I want you to think about this answer and don't answer out loud.
What is the greatest threat against the church today?
What's the greatest threat against Christians today?
Many people would say it's the liberal world around about us,
today's liberal culture, because it seems to be on the attack against what we believe,
really who we are as Christians who believe that God's word is true.
There's a lot of truth to that, but that's not the answer I'm looking for.
Let me ask you again.
Who or what causes the most problems for Christians today
and does the most damage within local churches and to all Christians in general?
Well, here's a hint.
It's been around since the first century.
False teaching is the answer I'm fishing for.
False teaching is what causes the most problems in the church today.
The source of most false teaching is false teachers within the church.
The greatest problems that we as evangelical Christians have today
is not really coming from the world.
It's coming from within by people who are supposed to be teaching and preaching the truth,
but aren't.
I want you to look at something that Christian writer Tim Chalice forcefully points out about this.
He says, Satan's greatest ambassadors are not pimps, politicians, or power brokers, but pastors.
His, that is Satan's priests, do not peddle a different religion,
but a deadly perversion of the true one.
Now that's not only true today.
It's been going on since the first century.
Almost every Christian writer, if you read through the New Testament,
almost every writer points out repeatedly,
for you as a Christian, for me as a Christian,
be on guard against false teaching.
Be on guard against false teachers.
A lot of you in this room, you're familiar with the New Testament.
You've read through it many times.
Well, think about how Paul, how John, Peter, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews
issued strong warnings over and over and over again
that we've got to be on guard as to what we're hearing, what we're reading.
We've got to be on guard against false teachers.
The gospel writers quote Jesus in saying this on several occasions.
One of the more well-known comes from the Sermon on the Mount.
I want you to look at how Jesus issued a warning.
He said,
Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits.
When he uses the word fruit, he's talking about the way they live and what they teach.
We are right now involved in a study of how God wants us to live in this world
until we see Jesus face to face.
The previous studies, we talked about what's going to happen after a Christian dies.
And in the course of those studies, we learned some things about the second coming of Christ.
We all in this room, we're going to see Jesus face to face one day.
If we're alive and he returns to this world, we'll see him then.
But if not, we're going to see Jesus face to face when we die.
And we don't know when that'll be.
But we know it's going to happen.
And so I want us to think, God cares about how we live as long as we're in this world.
The day's going to come when our life's going to be over.
We're going to have to give an accounting of how we've lived on the day of judgment.
Today I want us to return to 2 Peter chapter 3, where we've been for the last two weeks.
And I want us to focus mainly today on his warning that you and I, Christians, people in the church,
we've got to stand firm in what we believe
and make sure we don't get led astray by false teachers.
Let's read it again.
2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 13.
What are we supposed to do until that day?
Well, that's the way he ends this letter.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these,
be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation,
just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you,
according to the wisdom given him,
as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.
There are some things in them that are hard to understand,
which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction
as they do the other scriptures.
You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand,
take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people
and lose your own stability,
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Amen.
We have, to this point,
gone through the first,
what I'm going to call the first two points of this passage.
I want us to review what we've seen about
it does matter how we live.
God cares how we live day by day.
And he wants us to care right up to the day we die
or the Lord comes back to this world.
First thing we saw about how we ought to be living,
how God wants us to live,
is in verse 14.
We call this,
get serious about your character.
And we spent one whole week looking at that,
and I reviewed it a little bit last week,
so we're going to skip over it completely today.
But God cares about our character.
Number two,
make the most of God's patience.
We looked at this in detail last week,
but I want to hit some of the high spots quickly now.
The reason why Jesus has not yet returned to this world
is because God is being patient.
God is waiting for people to be saved,
to turn from their sin and put their trust in Jesus.
Peter emphasizes this in two verses.
I want you to note verse 15,
the first part from the New Living Translation.
It says,
And remember,
our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved.
And then back up in verse 9,
The Lord is not,
excuse me,
The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise,
as some count slowness,
but is patient towards you,
not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.
