False Teachers & Teachings

YOUTH

Good morning! My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church.

Couple of things for you before we get into our passage for this morning.

I am looking for some men to step up in our church.

You can be a young man, 19, or a seasoned man of 75. Both will work.

But listen, over the last 15 months, our Youth Group has grown from 75 students to now over 250.

God is on the move.

And we are seeing SO many young people get saved and discipled.

And we need male small group leaders.

I was here the other night at Youth group, and I walked by a boys group with a leader and about 27 students.

That’s not a small group. That’s a large group.

So if you have a heart for the next generation, I want to know that God can use you tremendously to influence it as a small group leader and discipler.

So if you’re interested in getting more information and finding out if this is good fit (for either Middle School or High School), I want you to use our app or website to sign up for that today.

LOCATION PASTOR INTERVIEW

And then secondly, as we talked about at length two weeks ago, our church continues to grow at lightning speed.

We are now at 4 services, and if we do nothing, it won’t be long until we’re at 5, and not long until we’re completely full here.

And so that, combined with the Lord’s leading & our heart for the lost, has led us to begin the process of starting more locations of Renovation Church…

…where each location will have the same culture and ministry programs as we do here, but will its own live teaching pastor that will lead that location.

(Q&A slide)

If you have more questions about this model or our future, I highly want to encourage you to come to our 60-minute Q&A today that I’m leading at 12:40pm…childcare will be provided.

And on that note, I want to introduce you to the location pastor of our second site…

Please welcome to the stage….Matt Martinez.

QUESTION ONE: Tell us about yourself & your family

QUESTION TWO: Tell us about your ministry experience

QUESTION THREE: Tell us what excites you the most about this

Thanks!

THE PASSAGE

All right, let’s jump into our passage.

1 Timothy 4:1

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This Spring we started teaching through the Apostle Paul’s 1st letter to his mentee Timothy together.

And in 1 Timothy, Paul outlines the ways in which Timothy should lead his church…he gives him a blueprint, if you will.

The first half is much about church leadership, and the second half is quite practical in nature.

So, let’s start teaching through the Bible. You ready? Okay, verse 1!

(1 Timothy 4:1) – NIV

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 

(False Teachers & Teachings)

Paul says this will all happen in later times.

Sometimes people get confused about what that means, and they say Paul is talking about what will happen right before the end times (when Jesus will come back)

And it is true that things are likely to get worse towards the end; Jesus teaches this in Matthew 24.

But when you read “later times” or other verses call it the “last days,” that just means any time from after Jesus resurrected until Jesus comes back.

We’re technically in the “last days” right now, even though Jesus might not come back for another 1,000 years as far as we know.

#1: BEING LED ASTRAY

And in our passage, Paul is warning Timothy about 3 things the people of his church should look out for in these “later times"

3 Things to Look out For

#1: Being led astray

I want you to write this down, I have a lot I want to teach you on screen today!

So think about this.

If people were abandoning the faith back when Paul warned about it, and Peter and Jude and other Biblical authors…

…then we should not be surprised if it happens in our day.

Now, I believe that if you are truly saved, you cannot lose your salvation because your salvation is not based on what you do, but on your faith in Christ.

But I’ve been in ministry long enough now, that I’ve seen plenty of people seem to get excited about Christ for a season, and then walk away.

Jesus Himself warns us about this in Matthew 13 in the Parable of the Sower where he says that some seeds spring up quickly, but because their soil was shallow… because of trouble, or persecution, or the worries of this life…they whither…and they abandon the faith.

And honestly, my experience is that many of those people at felt like they were in the faith.

But 1 John tells us that they weren’t.

John says that these false believers…

(1 John 2:19) – NIV

19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

This is why as Christians we live in the tension of:

On the one hand, we should be confident in our salvation, but…

…but not so confident that we would think that we could never be led astray…

…because many who were led astray thought they were believers.

3 Things to Look out For

#1: Being led astray

And look carefully at this first point. The language is intentional…

…because the people who leave the faith are indeed LED astray.

