The PROMISE Of LIBERTY-IV—2Peter 2:17-22
Attention:
Henry Ford in his autobiography, ‘My Life & Work,’ made a statement in 1909 about Ford’s Model ‘T’—“Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.”
There are many purveyors of false ‘truth’ who are infecting & effecting our great country & thereby her government(including misperceptions of the Church). Because we are not a ‘Christian nation’ per se, but are rather a ‘Christian influenced’ nation,
The politicos promise happiness, prosperity, peace, freedom, wellness, care, etc. within a background of the church...BUT is their’s True(real/actual) Liberty/Freedom?
We must ask ourselves a question in all seriousness...
Is Liberty/Freedom you are promised a reality for you?
Peter revealed that a false liberty had been presented to the Church.
The true Church yields to true liberty.
But panderers of false Liberty/Freedom can mislead the Church.
Why must the Church yield to God’s liberty?
We will examine 9 distinctions/functions/invitations/stipulations of true Liberty...God’s liberty.
We have found previously that...
True Liberty...God’s Liberty stipulates/assumes...
1. A QUENCHED THIRST(:17a)“wells without water”
2. ETERNAL LIGHT(:17b)“blackness of darkness forever”
3. HUMILITY(:18a)“great swelling words”
4. FULLNESS(:18b)“emptiness”
5—True liberty stipulates...
OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT(:18c)
Explanation:(:18c)“allure”/Tempt
:18—“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.”
People desperately want something to believe in. These recognizing their emptiness, rightly find it’s satisfaction thru attachment to a church body. But yet, at the same time, these ‘seekers of fulfillment’ may potentially not attach themselves to Christ Himself!
“Allure/Entice/Seduce/Appealing”—deleazw—Verb—1) To bait, catch by a bait; 2) metaph.--To beguile by blandishments, allure, entice, deceive. Strong—To entrap, i.e. figuratively--Delude. Used 3X.
From the base of dolov from an obsolete primary verb, dellw(probably meant to decoy); A trick(bait), i.e. figuratively--Wile.
Argumentation:
Mat. 18:2-11—“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, & said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted & become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, & he were drowned in the depth of the sea. “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off & cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out & cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”
**Gal. 4:3-11—“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, & if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak & beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days & months & seasons & years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.”
3Jn. 1:9-11—“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, & forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
**1Pet. 5:2, 3—“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;”
**Mat. 24:21-28; (Mk. 13:19-27)—“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs & false prophets will rise & show great signs & wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east & flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
**Lk. 16:10—“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; & he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
Php. 3:17—“Brethren, join in following my example, & note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”
**Php. 4:8, 9—“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned & received & heard & saw in me, these do, & the God of peace will be with you.”
**1Thess. 1:2-5—“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, & patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God & Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, & in the Holy Spirit & in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”
**Lk. 22:24-26—“Now there was also a dispute among them[the 12 dusciples], as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, & those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, & he who governs as he who serves.”
Illustration:
Socialistically-driven Governments allure their citizenry thru the promise of 'free' this & 'free' that & 'subsidized' this & 'subsidized' that, 'supported' this & 'supported' that/All that stuff...all that giving, comes to you thru the taxing of others besides yourself!/All that support you receive comes to you thru the labor of other people, which money is divided thru a governmental agency of decision...It is prone to abuse as its ends are determined thru the orchestration of sin-sick people prone to serve themselves & their own & thus national pet projects/The more closely & personally such a government involves itself with individuals, the less freedom a person experiences & the more ‘politically correct’ & ‘thought-controlled’ a person must become!/Leveling-Control-Equality can become the god of the socialist/BUT...A person experiencing True Liberty must have OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT!
...The church must show others the limitations of such governmental Enticements...
Capitialistically-driven Governments allure their citizenry thru promising that personal hard work reaps benefits to the worker/But it is prone to abuse in allowing unregulated free-license, so that anything goes as long as money is gathered into one’s coffers!/As with socialism, it is prone to abuse as its ends are determined thru the orchestration of sin-sick people prone to serve themselves & their own & thus national pet projects/Making Money & the control thru its power can become the god & director of the capitalist/BUT...A person experiencing True Liberty must have OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT!
