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Good. Alright, so 2 Corinthians 13, 8. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. The title of the sermon tonight is For the Truth. For the Truth. Okay? We're going to understand what context is your possible talking about truth. Why can we do nothing against the truth, but are for the truth? Let's pick it up from verse number 1. So this is the final chapter about this church. We spent, I think the time is just about right. We're approaching the end of our first year, alright? And it's good that we've been able to go through 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. And we've seen how bad this church started. And all the improvement that they've done throughout the letter of the 2 Corinthians. We can see the improvement they've made, but they were still lacking in a number of areas. They were still lacking in a number of areas. And so, you know, this kind of ends, you know, this is the last sermon that's going to be on 2 Corinthians. But it's an interesting thing that it ends on this topic of reprobates. Okay? It ends on this topic of reprobates. Let's look at verse number 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 1. It says, this is the third time that I am coming to you in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Okay? Now if you remember, what is this third time? It's not the third time that is necessarily physically visiting them, but the third time that is prepared to come and see them. Just remember that first time was when he went to see this church and he was able to win many souls and get this church started. The second time he prepared to go, but was sidetracked in, where was he sidetracked? He ended up going to Macedonia and being persecuted looking for Titus. He never made all his way to see the Corinthian church. And now he's preparing the third and final time to come and see them. Okay? Now when he says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established, he's not necessarily talking about his third visit or anything like that. He's talking about the people that he has sent before him. Remember, he had sent Titus before him. This church was also familiar with Peter. They were familiar with Apollos. You know, Paul had sent a number of people to help teach this church many fundamental doctrines. But keep your finger there. Keep your finger there in 2 Corinthians. Please turn to Deuteronomy chapter 19. Deuteronomy chapter 19 verse 15. I just want to show you where Paul is getting this concept of having two or more witnesses, two or three witnesses that every word be established. Deuteronomy chapter 19 verse 15. The Bible reads, one witness shall not rise up against a man for any sin that he sinneth. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established. Okay? So if someone has done a crime, someone has done something wrong, it's not sufficient to convict that person on the witness of one person. Okay? There needed to be at least two, and even better than that, three witnesses of that person committing that crime. Okay? Eyewitnesses of that event. Okay? And that would establish the matter. That would prove to the courts that this man had definitely committed that crime. You know, and to prevent false witnesses from happening was if someone was found out to be a false witness, if their stories were conflicting with one another, then they would be sentenced to the same punishment that the man that they falsely witnessed about would be sentenced to. Okay? So you could see that, you know, if you were being brought before the courts, you know, you don't want to be a false witness. You know? And that's why they could convict someone with assurance that they're making the right decision because they understand that people that have witness against them, you know, they could fare a really bad fate if they found out to be liars. So this was the system that God had put into place in the Old Testament. And God chooses to use this system to teach us a New Testament principle. Okay? Now, of course, I'm not saying this principle is not applicable to our justice system today. I believe it still is applicable. Okay? But it takes more of a spiritual application here, and it's talking about those that come and teach the church. Okay? Now, this church, of course, you need to understand. They didn't have, you know, all 66 books of the Bible necessarily in one hand. They were dependent largely on apostles and teachers coming through, teaching them the Word of God. And Paul says, look, if you hear it in the mouth of one witness, it's not enough to hang your hat on. That doctrine that they're teaching, it's not enough to hang your hat on. But if you're hearing it from Titus, if you're hearing it from me, if you're hearing it from Apollos, if you're hearing it from more than two or three people, you know this is a doctrine that can be established. This is a truth that you can stand firm on. Okay? Now, the principle that we can apply today in 2018, and I'm saying to those of you that are allowed to come and preach behind the pulpit, is when you're going to teach a doctrine, you need to make sure that you have at least two or three witnesses of that doctrine. Where? In the Word of God. Okay? Two or three clear scriptures that teach that doctrine. Okay? Now, there might be some truths in the Bible that are there that you might have an opinion about, but other people have a different opinion about. It might not be a fundamental issue. Okay? And I would say to you, if you don't have two or three witnesses, clear witnesses of that doctrine, then don't be super dogmatic about it. You know, don't get argumentative about it and tear the other person down for not believing just like you do. Okay? And if you find yourself believing a doctrine that, you know, you find that, you know, in the Christian realm, there has been debate and arguments about, again, just look at the scriptures, you might say to me, yeah, Kevin, Pastor Kevin, I've got more than two or three verses to support this teaching. Yeah, you know, every