The sermon by Jason Dohm, titled 'Forsaking the Right Way,' focuses on the passage from 2 Peter 2:12-17, emphasizing the characteristics and consequences of false teachers. These individuals are described as corrupt, deceptive, and driven by greed, likened to brute beasts, and are destined for destruction unless they repent. The sermon warns of the subtlety and danger of false teachings, urging believers to remain vigilant, be grounded in scriptural truth, and pray for the repentance of false teachers. It highlights the example of Balaam, who, despite knowing God, loved unrighteousness and was ultimately destroyed. The sermon encourages Christians to protect themselves and their communities by understanding doctrinal truths, relying on the Holy Spirit, and continually preaching the gospel. It concludes by affirming God's protection over His people and the importance of not fearing false teachers, as God is the ultimate guardian and shepherd of His flock.

So our passage this week is 2nd Peter 2 verses 12 through 17. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness as those who count it pleasure to corralse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

But he was rebuked for his iniquity. A dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever." Oh God, you love this church more than I could ever love them. More than any of us could love each other on our own. Oh God, please love us now.

Let us see your love poured out on us now as we study your word. Let us see your care for your people. Let us see your love and your protection for your bride. The bride, Lord Jesus, that you died for. Thank you for giving us these words.

May they be used to protect us, to guard us, to shepherd us. Help the hearing of your word. Help, especially the preaching of your Word, God. Would only your truth reign during this time. In Jesus' name, Amen.

So this week we're continuing to look at false teachers. We've been looking at that all through 2 Peter 2, we see that in verse 12 right off the bat, but these, we're still talking about false teachers. And in verses 1 through 3 last week, we saw, or two weeks ago, we saw the grim reality that there will be false teachers among us that are secretly bringing in destructive, or as the KJV says, damnable heresies. Heresies that would, if believed, would cause your sin to be in hell for all of eternity. And that these false teachers' motivation is greed.

They make merchandise of you. Last week we saw that because of the examples God has given us in Lot, in Psalm and Gomorrah, in the ancient times, the flood of Noah, of not sparing the angels, that God will not spare false teachers. Ultimately, if you die as a false teacher, you will not be spared, and many will be destroyed even now, and they don't even see their destruction coming. But we also saw that God does deliver. God is merciful.

The destruction of false teachers is true, is sure. It will happen if they don't repent. But God is merciful. He's been merciful to us. And Peter is helping us this week to identify false teachers.

These false teachers are practiced in their deception. We're going to see lots of characteristics that are going to be very shocking to us. But these people can also appear very moral. Very moral in their workspace righteousness that they have. Jesus plus anything else.

They may even exclude Jesus. They may appear very moral. They may not come at us full force with these characteristics we're going to look at. But don't be fooled. Don't be fooled.

The ultimate desire of Satan through these false teachers, if not the false teachers themselves, is found in John 10, 10. The first half of John 10, 10, the thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. Don't be fooled. That's what Satan wants to do. And he wants to use these false teachers and anything he can to do that.

And there are false teachers that are willing to do that, to be part of that, and want to do that. And there are false teachers that are willing to do that, to be part of that, and want to do that. And there are those that are just being used by Satan for this, and both of them will, their destruction is sure. They are well practiced in deceiving you. So there are three main points we're going to cover.

We're going to look at their characteristics, false teachers' characteristics. We're going to see an example of a false teacher, and we're going to see the empty promises of false teachers. I think the key to seeing why they are this way, why anybody would be this way at all, is in verse 15, the beginning of verse 15, that they have forsaken the right way. They have forsaken the right way. They have rejected the gospel.

They have this intellectual knowledge of God in the Bible, but there is no trusting. There is no believing. There is no faith. See, doctrine matters. What you believe matters.

What you believe about Jesus Christ matters. The way you can find out, a couple questions you can ask people to find out quickly, are they a Christian or not? Are they a false teacher or not? Ask them what they believe about the Bible. Do they believe the Bible is 100% inerrant, inspired by God?

The Holy Spirit indwelling, the only Spirit giving men the ability to write the holy words of God. It's 100% inerrant. And also ask them, what do they believe about Jesus Christ? Is Jesus God? Not a God, but God, the second person of the Trinity.

Is there salvation only through Jesus Christ, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. There's two questions you could be asking and asking and asking, asking each other. Not that we're a bunch of false teachers sitting around, but ask each other. That's important. What you believe on those two subjects is so important.

Also what you believe about yourself. Are you a wretched sinner? Deserving the full wrath of God. And without Jesus' salvation and only through Jesus, you will be in hell. Let's look at verses 12 through 14 to start.

But these, like natural brute beasts, made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions, while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, they have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children." To be a false teacher, you don't have to have all of these marks. It's not a checklist to say, yep, he's got that, he's got that, he's got that, he must be a false teacher. Oh, wait a second, he doesn't have this one. He's not a false teacher.

No, it's not a list. These aren't the anti, in many ways, are the anti-characteristics of an elder. But as an elder, you're looking for all of these things. That's not the same thing here. These are characteristics that you will see, and they all wrap in one way or another, and some are more than others.

