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Amen. OK, so keep a finger here in Psalm 5 and turn over to the book of Jude, please. Keep a finger in Psalm 5 and turn over to the book of Jude. We are going to be coming back to Psalm 5. So the book of Jude, right before Revelation at the end of your Bibles, from verse number 1. Jude, verse 1, reads... So this is Jude writing to us, yeah, the saved. ..so that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. So that means to zealously or eagerly fight for the faith, yeah? Contend is to fight. When you got saved, like I've said many times before, you were enlisted into God's army. And that should be an honour, shouldn't it? That should be an honour to everyone here. That second you put your faith in Christ, it wasn't that you went from civilian to military. Like if you look at sort of the worldly example of joining some sort of military or army. No, you basically went from one side to another, OK? You're a turncoat, you're some sort of deserter. But in a good way, OK? You're a good turncoat, you're a good deserter. Jesus said, you don't have to turn there in Matthew 12.30. So you were part of the opposition, you were at enmity with God. And now you're on the winning side, yeah? Now you're on the winning side. But you were enlisted straight into battle, OK? And we've said this many times before, when you were saved, you were enlisted straight into battle. And of course, many new Christians, sadly, do seem to raise the white flag right away, don't they? They're waving that white flag the second they get saved. But the enemy doesn't then go easy on them. It's not that they get it, oh, well, they've raised the white flag, well, they can just now have this kind of peaceful life with all of God's blessings and they don't have to get involved in the battle. No, they're just easy cannon fodder, really, aren't they? OK, they're just cannon fodder because they're raising that white flag right above their head and the enemy sees that and the enemy doesn't go easy on them, does he? But for those of you in this church, you're in the hottest part of the battle here, OK? You're in the hottest part of the battle because you're inflicting damage on the enemy, OK? Because you're the ones, you guys here are inflicting damage on the enemy. Everyone here, everyone that's getting right with God and soul-winning and the rest of it, look, you're doing something back here. So that means he will employ all of the weapons at his disposal, OK? That's the truth, that means he will employ every weapon he has. And look, like I said, the cannon fodder, they get picked off, yeah? They get picked off with, well, what, a bit of simple false doctrine, yeah? Disabled with the you don't need to go to church to be a good Christian type of thing, don't they? Or Calvinism, they just get disabled with Calvinism straight away or some other version of it's not you that does the saving and all that other false doctrine out there. And they, you know, they get disabled pretty quickly, don't they? But when you're here, when you're in a proper church, when you're living for God, the weapons get a bit more varied, don't they, yeah? Keep a finger in Jude to go back to Psalm 5. I've been preaching a series called Weapons of the Enemy, yeah? And so far we've looked at fear, we've looked at demoralisation and today we're looking at a new weapon. Psalm 5 and verse 8 reads, Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies. Make thy way straight before my face, for there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their inward part is very wickedness, their throat is an open sepulcher, they flatter with their tongue. And the title of my sermon today is Weapons of the Enemy, Flattery. Weapons of the Enemy and that weapon today is flattery. Let's go to the Lord and the Word of prayer. Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for your warnings. I thank you that you just make it clear what to look out for, that you want us to learn from your word. Please just help me to show that clearly today. Please help me to preach clearly, accurately, boldly. Just fill me with your spirit, Father. Please, please help those listening to just stay attentive, to listen to what your word has to say and to be able to apply it to their lives as well. In Jesus' name we pray all of this. Amen. Amen. What is flattery? So what is flattery? Because some people go too far and worry about ever being nice or complimenting anyone in case they're called a flattery. Yeah, and especially in a church setting, I'm not flattering you, but... And then they just say a nice comment and worry that they're a flatterer. Well, the dictionary definition here has a few different definitions. Number one is false praise, commendation bestowed for the purpose of gaining favour and influence. Notice it was false praise, yeah? The purpose is gaining favour and influence or to accomplish some purpose. Direct flattery consists in praising a person himself. Indirect flattery consists in praising a person through his works or his connections. So that could be through things they do, things, oh, you're so great at this, et cetera. Adulation is number two. That's excessive praise. Obsequiousness, which is ready obedience, prompt compliance with the orders of a superior. Servile submission, that is as well. Mean or excessive complacence, which is a desire to please. And wheedling, which is flattering or enticing with soft words. So there, it can even be in the way just you act and behave and basically sucking up type behaviour, but excessive again. Number three here is just commendation. So it can, it doesn't have to be necessarily false praise, just commendation, which gratifies self-love. So that might be a fair compliment, but the motivation is to puff someone up, yeah? OK, so, for example, you know, I could say, oh, you know, brother Adam, you know, you're a good usher, brother Adam. But if I'm saying it all the time and my purpose is to puff him up, then it becomes flattery. Now, brother Adam's a good usher. So it's not that it's false. But it's what my motivation is and what I'm trying to do with that, yeah? OK, so. Now, generally, it's either false or excessive. That's what it's saying there, OK? It's false or excessive praise, sucking up, that sort of thing. You know, there's many different words for it. In our common vernacular in the Bible, it's called flattering. It's never a good thing in the Bible. OK, it's never a good thing. And although like many sins, everyone is capable of using flattery. Yeah, everyone is capable of this. Like many sins in the world, it's often associated with the worst kinds of people in the Bible. So you're in Psalm chapter five. We have a look from verse one, which reads, To the chief musician upon Neleth, a psalm of David, give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my king and my God, for unto thee will I pray. My voice shout thou, here in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up. And that's a good start to the day, isn't it? Yeah. That's the psalmist, David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, saying, in the morning he looks up to God. Yeah. In the morning, that's the time to be praying, to be reading your Bible, isn't it? Start the day right. We've talked about that before. Verse four says, For thou art not a God that hath pleasure and wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Now, works of iniquity is a term for reprobates, children of the devil, sons of Belial, false prophets. OK, if you did a study of that term in the Bible, you're going to see that's what it's talking about. Verse six says, Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing. The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. Leasing is falsehood, lies. See what God thinks about it, yeah? But as for me, I will come into the house in the multitude of thy mercy, in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies. Make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their inward part is very wickedness. Their throat is an open sepulchre. They flatter with their tongue. So these people are also known by their use of flattery. Yeah? They're known by their use of flattery. Now, does David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit here, say, Oh, God, just help me to reach them? Oh, God, just help me to get them saved. Oh, God, just help me to have patience for these people. Just fill me with your spirit and let me just be meek and mild to them the whole time. No. What does he say? He says in verse 10, Destroy thou them, O God. Yeah, that's David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit calling God to destroy these types of people, because these people are unsavable. That's what he's talking about here. These are wicked people that cannot be saved. And David's saying, Destroy thou them, O God. Let them fall by their own counsels. Cast them out of the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against thee. So these people he's talking about here are enemies of God. Yeah? They're enemies of God. Verse 11, But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice. Let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest them. Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. So, look, you could read a psalm like this and get fearful, couldn't you? Yeah? Their inward part is very wickedness. It's talking about here. So these particular types of people. But in this war, we have got to defend us, don't we? Yeah? If we choose for him to defend us. Verse 12, For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous. With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. So the workers of iniquity flatter with their tongues. Yeah? And, of course, they are a great case study for this, aren't they? Because they are of their father, the devil. Yeah? And the lust of their father, they will do. OK, so they're a great case study for a weapon of the enemy because they are literal children of the devil. They're armed with the full arsenal and flattery is a commonly used weapon. Yeah? Who do they flatter? Well, pretty much anyone. In Psalm 78, you don't have to turn there, it tells us of the wicked amongst the children of Israel, even flattering God. Psalm 78 verse 36 says, Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues. OK? So don't think you're out of bounds. Well, I'm a pretty good guy, I'm a nice guy, they're not going to flatter me. They'll even flatter God. OK? Because so often the wicked always trying to appear to be so holy. They're trying to appear to be so godly and they'll even do that to God himself and just flatter. But turn back to Jude, because it's not just those, like I said, that are literal devils. As everyone, everyone here can also through their own sins sometimes be an easy vessel for the devils. OK? So just because someone has flattered someone before, that doesn't mean, right, that's it. Reprobate, hunt, you know, it doesn't mean that. But on the other hand, it is something that's very common amongst these types of people, because flattery is a weapon of our enemy. OK? Flattery is a weapon of our enemy. We've been looking at weapons of the enemy. And yeah, this isn't always the most pleasant types of sermon, but I think they're needful sermons. They're very much needed. We need to know what the weapons are and we need to be aware of it. We need to be able to recognise it. And it is a weapon. In fact, again, you don't have to turn there, but in Daniel 11, 21, it's giving basically a dual prophecy of the end times and referring to the Antichrist. It says, And in his estate shall stand up a vile person to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom, but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. That's the Antichrist himself using flattery. OK? Now, you're in Jude. Yeah, the book of Jude gives us basically many common characteristics of the reprobate false prophet. And Jude chapter one, verse four reads, OK, jump forward to verse eight. So these are the sorts of people we're talking about here. These are more common characteristics. Verse 11 says, Now, Jude is basically giving us three types of false prophet here. Yeah, Cain, Balaam and Corey. And of course, there are crossovers here. It's not that, you know, there's, you know, there's many, many types. Everyone is individual in their own right. But these are good three just main types of false prophet here. I want to use these types of false prophet to show you three different types of flattery and the motivations behind it that we see in the Bible. Like I said, the title is Weapons of the Enemy Flattery. He said in verse 11, So what was the way of Cain? Well, turn to Luke 20. Well, I read 1 John 3.12, which basically sums up the way of Cain, the world's first false prophet, which reads, OK, that's just a nice quick summary of Cain. You're going to Luke 20, remember. Cain killed his brother because God had respect to Abel's offering and not his. OK, if you remember this story from early on in the book of Genesis. And Cain for me represents the bitter, angry, destroy you at all costs type of false prophet. That's the sort I see there. And think about the many church infiltrators some of you might have been aware of over the years or other types of churches, those that have kind of followed these sorts of, you know, news and events and things in real churches I'm talking about. I'm not talking about, you know, the fake churches. You know, the ones who are just looking to cause trouble any which way they can. They just it seems their motivation is just destruction. Yeah. And a lot of the time they'll start making attack videos at some point. And what's their motivation of their attack video? Just to destroy, just to cause destruction, just to cause trouble. YouTube stalkers are these types as well. What's their goal? What's the hours spent listening to the sermons of, you know, real preachers preaching the word of God to just try and find something to try and bring them down, something to destroy them, some sort of thing to grab hold of and try and just cause trouble. That's that sort of, for me, that sort of reprobate the soul winning stalker. So for those of you when you're out soul winning, you get those people who literally just want to follow you and just stop you preaching the gospel. They just want to destroy people and stop them getting saved. Yeah. And we see these types of people, don't we? And I'm not saying anyone that just kind of has a problem with you soul winning is some reprobate, Cain type false prophet. But there are those out there, aren't there? And I'm sure many of you have bumped into these sorts of people. The wanting to bring you down at all costs type, yeah? Yeah, that type of false prophet. Now, their goal is to destroy God's children because their own works are evil. That's basically what it's about, yeah? Like Cain, it's because their own works are evil. And this is the first type of flattery. The goal is to destroy you. So you're in Luke chapter 20, and we see this example here from verse 19 where it says, And the chief priests and the scribes, the same hours sought to lay hands on him, we're talking about Jesus, and they feared the people, for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. So they want to kill him. They want to kill Jesus Christ. They want to destroy him. And they watched him and sent forth spies which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teach us rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teach us a way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no? So these guys are pretending to be saved men, yeah? They've infiltrated so that they can catch him out and destroy him. Yeah, that's their goal. That's their whole purpose, their whole goal. They call him master, and then they try to disarm him with flattery, don't they? Oh, everything you say is spot on, is what they're saying, aren't they? Everything you say, wow, you say it how it is. Yeah, that's what they're saying to him. You say it exactly how it is. You're such a great teacher. What a great teacher. That's what they're saying to him. Just wondering if you can help me with this problem, yeah? Anyone ever had that before? You might have had that maybe when you were out soul