 Matthew 24 verses one through five as an introduction, a foundation that we're laying as we're in Matthew, looking at what has been called the Olivet Discourse. It's called the Olivet Discourse because Jesus is giving this particular teaching, it's really an answer to a question, but he's giving this particular teaching on the Mount of Olives. And so those who developed phrases to describe the ministry of Christ have referred to this as the Olivet Discourse, the teaching or answer to a question that was responded to while Jesus was there on the Mount of Olives. And so we're going to look at this together as an introduction because what we're looking at is we're looking at Jesus's response to a question concerning his return. And so beginning at verse one, Matthew 24, reading to verse five, then Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And as disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple, Jesus said to them, do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming at of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many. When will these things be? Now we're about to enter into a study, as mentioned a moment ago, that has been called the Olivet Discourse. And this teaching speaks of conditions that will exist prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now the topic of the second coming is of great interest to many people. There have been many books that are written on this particular subject. And rightfully so, because when you look in the Bible, you will discover that it is estimated that in the 260 chapters of the New Testament, the return of Jesus Christ is mentioned 318 times. That means that one verse in every 25 specifically mentions the return of the Lord. Out of the 27 books of the New Testament, only Galatians in second and third John do not mention the return of Christ. And so this is something that Christians have been inspired by and interested in from the first time that Jesus began to speak concerning it. And as Christians, this anticipation of being with Jesus is what fuels our lives and motivates us to serve Him. You see, it's the hope of the return of Christ that provokes us to be open as well as unashamedly followers of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus promised that He would return for us. And those who love Him are awaiting Him. In John 14 verses 2 and 3, He said it like this. He said, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. And so Jesus specifically promised to return and He also let us know that we would be with Him. And so the question would be asked if He's really returning, then are we ready for His return? Somebody said, the soon return of Jesus is the great Bible argument for a pure, unselfish, devoted, unworldly and active life of service to Him. So we need to live as if we are expecting Him at any time. So our lives, we're Christians, our lives ought to be obviously different than those who do not believe that He's returning. And that's what the Bible teaches, 1 John 3 verses 2 and 3. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as he is pure. So if we believe the Lord's return is soon, that in and of itself is a motivating factor for us to be prepared. The question would be asked if He is returning, then how should we live? What kind of life are we to be living? And the answer would be a life of faith, expecting to be with the Lord Jesus at any time. In Luke 12, 39 and 40, Jesus said, understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have not let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because a son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. He will come at an hour when you do not expect him. So Jesus is speaking about what has been referred to as the second coming. Now the second coming of Christ is preceded by a number of world-shaking events that must occur before He returns. Now this is in contrast to the rapture of the church, which is always presented as an imminent event. The second coming is the closing of what God is doing with the world in order to prepare it for Jesus's millennial kingdom. This teaching that we see here, this message is in response to a question that He was asked by His disciples. And Jesus' answer is the longest answer given in the New Testament to any question. To understand the question, we need to understand the expectations. What was taking place at that time as it pertains to the Messiah? You see, during Jesus' day, there was a great deal of interest in prophetic events. The Jews were longing for deliverance from their enemies, and they were looking forward to Messiah's rule. You see, for many centuries Israel had been subjected to many foreign rulers. When you read your Bible, you'll see the Assyrians and the Babylonians, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks, and at the time of Christ, now the Romans were there, and they had all invaded. And so these Jewish people longed to be free from the yoke of foreign tyranny. They knew their Old Testament. God had made promises to the nation. God had said, I will bless you. God had made promises concerning a coming prince, and this coming prince would come to rule righteously. You see that in various books, but Jeremiah 23 verses 5 and 6 says it like this, behold the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. So Israel's longing for the time that God will deliver them from their enemies and rule and reign. As is true in theology, there are always set expectations that are placed into teachings that are current, that help to explain the scriptures and how they apply to us. And during the time of Christ, there was a set of expectations concerning the coming of Messiah. First, Messiah would arrive. Before Messiah would arrive, there