false teaching, you can find two or three verses to support that teaching. Okay? But do you have clear black and white scriptures clearly teaching that truth? Okay? I mean, let's take the rapture for consideration. The rapture. Okay? Post-trib rapture, why do we stand firm on that position immediately after the tribulation of those days? And we have black and white scriptures. Okay? And 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, you know, that day shall not come until there be a falling away first and the man of sin is revealed. The antichrist is coming first before being caught up, you know, with Jesus Christ. There immediately we have two clear scriptures of a post-tribulation rapture. Okay? What have the pre-trib teachers got? Zero. Zero. Okay? They've got zero. Yes, they've got supporting passages. Yeah, anybody can do that. You know, even the devil can use supporting passages to teach his doctrine. Anyone can do that. Okay? But I guess what I want to drive home to you guys is, you know, make sure when you preach behind this pulpit, you've got multiple scriptures backing up that truth. Okay? Make sure you've got that. And if you've got a doctrine that you believe and you haven't got two or three scriptures, don't be, you know, I'll borrow Pastor Jimenez's term. Don't be a jerk about it. Okay? Don't be a jerk about it. Allow people to have some freedom to interpret things a little differently to you. Okay? And be open for correction. Be open to correct. Hey, if the other person has a different position to you and they have two or three clear scriptures, then maybe it's time for you to change your mind. You know, we shouldn't be so prideful, you know, and high and mighty and think of ourselves so lofty that we can't change our positions and our minds about certain doctrines in the Bible. As long as they're not the fundamental truths. The fundamental truths must remain. Okay? Now, let's look at verse number two. Verse number two. Verse number two. He says, I told you before and I foretell you as if I were present the second time and being absent now, I write to them which heretofore have sinned and to all other that if I come again, I will not spare. So he's saying, look, Paul had warned them the first time. That was 1 Corinthians. We see that Paul had to warn them seriously. He had to rebuke this church sharply. Okay? And now the second time he's warning them is this very letter that they're reading in their church. 2 Corinthians is the second time he's warned them about being a sinful church. About, you know, kicking out those that are in grave sin and fixing themselves up. Stop arguing. Stop having these divisions within the church. You know, he warns them this second time. But he says, look, I write to them and he goes that if I come again, I will not spare. Hey, if I come to you, I visit you this third time that I've prepared. If you see that you're still in the same state, you've gone backwards, you haven't improved, I will not spare. Paul says, I'm going to rebuke you in person. I'm going to preach hard sayings to this church. We're going to kick out people in this church that are doing wrong and influencing this church in a bad way. So again, we see Paul's just warning this church the first time, the second time, third time and you're out. Okay? Third time and you're out. And I think this is a good principle for us as a church if we ever get to a point where we need to kick someone out of the church, you know. Now, of course, you know, some things, some sins that someone might commit might be very grievous and there's no chance whatsoever. That person is straight out of the church. That's possible. Okay, but if someone does something wrong, we've seen that list of sins that will get you kicked out of church like fornication, you know, sins like, you know, exaltation. What is it? Extortions. Thanks, brother. Sins like extortion. These kinds of sins, look, if they've done it in the church, I believe we should give them the chance to repent and say sorry and apologize to the church for doing wrong. Okay? And if they do it a second time, well, it's not good. But again, if they're repenting, they're repenting, apologize, say sorry to the church, fine. Okay? But a third time and you're out. You know, it's the third strike and you're out. You know, I think that's a good principle to apply for us, you know, if we ever have to carry out church discipline. But again, there are some things that, you know, people have done within churches like, you know, abusing children or just wicked sins, no chance whatsoever. That person is going to get straight, you know, kicked straight out of the church. Straight out of the church. Okay? So I think it's a good principle that we see there. Paul is long suffering this church. I'm giving you one chance. I'm giving you a second chance. I'm giving you a second chance. Otherwise, I will not spare. Verse number three. Verse number three. Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, now, can you believe that this church is asking Paul, can you prove to us that Christ is speaking in you? You know, can you prove to us that these are not just your words, you know? And of course, as we saw in the previous chapters, this criticism was being led by false apostles, false brethren in the church. Okay? And if we allow false brethren in this church, you know what they're going to do? They're going to try to cause true brethren to rise up against leadership. You know, to ask, Kevin, what are your qualifications after all? You know, how can we believe what you're teaching from it? Yeah, you should be able to believe what I'm teaching because hopefully the Word of God says that, right? Hopefully, I'm teaching from the Word of God and you can prove it from the Word of God. And if it's not coming from the Word of God, you ought to challenge me. Okay? You ought to challenge me. Okay, but you see, this was still an issue within the church. They had allowed these false apostles to influence the believers and they were asking for proof from Paul. And he says to