Keep The Faith
Romans 16:17–20
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christbe with you. Amen.
Safeguarding Of The Truth
(Lengthy First point, very short final point)
Romans 16:17
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Isaiah speaks of a time when “Justice standeth afar off: For truth is fallen in the Streets, And equity cannot enter” (Isa 59:14)
Paul writes “For the time will come they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own hearts lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Tim 4:3)
Both of these men are speaking of Gods people, Gods own children having turned away from his truth and being turned unto fables….and I wonder are you going to be one of them?
This time period does not occur out of nowhere, so this is not an unreasonable question, because we already know that this has happened, is happening and will happen more.
The Bible speaks of the final Laodicean Church which fits perfectly with the contemporary church of today, stirring the lusts of Christians with 1.5 hrs of music fitting them for an altered state of consciousness and then delivering15 minute sermonette undiscerned for its error, and persuading the Christianettes ‘contrary to’ “Sound doctrine”.
Is that going to be you??? Is that you now at least in heart???
Paul wrote here to the Church that it would SAFEGUARD THE TRUTH, defend the WORD of Truth, even to “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) located in Rome. and to do so the Church would need to undertake two things;
- The First is that they might KNOW THE TRUTH.
- To “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine (teaching, Truth) which ye have learned; and avoid them”.
KNOW THE TRUTH
That first item is assumed, for you cannot recognize “divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine” UNLESS YOU KNOW THE DOCTRINE.
As mentioned before, the epistle to the Romans is the fullest exposition of the doctrine of the Gospel found anywhere in one place in the Bible. All that was written before this portion we are studying is DOCTRINE (teaching), which Paul presents as certain.
- Paul wrote it that the people may learn it.
- Paul wrote it that they may be taught by it.
- Paul wrote it that they might be effectual in teaching it that the souls of many might be saved.
- There is an eternal purpose in the doctrine, in the teaching of the scriptures.
- It is the DOCTRINE, the Truth of the scriptures that helps is grow in our joy and peace.
- It is this same DOCTRINE that motivates our love for the Lost
But if you don’t know what the truth is, HOW CAN YOU defend it?
If you do not KNOW the Doctrine, you simply cannot safeguard its TRUTH, and you certainly will never be able to IDENTIFY AND MARK those “who cause divisions and offences CONTRARY to the doctrine”.
Beloved why do you think there is so much error today?
Why do we even have the Laodicean Church and why is it the LAST CHURCH before Christ comes?
WHY DO YOU THINK THE WORLD ITSELF IS like ‘blind men who grope for a wall, groping as if we had no eyes, stumbling at noonday as in the night, in desolate places as dead men?” (Isa 59:10)
CHRISTIANS HAVE TURNED THEIR BACK ON TRUTH
HOW?
Paul answers it.
2 Timothy 4:3–4
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Beloved, Christians themselves will willingly turn away from the teaching of sound truth because they simply WILL NOT endure it.
Notice if you will please that the passage does not say ‘CAN NOT’, this is NOT a problem of ability, but of WILL.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine….; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
How many Christians do you think this passage describes perfectly today?
Beloved, you truly need to ask yourself it this is even speaking about you.
You might be sitting in a Church that teaches sound doctrine, but that does not mean you are enduring it. I can’t tell you how often I have preached and seen the ‘glazed over look’ of many.
Preaching to young people is by far the most evident today.
Most Millennials would much rather be entertained than corrected, and so it is no surprise to see the growth in that FINAL church system of Laodicea.
Beloved, truth has an effect of us.
We need to be taught the truth because we are all naturally in error. This means that the teaching and preaching of The Bible has the natural tendency of correcting us and most of us don’t like to be corrected. We foolishly and pridefully want to remain ignorant to our error because we think too highly of ourselves and so “will not endure sound doctrine”.
Is that you?
Do you listen and take on board the correction of others?
Your willingness to apologise for doing something wrong is the single greatest indicator of your willingness to be corrected.
Anyone every use to watch “Happy Days”? There was an episode when Arthur Fonzarelli, ‘The Fonz’ simply could not frame the word ‘sorry’. He tried and he tried but he just couldn’t do it for some time. “Sssssoo….”, continually snagged on the apology.
How many of you are like that?
I was speaking to a sister in the Lord last week and it was a blessing to hear how different people try to say sorry without saying they are sorry.
They suddenly become really nice to you.
They start doing things for you.
They take you out to buy candy.
Let me tell you, you who fit this description, NOTHING TAKES THE PLACE OF THE WORD, “Ssssorrry”.
It both reconciles the relationship, AND HUMBLES the heart. BUT IT DOES SO MUCH MORE.
It enables you to learn and know THE TRUTH, because you have accepted correction and it DIDN’T KILL YOU!!!
The Bible makes plain that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Job 28:28, Ps 111:10, Pr 9:10, Pr 15:33).
When you are willing to be corrected, and learn the truth, this “fear of the Lord is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE” (Pr 1:7, 1:29, Pr 2:5, Pr 9:10, Isa 11:2, Isa 33:6)
But if you will not endure sound doctrine and determine to be “wise in your own conceits” (Pr 26:12), rather than become wise, you become a fool beloved.
