Impostors Will Grow Worse and Worse

Dear brethren, many of you have received this good news of email saying that somebody in a foreign country have just received or inherited a fortune and they would love to give it to you just provided you give them your bank account and they'll do that. Well, something similar. I mean, it is amazing what people do to actually try and get a little bit of your money, but in the end, you know, we know, it actually is deception.

I looked a little bit about this and I found some interesting statistics. The statistic here says that in 2009, and that was like, what, seven years ago, there were 90, 90, 90 trillion emails sent through the email system. I don't know how much 90 trillion is, it's just a big number. I don't understand. Just a very big number. This is 81% of those emails were spent.

In other words, unsolicited emails. And that amounts to about 20, I'll beg your pardon, 200 billion spam emails every day. And that was seven years ago. Now, Cisco Systems is a company that does things on the internet. In the same year, released the following numbers regarding the origins of spam by country. Now, which country would you think is top of the list? China. Number one, Brazil, 7.7%. Brazil. Brazil. Number two, USA, 6.6%. Number three, India, 3.6%. Number four, South Korea, and then Turkey, and then Vietnam, and then China, down to 2.4%. Then Poland, Poland, and Russia, at 2.3%.

And then Argentina. Now, do you know what number Nigeria was? It was number 91. So, even though we have a perception that all spam comes from maybe Nigeria, it's not reality. You know, perception sometimes is not reality. 91. Now, of all spam, now this is spam, of all spam, which means unsolicited email, of all spam email, about 73% is attempting to steal your identity. So, we've got to be very careful how we, you know, we get these emails.

We must not just click on them, and we've got to be very careful. We must not open those attachments or those links. We've got to be very careful. That is what they call a thing called phishing, spelled P-H-I. Anyway, including bank information or gaining enough information to open new credit accounts in your name. So, they're trying to do things in your name.

Brethren, this is nothing short of, you could call it simply, it's just deception. It really is just deception. People just trying to deceive you and trying to get your information. The problem is, brethren, this is the world. This is the world. And you know what? It affects us. It affects us as God's people. Deception will get worse and worse, and could affect us as members in God's church.

So, this deception is not just limited to emails, as you know. For instance, some people go and work for companies and appear as loyal employees, but only to steal business secrets from other companies. So, deception started many years ago. In fact, deception is probably a very old profession, if not the oldest profession. I know people say something else is the oldest profession, but deception is an old profession. Deception, for instance, in warfare, dates back to early history. In fact, there is a book by a certain Chinese gentleman called San Zhu entitled The Art of War, and he puts great emphasis in deception as a tactic. In other words, pre-planned, orchestrated, designed to achieve deception, to mislead.

And he said, quote, All warfare is based upon deception. All warfare is based upon deception. Now, it's important to know that, brethren, we are in a war, spiritually speaking. Our spiritual war, our attacker, the one that is attacking us, uses the same tactics. And so, spiritual warfare is based upon deception. In modern times, military deception has developed as a full-fledged doctrine. That's according to Wikipedia. Now, look at the word they used, doctrine. Deception, therefore, to them is a doctrine.

It's a teaching. Some examples of deceptions or deceptive activities. Let me just give you some examples. One is find retreat. In other words, leading the enemy to think through a false sense of security and therefore leading them into an ambush. Because you find a retreat, and in fact, it's not that. Another example is fictional units, creating an entirely fictional force, or exaggerating the size of the army. Another example is smokescreen, which a tactic called deception involving smoke or fog or other forms of cover to hide a battlefield movement.

Smokescreen, you can't see, but it is deceiving you as if it's not there. The other one is, you probably heard this one, the Trojan horse. Gaining admittance to a fortified area under false pretenses to later admit a larger attacking force in there. So it's just like creating a breach. And then another one is strategic envelopment. It was a small force distracts the enemy, while a much larger force moves to attack, for instance, from the rear.

So you can see this takes planning, strategizing, orchestrating. When I was small, I used to see things on the road, and see, and it's just a coincidence that there happens to be a sign there that says turn left or whatever it is. You and I know that all these things, these signs on the road, etc., they've been planned. They've been orchestrated to be there for our safety or whatever it is, to give us directions, billboards and things.

They've all been planned. People have strategized for it, have invested money, have planned investments for it. And the same thing with deception. It's planned. I think it's naive of us in the church to think, oh, well, we're not in a spiritual warfare. There is not a spiritual plan to destroy us. I think we're naive if we think that. Now, in years by God, I never thought of it that way.

