Commitment to Truth

Pastor Jose Torres: Good morning and welcome to Commitment Community Church, a place for all nations. I am Pastor Jose Torres. I have the pleasure of bringing you the word today. As we prepare for hearing what God has in store for us, I ask that we take a moment to pray.

Heavenly Father, I come before your presence one more time, giving you the glory and the honor for all that you do for us. I ask you now, dear Lord, that you remove me from this place, take my place, Heavenly Father, and let the Holy Spirit guide every word that I speak so that we may hear what you have in store for us today. Open our eyes and our ears to hear exactly what you want us to learn today, dear Lord.

We ask you, O Lord, that you touch someone's heart today. If they don't know you, they may come to know you, Heavenly Father. We ask you all this in Jesus' name, believing it is done. Amen.

We are continuing our study on the book of Second Peter, Remembering to Keep Growing, Part 3, which is titled, There’s False Prophets and Teachers. Today we are going to be speaking about the teacher, the one who brings you the word, the one that teaches you the word, the one that speaks to you truth. Not everyone that speaks truth is speaking truth.

We know that because on a constant basis, you turn on the news and you're listening to politicians making you promises. "If you vote for me, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that." When they get into office, it's not the truth. But we're going to go deeper because the truth that we're speaking about here is the truth: the word of God, the spoken word of God, the message that God gave us through the Holy Spirit to men and women that were called to bring the teachings of the Lord.

We're going to be in Second Peter, and we're going to start off in chapter one. We're going to be reading from 16 to 21. The word of the Lord says this: "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by Majestic Glory: 'This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.'

And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all: no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of a human will, but man moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

When we're speaking about the truth, we know that it is an utterance of our mighty God, our Father in heaven. It is not made up by man. It was not written because a man was inspired to write a book, but he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to put the words of God in writing so that we could have it to help us in the moments that we need to go to it.

How do we recognize a good teacher from a false teacher or a false prophet? Peter clearly here gives us instructions on what to look for. In verses 16 and 18 in chapter one, it says: "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales." They didn't come up with tales; they didn't create stories to tell us when they made known to us the power and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were eyewitnesses. They were in His presence when these things that they uttered happened.

That's how we can recognize a teacher that is speaking the truth. The first point today is they will be recognized as being with Jesus. When a person has the privilege to teach, be it in a classroom, be it from the pulpit, be it an opportunity to speak about the word of God to someone, that person must have a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, have a close relationship with Him so that we can know that what they're saying is the truth.

Another thing that we look for is the confirmation of the Holy Spirit in us, confirming that the person is being used by the Holy Spirit to speak to us the truth because if it's not there, there's something wrong. Teachers of the truth are with Jesus and are confirmed by the Holy Spirit. Teachers that are with Jesus have a relationship with Him, and when teaching, they are guided by the Holy Spirit using the word of God to teach.

They do not stray from the truth, nor do they subtract or add to it. That's what we have to look for. Please, when a preacher is up here, a person is teaching, when a person is bringing you a message, and they say in John 3:16 it says, you should be looking through your Bibles, going to John 3:16 and confirming that what he is saying is what is in there. Don't take the word of a man just because he has the privilege to stand up here and speak to be gospel, for the gospel speaks for itself.

If you're not in the word and you're not looking through your Bibles or those that have it electronically looking at their apps through the Bible, confirming what that man is saying, that man can lead you down the wrong path. He may utter something that is not true and you may say amen to it not knowing. So open your eyes and your ears to hear what the spirit of God said through Peter. We must confirm that that person is with Jesus.

In verse 19, it says, "So we have prophetic words made more sure." Because they are in a relationship with God, they were in the presence of Jesus, they could speak clearly on what happened. It wasn't just something that was written down; it was something that they experienced. So if the man of God or the woman of God is up here teaching, they should have had an opportunity to be with God to prepare to bring the message that God wants to speak to His people today.

