is

  129. the mature will be able to discern

  130. from good and evil.

  131. Pretty interesting.

  132. That's like what he says.

  133. So, this is what he says,

  134. But solid food is for the mature,

  135. for those who have had their powers of discernment

  136. trained by constant practice

  137. to distinguish good from evil.

  138. See that?

  139. Like this, their senses have learned

  140. like something doesn't smell right here,

  141. something is not right about what this guy is saying.

  142. This is not true what I'm reading

  143. or hearing on TBN or whatever.

  144. So, what matters

  145. is that we're called to be discerning

  146. in all that we read and hear as believers

  147. and to guard the gospel.

  148. If I had to have a title this morning,

  149. that would be it.

  150. Like guarding the gospel.

  151. Paul told Timothy,

  152. Guard the good deposit

  153. that was entrusted to you.

  154. Hold it dear and protect it.

  155. Philippians 1, 9 says this,

  156. It is my prayer

  157. that your love may abound more and more

  158. with all knowledge and all discernment

  159. so that you may approve what is excellent.

  160. And so be pure and blameless

  161. for the day of Christ.

  162. So he prayed like that they would have discernment

  163. to approve what is good,

  164. what is evil,

  165. what is true,

  166. what is false.

  167. So, but messages like this

  168. can come across

  169. harsh, I guess,

  170. and unloving.

  171. And I really want to just take just a second

  172. to explain to you my motive

  173. and my desire.

  174. Recently,

  175. some of you know,

  176. like I was diagnosed with some skin cancer

  177. and I had to go through some things,

  178. but everything looks good now.

  179. And I've had other health issues in my past.

  180. So,

  181. I have just an illustration for you.

  182. Some of the college students

  183. might have actually heard this before.

  184. But,

  185. let's say,

  186. you know,

  187. one day you were,

  188. noticed something wasn't right,

  189. like you felt something weird going on

  190. in your body.

  191. And so you go to

  192. the hospital

  193. or to the clinic

  194. or whatever

  195. and to see one of your best friends

  196. is actually the doctor there.

  197. And you go with your family

  198. and you go with your children

  199. and you just expect

  200. to just kind of run some quick tests

  201. and be out by lunch.

  202. Now,

  203. you've already gone to the doctor's office

  204. and done that.

  205. That's the only thing you look forward to

  206. is getting out and eating.

  207. So,

  208. so you're there

  209. and the tests are on

  210. and you're sitting in the waiting room.

  211. Meanwhile,

  212. your friend is in the back

  213. and he gets the results

  214. from your test.

  215. And he sees

  216. that you actually

  217. have the worst type of cancer

  218. that's out there.

  219. And unless he does something

  220. soon

  221. and you start going through treatment,

  222. you're going to be dead

  223. really fast.

  224. So in that moment,

  225. he has a choice.

  226. He can say,

  227. well,

  228. man,

  229. if I tell him this,

  230. this is going to ruin his day.

  231. It's going to ruin his week.

  232. It's going to ruin the rest of his life,

  233. probably.

  234. I'm going to make his wife cry.

  235. I'm going to make his children cry.

  236. If I go out there

  237. and I tell him the truth

  238. about his condition,

  239. well,

  240. I don't want to make him upset.

  241. So I'm just not going to do it.

  242. Is that the loving thing to do?

  243. No.

  244. Like,

  245. love

  246. would compel him

  247. to go out there

  248. despite of what this friend

  249. may think about him.

  250. and it would compel him

  251. to tell him the truth.

  252. You have cancer.

  253. Because he,

  254. even though it's hard for him

  255. to tell him the truth,

  256. he loves him

  257. and is fighting

  258. to save his life.

  259. Right?

  260. That's what truth is.

  261. And that's what love does.

  262. It's the nature of love

  263. to warrant against those

  264. for harm,

  265. for those that it might hurt,

  266. you know.

  267. Two,

  268. so I just want you to know

  269. that I have no hidden motive

  270. this morning.

  271. Turn to Ephesians chapter 4

    Ephesians 4 chapter mention

  272. real fast.

  273. And this kind of sums up

  274. my attitude.

  275. word.

  276. It's the nature of love

  277. just to protect

  278. those whom it loves.

  279. Okay,

  280. Ephesians chapter 4

    Ephesians 4 chapter mention

  281. go to verse 14.

  282. And this is Paul talking.

  283. And here we go.

  284. We just kind of read over this stuff

  285. and don't think much about it.

  286. But,

  287. it says,

  288. he's praying for them

  289. in this prayer.

  290. And he says,

  291. so that you may no longer

  292. be children

  293. tossed to and fro

  294. by the waves

  295. and carried about

  296. by the wind

  297. of doctrine,

  298. by every wind of doctrine,

  299. by human cunning,

  300. by craftiness

  301. and deceitful schemes.

  302. See that?

  303. So he says,

  304. that's children

  305. who are tossed around

  306. by every wind of doctrine

  307. that's out there.

  308. But then it says,

  309. rather,

  310. speaking the truth in love,

  311. we are to grow up

  312. in every way

  313. into him who is the head,

  314. into Christ,

  315. from whom the whole body

  316. joined

  317. and held together

  318. by every joint

  319. with which is it equipped.

  320. With each part

  321. that's working properly

  322. makes the body grow

  323. so that it builds itself up

  324. in love.

  325. So,

  326. my desire is like

  327. to warn you

  328. and say that

  329. there are many winds

  330. of doctrine out there.

  331. I love to study

  332. church movements

  333. and church history.

  334. I bore a lot of people

  335. with that

  336. day after day

  337. when I talk about it.

  338. But,

  339. I'm not interested

  340. to know

  341. that the mainline

  342. Protestant

  343. denominations

  344. in the U.S.,

  345. I could say in Europe too,

  346. who once started

  347. very conservative,

  348. very,

  349. you know,

  350. Christ-centered,

  351. gospel-loving,

  352. you know,

  353. people

  354. who held the Scripture

  355. in high regard

  356. and said it was

  357. the Word of God.

  358. Most all of the

  359. mainline denominations

  360. have departed from that.

  361. Most of them.

  362. Here in the U.S.,

  363. the,

  364. like,

  365. I'm not speaking

  366. for every

  367. type of person

  368. who's in this denomination.

  369. I'll start with the Baptists

  370. because we're Baptists.

  371. Southern Baptists

  372. have,

  373. overall,

  374. thankfully,

  375. as kooky as we can be

  376. about some other things,

  377. we've held on to

  378. the authority

  379. of Scripture

  380. and we've held on to

  381. the inerrancy

  382. of Scripture

  383. and Christ being

  384. the only way

  385. to God

  386. and salvation by grace.

  387. We've held on

  388. to those things.

  389. But there are

  390. many different things

  391. that have split off

  392. of Southern Baptists.

  393. Different liberal

  394. theological groups

  395. and,

  396. but some of the

  397. mainline denominations,

  398. some of the

  399. mainline Lutheran

  400. denominations,

  401. mainline Methodists,

  402. have all abandoned

  403. those things.

  404. But definitely,

  405. there are conservative

  406. Methodists and Lutherans

  407. out there

  408. who don't,

  409. you know,

  410. tolerate that

  411. at all

  412. and say,

  413. no,

  414. that's not

  415. what we believe.

