Know Who You Are Following Pt. 1

2nd Peter 1-3
For the next few weeks or so, we are going to be looking at 2^nd Peter and we are going to see how he has given to us a description of those who are not of God. Those who are in our lives who will try to lead the people of God away from their first love Jesus Christ.
We have to know who we are following. We must know the Word of God and what it says about false leaders and teachers. If you do not know the Truth, then you might just be led away from sound doctrine without even realizing it. This is why it is imperative that we as Christians know the Word.


Paul wrote to Timothy who was a pastor and in his letters he told him about the last days:

1st Timothy 4:1:1-2
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” – NKJ

2nd Timothy 3:1-5
“In the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankfulness, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” – NKJ

2nd Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time will come when they (Christians) will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” – NKJ

These times that Paul is describing to Timothy is already here. Paul is talking about the church. Those who depart from the faith because they did not understand and know the truth for themselves and because of this they were led away by deceiving doctrines and spirits not of God. We live in a time where holiness is not a standard anymore for the church and when someone comes in and tries to implement holiness into the church (not just pastors, but laity as well) they find themselves under attack. Now they are being slandered, rejected, and gossiped about (when was the last time we gossiped about Jesus?), threatened and other things. People do not want to live the way God has called us to live. Why? Because they were led astray somewhere in their walk with God, somewhere in their walk they had left their first love, Jesus Christ. They are not in the Word and they are not in prayer.

When a Christian stops reading the Word, and stops going to prayer, and stops applying the Word to their life it opens a door for an evil spirit to attach itself to that person.


Matthew 12:43-45
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be with this wicked generation.” – NKJ

We are born sinners, when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior our lives get cleaned up, the trash is taken out, our lives get put into order, and when we have the Word of God living inside of us there is no room for the enemy in our lives, but if your house/heart is empty and not filled with the things of God…guess who is getting a U-Haul and moving back in? Not only moving in by themselves, but bringing all his friends with him. Some of us have a trashy house again and it is piled up higher than when you first got saved. It is time that we clean house! Call Ty cause some of us might need an Extreme Makeover!

One thing that we know is that God looks at our heart. He does not care about the outside appearance as He does the inward. If the inside has been changed the outside will naturally take its course.

1st Peter 3:3-4
“Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious to God.” – NKJ

In other words, when you get saved, don’t just wear the Christian t-shirts, don’t just look spiritual, don’t just go to church on Sunday and Wednesday s, but have church every day! Take off the Sunday religion and put on the righteousness of God every single day! God cares about the inside. If the outside only changes, then who are you pleasing? Man. You want to look good for the people of the world. Saying, “Look how spiritual I am”. We should not be pleasing people. We should not be seeker friendly. We should be holy as God is holy and that holiness begins on the inside not the out!

God Gives Us What We Need to Be Live a Holy Lifestyle
In this book called the Bible, God gives us everything we need as Christians to live the lifestyle that we are called to live. We need not look any further than the Word of God to see how we are to live our lives holy before God.

2nd Peter 1:5-8
“⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – NKJ

If we are following the Word of God and we are doing these things, not only us, but leaders as well, He says we will be neither “barren nor unfruitful.” As Disciples of Christ we are called to bear fruit. We had talked about that before. A leader you will know by their fruits.

Matthew 7:15-20
“¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” – NKJ

“…so you can identify people by their actions.” - NLT

There is no such thing as a fruitless Disciple. Again in this passage the outside looks good, but again God is looking at the heart. He compares it to “ravenous wolves”. What is interesting here is, and this is just a side note, how many of you know that wolves travel in packs?

Wolves travel and hunt in a group and perform almost all other activities in the company of fellow wolves. The alpha male and female are the oldest members of the pack and the ones with the most experience in hunting, defending territory, and other important activities.

The other pack members respect their positions and follow their leadership in almost all things. The alpha wolves are usually the ones to make decisions for the pack when the group should go out to hunt or move from one place to another.

