2 Peter 1:19

So we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them. They bring on themselves swift destruction, and many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness, they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time, their judgment has been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Father, we pray for wisdom. As we consider this passage of Scripture, we pray for application as well. Lord, we ask that you would give us understanding so that we could take these things and not only make them something we remember, but something that changes and transforms our lives. Lord, we know that your word is living and powerful, and that it is able to transform; it is able to cleanse and make us more and more like you, as you, by your Spirit, work your word into our lives. So teach us this morning, we ask. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

It was one of the most depressing and certainly tragic periods in the nation of Israel's history—one of those sad stories of the Bible. God had established His covenant with the people of Israel there in the Old Testament, and He had given them a land that was filled with blessing. When He established His covenant with them, He established His commands, His law. The law was very clear that in obeying those commands and adhering to His covenant, they would experience continual blessing.

If you read through the Old Testament, starting from the time when that covenant was shared or that law was spoken for the second time in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, you will see a clear pattern. As you read from Deuteronomy into Joshua, Judges, and through the historical books of the Old Testament, you notice that the people of Israel experienced a rollercoaster ride of times of blessing, when they obediently followed God, and times of deep, tragic devastation, when they departed from the covenant and the command of God to worship and serve idols. This cycle is ongoing throughout their history.

It was exactly as God foretold it would be when Moses gave the reading of the law in Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, he spoke to the children of Israel about the blessings that would come through their obedience and the curses that would come through their disobedience. Moses said, "And for the next several verses, he gives these blessings one after another. This is the blessing you shall have as you follow the covenant and the command of God."

However, down in verse 15, he warns, "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses will come upon and overtake you." Following this, there is a list of curses in the subsequent verses that will come upon them, which are the exact opposite of the blessings he spoke of earlier. If you obey, you will experience these blessings; if you do not obey, you will experience these curses. The curse is as much of a promise as the blessing.

As you follow their history, you see times of obedience and blessing, as well as times of disobedience and cursing. Over nearly a thousand years of Israel's history, there is a long, deep slope of sliding down towards idolatry and away from God. Their departure from God became very severe, ultimately leading to a point in Israel's history where God determined that He would now bring about His curse.

His judgment upon His people was a result of their departure from His covenant and their idolatry. This ultimately came about during the time of a prophet by the name of Jeremiah. In the midst of these times, when God would bring His judgment, there would always be prophets sent by God. As Peter speaks of them, they were holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

These prophets were inspired as they considered the Scriptures and what God had said previously in books like Deuteronomy, particularly in passages like Deuteronomy chapter 28. They observed the condition of the nation in which they lived, and they were moved by the Spirit of God to speak. They would call out to the people, as Jeremiah did throughout his entire life. From the time of his youth until the time of his death, he cried out to the people to turn away from their wickedness, to turn away from their idolatry, to return to the Lord, and to repent. That was his message.

Jeremiah cried to these people for more than 40 years, yet not a single person would hear or heed his message. None of them would listen to what he had to say. There are probably several reasons why they refused to listen to the message of Jeremiah. For one, they loved their sin. They were enamored with what they were doing and did not want to leave behind their enticing and appetizing idolatry. There were all kinds of immoral practices involved in their idolatry, and they enjoyed the position they were in. The opportunity cost of changing their ways did not seem severe; they did not believe they were heading off a cliff, as Jeremiah warned them.

Additionally, they loved to listen to another group of prophets. During Jeremiah's time, as was the case during the time of Isaiah and Ezekiel, there were individuals who identified themselves or were identified by the people as prophets. However, they spoke a different message that was completely contrary to the message of the true prophets. While Jeremiah was saying to repent and warning of a clear judgment that was coming at the hands of the Babylonian Empire, these other prophets offered a different narrative.

Jeremiah could see the impending judgment, which was prophesied to occur in the 6th century BC. Isaiah had seen it 150 years before Jeremiah. They both foresaw what was going to happen, and as they spoke, so it ultimately did happen.

