Amen, so the sermon tonight is entitled false brethren reality and response false brethren reality and response
And the first point i'm going to make is the the fact that having false brethren is reality
And this is something that we have to understand because you know false brethren is something that is going to happen
You know regardless of whether or not we believe it. We may not think that false brethren are going to creep in
We might not think that this is something that's ever going to happen to our church, but i'm telling you it's only a matter of time
And if you've been around the ministry long enough, you'll you'll start to understand that this is true
You will begin to see when this happens
And even after it happens once or twice you might even think I know i'm guilty of this where false brethren crept into the church
Began to preach false doctrine and drew away disciples after them and you think okay, so it happened, but that's it now it's over
It's only going to happen once no and then it happens a second time then it happens a third time
And why is that it's because the devil wants to destroy good baptist churches so one of the ways which he does that
You know the devil doesn't just show up himself
With a pitchfork, you know and trying to destroy a church the way he does it is through subtlety by being crafty
And through what through using false brethren by using people and sending them in
In order to divide or splinter churches. This is something that happens over and over again, you know
And this is something that sadly the old ifb has just checked out on
That they just they refuse to accept this reality to the point now or they're even saying hey, you know
These sodomites can just come right in they can teach our kids they can sit in the front row
They can cross dress they can bring their partner and it's it's not even that they don't believe that false brethren or a thing
it's that they think that even just the most wicked reprobate is somebody that should just be welcomed into the church because
You know what harm could come of it?
you know, so if you get to a place where you're going to uh,
You know, uh deny the reality that that wicked people infiltrate churches to do wicked things, you know
That could go so far take you to the place where now you're just going to let the most
Reprehensible and just wicked reprobates into the church
That's how far removed people have gotten from this reality that there are false brethren
So the first thing we need to face about this topic is that it is a reality
That false brethren do creep into churches and they do wicked things to try and split and break up churches
And this is just something that the bible talks about over and over and over again
There's just so many scriptures on the subject. These are this is something that jesus dealt with
This is something about paul dealt with it's something that paul warned us that we're going to have to deal with
And yet today many people just think that that's something that could never happen to their church
that's just something that they'll never see as they
Live the christian life, but i'm telling you if you stick around
It's only a matter of time until false brethren try to creep into a church
unawares
And you know, we have an adversary and it's the devil ultimately he's the one that's behind it and god is trying to tell us
Even as far back as genesis just the beginning of the book in genesis chapter three
That he's going to put enmity between thee and the woman who are speaking to the serpent between thee and the woman
And between her seed and thy seed it shall bruise thy head
And thou shalt bruise his heel now, we know that's a prophecy regarding christ
But we also see here in this prophecy is that the devil is going to try to inflict
Pain on what the body of christ, right? We could look at it that way as well
He we always like to read that part. It shall bruise thy head. Yeah. Amen and amen, right?
We know that one day he is going to crush that serpent that old devil
Under his feet once and for all and destroy him, but he also is going to bruise his heel
Okay, he is going to inflict damage on the body of christ
He's going to attempt to do that
He is that is his purpose is to try and stop the work of christ to hinder the work of christ
You know the devil's not really worried about the lost of this world, you know, he kind of has that wheel in motion
You know, he puts out the the media he puts out the entertainment
He puts out all of all of that, you know programming that he puts out there
And can kind of just get people kind of going down that path
And once kind of people start going down that path of the world and just living for the world
Not caring about the things of god, you know, he could kind of leave them to themselves
He kind of it's like that little wind-up toys
Right. So I think just wind this guy up just enough. I can set him down and he'll just
Just go right down to hell, right?
Whereas when you have christians when you have baptist churches
We have bible preaching churches who are actually trying to do the work of god
Who are trying to accomplish something for the cause of christ that puts a target on us
And now now he could just wind these guys up and let them go and say let me work on these people
Let me actively work against them. Let me try and get them to cease from doing the work of god
Let me hinder the work of god because what are we going to do?
We're going to go grab those little wind-up toys and point them in the right direction, right and try to get them saved
So that's who he wants to stop. That's what says there in john chapter 10 verse 10
The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy right and that's the perfect description of the devil
You say what is his agenda? What is it that he's trying to accomplish?
He's trying to steal he is trying to kill and he's trying to destroy right now. He's doing a lot of killing, isn't he?
There's a lot of you know
He wants to kill people and get them to hell as quick as he can
Through abortion through wars through violence or all these things but another part of what he tries to accomplish is to steal
You know if he can send in a false brethren if he can attack churches, you know
It might be that he you know could even steal away. What god's sheep
He might even be able to steal away actual saved christians get them off the path get them out of church get them bitter
Get them, uh, you know just out of serving god. What is he trying? He's trying to steal them back to the world
This is how the devils works
And look, you know, I know this isn't this I feel like this is something that I have to preach
That's a topic I come up it's been coming up more and more late lately
I feel like it's something that's I almost have to cover several times throughout the year
Because this is a reality that people have to understand that the devil is real
That isn't just some you know baptist fairy tale that we're telling up here
We really have an adversary who walketh about as a roaring lion seeking who may devour he has an agenda of stealing of killing
Of destroying that's what he wants to do and he's going to attack local churches
You know and we can look around at other churches. Maybe it's not our church that's being under attack
But you know we can look around to our sister churches
We can look at our friends and other churches
And we can see their churches this church goes under attack then this church comes under attack by the world the sonomites ultimately
It's all the devil
Ultimately, it's satan that's that's leading that charge against those churches
Look it's only a matter of time until it comes around to this church
So there's an attack on this church
And i'm and i'm going to get up and i'm going to preach it and tell people and and I know for a fact that
Even despite the preaching that i'm going to be doing tonight and other preaching i've done when it happens people can say oh, no, no
No, that's not what's going on here. This isn't an attack or they're going to be caught off guard when it does happen
They say I never saw it coming
Okay, but i'm telling you the bible talks about this and the bible warns us about the fact
That false brethren brethren creep in it is a reality. We have to face and come to terms with
Go over to first john chapter four first john chapter four, we're going to look at a lot of scripture
And you know
This is an important subject and it's probably a lot of things we've heard before but we need to let these things sink down
into our ears
False brethren are a reality they will attack
Jesus said in matthew 10 behold. I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves
He didn't say send you forth the sheep into some, you know
Serene green pasture with the gentle flowing brook and big oak trees
Where just you're going to live out your christian life and just complete peace and harmony
No, he said i'm sending you out as is sheep in the midst of wolves
You're going to go out there and there's going to be people that are going to try and attack and devour and destroy
And kill that's the warning. That's jesus's words. Those aren't that's not me just hyperbole
This isn't just me getting up and you know
Rattling my cage and trying to make a big deal out of something that isn't there
This is what jesus said i'm sending you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. It's going to happen
Be ye therefore wise as serpents. He's saying don't be ignorant of this fact. Don't be stupid
Don't think that the devil isn't out there waiting to attack that there isn't some wolf on the prowl
Who's walking who's stalking who's trying to find a way in to attack to destroy and kill it's reality
Now he said to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves that's important to remember
Okay, because that's the gonna that applies more to the latter half of the sermon. We're going to talk about the response
How should we respond to the reality of false brethren? What should be our attitude, but we'll get to that
You're there in first john chapter four right now. We're just looking at the reality of false brethren
It says in verse one of first john four beloved believe not every spirit
But try the spirits whether they are of god
Why why is it that we are to try the spirits?