God's patience,
Peter's telling us,
it reveals that God does not want to destroy anybody.
God is a God of grace.
He does love people.
He does not,
Peter tells us,
he didn't want anyone to perish,
but
he wants,
he requires
people to turn from their sin,
from their self-centered way of living.
He requires people to repent
and come to Him
through faith in Jesus.
That's what God wants.
That's what He's talking about here.
God is patient,
but His patience,
but His patience
has an end.
His patience will come
to an end one day,
and the opportunity to be saved
will be no more.
Immediately after the Lord comes back,
or immediately after you die,
your eternity is sealed.
If you're a Christian,
you're going to live forever,
experiencing nothing but joy
in heaven.
But if you're not a Christian,
and we've seen this already
in another study,
you're going to spend eternity
in the torment of hell.
Now,
God's patience can be seen
in our lives right now
in several ways.
I want to point out three.
And I want to stress this
a little bit differently
than what I did last week,
because it is a matter
of eternal life and death.
So,
look with me.
God's patience can be seen,
number one,
if you are not a Christian,
God is patiently waiting
for you to turn
from your sin
and turn to Him
by putting your faith in Jesus
for your salvation.
If that appeals to you,
if you think to yourself,
I'm not a Christian,
but I want to be,
I am interested,
that's a sign of God
working in your life.
And if you will humble yourself
before God
and just be open
and honest with Him
about who you are,
what you are,
turn from your sin
and trust Jesus,
He will save you.
Look at this,
the Scripture says it
just as clearly and plainly,
for everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
that's you
if you're not a Christian
and you'll come to faith
in Jesus now.
Number two,
if you are a Christian
living in willful disobedience
to God,
God is patiently waiting
for you right now
to confess your sin,
to quit living
the way you're living,
to turn from it.
God's waiting for you
to come back to Him
humbly,
repentantly.
I want you to look
at what the Scripture says.
God will forgive you
and cleanse you.
Look at this,
if we confess our sins,
He is faithful
and just to forgive us
our sins
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
unrighteousness.
Most everybody
in this room
is a Christian.
If you,
or at least
most everybody
in this room
claims to be a Christian,
let's put it that way.
If right now,
you are experiencing guilt
because there's some things
or a thing in your life
that you know
is not pleasing to God
but you're just
continuing on in it.
If you're a Christian,
you feel guilty.
The Spirit of God
within you
will not allow you
to be at peace
with God
or yourself
as long as you are
defying Him,
refusing to cooperate
with Him.
The Spirit of God
is making you feel guilty
and some of that
may be coming out
in depression
or just frustration
or anger
at people around about you.
The problem is not
other people.
The problem is not
your job.
The problem is
if you're a Christian
and there's something
that you know
God's calling you
to do or not do,
stop doing.
And you just ignore Him.
You just continue
in your disobedience.
If you are a child
of God,
He's not going
to let you alone.
If you are a good parent,
if you were a good parent
when you had children
living at home with you,
when they were willfully,
defiantly
disobeying you,
disrespecting you,
you didn't let it go,
did you?
You didn't make them
feel good
about their sin
against you.
They're defying you.
You made their life
as a good parent.
You can't allow that.
It's not good for them.
It's not good for the whole family.
You've got to do something.
And different people
do it different ways.
But you so worked
in their lives,
maybe,
to cause them
to experience pain
physically
to get their attention
or to miss out
on something
to get their attention.
God works in our lives
as our Heavenly Father
through His Spirit
sometimes to inflict pain
on us
to get our attention.
Sometimes to withhold
blessing
to cause us
to understand,
to wake up.
And so what I want you
to understand is
if you are a Christian
and you're not right
with God,
if you will
confess your sin,
turn from whatever it is,
change your mind,
renew your commitment
to Jesus
as the Lord,
the Master,
the boss of your life.
This verse of Scripture
is saying that God
will cleanse you.
He'll give you
a fresh start.
He will forgive you.
And you can experience
that release,
that right relationship,
closeness with Him again
if you will come to Him.
But hear this.
