Beware! They Are Among Us

[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to this Spirit-filled word by David Inshu. When you catch a word, you have caught God. May you catch a word today that will cause God to change your story.

[0:13] Be blessed. Alright, let me read from 2 Peter 2, from verse 9. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

[0:33] But chiefly, them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government, presumptuous are they self-willed.

[0:47] They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord, but these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in day time, spots they are and blemishes, spotting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.

[1:37] Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls, and that they have exercised with covetous practices, cursed children, which are forsaken the right way, and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bozo, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his iniquity, the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbid the madness of the prophet.

[2:11] These are wells without water, clouds they are carried with tempests, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.

[2:24] For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they are leal through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were cleaned, escaped from them who live in error.

[2:40] Verse 19, While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

[2:55] For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

[3:12] For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it, turn from the holy commandments delivered unto them.

[3:25] But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, that dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sour that was washed to her wallowing in the man.

[3:39] Here ends the reading of God's holy word. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. This is quite strong, as I said last time. Now, the book of 2 Peter was written to protect the church from degradation or apostasy.

[3:56] And the church would enter into apostasy and degradation only if the church exposes itself or to allow itself to be taught and led by false teachers.

[4:07] So false teaching is the greatest, greatest threat to any healthy church. False teaching. False teaching.

[4:19] False teaching is the greatest threat to the future of the church. So to inoculate the church and keep the church sound, the apostles made sure that they taught the church to know what the right doctrines are and also warn the church, not only to teach the church what the right doctrines are, but warn the church of the coming or the infiltration of false teachers.

[4:46] So then the church shouldn't assume that we are fine. Everybody, you know, sometimes when people become Christians or people join the church, they assume everybody in church is okay. Until someone borrows money and doesn't pay.

[5:02] Or you let your house without any documentation. So it's a church brother, so you let me let him go and rent it. I will rent it to you. No documentation.

[5:13] Until when you need your properties, they say, I'm not moving out. I'm not moving. Where do you want me to go? I won't go. I don't care. I'll report you to a attorney. I'm getting my lawyers involved. Ah! Ah! Until you use your name as a guarantor for somebody who thought he's in church.

[5:30] So then, are you saying we shouldn't help people? No, no, no. You didn't hear what I said. You just have to be very cautious. You still need references before you put your endorsement on people you meet in church.

[5:46] Because Peter says that they will be amongst you. So he had to warn the church of the infiltration of people who look like us, but they are not really very much one of us.

[6:00] And he wasn't even just talking about congregations. He was talking about leadership. The fact that someone calls himself a church leader or a bishop or a pastor or a prophet or an apostle, please, don't be deceived by the titles.

[6:19] Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't be deceived by titles. Be more interested in the content of the message. But here's the problem. How would you know this message is sound if you yourself are not taught soundly?

[6:34] So the quality of your spiritual life is at the mercy of who is teaching you. It's at the mercy of the quality of your teachers. So he said that in the Old Testament, false prophets infiltrated.

[6:49] So false teachers will also infiltrate. And he had to begin to give. First of all, before he spoke about how they are, he spoke about what shall happen to them.

[7:03] He said they'll be judged. Their judgment has been reserved, verse 4. Their judgment has been reserved. And the argument is if angels didn't escape, if the world in Noah's time didn't escape, if Sodom and Gomorrah didn't escape, he said don't be deceived.

[7:18] God is still a God of judgment. These false ones will not escape. And he went on as far as saying that he actually knows how to preserve the righteous, but to reserve the godly for punishment.

[7:30] In fact, for the day of judgment to be punished. Oh, my God is love. Yeah, he's also a God of justice, so he has to punish. So, he said that, having said that, he said they are being reserved for the day of judgment to be punished.

[7:48] Then he goes, especially chiefly. Chiefly. So, when it comes to punishment from God, there are levels. Yeah.

[8:00] It was rather on Thursday, the other Thursday, when I spoke about, Jesus said, Pontius Pilate, John chapter 19, don't be worried. Don't be threatened to kill me.

[8:11] He said, he who has delivered, he said, I have power to do this. He said, don't have power, and let's give it to you. And let's give it to you. But he said, he who delivered me to you is guilty of greater sin.

[8:23] Did you see that? He said that, he who delivered me unto thee has the greater, so greater sins. There are lesser ones and greater ones. And I took my time to explain one of the teachings that the rating of sin has not got to do with the intention behind it or the severity of the sin or the impact on people.

[8:44] The rate, so long as God is concerned, the rating of sin has everything to do with what you knew. Yeah. So, what you know. That's why it's good to have good teachers.

[8:55] The more you are well taught, the more God respects better. Yeah. Yeah. And he looked after 12, you know that's, yeah, verse 47 and 48.

