Love Worth Finding

Guest (Male): False teachers are among us. Listen closely to Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers: When you look for the devil, never fail to look in the pulpit. Don't let false teachers take you by surprise. They do not know the Lord, and they stand in pulpits as false apostles and angels of light. And there have always been false teachers since the garden of Eden. They will be among you.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring dynamic teaching and insight from beloved pastor and acclaimed Bible teacher Adrian Rogers. In the Bible, there's no greater crime than being a false prophet. It's bad to tell a lie, and it's worse to teach a lie, but it's evil to teach a lie about God. We must learn how to spot a counterfeit teacher. If you have your Bible, turn now to 2 Peter chapter 2. We'll begin in verse 1 as Adrian Rogers reveals how to spot a counterfeit.

Adrian Rogers: So, the basis of our message tonight is how to spot a counterfeit. How to spot a counterfeit, not a counterfeit dollar, but a counterfeit profit, a counterfeit teacher. Look if you will in 2 Peter chapter 2 and beginning in verse 1. But there were false prophets among the people. Even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. We're going to look at this matter of counterfeit Christians and counterfeit preachers and counterfeit prophets. The world is full today of dangerous and damnable heresies. The need of these last days is authentic biblical Christianity. Now, in the Bible, there is no greater crime than being a false prophet. As a matter of fact, a false prophet would be put to death in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 20, the Bible says, but the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

That meant that he should be executed. He should be put to death. Now, it's bad to tell a lie. It is worse to teach a lie. But it is terribly worse to tell a lie and to teach a lie about God, because you can cause a soul to be eternally lost. The Bible calls them damnable heresies. Now, the three things I want you to see as we think about counterfeit prophets and teachers and preachers. First of all, you need to be aware of their presence. Now, notice in verse 1, but there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.

Now, when he talks about the people, he's talking about Israel of old. That is in the past there have been false prophets. So, it's not new. As a matter of fact, a false religion is as old as Eden. Now, there are only two kinds of religion. We subdivide religion into Christianity and Buddhism and our Islam and Confucianism and Rheumatism and all of these other things we say that and then we take Christianity. We subdivide Christianity into Catholicism and Protestantism and then we subdivide Protestantism. We say there's Methodism and Lutheranism and Episcopalianism and so forth. But forget all these divisions and subdivisions.

Only two kinds of religion in the world, the true and the false. That's it. Two categories, that which is true and that which is false. And there have always been false teachers since the garden of Eden. They have been and they still exist today. Look at what he's saying. There were false prophets also among the people. He's talking about the past, even as there shall be false teachers among you. Now, the you refers to the church of the Lord Jesus. He's talking now to the church. And there are false teachers and churches today. As a matter of fact, you can almost and I'm not exaggerating think of almost anything you want to believe, no matter how strange and bizarre, or any way that you want to live.

And I can find you a church where you can go and be perfectly at home. It's amazing what people will believe. I used to think it's strange what people would not believe. Now, I've come to think it's more strange what people will believe. 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 13 and following the apostle Paul talked about some who occupy pulpits and he says, for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.

That is they're going to die and go to hell, but they're called reverend or doctor or something like that. But they do not know the Lord, and they stand in pulpits as false apostles and angels of light. When you look for the devil, never fail to look in the pulpit. Don't let false teachers take you by surprise. The word of God here clearly says they will be among you. Now, they're called damnable heresies. Do you see that in verse 2? Look at it. Damnable heresies. The word heresy comes from a word which means to divide.

You see heresy when it comes in the church always causes people to have to make a choice. Because if somebody brings false doctrine into the church, then the pastor, the teacher, the leadership of the church says, you can't do that. And they say, oh yes, we can. You can't believe that. Oh yes, we can. That is not right. They say, oh yes, it is. And so there's a division. And so when you deal with these people, with these heresies, then they will act like they're being persecuted, like they're being put upon, like you are doing something to them and it's your fault for standing against what is wrong.

It's like the little boys who were fighting in the bedroom. The mother came in to quiet them down and Johnny said to the mother, well mother, it all started when Jimmy hit me back. And that's the way these folks are. When they come in with their dividing doctrines and you say you can't do that, you can't believe that, they say, ah you're causing division. But no they are the ones who have caused division. And yet sometimes you have to deal with heresy. Whether it be a denomination or a local church, heresy must be dealt with.

And I've told you from this pulpit, it is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. The Bible calls them damnable heresies. We don't have to get along with everybody. There comes a time when we must say that is wrong. You cannot perpetrate that here. Martin Luther the leader of the Protestant Reformation, the reformer said this, and I want to quote him verbatim. Quote I do not want to know anything of peace and concord when the word of God is thereby lost. And the word eternal life and everything else is forfeited.

