The Nature of False Teachers

Introduction

Matthew 7:15 KJV 1900

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

We are now in part 3 of our look at Cults and False Religions. After the introduction a few weeks ago, we looked at recognizing a cult or false religion last week. Tonight, we are going to look in the Bible at the Nature of False Teachers...

The Bible gives us everything we need to know to avoid the trap of cults, false religions, and false teachers.

As a matter and a fact, the reason so many are confused, so many are deceived, is simply because they do not read the Word of God, they do not believe the Word of God, and they do not obey the Word of God.

They elevate the teaching of man over the Word of God, and therefore fall into a perverted view of the actual teachings of the Lord.

This brings about an important point, and that is, false religions don’t start themselves…They are always started by someone.

In the middle of a world filled with deception and false teachings, Peter, inspired by the Holy Ghost, addresses his brothers and sisters in Christ with a word of warning which we are going to look at tonight…In this passage, we can see the nature of false teachers...

So, turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter 1...

Last week and the week before, I’ve mentioned that all cults and false religions require an extra-biblical authority or include extra-biblical revelations from their leaders…This is required because the Bible proves them to be false.

If people would just read...

2 Peter 1:20–21 (KJV 1900)

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The word translated “private” simply means “one’s own” or “its own.”

Because all Scripture is inspired by the Spirit it must all “hang together” and no one Scripture should be divorced from the others.

Let me give you an idea, I saw a calendar of inspirational quotes one time, and it had a Bible verse on it…It said, “If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” - that’s Luke 4:7, and that sounds pretty good don’t it? - Until you realize who said it…That’s Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness…

You can use the Bible to prove almost anything if you isolate verses from their proper context, which is exactly the approach the false teachers use.

Peter stated that the witness of the Apostles confirmed the witness of the prophetic Word; there is one message with no contradiction. Therefore, the only way these false teachers can “prove” their heretical doctrines is by misusing the Word of God.

Listen to me Church...

Never forget that the Word of God was written to common people, not to theological professors. The writers assumed that common people could read it, understand it, and apply it, led by the same Holy Spirit who inspired it.

Look at 2 Peter 2 tonight...

2 Peter 2:1–3 KJV 1900

1 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 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 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.

In these verses, we have the picture false teachers…And it’s not a pretty picture.

I-They Exist

2 Peter 2:1 (KJV 1900)

1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,...

We shouldn’t be surprised by their existence or effectiveness!

Counterfeits are nothing new…Satan is the great imitator, and he has been hard at work ever since he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden…I went over that in the introduction...

Satan has false Christians.

Satan has a false Gospel.

Satan has a false righteousness.

And one day very soon, he will introduce the world to a false Christ.

When you go through the Old Testament, you’ll find Israel constantly being led astray by false prophets...

Elijah had to contend with the prophets of Baal, which were pagan...

Jewish false prophets were the worst because they claimed to speak directly for the Lord.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel called out counterfeit ministries, but people continually followed after the false prophets.

In the book “The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions” - we are given some statistics concerning the growth of cults...

Estimates vary as to how many cults exist on the religious landscape in America today. The best estimate is that there are at least 20 million people, and perhaps as many as 30 million, actively participating in a cult or some form of the occult in the United States. Worldwide, it is estimated that there may be as many as 5,000 cults, with perhaps as many as 150 million people involved. The two largest—the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses—account for at least 14 million.

You might be wondering why this is…Well, the answer to that question is the same today as it was back in the Old Testament…the false prophets and teachers preached a message the people wanted to hear.

Now, you might wonder why Peter makes a distinguishment here…He writes, “…were false prophets…shall be false teachers...”

This is important because the apostles and prophets laid the foundation for the church and then passed from the scene...

There are no more prophets, but there are still teachers in the Church…The true Church is not likely to listen to a prophet, but they will listen to a teacher...

Number 1, false teachers do exist...

2-How They Work

2 Peter 2:1 (KJV 1900)

1 ...who privily shall bring in damnable heresies...

False teachers try to hide and bring in their false teachings by stealth...The verb translated “bring in” carries the idea of smuggling or introducing something in a deceptive way.