Peter tells us that we should pay attention. We should pay attention to what that person is saying. It does us well to pay attention to them that are teaching. We should listen attentively and confirm that the word expressed by the teacher is the word of God. It is important for the listener to attentively listen to what is being said and to confirm that it's the same that is written in the word of God. That is why it is important that every believer study the scriptures so as not to be led astray.

That is the importance that here at Commitment we have a discipleship-making course, and we start you off with the foundations and the word, and we take you to the word and we teach you the word and we show you how to use the word so that you are prepared to teach others. That is a firm foundation that this church has been founded on because we want to speak the truth, we want to teach the truth, we don't want to lead anyone astray.

The third point, found in verses 20 and 21, says this: "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation." It is not about what we're interpreting, it's what the word says. The word stands on its own. I don't have to add anything to it because the word alone has the power of God to penetrate every heart that is here that is in need of something. For no prophecy was ever made by the act of a human will. Nothing that was said in the Bible was because of a man. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit moving in them, and it's the spoken word of God.

It is like when you open up your Bible to read on your daily devotions or your weekly studies, when you come on Tuesdays to study the word and you prepare your homework, what you're doing is you're speaking to God, and He's speaking to you through the scriptures. It's clear what He wants to say to you if you open up your spiritual eyes and your ears to hear exactly what He has in store for you. You ask Him, "Lord, speak to me," but you don't open up the Bible. You wait until Sunday for someone to teach you what you think you need to hear.

You shouldn't wait until Sunday to open up your Bible to have a talk with the Father. You speak to Him through prayer, you speak to Him and listen to Him through the scriptures. If you're not doing that, please be attentive. Be attentive to the word of God because that is what is important, not who stands up here, not if we invite an evangelist that's been like a Billy Graham or some big speaker to come speak to us. You don't come for the man; you come for the word.

It could be a child that simply comes up here and says two words that are based on the Bible and the truth has been set free to penetrate your heart. It is not the man that stands here that gets the glory. It's not the man here that does anything. We're just a simple microphone for God's word to be spread out so that you can hear exactly and confirm through the Holy Spirit that that man is speaking through the spirit, that man is with God.

That man and woman are being moved by the Holy Spirit right now because how does he know what I'm feeling? Only the spirit of God knows what you need, only the spirit of God knows what you need to hear. I don't know your problems. I have not been with you throughout the week unless you text me or call me and tell me, "Can you pray for me?" I would not know what's going on in your life. But He knows and He answers and He uses people to speak to your life, and that's how you know the power of the truth.

We're going to move on to the second part of today's Bible study lesson. It's Part B in your highlights: Don't forget to remember these things about false prophets and teachers. Now Peter is going to give you a breakdown on how to identify not only the person that's truly in a relationship with God and is truly speaking the truth, but to see those that have the opportunity to be in your midst and are speaking falsehood or are utilizing the truth to manipulate you to do something that is contrary to the word of God.

Second Peter, chapter two, verses one to 22 says this: "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 brought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality and because of them, the way of the truth will be maligned. And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their judgment from long ago is not idle and their destruction is not asleep.

For if God did not spare angels from their sins, but cast them into hell and committed them to the pits of darkness, reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, and if He condemned the city of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter, and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men...

For by what he saw and heard, the righteous man while living among them felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by the lawless deeds, and then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the flesh, its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas an angel who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.

But this, like unreasoning animals born as creatures of instincts to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge and will in destruction of those creatures also be destroyed. Suffering wrong as the wage of doing wrong, they count it as a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stain and blemished, reviling in their deceptions as they carouse with you. Having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sins, enticing unestablished souls, having a heart trained in greed, accused children, forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the ways of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own transgression for a mute donkey speaking in the voice of a man restrained the madness of the prophet.

These are springs without water, mists driven by the storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out of arrogant words of vanity, they entice by fleshly desires, by sensualities, those who barely escape from one who lives in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilement of the world by the knowledge of the Lord Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, and the last stage has become worse for them than the first.

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then having known it, and turned away from the holy commandments handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to its vomit, and a sow after washing returns to wallowing in mire.'" Here is a description of a false teacher, a false prophet, by Peter. He instructs us to be on the watch for them because in verse one you can clearly see that they're among us.