  416. So,

  417. we have to

  418. take heed here.

  419. I don't want you guys

  420. to believe every false

  421. teaching this out there.

  422. And as it says,

  423. the goal here is love,

  424. not rebuke.

  425. It's like,

  426. to show you like,

  427. if you're a parent,

  428. you have a child,

  429. they're doing something

  430. going to harm them,

  431. you're going to like

  432. yank that out of their hands,

  433. right?

  434. That's what the loving

  435. thing to do is.

  436. So,

  437. out of our text in Romans,

  438. I believe I have just

  439. five questions

  440. we're going to look at.

  441. So,

  442. flip back to Romans,

    Romans 16 chapter mention

  443. chapter 16.

  444. Some of you know

  445. I have respiratory issues

  446. and I'm not breathing

  447. well this morning,

  448. so,

  449. just bear with me.

  450. Okay,

  451. so the first

  452. question we're going

  453. to ask from our

  454. text

  455. is,

  456. what is the mark

  457. of false teachers?

  458. what's the mark

  459. of false teachers?

  460. We see this in verse 17.

  461. I appeal to you,

  462. brothers,

  463. to watch out for those

  464. who cause divisions

  465. and create obstacles

  466. contrary to the doctrine

  467. that you have been taught.

  468. Avoid them.

  469. So,

  470. Paul's not talking

  471. about minor

  472. quarrels here,

  473. about the carpet,

  474. or about

  475. little

  476. Bible stories

  477. that,

  478. you know,

  479. whatever.

  480. He's talking about

  481. serious deals

  482. that can cause

  483. divisions in a church.

  484. And,

  485. he says to watch

  486. out for them.

  487. And he says

  488. their distinction is

  489. they're going to teach you

  490. like a gospel

  491. contrary to the one

  492. that you've heard.

  493. word.

  494. And so,

  495. like,

  496. watch out.

  497. And,

  498. like I said,

  499. we have a few places

  500. to turn this morning,

  501. but scripture

  502. interprets scripture.

  503. You need to support

  504. what you're arguing

  505. with the other scripture.

  506. So,

  507. flip to

  508. 2 Timothy,

    2 Timothy 4 chapter mention

  509. chapter 4.

  510. 2 Timothy,

    2 Timothy 4 chapter mention

  511. chapter 4.

  512. See,

  513. the gospel has been

  514. passed down

  515. throughout the centuries.

  516. It hasn't changed.

  517. It's been a relay

  518. of truth

  519. for all time.

  520. And,

  521. this is Paul

  522. talking to Timothy

  523. who is himself

  524. a pastor.

  525. So,

  526. verse 1

  527. of chapter 4.

  528. He says,

  529. I charge you,

  530. I charge you,

  531. Timothy,

  532. in the presence

  533. of God

  534. and of Christ Jesus

  535. who is the judge

  536. of the living

  537. and the dead

  538. and by his appearing

  539. in his kingdom.

  540. Preach

  541. the word.

  542. Not a word

  543. or a good word.

  544. Preach the word.

  545. God's word.

  546. He said,

  547. be ready

  548. in season

  549. and out of season.

  550. Reprove,

  551. rebuke,

  552. exhort

  553. with complete

  554. patience and teaching

  555. that for the time

  556. is coming

  557. when people

  558. will not endure

  559. sound teaching

  560. but having itching

  561. years,

  562. they will accumulate

  563. for themselves

  564. teachers

  565. to suit their

  566. own passions

  567. and will turn

  568. away

  569. from listening

  570. to the truth

  571. and wander

  572. off into myths.

  573. So,

  574. people who find

  575. the truth of God

  576. hard to handle,

  577. those go somewhere

  578. else.

  579. They'll go and

  580. listen to a teacher

  581. who will tell them

  582. what they want

  583. to hear.

  584. Tell me

  585. how man-centered

  586. things are.

  587. So,

  588. instead of

  589. submitting to God's

  590. truth,

  591. they find teachers

  592. that will help

  593. them,

  594. you know,

  595. appease what

  596. they want

  597. and the spirit

  598. of the age,

  599. I guess you could

  600. say in a lot

  601. of ways,

  602. what culture

  603. would say.

  604. So,

  605. the mark of false

  606. teachers is

  607. they teach a gospel

  608. contrary to the one

  609. that's been passed

  610. down throughout the

  611. centuries and the

  612. one that this

  613. testifies to.

  614. The second

  615. point,

  616. flip back over

  617. to Romans.

  618. The second

  619. question is,

  620. what is the

  621. motive of

  622. false teachers?

  623. Okay,

  624. and we see this

  625. in verse 18.

  626. It says,

  627. for such

  628. persons do

  629. not serve our

  630. Lord Christ

  631. but their own

  632. appetites.

  633. So,

  634. false teachers

  635. serve their own

  636. appetizer.

  637. What this

  638. means in Greek

  639. is literally

  640. your belly

  641. which means

  642. like the

  643. things that

  644. your flesh

  645. may crave.

  646. John Piper

  647. said here,

  648. behind the

  649. plausible speech

  650. and smooth

  651. talk of a

  652. gentleman,

  653. gentlemanly,

  654. he said,

  655. demeanor is

  656. idolatry and

  657. the idol is

  658. the belly,

  659. the appetite

  660. for food

  661. or sex

  662. or human

  663. approval.

  664. Behind the

  665. serious false

  666. teaching,

  667. we almost

  668. have to

  669. find out

  670. these aren't

  671. just intellectual

  672. mistakes.

  673. These are

  674. worldly passions

  675. that come

  676. from an

  677. enslaving mind.

  678. So,

  679. like we,

  680. false teachers

  681. have a

  682. different motive

  683. other than

  684. to glorify

  685. Christ.

  686. They want

  687. man to

  688. approve

  689. them,

  690. they want

  691. popularity,

  692. they want

  693. money,

  694. power,

  695. etc.

  696. And I'm

  697. going to

  698. read

  699. something

  700. from 1

  701. Timothy

  702. to you

  703. that kind

  704. of explains

  705. this.

  706. Paul

  707. talking

  708. again,

  709. he says,

  710. if anyone

  711. teaches

  712. a doctrine,

  713. a different

  714. doctrine,

  715. does not

  716. agree with

  717. sound words

  718. of our

  719. Lord Jesus

  720. Christ,

  721. in the

  722. teaching that

  723. is in

  724. accordance with

  725. godliness,

  726. he is

  727. puffed up

  728. and conceited

  729. and understands

  730. nothing.

  731. He has an

  732. unhealthy

  733. craving for

  734. controversy and

  735. quarrels about

  736. words.

  737. And it

  738. says that

  739. they,

  740. he goes

  741. on to

  742. say that

  743. he does

  744. this because

  745. he hopes

  746. it will

  747. give him

  748. great gain.

  749. He hopes

  750. that teaching

  751. these things

  752. contrary to

  753. the gospel

  754. will be a

  755. means of

  756. gain.