would be a time of terrible tribulation. And then before the coming of Messiah, a forerunner would be sent like Elijah. After these two events, Messiah would appear and establish his kingdom. The unbelieving nations would ally to fight against Messiah. The nations opposing Messiah would be destroyed for their opposition. Then Jerusalem would be restored via the city of the great king. The Jews who were scattered throughout the earth would be regathered to Israel. Then Israel would be the center of the world, all nations being subject to Messiah. And after Messiah began ruling, the earth would enter into eternal peace and joy. That's what they were expecting. So that gives us insight into the question that the disciples ask in verse three when they say, tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming at the end of the age. That gives us insight into that. You see, they were influenced by the teachings of their day. The Old Testament prophets saw the coming of Messiah as a single event. They didn't see the creation of what was called the church. The church was a mystery to those in Old Testament times. You see, Jesus created the church and in doing so, he had purchased humankind at the cross. In Ephesians three, four through six, Paul said it like this. He said, in reading this then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, shares together in the promise of Christ Jesus. You see, before the church, there was in the Old Testament a division of Jew and Gentile, but in the New Testament when the church was birthed is now Jew, Gentile, and the church made up of both Jew and Gentile. So that was a mystery, something that had yet to be revealed of this church. So in their minds, the events of Jesus's ministry had followed the course that they had expected. Israel had been under severe tribulation. John the Baptist presented Jesus. Certainly now he's going to establish his kingdom. And so that's what's going on here when Jesus is there with his disciples. Verses one and two gives us the scene. It says that Jesus went out and departed from the temple to the Mount of Olives. So as Jesus is leaving the temple, his disciples draw his attention to the buildings. In Mark 13 verse one, Mark said as he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, look teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings. And indeed that whole structure, that whole area was amazing. It was magnificent. John chapter two, verse 20 tells us that restoration on that area had been occurring for 46 years. And some of the stones that were used there on the walls, some of the stones were massive. They were 40 feet by 12 feet by 12 feet weighing over over 100 tons. It was incredible. It was beautiful. And as the disciples were looking at this beautiful temple and getting a good look at it from the Mount of Olives and all is looking at it, they're seeing the beauty of it. They think it's magnificent and they are overwhelmed with its beauty. They were overwhelmed, but Jesus wasn't because he says in verse two, not one stone will be left here upon another. Now remember in chapter 23, Jesus had made the statement that their house would be left to them desolate. He said that in verse 38, your house is left to you desolate. He had already stated that something was going to occur, but as is true with us so very often, we just don't understand exactly what he means. And so he has made that statement there when he says again in verse two, he says, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. And in their mind they're thinking and they're there now on the Mount of Olives and the disciples came to him privately. And so they have their question. Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? It says here in verse three, his disciples came to him, but Mark again in chapter 13 verse three names them. It's Peter, James, John and Andrew. And they speak to him privately. The question they ask, when will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? When will this happen? And how will we know that you're returning? When will you manifest yourself as our permanent Messiah King? Now they don't expect him to leave because they expected all of this to occur immediately. It says in Luke 1911, people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. So they thought that he would establish his rule immediately and even after his resurrection. And they want to know what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age? When it speaks of the end of the age, the word age there speaks of the present world system. It's the era of man's constant rebellion and sin against the Lord. So the question is asked, when will you usher in your kingdom and your rule and end all of this evil that is present? When you look at chapter 24 and we'll be doing this in some detail, chapter 24 goes on to give a description of the events that lead to the return of Jesus Christ. There are wars and famines, disease, earthquakes. There's lawlessness. There's the abomination of desolation. There's the tribulation. All of these will be part of the events that lead up to the return of Christ. But I want to draw your attention to something, and this is what I'm going to give to you today as a foundational study of chapters 24 and 25. I want to draw your attention. I want you to notice something that they specifically asked, and I want you to see that with me. They said in verse 3 again, tell us, when will these things be? What will be, notice, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? It's interesting. Jesus gives a multitude of things and conditions that will take place. As I mentioned a moment ago, there'll be wars and famines, disease, there'll be earthquakes and a variety of other things. But they