They're saying that if you will repent and return to the Lord, you will experience His blessing. But if you will not, you will experience the curse, just as the Lord spoke through Moses nearly 1,000 years before. Jeremiah was not the only one speaking to the people as a prophet in that day. In the book of Jeremiah, you don't have to turn there; you can just note it down in your notes. In Jeremiah chapter 14, we read in verse 13 that Jeremiah said, "Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'"

Jeremiah is saying to the people, thus saith the Lord, the sword is going to come at the hand of the Babylonians. There is going to be famine, and there is going to be all this severe destruction upon you unless you turn to the Lord. Yet, there was another group of individuals, prophets, who were saying, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, don't listen to that guy. He's such a naysayer. He's always so negative and has such a hard message. No one wants to hear that. Everything's going to be just fine. Tomorrow will be as today and much more abundant. The stock market, the Dow Jones will be at 25,000. Everything's going to be great. You will have peace, peace. Everything will be great. Don't listen to that Jeremiah guy over there. He's so down all the time."

What message do you suppose the people listened to? They listened to those who are rightly identified as soothsayers. They spoke a soothing message that made everybody feel really nice. God spoke to Jeremiah in the very next verse, Jeremiah 14:14. The Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in my name. They attach my name onto it, 'Thus saith the Lord,' but it's not my message. 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 own heart."

That's very important. They prophesy the deceit of their own heart. They were self-deceived. They were giving a message that was not a true message, but they themselves had bought into it. This is the right message because it feels good, it sounds good, and it's appetizing. It gets a good crowd; everybody likes this message. So, they were self-deceived. They speak the deceit of their own heart.

Now, here in the New Testament, Peter says that during those times in the Old Covenant, under the Old Covenant, holy men of God spoke.

Second Peter 1:21 states that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. However, there were also false prophets among the people. Throughout the time of Jeremiah, Haggai, and Obadiah, the prophetic works of the Old Testament reveal that there were always those delivering a soothsaying message, proclaiming that everything was okay. They would say, "Don't worry. Peace, peace," when in reality, God was declaring that there would be no peace.

Ultimately, during that dark time in Israel's history, the word of Jeremiah came true. If you read through the book of Jeremiah, you will find it to be a very depressing account. It transitions into the book of Lamentations, which details his sorrow as he witnesses the city burn. He weeps over the destruction, and everything he prophesied came to pass.

Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 2, applies this to his time and ours. He warns that just as there were false prophets among them, there will be false teachers among you. He speaks in the future tense, emphasizing that false teachers are assured. This is not a possibility; it is a guarantee, one that was prophesied by Jesus Himself.

Several times in the Gospels, particularly in a passage known as the Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus warns of the coming false prophets. In Matthew 24:5, He states, "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ.'" In verse 11, He adds, "Then many false prophets will rise up." Finally, in verse 24, He warns, "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the very elect."

In this message, Jesus tells His disciples to be aware and on guard. They must be cautious and understand that false Christs, false prophets, and false teachers will arise.

It's not just Jesus; nearly every New Testament writer speaks a caution to the church about false teachers who will come. Peter does here. Jude, as we studied just a few months ago back in June, spoke about false teachers that would come. Paul speaks about it quite a bit. James, I believe, speaks about it. John definitely talks about these false teachers. The New Testament authors all give this caution.

The Apostle Paul, in his last words with the leaders of the church in a city called Ephesus, has his message recorded in Acts chapter 20 in the New Testament. It says this in Acts 20:29: "For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in, not sparing the flock. And also from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves." Just as there were false prophets thousands of years ago during the time of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the Old Testament prophets, there will be false teachers among us. They are assured.

Not only are they assured, but point number two is that false teachers come in secretly. Peter writes in 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 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." Jude, which we studied back in June, also addresses this. In Jude 1:4, he states that these false teachers "creep in unnoticed."

In my kitchen at home, we have a brass bell from the United States Navy, which has "USN" right on the side of it. Andrea's uncle, who had been a commander in the Navy, gave it to us. My wife or I will often ring the bell when it's dinnertime, and the legions of children come running. You can hear their footsteps upstairs as they come running when they hear the bell, like Pavlov's dogs. We have them trained.