winning, that type of person. I've had that before. People are, oh, wow, yeah, you seem to really know your Bible, yeah. And then here's the question, yeah? Here's the one that they're trying to disarm you with. Oh, and you might have had that, you might have sat, you might have even had that in a church sometimes. Oh, yeah, you really seem to know, know about this and that. So what do you make of this question, you know? Is it really that they want to know the answer or they're trying to basically disprove what you're saying? They're trying to destroy you in one way or another. Well, in soul winning, they really want to hear what you got to say. You've noticed that before, those ones? They really want to hear, in fact, they want to hear so much, they want to invite you in sometimes, don't they? We've had those ones before. I had a guy, I remember, on a soul winning marathon, I was with my family and we went past, they go, oh, come on, come on, sit down, I really want to hear, sit, like he's in the front garden, have a cup of tea, yeah, he's drinking some special tea, sit down, everything. And then once you've sat down, they've got you, they hear some things for the kids and you think, okay, I just want to preach the gospel. And then it's debate time, then it's just try anyway, try it, and basically all they're really trying to do, and they don't want you to leave. It's like more questions, more questions, more, because they don't want you to get up and carry on soul winning, because basically they're trying to destroy other people with it as well, aren't they? But sometimes it's more subtle, isn't it? So sometimes they'll flatter you over a long period of time to get you relaxed, to take hold of your words, yeah? So they want to relax, here with Jesus Christ, so they're trying to disarm him, aren't they? And sometimes it will be over a long period of time to try and then, but didn't you say this many months ago, this, or didn't you say this, and they're trying to disarm you, trying to get you relaxed with them and trying to get you to a point where then you're not on guard and you might say something that they can pull against you. You said something months or years later, and you see this obviously in the world as well. You see this with so-called friends and things like that who are just trying to find something to have a problem with you, but they're looking to destroy you. And one of the ways flattery destroys you as well is it puffs you up, okay? Because flattery feels good, doesn't it? Flattery feels good, and it's a hard one because we looked at fear, we looked at demoralization. That doesn't feel good, does it? But flattery a lot of the time feels good to people, and they don't want to really believe they're being flattered because it appeals to the flesh, because it appeals to the flesh when someone's telling you something great, that you're so this, or you're really good at that, or they're just being so extra nice or constantly getting you gifts or whatever it is to the point where then you start to really want that to be, you really want that person to be your friend. You really want to believe because you don't really want to think, well, all they were saying was just flattery. It was just to disarm you. It was just to destroy me. And a lot of the time it is a personal destruction because it will puff you up and then you're destroying yourself because pride cometh before contention, doesn't it? Yeah? And look, flattery will do that to people, won't it? And I've seen that with people where they're around a flatterer and they're getting flatter and they just started getting lifted up more and more and more and more. You see them getting puffed up more and more and more because of the flatterer, and then eventually they fall. They're destroyed, okay? That's what flattery does. It destroys you. Proverbs 29.5 says, a man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. That's what flattery does. It spreads a net for your feet. It's such a subtle attack. And it's hard because you look at this and you're thinking, okay, yeah, okay, they were trying to hunt Jesus. Said, yeah, okay, there's people like Cain, but... And you don't want to believe there's really people like that. There's really people whose sole goal of flattering you is to destroy you. Their whole aim, and it's hard. It's hard to accept that. It's hard sometimes listening to these sorts of sermons because you don't really want to believe it. You don't really want to believe because if you're a normal person, if you're a pretty normal person, you cannot put yourself in those shoes, can you? You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who is literally just in their mind, just trying to destroy you, trying to find a way of flattering you to destroy you. And like I said, it appeals to the flesh, doesn't it? But really they're harming you. They're harming you. Flattery harms, and you've got to be aware of that because it's so easy to enjoy it and almost seek it. Almost seek it. Now here, they want Jesus to tell them not to pay tax so that they can get him arrested, basically. Okay? So they're trying to set him up here. Verse 23 says, "'But he perceived their craftiness.' That's the Lord Jesus Christ for you, yeah? "'He perceived their craftiness and said unto them, "'Why tempt ye me? "'Show me a penny.' "'Whose image and superscription have it?' "'They answered and said, Caesar.' "'Cause they really think they got him here "'because either he's going to be saying, "'Well, you've got to give money to Caesar, "'or you've got to pay taxes, "'or he's going to say he's not, "'and either way, he's in trouble, isn't he? "'Because either the people are going to hate him, "'or the authorities are going to arrest him.' "'And he said unto them, render therefore unto Caesar "'the things which be Caesar's, "'and unto God the things which be God's.'" What a great answer that is, isn't it? Absolutely amazing. What an answer. Verse 26, "'And they could not take hold of his words "'before the people, and they marveled at his answer.'" Wouldn't it be nice to be able to just respond like that? Wow. And held their peace. Right, turn over to Proverbs 7 for another example of someone who's just out to destroy you. And now, look, this works both ways, but this is a type of flattery that especially men need to be aware of, but it can work both ways as well. Was there a sermon a long time ago? Was it by Pastor Anderson, "'The Man with the Lavender Tie'?" Is it called The Man with the Lavender Tie? It's basically about that kind of charming, schmoozing sort of guy that tries to go in and steal your wife type, yeah? Well, here we're looking at it the other way around, which is usually more common, but it does work the other way around as well. So Proverbs 7 says, "'My son, keep my words "'and lay up my commandments with thee. "'Keep my commandments and live and my law "'as the apple of thine eye. "'Bind them upon thy fingers, "'write them upon the table of thine heart. "'Say unto wisdom, "'thou art my sister, "'and call understanding thy kinswoman, "'that they may keep thee from the strange woman, "'from the stranger which flattereth with her words.'" So there are many types of these women in the world. Verse 12 says that she's at every corner. So there's a lot of these types of women. And obviously, because there is a lot of these types of women, they can also come into churches. In case you're sitting here thinking, who's he talking, it's not that I'm saying that someone has come into our church right now, but I'm saying that they will and can do, okay? Verse six says, "'For at the window of my house, "'I looked through my casement "'and beheld among the simple ones, "'I discerned among the youths "'a young man, void of understanding, "'passing through the street near her corner, "'and he went away to her house in the twilight, "'in the evening, in the black and dark night. "'And behold, I met him a woman "'with the attire of an harlot and subtle of heart.'" Yep, the Bible says that there's a type of clothing that prostitutes wear, yeah? The Bible says that you can basically judge someone by their