Malachi 2:7-8 | Away With Your Teaching! | Pastor Daniel Banna

The book of Malachi chapter two. Now if you've been coming to Friday night bible study, you know that we have visited, this book several times, this year. Tonight, we are landing in chapter two verses seven and eight. Now you would know that this is, a harsh book. From the beginning, you would sense God's anger with his people, God's anger with the priests because they have broken his laws, and they have broken his commandments.

Verses seven and eight. For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way you have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, said the lord of hosts. Let's pray.

Our god, as we open your word, lord, we stand before your word with fear and trembling, lord. Lord, we see the the enormous responsibility to teach your word faithfully and also to hear your word. And not just to be hearers, but also doers of the word. Lord, we pray that you will speak to our hearts tonight. You will convict us.

You will help us grow deeper in your word and have a greater love for you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. God, as we know, have selected a group of people from the tribe of Levi, descendants of Aaron, to be his priests in the old testament.

What was the main duties of the priest in addition to clearing the leper. What do I mean by that? You see, one of the duties of the priest was is to declare a leper clean of leprosy or unclean. We've studied that in the gospel of John. Jesus heals a man with leprosy, and he sends him.

He commands him to go to show himself to the priest. The plea priest has to declare he is clean. But there were other two very important duties of the priest. The one was to offer sacrifices, and we have seen that, and the second was to teach the people God's law. Deuteronomy thirty three ten summarizes these two duties.

It says, they shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. We have seen already that they have failed miserably in their first duty to offer what was acceptable to God. They offered what was cheap. They offered the the lame, the sick, the blind, the stolen.

They offered the leftover, and God was very much displeased with their offering. Their worship was unacceptable, and the method in which they offered their their sacrifice was also unacceptable and displeasing to God. And now we come to their second duty, namely teaching God's law. Now in the Old Testament, under the old covenant, God has ordained men to teach his people his law. In the same way in the New Testament, god, under the new covenant, ordained ministers, pastors, teachers to teach and equip the saints and has distributed to them spiritual gifts as he sees fit.

Now let me say this, and I believe, you have heard this before many times. Not every teacher, not every preacher in that church today is ordained of God. God ordains only according to his word. He cannot contradict his word. Many, so called churches, ordain, as we all aware, gay pastors, women pastors, men and women without spiritual gifts unfit for the ministry.

Churches might ordain these type of people, but God has no part in this at all. Now, let me talk couple of words about women and women in the ministry. I would say this, that God has gifted many women with the gift of teaching. I believe this wholeheartedly. God has gifted many women with the gift of of teaching.

This gift is not exclusively to men, but in a church, God has assigned only men to be pastors in his wisdom. God alone sits the order in his church, and he has given us instruction in his word how things he wants to be done in his church. Who are we to change God's order? The apostle Paul write to the Corinthians, in first Corinthians chapter 14, beginning in verse 33, these very important words about the order in the church. And these verses I'm going to be reading have nothing to do with giftedness, nothing to do with inferiority or inequality between men and women.

Both men and women are equal before God, and God gives gifts to whomever he chooses without discrimination. These verses speak about the role of women in church, and I emphasize in church. Beginning in verse 33, listen to what Paul writes. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, As in all the churches of the saints, this message is not just to the Corinthian church, but to every church. Verse 34.

The women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission as the law also says. If there anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came, or are you the only ones it has reached? And read and listen to verse 37. If anyone again, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet anyone who's hearing me today thinks he's a prophet.

If anyone thinks he's a prophet, not just that, or spiritual, you think you are spiritual. Paul says he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are the command of Paul. Right? No. The command of who?

The command of the Lord. The command of God. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. In the King James, I believe it says, but if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Let him be.

I think Paul is very clear. So what Paul taught at Corinth, he also taught at Ephesus. What he taught at Ephesus, he also taught in Colossae. What he taught in Colossae, he taught at the churches of Galatia. Wherever he went, he taught the same doctrine, the same teaching.

Many churches, one single doctrine. What was right then still right today. What Paul told them still stands accurate today. True women of God are fully satisfied where God has placed them. They will never try to serve an authority has not been given to them by the word of the Lord.

Now again, we're talking about the church. The context is the church, not at home, not anywhere else, but the church. God made this is very clear that men are to be pastors and teacher, teachers in his church. Now teaching God's word, I believe, is the highest calling of all. Teaching God's word is the highest calling, and it comes with the highest responsibility.

Listen to the words of the apostle Paul writing to his son, Timothy, in second Timothy two two. He tells him these words, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Faithful men. Who are those who are to be teachers? Faithful men.

