In the sermon titled 'The Love of the Truth' by Jason Dohm, the central theme revolves around the necessity of loving the truth in the face of deception. The sermon explores a passage from 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul discusses the coming of Jesus and the events that precede it, notably the revelation of the man of lawlessness and a significant apostasy. The sermon identifies God as the restraining force preventing the revelation of the lawless one, who will be empowered by Satan to perform signs and wonders. However, these deceptions will only succeed among those who do not love the truth. The sermon emphasizes that loving the truth means embracing Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of truth. Failure to love the truth leads to delusion and condemnation. The sermon draws on various biblical texts, including Acts, Deuteronomy, and Romans, to illustrate the counterfeit nature of Satanic wonders and the importance of distinguishing true allegiance to God. It concludes with an exhortation to believers to grow in their love for the truth and to be wary of falling into deception.

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned, who do not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Heavenly Father, I pray that you will open our hearts and open our ears this morning. Please help us to be good hearers of your word and help us not to be only good hearers, but help us to be doers of your word.

Please be with Jason. Please speak through him and minister to our souls. In Jesus' name. Amen. The title of the sermon this week is, The Love of the Truth.

It's a phrase lifted right out of verse 10. I believe the passage really revolves around this thought. Let's come up to speed with where we are in chapter 2. In verses 1-4 of the chapter, we learn that false teaching has entered into the church. This false teaching was that the day of Christ had already come.

But our authors say, no, that's not even possible. There are two things that have to happen before Jesus is going to return. The first thing is the falling away. This gigantic apostasy or rebellion against God. And secondly, the man of sin or the man of perdition must be revealed.

And so those things haven't happened. They must happen before Jesus returns. Therefore, Jesus cannot have returned. We haven't missed it. And then in verses 5-7, which was last week's text, our authors teach us that there is a restraining influence.

In verse 6, this restrainer is called what, and in verse 7, this restrainer is called he. So, in verse 6, it's impersonal, but in verse 7, it is called a he, and The translators have chosen to make it capital H-E, indicating that it's God. That's an informed guess, but it is a guess nonetheless. I do think our translators have gotten it right. It is God Himself, God the Holy Spirit, who is restraining.

There are other views on that. In any case, this man of lawlessness cannot be revealed yet, because this restraining influence stands in the way. At some point this restraining influence will be taken out of the way, and then the man of lawlessness will be revealed. It seems like we're building to a climax. There's going to be a great, decisive confrontation between good and evil, but it's not that at all.

What we find is that we've been building towards an anticlimax. The man of lawlessness is revealed, and the Lord Jesus consumes him with the breath of his mouth and destroys him with the brightness of his coming. End of story, period. And then we'll go live with him forever and we'll marvel at him for eternity. And so Paul really just skips to the end.

And He's going to come back to talking about some things about the man of lawlessness, and what he'll be like, what he will do once he's been revealed. But Paul wants us to know there is no decisive victory, or there is no end that hangs in the balance between good and evil. There is only the Lord Jesus Christ who is the King of kings and is the Lord of lords. And the man of lawlessness will be no match for him. When Jesus returns, he'll just consume him with the breath of his mouth.

Period. And that's wonderful news for us. Now in verses 9-12, we learn more about the lawless one. Who empowers him? Why people believe him?

What happens to those who do believe Him? That's what we'll be covering today in our text. As we go to the text, let's go to the text in prayer. Oh God, I pray that we would be a people who love the truth. And I love the one who is the truth, our Lord Jesus Christ, that our hearts would burn for Him.

That we would love Him with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our mind, and all of our strength. Every affection of our heart fixed upon Him. Jesus, you are worthy of that kind of love and devotion from your people. We know we have to grow in this. We know we have to learn this.

So I thank you that you have brought us to this text. I pray that this would result in an increase of love for you in our hearts. Thank you that you are the great victor, that this man of lawlessness which we read about, which could bring such anxiety among your people, there's no need for it. You will consume Him with the breath of your mouth and with the brightness of your coming. Thank you for the promises of Scripture in Jesus' name.

Amen. So there are four verses. I'd just like to break them up two and two. So I'd like to begin by reading, you can follow along, I'll be reading 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10 and then we'll consider those verses. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy write, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved." Here in these two verses, we see that the lawless one does not work in his own strength.

If you're filling in blanks on the handout, it's work strength. The lawless one does not work in his own strength. I'd like to draw out three points from verses nine and ten. Here's the first point. Satan is the power behind the man.

There's going to be a man, the man of lawlessness. He's been called The man of sin or the son of perdition, earlier in the chapter here he's called the man of lawlessness. Satan is the power behind the man. Now, just as a reminder from last week's text, Satan does not have a free hand here. Satan has been restrained for 2, 000 years and counting from revealing the man of lawlessness.

Satan would like nothing better than for the man of lawlessness to be revealed to the world, for this gigantic apostasy to be brought on, this rebellion against God. But he's been restrained for 2, 000 years. And the count goes on. I don't believe these things have been fulfilled. I believe they're future.

This restraining influence that we studied last week has been holding back what Satan wanted to do. Satan does not have a free hand, but Satan is the power behind the man of lawlessness. The man of lawlessness is not just a crafty man. Not just an insightful man. Not just a mighty man.

Not just a man who understands how to pull the right levers to come to power. This is a Satan possessed man. The text doesn't say that in so many words, but it's clearly implied. I would just like to say, if there's ever been a Satan possessed man, the man of lawlessness is him. We read about Satan possessed men, or demon possessed men in the Gospels, and how much more so this man.

There are evidences of it. There are evidences that It is Satan that is enabling this man. We are told in the text that he is. But also we see this phrase, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. So This Satan possessed man is going to be revealed.

He's going to come on the scene. And it is going to be with all power and signs and lying wonders. I want you to consider Acts chapter 2 verse 22. Acts chapter 2 is Pentecost. It's God sending the Spirit into the world in a different way, in a more comprehensive way, in an indwelling way into his people.

On this day, Peter preaches a fantastic sermon. Here's one of the things he says in this sermon in Acts 2, verse 22. Men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know." Then he goes on to continue to talk about Jesus. Peter points to the miracles, the wonders, and the signs that Jesus did as proof that God was working through him. He's authenticating the teaching of Jesus by points to the miracles that they were witnessed to and says, you have to attribute Jesus to God.

And The same is said of the apostles in the New Testament in multiple places. One of those is Hebrews 2, verse 4, if you want to look it up later. It's a very similar language to say, the apostles did miracles. That means their teaching was from God. Their teaching was from God, and their miracles were from God.

What we're seeing in our text is that this is a counterfeit form of that. This is Satan counterfeiting and authenticating his man of lawlessness by showing that he has power. He has the ability to do signs and wonders. That's what a sign is. It signifies something.

In Jesus' case, and in the Apostles' case, it signified that they were from God and their teaching was from God. This is not new. We see this in the Bible long before the New Testament. For instance, in Exodus chapter 7, we see the Egyptian wise men and sorcerers duplicating miracles up to a point. They are able to do what Moses and Aaron are able to do up to a point.

And then Moses and Aaron finally leave them in the dust. They can't keep up. But Exodus chapter 7 begins with the Egyptian wise men and sorcerers able to do supernatural things to counterfeit what God is doing. In fact, this is such a reality that God tells His people how to deal with this in Deuteronomy chapter 13. So I'd like to ask you to turn there.

Turn your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 13. This is such a reality, Satan counterfeiting what God does, Satan authenticating the work of his servants. Like God authenticates his prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles through signs and wonders. This is such a reality that God tells His people how to deal with it in Deuteronomy 13. I'd like to read verses 1-5.

Read along with me. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder. And the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice. You shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst." In giving these instructions to his people, God is acknowledging that people are going to come and do the counterfeit things. And Deuteronomy 13 says, even if those things come to pass, their prophecies come to pass, or they actually do signs and wonders, but they're saying let's go after other gods whom you've not known.

It's a test from God. To know whether you really love God. To know whether you will really follow and obey the God who makes exclusive claims. That's what this is about. So, it's our job not simply to sort out fraud from real.

Do you get that? Deuteronomy 13 says there will be counterfeit signs and wonders that are real. So it's not enough to say, we've got to figure out whether this is a sleight of hand, whether this is just a trick, whether it's a fraud or real. No, Deuteronomy 13 says it might be real. What are they saying?

Now back to 2 Thessalonians 2. What will the man of lawlessness be saying? He'll be saying, I am God. He'll be testing loyalty to God through His signs and wonders. Through His signs and wonders.

So our job is not just to sort out fraud from real, but our job is to sort out of God or not of God. You'll know that by their fruit. By the fruit of their lips and by the fruit of their lives. Satan is real. The power is real.

We're in America, we don't believe that stuff. We believe that the only way for there to be a quote unquote sign or wonder is for somebody to do a sleight of hand. Magician tricks. That's not what 2 Thessalonians is saying. It's saying that the coming of the lawless one will be according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and wonders.

A real Satan enabling a man with real power and doing real, though counterfeit, signs and wonders. I'm not saying that it's beyond the man of lawlessness to pull a fast one. I think you'll be doing some fraudulent things, but you won't be able to discount all that the man of lawlessness does by saying that was a sleight of hand. That was a magician's trick. It will be a real Satan giving him real power to do real signs and wonders.

Jesus said this in Matthew 24, verse 24. Listen to Jesus in Matthew 24, 24. Matthew 24, verse 24, for false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, Even the elect. Well, we learn it's not possible. That's why he says, if possible.

But Satan is targeting the Lord's people to deceive them with great signs and wonders. How do we know? Because Jesus said so. Good enough for me. Because Satan will be the power behind the man.

There will be real power, real signs, and real, though lying, wonders. That's what our text calls it. Lying wonders. Wonders to prop up the lies. That's point number one.

Satan is the power behind the man. A real Satan giving real power to the man of lawlessness. Point number two. The deception works on those who do not receive the love of the truth. It works.

It's going to be deceiving. And the deception works on those who do not receive the love of the truth." It works! It's going to be deceiving, and the deception works on those who do not receive the love of the truth. That's what our text says. This unrighteous deception, or this wicked seduction, that's really the sense of unrighteous deception.

There's a wicked seduction. There's a drawing into falsehood that's going to happen. And It's going to work. It is going to draw many, many, many into the falsehood. Wrap them into the falsehood.

It's a wicked seduction. It's going to work on those who perish. Why must they perish? Because they did not receive the love of the truth. That's why they are those who will perish.

Because they did not receive the love of the truth. Now they didn't receive the truth. They didn't believe, but that's not what the text says. The text says they didn't receive The love of the truth. That goes hand in hand with not receiving the truth, but it's something on top of not receiving the truth.

They didn't receive the love of the truth. Now I think Proverbs chapter 1 is going to help us understand this. So turn to Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1, this is a chapter to his son. Proverbs chapter 1, I'd like to begin reading in verse 10 and read through the end of the chapter.

Follow along. Proverbs 1 verse 10. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.

Let us swallow them alive like sheol and whole like those who go down to the pit. We shall find all kinds of precious possessions. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast in your lot among us. Let us all have one purse.

My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path. For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird, but they lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners." Now this is a description of lawlessness. It's just a description of lawlessness. That's the connection to our text. Now let's keep reading.

Now Proverbs chapter 1, we're in verse 20 now. Wisdom calls aloud outside. She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses at the openings of the gates in the city. She speaks her words.

How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners Delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke. Surely I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make my words known to you.

Because I have called and you have refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded. Because you disdained all my counsel and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your terror comes. When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer.

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge, and did not choose to fear the Lord. They would have none of my counsel, and despise my every rebuke. Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. Whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure without fear of evil." Solomon here puts forward, he personifies wisdom.

He turns wisdom into a woman who is crying out, Love me! Embrace me! I'll protect you! I'll help you! And there's the fool.

We'll have none of it. We'll have none of the rebukes of wisdom. And at some point, wisdom withdraws the offer so that then when calamity comes and the fool looks for wisdom, wisdom is no longer extending her hand. This is what we have in our text. This is the person who will not receive the love of the truth.

Wisdom has held out her hand and said, Love me! Embrace me! I'll help you. I'll protect you. But they would not love the truth.

They would rather have falsehood. Those are your choices. What's the other option? If you won't love the truth, what are you left with? Now, how does Jesus fit into this?

Jesus is The truth. Jesus not only tells the truth, but He always told the truth. But it's more than that. The Bible says Jesus is the truth. John 14 verse 6.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. What Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy are talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2 is gospel truth. It's not the Pythagorean theorem. You can forget your math formulas and still be okay if you're in Christ.

This is Gospel truth. The Word of God is the truth, and Jesus is the sum of the Word of God. He is the summary of it all. Everything before the Gospels points to the Gospels and Jesus. His life, His death, His resurrection.

Everything after it is just the fullness of Jesus and His teaching. The Bible is about Jesus. I said the Bible is truth, but if you want to sum up the Bible, you can do it in one word, Jesus. So Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy don't develop it further here and say, they didn't love Jesus, but make no mistake, this is about the affections of the heart. Those who love truth, we're talking about gospel truth here.

You have to love Christ to love truth. They're synonymous. It means the same. You can't embrace the truth without embracing Christ. You cannot embrace Christ without embracing His work for sinners.

This is about the affections of the heart. Not just your mind accepting some facts from the Bible. That's different than receiving the love of the truth. Do you see how that is? It's one thing to say, seems accurate enough.

Seems accurate enough is not saving faith. It can never be saving faith. That's not loving the truth. So we shouldn't wait till the end to apply this. We must ask ourselves, have I received the love of the truth?

Have I gone way beyond that seems accurate enough? Yeah, seems like people are sinners, seems like Jesus died, and if he didn't sin He could be a substitute. It's not enough to say that makes sense. Do you love the truth? Have you received the love of the truth.

Wisdom is calling out, love me, embrace me. I'll help you. I'll protect you. Have you sent her away? Have you scorned her?

Or do you love the truth? Those in the text had not received the love of the truth. The text says that they are perishing. When they might have been saved, that they may be saved. Isn't that the word of the text?

Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might have been saved had they received the love of the truth. So point number one was Satan is the power behind the man. Point number two was the deception works on those who do not receive the love of the truth. Point number three, this is deception. Meaning the man of lawlessness is not selling lawlessness as lawlessness.

Now you'll see that in the world, but it's rare. The one who says, We all know it's wrong, but let's do the wrong. And we'll go to hell, and hell will just be a party. You can find some people who will say that. I heard that at OutRally.

I heard that come out of a man's mouth at OutRally. That's not what 99% of the people engaged in the homosexual lifestyle are saying. They're not saying, we all know it's wrong, but we'll do what's wrong, and we'll take the consequences, and we'll just make hell a party. What are they saying? How dare you call it wrong?

There's not a thing wrong with it. That's what lawlessness is selling. I'm not lawless. You're just wrong about the law. This is deception.

That is what our text is teaching us. Meaning that the man of lawlessness is not selling lawlessness as lawlessness. Paul speaks so clearly to this in 2 Corinthians 11. This is another one worth turning to. Turn to 2 Corinthians 11.

Paul just nails it with such clarity in 2 Corinthians 11, I'll be reading verses 13-15, Paul writes, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." This is how it's going to work with the man of lawlessness. Just as Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and holds himself forth as something beautiful and desirable. The man of lawlessness is not going to say, come saying, let's all wallow in the mud.

He's going to say, that's not mud. He's going to call good evil. And he's going to call evil good. I think this is so powerfully on display in the new sin that's being pushed, homosexuality. We're way past the days where the story is, it's wrong but we don't care, we're going to do it anyway.

We're full on into redefinition of the terms, where the new story is, that's not mud. So when we see the phrase in our text, according to the working of Satan, it's not only with the power of Satan, it does mean that, but it means more than that. It also means with the tactics of Satan. This is a transformation into an angel of light. Satan does it and his ministers do it.

They put themselves forward as righteous apostles. So it will be with the man of lawlessness. The man of lawlessness will know all the devil's tricks. Eve, it's not bad to eat the fruit, it's good to eat the fruit. These are old tricks.

These are the tricks we can expect from the man of lawlessness. That's what lawlessness is. It's the redefinition of the terms. Back to our text. 2, verses 11 and 12.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." In this section we have What happens to those who will not receive the love of the truth? So if you're filling in the blank on the handout, the blank is on the handout, it's will not receive. What happens to those who will not receive the love of the truth? Wisdom has cried out and said, Love me, embrace me. And they say, No, I have none of you.

I will not hear your rebukes. There are two things that our text says happens to those who will not receive the love of the truth. Number one, God sends them strong delusion. Can you believe that? It is in the Bible.

It's pretty hard to deny. How are we going to wiggle out of this one? We know that God doesn't lie. The Bible says in multiple places, God cannot lie. And yet here in this text we have them, God, sending them strong delusion.

Here's the first thing I would say. This is a response to those who will not receive the love of the truth. In other words, we're given the order in the text. And It's not that God sends the strong delusion and so they will not receive the love of the truth. Nope, it's exactly the opposite of that.

It's that They will not receive the love of the truth, and so God sends them the strong delusion. Look at the text. For this reason, God will send them strong delusion. What reason? They will not receive the love of the truth.

So God, in response to the rejection, sends the strong delusion. Truth is offered. Truth is rejected. Because there's no affection for it. There's no heart for it.

I think it would make sense to think a minute about the parable of the soils, and how this fits with our text. In the parable of the soils, it seems like the truth is received. But time and circumstances prove it to be something else. Within what we're studying here, and not receiving the love of the truth, there can be a temporary embracing of truth. But there's no heart for it.

There's no love for it. So it It's not last, it's only temporary. Turn to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. Just throws a floodlight on what we're talking about when we consider God sending strong delusions so that they'll believe a lie.

Romans chapter 1, beginning in 18, Follow along. Paul writes, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal head, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and foolish hearts were darkened.

Professing to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness, Sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, back-biters, haters of God, violent, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them." Listen again to some of the words from that text. The end of verse 20 and the beginning of verse 21. They are without excuse, Because although they knew God, they did not worship Him as God, nor were thankful that became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This is the darkening of the thoughts. After not worshiping God as God and not being thankful, the result is a darkening of mind. Verse 24, Therefore God also gave them up. Verse 25, Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie. Verse 26, For this reason God gave them up.

Verse 27, Receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due. Verse 28, God gave them over to a debased mind. Verse 32, who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. We're going to come to that in our text, where those spoken of in our text take pleasure in unrighteousness. That's exactly what verse 32 is saying.

Those who will not receive the love of the truth will be judged by God with strong delusion. It's a judgment from God. It's a giving over to a debased mind. But I'll repent tomorrow. You see what a dangerous game that is to say, I'll repent tomorrow.

I'll reject the calls of wisdom just for one more day. Just for one more week. Just for one more month. You fool. That's why the Bible says with such clarity, Today is the day of salvation.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as they did in the wilderness. Psalm 95. Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your heart. If the love of the truth is being extended to you today, receive the love of the truth. Don't think it will be extended to you tomorrow.

Don't presume it will be. God is full of mercy. We know that's true. That's in the Bible. But if you think you can presume upon the mercy of God, you're a fool.

Here's something that Matthew Henry says in commenting on this that I found really helpful. Matthew Poole says, God in Scripture is often said to do that which He permits to be done. Read that again. God in Scripture is often said to do that which He permits to be done. And it is not a bare permission for what evil God permits, He decreed to permit it.

And He decreed the circumstances attending it, and the end to which He would order and dispose it, and the degree to which it should break forth. What's Matthew Poole doing here? What's this comment about? He's looking at verses like 2 Corinthians 4. Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

2 Corinthians 4 says, The God of this age has blinded those to whom the gospel is veiled. So which is it? Is it God sending strong delusion Or is it the little G God of this age speaking of Satan? Is it him who is blinding? What Matthew Poole is saying, don't differentiate.

Satan is just a tool in the hand of God, like we saw last week with Job. When men and women and children reject and reject and reject and harden their hearts against the offer of loving the truth, God reserves the right to give them over to a debased mind. There Satan is waiting. So Satan's man is selling, and certain ones are buying. Why are they buying?

Because they would not receive the love of the truth, God gives them over to a debased mind. Their minds are darkened. The most wretched state is to be a natural man being given over to what you want. That's really what's being described. And it is the most wretched state.

Be careful what you wish for. You want to have all that you want? You better hope you're not in the natural state. The natural state means I was born but I haven't been born again. If you've been born, if you've been given a life but you haven't yet been born again, you do not want to be given over to just pursue your inclinations uninhibited.

It's the most wretched state to be in because your inclinations will only take you down the road to destruction. Your inclinations will never put you on a narrow path that leads to life. Never. And that's what makes the grace of God in Jesus Christ so incredibly wonderful. I don't say wonderful, tritely.

I mean wonder at it. Marvel at the grace of God. Who would reach in to the life of a natural man. I'm not using that in a gender specific way at all. A natural person, a person who's been born but hasn't been born again.

Whose inclinations are always against God. Who is always worshipping self and defying God. And God reaches into that. And claims a sinner through the blood of Jesus Christ. And The work of reconciliation is only grace.

It's only God. It's all God. In seeing the description of those who are perishing, of those who just will not have the love of the truth. And we're left to think of, how can that not be me? The grace of God is the answer to that question.

If not for the grace of God, you would never receive the love of the truth. You would never. When wisdom cries out to you and says, Love me! Embrace me! You would never embrace wisdom.

You would always scoff at her rebukes. So in seeing this wretched condition of those who are perishing, who will not receive the love of the truth, Christians should marvel at the grace of God in Jesus Christ, who has saved them from that. Only God can save you from that. That was the first point. God sends them strong delusion.

Secondly They are condemned. They did not believe the truth. They had no love for it. But instead of loving the truth, they had pleasure in unrighteousness. So we're right back to the affections of the heart.

Instead of the truth, they loved their natural unrighteous pleasures. Right back to Romans chapter 1, the last verse, verse 32. They not only did these things, they approved of those who practiced them. They took delight in their unrighteous pleasures. They could have loved the truth that would have saved them.

But their pleasure was in their natural unrighteous inclinations. I'd like to end at John chapter 3. This is the last place we'll go and then we'll end. John chapter 3. John chapter 3, Jesus' teaching.

This is some of the most famous territory in the Bible. John chapter 316, We're going to read that. It's about how to be saved, but it's also about how to be lost. And why people are lost. Jesus In John chapter 3, I'll begin in verse 13 and read through verse 21.

John chapter 3 verse 13, Jesus says, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God." God didn't send Jesus to condemn the world. Those who believe in Jesus will not be condemned. They'll have eternal life. But those who do not believe, they're condemned already.

Because there's no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. It is in the name of Jesus Christ. You don't believe in Him, you're condemned already because you have not believed. And why wouldn't you believe? Because of my childhood.

Because of my disadvantages. Because it was never clearly explained to me. No, because you love darkness. That's what the Bible says about unbelievers. It's not any of that other stuff.

Those are crutches that will never stand before God in the judgment. Those who will not believe savingly on the Lord Jesus Christ, only withhold their belief because they love darkness. It's another way of saying they would not receive the love of the truth. They love darkness. They want nothing to do with light.

This is the language of love and hate. It's the language of 2 Thessalonians 2 also, has to do with the affections of the heart. If there's anything to press home here, it's the throwing off of an intellectual-only faith. The that-makes-sense faith. Oh, the Gospel makes sense.

It makes perfect sense. But if All you have is that makes sense. There is no love in your heart for the truths of the Gospel. You are not yet converted. Three applications.

Number one, give the devil his due. I knew you'd be awake if I said something controversial. Give the devil his due. Have you ever heard a preacher say that? Maybe.

Here's what I mean. The devil is not our king. Of course not. But he is real. Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.

Yes, but the devil is in the world. That's the other side of that verse. The devil is in the world. He is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He would deceive even the elect if he could.

The malice is real. The power is real. When we read about the man of lawlessness and the power behind him, we should run to the arms of Christ. This is not a place for the strength of man. This is not a place for the strength of man.

Give the devil his due. He's not the king, but he's real. The malice is real. The power is real. We must walk in the Spirit of God, trusting in Christ.

2. Don't just Believe the truth. Love it and be saved. Yes, believe the truth. But love the truth.

It is lovely. May God show it to you. If God's never shown you the loveliness of the truth. And so far for you, it just seems to make sense. But there's no affection of the heart towards it.

May God give you an affection for it. May God show you The loveliness of the truth because Jesus is the sum total of the truth. Jesus is the sum total of the Bible. And He is lovely. You're not doing the truth a favor by loving it.

You love the truth because you see the beauty of Jesus. That is how people love the truth. They see a pearl of great price and then all of a sudden everything else is worth selling for joy over it. You sell it. All that you have to have it.

To have Christ in all of His beauty. All who have Christ only have Him because of His beauty. Because they've seen it, and they desire it, and they love it. That's what it means to receive the love of the truth. Number three, are you deceived?

Here's what I mean. Have you received the love of the truth, or is your pleasure in unrighteousness? These are the affections of the heart that are set before us in 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 9-12. Two objects of affection. Do you love the truth or is your pleasure in unrighteousness?

Is that really what you love? I have to be careful to preach this to tender consciences. I'm the other way. My conscience needs to be sharpened up. But there are tender consciences out there who will hear this and say, No, I still do have pleasure in unrighteousness.

I must be outside the kingdom. To that I would say, not necessarily. I know in my heart of hearts that some of my pleasures are in unrighteousness. But here's the question. What is ascending and what is descending?

All Christians have both of these realities. A love of the truth and yet still lingering pleasure and unrighteousness. You show me a real Christian who says, No, I don't know anything of that as a reality anymore. It's all love of the truth for me, no pleasure in unrighteousness, and I'll show you a liar. What is ascending?

Is your love of the truth growing while your pleasure and unrighteousness is shrinking? If it's not, I just want to sound the alarm. Something's not right. It might be that you're self-deceived and you've never been born again. That's not the conclusion you have to draw from that.

But it is a conclusion you should ask. You should ask that question. If you're in a time where it seems like there's more and more pleasure in unrighteousness, and there's less love of the truth in your life, something is desperately wrong. That needs attention now. Christians over time are dominated by a love of the truth.

Over time, and I don't mean a month, but over time, Christians are dominated by a love of the truth. Truth. Their pleasure and unrighteousness gets skinnier and skinnier and skinnier. It's famished. God, I pray that that would describe so many in this room.

I pray that would describe everyone in this room. Over time, our love of the truth would grow and grow and grow. In our inner man, we would delight in the law of God. We would see its beauty as it points to Christ. And that our pleasure in unrighteousness would shrink and be starved.

God, please send your Spirit to work so mightily in our lives to accomplish both of these things. Increasing love of the truth and decreasing pleasure and unrighteousness. May it be so in Jesus' name. Amen. John, 1 John, we love him because he first loved us.

We can't have an affection or a love of the truth from our end unless we recognize that He started it. He's the author of it. And then, pardon my phrasing, this gets into purpose driven. In That, you go to Proverbs, and what does Proverbs say? Get wisdom, get understanding, get discernment.

Why? So that you can recognize the love behind the truth that created the truth and allowed you to understand it. You understand the why. Why is it that God hates idolatry? Why is disobedience to parents such a heinous sin as to be included on Paul's list of those who will not enter the Kingdom of God?

It's because of what it represents, and it is an affront to what God has created. God has total complete authority. Period. End of story. No argument or discussion permitted.