[9:07] He said that, the servant who knew his master's will, he knew it. Your knowledge. What you knew and didn't do will subject you to many stripes at the time of judgment. You'll be beaten with many, many.

[9:20] If they said many, that means that the stripes will be measured. Some will have few stripes. Who are those who have few stripes? The verse 48 tells us who are those who have few stripes.

[9:31] But he who did not know, oh, but committed to sin, you're committed. What you do, what you do be judged. But if you didn't know and you still did, you'll still be judged, but not like the one who knew it and did it.

[9:45] He didn't know, will be beaten, still beaten, but it will be few. It will be fewer than the one who knew it. So, the measure of your judgment and punishment and their sin has a lot to do with what you knew or what you knew.

[10:02] You can find out here in our teaching. This, so he goes on to talk about these false teachers. He said, especially, and he begins to tell us a bit more about their behavior.

[10:13] So, let's look at the text again. This, verse 10, he said, chiefly, them that walk after the flesh of the lust of uncleanness.

[10:25] That's, inordinate affections, the lust of uncleanness. I took my time to explain it last week. The lust. Lust. Lust. Let's all say lust.

[10:36] Lust. Say lust. Lust. Lust is a desire in you and everyone has got lust. Yeah. So, don't be surprised when you come to church and you see a Christian, somebody in church and you see some, something.

[10:56] Something. James, James chapter one says that everyone is tempted when he's drawn away by his own lust.

[11:08] So, don't say it's God who is testing you. Verse 40 said, but each man is tempted when he's drawn away. You see, away off from where you should be, the track you, drawn away of his own, say my own lust.

[11:25] You know, why you look at people, some of you don't look like you have lust at all. You look very innocent. Very pious.

[11:35] There are people sitting here that look very pious. You are in your Sunday presentation. Very pious. Very pious. Very pious.

[11:47] Very pious. So, lust is one thing that can trouble everybody. Everybody.

[11:58] In Jude, verse 16 and verse 18, verse 16 says that these are memories, complainers, walking afterwards their own lusts.

[12:12] lusts. They walk after. See, we are not supposed to walk after our lusts. Don't let the decisions of your life or the direction of your life be dictated by the feelings in your life.

[12:25] I feel like this. I feel, I want this. I want this. I want this. You are just, I'll show you what it says about anyone who lives based on instincts.

[12:36] It's not, you are living like an animal. Any of us, we can, we can end up. When you live based on your feelings, it says that you are meant to be caught and destroyed.

[12:49] Yeah, yeah. Except put down. Yeah, it's in your things. Verse 18, Jude 18 says that how that they told you there should be mockers in the last times who should walk after their own ungodly world last.

[13:09] See, so you can tell people walk after their last. There are people who are walking, they might be in church but they are walking after their last. They walk after their last. You can be walking after your last.

[13:22] Why? Because you got it. You got it. It doesn't matter how innocent you look. You got it. I got it. You got it. Every human being, as long as you remain a human being, this flesh has gone last.

[13:39] And people who are not born again are slaves to their last. but when you are born again, he has given unto us all things that pertain to life of God. Verse 1 says that he has given us these great and precious promises.

[13:53] 2 Peter, great and precious promises that by them will be partakers of their divine nature. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We escaped. We escaped.

[14:05] So you can escape the corruption that is in the world. That is true. There is corruption but it works through lust. And everybody has got lust. So what you gonna do?

[14:16] You can't escape. Your lust is hurting you. Your lust is making you susceptible to corruption. But when you are in Christ, he gives us great and precious promises that by this we might be partakers of their divine nature and then when we are partakers of their divine nature, we are able to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[14:37] But in chapter 2 verse 18 it talks about these people. Look at chapter 2 verse 18. It says that for when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they are little throughout the lust of the flesh.

[14:52] They appeal to your lust. Preachers, church systems that appeal to the lust of people. They can't, you know, there are people, I know one or two that might be here, who have bought stones by a touch you are buying a laptop or a watch.

[15:16] You bought a TV box and a guy met you on the street and says, you know what, this one is very expensive and they show it to you. He said, yeah, yeah. They said, the value is 1,300 but if you can't have 200 it will give it to you.

[15:33] And they will tell you it's now the only one left. It's the only one left. So if you don't hurry up we will and then they take you to their cash points.

[15:44] it took him to their cash point. Whilst he was cashing their money they are also packaging their thing. He gave them the money and said, okay, we'll see you.

[15:55] Anything, call us. You go home, you open the stones. They, they, they, they, they, they, I know some of us have bought watches that, or mattresses and things like you bought it from behind a van.

[16:07] They came to pack it. They appeal to your lust. Some of us, our lust for money is what the enemy will use to trouble us.