you, since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you word is not weak, but is mighty in you. He says, look, you're looking for proof, but hey, you're saved. You know, I was there to preach the gospel to you and in you, it was mighty, right? I've been able to teach you doctrine and you've grown and matured in Christ. It wasn't weak stuff. Look how you've grown. Look how you've matured. Look at the mighty works that God has done in your life. That's the proof. That's the proof. That's the proof. Okay? Because again, these false apostles, they're not there to edify the church. They're not there to help carnal Christians mature and grow. They're not there to put, you know, weaker Christians under their wing and help them. Okay? So Paul says, look, the proof of me, Christ speaking in me, is in you. The fact that the things I've been teaching you have helped you to be mighty, mighty spiritually, growing and salvation. Verse number four, for though he was crucified, speaking of Jesus, for though Jesus was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also awaken him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. So Paul is saying, look, Christ was crucified in weakness. Obviously, the Lord allowed himself to be crucified. Okay? He was in, you know, his flesh was beaten and was hurt and destroyed. And ultimately, he gave up that ghost and he allowed himself to be in that weak position. Okay? But by his resurrection and his life, he was powerful. His resurrection was powerful. He was resurrected by the power of God. And it's the same thing for us, guys. We are weak people. We are fragile people. We have, you know, we're not strong. Okay? Because we're just, we have this sinful flesh. Okay? But in Christ, through the resurrection of the power of God through that new man, we can be strong in that same way. And one day, we're going to have those resurrected bodies, those that same bodies that Christ had when he was resurrected from the dead and have that power of God in us. You know, complete, if you will. Not just in the new man, but in that new body that God gives us. You know, Paul is just, you know, showing them, hey, you know, there's nothing wrong with being weak, but draw your strength from the Lord. It comes from the Lord. It comes from that inner man, that man that was born again. You know, that is able to speak in the spirit, that positionally before God is righteous through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That's where the power of God lies. Look at verse number five. Now, this is a challenge here. He says to them, to the church, examine yourselves. Hey, examine yourselves. You know, I mean, you've got doubts about me, about my apostleship. You've got doubts that Christ is speaking to me. Hey, instead of looking at me, I think it's time for you guys to look at yourselves. Examine yourselves again. There were false brethren in the church, okay? Whether you be in the faith, okay? Prove your own selves. Know you're not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates. Now, a lot of churches today ignore or just don't talk much about the reprobates, this reprobate doctrine. And of course, when I told you guys about these false apostles, I had said to you that I strongly believe that these were reprobates in the church. They had crept in trying to destroy the church of God. And Paul is challenging the church back, examine yourselves. You know, see if you're in the faith or you might be reprobate. And I believe he's definitely referring to those false apostles. He's definitely referring to those that are challenging him, challenging his apostleship to them, okay? Now, I wanted to spend a little bit of time to talk about the doctrine of reprobates. I've only really preached on it once. And it was called, I think I called it a reprobate mind. And we spent all our time in Romans chapter 1. And primarily, we were looking at the homosexuals, the homosexual reprobates. But I want to expand that a little bit. I wanted to explore a little bit more. So please, actually no, you don't need to turn there. I'm going to read to you. You guys keep your finger there and turn to Romans chapter 1. Okay, go to Romans chapter 1. But first, I just want to read to you from Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 30, okay? I do want to preach on this. We are going to cover some ground that we've covered before, but I want to expand a little bit more, okay? So Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 30. The Bible reads reprobate silver shall men call them. Why? Why they reprobate silver? Because the Lord has rejected them. The Lord has rejected them, okay? Just like when you're trying to purify silver and you have all those base metals and the dirt, you know, mixed in that, you know, when you're heating that silver up, you're putting that under the flame and all that dross is coming out of it. That is the reprobate silver. It's useless. It's to be thrown out because your focus is on that purity of that silver, you know, true, pure silver. And so it's rejected. So in the same way, God uses this analogy to explain that someone that is reprobate has been rejected by God, okay? Rejected by God. And some people say, well, there's no way that God can ever reject a person. There's no way that God can ever give up on a person. And yet what we see here is that God definitely can do that. And it's a scary thing. If it happens to you, if God has rejected you, there's no way back. There's no way to salvation, okay? Because God takes away your ability to believe the gospel, okay? Look at Romans chapter 1 verse 28. Romans chapter 1 verse 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. So we see somebody who doesn't want to retain God in their knowledge, okay? I'm not saying they reject the gospel once or deny God once in their life, but someone that has gotten to a point. Now, where is that line? I can't tell you exactly. God knows. But there can come a time where you've rejected God the final time and God says, that's it, I'm rejecting you. I'm rejecting you and I'm giving