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…Someone once said, “If you are going to place poison
on a shelf where you have healing medicines, you had better label it
clearly.” He was discussing the presence of false teaching and false
teachers in the church; and he was recognizing the fact
that if false teachers are going to be present in the church, then they must
be clearly identified before they do harm.
…This is precisely the Lord’s point as He delivers four warnings in the P.S.
of His Sermon on the Mount. He warns against four things that can keep a
person who has heard the Gospel from being saved
. The first one was to be swept along the broad way
without ever passing through the narrow door, to never
receive Christ as Savior.
…The second warning tells of the counterfeit ministers
who lead people to hell…”wolves in sheep clothing.”
TWO INSIGHTS HELPING YOU TO DEAL WITH THE MANY FALSE TEACHERS
WHO ARE IN THE CHURCH.
...Don’t be surprised that Satan has many counterfeit ministers who are
not leading people to heaven…
I.
Know That False
Ministers Are Both Extremely
Dangerous
And Deceptive.(v.15)
A.
The false pastor(teacher) is dangerous because he is like a
wolf
who devours the
sheep.
1.
A wolf is ferocious.
He is the natural predator of the sheep, which is defenseless…
…He does not lay down his life for them,
rather he eats them.
2.
By his teaching,
he leads them to
destruction
. (Jeremiah 23:16, 18,
22)
…Often his teaching
avoids
the truth, by focusing on emotional
type themes…
…He will distort the person and work of Christ
; no narrow gate, no sin and repentance, no teaching God’s wrath and the
coming judgment. It is a feel good message!
B.
The false minister is very deceptive. Note: Not all who claim to speak for
God do!
1.
This man sneaks into
the church(flock) wearing the
wool
of a shepherd’s
coat.
…he appears to be God’s man…
2.
He is not
pretending to be a sheep, rather, he is pretending to be a
real
shepherd.
…he does not announce that he is Satan’s man,
for he himself may be self-deceived.
…often when he speaks, he uses the words of Scripture, but does
not mean it…Beware!
3.
Don’t be fooled by the
outward clothing: his personality, his
degrees
, his ordination…
…Paul had warned the Elders at Ephesus, “Among you, savage wolves will come
in…even from your own number, men will
distort the truth…be on guard.” (Acts 20:29-31)
…Diotrephes is an example of such a man, 3
John 9-10
II. Know
That False Ministers Can Be Identified By Their Fruit.(vv16-20)
…It is not hopeless, for Jesus tells us
that we can spot Satan’s messengers.
A. Jesus
encourages us by telling us
twice
that, “by their
fruit you will recognize them.” (vv16,20)
1.
We can be fooled
with a man’s appearance, with his shepherd credentials…
2.
However, the
tell tale of who they really are shows forth in the
fruit
of their life.
…for just as no tree can hide its
fruit for long, so a false minister will reveal his…
B. This
fruit is seen in several areas of his life:
1.
It is seen in
the
character
of the
shepherd. If he is Christ’s man, then you ought to be able to see Christ in
the man. His character should be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal
5) ‘Love joy, peace, patience,
kindness
, goodness,
faithfulness…”
2.
Furthermore,
his basic character, inner motives, standards,
attitudes
, and ambitions sooner
or later will become apparent. “good trees produce good fruit.”
3.
What does the teacher
believe
? Does he hold to
God’s unchanging Word?
4.
Finally, what
do his disciples look and
act
like? Are they
men and women who are being molded into the image of Christ through the
teaching of His Word? Are they those who
love
the Lord more
and more and are growing in holiness? If not, you have good reason to think
that he is a
wolf
in sheep
clothing, one of Satan’s ministers. BEWARE!
LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES:
1.
God's true shepherds major on the teaching of God's unchanging word!
2.
Be very careful in who you allow to influence you in spiritual things!
3.
Satan has many who pretend to be God's shepherds.
4.
You can discover if he is God's man: Examine his life and teaching!
5.
If you have never received Christ as your savior....Today!
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