In fact, the Bible says they are led astray by deceiving spirts, things taught by demons.

Now, in modern America, we think we are too intellectual for the spiritual, so we aren’t very good at talking about demons.

But if you read the Bible, especially the stories about Jesus, you cannot deny the reality of these fallen angels…who war against us.

The Bible says (in places like Acts 5, John 13, and more) that demons have access to our inner thoughts, and can even influence our desires and feelings.

In Ephesians 6, Paul calls these the fiery darts of the evil one

And so you must know that your spiritual enemy wants nothing more than to lead you astray

But I assure you his attack will begin in subtlety

The devil didn’t come to Eve in the garden and say, “Rebel against God!”

He said, “Did God really say…” (and then he twists the truth)…

And that’s exactly what false teachers do today.

And where I think this particular Bible verse is really helpful is that it shows you the spiritual risk of exploring false teaching.

It isn’t JUST that you may be exploring an idea contrary to the Christian faith; you’re also exploring something that has a deceiving evil spirit behind it.

So for example, 2 years ago, I decided to read the Muslim holy book, the Koran, and study the life of Muhammad…

…simply because we are having many more Muslims move to the North Metro, and I want to be able to understand what they believe, so I can build a better bridge to share Christ with them and lead them to truth.

However, because of this truth in 1 Timothy 4:1, as I read the Koran, I prayed often for God’s protection…and I asked several people to pray protection over me during that time.

And honestly, I felt fine, and did not feel inclined at all to the Koran

However, about a year ago, I was reading another book on understanding other religions, again, I’m trying to enhance my ability to speak the truth into different worldviews.

…and if I can be really vulnerable, as I was reading, I started to hear these doubts in my head.

And honestly, they were silly. I didn’t believe them. And I don’t now.

But they kept coming, and so, I just stopped reading the book.

I didn’t want to mess with what has happening

And so if you feel interested to learn more about false teachings like deconstructionism, or hyper charismatic movements where every one gets a word & everyone’s a prophet w/ new truth, or new age, or different religions…

….it’s not that we can’t ever look at false teaching or understand how other people think, but the Bible clearly says here that if you’re going to play with fire, you better know first that you’re playing with fire…

…and that there is a real spiritual evil behind it.

#2: THE LIVES OF FALSE TEACHERS

Okay, let’s read another verse. Walking through this slowly today.

1 Timothy 4:2

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(1 Timothy 4:2) – NIV

2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 

And this is the second thing we should look out for:

3 Things to Look out For

#1: Being led astray

#2: The lives of false teachers

Paul tells us 3 things about these false teachers:

Firstly, they’re full hypocrisy.

That means they’re often telling their flock to do one thing, but they’re not doing it themselves.

Secondly, they lie.

And thirdly, just as your flesh would lose feeling if it had been branded by a hot iron, often these false teachers have lost all feeling in their conscience.

Meaning, they’re hypocritically sinning, and leading others away from God, and they don’t even feel bad about it!

J. Ligon Duncan explains why that is when he wrote:

“What you believe always ends up having an impact on how you live, and if you
live and teach that which is wrong, it will have a detrimental effect on your
character. It will show in your ethics and the way you live.”- J. Ligon Duncan

This is why false teachers so often will not have good character.

Let me explain this in another way.

License -- Biblical Christianity -- Legalism

Often false teachers go to one side or the other of Biblical Christianity

They will either fall to the left (into license) where they will, as Jude 1:4 says, pervert the gospel of grace into license for sin.

And they say, “God has so much grace & love for you, so you do you & live however you want!”

And they give you a license to sin more.

And as Duncan said, that ends up actually having a detrimental effect on their character because they’re now swimming in sin.

So you can spot false teachers (and believers) by the lack of fruit and character in their lives.

And the same principle is true on the right side.