you that reprobate mind, a rejected mind, okay? Do you see how God tampers with their mental state? He goes for the mind, okay? He also goes, look at verse 21, Romans 1, 21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. So not just their mind gets corrupted, but even their hearts get darkened, okay? And it's not themselves doing it. It's not that they are darkening their hearts or corrupting their minds. It's God that steps in and does it himself. He's the one that gives them over to this, okay? But notice how it said in verse 21, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. It's not like Calvinism where God says, hey, you know, I just don't like you. You know, before you were even born, before you were even created, I just didn't like you, I hate you, and I'm going to damn you to hell. That's the teaching of Calvinism. No, these people had an opportunity to believe. These people had an opportunity to receive God. But instead, they rejected him. So it's not like God's given them the chance and they rejected God over and over and over again. Their hearts are darkened and their minds become reprobate. They're rejected by God, okay? Now, please turn to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. Because people will look at Romans chapter 1 and say, well, you're misinterpreting this. You know, we're all reprobates. Everyone that's unsaved is reprobate. It's just crazy because, and we won't go into it now, but Romans 1, it basically says these people go into homosexuality, okay? And that's not everyone. In fact, that's probably like 2% of the world that get involved in that kind of stuff, okay? But John chapter 12, verse 37. Nobody can deny this clear teaching, this clear black and white teaching. And as we saw before, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, okay? We need two or three witnesses. Look at John chapter 12, verse 37. John chapter 12, verse 37. But though he had done, speaking of Jesus, but though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. So Jesus Christ performing amazing miracles to the people. And they did not believe on him. People say, well, if God just came and showed himself in front of me, performed some miracle, I would believe. No, you wouldn't. Because there are people there that still hate God, still don't want to receive the works of God and believe on Jesus Christ, no matter what miracle takes place, okay? And Jesus says, hey, he gave the sign of Jonas. You know, in the belly of the whale, three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be. Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, okay? That's the sign that we teach. That's the sign that when we go door to door soul winning, we give him the gospel presenting that truth. Verse 38. That the saying of Isaiah as the prophet might be fulfilled, which is fake, Lord, who have believed our reports, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? And look at verse 39. Therefore they could not believe because that Isaiah said again. Why could they not believe? Is it just because they just didn't accept the gospel right now and maybe they have a chance in the future? No, look at verse 40. Why could they believe? He have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. God himself stepped in, made them blind, hardens their hearts, okay? And yeah, because he doesn't want them converted. He doesn't want them to believe. They've gotten to a point where God says enough. I've given you the last chance I'm going to give you. I'm giving you over to this reprobate mind. I'm going to harden your heart. I don't want to heal you. I don't want you saved. I mean, that's the truth of the word of God. I mean, how can you read John chapter 12 and deny that? That's what it says. It's God that stepped in and hardened their hearts, you know? And I, you know, just in preparation for this, I looked up a commentary, not because I use commentaries, right? But I was just looking up to how do people interpret this? And every commentary that I looked at, they acknowledge that there were people that, you know, wouldn't believe on Christ even though he had done the miracles, but they would not acknowledge that it was God himself that stepped in and did it. You know, people just don't want to believe this doctrine, that God himself can step in and make things, make it impossible for someone to believe, okay? Now, I'll get you to turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3, please. 2 Timothy chapter 3. Now, we didn't read through Romans 1, but I'm sure it's a favorite chapter for many of you. So, as we read 2 Timothy chapter 3, I just want you to notice a lot of similarities with the list of sins that a reprobate does in Romans chapter 1 with 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1. And this is about reprobates. So, I just want you to notice it from verse number 1. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1. This note also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Guys, we're going to see in the last days an increase, an increase in reprobate. You know, more and more people just, you know, racial speaking percentage wise, there's going to be an increase and we'll see this soon of reprobates. Verse number 2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heedy, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive, silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts. So, you can see they're trying to smooth talk their way into a family, into a house, creeping in, trying to commit all kinds of fornication or even adultery, okay? And look at verse number 7. This is probably the scariest thing that can be said about them. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. They are unable to come to the knowledge of truth. They are unable to understand and believe the gospel. Maybe they can understand the gospel, but they can't believe the gospel, okay? Ever learning. Could you imagine that? Someone constantly trying to seek what they need to do to go to heaven. And when they get to the point of even understanding it, they can't believe it. And I used to think this teaching was so on the fringe, right? When I first heard it, I told you guys it was just at my local IFB church, pastor's church, and I thought, nah, he must be wrong about this. Somebody get it to this point. But I've come across people that know the gospel inside out and just say I just can't believe it. Impossible for me to believe. I'm incapable of believing it. It's almost like they recognize that they've become a reprobate themselves. It's a scary thing. I didn't think this was a true doctrine until I started meeting people like this. Once you understand what the Bible teaches, then you can start putting these things together. Okay? Now look at verse number 8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, these are the magicians that were argumentative against Moses when he went to Pharaoh. He says, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds. What did God give them over to? A reprobate mind, right? God attacks their mental estates. Corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith. Reprobate, rejected concerning the faith. Can they believe? Can they come into faith? No, they're rejected. They have corrupted minds. This is the nature of a reprobate. These are extremely wicked people that God himself has given up on them. And then when we think about 2 Corinthians, he's saying, hey, examine yourselves except you reprobate. There were reprobates in the church. He was asking them a very offensive kind of question. Hey, you might be a reprobate. Examine yourselves. Turn to Titus chapter 1, Titus chapter 1 verse 10. And all I'm doing here, guys, we're just going through a list of scriptures where the word reprobate appears. OK, and we can see this. It's because, you know, like I said, two or three witnesses. We want that at least, right? We can see that it's all consistent with one another. Titus chapter 1 verse 10. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision. The Bible said it, OK, especially the Jews. That's what the Bible says, especially the Jews that are unruly and vain talkers and deceivers. And as you'll soon see, reprobate. OK, verse 11, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. What are they after? Money. Verse 12, one of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said the Christians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true, wherefore rebuke them sharply so they may be sound in the faith. Not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth. So what are we not to listen to? To Jewish fables, what are fables? Made up stories, fairy tales, OK, and the commandments of men. Guys, if you're in a church, and look, a lot of churches have already been infiltrated and have been influenced, and you'll see preachers often preaching Jewish fables. You know, just making up some story of back in these days, the way the Israelites did this or did that, and they create doctrines on these fables. And the question is, well, can you show me where that is in the Bible? They can't show you. It's like, well, you should know, because if you went to Bible college, no, look, it's Jewish fables. We need to build our doctrine on the word of God and not the commandments of men. Now, I might give you a command one day, but I'll tell you it's a command of men, all right? I asked Isabel before, can you vacuum the floor? That's a commandment of men, right? I've asked her to do that, hey, but I'm not going to start teaching the commandments of men behind the pulpit. We want to teach the commandments of God behind the pulpit, OK? And so you can see how they change the teachings within churches. What was I reading? Verse number 14, that turn away from the truth. Verse 15, unto the purer all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure. Look at this, look at the end of it. But even their mind and conscience is defiled. Their mind has been corrupted, their conscience has been seared, OK? It's been corrupted, defiled. They profess, they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobates. Hey, they can't even do a good work. They reject it from even the ability of doing good. And what might appear good on the outside, hey, we learned earlier that even Satan can appear as an angel of light, OK? So even so-called goodness is reprobate. They're reprobate concerning even the good works, OK? And so we see how the Bible is very consistent. When we're talking about the issue of reprobate, it often brings up their minds or their hearts being dark and being hardened, being defiled, being corrupted, being given over to that rejected reprobate mind, OK? The Bible is very consistent about this teaching. Now I'll get you to go back to 2 Corinthians 13, 2 Corinthians 13, verse 6, 2 Corinthians 13, verse 6. So Paul just told the church, hey, examine yourself. Are you one of these reprobates or are you in the faith, OK? He says in verse 6, but I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. He says, look, I expect you, once common sense prevails, that you're going to realize that I'm not a reprobate, OK? And Titus is not a reprobate and Apollos is not a reprobate. These people that have been serving you and teaching you, we are not reprobates, but in Christ. Because they were asking for that proof, right? Show us that you're in Christ. So the men that Paul sensed were not reprobate. And let me just say this because when you put that together with verse number 5. Sorry guys, verse number, I'll just turn there. I'm losing my place a little bit. 2 Corinthians 13. Oh yeah, verse number 5. So when he says, know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, OK? Because how is Jesus Christ in them? Because Paul and his helpers were preaching them the gospel. They got saved by the ministry and work of Paul. And he says, hey, and then when you get to verse 6, he says, but I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobate. Why? Because he got them saved, OK? And so the teaching that you get out of that is that a reprobate cannot lead someone to salvation. A reprobate cannot give the gospel to someone and