  757. So,

  758. they have

  759. some hidden

  760. motive,

  761. it's not

  762. to glorify

  763. Christ.

  764. And you

  765. always can

  766. tell,

  767. because men

  768. who do

  769. want to

  770. glorify

  771. Christ will

  772. always tell

  773. you,

  774. if I'm

  775. out of

  776. line,

  777. tell me,

  778. like let

  779. what I've

  780. said be

  781. tested here,

  782. because false

  783. teachers don't

  784. like scrutiny.

  785. They'll say,

  786. just stay

  787. away from

  788. me,

  789. and don't

  790. scrutinize

  791. me at

  792. all with

  793. that stuff.

  794. So,

  795. you know,

  796. I,

  797. there's so

  798. many,

  799. this question

  800. could go on

  801. and on,

  802. this next

  803. one,

  804. but what

  805. is the

  806. method of

  807. false

  808. teachers,

  809. is the

  810. next

  811. question.

  812. What is

  813. the method

  814. of false

  815. teachers?

  816. In

  817. verse 18,

  818. it says,

  819. by smooth

  820. talk and

  821. flattery,

  822. they deceive

  823. hearts.

  824. See this?

  825. Smooth

  826. talk and

  827. flattery.

  828. The word

  829. flattery is

  830. eulogia.

  831. Does that

  832. sound familiar?

  833. Like a

  834. memorial service?

  835. A eulogy,

  836. to give a

  837. blessing or

  838. to give

  839. praise to

  840. someone.

  841. So,

  842. in a bad

  843. sense,

  844. like they're

  845. giving you a

  846. blessing,

  847. they're telling

  848. you what

  849. you want

  850. to hear.

  851. And then in

  852. smooth talk,

  853. it says,

  854. this word

  855. means like

  856. simple,

  857. pleasant,

  858. plausible

  859. words.

  860. They're not

  861. trying to

  862. trick you

  863. on the

  864. surface.

  865. It doesn't

  866. come across

  867. that way.

  868. False

  869. teachers

  870. don't get a

  871. big crowd

  872. by being

  873. rough and

  874. harsh and

  875. rambling.

  876. They get it

  877. by being

  878. nice guys

  879. and by

  880. appealing to

  881. the

  882. sympathies of

  883. culture.

  884. So,

  885. throughout

  886. history,

  887. false

  888. teachers have

  889. been kind

  890. of like

  891. that.

  892. One guy

  893. from

  894. 336 A.D.,

  895. Arius,

  896. he was a

  897. part of the

  898. Arian heresy

  899. in the

  900. Council of

  901. Nicaea.

  902. He denied

  903. the divinity

  904. of Christ.

  905. And listen

  906. to what

  907. this one

  908. historian

  909. kind of

  910. explains what

  911. he's like.

  912. He says,

  913. he was a

  914. bright,

  915. energetic,

  916. attractive

  917. fellow,

  918. the kind

  919. of citizen

  920. whom any

  921. rotary club

  922. would welcome,

  923. singing sea

  924. shanties in

  925. the dockside

  926. pubs,

  927. and teaching

  928. Bible stories

  929. on Wednesday

  930. night.

  931. This was an

  932. immensely popular

  933. man.

  934. His story

  935. reminds us

  936. the heresy

  937. does not

  938. blunge in

  939. us into

  940. unbelief.

  941. We are

  942. seduced.

  943. He was a

  944. gentleman.

  945. His morals

  946. were above

  947. reproach,

  948. and he

  949. distinguished

  950. himself by

  951. his unfailing

  952. courtesy.

  953. These are

  954. what false

  955. teachers look

  956. like.

  957. They're so

  958. good.

  959. They're

  960. attractive

  961. even.

  962. So,

  963. we're told

  964. to avoid

  965. them.

  966. Listen to

  967. what Jesus

  968. said in

  969. Matthew 7.

  970. He said,

  971. false

  972. teachers,

  973. false

  974. prophets

  975. will come

  976. to you

  977. in sheep's

  978. clothing,

  979. right?

  980. But he

  981. said,

  982. but inwardly

  983. they're

  984. ravenous

  985. wolves.

  986. So,

  987. they appear

  988. attractive and

  989. good on the

  990. outside,

  991. but inwardly

  992. they are

  993. not.

  994. So,

  995. they're very

  996. tricky.

  997. I listen to

  998. some of these

  999. guys.

  1000. So crafty

  1001. with how they

  1002. play with

  1003. words and

  1004. play with

  1005. ideas and

  1006. flip questions

  1007. on people.

  1008. So,

  1009. then the

  1010. next question,

  1011. fourth

  1012. question,

  1013. who is

  1014. the prey

  1015. of false

  1016. teachers?

  1017. Okay,

  1018. so who do

  1019. false teachers

  1020. like to

  1021. prey on?

  1022. And according

  1023. to our text,

  1024. in verse 18,

  1025. it says the

  1026. naive.

  1027. And this

  1028. means the

  1029. harmless,

  1030. someone who's

  1031. fearing no

  1032. evil from

  1033. anybody,

  1034. and they

  1035. distrust no

  1036. one.

  1037. They don't

  1038. suspect anyone's

  1039. up to

  1040. mischief.

  1041. And I

  1042. want to

  1043. submit that

  1044. I wouldn't

  1045. say this about

  1046. our church

  1047. in general,

  1048. and I'm

  1049. thankful for

  1050. that,

  1051. but overall,

  1052. the church

  1053. in America

  1054. statistically

  1055. has an

  1056. intense

  1057. doctrinal

  1058. shallowness.

  1059. They're a

  1060. mile wide,

  1061. an inch deep

  1062. on what they

  1063. believe.

  1064. And they

  1065. seem to be

  1066. concerned about

  1067. learning the

  1068. bare minimum

  1069. of the

  1070. Bible.

  1071. They content

  1072. themselves with,

  1073. I'm not against

  1074. devotional books,

  1075. I'm just against

  1076. bad devotional

  1077. books.

  1078. Reading one

  1079. verse in a

  1080. paragraph is

  1081. not going to

  1082. get you through

  1083. your day.

  1084. That's not the

  1085. nourishment for

  1086. your soul.

  1087. What if you

  1088. just ate,

  1089. you know,

  1090. like one

  1091. biscuit in the

  1092. morning that

  1093. was supposed

  1094. to get you

  1095. through the

  1096. day?

  1097. Like that's

  1098. not really

  1099. good.

  1100. So because of

  1101. the doctrinal

  1102. shallowness

  1103. that exists,

  1104. the naive

  1105. or just easy

  1106. parade for

  1107. false teachers.

  1108. Like I

  1109. had a good

  1110. friend who

  1111. just bought

  1112. into some

  1113. recent new

  1114. books that

  1115. are out

  1116. there.

  1117. And he's

  1118. an awesome

  1119. dude.

  1120. He really

  1121. does love

  1122. the Lord,

  1123. but he

  1124. doesn't have

  1125. a very solid

  1126. foundation

  1127. biblically yet

  1128. for what is

  1129. true and what

  1130. is false.

  1131. false teachers

  1132. have to do

  1133. is just

  1134. like say a

  1135. little bit of

  1136. Christian jargon,

  1137. refer to a

  1138. single verse

  1139. maybe in

  1140. scripture.

  1141. I love how

  1142. Joel Osteen

  1143. loved to say

  1144. this is the

  1145. word of God

  1146. and then he

  1147. doesn't refer

  1148. to it the

  1149. whole rest of

  1150. the time.

