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

[0:34] 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 faint ways make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

[0:55] 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 wealth, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world 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 afterwards should live ungodly.

[1:24] And delivered just lots, vest with the filthy conversation of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling amongst them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

[1:38] The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. But chiefly, them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, presumptuous are they, self-willed.

[2:00] 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.

[2:14] But these are 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 all righteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in day time, sports they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings, while they feast with you.

[2:44] Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin. Beguiling unstable souls, and hearts they have exercised with covetous practices.

[2:59] Cursed children, which have 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.

[3:14] The dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbade the madness of the prophets. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with tempests, to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever.

[3:27] For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they are leal through the lust of the flesh, through much one-tonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

[3:42] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

[3:52] 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.

[4:07] For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they had known it to turn from the holy commandments delivered unto them.

[4:21] But it is happened unto them, according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sour that was washed to her, wallowing in the mire.

[4:37] Here ends the reading of God's holy word. This is loaded. In our previous session, we spoke about what their false teachers are like and their followers, what they are like.

[4:55] I started, I said five things they are like, but I think I was able to give three. Right? In the first place, we deduced from the scripture that number one, in the verse 12, but these, as natural, brute beasts, as natural, brute beasts, beasts.

[5:14] NIV. NIV says that, but these people, blasphemy matters, they do not, they are like unreasonable animals. Animals you can't negotiate with.

[5:27] Animals you can't communicate intelligently with. They just, they are, they've gone past reason.

[5:40] They've gone, a logos, a reasonable, unreasonable. But he said, they are like prophets or false teachers and people who follow false teachers are like unreasonable animals.

[5:56] That's how they become like. That's why we have to be very careful what kind of teachings we follow. Other than that, it gets to a time we can't even reason with you from scripture. Your ability to reason is off.

[6:09] Your spiritual, mental health. You've gone off spiritually. I remember years ago there was a great, great pastor who was very, very much respected around the world.

[6:26] Doing great things. He started teaching some stuff. He started teaching that you know what? Everybody will be saved eventually. Whether you believe in Jesus or you don't believe in Jesus, once you die, this is direct, opposite to what the scripture is saying.

[6:42] So, he started teaching these things and his loved ones said, sir, these things you are teaching is going off. You are going off. Great men of God, senior men of God, God involved.

[6:55] You see, sometimes, genuineness is not enough to keep you on the right track. Genuineness is not enough. Don't say, ask for me, my heart is genuine.

[7:05] Listen, listen, listen. Your genuine heart does not guarantee your right path. You can be genuine in heart but wrong in approach. That's why we cannot downplay teaching.

[7:19] We have to keep hearing the right words, the right words, the right words so that you can sniff wrong words way from far. Sometimes, when people begin to talk a certain way, you can know this is where it's going to end.

[7:32] So, right from the beginning, you block off because to make that statement, it might not look wrong but you know it's a logical conclusion where it's going. See, when you are well taught, yes, sir, I just, and so, this man could not be, no one could reason with him again.

[7:48] Listen, that is why theological institutions can help in a certain sense because there are all kinds of seminaries that are even like cemeteries.

[8:01] So, but don't try to be a pastor without being schooled in the Bible. Those who say, God, God, I met God. Meeting God doesn't make you an instructor.

[8:15] Paul, before he became an instructor, he met Jesus by himself, go to Damascus and a disciple, not a prophet, a basic disciple called Aeneas, they will teach you what you have to do.

[8:26] They will teach you. They have to tell you. He says that, go into the world, make disciples. Matthew chapter 28, verse 27, teaching them. Teaching them.

[8:38] Not necessarily praying for them. We have to pray for one another. But my usefulness in your life should not be limited to praying for you. Other than that, I'm not going to help you much. My usefulness, see, if I keep praying for you, I keep praying for you, and all I do in your life is pray for you and not teach you, you won't be able to pray for others.

[9:01] And you'll be able to stand on your own two feet. So he says to Timothy, these things that have been, you've heard, I'm going to do a second Timothy chapter 2, verse 2. Commit the same, commit to faithful men who will also be able to, that's how Christianity goes.

[9:16] We teach others, teach others. Now, in some parts of the world, there are all kinds of people rising up, self-made authorities. authorities, and they, they believe that they have the right, they are following, and they say all kinds of things.

[9:33] The reason why you are in church is because you are part of the church. And if you are part of the church, one of the things we do in church is to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[9:45] Amen. So, these false teachers, Bible says, and they are following, they are like, unreasonable, unreasonable animals. It calls them creatures of instincts.

