A Daily Walk

John Randall: How do you recognize a false teacher when you cross paths? Stay in the Word. Folks, here is the thing about false teachers. They use the very same Bible, for the most part, that we use. But they twist the Scripture to say what they want it to say. They add to it. They even take away from it.

No false teacher ever shows up and says, "Hey everybody, glad you could be here tonight. I am a heretic, and welcome. Prepare to be deceived and led astray from the faith once delivered through the work of Jesus Christ." No, they do not show up and say that because you would say, "Man, I am out." It is very subtle. It is like leaven. You have to know the Word so that you are able to recognize it.

Guest (Male): It is time again for A Daily Walk, where you never have to walk alone. Pastor John Randall will join us in just a second, and we will be continuing a study in Second John. Back in that day, there were many deceivers and false teachers roaming around, and John wanted to help believers spot and steer clear of them.

In case you haven't noticed, we face the very same problem today. We would do well to pay close attention to these descriptions of the deceivers so we are not led astray.

John Randall: Let's open up our Bibles this evening now to the epistle of Second John. Second John here in the New Testament with a message entitled "Guarding Against False Teachers." We started this epistle last week and made our way through to now the seventh verse.

Many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

Although in comparison to the other letters in the Bible, the epistle of Second John is small, only 13 verses, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in content. The apostle John was the last living apostle. All of his friends, including his own brother, had died martyrs' deaths for the sake of the gospel.

John was deeply concerned for those he was writing to. These believers, possibly from a household, others suggest that it was a church that met in a house, either way, they were Christians. They were believers in Jesus Christ. And at this point in what some have called a postcard as opposed to a complete letter, John is warning these believers about the dangers of false teachers and their false teaching.

In the latter portion of the first century, there were roaming false prophets that made their way into loving, accepting, and welcoming communities and congregations of the church. There were smaller churches in different locations that were unsuspecting. They were unaware of the threat of these individuals and their ulterior motives and hidden agenda.

Remember Jesus had warned in the gospel according to Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount in chapter seven. He warned his disciples, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits." It is difficult if somebody comes in looking like a sheep, smelling like a sheep, talking like a sheep, but they are not a sheep. They are actually a wolf.

How are you able to discern? You are able to discern by their diet. Wolves devour sheep. And you are able to discern by the fruit or lack thereof within their lives. The apostle Peter in his second epistle pointed out some of the identifiable habits and practices of these false teachers. Second Peter chapter two, beginning in verse one, says this: "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you."

Notice what they do. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 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.

Peter points out these false prophets. They come in among you. They have destructive heresies, and they seek to deceive you with flattering words. They get their foot in the door and then before long, they seek to divide and exploit through deceptive words. Peter actually took it a step further, and he goes on to describe the depraved behavior of these false teachers.

Second Peter chapter 2:12, listen to what he says: "But these," speaking of the false teachers, "are like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed. They speak evil of things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you."

They are there. They are a part of it. But then he says, "They have eyes full of adultery. They cannot cease from sin, enticing," notice who they entice, "unstable souls." People who are not grounded in the Word. People who cannot discern. They are unstable. "They have their heart that is trained in covetous practices, and they are accursed children."

This is what they look like. These are the identifiable marks of a false teacher. This is what they do. This is how they operate. This is what they engage in. And so it is with these descriptions of the deceivers, you can understand the real danger that these churches were in.

John in verse seven gives us a description about these deceivers. Notice he says, "For many deceivers have gone out into the world." And how do we know? He says, "They do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

Now, although the church was well known for being loving, for being hospitable, if they were not discerning, they could have been easily taken advantage of. The deception of the deceivers was they were claiming that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh, meaning they denied the incarnation of Christ, the virgin birth, which was an essential doctrine to the Christian faith and inseparably woven to our redemption and salvation.

The Gnostic heresy that was spreading in John's day stated that the physical world was evil. They based their teachings on the Greek dualistic idea that spirit was good and matter was evil. This world, everything in it, they said, was not the good work of the true, purely spiritual God, but an evil work of an inferior, devolved being.

Therefore, they believed and they taught that Christ could not have come in the flesh. Otherwise, he would have been tainted with evil. Instead, they argued that Christ only appeared to take on human form. And so this was the false teaching.

And John's apostolic assessment of this false teaching, he just says it is antichrist. If you want to know what it is, it is anti-Jesus. It is antichrist. Remember in First John chapter two, when we studied through First John in verse 18, John said, "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which you know that it is the last hour."

There was a spirit of and an attitude of antichrist back in John's day. There is certainly a spirit of antichrist in our day, and I think the antichrist is perhaps even alive at the present time. As I have said many times before, I am not looking for him, I am looking for Jesus Christ. But nonetheless, you see the stage being set for someone once the church is taken.

One of the ways to recognize false teaching is by what a particular group says and teaches about Jesus. Every major religious movement considers Jesus to be an important religious figure.