asked a question, and I want to spend time with you looking at this. This is very important because we're living in this season right now, and I want to address it as specifically as I can. They asked the question, what is the sign? Not signs, not plural. What is the sign? Did you notice what the sign is? The sign is deception. Take heed that you're not deceived. What is the sign? The sign is spiritual deception that will run rampant, and I want you to notice something. He said, take heed that no one deceives you. That is something that is personal. You have the personal responsibility of resisting being deceived, because many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ and will deceive many. Time is going to elapse. It'll give opportunity for many to arise, claiming to be Messiah. And that reveals that the seeds of deception began being sown in their day. These same seeds continue bearing bad fruit until today. So he says, take heed that no one deceives you. The word deceive, the word deceive is a word seduce or leads you astray. You need to be aware of the fact that there will be those who are spiritually seducing you. You need to be aware of false teachers. What is the sign of his coming in the end of the age? Spiritual deception. It is so important that Jesus actually repeats this several times in this chapter. Notice in verse 11, how he says, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Notice verse 23, if anyone says to you, look here is the Christ, are there? Do not believe it. Notice verse 24, for false Christ and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible, even the elect. If he says something one time, that's all that matters. If he says it twice, it must be important. If he says it three times in the same answer, he's telling you something. What is going to be the number one sign that we're living in the last days? Spiritual deception. On my Facebook page today, I wrote and I said, what is going to be the number one sign? And people started responding in a variety of things in a variety of ways. The number one sign that you are in the last days preceding the return of Christ is a continuation and increase of spiritual deception. Spiritual deception. Now, I'll look at this with you in some detail. Spiritual deception is repeatedly prophesied because God is intending to warn and awaken believers. In 2 Peter, in chapter 2, verse 1, the apostle said, there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring indomitable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 1 John chapter 4, verse 1, dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Jude 3 and 4, dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men who changed the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ as our only sovereign and Lord. Romans 16, verses 17 and 18, I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. You see it over and over again the sign of the last days, false teaching, spiritual deception. Why did that happen and why will that happen? Because the church will no longer value Scripture and Bible teaching. This spiritual condition to receive that which is false isn't something new. You see that attitude in the Old Testament in Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 13, it says, my people have committed to evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, hewed them out, sisters, broken sisters that can hold no water. Jeremiah 531, the prophets prophesied lies, the priests ruled by their own authority. My people love it this way, but what will you do in the end? The Old Testament has many chapters where the prophets were writing concerning the deception that fell upon the nation of Israel, but you have that in the new also. In 1 Timothy, when Paul was writing in chapter 4, verse 1, he said, the spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. In other words, there'll be a deliberate rejection of biblical truth. There's going to be a rejection of Christian doctrine. They're going to deliberately reject it. They're going to no longer want to hear it. They're not going to want to put up with it. They're going to follow lies that are invented by demons who are the originators of all false religion. And as these false beliefs are evangelized, there'll be those who depart from what has been called the faith. That'll be a purposeful decision to leave or a deliberate departure. They intentionally reject the message of the gospel. They come close to the truth, but they're never committed to the true Jesus. They'll celebrate various Christian holidays. We see that every year. They'll celebrate Christian holidays. It's Christmas and therefore they'll go to church or it's Easter. They go to church or there's a wedding. They'll go to the church or there's a baptism. They'll go to the church. They practice certain holidays and rituals, but they don't know the Lord. Their heart is not taken by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. They come close to the truth. They can answer biblical questions sometimes. They might have even received certain kinds of teachings and training in what the Bible says. Perhaps they went to Sunday school or a Catechism class and they're able to give answers, but they don't have a relationship with the Lord and eventually they simply walk away from that which they never possessed in the first place. They may believe that there is a Jesus, but not the Jesus of the Bible. So they invent one, one that they want to believe in and they reject the Jesus of Scripture. I've had conversations, perhaps so have you, with people who said, well, my God wouldn't do that. Not my Jesus. Well, that's a false Jesus you created for yourself. They willingly follow false teachers because these false