[9:58] It's a very strong, creatures of instincts. So, and number two, when you look at the verse 13, it says that they shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they that count it pleasure to rile in the daytime.

[10:14] I think NIV says that carouse in broad daylight. Carouse. Now, when you are a believer, this is very important, when you are a Christian, you are supposed to bring your life in alignment to God's word.

[10:32] If, for some reason, you feel like operating through the lust of the flesh, you, even if that's what you are so tempted to do, you should do it privately.

[10:49] You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Carousing in broad daylight is these guys now, things that shouldn't be done, they do it with impunity.

[11:01] And still amongst us. You know, so sometimes, carousing in broad daylight, and you know what, Bible says, people, these kind, there are teachings, watch this, this is where I'm going, there are kinds of, there are certain kind of teachings that generates a certain type of paradigm, a certain type of mindset, Christian worldview that allows you to behave like you are, you are still a non-believer amongst the saints.

[11:27] And Bible says that these kind of teachers, that's what they produce, and so they become like spots in our feasts. That means we should be feasting. But they are spots in our feasts.

[11:40] Blemishes and spots. It's like they have become, they have a problem. So they are like unreasonable animals. They are like spots.

[11:52] And then the third point is, let's read down the text. Reading from verse 13 again, it says that, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they, as they that count its pleasure throughout in daytime, sports they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.

[12:18] Their own, that's another, they spot themselves with their own deceivings. They think, as for me, I can't say anything. As for me, I don't see anything wrong with this. I don't see, they are sporting themselves, you know, while they feast with you.

[12:30] And you try and talk to some of these folks that you are a frontliner in church. You are in the choir. So you have to be very careful how you carry yourself for the sake of Christ.

[12:46] They, they don't see, they say, but what's wrong if I am drunk and I'm standing on the streets and I'm dancing, I'm humming, no, no, it doesn't speak well of you.

[12:58] But the point I'm making is they spot in their own deceivings. People can be deceived, and me, I don't, me, I don't see anything.

[13:09] Who are you? Think about it. No, think about what I just said. Me, so long, you have to say, what does the word say? And every, that's why Christianity starts with humility.

[13:23] Blessed are the poor in spirit. Start with a certain humility. So much that every Christian must, doesn't matter your position, you don't get yourself so entrenched that you say, I don't care, even if I find out that it's so in the scriptures, or what I'm doing is not so in the scriptures.

[13:41] You must always make room and allowance that, anyway, I think this is just based on my conviction, this is all right, but if I find a scripture that is contrary, I have to align myself.

[13:53] And even, you see, there are two things. There's a situation where you want to, you accept what the scripture is doing, just that you're struggling to do it. You know, like, generally speaking, even besides scripture, you know, sometimes you have an exam, you know you're supposed to study, or you're supposed to wake up early and do some stuff, and the alarm has gone, you slap the alarm, it go again, slap the alarm, it go, and then later on you are late for work, and you see, what you did is wrong, you know it's wrong, you accept it's wrong.

[14:22] That's one thing, accepting it's wrong. Once you accept it's wrong, you work on yourself, but there are some people, they're carouser in their deceivings, they don't even accept that this is wrong, let alone to begin to have considerations to amend their ways.

[14:38] So it starts with accepting what the scripture says, the ways of God. Now, somebody say the ways. As I read through again just now, I stumbled across the word ways, which I didn't notice.

[14:50] So in the verse 3, it talks about the ways, the ways, the ways, the ways, the ways. There are so many, let me just point them to you, potentially, maybe, in the verse 2, all right, it said, follow their pernicious ways, ways, and then it talks about the way of unrighteousness.

[15:09] There are quite a few ways that when you look through, and then when you go to the verse 13, or the daytime cross, and they're like feasting, and it's full of, okay, I'll come to the, but you realize that, watch this, I want to draw your attention to something very important.

[15:25] You realize that there are quite a few times a way, way, the way has been referred to in 2nd Peter. How many of you made the road to your house where you live?

[15:39] The streets, some of the streets here are about a thousand years. It's been made. The Christianity is called the way, Acts chapter 9 verse 2.

[15:52] The way, Acts chapter 9 verse 2, it says that, letters from Damascus, that if he found any of this way, so Christianity is called this way. Acts chapter 19 verse 9, it talks about how, but when divers were hardened and believed not, but spoke evil of what?

[16:13] The way. They spoke evil of that way. Talking about Christianity. Verse 23, the way. Look at verse 23. And about that time, there arose a great commotion about what?

