2 Samuel chapter 23 we have the last words of David given unto us and then a run down of his mighty men.
Get there. It says in verse number 1,
Now these be the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse said,
And the man who was raised up on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
and the sweet psalmist of Israel,
said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
and his word was in my tongue.
The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spake to me,
He that ruleth over men must be just,
ruling in the fear of God.
The first thing I want to point out here is that David,
identified as the psalmist,
is talking about the fact that he spake by inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
And that's why it says in verse 2,
The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
and his word was in my tongue.
Jesus reiterated this when he quoted the Old Testament.
The Apostle Paul, when he quoted the Old Testament,
and the other disciples, they would often say,
that the Spirit of God spake by the mouth of David the prophet,
or the Spirit of the Lord spake by his eyes the prophet.
And you'll see that phrase a lot in the New Testament,
because that's what the inspiration of the Bible means.
When we say the Bible is inspired by God,
we want to make sure that it's very clear what we mean by that,
that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
And in a sense, God was speaking through them,
because they were speaking God's word.
He was there, they were in his mouthpiece, as it were.
He was using their mouth to speak his word.
So when we say the Bible is inspired by God,
we're not saying it's inspired in the sense that
these guys felt really inspired by God,
and it inspired them to produce a great work of art.
You know, somebody might paint a painting and say,
hey, I was inspired by this person.
No, when we talk about the inspiration of the Bible,
we mean that it is God-breathed.
God spake all these words,
and that God used man to speak his word.
Even today, if any of us quotes the Bible,
if we quote it verbatim, it's not really us talking.
It's actually God talking.
He's just using us as his human instrument,
because we're not speaking our own words.
We are just repeating God's words.
And so these prophets in the Old Testament,
the Spirit of the Lord would come upon them,
and God would put his words in their mouth,
and they would speak his word to the people.
That's why the Bible says in Hebrews 1-1,
God who had sundry times and in diverse manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets
had them spoken unto us by his Son.
Now, the book of Psalms is one that is filled
with important Bible doctrine.
It's not a book that we just want to overlook or cast aside.
It's an extremely important book in the Bible.
In fact, that's why a lot of times
when a New Testament is printed,
it'll be the New Testament and Psalms, right?
If they put one book from the Old Testament,
that's what they put, the book of Psalms.
And it's a very important book.
It's filled with great doctrine,
and a lot of people will discount things
in the book of Psalms and kind of cast them aside
as not being authoritative.
You'll show them something from Psalms,
and they'll say, well, that's just David talking.
Well, no.
The Bible says here that the sweet psalmist of Israel
was inspired by God
and that he was just the human instrument
to bring forth God's word.
And the book of Psalms is one of the most quoted books
in the New Testament, quoted in the Epistles,
quoted by Jesus himself over and over again
as authoritative scripture
and always attributing it to the Holy Ghost.
For example, there are people who teach
that in the New Testament
we should not have musical instruments in church.
There are different denominations out there.
I believe the Mennonites.
Who else is like this?
The Church of Christ is another one.
The Campbellites and Amish and different people.
They'll say, no musical instruments.
The Puritans did it this way.
And they'll say, no musical instruments.
And you say, well, why in the world
would you not have musical instruments in church?
And here's what they'll say.
Well, you never see them in the New Testament
playing a musical instrument.
Well, that is a logical fallacy anyway
because the thing is, if God taught us to praise the Lord
on musical instruments in the Old Testament
and he never changed it in the New Testament,
then we should just stick with what he told us
in the Old Testament.
You see, when the New Testament came along,
it didn't just wipe out the Old Testament
to where we just ignore
everything that's written in the Old Testament.
No.
They're made from the New Covenant to the Old Covenant.
But there wasn't just a wholesale throwing out
of the whole 39 books of the Old Testament.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is, present tense, profitable for doctrine.
Now, other people will go to an extreme
where they will try to practice the things
in the Old Testament that have specifically been changed
and they are in error.
The Bible flat out says in Hebrews,
for the priesthood being changed,
there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
So there are differences between Old Testament
and New Testament, but here's a good rule of thumb.
If God didn't change it in the New Testament,
just go with what he said in the Old Testament.
Here's an example.
In the Old Testament, God said, don't marry your sister.
Don't look at grandma naked.
Do not approach unto anyone who is near of kin unto you
to uncover their negatives.
Now, did God change any of that in the New Testament?
No.
So what do you do?
You stick with what he said in the Old Testament.
Right.
Now, certain things specifically have been changed.
For example, God tells us no more animal sacrifices.
God specifically tells us not to observe the feasts
and the new moons and the Sabbath days.
And he specifically tells us that we
may eat all types of meat in the New Testament.
Those are specific changes that are clearly
given to us in scripture.
But things that have not been changed,
we follow the Old Testament directive.
That makes sense.
So if we have tons of Old Testament scripture telling
us to praise the Lord on musical instruments,
why would we just reject musical instruments in the New
Testament?
Just because, well, I don't see an example of them playing it.
Well, that doesn't mean that they didn't play
musical instruments just because you don't see an example of it.
Maybe God just has better things to tell you
about than the music program at the early church.
Because he really doesn't give a lot of details
about the singing in general.
But what we do have is that we should always
base what we believe on clear statements and clear commands,
not on stories.
Stories in the Bible reinforce what we believe.
They illustrate what we believe.
They back up and strengthen our beliefs
but they should not be the basis of our belief.
Our basis should be on a clear statement.
For example, you have stories about polygamy, right?
But then you have clear statements telling you
to be the husband of a minor.
So what do you go with?
The story or the statement?
You go with the statement first and you use the statement
to interpret the story.
The whole Bible is true, but we've
got to use the statement to interpret the story.
OK, here's a clear statement in the New Testament.
It says, be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your hearts to the Lord.
So there's a clear statement.
Also in Colossians 3, we see something similar.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs.
