10. The Epistle of 2Peter 2:1-3 (Intro)

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1 10. The Epistle of 2Peter 2:1-3 (Intro) Beware of False Prophets Pt. 2 (12/12/18) 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. False prophets have been around since the beginning in fact much of the ministries of God s true prophets in the O.T. was taken up with confronting, correcting and rebuking false prophets who were like a cancer in the land of Israel Jeremiah 14:14 (NKJV) 14 And the Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. The Lord Jesus warned us about these people when He said Matthew 7:15 (NKJV) 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. While it s true that false prophets are dangerous because of their doctrine, what makes them especially dangerous and effective in their ability to deceive is their disguise they come in sheep s clothing. A shepherd wore clothing made from sheep s wool and so false shepherds would come wearing sheep s clothing also. 1

2 Jesus isn t warning us to beware of false sheep (although we should) He was really warning us to beware of false shepherds. (Elaborate) Jesus said these false prophets come into churches dressed in sheep s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The Greek word translated ravenous means destructively vicious. Jesus is saying that false prophets are dangerous, destructively vicious wolves that seek to snatch people away from the truth and carry them down the broad way to hell. How can we spot false prophets? Before we answer that let me just say that some false prophets (pastors, evangelists, teachers) are easier to spot than others. False prophets generally fall into 3 categories 1. Deniers; 2. Distorters; and 3. Deceivers 1. Deniers of the faith The first group is easy to spot these are those who are anti-christian and anti-christ. These people are those who are involved with Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, the New Age Movement, the Mind Science cults (EST) or other groups like Dianetics, Wicca, Satanism etc. The people who belong to these groups or others like them flat out deny and reject the Christian faith. 2

3 2. Distorters of the faith The second group is a little harder to spot but still easy for any Christian who is in the Word faithfully. The members of this group are the ones who distort the faith. These people claim to be true Christians (they mostly claim to be the only true Christians) but they twist the Scripture to their own destruction (2Peter 3:16) These would include: Jehovah s Witnesses, Mormons, those who follow the teaching of Christian Science, Armstrong s World-Wide Church of God and so on. 3. Deceivers of the faith But the third group is, by far, the toughest to spot those in this group I m calling the deceivers. These are the ones who come wearing the cloak of a true shepherd. They also distort the word and teach heresy but it s much more subtle because their message is mixed with so much truth and therefore much harder to detect. One author had this to say about this kind of false prophet, This is the one who talks about Jesus, about God, the Bible, the Church and the Holy Spirit. He hangs around with people who are true Christians and moves and mingles within the framework of evangelicalism. He s on the radio. He s on television. He s in the pulpit. He s on the platform. He writes the books. He talks the talk. He has a nice smile. He looks good. He comes across very positively. He makes a lot of true statements and does a lot of good things but he s a wolf and this is the one Jesus is warning us against. 3

4 Deniers are obvious; distorters are obvious but deceivers are much more subtle and difficult to detect which makes them far more dangerous. Jesus is warning us of those who sound like Christians; who sound like they preach the gospel; who use biblical language but are not really what they appear to be. Paul warned 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NLT) 13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve. Their disguise is so good, that Jude says they creep into churches unnoticed. In fact, it s so good that many have become well-known, well respected and well-liked members of the Christian community. So much so that if you try to point them out as false prophets many Christians get very upset. They will call you unloving, divisive, jealous, critical hearted, judgment and some other things I can t even repeat. These Christians will often defend these people based on the good they have done in their ministries in helping others and how their messages are filled with hope and encouragement so how could they be phonies? I challenge you to read what the false prophets were telling God s people in the O.T. 4