[16:26] The way. So Christianity is called the way. And when you study the scriptures very carefully, you will notice all in scripture several times where Christianity has been referred to as the way.

[16:39] Chapter 22 verse 4, Acts 22, 4, and Acts 24, 22, you'll see throughout. 22, I persecuted this way to the death.

[16:50] All right? So he persecuted. It's talking about Christianity. It's the way. Christianity is the way. 24, Acts chapter 24 verse 22, it says that, but when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the way.

[17:07] So, it's a way. Christianity is the way. Somebody say, it's the way. It's the way. In some other parts of scripture, it is called the way of righteousness. So, in 2 Peter, you see that it's called the way.

[17:21] 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 21, you see, it is called the way of righteousness. It's a certain way. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness.

[17:31] Do you see that? It's the way of righteousness. But then, it's called the straight way as well. in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 15, that's where we are about to get to. They are forsaking the right way.

[17:44] Let's all say the right way. The right way. The right way. Another way to put the right way is the straight way. The right way. Christianity is the right way. Christianity is the way of righteousness.

[17:57] Christianity is the way of salvation. Acts chapter 16 verse 17. These are the men who are telling us and teaching us the way of salvation. Christianity is called the way.

[18:09] Who proclaims to us the way of salvation. So, Christianity is the way of righteousness, the straight way, the way of salvation, and I like this, the way of God.

[18:21] The way of God. How does God deal with you through his way? You must know the way of God. Acts chapter 18 verse 26. The way of God. Acts chapter 18 verse 26.

[18:32] What does it say? And began to speak boldly in the synagogue whom, when a priest like Aquila, had heard, they took him unto them and expanded to him the way of God. Look at the 25.

[18:44] It's called the way of the Lord. Verse 25 says, this man was attracted in the way of the Lord. Way of the Lord, way of God, way of righteousness, straight way.

[18:56] All right? So, it's called the straight way. And then, it's also, the unbelievers called it heresy. They call, Acts chapter 24 verse 14, heresy, which they call, I worship God in the way, which they call heresy.

[19:15] All right? So, it's that, but this I confess unto thee, that after the way, which they call heresy, unbelievers call the way heresy. So, to unbelievers, is a way of heresy.

[19:26] But, it's the way. It's the way. It's the way. And so, what makes it the way? The way is a metaphor. Okay? But actually, it's the truth.

[19:37] So, the truth of Christianity, the truth. See, when you are a Christian, this is what it means. It's very important. You have been brought into the truth. Okay?

[19:48] So, Titus chapter 1, verse 1, in 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 4, in 1 Timothy chapter, 4, verse 3, it talks about the truth. Who will all men be saved and come to the knowledge of what?

[20:03] So, your salvation is about coming to the knowledge of the truth. It's very important. In 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 15, it talks about, study to show yourself a proof unto God, a work man that needs not to be ashamed.

[20:17] Rightly, doing what? Dividing the word of truth. Right? And in 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 3, it talks about how there people say we should not accept certain food, but it says that which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and do what?

[20:35] Know the truth. 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 15, talks about the house of God that you might know, if I tie that, you might know how to, you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God which is the church of living God, which is what?

[20:47] The pillar and the grounds of truth. And so, when you become a Christian, you have actually come into the truth. This is very important. That is why one of the ways the truth is expressed or metaphor for the truth is the way.

[21:01] So, when you are in the way, you are in the truth. Jesus said, I am the truth and the life. And so, it's important that in the way, we communicate the truth of God.

[21:17] is called the word of truth. So, Christianity has a lot to do with knowing the truth. And what is the truth? The truth is not about somebody's opinion.

[21:28] The truth is about what the Bible has said. Rightly divided. Because there are people out there who also have been quoting the Bible but quoting it wrongly. You can actually make the Bible say what you want it to say.

[21:43] You see, watch this. So, you can stand on the scripture. You can use one scripture, twist it. Sometimes, with genuine hearts. Genuine hearts.

[21:56] Genuine intentions. But because you have not been well trained and because there is something in your heart that's looking for another way of expression outside the way. So, it's very easy.

[22:11] He says in the last day, people will heap up teachers because they want, I like what this man is saying. It's not, it's not that this thing is getting God to me. It's just like that.

[22:21] I just, I just like it. And I like what they say. They will heap teachers. Yeah. Time will come when they will not endure. But according to their, oh, did you see that?

[22:34] You see, so your own desire can become your leading guide. your own desire can make you choose which pastor you want to listen to.

[22:46] Sometimes not their hunger for God, but his desire for convenience. It's not every church certain people can be part of.

