If you turn to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 5, and I want to read just a couple of statements here in Romans chapter 5. This is in the very midst of the Apostle Paul's argument concerning the doctrine of justification. And if you recall, when you think about the outline of Romans, he first deals with the doctrine of condemnation, and does that in 1.18-3.20. And then since he condemns us and demonstrates how we're lost, he then turns to the solution, the remedy, and the remedy is found in what God has done in Jesus Christ and the whole doctrine of justification. And he commences that argument in 3.21 and goes all the way to 5.21. This is all about justification. So he's moving from condemnation to his very opposite, justification. Condemnation means we're declared guilty before God. Justification means we're declared righteous before God. So he's moving from condemnation to justification. But in the midst of his argument, 321 to 521, we have these statements in Chapter 5. And I want you to notice the way the chapter begins. And then I want to come back to verses 9 through 11. This is verse 1. Therefore, and when you read this, he begins with a participle and this participle is a causal participle. So we could translate it this way. Therefore, because we have been justified by faith, we are having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now skip down to the ninth verse of Romans chapter 5 and then in verse 9 we read this. Therefore, much more, and then you see this word justified, it's exactly the same word, exactly the same form of that verb that is found in verse 1. It's identical. So when we move to verse 9, therefore much more, I'm going to read it exactly the way I read it in verse 1. Because we have been justified, notice it, now by his blood, which would be shorthand for the death of Christ, we will be saved from wrath. And remember the wrath here would be God's wrath. through Him, and the Him would be Jesus Christ. Then verse 10, for if while being enemies, and we were, now notice your verb for reconciliation, for if while being enemies we were reconciled, notice it, to God, how? Through the death of His Son, Much more, and I'm going to read it just like I read that verb justify in verse 1 and verse 9. Because we have been reconciled, we will be saved, literally, in his life. And then we read in verse 11 as he summarizes this, and not only this but also, we're boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom, notice your little adverb, now, we have received the reconciliation. So he talks about the reality of justification, talks about the reality of reconciliation, which is all found in Jesus Christ. Now turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, as I'd like to once again stress the responsibility of all of us who have become believers in Jesus Christ as we enter into this year of 2022. And I want to read the statements of Paul which are found here in chapter 5 beginning with verse 17 down to verse 20, and this parallels what Paul said in Romans chapter 5 concerning reconciliation. And these are the same words that he uses in Romans 5. So in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 we read, so then if anyone in Christ, new creation, old things passed away, behold new things have come into existence. But all things are of God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given to us, notice this, the ministry of reconciliation as that God was by Christ reconciling the world to himself not reckoning or crediting or imputing to them their transgressions and has entrusted to us, notice this, the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors in behalf of Christ as God exhorts through us. We are begging in behalf of Christ, you be reconciled to God. He made the one who knew no sin, Jesus Christ, sin for us in order that we may become righteousness from God, and notice where it's found, in him. in Christ. I read a statement last week that I would like to read once again, and the statement goes like this. The single divine calling of the church is to bring sinful people to salvation through Christ. If we do not lead the lost to salvation, nothing else we do for them no matter how beneficial at the time, is of any eternal consequence. Which brings me right back to the Apostle Paul's instruction found here concerning this vitally important doctrine that we know as the doctrine of reconciliation, a word that the Apostle Paul will use in these verses 18 through 20, both in its noun and verb forms about five times, and there is no way that I can stress enough the importance of all of us understanding what this doctrine means. If we were to step back into the world of Paul in the first century, We would discover that the Greeks used two different Greek words to express the idea of reconciliation, two different words. One Greek word, and it doesn't mean anything to all of us, but just to say the word because of the other word, dialosso. One word, dialosso, is the word that described a relationship where both parties were offended and both parties required restoration. So when you talk about this particular word, dialosso, you've got two parties, both offended, problems with both of them, and it has to be resolved to bring the two parties together. That's the elosso. But there was another word, katalosso, that was used by the Greeks in the first century. And this word was used when just one party was affronted. And