So if God is telling us to sing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, that's talking about the book of Psalms
because that's the difference between the hymns
and the spiritual songs.
The hymns and the spiritual songs would be man-made.
Those would be songs that are written as praise and worship
to God, whereas the psalms are in the Bible, the book of Psalms.
So why would God in the New Testament
tell us to sing the book of Psalms, which
over and over again in Psalms, it
talks about musical instruments?
It says, praise the Lord with an instrument of 10 strings.
Praise the Lord with the trumpet.
Praise the Lord with the high sounding cymbals.
If God is listing all these musical instruments in Psalms,
why would he tell us to sing that, but don't obey?
Sing about musical instruments.
I mean, imagine going to a church
and singing a cappella songs, singing
about musical instruments.
Singing about musical instruments.
It's like, hey, let's do it.
Let's get out the trumpet.
No.
It's wrong in the New Testament.
See, that is where you're teaching the doctrines,
the commandments of man.
That is what so many people do today.
They make up rules that are not in the Bible.
Aren't there enough commandments in the Bible to try and obey?
Yeah, amen.
Once you've obeyed all these commandments,
then come at me with all these new commandments.
Hey, don't play musical instruments.
That's ridiculous.
God commands us to play musical instruments.
He commands us to praise the Lord
on these different harps and string instruments
and all the different things.
So that's ridiculous.
So the book of Psalms is authoritative for doctrine.
It's inspired by God.
It's the word of God.
And it is applicable today in the New Testament.
The teachings of Psalms are relevant today.
Now, it says here, the spirit of the Lord spake by me.
That's David talking.
And his word was in my tongue.
The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake me.
He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
And he shall be as the light of the morning
when the sun rises.
We're in verse 4.
Even a morning without clouds as the tender grass
spring out of the earth by a clear shining after rain.
Although my house be not so with God,
yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and sure.
For this is all my salvation and all my desire,
although he make it not to grow.
So what he's saying here is that according to God's standard,
a king must be just.
A ruler must rule in the fear of God.
And David here is admitting his shortcoming here.
And saying, though it be not so with my house.
He's basically saying that he is not perfect.
He's not just.
He doesn't rule perfectly.
And the New Testament says in Romans 3, 10,
there is none righteous, no, not one.
Now, he says here that God has made an everlasting covenant
with him in spite of the fact that he's not righteous.
And he says this statement also in verse number 5,
about halfway through, for this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
So specifically, David's talking about the fact
that God has promised him an everlasting kingdom,
that his descendants, his seed would always sit
upon the throne of David.
Which is true because of the fact that David's sons
continue to rule over Judah for centuries and centuries,
and then eventually Jesus Christ came,
and he's at the seed of David, and he is the king
that is basically going to rule forever and ever
and fulfill that promise to David.
But there's also a symbolic meaning here
because he talks about salvation.
And this is how our salvation is.
Although we are not just, although we are not righteous,
although we do not live a sinless life,
and although we make mistakes all the time,
God has made an everlasting covenant with us.
And that is all our salvation is wrapped up in that covenant.
It's not by works of righteousness we have done,
but according to his mercy, he saved us
by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
It is an everlasting covenant where God said,
I will not alter the thing that has gone out of my lips.
The Bible says in hope of eternal life,
which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.
And so we are saved not by our deeds,
not by our righteousness, not by our justice,
but through the grace of the Lord.
Because Jesus Christ is our savior.
That is all of our salvation.
It's not part of our salvation.
That's all of our salvation.
And that's what this is saying.
But, verse 6, the sons of Belial,
as thorns thrust away because they cannot be taken with hands.
Now, the subject of the sons of Belial
is something that almost no one talks about in 2015.
You can go to a Baptist church for decades
and never hear this doctrine taught
of those who are reprobate, those who are sons of Belial.
Hallmark has taken over, and now it's just this thing of,
it's never too late for anybody.
He saves from the guttermost to the uttermost.
And, you know, as long as you're still breathing air,
there's still hope, no matter what.
Don't ever give up.
You know, I mean, it sounds great.
It sounds great.
Too bad it's not true.
Too bad it's a lie.
Amen.
Because the Bible teaches there are people
that are the sons of Belial, the sons of the devil.
That is what Belial means.
That's why the Bible contrasts in 2 Corinthians chapter 6
what part has Christ with Belial, okay?
Christ and the devil.
See, Belial is like Baal, Beelzebub, Bel.
All of these are words for Satan.
And so when the Bible says the sons of Belial,
we are talking about the sons of the devil.
Now, some people think,
and this is kind of what I was taught my whole life,
they said, hey, everybody who's not saved
is a son of the devil.
That's what I've been taught my whole life.
I don't believe that that's true.
Because when you study the Bible,
when it talks about the sons of Belial,
these aren't just your average unsaved person.
These are always the most wicked, reprobate people,
and it's always in a context of the fact
that there is no hope for them.
It's too late for them.
They are rejected.
They are reprobated.
That's the context of the sons of Belial.
Not only that, but if you think about it,
we often, when we go sobering,
we tell people, hey, once you're a child of God,
you'll always be God's child.
Isn't that what we tell people?
Hey, just as your parents will always be your parents,
once you're born into God's family,
you'll always be your father.
Well, here's the thing.
It's the same way with the devil.
Here's the thing.
It's true that people who are not saved
are children of wrath.
It's true that they are children of disobedience.
It's true that they walk according
to the course of this world,
according to the power of the prince of the air.
But it is not true that they are the sons of the devil.
Because the Bible talks about people
who are twice dead.
It talks about people who become
twofold more a child of hell than themselves.
It talks about people who become
sons of the devil.
You see, some examples of this would be
the Bible talks about the tares that are amongst the weak.
And the Bible says that the tares
are the children of the wicked one, right?
And the good seed is sown by the son of man.
The weak are the children of the kingdom.
The tares are the children of the wicked one.
Now, those tares that are amongst the weak,
those are people who are basically imposters, okay?