[22:59] I know our church, the kind of things we teach, not everybody feels comfortable. Not everybody will feel comfortable. and, but that's okay.

[23:10] We will not change our message. Because the quality of a messenger has got to do with his message. What is a message without, if you are a messenger, the next thing is, what's your message?

[23:26] So, it's important we understand that these people are, I will show you something I saw that in 2 Peter, that really got my attention. it looks like the description the scripture was given sounded like people who are not born again.

[23:42] But these people are in church. I wonder, are you sure he's talking about Christians? Like, I remember when I was studying Revelations and I came across the scripture that says that you have a name that you are rich, but you don't know that you are wretched.

[23:58] You are, Revelation chapter 3 from verse 18, you are poor, blind, and wretched, naked. Huh? You are rich, but you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked.

[24:13] This doesn't look like the description of a Christian. Is that a Christian? Being described by God? Yeah. Because, when you go a certain path, so long as teachings are concerned, you invariably end up in a certain way.

[24:31] so it's important you watch where you are going. Watch where you're going. Watch who you are going with. Bear in mind where you are going is taking you to.

[24:45] And don't forget about the consequences of the way you have chosen. Every path comes with consequences. So, now let's back to the text.

[24:56] So, we have, they are like unreasonable animals, animals. Number two, false teachers and people who follow them are like spots in our feasts.

[25:09] Spots and blemishes in our feasts. Number three is verse 15. Let's go to the verse 15. Number three says that, which have forsaken the, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, okay, let's all read it out from the screen.

[25:24] I like it when the congregation reads the Bible together. Is that okay? If you can see the screen, everybody, let's look up here and, let's go. We shall forsake in the right way and have gone astray following the way of Balaam, the son of Bozo, who loved the wages of all right.

[25:44] Did you see that? You see the way there? They have, they have forsaken. Just, there, there's a difference between forsake and miss.

[25:54] you knew it, but you chose that one. You knew it. You knew it. You knew this is what you are meant to do, but you chose to do otherwise.

[26:10] Forsaking the right way. Let's not say the right way. The right way. You know, I told you the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way. Forsaking the, sometimes we have to check ourselves. Am I, am I in the right way?

[26:22] You're about to make a decision is very convenient. But you have to check yourself. Am I in the right way? This decision I'm about to make, am I in the right way?

[26:34] Because what's the way of Balaam? The way of, who is Balaam? Balaam, Balaam's dad was Bozo, Bozo.

[26:46] Then other translations say Baopo. But Bozo, Balaam's dad was Bozo. son of Bozo. In the book of Numbers, he was hired.

[27:03] Numbers chapter 22, verse 5. Then he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Bozo, okay, which is near the river in the land of the, the sons of his people, to call him, saying, look, the people have come from Egypt.

[27:21] See, they cover the face of the earth and they are settling next to me. I don't like these guys. They are going to start a church here. We got to do something about it.

[27:33] The next verse, we are going to verse 7. The next verse. Therefore, please, come at once, curse these people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he who you bless is blessed and he who you curse.

[27:51] See, that is his credibility. He had, his rating was five stars. Balaam, Balaam's rating. Yeah, Balaam was sharp.

[28:06] His rating was, he had high review, good reviews, good reviews, many reviews. So he said, please, I know, based on your credibility, who you bless is blessed.

[28:20] So who is Balaam? Balaam was a prophet in those days. This is interesting. He was not a bad guy. He was a prophet, even though he wasn't among the Jews. He used to be able to prophesy, write things, and he wasn't an evil person.

[28:37] So God, as it were, didn't have a problem with Balaam. God didn't have a, but he was hired to come and curse the people of Israel. Look at verse 7. Numbers 22, 7.

[28:49] So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the divinest fee in their hands. Yes, yes.

[29:02] Somebody said brown envelope. They came with the divinest fee in their hands and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balaam.

[29:13] See, there's money, money, and that's where he went wrong. He saw the money. He would have done the right thing, but when he saw the money, Deuteronomy 23, verse 4, it says that because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you, Balaam, the son of Bozo, from Potho of Mesopotamia to curse you.

[29:45] They did it. This Balaam, the Moabites, they hired Balaam. Balaam shouldn't have allowed himself to have been hired. So he went down in history as someone who wasn't necessarily false, but he was bought.

[30:05] He was bought. Money, again, was what made him compromise his stance in God. He stands in the right path. So watch this. Now, going back to our text, it says that these people have forsaken the right way and have gone astray following the way of Balaam, the son of Bozo, who loved, did you see that?

