A Warning About False Teachers

 A Warning About False Teachers 1st Timothy 6:3-5

I have often said through the years that one of the most difficult realities for many people to accept is the fact that lots of religious leaders are not, according to Jesus, genuine children of God.

Lots of religious leaders are not genuine children of God.

It sounds so narrow to say that and so judgmental and so intolerant but it is exactly what the Lord of love, Jesus Himself, taught in His most famous sermon, which is called the sermon on the mount.

To begin our time in the word, turn with me to Matthew chapter 7.

Look at what Jesus said in verses 15-20.

vv. 15-20

Jesus’ sermon has been building to the point of application or decision.

That’s what we see beginning in verse 13 and running through the end of the chapter.

There are two gates, the narrow and the wide.

There are two ways, the confined and the broad.

There are two destinations, life and destruction.

There are two groups, the few and the many.

There are two kinds of prophets, true prophets and false prophets.

There are two kinds of trees, the good and the bad, which produce two kinds of fruit, the good and the bad.

There are two kinds of people who say, “Lord, Lord,” the genuine believer and the false disciple.

There are two kinds of builders, the wise and the foolish.

There are two kinds of foundation, the rock and the sand.

There are two kinds of houses, the firm and the unstable.

You can see, from all these examples and illustrations, that Jesus is calling for a decision.

He gave His invitation in verses 13-14.

vv. 13-14

This is Jesus’ invitation.

He exhorts people to enter the narrow gate and He invites them to walk down the narrow road to life but He doesn’t stop there.

After commanding people to enter in the narrow gate, He issues a warning in verses 15-20.

He warns that there are a host of religious leaders and teachers who lead people down the wrong road.

That sounds strange to many people.

They assume that anyone who is in religion is a good person and everyone who is a religious leader is going to send good messages to people but the tragic reality is that this is not the case.

The sad reality is that many religious leaders give a message that leads to destruction, whether they realize it or not.

And this brings up a very important point.

Not all false prophets are intentionally false prophets or knowingly false prophets.

What I mean is, when Jesus warns against false prophets, He is not merely warning against imposters and frauds and pretenders.

We see those kinds of people on t.v. on a regular basis.

They are obvious false prophets, who are involved in religion just to fleece people out of their money.

They are fakes and phonies, and they know it. ------------- It is interesting to know that one of the earliest Christian writings after New Testament times, called the Didache, has an entire section in it dedicated to recognizing false teachers and false prophets.

The Didache refers to them as “Christ merchants” because they use the name of Jesus and His gospel and His church as a means to pad their pockets.

They use the things of God as merchandise for their own profit.

We still have those kinds of false prophets today.

They preach religion and they preach healing and they preach prosperity just to get people to send them money but that is not the only kind of people Jesus is warning against in this passage.

Not all false prophets are intentionally false prophets or knowingly false prophets.

For example, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were false teachers but they didn’t know they were.

They thought they were right.

They had convinced themselves that they were true representatives of God and there are many false prophets like that today.

They aren’t intentional shams or imposters or pretenders but they are false prophets nonetheless.

There are pastors in this category, priests in this category, clerics, monks, Imams, rabbis, cardinals, and preachers in this category.

They are false prophets because they don’t know the truth and they don’t proclaim the truth.

Instead, they proclaim their opinions or their religion and traditions.

Or maybe they preach pop psychology and self-help theories.

Or maybe they advocate moralism.

But they are false prophets because, whatever they preach, they are sending people down the broad road to destruction in that they do not proclaim salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

So, when Jesus warns us about false prophets in these verses, don’t pass off the warning as applying only to deliberate fakes and phonies.

He is warning against all false prophets and all false teachers, even those or especially those, who think they are representing God and who claim to be a spiritual leader for God.

v. 15

Sheep’s clothing was that which was worn by true shepherds.

So, the warning that Jesus is giving here is that many people who look like true spiritual leaders are not really true spiritual leaders.

They may have the position, they may dress the part, they may use the language, they may be called “father” or “reverend” or “pastor” or “preacher,” so it would be easy to assume that they are true spiritual leaders, when, in reality, they are false prophets.

But the deceiving and scary part about it is that these false prophets and false teachers don’t come across as dangerous.

They may be nice men (or women), sincere men, kind men, gracious, friendly, but their message is damning because they don’t present the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

That is why Jesus said that “inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

He is not saying that all false prophets are deliberately trying to steal from people and hurt people and such but the end result is the same.