[16:25] They know, he knows you will like this money. So they will offer, give you an offer you can't turn down. Yeah. Give you an offer you can't turn down. You, you turn your back on your wife, back on your husband.

[16:38] You cheat on your husband because of the offer they gave you. Yeah. The lust, it appeals.

[16:50] So it says, look at the text again. They allure, right, they allure through the lust of the flesh through much wantonness, carelessness, carelessness, taking lightly things that we have to take, I tend to seriously.

[17:09] Oh, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, I'll just once, I'll just be quick, quick, quick. Through wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them that live in error.

[17:21] Look at the next verse. Verse 19 says that, these teachers, and these are supposed to be leaders in churches, in churches, while they promise liberty. Oh, it's grace, it doesn't matter, it's just like grace, grace understands, grace comes.

[17:35] They themselves are servants of corruption. That's why early parts, I think, in the verse, early verses spoke about how they denied the Lord who has saved them, the lordship of, and the order of spiritual things is compromise, false teachers, bringing indomitable heresies, even denying the lord, the lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

[18:07] These are people who don't care about the things the bible cares about. They don't care. What drives them is lust, and they also now appeal to people who live based on lust, and we all have lust, so then if you don't give yourself to sound doctrine and be unalert, they themselves, as they preach these things, and they are leered to love, they promise things, they themselves are slaves, servants of corruption.

[18:38] Yeah, servants of corruption. Praise the lord. So, let me go back to mine. They said, chiefly, these kind of people. These kind of people.

[18:48] And then, this is interesting. Look at the text again. Chiefly, they that walk after their flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.

[19:03] Now, this is what I focus more much on. They despise government. Other translations say they despise authority. They despise authority.

[19:14] authority. So, these are especially uncleanness, despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-will. See, they live based on their lusts, and lusts in uncleanness.

[19:30] I don't, I don't, it doesn't matter, let me just go out, that's me, that's my life, that's what I prefer. And it's not just that, they despise authority. Every form of authority. Bible talks in Romans chapter 13, authority is from God.

[19:44] Whether it's civil authority, domestic authority, spiritual authority, it's of God. So, if you are married, and you disrespect your spouse, you are undermining divine authority.

[20:02] If you are, if you disrespect the police, you are actually undermining divine authority. if you despise or disrespect or despise local authority, local government, even at work, at work, your boss is saying, I don't, I won't do anything.

[20:19] Meanwhile, it's not like they are doing something wrong. It's different when people are making you do something, even though God said, don't do it. That's a different story. Or they are telling you not to do something, even though God said he should do it.

[20:31] But I'm talking about when there is, you see, God, it is only rebels who don't value order. Whenever, you come to church, usher says, sit here.

[20:43] He says, no, you can't tell me to sit here. Some people, they don't even look at usher. He says, he just walks away. Who are you, usher? You see, you are the one we are describing. You describe this respect authority.

[20:57] You are presumptuous. Presumptuous. That's why he said, we become presumptuous. Pride, thoughtful, self-willed. What I want is what I will do.

[21:10] The Greek word is orthodize. Yeah, you are orthodize. Arrogant, self-willed, doing what pleases you.

[21:21] What I want to please me, that's what I will do. He said, these people are like that especially. Despise authorities. And watch this, I want to draw your attention to something. Despise government, presumptuous are they self-will.

[21:35] They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. They are not afraid to speak. That's why I told, mind your language. When some people are, dignities there is doxo.

[21:48] The word translated dignity or dignities is doxo. That's Greek word doxo means sometimes translated as glory, as praise, as something honorable, as glorious.

[21:59] all these are variations of doxo. But if they speak evil, speaking evil, the Greek word translated speaking evil is blaspheme males, obviously, sounds, you know, to vilify authority, to vilify somebody, to speak in a disparaging manner, you know, or slightly, to speak slightly about somebody, authority.

[22:29] When people are in authority, you are not supposed to vilify them. It's not godly. You can be a Christian and you speak carelessly, disrespectfully about authority.

[22:44] Let's say you are in politics. You might not like the mayor, but you can't speak about the mayor anyhow. It's not God's way. You can't speak about your father anyhow.

[22:57] You can't speak about your mother anyhow. I know your dad is dead, but please, you can't even use some words. It might be in your mind or your heart, but you can't let them come out.

[23:09] You are not permitted under God's rule and God's institutions to speak anyhow about anyone in authority or anyone in high position. Let alone, let alone, now, that doctor there also means, anything that has been exalted in Christ.

[23:29] So Christ has promoted somebody or something, any exalted position in Christ. You are careful when you are addressing it. I know you have freedom of speech, but it doesn't apply here.