False teachers do not sound the bell. They do not announce their entrance when they come in. Perhaps one of the most frightening things about false teachers is that they don't always even realize that they are false teachers.

Jeremiah said it there: they speak the deceit of their own hearts. They are self-deceived. You may wonder how it could be that they don't even realize they are false teachers. They preach a message that feels good to themselves; it seems like a good message, and they like it. They also preach a message that is appetizing to the people, which is why the people love to come and hear it.

Paul, in writing to a young minister, Timothy, says in one of his letters, "Listen, in the last days, understand that people heap up for themselves teachers who will tickle their ears." They will speak those kinds of things that sound very attractive. Oftentimes, false teaching is not a message that causes any form of discomfort whatsoever. It is normally a soothsaying sort of message, and it is very attractive to the people, which is how they can be deceived.

You may ask, "What exactly is wrong with this message?" Simply put, the message does not align with Scripture. It does not accord with the prophetic word confirmed. Look again at what Peter says; look back at verse 19 of chapter 1. He states, "So we have the prophetic word confirmed." He is preaching to you about Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection, which is the confirmation of the prophetic word that was spoken in the Old Testament. The prophecies were given: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as stated in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul says, "This is the gospel that we preach to you: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures."

So, what was the message that Paul or Peter were preaching? It is a message that is confirmed by the Scriptures. It needs to line up with what the Word of God says. If there is a message being preached and it is presented as a biblical message from a pulpit somewhere in a place called a church, with a gathering of people on the traditional day for church, Sunday morning, it must align with the Scriptures.

Peter emphasizes that we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed. This means that if it is not confirmed by the Scriptures, you do not have to heed that message. This is exactly what Moses told the children of Israel when he warned them to beware of false prophets in the book of Deuteronomy.

He says, "Listen, if it doesn't line up, if it doesn't confirm or is not confirmed, then don't heed that message of the false prophet. You don't have to heed that message because it's unconfirmed. So do not be fearful. Do not be afraid of that message."

This means that we need to be students of the Scripture enough to be able to check the message that is being given. We must be able to check the message to carefully confirm that those things being taught align with the Scriptures.

Oftentimes, a person who checks the message to see if it's aligned with the Scriptures is referred to as a Berean. They are called Bereans because in Acts chapter 17, when Paul was preaching the gospel in the region called Macedonia, he went to the city of Philippi and preached the gospel. Then he went to the city of Thessalonica and preached the gospel again. Finally, he came to a city called Berea.

The Scriptures tell us in Acts chapter 17 that while he was in Berea preaching the gospel, the people of Berea were more noble or more fair-minded than those of Thessalonica. This is noted in Acts chapter 17, verse 10. They were more fair-minded in that they received the word with readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out if those things were so.

So here's what they did: Paul came into the Jewish synagogue in Berea. He was a Jewish Pharisee, a religious leader. He went in there and began to speak from the law and the prophets on the Sabbath day in the synagogue of Berea. He told them that the promised hope they had all been anticipating, the coming of the Messiah, had come in the form of a man named Jesus of Nazareth, who died on a Roman cross in Jerusalem and rose from the dead. Paul said, "I have seen this risen Jesus. He is the Christ."

All these people responded, "This is far out! I've never heard these things." They went home and searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things were so. Because of this, they were considered more fair-minded or noble. Even 2,000 years later, we refer to people who search the Scriptures as good Bereans.

At Cross Connection, we really do our best to ensure that when we share truth, we are grounded in Scripture.

We show from the Scriptures where that truth comes from. If we're going to share something as truth, we want to show why we believe it to be true from the Scriptures. We're not just making these things up. That's our goal: to share and to show.

Even though that's the case, you should seek to be a Berean, to search the Scriptures, to see if these things are so. Be fair-minded. Be a noble Christian, if you are a Christian today. Only heed those things that line up with the Word of Scripture. Why should you only heed those things that line up with the Word of Scripture? Well, look at what Peter says in 2 Peter, chapter 2.

"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." They bring in destructive heresies. Point number three on your outline: false teachers and their teachings are destructive. They secretly bring in destructive heresies.

