The Pastor has been talking a lot about searching within ourselves to weed out the me part of our spiritual walk, why do you think that is? What I want to speak about today is a reminder of what we can look forward to and how we can recognize those that are trying to turn people away from the truth.
Matthew 24:1 NLT
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. [2] But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
The destruction of the temple in 70 AD by the Romans was so thorough that the exact location of the sanctuary is unknown to this day.
[3] Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? ” [4] Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, [5] for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
Jesus warns us 6 times in this one conversation that there will be those who will try to mislead us. In the verse 4, 10, 11, 23, 24 and 26.
We are told many times in the old and new testament to watch out for false teacher or Prophets. I Googled false messiahs and Wikipedia listed 24 different people that claimed to be Jesus or God. I am sure there are more than that. Do you remember David Koresh, of the Branch Dividians. Or Wayne Bent who was convicted on December 15, 2008 of criminal sexual contact with a minor, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In John chapter 7 we are told that we can recognize these false teacher/prophets by their fruits.
Matthew 7:15-16 NLT
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. [16] You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
We are told that these false teacher will come to us in sheep's clothing but under neath they are ravenous wolves looking to mislead the just. Again if we observe their actions they will surely give them selves away. At first they seem to be legitimate Christians they seem to walk the walk and talk the talk, but their true colors come out when observed, and you see no evidence of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 24:
[10] And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. [11] And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
[23] “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. [24] For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. [25] See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
Who are Gods chosen ones? John chapter 15 gives us a hint;
John 15:16 NLT
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
We as Christians are the chosen ones if you have accepted Christ and the holy Spirit resides in you, you have been chosen. What does the verse above say, why have we been chosen? To go and produce lasting fruit. That doesn't mean we should start growing fruit trees, it means sharing your Holy Spirit experiences with those that don't know Christ.
Matthew 24:26 NLT
“So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it!
Again people pointing in the wrong direction. Some will not really know what they are talking about but, then some will be saying to deliberately mislead others.
Jude 1:3-4 NLT
Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. [4] I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
I spoke on this verse before, Jude wanted to write a letter to express the joy he had in the mercy of the Father through Jesus Christ but realized that something else had to be addressed.
Shortly after I had been saved my wife and I were regulars in church. I read my Bible a lot and I could feel the Holy Spirit with in me. I was in the service at this time and we were traveling to a new assignment. It was a Sunday morning and we had just woke up in a motel and decided to find a church to attend before we traveled on. Have you ever had the Holy Spirit convict you so strong that He made you uncomfortable? Beth and I walked into this little church and before we even sat down we were warned by the Holy Spirit to leave. I am not sure why but we left and continued our journey. I don't know what was going on but we obeyed the warnings. We don't always have or get the answers but when we obey we will get the rewards.
1 John 4:1-6 NLT
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. [2] This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. [3] But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. [4] But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. [5] Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. [6] But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
Cerinthus, a false teacher of John’s day, denied the Incarnation by teaching that the divine Christ descended on the human Jesus at His baptism and then departed before His crucifixion (2:22). John teaches that Jesus did not merely enter into an already existing human being, but He came as a human being. The Greek tense of the verb has come and the meaning of the noun flesh indicate that not only did Jesus come as a human being, He was still a human being even as John wrote. God the Son is forever fully God and fully man. He is immortal and has received a resurrected human body that does not age or die. A denial of Jesus’ full and true humanity proves that a teacher is not of God. And one day we will have a body just like Jesus, UN-corruptible, and immortal.
Last Sunday I stopped at Bath Lumber to pick up an alarm clock for Jim, He had an appointment at the VA on Thursday and his ride picked him up at 5 AM. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed a man standing by the exit asking people for help, (I didn't know that until he approached me). He was stranded and need some one just to give his battery a boost so he could start his truck. So Lilly and I got back into our truck and turned around, I pulled out my jumper cables that I always carry with me and helped him get his truck started. Once it got started I put everything away, and as he was pulling out, I said remember Jesus Loves you, they both(his wife) said Amen and Bless you. Then Lilly and I went about our business. I told you all that to say this, when ever you have the opportunity bring Jesus into the conversation. And even if it is inconvenient try to be Jesus to those who need to hear it.
Mark 13:22-23 NLT
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. [23] Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!
This is the same conversation as the one in Matthew but as seen by Mark.
God warned people of false prophets/teachers in the Old Testament, through the prophet He had chosen. When I did a search in my Bible I found 68 references to false prophets in the Old Testament. Here are some of the verses I found, you don't have to turn there but if you're taking notes you can write them down and look them up later.
Deuteronomy 13:5 NLT
The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the LORD your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the LORD your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.
Usually the putting to death part was by stoning the perpetrator. However, the ultimate punishment comes at the great white throne of judgment. This is when the Devil and his followers will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.
Isaiah 44:25 NLT
I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
Wisdom not of God can lead to destruction, especially if it is an attempt to mislead God's children.
Jeremiah 5:31 NLT
the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?
When the end comes the goats will be divided from the sheep and God's people will got to live with Him and the devils people will go to suffer with him.
Ezekiel 13:2-3 NLT
“Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD.
Ezekiel also gives us an idea of what will happen to these false teacher/prophets.
[3] This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’
Ezekiel 14:10 NLT
False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins.
All of these verses I have quoted makes it look almost impossible for us to get out from under the teachings of the false teacher/prophets. So how do we guard ourselves from being deceived? How do we protect our minds from these rabble-rousers? What can we do to protect ourselves? First and most important you must know the truth. Where do we find the truth? In God's word. Fill your mind and heart with God's word and when the fakers come you will spot them for who they are.
Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Nothing will be hidden, all that is done in darkness will be brought to light. We can do that now by asking the Holy Spirit to show us the stuff we are hiding in the back corners of our heart, and then asking for forgiveness. And turning from those hidden things and putting Jesus first in all that we do. (Forensics today?)
[13] Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
You are not accountable to me, nor are we accountable to the Pastor. The only one we need to worry about is Jesus Himself. He will be the final judge and what He can do is way more punishment that what man can do. I love Jesus and I don't want to spend one millisecond separated from Him. I can't imagine how He felt on the cross when he was abandoned by the Father because he carried all the sins of the world on His shoulders.
In closing, let's remember to stay rooted in God's word, and let the Holy Spirit help you grow closer each day to our Savior. Don't think the Holy Spirit is going to do all the work for you but you have the responsibility of seeking out those things that cause you to be distracted from your walk with Him. It's your responsibility to seek growth, by reading and meditating on the Word of God, and yielding to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