But now I'm realizing, well, there is a plan to actually destroy us. And warfare is not just military. Now, Dr. Joseph Cadwell is a lecturer on military history at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh. And he says, deception is a traditional compound of political and military conflict. Now, think about it. It's a traditional component. As somebody else said, it's a doctrine, you must say. It's a teaching. It's a pre-planned orchestrated, not only military, says Dr. Joseph Cadwell, but it's political. There is a political war out there. And if you and I can't see it, we're probably blind and naive.

And I'm not saying it's right against wrong. It's wrong on the side and wrong on another side, but it's just wrong. The only right one is our Savior Jesus Christ the Kingdom of God. Then he says, this is Dr. Joseph Cadwell, he says, he's not talking about unintentional confusion or misinformation. He's actually talking about deception, which is disinformation, intentional deception. And I thought about it, intentional deception. In other words, he says deception depends on two criteria.

Number one, intentional and number two, designed to gain an advantage of that person that is doing the deception. I think that is mind-boggling to my mind because I've never thought of this way. To me, it says, wow, I mean, I've been so naive on these things. But it's intentionally and is designed to gain an advantage to those people. And Dr. Cadwell says it's not just military, but it's political. Wow!

And brethren, it's in the world around us. You and I live in this world. We are immersed with these messages day in, day out. They even advertise, blaster us for months' messages of things. It's in the business world. To the point, brethren, I didn't know that a new profession has developed. Do you know what this profession is called? Deception detection. I didn't even know there was a profession. And that people have companies that just do that. Deception detection. Phil Houston is a national recognized authority on deception detection. And he's got his own company. He does critical interviewing and elicitation, which is basically requirements gathering. He worked for 25 years with the CIA, and he introduced a methodology called detection of deception. In other words, when somebody's talking, he's got a methodology to analyze that person that is talking and determine whether he or she is lying or not.

In other words, there's a technique there. There's a technique in lying and deceiving. And there's a technique to say, Hey, I can identify, not just through a lie detector, but identify by the language, by the image, whatever it is, phrases that he uses, things like that, or she uses. That's a lie. And it's interesting to go on to that and see what some of the conclusions those people have.

So, deception is intentional to gain something for the one that is deceiving, the perpetrator of that. And you know, brethren, I used to write scriptures like, for instance, Psalm 36. So turn with me, please, to Psalm 36. I'm going to read from verse 1 through verse 4. And it never really had a deep impact, because I didn't really grasp that people really did this. But now I'm starting to see that people really do this. Psalm 36 verse 1 says, Think about deceit. Is intentional. Deceit is intentional. He has ceased to be wise and to do good. Now look at verse 4. He devises wickedness on his bed. That means you sit up the whole night and engineer and plan and consider how to deceive other people.

And I used to read this and kind of, yeah, but now it hits home that people actually do this. They sit up the whole night and scheme how to deceive somebody else. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He does not abhor evil.

Brethren, I think you and I can see this is happening around us. Reception is abounding around us. And that led me to think of nothing else than the time of Noah. Look with me to Genesis chapter 6 verse 5. Genesis chapter 6 verse 5. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

In other words, they had to intentionally be orchestrating deception, lies, and there was one person on the side, the other person, and it was everybody! And that's how it was at the time of Noah. And it says, and the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth. I mean, it wasn't just one person that was doing that. It wasn't just 50% of the people that were doing that. It was everybody! And to the point that God said, I'm going to wipe out mankind.

I mean, come on! This is ridiculous! But in verse 8 it says, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Eternal. Imagine you being the only one in this whole society, the only one! There was not doing that. That the intent of your heart was not so. I mean, no man is an island. Well, yeah, we are. He's a man. He was an island in this whole world. He was the only one! And that gave me thought of Christ's words.

Christ's words. And turn with me to Matthew 24. Matthew 24. Starting verse 36. Matthew 24 verse 36. But of that day and that hour, no man knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of nowhere. And how were those days? Those days were days in which every intent was to do evil.

And the intent to do evil, they do evil through deception, through lying, through deceiving misinformation. Or not just information. Information which has been deliberately, intentionally twisted. But as the days of nowhere, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days of nowhere, in those days, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving a marriage, until the day that Noah entered the off.

Yes, they were doing all these things and lying their way through everything, and going happy as everything could be. And nobody's going to catch me. And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man. It'll come as a surprise. Brethren, it can come very quickly, as we were talking just before services. It could be tomorrow. I mean, not necessarily tomorrow, but it could be next year, could be the year after.

