How to overcome false teaching

Introduction

There is a survey every two years called the State of Theology.

It asks Americans, and takes them in two groups: church attenders and non-church attenders and asks them a question: where they are to agree or disagree.

So these are some interesting facts in the most recent survey.

48% of people who go to church believe that God changes and learns things over time.

That’s not true, because God is omniscient, He knows everything.

Yet almost half of people who go to church don’t believe God is omniscient.

And lastly 65% of church attenders believe that people are born innocent.

Meaning that most people who go to church don’t believe that humans are truly sinful.

How?

How is this possible?

Sometimes its ignorance.

But a lot of times, its because of false teaching.

And so that’s what we’ll be learning today.

How to overcome false teaching.

You see there are many challenges the church will come across.

On the outside is persecution.

And persecution tends to actually improve the church via purification.

It makes the church stronger.

But the real danger is false teaching.

Because it comes from within.

The biggest killer of human beings all come from the inside.

Diseases, disorders, and cancers within the body.

And it’s no different with the church.

The most dangerous threat to the church is not the outside influences: the culture, false religions, or even persecution.

But false teaching.

So let’s look at the first way to overcome false teaching.

1. Be satisfied in Christ (v.4)

First we see the word, ‘now’.

This means that Paul is changing the subject of what he was writing earlier to something new.

It means we come to a turning point in Paul’s letter.

He’s been giving thanks and praise to God, and saying positive things about the Colossians.

But now he turns to discuss a problem.

He wants to address the elephant in the room.

The problem of false teaching within the church.

But then, he says, ‘this I say’.

‘This I say’ refers to what he just wrote in the previous verse.

That in Christ is hidden ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’

What did we learn last Sunday?

That being real must have a motive to help others become rich in Christ.

Because Christ is the treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge.

True wisdom and knowledge can only be found in Christ.

You can’t find it in a Ted talk, Tiktok, or an Amazon best seller book.

But in Christ alone.

You can only be fulfilled in Christ.

Because Christ is true riches.

If you have Christ, you have everything.

And if you have everything, you don’t need anything else.

Because you are satisfied in Him.

And that’s what Paul is teaching here.

That being satisfied in Christ protects you from false teaching.

It’s the idea of being content.

Paul talked about this in another letter, Philippians 4:11-13

Philippians 4:11–13 (LSB)

Not that I speak from want, for I learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in abundance; in any and all things I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Because Paul was content he didn’t care whether he was in a season where he had little or a season where he was overflowing with material blessings: money, gifts, nice clothing etc.

Because he had Christ.

Because he was satisfied in Christ.

And because he was satisfied in Christ he didn’t need anything else.

He could do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

Maybelle worked many years as a waiter.

And I always wondered why do we always order more food than we need, the hungrier we are?

And she explained that people order not with their stomach but with their eyes.

When they look at the menu, they order everything that looks delicious.

Because they are starving and can only look at words on a menu they order everything.

But guess what?

When you come to a restaurant full, you barely order anything!

So come to a restaurant full and satisfied already if you want to save money.

And live life satisfied in Christ if you want to overcome false teaching.

Because being satisfied in Christ addresses the root issue of falling for false teaching.

The desire.

God has made us to desire things that are full of eternal meaning.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (LSB)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

People will always look for meaning in life.

They will always look for wisdom and knowledge.

But what’s the only place where we can find true wisdom and knowledge?

Jesus Christ.

So if you fill your heart that God made to desire eternal things, with Christ the only one who can truly fulfill you, you’ll stop looking at other sources for eternal things.

These other sources is where you get false teaching.

If on one hand, being satisfied in Christ protects you from false teaching, not being satisfied in Christ puts you in a vulnerable state of falling for false teaching.

If you’re hungry you will always desire food.

If you’re spiritually hungry and you don’t feed yourself with the treasures of Christ’s Word, then you will look to the wrong sources.

And that’s what Paul is referring to when he says, ‘lest anyone should deceive you’.

So if you see others or yourself seeking truth from the wrong sources it’s a sign that you’re not satisfied in Christ.

That you’re still spiritually hungry.

What were the wrong sources in the Colossians day?

What was the false teaching going on in their church?

Jewish legalism and mysticism.

Legalism referring to man-made rules that you have to follow in order to be saved.

And mysticism referring to seeking miraculous and emotional experiences to advance you to the next stage of your spiritual journey.

But what are the wrong sources, the false teaching that we deal with today?

Here are some examples.

When Christians fall for the lie that it’s ok to live with your boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage, and take it to the church and spread it to other Christians, that’s false teaching.

When Christians see other people around them, whether in school or at work, lying, and assume that if everyone is lying, then it’s ok for me to lie too, and share it with other Christians at church, that’s false teaching.

How about when Christians take unbelievers, who say many true things, like Jordan Peterson, but is not a Christian, and tell Christians, to listen to him?

That’s false teaching.

He may say many good and true things, but he never ties it back to Christ, which subconsciously teaches you that you can solve all your problems alone without God.

And finally, when you go to a bookstore, and you see Christian books or you hear on Christian radio or a Christian on Instagram or TikTok teaching you that you can be like God and declare things into existence.

These are all modern examples of false teaching.

Now just because you say something incorrect about the Bible doesn’t mean you’re also a false teacher.

False teachers are intentionally deceptive.

Their goal is to deceive you.