[30:27] He loved the wages, the pay, but this pay is a pay of unrighteousness. The gain, you are gaining this out of unrighteousness.

[30:39] It's not a good thing to like. This is no good meat to eat. This is no good alliance to join. This is not the right direction to go, even though it seems very profitable.

[30:54] Balaam, he had to take an animal. Bible says a dumb ass. Bible says that, but he was rebuked in his iniquity. How?

[31:05] The damn ass speaking with a man's voice forbid the madness of the prophet. Because he was going too far now. And he was not supposed to go there.

[31:16] But he had the money. And he had to deliver. So he was going. Even though he knew he wasn't supposed to go. He was, which direction are you going?

[31:26] Which in your heart and your walk with God? You know you are not supposed to go. You know you are not supposed to go. You are walking in the territories of Balaam. And most of us become victims in life because of the Balaamic approach to life.

[31:45] You see, sometimes a lot of mishaps that happen in Christians' life, some Christians, is because they have compromised and gone the way of Balaam. you are asking why?

[31:58] For many years, I don't know, ask for me alone, I have been married, waiting for marriage. Please don't blame God. Check if you have used the way of Balaam. It looks like it's a shortcut, but at the end of the day, it would be the wrong cut.

[32:14] Yeah, the way of Balaam. Judas, Bible said, he, in Acts chapter 1, verse 18 and 19, somewhere there, Bible says that, now this man purchased a field with what?

[32:27] Wages of iniquity. Wages of iniquity. Wages of unrighteousness. You betray Jesus for your convenience and for some money because he wanted to build his house.

[32:38] He has gone to put down payment for a land. Yeah. He's gone to put down payment and needed money badly, even though he's been stealing from Jesus' pawn, yeah, treasury.

[32:50] He's stolen quite a few. Bible said he was a thief and he used to help himself with the money. That's why he was complaining about the woman who broke the alabaster box because if they had sold it, the money would have come into the pot and you could have, yeah, is there?

[33:05] He didn't say he quite care about the poor. Sometimes people make a lot of noise about all these things. Oh, it's about the poor. It's about the, some of it is not because they really care about the poor.

[33:17] Judas said we can feed the poor with this alabaster thing that he wasn't, it wasn't the poor he cared about. It wasn't the poor he cared about.

[33:28] It wasn't the poor he cared about. It was his own convenience, political advantage, economic advantage he was thinking about. Sometimes people use their personal interests to ask their guidance for to speak out, to speak out against injustice, to speak out against this, but you know, it's not the poor he's thinking about.

[33:52] It's not the poor he's thinking about. His business is thinking about. So, it's very easy, it's very easy to, I'm about to say something else, it's very easy for us to work in delusion.

[34:08] So, we know we are genuine, but it takes a certain teaching to pick you out. And when your heart is open, you realize that, okay, I've always been thinking like that, but I think I'm wrong.

[34:21] That's why teachings are important. Because sometimes in the integrity of your heart, you are doing something, you think there's nothing wrong. Until a certain teaching comes, the Bible says the word of God is able to divide between the soul and the, Hebrew chapter 4, verse 12, able to divide between the soul and the spirit.

[34:41] Sometimes your soul can be so mixed up in your decision, you might think it's a spiritual decision, but it's full of your soul. But it takes the pure word to be able to separate, divide between your soul so you can tell, this is just my own mind.

[34:53] This is just my own feelings. Yes. And it's a designer of the intents of the thoughts. Yes. It's a designer of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. The word of God can be able to discern the thoughts and the intents of your heart.

[35:07] I want to marry her. What? What? It's because her father owned houses. That's why. You see, that is influencing you. Because of purpose.

[35:19] You want to marry her because of purpose. But you really don't like her because all your exes, they don't look like her. They are quite plummy.

[35:29] This one is so different. Or vice versa. Or they are tall. Or they are, you know, they are gone the way of Balaam, the son of Bozo, who, who, the prophet, look, the next verse, verse 16.

[35:50] But was rebuked for his iniquity. The damned as speaking with a man's voice, forbid the madness of the prophet. What is this you are doing?

[36:02] Can you imagine? An animal who couldn't speak for the first time, God opened their mouth. What are you doing? Why are you doing this? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? Jude 11.

[36:17] Woe unto them, for they have gone the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam. Did you see that? Balaam was referenced in quite a few places in the Bible.

[36:28] And in Revelation chapter 2, verse 14, it says that the teachings of Balaam, the teachings, you have, I have something against you, but I have a few things against you, because that has them that hold the teachings, doctrines of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, that they eat food sacrificed to any community.