I want to caution you as we're talking about false teachers. Caution, you're going to hear, you're reading, you've studied this week just these abominable, horrible characteristics. I want to caution you Not to be sitting there thinking, oh yeah, they deserve hell. They deserve hell so bad, that you forget about who you were before you were saved. And we're just sitting here railing against these false teachers.

And we should. We should rail against false teachers, but don't do it without thinking about who you were first. Don't think of it in self-righteous, prideful way. Remember God's mercy and grace to you through Jesus Christ. You would be destined to hell as well, if not for the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ upon you.

And although God knows who will be delivered to hell, I don't. You don't. And our prayer for these false teachers is that God would save them. That God would cause repentance in them, and that they would become powerful preachers of the gospel instead of powerful preachers against Christ and blaspheming, that God would turn their hearts. We were all a form of a false teacher lying to ourselves before we were saved.

So let's look at these characteristics. Starting in verse 12, they're natural, brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed. Natural, brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed. They're irrational. They're unreasoning.

They don't understand. They're doing things by instinct. They have their motivation. We think of brute beasts. Think about animals.

What's their motivation? Self-perseverance, self-desires, physical pleasure, food. It's kill or be killed. You think of the food chain. And Peter's not using this example to rail against animals, but as an analogy that's not flattering to a teacher.

I'm thankful for animals for food. We're thankful for animals that can supply labor. Some people are thankful for animals because they can be a pet. Right? But it's, but that's not, Peter's not railing against that.

He's saying this is a, don't, you don't want to be like this. This is how you are if you're a false teacher. Think about it. They have been made, created to be caught and destroyed. This is Philippians 3.19.

Their end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who set their minds on earthly things. They're made to be caught and destroyed. Peter keeps reminding us of their sure destruction. We have seen it in verse 1 of chapter 2, swift destruction. Verse 3, their destruction does not slumber.

Verse 4 and 9, reserved for judgment. Verse 6, condemn them to destruction. And here, caught, to be caught and destroyed. It makes me think, you might wonder, wow, they're made, how harsh that might seem. But Romans 9, 21 through 22, does not the potter have power over the clay?

From the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. They will be caught. Maybe God won't have us catch them in their heresies, catch them in their destructiveness, in their enticing. But he will.

And when God talks about they will be caught and destroyed, it's not like me going out and trying to hunt a deer. I'm trying to figure out where they're going to be so I can catch them. No. God made them, ordained them, and ordained a decree that they will be caught. God knows where you are, who they are, and who it is that he's going to catch and he's going to destroy.

He knows that. He's not searching around, fighting science, saying, where are they? He knows exactly where they are because he made them for that. He made them for that. When you forsake the right way, your destruction is sure.

Next characteristic in verse 12, they speak evil of the things they do not understand. They're speaking reproachfully. They're railing at, they're blaspheming what they don't understand. Yes, these are shameful, brazen people. They have no shame.

They're going to come in here, and they're going to rail against things they don't understand. They're going to blaspheme against Christ. Have your ears open for that. If you heard anybody blaspheming the name of Christ, that would put you on edge so quick. You're ready for that.

1 Timothy 1, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say, nor the things which they affirm. In their proud arrogance, they are ignorant. They are people preaching tolerance on the one hand, but on the other hand they have a disdain for those that hold to the 100% inerrancy of God and that there is salvation only through Jesus Christ. They're preaching this big, broad road. That road is not wide enough for those that believe in the heresy of Scripture and salvation only through Jesus Christ.

They are blaspheming. They are ignorant in their pride. Romans 1, for the wrath of God, is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Continuing on, professing to be wise, they become fools. They are fools.

They are ignorant. So they need the gospel. That's what they need. They need to be hearing the gospel from us all the time. From the pulpit, in worship time, in fellowship time.

They need to be hearing the gospel. They are ignorant of it. Continuing in verse 12 and 13, what's the results of these characteristics of these false teachers? What's going to happen to them? They will utterly perish in their own corruption and receive the wages of unrighteousness.

False teachers will utterly perish. We've talked about it before, but this is another reminder. Peter is just digging in on this. Can you see Peter's righteous fury against these false teachers that have come to steal, kill, and destroy? And think why Peter would possibly have this righteous fury.

Think back to John 21. Jesus is raised from the dead, comes back to Peter, and what does he charge Peter? Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. And Peter hears, how dare anybody come in here.

That's not going to happen. I'm going to prepare the people for this so they can see. So they will not be stolen, killed, or destroyed. Not that Christians can ultimately be stolen. We cannot be stolen from Jesus Christ, but they're going to want to.

They think they might be able to. And they're foolishness. They think they can. And there are those here, I'm not naive to think, that there aren't those here that aren't Christians that could be stolen, killed, and destroyed. And even for us Christians, we can still be completely disrupted here and cause horrific things to happen in this church if we believe the teachings of these false teachers.

Peter knows that vengeance is the Lord's and that he will repay. They will receive the wages of their unrighteousness. We will look here at an example of the Old Testament of Balaam receiving the wages of his unrighteousness. There's an example in the New Testament I want to look at, and that's in Acts 1, 18. An example of a false teacher.

Acts 1.18, now this man, Judas, purchased a field with the wages of iniquity. And falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out. Now not all false teachers are going to die a horrific death like this. Some may die a sweet, pleasant death in their sleep. Some may die like this, but their destruction is sure.

