Beware of False Prophets
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Mic
Prayer
We listen to music over the radio. We watch our favorite TV shows. We find ourselves watching various reels and podcasts on our phones and we are not aware of how these things affect us.
Friends - anything that is not drawing you nearer to God is pulling you away. It reminds me of a man on the Niagara River.
It was Years ago and up above the falls on the Niagara River, where a young man was employed as a river guide. Having nothing to do one day, he moored his boat well above the Falls and lay down in his boat to rest. Rocked back and forth by the waves of the ever-moving waters, he fell asleep. He thought he had tied the boat securely, but with its constant swaying it was finally loosed, and with its unconscious occupant, began to drift with the current. Spectators on the shore, seeing his grave danger, shouted loudly to awaken him, that he might save himself while as yet the current was not rapid, but to no purpose.
At one point in the boat’s progress it was grounded upon a rock that protruded in midstream. Seeing the pause, the bystanders redoubled their efforts to arouse the sleeping man, crying at the top of their voices to him, “Get on the rock! Get on the rock!” But he slumbered on, oblivious to his extreme peril.
With the movement of the waters the boat was soon cleared from the rock, and heading for the falls. The poor man was aroused from his sleep only amidst the thundering roar of the Falls, over which he plunged to his death.
How appalling! Asleep in the boat! Calmly and unconsciously drifting into the very jaws of death! One trembles to think of it.
Yet how aptly this illustrates the indifference of so many souls today! Many unconcerned as to their fatal course, fast asleep in their sins, perhaps lulled on the tide by earthly pleasures, soothed into false confidence by their dependence on a seemingly blameless life or religious profession. All asleep in the boat!
We are told in
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4 .… the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Are you safely moored to the Rock, or are you drifting with the tide?
Do you have you Christ as your Saviour, or are you carried along with the broad, rapid current of a world that is fast approaching its destruction.
If still unsaved, will you not awaken to the danger of going on without Christ? If you keep putting off the salvation of your soul till some future day, you may suddenly wake up too late and find yourself taking that last fatal plunge over the brink into the dark waters of death and the fearful woes of a lost eternity.
To this the book of Ephesians cries out to us....
“… Awake thou that sleepest …” (Eph. 5:14).
Todays passage warns about this very thing. Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 2 [that’s pg 1216 in your pew Bible or pg 183 in the back of the skinny Bibles in the back of the sanctuary] Peter warns us …
well let’s open our Bibles...
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1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
False prophets arose among the people in Old Testament times just as there will be false teachers among you.
Moses warned against these false prophets. We read about it in
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1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
God, through Moses, warned the Israelites against these false prophets.
He warned them not to listen to anyone who tried to get them to listen to anyone who is trying to get them to go after another god. In fact , He goes on to say that they should kill that person. … put them to death!
That is strong language. Why so strong...
Our God is a jealous God and He will not tolerate His people having any other gods before Him.
That was His first commandment.
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3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
All you have to do is to read the book of Judges along with the Books of Samuel and Kings and you can see what happened to those who failed to Keep this commandment.
The Early church was not exempt from the problem of false prophets either. Jesus, Himself, warned the disciples to beware of false prophets.
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11 “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.
In fact in one of his first sermons - The sermon on the Mount… Jesus raised this very issue.
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15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
17 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
Paul comes down equally strong against false prophets.
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9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.
In the first century there were preachers who would preach that it doesn’t matter what you do with your body in the flesh.
God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. It is what we do in our Spirit that matters.
This was a form of Gnosticism.
The Nicolaitans would do this as well. and so we see in
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14 ‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.
15 ‘Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 ‘Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
the phrase for “commit immorality” was to por-neu-sai. That is the word from which we get our word pornography.
Today we have people who say.… it doesn’t matter what you do.. Your sins have been forgiven. So don’t worry about having sex with so and so. After all… we’re all human.
or after all… You love the person … if you love them it’s ok. No it is not OK!
Unless we are talking about between a man and a woman after they have been married. That is the only time it is OK. Otherwise it is sin… and the wages of sin is death.