Unfaithful men are not fit for the ministry. Faithful men. James, the lord's brother, seems to discourage us, Discourage men to be teachers because of the highest responsibility involved in the ministry. He tells him, not many of you should be teachers or should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness. If God, you feel, have put in your heart to be a bible teacher, a pastor, and has gifted you?

You want to begin from now to be faithful, faithful, faithful. See God every day. Live according to his word. God seeks faithful men. Now I don't understand, really.

I don't understand how could someone, and there are many unfaithful ministers, how could anyone stand on the pulpit and preach and not preach the pure word of God? How anyone dares to open the word of God and then mock it. How anyone would dare do that? But unfortunately, many do that. They take the word of God lightly.

They have no fear of God in their heart. They don't stand with fear and trembling, preaching and speaking what God has already made it clear in his word. Now when God calls one for the ministry, he will always give him the gift necessary for that ministry. Now listen to this. But even the gift, any gift, God gift God gives, it must be always exercised according to God's word.

It's not enough to have the gift. Even if you have the greatest gift of all, all gifts must be exercised according to God's word. The church at Corinth was full of gifts, yet it was a big mess, and Paul had to rebuke them very harshly. So you might have the gift, but you need to exercise it according to God's word. Now again, the second duty as we are mentioning is to teach God's law, to teach it with faithfulness, and to teach it with humility.

And this also the duty of every minister of the gospel. As it was the duty of the priest then in the old covenant, it is the duty of every pastor and teacher today in the new covenant. So now since there is no more, sacrifices to offer, this is the main duty of a pastor to teach God's word. Now listen, to these words of of of the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of John 21. I was reminded of this as I was preparing for this message.

And there, the lord Jesus Christ speak to his, I'm gonna say faithful disciple, Peter. Yes. He fell, but he came back. Jesus tells Peter these words, the last chapter of the gospel of John. He tells him, feed my lambs.

Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. But you know something? You know something? Before he asked him to take this serious responsibility, he did something else very, very important.

You could not do it until Peter you answer this question. Remember what what what you asked him? He asked him, do you love me? Do you love me? And he repeated it three times.

Do you love me? And he waited for Peter's answer. Each time, do you love me? You say yes. I love you.

Jesus says, feed my sheep. Tend my flock. Why? Because you cannot feed the sheep until you have a greater love for Jesus. If you are not faithful enough, if you don't love Jesus enough, you cannot shepherd God's flock.

Head full of information, wall full of certificates don't qualify anyone to be a pastor. It is first an utmost thing is a great and a deep love for Jesus. This is the most noble duty of a pastor is to feed god's sheep. Now how do we feed them? How do we feed them?

You lead them to God's pastures. You teach them God's law. You teach them the whole counsel of God. You don't pick and choose. You teach them what is written.

I was talking not too long time ago with a friend, and I was reminded of very, well known verse in Hebrews four twelve. You remember that word, that verse, for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of the spirit, of joints and of marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, sharper than any two edged sword. Now what does the sword do? What does the sword do? It cuts, doesn't it?

It wounds, doesn't it? It kills, doesn't it? The word of God described as a double edged sword. If what I am preaching Listen. If what you are hearing from the pulpit does not cut you, does not wound you, does not kill the sin in you, you are not hearing God's word.

This is not the sword of God. It's not the sword of the word of God. It is the word of man. It is dull. The word of God is sharp.

It must wound. It must cut. It must kills sin when within me. It must bring repentance. Now, this is our introduction.

Verse seven again. For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. The lips of the priest should guard knowledge. Which knowledge? The knowledge of God and the knowledge of God's word.

Knowledge must be guarded, protected, and preserved. This was the the the duty of the priest then and is the duty of every faithful minister today to guard knowledge in order to be able to distribute it whenever the opportunity comes. Speaking about the overseer or a pastor in Titus one verse nine, Paul says, he must, of a pastor, hold firm the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Now we have to remember, those days, the scripture was not readily readily available in the hands of anyone, almost, only in the hands of few priests. That was was so important for the priest to guard this this knowledge in order to be able to distribute it to the people, to share it, to to expound it, to preach it, to teach it.

We thank God Today, the word of God is available almost in hand of everyone. So now this is our duty, each one of us, to guard knowledge, to keep it in our hearts. I love what John Wycliffe wrote to one who translated, I believe, the bible, one of the greatest men of god. He wrote these words. When there were many people opposing him, having the bible in the hands of people printed.

He wrote these words. He said a true Christian was intended by Christ to prove all things by the word of God. All churches, all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices, these are his marching orders. Prove all by the word of God. Measure all by the measure of the Bible.