See, the Bible talks about the fact
that there are false prophets
and that these false prophets and false teachers
are these reprobate sons of Belial types, okay?
And these people are the sons of the devil.
Now, let me just kind of teach this view
from the Bible a little bit.
First of all, look at what the passage says
about the sons of Belial, the sons of the devil.
And again, let me just be clear what I'm teaching here.
I'm saying that every unsafe person
is not a son of Belial.
They're nice, unsafe people.
They're sinners, but they're not sons of the devil.
They're not just these horrible, reprobate sons of Belial.
How did the person become a son of Belial?
...explains that in great detail.
But let's look at the passage here.
It says in verse number 6,
but the sons of Belial shall be all of them
as thorns thrust away.
Does it sound like some of these people
are gonna end up okay?
No.
He says, all of them as thorns thrust away
because they cannot be taken with hands.
I mean, does it sound like, hey, let's reach these people?
No.
It says they cannot be taken with hands.
But the man that shall touch them
must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear,
and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.
I mean, what does that say?
It says just stay away from these people.
Don't even touch them.
They're sons of Belial.
They're wicked.
They're all gonna be burned up.
They're all gonna be taken away.
They're all gonna be destroyed.
Now, notice how he ties it in with thorns, okay?
Go to Hebrews chapter 6.
Hebrews chapter 6.
And while we're going to Hebrews chapter 6,
I'm gonna read for you from Matthew chapter 7.
So in 2 Samuel 23, it said,
the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns.
Did you get that?
The sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns.
Listen to Matthew 7 while you're turning to Hebrews chapter 6.
Matthew 7 is warning us about false prophets
who come to us in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Now, doesn't this sound like those tares amongst the wheat,
where they look like they're the wheat,
but behold, they're tares that have been sown by the enemy?
These are impostors.
And let's face it,
every unsafe person is not a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I mean, do you think every unsafe person out there
is just a ravening wolf?
No.
You know, they're put up as a facade
of being a nice Christian, and they're just...
No.
But there are people who come into churches
and break in.
... outward facade of being righteous and holy,
maybe even as a pastor or a priest or whatever,
and they come in as a Sunday school teacher
or just as a layman,
and they talk the talk and walk the walk
and, hello, brother, hallelujah, praise the Lord,
and inwardly they are ravening wolves.
They are evil infiltrators,
Judas' scariot types that would creep in.
Now, in Matthew 7, when he warns about these people,
he says in verse 15,
beware of false prophets
which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns?
So what is he calling these false prophets
who creep in, these wolves in sheep's clothing?
He calls them the thorns.
He says they can't bring forth good fruit
because they are as thorns.
Isn't that what David said?
The sons of Belial were as thorns, okay?
He said, do men gather grapes of thorns
or figs of thistles?
Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit,
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.
Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth forth good fruit
is hewn down and cast into the fire.
So it's very similar to what David taught
in 2 Samuel 23, isn't it?
Now look at Hebrews 6,
and we'll see more mention of the thorns
in regard to being a son of the devil,
in regard to being a reprobate, okay?
The Bible says in Hebrew 6 four,
for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost
and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the world to come
if they shall fall away to renew them again
unto repentance,
seeing they crucify themselves the Son of God afresh
and put him to an open chain.
Now a lot of people will wrongfully teach
that this passage is teaching that you can lose your salvation,
and that is false.
You can't lose your salvation.
Over and over again the Bible teaches
that God has given to us eternal life.
We shall never perish.
No one can pluck us out of God's hand,
et cetera, et cetera.
This is not talking about a saved person
because notice what it says.
It's impossible for those who were once enlightened.
Now those who were enlightened,
this would be like on cartoons
when a light bulb would come on next to somebody's head.
Ding!
And all of a sudden they understand something
or think about something.
Well, enlightenment is when you understand something, right?
So when it says they've been enlightened,
it's saying they understood the Gospel,
they understood the truth.
And then it says that they have tasted the heavenly gift.
It doesn't say that they received the heavenly gift
and that they, you know, are saved.
No, it says they tasted it, they understood it,
they were enlightened,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
This doesn't say that they're being indwelled
by the Holy Ghost.
It is just saying that they are partakers of the Holy Ghost
in the sense that the Holy Ghost has moved upon them.
You know, God's Spirit has been sent into the world,
the Bible says, to convince the world,
every person, are you listening?
To convince the world.
And righteousness and judgment.
In fact, I'm gonna flip over,
you don't have to flip there,
but I just wanna make sure that I read it correctly.
I spent my whole life hearing this scripture misquoted,
so I don't wanna accidentally misquote it,
because people are always misquoting it,
it's such a great passage,
I wanna make sure I get it right.
In John 16, he says,
he'll reprove the world, see, I quoted it wrong.
I said convinced,
because I've been hearing it quoted wrong my whole life,
it's a good thing he turned that.
It says he will reprove the world
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment,
of sin, because they believe not on me,
of righteousness, because I go to my Father
and you see me no more,
of judgment, because the prince of this world is judgment.
Look, the Bible says in Jesus was light,
and the light was the light of man.
This is the true light
that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
That's what the Bible says.
That light of God,
that light that was in Jesus Christ,
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Does that mean that every man
that cometh into the world is saved?
No, but the light of the gospel lighteth every,
basically meaning that the Holy Ghost
and the light of God
and the word of God reaches every person in this world
at some point to varying degrees.
That's why the Bible says
that when the Holy Spirit comes,
everybody listen carefully, this is important stuff.
When the Holy Spirit comes,
he will reprove the world, okay,
and it's talking about everybody,
of sin and righteousness and of judgment.
Now, the reproving the world of sin,
he defines it for us,
of sin because they believe not on me.
Okay, that's the big sin
that they're being reproved of.
This is the condemnation
that light is coming to the world
and men love darkness rather than light
because their deeds are evil.