They're in our midst, he said. In those days, they were in the middle of the church, these false prophets, these false teachers. Who knows if there's one here today? A false teacher who started off right and has gone astray because they have these grandeur ideas of destruction, heresy. What's the word heresy? It's a religious opinion contrary to church dogma. What is dogma? A doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith and moral, which is adopted by the church and proclaimed by the church.

But if they go against these things that the Bible says, if they start teaching things that are contrary to the word of God, what they're doing is they're secretly starting to destroy the foundation of the word of God and the trust of the believer with the church. So we must be in tune, alert, and watching for these men or women that come to divide and destroy because their grandeur plan is, "Well, I can do it better, I can interpret the word better, this is what it really means."

They don't seek God's wisdom in it, but they give their own opinion of what they understand that word to be, and they twist it to the point where if you're not in the word and you're not prayed up, you may get caught up in their lies. So now you're walking down this path to destruction that they're leading you to. So be careful with those that are among you that are sounding like he's not talking the truth. The Holy Spirit is not confirming that what he's saying is what the Bible is saying.

It's okay to question it. If the Holy Spirit gives you discernment that something about that person is just not right, I got to be careful what I'm saying amen to. Because when you say amen, you affirm what they're saying is true. We have to be careful. We have to be attentive. We have to listen to every word that is uttered, not just listen to the first part, and then towards the end they slip something in and you're thinking, "Oh, it's got to be true because everything else he said was true."

God didn't create you to just accept everything that man tells you. He has created you to accept His truth, His words. If it's not in here and the Holy Spirit is not compelling you to say amen, don't say amen. Philippians chapter three, verses 18 and 19 says this: "For many walk of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction, whose God is their appetite, and whose glory is their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

I've seen men of God when they started, be in line with the word. And as their churches grew, as their congregations grew, as their popularity grew, they started to focus on the earthly things and trusting in their own confidence, trusting in their own being, and "Oh, I got this. I got this. I can do this. I don't need to study, I don't need to be in line with God, I don't need to be praying with God. I can do this." And they've risen to a certain point where "It's okay to do that earthly thing, that sin. We can accept that sin. That sin ain't too great. It's not going to really get you into hell."

They start allowing things to happen within their church because now we're tickling the ears of those that really don't come to hear the word of God but want to hear exactly what their heart wants to hear. "I need to be in a church where I'm somebody and I'm going to that church and if they don't tell me that I'm that person or I'm put in this position or that preacher's not saying what I want to hear, we get rid of that preacher, we get rid of that pastor, we get rid of that deacon, we get rid of that ladies' leader."

They're telling the truth and I don't want the truth to be set out because then that light is shining on me because I'm sinning and I'm not doing the right thing because I'm into the earthly things. Secretly destroying the church. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verses three and four says this: "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, and the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself over every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God."

You don't have to go far. Turn on your TV and you see how men have totally led people astray. People posting things on their internet and claiming they're Christians and saying something different by what they posted. Men who were once men of God being distracted by the enemy and caught up in their temptations and being destroyed internally but still in power in the church and had the authority to speak to the church because their character, their charisma appeals to the church.

They're in charge of the church and what they say is gospel. Many of them have fallen because when the truth shines upon them, their sins are exposed which destroys the church. I have an example for you young people. You may not know who I'm talking about. But for you older folks about my age, you're going to hear the name and you're going to go right to that moment. Jim Jones. He started off in a church listening to the word of God. The truth of God was doing good.

Was so good that his gift of gab was so good, his way of ministering, that character that he had drew a lot of people. Then he started going the wrong way, allowing things of the world to start breaking with the traditions of the Christianity, things that were not right for the church he was allowing. It got to a point where he got so big, he moved his church to California, had a great following, people were following him.

He started thinking that he was the chosen one. He took his people to what they call Jonestown, and he started manipulating them and directing them. Many of them followed him. 912 people to be exact followed him. It came a time where a US senator heard of abuse, of manipulation, of the treatment of these members of this church cult. And he went to visit. In 1978, it says that when he went to visit, a couple of the members of that church wanted to leave, so he offered them a ride on his flight.

