“Who do You Believe?”
March 28, 2009
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “ Matthew 7:15-23
It was 1970 and shortly after I got out of the army I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I knelt down in my little apartment on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota and I committed my life to the Lord. Jesus gave me a reason to live. He gave me direction. I began to read my bible and pray. I still hadn’t made a decision on going to church yet when the owner of the apartment building I lived in invited me to join him for a bible Study. I felt a little hesitant, but I accepted. That night a group met in someone’s home and sang songs and read Scripture - then they pray. They prayed in a very unusual way. They were making strange sounds and praying in, what I learned later, was tongues.
I wasn’t put off but it or frighten by it – or attracted to it. It was just interesting to me. I didn’t think of it as being bad or good. But God made it clear to me that it wasn’t for me. Confusion and ecstatic utterances didn’t jive with what I was reading in the Bible. There was no doubt in my mind that these people where good God fearing people – but I felt the Spirit leading me away from them.
A short time later God clearly led me to the Nazarene Church. The Church back home definitely had some problems. It was pretty cold and dry and not very evangelistic – but I knew this is where God wanted me. Later I realized that God had placed me here in this denomination because the doctrine is so biblical. I didn’t have to rationalize or stretch the Word. So I joined the Church of the Nazarene, NOT because I believed what THEY believed – but because they believed what “I” believed. I had read the New Testament seven times that summer, and I knew what it said and didn’t say. I found a Bible believing church that stood for those things that I saw in the Bible.
We all will have to make a choice of what we believe and what we don’t believe. Who do we follow and whom do we reject? What is the false and what is the true. It can be pretty confusing. Let’s look at some Scriptures and see what the Word says about false Teachers.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.” 2 Timothy 3:1-9
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Jude 3-7
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
The Bible is full of warnings about the danger of false prophets. It is a warning from God that we are not to believe everything we hear even though it may come from supposedly Christian sources.
My grandkids are all pretty old now. The youngest is 5, but I remember when they were babies. Teaching a little baby to eat on its own is a fascinating thing. One of the things you have to teach a little one, as they learn how to eat for themselves, is to examine their food and to know what they’re putting in their mouth. I remember more than once seeing one of them find some ABC gum under a pew or a chair. If they don’t learn to examine what they’re eating they might get all sorts of nasty things. It would be possible for them to get something in their body that would be damaging and detrimental to them.
The same thing is true on the part of a Christian. All Christians need to be very, very careful what they eat in terms of spiritual food. Do not be gullible. Do not receive everything you hear just because the person who says it claims that he is of God. The Bible is clear that there are many false prophets out there.
I. FALSE PROPHETS
The Bible teaches the existence of false prophets. There were false prophets in the early Church and there are false prophets today. In Jude v. 4 the Bible tells us how those false prophets try to operate. The Bible says that they creep in unawares, they sneak in, they come in the side door. So what are we to do? The bible tells us.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
The Scripture is clear that we have a responsibility to put to test the things that we hear, to determine if we’re listening to the spirit of error or to the spirit of truth. Here’s how to check out a false prophet and a faithful preacher.
1. The Content Test. Check out what they have to say, the content of their message. Many times a false prophet will say a lot of good things, a lot of things that are true. Don’t let that fool you. A broken watch is right two times every day. Because they may teach some things that are good does not necessarily mean that you buy everything they have to say. The key is what their message says about the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do they believe about the incarnation of the Lord Jesus? Inevitably a false prophet will be off base somewhere in relationship to the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
Most religious have a lot of good to them. Buddhist, Muslims, Hindus, new age, most teach that we are to help the needy, strive to be a better person, and stuff like that. But if they say that Jesus was just another “good” teacher or equate Him with other prophets and teachers – it is a false teach, religion or prophet. Jesus is God. Jesus is the Creator of the World. Jesus is the only one that could, would and did die for our sins. 1 John 4:2-3 says,
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
2. The Money Test (2 Peter 2:2-3).
“Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2-3
The false prophet always flunks the money test. This does not mean that every time there is an appeal made for money that this means the individual is a false prophet. There are many very fine Christian causes that are worthy of your support. You need to watch very carefully how the funds are used and watch very carefully to see if the individual who is making the appeal is overly interested in money matters. If that individual himself gets involved in a very elaborate lifestyle and begins to use the funds for his own selfish desires - I’d be very, very careful about giving to it. God says a workman is worthy of his hire – but many false prophets are into it for the money.