So in Hebrews 6, when it says
they tasted the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
this is talking about the fact
that the Holy Spirit has illuminated
they have understood the truth of God's word
and that light that lights every man
that cometh into the world
has enlightened them
and they got to a point
where they understood the gospel,
they heard it, they tasted it.
I mean, it's just, it's right there
and basically they make a decision
to walk away from it
without receiving that gift.
And he says, look what it says,
for it is impossible for those
that were once enlightened,
verse four,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost
and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the world to come
if they so fall away to renew them again
unto repentance,
meaning that it's impossible
for them to change their mind at that point.
They get to a point
where they fall away from it
and it's too late for them to come back
is what it's saying.
He's saying they're not going to be renewed
unto repentance.
Seeing they crucify themselves,
the son of God afresh
and put him to an open shame.
Watch this.
You say, well, I don't know
if that's what it means.
Well, let's keep reading.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain
that cometh oft upon it
and bringeth forth herbs meet for them
by whom it is dressed,
receive a blessing from God.
But that which beareth thorns and briars,
does that sound familiar?
That which beareth thorns and briars
is rejected
and is nigh unto cursing
whose end is to be burned.
So these people
whom it is impossible
to renew unto repentance,
it says that these people are rejected.
And rejected is synonymous
with the word reprobate.
That's what the word reprobate means.
Rejected.
And notice the thorns and briars are there.
All the same elements are there.
So this is not talking about
their salvation
because you can't lose your salvation.
This is about a person who's not saved
who comes to a point
where they can no longer get saved
because now they're rejected.
Now this is symbolized by Esau.
Esau himself I do not believe is a reprobate.
I believe that he was saved.
I believe he'll be in heaven.
But he symbolizes this.
Because Esau, if you remember,
he sold his birthright
and then he forfeited his blessing.
And you remember
how he found no place of repentance.
Meaning he couldn't go back and change it
or change his mind
and make a different decision.
He found no place of repentance
though he sought it carefully with tears.
So that is symbolic.
You know, all he lost
was the birthright and the blessing.
But that is symbolic of people
who come to a point
where they basically
lose the opportunity to get saved
because they pushed it too far with God.
Now this is a doctrine
that is practically falling off the face of the earth.
I mean you hardly hear anybody talk about this.
And you talk about it
and people start looking at you like,
well I've never heard that before.
I've been in church for a long time
and I've never heard that before.
So this must not be right.
I may go to church somewhere else.
Yeah but this is all through the Bible.
Because you'll see it over and over again
about these people
who are the sons of Belial,
people being rejected,
people being reprobated.
I mean look what Jesus told the Pharisees.
I mean he told them, he said,
you blaspheme the Holy Ghost.
You have no forgiveness in this world.
Neither in the world to come.
You guys are done.
What about what it says at the end of Revelation
when it says if you add to God's word
or take away from God's word,
he'll take away your part out of the book of life
and out of the holy city
and out of the things that are written in this book.
That's talking about a person losing their chance
to ever get saved.
What about the fact that when a person
takes the mark of the beast
they can never be saved.
I mean there are all kinds of examples of this in the Bible
where people cross a line with God
and God is done.
Pharaoh did this.
You know Pharaoh kept rejecting the word of the Lord
and then what does it say?
God hardened Pharaoh's heart.
What did it say about the Pharisees
and many of the people in Judea
in John chapter 12?
Therefore they could not believe.
Let those words sink down your ears.
They could not believe
and it says because God had blinded their eyes.
Why would God blind somebody's eyes?
It's not that God just randomly picks people
and just blinds them, damns them,
doesn't give them any choice.
No, if people get to a point
where they cross a line
where it becomes too late for them
and this is all throughout scripture.
Pharaoh, the Pharisees,
you know all kinds of people throughout the Bible
that we read about
that are sons of Belial, reprobates, rejected.
I mean these people were reading about Hebrew 6.
It's impossible.
Yeah, you can't.
Don't even text these people.
There's nothing you can do for them.
It's too late.
The Bible is seek the Lord while he may be found.
And here's the thing.
Even some people could just die unexpectedly
and then they don't have a chance to get saved anymore
and once you're dead, it's over.
But then other people, even though they're still alive,
they might cross a line with God
where it becomes too late for them.
Now you say, well, how do we know
who it is that has crossed this line?
Can we look at a person
and know that they've crossed the line?
Well, in most cases, we can
because of the fact that most people,
we would look at them
and not be able to tell from the outside
their spiritual condition.
For example, Judas Iscariot
was believed by all of his fellows
to be a war-again believer of Christ
but of course, he was not.
And again, people will foolishly and erroneously teach
that Judas lost his salvation
when the Bible makes it clear
even at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry,
in John 6, that he believed not.
It flat out says he believed not
and that he was a devil.
Jesus said, if not, I've chosen you twelve
and one of you is a devil
and that was at the beginning of his ministry.
So Judas was never saved
but outwardly, he looked like it.
Now I believe that there are people
that you could look at and identify as a reprobator.
Now a lot of people would be like,
well, there's reprobates out there
but we don't know who they are
so let's just assume nobody's a reprobate.
But here's the thing,
there are outward signs
where you could look at and say,
hey, this person's a reprobate.
Now here are some of the signs.
Now first of all,
anybody who's teaching false doctrine
is not necessarily a reprobate
because if you think about it,
the apostle Paul taught false doctrine
yet he was not a reprobate
because he got saved, right?
He taught lies.
He was part of a false religion.
He said he profited above many his equals
in the Jews religion
and he created the church of God.
But he was not a reprobate.
But see, here's what the Bible says about Jesus.
Not about Jesus,
this is what it says about the apostle Paul.
He says,
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord
who hath enabled me for the economy worthy,
putting me in the ministry,
who was before a blasphemer
and a persecutor and injurious,
watch this,
but I obtained mercy
because I did it ignorantly
in unbelief.
Did you hear that?
