2 KINGS 4:38-41 38 Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these prophets.” 39 One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine and picked as many of its gourds as his garment could hold. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. 40 The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, “Man Of God, There Is Death In The Pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He put it into the pot and said, “Serve it to the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
INTRODUCTION: THE MAN OF GOD WHO POISONED THE CHURCH (TEACH)
OVERHEAD: No One Enriches Hell More Than False Pastors. And as Christ delays, they increase more and more. No one finds greater joy in drawing people away from truth and leading them into error than false preachers, teachers, prophets. They have been present in every era of human history. They have always been a plague and have always been in the business of providing counterfeit truth. Just watch television – you see mess. Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: “Time will come when [believers] will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables”.
PER GOD’S WORD, THE PREACHER AND HEARER HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. The False Teacher is Damned: Matthew 18:6 "If anyone causes one of these little ones - those who believe in me - to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
2. The Christian Must Test Every Spirit: 1 John 4:1-3: 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. 2 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, 3 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.”
Today’s church in America and abroad is dangerously turning to fables. Millions have already succumbed to these false teachings. It’s crucial that we identify some of the poison in the pot. Examples: Pastor doctored angels in video. People crawling behind pastors. People eat grass.
BIBLE VERSES ON FALSE DOCTRINES / TEACHERS / PROPHETS
1. 2 Tim. 2:17-18: “17 Their false teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.”
2. 2 Cor. 11:4 / 13-15: “4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” “13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
3. Matt. 24:23-27: “23 At that time if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or, “There he is!” do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you in advance. 26 So if anyone tells you, “There he is, out in the desert,” do not go out; or, “Here he is, in the inner rooms,” do not believe it.”
4. Luke 6:26: “26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE TEACHERS & PROPHETS (QUICKLY)
Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, Jude, John Warned The Church About False Teachers.
1. They Creep In Unnoticed (Jude 1:4) Not every false teacher is easy to spot. In fact, most are not. Most false teachers sneak in quietly without being noticed. They blend in, look like everyone else, and no one usually looks twice at them. Then, when opportunity strikes, they begin to influence a church negatively.
2. They Operate In Secret (2 Peter 2:1-3): They enter into churches unnoticed and they slowly and quietly introduce false teaching and ideas contrary to Scripture. The false teachers we ought to worry about are not the loud, obvious ones; they are the quiet, sneaky ones.
3. They Have Many Followers (2 Peter 2:1-3): False teachers are not likely to be despised, hated, ridiculed. Rather, they are usually likable, popular, easy to follow. God warns they will often gain loyal following. Mark 13:22 If possible, they will even lead astray the elect of God.
4. They Create Division & Obstacles (Romans 16:17): False teachers are known for causing division and creating obstacles. They cause arguments, quarrels, disagreements over theology, practices, and anything else they can get people to argue about.
5. No Matter What It Seems Like, They Do Not Have God (2 John 1:7-11): John makes it clear that no matter what they say and no matter what it seems like, false teachers do not genuinely have God. They are masters of disguise and manipulation and purposely masquerade as true believers, but their faith is not real.
6. Some Began In Sound Doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1-5): Some false teachers began in sound doctrine and true faith but then wandered away from the truth. This may be a pastor or a small group leader who was teaching sound doctrine when they began, but strayed.
7. Their Words Seem Intelligent (1 Timothy 6:20-21, Colossians 2:8): False teachers are not only amiable and popular, they are also intelligent by worldly standards. They come across as wise and convincing in their teaching. Many mistake their worldly wisdom for spiritual wisdom.
8. They Look Like Legitimate Apostles Of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Matthew 7:15): Most false teachers will look on the outside like authentic followers of Christ. Jesus said they will look like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are wolves seeking to destroy.
9. They Target The Spiritually Naive (Romans 16:17-18): False teachers are cunning and covert and will set their sights on churches and people that are spiritually naive and susceptible to false teaching. Like a wolf attacking the smallest and weakest deer, false teachers will attack the smallest and weakest believers.
10. They Twist Scripture (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 4:3-4): False teachers make the Bible say what they want it to say. They are masters of twisting the words, warping the meaning, and convincing their audience that the Bible says something other than what it says.
11. They Overemphasize Prosperity & Wealth (1 Timothy 6:5): Some are motivated by greed. Paul rebuked this in the strongest terms: “of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain”. I am not against having money. I am against money having us. Jesus did not die to make us financially wealthy but to save us (Matt. 1:21).