  1151. So see,

  1152. it's just

  1153. tricky.

  1154. Use one

  1155. word,

  1156. just use

  1157. Christian jargon,

  1158. crack a few

  1159. jokes,

  1160. and then be

  1161. passionate and

  1162. then people

  1163. were just

  1164. like,

  1165. they just

  1166. can't,

  1167. they don't

  1168. know what

  1169. to do.

  1170. Like they're

  1171. just sucked

  1172. right in.

  1173. Like in,

  1174. whether it's

  1175. biblical or

  1176. not,

  1177. if someone

  1178. is hip and

  1179. cool and

  1180. has Christian

  1181. jargon,

  1182. a few jokes

  1183. and they're

  1184. passionate,

  1185. that's all

  1186. it takes.

  1187. I mean,

  1188. that's really

  1189. it and

  1190. it's sad.

  1191. And so,

  1192. we're probably

  1193. going to get

  1194. a little more

  1195. personal here.

  1196. We've been

  1197. speaking very

  1198. general for

  1199. the most

  1200. part.

  1201. But,

  1202. I want

  1203. to submit

  1204. to you

  1205. that I

  1206. have,

  1207. in the

  1208. past,

  1209. believed some

  1210. things that

  1211. were not

  1212. biblical.

  1213. Thankfully,

  1214. they didn't,

  1215. they weren't

  1216. things about

  1217. salvation or

  1218. anything like

  1219. that.

  1220. But,

  1221. how many of

  1222. you love the

  1223. Christian

  1224. bookstore?

  1225. When you

  1226. go to the

  1227. Christian

  1228. bookstore and

  1229. the Christian

  1230. music's playing

  1231. and you see

  1232. all these nice

  1233. people walking

  1234. around,

  1235. you're just

  1236. kind of,

  1237. like,

  1238. man,

  1239. this place

  1240. is awesome.

  1241. I remember

  1242. thinking that

  1243. when I first

  1244. became a

  1245. Christian.

  1246. And,

  1247. so,

  1248. we need,

  1249. though,

  1250. to understand

  1251. that whenever

  1252. we go into

  1253. the Christian

  1254. bookstore,

  1255. there's a lot

  1256. of junk in

  1257. the Christian

  1258. bookstore that

  1259. doesn't belong

  1260. there at

  1261. all.

  1262. Like,

  1263. they'll have

  1264. Brian McLaren

  1265. here,

  1266. Mac Claren,

  1267. and then John

  1268. MacArthur

  1269. right beside

  1270. each other.

  1271. And,

  1272. those two

  1273. guys,

  1274. no way.

  1275. Like,

  1276. one believes

  1277. the true

  1278. gospel and

  1279. one doesn't.

  1280. And,

  1281. you'll know

  1282. which one

  1283. he really

  1284. does.

  1285. So,

  1286. but,

  1287. due to the

  1288. church's

  1289. lack of

  1290. biblical

  1291. theology and

  1292. doctrine,

  1293. the word

  1294. doctrine is not

  1295. a bad word.

  1296. It's in the

  1297. New Testament

  1298. 16 times.

  1299. So,

  1300. deal with

  1301. that.

  1302. But,

  1303. I know some

  1304. people are

  1305. like,

  1306. don't give

  1307. me doctrine,

  1308. don't give

  1309. me theology,

  1310. let's just

  1311. talk about

  1312. how much

  1313. Jesus loves

  1314. us.

  1315. And,

  1316. they don't

  1317. understand.

  1318. These are

  1319. things that

  1320. scripture talks

  1321. about that we

  1322. learn well and

  1323. that we still

  1324. instill into

  1325. our hearts.

  1326. so,

  1327. so,

  1328. good Christian

  1329. books will

  1330. always lead

  1331. you back

  1332. to the

  1333. scripture.

  1334. That's

  1335. something

  1336. Martin Luther

  1337. said a

  1338. long time

  1339. ago.

  1340. I love

  1341. like a

  1342. book like

  1343. John Piper.

  1344. You look and

  1345. he has like

  1346. 12 pages in

  1347. the back that

  1348. are just

  1349. scripture

  1350. references and

  1351. just clear

  1352. Bible teaching.

  1353. And,

  1354. so,

  1355. I have a

  1356. quote here

  1357. by a guy

  1358. named Nathan

  1359. Benowitz.

  1360. He says,

  1361. outside the

  1362. local church,

  1363. there is

  1364. probably no

  1365. place in the

  1366. community with

  1367. more spiritual

  1368. influence than

  1369. the local

  1370. Christian bookstore.

  1371. For many

  1372. believers,

  1373. books provide

  1374. the primary

  1375. supplement to

  1376. what is heard

  1377. on Sundays.

  1378. But,

  1379. just because

  1380. something is on

  1381. the shelf

  1382. doesn't mean

  1383. that it's

  1384. doctrinally

  1385. accurate or

  1386. spiritually,

  1387. beneficial.

  1388. After all,

  1389. biblical discernment

  1390. is not just

  1391. for sermons.

  1392. It also must

  1393. be applied to

  1394. chapters and

  1395. articles.

  1396. And,

  1397. even the

  1398. bestsellers are

  1399. not above the

  1400. scrutiny of

  1401. scripture.

  1402. Like,

  1403. how dare some

  1404. of these guys

  1405. say that their

  1406. book is above

  1407. the book that

  1408. God himself

  1409. wrote.

  1410. And,

  1411. so,

  1412. I want to

  1413. communicate this

  1414. as kindly and

  1415. as humble as

  1416. I am.

  1417. This is like

  1418. the doctor

  1419. walking into

  1420. the office to

  1421. tell you that

  1422. you might have

  1423. eaten some

  1424. stuff that

  1425. might kill

  1426. you,

  1427. okay?

  1428. And,

  1429. something needs

  1430. to be done.

  1431. I have read

  1432. this book,

  1433. and as someone

  1434. who has gone

  1435. through a lot of

  1436. suffering in his

  1437. life,

  1438. this book brought

  1439. me no comfort

  1440. at all.

  1441. It made me

  1442. sad.

  1443. God,

  1444. and,

  1445. just as a

  1446. little thing

  1447. here,

  1448. this isn't

  1449. the time to

  1450. go through

  1451. like a large

  1452. book review

  1453. on these

  1454. things.

  1455. I'm going to

  1456. say a few

  1457. things about

  1458. them,

  1459. and if you

  1460. want to talk

  1461. to me later,

  1462. you can,

  1463. and I also

  1464. have some

  1465. things if you

  1466. want to,

  1467. to go and

  1468. read about

  1469. each one of

  1470. these books.

  1471. But,

  1472. there's so

  1473. many out

  1474. there,

  1475. but I

  1476. picked two.

  1477. So,

  1478. how many

  1479. have read

  1480. the book,

  1481. The Shack?

  1482. You don't need

  1483. to raise your

  1484. hand,

  1485. but just ask

  1486. yourself the

  1487. question.

