Based on 2 Peter 2 (New King James Version)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”
One of the greatest problems in our society is the issue of substance abuse, both the legal kind (prescribed by doctors, or that can be bought at any store) as well as the illegal kind. Whether it be legal or illegal, it’s a severe problem. To be able to see the magnitude of this problem, we need to go to the statistics. In the US, it is estimated that 161 million people, or 66% of adults use drugs under prescription. Also in the US, it is believed that about 21 million people have at least one addiction, either with alcohol or another substance (from what we know, because not everyone admits they have a problem). Between 1999 and 2017, more than 700,000 people in the US have died due to drug overdose. It is estimated that alcohol and drug addiction costs the US economy more than $600 billion every year. This is the economic damage (for starters) that we are inflicting upon ourselves as a nation. And this is in the US alone. I’m very sure that the rest of the world has similar issues.
Nonetheless, there are people that are benefiting greatly from this catastrophe. There are many that live very well thanks to other’s misfortunes. With both legal and/or illicit gains, they can buy themselves mansions, planes, luxury vehicles, anything they want. They enjoy the delights of this world peacefully and grandly. Now, someone may say that these are detestable beings that do these things. But there is something to consider. Who are the ones that contribute so these folks are able to have what they have and live the way they live? Every amount of money that is used to buy their products is money that invested in their operations, helping pay their employees, and finally, giving them gains that go directly into their bank accounts or secret places. So then, there is something to consider. Who are at fault, the ones that sell and supply the substances or the ones that consume them, and like that, they feed the greed and evil of others? What would God say?
You may ask, “What does substance use and those that sell them have to do with today’s message?” There is a very similar problem with the evil that exists within the church regarding evil doctrines (although there are many people inside churches unfortunately that also have problems with the consumption of bad substances and those that sell them sometimes sit in church as well). I have heard many people through the years complaining about bad preachers and all the money they make, etc. And yes, there are many in the ministry that use the same for gain. And there are many of these ministers that are well known, but there are others that go unnoticed because maybe they are less flashy, or they have a more subtle message, speaking of things that seem healthy and good, but it is all an illusion. Some of you may say, “I know so and so is bad, but I don’t think it is wrong what this other person says.” And I would need to ask, “Are they good and acceptable based on your personal opinion or according to what God teaches in His Word?” And finally, both those that teach evil and support evil are involved with the same problem. And the problem surges when a person does not know what is approved by God or approved by man. And the way that the trap is set is by appealing to the weaknesses of our flesh. We cannot allow ourselves to be guided by and accept things because they sound good or pleasing. When we allow ourselves to be guided by the flesh, by corruption, there is where we fall with people that have evil instincts and intentions. It’s the same thing that happens with substances. Everything starts with a little and because it makes a person feel good somehow. But just because something apparently feels good does not mean that it is good. That is the danger and the problem that continues being proliferated everywhere. We cannot allow ourselves to be guided by our flesh and become our own worst enemies, becoming victims of our own evil desires. If you truly want the life that God offers through Christ, you should let yourself be guided only by what the fullness of His Word says and through the Holy Spirit, and not by what seems attractive to the flesh. So then, are you a prisoner of your own evil desires, and like that, your own worst enemy, or do you live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Word of God? Lord bless! John