Paul said,
I obtained mercy
because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
And the implication there
is that if he had not done it
ignorantly in unbelief,
if he would have known what he was doing,
known the truth,
and purposely made a point
to reject God and reject his work
and to hate God
and to not even want to retain God's love,
he wouldn't have received mercy.
He said,
I obtained mercy
because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
And he's often lifted up
as the poster child
of a very wicked person who got saved.
Okay?
Because Paul said,
Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I am chief.
So Paul acknowledged that he
had a lot of sin.
He was a wicked person.
But the Bible is crystal clear
that he did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Meaning that Paul
was not just this evil, malicious person
who just wanted to do evil and wickedness,
was he?
No, he actually thought,
and Jesus predicted this,
in John 16,
he said,
the time cometh
when he that killeth you
will think that he doeth God's service.
And Paul thought
that he was doing God's service
by persecuting the church of God.
So we see with Paul
a guy who is ignorantly teaching Paul's doctrine.
And I know people like that
who ignorantly taught Paul's doctrine
when they got saved.
And then they're like,
oh, man, I used to preach lies.
I used to teach Paul's doctrine.
But listen,
there are people who are knowingly
teaching Paul's doctrine.
...who have rejected it
and are purposely teaching lies.
You say,
well, why would anyone purposely teach lies?
Well, the Bible tells us why.
For filthy, ludicrous sake.
You know,
there are people who just teach lies
because of money.
I mean,
I can think of a pretty good
motive for Joel Osteen to teach lies.
I can think of a few million reasons.
You know?
And they're all green
and have George Washington's face on them.
And also,
you know,
people like,
you know,
Rick Warren,
and T.D. Jakes,
and Kenneth Copeland,
and Joyce Meyer,
and Benny Hinn.
I mean,
these people are teaching
things which they ought not
for filthy, ludicrous sake.
So you have all these
winefalls popping.
Look,
those people are reprobates.
People who just know the truth.
They've heard the gospel.
They've heard the drive.
And they just purposely teach lies
for money.
Okay.
But one of the best ways
to identify somebody as a reprobate,
I believe,
is Romans 1
lays out the whole doctrine
of how a person goes down
that downward spiral
of becoming reprobate.
And it talks about the fact
that at the end of that road,
you know,
you've heard of the Romans road?
That is the reprobate road.
Okay.
At the end of that reprobate road,
the Bible says
that even the women
will change the natural use
into that which is against nature
and that likewise also the men
burning in lust one toward another.
Men with men
working that which is unseemly
and receiving in themselves
that recompense of their error
which was me.
And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over
to a reprobate mind.
Amen.
To do those things
that are not convenient.
So when we see a man
burning in lust toward another man,
homosexuality,
that is a sure sign
of a reprobate.
Amen.
Now, this is supported
in Scripture also.
...time.
It's getting kind of late,
but in Judges 19,
we have one of the most famous
story about homos in the Bible.
And in Judges 19,
it's a story that's almost
just like Sodom and Gomorrah
because most people
are familiar with the story
about Sodom and Gomorrah
in Genesis 19.
But there's another story
that's almost the same
in Judges 19.
It's very easy to remember.
And you know what?
You need to remember these things
because we are living
in perilous times.
We're living in strange
days in America.
You need to know your Bible.
And you need to know
where to find these Scriptures.
Here's where you find them.
Genesis 19, Judges 19.
You need to know
those two Scriptures.
They're important.
Those Scriptures are written
for our admonition
upon whom the ends
of the world are coming.
And the Bible says
that those are an example
to those that after
should live ungodly.
And in Judges 19,
the Bible tells us
that certain men of the city,
and it says,
certain sons of Belial.
That's the word it uses.
Surround the house
and say bring those men
unto us, you know,
that we may know them.
And meaning know them
as in Adam knew his wife Eve
and she could see.
Okay, so we may know them.
And then later,
when the rest of Israel
comes and wants to execute
those perverts,
here's what they say.
Deliver unto us
those sons of Belial.
We're gonna put them to death.
And they said no you're not.
And then they had to go
to war over it
because they wouldn't
extradite those sons of Belial.
So that's more support.
But here's why,
now a lot of people say this.
Well, you know, okay,
reprobates become homos,
but they'll say this,
but I don't think all homos
are reprobates.
Yes, they are.
Thank you.
You're witness.
This is what they'll say.
Well, but I just think
it's possible for a person
to be a homo
and not to be a reprobate.
That's what I think.
I've heard that.
Here's why that doesn't
make any sense, okay?
And just don't get emotional.
Just open your mind
a little bit to what
the Bible has to say.
I know there's a lot of
brainwashing going on
right now in the media
and in the world we live in,
even in churches.
Let's just open our minds
and just think about it
for a minute.
The Bible says that
God gave them over
to vile affections
in Romans 1.
Now, not every person
in this world would just
automatically say,
you know, I just want to go
do something gross.
I just want to do
something vile.
That doesn't make any sense,
does it?
See, any normal man
is actually repulsed by that.
Not only is it not a temptation,
it's something that is just
revolting to any normal person.
So God gives people over
to vile affections.
It's not that God
invented this perversion
because the Bible's real clear
that it says that they're
given over through the lusts
of their own hearts.
And look, read Romans 1
and you'll see that
everything I'm saying
is right there.
But he gives them over
to lusts of their own hearts.
Let me explain to you this way.
Animals don't have the same
thinking as we do
when it comes to sanitation.
They'll do all kinds of dirty,
gross, weird things
that we would just,
ah, gross.
You know, the dog will eat
its own vomit
and everything else.
Whereas we as human beings
made the image of God
have certain restrictions on us
of things that we find disgusting
and unsanitary
and we live on a higher
spiritual plane than animals.
But when a person is given over
to a reprobate mind
and given over to vile affections,
basically God removes
that normal revulsion
and basically that person
becomes like unto a beast
where they'll just
kind of do anything
and the things that would
gross out any normal person,
they'll just do it
and enjoy it
and thrive on it.