this is the word that is chosen in the New Testament. This is the word. that was unique to the Apostle Paul. This is the word that he always used. He doesn't use that first word, dialosso. He uses this word, katalosso, and that's the word that's used in Romans 5, and that's the word that's used here in 2 Corinthians 5. One party has to be changed. One party is an enemy and that party has to become a friend. There's a broken relationship that exists between God and man, and that relationship has to be restored. And for that to happen, there has to be a change in terms of us. Now listen to the way one theologian puts it. biblical way of thinking is today a foreign language. This biblical way of thinking asserts that we've been alienated from God by our sin and he from us by his wrath so that if reconciliation is to happen, He must be able to look upon us without displeasure and we upon him without fear. And that transformation, that transaction happens in Christ as God's wrath is turned away from us on the cross and our sin is canceled as it's imputed to him. So there has to be a change, and the change takes place in terms of reconciliation. I have to be restored into God's favor. Or do you remember the definition that I gave last week in terms of reconciliation? There has to be a change of relationship from hostility and enmity to harmony and peace. So what is needed is peace with God. That's what's needed. And when we talk about peace, that word peace, that is derived from a Greek verb that means to join together. So when we talk about peace, we're talking about being joined together. So we've been separated and now we need to be joined together. We need to be reconciled. So peace is knowing that the God whom we were once separated from, we've been now joined together only because of Jesus Christ. We are having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's Romans 5.1. And that is the doctrine of reconciliation, and that is what the Apostle Paul is teaching, not only in Romans 5.9 through 11, but 2 Corinthians 5. verses 18-20. And when I'm reading his words here, as we saw last week, he is speaking specifically about verse 18, the ministry of reconciliation, and in verse 19, the message of reconciliation. And the ministry and the message of reconciliation have been entrusted to us who have become ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Or as Paul says in verse 20, Therefore, we are ambassadors in behalf of Christ. As God exhorts through us, we are begging in behalf of Christ. You'll be reconciled to God. Now I talked a little bit last week about that word ambassador, just to remind us Because I do think it's important when you're stepping back and thinking about how these words would have been understood in the first century. So if you step back, you remember that you have two different types of Roman provinces. You have a Roman province that was under the control of the Senate, the Roman Senate, it's a senatorial province. And then you had a Roman province that was under the direct control of the emperor. That was an imperial province. So when you think of the provinces in the Roman Empire, you have senatorial provinces and you have imperial provinces. The difference would be when you talk about senatorial provinces, they weren't turbulent provinces. There weren't any major problems within these provinces and there wasn't the need to station Roman troops there. Those were senatorial provinces, but imperial Provinces were very different. Those were turbulent provinces. Those were problematic provinces. Those were provinces where you had to have Roman soldiers stationed there in order to keep the peace. So you have senatorial provinces and you have imperial provinces and the distinction between the one and the other has to do with trouble. Is one turbulent or not? Does one have the military there or not? Now when you talk about the imperial provinces, these turbulent provinces, the man who was sent to direct the administration of that providence was the ambassador. That's his word. He was the ambassador. He was the emperor's direct representative. He was commissioned expressly by the emperor himself. And this is the word that the Apostle Paul uses with reference to all of us. We are ambassadors, we live in a turbulent place, there's warfare all around us, and we are commissioned by the emperor himself, Jesus Christ, and we represent him and he speaks and works through us. He gives us the ministry, he gives us the message of reconciliation in this very turbulent place. And I've got to understand all of that. Now, there's something else, and this is where I ended up last week, and I want to come right back to it. When I think about the world in which we live, and certainly our country, we have to draw a distinction. And this is nothing new. This is something that's always been done. We have to draw a distinction between those who merely profess the Christian faith, as over against those who genuinely possess the Christian faith. So there is a distinction between profession and possession, which is to say not everyone who names the name of Christ genuinely knows Christ. Now, this is something that we all should know. We're not going to be gullible. We're not going to be naive. We're going to understand there are a lot of people that give lip service to the name of Jesus Christ who do not genuinely know him. It is a religious facade. It's an external kind of thing. It's a