How Can You Recognize a False Teacher? | 2 Peter 2:1–3

0:00Everybody, this has been Smiller. Welcome, of course, to the daily so glad to have you here. Grab your Bible, your scripture journal. Open it up with me, so you can take notes and follow along. We are in second Peter chapter two, beginning a new chapter, verses one through three before I read them. Big shout out today to all of our project, 23 donors who are giving monthly to support the mission that we have here to teach every word of the Bible over 23 years. We love you. We appreciate you. We can't do this without you. So let's read our texts for today. But false prophets also arose among the people just as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master capital and master who bought them bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensualities and want you to feel the nature of that word. And because of them, the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle and their destruction is not asleep.

1:21Sometimes God's word just makes me laugh because it's so clear and strong. Okay, false teachers today, right? False teachers rarely introduce themselves as a false teacher. Here I am, false teacher. You know, what they do is they use very, very familiar words, they quote scripture even course, speak confidently and appear even sincere. They have that James Tallorico effect, if you're from Texas right now. And that's what makes I think deception so dangerous. You know, Peter here says the teachers secretly, secretly, not obviously secretly bring in destructive heresies like a bomb to a church. Now they don't usually reject every Christian belief all at once. They just kind of quietly introduce a falsehood beside the truth until the difference becomes really hard to recognize anymore. They tell what we call half truths. They mix in just enough mud into the water so that when you drink it at first, you don't discover it's muddy.

2:31That's what they do every single time that's how it works. That's a process. But I love this text today because Peter gives us three ways to identify false teacher. First way, what do we do? We examine what they teach about Jesus about Jesus. You see, false teachers ultimately deny the master capitolium. Who bought them? Who bought them? That's Jesus. Their denial may be it might be spoken directly or it may appear in the way they resist a little bit of Christ's authority in certain matters. Well, continuing to just borrow and use and exploit his name. That's the point here. Now any teaching that diminishes Jesus contradicts anything that he said or says or removes the need to submit to him is always going to be spiritually destructive.

3:34The second way we recognize is we examine that teacher's life and what they're teaching produces. Peter says that many here will follow sensuality. The way of truth will be, of course, blasphemed because of them. False teaching often gives people permission to pursue what God has forbidden. For example, let's just think of a few sensualities here. Almost sexuality. That's okay. You can pursue that. Gender ideology. Okay. Another sensuality that's okay to pursue or my body, my choice. Yeah, I get my freedom with my body to do what I want. Any sensuality that I want to choose. I get to do it. And of course teachers that teach these ways promise that you're still going to experience grace and freedom and blessing without the need for all the other things that God's word in Jesus requires of us. Repentance and obedience and surrender to his name and to his way.

4:44All right. This happens all the time. Third, third way we can recognize them is by examining how they treat people. Just how they treat people. Peter says that in their greed, what they will exploit others for personal gain. You know, false teachers do not see people as souls. They see them as opportunities for their gain for money, for influence, for attention, for control. Over the years, I have learned that not every confident teacher holding a Bible in his hands handles it faithfully. I've learned that charisma can attract a really big crowd. But it will never replace personal character and a large audience at a church if you attend a large church does does not prove a message is true and a persuasive delivery does not make someone trustworthy, by the way, even for me.

5:45But I don't want you to be over suspicious of every pastor and teacher, but I also don't want you to forfeit your discernment. Just today, just remember this, never evaluate a message by did I enjoy it? Ask better questions when you're leaving church on a Sunday or after you've listened to a teacher. Like, for example, does this agree with scripture in context, the greater context, does it elevate Jesus's Lord? That's really a great question. Does it produce holiness in me and even maybe call out my sin? All good questions. Remember, a teacher's message can always sound impressive. We know how to deliver impressive messages today, but the fruit will reveal the root. The fruit always reveals the root. So three things to watch for today. Watch the doctor, watch the character, watch the motives, because dangerous lies are always dressed up in Christian language.

6:52Love you guys. Hope this blessed you have it has. We'll share it with someone else. Support the ministry as well. If you don't mind, we would love to have you as a supporter. And with that, as always, I'm going to see you right back here again tomorrow.