Guarding Against Deception
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
As we come to the final message from 2 John, we need to remember the flow of this little letter.
In verses 1–3, John reminded us that authentic living begins with truth.
Then in verses 4–6, John showed us that truth is not meant to stay in our minds only. It is meant to be walked out in love and obedience.
And now, John brings us to another necessary part of authentic Christianity.
If we are going to live in the truth, and if we are going to walk in love, then we must also learn to guard against deception.
That may not sound as warm or inviting as talking about love, but it is necessary…
And I need to point out that…
John is not being negative.
He is not being harsh.
In fact, he is being faithful.
Because biblical love does not ignore danger.
A parent who loves a child warns that child about danger.
A shepherd who loves the sheep watches for wolves.
A doctor who cares about a patient does not hide a serious diagnosis.
And a faithful spiritual leader does not pretend false teaching is harmless.
John loves these believers. That is why he warns them.
He has already told them to walk in truth and love. But now he reminds them that…
love does not mean opening the door to error.
Love does not mean welcoming every voice that claims to speak for God.
Love does not mean we set aside doctrine in the name of kindness.
Authentic believers must walk in love without compromising the truth.
This is difficult because truth and love are easy to separate in our own hearts.
Some people care deeply about truth.
They want doctrine to be right,
lines to be clear,
and error to be exposed.
Which are all important things that matter….
But if we are not careful, we can become
harsh,
proud,
or even impatient.
We may be right in what we say… but wrong in how we say it.
Others care deeply about love.
They want to be gracious,
welcoming,
and compassionate.
All of those things matter as well…
But if we are not careful, love can become careless. We can become so afraid of offending someone that we stop…
warning,
correcting,
or holding firmly to what God has said.
That is why this balance is so difficult.
We must love people enough to tell them the truth, and we must love Christ enough not to compromise His truth.
And you say, “Pastor, how do we do that?”… And I’ve gotta tell ya, I am still learning myself.
The best answer that I can give is that we must stay close to Christ.
We keep our hearts humble before His Word.
We ask the Holy Spirit to help us speak with both grace and conviction.
We do not compromise the message, but we also do not lose the spirit of Christ in the way we deliver it.
John 1:14 says that “The Word”… speaking of Jesus, was “full of Grace and Truth”…
And that is the balance we need… We need to be asking God to shape…
The way we stand
the way we speak
and the way we love
… so that we reflect the heart of Christ… full of grace and truth… as we guard against deception…
With that in mind, let’s read this entire letter as we begin this morning…
Read 2 John…
We Must Learn To…
Meat:
As we read these verses, it is clear that John is not speaking in vague terms.
He is not warning them about some imaginary threat.
He says, “many deceivers have gone out into the world.”
In other words, deception was not a small issue, and it was not far away.
It was already spreading, and believers needed to recognize it for what it was.
So the first thing John shows us is that if we are going to guard against deception, we must learn to…
1. Recognize the Deceivers
1. Recognize the Deceivers
2 John 7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
John begins this final section with the word “for,” which connects what he is about to say with what he has already said.
He has just told them to walk in love. But now he immediately warns them about deceivers.
And if we dig into what he is trying to get across to his readers… (that’s us at the moment)… he is letting us know that biblical love does not mean spiritual gullibility.
In other words, being loving does not mean we
believe everything,
accept everything,
or welcome every voice that uses religious language.
A loving Christian should be
gracious,
patient,
and kind,
but also watchful.
Because if we truly love Christ, we will care about His truth.
And if we truly love people, we will not want them led away by error.
John has not stopped talking about love. He is showing them what love must do when truth is under attack.
Love must be discerning.
Love must pay attention.
Love must be willing to recognize danger.
And John says this danger was not imaginary… It was real.
He says, “many deceivers have gone out into the world…”
So first, we need to recognize… is that there are…
1.1 Many Deceivers
1.1 Many Deceivers
Not just one.
Not just a few.
Not just an isolated problem.
There are Many.
Joh says that these deceivers had “gone out into the world.”
They were traveling.
They were spreading their message.
They were trying to influence churches, homes, and believers.
And we need to remember that false teachers do not usually introduce themselves as false teachers.
They do not normally come with a sign that says, “I am here to deceive you.”
They often come with religious language.
They may talk about God.
They may use the name of Jesus.
They may quote Scripture.
They may sound spiritual, kind, sincere, and persuasive.
And that is what makes deception so dangerous.
If error always looked ugly, most people would avoid it. But deception often dresses itself up in language that sounds very close to the truth.
The Apostle Paul warned about this in 2 Corinthians 11, where he said there were false apostles and deceitful workers who transformed themselves into apostles of Christ.
And then he says…
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
In other words, falsehood does not always look dark at first glance.
Sometimes it looks bright.
Sometimes it sounds compassionate.
Sometimes it seems reasonable.
Sometimes it even appears religious.
That is why we must learn to recognize deception.
Jesus warned us of the same thing in Matthew 7:15
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Notice, they do not come looking like wolves.
They come in sheep’s clothing.
They look harmless.
They look like they belong.
They appear safe.
But Jesus said inwardly they are dangerous.
That is the picture John is giving us here.