cultural matter. I'm a Christian because I'm born in a Christian country. I mean, that's the thought of people. Or the only alternative would be if you're not a Christian, you're a pagan. So we have to recognize and understand there's a distinction between the one and the other, profession and possession. And I've talked about this before, but this is so good, the works of Henry Schugle. And when you talk about Schugle, this is an excellent volume to read, the works of Henry Schugle, 1650 to 1678. He was 28 years old when he died. But he writes that amazing little document, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. And he talks about what religion is not and what religion is. Now listen again. I think this is just so right because it's so succinctly put. What religion is not? Number one. Some place it in the understanding. Orthodox notions and opinions. Some believe it's just intellectual. It's academic. Others place it in the outward man, in a constant course of external duties and a model of performances. It's on the basis of what someone does. Others put all religion in the affections and rapturous Keats and ecstatic devotion. Some believe it's just emotion. So he argues that if you talk about what true religion is, it's not this, it's not just something that I intellectually understand. It is not something that I perform outwardly by some sort of duty as I keep some rule or regulation. And it's not some emotional experience that I've had in the past. That's not what it is. So what is it? Here's what he says, and I think he is so right. It is a union of the soul with God, a real participation in the divine nature in divine life. Before he comes back to it, religion is life, a vital principle, divine life. It can be called not only in regard to the fountain in origin, having God for its author, and being wrought in the souls of men by the power of His Holy Spirit, but also in regard of its nature. It is a real participation in His nature. It is the life of God in the soul of man. So it is not something that I academically understand in some classroom. It's not something that I do on the basis of some outward deed. It's not some emotion that I've had in the past. It is, I understand that I'm dead and I've got to have life and that life is found in his son. That's what it is. So when I think of all of this, I recognize There are a lot of people that give lip service to Jesus Christ, and yet they're not necessarily saved. Now, let me go back to William Wilberforce. You remember William Wilberforce? He was born in 1759. He was saved in 1785 and he died in 1833. William Wilberforce. And what's interesting about Wilberforce is that he talked about in his day what he called nominal Christians as over against real Christians. He talked about nominal Christians as over against real Christians. And he said that the bulk of those who claimed to be Christians in his day were nominal. So he talks about nominal Christians as over against real Christians. So what's the distinction? Now here's what he said. The grand distinction which subsists between the true Christian and all other religionists is concerning the nature of holiness and the way in which it is to be obtained. What they do not see is that there must be a reconciliation with God and an imputed righteousness from him before we can live holy and righteous lives in the world. Nominal Christians of his day, he said, had the idea that morality is to be obtained by their own natural unassisted efforts, or if they admit some vague indistinct notion of the assistance of the Holy Spirit, It is unquestionably obvious on conversing with them that this does not constitute the main practical ground of their dependence. They do not recognize what constitutes a true Christian, his renouncing with indignation every idea of attaining it by his own strength, All of his hopes of possessing it rest altogether on the divine assurances of the operation of the Holy Spirit and those who cordially embrace the gospel of Christ. Now listen, the true Christian knows therefore that this holiness is not to precede his reconciliation to God and be its cause, but to follow it and be its effect. That in short, it is by faith in Christ only that is to be justified in the sight of God. So what does he say? He's saying you can't live the Christian life unless you're first a Christian. You have to become a Christian. And then on the basis of that, now you can live the Christian life. The true Christian knows, therefore, this holiness is not to precede his reconciliation to God and be its cause, but to follow it and be its effect. That, in short, it is by faith in Christ only that is to be justified in the sight of God. So here is Schugel, who dies in 1678. who's talking about this is what's real and this is what's false. And then here is William Wilberforce who dies in 1833 saying these are nominal Christians. It's all just an outward facade. They think they can do various things in order to merit this as over against a real Christian. And when I come to the New Testament and I'm studying the New Testament, there are all kinds of passages in the New Testament that make a distinction between profession and possession. Now turn back, and let me just point out a few, because not everybody that we think are necessarily Christians, on the basis of what they say, are genuine Christians. So go back with me to Matthew chapter 13, and let me read several statements of the