Why are to be wise as serpents or as he said as jesus said?
Why because many false prophets are gone out into the world. This is in john's day
Okay, this is you know less than a hundred years after christ has ascended into heaven after his ministry
This is within the lifetime of the apostle john. He's saying many
False prophets are gone out into the world even in his time
Many false prophets have already gone out in the world and we know when we read through the old testament
We see examples of false prophets all the way back into the time of moses
Okay, so they already all got out of the world you say well, you know that was then you know
People have chilled out now the devil isn't so he's realized he can't win. You know, he's just drawn back
He's just kind of biding his time into the other times. No, he's still actively working
I mean we see false prophets on every hand. They're everywhere. We've got roman catholic churches, you know
I just drove by going up to mount limmon the other day went by the mormon temple up there
On the north side. We got a mormon temple here. So they're not false prophets. Look, they're false prophets. They're teaching another christ
They're teaching another way of salvation. They're false. Okay, they're teaching anything other than salvation by grace through faith
They are a false prophet
They can call themselves christian
They can say they believe in jesus when you examine their doctrine when you try the spirits they come up false every time
Look, they're on every hand the johoba witnesses the mormons the catholics we could go on and on the seventh day in venice
They're everywhere. They're on every hand. They were they're there if anything. They're more abundant today than in john's day
So we should not be so foolish to think that false brethren couldn't also come into this church
Because it's a reality that jesus is warning about that. John is warning us about
That false prophets that we are going to creep in
That we are sheep in the midst of wolves that we need to try the spirits whether they be of god
Look at verse two hereby know we the spirit of god
Every spirit that confesseth that jesus christ has come in the flesh is of god
And every spirit that confesseth not that jesus christ has come in the flesh is not of god
And this is the spirit of antichrist wherever you have heard that it should come
You know, that's where a lot of people would like to stop reading say well, yeah, we understand that's something that's going to come
That's just end times prophecy stuff. That's just something that's going to happen, you know in the latter days
He says look it's that it should come and even now already is it in the world?
Look, the spirit of antichrist is already at work in this world today
And again, you know a big part of his job is just to get the unsaved into hell
But you know that doesn't you know that doesn't take a whole lot of effort once you get all the public
Education and the higher learning in place and teach get people brainwashed with
The evolution and the worldly philosophies and humanism, you know, you can kind of just usher them on
They're just like that little that little wind-up toy that all once you get them going
They'll just they'll carry themselves over there
But the spirit that's a big part of the spirit of antichrist job. Look that ball is in motion that system is in place
And you know a bit another part of his job the spirit of antichrist is to attack the local new testament church
You know and it's hard for people to understand that
You know, we even our little church here
Just minding our business down in tucson. Just trying to preach the bible
Just trying to go out and win souls would be the the target of satan and his and his and the works of darkness
but it is
And we understand it's like well, who are we?
You know, we are, you know, that's a good way to think we really are nobody right who is sufficient for these things
As paul said but our sufficiency is of christ
You know, we are ambassadors for christ the world might not think much of us and honestly, you know in and of ourselves
We are nothing
But when you're representing the king of kings the lord of lords when you're an ambassador for christ when you're pulling souls out of the pits
of hell
You become a prime target for satan himself
And it's only a matter of time until a false false brethren or try to creep into a church like this
And split it or splinter it or do as much damage as I can
It's happened over and over and over again and still every time it happens there's still people that go
Never saw it coming. I didn't know this could happen
Despite all of the reading we're going to do tonight despite all that the bible talks about this subject
Go over to john chapter 8
John, you know what go to go to uh, go to galatians chapter 2 galatians chapter 2 just go there. I'll read to you
From uh third john chapter one. He said in third john chapter one
I wrote under the church but diatrophes who loveth to have the preeminence among us receive us
receiveth us not
So even in john's day
There's this guy
Diatrophes who's gotten into the church and who loves the preeminence so much that he's not even receiving the apostle paul
Paul or excuse me. John. John can't even get in the door
He's like look he received with us not
Why because he loveth the preeminence wherefore if I come I will remember his deeds which they do with prating against us
With malicious words and not content there with neither doth he himself receive the brethren
And forbideth them that would I mean this guy has gotten such a hold on this church
That he's not receiving the brethren and even those that would receive the brethren. He's not receiving that he forbids them as well
Because he has to be the big shot
This is an example of what false brethren a guy that has crept in
And he got to the point where he's pretty much determining who's allowed and who isn't
Just on his own, you know out of his own, uh
Just preferences from what it sounds like and he cast them out of the church
You know paul went through this paul said in second corinthians chapter 11 and journeying soft in perils of water
imperils of robbers
imperils by mine own countrymen
imperils by the heathen
imperils in the city imperils in the wilderness imperils in the sea imperils among false brethren
You know all these other things we could probably say. Oh, I could see how that could happen
I mean you're out sailing around on the sea. Of course, you're going to get into a storm that seems pretty
Reasonable paul that these type of things could happen imperils by my own countrymen. Okay, I have physical persecution
You know, the jews are coming after you they don't appreciate, you know
The what you're preaching you're and all that imperils by the heathen, you know more persecution
but then
People just gloss over when you read imperils by false brethren
imperils by false brethren
What does it mean to be a false to be false brethren to be a false brother in christ?