3. The Morality Test (2 Peter 2:1). Paul writes they will be:
“…treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires” 2 Timothy 3:4-6
Check into their lifestyle. Some of the most immoral people in all the world have been people who have claimed to be messengers of God. See if they measure up to the standards of the Word of God. Check their converts out. Of course, all of us are ashamed of some of our converts. R. G. Lee told about walking down the street and a drunk staggered up to him and said, “Oh, Preacher, I’m one of your converts.” The preacher looked at him and said, “Yeah, you look like one of mine. You certainly don’t look like one of the Lord’s.” (Pastor’s Conference at CNC in 1974)
Some who claim to be ‘Christian’ are embarrassing to us, but for the most part the gospel will cause people to be Bible-loving, Jesus-loving, home-loving, church-loving, family-loving, neighborhood-loving kind of people. It will change your life.
Well, enough about false prophets. Let’s talk about:
II. THE FAITHFUL PREACHERS
How do you recognize a faithful preacher of the Word? He is in agreement with the Bible. Always check it out in the Bible. See what the Bible says, and if the preacher agrees with what the Bible says he’s right. If the preacher disagrees with what the Bible says - then the preacher is wrong, he’s missed it. Those who do not believe the Bible, those who are not of God will always be uncomfortable with Bible preaching. The bible gives us a standard of right and wrong. It’s pretty black and white in most areas. So some people will deny it as a divine work of God. They don’t want to claim it is God speaking. Usually when a godly government takes over – one of the first things they do is to burn Bibles. Why? They don’t like the standard. But we can bet out eternal destiny on it. Why”
“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21
God knew we shallow, selfish, unwise people needed something we could stand on. Something unchanging and solid. That’s why He gave us the Word.
III. THE FEARLESS PEOPLE
A Christian is fearless. Perfect love cast out fear. And we need to be.
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:12
We are living in a world where there is the spirit of error. Here Satan’s messengers would attack and mock and belittle the Child of God. How are we as the people of God to cope? How can the people of God be sure to distinguish between a false prophet and a faithful preacher? There is a:
Relationship — “you are of God.” We have a special relationship to the Almighty Creator of the Universe, He is our Father. Just as a parent will see to it that his child is guarded from that which is wrong and that which is harmful and untrue, it is our privilege as children of God to have a heavenly Father who cares for us and sees to it that we understand that which is true and are able to detect that which is false - if we are willing. If we are seeking truth – He will help us find it.
Result — “you have overcome them.” The tense of the verb is something done in the past with a present result. It is speaking of the cross where Jesus overcame the wicked one. You and I have a blessed result. We can overcome the spirit of error in the power of the Lord Jesus. The battle is already won.
Reason — How do we overcome? “Greater is He that is in you that he than he that is in the world.” We have the Holy Spirit within us to protect us against the spirit of error. We have the “witness of the Word” and we have the “witness of the Spirit” to guide us into righteousness.
In Mount Shasta we are confronted with so many religions and theories and prophets. We have Christian Science, I AMer’s, Ascended Master’s, Center for Positive Living, Eckankar’s, Bernadette Foundation, besides all the regular Churches. You can be overwhelmed with all the stuff out there. Does the Bible give us any direction? Listen.
“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.” 2 John 1:9-11
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:14-17
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” Galatians 1:8-9
That’s pretty plain, isn’t it? Stick to the Word of God. In the day in which we are living it is very important to test the prophets since there are so many false prophets around. If you will follow the steps given in this message, you will be able to discern them.
“Jesus, the Light of the World”