These deceivers were not harmless religious thinkers with a few minor differences.
They were leading people away from the truth of Christ.
We live in a time when there are more voices speaking into people’s lives than ever before. Through the…
internet,
books,
podcasts,
social media,
videos,
and online ministries,
…people can be influenced by someone they have never met and know almost nothing about.
I know that not every outside voice is bad.
There are certainly several faithful teachers and helpful resources.
But there are also many deceivers.
And that is why we have to be careful not to assume that everyone who uses biblical words is teaching biblical truth.
John tells us the specific issue with these deceivers…
They were spreading…
1.2 False Doctrine
1.2 False Doctrine
John says these deceivers were those:
“…who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.”
In other words, they were denying the reality of the incarnation.
They were denying that the eternal Son of God truly became man.
John is not dealing with a small issue here. He is dealing with the truth about Jesus Christ.
Because if you get Jesus wrong, you do not have biblical Christianity anymore.
Our faith, our salvation, stands on the truth that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.
He is the eternal Son of God who came in real human flesh.
Jesus truly came.
He truly lived.
He truly suffered.
He truly died.
And He truly rose again.
That matters because
if Jesus did not truly come in the flesh, then He could not truly die in our place.
And if He did not truly die in our place, then we have no real sacrifice for sin.
So when people say, “Doctrine divides; let’s just love Jesus,”… we have to ask… “Which Jesus?”
Because the Bible does not allow us to invent our own version of Him. Paul warned about those who preach “another Jesus”… which you can also find in 2 Corinthians 11.
Some may speak highly of Jesus, but deny that He is God in the flesh.
Others may call Him
a teacher,
prophet,
or example,
but reject Him as the only Savior and Lord.
But John says the test is not whether someone uses the name of Jesus. The test is whether they confess the truth about Him.
That is why we must never treat false doctrine about Christ as a minor issue. Salvation rises or falls on who Jesus is and what He has done.
John describes these deceivers as having…
1.3 An Antichrist Spirit
1.3 An Antichrist Spirit
At the end of verse 7, John says:
“This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
John is using some pretty strong words to make sure he gets his point across…
When we hear the word Antichrist, we often think of the final world ruler who will oppose Christ in the last days.
But John also uses the word in a broader way.
An antichrist is anyone who opposes Christ or tries to replace the true Christ with a false one.
So John is saying, “Do not treat this as harmless.”
When someone denies the truth about Jesus Christ, that is not just a different opinion. It is opposition to Christ.
False doctrine may sound religious.
It may use Christian words.
It may seem sincere.
It may claim to be loving.
But if it denies the truth of Christ, it is spiritual poison.
Jesus is not optional.
The incarnation is not optional.
The gospel is not optional.
The truth about Christ is not optional.
So John tells us to recognize the deceivers. They are many, they bring false doctrine, and their message carries the spirit of antichrist.
And the best way to guard against deception is to know the truth well.
The more familiar we are with the true Christ, the more clearly we will recognize what is false.
Secondly… We must learn to…
2. Remain Faithful
2. Remain Faithful
After John tells them to recognize the deceivers, he then turns the warning inward.
2 John 8 “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”
John is saying, “Do not only look out for the deceivers; make sure you are watching your own walk as well.”
Because deception is not just something that is “out there.”
It can affect us if we are not careful.
It can influence our thinking, weaken our convictions, and pull us away from what we know to be true.
So John says…
2.1 Watch Yourselves
2.1 Watch Yourselves
“Look to yourselves…”
That means…
Pay attention.
Be on guard.
Watch carefully.
This is a personal warning.
John is not saying, “Watch everybody else.” He says, “Look to yourselves.”
And that is important because it is often easier to see danger in someone else’s life than it is to see it in our own.
How easy it is to find the speck in another’s eye while completely ignoring the plank in our own…
John is basically repeating what Christ taught the disciples…
“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
When a believer stops watching, stops praying, and stops staying close to the Word, they become vulnerable. That is why Paul said in…
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
You see…most people do not drift from truth all at once. It usually happens little by little…
A small compromise.
A neglected conviction.
A wrong influence.
A false teaching entertained.
A spiritual discipline ignored.
And over time, the heart begins to move.
So John says, “Watch yourselves.”
Guard your heart,
guard your mind,
guard your home,
and guard the truth that has been entrusted to you.
And then he says, you are to remain faithful in order to…
2.2 Keep Your Rewards
2.2 Keep Your Rewards
“…that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”
John is not saying that we can lose our salvation… We know that Salvation is not a reward we earn; but it is a gift of God’s grace.
But John is warning that we can lose spiritual ground. We can lose our…
usefulness,
joy,
confidence,
testimony,
and we can lose our reward.
Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3:12–15
“12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
The picture here is that one day…
our service,
our motives,
our faithfulness,
and the way we built our lives
…will be examined before the Lord.
Some things will remain because they were built on the right foundation and done for the glory of God. Other things will be burned up because they were empty, careless, or not pleasing to Him.
Paul says the person is a saved individual, but they can still suffer severe loss.
John is pointing out the same thing and he is saying, “Be careful that you do not lose what faithful labor has produced.”
