The Great Imitator of God

To Be Like the Most High
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
Isaiah 14:13,14

Part IV
Shepherds
Like the Most High
II Corinthians 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.
Revelation 2:2b
 ...and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not,
and hast found them liars:
Matthew 7:15
 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
I. The Appearance of the Phony Shepherds!
II Corinthians 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.
A.  These shepherds appear Professional!
They have the 'training', the 'look', the clothes, the degrees, the spit and polish,
the charisma, the 'pizzazz'.
They know how to give what the people want to be given!
They are called ministers of righteousness because they preach righteousness, but...
Romans 10:2,3
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
and...
They also preach evil, but like their own people, they have it all twisted around!
Isaiah 5:20-23
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes
and prudent in their own sight!
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine,
and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Which justify the wicked for reward,
and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Bible says that they have great personalities

They sway the people to themselves - NOT to God's Words and God's Ways!
Jude 16
... their mouth speaketh great swelling words,
having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

B.  These shepherds are Pleasing!
They preach good words (Romans 16:17-20)!
They preach fair speeches (Romans 16:17-20)!
They preach enticing words of man's wisdom (I Cor 2:4; Col 2:4)!
They preach flattering words (I Thess 2:5; Job 17:5; Prov 6:24; 20:19; 28:23; Ps 36:2)!
They preach swelling words of vanity (II Peter 2:18; Jude 16)!

C.  But these shepherds are Phony!
1. The words of these wolves are really just...
malicious (III John 10),
vain (Ephesians 5:6) and
perverted (Jeremiah 23:36)!

2. Their words will deceive you (Eph 5:6),
beguile you (Col 2:4),
cause division (I Tim 6:3,4),
have no profit (II Tim 2:14; Jer 7:8),
subvert the hearer (II Tim 2:14),
make merchandise of you (II Peter 2:3), and
Allure God's own (II Peter 2:18)!

3. They will render God's words ineffective (Mark 7:13),
cause people to err (Prov 19:27),
kill the effect of the cross of Christ (I Cor 1:17),
and prate against us (III John 10)!

II.  The Attitude of the Phony Shepherds!

A.  These phony shepherds cause Deception
II Timothy 3:13
Eph 5:6
1. They will Trick you into being offended and get an attitude!
Psalm 119:176
2. They will Lie regarding what God hath said!
I Kings 22:12; 19-23
Jeremiah 23:16-18
Jeremiah 23:21,31, 32
II Chronicles 18:21,22
3.  They will Deceive you with a false light!
Psalm 119:105
II Corinthians 11:14
Revelation 20:7-9
4.  They will Deceive you with talks of peace!
Daniel 8:24,25
Jeremiah 23:17
5.  They will Deceive people with a false Christ!
Rev 6:1-8
6.  They will Deceive people with signs and wonders!
(more on this later in this series)
Matt 24:24
7.  They will Deceive people into a false salvation!
Luke 8:12
I Peter 1:23
8.  They will Deceive people away from true salvation, true spirit and true Jesus!
Galatians 1:6-9
9. They will Deceive people into hearing what they want to hear!
II Timothy 4:3,4
10. They will Deceive people away from their faith!
I Timothy 4:1-3

B.  These phony shepherds create Division!
Jude 18,19
How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time,
who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
I Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you;
but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment
I Timothy 6:3-5
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words,
even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words,
whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,
supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them.
I Corinthians 3:3
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying,
and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
John 7:43
So there was a division among the people because of him.

C.  These phony shepherds contradict Doctrine!
II Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Titus 1:9-11
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught,
that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers,
specially they of the circumcision:
Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses,
teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

D.  These phony shepherds circulate Doubt!
Matthew 27:39-42
And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
He saved others; himself he cannot save.
If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross,
and we will believe him.

III.  Appetites of the Phony Shepherds!
II Peter 2:1-3
But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways;
by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
II Peter 2:14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin;
beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices;
cursed children:
II Peter 2:22
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb,
The dog is turned to his own vomit again;
and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

A. These phony shepherds want Wealth!
John 10:12,13

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
I Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil:
which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

B. These phony shepherds want Women!
II Timothy 3:6
 For of this sort are they which creep into houses,
and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

C.  These phony shepherds want the Weak!
II Peter 2:14,15a
 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray,
Proverbs 31:3a
Give not thy strength unto women
Isaiah 4:1
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel:
only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

IV.  Ability of the Phony Shepherds!
Isaiah 56:10,11
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
I Corinthians 4:3,4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.
Matthew 15:14
 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

A.  They have no Ability to Perceive the Truth
I Corinthians 2:14
 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.
I Timothy 1:6,7
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say,
nor whereof they affirm.

B.  They have no Abilitiy to Preach the Truth
II Timothy 4:3,4
 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.
II Thessalonians 2:9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Jeremiah 7:4
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD,
The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jeremiah 7:8
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

C.  They have no Ability to Practice the Truth
II Timothy 3:5
 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away.
Isaiah 56:10
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs,
they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.


P.S.
The $64,000 Question!
Why Do People Let These 'Dogs' In, anyway?
They just eventually make a mess in their home!
People today are ASHAMED of God's words!
Mk 8:38; Luke 9:26

People today CAN NOT TAKE HOLD OF God's words!
Lk 20:26

People today CAST God's words BEHIND them!
Psalm 50:17

People today FORGET God's words!
Psalm 119:139

People today REBEL AGAINST God's words!
Psalm 107:11

People today CORRUPT God's words!
II Cor 2:17

People today ADD & TAKE AWAY God's words!
 Deut 4:2; Prov 30:6; Rev 22:18,19

People today REJECT God's words!
Jer 8:9; Lk 17:25; Jn 12:48

People today BELIEVE NOT God's words!
Ps 106:24; Lk 1:20; Jn 5:47

People today DESPISE God's words!
Prov 13:13

People today HANDLE God's words DECEITFULLY!
II Cor 4:2

People today are BLINDED from God's words!
II Cor 4:4

People today are CHOKED God's words in their life!
Mt 13:7, 22; Mk 4:7,19; Lk 8:7,14

People today ALLOW God's Words to be STOLEN!
Ps 119:43; Jer 9:5; 23:30, 31; 34:17

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.Amos 8:11,12

Boy, this is hitting home more and more each day!
Is it hitting you?


Return to The Great Imitator Preface & Contents
Return to Touchet Baptist Church
Return to Satan's Garage
Return to Written Bible Studies
Return to  Bible Studies of Baptist Interest