But before they got on their flight, members of Jim Jones's church gunned them down. Didn't stop there. Jim Jones told the other 900-plus people that were members of his church, "Hey, drink this Kool-Aid because it's good for you and we're going to be in glory." It was laced with cyanide. cyanide is a poison that will kill you. 912 people drank the Kool-Aid. And those that didn't drink it were forced by being injected to take it. And what did he do? He didn't drink the Kool-Aid. He took a gun, shot himself, and died from his wounds.

False prophet, false teacher, started off right but went the wrong way. Be careful who you follow and don't drink the Kool-Aid. This is an example of when people go astray and people get caught up in the lies of the enemy. They could be sitting among us. We have to be careful who we give our children to to teach. We got to be careful who we're listening to on the radio. We have to be careful to be in the word so that when something is not right, not that superhero tingling sensation Spiderman feel, but the Holy Spirit starts tingling inside of you and saying, "Something's wrong, something's wrong, don't listen, don't listen, look at the Bible, confirm it with the Bible."

The reputation of the truth, the word of God, has been damaged by many men that have gone astray. Many gifted men that have that charismatic way of speaking, the gift of gab, that have grown to a certain point and now they think, "I'm the chosen one. I'm not God but I'm His chosen one. I'm better than everybody else and people got to listen to me and they got to give me what I ask for."

In verse two of chapter two, it says, "Many will follow their sensualities and because of them, the way of the truth will be maligned." The word maligned means to be destroyed. It's an evil process. It just tears the word up. So the truth will be maligned. In Galatians chapter one, verses six through nine says this: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another.

Only there are some who are disturbing you and you want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you the gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accused. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you receive, he is to be accused." So if someone stands up here and says something contrary to the word of God, you have been given the authority of God to address that. To address it. Don't let it slide because if you let it slide, the next one is going to be worse.

First John 4:1 to 6 says this: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist of which you have heard that is coming and is now, it is already in the world.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world and the world listens to them. We are from God. He who knows God listens to us, and he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Examine the spirit that is moving among us because every spirit movement is not the Holy Spirit.

I've seen the enemy possess people and they dance and they speak some language, but the spirit of God that dwells in me gives me discernment to understand that is not of God. We need to rebuke it and we rise up and we rebuke it. And it has to flee because the truth causes them to flee because they cannot be around the truth.

Second Corinthians chapter 11, verses 13 to 15 says this: "For such a man are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Those ends will be according to their deeds." Clearly here we see that we have to be on alert that the enemy has disguised himself as an angel of light and his followers, his servants, those that do his deeds, also disguise themselves to make themselves look like a man of God, but their end is destruction.

So open up your ears to hear the word of God and do not be led astray by these false teachings and false prophets. Quickly we'll move on to Point 3. They will try to use you for financial gains. They try to exploit you because of their greed for financial gain. Second Corinthians chapter two, verse 17 says this: "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity but as from God. We speak in Christ in the sight of God."

There's been a trend of prosperity, the preaching of prosperity from the pulpit. I just want to warn you, it's not bad to talk about finances because without finances the word of God and the work of God may not be accomplished. The church can't pay their bills. But if that becomes the main theme every week and every time the preacher gets up here, everything he's talking about is money, money, money, money, money, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me. I got to buy this, I got to buy that, or the pastor needs a Mercedes Benz. We need a plane for the pastor because he travels all over the United States. We need a bigger building because we need to put more people in so we can get more money.

When that becomes the theme, when that becomes the main word that they're using to preach to you, be leery. Use caution. I'm not telling you to stop tithing. I'm not telling you to stop giving whatever God compels you to give. Because what you give, you give because you see the fruit of your giving. If you don't see the fruit of your giving, then you're not going to give. If I gave to Commitment Church and I didn't see the growth of the gospel being spread and people being saved and new people coming in, I would stop giving.