It is not right for me here to draw back and give way out of love toward you or toward any other man. But before the word everyone must give way. That's what he said. Now sometimes people think that the Bible is not true because they're false teachers. And sometimes people will say, oh why Christianity has so many cults and divisions and errors in it, it can't possibly be true. To the contrary if there were no false cults, the Bible would not be true. Because the Bible says there will be false cults. This verse right here says there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.

If there were no false teachers, the Bible would not be true because the Bible says there will be false teachers. As a matter of fact, Paul said in another place in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Now, that brings up another question. How do you spot a counterfeit? I mean, this article that I have talks about how to spot counterfeit money. But how do you spot a false prophet? Let me give you some ways.

Let me give you five tests. And you can take any preacher, teacher on the face of the earth and hold him up to these five tests and you'll tell whether or not he's real or whether he's a counterfeit. First of all there's the source test. What is the basis of his teaching? Does he have revelation other than the Bible? For example, some might come to your door and say, oh we accept the Bible as the word of God, but we also accept Joseph Smith as a prophet. Now, they want to lay some other source down alongside the word of God.

But the Bible says we're not to add to it, we're not to take from it, we're not to amend it, we're not to adjust it. Is their source the word of God? Do they have any other revelation but the Bible? Number two the savior test. Do they believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah the virgin-born son of God coequal and coeternal with God the Father? I had some Jehovah's Witnesses come to my door the other day. I stood at the doorstep and spoke to them very courteously and very kindly. And they began to speak. And I said before you go any further I want to ask you this question.

Do you worship Jesus Christ? They said, we believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I said, I'm glad to hear that. Now, the question do you worship Jesus Christ? Oh they said, we give him praise and honor. I said, thank you very much. Now, the question do you worship Jesus Christ? They said, we reverence him. I said one more time clearly and plainly answer this question. Do you worship Jesus Christ? They said, no. I said, well why not? The Bible is full of the worship of Jesus Christ. And over and over again in the Bible and in the Gospels, it tells how they worship him.

Now, if he's not God, of course he should not be worshiped. If he is God, he should be worshiped. They said, excuse us, we must go. And they left. I said, come back. I want to I said, we've got to go. Now, I'm not exaggerating. I I I wanted them to stay because I wanted to take the word of God and show them from the word of God over and over and over again that Jesus Christ is worshiped. But if he's not God, he should not be worshiped. The Bible says, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only.

The source test is the source the word of God. The savior test. Do they see Jesus Christ as the son of God and also God the son the Messiah? God in human flesh, coequal and coeternal with God Almighty. Third test the subject test. Is the primary source of their teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul said, I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And everything else comes out of that or folds into that. That is the basis. That is what the Bible is all about is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And the Old Testament says somebody is coming. The New Testament says somebody has come. The book of Revelation says somebody is coming again. And that person is the Lord Jesus. He is the hero of the Bible. The Bible has one theme. It is salvation, one hero. It is Jesus, one villain. It is the devil. What is the subject? What is the motivation? Do they want to talk to you about what they call kingdom truth or this thing or that thing or is it the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ? And is the gospel salvation by grace through faith?

The apostle Paul said, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which I preached unto you, let him be accursed. Literally that means let him be damned. You say that's harsh. It's not harsh if he says to somebody, you can't teach something that's going to lead people to hell. You see, we're not dealing with preference of the color of the walls or whether or not you want more salt on the potatoes. We're talking about the eternal destiny of people. The source test the savior test the subject test the salvation test. Do they teach salvation by grace or do they try to mix works or baptism or anything else into it?

Friend, anytime you say to anybody that anything else must be done other than trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, you take the whosoever out of the Bible. If you say, for example that a person has to be baptized in order to be saved, do you know what you've done? Do you know how many people you have eliminated? I mean, in Desert Storm suppose a boy got shot or gassed and a chaplain comes to him and says, son, are you saved? He says, no. Son, you want to be saved? Yes, I do. Well son, I am sorry but I can't baptize you.

I have here nothing but saying. Do you see how foolish that would be? You see anytime you put anything else as a requirement for salvation, you take the whosoever out. The Bible says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You know what that means in the Greek? Whosoever. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That means anybody, anytime, any place who calls upon Jesus in repentance and faith, they will be saved. Or I'll close my Bible and never preach again. So, the salvation test.