The Jews believe that Jesus was Mary's son, that he was a teacher or a rabbi, that he had many disciples, that he was respected, he performed miracles, that he claimed to be the Messiah and was crucified on a cross. They acknowledge that his followers reported Jesus being raised from the dead, but they do not recognize him as God nor declare him to be their Messiah, but they do believe he existed.

Then you have the Muslims with Islam believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he is to be revered and respected. They say that he was a prophet and that he was a good teacher who worked miracles. He ascended to heaven. They even say he is going to come again, but they do not believe the same Jesus as the Bible.

Then you have the Baha'i faith that believe Jesus came from God, that he was a wise teacher who had a divine and human nature. He worked miracles, he was crucified, resurrected as an atonement for humanity. Then you have the Hindus. They believe in millions of gods, but they also believe that Jesus was a holy man, that he was a wise teacher and is a god.

Then you have the Buddhists that believe that Jesus was an enlightened man and a wise teacher. Then you have New Age that believe that Jesus was also a wise moral teacher. For these other false ideologies and false religions, it is not so much a matter of whether or not Jesus existed. They acknowledge it, which is interesting.

They acknowledge it, but who is he to them? Because the Bible tells us that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly wise man. Why is the question over Jesus' true identity so important? Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God?

The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if he is not God, then his death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Jesus had to be God in order that he could pay our debt. He had to become a man in order that he could die, thus the incarnation.

But the Gnostics were denying the incarnation of Christ, which means we have no real redemption if that was true. That is why this false teaching was so demonic and why John was attacking it consistently in First and Second John.

Salvation, folks, is only available through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus' deity is why he is the only way of salvation. That is why Jesus could proclaim, "I am the exclusive way, the exclusive truth, and the exclusive life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." If he is not God, then you are not saved. That is why this was so important to contend earnestly for the faith.

Who is Jesus to you? Jesus asked his disciples at one point there in Caesarea Philippi, "Who do men say that I am?" "Well, some say you are a good teacher, some say you are an enlightened man, some say you are a prophet." Jesus said, "All right, who do you say that I am?" And the answer to that question means everything.

Peter said, "We have come to know and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are who you say you are. You are the fulfillment of everything the prophets pointed to." Jesus said, "Oh, Peter, blessed are you. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." You have to know who Jesus is, and it is a different Jesus than what all of these other false religions declare him to be. Who is Jesus to you? Prayerfully, he is your Savior and your Lord and your King and your God.

John, being aware of this false teaching that was leading people astray, he gives an exhortation here, really a preemptive instruction. If you notice the next verse, he says in verse eight, "Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we have worked for, but that we may receive a full reward."

The word "look" means to discern mentally, to observe, to perceive, to discover, to understand. This was a cautionary warning to have their wits about them, to look carefully when teachers showed up at the doorstep and said, "Hey, we are here. We love Jesus. Yes, we do. We love Jesus. How about you?" They had to be able to say, "Which Jesus are you talking about?"

The Lord had done such a great work in these fellowships, in these churches, and if these things were not kept in check, it could undo all of the things that God had done. Therefore, they had to be wise as serpents, gentle as doves. They needed to be discerning concerning these things.

It reminds me of that Old Testament example there in the book of Joshua, chapter nine. As the nation of Israel crossed over the Jordan, remember they came into the Promised Land. And the Lord had told them, "I do not want you making any covenants, any treaties with any group of people." The Lord told them that before they went in.

And so they went in, they conquered Jericho, they conquered Ai, and started conquering territory that God had given them. But there was a group known as the Gibeonites, and it says they worked craftily. They came up with this plan to come to Joshua and to the nation of Israel, and they dressed like their clothes were ragged and they had been on the road for a long time. They brought moldy bread. Their shoes were worn out.

And you remember they came to Joshua stealthily, said they came from a land far away, traveled a great distance, and they even complimented them on their military victories that they had on the other side of the Jordan. "As if we didn't know about the ones you just had because we live really far away, so how could we know? We know all your victories. Oh, we are your servants. Oh, make a covenant with us."

And even the people said, "Well, what if you are from around here? What if you live around the corner?" I'm paraphrasing. But if you live close by? And they said, "Oh, no, no. Did you see the moldy bread? Did we show you that yet?" "Yes, you did." "Did you see our shoes?" And, "We are your servants. Did we mention that?"

And so Joshua, the Bible tells us what happened. In Joshua chapter 9:14, then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them. Big mistake, because he came to find out, sure enough, they were right around the corner.

And now they were tied to these people forever. They became wood cutters and water boys for the nation of Israel. It just was not God's original plan. But they did not seek the Lord. They were not discerning, and so they were taken advantage of and they were deceived. And such was the case here, the danger of not being discerning.

John emphasized the consequences of being led astray by these false teachers. He said you do not want to miss your full reward. When John says you do not want to miss your full reward, what you have worked for, he is saying, listen, he is not talking about losing salvation. Please do not misunderstand.

