SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
04/25/2004
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 The Mist of Darkness
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Peter
2:17c-18
Message of the
verses: “to whom the mist of
darkness is reserved for ever. 18 For when they speak great swelling words of
vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness,
those that were clean escaped from them who live in error (KJV).”
We begin with a quote from Dr. Wiersbe which will set the
stage of what we are looking at in this SD:
“Since these false teachers really have nothing to give, how are they
able to attract followers?” Now in our
SD from yesterday we looked at the first reason they could attract followers
and today we pick up with the second reason.
“The second reason the apostates are so successful is
that they appear to the base appetites of the old nature.” “14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that
cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised
with covetous practices; cursed children (2 Peter 2:14 KJV).” What this verse shows us it that it speaks of
the base appetites of the old nature which is what these apostates are
appealing to. There is a list of these
in Galatians 5:19-21 “19 Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such
like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (KJV).” These are a list of baits that the apostates
use, baits that they use in their traps to catch people with.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “For example, pride is one of the sins of the flesh, and apostate teachers like
to appeal to the human ego. A true
servant of God will lovingly tell people that they are lost sinners, under the
wrath of a holy God, but the apostates minister will try to avoid ‘putting
people on a guilt trip.’ He will tell
his listeners how good they are how much God loves them and needs them and how
easy it is to get into the family of God.
In fact, he may tell them they are already in God’s family and just need
to start living like it! The apostates
avoids talking about repentance, because egotistical men do not want to repent.”
We will look at a third reason in our next SD. I have to say that we have a so called
preacher in Texas who has become very popular in doing things like we just
wrote about. Joel Osteen for many is a
good gospel preacher, but he is just like these apostates we are studying
about.
9/22/2017 11:19 AM
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