It means you look like a brother. It means you act like a brother you talk like a brother
Everyone would think that you're saved that you love the lord. You've gotten into church. But the fact is is that you're false
Okay
I mean that's why it's so hard to to pick these people out
And in fact, let me just say this i'm getting ahead of myself a little bit. You can't pick them out. Okay
That's why it's senseless to go on any kind of a witch hunt to try and find people and say well
I think this guy is a false brother. I'm gonna smoke them out. Okay, you can't do it
And then let me prove that from the scriptures look at there in galatians chapter two
You know
The first part of the sermon is just trying to get people to come to terms with the fact that false brethren are real
And then it's only a matter of time until they try to creep into this church
So don't let it catch you off guard when it happens
Because i've seen it over and oh and just the eight, you know short eight years that i've been a part of this church
I've seen it a handful of times
I've seen it in other churches and you know what there's probably even instances where it's happened in other churches. I don't even know about
Okay
It's something that happens over it's something that happened in jesus day. It's something that happened in paul's day
It's something that we're warned about but again, you say all right, I believe you i'm on board brother. Corbin
You convinced me the scripture is clear false brethren. It's reality
So let's you know, let's get the lanterns and the pitchforks
And the shovels and the rope and we're gonna find out who it is, right?
We're not leaving here until I get some false brethren smoked out. Look it doesn't work like that
You know, that's and maybe that's why people have such a hard time with understanding this
Is because false brethren are so convincing
That you you can't you can't know them until they bare their teeth
You can't know the wolf in sheep's clothing until the ear pokes out until the tail comes out from underneath
You know the costume until the teeth are finally shown until he has another sheep in its jaws until they begin to do their work
And then it's plain as day for anybody to see
But up until that point they're false brethren. They look like us they talk like us and they come in
And again, you know, sometimes people can get can see fault, you know red flags
But let me just explain something a red flag does not mean that they are false brethren
Let me tell you what a red flag is. It's a red flag and that's all it is
You know, sometimes these red flags you might see in somebody like
Oh this person, you know, because they might say well they flatter people and look flattery is a red flag
Now i'm not saying like, you know when people compliment you and say give you a genuine sincere compliment. That's not flattery
But we all know what flattery is when people go over top. Oh, you're just over the top with their compliments
And they're telling you things about yourself that you know aren't true, you know, man that suit looks good on you. It's like
This whole thing, right
It's like missing buttons. It's got stains on it. You're like, I don't know what's going on here. You're so smart
You're like i'm not that smart, right
All these things that people and they'll just be over the top, right?
They'll just go overboard with it, you know flattery is a red flag, but you know what maybe that person is trying to you know
I don't know. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are
False brethren now it is a red flag. But again
It's just a red flag
So, you know you have to wait for
Unfortunately, you have to wait for false brethren to expose themselves to come out as what they really are
Okay
And you know, this is what we see in scripture look at galatians chapter 2 verse 1
He says then 14 years after I went up to jerusalem with barnabas and took titus with me also
And I went up by revelation and communicated to them
That gospel which I preach among the gentiles but privately to them which were of reputation lest by any means I should
Run or had run in vain but neither titus who was with me being a greek was compelled to be circumcised
And because that of false brethren and I want you to pay a close attention to these words
unawares brought in who privily
Who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in christ. Jesus
I'm not going to get all the context here
The point I want us to understand is that when paul is talking about these false brethren
What is he saying about them that they were brought in?
unawares
That they came in privately privily, right? But false brethren aren't just going to show up be like hey
I'm a false brother. Nice to meet you. I'm here to i'm here to harm the body of christ
I'm here to hinder the work of god. I'm here to draw us disciples away after me
I'm here to preach heresy and demo but that's not what they're gonna do
They're not going to hand you a business card that says false prophet false brethren, you know, contact me at you know
Falsebrother at gmail.com one eight hundred heresy. It's not that simple. Okay, they come in privily
They come in unawares. They sneak in they creep in is what he says here
Go over to uh, jude chapter one jude chapter one
Look they creep in but it's again. This is why I think so many people struggle with this
So many people think oh this this is this can't be true
This never happens because it's done so subtly it's done so slowly
It's done so craftily that when it finally they finally spring their trap
People are just taken completely off guard and they say things like what so and so I never would have guessed exactly
That's the point. That's how they work
They want to creep in they want to do it privately and again, you know
This is this isn't it really something I was going to go into but I it's I firmly believe that some of these people are
Controlled by satan will net satan himself, but they're under demonic control that they don't even know that they're false brethren
They don't even know that they're a judas
That they're just set in there. They're just something
I mean
How else do you explain a bunch of people showing up all at once the same church around the same time and then all falling
Into the same heresy and trying to split a church
It's demonic
It's so strange. It's like god let you know, the satan lets them creep in there
And then when he's ready and he gets all his little people in there that he wants in there and then he tries to spring
some kind of a trap
And you say well, you know, you're satan really devils. It's like what do we not believe in the devil here?
Do we not believe in the spiritual world? Do we not believe in the supernatural?