[23:45] So it's very important we take notice of that, that we do not. What got my attention, it says that the lust of uncleanness despising authority, presumptuous as they see.

[24:04] That's two. Lust of uncleanness and they despise authority. Then he goes on and says they are presumptuous, self-willed. I think he will leave it there. Not afraid to speak.

[24:14] See, now he focused more on the speaking. Not afraid. So it's like the speaking is a very essential aspect of who you are and how quickly you can be punished.

[24:26] What you are saying because he was talking about how God has reserved these people for the day of judgment to be punished. And he said, especially these ones who live in the lust of uncleanness and despise authorities.

[24:38] They are presumptuous. They are proud. They are arrogant. That's the actual word. Arrogant. Arrogant. Presumptuous. Self-willed. Speaking evil of, you see, that's speaking of blasphemers, of dignitaries, of doctors, something that, you know, I know she's your sister, but for goodness sake, she's now in a very important position.

[25:00] Be careful how you're addressing her. Be careful. When you are dealing with someone who is elevated in a high position, in a magisterial position, you have to be careful how you speak.

[25:12] That's what he's saying. And he goes on to say that, speaking of the next verse, verse, 11. Whereas, then, even angels of greater power and might bring no railing accusation against them before the Lord.

[25:29] Angels are careful even when they are addressing a pastor before God or a prime minister before God. Anybody that is in position, angels are careful when they are.

[25:39] Angels are even careful. That's why we read last week, we went to Jude, but we don't. We've covered that. And then verse 12 says that, talking about these people who speak the way they speak and the way they last, said, but these as natural brute beasts, that's a very, that's, these are strong.

[25:59] The word brute, as I told you, is unreasonable. Alos is the Greek word, unreasonable, without reason. Really, it means without reason.

[26:12] Without, but these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals. They live based on just instincts. They are like, talking about these teachers and their cohorts.

[26:28] And their behavior tells you they are like unreasoning animals, or animals without reason. Without reason.

[26:40] That's, that's quite worrying. Unreasoning animals. So, I want to give you five manifestations or ways these people have been presented in the scriptures.

[26:55] Number one, they are like unreasonable animals. Yeah, it's there. Look at verse 12 again. But these as, as, they are not, but they as, as natural brute beasts made to be, that's why it said earlier, or isn't it?

[27:13] Made to be taken and destroyed. Do you see that? Made to be taken and destroyed. So, it says like, give me, give us the NIV.

[27:24] Let's see how the NIV puts it. These are blasphemous people. Do you understand? They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught, captured, and destroyed.

[27:37] Destroyed, yeah. The Greek word to destroy, also can be interpreted or can be rendered corrupted. They are, corruption is what will lead them into destruction.

[27:52] Corrupted. Watch, this is a very important point I'm about to make. We, by God's grace, have escaped from the corruption that is in the world to last. But these have not escaped.

[28:05] So, made to be corrupted and destroyed through the corruption of their lives. When God created man, he himself was our governing, he himself became our government until we broke relationship with God.

[28:22] And so now, human beings became subject to their conscience. So, their conscience is the governing principle God has installed. And everyone has a conscience unless you're animal.

[28:34] Animals don't have conscience, human beings do. But it gets to a time where the farther you move away from God, the Bible says that you become past feelings, as I mentioned last week, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17, they've gone past feelings.

[28:47] Now, they are not even obeying their conscience anymore. They obey their feelings in spite of their conscience. So, then, these people have given themselves over to lasciviousness, doing whatever seems pleasant to their feelings.

[29:04] And these are people who have managed to find themselves in church. And it's interesting that people can be in church and also end up becoming like this.

[29:15] And usually, it has a lot to do with their teachings, and the teachers of such teachings, you can see these are their manifestations, their mannerisms. They are like unreasonable animals.

[29:31] Brute beasts meant to be caught and destroyed. That's their end, right? Their end will be distraction. And see, it comes again.

[29:42] It's coming again, this thing. Don't take it lightly. Last Sunday, speaking evil of things that they understand not, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption.

[29:57] Speaking of things they don't understand. So, you see, some of us ask for me, I will say anything. No, what you are saying can make you a victim in life. What you are saying.

[30:09] Have you noticed how he's put so much emphasis on their speaking? Verse 10 focused or spoke about they are not afraid to speak. Verse 10 says that they are not afraid to speak evil of degrees.

[30:23] Verse 10 talk about, first of all, they work and then they despise government. All right? Then he spoke about their speaking. Verse 11 said angels don't even speak the way they angels.

[30:36] Won't even speak the way this guy. Wow. Angels are one. Wow. Even me, I can't say that. I can't speak the way you are speaking about authorities.

[30:47] I said we can't even do that. And then verse 12, I'm sorry. Then verse 12 says that but these are natural broodbees made to be taken and destroyed. speak evil of things.