2 Peter 2:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways;...

That word pernicious, in the Greek, it’s apoleia (ap-o-li-a) (destruction) - it’s closely related to apollymi (ap-ol-loo-mee) (to destroy) , and here’s another one closely related you’ll likely recognize, apollyon (ap-ol-loo-ohn) (destroyer)...

2 Peter 2:3 (KJV 1900)

3 ...with feigned words...

Feigned is an interesting word…in Greek, it’s plastos (plas-tos’)…It’s where we get the English word plastic from - The root form of it means, “to mould, to shape, to fabricate”...

They lie! - pure simple...

They lie to the media when they are questioned about their beliefs...

They lie to their followers...

They teach their followers to lie to outsiders...

Their feigned words are why they have to privily bring in their teachings.

False teachers never stand up and announce, “I’ve got some stuff to tell you that’s totally false!” No, they introduce their teaching as if it were the real thing, as if it were the guidance that’s true and beneficial.

This is why Jesus warns us...

Matthew 7:15 KJV 1900

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

In this text, we see false teachers do exist, we see how they work, then we see...

3-What They Teach

2 Peter 2:1 (KJV 1900)

1 ...damnable heresies,...

By definition, to damn something is to send it to hell for eternity…It’s sad that our society and increasingly people that say they are Christian use a word like that as a by-word and think nothing of it.

We are told what false teachers teach…they teach damnable heresies. This refers fatally ruinous ideas, ideas that don’t lead to mere temporal destruction but to the ultimate destruction of the second death and eternal exclusion from Christ’s kingdom...

Last week, I mentioned and give you examples of how cults and false religions share similarly wrong beliefs regarding:

The deity of Christ

The sinlessness of Christ

The atonement

Sin

Salvation by grace through faith

The reality of Heaven and Hell

Here’s the thing, when you mess with those doctrines, you are messing with the eternal soul of man…These are doctrines that we cannot get wrong! These are doctrines the Bible is clear on, and anything else other than what the Bible teaches concerning these are damnable heresies!

These damnable heresies always involve a wrong view of Jesus...

2 Peter 2:1 (KJV 1900)

1 ...even denying the Lord that bought them...

The idea here is that of a master of a house who purchases slaves and put them in charge of various household tasks. They owe their complete allegiance to him because they were his personal property, but they refuse to submit to the master’s authority, but still claim to be part of his household.

MacArthur writes, “These claim Christ as their Redeemer, but they refused his sovereign lordship, thus revealing their true character as unregenerate enemies of biblical truth.”

Jude 3–4 (KJV 1900)

3 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. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 John 7–11 (KJV 1900)

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. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

2 Corinthians 11:4 KJV 1900

4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

So, tonight, we have the fact that false teachers exist, we see how they work, and we see what they teach...

Now, we get into their motive.

4-Why they do what they do

2 Peter 2:3 (KJV 1900)

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.

False teachers are interested in one thing…Making money.

“make merchandise of you” literally speaking, “exploit you for money...”

Our Lord was a poor Man, and so were the Apostles; yet they gave of themselves to minister to others.

These false teachers are rich men who cleverly get others to minister to them! The Prophet Micah describes them to the tee...

Micah 3:11 (KJV 1900)

11 The heads thereof judge for reward,

And the priests thereof teach for hire,

And the prophets thereof divine for money:...

It’s interesting, when looking at many cults; they insist on communal living…which really just means personal control of everyone’s money...

When I think of this, I think of Jim Jones, David Koresch, Marshall Applewhite of the Heaven’s Gate cult just to name a few...

I think of how the Church of Latter-Day saints right now is said to worth 200 Billion...

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology was estimated to be worth somewhere around 60 million when he died in 1986...

I think of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (called Osho), who was kicked out of India due to his cult, made his way to America and setup shop in Oregon back in the 80s…He had the largest private collection of Rolls Royce cars at one time, he had 94 in his collection.

I think of Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification church, was the richest man in S. Korea when he died in 2012...

I think of Kenneth Copeland, who has an estimated worth of 300 million and has the title of wealthiest televangelist in America.

Conclusion

We can see the nature of false teachers when we read the Word of God…We can recognize them and their organizations…Aren’t you glad God give us His Word tonight?