What exactly is a destructive heresy? First, the word "heresy" simply means a message that is divergent or not in line with the generally accepted message. A message that is not in line with the generally accepted message.

Now, understand that not all heresies—messages that are not in line with the generally accepted message—are destructive heresies. What do I mean? You may find yourself, at one point in time, in a group of Christians, followers of the Bible, who have, according to your view, because of your upbringing within the church, a heretical view of the style of worship.

Maybe you came here and thought, "This is like heresy. That guy's got a guitar. They have drums. What is this?" It may be different from what you generally experience. Or you may go to one church where they partake of communion in a different fashion than we do. In the very basic sense of heresy, it's different from what may be generally accepted by this body of Christians.

That doesn't necessarily mean that it is a destructive heresy. The King James Version, I believe, refers to it as a damnable heresy. So, what is a destructive or damnable heresy?

It is a divergent teaching that leads to destruction or damnation. It is a teaching that leads you away from Christ and not closer to Him. Therefore, we need to be careful when it comes to damnable heresies.

What exactly is a damnable heresy? If there are some teachings that are not destructive in what they produce and their outcomes, but are just different, then what constitutes a destructive teaching? Again, we can look at 2 Peter 2. The passage states, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them." Through this, they bring upon themselves swift damnation and destruction. The result is destruction; the result is damnation. Therefore, it is a bad, false, wicked heresy because the outcome is damnation.

What kind of teaching leads to this? It involves denying the Lord who bought them. When reading those words, a question arises: Is this a denial of the Lordship of Jesus, or is it a denial of the redemptive work of Jesus? Denying the Lord who bought them implies a denial of His redemptive work. So, is it a denial of the Lordship of Christ, or is it a denial of the redemptive work of Jesus? Yes and yes. Either one is problematic.

If someone denies or rejects the Lordship of Jesus Christ, they expose themselves to swift damnation in the future. If you deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you open yourself up to the swift damnation that will come at the judgment of God. Additionally, if you deny the redemptive work—whether its necessity or sufficiency—you are essentially saying, "I don't need what He did on the cross," or "The work of Christ is not enough." In doing so, you expose yourself to swift damnation in the future.

This clearly illustrates that such heresies exist outside of the agreed-upon truth and lead to damnation.

Now, there may be others, but this is very clearly damnable heresy. You may wonder, would anyone actually ever teach such a thing and call themselves Christians? How could someone say, "I'm a Christian, I'm a preacher, I'm a student of the Scriptures," and teach that Jesus is not Lord or that the work that Jesus did is not enough or not needed? No one would ever teach that, right?

Well, actually, if you study church history, you find that, yes, there have been many times when individuals who stand apparently preaching the Scriptures and seeking to study the Scriptures come to wrong conclusions about the Scriptures that are unsubstantiated, and they preach these things. Even as early as the second century AD, right after the death of the apostles, one of the first heresies that came into the church was a heresy called adoptionism. It taught that Jesus was not divine, that Jesus is just a man and not God. Because he is just a man and not God, he therefore is not Lord. They would teach that he only became the one upon whom God put his spirit at the baptism. When Jesus was baptized, he came up, the Spirit descended, and God the Father said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," but he was just a mere man; he was not God.

Again, this does not accord with the Scriptures. In the beginning was the Word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is fully God and fully man, which we call the hypostatic union. God became a man. That is one of the core teachings of the Scripture. If you move away from the fact that he is fully God and fully man, then if he is just a man, well, he doesn't need to be Lord. You don't need to yield to him.

Not just adoptionism, but in the fourth century AD, there was a teaching by an individual named Arius called Arianism, which ultimately taught very much the same thing: Jesus was just a man and therefore not Lord. Then the pendulum swings. In the fifth century AD, a new heresy arose called Docetism. This is the complete opposite of Arianism or adoptionism, which says Jesus is just a man. Docetism claims that Jesus is God but not a man. He is fully God, but he is not human; he only appeared here in some sort of spiritual form.