[30:58] They speak. They speak natural broodbees. They speak. Yeah. Creatures of instincts. I'll say it.

[31:10] I'll say it. I'll say it. And you've forgotten you are addressing or you are dealing with or you are speaking about somebody God has honored. Or somebody in a position of dignity.

[31:21] In a place of dogs are. I don't know. Ask for me when I'm upset. I'll say anything. Some of us sometimes sometimes you can't. The way you speak to your wife tells us that you are not qualified to be married.

[31:41] You are not qualified to be married. Many women have destroyed their marriages by how they speak to their husband. There are husbands who say that pastors. The way this woman speaks.

[31:53] Something in me breaks. This woman her words. And then she will speak and finish and go for deliverance. The devils are spoiling my marriage from my mother's background.

[32:06] Hey, let's pray. They will die by fire. They will die by fire. They will die by fire. It's a creatures of instincts. You are so upset.

[32:18] So you decided to address your wife that way. Address your husband that way. Or say those things about your wife. Or type those things about your wife online. Some people are so unbelievable.

[32:32] You have problems with your wife or your husband and you take it online. No. You are the description the Bible has given here.

[32:45] Creatures of instincts. Exercise discretion. Exercise restraint. Exercise discretion with your words. With your behavior.

[32:57] Verse 12. And shall utterly perish in their own corruption. Nine. So number one, he says that they are creatures of instincts. Unreasonable animals.

[33:09] They are like unreasonable animals. One description of such people, such teachers and their coats. They are like as unreasonable animals.

[33:21] Let me finish the verse 13 and I'll go to that. Verse 13 says that any shall receive the reward of unrighteousness. Wow. There's a reward for unrighteousness. Shall we receive the reward of unrighteousness as they that count, oh no, count its pleasure to riot in daytime.

[33:41] pleasure. Pleasure. Pleasure. We live in a generation where pleasure is a defining factor in decision making. Pleasure becomes defining factor in decision making.

[33:56] It makes me happy. I just love it. I just like it. Pleasure. Jesus told a parable of Esaua going to sow seeds. And he says that one of the categories of the seed didn't flourish.

[34:09] And when he was describing it, he says that the ones that fell among tongues, Luke chapter 8 verse 14, he said, now the ones that fell among the tongues are those who when they heard the word go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life.

[34:29] Did you see that? Pleasure of life can choke the fruitfulness of the word of God you have heard. Cares, riches. Because of my topic, let's leave care and riches.

[34:39] But people fail to realize pleasures of life. Pleasures of life. Pleasures of life. Pleasures of life. Not the pressure of life.

[34:50] The pleasures of life. They can choke. Pleasures of life can choke the efficacy of the word of God you have received. Or the fruitfulness of God said my word does not come void.

[35:03] It will accomplish. Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11. For it shall accomplish whatever I sent it to. But in your life pleasures have choked it from accomplishing it. Pleasure.

[35:16] Titus chapter 3 verse 3. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and worth pleasures.

[35:31] That's how we used to be brothers and sisters. if you are born again, you should have this I used to be. I used to serve diverse lusts and pleasures.

[35:42] So you have to thank God and pray that some of the service you rendered to your lusts and pleasures in the past will not surface. Yeah, because it can surface and put your work on the line.

[35:57] because professional you followed pleasure and then this one has made you but it doesn't come out and now you are born again. Oh, thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.

[36:09] Thank you Jesus. And matters of shadows of the past, visitors of the past. every one of us used to be some way. Every one of us.

[36:21] We used to depending on what you are exposed to, who raised you, the conditions under which you, some of us our own might be cattled or mild. Some of us to our own is wild.

[36:33] Wow, wanton. Wantonness. Wild. Yeah. It's that brute beasts. But it's this animal who wants to have a child with their mother.

[36:47] Yeah, animal have children with their mothers. Yeah, vice versa. Yeah, creatures of instincts. Oh, when you go, the lion, you go, the wild, he grows a little bit of goats, he's now chasing his mother.

[37:03] Because he sees his mother as a female, that's all. No, instincts, just instincts, he's a female. But we are a different breed. So when we are in Christ, we are different.

[37:16] But these kind of teachers, like animals, brute beasts, unreasonable animals, begin to allow things and actually encourage things that are just, it belongs to the fallen world.

[37:31] It belongs to the fallen world. Verse 13. Now, so, carousing, that's, New King said carousing, NIV said carousing.

[37:41] Carousing is partying, wild parties in daylight. Now, what is wrong to party in daylight? It's not a party, but the wild nature of it. Things that should be done behind closed doors, because they are bad.

[37:57] They are bad. Now, it's being done at the train station. Yeah. Train station, inside the car. Some, oh, things that should, and if you don't care who sees you or who doesn't see you.

[38:13] Sorry, I just reminded somebody, some, your old encounters, right? Yeah. It says that carousing in daylight, partying, wild behaviors.

[38:28] Yeah. We can't do some things. We can't carouse in broad daylight. Yes. Yeah. We are learning. Rioting in broad daylight. Yeah. I think I wrote the Greek, the mean, the Greek word, the rioting.

[38:40] You know, you remember the prodigal son in Luke's riotous living. Yeah. So, it's not just, it's like careless, careless living with extreme pleasure.

[38:51] Things that, are too much. No boundaries. And, no boundaries. And he said, these guys, they live riotously. Wow. And then when they do that, look at the text again, there's something I need you to do because I don't want to spend too much time here.

[39:06] Sports, they are. Come on. Sports, they are emblemishes. Spotting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.

[39:17] They are sports. You remember Ephesians chapter 5 verse 27? Ephesians 5, 27, says that he will sanctify the bride. Christ died for the bride that he might present himself a glorious church not having sports.

[39:32] or rank. So these people are sports in your feasts. They are sports in our ministries, in our services. They are sports in our church.

[39:42] They are sports in the pastoral way. They are sports. God made us to be without sports. But, so these people, they crowds and brought their light and become sports in your feasts.

[39:54] They pollute what we are doing and give unbelievers the right to even comment anyhow, anyway.

[40:06] So number one, they are like unreasonable animals. Number two, sports and blemishes amongst the believers. There are sports and blemishes amongst the believers. And Jude 12, repeat it.

[40:20] Jude verse 12. Jude chapter 1 verse 12. It says that these are sports in your feasts of charities. When they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruits withereth without fruits, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.

[40:47] And in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 14, it says, that, wherefore beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without sports and blameless.

[41:05] Be diligent that ye be found. But this one said there are sports in our feasts. We are enjoying the Lord, but there are sports in our feasts. Yeah. So number two, there are sports.

[41:16] Number three, let's look at the text. Okay, let me just comment a bit on the number. So sports, they are, verse 14. Oh, this is interesting. Having eyes full of adultery.

[41:29] What's the meaning of that? They have eyes full of, their eyes are full of adultery. He's in their eyes. Eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin.

[41:44] It's like sin, no amount of sin is enough. Hey, eyes full of adultery. And it's like, oh, they don't know enough.

[41:55] They want more. We want to do more. We want more. Eyes, and this, he's talking about, these are amongst you, church. These people who say grace, grace, grace, grace.

[42:07] It doesn't matter what you do, but grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Don't they read the Bible for God's sake? You can't be a believer and anything at all goes. It's in the scripture.

[42:21] It's very clear. In fact, I was telling some people that God never rewards intentions. He doesn't judge us for our intentions, per se.

[42:33] He said, I'll give you, I'm coming, my reward is with me to give, Revelation chapter 22, verse 12. Behold, I come quickly, my reward is with me to give everybody according to his, according to his, what?

[42:46] Work. Work. No wish. No intention. He will reward you according to what you do matters. Yes. He said, I know your works.

[42:58] The letter tie rose to the judges. I know your works. I know your works. I know your works. I know your works. I know your works. I know your works. But these people are sports. Blemishes they are in our feasts.

[43:13] Our love feasts, we love everybody. But when they give you a hug, it's not a normal hug. Blemish. Eyes full of, thank you. Eyes full of adultery.

[43:24] Eyes. Their eyes is full of adultery. I don't know what that means. I think, let me, I didn't even want to go too much into that. Their eyes are full of adultery.

[43:35] What if they close their eyes, they are still imagining things. Wow. You say what? Virtual body count. Let me just do this quickly and then run up.

[43:53] I think I will. So, there's eyes full of adulteries and they don't cease from sin. Beguiling unstable souls that's deceiving. You know, you become very vulnerable if you are not stable.

[44:07] Some of you just jump from church to church. Today you are church. You are unstable souls. You will be beguiled. It is necessary to have stability in your spiritual journey. Don't just get up and say every morning, Sunday morning, I pray, the church God asks me to go, I go.

[44:25] When you are feeling for me, they ask you your address. Tell them that I just check any address I see. When I'm driving on the road, I see that this is my address. No, you must have a base. You must have a base.

[44:37] It's a reflection of spiritual, high level spiritual ignorance and stubbornness of heart. not to have a base. You have a base. You have to, listen, I know you might not have a passport, but you still are a citizen somewhere.

[44:57] Praise the Lord. And heart, verse 14, put the new King James, please. The new King James on the verse 14 again. Having eyes full of adultery and cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls.