They are ravenous wolves in the sense that they do end up destroying people’s lives and eternal destiny.

They look the part of a true spiritual leader but their actual condition is such that they are deadly.

Beloved, please understand that false prophets do not walk about with a sign hanging around their necks that reads, “I am a false prophet.”

If it were obvious that they are false prophets, then they would have little to no following.

It isn’t obvious that they are false prophets.

They have the look, they have the talk, they have the position, they have the respect, and that’s what makes them so dangerous.

As I said earlier, it is really difficult for people to accept the fact that there are many religious leaders who are spiritually destitute but that is exactly what Jesus is warning about here at the end of His message.

There are many people who are on the broad road to destruction, says Jesus, and one of the reasons why is because there are so many false prophets in religion who assure people that they are on the right road.

These false prophets tell people things like: “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.”

“It doesn’t matter what religion you are in, as long as you are serious about it.”

“If you have been baptized, you’ll be fine.”

“You will be okay, if you have gone through the 5 rituals of our church.”

“If you are in this particular religion, you will automatically make it.”

“Just be faithful in attending our services and you’ll be fine.”

“Just try to be a good person and everything will turn out all right.”

“Just make sure that your good outweighs your bad.”

“If you haven’t done anything wrong that is really bad, such as murder or rape, then you’ll be fine.”

“Even if you haven’t repented of your sins and received Christ, God is merciful and will probably let you into heaven anyway.”

These, and many other kinds of assurances, are spouted by the false prophets that continue to send people down the broad road to destruction and people continue to listen to these false prophets, even when a close inspection of their lives would reveal that they aren’t spiritually transformed men.

v. 16

Jesus gave this warning but it is virtually ignored by people today.

He warned of false prophets and He said they can be identified by the fruit of their lives, the fruit of their ministries, or the fruit of their lips.

Yet, there are millions of people who will stay in a religion or stay in a church that has leaders whose lives are a complete contradiction.

How many stories of sexual abuse and cover up and financial settlement do people have to hear for them to believe that a church or a religion is rampant with false prophets?

How many stories of drunkenness and lying and stealing and cheating and pilfering do people have to hear for them to believe that a religious leader is a false prophet?

Yet, people hear these things and see these things in supposed spiritual leaders and still they continue to believe that these false prophets are true representatives of God.

False prophets stand at the crossroad of the two gates and they point people to the wide gate and broad road to destruction but they don’t advertise it as the road to destruction.

They promote it as the way to life.

But their message is wrong and, in many cases, so is their lifestyle.

That’s why Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?”

It is interesting that Jesus used this analogy in His teaching.

It lets us know that He is not implying that identifying false prophets or false teachers is an easy or a quick process.

The reason I say that is because, “From a distance the little black berries on the buckthorn could be mistaken for grapes, and the flowers on certain thistles might deceive one into thinking figs were growing (v. 16).”  D.A. Carson, The Expositors Bible Commentary, 191.

So, it’s not an easy or a quick process to identify false prophets.

They look good and hey look genuine.

The come across as authentic.

They appear to be the real deal but, in time, the fruit of their lives and the fruit of their “ministry” reveals the fact that they aren’t true representatives of God.

They aren’t pointing people to the narrow gate and confined way to life.

vv. 17-18

When Jesus refers to the fruit of false prophets, there are three issues He may have in mind.

He may be referring to the fruit of their lives.

In other words, sometimes false prophets can be identified by the fruit of their lives or by the way they live.

We have all heard or seen the reports of spiritual leaders who are, all of a sudden, exposed for their involvement in prostitution, adultery, pornography, child molestation, drunkenness, etc.

They are able to cover it for a while but it usually has a way of coming out.

And most of us have heard or seen the reports of spiritual leaders who have lavish and extravagant and opulent lifestyles because they are living off the money they have deceitfully acquired from non-discerning supporters.

The fruit of their lives proves they are false prophets. ----------- A second issue Jesus may have in mind when He refers to the fruit of false prophets is the fruit of their ministries.

By and large, the followers of false prophets are not people who love God wholeheartedly and love people sacrificially.

They are not the kind of people who walk humbly before the Lord.

They are not poor in spirit, mourning over their sin, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, like Jesus described in the Beatitudes at the beginning of this sermon.