But he's not really an individual human being. You might ask, what's wrong with that? Well, it means that the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is not enough. It doesn't go far enough because it's not a sufficient sacrifice. The potency and power of His redemptive work are diminished in that view.

Also, in the fifth century, there came the teaching of an individual by the name of Pelagius. We call it Pelagianism. He taught that human beings are basically inherently good and unaffected by the fall. Therefore, by choosing to do good, one can save oneself without needing the work of Jesus on the cross. Every single one of these early false heresies in the first 600 years of the church aligns with what Peter warns about: there will come false teachers who will deny the lordship of Jesus Christ or the necessity and sufficiency of His redemptive work. So, be on guard.

You may wonder if anyone would actually follow such teachings. Let's look at the Scriptures again. In Second Peter, chapter two, verse one, it states, "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 they will bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways."

Point number four: many follow destructive false teachings. I will take you back briefly to the words of Jesus in Matthew, chapter 24, verse five. "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." In verse 11, it continues, "Then many false prophets will arise and deceive many." Verse 24 adds, "For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, even if possible, the very elect." Many will follow their destructive ways.

Why would someone follow a teaching that denies the lordship of Jesus Christ or claims that His work on the cross is not necessary or sufficient? Why would anyone ever do that? Well, I think for one reason: none of us like to submit to lordship.

It's not in my nature, my fallen nature, to want to yield to the lordship of Christ, to let Him become king, director, leader, and lord of my life. I don't know about you, but I don't want anybody to rule over me. Isn't that the spirit that drives the independence we so love in our own nation? No one will be over me. And yet, we're called to yield to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

He is not a lord like a harsh taskmaster; He is a lord who loves those whom He calls. However, not only do we, in our fallen natures, resist yielding to the lordship of Christ, but we also love religion. You don't have to look very far to see this is true. Look at the world we live in. All 7.4 billion people on the face of this planet are, by their nature, religious.

Now, you may say there are people who are non-religious. But they are religiously non-religious. They are ardently committed to their beliefs and go through all kinds of rituals to hold on to their unfaith. Yet, they are still religiously non-religious. This whole mindset of making yourself better, of self-making through rule-keeping or whatever process it may be, is something our carnality loves.

The idea of the atonement of Jesus Christ goes against that. It says, "I am unable to fix me. I'm unable to save me. I need a Savior, and He needs to do it all." Our nature, because of the fall, does not like these truths. Therefore, we are attracted to false teachings that deny the lordship of Christ and the necessity or sufficiency of His work. Many follow these destructive teachings.

What is the result when many people follow these destructive teachings? Look again at 2 Peter 2. Because of whom?

Now, who's the whom? Is it the false teachers or the followers of false teaching? Both. Because of whom? The false teachers and those who follow them. The way of truth, Jesus, is told. We're told in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Because of false teachers and those who follow false teachings, the way of truth, Jesus, will be slandered and blasphemed.

Now, why is it that the followers of false teachers also, and not just the false teachers themselves, cause this ill repute against the name of Christ? Well, because every follower becomes a teacher by the very act of following. Every parent knows this to their own chagrin. It doesn't take long for you to see in your children patterns and behaviors that you dislike. Then you realize one day, good God, they're a mirror. How did they learn that? I didn't sit them down and instruct them to be impatient, rude, and obnoxious. They learned that from me.

Every follower becomes a teacher, which is a challenging reality for every single one of us in this room. People follow your lead, whether you realize it or not. The very fact that you go to church, whether you believe this or not, means people are watching you. They are learning things about church, about God, and about the Scriptures because of what they see in me and what they see in you. That's scary.

Point number five on your outline: Followers of false teachings foul the witness of the church. Followers of false teachings foul the witness of the church. We just got into football season. You know the yellow flag—there's a foul, a penalty on the field. The followers of false teaching bring this blasphemy and slander against the way of truth, both the false teachers and those who follow them.

Now, I'm sure that many of you have had a conversation with a coworker, a neighbor, a family member, or a friend.