If you claim
to be a Christian
but there's no guilt
about your disobedience
or indifference,
if you claim
to be a Christian
but there's no sense
of the Spirit of God
in you
doing anything
to change you,
that is a great sign
that you're not a Christian.
Even though you may be
a member of this church,
maybe you've been baptized,
gone through all those things,
but if there's no signs
of the Spirit of God
within us,
then we learn
from Romans chapter 8,
we're not Christians.
And one of the things
the Holy Spirit does
in a person's life
who's not a Christian
is He so works
to make their life
uncomfortable,
miserable
for the purpose
of bringing them back
to the Lord.
That's God's discipline.
You can read about it
in Hebrews chapter 12.
But there's a third thing
I want you to think
about this morning.
And I want all of us
in this room
to think of this
if we're Christians.
If you have unsaved
family members
and friends,
it may be that God
is patiently waiting
for you
to share the gospel
with them.
We need to be honest
as a church.
Maybe this does not apply,
it wouldn't apply
to every single person
in here,
but all of us
who are part
of this church family,
we need to admit
we are not doing
what we need to be doing
to share the gospel
with people in our lives.
Because if we were doing
what we needed to be doing,
we would be bringing
some new people
to this church
who had come to faith
in Jesus
and helping them
to grow alongside us
in this church
or they would be going
to some other church.
We are being unfaithful
in our responsibility
as Christians
to share the gospel,
to be faithful witnesses,
to make disciples,
all the kind of things
that the scripture
calls us to do
as Christians.
And so that's what
I want us to understand
right now.
Your family members
and friends
who are not Christians,
they will not be saved
without hearing
and understanding
the gospel.
I want you to look
at something Paul said
in Romans chapter 10
verse 14.
But how can they call
on him to save them
unless they believe
in him?
And how can they
believe in him
if they have never
heard about him?
And then one more.
And how can they
hear about him
unless someone
tells them?
There's no doubt
that our friends
and family members
around here,
they certainly know
something about God,
about Jesus,
about salvation,
about heaven and hell.
They most likely
have some type
of understanding
about all these things.
But if they're not
Christians,
it could be
that they have never
heard a clear
explanation
of the gospel.
Who Jesus is,
what he's done
in terms of dying
on the cross
for their sins.
It could be
they've never heard
that the way
that they respond
is to turn
from their sin
and trust Jesus.
But you know,
you believe this way.
You have responded
this way
if you're a Christian.
Most of our families,
family members
and friends
who are not Christians,
they wouldn't be
more open
to hearing the gospel
from us
because they know
we love them
and we care about them.
Now I know
there's exceptions.
Sometimes there's
some exceptions
in family situations.
But overall,
most of us,
our family members
and friends
who are not Christians,
they know
that we love them,
we care about them.
And because we have
that kind of relationship
with them,
they would listen to us
share our testimony
of how we became
a Christian.
They would listen
to us talk about
what Christ means
to us.
They would listen
and allow us
to share the gospel
with them
out of respect for us,
out of mutual love
for us.
So we need to do it.
If we care,
we need to do it.
I want you to ask
God to help you
share the gospel
with someone you know,
someone you love
before Easter Sunday,
April 21st,
and that's six weeks away.
We are not,
as a church,
being faithful
because we aren't
seeing people
come here with us
to profess their faith.
Most of us,
not everyone probably,
but most of us,
we have people
in our circles
of influence.
If it's not a family member,
if it's not a close friend,
it's somebody
that you maybe
do something with,
you fish with,
you shop with.
Somebody that maybe
cuts your hair.
Somebody maybe
you do some odd jobs for.
You know some people
in your life
who are not Christians.
I want to encourage you
to set Easter,
Sunday,
six weeks away
as a date
that between now
and then
you're going to pray
for the person.
You're going to ask God
to help you
get prepared
to share the gospel.
And if you want
some help
doing that,
ask me.
I'll be glad
to help give you
some resources
to help you
get prepared
to share
the simple gospel message.