If I saw Pastor Cedrick come in here in a Rolls Royce with a driver... where'd you get that? How did you get there? Mark, did we buy him a car? Did we get him a driver? Thank God for the godly man that he is. Thank God that we got godly men that oversee our finances and are always watching over that. But there's many churches that have grown so big and, "I made this happen, I'm the guy that preached, I'm the guy that went out and wrote a book and all these people are following me."

Now it's like, "So you want to learn the secret of prosperity? Send me a hundred dollars for my book and I'll give you a full detail on how to do it." Nothing about trust God. If you need something, ask Him for it and He will give it to you. Doesn't mean that being rich is a bad thing. Being rich is a good thing because God has blessed you with that. But don't let it become your God. Don't let it become the truth because destruction comes through those things.

Finally, the last point that we're going to touch on is the punishment that these false prophets, false teachers are going to endure at the end. It says in James 3:1: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." So understand that if you're aspiring to be a pastor, an evangelist, a minister of the word of God, a teacher to the children, it's like being a police officer. They give you a gun, they give you a badge, you're held to a higher standard.

Why? Because if you veer off and you lead people astray, you will give an account on the final judgment day. Those that have been doing it, those false prophets, those false teachers that are saying whatever they want to say to contradict the word of God, that are leading people astray, on judgment day, they will have to account for every word that they said, every misleading word that they said, every twisted word that they said. And many of them are going to go in front of the Lord and say, "Hey, give me that crown that you owe me because, in your name, I preached, in your name, I rebuked demons and I prayed for the sick and I led people to God."

The Lord's going to say, "Apart from me, I don't know who you are. Cast them into the lake of fire." Because their true deeds that they have done were nothing to that point. So be careful if you aspire to be a teacher because there's a lot of responsibility in it. When you're given this privilege, seek God. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And don't steer away from the word of God. Because the word of God, I can read you the scriptures and say amen and you can learn something. Because it's the word of God that penetrates your heart, not what I say. It's the word of God that does the work in your lives.

Good teachers, bad teachers, true servants of God, false prophets, they're among us. Ask the spirit of God to give you discernment, to open up your eyes to hear exactly what God wants you to hear. Don't be deceived. Don't say amen to everything, and don't drink the Kool-Aid. Amen. I pray that today's word penetrates your heart, that you digest it. Go back home, take the study notes, study them. Questions might have arisen that I may have not covered or I didn't say anything about and you want to go further, come on Tuesday and the classes, they will teach you more.

Go in deeper into the word, find somebody, a Bible study guy with somebody in the church and start reading the scriptures because you're going to learn a lot. and a lot of the questions that you have will be answered. I guarantee it because the word of God is a guaranteed truth. You may not like what you hear, but it's the truth. Amen. Let us close our eyes.

Heavenly Father, I thank you once again for this opportunity for allowing me to bring your word. I thank you, O Lord, for the Holy Spirit that compelled me and guided me in this day. I ask you for those that are here, Lord. If anyone here does not know you, Heavenly Father, has never heard your word but has heard it today and something has ignited in their hearts, we ask you, O Lord, that you continue to grow that flame so that they may receive you as their Lord and Savior.

Heavenly Father, I pray that if someone here wants to give their heart to God, that at this moment, dear Lord, just repeat these simple words: "Lord, I've heard the message today and I understand that you are the truth and you are all I need. I ask you to come into my heart and I ask you to change me so that I can become your servant, and I can be with you for eternity forevermore."

For those of you that have made a similar prayer and have not been paying attention or have not been reading the scripture, I pray for you. Heavenly Father, for them, I ask you, O Lord, that you enlight that fire in their heart once again to go back to the scriptures, to seek your presence, to ask that question when the Holy Spirit moves in their hearts to be compelled to be able to discern who is a true believer and who is one who's trying to deceive them so that they do not fall in that trap and they do not be led astray from you. We ask you this, Lord, in your name. We ask you to be with each and every person today and throughout this week. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Commitment Online, a place for all nations. If today's experience has impacted you, please feel free to pass it on by sharing the link on YouTube or Facebook. If you're ever in the Philadelphia region, we hope to see you in person. But for now, please tune in next week here at commitment.online.