[45:13] They have a heart trained in covertuous practices and are accursed. They are trained. They are trained. They have themselves trained in covertuous practices.

[45:26] You can be in church, but before you realize, you are trained. Trained in the wrong way. That's why when people join a church, they need to be taken through principles before you are added as a church member.

[45:42] You need to be taken through a bit of training on how things are done in this church and how some things are not acceptable. Some things are not, we don't encourage some things.

[45:54] We can't encourage, no we don't, we can't encourage some things. We can't encourage a man beating your wife. No, we can't. We can't.

[46:05] We can't. We just can't. We can't encourage something, a woman beating your husband or slapping your husband. We can't.

[46:17] Yeah. We can't encourage abusive relationships. We can't encourage, oh yeah, you've come to church but you've seen your ex in church and you've met and you want to fight hell fighting.

[46:29] We can't do that. We don't do that. And you can't, we can't allow you to bad mouth your enemy to us and we follow you. We can't do that. The person also is a Christian, is not a person.

[46:41] Everybody's got a past. Yeah. Everybody's got a past. I think I preached a message. Jesus came to die for the bad guys. God likes the bad guys too, not because they are bad, but because they are human beings.

[46:56] Because everybody in one way or the other is bad to a certain level. Everybody. You are not, you ain't that good. All right, let me add the third one quickly and then we'll run up.

[47:08] Verse 15 says that, hmm, hmm. Pastor, this thing is so strong, you know. It says that they, which are forsaken the right way, they are forsaken it and not just forsaken, and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, Balaam, the son of Bozo.

[47:31] Yeah. Brother Bozo. They have gone astray. They've gone, it's like they are forsaken the right way and gone. You can't forsake the right way and still go straight.

[47:45] Once you go forsake the right way, you are going astray. Some people don't just like this kind of teaching. And sometimes people come to church and they hear this teaching and they know they are not coming back.

[47:57] We will encourage you not to if you don't like it. Yes, yes, yes. Because we don't want people to support, miss sports in our feasts. Yeah. Yeah. No one is perfect.

[48:08] We are, none of us, none of us is there yet. But we are all striving. The quality of Christian life is, as I say, is not determined by the perfection of your life, but by the direction of your life, we will know you are a genuine Christian.

[48:20] The direction of your life is more important because you can't be perfect. So we are not demanding perfection. It's not sinlessness, but you are definitely sinless. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, we hear God's word to inoculate us and build us in our inner man.

[48:39] Yes. When your inner man is fortified and built, you'll be able to walk with God the way you should. Yes. So it's, see, see, I was saying yesterday in a teaching that apologetics does not necessarily change people.

[48:55] Apologetics is like trying to defend the message, the Bible, you know, convincing people and having cogent arguments to convince people. That's good. But it's just an intellectual exercise.

[49:06] True salvation and conversion is a function of the heart. Yes, sir. So all those reasonings stay in the mind, but for us to have true conversion, it must be a function of their heart.

[49:19] It's a word that says it. The word is near you in your mind? No. Romans chapter 10. It's in your heart and in your mouth. The word we preach is in your heart and in your mouth.

[49:31] So it starts with the heart. Something must enter your heart. That's right. It must enter your heart. And so the preaching of God's word, it's as you are hearing, when your heart is open, when you are genuine about God, you are looking for God, his word will find you.

[49:48] When you are looking for God, his word will find you and when the word comes, it goes straight in your heart and that's where the seat of your being is your heart. That's where changes start from. Genuine godly change starts from the heart.

[50:02] Genuine godly change. A mental change is not a genuine change. Definitely, there must be a renewal of the mind. Definitely, we are transformed in our mind by starts from the heart.

[50:16] When the heart is changed, it begins to affect the mind. So, but the people, their hearts are blocked. They are not interested. They are not interested. I came here because of that girl, all this kind of preaching.

[50:28] I came here because of that girl. By God's grace, we will keep preaching these things until we preach you out. Or you repent and we preach you in. So, the preaching is not meant to leave you where you are.

[50:38] It's asked that to move you into God or kick you out of church. Before you become a sport. Because sometimes when people stay in church a long time, watch this, very important point.

[50:51] When they stay in church a long time, they capture and they become acclimatized to the culture of church. They shout the amens at the right place.

[51:02] Their hallelujah at the right place. They skip around at the right time. They join departments and serve and they serve so well and by the time you realize they are making their way into leadership but have not been converted, have not changed.

[51:18] Their hearts have not changed. The most dangerous thing for the future of a church is unconverted hearts in leadership. Unconverted hearts in leadership.

[51:30] So, they become a leader of some department or something and before you could, there are always problems. And those who are well disciplined and know how to do things organizationally, they can still be ticking every organizational box and doing it so well that you, the leader, the general leader or what, you'll be so impressed with their delivery because they are naturally disposed to doing well in life.