[36:51] So, the teachings of Balaam, Balaam became a personality in the scripture that Bible always wants godly people away from. Now, he said, watch this, he said, false teachings produce a Balaamic atmosphere of oppression that you are actually going after again by you haven't realized it.

[37:13] at the expense of the right way by having realized it. So, it makes, false teachings can be so dangerous, it makes people become desensitized to the right way.

[37:28] So much that even when they forsake the right way, it's not a big problem for them. And they are very convinced that this is the only thing I have to do. This is the only thing I have to do for my peace.

[37:43] my wife does not take care of me. So, I think there's nothing wrong if I have somebody who cares about me to take care of me.

[37:54] I won't divorce, but at least I have to. You see, and it's very convinced, I'm telling you, very convinced. There are people who are professing by the full of lies.

[38:06] There are people who are using deception to try and grow a church, to try and keep you in church. So, even if your life is a way that is in the wrong way, they will use all kinds of means to make sure they are getting you so as long as they get the numbers and the money.

[38:23] There are a lot of... Why would somebody fake sickness and come and... Why do you go and pay people to come and fake sickness? Hey, I couldn't see, now I can't see, I'm healed. For goodness sake.

[38:36] Why would a pastor like... I don't even call a pastor. Why would somebody want to go to the voodoo man to go and get charms to now try and do miracles with it for the sake of a church?

[38:50] That cannot be a church. And how I... What beats my mind is, how can you who starts on a right note end up like that? You know, it's because of the doctrines you are beginning to feed.

[39:03] When you begin to feed on certain doctrines, with time, you begin to become desensitized to the right way. So much so that when you are going wrong, you don't see anything wrong with it.

[39:15] That is the problem. Then gain. When it happens like gain, gain becomes our guide. That becomes the philosophy of our approach to ministry.

[39:27] Gain. Gain. Gain. Gain. All I need is income. Money must flow, not impact. If you are thinking of going to ministry for financial gain, I think you should consider something else.

[39:44] Ministry is too unprofitable to do it for financial security. Unless you want to do it dodgily. Then you will be treading in the way of Balaam.

[39:54] The Balaamic territories. And I know those of you who have been in church a while, you know what I'm talking about. There have been people who have fallen prey to the way of Balaam. And they've said, the Bible says that for those who will be rich.

[40:07] It's about thou, O man of God. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 11. Verse 10 says that, but those who will be rich, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

[40:31] Look at the next verse. With many sorrows. Verse 11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

[40:44] Flee, and then he says, fight the good fight of faith. I think, look at the verse 9. It's the verse 9 I was looking for. I think I will go before. But then that will be rich, fall into temptation. Now, it doesn't mean if you are rich, you fall into temptation.

[40:58] No. If your heart is me, I have to make money. If all you live for is I have to make money. See, when you have a friend whose philosophy of life is I have to make money, I have to make money, you have to be careful.

[41:11] They might pollute you. I have to make money. I have to make, every time, how can I make more money? I have to make money. You have married a man who said I have to make money. You see a woman who says I want money, I want money, please don't marry her.

[41:23] I want money, don't marry her. Don't marry a woman who said what I want is money. You have to make money. I want to marry a rich man. Even if you are rich, even if you are rich, and you see, she said I want to marry a rich man, I want to marry a rich man.

[41:38] She will make you compromise on values. I have to make money. For those who set their hearts on life to make money, all they want is make money.

[41:49] Make money says what happens to them, even those in ministry. They fall into temptations and a snare and into many fully foolish and hurtful lusts which draw men into destruction.

[42:01] He said foolish and hurtful. How could you have ended this way? You are thinking, what happened to me? What was I thinking? How was I thinking?

[42:13] You are traveling to go and preach and because at the airport they treat you like a preacher, now you are putting cocaine in your bag to sell preachers.

[42:25] What are you looking for? a boy, what are you looking for? To expand the ministry. Is that to expand the ministry?

[42:41] Now let's leave preachers out. You yourself, you are also a preacher. Is it possible that I'm speaking to somebody who is compromising on some things? Compromising on the health of your marriage?

[42:53] Compromising on the health of your parenting? Because you really want to make money. Nowadays, things are cost of living is high.

[43:05] And our tests for material things, especially those of us who are so much into designer. Designer ways can really take a look.

[43:15] people. I'm not against it, please. I'm not against it. I'm not. Those who will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many, not only one of them.

[43:28] Many. Let me add the one. Is that okay? Is somebody receiving something? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[43:38] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. These are wells without water. Oh. So number one, they are unreasonable animals.