It will happen. They will utterly perish in their own corruption. They will be destroyed in their own corruption. God does not spare. The wages of sin is death.

Yes, rarely does sin equal immediate death, especially in these characteristics we're talking about. And we might say, well, why doesn't God just protect us ultimately by destroying them now? Why wouldn't God do that now? Why would He give the people in Noah's time 120 years? Why would He give Sodom and Gomorrah however many years they had?

Well, Christians, we better understand this more than anybody else and be the most thankful for God's long suffering. Of all people, we understand God's great mercy of God's long suffering not to treat us as our sins deserve. That's why. We don't know who's destined for hell. We want them saved.

We want them to repent. We see here in this wages of unrighteousness, receiving the wages of unrighteousness, this idea of sowing and reaping. You see that in Galatians 6, 7, and 8, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the will of the Spirit, reap everlasting life. Reaping corruption. We saw that already in verse 4. We're going to see it next week in more depth.

Weaking of corruption. This reaping of corruption. Eternity in hell. This is also, everybody here, this is what you should expect if you forsake the right way. If you are not gods, if you are not a Christian, and you forsake the right way, this is you.

You will be destroyed in hell forever and ever. Yeah, we've talked about how the destruction reserved for these false teachers is greater than maybe other people, but that doesn't mean hell's better. Doesn't mean there's just this nice place of hell. No, you will utterly perish. You will be destroyed for all of eternity if you forsake the right way.

But those who have faith in Christ alone for salvation, says in Galatians, sows to the Spirit. And you can't sow in yourself the Spirit. But the Spirit can take that stony heart and sew in that heart of flesh that now you will reap, you will have everlasting life. That's the hope you have. You can't sew in yourself life.

Jesus Christ can. Jesus Christ does. There are many here that are testimony to that. Many across the world that are testimony to that. Peter is one.

That is a great testimony to what God can do to maybe an arrogant fisherman and how he can transform a man's heart. As I've said and as I will continue to say throughout this sermon, pray for their repentance. Pray our, yes we're learning about how to protect our church, how to protect ourselves, how to protect our families from these false teachers. But also pray for them. Pray fervently for them that they would repent and turn and become preachers of righteousness.

Pray for their salvation. Spend so much time telling them the gospel. That's what they need to hear. You don't need to argue about this or that, about prosperity gospel, about this or that. They need to hear the gospel.

Make sure you get that in. And then you can argue. Then you can discuss these other points. But they must hear the gospel. They may have never heard the gospel.

They have never heard it. They may be reading it from scripture, may have read it many times, but obviously they don't understand it. Continuing, verse 13. They count it pleasure to corrales in the daytime. So We're continuing on in our characteristics of false teachers.

The count of pleasure to corrals in the daytime. You look at this, it's a rioting, it's a revelry. It's usually associated with drinking. Matthew Poole says, they are placing their happiness in present enjoyments, unmindful of a future reckoning and an internal state. They're ignorant.

They think they're wise, but they're fools. They're ignorant in their arrogance of what they think they can do, of their using their liberty as vice. They're fools. But this drinking, this revelry during the daytime, it's probably not what they're actually doing all the time. It's probably at least actually what they want to do all the time.

It's where their heart is. We've seen plenty of times, Matthew, God gets that. What is in your heart? What do you desire? And they want to, and they probably do once in a while, and they're probably wanting to entice you to do that with them.

That's what their hearts want to do. This kind of behavior is even highly unacceptable for non-Christians in the workplace. For someone to leave the workplace, to go get drunk at lunch, to riot, to revel, those are firing offenses even with non-Christian employers. That's how brazen and how unshameful these false teachers are. That they're willing to do that.

These are symptoms of slothfulness. Somebody that would leave work to go do this so they can't come back to work with a clear mind or wanting to go off and play and not work, These are also symptoms of slothfulness. So maybe the false teacher, look, are they a slothful person on top of it all? Where's their heart? And also in today's technology, internets and phones have made it easy for people to carouse in the daytime without having to literally leave their desk.

Stealing time at their desk, what they're looking at, what they're discussing, who they're chatting with, who they're trying to entice while they're sitting there at their desk, what they're looking at, what they're dwelling on. Our technology has made it easy for false teachers to keep bringing sin into their life and keep going at it. Especially this one, this is very opposite of elder qualifications, sober mindedness, good behavior, not given to wine. We've been talking lately, especially last week and a few weeks ago on the messages on elders. We want a plurality of elders, but looking at these characteristics, this is why it is such a blessing for elders to not be hasty, not be hasty in laying hands on more elders.

Look at these lists. Let's be very careful. Let's spend much time together. Let's examine one another. Let's see what is believed.

That is a way that a false teacher would love to get into this church as an elder. That's one way. They'd love to sneak in the back door, but if they could come in with a full-front assault, wow, would they love that. Let's not be hasty. Let's not be too anxious for getting more elders.

Let's pray that that happens though. Verse 13, they're described as spots and blemishes. They're defiled, disgraced, filthy, malignant swords, a disgrace to society. That kind of behavior that we just talked about, crowding in the daytime, that's a disgrace to society even. Not just to the church, but how much more are a disgrace to the church when we have those kind of people amongst us and we're calling them brothers.