Compare all with the standard of the Bible. Weigh all in the balances of the Bible. Examine all by the light of the Bible. Test all in the crucible of the Bible that which cannot abide by the fire of the Bible reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. This is the flag which he nailed to the mast.

May it never be lord. The word of god. Now the bible says here, he is the priest is what? The messenger. He is the messenger of the lord of hosts.

Now we have, if you remember, we've talked about this word messenger. We've seen it before, and we see it again here. The Hebrew word is malach from the same word as malakai. In other word, he is the angel of the lord of of hosts, the same word. Now, the lord of hosts, we know the meaning.

Correct? You still remember what the lord of hosts means? The lord of the angels. Correct? One of the hosts, not just the the the armies of of the the human armies, but also the angels.

And, honestly, if you want to translate this literally, what he's saying here, the priest is the messenger of the lord of hosts. Literally in the Hebrew, he is the angel of the Lord of angels. He is the angel of the Lord of angels. Now listen. Angels are God's servants, aren't they?

They obey when God commands, and they obey promptly. They are always ready to go where God sends them and do what God tells them. There is never delay in their obedience, never hesitation, never objection, never half hearted obedience, never whining. We read of the of of the angels in in Hebrews one fourteen, are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Similarly, the priests were God's messengers, God's angels.

And this duty is the duty of pastors today to obey promptly god's commission to do god's mission and god's agenda, to serve god's people by teaching them his holy, everlasting, authoritative word. Now listen to the apostle Peter exhorting the elders in her fur in his first epistle, chapter five, verses two and three. He tells them, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you, not for shameful gain. Are you familiar with that? So unfortunate in many churches today.

But eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being example to the flock. This is how the attitude of true shepherd should be, to serve willingly and eagerly, not for money, not for prominence, but because of deep love for Jesus. And if you don't see this in your pastor, you are in the wrong church. Let's go to verse eight. But you have turned aside from the way.

You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the lord of hosts. Here the Hebrew, which is important here. I'm going to read it. And I want to emphasize this couple of words there.

It's just here translated, you have caused many to stumble by your instruction. Hebrew, it says, There is no word your in the Hebrew. Does not exist. You have caused many to stumble by instruction. And the word instruction, did you hear it in the Hebrew?

What was it? Torah. Torah. You know what Torah means? Law.

The law of God. So other words, he says, you have caused many to stumble at the law or by the law. What does he mean by that? Now first, the word Torah, probably you know, in a scripture, the by the bible often or sometimes speaks of the whole word of God. But sometimes refers always to the five books of Moses, more often the Pentateuch.

The whole bible, we call it in the Hebrew, is Tanakh. Some Hebrew listen. In English, six letters, Tanakh. In Hebrew, it's three letters. Means Torah, which means Torah, first one, law, prophets, are the writings.

Writing like, for example, Chronicles, Job, even the book of Daniel, considered in the writings in the Hebrew. Don't ask me why. You have caused money to stumble at the law. That's the literal translation. What is he saying here?

I think listen. I think this is what he is saying here. The priests have used their own interpretation of the law to deceive many and to make many to stumble. They use this book, the law, but they interpreted it the way they like it. And they called me to stumble by using the word of god.

In fact, they have elevated the oral law more than the written law. The oral law is what they have taught. All the additions, all the books that had been added to the bible to explain the bible. It was their own explanations, their own interpretations, their own teaching. They have they they have used the law to get rich.

They have used the law to climb higher in the ladder of authority and usurp power that only belongs to God. Read their own writings, and they tell you some of those rabbi that the word of the rabbi has a greater authority than the word of God. This is what they teach, some of them. They use the law for selfish ambition and gain and profit, and so on. They preached what the people like to hear.

In Lamentations two fourteen, god speaks and says, your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions. They have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes. They have not exposed your inequity. Oh, there is no profit if I do that. Let me teach what the people like.

And we see the continuation of this pattern during Christ's earthly ministry until this day within the false church. Now when you go back to Christ's early ministry in Matthew chapter five, in that great Sermon on the Mount, I want you to look at couple of verses there, couple of words Jesus used there again and again beginning in verse 17. We have read it many times. Verse 17. Matthew verse 17.

Christ is telling them, do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. That is God's written word. For I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota and not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches other to do will will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

But immediately after that, verse 21, listen to what he says. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable of judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable off or to judgment. Again in verse 27, you have heard, but I tell you. Verse 31, you have heard, but I tell you.

Verse 33, verse 38, verse 43, Christ keep repeating the same thing. You have heard, but I tell you. Now listen, he has confirmed already the word of God, the written word of God. It is the absolute written word of God. But now he comes and he tells him, you have heard but I tell you.

I believe what Christ is teaching here is what Malachi is talking about. Jesus is not speaking about the written law. He affirmed that already in verse 17. But beginning in verse 21, Jesus is talking about what they have heard. He doesn't say it is written, but I tell you.

No. But he says you have heard, but I tell you. They have heard a reference story. They have heard something different than what was written. They took the written text that is correct, but now they interpreted according to their own likings, their own way, their own interpretation.

What they have heard is the rabbi interpretation, the oral law, the teaching and tradition of man, not God's word. Christ is speaking against all of this. Now remember, when Satan, the tempter, came to Christ just not too long ago before the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter four, Each time the tempter came to the lord Jesus Christ with temptation, Jesus responded how it is written. He confirms the written word. He object the teaching of the rabbi, the interpretation of the rabbi of the written word, but he always confirmed the written word.

He has honored the law. He has honored the written word. He was rejecting the oral law that was expanding and still, by the way, expanding. Let us come little closer to our modern day teaching and doctrine. What is relevant to us today?

Do we teach the written word? Do we hear the written word being taught in churches? Do we hear the written word being taught on pulpits? Is the written word sufficient without the need of any other word? Do we interpret the written word the way it was intended when it was first written?

Comparing a scripture with scripture, or we are interpreting it to suit our own likings and to fit our own narratives. Do we believe what was right two thousand years ago still right today? Do we hold the word of God higher than any other word or any other authority? These are few questions we need to ask ourselves. Unfortunately, looking at the traditional church, we see the departure from the truth of the written word little by little until often you find yourself with doctrines that they are completely heretical and not Christians.

And you must come to the conclusion that this church that has reached that point is no longer to be called church. It's a place where God does not acknowledge to be his church. Maybe it is the seat of Satan himself. The teaching of man, not the teaching of God. And as our Lord told the crowds in his day, you have heard, but I tell you, Christ, I'm sure, would look today at many churches, and he would say, you are hearing, but I tell you.

You are hearing, but I tell you. What you are hearing is not my word, is man's interpretation. Look at my word. You want to know what I tell you? Look here.

Look here or listen to faithful preachers preach the truth. It's written, unaltered, unchanged, unfiltered, complete, sufficient, and eternal. God's word remains the same. Doctrines of man keeps changing. They are ever expanding.

New teachings, new doctrines every short while. Let me touch on couple of things. Purgatory. You heard about it. Right?

Was adopted by the Catholic church at the Council of Trent in December. Celibacy of priests at the fourth Lateran Council in 12/15. Confusion of sin to the priests, same year, 12/15. Transubstantiation, you know what that really means. Right?

That means the belief that when we observe communion or the Lord's supper, that the bread become the the bread becomes the literal flesh of the Lord Jesus, and the cup, the wine becomes the literal blood of the Lord Jesus that you are sacrificing Christ again and again and again and again. That's why as believers you can never participate in a mess. Never never to participate in remembering in in sacrificing Christ again and again. That was done the same year. And then come closer, the Immaculate Conception not until 1854 was first introduced by a monk in the eleventh century but was not finalized until 1854.

It is the belief that that the Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived her entire life completely free of sin. Now this is complete in complete contradiction to scripture, to the word of God that declares it clearly. That, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin and so desperate to all men because all sinned. All sinned. Everyone needs a savior.

Ephesians two three, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of of wrath like the rest of mankind. Romans three twenty three, for all have sinned and come short and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. No. If Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free from sin from the moment of her conception as the claim, then she would not have needed a savior. Right?

She would not have needed to be redeemed. But listen to the words of Mary in Luke one forty six and forty seven. And by the way, when I talk to about Mary, I always say the mother the Mary, the mother of Jesus. That's how the the word of God always speak of her, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and what a glorious title to be to be affiliated with your son, Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus.

No greater name than this should be used. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Listen to the words of Mary in Luke one forty six and forty seven. My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior savior. Quite interesting.

The second point they make on the immaculate conception is this. Mary's immaculate conception was necessary in order to her for her to give birth later to Jesus without infecting him with original sin. This is what they teach. She has to be sinless that she will not infect our lord and savior who was born of the holy spirit, that she may not be infecting him with original sin. Now I was reading this.

I was really scratching my head. What is this? And what then then in order for her to be sinless as they say, that would require her to have a sinless parents. Right? And to have a sinless parents would require to have a sinless grandparents, and to have a sinless grandparents would require her to have a whole sinless race.

Where do you end? Where do you end? But for the Catholic church to avoid such logical conclusion, they say this. Mary was conceived by normal biological means, but God kept her immaculate at the time of conception. There is nothing of this in the scripture.

This is man's invention. This is man's invention. It's what we talked about here. You made many to stumble at the law. You teach your own teaching, your own doctrine.

And are we even evangelicals, are we to be afraid to talk about these things, to confront these errors in love because we love Christ and we love the people who are really going to hell because of false teachings. We have to speak of these things. Listen what the writer of Hebrews says in 10 in Hebrews ten five about the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me. It was the Holy Spirit, a body God has prepared for him in the womb of Mary.

God picked Mary as a woman who would give birth to his son, not because he needed a sinless vessel to pass purity into his son. That's blasphemy. Mary provided nourishment and protection for God's son as he developed in her womb. Now this doctrine of immaculate conception would demand another invention, another doctrine, and that is the assumption of Mary. That is Mary did not die.

It was she was she had to heaven, never died. Why? Because if Mary was without sin, then she cannot die. You have to invent another doctrine. Listen to what Romans five twelve says.

It says there, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. The wages of sin is death, but where is there is no sin, there is no death either. And since they teach Mary is sinless, They must teach that she never died. She was taken at the end of her life, soul and body to heaven to be with her beloved son forever. Quite interesting.

This last doctrine was not finalized until 1950, seventy two years ago by Pope Pius the twelfth. And they have justified this doctrine of the assumption of Mary on two points. Number one, listen to this. The universal consensus of the church, Quite interesting. Not God's word.

They have no problem admitting that. It's the universal consensus of the church. And the second point, the theological suitability of the doctrine. What that means? The theological Pastor Daniel, the theological suitability of the doctrine.

You know what that means? It means it fits well, very well, with other false doctrines. It fits well very suitable. Which doctrines? The immaculate conception, the perpetual virginity of Mary, and other false doctrine.

It fits very well. So let us introduce it. You see how one false doctrine lead to what? To another. Anytime you invent a new doctrine, you are going to have a problem.

When you have a problem, you need to invent another doctrine to explain your first problem, and so on. Now what about the evangelical churches? Now we talked about them. Let's talk about the evangelical churches. Shall I have mercy on the evangelicals?

Maybe I should not because many evangelical churches went into very similar errors. But let me be brief. Do we preach the written word? Do we preach the written word or the pastor's opinion? Or you have heard which one?

Do we interpret scripture with scripture, comparing one part with another, or we base our feelings based on our feelings or the majority consensus? Suitable, fitting with other doctrines I teach? Do we study the word of God prayerfully and carefully, looking at what it says and what or what I wanted to say. Listen to what the scripture says. Study this commandment, and that's to all of us.

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, rightly handling it. The church today, the evangelical church is going down a very slippery slope. Very slippery slope and very quickly. I was reminded of what's written in the song of songs. There we are warned of little foxes, little foxes that ruin the vineyards.

All these little foxes that go often unnoticed, unhindered between the vines showing here and showing there. And when we see them, we may say, oh, they are but just little foxes. They are harmless. They cannot do much damage. Oh, the teaching may not be 100% accurate, but it is okay.

It's not a big deal. We have a bigger fish to fry, bigger issues to deal with. Let us not divide the evangelical church. Oh, this man has done so much for the cause of Christ. He has a successful ministry.

We should not call him out when he teaches a false doctrine. Beware of the little foxes. They multiply very fast. If you have not noticed, you should notice it. They already have multiplied very fast, and they are multiplying more than you can count.

Beware of the little leaven. It leavens the whole lump. And the damage it causes often is unreversible or irreversible. You have turned away. You have turned away by many by your instructions.

Because of these teachers, because of this teaching, many have stumbled, and they will never rise again. May God help us to be faithful, to teach the word of God, not the doctrine of man. I'm going to end with the last word reading from Peter's exhortation in second Peter three verses 14 to 18, and I will end with that. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for this, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him as he does in all the letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

These are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures. You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability, 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. Let's pray.

Our lord and savior, we thank you for your precious word. We pray that you give your church wisdom. You give your church discernment. We thank you the Holy Spirit that is within us can teach us everything, can lead us, can help us to spot errors right away. Lord, we need you.

We need you. We need your Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. Lord, we know that evil men are everywhere, teaching men's doctrine and men's teaching, turning away many from your truth, making many to stumble and fall, oh lord. Oh lord, we pray that you bring many of those pastor to their knees with true repentance, true repentance. I pray for those who have been deceived, lord.

Oh god, we pray that you will enlighten their hearts. They will look at your word at what is written and not what they have been hearing, to reject every word that is contrary to your word, to reject every false doctrine within and without. Lord, and we here in this church, we pray that you keep us holy. Keep us faithful to preach and declare always your word, the unaltered, the unfiltered, the everlasting and eternal word of God. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.