[43:49] Number two, spots and blemishes amongst the believers. Number three, they are forsaking or Balaam. They are like Balaam, right? They are like Balaam and forsaking the right way.

[44:00] Number four, they are like wells without water, mist driven by storm. Wells without water. Is there any problem with wells without water?

[44:12] Ah, ah. What's the meaning of, what's the importance of well? Well is supposed to have water now. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So what are you going to do with a well without water? Jude, verse 12.

[44:23] These are spots in your feasts of charity. When they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Clouds they are without water, carried about with wind.

[44:35] Trees whose fruits withereth without fruits, twice dead. Plucked up by the roots. That's what they are.

[44:47] Okay, what does it mean? Well without water. Trees without fruits. Clouds. The verse 17 again. It says that these are wells without water.

[44:58] Clouds that are carried with tempest. You know, when you live in an agricultural community and the rain-bearing clouds begin to show up, you are happy at least. You're going to have some rain.

[45:09] And this cloud comes and passes and you realize it didn't bring wind. Uh-oh. You are thirsty like Jesus went to the fig tree. You get to the well to drink this well.

[45:23] Oh, now finally found the well. And you try to drink this no water. He said, these teachers are like that. Ah, in what way are they like that?

[45:34] Watch this. Watch this. I said something, I think, last Thursday. Or if it wasn't a Thursday service, then just keep it to. I was, on Wednesday, I was telling them that, you see, we talk about teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching.

[45:51] But from Revelation chapter two, we see, we just saw, verse 14, the teachings of Balaam. In church, they embraced the teachings, so they also had teachings. The teachings of Balaam.

[46:05] And then when you go down to the verse 20 and 21, you see the teachings of Jezebel. So, teachings, if you're talking about teachings, these teachings, Jezebel's teachings, Balaam's teachings, and even verse 15, even the teachings of the Nicolaitans.

[46:24] The Nicolaitans. Don't ask me who they are. I've taught on this before, so you have to just. The Nicolaitans. So, we have four. The Balaamic teachings, Nicolaitanic teachings, Jezebelic teachings, and then the verse 24 of the same chapter, we have the Satan, Satan's teaching, the doctrine, who say they have not this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say.

[46:50] So, Satan also has doctrine. So, if you talk about just teachings, teachings, probably a lot of people can teach. But, oh, these teachers we are talking about, from 2 Peter chapter 2, from verse 1, it says that there were false prophets among them, there will also be false teachers amongst you.

[47:14] And watch this, it began to tell us about them, amongst you, even as they shall be false teachers, who privately bring indomitable heresies, even denying, denying the Lord that bought them, and bring them.

[47:29] So, the fundamental aspect of wrong teachings, it's my accepting the saviourhood of Jesus, but not the lordship of Jesus. Jesus, when we say Jesus is Lord, what he says is final.

[47:42] Whether you like it, you don't like it. You feel good about it, you don't feel good about it. Whether it's convenient or not convenient. That's what it means for Jesus to be your Lord, not your feelings, not your opinions, not your ideas, not your suppositions.

[47:56] So, then, when they teach, there's a kind of teaching that allows for you doing your own thing in spite of what Jesus would have wanted you to do. And he says that.

[48:09] So, these teachers, these Balaamic teachings, Nicolaitanic teachings, Jezebelic teachings, and Satanic teachings, they are occurring, these are all occurring in church.

[48:20] But you know what? they are like wells without water. What does that mean? There's a difference between teaching. Okay. What determines a godly teaching is the teaching that feeds you.

[48:36] Not teaching that just tells you things to know in your mind, but it feeds you something into your spirit. It feeds into your spiritual growth. It feeds into your spiritual development.

[48:48] It feeds your closeness to God. So, then when you listen to some teachers, after you keep hearing these teachings, it does not leave you still going down, down, down, down, in last.

[49:00] You can't keep listening to some teachers, you can't keep listening to them and still go into decline. You better run away from their teachings, then you can go into decline. But as long as you keep listening to them, if you are born again, it becomes a hard chore to comfortably slide down.

[49:17] because their teachings feed you. It feeds your spirit, man. But false teachers are like wells without water, clouds carried by tempests.

[49:31] They don't bring rain. They are like trees without fruits. The seed of God is not in the teaching. They might say the right words, but you are not getting hit by them.

[49:44] I'm not even just talking about conviction. I'm talking about something of God is being infused into you. If you are being smeared with something of God, on your inner mind.