12. They Exaggerate The View Of Grace: Hyper-grace teaching has become an epidemic and taken root like an unwanted weed. I have personally dealt with people who were once on fire but fell under erroneous view of God. Now, instead of pursuing Him, they are rationalizing sin. Like the false teachers Jude confronted, they “turn the grace of our God into lewdness” (Jude 4). The NIV describes such lewdness as “a license for immorality.”
13. They Emphasize The Deification Of Man: Now millions gaze upon man rather than God. In the church, politics, economics, words like messiah, lord, savior, anointed one are used for people. We become so accustomed to worshipping man, it will be simple for the Antichrist to move into position. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
14. They Challenge The Authenticity Of The Word: This goes back to the Garden of Eden, when the serpent challenged Eve: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). Some theologians say the Bible isn’t reliable and very contradictory. Some say the Bible is a collection of religious traditions and that God Himself is a myth.
15. They Are Preaching The Rejection Of Hell: They preach that God is too good to send people to hell. Why did Jesus use such strong language in talking about the fire of hell and about people weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth (Matt. 8:12)? And why did He teach that “it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matt. 5:29)?
16. If There Is Heaven, Everyone Is Going There: It is called Universal Reconciliation and promotes that in the end, everyone will make it into heaven because of Jesus’ death on the cross. They also teach that all paths lead to God. No future suffering, but purging rather than punishment, and everyone will be saved. They quote Col. 1:20 that God reconciled “all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross”. Rom. 5:12-21 They point that “just as in Adam all die, in Jesus all will live.”
SUMMARY: 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE DOCTRINE
1. False Doctrine Is Subtle: There are two types of teachers in the world: true teachers who teach true things, and false teachers who teach false things. Both claim to tell the truth. Matthew 7:15 Jesus said that despite their sheep-clothing cover-up, we’d know them by their fruit. Listen to these striking words from Jeremiah: Jeremiah 5:30-31: An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
2. False Doctrine Is Powerful: Good doctrine saves souls. Paul’s admonishes Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. Bad doctrine is powerful too, but in an opposite way. That’s why condemning false teaching is not a matter of winning arguments or feeding egos, but clearly (and lovingly) warning people. Treat false doctrine like lethal poison.
3. False Doctrine Is Dangerous: Any doctrine that is contrary to the gospel is damning. If we buy into it we will spend eternity in hell. Jesus said: Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
Churches Must Be On Guard Against False Teachers. If we do not keep our eyes open, focus on the truth of the Bible, and consciously rebuke false teaching when we encounter it, we run the risk of being led astray or perhaps even completely overcome by wolves.
A LOOK AT THE PASSAGE READ ON ELISHA – 2 KINGS 4:38-41
The Prophet Elijah Had Anointed Elisha, His Armor Bearer, To Be His Replacement. Though both men were similar in that they lived in the same country, same era, were messengers of God to kings, worked almost the same class of miracles; chosen by God to withstand idolatry and restore the worship of God in Israel, yet they are both different. Elisha is from a balanced family and not a recluse like Elijah. Elisha is relational for when called into ministry, he wants to kiss his family goodbye. He was also from a wealthy family. So he is not coming to Elijah to get something. He wants anointing only to transform the thought process of the people of Israel on how to be successful without depending on Jezebel. Everyone depended on Jezebel to survive. Elisha requested a double portion which meant a double blessing. The request by Elisha for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit made him doubly blessed in life and ministry. Scripture records Elisha did 14 miracles and Elisha 28 miracles Elijah. When Elisha first made his request, Elijah answered, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so”. After Elisha watched Elijah taken up to heaven, he picked up Elijah’s cloak. Returning to the Jordan River, he called out to the Lord and struck the water with the cloak. The water opened up, and Elisha walked across on dry ground. This act affirmed the transition of the prophetic office – the double blessing. This account of the death in the pot takes place in a place called Gilgal - northwest of Jericho, 10-12 miles east of Jerusalem.
