I want to invite you out to one of my evening services starting this Sunday at 5:00 pm.
As things start to heat up, not talking about the weather, God led me to give you this message I got some many years ago.
It’s deep and no I didn’t mention any names so if the rock hits you just say Ouch! And Amen and no one will know the wiser.
It’s lengthy so it will have to be a two-parter.
1-Introduction
A Person May Say, “I Am Saved By Grace. I Believe In Jesus. I Teach The Gospel.” Yet, Even Though They Say These Things And Even Teach The Gospel:
If They Do Not Love Their Brother In Christ, Are Not Born-Again, Do Not Forgive Their Brother In Christ, Are Not Converted And Do Not Become As Little Children, Do Not Deny Themselves, And Pick Up Their Cross Daily, And Follow Jesus, They Will Perish. The List Goes On And On.
They May Appear To Have Repented, Been Baptized, And Be Serving God; However, If These And Other Things Are Not Also In Place, They Will Perish. True Repentance Includes All Of These.
But Understand This. If You Are Hot In Knowledge And Wisdom For Jesus, But Are Continually Around Others That Teach And Believe A Lukewarm Message, They May Cause You To Cool Down And Compromise, Rather Than You Causing Them To Get Hot. It Is Written, Do Not Be Misled: Bad Company Corrupts Good Character-1 Cor 15:33 Niv.
Remember, Jesus Tells This Church Age, In Revelation 3:18-21-I Counsel Thee To Buy Of Me Gold Tried In The Fire, That Thou Mayest Be Rich; And White Raiment, That Thou Mayest Be Clothed, And That The Shame Of Thy Nakedness Do Not Appear; And Anoint Thine Eyes With Eyesalve, That Thou Mayest See.
As Many As I Love, I Rebuke And Chasten: Be Zealous Therefore, And Repent.
Behold, I Stand At The Door, And Knock: If Any Man Hear My Voice, And Open The Door, I Will Come In To Him, And Will Sup With Him, And He With Me.
To Him That Overcometh Will I Grant To Sit With Me In My Throne, Even As I Also Overcame, And Am Set Down With My Father In His Throne. If The World Overcomes You, You Lose.
Are You Busy Wiping Off The Eyesalve, Rather Than Humbling Yourself In A Childlike Manner And Anointing Your Eyes With Eyesalve That You May See?
Consider The Following Message Carefully.
The Unsaved Often Look Like They Are Saved. Very Few People Can Discern Most Of Them.
Jesus Tells Us, Lk 11:44-Woe Unto You, Scribes And Pharisees, Hypocrites! For Ye Are As Graves Which Appear Not, And The Men That Walk Over Them Are Not Aware Of Them. Here Ministers Of The Word Are Illustrated. They Are Blind Leaders Of The Blind. They Are Called “Graves.” They Are Leading People To Hell. Yet, Jesus Tells Us, They Are As Graves Which Appear Not. They Do Not Appear To Be As Graves. They Do Not Appear To Be Deceivers. They Do Not Appear To Be Leading People To Eternal Death. Jesus Also Tells Us That Men Are Not Aware Of Them. Men Do Not Understand These Teachers Are False Ministers. Men Do Not Understand These Blind Leaders Are Sending People To Hell. These Deceivers Are So Skillful, That They Appear To Be True. They Appear To Be Real. They Appear To Be Ministers Of Righteousness. It May Be Said, They Appear To Be True Followers Of Jesus.
Some Of These Teachers Are On The Radio And Tv Around The World. Some Are Famous Evangelists That Hold Crusades And Have Altar Calls. Some Are College Professors, Teaching In Bible Universities. Some Are People You Would Never Expect.
Paul Tells Of These, In 2 Cor 11:13-15-For Such Are False Apostles, Deceitful Workers, Transforming Themselves Into The Apostles Of Christ.
And No Marvel; For Satan Himself Is Transformed Into An Angel Of Light.
Therefore It Is No Great Thing If His Ministers Also Be Transformed As The Ministers Of Righteousness; Whose End Shall Be According To Their Works. It May Be Put This Way—It Is No Great Thing If Satan’s Ministers Look Like They Are The Ministers Of Righteousness. They Often Look Like They Are Ministers Of Jesus, But They Are Really Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing.
Some Of Satan’s Ministers Call Themselves Apostles Of Christ. Some Call Themselves Prophets. Some Are Ministers, Teachers, Preachers, And Bible School Teachers. They Appear To Be True Ministers Of Righteousness. Again, Most People Are Unable To Discern Or Understand That They Are Really Ministers Of Satan. Many Are Fully Persuaded They Are Followers Of Jesus And Follow Them To “Hell.”