Of course that kind of thing can happen
You know, this isn't ghostbusters stuff up here. I'm talking about this is the bible. Okay, the bible talks about you know, devils and demons and
Angels
You know, it doesn't we don't know a lot about that world and we don't the bible doesn't shed a lot of light on it
But it gives us enough to understand and know that there are people that can come under the demonic influence
And can be used of satan
I mean, there's one character in the new testament who I think was pretty prominent and it says that satan entered in him
Who was that? Oh, yeah, it was judas
One of the twelve, you know satan entered into judas and he went and did those things
Right, so again, you know the devil works that way he doesn't show up himself and false brethren they show up
They don't advertise the fact. In fact, they might not even know
You know, i'm not saying that's not that's always the case
But I my belief is is that a lot of times these these judices they don't even know they're judices
They don't even know that they're being used by satan
Look at jude chapter 1 verse 3 beloved when I gave all diligence to write unto you the common salvation
It was needful for me to write unto you and to exhort you
That you should earnestly contend for the faith, which was once delivered on the saints
So jude's saying look I wanted to write to you the common salvation
But when I went to do that, I realized it was needful for me to write unto you of what?
That you should earnestly contend for the faith. Why?
for verse four
For there are certain men crept in under wares who were before old of old ordained to this condemnation
Ungodly men turning the grace of our lord god into lasciviousness and denying the only lord god and lord jesus christ
So he's saying look I wanted to write you the common salvation
But then I realized I had to exhort you to contend for the faith because there are certain who are crept in
And how are they crept in and people look people might understand the first part of the sermon. Yes. It's reality. I accept that
Here's the next half they creep in on aware's they creep in privately. That's what jude is saying here
They crept in unawares
Meaning that you don't see them coming
But that doesn't mean you can't brace for impact. That doesn't mean you can't be
You know ready for this reality of when it does happen
But what it does what it what it doesn't mean is that you can sniff them out
Doesn't mean that when they come people come in here, you can start to examine themselves. I think this person's a false brethren
Look the people you suspect of being false brethren, you know, if you suspect them that probably means that
That they're not
Because they creep in unawares
Yeah, but not for me. I'm aware of everybody. I'm so I you know, I have such discernment
I have such I the holy spirit dwells in me so richly, you know
And I have I have the such a spirit of knowledge and understanding that you know, I can even sniff out the you know
jude couldn't
I know john and others couldn't apostle paul couldn't I know, you know, but but me I can you know
Because i'm just this the spiritual sleuth up here
Right, no nobody can they creep in unawares now look you can when the red flags start to pile up
You can start to go. Okay, let's
Get ready for it any day now
Right something's gonna happen, right but that doesn't mean we can start going around and confronting people
Trying to bring other people over to our side thinking. Oh, do you think so-and-so is a false prophet?
Look, you're getting real close to you know, false accusations at that point
It's it's it's that's dangerous ground to get on
We don't want to just start going on a witch hunt because it's fruitless. You can't do this because they creep in unawares
All right
They're good at their job
Go over to matthew chapter 13 matthew chapter 13
So the sermon tonight is about false brethren the reality of it, you know that there are false brethren that creep in
This isn't just you know
Make-believe this is this is something that happens
And you know i'm preaching the sermon but when it happens, you know people the people are still gonna get caught off guard
Or they're gonna do what I didn't think. Oh, okay. Well, that's out of the way
It's never gonna happen again and then it happens again
Then it happens again. Okay, it happens
Jesus said beware false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Look they're wearing sheep's clothing
You know, how are we gonna know who they are by their fruits, you know fruit takes time, doesn't it?
Fruit takes fruit doesn't just show up all of a sudden he said he shall know them by their fruits
A good fruit cannot bring forth evil fruit and excuse me
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit
Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down and cast in the fire
Where for wherefore by their fruits you shall know them
He didn't say you're going to know the false brethren by you know, going around and picking up all the you know
Because they come in as as wolves in sheep clothing
Let me see if I can pull the wool back
And get a peek under there and see what what's what's really under that that wool
You know that if it's a real sheep, all you're gonna do is pull their hair
Like a man, you know, they're gonna get mad right you're gonna scare them. They're gonna run off
I don't know if that's the sound of sheep makes but
It sounded good at the time. All right
but the illustration is this is that
That's not how jesus said to find him out go around and you know and and and pull up the see if you can pull the wool
up
And see if there's a wolf under there
What he's saying the way he says you're going to know who they are is when their fruits come to bear
When they come to full season when they finally take the the clothing off and say guess what i'm a wolf, you know
And they start to bite and devour. Okay, that's how it works
You shall know them by their fruits
You know a lot and there's so many trees in the world that fruit trees I couldn't tell you what kind of a fruit tree
it is
I could look at you could look at it and say what kind of fruit tree is that I have no idea
You know if it's out of season, but the instant its branches are just weighed down with lemons, you know, I think it's apples
No, i'm gonna say it's a lemon tree how do I know that because i'm some you know, I know I came from michigan
We're with places like glenn arbor
You know in and arbor, but that doesn't make me an arborist
You know an expert in trees
You know, I I wouldn't know probably more than anybody now i'm sure there's plenty of people out there that could do that
But i'm not one of them. In fact, most people couldn't
But when you see some tree just, you know hanging down and it's got giant, you know
Peaches or lemons, you know right away what tree it is. Why?
Not because you're an expert on trees because of the fruit that's there. That's how it is
That's how it works with false prophets. That's how it works
With false brethren when they when they take off the the sheep's clothing when the fruit comes to bear
There's no denying what they are it's obvious to everyone
Okay
So there's no point trying to go around and lift up the wool and see if there's anything other because you know
What vast majority people really are sheep?
They really are of this fold
And we can't just go around trying to find out who the wolf is look
There might not even be a wolf at this present time. There might not even be a judas
You know that but I believe this there will be
One day there will be false brethren why how why do I believe that because we're doing the work of god
Because we're doing something important here because the bible is being preached because souls are getting saved because people are getting baptized because the church
Is growing
It might not be this year. It might not be next year
But I guarantee you eventually devil that satan is going to get tired of what's going on here and he's going to do his best
to stop this
He's going to try and split a church or try to take people out of church or try to just you know
At least splinter it, you know and hinder the work of christ
Look, you know the gates of hell are not going to prevail against the church, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to try
That doesn't mean it's not going to suffer loss
It doesn't mean it isn't going to have to press forward, you know and take the kingdom of heaven by violence. Okay?