Plenty of false teachers teach legalism, which says you have to actually DO (and AVOID) a bunch of things if you want God to love you

And that too leads to rotten fruit, because instead of growing in the love of God, you actually never feel good enough.

And you develop resentment towards God, and it’s really common for false teachers & believers on this right side to live a double life.

So if you’re looking out for false teaching, you have to look (not just at the WORDS), but at the LIFE of your teachers.

Which, I get that I’m your teacher right now, and I promise I’m not perfect.

But I do take the way I live my life very seriously, as I want to live a life of integrity, and consistency

#3: A FALSE VIEW OF THE BODY

Let’s keep reading

1 Timothy 4:3-5

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(1 Timothy 4:3-5) – NIV

3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

And this is the third thing we should look out for:

3 Things to Look out For

#1: Being led astray

#2: The lives of false teachers

#3: A false view of the body

Paul is saying here that these false teachers have a false view, a false theology, of the body.

They have determined that it is often sinful for our bodies to take in certain foods or even engage in marital intimacy

But what does Paul say at the end of verse 3?

He says that God created these things to be received with thanksgiving.

Verse 4: For everything God created is good.

But false teachers mess this up.

And I think in part because they misunderstand what the Bible teaches about the body and the flesh, which are in fact very different.

Body (soma) = Created good

Genesis 1:31: God saw all that he made, and it was very good

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit

Flesh (sarx) = Sinful nature

Galatians 5:16-17: The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit

Romans 7:18: I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.

(*that is our fallen/inward bent toward sin)

In the Bible, body & flesh are very different things.

An easy way to think of it, is to think of your body like a car.

A car is just a vehicle. It’s not bad. In fact, it was created to do good.

But the flesh is like a reckless driver inside the car that wants to use the car to do evil.

So, let me show you now how false teachers, who don’t understand the Bible, often mess this up…because to them…the body & flesh sound like the same thing.

(License: Body = Good; Flesh = Good)

Those who teach license (that you can do whatever you want) will tell you that your body is good (which they get right)…

But then because they mix the body & flesh together, and they say that your flesh (your desires), are also good… follow whatever your heart wants, look inside and follow the authentic you.

But if you do that, and you are your own moral compass of truth, and you follow every desire (because it’s good), it will lead to so much ruin and pain.

(Legalism: Body = Bad; Flesh = Bad)

Then, on the opposite side, those who teach legalism (that you must obey extra rules to be saved) will often say that not only is your flesh bad, but your body is bad.

And because they think that your body, or even creation itself is evil, and in history, they often turn into these groups where you must abstain from certain foods, or abstain from sex (even in marriage)…as if sex itself is inherently bad

But see, that’s not right either.

Paul even talks about this very thing Colossians 2 when he talks about those who keep adding extra rules about our bodies (do not touch, do not taste, etc.)

(Colossians 2:23) – NIV

23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

In other words, they don’t work!

Because they have the wrong view of the body.

Listen, like in most things, wisdom is found in the middle ground.

(Biblical Christianity: Body = Good; Flesh = Bad)

So the Bible teaches that your body was created good, but your flesh (your desires) are bent toward sin.

So that means that the body is good and can give us great joy, but we must trust God’s instructions on what to do with it, and not our own flesh.

So knowing that, we can relook at the issues Paul is talking about (food, sex, etc.), and we can say:

We should not become gluttons with food, but neither should we starve ourselves or hate our bodies.

Your body is good. Food is good. And God created food for our bodies to enjoy it!

And likewise, with sex, we shouldn’t go out and sleep with anyone we like, but neither do you have to avoid sex all together because it’s somehow inherently bad in and of itself.

No, there is a right and holy place for sex, with a husband & wife in marriage, and God says in that context, it’s not only good, but beautiful.

And so part of the way you can spot a false teacher is when they tell you to either give in to all of your body, or that you must deny every aspect of your body

But the truth of the word of God is that we are to surrender our Bodies to God, and his way…and we say, “This car is good, but Jesus you better take the wheel”

And if you live life that way, it’s beautiful.