You need to understand that people who tell you these things are false prophets and they are seeking your destruction. They do not have your best interest at heart.
and just as Balaam counseled Balak how to get God to withdraw His blessing on the Israelites. Satan’s ultimate goal is to get God to bring His curse and His wrath down on top of you.
Listen to His false prophets and that is exactly what will happen to you just as it did to the Israelites who fell for the enticements of the Moabites and Midianites.
But what has been our theme for last year and this year? I go back to 1 Peter 1:15-16.
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15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Our Goal is to be holy ourselves in ALL of OUR BEHAVIOR!
Just like we are taught in 1 john.
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3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Don’t be surprised if these false prophets deny the master who paid the price for our sins,
who was crucified, died, and arose again to pay the price for our sins.
They may do this by denying that He ever lived. That was “the search for the historical Jesus” back in the 50’s. There are some today who teach that the Jesus you read about in the Bible is not the real Jesus.
They may say that you can’t really believe what is in the Bible… You need to come over to here...
and they will bring up books like…
The gospel according to Thomas. .. the book of Mormon… or some “lost gospel”
They may deny the humanity of Jesus… after all… He was god. He was perfect… you’re not.. so God can’t expect you to be a holy two shoes.
They may deny the deity of Jesus.
They may deny that the Jesus who healed the sick and cast out demons ever lived.
We will talk about that tonight. You don’t want to miss it. Be here tonight at 5:30.
They may deny the existence of miracles or that Jesus performed any miracles.. So they come up with some rational argument to explain away how Jesus turned the water into wine or multiplied the loaves and fishes. Jesus didn’t really do that… when the little boy was willing to share his little lunch all the people were moved with compassion and brought out all there lunches and started sharing.
or
Jesus wasn’t really dead.
like
The professional execution squad , made up of 4 veteran soldiers…they did not know how to determine if someone was really dead.… and so Jesus who had already been beaten within an inch of his life. who had his skin ripped off of him by the whips … was then nailed to the cross and pierced with a spear was not really dead.. NO he just fainted
and then in the cool of the tomb, He rose from his coma and moved this 1,000 to 2,000 pound rock out of the way with his bare hands and walked out of the tomb..
or the ladies and disciples got mixed up and did not really know what tomb to go to.
They will come up with all sorts of made up stories. Don’t be suckered in by these false prophets.
And that is what they are. They are false prophets who introduce destructive heresies.
Pod casters will try to sucker you in by getting your attention with something sensational. Prophecy and healing are often key issues.. but then they go on and add to the scripture things that are not there.. or they distort the truth. Don’t get suckered in...
Now why would God lead Peter to call them destructive heresies? Think about that!
They are destructive heresies, because if you listen to them they will lead you to hell. Do not be deceived.. those who listen to this type of stuff are playing with fire.
and those who follow it and teach it will… well let’s look at our text. verse 1
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1 .. , bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Don’t follow them!
Now these false prophets can be very convincing. Note that verse 2 says
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2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
Many will follow their sensuality.
Sensuality is a broad term. It comes from the Greek word ἀσέλγεια which means a lack of self-restraint…
Does it include all kinds of sexual immorality? Yes.
Does it include other things … yes… as they would say..
What’s wrong with having a little fun. Going out and having a good time?
God wants me to be happy right? Have you heard anyone say things like that?
Friends… anyone who tries to justify doing what God has forbidden is a false prophet and is seeking your destruction.
There are those who will try and talk you out of coming to church… but what does the scripture say about that?
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24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
Should we be spending more time in the word of God and in God’s house or less?
The answer is more?
How much time should we spend talking to our family and friends about the Lord? I go back to the Shema.
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6 “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart;
7 and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
We should talk of them when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way.. when we lie down… when we rise up. They should dominate our conversation. We should be bringing up the word of God all the time where ever we go.
In fact… what has God called us to do?