We don't know. No man said, stop. But we've got to be prepared that things are short. Look at how the Proverbs 6 describes it. Proverbs 6. Proverbs 6. Verse 12 through 19. Proverbs 6. Verse 12. A worthless person. A worthless person. That's what God calls this person. A worthless person. So when you see people deceiving, see how God calls a worthless person.

A wicked man walks with a perverse mouth. He winks with his eyes. He shuffles his feet. In other words, in a wink of his eyes means he says one thing, but he winks because it's something else. I mean, there's a winking and there's a winking, you know. I mean, sometimes you wink your eyes because it's something innocent and that's okay. But the eye is a worthless person, a wicked person doing this and shuffles his feet.

What does it mean? I mean, imagine you sit at a table with somebody else and then you shuffle your feet and you kick somebody else because it actually means something else, but you kick the other person to say, hey, this is what I mean. You know what I mean? You've seen people do that, shuffle the feet, you know, that's, you know, kick under the table and or say speaks that way. He points with his fingers, accuses. Perversity is in his heart. He devises evil continually. We read in the other one which said, you know, he thinks about it the whole night. He devises evil continually. He sells discord.

Discord. You've heard divide and conquer, you know, that's what he sells discord. Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly. Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy. It's interesting that immediately after that, there's a very section of scripture that says, V6 sings the Lord hates. He has seven abominations to him, a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running, you know, was eager to do evil, a false witness who speaks lives, that's deception, and the seventh one, one who sells the discord among brethren, those of their own group or party or whatever. It's just it's unbelievable. As we look at the world, we can see this in front of us. Look at Psalm 140. Psalm 140. And we're going to read verse 1 through 3. Psalm 140. And this is now David saying, Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men. Preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart. They continually gather together for war. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent. The poison of asps is under their lips. They got poison under their mouth. They're continuously thinking that way.

Brethren, this is the time we live, and we need to pray to say God, deliver us from these evil people.

You know, Paul, when instructing Timothy, warned people about the time of the end. And so let's turn there to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3.

We're going to start reading in verse 1. He says, But you know this, that in the last days, perilous, in those dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unfanful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good. Brethren, this is a hallmark of this age. Having a form of godliness but denying its power from such people, turn away. I looked at this verse 5 in the Phillips translation, and it says, having a form of godliness but denying its power, it says, they will maintain a facade or a facade of religion, but their life denies its truth. Be keep clear of people like that. They maintain a facade or a facade, I don't know, a facade is South African, I guess, a facade maybe is American. Apologies, I'm not sure exactly how you say it. But anyway, they maintain a facade of religion or a facade, but their life denies the truth. That is so mind-boggling, it's so true. Look at verse 6-8. 4. Of this sort are those who creep into households and make captors of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. Man, you're always trying to know what did somebody say, and more this and what are, and more research and investigating and search and those and this, always learning more, but never getting down to the truth. Isn't that so real of what's happening today? Doesn't that make sense? Now, as James and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth. They resist the truth. Now, obviously, it's talking spiritually, but it's also talking about the wall that we live in, because it's the society we live in, and you can see it in the society. People resist the truth. People of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith. But they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. Just jump now to verse 13. But evil man and impostors will grow worse and worse. That's where I got the title for the sermon. Impostors will grow worse and worse. Evil man and impostors will grow worse. What is an impostor? He's a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.

He's a deceiver, so that he can actually intentionally have some gain. Back to the definition. It's intentional for his own personal gain. So impostors will grow worse and worse. And look at the next phrase. Deceiving and being deceived.

In other words, after a while, they don't know anymore what is the truth. They deceive so much, they let themselves are now confused. They don't even know anymore what's true. That's what it is. They get to deceive themselves.

The more they deviate from the truth, the worse they become. And brethren, there's a big spiritual lesson here to us.

Because once people get off the track, it gets worse and worse and worse. As my wife often tells me, when somebody suddenly brings you this little point, and it's just one little thing. You know what? That's only the tip of the iceberg. Because there's a whole iceberg underneath that hasn't come out yet. And you haven't seen it yet. And then, with time, the rest of the iceberg starts coming out. Brethren, these are people that are disapproved concerning the faith, and these people resist the truth. It was they're not faithful to the truth, and it will get worse and worse.

And so, everything becomes negotiable. Even the truth. Why? Also that we don't offend anybody. Well, we must include everybody, or everybody, or everything is okay.

But it's not.

