Rooted 6 – True and False Prophets

We're really sorry we had some technical difficulties with our video this week, so we just have the audio for you. Hope you enjoy. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Would you open your Bibles with me to the book of 2nd Peter? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and our ushers will bring you one.

2nd Peter is right near the end of the Bible. If you open to the very last book, Revelation, and just turn a few short books to the left, you'll find 1st and 2nd Peter, along with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Jude.

Let's turn to 2nd Peter, chapter 2, but we're going to pick it up just a few verses before that, starting at verse 19 of chapter 1.

2nd Peter 1:19 says, "And 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 them, 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 can take these things and not only remember them but also allow them to change and transform our lives. We know 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 are evident in one of the sad stories of the Bible. God had established His covenant with the people of Israel in the Old Testament, giving them a land filled with blessings. When He established His covenant with them, He also established His commands and His law. The law was very clear: by obeying those commands and adhering to His covenant, they would experience continual blessing.

However, if you read through the Old Testament, from the time when that covenant was shared or that law was spoken in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, you see very clearly that the people of Israel went on a rollercoaster ride. They experienced cycles of times of blessing, where they obediently followed God, and then times of deep tragic devastation when they departed from the covenant and the commands of God to worship and serve idols. This pattern is ongoing throughout their history, just as God had foretold it would be when Moses gave the reading of the law.

In Deuteronomy chapter 28, Moses spoke to the children of Israel about the blessings that would come through their obedience and the curses that would come through their disobedience. It reads like this in Deuteronomy 28, verse 1: "Now it shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all of His commandments which I command you this day, then the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God."

For the next several verses, he lists these blessings one after another. This is the blessing you shall have as you follow the covenant and the commands 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 you and overtake you." He then provides a list of curses in the following verses, which are the exact opposite of the blessings he previously spoke.

Previously, 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, there were times of obedience and times of blessing, as well as times of disobedience and times of cursing.

However, as time went on, for nearly a thousand years of Israel's history, you see that they have this long, deep slope of sliding down towards idolatry and away from God. Their departure from God became very severe, so much so that you ultimately come to a point in Israel's history where God determines that He is now going to bring about His curse, His judgment, upon His people for their departure from His covenant and for 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 here, they were holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. These men were moved as they considered what God had said previously in the Scriptures, particularly in books like Deuteronomy and passages like Deuteronomy chapter 28. As they saw the condition of the nation in which they lived, 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 would cry out to the people to turn away from their wickedness, to turn away from their idolatry, and to return to the Lord. His message was one of repentance, and he 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 a number of reasons why they refused to listen to the message of Jeremiah. For one, they loved their sin; they loved what they were doing. They did not want to leave the things that they were engaged in, as it was enticing and appetizing for them to continue in their idolatry. There were all kinds of immoral practices involved in their idolatry. They enjoyed the position they were in, and the opportunity cost did not seem that severe. They did not believe they were going to go off a cliff, as Jeremiah was telling them. Not only did they love their sin, but they also loved to listen to another group of prophets.

Jeremiah's time, as was the case during the time of Isaiah and Ezekiel, was marked by the presence of true prophets who were moved by the Spirit of God to speak the Word of God to the people. However, there were also individuals who identified themselves, or were identified by the people, as prophets, but they spoke a different message that was completely contrary to the message of the true prophets.

Jeremiah was calling the people to repent, warning them of a judgment that was coming. This judgment was very clear; it was to come at the hands of the Babylonian Empire in the sixth century BC. Jeremiah could see it, just as Isaiah had seen it 150 years before him. They both proclaimed what was going to happen, and as they spoke, it ultimately did come to pass. They urged the people that if they would repent and return to the Lord, they would experience His blessing. Conversely, if they did not repent, they would face the curse, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses nearly a thousand years prior.

However, Jeremiah was not the only prophet speaking to the people during that time. In the Book of Jeremiah, specifically in chapter 14, we read in verse 30 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 was conveying the message from the Lord that the sword was indeed going to come at the hands of the Babylonians, and there would be famine and severe destruction unless the people turned to the Lord.

Yet, there was another group of prophets who were saying, "No, no, no! Don't listen to that guy. He's such a naysayer with a negative and hard message. No one wants to hear that everything is 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, and you will have peace. Don't listen to that Jeremiah guy; he's always so down."