In other words…
do not let deception rob you of your spiritual reward.
Do not let false teaching pull you away from faithfulness.
So John says, remain faithful so you may receive a full reward.
And then he re-iterates a point that he stated over and over again in his first letter… we are able to watch ourselves as we…
2.3 Abide in Christ
2.3 Abide in Christ
2 John 9 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”
John hammers this again and again… you cannot have the Father while rejecting the Son.
I know we’ve gone over this, but just incase this is someone first time hearing this term…
To abide means to
remain,
continue,
or stay.
So John is telling these believers, “Do not move away from the truth about Christ.”
False teachers may claim to have something…
deeper,
newer,
or more advanced,
… but if they move beyond the doctrine of Christ, they have not gone forward… they have gone away from God.
We stand on the truth that Jesus…
is the eternal Son of God,
that He came in the flesh,
died for our sins,
rose again,
and is the only way to our Heavenly Father.
So we must learn to
Recognize the Deceivers,
Remain Faithful
and finally… we must learn to…
3. Refuse Compromise
3. Refuse Compromise
I know we have covered a lot, but verses 10–11 are too important to rush past…
2 John 10–11 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
“Now Pastor… didn’t John just give a big speech about loving one another?”… why, yes he did… “and now he says if someone comes bringing false doctrine about Christ, do not receive him into your house and do not greet him?”… yep!…
Let me be very clear…
He is not saying we should be rude to people.
He is not saying we should refuse kindness to unbelievers.
He is not saying we should never have a conversation with someone who is confused.
He is not saying we should treat people with cruelty or hatred.
John is dealing specifically with false teachers who were
traveling from place to place,
spreading error,
and looking for support from Christian homes and churches.
In that day, traveling teachers often depended on hospitality.
They needed lodging,
food,
and help as they moved from place to place.
So to welcome them into your home was not merely being polite. It could become a way of endorsing them, supporting them, and helping their ministry continue.
John says, “Don’t do that!”…
We are not suppose to help spread the error of false teachers…
Instead we are instructed to…
3.1 Guard the Door
3.1 Guard the Door
John says:
“Do not receive him into your house…”
Remember the setting of this letter. John is writing to “the elect lady and her children.”
As we have mentioned before, this may refer to a specific woman and her family, or it may refer to a local church and its members.
It is also possible that a church was meeting in this woman’s home.
Either way, the point is clear: false teaching was not to be welcomed into the home or into the church.
Still today… We must be careful what we allow to influence our homes, our families, and our congregation.
Not every voice deserves access.
Not every teacher deserves a platform.
Not every book, podcast, video, or preacher should be welcomed without discernment.
This does not mean we live in fear… But it does mean we guard the door.
John is saying, “Do not give false doctrine a place of influence.”
On top of guarding the door… we also…
3.2 Refuse Fellowship
3.2 Refuse Fellowship
2 John 10 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;”
I want to be very clear here…
John is not forbidding basic kindness or common courtesy.
He is not saying we should be rude, hateful, or unwilling to speak to someone who is deceived.
The issue here is fellowship…
In John’s culture, to receive someone and greet them could communicate
approval,
blessing,
and partnership.
So John is saying…
Do not treat false teachers as though they are faithful brothers in Christ.
Do not give the impression that you are united with them in the truth.
There is a difference between showing kindness to a person and sharing fellowship with their error.
We can be gracious without endorsing their teaching.
We can be respectful without partnering or supporting their ministry.
And We can speak truth without giving their false message a place of approval.
When the doctrine of Christ is denied, fellowship must be refused.
And along with that… we must…
3.3 Avoid Participation
3.3 Avoid Participation
Fellowship deals with the appearance of unity.
Participation deals with actually helping the error spread.
2 John 11 “for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
That is a very serious warning.
John is saying that if we knowingly…
support,
endorse,
or help someone spread false doctrine,
… we are not innocent in the matter.
We may not be the one teaching the error, but…
if we help give it a platform,
if we help move it along,
if we give others the impression that it is safe,
… then we are participating in the damage that it does.
That is exactly what John means when he says we “share in his evil deeds.”
There is a difference between trying to rescue someone from error and helping them spread it.
False doctrine is not harmless.
It leads people away from Christ,
It confuses believers,
It damages homes,
and it weakens churches.
So John says we must not share in it.
So we…
guard the door,
refuse fellowship,
and avoid participation.
Because true love protects the truth and refuses to help error move forward.
John closes his letter by saying…
2 John 12–13 “Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.”
He had more to say, but some things were better handled face to face rather than with paper and ink.
His desire was not just to correct error, but to see their joy made full.
So even after a serious warning, John ends with warmth.
Truth must be guarded,
but relationships among God’s people should still be nurtured.
Closing:
So as John closes this little letter, he leaves us with a clear reminder:
If we are going to live authentically, we must live in the truth, walk in love, and guard against deception.
So let me ask you:
Are you close enough to the truth to recognize deception when it comes?
And are you willing to love people without compromising what God has said?
Prayer
God help us to be a church that is
full of grace and truth
loving people well,
standing on Your Word,
and guarding the gospel of your Son, Jesus Christ.