So that's why I don't believe
that it's possible for a person
to be homo without
being a reprobate
because why would they
have those vile affections?
Where would they come from?
I mean, let's face it,
three percent of the population
in America is in this category.
You know, it's funny,
I was speaking at the
community college
and this girl's like,
20 percent of people are homos.
It's like, are you insane?
20 percent?
Yeah, that's on your favorite
TV show.
20 percent are homos.
But in reality,
it's about two to three percent
of the United States population.
Why would two to three percent
burn in their lust
one toward another
and the other 97, 98 percent
say, that's gross.
That's disgusting.
Okay, how do you get
from A to B there?
How do you get from saying,
wow, that's sick.
That's gross.
You couldn't pay me to do that.
That's horrible.
That's filth.
To getting to where like,
oh, I just got to have
more of that filth.
How do you get there?
Well, you go down
the reprobate road.
That's how you get there.
Okay, that's how you get
from A to B there.
And think about this, friend.
In First Corinthians,
chapter number 10, it says,
there hath no temptation
taken you, but such as
is common to man.
So here, God is telling
the church at Corinth,
he's telling them,
there is no temptation
taken you, but such as
is common to man.
He says that Jesus Christ,
he was tempted at all points,
like as we are,
yet without sin.
But let me ask you this,
is every man tempted
in that area?
No, in fact,
97% are not.
About 97% of men
have no interest.
Amen.
And so therefore,
something has to happen
where all of a sudden,
a man is burning with lust
toward another man,
and the Bible tells us
what happened.
Now, here's the thing.
If you just look up
every scripture
on homosexuality,
you know, look up
the stories in the Old Testament
where they're trying to
violate everybody
and force everybody.
Look up the scriptures.
Look up the scriptures
where all the good kings
are breaking down their houses
and throwing them out
of the country.
You know, I mean,
King Josiah puts out
the Sodomites out of the land.
You know, Jehoshaphat puts
the Sodomites out of the land.
Asa puts the Sodomites out.
And then he says,
your house is too close
to the house of God.
Break it down.
No.
No Sodomite houses.
And today, in 2015,
independent Baptists
want to bring Sodomites
into the house of God.
Back then it was like,
you can't even have your house
near the house of God.
That's what it said.
But the thing is,
you have to ask yourself,
why is it that for 97% of people
this is not an issue?
Because we're all as men
tempted to steal,
tempted to lust after another woman,
tempted to maybe drink
or party or whatever.
All the things
that we're not supposed to do
are a temptation.
That's because we have
a sin nature.
And the natural man,
the flesh,
wants to go out and sin.
Wants to go out and commit
adultery, fornication,
drunkenness, theft, right?
Pride, foolishness.
These things come
out of the heart of man.
But here's the thing.
Are we as men just having
to really try hard
not to lust after other men?
No, because it's
not even an issue.
So what happened to these people?
Now the world,
even the world will tell you,
hey, these people,
there's a difference between
them and everybody else.
And even the world will tell you
they can't be fixed.
Isn't that what the world
will tell you?
You can't fix these people.
Okay, but here's what they'll say.
Oh, they're born that way.
Now, do you believe that?
No.
No, I don't believe
that they're born that way.
I believe they've been
given over to that.
Now, here's the thing.
A lot of people
have asked me this question.
They've said,
well, where does God
draw the line, you know,
where somebody's a reprobate
or not a reprobate?
Where does God draw the line?
And I want to make
this real clear because,
you know,
some filthy perverted TV show
right now as I'm talking
is making fun of me
and mocking me
because a man of God
is preaching the truth.
A man of God who looks at
this filthy transvestite
that I talked about,
I don't know if it was this
Sunday or last Sunday
or whatever, but this
filthy transvestite athlete
because I call a spade a spade
and I reacted as any
normal person would react.
Any normal person who sees
pictures of that freak,
the normal reaction is just,
oh, man, I wish I'd
never even seen that.
Get that away from me.
Don't let my kids see that.
That's what any normal
person would react and
just be just,
oh, it's filthy.
Oh, I hate that guy.
Get him away from me.
It's disgusting.
Ah!
And then all of these
bunch of phony, liberal,
lame, independent
fundamental Baptists
are just like,
oh, we need to talk
about this and, you know,
let's not be harsh
with these people.
Let's just love them
and, oh, we need to be nice
and we want to make sure
that we don't hurt
people's feelings.
Shut up, you lame coward
and get out of the pulpit
and let a real man of God
get in there and breathe
some fire against his head.
Amen.
Like the prophets
have always done.
Amen.
Since the world began.
Yeah, amen.
This, I'm so sick
of this lame, soft preaching.
They make you want to throw up
and all these same guys
preached hard back in the 90s
until the society changed
and then they changed with it.
So right now, you know,
I'm being mocked and ridiculed
in the media as,
oh, look at this guy.
He's an idiot.
Oh, he's from the dark ages
and, you know, blah, blah.
And then here's what
they say too.
He must be a closet sodomite.
Because listen,
according to the world,
according to the world
that we live in,
there's two kinds of people.
People who love sodomites
and people who are sodomites.
That's what they're
basically saying.
Because here's what they say.
Oh, you hate sodomites?
You must secretly be one.
So basically what they're saying
is you either are a sodomite
or you love sodomites.
Now, does that make any sense?
No.
No, but the Jew,
Sigmund Freud, said it.
So, I mean, you know,
he's the father of modern
psychology, so case closed.
Anybody who reads anything
that that pervert has to say
and believes any of it
needs to get right with God.
That guy was a wicked,
perverted son of Belial himself.
And he invented
all this modern psychology.
His theories have been proven
to be false over and over again,
but we'll just repeat them
as fact.
So this is what the world
will tell you,
because here's the thing.
No straight man
wants to be accused of that,
because it's the worst possible
insult you could give anyone.