Maybe even calling them teachers and elders, leaders in the church, that's a disgrace. This is fake piety that they might have about them. In Matthew 23, we saw Jesus say so many woes to the scribes and Pharisees because of these, because they lift themselves up as godly, but they are far from God. Far from godly. One example, verse 27 of Matthew 23.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Spots and blemishes. May not be able to tell on the outside, but it's there. From out of the heart, the mouth will speak eventually. They will be caught.

They will be destroyed. This is total contrast to what Jesus does with his church. These are spots and blemishes. What does Jesus do with his church? He washes his church, his bride, with his word.

To present her to himself, a glorious church, not having a spot or a wrinkle, holy and without blemish. That's what Jesus does with his people. We don't want these spots and blemishes or these false teachers coming and trying to condemn us, trying to bring in false teachings that, no, no, you're really worse than you are possibly, or saying, hey, you're fine. Those spots and blemishes are fine. I want to caution here.

I'm not saying that we don't want non-christians among us. We want them among us. I want my children here and there are some here that have not professed Jesus Christ and just my children. We want non-christians in here. I'm saying I don't want non-christians in here.

False teacher, you're welcome to come in this door, but you're going to hear the gospel. You better hear the gospel. You're going to hear it in every way, shape, and form throughout this service. And may you turn and may you repent. But beware, false teacher.

We know what you're up to. We've been warned. We're going to be prepared. We're going to listen to this. Because in verse 13, they are carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you.

It's not the same as the carousing we saw earlier. This is a living and luxury, a taking delight in their own deceptions. The KJV says sporting. Sporting, it's a game to them to make sport of sin. It's a game to them to See how they can deceive you.

This is fun for them. Their own deceptions, carousing their own deceptions while they feast with you. The brazenness, casting off all shame in this game of theirs. Can they deceive you so well that even while they're feasting with us, they're sitting there and trying to deceive us? Feasting, this can be the Lord's Supper, them sitting there and taking it with us, pretending to be a brother or a sister.

In this day and age, false teachers, men and women, taking the Lord's Supper, having our fellowship meal with us afterwards. It was interesting looking at these feasts that he's talking about here. You can look at Jude, calls him Love Feast, and in the history of the church up until what I've read, up until about 200 AD, the common practice was to have the meal and then because of other things that came into the church and other things that happened during that meal, they just, you know it's better if we don't even have it. It's not, what? They were having feasts together.

But they're brazenness to try to deceive us even amongst our feasts, our fellowship meal. When we have people in your homes, they're going to be right there at your table. You may go out to lunch with them. They may be eating with you down at Griffin's in the parking lot for the fellowship there, for the ministry we have there. They may be eating a hot dog and try to worm their way in through Griffin's, through the nursing home, through the abortion clinic.

They're brazen to be everywhere, but while they feast with you even in their brazenness, these spot emblemishes have no shame. Their filthy disgrace while eating with us, acting like there's nothing wrong, everything's okay. I'm good. What I'm saying is fine. They're going to try to deceive you.

They're going to try and get you to believe what they believe. Since Peter is telling us their game plan in these characteristics, we know their playbook. And we can be armed against them. The greatest help we have is the Holy Spirit. He's in us, He's indwelled us, helping us to have spiritual ears to listen to what's being said around us.

Listen to what's being said in the pulpit. Listen to what's being said at fellowship meals. Listen to what's being said in all these places we go. Listen to what's being said Monday morning at men's study, Wednesday night or a Friday night at women's mentoring, Wednesday night at prayer. Have spiritual ears to be listening.

Not that you're questioning, not that you're doubting every word that would come out of Jason's mouth, but you have spiritual ears to hear if something comes up that's against the gospel. You're so ingrained, your foundation is so solid in the gospel that if anything comes up against the gospel, blasphemes God, you hear it and it just clicks in your mind, hey wait a second, let me go back to scripture and see what was just said, or if it's so brazen, confront that person. Confront that person. There's a proper time for us to rebuke one another without having to go back to Scripture. Be Bereans examining what teachers say.

Be fully engaged in the service. The preaching, the fellowship. Don't let your guard down. Don't be fooled. They want to come in here.

Don't be fooled. Be expositional listeners. The Beatty says, I love that phrase. Be expositional listeners. You're intentional in your listening and how you follow the sermon, how you follow the Lord's Supper meditation as you follow everything that's said during song as Taylor or Gary are reading psalms to us and encouraging us.

Be listening and active. Don't just put your mind on hold when you're singing these songs. See the words. Prepare for the words that will be sung ahead of time. So you see, are these songs being truth or scripture?

The elders are going through these songs carefully, but the elders aren't perfect. Read the songs. Be prepared for what you're going to sing. Know the Gospel inside out and preach it to yourself constantly, continuously. Be ready to defend the Gospel in the church.

As we did this week, pray continuously for yourself, for one another in the church. And in verse 14, really ramp it up in their abomination. They have eyes full of adultery and cannot cease from sin. They're an adulterer at heart that is evaluating every woman they see in the church as a potential adulterer partner. This is brazen.