clothing, yeah? Fancy that. Verse 11 says, "'She is loud and stubborn, "'her feet abide not in her house.'" So, is being loud and stubborn a good thing? No, no. And he's specifically referring to women here, no, whatever the February Nazis say, no, it's not a good thing to be a loud and stubborn woman. Neither, according to this, is being out and about all the time. Her feet abide not in her house. You think, oh, what do you mean? Well, I'm saying, get your house in order, yeah? Saying, if anyone's sitting there going, well, yeah, I'm saying, look, women, mums here, wives here, look, get your houses in order, yeah? Make sure, like, if you're out and about all the time and your kids aren't being trained properly, your place isn't in order, then you need to be home more, okay? Not constantly out, not constantly trying to, because there's a lot of women out there that are constantly trying to be something, aren't they? Constantly trying to be some sort of personality. I'm going to make it in this, or I'm going to be this, I'm going to be the guru, I'm going to be the something, because they so want to be something, because they can't just be a meek and quiet spirit, which is, in God's eyes, a great price, isn't it? Yeah? And look, women here, look, if you're trying to be something, and I'm not saying anyone is, but if you are, if you have that in you, oh, well, if I could be the best sis, I could be the most knowledgeable lad, I could be the whatever it is, or I could show everyone, look, you're well out of God's will, okay? And no one in this church is looking at you going, wow, what a strong, dominant, domineering woman we've got here. They're looking at you going, what an ungodly wench, yeah? That's what they're looking at, because that's what the Bible says, oh, what, what, you mean? No, I'm saying, I'm saying, yeah, the Bible makes it clear what women should be aspiring to be like, yeah? And it's not being loud and stubborn and out seeking fame, fortune, and respect from it. Look, just be a good wife, be a good mum, yeah? Be a good daughter, yeah? That's what, that's what, that's what, in God's eyes, is a great price, yeah? Verse 12 says, now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in way to every corner. So these sorts of women are everywhere. So she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, impudent is shameless, by the way, I have peace offerings with thee, this day have I paid my vows. Oh, she's so holy, isn't she? Isn't she holy? Because the wicked love to appear to be holy, don't they? Don't they just love to appear to be so holy? Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. And here's a flattery, she's worked so hard to find him. She's been so diligent in the search for him, yeah? Because he's so special, isn't he? He's so special. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. She's made the bed so nice just for him. Just for him, isn't he special? I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. No expense spared there, you know, just for him. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning. Let us solace ourselves with love. So she wants to be with him all night, yeah? Because he's so special. For the good man is not at home. He has gone a long journey. Now, this is either, it doesn't necessarily have to be a husband. It could be a father, but it's one of the two, I think, there. Either a father or husband. You're taking a bag of money with him. Either way, he's not going to be impressed. You're taking a bag of money with him and we'll come home at the day appointed. With a much fair speech, she calls him to yield with the flattering of her lips. She forced him. So how does she persuade him to commit fornication or adultery? With fair speech and flattery, yeah? That's what got him. That's what went through to him. It was a fair speech and the flattery. People, oh, it's just because she looked a certain way. No, it's a fair speech and flattery that got him, wasn't it? That's how she got him to yield. He goeth after her straight way, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till a dart strike through his liver, as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. So what's her goal? His destruction. That's what it's about, really. It's his destruction. She knows full well that it's going to destroy him, doesn't she? Because fornication destroys people, adultery destroys people, doesn't it? And look, there are many women out there like this, okay? There are many women out there in the world that are like this. Yeah, isn't it wicked? Isn't it wicked? Harken unto me now therefore, O ye children, attend to the words of my mouth. Remember he said there on every corner. Oh, well, yeah, but they can't be that bad. Because again, we don't like to admit that there are people like this out here. O ye children, attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways. Go not astray in her paths, for she hath cast down many wounded, yea, many strong men have been stained by her. Her house is a way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. That's one wicked woman, isn't it? That is one wicked woman. And what was her weapon? Flattery. Yeah, flattery was her weapon. You'll have to turn there again, but Proverbs 26, 28 says, A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. It works ruin. Flattery is wicked, okay? Flattery is wicked. Now, okay, so here obviously you've got wicked people whose goal is to destroy you, yeah? We saw that with the scribes of Pharisees trying to destroy Jesus Christ. We've seen this with the adulterous woman type, that wicked, just harlot type, just out to destroy people. And that works both ways as well. There are people who get off on the fact that they destroy relationships. Did you know that? There are people out there that get off on the fact that they destroy relationships, they're destroying people, that they're using them, that they can get what they want from them, and they don't care. It's not just collateral damage. A lot of the time, the goal, what really feeds them is the destruction of someone, yeah? Well, that's what really gets them going. Well, can saved Christians, though, be guilty of this kind of flattery, do you think? I don't see why not. Here's an example. I'll say, what about, so you think, well, what, to destroy someone? How does that, well, what about when you just really don't like someone? Say in a church setting, let's say you just really don't like someone, but you don't really want them to know that you don't really like them. So instead of trying to get your heart right, instead, you just flatter them. You flatter them to disarm them, so especially when you think they might find out you've been whispering about them or gossiping, so you just flatter them instead. I think Christians could do that, couldn't they? Doesn't necessarily have to be someone completely wicked, because really, you're just disarming them, aren't you? Disarming them to get away with the gossip, the flattery, that sort of, with the gossip, with the whispering, that sort of thing. What about in the workplace? Flattering your colleague while you're trying to steal their job? Yeah, people do that, won't they? Trying to flatter someone while at the same time they're trying to disarm them while they're doing things behind their back. People do that. I bet Christians could do that, couldn't they? It's not always a reprobate, is it? But let's look at another kind of flattery. Turn to 1 Kings 22. That was flattery number one, which was purely for destruction. Now, you don't have to turn, now you're turning to 1 Kings 22. We were looking at Jude 11, which says, For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward. Balaam was a false prophet that was willing to do anything for money. He was paid to curse the children of Israel. And the parallel account in 2 Peter 2 says that Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness. For me, I think that insinuates that he loved the wages even more, the fact that they were combined with unrighteousness. I think for him, he probably even got more of a kick out of the fact that it was for doing