The World is Stalking You
Scripture: Ephesians 4:14Devotional Series: Conflict with the Whore
Teaching: Conflict With The Whore pt. 3 (SUN_AM 2021-02-07) by Pastor Star R Scott
Second Timothy, Chapter 4, verse 2 makes this powerful statement. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” We’re going to see in this age that the application of the Word of God into our everyday lives is what’s going to turn the hatred of that whore upon us.
It was an interesting thing, the hatred, the murder, that came up in the heart between brothers that would bring about the murder of your own flesh and blood. There’s been a lot of study given to that over the years, and people have all different kinds of interpretations. Some saying it was because it was the blood sacrifice that had been offered up. But in Genesis 4:4 it says, “And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” It had nothing to do with a fruit/vegetable offering versus a meat offering. You’ll see, as you go over into Hebrews, one was offered by faith and the other was not, and Cain’s heart is revealed in the Scriptures as being evil. And that’s what caused the rejection.
You see, we have a lot of professed Christians bringing offerings before the Lord that He’s rejecting. They know they’re hypocrites. They’re deceiving and being deceived. They’re a people that are zealous for their dogma, just like the church of Ephesus—people that will fight you over doctrine—but are not doers of the Word. And they hate anybody that reads it and does it, because that makes their offering unacceptable. Jesus said, “If I had not come and done this, you would not be guilty. You wouldn’t be in your sin.” And that’s the age that we’re facing.
So now all of this great whore, this mass of religion, is going to be looking at this small segment of people who will not bow to the image, who will not succumb to threats and torture. 2 Peter 2:1, makes this statement concerning this age, and it says, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” That’s a powerful statement. These are not heresies that will take you off course. These are heresies that will damn you. You see, there’s some heresy that comes through ignorance, and there’s other heresy that comes through pride and manipulation.
We were talking about how naive we are. And listen to me! I hope I can make it very clear. These teachers that are out there today— the Kenneth Copelands, Creflo Dollars, T.D. Jakes—these are not good guys who homiletically were incorrect in the way they represented Scripture. In other words, they’re not ignorant. These were not mistaken in Bible application. Ephesians 4:14 makes this powerful statement, and I want you to hear it; “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,”—listen— “by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,”—now, read the next phrase— “whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” These people are there stalking, lying in wait, looking for weak prey. This is the spirit that’s behind these people.
It was an interesting thing, the hatred, the murder, that came up in the heart between brothers that would bring about the murder of your own flesh and blood. There’s been a lot of study given to that over the years, and people have all different kinds of interpretations. Some saying it was because it was the blood sacrifice that had been offered up. But in Genesis 4:4 it says, “And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” It had nothing to do with a fruit/vegetable offering versus a meat offering. You’ll see, as you go over into Hebrews, one was offered by faith and the other was not, and Cain’s heart is revealed in the Scriptures as being evil. And that’s what caused the rejection.
You see, we have a lot of professed Christians bringing offerings before the Lord that He’s rejecting. They know they’re hypocrites. They’re deceiving and being deceived. They’re a people that are zealous for their dogma, just like the church of Ephesus—people that will fight you over doctrine—but are not doers of the Word. And they hate anybody that reads it and does it, because that makes their offering unacceptable. Jesus said, “If I had not come and done this, you would not be guilty. You wouldn’t be in your sin.” And that’s the age that we’re facing.
So now all of this great whore, this mass of religion, is going to be looking at this small segment of people who will not bow to the image, who will not succumb to threats and torture. 2 Peter 2:1, makes this statement concerning this age, and it says, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” That’s a powerful statement. These are not heresies that will take you off course. These are heresies that will damn you. You see, there’s some heresy that comes through ignorance, and there’s other heresy that comes through pride and manipulation.
We were talking about how naive we are. And listen to me! I hope I can make it very clear. These teachers that are out there today— the Kenneth Copelands, Creflo Dollars, T.D. Jakes—these are not good guys who homiletically were incorrect in the way they represented Scripture. In other words, they’re not ignorant. These were not mistaken in Bible application. Ephesians 4:14 makes this powerful statement, and I want you to hear it; “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,”—listen— “by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,”—now, read the next phrase— “whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” These people are there stalking, lying in wait, looking for weak prey. This is the spirit that’s behind these people.