Sticking to the Truth

ILLUST - Prickly weeds - seem harmless, till you grab them to pull them, they hurt, they have their defenses - they are just fine until you try to get rid of them

What is our main goal? Make disciples?

Why? So that people learn the truth, and live the truth. All of us, self-included.

So…resources: Right Now Media, Sunday Bible Study, Wednesday Bible Study, Awana, and hopefully other ministries

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT

End of 2 Peter 1

Truth-tellers accused of making up stories

Disciples are called foolish

Opponents held to a very loose view of Scripture

Our culture today makes making disciples more important than ever

Ungodly living is championed and celebrated - because people deny the coming of Jesus

He IS coming, that’s the truth - judgment is certain (more next week)

The very denial of Jesus and His return, threaten the church

And we are wittingly, or unwittingly, support those who actually threaten us

Christianity - not a set of truths, but a way of life

Aspects of the Church - in Light of False Teaching and False Teachers

1) Pay Attention to the Word - “What the Bible says, God says”

as your source of illumination and teaching - {The prophecy more sure” from ch. 1)

Inspiration is a key Bible doctrine - how God supernaturally revealed His Word to mankind

Errant teachers were in the middle of the church - they still are! - Distorting the Word then, Distorting the Word today

The result is that people will suffer eternally - even though Jesus bought them, paid the price, just for them to reject Him

Think about what comes with denying Jesus - swift and eternal destruction

2) False Teachers Exist

Not everyone claiming to be a prophet or teacher is one; many distort and ignore the Word

TRUTHS ABOUT FALSE TEACHERS

Lack divine authority, promise peace when judgment looms, they will be judged by God, they secretly (subtly) introduce heresy, and many will follow, bringing dishonor to the truth

All of this true to Peter - All of this true to us today

1 Timothy 4:1 NASB95

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

False teachers justify ungodly living - immorality is a key result

There are actually people who claimed to follow Jesus, and now denied Him altogether

Reminds me of two scenes related to end times

1 - to believers - “come into eternity with Me.” Jesus will say to the Father “these are Yours”

2 - to those rejecting Him - “depart from Me, I never knew You.” Jesus will say to the Father “these are not Yours”

It’s not important to debate WHEN the end will come. The truth is that it WILL come.

This is why it is so important to me to speak truth, teach truth, make sure that false teaching does not penetrate here. I have had to work hard to purge some false teaching, and it’s possible that some belief in false teaching still persists here!

3) Make Sure of Your Salvation

In every church

Members who appear to be believers - and we should accept them as believers, giving them the benefit of the doubt (“judgment of charity”)

Over time, and especially when difficulty arises (Covid, opposition, etc.), wolves appear in the flock

People who called on the Lord, but who show a life characteristic of disobedience, demonstrate that He never knew them - Matt. 7:21-23

Seed sown on rocky ground, initially bearing fruit, but dying when hard times come

READ - Wheat and tares - Matt. 13:24-30

Both plants, wheat and darnel, look similar when young and sprouting. Only when they mature can you tell the difference - Very prevalent and present in the church today

Peter’s point - many people profess “belief” in Jesus, though they have never trusted, as shown by their disobedience and unwillingness to follow and surrender - as seen by their lives

LET’S ASK SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS

Q - Why the attraction to false teachers?

Prosperity, peace, easy living, no need to take this “church thing” or Jesus too seriously.

The example of the false teacher is a very easy one to follow

Then, when coupled with immoral, ungodly living, the immorality is mimicked, and the cycle continues

For example - church attendance and involvement. Which is easier: following someone’s example of full surrender, where church connection is top priority; OR following someone who says they are a Christian, and it’s OK if I miss church and lack that connection, “I mean, so many others do, and they are good and nice people, you know?”

They post nice “God things” along with gossip, but they are so nice

TRUTH: I’ve counseled several lately who have serious troubles, and a common theme is that their Christian life is not a priority. They didn’t set out to be immoral or stray, but they followed the lie that this “relationship with God” thing isn’t such a big deal

THAT IS A HERESY THAT HAS BEEN EMBRACED BY THE CHURCH

Q - Why is testimony so important?

When people see the moral effects of false teaching - in the church - and see “Christians” living no differently than unbelievers, they will conclude that what we claim to be “THE WAY” is wrong, actually a way of error

The point is not then to keep sin secret, but to fully surrender and let Christ rule your life, quickly repenting of error, sticking to the Straight Way

Examples

Jews misbehaved, and disobeyed, and the Gentiles mocked them for hypocrisy

Church leaders to day misbehave morally, financially, and the result is that the lost mock anyone “stupid” enough to follow the Bible (wrong conclusion, but that’s the one they make)

Church members - gossip and tear others down, in the church; we treat marriage the same as the lost, we put Jesus in about 4th or 5th place of priority, and then we wonder why people don’t join us...

Why should they want to come be a part of this church, if people treat it no differently than a social club. There are lots of social clubs out there, and few few good churches.

We demonstrate our walk - good or bad.

Q - Can a believer lose salvation?

NO. Yet, some who claim to “believe in Jesus” have actually never trusted in Him

Not my job to judge eternally, that’s God’s job

BUT - the reality is that one cannot lay claim to salvation and not be living for Christ. Proof of being a disciple is the bearing of fruit (See Gal. 5)

John 15:8 NASB95

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

CLOSING

Peter is concerned about false teachers damaging the church

The CHURCH will never be destroyed, but the LOCAL church can be

Compare:

False teachers - tempted and driven by the comforts of this life - “Your best life” is not now, sorry Joel

Believers are driven by the promise of Hope eternal, fighting the temptations of this life and this world

False teachers embrace this world; Believers fight its temptations

Self-help books - a huge industry built around false teaching - who benefits? The authors

The easiest false teaching to perpetuate is that of the future - because it can’t be proven false now

“Jesus isn’t coming again” - but we say He is, and that it could be any time

Well, wake up tomorrow, and still here - so maybe those other teachers are correct

(or maybe we still have more work to do for Jesus here…)

Satan loves to fuel doubt, and he uses many in the church to do his work - Sorry, it’s true.

False teachers tell you to live any way you want, there are no consequences

Consequences schmonsequences, as long as I’m rich (Daffy Duck)

CHALLENGE: What false teaching have you believed, because it sounded good?

We teach truth here, to help you defend against that

CHALLENGE: What do you think is the effect of your life as a believer? Do people see living for Christ important, because you do?

To the solid core here at Cornerstone: God sees your faithfulness. Others see your faithfulness. Stick with it, and those who struggle and fall behind, will prayerfully see and join along.

I know we cannot control others, other churches, other leaders, other believers.

Actually, we can’t even control ourselves, and that is the mark of the true believer, their control comes from the Holy Spirit.

The church needs people devoted to truth. Is that you?