What message do you suppose the people listened to? They listened to those who were rightly identified as soothsayers. They spoke a soothing message that made the people feel comfortable, even if it was not the truth.

Real 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 that was not My message. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them. They prophesied to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their own heart."

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

Now, here in the New Testament, Peter says that during those times in the Old Covenant, holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). However, there were also false prophets among the people. There were false prophets during the time of Jeremiah, during the time of Haggai, and during the time of Obadiah. If you go through the prophetic works of the Old Testament, you will find that there were always those giving a soothsaying message: "Everything's okay, everything's okay, don't worry, peace, peace," when in reality, God was saying 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, it is a very depressing book. It goes right into the book of Lamentations, which is his account of watching the city burn. Here he is, weeping over the city that is burning, and everything that he said came to pass. There were false prophets among the people.

Then Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 2, applies this to his time and our time. He says, "Even as there will be false teachers among you, just as there were false prophets among them." There will be false teachers among you, speaking in the future tense. Point number one on your outline: there's a sermon guide in your...

False teachers are assured. It's not a maybe; it's a guarantee. This was prophesied by Jesus Himself several times in the Gospels. We have this prophetic word of Jesus, most notably in a passage called the Olivet Discourse, which is recorded in Matthew chapter 24.

Three times in Matthew 24, Jesus says there will be false prophets and false Christs. In verse 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 emphasizes to His disciples the need to be aware, on guard, and cautious. There will be false Christs, false prophets, and false teachers. It's not just Jesus; nearly every New Testament writer speaks a caution to the church about false teachers. Peter addresses this, as does Jude, whom we studied just a few months ago in June. Paul speaks about it quite a bit, and James, I believe, also addresses it. John definitely talks about these false teachers.

The New Testament authors all provide this caution. The Apostle Paul, in his last words to the leaders of the church in a city called Ephesus, recorded in Acts chapter 20, states, "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 and Isaiah, 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 Second 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, we studied the book back in June. You can look at the messages online if you'd like to at LifeInConnection.com. In Jude 1, which is just one chapter, verse 4 states that these false teachers creep in unnoticed.

In my kitchen at home, we have a brass bell with the United States Navy's insignia, USN, right on the side of it. Andrea's uncle had been a commander in the Navy and gave it to us. My wife or I will often ring the bell at dinnertime, and the legions of children come running. You can hear their footsteps upstairs; 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. 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 that 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. They like the message, and it is appetizing to the people, so the people love to come and hear it.

Paul, writing to a young minister named Timothy, says in one of his letters that in the last days, people will keep up for themselves teachers who will tickle their ears. They will speak those kinds of things that are 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, so they can be deceived.

You may ask, "What exactly is wrong with this?" Well, 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.

Again, we have the prophetic word confirmed. He says, "I'm preaching to you about Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection," and that 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. First Corinthians, chapter 15, says Paul, "This is the gospel that we preach to you: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and on 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, what the Scriptures say. If there is a message being preached and it is being put forward as a biblical message from a pulpit somewhere in a place called a church, with the gathering of people on the traditional day for church, Sunday morning, it must align with the Scriptures.

We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed. He says you do well to heed the message that is confirmed by the Scriptures. This means if it is not confirmed by the Scriptures, you don't 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 said, "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 Scriptures enough to be able to check the message 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 going about 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, and then he came to a city called Berea. The Scriptures tell us in Acts...

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

Paul entered the Jewish synagogue in Berea, where he, as a Jewish Pharisee and religious leader, began to speak from the Law and the Prophets on the Sabbath day. He told them that the promised hope they had all been anticipating—the coming of the Messiah—had arrived in the form of a man named Jesus of Nazareth, who died on a cross in Jerusalem and rose from the dead. Paul declared, "I have seen this risen Jesus; He is the Christ." The people responded with amazement, saying, "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 their diligent search, we still refer to those who examine the Scriptures as "good Bereans." At Cross Connection, we strive to ensure that when we share truth, we show from the Scriptures where that truth comes from. If we are going to share something as truth, we want to demonstrate why we believe it to be true based on Scripture. Our goal is to share and to show.