[49:56] He said false teachers. And look at verse 18. They use swelling words, big big words, or good words, intellectual submission of their presentation. Very good.

[50:07] It will pass every test, every school. When they speak, you can tell this guy is well in it. This guy is good. He said, for when they speak great swelling words of vanity.

[50:18] He said, speaking nice words. The words that rhyme, the words that sound amazing. I'm not saying those things are good because I sometimes try to get them, but I don't get much of it.

[50:30] If I get it, I always use it. The little I get, I use it. So it's nice. But that is not the core of the matter. He said, they speak great swelling words. Great swelling ways.

[50:44] When they speak, the world, unbelievers and the world actually feel like, yeah, this guy is good. He's good. He's good. I love it. I mean, for unbelievers to say that, there are some of these speeches I don't like listening, but that guy, anytime listen, he's so encouraging.

[51:01] And unbelievers still stay unbelievers, but they feel I like this one because this one doesn't make you feel bad. Ah. Preaching, the objective of preaching is not to make someone feel bad, but it's to be able to, as I was teaching the other time, when we minister, watch this is a very important thing, when every Christian minister ministers, we are prophesying, when you are prophesying, you are speaking for God and you are speaking for God.

[51:29] So when you speak and people keep listening to you, if it's the spirit of God, then you end up downloading God into their system. And something changes. If the person was on the way to go and do something or disobey God, they might end up doing it, but with a lot of discomfort.

[51:47] With a lot of, because they've heard you. They've heard. The message is not just the intellectual aspect of the message, but the spiritual content. The spiritual, there's something spiritual.

[51:59] It's not tangible. It's not tangible. It's not, it's not bad when he spoke to us. Something was happening to us. We couldn't put our finger on it, but these words carry God. They speak great swelling words, great swelling words of vanity.

[52:19] They allure through lust of the flesh. That's what I was talking about. So there's something you actually, Judas actually wanted money. So when the preacher comes, they don't let us spend money on Jesus too much.

[52:31] Just think about the poor. Judas said, yeah, that's a good point. God will make seven people millionaires within the next two years. God is raising millionaires here.

[52:44] And you need to bring money now so that you can become a millionaire. You see, some time ago someone told me, Pastor, my biggest desire is to become a millionaire so I can help the church.

[52:58] I said, just go and give your tithe, give offering faithfully, start from where you want. There are some teachings that feed into lust. Some teachings feed into lust.

[53:10] And we all have lust. Look at me. I'm talking about you and I. You, you have lust. You, you do. You do.

[53:20] And some people have macho lust. But we have to be careful that we don't preach to feed into your lust.

[53:36] But you are looking for a justification. You are looking for a justification to divorce your wife. You are looking for a justification to divorce your husband. You are looking for a justification to fight your mother, to fight your father.

[53:48] You are looking for a justification to, somebody listening to me, to begin to, to attack your pastor who has helped you. You are looking for a justification. You are looking, so there are some teachings that will end up giving justification for an ungodly behavior.

[54:07] Swelling well. The lure, look at verse 18. Luring. Allure through the lust of the flesh. Through one tonness. You know one tonness.

[54:18] Looseness. One tonness. Through one tonness. Those that were clean escaped. Escape from them who live in us. You have clean escaped.

[54:29] Now you have come to church after clean escaping. There is this kind of preaching that is now beginning to lure you back. Lure you back. May God help us all.

[54:40] Amen. See, these teachers are like wells without water. Big, big wells. Big, big scriptures. Big, big theological ways. And everything.

[54:51] They know everything. But you know what? It doesn't carry the seed of God. Finish listening to them. You continue singing comfortably. Finish singing with them. You still keep bitterness.

[55:05] Hap of bitterness normally. No. After a year where God's word is to soften your heart. Amen. So, you know.

[55:16] You see, this kind of preaching, I don't like. I don't like. I don't like the preaching. I won't be surprised if you did. The way you are not looking for God. We are not in church to look for friends.

[55:31] Yes, yes, yes. We are in church to be the church. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. So, in conclusion, I thought I was going to land on the dogs.

[55:43] There's more, but maybe this is enough for now. So, brute beasts, two, they are sports in our emblems in our feet.

[55:56] Balaam, and they are like wells. I didn't say it. These are all people in church, teachers in church. And when I talk about church, I don't mean here, the body of Christ.

[56:11] That's why we have to be aware and one in Jesus' name. Did you receive something? Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry.

[56:23] 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.

[56:37]  Don't forget to share and subscribe to our podcast. so you're always up to date. Be blessed. Be blessed. you