they believe that truth, OK? So if you have any concerns, I'm saying this to the church because I have come across believers, OK? Because maybe they've done something questionable in the past. Maybe they've done an act along the lines of homosexuality as a child or something like that. And now they're wondering, am I reprobate? Well, one test that Paul puts in place here is that he's not a reprobate because he's got them saved, OK? If you're able to preach the gospel and see souls saved, that's proof immediately that you're not a reprobate, OK? I mean, first of all, the reprobate can't believe the gospel to begin with. So it's just a fact if you can say within yourself, examine yourself and say, yes, I believe the gospel, that's proof number one. But proof number two, if you've been able to lead someone to the Lord and get saved, then you're not a reprobate. You don't need to concern yourselves and put doubts upon yourself because of some stupid decision you made as a child, OK? And I expect, you know, we saw in the last days, there's going to be an increase of these people. And I'm not surprised now because they're teaching children in the public school system about homosexuality, about, you know, changing yourself from a man to a woman, and that's just fine, you know? Eventually, look, these are kids, and they're probably going to do stupid things, you know, because of the stupid teaching that they're receiving. Now, I'm not saying they're reprobate for doing something stupid, and hopefully they get saved. But in the future, they might have doubts when I did some questionable things when I was younger. Hey, if you can examine yourself and know you've believed the gospel, then you are saved, OK? But of course, you know, if the school systems continue down this path and kids continue to experiment and doing stupid things, rejecting God, accepting evolution, and all that kind of nonsense, it makes sense to me that we're going to see an increase in reprobates, OK? I mean, you just look at the school system and the curriculum in the schools now, you know, I highly endorse homeschooling your kids. You know, I highly endorse it. I always have, but more so than ever. I'm just seeing things get worse and worse in the public school system. Verse number seven. Verse number seven. Now, I pray to God that ye do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. Now, that verse is saying this. Paul is saying to the church, look, I don't want you to do evil. I want you to do good. I want you to be a good church. I want you to follow the commands of God is what he's saying. But then look, not that we should appear approved. I'm not telling you to be a good church to give me approval of myself. OK, that's not the reason for it, but that ye should do that which is honest. I want you to do that which is honest and true, though we be as reprobates. He's not saying he's a reprobate. He says, though we be as reprobate. So what he's saying is, I would rather you just think of us as reprobates as long as you as a church are being honest and doing right and not doing evil. I'd rather you think that about us than think the reason I want you to obey the commands and be good as a church is for my own self-promotion or my own self-recognition. So that's the context that you need to understand there. Of course, the apostle Paul was not a reprobate. OK, now let's look at verse number eight. Verse number eight. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. OK, so even if people would be in this church who are truly safe people looked at Paul and go, you know what, I think Paul's a reprobate. He goes, look, he says, we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. You might think that about me, but the truth is I'm not a reprobate. The truth is I'm saved. The truth is I've got eternal life. I can't do anything against the truth. It doesn't matter what names you call me. It doesn't matter if you call me a reprobate or satanic or anything like that. I can't do anything against the truth. The truth is I'm saved. The truth is I'm in Christ. The truth is, you know, you are proof of my ministry. You are proof of my work, you know, and I kind of I find this interesting because Paul is willing to be called such a filthy term as long as the church was all right. The church was doing good and striving to keep the commands of God, you know, and, you know, I just what I want to tell you guys is this. If you get attacked, you get called names, you get called a reprobate by believers. OK, you get called a child of the devil or whatever these things, you know, you don't always need to just go and fight this thing and defend yourself and clear your name. You see, Paul is like, OK, you think that fine. I know the truth. OK, I can't do anything against the truth. The truth is I'm saved and I'm in Christ. That ought to be our attitude. I sometimes question people that get so offended. All right. They call a name. Yeah, probably not true. Whatever. You know, as believers, we need to learn to have thick skin. OK, this world is going to call us names. Yes, even fellow brethren will turn against us and call us names. OK, Paul is like, who cares? I know the truth. OK, I know the truth. That's how we ought to be. OK, and, you know, just recently, you know, our church was called by someone I know, you know, a synagogue of Satan. You know, the synagogue, you guys are the synagogue of Satan from a believer. OK, and go to Matthew chapter 10. Keep your finger there in Second Corinthians 13, Matthew chapter 10, Matthew chapter 10, verse 24. It's a pretty familiar passage, but let me just read this to you, give you more scriptures, because I don't want you always retaliating, guys. All right. You either you retaliate because you've got thin skin or, you know, sometimes when you retaliate, it almost proves that maybe that statement is true. All right. Sometimes you don't need to do that. OK, if the truth is on your side, you know the truth. Matthew chapter 10, verse 24. Jesus speak and saying the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple to be as his master. Hey, it should be enough for us to know that we're with the master, we're with Jesus Christ, we're in Christ. That should satisfy us, OK, as the servant as his Lord and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the master of the house, Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Guys, people call Jesus Beelzebub. They call him a devil. OK, we should not expect, well, we should expect that if they're going to call the master those names, they're going to call those of his household by those same names or maybe even worse things. And we are of the household of God. We are his family. We are his children. OK, verse 26. Look at verse 26. Fear them not. Don't be afraid of these people. Fear them not, therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and hid that shall not be known. It's kind of that same teaching that we saw in verse number eight. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. Hey, the truth is going to reveal itself at some point. OK, and those that are lying and deceivers, that's going to be revealed as well. You don't need to be afraid. OK, yes, someone might at some point think of you as something wicked or evil. Hey, but if you know the truth, just stand in the truth. One day the Lord himself is going to step in and reveal those things. OK, we just need to be patient on the Lord. The Lord's timing is perfect when he comes to revealing those that are deceivers and those that are in the truth. Go back to 2 Corinthians 13. Verse number nine. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. You know, Paul says, look, I'm glad when I can serve you. I'm glad when I use up all my energy and all my ability and I'm tired and I'm weak and tired after serving you. It makes me glad. Why? Because you're strong. OK, Christian leaders, it's not about serving yourselves. OK, it's not about getting the approval and the praise of men and edifying yourselves. It is about allowing yourself to become weak. The same way that Jesus Christ allowed himself to be weak when he was crucified on the cross. You know, to edify the church, to make others strong around them. You know, we went out soul winning today. You know, it's tiring, right? You're up on your feet, you're knocking doors. You know, you're making yourself weak because you want to reach the loss. You know, we had a salvation. Praise God for that. You know, we've made that person strong in the Lord. OK, it's all worth it in the end. That's the right approach. Verse number nine, the second part of it. And this also we wish even your perfection. You know, we wish you to be perfect, to be whole, to be mature, to have all the teachings of God available to you. OK, that's what, again, a Christian pastor, a Christian preacher. Hey, I want you to be perfect in the sense of knowing, you know, from everything in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. It's not my goal to skip anything in the Bible. OK, the good, the bad and the ugly. It doesn't matter. It needs to be preached regardless of how that makes me look. OK, and preaching on reprobates is going to make me look bad. You know, it's going to make me look bad even among some of my friends that I have, you know. But I'm willing to be made weak that ye are strong. OK, verse number 10. Therefore, I write these things being absent. Lest being present, I should use sharpness according to the power. So it says, look, I'm writing these things, you know, while I'm absent, you know, because if I'm present, it's going to be sharp. It's going to be strong. It's going to be critical. So I'm writing these things again, that warning that he gives. According to the power which the Lord has given me to edification and not destruction. This is another way of working out whether a teacher, a preacher is a reprobate or someone that is definitely in Christ. What are they seeking? Are they seeking your destruction or are they seeking your edification? You know, what do they want in your life? You know, are they trying to destroy you? Are they trying to point every sin in your life and make you look, you know, and just make you look foolish and make you look stupid? Is that the goal of a preacher? If they're doing that, they're most likely one of these false apostles. They're most likely one of these reprobates. Verse 11. Finally, brethren, farewell. By the way, I looked this up. He's not saying farewell like, see you later, bye, which kind of is, but he's actually saying farewell. Like, I want you to fare well. I want you to be in good spirits. I want you to be doing well, okay? But then we've kind of used that in the same now. It kind of means bye, you know, farewell. But that's what he meant back then, okay? I want you to fare well, brethren, fare well, be perfect. You know, he wants the church to be mature. He wants them to grow spiritually. We see now he changes the corner. He's near the end of this letter, and now he's just encouraging them. He has been critical toward them as well in this letter, but now he ends the letter encouraging them, okay? You know, be perfect. Be of good comfort. He wants to encourage them. Encourage them into their successes. They have turned the corner as a church. They had improved. Be comforted. They are on the right path. That's what he's telling them. Be comforted. Be encouraged. Then he says be of one mind. Remember, 1 Corinthians, they weren't of one mind. So many divisions in the church, so many divisions. And what is that mind? What is that one mind that we need? It's the mind of Christ, okay? It's not the mind of Pastor Kevin. It's the mind of Christ that we ought to be searching for as a church. We aim for the mind of Christ, and we will be united. We will be within that one mind. But if we're looking for the mind of a man, then yeah, that's where you're going to get this vision, okay? Because that person is going to go for that man. These people are going to go for that preacher, and they're going to be argumentative and divisive and all those kind of things. That one mind that we're trying to search for is the mind