I mean, when we were kids
on the playground,
if you wanted to really
make fun of somebody,
I remember this when I was a kid.
Here's what you'd say.
Oh, yeah?
Well, your favorite movie
is Philadelphia.
And none of us, and here's the thing,
none of us have ever
ever seen it.
We just knew that it was
some homo movie,
and none of us had ever
seen it, but it was like,
man, you watched Philadelphia.
What?
You know?
And then it was, you know,
it was a cuss word.
Yeah, well, you know what?
When you grow up,
I'll bet you're gonna
move to San Francisco.
It was like, what?
Who remembers those kinds
of insults people?
You know?
And back then,
it was, you're a fag.
I mean, that was the worst thing
you could say to somebody.
You are such a little faggot.
That was like the worst insult.
Right?
And it wasn't a bad word back then.
Back then, nobody considered
it a cuss word,
but it was just the worst thing
you could say to somebody.
So here's the thing.
All these little cowardly,
spineless preachers
don't want to be accused
of being a closet sodomite
because anybody who breaches
against sodomites
is a closet sodomite.
According to their logic.
I guess they're all
closet fundamental backers.
They're all secretly,
they're all secretly
hate preachers.
No preacher wants to be
insulted with that,
but you know what?
You can insult me
with whatever you want
and I will preach this stuff
until I die
and I'm not scared of you.
I'm not scared of nothing.
And I'm going to preach this
until I die and I will never
take one step back
on this subject ever.
I don't care how much
people attack me.
I don't care if half the
church gets up and leaves.
I will never accept
homosexuality.
I will not accept it as normal.
And here's what these
preachers do.
They say it's a sin,
but they accept it.
Because here's the thing.
I believe stealing's a sin,
but I still accept
people who steal.
Right?
I accept these.
I mean, do I teach that
lying is a sin?
Do I accept liars?
So teaching that it's a sin
doesn't mean you don't
accept it.
See, we accept all
kinds of things, okay?
But here's the thing.
I don't accept
homosexuality.
In our society,
it has never been accepted
in Christian America
or any Christian nation
and I will never accept it.
I will never treat it
as normal and just pretend
that these people
are normal people
when they're not.
They're sons of Belial.
The Bible says
they should be executed.
The Bible says,
don't touch them.
Stay away from them.
There's nothing
you can do for them.
It's filthy.
It's vile.
It's reprobate.
They're pedophiles
and everything else.
So, you know,
if they can huff and puff
and blow the house down,
I'm not going to move
one inch.
It just makes me want
to just preach harder.
Just rip some more face.
If I don't like it,
I'm sick of it.
Because you know what?
Somebody has to stand up
and teach this.
Because it's gone
but nobody's teaching it.
Somebody's got to teach it.
It's important.
It's important teaching.
So what the Bible is saying here
about these reprobates,
they're sons of Belial.
It's impossible to restore them
to normalcy.
Even the world will
often acknowledge that.
You know, people are so
excited today about how
they can just fall
all over themselves
to be really loving
and reach the homos
with the gospel.
Now, here's the thing.
There's 7.2 billion people
in the world, right?
There's a lot of fish
in the sea.
Why are we so worried
about the two or three people
that the Bible says
are reprobates
and we're just so worried about,
oh, we don't want
to turn them away.
We don't want to turn
that transvestite bruise away
because he might not get saved.
Well, what about all the people
that are going to get saved
because it is free?
Because you know what?
I can't even count the times
that I've gone at Solwood
and knocked on somebody's door
and I told them the gospel
that it was by faith alone
and you know what they said?
They said,
I don't believe that
because they're telling me
that Jeffrey Dahmer's in heaven
because they say, you know,
these pedophiles
and child rapists,
you can expect me to believe
that those people
are going to heaven
and this and that.
I mean, I've had people
bring up,
and then I explained to them,
I said, well, look,
those people are reprobates.
I said, yeah, God saves murderers
and adulterers.
God saves people,
but people who do those kind of
just filthy, unnatural,
bizarre things,
you know, they're just
these violent, wicked people
who would violate children
like that.
The Bible says they're reprobates
and then I've had them say,
oh, well, that makes sense
and I've had them get saved.
I've had many people write to me
and say, you know what?
I got molested as a kid
and I hated God,
you know, or just thought,
like, why would God do this?
But then once I heard
your preaching, I realized
that I didn't even know
who God was
because now that I've met
the God of the Bible,
now I want to get saved
because they just couldn't
accept the fact
that God would love
and accept pedophiles
because it's just so horrific
to the human mind.
It's revolting.
So, you know,
there are people
that are going to be
turned away by this preaching
because they're brainwashed,
but you know what?
There are other people
who are brought in
by the preaching
and they're like,
oh, finally somebody's
going to go to Spain
and Spain.
I thought I was living
in the Twilight Zone
when everybody thought
it was wonderful
that a man dresses up
like a woman.
No, actually,
there's some of us
who still think
that it's sick
and we don't want anything
to do with it, okay?
Now, there are 7.2 billion
people in the world.
You've got billions of people
who went to Christ.
You've got all kinds of people
to give the gospel to.
Why would people be so worried
about a segment
that God specifically said
these people are dogs,
these people,
it's too late for them,
and I think that's all
we hear about.
How are we going to reach
the homos with the gospel?
What about everybody else?
And you know what?
I challenge all these
lying hypocrites
who have this great big
beam in their eye
where they don't go
soul-willing.
They don't give the gospel
to anybody hardly ever.
And then they're like,
why won't you preach
to homos, Pastor Anderson?
And listen, I'll say
what I've said
over and over again.
I have accidentally
given the gospel
to more homos
than these people
have given on purpose.
Because I've gone
out door to door
and given the gospel
to thousands and thousands
of people.
And not all of them
wear a sign that says
I'm a homo.
So I've given the gospel
to hundreds of people.