New Testament that help me to understand this. This is in Matthew 13. The nation of Israel has now rejected the claims of Jesus as the Messiah. The finale is Matthew chapter 12, when they say everything he does is of the devil. And so now in Matthew chapter 13, for the very first time, he turns and begins to instruct by way of parables. And there are a number of parables in Matthew 13, but notice the way the chapter begins. The same day when Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside up in Galilee, Sea of Galilee, and great multitudes were gathered together to him so that he went into a ship and sat And the whole multitude stood on the shore. So he was in a little fishing boat out in the sea, and he's addressing the crowds that are there on the seashore. And he spake many things unto them in parables saying, now let me just pause here. If you think of a parable, one third of Jesus' teaching were parables, one third. And if you think of the word parable, which in Greek is parabale, bale comes from a verbalo that means to throw and para means alongside of. So if you think of the etymology of the word parable, it means to throw something alongside of something else. So a parable is moving from the physical realm, something that I know, into the spiritual realm, something that I do not know. So he's causing me to understand something that's concrete. And he's moving from that so that I can grasp something that is abstract. So he's moving from the known to the unknown. He's moving from the physical to the spiritual. He's moving from something that they all understood. And the parable is about something that they all understood. And then he's drawing a lesson from that. Now let me make this point because if I do not understand this, then I'm not going to properly interpret parables. When we read a parable in terms of the New Testament, and the vast majority of parables are found in the Gospel of Luke, but if you talk about a parable, the only way to properly interpret a parable is not to look at it and try to make something out of every little thing in the parable. It's not to me to look at all the particulars of the story and say all of these particulars symbolize all kinds of things. That is to misinterpret a parable. A parable is trying to teach one major lesson. That's a parable. So maybe there's a question that needs to be answered. Maybe there's a problem that needs to be resolved. Something needs to be explained. And the parable is trying to explain that major lesson, answering that question, resolving that problem. That's what a parable is about. So I cannot stress this enough. So if we read, for example, of the parables in Luke 15, those three parables, that lost sheep and lost coit and lost son, and we always think about the prodigal son. And the emphasis we place on the prodigal son. That's not the emphasis of that parable. The emphasis in that parable is on the father and what the father is doing in terms of the elder son and the younger son. It's all about the father. And the reason why is he's attacking what the Pharisees and scribes were saying about God. So I've got to understand that in terms of a parable. I'm not going to try to make something out of all the details. What is the major lesson of the parable? And for the first time, Jesus turns and begins to instruct the crowds and his own disciples by way of parables. So I read it here in verse three. He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow, and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth, and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who has ears to hear, let him hear." Now he provides an interpretation for this parable in this chapter, and we have his own interpretation in verse 18. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. Matthew 13, 18. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. Verse 19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, catches away that which was sowed in his heart, this is he who receives seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed into stony places The same as he who hears the word and in onward joy receives it, yet is he not root in himself but endures for a while for when tribulation, persecution arises because of the word, by and by he's offended. He also that receives seed among thorns is he that hears the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. He who receives seed into the good ground, is he that hears the word and understands it, who also bears fruit and brings forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Now think about this parable. We think of it as the parable of the sower, but it's really the parable of the soils. It's the parable of the soils. So you have a seed, and the seed is the same, and the seed is the word of God. That seed falls upon four different kinds of soils, and those soils represent four different kinds of people and how they respond to the seed, to the word. So you think of soil number one. They hear, but they don't believe. And Satan snatches the word out of their hearts. That's oil number one. Soil number two, they listen, they rejoice, but when the times get tough, they do not stay. They leave it. They accept the facts, at least they do for a while, mentally, but they eventually reject it. That's soil number two. Then you have soil number three. You have those who listen, but it doesn't, the fruit doesn't come to maturity. They cannot accept it because all of these other things distract them. And they go after all of these other things. And then you have the fourth soil. And these are people who hear, and they respond, and they obey, and they produce fruit. And the fruit is evidence of life. So what's the point of Jesus in this parable? Because there's one lesson. What is the lesson that he's trying to communicate? There are various responses. in terms of the word. Some outright reject it. Some accept it for a while, and they have all of this emotion, but they don't stay. And then you have others who seem to be genuine, and yet they go after all of these other things. They're not really interested. You only have the fourth one, the fourth soil. And these are individuals who hear and obey and they bear fruit. It's not the same hundred, 60, 30. So there's only one that's genuine. So you're saying that soils number one, two, and three are not genuine. That's exactly right. Only soil number four, genuine. That's the only ones. They hear, they obey, they respond, and then there are all kinds of differences in terms of growth, 160, 30. Now in this very same chapter, he gives another parable. Now look at verse 24. And another parable he put forth unto them saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, as it became, and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. And the word for tares here is something that very much resembles wheat. You do not know this isn't wheat. You think it's wheat, but it's not. It's weeds, it's tares, and eventually it'll demonstrate itself. So I read it here in verse 25, But when men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? From where then has it tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this. Servants said to him, Will thou then that we go and gather them up? He said, No, lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together into the harvest. And in the time of harvest, I'll say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. Now look at what we read. Verse 36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and His disciples came to Him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said to them, He that sows the good seed is the son of man, the field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the tares are the children of the evil one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of this age. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, So you have wheat and weeds growing together and the weeds look like wheat and you think it's wheat, but it's not. It's really the children of the kingdom as over against the children of the devil. And yet you think it's wheat and it's not. So when I think of all of this, I recognize There are false brothers. There are those who are pseudo. There are those who are nominal. There are those who are not real. They believe they can do various things. They believe that they can intellectually believe various things. And that's all it is. They believe that they've had an emotional experience in the past. That's all it is, but it's not. It's the life of God and the soul of man. If I think of Balaam, and I can't help but think of Balaam in Numbers 22-24, you would assume that Balaam was a saved man if you read those words. Numbers 22-24, New Testament says something very different. New Testament mentions him three times, talks about the way of Balaam, talks about the era of Balaam, talks about the doctrine of Balaam. And if you talk about the way and era and doctrine of Balaam, you remember what we're talking about? If you talk about the way of Balaam, that was greed. If you talk about the era of Balaam, he was very covetous. But if you talk about the doctrine of Balaam, do you remember what Balaam did? He taught Balak. He gave counsel to Balak how judgment could fall upon Israel. That if the women of Moab seduced the Israelis, those men, then not only would they be involved in fornication, they would be involved in an idolatry. And as a result, judgment would happen. And that's what happened in Numbers 25, you remember? And do you remember what we read in Numbers 31 about Balaam? Who, Numbers 31 says, gave counsel to Balak of how to bring all kinds of problems to Israel. Do you remember what happened to Balaam? They executed him by way of the sword. Numbers 31 verse 8. So if you read of Balaam, you think, well, Balaam seems to be a saved man. No, he wasn't a saved man. Or you think about someone like Judas. Certainly Judas, he was one of the 12. Jesus says, have I not chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil? He knew that from the very beginning. Doesn't he call him the son destined for destruction? So if you think of Judas, you mean Judas was never genuine? Never was. Judas was a man who was motivated by position and money. He's called the son of perdition. So even though you would think Judas was a saved man, he wasn't. Now come to this one. Would you turn to Acts chapter eight and let me read about what happened in Samaria. And I want you to notice what we read about an individual by the name of Simon. Now this is in Acts chapter 8 and I want you to notice what we read concerning what happened in Samaria under the ministry of Philip and then under the ministry of Peter and John. Acts chapter 8 verse 4. Therefore those who had been scattered from Jerusalem as a result of persecution went about preaching the word. And Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. And the multitudes, with what accord, were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them, shouting with a loud voice, and many who had been paralyzed in lame were healed. And there was much rejoicing in that city. Now, there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. And they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, this man is what's called the great power of God. And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip, preaching the good news about the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Now look at verse 13. And even Simon himself believed. And after being baptized, he continued on with Philip. And as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, He was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet fallen upon any of them. They had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands upon them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit." Now, of course, this raises all kinds of questions that we could talk about all kinds of things, but I want to just simply talk about Simon. Now, verse 18. Now, when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. You know the word, somony? Solomony is the making a profit out of sacred things. Solomony is buying and selling church offices or ecclesiastical preferments. That's solomony, which is based upon this. So I read it here in verse 18. Now, when Solomon saw that the spirit was bestowed through the late owner of the apostles hands, he offered them money. He said, give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, may your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours and pray the Lord that if possible the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." Now notice his response. Simon answered and said, Pray to the Lord for me yourself so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me. Now, this is a very interesting account when you read about Simon. And what's interesting to me about it is that when you talk about the early church fathers, they wrote extensively about Simon. We're in the second century and we're reading the church fathers, Irenaeus. attributed the rise of Gnosticism to Simon. And Irenaeus described Simon as a propagator of false knowledge. That was Irenaeus. Justin Martyr. condemned his teaching, Hippolytus, related that Simon had created an extensive Gnostic philosophy and even tried to mimic the resurrection of Christ by having himself buried alive with the promise of being raised three days later, and it ended very poorly with him. These church fathers extensively, quote, from heretical religious writings that constantly talk about Simon the Magician. He spoke openly against Peter. He opposed Peter, according to these church fathers. He was a pretender redeemer, they said. So when you talk about these early church fathers, they say all kinds of things about him. And when you read the words that are used with the reference to him in verse 13, when you read that he believed, to say that one believes doesn't always mean that one believes in a saving way. If you read this statement, and you talk about his belief based upon signs, that's not a trustworthy kind of belief. Luke never says that he received the Holy Spirit. He continued to have this interest in a display of miraculous power. When Peter talks about repenting, that's normally the word for a lost person. When he talks about the word perish, that's a word used for a lost person. And so when you read the language here, it seems to be a description of someone who wasn't saved, but someone who was lost, even though he outwardly believed and he even was baptized. F.F. Bruce, who was an outstanding New Testament scholar, argues very strongly that this was not a genuine profession of faith. His conversion came only after he began to lose his audience to Philip. And when Peter and John laid hands upon the Samaritan believers to impart the Holy Spirit, Simon, who had been referenced before, is not named. as one who received the Holy Spirit. Peter accuses him of wickedness and being poisoned by bitterness and found by iniquity. Peter instructs him to repent and pray for forgiveness. He doesn't do it. Instead, he begs Peter, pray to the Lord for me that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me. So there was no heartfelt repentance. He just wanted to avoid any kind of judgment. And it seems as though when you read not only this text, but the early church fathers, he never left the pagan tendencies of a sorcerer. So Warren Wiersbe writes, this episode only shows how close a person can come to salvation and still not be converted. Simon heard the gospel, saw the miracles, gave a profession of faith in Christ, was baptized, and yet he was never born again. He was one of Satan's clever counterfeits. Warren Wiersbe writes, and there are a lot of individuals who concur, I being one of them. So you have a counterfeit. It appears to be the genuine article, but it was anything but that. It wasn't genuine. So you think of individuals who make profession, and yet they don't possess the real thing. They look at it as something that you intellectually believe, or something that you do, or something that you feel, some sort of emotion. Or they're individuals who believe that they follow these rules and regulations, they can somehow obtain it. But it's not that. It's understanding that I am estranged and alienated from God, and I desperately need to be brought back to him by way of reconciliation, and he did it all in terms of Jesus Christ, and I accept it by simple faith. I trust in him, not in what I intellectually understand, or something that I do, or some emotion that I've had. It is all based upon him. And that's what we have to understand as ambassadors. We're in a very turbulent place and there's all kinds of religion all around us and all kinds of people who say all kinds of things. But if there's one thing the Bible wants us to understand, we're not to be gullible, we are to be discerning people. I can't see the heart of an individual, only God can. I'm not commanded to judge the motives of the individual, only God can do that. But I can listen to what a person says and I can watch what a person does. And on the basis of what the person says and what the person does, I can draw conclusions in my own mind. Now only God knows of the final analysis, but I can draw conclusions. And there are times when you'd have to say, on the basis of what this person says or what this person is doing, that it creates some problems within our minds, even though there's a facade and even though there's a profession. Because if you talk about a counterfeit, I mean, is it a counterfeit as close as you can possibly come to that which is genuine? I mean, doesn't that, Doesn't the counterfeit fool a lot of people? So there's always that understanding and there's always the thought of false teachers and false teaching. So if I'm reading the writings of Peter and Jude, what are Peter and Jude telling me? Peter and Jude, first and second Peter in the book of Jude. They're telling me that I have to defend God's truth as revealed through the apostles. I have to defend that truth. And he talks about it in various ways, both Peter and Jude. They use words like truth, word, message, faith, commandment, scripture, but it's all talking about the same thing. It is the word that was proclaimed by the apostles. So when I think of the gospel, the gospel is the word of God. It is apostolic teaching. And when I think about a person, a person's response to that gospel is all important. Obeying that truth brings about all kinds of things, but certainly reconciliation and conversion. But disobeying that word means to reject Jesus Christ in unbelief. So there's a division in humanity between those who come to faith in Jesus Christ and are saved, and those who utterly repudiate and reject Him. So there are believers in Jesus Christ, who have life and there are those who are unbelievers who do not have life. And there are those out there who are saying all kinds of things and I, as an ambassador, have to evaluate what's being communicated and said. Jesus warned about false teaching. Paul warned about false teaching. And we know that the only way we understand false teaching is by what the apostles have given to us, apostolic teaching. That's the standard. And when you think about the apostles and how they received this revelation, they received the revelation directly from God. They received the revelation in consultation with others who heard Jesus Christ. They received this revelation through a process where the Holy Spirit guided them as they came to an understanding of the Old Testament in light of the fulfillment in the teaching and work of Jesus of Nazareth. And that apostolic teaching became authoritative, understanding it was from God, and that's the standard by which we always judge everything. What do the apostles say? What is the apostolic teaching about whatever? And I recognize that's from the Lord. That is something that I firmly and specifically hold to. And I recognize this is the authoritative standard. And the gospel is very plain when I read Romans chapter 5 and 2 Corinthians chapter 5 in terms of the doctrine of reconciliation. Now I want to come back and I want to spend one more week on this subject and talk about we're ambassadors and we live not in a peaceful place, we live in a very turbulent place. And we are directly responsible to the emperor and he's placed us here and we represent him and he works through us with the channels, he works through us. And he wants us to understand this ministry and this message of reconciliation has been entrusted to us. And we're to say to those who are not saved or those who may think they're saved when in reality they're not, we are to say to them, This is the gospel and this is the only way in which a person can be saved. So let me come back and talk just a little bit more about it. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the doctrine of reconciliation to think that we have been thoroughly changed. We recognize we were enemies and now we have become sons and daughters. We know it's not on the basis of something that we can apprehend intellectually and that alone. We know it's not based upon anything that we could ever do, nor we know it's not based upon some sort of emotion we've had in the past. We know it's based upon life that's given to us as we're united to Jesus Christ and we know because of that we've been brought back to thee so that thou has become our father and our father forever. Cause us Lord to understand this ministry of reconciliation as well as this message of reconciliation and we pray that thou would work through us as we come in contact with all kinds of people that say all kinds of things, help us, Lord, to use the standard of Scripture by which to judge whatever we hear or see. Prayed in Jesus' name, amen.