teachers, and while they seem genuine, and they're rejected in the Bible, they're left with only trust in their feelings. In 2 Corinthians 11 verses 13 through 15, those verses speak of false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. Then no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness whose end will be according to their works. So they're false ministers. They preach a false gospel and they promise a false salvation. And the false message brings a false salvation but ends up with divine judgment. Paul in Galatians said it like this in verses 6 through 9 in chapter 1. He said, I'm Marvel, that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then what we have preached to you, let them be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. That is very powerful. False teachers will multiply and they will teach error. How can we identify them? What are their fruits? Well, one, they're going to deny Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, the savior of mankind. In their teachings, Jesus becomes a teacher. He becomes a prophet. He's the first creation of God. He's even the spirit brother of Lucifer. And what they do is they change who Jesus is and they create a different Jesus and a false gospel. In 2 Corinthians 11 in verses 3 and 4, Paul said, I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. I'm concerned for you because somebody can come preaching a different spirit, different Jesus, and different message, and you put up with it instead of dealing with it. You're being deceived. You see, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. He is God in human flesh. And in 1 John 4 verse 3, it says, every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world. They will also transform the grace of God into license. As a result, they produce ungodly disciples. You see, by rejecting the Word of God, the ultimate fruit will be an ungodly follower. In Ephesians 5, 5 and 6, it says of this, you can be sure, no immoral, impure, or greedy person, such a man is an idolater, as any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God, let no one deceive you with empty words for because of such things, God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. I've shared this with you before about this man who went to a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles long, long time ago now. And he was a mobster. He was in a mob. And his name was given to the follow-up ministers. And the follow-up minister went to visit this man. He was a well-known, well-known mobster at that time. And so, as this follow-up minister was speaking to him, he said to him, it's a blessing to know you came to faith in Christ. And the mobster said, yes, I did. He said, I'm going to follow Jesus. And he says, well, that's great. And you realize now that you now will turn away from your activities. This guy was really heavily involved in all kinds of crime. And the guy says, no, I'm not turning away from any of my business. And he says, what do you mean? He says, well, no, no, there's no reason why I should turn away from my business. This is where I get my livelihood. He says, well, you can't be doing those kinds of things and following Christ simultaneously. And the guy says, well, wait a minute. You have Christian truck drivers and you have Christian doctors. I'm going to be a Christian mobster. And true story. I mean, sometimes people think I can have Jesus in the world too. And sometimes there are messages that are given that would promote that kind of unholiness so many times. And this is not a condemnation of people. I understand the times that we're living in. And I see how things have moved in all. And I'm not saying this in a personal way to be avert to anybody. I don't want to hurt anybody in the sense of causing you to feel that you're not loved or cared for. But the fact is, there are many who are professing Christ today who are continuing in sin with no sense that it's wrong. In Ephesians, in chapter five, verses five and six, Paul said it like this. He said of this, you can be sure no immoral, impure or greedy person, such a man as an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. And he goes on to say, let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of such things, God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. And so I've met on more than one occasion people who are living together, they're not married and have a tendency now of saying, I'd like you to meet my fiance. And it's almost, every time I meet him, it's almost a way of saying, I'm living with this person. And yet the scripture says that's called fornication. And you have others who I call alcohol evangelists who are more caught up with trying to tell you about the grace of God to drink than the new wine of Jesus Christ who draws you away from the alcohol. They're more caught up with the evangelism of alcohol than the gospel of Jesus. And that's happening today in the church. And it's happening because there's a false sense of grace and an ignorance of the word of God. And thus the living as their feelings dictate a false teacher will not tell you the truth. What they do is they'll transform grace of God into license. A third thing for them, the Bible is not respected as the revelation of God's mind to man. So that produces a denial of the need for healthy, solid doctrinal teaching. In 2 Timothy chapter four, verses three and four, Paul said it like this. He said, the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth, turn aside to myths. So the Bible is not respected as the revelation of God's mind to man, and thus it's not taught. And people voluntarily will turn to the things that appeal to them. A fourth thing, they're going to peddle the gospel