I remember there was a guy
that I worked with
at Round Table Pizza
that I gave the gospel to
and very thoroughly preached
the gospel to him
for 20 or 30 minutes one time
and later found out
that he was a closet sodomite.
I've been out door to door
and given the gospel
to people that turned out
to be sodomites over and over.
Plus, my preaching has gone
out on the internet
and been listened to
by millions and millions
of people.
I bet you some of them
were sodomites and heard
the gospel.
So I've given the gospel
to tons of sodomites.
But then these people
who never knock the door,
never open their mouth
to give the gospel,
say, oh, you're not loving.
You're not reaching the facts.
Well, you know what?
I'm accidentally reaching more
and you're reaching on purpose
because you're doing nothing
for the Lord.
So it's a total hypocrisy.
Here I am,
just a normal guy
who just wants to go out
and just give the gospel
to the sinners, right?
But I'm just not going to give
the gospel on purpose
to the people who God said,
hey, they're dogs.
Don't cast your pearls
before swine.
Don't give that which
is holy unto the dog.
They're reprobated.
It's too late for them.
It's like, oh, you're so
unloving.
No, I love my children.
I love God.
I love the Bible.
I love the laws
that are not reprobated,
which is 97% of them.
You know, I don't love Satan.
And I don't love Satan's children.
And I don't love pedophiles.
And I don't love the Southerners.
And I don't love
the sons of Belial.
And the reason I have to
keep harping on this
is because the world
keeps harping on it.
And if the world is going to
keep cramming this down my throat,
well, I'm just going to
keep fighting back.
Keep fighting back.
And I want to explain
the doctrine because
people are confused.
So let me just explain
this one last thing tonight
because this is something
I get asked all the time.
Hey, where is the line
drawn of who is a reprobate
and who is not?
Now, part of the reason
why I've been asked
this question is because
we are living in such
sick, weird times that
there are some people
that are kids and teenagers
who've even experimented
in this just because
they're being told,
hey, you need to do this,
or they're being
pressured into it.
And especially under
the influence of
alcohol and drugs.
Because the Bible flat out
says, roll unto him
that giveth his neighbor
drink, and putteth
thy bottle to him,
and maketh him drunk,
and also that thou mayest
look on their nakedness.
That's a man getting
another man drunk.
The look on his nakedness.
So that's what it says
in the back of 215.
So the question is,
where is the line drawn?
Because people will say,
hey, I got drunk at a party
and got involved in this
weirdness or whatever.
Or hey, I was a tiny
little kid and got
involved in this stuff
because I was molested
or groomed.
Because look, these sodomites,
they're not reproducers.
They're recruiters.
And they're after you.
So the question is,
where does God draw the line?
Well, what does the Bible
say in Romans 1?
The Bible says that
the reprobate burns with
his lust one toward another
with another man.
That is the distinguishing
feature.
So I say that if a man
is burning in lust toward
another man, he's a reprobate.
Because that's not a normal
desire that any normal
person would have.
That's the one.
So people who have even
committed a weird act,
some people have committed
some strange act or something,
fooling around or
experimenting or drunken or
on drugs or whatever,
doesn't necessarily make them
a reprobate if they were
revolted by it,
if they were grossed out by it.
But anybody who burns with
lust toward another man
is a reprobate.
Now, a lot of people
have contacted me and said,
I'm afraid I'm a reprobate
because one time I said
something really blasphemous
and I think I might have
blasphemed the Holy Ghost.
Or I'm scared I'm a reprobate
because one time I was drunk
and a woman once said,
I was drunk at a party
and kissed another girl.
I'm a reprobate.
What have I done?
And here's what, you know,
here's what I always say
to these people.
As far as a self-examination,
the reprobate, the Bible says
the reprobate hates God
and doesn't want to
retain God in his knowledge.
So if you don't hate God
and you want to retain God
in your knowledge,
then you're not a reprobate.
Because the reprobate,
the Bible says even as
they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over
to a reprobate mind.
So that's the distinguishing feature.
Now, look,
as far as these people say,
well, so, oh, okay,
so some homos can get saved.
No.
If somebody's a homo,
to me that means that they
desire other men
or a woman who desires
other women.
I believe it's too late
according to Romans 1
at that point.
And I don't,
I don't see how any man
could commit these type of acts
without being reprobate
because it's so revolting
to the human mind.
You know,
I can't even understand
how anybody can even do it
under any kind of
threats or anything.
But I don't know.
You know,
maybe there could be
situations of kids
or whatever,
drunken people
or whatever.
You know,
I don't know.
I don't want to know.
I don't really want to delve
into the details of this
because I don't even want
to think about it.
It's so sick.
But, you know,
I know what the Bible says.
And then what the Bible teaches
is that the reason why men
burn in lust toward other men
and women leave the
naturally used,
you know,
and are with each other
is because of the fact
that they've been given
over to vital affections.
And that's what I believe.
That's what the Bible says.
There's no temptation
taking me,
but such is a common demand.
And that's not common demand.
Therefore,
it's not something
that Christians deal with.
And that's where I stand
and that's where
I'm always going to stand.
There are sons of the devil.
There are sons of Belial
in this world.
They bring forth thorns
and briars,
and they are rejected
and they are nigh unto burning.
Briars never were a prayer.
Father,
we thank you so much
for your word, Lord,
and even though the shifting
sands of the world
have made the most
unthinkable things
to be commonplace
or even popular,
Lord, help us as God's people
to be founded on the rock.
There is no reason
why we should feel
any different about this today
than we did in the 1990s, Lord,
or even before that,
even before our time, Lord.
Help us to stay by the stuff
and be founded on the rock
and not to budge
from the truth on this
and not to get to the point
where we become so desensitized
where we start thinking
that this stuff isn't that bad.
Lord, that's where
the preachers are at now.
God, help us to never get there,
Lord, please.
Help us never to be brainwashed
to that extent
where we actually start thinking
it's not that bad.
In Jesus' name we pray.