Turn with me to the same book just one chapter later, chapter 4, verse 3 and 4. So it's Paul talking to Timothy, just one chapter later, just a few verses down, in verse 3 and 4 of chapter 4. For the time will come when they'll not endure sound doctrine, you know, sound teaching. But according to their own desires, because they have itching years, they'll heap up for themselves teachers. They want some new truth, some new things, new ideas, new understanding.

And they will turn their years away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

The NIV puts it, for the time will come when man will not put up sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they'll gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching years want to hear. They will turn their years away from the truth and turn aside to myths. Is it any wonder that this is happening in our society? Because we have a God in this world who is a deceiver. And you know where that is in the Bible? That's Revelation 12 verse 9. Let's turn there quickly. Revelation 12 verse 9.

Revelation 12 verse 9.

And he says, So the great dragon was cast out that serpent of old, called the devil and the sitan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels, and it was the demons, were cast out within. He deceives the whole world. And you think of the deception that is intentional for his personal gain. It's intentional for gain. That's what deception is. And that is affecting society and will affect you and I if we're not careful. It will affect you and I if we're not careful. Be quiet because we have to hold on to the truth. We have to love the truth and not deviate from the truth.

Look at what Christ said to people in the world. Matthew chapter 7 verse 21 through 23. Matthew chapter 7 verse 21 through 23.

Matthew 7, 21 through 23.

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me that day, Lord, Lord, in other words, we are Christians who believe you, Jesus, Jesus, and all that. Have we not prophesied in your name? Have we not preached? Have we not told? Have we not spoken about you and your name? Have we not even cast out demons in your name? Have we not done so many wonders in Christ's name? And yes, they did. But then Christ says, I'll be clear to them, I never knew you. Wow! So people can deceive people, even using Christ's name, because he says, Apart from me, you who practice lawlessness, breaking the law, lying, lying is lawlessness. Deception is lawlessness. And so the whole thing says, oh well, we've got to include everyone and must be inclusive, etc. That's a perception, because Christ here is not including everyone. He says, Apart from me, you're lawless. You that practice evil.

Let's look at what was prophesied many years ago about leaders of religion, of nations, and things like that, in Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. It's basically talking about prophets, but it's applicable to any leaders.

Jeremiah 23. And as leaders, we have to be very careful, because Christ is very strong here through this prophecy. Well, Jeremiah 23, we start in verse 1.

So yeah, it's true. It's specifically talking to the shepherds that affect God's pasture. But look at it from a physical. The leaders of nations are supposed to be the ones that are looking after those nations. So in a sense, a physical nation that represents Israel is also God's people.

Why? Because they're tempted to their own personal needs, to their own. Under the disguise of saying, yes, we're attending to your needs, we care for you, make sure that everybody gets their fair share and whatever it is. But in the end, who's going to get the fair share? Is that individual? Nobody else. He says, Behold, I'll attend to you for the evil of your doing, says the Lord. But I'll gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries, where I've driven them and bring them back to their faults, and they shall be fruitful and increased. There is a hope, brethren, because Christ's going to come back and He's going to fulfill this. He's going to bring peace to this earth. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them. In the world tomorrow, God will set up shepherds over the nations of mankind, and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the Lord. Go a little bit forward to verse 9. And here is the warning to these false prophets. Start reading in verse 9. My heart within me is broken because of the prophets, because of these leaders that speak things. He says, The course of life is evil, and their might is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane. Yes, in my house I have found a wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery waves. In darkness they shall be driven on and fall on them. For I will bring disaster on them, the year of their punishment, says the Eternal. For I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied by Baal and caused my people Israel to err. Also, I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hand of evildoers, so that no one turns from their wickedness. They all lack sodom to me, and their inhabitants like Amara. Therefore, says the Lord of houses concerning the prophets, Behold, I will feed them with warm wood, and make them drink the water of gall. From the prophets of Jerusalem, profaneness has gone out into all the land. Profaneness, ungodliness, pollution has gone out into the whole the land. Thus is the Lord of hosts. Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own art, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise me, The Lord has said, You shall have peace. They continually say to people, Oh, don't worry, God has spoken, everything is fine. And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own art, they say, No evil shall come upon you. Verse 18, For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard his word? Who has mocked his word and heard it? Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury, a violent whirlwind. It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. Verse 20, The anger of the Lord will not turn back. The anger of the Lord will not turn back. There's going to be a time of judgment on the earth, and that is near. Until he, the Lord, has executed and performed the thoughts of his art, in the latter days, you will understand it perfectly.

