2 Cor. 10-11

Intro

-the trojan horse

Greeks have attacked Troy for 10 years…no luck

Strong walls and impregnable defenses withstood a 10 year siege with no sign of stopping

Greeks devise a clever strategy—destroy Try from within

—>The church has as her buttress the impregnable walls of truth against the assault of the enemy...

It is not an external attack that is the most dangerous to the church

It is the internal threat, the enemy that is within, that poses the greatest danger.

The Danger of False Teachers

This next section of the book is devoted to false teachers—those who proclaim the wisdom of the world against the wisdom of God.

-In chapter 10 we find Paul defending his ministry—a defense which he is loathe to make because it will appear so like boasting

-The thesis for both chapter 10 and 11 comes in the first section of chapter 11, and the heart of his argument comes in the first verses of chapter 10…so we will focus on those two sections.

2 Corinthians 11:1–4 ESV

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

How does the church fall prey to false teachers?

This can happen a number of ways:

> Predators

these are the charlatan TV preachers who preach an outrageous gospel for the sake of their own gain

-Paula White— “satanic pregnancies to miscarry” and the prosperity gospel

Benny Hinn-health and wealth

the gospel is non-negotiable and not for personal gain—money changers in the temple

> Unfaithful Witnesses

these are those leaders whose personal lives and moral failings bring disrepute to the gospel

Mark Driscoll -Mars Hill

James MacDonald -Harvest Bible Chapel

Joshua Harris

the church must avoid becoming a cult of personality…the danger is so great. And leaders must not get caught up in their own persona.

> Unfaithful Teachers

these are leaders that depart from sound doctrine

Rob Bell

Steven Furtick

Most mainstream modern denominations

Theology changes not because biblical revelation changes, but because human commitments do.

There is so much pressure exerted on Christians to conform doctrine to culture. The wisdom of the world vs. the wisdom of God.

Theology changes not because biblical revelation changes, but because human commitments do.

Where is our danger?

As a corporate group...

As individual believers?

—> We should not speed by Paul’s warnings to the church at Corinth not to be deceived—that’s the danger.

-> churches really run shipwreck because someone walks in the door wearing a sign that says “I’m a heretic” or starts a “apostates welcome” small group—churches run shipwreck when they fail to miss the warning signs and respond appropriately

>Titanic…missed warnings, incorrect response

>The danger is great because the lie is deceptive

—>this is why we value teaching, instruction so highly in our ministry

—> this is why we should be like the Bereans…searching the Scriptures

A powerful Gospel (10:1-6)