Matthew chapter 13 look at verse 24. Is that where had you go? Matthew 13?
This is an important parable. Okay, that kind of ties the whole thing together here tonight
About what the reality of false brethren and also how we are to what our response should be. Okay
Because you know, we might we might get real zealous for our church and that's great and say well
I want to protect my church, you know, I don't want to see you in split
So i'm just you know, i'm going to become this, you know, this vigilant and look we're supposed to be vigilant, right?
I mean, that's that's it's one of the qualifications for the bishop
but i'm just going to be this hyper vigilant just this
You know this the century at the door of of faithful word tucson and i'm just going to start look
There's churches like this that have had the spirit and i'm just going to start grilling people as soon as they walk through the door
How long you've been saved what you can save do they use the king james bible? Look, I believe all that
You got to have that stuff
Right, but we don't want to grill people at the door. What do you believe in the trinity, you know?
Then just start going down the list like
It's like hi my name is and then you know, you get their name and then it's just like okay 20 questions
Make sure you're not a false prophet
That you're not false brethren here and look people's intentions might be good
And you know their their their hearts in the right place, but that's you know, you do more damage
Than good when you get an attitude like that
That's what it says in matthew chapter 13 verse 24 another parable. He put he forth unto them saying
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field
But while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way
But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit then appeared the tares also that's notice again
When were they able to tell the difference?
When it brought forth fruit, okay
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, sir
Didst thou not sow good seed in thy fuel
From whence then hath it tears? They're saying where do these tears come from? He saith unto them an enemy hath done this
The servants said unto him and don't miss this
Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
They're saying you want us to go tear up the tears now and get those tears out of there
And what is the master which is you know?
the a picture of the lord
He said in them name lest while you gather up the tares you root up also the wheat with them
Okay, this is an important principle to understand in scripture
This is why you can't go on a witch hunt
This is why you cannot start just trying to root out the tears that you think are there
Okay
Because what you'll do in the process is you'll start trampling
You know the the wheat you'll start trampling the good plants that are there
You might start hurting other people in the process or you might go after somebody
And find out that they're not tares that they are wheat
But you know what you damage them. You're like trying to pull it out. It's like you know
And then it gets it gets snapped over, you know, it's lame now. It's not going to be able to bring forth as much fruit
Why?
Because you're trying to pull up something that needs to stay there that doesn't need to be pulled up or you know
Worst case scenario you actually pull the weed up and cast it away and now there's no fruit, right?
Look people do that. This is like the you know
The equivalent of people come into a church and get the third degree about what you know about what?
Whether or not they're false brethren or something saying i'm not going back to that church and look I wouldn't blame them
I'd go find another church
If I walked into some church and it was just like got the third degree they break out the spotlight
And start asking me, you know where I was next tuesday night or whatever
Explain yourself. It'd be like this is not why I came to church. Look people come to church
A lot of times because they're looking for help
They're looking for they're looking for help. They're looking for compassion
If you're not going to find it here, where are you going to find it in this world?
You need to find it here and a lot of times that's what they come here for and no they're not perfect
They don't have all their spiritual ducks lined up, but so what that's what we're here to do
We're gonna make we're here to make as I heard it well put we're gonna make weird people normal
And that is the ministry in a nutshell right there take weird people and look i'm one of them
Look and you're like, yeah, we know
There's and i'm a work in progress. All right, the wheel still it's like still loading
Right still weird. Okay, right, but we all are you know, none of us is perfect. We're all
Under construction here and look people need to be able to come in here and feel welcome and look
I'm not saying that they don't I think our church is great about this
You know, but I want to maintain that I want to keep that going
I want people to come in here and and see this as a place where they can get their feet back on the ground
That they can grow spiritually and that they can make something of their lives for the lord no matter where they're starting in life
No matter how far behind they are
No matter how many problems they have if they're willing to get pointed in the right direction, that's what I want
Right, that's I want wheat in here
But i'm not so ignorant as to think that tears aren't going to come in also
Look tears are going to spring up over time
But let's let the tears make themselves evident
Okay, and there's a greater application here to the end times. I understand about this parable
But there's a good principle here about not trying to root up something and doing damage to everything else around it
Okay
Getting this attitude of like well, i'm just going to be the one that's going to tear all the tears out
You're going to do more harm and good that way
You're going to run off good people thinking that there's something that they're not okay
People look the false brethren the false prophets they will reveal themselves in time, you know that happens every time
And look the more you see it, maybe yeah, maybe you start to identify
You know people that have been in the ministry that have had been stabbed in the back repeatedly
People that have had judices come in and try to do harm
You know, they probably do develop a better sense of who has more potential of being one of these people
but even then
even then where it's like when people are just checking all the boxes of
Judas false prophet false brethren, you know when they're just they're just ticking all the boxes off even then
You know that doesn't give us liberty
To go and try and root them out or kick them out or run them out. You have to unfortunately wait for them
To show themselves for what they are before you can take action, you know, it's like it's it's like
And it's unfortunate, you know because sometimes
Look, I don't have like a real delicate way to put this it sometimes
You know, you might have trash building up in a church
And it's just been there so long that everybody gets used to it
You go nose deaf, right?
Because the trash, you know, it's just it's just been part of the church for so long
You ever you ever run into people like that have gone nose deaf
Like when I delivered pizza, I ran into people like this that had cats
And before you even get to the door, I'm not saying every cat owner has this problem. Okay?