Find out from these people, do you believe in salvation by grace through faith that gives glory to God? The fifth test is the sanctification test. Do you teach and are you endeavoring to live a holy life? If they're not living a holy life if they don't teach holiness personal holiness and separation from sin, there's something rotten in their teaching. Now folks, you just hold up those five tests and I'll tell you before long you'll be able to separate the false from the true. Just as an agent has to learn how to look at a dollar bill or a $20 bill or a $100 bill and tell whether it's counterfeit or false.

So, first of all, how do you identify them? Well, you identify them by their message. Now, here's the second way you identify them, not only by their message but their method. Look if you will in verse 2. Verse 1 speaks of the message. Verse 2 speaks of their method. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, pernicious ways. Now, what is their pernicious way? Well, look if you will in verse 3. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. And then look if you will in verse 1 they shall privily bring in damnable heresies.

Now, all of these are talking about the way they operate. Look at the word privily. It means secretly. It means clandestinely. It means in a way that's hard to spot. Give the devil credit for being clever. What they do is to lay false teaching alongside good teaching in order to confuse. Everybody knows that's a good thing to do if you want to fool somebody. I mean, the the beer ads. One of the most beautiful ads on television the most arresting. What do they associate beer with? Push, head for the mountains. Beautiful. So, you all laugh because you've all seen that.

I mean, that's made an impression on you. It's Miller time. Everybody's having a good time. What do they do? They don't show some drunk in a gutter covered with flies and vomit. They don't show some bearded up man coming home and hitting his baby girl in the face with his fist. They don't show some man slamming his wife up against the wall. They don't show somebody coming into a emergency room having his face all sliced up because he just went through the windshield. They don't show that. Of course not. The Marlboro man. You've seen that dude.

Suntan, man, a big hat. Now, I want to ask you a question. What does riding a horse and dying of cancer have to do with one another? And lung cancer. It's association. I mean, you read right there, anybody could read ought to give up cigarettes. It says you smoke this, you danger getting cancer. But that's very small print. As a matter of fact, it's so small on those billboards you endanger wrecking trying to read it. But they and they only put that on because the law makes them do that. Well, the devil does the same thing.

He speaks of feigned words. Do you see that with feigned words? Do you know what the word feigned is in the Greek language? Plastos. The word we get our word plastic from. These plastic preachers with plastic words. Oh that is what is plastic? It's something that's pliable. It's something that that molds itself just simply to fit and to imitate. And they're so good at that. Feigned words. J. Vernon McGee. Many of you know J. Vernon McGee. He's in heaven now. One of the great Bible teachers. He had a lady who was going to a liberal church, a friend of his.

And he said to her, why do you go over to that church and listen to that man preach? She said, Dr. McGee, he is a fine man. He is a gentleman. And he preaches the same thing you preach. He uses the same words that you use. Dr. McGee said, does he believe in the resurrection? I said, of course he does. He said, you go ask him if he believes in an empty tomb that Jesus Christ came out of that tomb. She went back to J. Vernon McGee after having asked that question with tears in her eyes.

She said, Dr. McGee, I cannot believe it. He does not believe that Jesus came out of that tomb. That's what we're talking about with feigned words plastic words. Will they make merchandise of you? And to try to him these folks up sometime is like trying to him up a snake in a barrel of oil. It's difficult.

Guest (Male): And with that we'll conclude this portion of Adrian Rogers' message. Don't miss part two coming up tomorrow. Maybe as you've listened today, questions have surfaced regarding your faith in Jesus. We'd love to offer an insightful resource on our website, the Find God's Love page. There you'll discover resources and materials that will answer questions you might have about how to begin a relationship with God through Christ. Go to lwf.org/radio and click the tab that says Find God's Love. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety, call us at 1 877 Love God.

Mention the title How to Spot a Counterfeit. This message is also part of the insightful Sharing the Good News series. For that complete six message collection, call 877 Love God. Or you can order online lwf.org/radio or write us at Love Worth Finding, box 38600 Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Well, thanks for studying in God's word with us today. As we talk about counterfeit teachers and false prophets, it may be a good time to take inventory of what you share with others. When you share the gospel, is it based on scripture? Do you tell them Jesus is Lord?

Do you teach and endeavor to live a holy life? Think on these things as you share your faith in Jesus with others today. And be sure to join us for the conclusion of this important message tomorrow right here on Love Worth Finding. Jesus Christ commissioned his followers to take the gospel to all nations. And at Love Worth Finding, that is exactly what we're doing every day, bringing people to Christ and helping them grow in their faith. As our way of saying thank you for your gift today that helps us do that, we want to send you our gospel of John three pack.

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