wicked things, because it wasn't just that it was hard to curse them. If you remember, which God prevented, you have to turn to Revelation 2, 14 says, But I have a few things against thee, because there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balaam to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So where he couldn't curse them, God prevented that, Balaam tried to weaken them by getting them to sin. So he was paid basically to just try and try and be a problem to them, and he was happy to do this for the wages of unrighteousness. Now this for me, this is the sort of, there's the obvious, just rich false prophet, but this is the covetous psycho, this is the covetous false prophet who will say anything for money, yeah? Say anything for money and teach basically, this is the sort of if it feels good, do it type teacher, yeah? That the wicked false prophet will just say what he can to be popular, to be rich. And I had a quick look at these, just see where we're at in the world for this right now. So here's some examples of the mega rich false prophets, yeah? Apparently the richest one, according to this particular survey article I saw, is Kenneth Copeland, who's apparently worth 300 million dollars. 300 million dollars claiming to be a teacher of God's word. Number two was David Oyedepo, now that's a winner's chapel guy. By the way, there's a winner's chapel headquarters just down the road in Dartford, I drive past it a lot. This is like a compound, yeah? With barbed wire around it, and all sorts of different buildings and bookstores and things like that. He's worth 150 million dollars. Pat Robertson, 100 million dollars. Benny Hinn, 60 million dollars. Pastor Chris Oyekilomi, 50 million dollars. Joel Osteen, 40 million dollars. Creflo Dollar, what a name. He cannot make that up, can you? He obviously changed his name, but I mean, just the nerve of it, the nerve of it. 27 million dollars for old Creflo Dollar. Rick Pound, no I'm joking. Rick Warren, 25 million dollars. Jesse Duplantis, 20 million dollars. And Bishop T.D. Jakes calls himself a bishop. 18 million dollars. And look, let's just get it clear, these guys are all wicked, vile, reprobates, yeah? They are, every single one of these is a false prophet and they will split hell wide open, okay? There is no doubt about it. When you look at figures like that on these people, and by the way, these aren't just people that were mega rich and decided to go into the ministry. Now these are people that have made the vast, vast majority of that money from fleecing their flock, ripping people off and all of that. Anyone ever see that interview? I actually just clicked on it the other day, I was looking, where the lady from, I can't remember what, it's like a Christian sort of news thing, and she interviews Kenneth Copeland and she kind of catches him when he's getting into his limo or something, isn't he? And she starts saying, well, why do you refuse to fly with the, you know, you said that you refuse to fly standard flight, yeah, you'll only go, you know, a private jet, yeah, and he's like, look, lady, you know, we, he said, just this year, what are the figures he's saying to his like, one of his henchmen next to him, yeah? He was like, we've saved this year, something like a million, did he say saved or won to the Lord, you think he haven't won anyone to the Lord, you wicked liar, yeah? You are a liar, you have a private jet because you are evil, you're wicked. What does he need a private jet for, a man or God? Yeah, whatever, but, okay, but there are much lower levels. So we look at these and we think, well, if they're not, you know, mega rich, well, there are lower levels, there are people that will just do stuff for money. And you could go even really low down and go to, there could be someone behind a pulpit like this in a small church like this who will preach certain things because really he wants to keep bums on seats. He will only preach certain things because then he can up his pay packet a bit or something else. Okay, so it's not just the mega rich, yeah? This is the covetous false prophet whose goal is money. Okay, their goal is to get something from you. And again, it's usually money and it's usually from pleasing from the pulpit. Now, 1 Kings 22, we see an example of this type of flattery. Look at verse one, it says, and they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass the third year that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to the king of Israel. Now, straight away here, the problem is that the righteous king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, is teaming up with the wicked king of Israel, Ahab, okay? And that means that he's gonna be exposed to the false prophets too. And it's what happens when you're too connected to the world, you're gonna be around these sorts of wicked people. Verse three says, and the king of Israel said unto his servants, know ye that Ramoth and Gilead is ours? He's ours, sorry, and we be still and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria. And he said unto Jehoshaphat, wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people are thy people, my horses are thy horses. I don't know what he's playing out here, Jehoshaphat. Now Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, inquire I pray thee at the word of the Lord today. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said unto them, shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle or shall I forbear? And they said, go up for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. So they're basically just preaching what he wants to hear. Yeah, that's what these guys do, they just preach what people want to hear. You can do it, you're such a good Christian, you've just got to live for yourself, God wants you happy, God wants you to just enjoy your life and do as you like, don't worry about those laws, don't worry about what the Bible says, just if it feels good, do it. It's that sort of thing. They say, go ahead, God's with you. We have a message from God, you're a winner. And that reminded me of Wednesday night, we saw a church which said on the front of it, raising champions, taking territories. And it was a wicked fool's church, wasn't it? Raising champions, taking territories, we were chuckling at that, what a load of nonsense. But Jehoshaphat isn't convinced by these guys, is he here? Maybe it's the gold trim on their horses' reins that's maybe made him think twice or maybe the diamonds on their sandals. I don't know, but he smelt a rat. And verse seven says, and Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, remember there have been 400 of these guys, yeah, that we might inquire of him. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire the Lord, but I hate him. So I hate him, I hate him, so I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil, and Jehoshaphat said, let not the king say so. So just quick news flash here, preaching the truth doesn't make you popular, okay? Preaching the truth doesn't make you popular by the world standards. When you look at the size of these jerks, I looked at one of these, it's something like running, I think there are 60 odd thousand in one of these auditoriums, and probably more in many others as well. Look, you know, we're like so pleased we've got 79 people here the other week, okay? And look, preaching the truth isn't gonna make you popular. Most of the world doesn't wanna hear the truth, do they? Okay, and here obviously that's why he hates Micaiah here, because he did not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And look, the Bible has a lot of negativity in it, doesn't it, yeah? There is a lot of negativity in there, but it's real, isn't it, it's the truth. That's life. Proverbs 27, six says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Now verse nine says, Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah, and the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. So these guys now continue with their flattering lies. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaiah made him horns of iron, and he said, Thus saith the Lord, with thee shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have consumed them. So this guy's even using props when he preaches, yeah? He's actually made the horns, and he's going, these are what you're gonna push them with. I mean, this is some pretty dynamic preaching going on here, isn't it? But just because it's dynamic preaching, does that mean it's good preaching? Doesn't matter how dynamic it is, if the message is wrong, if the message is a lie, it doesn't matter, does it? Give me a guy that literally just preaches through the Bible as mundane and as monotone as he can. If he's preaching the truth, give me him over the guy that's doing all sorts of props and everything else. It's about the truth, isn't it? Verse 12 says, And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hands. So they're all united with their lies, aren't they? Notice how all the false prophets here, all united with their pleasing lies, like these guys are pretty much all united with their work salvation, aren't they? Yeah, they're all united with, it's a weird thing, isn't it? Because on one hand the preacher works salvation, yet on the other hand they seem to be pleasing and tickling people's ears, because people like to believe they can be righteous enough, don't they? They like to believe that they're good enough, that they're a winner, and the other, and all the various different false prophets all seem to not have too much of a problem with each other, do they? I don't notice too much of a problem them having with each other, they just have a problem with the truth. They have a problem with once saved, always saved, don't they? They have a problem with grace through faith, that's what they have a problem with. Says, and the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth. Let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak that which is good. Now that's not a good sign when someone's trying to tell you what to preach. Okay, when someone's coming up to telling you what you need to preach, what you should preach, should have alarm bells there, any of you guys that preach there. And Micaiah said, as the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. That's the answer, isn't it? If only all preachers would say that. What the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak, yeah? That's what people have to do. Preach what the word of God is, not what the people tell you to preach, not what's gonna make you popular. So Micaiah, if you know the story, he ends up preaching the truth and he basically gets punched in the face, he gets thrown in prison. But isn't it better to, look, it's better than being some lying false prophet, isn't it, yeah? Preaching, even if you end up in prison and you end up getting punched in the face, yeah? It's better than being a lying false prophet that's gonna split hell wide open, isn't it? And what's the result of their lying flatteries? Well, Ahab gets killed in battle and look, because these greedy false prophets aren't preaching the truth, that's why, isn't it? Okay, they're not preaching the truth, they're just preaching what people wanna hear to be popular. That's the type of preaching that we see all over the world, sadly, don't we? But it's not always, like I said, the slick suit and private jet and, it's basically anyone suggesting that money is some sort of sign of holiness is a problem, yeah? Anyone suggesting that having money, that having wealth is a sign of your holiness, you need to be careful of. 1 Timothy 6.5 talks about, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness from such, withdraw thyself, okay? Withdraw thyself, get away from people like that. People that wanna go on about money and wanna act like they're somehow blessed of God because they're wealthy or anything else, from such, withdraw thyself, yeah? That's not a sign of godliness, that's not a sign of holiness. And it will lead you down a bad path and that includes all types of covetous false prophets out there, okay? They will lead you down a bad path and this isn't the only type, the sort of mega rich preacher type, like I said. Now their goal, what's their goal? To make merchandise of you, that's their goal. So the goal of that flattery is to make merchandise of you. It's to basically get from you, yeah? It's to obtain from you. Can a Christian be guilty of this type of flattery as well? How about, well, in the world, flattery to get money out of people is everywhere you look, isn't it? Think about all different types of sales and everything else, it's flattery, you walk past a store or somewhere else and people are trying to flatter you. Oh, you look like, you know, you look like you'd like this sort of clothing. I know they don't do that so much here. I know in other nations it's like that where they're just trying to flatter you. Oh yeah, you know, you'd look great in this suit and this sort of thing. It's just everywhere, isn't it? And they're just obvious examples. But flattery to gain from someone else. We could all do that, couldn't we? Maybe to borrow something off someone, yeah? You really want to borrow something off them, you know, that covetous type flattery. So I just flatter them a bit, say a few nice things and then the next question is, oh, by the way, I couldn't borrow whatever it is. Or maybe it's in the workplace for a promotion. Maybe with your boss, yeah? You want to get something from him, so you flatter him, yeah? Okay, there are many different types of this, aren't there? Flattery number one was for destruction. Flattery number two was for gain. Now here's a third kind of flattery. Turn to 2 Samuel 15. And while you turn, I'm going to read the end of Jude verse 11, which says, and perished in the gainsaying of Corey. So Corey or Cora from the Old Testament led the rebellion in the wilderness, yeah? Gainsaying means contradicting, denying or opposing. He opposed Moses and ultimately God and then led a large group of people too, if you remember the story. How did he do it? Well, flattery was actually one of his tactics. You're turning to, where did I get you turning? Second, okay, I'm going to read number 16, three. Don't worry about turning there, which says, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, okay? This is, or Aaron, this is Corey or Cora. And said unto them, ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them and the Lord is among them. Hear that? Yeah, all the congregation are holy. Every one of them and the Lord is among them. Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord. Now, you know who they're talking to here? Yeah, they're talking to Moses. Moses who, numbers 12, three says, now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Oh, but you know, he's lifting himself up above the congregation of the Lord. No, God lifted him up. God ordained him, yeah? This is Moses. Yet, the lies come out and what's part of the lies is to then flatter the congregation. So basically, Cora couldn't deal with leadership and led a rebellion using flattery to gain support. Okay, that's what he did. Now, 2 Samuel 15 tells the story of another classic rebellion where Absalom rebels against his father David. And it says here, and it came to 2 Samuel 15 in verse one. It came to pass after this, so Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him. And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate. And it was so that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him and said, of what city art thou? And he said, thy servant is one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, see thy matters are good and right, but there is no man depted of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, oh, that I were made judge in the land that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me and I would do him justice. It was so that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Now the gate of the city here that we saw, we saw, I think in verse two, didn't it say the gate to the city where he is? Yeah, so he stood beside the way of the gate. That's basically where he had access to the most people. Okay, and Absalom would wait there. That's where people