in order to enrich in themselves off of innocent believers. In 2 Peter two, verse three, the apostle said it like this. He said, in their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories that they've made up. And a fifth thing, the fruit of this is that they destroy homes. Titus 111 says they must be silenced. They're ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, and that for the sake of dishonest gain. A sixth thing is they draw away believers and encourage them to follow after them and not Jesus. Paul spoke of that in Acts 20 verses 29 and 30 when he said, I know this, that after mighty parting shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Of your own selves shall men arise, speak and perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. So that produces followers who share their values. What is sad about all of this, guys, is when Christians are so deceived that they actually defend false teachers. Over the years, I have had more than one dear saint in this fellowship angry with me. I know that surprises you for telling them things they didn't want to hear. I was teaching at the Bible College, the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Twin Peaks, a number of years ago now, when one of the members of the class I was teaching approached me after my first study and introduced himself to me. And he said to me, I've never met you before, but I go to your church and I'm now coming to the Bible College. And I said, that's great. And he said, I'd like to tell you how it came about for me to come here. And I said, of course. So he says, I was going to another church that was pastored by a man named Frederick K. C. Price. And I was going to his church. He said, but on a Sunday morning, I was unable to get there. This brother lived in Pomona, and he was going to be driving out to Inglewood, I believe. And he said, I just couldn't get there in time. And so I had heard of the church, and I came. It was at Ontario High School at that time. And he said, and I came for Bible study. He said, and Pastor David, he said, you mentioned my pastor by name, and I got very angry at you for doing that. You said that he had said certain things that were not scripturally solid. And I got mad at you for being so judgmental. So he said, I have all of his tapes. And I went home and because you referenced the tape that you were quoting from and explaining why that was not biblically solid, I pulled out the tape. And I played that portion that you quoted. He said, and I realized that you had quoted it in context. And he said, that kind of surprised me. He said, well, the next week, I couldn't go to church again. So I went back because this time I wanted to find something else wrong with you. And I went to church. He said, and I waited. And he said, and you once again quoted him, which I never do that. He said, you once again quoted him. He said, and I got angry. So I went home and I dug out that tape and I listened. He said, from there, I decided I'm gonna come and prove this guy wrong. So I started coming to church, taking my notes and listening. He said, and what happened is I began to realize that I hadn't been taught proper doctrine. And now I'm learning about the Lord. He said it led up to me saying, I'm going to follow the Lord. I want to pastor a church. So his name is Ron. Ron was in my class as I was teaching second Corinthians there at the Bible College at Calvary Chapel when it was in Twin Peaks. And he's been pastoring Calvary Chapel in San Antonio, Texas now for many years because the Lord had given him solid doctrine, removed from him the inclination to defend error and it got him into the truth. Listen, the truth of Jesus Christ will set you free. That's why we teach the Bible. That's why, because we're living in a day when error is accepted as truth and people will base their beliefs not on whether scripture said it, but how it makes me feel when I've heard it. And so if you rest in your feelings, you're in danger because I've been, my feelings have been wrong sometimes and I will feel something so strongly. Sometimes they're just wrong. I ate too much salsa. Something happened and I got heartburn. It's not the Lord speaking to me at all. Sometimes your feelings are wrong. Sometimes they're right. Oh, well, when Marie and I got married, we went off to our honeymoon and the next morning after enjoying our time as a married couple and all, I woke up the next morning thinking, I don't feel married. I don't feel married. I was still happy. I don't feel married. I just didn't feel married. I didn't know what marriage was supposed to feel like. I still remember it very well. I woke up thinking, what am I supposed to feel? Well, so that went on for some time for several days. Then I got a letter from California, the state government, saying that the marriage license had never been sent in and therefore you're not married. So I was right. So I told Marie, you got nothing on me girl. I'm going out. So we took care of that and they backdated that and all. But anyway, you have to be careful with your feelings. I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. You have to be careful with your feelings, especially as it pertains to your salvation because your salvation is not based on the emotionality of it. I'm saved, therefore I am happy all the time. It's the certainty of it because God has made a promise and he doesn't pull back from his truth. When he says it, he does it. You see? And so the Lord saves you not by my feelings, but through faith in facts and the feelings will follow. But a lot of people want to have the feelings and then they say the faith and then they go to the facts. No, it's the facts that I have faith and then the feelings follow and