[51:54] but it doesn't mean they have actually changed in their hearts. So, by the time you realize he's a choir director, by the time you realize he's the head of ashes and by the time you realize he has been made a pastor.

[52:07] So, what I'm trying to say is that the word must be pure, the word must be unadulterated, the word must be wholesome, wholesome words will find you and it draws you, what's the wholesome word do, let me just add this and it draws you more into God.

[52:25] That's one. And number two, it empowers your inner man because you can only live the effective Christian life from your inner man. So, when Paul prayed for the efficient church in Ephesians, he says that I pray that you'll be strengthened with might by his spirit in your inner man.

[52:40] That's where you have an inner man. Every one of us have it and your, the effectiveness of your spiritual life is emanating or it stems out from your inner man and so, it strengthens you in your inner man that he will strengthen you within, with might by his spirit in your inner man, in the inner man.

[52:59] So, when you are strengthened in the inner man, you don't struggle with some things. So then, ah, coming to church and hearing God's word is not about do's and don'ts. Don't do this, you can't do that.

[53:12] See, when you are not strengthened in the inner man and relating to God from your spirit, you only hear, don't do this, that shall not, you shouldn't do it. So it's all about instructions and it's all about do's and don'ts and commandments and sometimes too much.

[53:26] It's just too much. You can't, you can't take it. But when you, your heart is open to God and you're receiving his word, something happens to you, by the time you realize there are some things, by, it's like, it becomes by default, you just don't have a taste for some stuff.

[53:40] You don't have the, so it's not so much about what you don't want to do and what you, it's so much about the way you are working with God and getting closer to God, it has made you lose interest in some things without realizing how much you have changed.

[53:54] So some of us, after being in church for a while, you realize that your can't cross nature, fighting with everybody at home has changed. People are surprised that nowadays you don't, your contentiousness has changed.

[54:04] Your neighbors are saying, so sometimes they will throw things to your house to see that, is it still there? And no reaction. And sometimes you look at yourself after a period of time and you can tell, I think I've changed.

[54:18] Because me, someone, I'm driving, someone crosses, casting on me like this and I let the person, no, I think I have really changed. People must see that you are a different person now.

[54:32] And so Bible talks about how put on Colossians chapter 3, put on bowels of mercy. When I saw it, many years ago in secondary school, that's the statement.

[54:43] It says that, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy. What's the meaning of that? You have so much mercy that if someone wants to mess up with somebody, they think it's safer to deal with you.

[54:57] God, they know you allow, you let them off the hook, you can easily forgive them. But if they say, hey, this one, hey, don't go, let me go and trouble this one. He said, this one, for 20 years, he will forgive you.

[55:10] You must have bowels of mercy. So recap, number one about, I have five, but let me just leave us with these three. Number one, what's the description of these?

[55:23] They are like unreasonable animals. Number two, they are sports and blemishes among the believers. Number three, you're waiting for it.

[55:35] Verse 15. I said it in the verse 15. I'm so sorry, please. I was getting carried away with excitement. Verse 15 says that. Yeah, they are, oh, sorry, they've gone the way of Balaam, forsaking the right way and they've gone the way of Balaam.

[55:48] What's the way of Balaam? He loves the wages of unrighteousness. Yeah. Who loves the wages of unrighteousness? So for the sake of gain, their life, the direction of their life is dictated by gain, material gain.

[56:05] Gain, whether it's righteous or not, they don't care about the qualification. They said the end justifies the means. So once I got it, I wanted to marry him and I've got him.

[56:16] Whether he was going to marry somebody else or however we ended up getting married, I'm married. You know, so wages of unrighteousness, that's what happened to Judas. in Acts chapter 1 verse 18, Bible said, he loved the wages of unrighteousness.

[56:30] He purchased a land that now this man purchased a field with the rewards of iniquity. I prefer the translation that said wages of unrighteousness, that rewards of iniquity.

[56:42] He bought a land. You are buying a car. So they've gone the way of Balaam.

[56:55] I need to end. They have gone the way of Balaam. Balaam, who, they are forsaking the right way of going the way of Balaam. And the way of Balaam is loving iniquity and getting gain at the expense of being right.

[57:12] Doesn't matter what it takes. Once I'm getting it, I'll go for it. Said these people, these are how they are. I'll continue with the two other ones as I think the rest of the chapter deals with the two.

[57:24] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. When God speaks, works show. And the works will surely show in your life.

[57:36] To hear more from David Entry, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and subscribe to Caris Church on YouTube. Don't forget to share and subscribe to our podcast so you're always up to date.

[57:48] Be blessed. Be blessed.