are going in and out of the city to work and do stuff in, you know, outside the city confines. Now look at verse three. He's flattering them that they're right. See thy matters are good and right, yeah? So, oh yeah, you know, you've really, you know, you're really justified in your complaint, your problem, your issue, whatever that is. But that mean old king, he's just not giving you the time. He's not as kind and caring as me. He's not, you know, he's not as caring about the people as me. He's just, he's not quite as holy as I am, yeah? Look at verse four. Absalom said, oh, that I were made judge of the land, that every man which had any suit or cause might come to me and I would do him justice. So if I was the leader, then I would do this for you, yeah? I would do this for you, because I really care about you, because, you know, you're important to me. You're important to me. Verse five. And it was so that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. So they're bowing to the, remember, he's the son of David, the king here. So they're coming, they're doing him obeisance. They're bowing, giving him the respect that they should. But he's saying, oh, come here for an embrace, yeah? You don't have to, oh, you don't have to show you that undue respect. Come here, let's have a cuddle, yeah? Let's have a little kiss on the cheek and everything else, because I'm just one of the guys. I'm one of the boys, come here. You know, I'm so much more down to earth than King David. Yeah, I really, I love you so much, I want to cuddle you and kiss you at the same time. Verse six. And on this manna did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. So he's going for everyone that has some sort of problem or issue, okay? And that's how a lot of the time these guys operate. They're trying to work out who it is that has some sort of issue or grievance or isn't quite so happy with the leadership, and then they flatter them into being part of their game. Okay, verse seven. It came to pass after 40 years that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. How long? 40 years. After 40 years. That's a long time of flattery, isn't it? Yeah. That's a long time of waiting in the wings. I had our pastor preach about this recently. He calls them sleeper cell reprobates. He said that you have people that for years, you don't really see much out of them. You get the odd red flag, nothing crazy. Suddenly it's like they're just activated. You know, it's like suddenly like the button sweats. It's like must destroy or whatever it is, yeah. Must cause rebellion. It's bizarre, yeah. But this guy, he knew what he was doing. 40 years, he's waiting in the wings. 40 years. Well, look at verse eight. For thy servant vowed a vow while I bode at Gishu in Syria, saying, if the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And the king said unto him, go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, as soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went 200 men out of Jerusalem that were called, and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And that's the problem. The flattery has gained allegiance here, isn't it? They didn't even know what was going on. They didn't even know they were being flattered into a mutiny. They just went along with the guy that had been flattering them. Oh, he's such a good guy. He really cares about me. Verse 12, and Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor from his city, even from Gilo, while he offered sacrifices, and the conspiracy was strong for the people increased continually with Absalom. And there came a message to David saying, the hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. So David then has to flee, doesn't he? And eventually he fights his way back, and Absalom is killed. But like Korah, or Corey, it says in Jude, it's the flattery that was stealing their hearts, and it was a subtle kind, wasn't it? Okay, that's what stole their hearts. It was the flattery. And like I said, you see this in the world, which means that Christians are capable too of this sort of thing in various areas. Let's face it, whole political campaigns are just based on flattery, aren't they? This is what we do. We're the party that care about you. I'm the prime minister, whatever it is, I'm the counselor, I'm the local counselor that really cares about you. We want what's right for the people of Southend. We just see it everywhere. It's just everywhere, isn't it? That sort of flattery to gain people, to get that, basically to get a following, isn't it? And it is everywhere. Now, what about workplace unions? Oh, we really care about you. Be part of our union. Just everywhere you look, you see this sort of thing. But what about friends and family groups who maybe they want allegiance in some sort of disagreement maybe, yeah? Flattering you to be on their side when there's some family rift or disagreement or some issue between friends or some choice to make. It's like, look, people do it in minor ways as well, yeah? Okay, flattery, flattery's a common thing. But it's still wicked, isn't it? It's still wicked. So flattery for allegiance, that is. So flattery number one was for destruction. Flattery number two was for gain. Flattery number three was for allegiance, yeah? See those three types of flattery and obviously those three types of false profit employing those. Okay, so like with all these sermons, what's the answer? So what's the answer to flattery? Never compliment anyone, yeah? Never if someone compliments you, run away from them. Well, not necessarily, because sometimes it can be hard to know if you're being flattered, can't it? Yeah, it's not always obvious. Maybe somebody is sitting here going, yeah, actually, that person is just constantly telling me I'm amazing. Yeah, what is that about? Maybe you're not, yeah? Maybe you're not. Maybe you're sitting there going, no, never seen it before. I don't even know what he's talking about. What was that last hour all about? Well, what is the answer? What's our defence against this weapon? Keep a finger here, yes? Keep a finger and turn to Proverbs chapter seven. Okay, firstly, while you're turning there, let's make sure we're not guilty of it ourselves, yeah? So everyone here, every Christian listening to this, make sure you're not guilty of flattering people. Be like Paul who said in 1 Thessalonians 2, 5, for neither at any time use we flattering words as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness. Because we don't want to accidentally carry the enemy's bomb into headquarters, do we? Okay, we don't want to be that one who carries it in, yeah, who had something planted on us or whatever else it is. Yeah, we don't need to bring it in ourselves. But sadly, headquarters can be the battleground as well, can't it? Proverbs seven, though, has the answer. And that's where we looked at earlier. Well, let's look at what the answer is in Proverbs chapter seven. It says from verse one, My son, keep my words and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart, say unto wisdom thou art my sister and call understanding thy kinswoman. What's he saying? He's saying learn it, he's saying live it, he's saying memorize it, he's saying get wisdom, get understanding. It's all about the book, isn't it? Yeah? It's all about the book. You know what I've noticed in life? The people that seem to have the most perception about this sort of thing are those that are, firstly, are reading it, yeah? Have read it, continue to read it, and also those that try to live it. Because it's one thing, you can read the Bible 30, 40, 50 times through. You don't even try and apply any of it to your life. You're just like, yeah, well, I'm just a sinner. Yeah, well, I'm just imperfect, whatever else. Those people, they never have the wisdom, do they? But if you try and if you're trying to apply it, you're trying to live it, you'll notice with those people, they have that bit of perception, they have that little bit of wisdom, they start to see that sort of thing. But he's saying, say unto wisdom, thou art my sister, call understanding thy kinswoman. Okay, that's basically that they're so