Posts Tagged ‘false prophets’

Scripture reading for December 4th: 1st John 4:1-21

The Christians of John’s day were in a battle against false teachers and the spirits of evil who spoke through them.  John wrote to encourage them and help them to identify these deceiving spirits.  His words of instruction can help us in these last days in a similar battle!

“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every Spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” (1st John 4:2-3)  These false prophets were denying Christ came as a man.  This spirit was in the world in John’s day and is also in the world today in many modern cults.  This belief was known as ‘gnosticism’ and denied the humanity of Jesus as the Son of God.  The true Spirit of God always recognizes that Jesus came in the flesh.

John encouraged the Church to remember that they were able to overcome these evil spirits because the had the Holy Spirit living in them.  (1st John 4:4)  The Spirit of Christ gives us overcoming power because He is a Spirit of Truth.  Believers can be confident in the Holy Spirit bringing discernment and enabling each person to know truth.  The evil spirits are spirit of falsehood and tell lies that believers can easily spot.

Love is the mark of those controlled by the Holy Spirit.  God is a love and showed us His love by sending His Son into the world to die for us that we might live through Him.  (1st John 4:7-12)  Those born of God love each other and testify to the world about the love of God.

When we know the love of God, we have confidence on the day of judgment.  God’s perfect love received means that we have been declared righteous and no longer have to answer for our sins.  Jesus has forgiven us and we rest in His promise of righteousness by faith.  This enables us to live a life of love towards others, free from fear of death or persecution.  The Spirit of God gives us overcoming power through truth and love.  We live as overcomers  in life and death!  What a joy it is to walk in the truth!

Scripture reading for November 28th: 2nd Peter 1-22

Peter warned his flock about the false teachers who would come into their midst.  These teachers secretly introduced destructive heresies, some that even denied the sovereign Lord who bought them.  These teachers were greedy for money and used ear-tickling methods to divide off the weaker sheep and destroy them.  These same issues are in the church today!

Peter made a case from church history emphasizing God’s dealing with false teaching and rebellion.  The first example he used was that of Noah and his family.  Noah preached righteousness by faith and built an ark to protect his family.  God used a world-wide flood to judge the world of that day that had been corrupted by the false teaching of some wicked beings who were indwelt by fallen angels.  These angels were also locked up in hell awaiting the judgment.  (2nd Peter 2:4-5)

Next Peter cited the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  God rescued the righteous Lot and his family, but judged the wicked that had rebelled against Him.  Peter plainly stated that God would judge the false teachers who promoted immorality and heresy and would rescue those who stood firm in His word!  (2nd Peter 2:7-9)

Peter went on to expose these false teachers for who they were.  They were bold and arrogant who blasphemed God and His truth.  They were like ‘brute beasts’ who operated out of their instincts and fleshly desires.  They were immoral and open about it.  They were adulterous and greedy for money and sin.  They seduced the weak and unstable among the believers.  They enticed people who were just escaping from living in sin and took them back into bondage!  Peter stated that they were “slaves of depravity”.  (2nd Peter 2:13-19)

I think today about ministers and churches who openly embrace the sin of homosexuality as something ordained by God.  I think of others who willingly promote “pro-choice’ politics and the murder of the innocent and do that while naming the name of Christ!  Often this is done to attract those who so believe and gain monetary support from them.  They tell them that God loves them and that they can go on living “as slaves of their depravity’.  God’s word plainly states that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven!  (1st Corinthians 6:9-11)  God wants to save them, but without repentance He can not!

Scripture reading for August 14th: Jeremiah 37-39

Prophets have to know that they have heard from the Lord and stay true to the message, even when the going gets rough!  Jeremiah had been prophesying for nearly 40 years and giving the same basic message:  God was going to send Judah into captivity for her sins!  This was not a popular message and was not the message of the popular prophets of Judah either.  They were telling the king and people that God would deliver them from the Babylonians and break the yoke of the enemy, restoring their land and freedom. (Jeremiah 28:10-11)

However, as Jerusalem was surrounded and under siege for a time, the Babylonian army withdrew to fight against Pharaoh’s army.  (Jeremiah 37:9-12)  As Jeremiah began to leave the city to claim his property in Benjamin, he was caught by officials and falsely accused of deserting to Babylon.  He was beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan.

“Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained for a long time.  Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the Lord?”  “Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 37:16-17)  The king longed to know what God was thinking and sent for the prophet.  Had he been listening, he would have known that God had already spoken and no one was listening.  Jeremiah repeated the simple message and petitioned the king for mercy.  Zedekiah seemed to soften and allowed him to be moved to a more comfortable location and to receive food.

Some people seem eager to hear a fresh “word from the Lord” when they haven’t processed or heeded the earlier words.  Some of the instructions from God may not be to our liking or may seem too hard for us, but obedience is the right approach.  God can’t give further instructions until we obey the one’s we have already.  Faithfulness in the little brings an opportunity to be faithful in much!

Would you take time today to examine your obedience to what God has already spoken to you?  Are you walking in His call for your life?  Are you faithful in the tasks you know you should be doing?  If not, repent and begin to obey!  That’s a “word” for you today!