So, the fruit that comes from the ministries of false prophets is often an indicator that the leaders are not genuine shepherds. ------------ A third issue Jesus may have in mind when He refers to the fruit of false prophets is the fruit of their lips.

In other words, their message, when examined closely, is a clear indicator that they are false prophets.

All three of these issues come under the category of fruit.

v. 19

Jesus is saying the same thing John the Baptist said back in chapter 3 verse 10: “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the tree.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

It doesn’t matter what preachers and pastors and priests and clerics claim.

If the fruit of their lives or ministries or message proves that they are false prophets, they will be damned eternally.

What irony: a man (or woman) who has spent his entire life involved in religious service condemned to hell.

But that is the destiny of false prophets.

v. 20

I want to emphasize again that Jesus is not suggesting that it is always easy to identify false prophets or false teachers or false disciples.

After all, Judas, who was one of the twelve, was never seen to be what he really was on the inside.

None of the other disciples ever suspected that he wasn’t genuine.

He was able to maintain a good looking external facade right up to the very end.

So, every false teacher’s life doesn’t manifest its spiritual bankruptcy quickly or immediately.

Outwardly, they may look real because they are in sheep’s clothing.

They look like true prophets or they look like sheep.

So, every false teacher’s life doesn’t manifest its spiritual bankruptcy quickly or immediately but his message can be examined.

The primary mark of a false prophet is a false message.

Let me say that again.

The primary mark a false prophet is a false message.

If his message doesn’t line up with the truth of God’s word, and especially the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then he is a false prophet, regardless of how convincing he appears.

If his preaching doesn’t point people to the narrow gate of salvation in Christ alone, apart from religious deeds, then he is a false prophet.

And that is clearly what is at the heart of this warning.

We know that because verses 13-14 give the command to enter the narrow gate of life and verses 21-23 tell about those who will be shocked at the judgment to find out they were on the broad road to destruction, and right in between these two sections is this warning about false prophets.

So it is clear that, in this passage about false prophets, Jesus is warning of those who do not point people to the narrow gate of salvation in Christ.

What they say proves them to be false prophets, and even what they don’t say.

They are not willing to say the truth if it is controversial.

They are not willing to say the truth if it is not politically correct.

They are willing to talk about God but not willing to talk about the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

They only want to talk about the love of God and not about the righteous wrath of God.

What they say proves them to be false prophets and even what they don’t say.

The fruit of their lives isn’t always easy to discern but the fruit of their lips is a solid test.

That is why our Lord said, “Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” ---------- You can see, from the words of Jesus here, how serious this is and that is why the Apostle Paul took this issue to heart, and warned Timothy about it in 1st Timothy chapter 6.  (Let’s turn there together.)

Please follow along as I read verses 3-5.

vv. 3-5

As you can see from reading through these 3 brief verses, the Apostle Paul had some strong words for religious leaders and teachers who weren’t willing to stay true to “the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But lest we be inclined to think that Paul had a problem of being narrow or judgmental or intolerant, I remind you that the Holy Spirit of God prompted and guided Paul to write these words.

These are the thoughts and words of the Holy Spirit of God.

So, we dare not dismiss them as if they are coming from a man who was unloving or close-minded or uncharitable.

The Holy Spirit of God is behind these words and, like the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit has strong words for religious leaders and teachers who teach their own thoughts and their own opinions and lead people away from the truths in the word of God. ------ Just in case you think this is not really an issue today, let me relay to you a story I’ve told in the past about a pastor who used to teach at Montana Bible College.

This pastor gave the students in his class an assignment to go around town and interview 2 or 3 pastors or priests or religious leaders of various church.

The professor gave his students strict instructions to be respectful and courteous in their interviews.

The students had to call in advance to set up an appointment, they had to state they were doing a survey for their Bible college class, and they had to say that the interview would only take a few minutes.

So, the students in the class did this assignment and when they returned, they were shocked and flabbergasted.

The questions they asked were along the lines of, “Do you believe all the stories of the Bible, like Noah’s ark, Israel crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, Jonah’s experience in the sea creature, were factual and historically accurate?”

The students repeatedly heard pastors and priests and religious leaders say no.

“Do you believe everything in the Bible is God’s word and is authoritative?”

The students repeatedly heard pastors and priests and religious leaders say no.

“Do you believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and that all other beliefs and belief systems send people to a Christ-less eternity in hell?”

The students repeatedly heard pastors and priests and religious leaders say no.