  1488. I've read

  1489. the book,

  1490. it's a fiction

  1491. book,

  1492. but he seeks

  1493. to kind of

  1494. explain God's

  1495. relationship to

  1496. human suffering,

  1497. and it's an

  1498. emotional book,

  1499. it's even sad,

  1500. and like

  1501. emotionally,

  1502. it'll just pull

  1503. you right in,

  1504. and see,

  1505. there it is,

  1506. there's like

  1507. the biblical

  1508. shallowness of

  1509. our culture,

  1510. like it just

  1511. pulls us in

  1512. emotionally,

  1513. and we just

  1514. go throw out

  1515. like whatever

  1516. this says,

  1517. and we're just

  1518. pulled right in,

  1519. and it's a

  1520. fiction book,

  1521. and I want to

  1522. make just a

  1523. statement here,

  1524. the majority,

  1525. a lot,

  1526. excuse me,

  1527. I'll say a

  1528. lot,

  1529. a lot of

  1530. people out

  1531. there,

  1532. they don't get

  1533. their theology

  1534. from the Bible,

  1535. they get it

  1536. from Christian

  1537. fiction,

  1538. right?

  1539. And the

  1540. problem is,

  1541. you can't

  1542. just say,

  1543. well,

  1544. it was just

  1545. a fiction

  1546. book,

  1547. and he

  1548. didn't mean

  1549. for it to

  1550. be like a

  1551. systematic

  1552. theology,

  1553. or anything

  1554. like that,

  1555. but the

  1556. problem is,

  1557. people don't

  1558. read it that

  1559. way,

  1560. they get

  1561. like what

  1562. they believe

  1563. about God

  1564. from those

  1565. books,

  1566. and anybody,

  1567. regardless of

  1568. who you are,

  1569. you're held

  1570. accountable for

  1571. how you try

  1572. to portray

  1573. God,

  1574. whether it's

  1575. to a child

  1576. in a fiction

  1577. book,

  1578. or whether

  1579. it's to

  1580. grown adults,

  1581. like God

  1582. will hold you

  1583. accountable,

  1584. God cares

  1585. about how

  1586. he's seen,

  1587. and how

  1588. he's viewed,

  1589. there was a

  1590. Puritan named

  1591. William Ames

  1592. a long time

  1593. ago,

  1594. and he was

  1595. a loving,

  1596. kind pastor,

  1597. the people

  1598. loved him,

  1599. he spoke the

  1600. word of God,

  1601. and ministered

  1602. to the

  1603. laws,

  1604. and after

  1605. one of his

  1606. sermons,

  1607. the guy

  1608. said,

  1609. pastor,

  1610. you are so

  1611. precise in

  1612. what you say,

  1613. the Puritans

  1614. are known for

  1615. their precision

  1616. on what they

  1617. say,

  1618. they'll tell you

  1619. 20 things they

  1620. don't mean,

  1621. before they tell

  1622. you 20 things

  1623. they do mean,

  1624. and,

  1625. but his

  1626. response was,

  1627. sir,

  1628. I serve a

  1629. precise God,

  1630. that's like

  1631. what he said,

  1632. so,

  1633. but in this

  1634. book,

  1635. real quickly,

  1636. there was this

  1637. guy named

  1638. Mack,

  1639. and his

  1640. daughter was

  1641. brutally

  1642. murdered in

  1643. this shack,

  1644. and he

  1645. receives an

  1646. invitation,

  1647. that ends up

  1648. being from

  1649. God himself,

  1650. to go back

  1651. to the shack,

  1652. and for,

  1653. and in the

  1654. process,

  1655. he meets the

  1656. Trinity there,

  1657. Father,

  1658. Son,

  1659. and Holy

  1660. Spirit,

  1661. but they're

  1662. not,

  1663. they're

  1664. portrayed by,

  1665. you know,

  1666. African-American

  1667. woman,

  1668. and an

  1669. Asian woman,

  1670. and Jesus

  1671. actually plays

  1672. himself as

  1673. the Middle

  1674. Eastern man

  1675. in the

  1676. book,

  1677. so,

  1678. it's a

  1679. book that

  1680. really does

  1681. muddle the

  1682. sovereignty of

  1683. God,

  1684. it butchers the

  1685. Trinity,

  1686. and it's a

  1687. bad understanding

  1688. of salvation,

  1689. and I've done

  1690. my research on

  1691. William Young,

  1692. I don't,

  1693. I don't hate

  1694. this guy,

  1695. I feel like

  1696. terribly sorry

  1697. for him,

  1698. alright,

  1699. so here's

  1700. just a few

  1701. things out

  1702. of this book

  1703. that I saw,

  1704. and one is,

  1705. in regards to

  1706. the Trinity,

  1707. okay,

  1708. people are like,

  1709. I read this and

  1710. now I understand

  1711. the Trinity,

  1712. but no,

  1713. it says,

  1714. page 96,

  1715. it says,

  1716. when we three,

  1717. this is one of

  1718. them talking,

  1719. when we three

  1720. spoke ourselves

  1721. into human

  1722. existence,

  1723. as God,

  1724. the Son,

  1725. we became

  1726. fully human,

  1727. the Father,

  1728. the Spirit,

  1729. and Jesus

  1730. were together

  1731. at the cross,

  1732. and together

  1733. they were

  1734. crucified,

  1735. what?

  1736. No,

  1737. the Son

  1738. became manifest

  1739. in flesh,

  1740. the Father

  1741. didn't,

  1742. the Holy Spirit

  1743. did not,

  1744. who was

  1745. crucified on the

  1746. cross,

  1747. was the Father?