5 Theirs was also a very positive message of hope even as Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other true prophets were speaking of coming judgment if the nation didn t repent immediately and turn from their idolatry and immorality. (Elaborate) Jeremiah 23:16-22 (NLT) 16 This is what the LORD of Heaven s Armies says to his people: Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the LORD! 17 They keep saying to those who despise my word, Don t worry! The LORD says you will have peace! And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, No harm will come your way! 18 Have any of these prophets been in the LORD s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? 19 Look! The LORD s anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. 20 The anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly. 21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. 22 If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds. The problem with many false prophets back then and even today isn t in what they say it s in what they don t say. They often don t talk about things like sin, judgment, hell, humility, surrender, repentance, contentment with what you have, dying to self or personal holiness. They may refer to the cross and even wear a cross but they never preach the cross. They appear to live good lives; they have loving families; they have even done good things for others (which often pales in comparison to the good they have done for themselves through their ministries). The early church called them Christ-merchants because they used Christ as a product to be peddled as a commodity for personal gain. Peter said they make merchandise of God s people. 5

6 Jude said of these individuals Jude 1:12-13 (NKJV) 12 [They] are spots [as in cancerous spots] in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. These false shepherds are everywhere the church is infested with them. They are the happy Holy Spirit healers the positive thinkers the name it claim it preachers and the tele-evangelist fleecers who fleece the flock of God. They prey on the widows, the weak, the undiscerning who like sheep led to the slaughter believe that these deceivers are men of God. And so, they send them their last $10 thinking it will go to the work of God when in reality it only allows these crooks to keep on living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Peter said their day is coming their judgment is sure. (2Peter 2:3) So how can we know who they really are if their disguise is so good? Jesus told us He said we would know them by their fruit. Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not 6

7 bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Years ago, I heard a teacher (an ex-jehovah s Witness), whose ministry was delivering JW s out of that cult interpret this verse by saying, How can you tell an apple tree? by its fruit, apples. How can you tell on orange tree by its fruit, oranges. How can you tell a false prophet? by their fruit false prophecies! I think that s a good point but it doesn t go far enough in helping us identify false prophets. How can you recognize a false prophet? look at what is produced in and through their lives in the sense of character and conduct and what comes out of their mouths in the form of content. And don t fall into the trap of style over substance. (Explain) It s also helpful to look at the fruit of their ministries and the effects they have had on their followers are these teachers cranking out true disciples of Jesus or not Luke 14:27 (NKJV) 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Now, when Jesus said we would know them by their fruit be careful this is not always apparent to the undiscerning eye. Jesus is warning us that recognizing a false prophet is not always an easy thing it often requires intense scrutiny of the man (or woman) and their message. Some condemn this as being critical hearted God calls it being biblically discerning and careful! 7

8 It is doing the very thing we are admonished in Scripture to do and that is to: Test all things, hold fast to what is good (of God) (1Thess.5:21) Acts 17:11 (NKJV) 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 2 John 1:7 (NKJV) 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world Philippians 1:9 (NKJV) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge [of God s Word] and all discernment, 2 Peter 3:17 (NKJV) 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; That s an important warning too bad so many churches aren t heeding it why? Because, again they feel it s being judgmental and unloving and therefore anti-christian. But because of that mentality the Body of Christ has given itself a spiritual case of A.I.D.S. (Explain what physical A.I.D.S. is all about) A healthy body has an immune system in the Body of Christ that immune system is called discernment and church discipline and it comes from doctrine. However, many churches have given themselves a spiritual case of A.I.D.S (Acquired Ignorance of Doctrine Syndrome ) Explain Jesus commended the church in Ephesus for scrutinizing any man who claimed to be an apostle of God 8

9 Revelation 2:2 (NKJV) 2 I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; And notice that Jesus commended them for their intolerance and not for their tolerance today it s backward, tolerance is commended while intolerance is condemned. The church of Corinth was a very tolerant church and the result was a sick church full of sin. Any church that is unwilling or unable (because it is too sick) to purge itself of the evil ( leaven ) within it is a church that will eventually die. Titus 3:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. Romans 16:17 (NKJV) 17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. As I have pointed out many times before Satan has convinced many in the Body of Christ that all judgment is wrong so consequently the door has been opened wide in the Church for false teachers who have come flooding in. So once again, how can we know these false prophets? Jesus told us He said we would know them by their fruits. When Jesus said, with regard to false prophets, that they would be known by their fruit He then goes on to illustrate that by saying, Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 9