More than likely, this is a reference to the judgment seat of Christ where we will receive a reward. These people had labored and worked, and one day they were going to stand before the Lord. The Bible says and they were going to receive a reward for the things they did in this life.

First Corinthians chapter three, verses 12 through 15, talks about that. It is a passage of Scripture that mentions if anyone builds on this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, each one's work will become clear. The day will declare it. It is going to be tested by fire.

In other words, I am going to stand before the Bema seat of Christ. It is not a judgment to condemnation. It is a judgment to receive rewards for the life that I have lived for Christ. And everything that was wood, hay, and stubble, that will just be consumed, but all that was done in the name of the Lord will be rewarded.

As Paul said in Second Corinthians chapter 5:10, he said, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Did you know that one day we are going to stand before the Lord in the judgment seat? We are going to see him face to face, and we're going to be rewarded. What a blessing.

I always marvel at that, that God equips us to do what he has called us to do, and then he rewards us for what he equipped us to do. I am just amazed. It is like a great deal for us. Paul also said in Second Timothy chapter 4:18, "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not to me only but also to all those who have loved his appearing." You are going to receive a crown of glory if you have loved his appearing. This is your reward.

The writer of Hebrews declares in chapter ten, he says, "Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." John is exhorting this church, these believers. Listen, God has done such a great work. There is a reward laid up for you. Don't ever set the reward aside and be deceived by these people. Don't let anything get in the way of what God is doing, especially something that is antichrist.

Don't jump on that bandwagon. Don't get involved in that. Stay clear of that because that is going to hinder the work that God wants to continue to do. You might lose opportunity. Not lose salvation, but lose opportunity because of this. So don't do it. Don't mess with it is a way of saying it.

Now, in verse nine, John declares, "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds."

John referred to the false teachers as antichrist. Meaning when John calls these false teachers antichrist, he means that they are guilty of outright heresies that deny the core doctrines of the Christian faith and fully embrace a lifestyle of sin contrary to God's commands. That is what he is talking about here.

These guys are heretics. They are false teachers purposely leading people astray from Jesus Christ. So in light of that, John warns, if they come into your presence, they show up at the door, and you discover they transgress, he says here the doctrine of Christ. That is the teaching concerning Jesus. That he has come in the flesh, that he is God, that he is the Savior, that he died and that he rose again. If they deny that and they are teaching something contrary to the doctrine of Christ, don't even let them in your house. Let alone give them a platform in the pulpit and say, "Please share with us your false teaching."

Don't let them do it. Don't even. Sorry guys, door is closed. Can't come into the house. We don't have any. You can go down the street, there is a Chick-fil-A. I mean, just go. We don't want you here at our house. And maybe if they go to Chick-fil-A, they get saved. But what I am saying is, when they show up bringing this false doctrine, don't be impressed. Don't give them a platform. Don't give them a place.

Why was John so stern? Wow. Wow. Why so intense, John? Not even letting them in? Giving them any food? John says no way. Why? Because they were preaching a false gospel. They said that Jesus wasn't the Jesus of Scripture. It wasn't the doctrine of Christ. It was the doctrine of antichrist. Do not allow them to have that platform. Do not give them that place.

You know folks, here is the thing about false teachers. They use the very same Bible, for the most part, that we use. False teachers. But they twist the Scripture to say what they want it to say. They add to it. They even take away from it. No false teacher ever shows up and says, "Hey everybody, glad you could be here tonight. I am a heretic and welcome. Prepare to be deceived and led astray from the faith once delivered through the work of Jesus Christ." No, they don't show up and say that. Because you'd say, "Man, I'm out." No, it is very subtle. It is like leaven. You have to know the Word so that you are able to recognize it.

Guest (Male): Yes, the Word of God is the best defense against these false teachings, helping us to spot it a mile away. You are listening to Pastor John Randall and a message called "Guarding Against False Teaching," and this is A Daily Walk. What you heard today is part of our "Through the Bible" series. To hear this message again, you can do so by podcast at adailywalk.org or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Download the Calvary South OC app to listen to Pastor John on your mobile devices, too.

Well, this month we have picked out a book for you moms. It is "A Mom After God's Own Heart," 10 ways to love your children. Best-selling author Elizabeth George shares practical tips and encouraging advice to help you raise your children in the knowledge of the Lord. You will discover how to help them experience his love, his blessings, and provision when you become a mom after God's own heart.

It is available now to our A Daily Walk listeners for the cost of $12.00 at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. Please remember that your gifts help us to bring these shows to the radio and the internet every day. We cannot do it alone, so please consider standing with us in this endeavor to get the good news of Jesus Christ out to a world in need. Again, visit us at adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828.

It brightens our day when we hear of the good things God is doing in our listeners' lives through the teaching of the Word. And yes, Pastor John reads your emails. Share your story today by email at adailywalk@gmail.com. That is adailywalk@gmail.com. We will finish up Second John tomorrow on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall and again learning how to guard against false teaching. This program is made possible through your generosity and brought to you by Calvary South OC.