In the unwillingness to be corrected, especially by the Lord, you will always remain ignorant, and strangely enough, you will also always believe yourself to be wise.
You have essentially rejected the Lord and, ‘professing yourself to be wise, you became a fool’ (Rom 1:22).
This is a vital lesson beloved. Your willingness to learn the truth of the Bible transforms every other relationship. If you are willing to learn the doctrines, to be corrected from your own error, every other relationship becomes easier, why?
Because, in your HUMILITY you won’t get offended as easily.
Because, in your HUMILITY you won’t think of yourself higher than you ought to think.
Sadly, that is evidently easier said than done, and the final Laodicean Church of today proves it.
THE SECOND THING the Church will need to undertake is;
mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
“Mark them”, that is, IDENTIFY THEM, watch them, observe them “which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them”.
Learning the doctrine is a blessing because it protects you personally. YOU CAN’T GET DECEIVED when you know the doctrine. But you MUST identify those who do teach error that is contrary to the truth.
A bank teller is taught to identify the genuine article when cash is presented for deposit.
She does not need to get shown ALL the counterfeits, all she/he needs to do is familiarize themselves with the TRUTH, the genuine cash item.
Having done so, she not only protects the Bank, but when she is handed a counterfeit, she takes it out of circulation to protect others.
So too it is for us. We learn the doctrine, then we MARK those who teach a false doctrine for the sake of others.
THIS IS NOT ONLY AMONG CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BELOVED!
Why do you think we are spending time at the end of each month IDENTIFYING the 12 Apostles of the secular world????
These ALL PREACH A FALSE GOSPEL and yet multitudes have believed them.
The greatest question you REALLY WANT TO ASK YOURSELF IS, Why have such men risen to prominence?
Do you think Christians diligently OBEYED Romans 16:17 historically?
Far too many Christian “Pastors” who serve their OWN belly have risen up creating doubt in Gods words and never been CHECKED! Long have they been permitted by congregations to wisper Satans original lie and first ever question that led to the entire fall of mankind, “Hath God said…?” (Gen 3:1)
Men who have fallen away from trusting the Bible that is in our hands, leading us to ANOTHER FINAL AUTHORITY that only they themselves can guide us in. Today we have apostate fundamentalists who now point to an original that does not exist, to change the words of your Bible that does. Just like the serpent in the garden, all they need to do is cause doubt.
MARK THEM, AVOID THEM…
But this cannot be done unless you first KNOW the doctrine.
QUESTION
This is a personal question..
Will you be one of those that Paul speaks of that will not endure sound doctrine?
Will you be one of those though whom “Truth is fallen in the streets”?
Did you see what happened this week?
A man who was a Christian was not permitted to hold a high-level job because of his faith. Do you think that happened in a vacuum?
When “sound doctrine” is no longer safeguarded OR regarded by Christians, the loss of truth will end up hurting the world until it comes back against those who should have taught it and marked those who teach contrary.
Parents are not even willing to MARK and AVOID those who teach their children today, now we have all manner of EVIL promoted as GOOD.
Deception Of The Simple
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
“The simple” are those not yet wise to the truth. These are not necessarily always regarded negatively in the Bible, for it speaks this way also of the young, the immature, those who have not yet grown in understanding.
Proverbs 1:4
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Psalm 19:7
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalm 119:130
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
But, the Bible does speak negatively of them when they SHOULD have already grown in wisdom and maturity.
Proverbs 1:22
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 8:5
5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
Proverbs 14:18
18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs 22:3
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
This is why today we find so many men and women who are really no different to what they were when they were teenagers…just older but not wiser. There are a multitude of fifty-year-old fifteen year olds out there today.
No wisdom, no maturity, they remain fools because they already knew everything when they were teenagers so they cannot be taught anything since respecting wisdom.
Only the humble receive wisdom, the proud of heart won’t receive it.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
To deceive the simple is NOT difficult, all you need to do is tell them what they want to hear.
Bill Hybels is known as the father of the Church Growth Movement that effectively transformed Churches into business models. What was his theory?
“Give them what they want”.
He gave his church at Willow Creek surveys and, well, gave them what they wanted?
What they didn’t want was doctrine. They simply would not endure it.
“Feel Good messages” was the rule of the day and there began in earnest the Laodicean Church that many still want to be a part of.
Bill Hybels is now a disgraced pastor, found by Willow Creek Church to be guilty of Sexual Misconduct over a period of decades by a number of women connected to the Church[1].
Those who cause divisions have a primary motive for doing so, they serve their own belly.
- Whatever it is they desire it is for the fulfillment of their own lusts.
- They desire the lifting up of their own pride.
- They do what they do because there is profit in it.
- This is no different to the bulk of the politicians of today, the bulk of the journalists of today, IN FACT, it is difficult to know where to draw the line;
- The bulk of the Doctors of today have only their pockets as their primary concern, NOT the Patient. We KNOW this is true because when they were given a NO-FAULT INDEMNITY by the government, they began actually RECOMENDING THE VACCINE many became the EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS OF.
