Facts About False Teachers We Must Be Aware Of
Notes
Transcript
RECOGNITION OF MEMORIAL DAY
RECOGNITION OF MEMORIAL DAY
Ask those who have served in the military to please stand
Recognize the sacrifice that is made in the life of a service man to follow orders that may be inconvenient or undesired
Recognize that some of them have known men/women who have given their lives on the battlefield
Read poem, The Cost Of Freedom
We honor those who paid the price
For freedom’s sake, they gave their life
Their sacrifice we can’t forget
For freedom’s cause, they paid the debt.
Their sacrifice, etched in the annals of fate,
A cost of freedom, heavy and great.
In the silence of remembrance, we bow our head,
For the ones who sleep, in freedom’s bed.
Their life, the currency for liberty’s plea,
The cost of freedom, for all to see.
In the echoes of gratitude, their voices linger,
A cost paid in blood, by freedom’s bringer.
Please remain standing for prayer.
PASTORAL PRAYER
PASTORAL PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember and honor those who have laid down their lives in service to our country.
Their courage, dedication, and ultimate sacrifice have secured the freedoms we cherish.
We thank You for their unwavering commitment and the legacy they leave behind.
As we reflect on their sacrifices, we are reminded of the words of Jesus:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Their selfless acts echo the profound love demonstrated by Christ on the cross.
We thank You with all we are
for Your wondrous grace and love
for bearing our sin in Your own body on the tree.
By Your cross crucify our every sin;
Use it to increase our intimacy with You;
Make it the basis of all our comfort,
the liveliness of all our duties,
the comfort of all our afflictions,
the root of our love and thankfulness,
the very essence of our obedience;
And by it may we give ceaseless praise.
We pray for the families and loved ones of those who have fallen,
asking for Your comfort and peace to surround them.
May they know Your presence and find hope in the resurrection of Christ.
We in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, and for Your glory alone.
Amen.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
As we return to 2 Peter 2, let’s remind ourselves what Peter has told us about the false teachers that will come into the Church.
Read 2 Peter 2:10b-16
Peter takes such a firm stand against false teachers that rise up in the Church.
And rightfully so!
It is the duty of the pastor/elder to protect the flock!
Jesus has already told us that this will be a matter that must be noted.
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Paul’s instruction to Titus made very clear the expectation of Elders/Pastors:
He must hold firm to 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.
Peter reveals the truth about these false teachers, and through that revelation gives warning to those who follow them.
Read 2 Peter 2:17, we ar
We see in this verse, we see 3 Facts About False Teachers We Must Be Aware Of.
WATERLESS SPRINGS
WATERLESS SPRINGS
The integrity of a preacher to the sound teaching as given through the Word of God is paramount!
Matthew Henry
Ministers should be as wells or fountains, where the people may find instruction, direction, and comfort
And in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
It is so important for believers to be properly nourished, which is the point of Psalm 1.
Read Psalm 1
You have to avoid the poison and get proper nourishment!
The man who chooses to not become comfortable with wickedness in his life is considered blessed.
Look at the condition he avoids:
walking in the counsel of the wicked
standing in the way of sinners
sitting in the seat of scoffers.
Each area shows a comfort with the way of wickedness.
Blessed is the man who doesn’t do these things.
The way of the wicked is to be avoided!
Consider what Solomon gives us in Proverbs.
Do not enter the path of wicked men And do not step into the way of evil men.
Avoid it, do not pass by it; Stray from it and pass on.
For they do not sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the fullness of day.
The way of the wicked is like thick darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.
Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.
The ways of the wicked are never beneficial to the walk of the righteous person.
Rather, the way of wickedness will only cause the righteous to go off course.
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Become righteously sober-minded, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
We must be so tuned in with the truth of the Word of God that we are not going to be dependent on the waterless springs of false teachers.
The wearied Pilgrim can find no relief on their way to the Celestial City from these individuals
MISTS DRIVEN BY THE STORM
MISTS DRIVEN BY THE STORM
In the eastern Mediterranean region, sea breezes periodically bring in mist and fog that appear to signal rain.
Sometimes it only stays briefly and produces no significant rainfall.
The land is left dry and parched
The inhabitants are left disappointed.
Like those mists, false teachers are without substance and provide no life-changing refreshment
These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
False teachers appear to be containing something beneficial, at first.
“Ooh, a new way of seeing things.”
People who “look at the biography of Jesus through a modern lens to find new relevance.”
“New” can be very attractive to people, especially as people have negative experiences with “institutional religion.”
But “New” is not always better.
And when it comes to biblical Christianity, “new” is the modern word for false teaching.
False teachers, while popular, will always disappoint.
But the question is:
Will they disappoint you here and now, while there is still hope?
Or, will you find your disappointment at the judgment seat of Christ, when it’s too late?
RESERVED FOR THE GLOOM OF UTTER DARKNESS
RESERVED FOR THE GLOOM OF UTTER DARKNESS
Those who are false teachers, and those who follow their teaching, can only have one final destination: the gloom of utter darkness.
a.k.a. - Hell
As has already been established earlier in chapter 2, these false teachers have denied the Master who bought them and many will follow and the way of truth will be blasphemed (v. 1-2).
Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.
the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
There are many deceived people in the world calling themselves Christians.
Yet, they don’t know the gospel
They don’t know the judicial consequences of the Cross
They have never called on Jesus alone for salvation
They think they are good people, doing good things, in the name of the Lord.
But their heart is far from Him.
Read Revelation 20:11-15
There is a coming day of judgment for all people.
The false teachers will receive their reward in full
Those who follow their teaching will also follow them into the gloom of utter darkness.
But not just these individuals will receive their just reward.
ALL people will be judged.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
For the wages of sin is death
As you know from Revelation, that does not mean just physical death of the body.
It is also referring to the eternal “death” of the soul… separation from God forever in a place of conscious torment to pay the penalty for our sins.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But there is good news.
God is love.
And because He is love, He chose to act in love by providing a means to be delivered from His wrath.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Rather than leave us in the lurch, God provided a means of escape.
He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the debt that we owed.
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
COME TO JESUS AND DRINK
COME TO JESUS AND DRINK
Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