And this would continually go through their mind. Don't think that somebody wouldn't come into this church and think that way. Don't think especially that it wouldn't happen out there. Don't think that it wouldn't happen with old people in a nursing home. No telling what they have sowed in their lives or whole life.

Matthew 5, 28, But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman, the lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ESV says on this eyes full of adultery and cannot cease from sin, they are insatiable for sin. False teachers are insatiable for sin and all these characteristics. It covers all of these, but God had it right here next to adultery to just bring it out to us even fuller. They're always looking.

They're never satisfied. They're lusting everywhere possible. They're like natural, brute beasts. They're always just looking for self-pleasure. And that's where they're finding self-pleasure.

Verse 10 last week, we saw that they're presumptuous. They have no care to limit their thoughts or desires. No care to do that. They think the way is broad. And if they can use their liberty for vice, as we saw in 1 Peter chapter 2, if they think the road is broad, I can think this way if I want.

I'm not harming anybody. But God says it's evil. They have no limits on their thoughts or desires. Well, here's what God says your limits should be. If you're married, if you're married especially in 1 Peter 3, yes, these are qualifications for elder, but these are qualifications that all men should desire and strive for.

All right? A husband of one wife. Husband of one wife. A one woman man. Women, I'm fine to reverse this, you are to be a wife of one husband, a one husband woman.

Those are the limits that we are to have. And our greatest love and desire is for Jesus Christ alone. Those that aren't married, go back to Matthew 5. Back to Matthew 5, what is happening in your heart? Go to Job 31, where Job made a covenant with his eyes.

This is not limited to married people at all. False teachers, male, female, single, married. What are they doing? They're enticing unstable souls, continuing in verse 14. Enticing unstable souls, They are looking with bait to entice unstable souls.

The KJV says beguiling unstable souls. They are charming someone in a deceptive, cunning way. They're trying to do. They're not going to come in and say, I hate you. They're going to beguile you.

They're going to entice you. Make you go with them to believe what they believe. They're going to use clever and dishonest methods to achieve their adulterous ways. To kill, steal, and destroy, to satisfy their brute natural beast desires. Include flattery.

This includes gossip. Be careful what your ears are listening to, and what they are drawn to, and what they enjoy hearing. Flattery, gossip, especially in these areas. These people are not after your care. They do not care for your soul at all.

Trying to beguile you. 2nd Timothy 3, 6. For this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts. Protect your homes. Protect yourself.

Protect the church. They're trying to come in, not just here, but into your homes and steal away and kill and destroy gullible people. I want to read James 1, 5, and 8. This helps us understand how we can fight this. How do we fight this?

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Be strong in the Gospel.

Ask for wisdom, it says here. If you lack wisdom, ask, well, I lack wisdom. I lack wisdom in many areas. Now we may be warned here and we have been warned here, so be forearmed as we were told. This because I know doesn't mean I have complete wisdom.

I need God to protect my home, protect me, protect our church, protect our other brothers and sisters out there. I love it that we pray for other churches. May God protect His bride wherever they may be. Be strong in the gospel. Find your doctrinal gaps.

We all have them. I have them. You have them. We have gaps in our doctrine. Find them.

Somehow find them. Ask your wife. Ask your husband. Ask your elders. Ask your friends.

They are there. And shore them up. They are there. I have them. Shore them up.

Spend time finding them. This is for men, women, and children. Children, ask your parents. Let us help you. We want to help you.

We're trying to help you. Giving you books, family worship, bringing you to church. You're going to have spiritual gaps your whole life. Doctrinal gaps. Find them and shore them up.

Verse 14. Another characteristic is they have a heart trained in covetous practices. They have heart and mind exercised in greed. They are well practiced to perfect their evil speaking, carousing in adulterous ways. They are trained, says here.

That's the word we get for gymnasium. They're exercising, perfecting themselves to be the best of what they can be at their deceptions, what they're doing. They're training to get what they want to satisfy their evil desires. They are experts in this. That's who you're going against.

You're not going against somebody who just woke up this morning and said, let's go in there and do these things, see if we can get away with it. These are experts, these false teachers. They have an unbridled desire for more and more. Remember 2 Peter 2, 3? We saw a couple weeks ago by covetousness, they will exploit you with deceptive words, they will make merchandise out of you.

This brute beast is an expert hunter. Think of the nature shows you seeing an expert hunter. They're circling the herd. And they're looking. And they're looking.

What are they looking for? Are they looking for the strong person? No. They're looking for the weak animal. This false teacher circling our church, circling the herd, looking for the weakness, looking for the unstable soul, so they can get in and get them, entice them, get what they want.

However it is they can get it. They are circling. They are looking. They are a trained hunter to kill, steal, and destroy. What are you an expert in?

What am I an expert in? What do I devote myself with this much rigor and training? What is it? Is it earthly things? And yes, man, work, work.

Devote yourself to your work. Become an expert in your work. There are many blessings that come from being an expert in your vocation. Women, there are many blessings that come from being an expert as a keeper at home. Experts in your marriages, experts as parents, experts as children honoring their parents and doing their school work well.

Many blessings. But that is not the end. That is not what's going to protect your soul. That is not what's going to protect your soul. That is not what's going to make your soul flourish and prosper.