However, even with this commitment, you should seek to be a Berean yourself. Search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Be fair-minded; be a noble Christian. If you are a Christian today, heed only those teachings that align with the Word of Scripture.

Why should you only heed those things that align with the Word of Scripture? 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." This leads us to point number three on your outline: false teachers and their destructive heresies.

Teachings are destructive. 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. It is a message that does not align with the commonly accepted beliefs. However, 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, according to your upbringing within the church, may seem heretical. For example, you might find the style of worship different. You may come to a service and think, "This is heresy!" because a guy has a guitar and they have drums. It may be different from what you generally experience.

You may also attend a church where they partake of communion in a different fashion than we do. In this basic sense, heresy is simply different from what may be generally accepted by this body of Christians. This does not necessarily mean that it is a destructive heresy.

The King James Version 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 their outcomes and are just different, then what constitutes a destructive teaching? Again, look at 2 Peter 2:1, which 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. And through this, they bring upon themselves swift destruction."

The result is destruction; the result is damnation. Therefore, it is a bad, false, wicked heresy.

Because the result is damnation, what kind of teaching is this? It involves denying the Lord who bought them. In 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? You see, they are denying the Lord who bought them, who redeemed them. 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/or is fine; either/or is bad. They deny the Lord who bought them.

If someone denies or rejects the lordship of Jesus Christ, they expose themselves to swift damnation. 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, the necessity of it, or the sufficiency of it, you deny the necessity of the redemptive work of Jesus. If you say, "I don't need what He did on the cross," or if you question the sufficiency of the work of Christ, claiming it's not enough, then you expose yourself to swift damnation in the future.

You can see that this is a heresy outside of the agreed-upon truth, teaching that leads 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 apparently stand preaching the Scriptures and seeking to study them, come to wrong conclusions about the Scriptures that are unsubstantiated. They preach these things even as early as the 2nd century AD, right after the death of the apostles.

Heresies that came into the church included a belief known as Adoptionism. This teaching asserted that Jesus was not divine; rather, he was just a man and not God. Because he was merely a man, he was not Lord. According to this view, he only became the one upon whom God put His Spirit. They taught that at the baptism of Jesus, when he came up from the water, the Spirit descended, and God the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." However, they maintained that he was just a mere man and not God.

This belief does not align with Scripture. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is fully God and fully man, a doctrine known as the hypostatic union. This is one of the core teachings of Scripture. If you move away from the fact that he is fully God and fully man, then, if he is just a man, there is no need to regard him as Lord. You do not need to yield to him.

Not only Adoptionism, but in the fourth century AD, there was a teaching by an individual named Arius, known as Arianism, which ultimately taught a similar idea: that Jesus was just a man and therefore not Lord. Then, in the fifth century AD, a new heresy emerged called Docetism. This was the complete opposite of Arianism and Adoptionism. Docetism claimed that Jesus was God but not a man; he was fully God but not human. According to this belief, he only appeared in some sort of spiritual form and was not really an individual human being.

What is wrong with that? If Jesus is not truly human, then the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is insufficient. It does not go far enough because it is not a sufficient sacrifice. The potency and power of His redemptive work are diminished by this belief.

Also in the fifth century, there came the teaching of an individual named Pelagius, which we call 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 six hundred years of the church shares a common thread. As Peter warned, we need to watch out for false teachers who will arise.

We will deny the lordship of Jesus Christ or the necessity and sufficiency of His redemptive work, so be on guard. You may say, "Okay, there are those who have taught these things, but would anybody actually follow such a thing?" Well, let's look at the Scriptures again.

In Second Peter, chapter 2, verse 1, 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. They will bring upon themselves swift destruction." Many will follow their destructive ways.

Point number four: many follow destructive false teachings. I take you back briefly to the words of Jesus in Matthew, chapter 24, verse 5, where He says, "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 warns, "For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the very elect."

Many will follow their destructive ways. Why would someone follow a teaching? They go to a church, they read the Bible, they believe the Bible, and they are taught the Bible. Why would they ever turn to a teaching that denies the lordship of Jesus Christ or claims that His work on the cross is not necessary or not sufficient?