close you make sure that you're basically, you're not only, I would say also around it as well, around wise people, around understanding people, that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. So basically, if you learn it, you live it, you memorize it, you're in the book, yeah, you have the wisdom that comes from the book, then it will keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. I would say that applies to all sorts of flattery, because look, and don't tell me, because we have just been there, but what did Jesus say in Luke 20, 23? What did it say about Jesus in Luke 20, 23? But he perceived their craftiness and said unto them, why tempt you me? Because when you've got that wisdom that comes from the word of God, you'll recognize the real prophet, won't you? You'll recognize the flattery, like Jesus did there. You'll also recognize the real prophet from the false prophet, from the flatterer. When Micaiah said in 1 Kings 22, 14, again, don't turn there, we've already read it, and Micaiah said, as the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. You'll know whether it's true, won't you, yeah? If you're reading the Bible, you're reading the word of God, you're in the word of God, you'd know whether what they're saying is really of the word of God. Yeah, you'll have that defense, because you'll be like the Berean searching the scriptures daily, yeah? And you'll know, you'll listen to that preacher going, no, that doesn't sound right. Getting rich means that I must be a really good preacher, what's all that? That's not what it's about, is it? And all the other stuff that goes there, all the false prophet lies in flattery, you'll recognize that if you're in the book. If you're in the book, and look, it doesn't mean read it through once. Oh, well, yeah, I'm feeling quite wise now, that's it, I'll just hang it. Oh, that means every, you gotta keep, you use it or lose it as well. And look, you either get a go of, and I've heard this one, I really like this analogy, it's kind of like with many forms of exercise and any other sort of learning, you either increase or you decrease, okay? There's no leveling off. There's no, well, if I just cut down to this, I'm just gonna level at this knowledge, you're just gonna decrease your knowledge. You need to be reading, you need to be reading regularly. And look, we've sinned like this, this is something that can, like we know, can seriously affect a church, yeah? There are people that will come in and try to affect a church with this. It's everyone's responsibility here not to be, not to be that weak link in the church. If you're in this church and you're not reading your Bible, and you're not trying to apply it, you're not trying to memorize bits, you're not learning it, you're just, oh, well, I do the verse of the day, do a proverb a day, that'll do me, won't it? Well, look, you're gonna be a weak link. You're gonna be someone that can't recognize it, you're gonna be someone that can easily be targeted as well. It says here, we just saw that, didn't we? We just saw that in Proverbs 7, keep my words. He said, keep my commandments and live, and my law is the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon my fingers, write them upon the table of thine eye. That's memorizing it, isn't it? Yeah, that's memorizing the word of God. Say unto wizards that my sister would call unto her and say unto her, like kings and women, that they may keep me from the strange woman. That's the answer, isn't it? From the stranger which factoreth with her words. Proverbs 7, 7 says, and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. So do you think this guy's reading it, learning it, memorizing it, applying it? No, he's a simple one. He's someone void of understanding. And you're in, you're still in 2 Samuel 15? Go back to 2 Samuel 15 and look at verse 11. Proverbs 7, 7 said, he beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. He ends up being a victim. Well, look at 2 Samuel 15, 11, and with Absalom went 200 men out of Jerusalem that were called and they went in their simplicity and they knew not anything. Do you think these men were in the word of God? No. Do you think these men had the wisdom that should have come from the word of God? They would have seen it, wouldn't they? Yeah. They were like the simple one, the youths, a young man void of understanding. And it all comes down to your wisdom, your understanding, and that comes down to the book. Yeah, and look, you're responsible for that. No, I can preach, I can preach twice. It's gonna be three times a week. Yeah, you can, look, that's gonna help a bit, but ultimately it comes down to you. Are you gonna be disciplined? Are you gonna get up in the morning and read your Bible? Are you gonna read your Bible in the evening? Are you gonna make sure that you're listening to what God has to say to you and building your wisdom and your understanding and applying it to your life or are you just gonna sit there and go, yeah, well, that was a good sermon. Yeah, and by next week you've forgotten it. And then you're just getting puffed up by the flatterers. You're getting, you're getting, you know, set up for a fall by the flatterers. You're guilty of flattering people to get what you want out of them and everything. Look, are you gonna be that one? Or are you gonna be, are you gonna make sure that you're gonna be part of the strong defence of this sort of church and of this group of people here? Because look, we need everyone to step up, don't we? We need everyone to step up. Amen. And Proverbs 2, just go back there, Proverbs chapter 2. So I should have said keep her finger in Proverbs 7. Says exactly the same. Proverbs chapter 2 and from verse 1 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding, yea, if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity, yea, every good path. When wisdom enterth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee, to deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh forward things, who leave the paths of righteousness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice to do evil and delight in the forwardness of the wicked, whose ways are crooked and they throw it in their paths, to deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words, which forsaketh the God of her youth and forgetteth the covenant of her God. Again, exactly the same, isn't it? What's the answer? Comes to the word of God. The wisdom comes to the word of God. You gotta learn it, you gotta apply it, yeah? You learn it and apply it, then you can deal with this and you'll recognize this when it's happening to you. Three types of flattery. Flattery for destruction, flattery for gain, flattery for allegiance, and all three are bad news, aren't they? What's the defense? Get wisdom, get understanding. That's good. That's great. Father, thank you for your word, thank you. Thank you for all the many examples, I'll probably only just scratch the surface that are in your word, to just help us with this, what is a big issue, a common issue, something that not only we can be victim of, but also we can be guilty of as well, help us not to act like that, but also help us to recognize when it's being used on us, help us to be aware of it, help us to be able to deal with it in the right way as well, and that ultimately comes from being in your word and just making sure that we're disciplined with that, we're reading the word of God, we're doing it daily, it's not just something that we do now and again, that we just set it into our routine, that being in the word of God, and then also wanting to apply it to our lives, to try and get right with you, try and live for you, and then to be then discerning and be able to see these sorts of attacks of the enemy, especially these subtle ones like flattery. I thank you for this church, I thank you for all these people here, thank you that we're able to serve you, thank you for this building, please help us to go out and get many people saved this afternoon to preach the gospel clearly and soundly and to return back for this afternoon's service, in Jesus' name we pray all of this, amen.