  1748. Nope,

  1749. it does this

  1750. all throughout

  1751. the book,

  1752. it gets the

  1753. roles of each

  1754. member of the

  1755. Trinity all

  1756. mixed up,

  1757. and that is

  1758. not glorifying

  1759. to God at

  1760. all,

  1761. and then when

  1762. it comes to

  1763. the understanding

  1764. of sin,

  1765. and punishment

  1766. of sin,

  1767. and judgment,

  1768. Jung carries

  1769. like an extreme

  1770. universal point

  1771. of view,

  1772. and he slips

  1773. it right in,

  1774. time and

  1775. again,

  1776. so this is

  1777. Jesus talking,

  1778. and he says,

  1779. this is what he

  1780. says,

  1781. I'm the best

  1782. way any

  1783. human can

  1784. relate to

  1785. Papa or

  1786. Sarayu,

  1787. well,

  1788. Father and

  1789. Holy Spirit,

  1790. to see me

  1791. is to see

  1792. them,

  1793. the love you

  1794. sense from me

  1795. is no different

  1796. from how they

  1797. love you,

  1798. so now Jesus

  1799. is the best

  1800. way to relate

  1801. to the Father,

  1802. in English

  1803. language,

  1804. the best way

  1805. means that

  1806. there are

  1807. other ways,

  1808. okay,

  1809. and in

  1810. regard to sin,

  1811. he said this,

  1812. this is,

  1813. this is Papa

  1814. talking,

  1815. he says,

  1816. I don't need

  1817. to punish

  1818. people for

  1819. sin,

  1820. sin is

  1821. its own

  1822. punishment,

  1823. devouring

  1824. you from

  1825. the inside,

  1826. it is not

  1827. my purpose

  1828. to punish

  1829. it,

  1830. it is my

  1831. joy to

  1832. cure it,

  1833. oops,

  1834. see,

  1835. sounds nice,

  1836. right,

  1837. but then,

  1838. this is page

  1839. 120,

  1840. he says,

  1841. man,

  1842. I cannot

  1843. send any

  1844. of my

  1845. children

  1846. to an

  1847. eternal

  1848. hell just

  1849. because they

  1850. sin against

  1851. me,

  1852. your

  1853. understanding

  1854. of God

  1855. is wrong,

  1856. I am not

  1857. the one

  1858. who will

  1859. condemn

  1860. most people

  1861. to an

  1862. eternity

  1863. of torment,

  1864. and throughout

  1865. the book,

  1866. he uses

  1867. children,

  1868. the word

  1869. children,

  1870. as everybody

  1871. in the

  1872. world,

  1873. he is not

  1874. referring to

  1875. the believers,

  1876. scripture is

  1877. clear,

  1878. if you don't

  1879. have Christ,

  1880. it says the

  1881. wrath of

  1882. God remains

  1883. on you,

  1884. and the

  1885. true children

  1886. of God

  1887. are those

  1888. who have

  1889. Christ,

  1890. and that is

  1891. it,

  1892. it is not

  1893. a general

  1894. thing at

  1895. all,

  1896. and so,

  1897. God is not

  1898. going to

  1899. punish sin,

  1900. it is not,

  1901. what does it

  1902. say here,

  1903. he says that

  1904. most people

  1905. will not,

  1906. it is not

  1907. my purpose

  1908. to condemn

  1909. anybody,

  1910. well,

  1911. broad is

  1912. the path

  1913. that leads

  1914. to destruction,

  1915. and many

  1916. will find

  1917. it,

  1918. right,

  1919. like there's

  1920. this idea

  1921. there,

  1922. so there's

  1923. so much

  1924. in this

  1925. book,

  1926. but as

  1927. someone who's

  1928. been through

  1929. suffering,

  1930. he really

  1931. does,

  1932. like,

  1933. just destroy

  1934. God's

  1935. sovereignty

  1936. over suffering,

  1937. and like,

  1938. if you take

  1939. away the

  1940. sovereignty

  1941. of God,

  1942. you have

  1943. zero

  1944. comfort,

  1945. zero,

  1946. what's God

  1947. going to do,

  1948. he can't

  1949. protect you

  1950. from anything

  1951. at all,

  1952. and he

  1953. carries an

  1954. open theistic

  1955. point of view,

  1956. which you can

  1957. look up later,

  1958. but it's,

  1959. God is

  1960. reactive to

  1961. situations,

  1962. he's not

  1963. ordained

  1964. situations,

  1965. so,

  1966. man,

  1967. don't get

  1968. your theology

  1969. from this

  1970. stuff,

  1971. and pray

  1972. for this

  1973. guy,

  1974. okay,

  1975. and,

  1976. and,

  1977. another

  1978. one,

  1979. this is just

  1980. the second

  1981. one,

  1982. this would

  1983. just be

  1984. a Bible

  1985. exegesis,

  1986. if we

  1987. didn't just

  1988. explain,

  1989. and touch

  1990. home on

  1991. some things,

  1992. but a

  1993. very well-known,

  1994. popular book,

  1995. a guy that I

  1996. actually used to

  1997. read a little

  1998. bit of,

  1999. and enjoyed

  2000. some of the

  2001. stuff,

  2002. but he's

  2003. taking just a

  2004. dive off the

  2005. deep end,

  2006. and he needs

  2007. prayer as

  2008. well,

  2009. but the

  2010. book is

  2011. called

  2012. Love

  2013. Wins,

  2014. a book

  2015. about heaven,

  2016. hell,

  2017. and the fate

  2018. of every

  2019. person who

  2020. lived by

  2021. Rob Bell,

  2022. and Rob

  2023. Bell

  2024. traditionally

  2025. has some

  2026. good stuff,

  2027. some good

  2028. teaching,

  2029. but just

  2030. he ever

  2031. slowly just

  2032. started kind

  2033. of slipping

  2034. off what

  2035. straying from

  2036. the doctrine

  2037. he had

  2038. received,

  2039. straying from

  2040. the gospel

  2041. that he had

  2042. believed.

  2043. He's a

  2044. mega church

  2045. leader,

  2046. but basically

  2047. he's saying

  2048. that hell

  2049. is something

  2050. that we

  2051. create for

  2052. ourselves

  2053. when we

  2054. reject God's

  2055. love,

  2056. and hell

  2057. is like a

  2058. present reality.

  2059. He's saying

  2060. that the

  2061. suffering and

  2062. stuff that we

  2063. go through in

  2064. this life is

  2065. hell,

  2066. but it's

  2067. not compared

  2068. to what is

  2069. to come,

  2070. but he says

  2071. that at the

  2072. end of the

  2073. day,

  2074. hell won't

  2075. be forever

  2076. because God

  2077. is going to

  2078. have his

  2079. way,

  2080. and love

  2081. wins,

  2082. and one

  2083. day,

  2084. all people

  2085. will be

  2086. reconciled

  2087. to God

  2088. regardless,

  2089. either in

  2090. this life

  2091. or the

  2092. next,

  2093. they're

  2094. going to

  2095. be

  2096. reconciled

  2097. to God

  2098. again.