of Christ. We want to be a united church, not a divided church. Then he says live in peace. Again, they were fighting in the church, right? Live in peace. I want your church to be peaceful. I want these fights to stop, okay? But not just within the church, but within the community. Hey, yes, sometimes when we go and knock doors, you know the message that we bring is going to upset some people, but we ought to be striving to be in peace, okay? If you're going to offend the neighbors, if you're going to offend this community, offend them with the word of God, not with your word, but with the word of God. The clear gospel, if they reject that and get offended, that's their problem, okay? We're doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, okay? But we should be striving to live peacefully, okay? And again, the word of God offends them, so be it, okay? But I don't want you to be that person that's going around offending people, okay? It's just going to hurt our church. And then he says, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. You know, it's encouraging them that God is going to be there, God's there to help them through. God's there to help them through their trials and struggles that they're facing. Verse 12, greet one another with a holy kiss. All right, guys, let's start this up. We started up from today, we're going to start greeting one another with a kiss. Of course, you know, the tradition or the custom in that day and age was to give a kiss. And in some parts of the world, it's still the custom, all right? I mean, if I started going and kissing your wives on the cheek, man, you shouldn't like it, okay? And I'm not going to like it, you know, and vice versa or whatever, you know? But in some cultures, it's perfectly acceptable. In some cultures, if you don't do it, it's offensive. It's seen as being rude, okay? So that's fine. You know, I think the principle is this. Make sure that you greet the brethren. Make sure that you fellowship with one another. Make sure you make an effort to talk to everybody, okay? And you see someone, you know, left alone, nobody's talking to them. You know, go and speak to that person. You've not spoken to them for a couple of weeks, go and talk to them. You know, fellowship, you know, greet one another. You know, make an effort, especially for visitors. We have visitors come in, you know, go and greet them. Don't feel welcome, you know, and be part of the church. Verse 13, all the saints salute you. All the saints salute you. Hey, you've got believers throughout all the world sending you salutations. You know, praying about you, thinking about you. That's the encouragement, you know. Verse 14, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. You see how we end verse 14? The Trinity, you see that? The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Let's just go back a few pages. 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 9. You might say, well, what is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? It's actually found in 2 Corinthians 8, 9. It says, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. He says, I want that grace to be upon you. I want you to keep in mind that Jesus Christ had made himself weak for your sakes, that he had sacrificed himself on the cross, had been tortured for your sakes. That's the grace that he wants the church to be remembering of, of Jesus Christ. Then he says, and the love of God. I believe he's referring there to the Father. The love of God the Father. Please turn to 1 John chapter 2 and 15. 1 John chapter 2, verse 15. 1 John chapter 2, verse 15. What is the love of God? What is the love of the Father? 1 John 2, verse 15. The Bible says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. We need to examine ourselves. Do we love this world? I hope you love the lost in that sense. I hope you enjoy your life because God has given you this life in this world, but of course the world there is worldliness. It's the wickedness. It's the culture and society that turns its back against God. The world is homosexual marriage. The world is abortion. The world is giving a murderer a slap on the wrist as their punishment. Don't love the way of the world. If you love the world, it says the love of the Father is not in him. The love that you have toward the world is not coming from God the Father. So if he wants the church to have the love of God, what's he saying? If you put this together, stop loving the world. Stop loving the world and start loving the things of God. That's where the love of God comes through. Verse 16, I'll just read 1 John 2, 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. So these are the things we need to avoid. If we want the love of the Father in us, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, this is not of the Father. This is what the church, I suppose here in 2 Corinthians, is being warned against. Stop being worldly. Grow up. Stop being worldly. Remind yourself of the grace of Jesus Christ, what he had done for you. And then in verse 14, the last, sorry, back in 2 Corinthians 13, right at the end there, verse 14, he says, And the communion of the Holy Ghost. So I'll get you to turn to Ephesians chapter 4, please. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30. We're almost done here. Ephesians 4, 30. The Bible reads, Okay, so how do we have communion with the Holy Ghost? How do we not grieve the Holy Ghost in our life? He says, Okay, that's how you grieve the Holy Spirit. If you want to commune with the Holy Spirit, you want to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, allow the Holy Spirit to have its work in your life, the answer there is in verse 32 in comparison. So the last message to the church that he leaves there, we don't know what developed from there. Hey, remember the grace of Jesus Christ. Remember what he's done for you. Don't love the world. Have the love of the Father flowing in the church and be kind and tender-hearted with one another so you can be in communion there with the Holy Ghost. Okay? All right, let's pray.