Staying on Target... (3)

False Teachers

The apostles and other leaders of the early church persistently warned against false teachers. Even Jesus warned against false teachers. You’ve maybe heard the saying, “Wolves in sheep’s clothing.” This saying means that someone comes in looking like a sheep, but only comes in to destroy the flock.

Let’s look at our Scripture today,

2 Peter 2:1–3 NLT

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

Let’s cut to the chase this morning?

What is a cult?

“A cult is a perversion, a distortion of biblical Christianity and/or a rejection of the historic teachings of the Christian church.” - McDowell

It may not be quite as prominent today as in the past, but it still happens.

It’s Saturday morning. It’s your day off. You’ve slept in a bit, and you’re taking it easy at the kitchen table. Maybe you’re checking out Facebook, or just having a conversation, and the door bell rings. You go and answer the door, and two people are standing at the door. They are well dressed and they begin their conversation with:

“Good morning, we’d like to talk to you about some current events that are going on in our world.”

As the conversation persists, they might talk about the end times and how we need to take care of our world. Before they leave, they ask if you would like to take one of their magazines called the Watch Tower.

If you drill down a bit and find out what they believe, it won’t take long to figure out that they don’t believe in the Trinity. They don’t believe that Jesus is God in human flesh.

Even though you may get a visit from time to time, there are other resources that are as dangerous, if not even more dangerous where we can be led astray. it’s called...

The internet

All it takes is to type in a few words and at the click of a mouse, or a tap of a Smart phone, we can be unsuspectingly entering the world of doctrinal error.

There are more than 45,000 denominations world wide. This means that there are many churches that hold slightly and also vastly different views on their Christian beliefs.

Barna Research Group out of California, is a well respected Christian research group. They try to get the pulse of society, but also a pulse of the church. Many of the results are American, but there are some similarities in Canada as we are influenced by our neighbours to the south. We might not believe it, but TV is a huge influencer, and much of our content is from the States.

I’ll try to keep this brief. The question is: Do American Christians actually have Biblical Beliefs?

Do Christians have Biblical beliefs?

There are five different groups that Barna identified as Christians:

-Self-identified Christians -Self-identified born-again Christians -Self-identified evangelical Christians -Theologically born-again Christians -Integrated disciples

In the States, 69% of the population identify as Christians.

According to our 2021 Census,

53% of Canadians identify as Christians

Only 9% of these had a biblical worldview.

People who call themselves Christians have a number of beliefs consistent with the Bible’s teachings, including God created the world and rules over it, God cares about our moral choices, and God gives people unique callings.

However, self-identified Christians also have a number of beliefs that are inconsistent with the Bible’s teachings. Some of these are that all religions are equal, the Holy Spirit is not a personal being, and people can earn their way to heaven by being good.

Beliefs that majorities of people in this category reject include the idea that Jesus is the only person who can save them, that marriage should be between one man and one woman, and that premarital sex is wrong.

Barna concludes:

The narrative driving the faith of the self-identified Christian population, then, is not consistently in tune with biblical perspectives. It might best be described as acknowledging that God is real, powerful, and caring, and is worthy of worship and consideration. He is open-minded and tolerant. Our moral choices are important but primarily because of their effect on other people. Those choices are best influenced by human experience and personal expectations. If we invest in being happy, God will bless those efforts. Toward that end, the best advice we can live by is the wisdom developed and shared by other people.

Born again or Evangelical Christians

Barna found that there are “numerous outlooks” among self-identified born-again Christians that conflict with Biblical teachings. These include the idea that there are no moral absolutes, that all faiths are equal, and that if people are good enough, they can earn their way to heaven.

“Interestingly,” says Barna, “just 44% believe that when they die they will go to Heaven, but only because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. In other words, nearly six out of 10 people who claim to be born-again do not meet the widely accepted, biblical definition of born-again.”

Theologically Born-again

Significant percentages of theologically born-again people still hold to unbiblical beliefs. Fifty-one percent of theologically born-again Christians say that all faiths are equal. Forty percent say there is no absolute truth, and 37% say that people can earn their way to heaven by being good enough. So while people who meet the criteria of being born again in their theology are much more likely to hold biblical beliefs, only 19% have a biblical worldview.

Integrated Believers

Only six percent of all American adults, or 15 million people, actually have what Barna calls a biblical worldview. Over 99% of these “integrated disciples” believe that the Bible is accurate and reliable, over 99% say they actively avoid sinning, and 88% say that God has a reason for everything. Only five percent believe that they can earn their way to heaven by being good enough, and 9% say that all faiths are equal.

We can be concerned about the cults and rightly so, but we need to be equally concerned that we aren’t following another gospel.

Jesus said in,

Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

We, as Christians, need to be found in Jesus not having a righteousness of our own that comes from what we have done or what we can do, but one that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done.

False Teachers

2 Peter 2:1 NLT

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.

If we look back into the Old Testament, there were many self proclaimed prophets that were speaking on behalf of the Lord, and yet God did not send them.

Jeremiah 23:16–18 NLT

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord! They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’ “Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

Hananiah was one of those prophets that walked up to Jeremiah and broke a yoke that represented the exile to Babylon.

God’s judgment was that he was dead within the year.

He was one of many, that spoke without God speaking to them.

Those were the prophets.

Jesus warned against false Christ’s and false prophets. In

Matthew 24:4–14 NLT

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

There will be false teachers among you...

They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and deny their Master who bought them.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 NLT

These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

God will treat them as they deserve...

2 Peter 2:2–3 NLT

Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

We see many that have shamed the gospel for money. Many have been misled and deceived. Look at the stats that I read earlier. 9% of people who claim to be Christians in the United States have a biblical world view.

God sees all things perfectly and He will judge accordingly. Those who have led others away from Jesus will face God’s judgment.

This might seem bleak, but our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and power, against spiritual forces in the heavenly places.

What can we be doing?

I don’t want to leave here today telling you that Christianity is in tough shape.

Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”

Here are some things that we can do.

1. Study God’s word

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

We have been given the word of life. God’s word is truth. Read it! Pray it! and Apply it to your life!

2. Walk by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16–17 NIV

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Here’s a rule of thumb. The Holy Spirit leads us. He guides us into all truth. If we follow Him, He won’t mislead us. He will confirm His leading by His word.

If you feel pressured or pushed, take that as a sign that Holy Spirit isn’t leading. One of the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. He will draw you. He will lead you. He will guide you, but He will not force you.

3. Flee evil & pursue all things that lead to godliness

Paul said this to Timothy,

1 Timothy 6:10–12 NIV

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

4. Defend the faith

Jude 3–4 NLT

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Another word for defend is contend for the faith. We are called to stand on God’s word. We are called to test all things. We can pray for discerning hearts. We can ask God for wisdom as He leads you.

1 Thessalonians 5:14–24 NIV

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Let’s pray!