10 The point He is making is that we would know false prophets by the absence of spiritual fruit produced in their lives. Even as thorn bushes and prickly plants like thistles can t produce anything life giving like fruit. The same is true with false prophets their doctrine cannot produce spiritual life in those who embrace it and therefore will only lead to death. 2 Peter 2:18-19 (NKJV) 18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption Spiritual death cannot produce life and liberty no matter how promising and positive a message these false prophets preach. And then the Lord goes on to say, Matthew 7:17-20 (NKJV) 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. The word good is agathos in the Greek and can be used to speak, in the physical sense, of something good as in this context of a good or healthy tree. The word bad is poneros and can be used to speak, in the physical sense, of something bad as in this context of a bad tree in the sense of a rotten or diseased tree. These two Greek words can also be used in a moral or character sense 10

11 Matthew 5:45 (NKJV) 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil (morally) and on the good (morally), and sends rain on the just (believers) and on the unjust (unbelievers). Matthew 12:35 (NKJV) 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (Speaking of the nature of each and the fruit that is brought forth after its kind ) Now, once again, when Jesus said we would know false prophets by their fruit be careful, because with some of these their fruit looks authentic. November 18 th of this year marked the 40 th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre. On November 18, 1978, nine-hundred and nine members of the Peoples Temple living in the Jonestown settlement in Guyana drank Kool-Aid laced with cyanide they did so on the orders of the cult's leader, Jim Jones. The massacre was the largest loss of U.S. civilian life in a single, deliberate act until 9/11. One Pastor had this to say about the cult s members and leader One of the most frightening discoveries about the People s Temple Christian Church was that a large majority of its members had been raised in Christian homes of one sort or another. Most of those who joined that church did so in the belief that it offered a higher and more genuine experience of Christian fellowship and service. Yet the church dissolved overnight when its leader, Jim Jones, and nearly a thousand of his most loyal followers committed mass suicide at Jonestown, a remote church settlement in the jungles of Guyana, South America. In his book Deceived, Mel White tries to determine why so many people could be so fatally misled. Among the reasons he suggests are: He [Jim Jones] knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need; he counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement center; he opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational training center; he provided free legal aid; he founded a community center; he preached about God. He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal. But on the other hand we find all the marks of a false prophet. He promoted himself through the use of celebrities, a very common vehicle for false prophets to gain credibility. 11

12 He manipulated the press; he wanted certain favorable stories; he was big on playing the press And he used the language and the forms of faith to gain his power. Jim Jones created a warm, purportedly Christian community. But he replaced Jesus Christ as the authority and more and more garnered loyalty to himself. He began demanding money for every service he offered and was preoccupied with sex, in both its normal and deviant forms. He would lie convincingly about anything in order to gain an advantage or make a desired impression. Before his bizarre death he had managed to gain the admiration and praises of countless church leaders, governors, senators, congressmen, and even the president of the United States. So, when Jesus said we would know false prophets by their fruit understand that it s not always an easy thing. It often requires intense scrutiny of the man and his message by smooth words and flattering speech [they] deceive the hearts of the naïve. (Romans 16:18) The message of many false prophets is positive and full of promises of physical health and material blessings and yet it contains no mention of holiness, repentance or obedience. And because their message is so positive and peppered with Scripture it gives people a false sense of security while allowing them to hang onto their sins and still feel right with God. False prophets don t preach the narrow gate that Jesus preached which is the true gospel. Theirs is a watered-down gospel that only emphasizes the blessings without dealing with the sacrifices. Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT2) 13 You can enter God s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. 12

13 The narrow way is the way of the cross it s a crucified life as you take up your cross, deny yourself and follow after Jesus. Arthur W. Pink False prophets are to be found in the circles of the most orthodox and pretend to have a fervent love for souls, yet they fatally delude multitudes concerning the way of salvation. These pulpit, platform and pamphlet hucksters (also radio and TV) have wantonly lowered the standard of divine holiness and so adulterated the gospel in order to make it palatable to the carnal mind. And as Jesus warned many follow them down the broad way that leads to hell. 13