So, we dare not think that Paul is being too hard on these kinds of religious teachers by saying what he says here in these verses.

v. 3

This verse simply introduces what Paul is going to say about false teachers, so it’s an uncompleted thought, but the verse identifies 3 marks of the false teachers he has in mind:

#1 - They teach otherwise.

That is, they teach things that don’t line up with God’s truth as revealed in God’s word.

#2 - They “do not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It is clear from the teaching of Jesus that He believed in creation, in Adam and Eve, in the fall of mankind into sin through the temptation of the serpent, in the world-wide flood of Noah’s day, in the story of Jonah and the sea creature, and many other stories in Hebrew scripture but these are some of the very things that false teachers often deny.

#3 - They do not agree “with the doctrine conforming to godliness.”

That is, false teachers often hold to things that are a substitute for godliness by exalting traditions, ritual, religious rites and ceremonies.

As Paul said in 2nd Timothy 3:5, they hold “to a form of godliness.”

They teach and promote religious activities that look godly but they don’t teach the things that God Himself defines as genuine godliness.

Those are the marks of false teachers and Paul describes them further in verse 4.

v. 4

False teachers are proud.

We all struggle with pride but false teachers have a unique kind of pride because they think they know more than God, which is why they don’t believe everything God has said in His word.

Of course, they would never admit that they think they know more than God but they just dismiss what He has said by claiming that everything in the Bible isn’t authoritative.

And if you are at that place intellectually, you really don’t know or understand anything, as the next phrase says.

This sounds so harsh but the fact is that some of the most intellectual people in religious circles are some of the dumbest.

They trust their human intellect more than God’s revelation in Scripture and they defend their position with word games and arguments about words.

That’s the next phrase in this verse - he is “obsessed with disputes and arguments over words.”

The result is what Paul says at the end of the verse - “from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions.”

This is the kind of ugly discord that often comes about when you try to talk with and reason with false teachers about biblical issues.

If you are someone who holds to the absolute truthfulness and total accuracy of the Bible, then you are often looked down upon as intellectually inferior to those who believe the Bible contains some good lessons for our day but we don’t need to be so serious about recognizing its authority.

Conversations with religious false teachers about biblical issues often turn ugly, as Paul describes here, and it’s usually a waste of time.

v. 5

I know these are harsh words but you need to understand that this is God’s estimation or appraisal of religious leaders and false teachers who reject the ultimate authority of His inspired word.

This verse says that these useless wranglings and constant friction are because these men (or women) have “corrupt minds and (are) deprived of the truth.”

When you refuse to adhere to the inspiration and inerrancy and authority of Scripture, but you put other religious substitutes in place, then your mind becomes depraved or corrupt.

You’re not thinking clearly and you’ve allowed other things to rob you of the truth.

Sadly, this has often happened to well mean men and women who have gone to Bible school or seminary to train for religious vocation and their minds are filled with liberal theology and speculative doctrines that undermine the authority of Scripture.

When these students graduate and become pastors or clerics or reverends or professors in religious schools, they continue to propagate the same religious ideas they were fed when they were in school.

Tragically, it continues the train going down the wrong track.

The next phrase in this verse says, “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

There are two ideas behind that phrase.

The first one is obvious.

Some false teachers see religion as a way to get financial gain.

I know it’s hard for many people to believe that but the fact is that some religious leaders are in it for the money.

There is a lot of money to be made in telling people what they want to hear.

So, that’s one idea present in this phrase but there’s also another one.

Some false teachers see religion as a way to get salvation gain.

What I mean is, they believe they are going to gain their salvation by religion and works and rituals and good deeds.

This is indescribably tragic.

When you think and believe that you can gain salvation by religion and works and rituals and good deeds, you are woefully deceived.

But that’s what a lot of people believe because that’s what a lot of false teachers believe.

Instead of presenting people the truth of salvation by grace along through faith alone in Christ alone, they encourage people to work for their salvation by religion and works and rituals and good deeds.

It’s going to be a shocking day beyond description when people and false teachers stand before Jesus and hear Him say, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.”

Is that going to be you?

What are you trusting in for your eternal salvation?

Are you trusting in religion and righteous deeds and good works or are you trusting exclusively in Jesus Christ?

The answer to that question is the difference between heaven and hell for eternity.

Bryan Hughes Senior Pastor 406-586-9782 x11