The Word Of God Clearly Shows That It Is Extremely Difficult To Tell The False Ministers, Who Say They Follow Christ, From The Real Ones. In Some Cases, It Seems Nearly Impossible.
To The Best Of My Memory And Understanding, Not Long Ago, There Was A Very Famous Evangelist In The United States. He Had A Great Gift Of Laying Hands On People, And Tremendous Miracle Healings Would Take Place. He Could Tell People All About Themselves And Reveal Things About Someone That No One Could Know. He Could Even Tell Who Would Sit In Certain Seats At A Crusade, Before It Ever Happened. He Had Many Followers. He Could Do Many Miracles. He Appeared To Be Leading Many To Jesus. His Preaching Seemed Anointed, Yet It Was Discovered That He Was A Drunkard And An Adulterer. He Might Have A Crusade And Then Afterwards, Go To A Hotel To Be With Another Woman. He Became An Instrument Of The Devil To Tempt Another Very Well-Known Minister To Commit Adultery.
He Was No Longer Walking With The Lord, Yet He Appeared To Be Saved. He Was Famous. He Had Been On Television. Huge Numbers Of People Would Turn Out For His Evangelistic Crusades, Yet He Was A Grave Which Appeared Not. Men Were Not Aware That He Had Become A Blind Leader Of The Blind. People Did Not Even Consider That He Was A Deceitful Worker. Multitudes Did Not Even Have A Thought That This Man Was A Minister Of Satan, Who Was Transformed As A Minister Of Righteousness. Jesus Warned That There Was A Time Coming When There Would Arise Those That Would Show Great Signs And Wonders Which Could Deceive Even The Elect, If It Were Possible-Ref Mt 24:24.
The Unsaved Often Look Like They Are Saved. Very Few People Can Discern Them.
The Scriptures Give Us Many Examples Of Such People. They Look And Act As If They Are Truly Saved. They Look And Act Like They Are Followers Of Jesus. Understand, These False Ministers Are Positive They Are Of God. They Are Positive They Are Saved. Even Jesus Himself Could Not Cause Them To Believe They Were Not Saved. Often, Jesus Would Confront Such Blind Teachers Of The Law. He Would Tell Them They Were Not Of His Father; They Were Not Of God. They Were Of The Wicked One; Their Father Was The Devil; They Would Die In Their Sins, Yet They Did Not Believe Him And Did Not Repent.
3-Scriptures Showing How Some Unsaved Look Like They Are Saved: They Do The Same Things As Those That Are
The Following Is A List Of Examples From The Scriptures Of People That Were Unsaved, Yet Appeared To Be:
• Mt 15:8-They Draw Near To Me (To Jesus) With Their Mouth; They Honor Jesus With Their Lips
• Mt 15:9-They Worship Jesus, But They Are Not Saved
• Lk 11:39-On The Outside They Look Righteous And Holy
• Lk 11:42-They Tithe On Everything
• Lk 11:43-They Sit In Important Places; People Greet Them
• Lk 11:44-They Do Not Appear To Be Unsaved; Men Are Not Aware That They Are Unsaved; Men Come To Them; They Appear To Be Something They Are Not
• Lk 11:45-They Call Jesus, “Master”; They Believe They Are Saved
• Lk 11:46-They Have Positions Of Authority; Men Obey Them
• Lk 11:47-They Build The Graves Of The Prophets
• Lk 11:52-They Have A Form Of Bible Knowledge, Yet Are Not Saved
• Ro 10:2-They Have Zeal For God
• Lk 13:24-They Seek To Enter Heaven
• Lk 13:25-They Knock At God’s Door; They Pray And Call Upon The Name Of The Lord (Mt 7:21)
• Lk 13:26-They Take Communion; He (Jesus) Taught In Their Streets
• Mt 7:21-They Say To Jesus, “Lord, Lord”
• Mt 7:22-They Prophesy In The Name Of Jesus; They Cast Out Devils In The Name Of Jesus; They Do Many Wonderful Works In The Name Of Jesus, Yet Perish
• Lk 18:9-They Trusted In Themselves That They Were Righteous
• Lk 18:11-They Pray Long Prayers (Lk 20:47);
Till next week,
God Bless.
Rev. Dr. Robert L. Harrison, PhD – pastorrobharrison@gmail.com, @drrobharrison
The Apostolic Open Door Church of God & True Holiness – 2800 41st Ave. N, St. Pete
First Vice President – NAACP St. Petersburg Branch
Chaplain – Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Pinellas
Parent Support for Education Council Board Member | Chaplain – Dept. Juvenile Justice for Circuit 6