But between now
and then,
pray for that person,
pray for yourself,
get prepared,
prepared,
and ask God
to open the door
to give you
an opportunity
to actually talk
to that particular person
that you're thinking
of now,
no doubt,
about their relationship
with Him.
And be able
to share
the good news
of Jesus
with them,
with the prayer,
that you'll get
to see them saved.
You'll get to see
God change them
before your very eyes.
Make that commitment
between now
and Easter Sunday
six weeks from now.
Now,
I want us to move on
very quickly
at how we need
to be on guard
against being led
astray by false teachers.
Number three,
stay on guard.
Peter tells us
how to do this
by pointing out
two things.
Number one,
don't be led astray
by false teachers
in the last part
of verse 16,
first part of verse 17.
In verse 16,
Peter describes
false teachers
who distorted
Paul's teaching
on the second coming
of Christ.
Look at it.
There are some things
in them that are
hard to understand
which the ignorant
and unstable twist
to their own destruction
as they do
the other scriptures.
He's saying
that what Paul
taught about
the second coming
was hard to understand.
But instead
of remaining silent,
these false teachers,
these people,
they started talking
about what they
didn't know.
Peter describes it
as they twisted
Paul's words
and taught
what Paul didn't mean,
what the scripture
didn't mean.
And he also says
that false teachers
distort other scriptures.
Now look in verse 17.
He goes on to emphasize
that we must stay alert
and not be led astray
by any false teaching.
Not just on the second coming,
but on anything.
Look at it.
You therefore,
beloved,
knowing this beforehand,
take care that you
are not carried away
with the error
of lawless people.
Now,
how do you do this?
If you're a Christian,
you're familiar
with the scripture,
you have heard
many times,
you have read
many times,
we are to be on guard
against false teaching.
Well,
how do you do that?
How do you evaluate
the Christian teachers
that you read,
that you listen to
on a regular basis
or at any time?
How do you evaluate me?
You're supposed
to be evaluating me.
How do you evaluate
your Sunday school teacher?
That's going to make
some Sunday school teachers
feel sort of bad here.
evaluate them.
Measure them.
Just like you do me
and any Christian
who claims to be teaching
or preaching God's word.
Tim Chalice points out
some helpful ways
to evaluate
all Christian teachers.
I want to point out three.
His top three
that will help us
to make good evaluations
of those who are teaching us
the things of God.
Number one,
sound doctrine,
and the word doctrine
just means teaching.
Sound teaching
originates with God.
False doctrine
originates with someone
or something created by God,
something other than God.
Paul emphasized
that the gospel he taught
originated with God.
He wanted the Galatian Christians
to understand
because they had believed
his gospel.
Many had been saved.
The church had been formed.
All was well,
and after Paul left,
false teachers came in
and they changed
the truth
of God's word.
Here's what Paul says.
I would have you know,
brothers,
that the gospel
that was preached by me
is not man's gospel.
For I did not receive it
from any man,
nor was I taught it,
but I received it
through a revelation
of Jesus Christ.
Sound Bible teachers
make it clear
that the message
they preach
is not their own.
It is the word of God.
And they will show you
in the Bible
where they find
what they teach
as we see next.
Number two,
sound doctrine
grounds its authority
within the Bible.
False doctrine
grounds its authority
outside the Bible.
The Bible
is God's inerrant word.
It is completely authoritative.
It is the way
God's revealed himself,
who he is,
how he is,
what we are to believe,
how we are to live.
Doctrine that originates,
teaching that originates
in the mind of God
is recorded
in the word of God.
Now I want you
to look at an example
we see in Acts
of Christians evaluating
the teaching
that they were hearing
and it was coming
from Paul
and his associate Silas.
Luke is writing
the book of Acts.
He tells us
that the Christians
in Berea,
not over here
in West Greenville now,
but another place.
But the Christians
in Berea
received the word
with all eagerness,
examining the scriptures
daily to see
if these things
were so.
These Christians,
these people in Berea,
they knew,
they were Christians,
they understood
that sound teaching
would be consistent
with all the other scriptures
as we see
in the next point.