the false teacher will appeal to your feelings. And what they want to do is they want to draw you away so that you might follow after them in Acts 20 verses 29 and 30. Paul said it like this, I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. So we need to be aware of that. They're drawing disciples after them. And you know what? They don't love people and they ultimately will injure the sheep. A false shepherd doesn't love you. Just don't get confused into thinking that love means that you hang around with like me all the time. I know you don't care too, but it's not like that steeper than that. My responsibility isn't to have coffee or soda with every person in the church. My responsibility is to teach every person in the church when I'm teaching through the word of God. I take that very seriously. And I realized a long time ago that it's not going to be possible for me to get to know every person that I'd love to get to know. I realized that. And hopefully we all do. The greatest thing that a pastor can do for the sheep is to feed them. When Jesus asked the apostle Peter, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? The apostle Peter's response was, you know that I do. And Jesus said, feed and tend my lambs and my sheep. If you love me, feed them and care for them. And that's what you do in the word of God. You feed and you tend God's word to the people. That's what protects you. That's what my heart is for you as a pastor is to rightly divide the word of truth and to present it to you so that you might be equipped for works of service away scripture teaches. I realized that not every person is called to be a Bible teacher. I realized that there are those who are called by the Lord for that particular role in ministry in the church, but all of us are to be students of scripture. And a long time ago, I began to realize that to know him and to know his word was was what I wanted. I was in the army. I served in the army in 71 and 72. I got out of the army in December of 1972. And I began to live in a small place in the city of Whittier in early 73. And I was still a new Christian. I had gotten saved at the end of January of December, rather at the end of December in 1970. And so I had only been a Christian for a couple of years, two and a half years or so. And I was home at my little rental when there was a knock on the door. And I opened the door to two ladies and they said, hello, we are Jehovah's Witnesses and we want to share with you concerning the promises of God and all of that. And I'm a new believer. I was in the military two years. It wasn't like I had opportunity to really have some devoted Bible studies and to grow in my understanding of theology and the intricacies of it and all of that. I was still a new believer in all. I'd been in the army, as I said. And so I got out. It's just a few months. And so there they are at my door. And then they come in, I said, well, yeah, I'd like to talk to you about the Lord. They came and sat down. I still remember having a conversation with these two ladies. And they asked me who I was, what my name was. And I said, David Rosales. And they said, oh, and they said, well, I'd like to tell you about the kingdom of God. And I said, well, I'm willing to listen. And so I began to listen again. I didn't know anything about the theology or anything like that. And so they began saying things that that I I've been reading my Bible. And I just didn't see how they could say that. And so I began to say, well, I don't see that in Scripture. I don't see that to be true. I would think that this is what I've been taught. One of the ladies would say to me, well, that's where you're wrong. Because this is what the Bible says. And then she'd quote something. And then she'd say something else. And I'd say, I don't think I agree with that. She said, well, that's where you're wrong. Because this is where the Bible what the Bible says, she did it several times. This is what the Bible says. And I started thinking, I'm not really prepared to answer these questions quite obviously. So I say to her, I'd like to speak to you some more about this. Sure, we'd love to come back. How about next week? So we set up an appointment for the next week. Again, I'm 22 years old. I don't know hardly anything at all, but I knew to go and find some material and study. So I went to a Christian bookstore, and I found Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults. It has about 100 pages or so on Jehovah's Witnesses, their history, their doctrine, everything. I found it very interesting. And I memorized a whole lot of it. And I was ready. So when they came, this is funny. Some of you will think it's funny. Others may not. I did. This woman who came, she was not a Hispanic woman. There were two non-Hispanic women. This time she brought a Mexican with her because she knew my last name. Like I was going to go, oh man, it must be true. I don't know. It made me laugh. I thought, what are you doing? What are you doing? But anyway, with that said, she sits down. And I said to her, listen, I said, I greatly appreciate having this conversation. I said, last time we were together last week, you said to me, whenever I would say something, you would say to me, but this is what the Bible says. She said, that's what we believe. Whatever the Bible says is what we teach. I said, then I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. Okay, where does the Bible say that Jesus appeared invisibly and is ruling planet Earth from Brooklyn, New York? Where does this say that? She says, well, you know, and I said, no, no, I'd like a Bible verse that says Brooklyn, New York. Any, no, no, I said, okay, where does the Bible specifically say that Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel? Well, she says the word Michael means who is like God. I said, I realized that. But where does the Bible say that Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel? She says, well, I said, I'm not asking your theology. I'm asking you for Bible. Remember, last time you were with me, you kept on saying the Bible says. She goes, yeah, I said, where's the Bible say that? She says, well, it does. And I said, now let me tell you what the Bible says. And I started giving her everything I'd memorized, you know, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ. They got up, they said, we don't want to have any more conversation with you. I said, well, well, come on, let's talk. So she started, she started to walk out of the house and I followed her out. I said, and you want to, and I was yelling at her, you know what? Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. You deny him, but he's the real deal. You need Jesus Christ. And I got excited. I got excited about that. I forgive me. Here we go again. I had a young man come to my apartment, Marie and I had just gotten married. He knocks on the door and he says, hello, I'm with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Have you ever heard of us? I honestly just have. And he says, well, what do you think of us? I said, what do I think of you? I said, I think your false prophets going to the hell that you deny exists. That's what I think of you. And so we had a wonderful conversation after that, because all you need to do, man, get in the Word of God, get in the Word of God. Listen, the false prophets are knocking on your doors. They're writing their 10 speeds up to your house. And some false teachers are in pulpits just like this, calling themselves by the name of born again believers, when in fact they deny the inerrancy of Scripture, the need for salvation. I am telling you, we're living in the last days. We are living in the last days right now. There are churches this morning filled to overflowing where people are standing in line to get in. And the pastor is not teaching God's Word, because the people will not listen, because if you actually give a Bible study, they get bored. Oh, come on now. Listen, I just heard somebody was just just on my Facebook the other day said, well, people don't go to church because they don't like the worship, the worship, the worship. Next time a Jehovah's Witness comes to your door, pull out the tambourine and saying, our God is an awesome God. And see what happens. I don't think that he really cares about your song, because it's the sword of the spirit. It's the Word of God that God uses to set people free. And false teachers will not teach you the Word of God. And we're living in a time when it's not entertaining. Well, it's just harsh. It's unloving. You're such a hater. You're just an old hater. I was a young hater, too. I hate sin. And I hate what it does to people. I hate the bondage that they go through. And I will tell you the truth, because I love you. You need to hear the truth. And the false prophets that Jesus said are going to be out and they are. They do not love people and they injure the sheep. Jesus said a harling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The harling flees because he's a harling and does not care about the sheep. What do we do? We obey the Lord. We follow his commands. We get into the Word of God. We walk in the spirit. No, you may not be called to be a pastor, teacher, but you are called to be a student of the Word of God. You are called to read the Word, meditate on it, and put it into practice. You are commanded by Jesus Christ to walk in his spirit and watch what God will do. You see, God's Word gives us discernment. And God's Word safeguards us from deception. In Ephesians 4, verse 14, Paul said that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness by which they lie and wait to deceive children who are moved by these thunderous hurricane-forced gales that are blowing them from place to place incapable of utilizing discernment. You see, many pastors are afraid of offending sensitive hears, but God has said, we must preach and teach the truth because it sets people free. I made up my mind, and this is not a self-serving statement, though there are some who probably think it is, but I made up my mind when God gave me the honor and responsibility of presenting the Word of God to people that I would do the best that I could to teach you the truth, regardless of whether it appeals to you or not. Because I answered a God. I answered a God first, and I want to be able to hear the words, well done, my good, my faithful serpent. That's what I want to hear. That's what I want to hear. You see, in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, Paul said, we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel. Even so, we speak not as pleasing men, but God who tries our hearts. We've been entrusted with His Word. It is the Word of truth that sets the captive free. So God's people need to gather with the heart to receive what God's Word has to say. Like the people found in Acts 10 who are waiting to hear the apostle Peter when he came to share with them. It says in Acts 10, verse 33, we are all present before God to hear all the things commanded you by God. That's the pastor's dream church where people actually gather saying, we want to hear the truth. We want to know the God of Scripture teaches us so that we might live for him. That's the pastor's dream church. May God make this church into that church. We are here to hear all things that God commanded you. We want to know Jesus Christ. We want to follow Jesus Christ. We will not be deceived by the false teachers. We will follow him in spirit and in truth.