Be an expert in the Word of God. Be expert in the doctrine of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These words of Scripture. This. Spend as much time letting this govern.

We say sufficiency of scripture because it's true. Let the Word of God be what you are ultimately an expert in above everything else. Or you will be beguiled. You will be enticed. You will be a piece of merchandise for these false teachers.

And then they are accursed children, verse 14. They are children of a curse, they are disobedient, They have wrath put upon them. These are characteristics that we have seen. You look at them, yeah, these are cursed people with these kind of characteristics. They're vessels made for dishonor and to show God's wrath.

Titus 1, 16, They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Remember, without Christ, we are all cursed. Not just the false teachers. Every single person is cursed without Christ. Get that in Galatians 3.

Jesus became a curse for us. These are cursed people. These are characteristics of a cursed person. Non-Christian, Do not fool yourself by saying, well I'm not enticing people, I'm not preaching this false gospel, I'm not doing that. Maybe I'm not cursed.

Don't fool yourself. Don't fool yourself. Why do you think that you would be blessed? Why do you think that you would be in heaven? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior?

Not saying you're perfect. I sin every day. I have sinned today. Not saying you're perfect. But have you been blessed by God because you trust in Him?

He has given you faith to believe in Christ alone for your salvation. And you've repented because He's given you the ability to repent. And you've turned from those wicked ways and you desire to turn towards Jesus and follow Him, and may His Holy Spirit sanctify you every day." So don't fool yourself thinking that you're not cursed because you don't have these characteristics. You're probably lying to yourself that you don't have these characteristics, at least some of them. Who is your father?

Is it the father of light, you see in James, or the father in lies, we see in John? There's only two people. You're either cursed or you're blessed. You're either of God or you're not. Now turn to Numbers 22.

We're going to see an example here of a false teacher in Balaam. If you weren't able to read it this week, please do. Because I'm not going to read it. We're going to do a summary as I go through it and pick out a few things along the way. To start out, I'm going to read Numbers 22, 1 through 3.

Please turn to Numbers 22. I'm going to read 1 through 3 to set this stage. Then the children of Israel moved, encamped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people, because they were many.

And Moab was sick with dread, because of the children of Israel." So Israel has not gone into the promised land. They have not gone into Canaan. Moses is still their leader. Joshua is not in there yet. He's around.

But their stem had gone into the promised land. They have just defeated the Amorites, King Sihon, the Boshonites, King Og. Balak has seen this and he's fearful. Look at these mighty people. They're coming.

What can I do about it? They couldn't stop them. Can I stop it? Moabites. Moabites are the descendants of Lot.

That's just curious in itself. We know Lot was called a righteous man, but here are these evil people that have come out of descendants of Lot. So here they are. Balak wants to do something about it. He doesn't think that he can defeat him.

He's fearful of him. So he goes against Balam. Balam is known, according to verse 6, Balam is known that whoever he blesses is blessed. Whoever he curses is cursed. He's a prophet of sorts.

He has, we'll see it here, he does preach, he does prophesy the truth of God's word, but he also curses. He also curses. And Balak wants to hire him to curse Israel. Who is Balam? He's a diviner, We see in verse 7.

He's a self-described sorcerer. He describes himself as a sorcerer in 24 verse 1. Therefore, deserving a death sentence. It's amazing that this evil man, this false teacher, as Peter calls him, knows that he can only do what the Lord allows and would seek even the will of God in these matters. So what we see here is knowledge of God is not enough to save someone.

He even speaks for God at some times. That's not enough to save anybody. So Balak offers Balaam high honor and riches to curse Israel. Balaam, please come. Curse Israel.

I will honor you and I will give you these riches. What does Balaam do? Let me pray about that. Just think about that. Think about that.

He needs to really pray. Does he really need to pray about whether he should curse the people of God? No, no. He doesn't. But he's got this false piety about him because he wants those riches.

He wants those riches. He wants to curse Israel. That's what's going on here. That's the key here. It's going about here.

Balaam, as we see in 2 Peter 2.16, Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness. So Balaam refuses the first time. God tells him, don't go with them. You can't go with them. Don't do this.

Balaam refuses. Balaam comes back and brings even more princes, promises even more things, flatters them even more. And what does Bayek say? He says, if you gave me everything you had, I wouldn't curse the people of Israel. Let me go pray about it.

See if God has changed his mind on this. He loves the wages of unrighteousness. That's what's in his heart. God tells him a second time, go with the people. Then we see immediately God's angry with him when he goes.

And we know later on in the story, and we'll get to it, God's angry with him because he still is hoping to get those riches. He still wants those wages of his unrighteous. He's used to getting a diviner's fee. He is a man known for this and he still wants these riches. So in his heart he still wants to curse.

Maybe God will let me curse these people. So he goes, and here's the scene. Balaam's on his donkey. He's traveling with the princes. At this point, there's only two servants with him.

Only two servants with him. They're mentioned, and God sends his angel to stand in his way as an adversary against him with his sword drawn. Only the donkey sees him and tries to turn aside. The donkey sees this angel with his sword drawn, and he tries to turn aside. What does Balaam do?

He strikes his donkey. So the donkey tries to turn back and the way it makes a sound, he turns back into a narrow passage and the angel stands in his way again so he can't move a little bit more. And so the donkey goes against the wall, crushes Balaam's foot, Balaam strikes him again. Then the angel just presses more and says, all right, fine, you have no place to turn. I'm going to resist you totally.

The donkey can't do anything else but lay down and bow before this angel. And Balaam strikes him again. Strikes this. The donkey is the one that had the spiritual eyes. The donkey is the one that bowed before this angel.

And then verse 28, it says, Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? Peter calls us a dumb donkey, and we're not talking about the IQ smarts of the donkey. We're saying that this donkey was mute, voiceless. I don't know whether donkey could bray or not, but this we do know, donkeys don't have voice of men. And Peter says that she spoke with a voice of a man to Balaam.

And instead of Balaam saying, wow, my donkey is talking to me, and in shock, Balaam argues with the donkey. And if that's not enough, Balaam loses the argument with his donkey. Remember Galatians 6 and 7, do not be deceived, God is not mocked. And here God is resisting proud Balaam with a donkey, a brute beast. 2 Peter 2-16, but he Balaam was rebuked for his iniquity, A dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

Madness. Insanity of this man. Our sin, if not stopped by the mercy of God, leads to madness, leads to insanity. Craziness that we are all accountable for. The servants may not have heard the donkey, but they saw Balaam arguing with this donkey.

They thought of him as mad. They had to have thought of him as mad. Arguing with this donkey. Thought of him as mad, as crazy, as insane. We see here a vision of God protecting His people.

Even through a dumb donkey. Even through promising that the rocks will cry out. God will protect His people. We do not need to fear these false teachers. God will protect.

Jesus knows his sheep and keeps them. He will protect them whatever it takes. So God opens Balaam's eyes to see the angel. Balaam falls on his face. The servants are still watching, probably thinking he's crazy.

Who's he bowing down to? The donkey or what? I don't know if they could see the angel or not. It doesn't say. Balaam admits sin, willing to turn back.

The angel warns him only to speak what he says. So he goes. Balaam comes to Balaam. Balaam's happy to see him. He's hoping he's going to curse.

Now the people will be cursed and Moab will be saved. Balaam prays to God and four times he does his praise and then blesses the people of Israel. Four times and in between those times Balaam says, let's go to another place. Maybe you weren't seeing this right. Now speak to him, and a blessing comes out.

And when you read the story, it sounds like possibly the first two times that Baelim blesses, God may have just been overcoming his voice and Balaam had no way to overcome this. It just came out because it says he used sorcery, Balaam tried his sorcery to do this, and it makes it seem like Balaam just had no control over his own voice. And then the second one, he says he gave up his sorcery and spoke the blessings. It seems like possibly Balaam might have changed his heart. At the end of chapter 24, everybody returns home.

And if that's the end of the story, Balaam might be seen as a type of Jonah. I don't want to. Okay, the blessing. Look at that. They go home, everybody's happy.

But that is not the end of the story. The soothsayer was not saved. It's not the ending. Verse 25 of Numbers 1 and 2, right after his last blessing, this is what we read, Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

That's what happened. How did this happen? Go over to Revelation 2. Revelation 2 verse 14, here's how that happened. Jesus is talking to the church at Pergamos.

He says, but I have a few things against you. Because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. Balaam has forsaken the right way and gone astray. Balaam is denied, has turned from, has abandoned the truth. False teachers blaspheme the way of truth.

Balaam had so many advantages to be saved and he rejected them. He had a donkey speak to him. He had an angel speak to him. God makes blessings come out of his mouth. Makes me think of Lazarus.

Not the Lazarus that was raised from dead, but the Lazarus and Abraham's bosom. He says, please let me go back. Please go warn my family. Go warn them. And what does Jesus say?

If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead. They may hear a donkey speak. An angel of the Lord may stand in their way with a sword drawn. Blessings may come out that you didn't want to have. He's still not saved.

Still not saved. Balaam was a covetous prophet who abandoned the right way. He's used to getting diviner's fee. He wanted the fame and riches of Moab, he found another way to get them. He's deceptive, deceptive, enticing.

Balaam taught Balak how to entice unstable souls. Harlotry, idol worship. And how did it happen? They were eating with them. They just, hey, let's just go eat with them.

Let's go befriend these people. They're okay. Harlotry, idol worship. They will sneak around. False teachers are going to sneak around.

They're going to look for that back door. They're going to look for the weakness. And that's what we're going to focus on, and try to drive a wedge between you and the gospel, between you and your church, and split apart this church. Any church caused shame upon the church. What was the end of Balaam?

He perished in his own corruption. Numbers 31, 8. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed. Evie, Rekem, Zer, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam, the son of Beor, they also killed with the sword." That's the end of Balaam.

He got his wages of unrighteousness. Back to 2 Peter, verse 17. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Talking about now the empty promises of false teachers. False teachers promise all kinds of enticing things, and the people end up with nothing.

They promise a refreshing drink from a well, bring up the pail, and there's water, there's just dirt. Nothing. Nothing refreshing. It's like a desert. You see it's so waste, it's beautiful, it's looking so good, and you get there, nothing but sand.