  2099. There will

  2100. be no

  2101. eternal

  2102. torment

  2103. of the

  2104. lost at

  2105. all,

  2106. and I

  2107. rarely,

  2108. I've heard

  2109. Rob Bell

  2110. interview,

  2111. I've read

  2112. a lot of

  2113. his stuff,

  2114. I've rarely

  2115. seen someone

  2116. so crafty

  2117. with words,

  2118. he's so

  2119. good,

  2120. like he

  2121. twists and

  2122. turns things,

  2123. he uses

  2124. really good

  2125. Christian

  2126. jargon,

  2127. so if

  2128. you have

  2129. read the

  2130. book or

  2131. want to

  2132. just be

  2133. aware of

  2134. this,

  2135. readers need

  2136. to pay

  2137. attention to

  2138. the idea

  2139. of hell

  2140. he describes,

  2141. and he

  2142. does actually

  2143. bring up,

  2144. you know,

  2145. Jesus is the

  2146. only way,

  2147. but not in

  2148. the way we

  2149. would explain

  2150. that at all,

  2151. not the

  2152. biblical,

  2153. orthodox,

  2154. historical way

  2155. that's been

  2156. taught forever,

  2157. whatever,

  2158. so pay

  2159. attention to

  2160. those things,

  2161. remember,

  2162. bad theology

  2163. usually sneaks

  2164. under the

  2165. guise of

  2166. familiar language,

  2167. he used

  2168. 200 pages

  2169. to kind of

  2170. sneak in

  2171. little things,

  2172. and so,

  2173. in general,

  2174. this isn't

  2175. a new thing

  2176. at all,

  2177. this teaching

  2178. could be

  2179. summed up

  2180. with a

  2181. minor difference

  2182. or two,

  2183. in his case,

  2184. under what

  2185. is called

  2186. universalism,

  2187. which means

  2188. that one

  2189. day,

  2190. again,

  2191. all people

  2192. will be

  2193. saved,

  2194. there will

  2195. be no

  2196. one in

  2197. hell,

  2198. it carries

  2199. a few

  2200. different

  2201. ideas,

  2202. but everyone

  2203. is savingly

  2204. loved by

  2205. God,

  2206. and is

  2207. reconciled

  2208. to God

  2209. already,

  2210. because of

  2211. what Jesus

  2212. has done,

  2213. it says

  2214. because of

  2215. the wideness

  2216. of God's

  2217. mercy,

  2218. people of

  2219. other religions

  2220. even,

  2221. will somehow

  2222. find their

  2223. way into

  2224. heaven one

  2225. day,

  2226. and initially,

  2227. it says

  2228. that despite

  2229. some people's

  2230. rejection of

  2231. his love,

  2232. these people

  2233. are still

  2234. loved by

  2235. God,

  2236. and will

  2237. one day

  2238. be with

  2239. him in

  2240. heaven,

  2241. so it's

  2242. this idea

  2243. that one

  2244. day,

  2245. we're all

  2246. going to

  2247. be there

  2248. regardless

  2249. of what

  2250. goes on

  2251. in this

  2252. life,

  2253. if that's

  2254. true,

  2255. why are

  2256. we sending

  2257. missionaries

  2258. out to

  2259. die brutal

  2260. deaths with

  2261. the gospel,

  2262. if love's

  2263. going to

  2264. win,

  2265. let's just

  2266. sit here

  2267. and chill

  2268. out,

  2269. not go

  2270. do anything

  2271. for the

  2272. sake of

  2273. Christ

  2274. worldwide,

  2275. this is

  2276. not true,

  2277. scripture,

  2278. Matthew 25,

  2279. out of

  2280. Jesus'

  2281. own mouth,

  2282. this is about

  2283. the judgment,

  2284. the last

  2285. judgment,

  2286. he says,

  2287. many will

  2288. go astray

  2289. into eternal

  2290. punishment,

  2291. eternal punishment,

  2292. says,

  2293. but the

  2294. righteous into

  2295. eternal life,

  2296. turn,

  2297. I'll show you

  2298. one,

  2299. turn to

  2300. 2 Thessalonians

    2 Thessalonians 1 chapter mention

  2301. chapter 1,

  2302. I don't

  2303. know like

  2304. what is

  2305. clearer

  2306. than this,

  2307. and go

  2308. to verse

  2309. 5,

  2310. 2 Thessalonians

    2 Thessalonians 1:5

  2311. chapter 1,

  2312. verse 5,

  2313. and this

  2314. is scary

  2315. stuff,

  2316. it says,

  2317. this is the

  2318. evidence of

  2319. the righteous

  2320. judgment of

  2321. God,

  2322. that you may

  2323. be considered

  2324. worthy of

  2325. the kingdom

  2326. of God,

  2327. for which

  2328. you are

  2329. also

  2330. suffering,

  2331. since indeed

  2332. God considers

  2333. it just

  2334. to repay

  2335. with affliction

  2336. those who

  2337. afflict you,

  2338. and to grant

  2339. relief to you

  2340. who are

  2341. afflicted as

  2342. well as

  2343. to us,

  2344. when the

  2345. Lord Jesus

  2346. Christ,

  2347. here it is,

  2348. the second

  2349. coming of

  2350. Christ,

  2351. okay,

  2352. when the

  2353. Lord Jesus

  2354. is revealed

  2355. from heaven

  2356. with his

  2357. mighty angels

  2358. and flaming

  2359. fire,

  2360. inflicting

  2361. vengeance on

  2362. those who

  2363. do not

  2364. know God,

  2365. and on

  2366. those who

  2367. do not

  2368. obey the

  2369. gospel of

  2370. our Lord

  2371. Jesus,

  2372. they will

  2373. suffer a

  2374. punishment of

  2375. eternal destruction,

  2376. does that sound

  2377. temporary?

  2378. Like that says,

  2379. eternal destruction,

  2380. away from the

  2381. presence of the

  2382. Lord,

  2383. and from the

  2384. glory of his

  2385. might,

  2386. when he comes

  2387. on that day

  2388. to be glorified

  2389. in his saints,

  2390. and to be

  2391. marveled at by

  2392. all who have

  2393. believed,

  2394. because of the

  2395. testimony,

  2396. their testimony

  2397. you have

  2398. believed.

  2399. So,

  2400. wow,

  2401. like what's

  2402. clearer than

  2403. that?

  2404. The Lord

  2405. hates sin,

  2406. but guess

  2407. what?

  2408. Like he just

  2409. as equally

  2410. is merciful

  2411. and gracious.

  2412. Like you

  2413. don't know

  2414. what the

  2415. love of God

  2416. is until

  2417. you've

  2418. experienced

  2419. how much

  2420. you've

  2421. been forgiven.

  2422. And we

  2423. want God

  2424. to be a

  2425. God who

  2426. hates sin,

  2427. and we'll

  2428. destroy it

  2429. one day,

  2430. and we're

  2431. thankful that

  2432. he has

  2433. provided a

  2434. way for us

  2435. to be

  2436. reconciled

  2437. to God.

  2438. In Revelation,

  2439. it says that

  2440. those who

  2441. are cast

  2442. into the

  2443. fire will

  2444. be tormented

  2445. day after

  2446. day,

  2447. forever and

  2448. ever.

  2449. That's exactly

  2450. what it says.

  2451. There's no

  2452. temporary thing

  2453. there at all.

  2454. So,

  2455. to just be

  2456. aware that

  2457. that stuff's

  2458. out there,

  2459. pray for

  2460. these men.

  2461. This isn't

  2462. something to

  2463. laugh about

  2464. at all.

  2465. And like I

  2466. said,

  2467. this wasn't

  2468. meant to be a

  2469. full book

  2470. review.

  2471. I come

  2472. and talk

  2473. to me

  2474. later.

  2475. I have

  2476. some things

  2477. you can

  2478. look at

  2479. on each

  2480. one of

  2481. those.

  2482. But those

  2483. are just

  2484. two that

  2485. are really

  2486. mainline out

  2487. there.

  2488. We forget

  2489. that up

  2490. here in

  2491. Dahlonega,

  2492. North Georgia,

  2493. Christ's

  2494. family.

  2495. We are

  2496. blessed to

  2497. hear really

  2498. good Bible

  2499. teaching every

  2500. week.

  2501. So,

  2502. this goes

  2503. back to

  2504. Romans again,

  2505. the last

  2506. point here,

  2507. and we're

  2508. closing it

  2509. up.

  2510. Romans 16,

  2511. go to

  2512. verse 19,

  2513. and this

  2514. is the

  2515. last question.

  2516. What is

  2517. Paul's

  2518. encouragement

  2519. to the

  2520. church in

  2521. Rome?

  2522. In

  2523. verse 19,

  2524. he says,

  2525. Paul rejoices

  2526. that the

  2527. church in

  2528. Rome,

  2529. in his

  2530. time,

  2531. was well

  2532. known for

  2533. battling

  2534. false

  2535. teachings.

  2536. things.

  2537. They did

  2538. such a

  2539. great job

  2540. at it,

  2541. and he

  2542. was thankful

  2543. for that.