No, if you have cats, i'm not targeting you. This isn't i'm not trying to offend people with cats
I like cats i'm not gonna go so far as to say I love them. Okay, but I do like cats
Right. I've owned cats. I hope to own a cat in my future. All right
But here's the thing i've also known people i've might haven't known them but I was delivering pizzas
I'd go up to the door and before you even get to the apartment you can smell the litter box that ammonia
Right that deep ammonia and then they open the door
and it's just like
Here's your pizza
Your eyes are but they're just like thanks
They're just standing there like oh how much do I owe you want a tip?
Like they don't think what did that what's happened to that person is they've gone nose deaf
They can't smell their own stench. They can't smell the stink in the room
They can't smell the the ammonia has burned out the membranes in their nose
You know, it's that strong look that you know, that's something that could happen in a church
Trash people just start to pile up
Everyone's just used to them being around and you know, but everyone notices when you light it on fire
Then everyone's like oh when that that trash finally just blows up into some kind of a dumpster fire
It's trying to burn everything else down around it's like oh, there's the problem. The trash is on fire
Let's put it out and get it out of here
Now again, that's probably not the most elegant illustration i've ever used. Okay, but it's the one that I know
And i'm just making the point is this is that look
You know
You might even be able to develop a sixth sense about people like this
But even then you have to wait them to do what you have to wait for them to expose themselves for what they are
You can't you and you can't set a trap for them
You can't accuse them and it's unfortunate because sometimes you watch those people latch on to good people
And it's like okay here it comes and and you want to protect good people
But you know what? Sometimes people have to learn this the hard way for themselves before they'll finally
Realize what's going on?
Okay
And and and I don't want to you know, i've dealt with i've been one of those people in the past
You know where you start to trust you thought oh this person's good this person's solid
And then they turn out to be a judas, right?
And so you never see it coming and then you kind of have your guard up a little bit
About that and then the other temptation, you know, because again, you know, we're talking about our response to false brethren
You know the reality of it and the response
You know, we might even people might even get jaded
Unfortunately, and this is something especially if you you know
If you're in ministry if you deal with people a lot
That I think people need to look out for but even if you're just around church for a while
You could become very cynical about people
And that's something I try not to do. I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt
I want to you know, always think the best of people
But when you see people betray one another and stab people in the back, you know that that becomes an exercise
That's something you have to purpose in your heart to do
You know and and not to just think the worst of everybody and just think oh great here comes another judas
You know, who is it now and just always have my radar on?
Trying to ping the next, you know infiltrator. I don't want to live my life like that
I just don't you know and I don't need to because the judices will come
And they will expose themselves for what they are. I just have to all I have to do as you know
As uh, you know somebody who is pastoring the church, right? That's what i'm doing
Is is be vigilant so that when it does happen, you know, that's then I can ruin them out then we can deal with it
But look we can't take that on our upon ourselves. We can't get into this, you know, vigilante justice
Where we're going to start rooting out whoever we might think is or isn't false brethren crept in unawares
And you say who does that look people have this attitude?
They think oh i'm in a church. There's got to be a judas here. I'm going to be the one to find them out
No, you're not and look I personally do not believe there's a judas here at all times
I don't believe that
Okay
Especially when churches are smaller, you know, maybe we haven't gotten on the devil's radar yet
He hasn't taken the time to try and send an infiltrator here
That's my personal belief, okay
But make no doubt about it
In time they will come I do believe that if they're not here already and I again I don't suspect anybody
Actually, i've got a list see me after service i'm totally kidding go over to uh
Go over to ax chapter 20 ax chapter 20
He said in verse 1 and verse john 2 little children is the last time and as you have heard that anti-christ shall come
Even now there are many anti-christ whereby we know that it is last time in john days. There were already many anti-christs
And look you say well if there's many then let's find out who they are
Look, they will reveal themselves. John says in verse 19. They went out from us
But they were not of us for if they had been of us
They know or they would no doubt have continued with us
Look the great thing the the the the the consolation you could take away from about false brethren
Is the fact that they show themselves the door?
Eventually, they will go out from us now
They're going to go kicking and screaming and trying to drag as many people as they can with them along the way
And you know, you have to deal with that when when they when that rears its ugly head then that's when you deal with it
but look the the
The comforting thought is that they will go out from us
That they will say okay now is the time
And they'll spring their trap. They'll try to do the damage that they're there to do
And they will go, you know, and it's unfortunate
When you see good people get taken away by bad people, but you know what that's life. That's ministry
people come people go
people get
Judases and false brethren creep in they do damage and they they hurt good people on the way out
it's unfortunate but that's
This is the reality that we're living in, you know, it'd be a lot easier
Just put our heads in the sand like so many other
Churches and just pretend that this isn't something that goes on
You know and just let every you know, foul of the air just come in here and set up a nest
and just
You know feel right at home
In god's church, even though they're they're bad people but we can't do that. This is reality. Okay?