Brethren, do we understand this perfectly? I think we do. I think it's pretty clear to us. And that is not a proof we are in the latter days. Continuing in verse 21, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they would have turned them from the evil way, and from the evil of their doings. If these leaders we have today had spoken the truth, the people would have repented. But they haven't. Continuing in verse 23, I am a God, near at hand, says the Eternal, and not a God for all. Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so that I not see him? says the Lord. Can I not fall heaven and earth, says the Lord. Verse 25, I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesy lies. That's deception, with desire, the intent to deceive. In my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have had a dream, or I had a dream last night, or the Lord came and spoke to me. How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed, they are prophets of deceit, of the deceit of their own heart. Who tried to make my people forget my name by their dreams, which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal. The prophet who has a dream, let him tell the dream. And he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. Let him speak my word faithfully. Who is a chaff to do it, says the Lord. He is not my word like a fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in places. So there we are. We've got to speak God's word faithfully. That is absolutely critical. The people today are not speaking God's word faithfully. And look at verse 30. Therefore, behold, that's Jeremiah 23, 30. Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal my words. They steal my words, everyone from his neighbor. In other words, they look to other people. They steal God's word. They get messages from other people instead of God's messages. And they give false messages. Verse 31, Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who use their tongues and say, He says. In other words, I am against these prophets that say, God said this, but meantime, it's not true. Look at verse 32. Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, says the Eternal, and tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and their recklessness. You know, it was reckless lies. It was without thinking about consequences. Yet I did not send them or command them. Therefore they shall not profit those people at all, says the Lord.

He says, yet I did not send them or command them. There are leaders in this nation that God says, I did not send them or command them. That's interesting. Brethren, nowadays it is surprising to see how little people know and understand about God, about Jesus Christ, about the Bible. You know, talk about things in the Bible that goes right over people they don't understand. Satan has deceived this whole world, and you and I have to be careful that we don't get caught in that trap. Brethren, the society can affect us and does affect us. It's like catching a cold. You get affected. You get impacted. So, let's turn a little bit about us then. And that, let's turn to Ephesians 2, verse 1. Ephesians 2, verse 1. And you, he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sons. God, through Jesus Christ, has made you and I alive. Who were dead? Now, obviously it's talking spiritually, right? Because, I mean, we were not physically dead, but as far as God is concerned, when we were in sin, we were basically condemned to death. We were dead. But we are now alive. We are destined to live eternally.

And you, he made alive, in which you, in other words, you walked in those trespasses and sins, you walked according to the influence, the course of the society of the world, according to the influence of the prince, of the power of the air. In other words, according to the influence of Satan, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, which is society, which is they disobey in God, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the last of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were, by nature, children of wrath, just as the others. So we were going that way. But God, who is rich in mercy, and He is the mercy, the forgiveness, the loving-kindness of God towards us, because of His great love, this is the grace of God. You and I don't deserve anything. It's just His mercy and His great, outgoing concern for us with His great love, with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ through His grace. Because of His grace, He has brought us back to this life, on this way to eternal life, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You know, it was we through our prayers, we have access now to the heavenly throne through our prayers, that in the ages to come, it was in the future, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, exceeding riches. I mean, how exceeding is that? You and I cannot even begin to understand, to comprehend the exceeding riches of His loving kindness and gentleness and outgoing concern and love towards us. We just cannot begin to comprehend. Grace in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. So brethren, in the past, we were going wrong. Now, we've been called out. We've been called out. And it says, by grace, you've been saved through this faith. You've been, through God's grace, you've been pulled out of this situation. And that, not of ourselves, is a gift of God. I have not done anything to deserve it. It's God's grace that has done it. So it's not of works, so that I can't boast. No, it's not. That's the position we are now in, thanks to God. What about the future? What about the future? Are we going to be infected by this society, this evil society, this society full of deception? Are we being infected by it?

Are we?

Look at 2 Thessalonians 2, 9, 10. 2 Thessalonians 2, 9, 10. 2 Thessalonians 2, 9, 10.