  2544. He's like,

  2545. remain that

  2546. way,

  2547. be able to

  2548. stay wise

  2549. in what is

  2550. good,

  2551. innocent to

  2552. what is

  2553. evil.

  2554. So,

  2555. he says,

  2556. stay that

  2557. way,

  2558. but then

  2559. he gives

  2560. him an

  2561. encouragement

  2562. and says,

  2563. one day,

  2564. God will

  2565. soon crush

  2566. Satan under

  2567. your feet.

  2568. We will

  2569. triumph with

  2570. Christ in

  2571. the end,

  2572. and we

  2573. will see

  2574. him brought

  2575. low.

  2576. This is

  2577. very unlike

  2578. the church

  2579. at Galatia,

  2580. and this

  2581. is where

  2582. we're going

  2583. to close.

  2584. But,

  2585. I do

  2586. invite you

  2587. to turn

  2588. to this

  2589. if you

  2590. like.

  2591. It's

  2592. really a

  2593. great text,

  2594. and it'll

  2595. be good

  2596. to kind

  2597. of sum

  2598. up

  2599. everything

  2600. we've

  2601. said

  2602. today.

  2603. Galatians

    Galatians 1:6

  2604. 1,

  2605. verse 6.

  2606. The church

  2607. at Galatia

  2608. had done

  2609. the exact

  2610. opposite of

  2611. the church

  2612. in Rome.

  2613. They were

  2614. allowing,

  2615. you know,

  2616. false

  2617. teachings

  2618. to come

  2619. in,

  2620. particularly

  2621. the Judaizers

  2622. teaching that

  2623. obeying the

  2624. law was a

  2625. part of

  2626. being saved.

  2627. So,

  2628. verse 6.

  2629. He says,

  2630. I am

  2631. astonished

  2632. that you

  2633. are so

  2634. quickly

  2635. deserting

  2636. him who

  2637. called you

  2638. in the

  2639. grace of

  2640. Christ,

  2641. and are

  2642. turning to

  2643. a different

  2644. gospel.

  2645. Not that

  2646. there is

  2647. another one,

  2648. but there

  2649. are some

  2650. who trouble

  2651. you and

  2652. want to

  2653. distort the

  2654. gospel of

  2655. Christ.

  2656. Alright,

  2657. so he's

  2658. like,

  2659. he's

  2660. blown away

  2661. that they're

  2662. believing this

  2663. stuff,

  2664. and it

  2665. happened so

  2666. fast.

  2667. Then listen

  2668. to this,

  2669. he says,

  2670. but even

  2671. if we

  2672. or an

  2673. angel from

  2674. heaven

  2675. should

  2676. preach to

  2677. you a

  2678. gospel

  2679. contrary

  2680. to the

  2681. one we

  2682. preached to

  2683. you,

  2684. let him

  2685. be accursed.

  2686. Wow,

  2687. like he even

  2688. threw himself

  2689. in there.

  2690. If we come

  2691. back later

  2692. on and

  2693. say,

  2694. hey,

  2695. something

  2696. different

  2697. going on.

  2698. But then

  2699. he says an

  2700. angel from

  2701. heaven,

  2702. like who

  2703. wouldn't

  2704. believe an

  2705. angel from

  2706. heaven?

  2707. If Gabriel

  2708. came and

  2709. said,

  2710. hey,

  2711. there's

  2712. another

  2713. way,

  2714. right?

  2715. Y'all know

  2716. that like

  2717. several major

  2718. world religions

  2719. out there

  2720. were started

  2721. that way.

  2722. Islam,

  2723. Mormonism,

  2724. claiming to

  2725. see angelic

  2726. beings that

  2727. preach the

  2728. gospel contrary

  2729. to the one

  2730. received.

  2731. It says,

  2732. let him be

  2733. accursed.

  2734. And that

  2735. word,

  2736. in Greek,

  2737. it means to

  2738. be cut off

  2739. completely.

  2740. He's saying

  2741. here that it

  2742. is better

  2743. for that

  2744. person who

  2745. is distorting

  2746. the gospel

  2747. to be

  2748. cut off

  2749. from God

  2750. altogether

  2751. than for

  2752. him to

  2753. go on

  2754. deceiving

  2755. and teaching

  2756. other people

  2757. things that are

  2758. going to lead

  2759. them to

  2760. destruction.

  2761. That's what

  2762. it means.

  2763. Verse 9

  2764. says,

  2765. As we have

  2766. said before,

  2767. so I say

  2768. again,

  2769. If anyone

  2770. is preaching

  2771. to you a

  2772. gospel contrary

  2773. to the one

  2774. you have

  2775. received,

  2776. let him be

  2777. accursed.

  2778. For I am

  2779. not seeking

  2780. the approval

  2781. of man.

  2782. And for am I

  2783. seeking the

  2784. approval of man

  2785. or of God,

  2786. or am I

  2787. trying to

  2788. please man?

  2789. If I were

  2790. still trying

  2791. to please

  2792. man, I

  2793. would not

  2794. be a servant

  2795. of Christ.

  2796. Okay, like

  2797. the gospel,

  2798. there's no way

  2799. to dress it up

  2800. and make it

  2801. sound good to

  2802. people initially.

  2803. They have to

  2804. understand that

  2805. they have

  2806. cancer.

  2807. They have

  2808. to know

  2809. that they're

  2810. dead in

  2811. their sin.

  2812. They're

  2813. separated from

  2814. God.

  2815. But we

  2816. have a

  2817. loving,

  2818. gracious,

  2819. love does

  2820. win, by

  2821. the way,

  2822. but not

  2823. the kind

  2824. referred to.

  2825. The

  2826. unconquerable

  2827. love of

  2828. Christ can

  2829. save us

  2830. from our

  2831. sin.

  2832. And about

  2833. this text,

  2834. this is

  2835. something John

  2836. Calvin said

  2837. about this

  2838. text, and

  2839. like it's so

  2840. Christ-centered,

  2841. so glory of

  2842. God-focused.

  2843. He said,

  2844. it is better

  2845. that the

  2846. whole world

  2847. should perish

  2848. and be

  2849. consumed

  2850. than for the

  2851. gospel to be

  2852. perverted.

  2853. We must

  2854. cling with

  2855. strong affection

  2856. to the

  2857. gospel and

  2858. not allow

  2859. anyone to

  2860. corrupt it.

  2861. Like, it's

  2862. better for us

  2863. to perish

  2864. than for the

  2865. gospel to be

  2866. distorted.

  2867. That's how

  2868. much he

  2869. exalted the

  2870. gospel.

  2871. That's how

  2872. much he

  2873. cared about

  2874. it.

  2875. So, I

  2876. just pray

  2877. that we

  2878. would be

  2879. careful in

  2880. what we

  2881. read and

  2882. what we

  2883. hear.

  2884. We would

  2885. take it to

  2886. heart and

  2887. we would

  2888. guard the

  2889. gospel,

  2890. guard the

  2891. glorious

  2892. gospel that

  2893. we've been

  2894. entrusted

  2895. with.

  2896. Grace

  2897. alone,

  2898. faith

  2899. alone,

  2900. and Christ

  2901. alone.

  2902. So, let's

  2903. pray together.