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15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
and
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8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
And our text goes on to say that many will follow their sensuality. When we follow their sensuality I believe it is much broader than sexual immorality. When I think of things that appeal to our senses, (Our Sensuality) I am reminded of
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15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
This reminds me of the materialism that is so prevalent in our culture. I can not tell you how many times I have heard;
Pastor… I don’t have money to give to missions.. or to give to the church
Why? what are they not saying?
because I have all these other higher priorities… my big screen TV… the latest and greatest games… our vacation trip to the beach.. or to a mountain get-a-way.. or to Disney… What is it for you? and don’t forget my shiny new car.…
My wardrobe - How many outfits do I have in my closet?
Now these things are nice… but anything that comes before God is an idol… and that includes my family and my work, and even food for my pet.
How much are we paying a month for our cell phones, TV, internet?
God must come first. Anything that comes before God is an idol and is sin.
and what will be the result? The way of the truth will be maligned.
Whenever… we get our priorities mixed up… it not only affects us, but Satan uses this to malign and discredit Christianity.
Hitler claimed to be a Christian. He was raised in the Catholic Church, and so the Jews blame Christians for the holocaust.
Christianity is blamed for the Crusades.
Christianity is mocked and publically put to shame every time some pastor is caught is some sexual or monetary scandal.
But guess what friends… the problem is not only them.. the problem is far deeper than that.. It is right here with us.
The number 1 reason kids turn away from the church is because of the hypocrisy of their parents.
The kids tell us that there is a lack of authentic faith in the home.
Parents - Do your kids see you reading the Bible.
Are you living out the Bible in your life?
How does that apply to your driving? do you obey the speed laws? Do you fasten your seat belt?
How does that apply when you feel that someone has cheated you? Do you pray for them? Are you going to respond to them with a loving attitude? or do your Kids or neighbors see you losing your cool?
What does the scripture say? lets see....
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12 “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
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14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
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40 “And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
Is that how you respond?
I remember the example of a mother who was at the store shopping with her daughter. Somehow a magazine found its way into their bag that had not been paid for. I think her daughter had been looking at it while they were in line and dropped it into the bag. What did mom do? When she found it in the bag when she got home. She immediately got into their car with her daughter. They went back to the store and returned it with an apology. Do you think this made an impression on her daughter. You bet it did.
Last week I mentioned that the fastest way we can lose our credibility and testimony is by letting our anger get the better end of us. It doesn’t matter what excuse we have.
Jesus taught us.
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35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As Christians we are to be known for our love.
Our text in verse 3 goes on to say that they will exploit you in their greed.
There is nothing wrong about being paid a fair wage for a fair day’s services. But as Christians we need to go the extra mile to make sure that we are not taking advantage of others.
I remember picking corn for my grandfather who was a truck farmer. Every afternoon we would go out into the cornfield and pick several bags of corn. The next morning we would load the bags into the back of his pickup truck to take to town and sell to the various grocery stores. Each bag contained 5 dozen ears of corn… but we would always add an extra 2 ears (62 ears per bag). Why? Grandpa wanted to be sure that if an ear was bad… the grocery store was not cheated. He always gave them a few extra ears.
As Christians we should go out of our way to show the love of Christ to our neighbors.
So what is our take away from todays lesson?
Beware… be on the look out for false prophets...
and when you see one… run … don’t walk.. run away from them
don’t be surprised if they pretend to be sheep.. if they claim to be a Christian… they may come in the guise of a pastor.. or evangelist.. or teacher… or pod caster, or even your friend or a member of your family.
Don’t be surprised if they have a large congregation or lots of followers.
How can I recognize them?
any one who leads you away from the Lord is a false prophet.
anyone who tries to justify sin is a false prophet
anyone who is out to get your money
Ask yourself.… Do they reflect the love of Christ and are they always pointing you to Jesus as Lord in your life? These are characteristics of a true Christian.
False prophets by their speech and actions are seeking your destruction. They are servants of Satan.
On the opposite side… let us reflect the love of Christ
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4.
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Let’s pray