There are individuals who perhaps do not believe in God. They do not go to church, lack Christian faith, and do not really study the Bible, yet they have an opinion about God, the church, the Christian faith, and the Bible. You haven't met that person, right? Many times, the opinion of such individuals about God, the Christian faith, the church, and the Bible does not come from God, the Christian faith, the church, or the Bible. Instead, it comes from those who apparently believe in God, the Christian faith, the church, and the Bible. As a result, they often hold a negative view and a negative opinion.

What kind of examples can we consider? First, there is a teaching presented as Christian doctrine in our nation today that we, as a people, are known for around the world. There are people, at this moment on a Sunday morning, in buildings like this—most often much bigger—preaching messages that claim God exists in heaven to make you happy, healthy, and wise. Many follow this teaching, yet I can find that message nowhere in the Bible. It's simply not there. However, many believe and adhere to this teaching. Consequently, there is a growing opinion among people in our nation who do not go to church and do not believe the Bible that Christian doctrine is all about greed. This perception arises from this false teaching and those who follow it.

I will provide another example, but I want to give a trigger warning for this one. If you are easily offended, I apologize in advance. You may want to cover your ears for about 45 seconds, but that won't help, as someone will likely gossip to you after the service and say, "Did you hear what he said?" So, fair warning.

There is a notion that is more a political ideology than a biblical theology being disseminated through Christian circles in our nation. This ideology holds a negative view of refugees, immigrants, and strangers in our midst. It has nothing to do with biblical theology and everything to do with a political ideology that is actually against biblical theology. God states in the Scriptures, specifically in Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 18, that He administers justice to the fatherless.

To the widow and the stranger, He loves them, giving them food and clothing. Therefore, love the stranger in your midst, for you were strangers in the land. God loves and takes care of the defenseless: the fatherless, the widow, the stranger, and the alien in your midst. He says to us, "You should be like Me."

Now, many of us probably know John 3:16. You will see it on the big placard in the end zone this afternoon somewhere. It states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." But have you ever heard 1 John 3:16 and the following verses that say this? "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brethren. But whoever has the world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue only, but in deed and truth."

There is a growing opinion among people who are not religious in our nation that Christians lack compassion and do not have love. When Jesus said, "They shall know that you are My followers by the love that you have one for another," that is challenging. Is it possible that we ourselves have bought into a teaching that doesn't represent Christ? We may have accepted it because it has come through people who have said from pulpits or radio ministries that this is how we are to believe, but it doesn't accord with the Scriptures. That challenges me.

We need to consider: what do the Scriptures say? What is the heart of these false teachings? Look at what Peter says in 2 Peter 2:3. "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." The New Living Translation makes it even sharper: "In their greed, they will make up clever lies to get you to hold on to your money." But God condemned them long ago.

And their destruction will not be delayed. What is the underpinning of these false teachings? He says covetousness and greed, which are the very aspects of my fallen nature and yours too. That's why these things are so attractive sometimes to us.

How do we guard against false teachers, false teaching, covetousness, and greed? We could go into a long series on how we guard against these things, but I only have a minute and 44 seconds, so I won't do that. However, I do think there's one simple thing that we can do today to help us as it relates to this. That is to do what we do on a regular basis here. About every seven weeks, we partake of communion.

Communion is a time when we take the bread and the cup and remember His body that was broken for us and His blood that was shed for us. Jesus said that we are to do this often in remembrance of Him. His body was broken for us, and His blood was shed for us so that we not be deceived as the serpent deceived Eve from the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ. God became a man, and He died on the cross 2,000 years ago. His death is necessary and sufficient. We need to remember that, and we need to be those who share that.

I’m going to ask the worship team to come back up, and our ushers are going to come forward to distribute the bread and the cup. As they do, just hold on to them, and we will partake together when we all have received them. This is to remember His body that was broken and His blood that was shed for us. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and on the third day rose again according to the Scriptures.

Father, we ask for You by Your Spirit to meet us here in this place as we now endeavor to remember the simplicity of Your body broken, Your blood shed, the necessity of Your shed blood, and the sufficiency of Your shed blood. By the resurrection, You are the Lord of our lives. God, help us to hold tightly to these truths and to be those who share them with others. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen.