FALSE PROPHETS AMONG US :
AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THEM .

(13-July-08)

By : Pastor Mike

" 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. " ( 2 Peter 2:1 ) .

'Brothers and Sisters ' in Christ ; I begin this sermon with Second Peter , because today , just as in Peter's day , false teachers and various "religious" denominations still pose a genuine danger to believing Christians .

Jesus had told the disciples that false teachers would come ; " And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. " ( Matthew 24:11 ) ; " For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." ( Mark 13:22 - 23 ) . Peter had heard these words , and now he was seeing them come true -just as we are today . Just as false prophets had contradicted the true prophets in Old Testament times ( See for example , Jeremiah 23:16-40 , 28:1-17 ) , telling people only what they wanted to hear , so false teachers twisted Christ's teachings and the words of His apostles - JUST AS MANY DO TODAY ! These teachers belittled the significance of Jesus' life , death , and resurrection - JUST AS THEY DO TODAY ! Some claimed He couldn't be God ; others claimed He couldn't have been a real man - JUST AS THEY DO TODAY ! They allowed and even encouraged all kinds of wrong and immoral acts , especially sexual sin - JUST AS THEY DO TODAY !  So we must be careful to avoid these false teachers of TODAY ! ANY book , tape series , or TV message must be evaluated by God's Word . We must be constantly on guard and beware of special meanings or interpretations that belittle Christ or His work .

When we look at 2 Peter 2:3 ; " And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." , we see Peter giving us THREE WARNING SIGNS for identifying false teachers ; (1) IMMORALITY : Do their lives contain or condone immoral practices ? Does the group listening to the false teachers have a lot of immoral sexual relationships ? ( 2) GREED : Teachers have a right to financial support , as it states in 1 Corinthians 9: 1-14 ; Galatians 6:6 ; and 1 Timothy 5: 17-18 , but is money the teacher's or group's prime motivation ? Before we send OR GIVE money to any cause , we should evaluate it carefully . Is the teacher - OR PREACHER - clearly serving God or merely promoting his/her own interests ? Will the person or organization use the money to promote valid ministry , or will it merely finance further promotions and / or extravagant lifestyles ?  ( 3 ) LYING : Is the teacher offended when you ask for the Scriptual backing behind his/her statements ? Does he/she fudge on the facts when asked for evidence ?

We Believers TODAY would do well to heed Peter's warnings against false teachers , THE DANGER IS GREAT !

Now if we look in our Bibles to The Book of Jude , we see that Jude wrote to motivate Christians everywhere to action . He wanted them to recognize the DANGERS of false teaching , to protect themselves and other believers , and to win back those who had already been deceived . Jude was writing against godless teachers who were saying that Christians could do as they pleased without fear of God's punishment . While few teach this heresy openly in the church today , many in the church act as though this were true . Notice in 1:3 Jude says ; "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. " Here , Jude is emphasizing the important relationship between CORRECT doctrine and TRUE FAITH . The TRUTH of The Bible must not be compromised because it gives us the REAL FACTS about Jesus and Salvation . The Bible is inspired by God and should NEVER be twisted or manipulated ; when it is , we become confused over right and wrong and lose sight of the ONLY path that leads to ETERNAL LIFE ! Before writing about salvation , then , Jude felt he had to set his readers back on the right track , calling them back to the basics of their faith . Then the way to salvation would be clearer .
So how do we ordinary Christians " contend for the faith " TODAY ? Well , think about these ideas :

(1) We can contend for the faith by knowing the TRUTH . We do that by STUDYING the Bible . Don't EVER imagine that pastors , or ANY other clergy , as well as seminary professors hold a monopoly on this task ! Without study , we cannot KNOW what to defend . We must understand the basic doctrines of the faith so that we can recognize FALSE DOCTRINES and prevent wrong teaching from undermining our faith and hurting others .

(2 ) We can contend for the faith as we grow personally with Christ . While knowledge IS important , our personal relationship with Christ is essential . Through that relationship  God has given us the Holy Spirit as a teacher . Unattached to God , we may know everything , but understand NOTHING . Attached to Christ , we are given spiritual understanding as well as experiences with Him that underscore our faith .

(3) We can contend for the faith by remaining unified on the essentials . While Christians can certainly disagree on many non-essentials , ( e.g., mandatory church attendance , mandatory baptism by immersion , tithing , methods of outreach , music in worship , etc ) , we must ALWAYS defend the TRUTH of the basics of our faith as found in God's Word .

Now , my friends - please to the Book Of  2nd John in your Bibles and take note of 1:7 ; " For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." Sound Familiar ? TODAY there are a few "religious" denominations who DENY that Christ had " come in the flesh ." They're the "antichrist" , my brothers and sisters - they are dangerous because they twist the truth and undermine the foundations of Christian faith . They may use the right words but change the meanings .

The term translated " deceivers" can also be translated "imposters " ; it carries the idea of leading another astray . Notice that the verse refers to "many" such charlatans and pretenders . The great danger of deceitful leaders is that they seem so sincere and believable . They are not easy to spot in a crowd . Usually they are winsome and attractive ; otherwise , how would they gather people to themselves ?

Lastly , and what I feel are THE MOST IMPORTANT verse's are v.10-11 ; " If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. "

John instructed the believers NOT to give hospitality to false teachers . They were to do nothing that would encourage the heretics in their propagation of falsehood . In addition , if believers invited them in , it would show they were approving of what the false teachers said and did . John is condemning not hospitality to unbelievers , but rather the supporting of those who are dedicated to opposing the TRUE teachings of God . Note that John adds that a person who supports a false teacher in any way shares that teacher's evil work !

BUT . . there IS hope for us growing Christians . Let's turn our Bible back to 2 Peter to see what he says in 3:10-11 ; " But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness . " Christ's Second Coming will be sudden and terrible for those who do not believe in HIm ! But for believers who are spiritually alert , it won't come as a surprise ! For other prophetic pictures of the Day of The Lord , see Isaiah 34:4 ; Joel 3:15-16 ; Matthew 24 ; Mark 13 ; Luke 21 ; Revelation 6: 12-17 . Realizing that the earth is going to be burned up , we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to earth and its treasures or pursuits .

And in conclusion , my friends , let's look at the last verse in 2 Peter (v.18) ; " But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. "

Peter concluded this brief letter as he began , by urging his readers to get to know God better and better . This is the most important step in refuting false teachers . No matter where we are in our spiritual journey , no matter how mature we are in our faith , the sinful world always challenges our faith . We still have much room for growth . If every day we draw close to Christ , we will be prepared to stand for truth in all circumstances

There is MUCH MORE the Bible tells us about FALSE TEACHERS AND DOCTRINES - and I appeal to you all , that if you have not already begun serious Bible study , to please do so . Just about EVERY (KJV) Bible-based church I know of has a Bible Study program - please look into it .

Until next , time - May The Lord CONTINUE to Bless and keep you ALL - ALWAYS .

Your Brother in Christ - Pastor Mike