If your goal is not to deceive others, then you’re not a false teacher, you’re just learning.

But students, beware of these false teachers because they are trying to deceive you.

And their deception is no joke.

Because Paul says, false teachers deceive with persuasive words.

When assassins want to kill a king, they didn’t give him a cup with 100% poison.

They give him a cup with 1% poison, so that the drink still tastes good, and still kill him anyway, slowly over time.

Satan doesn’t come with two horns and a pitchfork like in the cartoons.

No, he comes attractive, appearing as light.

And it’s the same with false teaching.

It looks good.

There’s a reason why people fall for it, because it’s very attractive.

Do not be prideful, and think that you’re immune to false teaching on your own.

Instead be humble and examine everything with Christ’s Word.

So what’s the solution to overcoming false teaching?

Be satisfied in Christ.

Take the proactive approach, meaning you prepare in advance.

Because when you’re satisfied in Christ you won’t even be interested in listening to nonsense.

You’ll just scroll up.

Because you already have everything in Christ.

2. Share Christ’s Word (v.5)

Look at v.5, for though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit.

Why was Paul so confident, to say that even though he is not there in person, he is with them in person?

Because he shared Christ’s Word with them.

Where does it say, he shared Christ’s Word with them?

Back in v.4, when he wrote, ‘now this I say’.

Because Paul knew that what he was writing, is God’s Word.

That’s what the other apostle, Peter said, in 2 Peter 3:16

2 Peter 3:15–16 (LSB)

and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,

as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Peter, living while Paul was writing his letter, acknowledged, that false teachers tried to distort Paul’s letters, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

In other words, Peter called Paul’s letters, Scripture.

God’s Word.

Christ’s Word.

Paul was so confident that by sharing Christ’s Word with them in his letter, that Christ’s Word would unite them, and in that sense, he was with them in spirit.

Through Christ’s Word he was united with them even though he was not around them.

And it made him rejoice, because he writes, rejoicing to see.

Paul was so confident in his sharing of Christ’s Word and it’s power to unite the Colossians against false teaching that it gave him joy.

So students, share Christ’s Word if you want to overcome false teaching.

When you see others, straying the wrong way, listening to the wrong things, share Christ’s Word.

Because we are all in this together.

We are the body of Christ and so just like white blood cells in the body, we are to share Christ’s Word so that others don’t get hurt.

But the real question is how?

How can we share Christ’s Word?

You see in my in generation, most people use social media, but not everyone.

But in your generation, almost everyone uses social media.

And while social media has it’s negatives which we talk about a lot, there are also positives.

The ability to communicate with each other anywhere and anytime.

The ability to share information easily and quickly.

As Christians we need to use social media, to share Christ’s Word.

How can you use, Snapchat, and Instagram to share Christ’s Word?

How can you use, BeReal to share Christ’s Word?

Text Bible verses to one another.

You see someone from church, saying sus things?

Text them some Bible verses!

Post Scripture and clips of good bible teachers on your Reel or Stories.

You have the ability to easily share the gospel with others through social media.

Like Paul, be confident in that sharing Christ’s Word has immense power to change someone’s lives forever, even if you’re not always there to share it with others in person.

Don’t be ashamed to share Christ’s Word on social media, because it is true riches.

Use social media to share Christ’s Word.

Because it will bring fruit.

And what fruit does Paul see, as a result of sharing Christ’s Word with them?

Paul writes, your good order and steadfastness.

These two words are military illustrations.

Good order refers to the ability to stay in formation.

In football, when you see the players line up in a certain way, and stand in certain spots, they are trying to accomplish a certain play.

That’s called a formation.

Steadfastness, or stability refers to the ability to stand your ground.

To not move.

One of the reasons the Roman legion was so successful in ancient times was because of their legendary discipline.

They had the unique ability to stand in many types of different formations that allowed them to maneuver around enemy armies.

And because of their ability to stay in formation, they would become immovable.

They would not shift, or move at all, unless ordered to.

No matter what.

No matter if they were outnumbered or tired or hungry they would not move.

In fact the Roman legion would execute soldiers who ran away.

That’s why they were unstoppable in their time.

See, when you trust in Christ’s Word you also become disciplined.

You stand your ground, when false teaching comes your way.

Because not only are you satisfied in Christ, but now you are also sharing His Word with others.

When we are all sharing Christ’s Word with one another, we become:

strong

united

disciplined.

Christ’s Word brings us into formation, brings us in line together, so that we become immovable.

And we brush off false teaching, and advance forward.

So if you want to overcome false teaching, share Christ’s Word.

Gospel

If you are here today, and are not satisfied in Christ or are not interested in sharing Christ’s Word because you don’t know Him.

Then I urge you to repent, because God bears judgement on all sinners, which is all of us, who have not put our faith in Him.

But the good news, is that Jesus offers salvation as a free gift to all who believe in His death on the cross, and ressurection, and acknowledge that good works cannot save, but only Jesus Christ’s work on the cross can save.

Come to Christ and be saved today.

Conclusion

Great preacher Charles Spurgeon said,

Nobody can do as much damage to the church of God as the man who is within its walls, but not within its life.

The Form Of Godliness Without The Power, Volume 35, Sermon #2089 - 2 Timothy 3:5

Charles Spurgeon

False teaching is dangerous students, because it is from the inside.

Bot you can overcome it when you are satisfied in Christ and you share His Word with one another.

Let’s pray.