Okay
Go to you're in acts 20 look at verse 29 for this for I know this this is paul paul's like, you know
I have a I have a sneaking suspicion
my hypothesis is
You know, I have a hunch that possibly
Maybe no he says I know
this
That after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you
You know, not just people a little rough around the edges grievous wolves
That are there to steal kill and destroy shall
They shall enter in among you not sparing the flock
Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things
You know and not just perverse in the sense that we think you know thinking but
perverse things false doctrine
False things about christ, you know, they're gonna they're gonna speak perverse things like oh, I don't know deny the trinity
They're gonna speak perverse things things that are crooked that cannot be made straight
That they're gonna and to do what to draw away disciples after them
And look paul is saying this is something that I know
So what's our response find out who they are get them out of here. Nope. That wasn't and paul said I know this
So what is paul's advice verse 31 therefore? Oh, okay. Here we go
Paul's gonna give it to us. He's gonna give us the battle plan
Right
He's just string them up find out who they are
Get the lie detector test out
Get the get the heat lamps out
You know water board do whatever you had to find out who they are
Right. Is that what he's suggesting here? No, he says look they're gonna come they're grievous. They're not gonna spare the flock
They're gonna teach perverse things. They're gonna draw away disciples after them
Therefore
Watch, you know be vigilant and remember that the space of three years. I cease not to warn everyone night and day
with tears
And what he's talking about is the fact that he went and warned people of what hell
He just said I just kept preaching the gospel
I just kept doing god's work
And now brethren I commend you to god
And to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up
Look god's you know, he's only gonna if it happens it's only because god allows it to happen
You have to remember that, you know, god allows these people to creep in god allows these type of things to happen
So that you know that they can take away other false brethren so they can take away bad people
I believe that you know, the analogy has been made that they are the trash men of the church
That they come in they gather the trash and they take it with them. That's an that is an appropriate analogy
That is exactly how it works
That's why paul's remedy here is not to go on a witch hunt
But to cease to not to but to not cease to warn everyone day and night with tears
You know the false brethren are going to come regardless of what we do
So we might as well just keep warning people night and day with tears going out
Sewing precious scene, you know with weeping that so that we can come again with rejoicing bringing our sheets with them or with us
We should just go out and keep doing the work of god and just let the tears come and let the tears go
Because they will go look we'll deal with them when they get here. But in the meantime, let's just be about the work of god
You know and the irony is if we if we just be about the work of god, that's what's going to bring them
That's what's going to put us on the the devil's radar, but so be it
Let's go ahead and get on that radar. Let's let's you know, let's send out a ping or two
You know and and because that means we're getting something done, okay, but look when they come
You know because and we know they're going to come don't let it dissuade you from doing the work of god do what paul did
You know keep
Keep doing the work of god keep warning people
day and night with tears
And look unfortunately, you know when when these things happen even you know saved people often
Go away too
even often saved people
Will get drawn away
And they'll they'll be affected
You know some some false brother some you know, someone will attack a church attack a pastor
And you know, they might not get the pastor. They might not get him to to stumble and fall. They might not get him
To step down they might not completely split or shut down a church like they want
And hinder the work of christ, but you know, unfortunately what they will do is that they will get some you know
Good people, you know
People that had potential people that could bear fruit people that you know could go on and do great things for god. They will leave
You know and and but you know, there's this principle in deuteronomy. We won't go there if you want to go over to um,
Just go over to jude jude chapter one. I know we were there earlier
Look, there's some people you just have to let go
Unfortunately when this happens even good people when they get taken away, you know, you just have to let them go
You know if they get you know, there's a principle in deuteronomy where they would go out to war
They were to say you'll go around and say hey any man that has taken a wife
You know go home, you know and or any man that has built a home. He needs to go home
Any man's planted a vineyard. He needs to go enjoy that fruit. He needs to enjoy
That uh wife he needs to go home and enjoy
Uh, you know that new home, right?
There were certain people that were barred from service
Okay
And another person that was barred from serving in their army would be people that had fear in their hearts
You know and that's you know, a lot of times that's who gets drawn away people who are just
You know afraid to get in the thick of the battle
They're afraid of being a church that's going to have conflict or you know drama in it
Like that's this dirty word now
You know people that are they get they're afraid and they get drawn away
They get taken away and it's unfortunate but the bible says, you know, what let them go
He said in deuteronomy and the author shall speak unto the people and they shall say what man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted
Let him go
And return to unto his house lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart
You know, it's sad to see when when good families get taken away, you know because of you know, some judas attacking a church
But at the same time you don't want that spirit
to remain
You know people that are going to be fearful or doubtful or faint-hearted, you know, sometimes you have to let them go too
Okay, it's unfortunate but that's the prescription here. You're there in jew chapter one
So again, we're talking about our response, you know, the first half was about the reality
That there are false brethren that creep in but how should we handle that?
You know a lot of people here probably understand that look that the false brethren or reality even if you've never experienced it
You're probably like yeah, I know that that's what the bible says. I believe it
But how should you respond?
Because that's really the most important part
Look the if you don't if you doubt the reality of felt false brethren. It's just a matter of time, you know
It'll prove itself. The important thing is how are you going to respond when it happens?
Or how should you conduct yourself in the meantime? Okay
We don't want to go on a witch hunt
And we have to be willing to let people go
And we have to wait for people these false prophets to reveal themselves or what they are
That's what it's and they will no doubt about it jew chapter one
Verse 12. These are spots in your feasts
Of charity when they feast with you feeding themselves without fear
Clouds they are without rain water carried about of winds trees who fruit wither with without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots
raging waves of the sea
Why is he using these analogies to describe these false prophets?
Why is he describing them as raging waves of the sea you ever been near
a
an ocean that has like big breaks on it big surf that comes in and just
Look, it could be it's like you have to speak louder to be heard
You can hear it, you know from some distance away. You don't
There's no doubt that you're next to an ocean at that point when you're next to raging waves, you know it
Especially if you're out in the surf, right?
You ever been out and out on a beach somewhere and just have some giant wave come in
I remember when I would go visit my dad in the caribbean when we first started going down there and they had some bigger waves
And he would warn you be careful of the waves, you know
You got to kind of dive in and get out there a little bit like yeah
And if you weren't careful, man
One would just come along and just you'd be like getting drug around on the bottom get to get out
You had sand in your shorts and everything. It was it was a comfortable experience, right?
But I didn't come up out of the water and go what was that
Was that a seagull?
You know, did my sister dunk me?
No, it was a it was a wave that did that. It was like no doubt a wave did that, right?
You know, that's kind of why I think he's using this analogy there. Look, they're raging waves of the sea. What are they doing?
They're foaming out their own shame. It's obvious you ever seen waves make foam like that
Or you'd be around a lake where it has that thick nasty foam sometimes
You know, that's what these people are like you give them long enough, you know, that wave will come in it'll break
It'll be loud. There'll be foam. There'll be spray
You'll you'll get wet and say that's a wave
But they're the ones that have to break. They're the ones that have to come to shore. They're the ones that have to fall on the sand
You know, we don't want to start swimming out there, you know
And try to find that wave and get a cramp and go down or something and waste our time. Okay
They'll come in they'll come to shore they'll bear their fruit they'll take off the wool they'll bear their fangs
Look, we just have to be ready to respond
And not let it catch us off guard
Go over to uh first corinthians chapter 14 first corinthians chapter 14, we'll close there
How what should our response be
What should our response be to the fact that we're going to have false brethren
Creep in that they're going to be spots in our feasts eating with us without fear
That there's going to be tears that are sown among the wheat. How should we respond to that?