Was their main concern our health? No. They served their own belly!
The Vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer, Merch, Johnson and Johnson, Astrazeneka etc, ALL OF THESE COMPANIES have been fined and paid out in settlements billions of dollars in recent years. Criminal costs also level against them (no one ever goes to jail).
Merch’s VIOXX pain killer was blamed for 3400 deaths and they paid out just under $7 billion dollars in settlements through no less than 265 class action cases.
Pfizer set a record for the largest health care fraud in history and the largest criminal fine of any kind at $2.3 million dollars.
They serve their own bellies
Scientists discover things the GRANT givers want them to discover. “They serve their own bellies”
Bankers ‘serve their own bellies’
Lawyer….lawyers… like those above, some are good but most ‘serve their own bellies”
And sadly, tragically, many Pastors.
Heretical teachers such as;
- B. Bell, Rob; Bentley, Todd; Brown, Rodney Howard; Bickle, Mike
- C. Copeland, Kenneth; Crouch, Paul; Collins, Jill; Compolo, Tony; Colson, Chuck;
- D. Driscoll, Mark
- E. Erre, Mike;
- F. Foster, Richard;
- G. Gumbel, Nickey;
- H. Hinn, Benny; Hagan, Kenneth; Hill, Steve; Hybels, Bill; Hickey, Marilyn:
- J. Jakes, T. D.; Jacobs, Cindy; Joyner, Rick;
- K. Kreeft, Peter;
- L. Lamb, Joni and Marcus;
- M. Moore, Beth; McLaren, Brian; Myers, Joyce; Myers, Joyce Myers, Joyce , Manning, Brennan; McManus, Erwin;
- O. Osteen, Joel;
- P. Prince, Joseph; Pagitt, Doug; Prince, Derrick; Peterson, Eugene
- R. Roberts, Oral (and Richard);
- S. Schuller, Robert (and son Robert Jr.); Sweet, Leonard;
- White, Paula; Warren, Rick; Winfry, Opra;
These, together with every single Pope in history, every single COVENENTALIST PREACHER, all the cults, Jehovahs Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons etc,
SERVE NOT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, BUT THEIR OWN BELLY.
and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
We have all heard them, we have heard all those speeches, all those good words by people trying to sell you a false bill of goods.
They are never specific, they are never clear, but they sound good.
As far as the public sector of the world is concerned, we are living in the Orwellian period of history where words have lost their meaning and say the opposite of what they mean.
“Safe Schools” which has nothing to do with safety, but takes our children down a rabit hole of sexual depravity never before tolerated in a civil society.
Words such as “Transition” has today lost its meaning, so too has the word “Gender” been divorced from its biological root. “Privilege” also seems to mean something completely different and no person in the world is able to fully comprehend what “Inclusivity” means or when we get there. When the use of the word “Equality” is framed by Globalist Elites, we are again both unsure as to its meaning and to how we can know we have arrived at the goal. Sustainability is yet another one of those “good words” that are added to the “fair speeches” that makes the simple all feel good about themselves.
Being able to trach your “carbon footprint” seems to have nothing to do with bushwalking, and “healthcare” has taken on the opposite meaning to what it says.
Speaking of abortion, that word too is employed to make the killing the most innocent of all people, an act that numbs the conscience and wreaks havoc on the guilt of the mother.
A woman has the “right to choose” what is done to her body say they, but the body of the baby is left out of the conversation.
They make the conscious choice of using the Latin word “Fetus” in place of the English word Baby or Small Child to take the mind away from the nature of the that which dies by the choice of the mother.
All these are just a tiny fraction of the multitude of “Good words and fair speeches” which have on goal and one goal only, and that is to “deceive the heart of the simple”.
Well sadly such good words and fair speeches are not limited to the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, Klaus Schwab or Daniel Andrews; they also make their way into Churches, to turn away the brethren from the faith once delivered to the saints, with the ultimate end of hindering the gospel.
But can you recognize such things and people when it occurs?
Paul spoke to the churches of Galatia who were deceived greatly and turning to the Law to grow in the faith rather than Christ.
Galatians 3:1–5
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
But if you do not know the word of God you too will be just as easily bewitched.
There are 27 books in the New Testament, all but one directly warn of false teachers and deceivers.
Paul spoke to the elders of the Church of Ephesus in
Acts 20:29–31 Saying;
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
But this is a picture of those who are drawn away of their own lusts. Those who rather turn to have their ears scratched and their preferences fulfilled.
We have had many who have come to this church and have not remained because they “prefer” peripherals and not substance.
We have had people directly leave because the music does not suit them.
People left because there was no drum beat, no electric guitar, no contemporary back beat or lustful tones to put them into their altered state of consciousness so they can remain blissfully ignorant of sin and “feel good about themselves”.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers…
They will leave one church after another until they find the man with the “good words and fair speeches”, like the Israelites in Isaiah.
Isaiah 30:10
10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
These are “the simple” so easily deceived by “good words and fair speeches”
[1] https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/03/01/willows-verdicts-in-bill-hybels-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-and-verbal-abuse-of-men-and-women/
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