House of Hope Online

July 9, 2023

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Last time we discussed the prophecy from 2^nd Peter 2 that many will follow sensuality and will therefore malign the Gospel.

2^nd Peter 2:

 1 ¶ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

We see this today with mainstream denial of the glory of God in exchange for the glory of mankind.  This indeed produces in our world destructive heresies, which are opinions contrary to Christian doctrine.  Verse 2 points to many who follow sensuality and thereby malign, or speak against, the truth of God’s Word.

Last time we also discussed the struggle of Lot, who was oppressed by the conduct and lawlessness of unprincipled men in the city of Sodom, just before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.  These unprincipled men wanted to have same-sex relations with the men in Lot’s house, and threatened Lot as well (See Genesis 19:4-5).  Peter warns us in 2^nd Peter 3 to be on guard against the error of unprincipled people in our world.

2^nd Peter 3:

 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness,

 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him [be] the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (NASB)

Note the advice in verses 17 and 18 – we are to guard against getting carried away by the error of the unprincipled, and we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.  To me this means we must stand firm against the teachings and opinions of the unprincipled, lest we fall from the steadfastness of our faith.  We are to stand firm on the Word of God, while growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

The word “grace” in verse 18 refers to Jesus’ divine, spiritual influence upon our heart, including His benefits of favor, gifting, joy, and gratitude.  Rather than getting dragged into the mud by unprincipled people who follow sensuality, we are to grow spiritually, joyfully, and with a thankful heart.  We are not to fight the heresy of the mainstream in anger, but with grace.

This idea of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus is important.  Many of us believe we know what grace is, and many of us know Jesus, but clearly, the scriptures imply that we should keep growing in His grace and knowledge.  The deeper we go in the end days, the more grace it will require, and the more knowledge of Jesus we will need.

This morning I was praying in the spirit with Nancy and our oldest son Will, and the Holy Spirit brought forth the word “compassion.”  We began to pray for the compassion of Jesus for the unprincipled that follow sensuality in producing destructive heresies that malign the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word.

Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus means learning about the compassion in His heart for the sinner, and for those who are blinded by destructive heresies that give hearty approval of degrading passions.  We learn about His compassion in Matthew 9.

Matthew 9:

 10 And it happened that as He was reclining [at the table] in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

 11 And when the Pharisees saw [this,] they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?”

 12 But when He heard this, He said, “[It is] not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

 13 “But go and learn what [this] means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It is not enough for us to follow the letter of the Bible.  The Pharisees were the scripture experts of their day.  Jesus requires more of us – He requires that we show compassion for the sinner, those who need the Great Physician!  He desires our compassion, not our sacrifice!

Later in Matthew 9, we see that Jesus also had compassion for those who lacked a shepherd; i.e., those who were being misled by the unbelieving spirit in this world.

Matthew 9:

 35 ¶ And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

 36 And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.

 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Jesus is looking for us to be compassionate workers in the harvest of souls who lack knowledge of the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”  Jesus is not looking for just any kind of workers in His harvest – He wants compassionate workers, and those are few.

In another example of Jesus being moved by compassion, Matthew 20 details His encounter with two blind men on the side of the road.

Matthew 20:

 29 ¶ And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

 31 And the multitude sternly told them to be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, [we want] our eyes to be opened.”

 34 And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. (NASB)

I find this example particularly compelling because the men were blind, and they desperately wanted their eyes to be opened.  The compassion in Jesus’ heart brought about the miracle.  When we see unbelievers in our society today, they are the blind on the side of the road, but they are so misled they do not know to call out to Jesus, the Son of David, for mercy.  It is our job to have compassion and intercede for the Holy Spirit to draw them in their emptiness, just as He did for each of us.

It may sometimes seem difficult to have compassion for those who advocate for the destructive heresies that are misleading many into following their sensuality.  But we must.  We are called to have compassion for them.  Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13: “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick…But go and learn what [this] means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, we learn in Romans 9 that His mercy has no boundaries, and He will have compassion for whomever He wishes, whether we agree or not. 

Romans 9:

 14 ¶ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

 15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”

 16 So then it [does] not [depend] on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”

 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”

 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?

And so, we intercede for those who believe differently than we do, because we know He has compassion for the sinner, the one who needs a doctor, the one who is blind to the Word.

Let me close with the Apostle Paul’s exhortation for us to have compassion and kindness.

Colossians 3:

 12 ¶ And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

 14 And beyond all these things [put on] love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Father God, we cry out in the name of Jesus for a heart of compassion toward others.  Help us Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to be a compassionate worker in the harvest.  Draw us into intercessory prayer even for those who would mock our faith in Your Word, and for those who advocate for destructive heresies that offend the oracles of God, who is our Creator and the true Lover of our souls.  In Jesus’ holy name, we pray.  Amen.