Fishing—use ‘lures’—live bait, chum, sprays, etc.—something which the fish is not meant to have, that is dangerous & deadly/The lure mimics the possibility of satisfaction in that it entices-draws the fish to do that which it should not!/OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT
When you have a leader in the church or government, who tells you that you should surrender to your urges & desires, then he or she is wrong! & the church is at risk/I’ve heard this one...“It’s okay because its natural...God made it or me that way”—Such is a tool of the devil to get you to make flesh your god!/Christians must have OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT
Application:
?Does Your version of Liberty stipulate OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT?
?Your Liberty True? Is it God’s Liberty?
6—True liberty stipulates...
A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION(:18d)
Explanation:(:18d)“lusts of the flesh”/“lewdness”
:18—“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.”
“Actually/Clean escaped” versus “Barely/Just escape” represents a wording difference between the TR/Byz & Maj.T—ontwv versus oligov.
People desperately want something to believe in & rightly recognizing their emptiness, rightly find it’s satisfaction thru attachment to a church body. Yet potentially not to Christ Himself!
Thereby “in their dissatisfaction, loneliness, & self-betterment attempts, they are highly vulnerable to the seductive exploitations of false teachers.”—J. MacArthur The false prophets & teachers seduce those who have mentally assented to the faith. But they do it thru satisfying the base(sexual) appetites of the flesh, calling them godly.
Rather than being directed properly toward Christ, these newly assenting, are deceptively directed toward prioritizing a religion of ‘no restraints,’ toward “the insolent doing of whatever one's caprice[impulse] may suggest.”(Thayer).
“...more likely,” it should be read, “desires of the flesh—sensual ones.”—NAC
One author describes these people who have “actually escaped,” as “...men & women who through moral resolution are trying to better themselves. They include people who struggle with broken relationships, wrestle with emotional felt needs & spiritual problems, & desperately desire relief from guilt, anxiety, & stress. They are dissatisfied with the lifestyle of the one ones who live in error—the average mass of unregenerate humanity—& seek some better way to live,” both practically & piously.—John MacArthur
*Ironically these religious assenters(newbies), though having escaped slavish attention to “error” in one realm, are still prone to “error” in another realm. And both come about by means of those “who live in error!”
“Through”(See :20)—en—
“Lusts/Sensuality/Desires”—epiyumia—Noun Fem.—1) Desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust. Payov represents the passive, epiyumia the active side of vice; epiyumia is more comprehensive in meaning than payov; epiyumia is (evil)desire, payov is ungovernable desire. Epiyumia is the broadest of these words[payov, ormh, orexiv]. Its meaning may be good, but it is usually bad. It denotes any natural desire or appetite, usually with the implication that it is a depraved desire. Strong—A longing(especially for what is forbidden).
From—epiyumew—To set the heart upon, i.e. Long for(rightfully or otherwise). From—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.—&—yumov—Passion(as if breathing hard).
“Flesh/Fleshly”—sarx—Noun Fem.—1) Flesh(the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones & is permeated with blood) of both man & beasts; 2) The body; 3) A living creature(because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or beast; 4) The flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, & therefore prone to sin & opposed to God. Strong—Flesh(as stripped of the skin), i.e. strictly--The meat of an animal(as food), or by extension--The body(as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or by implication--Human nature(with its frailties [physically or morally] & passions), or specifically--A human being(as such).
“Lewdness/Debauchery”—aselgeia—Noun Fem.—1) Unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence. The fundamental idea of aswtia is “wastefulness & riotous excess; of aselgeia, lawless insolence & wanton caprice”(Trench). In aselgeiv also there is included the idea of profligacy, often of lasciviousness, but the fundamental thought is the acknowledging of no restraints, the insolent doing of whatever one's caprice may suggest. Strong—Licentiousness(sometimes including other vices). Used 9X.
From a compound of A(as a negative particle) & a presumed selghv(of uncertain derivation, but apparently meaning continent).
“Actually/Clean/Indeed”[TR/Byz]—ontwv—Adverb—1) Truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended, fictitious, false, conjectural; 2) That which is truly etc., that which is indeed. Strong—adverb of the oblique cases of wn/ousa/on[being]; Really. Used 10X.
**OR:
“Barely/Scarcely”[Maj.T]—oligov—Adj.—1) Little, small, few—1a) of number--Multitude, quantity, or size, 1b) of time--Short, 1c) of degree or intensity--Light, slight. Strong—of uncertain affinity; Puny(in extent, degree, number, duration or value); especially neuter(adverbial)--Somewhat.
“Escaped”(See :20)—apofeugw—1) To flee from, escape. Strong—figuratively--To escape. Used 3X.