Significant Events Took Place In Gilgal
1. Gilgal – 1st place Israel camped after crossing Jordan River - erected 12 stones. (Josh 4:19).
2. At Gilgal, all Jewish men of 40 years were circumcised (Joshua 5:2–9).
3. At Gilgal, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua into making a treaty (Joshua 9).
4. Gilgal was Joshua’s base of operations for the initial conquest of the Holy Land.
5. Gilgal was where Samuel traveled to provide judgments for Israel. (1 Samuel 7:15–17)
6. The kingship of Saul was reaffirmed at Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:14–15).
7. At Gilgal, Saul twice ignored God’s commands; Samuel informed him that the Lord had rejected him as king, (1 Samuel 13:1–15; 1 Samuel 15)
8. Gilgal was the starting point of a pilgrimage that ended in Prophet Elijah being carried up to heaven in a whirlwind while Elisha looked on. Here, Elisha began to establish himself as a great prophet in his own right. (2 Kings 2:1–14; 4:38–41)
So at Gilgal, we find Elisha with the young men called the "sons of the prophets" at the Bible College of that day. In this 2 Kings 4, we see 4 Miracles: Widow’s oil multiplies; Shunammite woman’s son brought to life, Death in the pot, feeding of 100 men with 20 loaves of bread and some left over. He left Shunem and came to Gilgal.
A LOOK AT THE EVENT IN COMPARISON TO OUR WORLD TODAY:
1. Dearth In The Land (38): “There was a dearth in the land”. What is dearth? It is a severe famine in the land. 550 years before this day, Moses overlooking the Promised Land, gave conditions for blessings & curses. Deuteronomy 28: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee… But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee… And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.” The children of Israel were warned but they heeded not. Payday always comes. In America today, there is a dearth of the Word of God. We have more preachers in this country than anywhere else in the world – look at the lifestyles. Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” We have seen the caterpillar of religious acceptance, locust of materialism; the cankerworm of unbelief, eating at the foundation of Biblical authority. Men try to explain away miracles of the Bible or show disbelief in them. Example: Many churches cut services Sundays in the summer to go on vacation. Any dust of snow makes people cancel services.
2. Elisha Direction For Relief (38): “Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” Elisha provides solution to hunger. When people are hungry, there is one thing that needs to be done is to feed them. Elisha tells them to get a pot and “seethe up” (boil) a meal. When you set a pot to boil, you know that the good stuff will not be long in coming. So there was hunger and high expectation. When you see church or pastor or Christian, you expect an example of Christ. Is that what people get? Most churches have become followers of people.
3. Discernment In Gathering (39): Elisha set the young men to gather herbs for the pottage. But one of the young men did not know the difference between the edible and poisonous herbs. So he picked up all he found and threw them in the pot. Lesson 1: Many people do not know the difference between the food of the Word of God and the poison. They assume that because it calls itself Christian that it must be Christian. They are not willing to go and look for themselves whether those things are so. Lesson 2: The reason he put it in the pot was because it looked good. Not everything that looks good is healthy. Be careful what you put in the pot. Lesson 3: Today we add education, religiosity, alcohol, bad relationship, drug, pride, stubbornness, selfishness, hypocrisy, etc. Lesson 4: After the cooking, it smelled good. Not everything that smells good is good for food.
4. Death In The Pot (40): “So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.” As soon as someone took up a taste, they realized that it was poisonous herb in the pot. He called out “Death is the pot.” Several lessons: First, he did not keep the danger to himself. Second, he told the right person. He cared enough to warn others. Third, he was alert to the danger. The enemy tries to poison us to wrong doctrines. They try to explain His deity.
5. Distress Of Heart – Cook Might Be Offended (40): By proclaiming the truth of the situation, it would be offensive to the one who put the wrong herbs in the pot. Many people do not want to offend or be offended. We must proclaim the truth. Sin is the disease that affects man – it separates man from the fellowship of His God. E.g. Imagine John the Baptist telling Herod: “I will not mention your adultery. Pastors are more politicians now than any. They endorse leaders. Preach it whether offensive or not.
6. Deliverance In The Meal (41): “But he said, Then bring flour. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people”. Elisha acted immediately. He Knew Several Things: The men were hungry. They could not do the work of God without eating. They looked to him for direction. He acts. The flour was the antidote to the poison. FLOUR is a type of the pure Word of God. This world is full of poison. It needs the pure Word of God to change it. Psalm 119:9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
CONCLUSION: WHAT IS THE LESSON OF THIS MIRACLE?
The Men Ate And Went Out To Be The Preachers Of The Word Of God. They were now eating food that was not full of poison. They were strengthened by it. We have a famine in this land. We must serve the pure Word of God to those who are hungry! It hurts, but it heals. Do not run from a church that preaches truth, run towards it. Run to people who can help you be something. Do not go to people who talk well, smell well, hear well, etc. Go to people who live well.
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
Lord, Open My Eyes To See The Poison. Lord, May I Study In Order To See The Poison And Avoid It.