So disappointing. They're promised drought relief from these storms. You see the clouds coming in the distance. Drought relief, or just relief to water your own gardens, you don't have to spend the money on water. And what happens?

Blows right by. It blows right by. We've seen this recently in the men that have gone to Nigeria and the testimony there. The pastors, the false pastors, excuse me, the false teachers, they're not pastoring to anybody. The false teachers are promising them all this wealth, all these wonderful things that everything will go well for them and what are they getting?

Arms chopped off, legs chopped off, people are dying. For what? For these empty promises. Hey, that would be wonderful. Hey, if God tells us in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us, hey, let's rejoice if we're suffering, if we're persecuted.

If you're maimed because of Christ, wonderful. And we'll come alongside you, we'll weep with you, we'll care for you, we'll love you, we'll help out your family in any way possible. But these people in Nigeria are getting all these effects of persecution For nothing. For nothing. If they're believing what they're being taught, they're going to hell with this maiming, with emptiness is what they're getting.

False teachers have appearances over substance. They know how to appear godly. We saw that all throughout Matthew. Jude 12 summarizes much of this section in one verse. These are spots in your love feast.

Well, they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots. False teachers are evil and headed toward destruction, and there are people following them. People are listening to their steady drip of their marketing, and little by little they're leaving the gospel. They're saying the gospel is a lie.

They're saying God didn't really say that. I guess he didn't. Did God really say? I guess not. I don't know where he really said that in Scripture.

Because my doctrinal knowledge is so low, my foundational of the Gospel is so low, My spiritual gaps are so huge, I'm being enticed. And they're leaving behind the gospel truth. They're leaving behind the good shepherd of Psalm 23 and John 10. And they're looking for all kinds of other things to satisfy their desires. That's what's happening here.

These people that are being beguiled by these false teachers. They're saying, if this would happen or that would happen, I'd be so happy. If I had all this, if my job, if my bank account, my husband, my wife, my parents, my pastor, the deacons, the church, if this, if that, it'd be so much better. And these false teachers are fine to latch onto that and tell you, yes, you deserve so much better. And if it was that way, things would be so much better for you.

So go after those things. Because God wants you to have that big bank account. God wants you just to have such a happy marriage, where everything smiles all the time. Those are not the ifs that we are to remember. Those are not the promises we are to think on.

Here are some ifs to replace with those ifs that you think bring happiness. What if God had given you what you deserve? What if Christ had not died for the ungodly, filthy, wretched rags? What if two of God's attributes were not mercy and grace? What if you took everything that was said from the pulpit, what if you took everything that was preached to you from this pulpit in godliness and in honor, and asked, does this line up with a loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind?

He took every thought captive and you aligned it with Philippians 4. Philippians 4.8, finally brethren, whatever things are true, Whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report. If there is any virtue, and if there is anything praise worthy, meditate on these things. What if that was what you trusted in? If Jesus Christ who gives you those things to meditate on.

That's what you trusted in. Here's what Jesus, the river of life promises in John 4.13. Jesus answered the Samaritan woman at the well and said to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst again. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

And in John 7.38, he who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." false teachers offer empty promises for this God's promises for that God promises that they are reserved the blackness of darkness forever Church love the rivers of living water that bring everlasting life forever and ever. Two concluding points. One, we cannot afford to befriend false teachers. We cannot afford to befriend false teachers. Think about it.

Look at these characteristics. Are these characteristics that you would tell your children, yeah, that's a good friend, go play with them. We shouldn't either. We would not do that with our children. We do not do that either.

They are brute beasts, evil speaking of the gospel, pleasure and carousing, spots and blemishes, carousing, sporting in their deceptions, adulterers enticing to sin, covetous and cursed. Do not try to find common ground with them. It's not your goal. They need Rebuking. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray.

They need the gospel. They need the gospel. They need the gospel. Love them by rebuking them and telling them the gospel. Love them.

Be gospel-centered in your conversations. They are on the path for destruction, but may God be merciful to their soul and save them, redeem them, and turn them into preachers of righteousness. Just as he's done for all of us. You may not be a preacher up here, but you have been saved to proclaim the gospel of Christ wherever you are. Point two, do not fear the false teachers.

God defends and keeps his children. Started out by reading the first half of John 10. I want to finish reading John 10 and 11 to finish. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. God defends and keeps his children. Do not fear. You have a great shepherd who keeps you until the end and for all of eternity.

Let's pray. God, thank you that you would care so much for your church, that you would defend her, That you would defend her by showing us how to guard the church, how to guard our own souls. God, I'm so thankful that the guardian of this church is not dependent on my strength or my knowledge alone. We have brothers and sisters to fight this war together. We have our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has saved us and filled us with the Holy Spirit that we might hear these things.

Oh God, let us have ears that hate to hear your name blaspheme, that can hear it. God, please. Many of us have, when we think of false teachers, we have names that pop in our heads. God, whoever they are, save them. Please, God, save them.

Would that be your will for them to save them and turn them? And that whatever platform they have got to be used to proclaim the mighty gospel They were once dead and sin. They are now been made alive in Christ Well, God may we all be able to say that. Look back on our lives rightly. Thank you for your salvation.

Thank you for your goodness and caring for your sheep and keeping us forever and ever. Amen.