From—apo—Preposition—1) Of separation. Strong—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—feugw—a primary verb; To run away(literally or figuratively); by implication--To shun; by analogy--To vanish.
“Live”—anastrefw—Verb—1) To turn upside down, overturn; 2) To turn back; 3) To turn hither & thither, to turn one's self about, sojourn dwell in a place; 4) metaph.--To conduct one's self, behave one's self, live. Strong—To overturn; also--To return; by implication--o busy oneself, i.e. Remain, live. Used 11X.
From—ana—Preposition—1) Into the midst, in the midst, amidst, among, between. Strong—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but by extension(used distributively)--Severally, or locally--At(etc.).—&—strefw—To twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse(literally or figuratively).
“Error”—planh—Noun Fem.—1) A wandering, a straying about—1a) One led astray from the right way, roams hither & thither; 2) metaph.—2a) Mental straying—2a1) Error, wrong opinion relative to morals or religion, 2b) Error which shows itself in action, a wrong mode of acting, 2c) Error, that which leads into error, deceit or fraud. Strong—objectively--Fraudulence; subjectively--A straying from orthodoxy or piety. Used 10X.
Argumentation:
**1Thess. 4:1-12—“Finally then, brethren, we urge & exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more & more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk & to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”
?Why do you think our bodies are considered “vessels” by God? Because they carry or transport something of value!...
**...2Cor. 4:6-7—“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us.”
**2Pet. 1:2-4—“Grace & peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life & godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory & virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great & precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
**Acts 2:38-41—“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, & let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; & you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you & to your children, & to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words he testified & exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; & that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
**1Tim. 4:7-8—“But reject profane & old wives’ fables, & exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is & of that which is to come.”
**1Cor. 7:29-35—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, & those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife & a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body & in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, & that you may serve the Lord without distraction.”
Psalms & Proverbs is filled with instruction regarding prioritizing the procurement of godly wisdom & understanding...detailing A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION...that is, one restricted by & in the Lord God Almighty!:
Prov. 13:25—“The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.”
**Prov. 19:23—“The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.”
**Ps. 36:7-9—“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
**Ps. 63:3-5—“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow & fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”
**Ps. 107:8-9—“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
Illustration:
Our dog at the beach—She is always leashed!—If not she would bother everybody & get in fights with other dogs!—To temp other dogs which would not be aggressive otherwise/As her masters, WE must limit her fleshly indulgence/As with the dog, so with us...We must allow God to limit our fleshly indulgence!/A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION
Martha’s(our foster cat) seeming acceptance of her semi-private room/She is limited to one room, as Hershey(the chocolate Lab-Golden Retriever puppy) would nip at her/We carry Martha thru the house, safely thru the ‘gauntlet of evil’(a domineering cat & dog), to put her outside where she is safe, & we carry her safely back inside thru the gauntlet to the bedroom!/Some would say, that she isn’t free because she cannot do everything she wants to do/But I say that she leads a cared-for, carefree kitty-life/A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION
Food/Every single person has a taste for certain foods & a dislike of certain foods...Certain foods whet our appetite as opposed to others which do not tempt us at all, or You may be one who is not tempted by food in the least, i.e., Food is something you have to eat in order to live, but you do not live in order to eat food!(which some do!)/A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION
Lost people believe “Christians can’t have any fun” & that “Christians are fun-suckers.”—I have personally heard some associated with local churches say the same thing—BUT their version of ‘fun’ is that of fleshly indulgence...& ironically, very narrow!/These totally miss the source of real joy & real fun!/Such prefer to seek a satisfaction of fleshly ‘instinct’ & ‘feel’/A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION
Application:
?Does Your version of Liberty stipulate A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION?
?Your Liberty True? Is it God’s Liberty?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Henry Ford quote about the Model ‘T’—“Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.”
Action:
True Liberty...God’s Liberty stipulates...
5. OTHER-WORLDLY ENTICEMENT(:18c)“allure”
6. A RESTRICTED SATISFACTION(:18d)“lusts of the flesh” “lewdness”
1. A QUENCHED THIRST(:17a)“wells without water”
2. ETERNAL LIGHT(:17b)“blackness of darkness forever”
3. HUMILITY(:18a)“great swelling words”
4. FULLNESS(:18b)“emptiness”
Pts. 5-6 presented 07/17/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(‘A’ Ave. SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