Number three,
sound doctrine
is consistent
with the whole
of scripture.
False doctrine
is inconsistent
with some parts
of scripture.
What a biblically
sound teacher
will say
about one passage,
it will be consistent
with what the Bible
teaches
everywhere else.
Paul told Timothy,
do not allow
people to bring in
strange,
different doctrines
than what you already
understand.
Look at it.
As I urged you
when I was going
to Macedonia,
remain at Ephesus
so that you may
charge certain persons
not to teach
any different doctrine.
He made the point
even in stronger language
toward the end
of the letter.
He said,
if anyone teaches
a different doctrine
and does not agree
with the sound words
of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ,
and the teaching
that accords
with godliness,
he is puffed up
with conceit
and understands nothing
if they teach
something different
from Scripture.
He has an unhealthy
craving for controversy
and for quarrels
about words
which produce envy,
dissension,
slander,
evil suspicions,
and constant friction
among people
who are depraved
in mind
and deprived
of the truth,
imagining that godliness
is a means of gain.
Scripture
is all inspired
by the Spirit
by the Spirit of God.
So ultimately,
Scripture has one offer,
the Spirit of God.
It will be consistent.
And if what someone
teaches you
in this passage,
for example,
if it doesn't line up
with the other
general teachings
of Scripture
on this subject matter,
that's a false teacher.
Or that is a miss,
he is,
he's just wrong
and may not
intentionally be wrong.
We can summarize
these three points
with one simple statement.
Look at it.
Sound Christian teaching
originates with God,
that's its origin.
Is grounded in the Bible,
that's its authority.
And agrees with the whole
of Scripture.
Scripture is consistent.
Now quickly,
the people that you're
listening to,
people that you read
for biblical knowledge
and help
and guidance,
is this true about them?
If you see that it's not,
throw away their books
because it's heresy.
Don't listen to them.
Don't be misled
by someone
who is so far off base
that they can't fit
this criteria.
Now,
sound teaching
will not only guide us
to develop right beliefs,
but it'll help us
to develop the right
kind of behavior
because that's the ultimate
goal of teaching.
I want you to understand,
every Christian book
that you read,
every sermon you hear,
hear,
every lesson in Sunday school,
it's all designed
not to,
certainly not to entertain,
not to just inform,
but it's designed
to help you
live like a Christian
in every area
of your life.
It's designed
to help you
to live
like you're supposed
to live,
like God wants you
to live in your home
as a husband,
as a wife,
parent,
as a child,
as a brother or sister.
Let me ask you,
what do you believe
about God?
What do you believe
about Jesus?
What do you believe
about salvation?
What do you believe
about life after death?
Is it biblically sound?
Are you sure?
You should be
and you can be.
I want to encourage you
to make knowing,
understanding,
and applying
the truth of Scripture
your lifelong pursuit.
And as you do,
evaluate your Christian teachers
in light of the clear teaching
that you have
of God's Word
and only listen to
and follow
those who make it clear
that what they're teaching
is biblically sound.
Let's pray together.
Dear God,
help us right now
to hear you
and to clearly understand
how we need to respond
to your Word this morning.
For some people, Lord,
it may be just to simply
wake up and evaluate
what they're reading,
what they're listening to.
Help them to do that.
For some, Father,
it may need to throw away
some books.
Stop listening to
a false teacher.
Lord, we also,
this morning,
we need to be more
faithful witnesses.
Help us
to make the commitment
that we will
develop relationships
with people
that's already
in our circles
of influence.
And we will seek
to share the gospel
with them
before Easter Sunday morning.
And Lord,
we pray that you'd give us
the privilege
of bringing them
to church with us
where they can
confess their faith
through baptism,
where they can
get involved
in our church
and grow along
beside us
as your children.
Show us how we need
to respond right now.
And you just do that.
Whatever God's calling
you to do,
you do it.
If I could pray with you,
I'd be happy to do it
right here,
right now.
Just listen
and obey the Lord.
Thank you.