God compares these false leaders to “ravenous wolves”…meaning destructive, they are on the hunt to destroy. Listen the enemy is no respecter of persons, he will use a Christian leaders faster than he will use a heathen to destroy what God is doing! We need to know who our leaders are! We need to know who it is we are following, and if their leadership does not line up with the Word of God (Which you have to know it for yourself) then you need to find someone else to follow, someone who is following God! Don’t let someone lead you right into the flames of hell!


These leaders that do not show the qualities in their life mentioned in 2^nd Peter 1:3-8 will not except biblical correction either. They are blinded and they think everything is ok. That their walk with God is ok, when in reality it is not ok.

2nd Peter 1:9
“⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” – NKJ

They are shortsighted to the things of God, they are blinded that they do not see that they are living a lifestyle of sin and they forgot that they were cleansed from these things. All they see is the bad things happening, they do not see God moving as those do who are following God because their sin is in the way. Know who you are following!

Make Sure Your Call & Election Sure
2nd Peter 1:10
¹⁰ “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;” – NKJ

2nd Peter 1:10
“¹⁰ So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” – NLT

As Christians we need to make sure that the ones that lead us in our life, in our Christian walk is bringing us closer to God and not farther away from Him. This is one reason why I tell you to make sure what I am teaching and preaching is correct. Hold me accountable. Other leaders in our life we need to hold them accountable to what they are saying that is of God.

Acts 17:10-11
“¹⁰ Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” - NKJ

“The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said.” – MSG

I don’t just listen to anybody on the t.v. I don’t just read any “Christian” book that flows my way. While we were in Hammond, I wanted to start the “Tabernacle of Moses” series. So I was online looking for resources and I found a lot of resources. I stumbled upon this site that gave out free “Christian” books. I have been known as “The King of Free Stuff”. I mean who doesn’t like free things, right? Anyways, I found a free book on the Tabernacle of Moses so I ordered it, didn’t even have to pay for shipping and handling. I got the book in the mail and I was ecstatic! Until I read the preface: “Without understanding and believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, none of us can ever find out the truth revealed in the Tabernacle.”


Something in my Spirit told me this is not of God. I believe that God has given me an acute sense of discernment; He reveals things to me about people and things. I believe we need to be asking God for more discernment in our lives. The author has another book called “The Gospel of the Water and Spirit”, listen to what some readers said about this book:


The gospel of the water and the Spirit washed away all my sins. Both of my parents were devoted Christians, and I have attended church faithfully since I was very young. In my own way, I had strong faith in my own salvation and I dreamed of becoming a preacher one day. To make my dream come true. I wanted to learn more about the Bible, so I enrolled in a theological seminary. But the more I learned, the more doubts I began to have, and I could not come up with any answers to the questions of sin and being born again. It was then that I discovered the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When I first heard that the reason Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist was to take the sins of the world upon Himself. I felt a great weight was lifted from my heart. I realized that the teachings of theologians, the theory of predestination, of unconditional divine election, prayers of repentance and Jesus' forgiveness of original sin alone are false truths that the devil has planted in our hearts. No theology in the world could take away my sins. But I now know for certain that if you believe in the words of God. as explained in this book, you will be born again of water and the Spirit just as I was. -- Elena Stanchina
 
Bible Clearly states that the path to the hell is so wide that so many travel through it, but the path to life is so narrow, only a few find it. All my life I have been waiting for an answer to become a truly born-again-Christian, as a brand new creature in Christ. And, I think I just found the answer. – Unknown

We need to know who we are following! The only way you are going to know who you are following is to be in the Word of God. I believe with all my heart God is trying to tell some people in His church to get into the Word otherwise you are going to be deceived and you will end up going down the wrong path! A path that only leads to destruction.


Next week we will continue this. I encourage you to read 1^st & 2^nd Peter this week and allow God to speak to you.