Look, it's not it's not
You're trying to you know
Get the hoe out and go to work and try to dig them out. That's not how we're supposed to handle it
Try to find smoke them out find out who they are. That's not how you handle it. They will reveal themselves
In the meantime, we just keep doing the work of god
And where do I have you went to first corinthians 14
Consider christ, how did christ handle it? I mean he had judas, but you know, the the original judas was in his crew
And he knew it. He knew he was he was a betrayer from the beginning
He picked him right now. Obviously there was a greater purpose behind that
Right, but he knew that there were some that believed not
Even from the beginning of his ministry that he knew exactly who judas was and of course he's god
He couldn't help but know that okay
But that does that you know, how how did he conduct himself? Well first peter says for even we're here unto are you called?
Because christ also suffered for us leaving us an example
That we should follow his steps. So, you know if we want to know how to handle these judices
Look to christ. How did he handle judas? How did he handle being betrayed? How did he be handled being uh, you know
Having people revile him and attack him
It says he did no sin neither was guile finding his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatened
not
But committed himself to him that judges right judgeth righteously
Look, obviously there's a time and place to call people out and to deal with uh, you know situations and things like that
but a lot of times sometimes the best way to handle these judices once they're out and they're gone especially is to just
Just commit yourself to him that judges right judges righteously
And not feel like you have to defend yourself
on every you know
youtube thread facebook comment
Because people can that's you know, that's just more of what they're you know, they want to draw people into that kind of stuff
They want to keep doing as much damage as they can and unfortunately the day and age we live in that's a reality
We have to talk about
You know, it used to be before social media, you know, you kick people at church
You know, the judices would get the boot they'd go they'd go out from us. That was it
But now they can linger online
And now they can keep trying to attack and draw people away online. It's interesting that when they do that
The people it's like all the trash just kind of funnels together over in their comment section
But look that's you know, that's why I don't pay any attention to any of that
I don't pay any attention to any of these stupid videos these trash channels make
You know people someone was telling me that day. Hey, you know, they made one about you
No, I didn't because I don't pay attention to trash channels
Because i'm too busy trying to do the work of god to sit around and worry about what some some clown is doing online
Who's or I already know what that person is?
They've already been booted from a church. They've already exposed themselves would be a judas
They were exposed to themselves to be trash
What it's like, you know, you know what the equivalent of watching those channels is
Like it's why don't you just go to a dumpster and flip it open on a hot day and just go
Mmm, that's that's what it's like when you're watching these channels reading all the comments
Getting mixing it up there with them. It's like going and just taking a big whiff of hot trash
I don't know about you, but i've got better things to do is sit around sniff trash
You know, i've got i've got seed to sow, you know, it's actually going to bring forth fruit it's called soul winning
I've got actual work to do called preaching, you know, i've got actual spiritual things and guess what so do you?
So let the trash just rot. That's what I say, you know, god will empty that that can once and for all so they're on their way out
And that's the example of christ. Look he didn't he didn't revile again
He didn't he wasn't being crucified, you know trying to make his case his case. He just let it happen
You know and guess what judas went out and hung himself and his bowels burst asunder and they buried him in the potter's field
He got what was coming
Jesus just had to go through it
And that's why and just look at first corinthian chapter 14 verse 20 brethren it says be not children and understanding
This is the point of the sermon tonight. This is part of this point
Be not children and understanding look if you don't think
That there are false brethren and they're going to try to creep in unawareness. You need to wise up you need to grow up
And stop being a child in this area and understand that this is a reality that false brethren creep in unawares
They come in privately to devour to steal to to do all manner of wickedness to destroy to kill, okay
Be not children understanding about that. How be it in malice be children
We don't we don't want to turn into spiteful vengeful people
Who are just going to go around and try to root everybody out and look i'm not interested in trying to inflict
Pain on these judices that get kicked out
I'm not interested in trying, you know, once they're once they're publicly called out and thrown out of a church and shamed
In the bible says to have no company with them to have nothing to do with them
That's why i'm not interested going out and trying to you know
Expose them any further than they already have been who cares?
You know in malice be children, you know, and really that applies more within the local church
We're gonna say okay. I'm wise now i'm wise as a serpent
I know they're coming
So now i'm just gonna you know coil up here like the wise serpent i'm supposed to do as soon as I see i'm gonna
Lash it will lash out
And try to bite people, you know, the problem with that is you might poison somebody who's good
And what does that come across as to that person?
Malicious, right if you get bit by a snake, do you pat it on the head say? Oh, thanks
No, you grab a rock and smash its head then get to the hospital or something, right?
You kill it, right? That's what you do when you find a nest of vipers
You get rid of them
Okay
But look if you mistake somebody for something other than they are if you mistake somebody for being a judas when they're not
All you're going to come across is to that person is malicious
Are you going to come across as to the people around you is mean and malicious?
Are you going to because that's exactly what you are. You're just doing damage
You're not doing any good
So that's that's the message. It's like look
False brethren is a reality. It's gonna happen
And it's great
If we all understand that and once you come to the place when you understand that and you believe that and accept that great
But that's step one
You know the bigger hurdle that people i've noticed seem to get over is how what your response should be to that reality
How should you handle that?
You know be wise as the serpent, but what does it go on and say harmless as doves?
You can't go around with your radar on
And and trying to just behead everybody that you think might be a judas or i'm going to smoke them out
It's the wrong attitude to have it's a malicious attitude. All it does is get people hurt
Look, they'll expose themselves in time
And then you know what they'll go out from us and they'll stay out from us
And god will take it from there and we don't need to revile again
But look, let's not be ignorant of the fact that they it's a reality
But let's also be careful about how we respond to that reality of false breath
Let's pray