2 Thessalonians 2, 9, 10. The coming of the Lord as One, you know what this evil One that is going to come, the false prophet that is going to come, is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. So there's a false prophet that is going to come, so we're still not even there yet, but there's going to be even more. There's going to have tremendous miraculous power. That's what it says. Lying wonders. That's deception. There will have signs. We'll have miracles to deceive. And remember where we define deception is an intent to deceive, intent to lead you astray. And with all unrighteous deception, all unrighteous deception amongst those who perish. Because... Why? Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. Brethren, we've got the truth. We've got to hold on to it. There's no new truth. The truth is Christ. He's the way. He's the life. He's the truth. There's no new truth. That is the truth. Okay, you may understand the detail a little bit better, but the truth is Christ. And His grace, which is Christ's, it's God's through Christ. And understanding what Christ is, that is the truth. Hasn't changed since the days of the Apostles. Hasn't changed. It's the same.

You and I need to receive the love of this truth.

Look at verse 11. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion. Why? Because they did not love the truth. So they're going to be deluded. That they should believe that lie, that deception that is going to come to the world. People are going to follow it all hook, line and sinker.

That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but at pleasure in unrighteousness. So there's going to be a satanic deception. You and I can already see some of it around the world in us. But that will grow and will increase and we'll have miracles behind it. Will grow, reaching a crescendo. And we have to be careful not to be swayed by those false prophets. Look at 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2.

2 Peter 2. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be. Not might be, will be. False prophets among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, deceptive. They secretly will come in by stealth and will come in and will deceive people, even getting to the extreme of denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many, not few, many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. Many will follow them and because of that God's way will be blasphemed in the world. So brethren, it's going to come. And it says here in verse 3, by covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words, deception, which is intentional lying for their own gain. It's deceptive words. For a long time their judgment has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber. They will be judged in due time.

Brethren, let's go back to that scripture that I referred to a little earlier, which is in 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, from which I took the title of the sermon, which is 2 Timothy chapter 3.

Verse 13. But evil man and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. It will grow worse and worse. So brethren, we've got to stick to the truth, to God's word. That's why it says in chapter 4, in verse 1 and 2, I beg your pardon, preach the word. We've got to preach the word. It's the anchor. It's the truth. The word. Convince, rebuke, exhort before long suffering and teaching. Preach the word, and we've got to preach it while we can, because at times when it comes, people will not enjoy the sound doctrine. And they will turn their ears from the truth. But to us, says in verse 5, be watchful in all things and your affliction, do the work of evangelist, fulfill your ministry. This obviously was talking to Timothy, but to us, we've got to fulfill our calling and our responsibility that we have. Brethren, we've got to preach the word while we can. We've got to stick to the truth. We've got to love the truth. And so, brethren, we've seen the world is going wrong. We've seen what's being called out. We've seen that there's going to be deception in great quantity. We've got to be careful that we're not going to be swayed, because many will be swayed. And so, that remains just one question. How do you and I strengthen ourselves to remain faithful to the truth? How do we remain faithful to the truth? And I'm going to go to a few of the sayings of Christ in John, starting in John chapter 8. First one is in verse 21. It says, Then Jesus said to them again, I'm going away, and you'll seek me, and I'll die, and will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. So he's talking to them and says, you're going to die in your sins. And then they say, but who are you? And where is it that you're going that I can't come? And then he tells them, I am He. You can see that in verse 28. Jesus said to them, when you lift up the Son or Man, in other words, when you'll kill me, then you will know that I am.

I am. I am. That's very significant to the Jewish people. I am. And that I do nothing of myself. But as my Father taught me, I speak. He taught me, I speak these things. So is the truth. And look at it in verse 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. The truth is Christ. He is the truth. We've got to abide in Jesus Christ's word, in His doctrine, in His teachings. We've got to grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. That's where we've got to grow. It's not in the knowledge of Mafs. It's not in the knowledge of science. It's not in the knowledge of political parties. It's not in any of that knowledge. But we've got to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He's the truth. He's the way. He's life. And we've got to know, grow in His stature and what He is. Become more like Him. That's where we've got to grow. We've got to hear His voice, as He says. Follow Me. We've got to become like Him. We've got to be more like Jesus Christ. We've got to grow in that grace and knowledge of Christ. And you know, in 2 Peter 3, verse 17 and 18, Peter concludes his letter with some very pertinent and important points. Reverend, as I said, deceivers and impostors will grow worse and worse. But look at 2 Peter, 2 Peter, chapter 3, right at the end of 2 Peter, chapter 3, verse 17 and 18. Reverend, keep in mind, we know that deceivers and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. You and I need to stick to the truth. Therefore, with that in mind, verse 17, Beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the truth. That's what we've got to grow in His grace and His knowledge, becoming more like Him, with the character that we need to have. We need to be honest and we need to know the truth as we are in the sermon. That's what we've got to do. And then it says, to Him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.