Characteristics Of False Prophets - Part 2

[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to this Spirit-filled word by David Injury. 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. 2 Peter 2, verse 1-9 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring indomitable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bringing upon themselves swift distraction.

[0:36] And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

[0:56] For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment, and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the wells of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly, and delivered just lots, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.

[1:36] For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day, with their unlawful deeds. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

[1:58] Here ends the radio of God's word. Wow. So, in our previous teaching, I spoke about the characteristics of false prophets. I couldn't finish it, so I want to continue.

[2:10] And I spoke about, the reason why we had to tackle that is, the reason why last week I couldn't even continue, because we really needed to get this very clear amongst us, that the safety of the church lies in the doctrine of the church.

[2:29] The safety of a church's future, the future of the congregation, has to do with, number one, the doctrine of the church. When I talk about doctrine, you know, you know, there are people, permit me to bring this up.

[2:44] Permit me to bring this up. It's very important. There are people who are simple things, who assume that that statement puts ideology ahead of everything.

[2:59] So, no, no, no. You have to talk about prayer. You have to talk about evangelism. You have to, what makes you want to pray? What makes, how do you define prayer? Why are you, why are you giving importance to prayer?

[3:10] If the word doesn't give a place for prayer, why are you giving evangelism that place? If you don't find it in the word, that evangelism is that essential.

[3:22] So, actually, every important thing that will protect you has to be defined, because, I mean, you have to look inside the book to determine, to notice, ah, I didn't realize the way I'm treating my, my children is not good.

[3:36] I didn't realize the way I'm treating my, my, my, my husband, my wife is not good. You have to look inside the book to notice where the, the faults are. If you close the book, and you say, oh, no, no, you, you, you just have to be a nice person.

[3:48] How do you define a nice person? Who is wrong? Who is right? So, what you are defining as good, someone is defining as bad.

[4:00] And, it's likely one of you might be wrong. And, both of you can be wrong. But, both of you cannot have opposing views and be right. Because that's, it's against the law of contradiction.

[4:15] So, then, you have to go back to, the text, to even let you know, if you are biblically minded, there's no way you can marginalize and undermine prayer. Why would you undermine prayer when the word of God is elevating prayer?

[4:34] So, saying that the future of the church is based on the doctrine of the church, does not mean, other things, evangelism, prayer, giving, and, praise and worship for the musicians, are not important.

[4:46] It doesn't mean, other things are not important. But, their importance have everything to do, not how we feel today, but how, what the word says. So, once we understand this, what the word says, we go past our feelings.

[4:59] Whether I feel like doing it, or I don't feel like doing it, this is just the word, it's the right thing to do. And your future is dependent, or is at the mercy of the word, you have caught, which you act on.

[5:11] So, the health of a church's future, has everything. They are, oh, oh, oh, why am I going to say this? It's not nice to say it. There are churches, that are going large, and going on today, which don't have any future.

[5:25] They don't have any future. Because, when you see some of the signs of the false prophets, you see, watch this, you don't have to be malicious, or have pernicious intent, to be a false prophet.

[5:40] You can be a genuine, like the way I'm teaching, genuinely, but if I don't keep as focused on this, I might end up allowing falsehood, or human, human, human centered ideologies.

[5:54] They said, listen, they said, the gospel is not good views. It's good news. There are two different things. There are two different things.

[6:05] The gospel is not good views. It is good news. If there's good news, there will be fake news. Because the news is the news.

[6:17] The news is the news. It's just, it's what it is. It's not God about my views and all that. It's the news. So if we, if we, if we, deviate from, the truthfulness of scripture, we have deviated from the security of our future.

[6:36] Especially as an organization. As a church. There are churches that don't have future. How? Because the word hasn't taken over. The word hasn't taken over.

[6:48] Genuine intentions people, lovely people, great people, doing everything basically, okay, but don't really know much.

[7:00] They don't know much. And I'm not talking about intellectualism. I'm talking about growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

[7:12] How can you know Jesus outside of scripture? It's the illusion to think Jesus reveals himself personally to me. When Peter, who walked with Jesus, the closest, Jesus said that in John chapter 6, he says that, are you also going to go after he taught a wild doctrine?

[7:30] Bible says from that time, from 61, 62, many of his disciples abandoned him and did not follow him anymore. And he turned to the rest, the 12, and he said, are you also going to go?

[7:40] Simon Peter, verse 68, Simon Peter, open his mouth, and he says that, he said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have what? You have what? You have what? The emphasis was on the words.