I think, for one, none of us like to submit to lordship. It is not in 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 ruling over me. Isn't that the spirit that drives the independence we so love in our own nation? No one will be over me. Yet, we are called to yield to the lordship of Jesus Christ. He is not a lord like a harsh taskmaster; He is the Lord who loves those He calls. However, in our fallen natures, we often resist yielding to His lordship.

Christ, in our fallen nature, we love religion. You don't have to look very far to know this is true. Look at the world we live in; all seven point four billion people on the face of this planet are, by their nature, religious. We love religion.

Now, you may say, "Objection! There are people who are non-religious." However, they are religiously non-religious. They really are. They are ardently committed to their beliefs and go through all kinds of religious practices to hold on to their unfaithfully non-religious religion. This whole mindset of making yourself better through rule-keeping or whatever process it may be, our carnality loves this.

The idea of the atonement of Jesus Christ goes against that. It says, "I am unable to fix me. I am 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 things. Therefore, we are attracted to false teachings that deny the lordship of Christ and deny the necessity or the sufficiency of His work. Many follow these destructive teachings.

What is the result when many people follow these destructive teachings? Look again in Second Peter 2. "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 brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed."

Now, who is the "whom"? Is it the false teachers or the followers of false teaching? It is both. Because of whom—the false teachers and those who follow them—the way of truth, which Jesus is told to be in John 14:6, will be slandered and blasphemed.

Now, why is it that the followers of false teachers are also implicated and not just the false teachers?

Themselves that cause this ill repute against the name of Christ. 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 the 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. We just got into football season, and you know the yellow flag that indicates a foul penalty on the field. Followers of false teachings bring this blasphemy and slander against the way of truth, both the false teacher and those who follow them.

I'm sure that many of you have had a conversation with a co-worker, a neighbor, a family member, or a friend who does not believe in God. They do not go to church, they don't have Christian faith, and they don't really study the Bible, but they have an opinion about God, the church, the Christian faith, and the Bible. You have met that person, right? Many times, the opinion of that individual about God, the Christian faith, the church, and the Bible comes not from God, the Christian faith, the church, or the Bible. It comes from those who apparently...

Many people believe in God, the Christian faith, the church, and the Bible, yet they often hold a negative view and opinion of these beliefs. What kind of examples can illustrate this? I can provide a couple.

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 than this—preaching messages that say God exists in heaven to make you happy, healthy, and wise. Many follow this teaching, but I cannot find that message anywhere in the Bible. It simply isn't there. Despite this, there are many who believe and adhere to this teaching. Consequently, there is a growing opinion among people in our nation who do not attend church and do not believe the Bible that Christian doctrine is all about greed, stemming from this false teaching and those who follow it.

I will give you another example, and I want to provide 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, asking if you heard what I said. So, fair warning.

There is a political ideology being disseminated through Christian circles in our nation that holds a negative view of refugees and immigrants—strangers and aliens in our midst. This perspective has nothing to do with biblical theology and everything to do with a political ideology that is actually against biblical teachings. God states in the Scriptures, specifically in Deuteronomy 10:18, that He administers justice to the fatherless and the widow, and He loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore, we are commanded to love the stranger in our midst, for we were once strangers in the land. God loves and takes care of the defenseless: the fatherless, the widow, the stranger, and the alien among us. He instructs us to be like Him.

Many of us know John 3:16. You will see it on the big placard in the end zone this afternoon somewhere: "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? They say, "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. 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, and so we need to consider what the Scriptures say.

Now, 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? Peter says it is covetousness and greed, which are the very aspects of my fallen nature and yours too. That is why these things are so attractive sometimes to us. How do we guard against false teachings?

Teachers often promote false teachings, covetousness, and greed. We could go into a long series on how to 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 we can do today to help us in this regard.

That is to partake in communion, which we do on a regular basis here about every seven weeks. Communion is a time when we take the bread and the cup to remember His body that was broken for us and His blood that was shed for us. Jesus said 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 would not be deceived, as the serpent deceived Eve, from the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ.

God became a man and died on the cross two thousand years ago. His death is necessary and sufficient, and we need to remember that. We also need to be those who share that message.

I’m going to ask the worship team to come back up, and our ushers will come forward to distribute the bread and the cup. As they do, please hold on to them, and we will partake together once we have all 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 and Your blood shed. We acknowledge the necessity and sufficiency of Your shed blood, and that 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. Amen.