[7:54] He used to speak to them, he was speaking to them. So you have the words, and these words are words of eternal life. It might not be the trending word for the day, but they are words of eternal life.

[8:09] So Peter said, where are we going to go? And now if Peter is telling you, now Peter, on top of this, after he said this, sometime later, they went to pray.

[8:22] Peter, James, and John, Jesus took them. And Bible says, that as he prayed, in Matthew chapter 17, from verse 1 to particular verse 3, he was transfigured before them.

[8:35] And his countenance was like, as white. The Bible says, before them, his face shone like the sun, kind of human face. That was not an ordinary human being. Have you ever been able to look at the sun?

[8:46] You can't look at the sun. Did you notice that? So can you imagine Jesus, when he came, he was walking in his glory. Nobody could look at his face. No one could look at his face. That's why he had to conceal the glory, and restrict it, and became ordinary human being.

[9:01] But at the place of prayer, on the mountain, he only had to take three, because the rest might not be able to take it. He took three, and then as he prayed, for the first time, the glory of God, burst out of human vessel.

[9:15] His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became like white, white as light, the clothes. What? What is this? Even the clothes he was wearing. Yes!

[9:28] Peter said, hey, Peter said, they were afraid. They were afraid, Lord. He said, Peter said, Lord, this is the best day I've ever seen in my life, since my mother gave birth to me. It is good, though.

[9:39] Let's stay here. Let's stay here. This is a wonderful time. Let's build a tent, okay? One for you, one for Elijah, one for Moses, and let's stay here. Jesus said, you don't know what you're talking about.

[9:50] Let's go down. Because you don't permanently live in this. That's an actual life to live. Your encounters must translate into your living.

[10:03] And watch this. This Peter said in 2 Peter, we saw him. We saw this, this experience, and yet he said, there's something that is higher than our personal experience.

[10:15] Yeah. So what we have not followed can only devised fables when we tell you of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

[10:28] We saw it, eyewitness. We saw it of his majesty when there came such a voice from the excellent glory. Hallelujah. He said, God gave him honor.

[10:38] We saw how God gave him glory and honor. The Father glorified and honored him when there came such a voice from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Don't forget, there's the son of God, Jesus.

[10:50] This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And then, Bible says that, he said, and the voice which came from heaven, we heard it when we were with him on the holy mount. We heard it.

[11:00] We can't deny it. When we were with him on the holy mount. Look at the next verse again. Then he said, then after that, he said, we have a more sure word of prophecy. We have a more sure, so he elevated the word of God above personal experience.

[11:20] The only security of any Christian life or any Christian organization, the church, the security of the church for the future has everything to do with a high view of scripture.

[11:32] Amen. No wonder Satan will use anything to fight the Bible. When other religions want to attack Christianity, the first thing they come after is the Bible. They said, let's get this Bible off.

[11:46] Is it not sad if Christians or Christian organization or pastors for that matter or church leaders close the book and speak about the topic of the day? Ah, you are a big betrayer.

[12:00] You are. So, it is so important to understand that Peter who said, to whom shall we go? He walked with Jesus.

[12:11] He saw him. He is now telling us that we have a sure word of prophecy. A sure word of prophecy. And after saying we have a sure word of prophecy and they went to tell us how we got, he said, but this one did not come by, no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation but holy men of God.

[12:28] He said that this thing, he said that prophecy came not by the, in old time, by the will of man. Yes. It's not like someone decided and decided to write some things. No. The letters Paul wrote, he wrote it to the church of Ephesus, the church of Galatia, the church of Thessalonica, the church of Philippi, the church of Corinth, the church of Rome.

[12:50] He wrote it to Timothy. He wrote it to Philemon. He wrote it to the Hebrews. He wrote, Paul wrote it. He had them in mind but as he was writing, it was God who was moving him.

[13:03] And it's not like God hijacked his feelings. God didn't hijack. That's the beauty of God. Like the way Mary's, Mary's gynecological system did not change.

[13:16] It wasn't altered a bit. That's why nine months. It wasn't altered. It was not altered. Nothing was altered. Just that the word was able to come alongside what nature demands.

[13:29] So the word didn't violate nature. It flowed with nature and produced supernatural. In the same way, the word of God was given by God's spirit.

[13:40] Holy men of God spoke as they were moved, carried away by the Holy Spirit. They were writing. The Holy Spirit was carrying their money. But they knew. I feel like writing letters and I start writing.

[13:51] But I didn't know the Holy Spirit was moving me. When I finished, the other ones I wrote which was not moved by the Holy Spirit. He never made it here. Holy men of God.

[14:03] And he's saying that this is the sure word of prophecy. Holy men of God. He said the prophets of old did not speak by the will of man but the prophets were moved. However, there were false prophets among them.

[14:15] Once the two prophets were being moved by God, there were false prophets among them. Even as there will be false teachers in our midst. The problem is not those outside. When someone comes to tell you, no, the Bible is not true.

[14:27] Don't believe it. Don't tell somebody to tell you, Jesus did not die. You don't even give the person any intelligent attention. But when someone comes in, just like us, he said, Jesus died for us.

[14:42] But as you observe him very carefully, his character, his philosophy, his motivation, the basis of his teachings, you can tell it is not this Jesus-based.

[14:57] Then, you can tell they have crept in surreptitiously. They have infiltrated our system clandestinely.

[15:08] they have come in unnoticed. So, you wouldn't realize that this is a danger. And that's the only way that Satan can destroy the church. Because Jesus said, I'll build my church and the gates of hell cannot prevail.

[15:21] Hell is not the problem. It's the internal situations, the state teachings. Not the fightings inside the church that cause the problem of the church, but the doctrine inside the church.

[15:32] The doctrine. The doctrine. The doctrine. And doctrines are taught. In fact, the word doctrine means teachings. Teachings. He said, they will abandon, the spirit expressly, clearly says that in the latter times, 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, the spirit clearly says that many people shall depart from the faith in the latter times, giving it to seducing spirits and doctrines.

[16:02] Ah! Ah! Look at the same chapter 4, verse 13 and 14 and 15. I mean, 14, I'm going to 14, but it's good to start from 13 because we quoted it earlier on.

[16:13] He said, until I come, give attendance to reading and exhortation and what? Doctrine. What kind of Christian are you becoming who has less, less value for doctrine?

[16:26] What kind of Christian is this? Please, don't make noise about your Christianity until you have a good appetite for doctrine. Healthy doctrine, I mean. I'm not talking about theology per se.

[16:37] I'm not talking about academic exercise per se. I'm talking about the real word. You have an appetite growing in the world. You don't even read your Bible. You don't read your Bible.

[16:49] You don't have any supplements to help you navigate scripture. You don't have any, like, Bible dictionary. You have everything on your app or your phone.

[17:01] You don't have any, you are very excited about your Christianity because you do evangelism. On what grounds? Your evangelism, what, what, why are you doing it?

[17:12] Because you just died for everybody, isn't it? That's true. But the day you are disappointed, you might not have a substance to sustain you.

[17:22] there might not be anything because you are doing it emotively. It's important. So, you, you, you, you have to find a reason in scripture.

[17:40] And I'm talking about a healthy, that's why the Bible must be taught systematically. Instead, until I come, give attendance to reading. Give attendance to reading and to exhortation to doctrine.

[17:51] Now watch this. The next verse, verse 14, it says that, neglect not the gift that is in you which was given to you by the prophecy and the laying of the hands of the, verse 15 is where I'm going. Verse 15 actually said, meditate upon this, give thyself wholly to them, that your profiting may appear to all.

[18:07] Profiting. It is not your gifts. When I say your gifts, your, your talent. Especially, you singers and musicians who have infiltrated the church thinking that your value has to do with just your abilities and talent.

[18:26] We don't need talent in church. What do we need talent for in church? I know it will take you some time to get what I mean. What do we need talent for? What do we need talent for?

[18:37] What will Christ use talent for? We need ministry. There's a difference between ministering and performing. We don't need talent.

[18:49] We need ministry. Ministry. Where the Holy Spirit is the chief. It's a holy man of God where courage. Are you, are you? What spirit is motivating what you are doing? And that is why because you are doing it based on talent, that's why prayer doesn't matter.

[19:03] That's why not reading the Bible doesn't matter. That's why sin doesn't matter. Because you don't need the Holy Spirit. You can do it yourself. That's the talent. Anything you can do without dependence on God is talent. Talent in itself is not bad.

[19:14] But Husebio has talent. Michael Jackson has talent. All these great, they have talent. But it doesn't build the church. The only thing that builds the church is the ministry that comes from your spirit indwelled by Christ.

[19:27] That's what builds the church. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So, it says that for your prophet to appear to all, there are things that must be in place.

[19:43] When I talk about prophets, spiritual prophets. When you sing, people are blessed. When you play, people are, there's something. Others play even better, more skillful.

[19:55] But there's something about your play. They can't put a finger on it. They can't just scientifically find out. But there's something about your singing. There's something about your preaching. You are not as eloquent as the others.

[20:07] But there's something. There is a grace. There's something on their preaching. Jesus read and they couldn't take their eyes off him. What is it on him that made him just read what they've been reading in Isaiah?

[20:20] And Bible says, all eyes, all the eyes of those in the synagogue was fasting on him. So, it says that that your prophet may appear to all. I have to quickly come back. Let me just go to the next verse, verse 16.

[20:32] Take it to yourself. Let's read it from the screen, please. Let's go. One more time. Some of you are so tired of reading.

[20:44] Louder, please. Did you see that? Take it to yourself. Isn't it not similar to what Paul told the church in Ephesus when he called them to Malta and he told them that take, verse 28 of Acts chapter 20, take it to thyself.

[21:00] Here, he said, take it to yourself. Mind your business. Watch out. The way your life is going, watch out, sir. Yeah. You are beginning to embrace all kinds of things now.

[21:13] Watch out. Take it to yourself and not only yourself and this is very interesting and to your doctrine. What? Doctrine?

[21:25] Not money? Not fear? Not following? No. Take it to yourself and to thy doctrine.

[21:36] Continue in them for in doing this you will save yourself that you are taking care of and those who are hearing you. If you don't take it to your doctrine and you are a minister of the gospel, you stand before people, you are risking their lives.

[21:53] You are risking their lives. The only way you can save them is when you take it to the doctrine. It doesn't mean you're always talking doctrine, but the doctrine has captured your heart.

[22:04] So, whatever you are, oh, thank you Jesus. Whatever you are doing, the center of what you are doing is Christ. Yes. Christ-centeredness engulfs your, the entirety of your attempt to minister and to keep it like that, you have to keep attention to your doctrine.

[22:23] Keep attention to your doctrine. Watch out. Whatever the Bible frowns on, frown on it. He said, you hate the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

[22:34] He said, this thing you have done well. Church of Ephesus, Revelation chapter 2. He said, you, this thing you have well, for you hate the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The things I, God said, the thing I hate, you also hate it.

[22:46] That's good for you. But this thing you have, that you hate the this of the Nicolaitans. Nicolaitans, Nicom, and Laity. Yeah.

[22:56] Yeah. Nicolaitans, Nicolaitans, Nicolaitans, Nicolaitans, Nicolaitans, is being charged, rule, laity, ordinary people. The this of the Nicolaitans, they believe that, they rule over the other ordinary people.

[23:13] They are better than everybody. Better than everybody. They won't let me sing today. They don't know that I'm a celebrity. They won't give me a nice seat today.

[23:23] I'm upset. What? It's a, the deeds. There are two, the teachings and the deeds. This one is the deeds of the Nicolaitans. It started with the deeds and then became teachings in verse 15.

[23:35] But I think, let me go to, so doctrine is important. So when people come in, let's, let's rush through this. The characteristics of false teachers.

[23:49] All right. What did I say is number one? Hey. Number one, they are among us. So they are just like us. So don't think, don't think they'll come in looking different.

[24:03] All right. They are just like us. Number two, they introduce heresis, damnable heresis, apolia, damnable. They introduce things that are really not, it's off.

[24:17] This teaching you are introduced, that's why you need sound doctrine to spot them out quickly. All right. Number three, they are not obvious. They do it secretly.

[24:29] All right. So they don't come letting you know my teachings are wrong. They come convincing you that these things are right. And some of them are very good people. Oh, I know you missed that.

[24:39] Some of them are very good people. Yes. Very good people. Don't confuse someone being good with being sound in doctrine. Wow. Wow. Number four, they deny the master.

[24:52] They deny the master. This is Peter talking. He has denied Jesus before. And he's saying that these guys will deny the master. Yeah. And he said they will deny the master.

[25:04] Now, his denial was one night. Their denial is in their doctrine. Wow. What does it mean that, what does it mean to deny the master? But it's not just Jesus.

[25:15] We are talking about real life. You're so Jesus, Jesus is the deny. That's false. That's false prophecy. That's false teacher. He puts the emphasis on something else apart from Christ. Marginalizes Christ.

[25:27] And they do it. They don't see a big deal. A whole bishop was interviewed some time ago on one of the major United Kingdom news channels.

[25:38] And he said that this whole Christianity thing is just about love. It's not about Jesus died or anything. If we can love everybody, it's a whole bishop.

[25:50] See, if you are well trained, you realize that's a false prophet. That's a false teacher. That's a false teacher. The problem is not the world. Those who are in the church and who have responsibility of speaking to the church.

[26:05] And some speak on the behalf of the church as well. false teacher. They denied they denied Jesus Christ or the master. Yeah.

[26:17] Denying the master who bought them. Now, watch this. The word master, the Greek word translated master is, I want to draw something to you.

[26:27] Yeah. Despotis. Despotis. Who is a despot? Despot. Get it for us. Google it. You can Google it. What's a despot?

[26:40] I know some of us are already desperate about despots. Okay, that's on the screen. Who is a despot? Unlimited power over people.

[26:56] And often uses it unfairly and cruelly. Okay. But Jesus, see, that word despot was taken from despote, that's the despotis.

[27:07] That's the Greek word that Jesus is despotis. Not in the cruel way. So then, he owns us. He has sovereign authority over your life. That makes us slaves.

[27:18] People don't like the word slave. But see, slavery is not that bad depending on who owns the slave. The ethics of slavery has everything to do with the slave owner.

[27:32] Yes, yes, yes. So that's why it had to be abolished because people are too bad. The way they treat other human beings, let's stop this thing. But it's still practicing. And it was an acceptable practice in a lot of places, now, in other places in the world.

[27:46] It's acceptable. It's acceptable. They bought, they bought the person and owned the person. But can you imagine if someone who is willing to die for you buys you? Yes, he has actually saved you from your enemies.

[28:00] This master is so good that there's nothing he won't do for us. He loves us so much there's nothing he won't do for us. What your father couldn't do? What your mother couldn't do? He said, I know, I am here to do it.

[28:11] He has bought us to love us. He purchased us at a high price. And he says that he's our master. In the church, he's supposed to have preeminence. It doesn't matter what.

[28:23] Please, you can't just follow the Bible. It's old. And now you have to listen to society. Then go and organize your own meetings. But don't call it a church. Because in the Colossians chapter 1, he said that he might have the preeminence in the church.

[28:41] Verse 18. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things, how many things? Including your marriage.

[28:54] Including your desire for romance. Including your sexuality. Because human sexuality can be very worrying, isn't it?

[29:06] Yes. So, he has to be the master. He must have the preeminence in everything. In everything. In everything.

[29:17] How do you know Jesus likes it or not? Check the scripture. Check if it's okay in scripture. If it's okay in scripture, then it's fine. If it's not okay in scripture, please, don't throw the scripture away and say, Jesus is my Lord.

[29:28] Anyway, ah, what is wrong? In what way is he your Lord? Can you tell me? Can someone tell me? In what, you are better of saying Aristotle is your Lord. In what way is Jesus your Lord?

[29:41] Tell me. Oh, because I love one another. I love my neighbor. You, you are a hypocrite. You really laugh? You do really laugh? You do it when it's convenient. You have intentions to laugh.

[29:52] It doesn't mean you're always loving. you don't have what it takes to laugh everybody equally always. It says that no greater love has a man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends.

[30:07] When you talk about love, it's Jesus. They deny the master. That's very important. the, um, the, immorality is not checked.

[30:21] Immorality is normal. That's the, 0.5, isn't it? Yeah, they are dodgy. Immorality, they don't care about immorality. In Judea verse 4, um, thank you, Jesus.

[30:37] It says that for there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old, ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.

[30:49] Give me a, um, a different version. We want to get a different word from it. Who turned the grace of our Lord, uh, so our God into lewdness and deny the Lord.

[31:00] Do you know what lewdness is? Let's go to another translation. Um, amplified. Yes. For, they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom.

[31:15] Some translation says license. Yeah. which, which translation is that? The NIV. They are ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into license for immorality.

[31:28] They, they don't really care about what's going on. They don't, they don't care about immorality. It doesn't bother them. One of the, I was teaching KP to the other time on how to test false prophets.

[31:42] The test, every, no false, good of, there's a test for them. One of the tests is the moral test. They don't check immorality in others and they don't, also, mind immorality in themselves.

[31:56] When you work with God, any person, thank you Jesus, any genuine person who's working with God, when you are, if you work with God is genuine, you feel so uncomfortable about immorality in yourself.

[32:12] People will never know about it because this one, nobody, can never be able to tell because you can be found in a compromising situation but it's, it's, you just, like lots, it's there in the text.

[32:25] Bible said, Bible call him righteous, righteous lots. Come on. Why is Bible using the word righteous? Look at that, the one who got drunk with his daughter said, righteous lots.

[32:37] Did you notice that when it comes to the New Testament, they don't talk about people's negative mess. You check, Abraham, David, the New Testament never mentioned the things they did wrong because it's a grace moment.

[32:53] Lots should be called righteous lots. You and I know that lots had issues. He went for prosperity. He moved towards, he moved his house and relocated to Las Vegas.

[33:05] Yeah, and started alcohol business. But as he lived there, in the verse 6, 7, 8, talks about, verse 7 and 8 particularly, righteous lots.

[33:20] Bible used the word righteous lots. He says that, for righteous, that righteous man dwelling amongst them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul.

[33:31] you just, sin offends you. Even if you do it, you feel, you, how, how should I allow this to happen?

[33:43] You slap your husband and, no, you slap your wife and, you do something, small masturbation, the whole day is messed up.

[33:54] I have to ask some more. No, no, no, no, tell me if you know what I'm talking about. It's, it's messed up. Because, and it's, it's not just conscience and morality.

[34:07] It's a righteous spirit. You have a righteous, so this is how you can tell. Sometimes people, you are with somebody and they just don't, it doesn't bother them at all. Listen, if unrighteousness and immorality doesn't bother you, it's likely maybe you are not born again.

[34:22] That's true. Very true. It's likely you are not born again. So then, to identify false teachers, some of the things, they actually allow immorality.

[34:34] They license it. They say, it doesn't matter. God understands. When looking at a particular situation, the means will justify the end. Or rather, the end will justify the means.

[34:48] What you got, what you, it doesn't matter how you got it. Once you got it, it's okay how you got it. All you needed is, I told you sometimes, a man came to me when I used to preach on radio, this, about 20 years ago or so, came to me, that time I used to do consultation.

[35:05] Well, that was the order of the day. I finished preaching and if you have counseling, you need to call me and come. And then he came, and then he came with a lady and he said, Pastor, I need you to pray for this, my lady.

[35:19] What is it? She's, her job, everything is going haywire. She can't get a job again. They fired her from her job. Things are bad and sometimes having bad dreams. And I said, oh, no problem, I can't pray.

[35:32] You know, with God, all things are possible. Don't worry. So I just asked, but what's the relation between you? He said, oh, you know, I'm a man. I have a wife and children in Ghana. But you know, as a man, you need, in this country, you need somebody.

[35:47] So, no, no, watch this. You see, it's not the behavior. Watch this. It's not the behavior that was a cousin. It's the audacity to sit before a pastor. That was such an insult to my purity and my genuineness for God.

[36:05] You sat before a pastor and you say, Pastor, you know what? I want to do a deal with you. I'm about to enter into some, what do you call it? Drug, drug deal, big deal.

[36:16] Please pray for me when it comes, if I hate him. I must be a false teacher to say it's okay. This guy is a sheik.

[36:30] He's a sheik. He's one of the richest in the Arab world and he wants to marry me. Yes, but he wants to marry me. He's a promise that he'll build a, he'll give us a jet and he'll build a whole church for us.

[36:44] Every branch. Yeah, he'll build a church for every branch. Samuel Peter said, may your money perish with you. Right. This guy told me that, oh, you know what? And I looked at him and I told him, sir, maybe, I told the ladies, no, I said, sister, you know, you are living with somebody's husband.

[37:03] What if the wife is a Christian and has been praying in church? It's the beginning of the cases. I can't undo it. Yeah, I told him, so you better break that relationship.

[37:15] It's not right. It can bring cases on you. And then I prayed with them so they can obey. That's why I didn't pray for the thing to stop. Because sometimes what you have created by disobedience, don't try and undo with prayer.

[37:29] So I just prayed with them. The man the next day called me at the shock of my life. I was young. Young. To the shock, under 20. I wasn't married at then, so under 29.

[37:42] He called me. He lives in Tottenham or somewhere there. He called me and he says that, pastor, you know, you didn't try at all. You have come with somebody and you tell the person to...

[37:57] I was very surprised. But you know what? He told me a lot about what kind of doctrines these people think. For him to even expect that a pastor can pray for things to be well in spite of what you are doing to endorse it.

[38:15] Ah! No, no, no, no, no. It's not his fault. It's those parambulating as angel of light. When some instrumentalist grows up and says that, how can a pastor say if you play instrument in churches and whole world, he's a stupid...

[38:33] I didn't blame instrumentalists. I blame who their pastors are. Okay, let me mention the point so I can't end. Is that okay? Number six. Number six says that their behavior...

[38:46] Look at verse two. Their behavior brings... It says, many shall follow their pernicious way by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. Sometimes people will say, you know, that's why...

[38:57] because of this person I don't go to church because of this pastor's behavior. Peter has told us already that there will be people who will come to church who if you follow their behavior you will think this church thing is false. The fact that they have counterfeit notes doesn't mean there's no original.

[39:12] The original is there. So don't let... Just... He said, grow up. Peter was saying, come on, come on, come on. You should expect counterfeit. Come on. They will be amongst us. They will look like us.

[39:23] Come on. Stop saying, because of this person I won't go to church again. Because of that, because of this situation that happened in that church because I wouldn't do Christ. Come on, grow up. Grow up.

[39:36] You can't say, because of that plane crash you won't fly again. And then, number seven, they are covetous. Oh. It's there in the text. It's there in the text.

[39:49] Through covetousness. What's covetousness? You just want what belongs to others. Covetousness. Second Peter, look at the verse 14. Verse 14.

[40:00] It said, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls and hearts that have exercised with covetous practice.

[40:13] Cursed children. Covetous practice. They see this, they want it. They see that, they want it. Materialism. I want this. I want it. To the extent that, what belongs to others, they want it.

[40:27] But they are behind puppets. And sometimes, they will use their position to want to take what belongs to you. Covetous. In 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 5, and Titus 1, verse 11.

[40:41] Look at 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 5, quickly. for neither at any time use we flattering words as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness.

[40:52] We are not using cloak of covetousness. God is our witness. So when you're a preacher, a leader, you can end up in covetousness. Not because you're a preacher, but when you're a leader, if you don't check yourself, you can be covetous.

[41:05] And when the word of God is not holding you, covetousness will take you over. Yeah. So it makes it very clear that you are not standing for God's way. Titus 1, verse 11.

[41:17] Titus 1, verse 11. Whose mouth must be stopped. Wow. It says, some people's mouth must be stopped. Who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not to, for filthy liquor's sake.

[41:29] They are teaching things. Give us different translations. Give me the New Living Translation. Yeah. Aha. There must be silence because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teachings.

[41:47] And they do it only for money. Only for money. That's a serious one. Only for us. Preaching for money. Teaching for money.

[41:59] They preach some preaching just because of money. That's why they can't correct certain people in the church. Because you are too rich. If they touch you, you will run away with your money. So what the Word of God is saying, they don't say it because they are concerned about you.

[42:15] They don't want to offend you. Number eight. Exploitative. That's bad. Is it exploitative or exploitative? You can choose which one.

[42:26] Verse three. They are exploitative. What it said, through covertures, they with faint ways. Faint ways.

[42:36] Give me NIV. NIV says that in their greed, these teachers will exploit you. You know? So that's that. They will exploit you.

[42:48] They are just using you for their own gains. Exploitative. That's why sometimes some people think that they can see through certain extreme cases in certain communities and churches and they make, look, they are exploiting people and all that.

[43:05] But sometimes it's not really, an unbeliever, when you even give a pastor five pounds, the only believer thinks that he should exploit you, you know, so sometimes. So we have to be careful about that.

[43:17] But then exploit people. Look at it. Chapter 1, verse 16, it says that, for we have not followed carnally devised fables. I think I will come to that.

[43:27] But let's go. Romans 16, 18. Romans 16, 18. For they, give me, keep New King James throughout, okay. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

[43:39] By what? It's the belly direction. This thing they are doing is belly. Some people have started churches because they have to eat. They stay outside and they look at the way, how, they are doing church in hotel.

[43:55] Wow. There's money in this thing. So they see it as a money making thing. So sometimes, they also come in clandestinely with money on their mind. Somebody told me, Pastor, recently, somebody told me, Pastor, I've always had this.

[44:11] My biggest dream is just to be like you. But when I look at, you have been in this church fighting with everybody. You can't even save. You are creating problems and problems and you don't treat a wife well.

[44:23] In what way? You've been in this church for more than five years. In what way your biggest dream is to be like me? Your character is telling me that, and you say, I want to be a big pastor. I want to. So maybe, I'm beginning to feel like, you see, you are looking for the honor and the privileges that come in the office.

[44:38] That's your motivation. But, but not the genuine work of a minister of the gospel. Because that would have evidenced long time in the way you are serving departments and your attitude towards other people in church.

[44:52] Exploited. Colossians chapter 2, verse 4, and then let me add the last one. Colossians 2, 4. What does it say? Now this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. Yeah, that, in fact, Colossians 2, 4 should be, let me use that, point 9.

[45:07] Number 9, they use deceptive words. So besides, it's in the text. Besides they exploiting you. Look at verse 2. Let's go to, the original text. Let me read from my own Bible.

[45:18] So verse 2 says that, many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth is spoken evil of. Verse 3 says that, and through covetousness shall they with faint words, deceptive words.

[45:34] They are saying things they don't mean. They are pulling up revelations just because of an agenda. Use faint words. 2 Corinthians 2, 17, please. Yeah.

[45:44] For we are not as many who corrupt the word of God. They corrupt the word of God by us of sincerity, by us of God. In the sight of God, speak we in Christ.

[45:58] We speak in, look at chapter 4, verse 2. But we have renounced the hidden things, hidden things of shame. Not working in craftiness, not handling the word of God deceitfully.

[46:10] They will handle, Colossians chapter 2, verse 4, we quoted earlier on, they handle the word of God deceitfully. Colossians 2, 4, that they deceive you through persuasive ways. So, when they talk, it's so smooth.

[46:23] So smooth. But you can tell there's some deception. That's why you need to know the word. You need to know the word. Because it can be twisted to deceive.

[46:36] So, some of the signs of the first prophet, from the text we are reading, they twist the word. They use deceptive words. And the Bible says that many shall follow their pernicious ways. It's there in the text.

[46:47] Many. So, don't be fooled by how many. It does say many is the one Jesus said, many shall say, Lord, Lord, didn't you cast out devils in your name? Many. It's talking within the church.

[46:58] Some people come to church not because they are looking for God, but because they have religious interest. There's a difference. And let me add the last one. There are judgments. So, number one is they are amongst us.

[47:12] Two, introduce heresis. Three, they come in privately and secretly. They are no obvious. Number four, deny the master. Number five, they are dodgy or immoral.

[47:23] Immorality is normal. Number six, their behavior brings the way of truth into the tributes. Number seven, they are covetous. Number eight, exploitative. Number nine, they use deceptive words.

[47:36] Number ten, their judgment is around the corner. Judgment is around the corner. Don't be the one judging them.

[47:47] God has said, it's swift. Who's swift for judgment? So, their judgment is around the corner. Stop taking interest in trying to judge men of God, churches, and church leaders.

[48:00] Unless, on the ground of scripture, doctrine, when a church is off or a man of God is off on doctrine, you can choose to disagree with him, not disrespect him, but you can choose not either.

[48:11] If I go off on doctrine, God forbid, if I teach something that is not doctrine, you should be able to say, Pastor, I don't agree with you. This is, because how about this scripture, this scripture? And I say, okay, no, no. And then you can, but when it comes to essential doctrines like the Apostles' Creed and those ones, anyone who goes off is really working for the devil.

[48:29] But you can be genuine, you can be genuine and have all those things right, but you might be introducing other things that, watch this, introducing other things which by inference undermine some of the major ones.

[48:43] Okay, so as long as it doesn't touch any of the, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven, and the essential doctrines, as long as it doesn't undermine it, it's something that we can agree to disagree on.

[48:54] But when it comes to essential doctrines, no, don't take it. Don't take it. Someone tells you, switch it, no. Someone say, I want, and they have a smooth talk. I want to let you know, that people say, Jesus is the only way, but no, no, no, no, let's look at this.

[49:08] And they philosophize it so well, that it sounds very convincing. How can you say, Jesus is not? They, watch this, these are two key signs of the false prophets, false teachers.

[49:20] Two major things that you can't compromise on. They don't accept the total authority of scripture. And then number two, the exclusive faith in Christ that brings salvation, they don't succumb to that.

[49:34] Clear? False teacher. So, false teacher in the church, false teacher. You don't have any business teaching in the church if you don't believe in the total authority of scripture or to the exclusive faith in Christ Jesus as the savior.

[49:49] If you don't believe that, then you can't be, you're a false teacher. You are teaching false. You might be a good person, but false teacher. Did you receive something? Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry.

[50:01] When God speaks, works show. And the works will surely show in your life. To hear more from David Entry, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and subscribe to Karis Church on YouTube.

[50:15] Don't forget to share and subscribe to our podcast so you're always up to date. Be blessed. We'll see you next time.