Beware of Deceivers Among You

Transcript

GR 1182
7/09/2000
Beware of Deceivers Among You
2 John 7-8
Gil Rugh

2 John in your Bibles. The second epistle of John. We may finish 2 John next week. John’s concern as he writes this short epistle letter is love and truth. And the love is centered in truth because truth is the reason for our love. And all who know the truth love those who know the truth because of the truth. That’s how John started in verses 1 and 2, the basic introduction to the letter. And he picked up with the body of the letter beginning in verse 4. He told of his joy, abundant joy and happiness in learning that some of the believers in the church that he was writing to were faithfully walking in truth. I was very glad to hear some of your children walking in truth. Then in verse 5 he encouraged them to continue in faithfulness obeying the command of the Lord to love one another. You obey the command of the Lord which is truth. It’s the word of God. And in obeying the truth you respond by loving one another. And then in verse 6 he explains that love is not basically an emotion or a feeling but love is a commitment of obedience to do what God has commanded. This is love that we walk according to his commandments. And he ended with that emphasis on walking in obedience to the commandments to love one another. That inseparable unity of truth and love. And as we obey God’s truth we love one another. And because of the truth as it works in its supernatural ways in our hearts and lives as God’s people through the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit the character of God is developed in us. And our passion and commitment to obedience and love grows stronger and deeper and even more evident. So he’s made it clear that truth and love cannot be separated. This is important because he is laying the foundation for what is to follow. You cannot have biblical love outside the context of biblical truth. And if biblical truth is really working in a life it will produce biblical love for God’s people. You know the emphasis in verses 4 to 6 on ‘walk’, in verse 4, I was very glad to hear some of your children walking in truth. In verse 6, and this is love that we walk according to his commandments. The end of verse 6 this is the commandment that you should walk in it. Note that word ‘walk’ denotes the characteristic or pattern of the life. And we are to be a people characterized by truth and love. As people look at us individually that look at us as a church, what would you say are the defining characteristics of that church? They have a passionate commitment to God’s truth and an unfailing love for one another. That’s the characteristic of the people who belong to that church. That’s the characteristic of that church. Truth pervades everything they do. And it manifests itself in that unshakable enduring love they have for one another.

John’s now ready to turn his attention from the inner spiritual health and well being of the church to the danger facing the church from false teachers and their heretical doctrines. In verses 7 to 11 John impresses upon his readers that this danger is real and serious. They must be careful so that they receive a full reward he says in the end of verse 8. That you may receive a full reward and there are cautioned about any relationships with false teachers lest they be guilty of participating in their evil works. Verse 11, for the one who gives him a greeting participates, literally fellowships in his evil deeds. These are serious matters John is dealing with and he is going to say some rather harsh words. One writer noted, if Johns instruction still seems harsh it is perhaps because his concern for the glory of the Son and the good of men’s souls is greater than ours. And because the tolerance on which we pride ourselves is in reality and indifference to truth.

Look at verse 7 with me, John says, “for many deceivers have gone out into the world. Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. This section is connected to what precedes by the conjunction we have translated ‘for’. It’s often translated because in the New Testament. For or because many deceivers have gone out into the world. And what he said in verses 4-6 regarding truth and love being the dominant characteristic of the fellowship of God’s people in the church is so crucial and of added importance because many deceivers have gone out into the world. Another writer noted the injunction to live in obedience to the demand for love and truth has a basic spiritual requirement for the Christian believer would have been entirely appropriate for a community like John’s which was disintegrating in the face of heresies within and attacks from without serious days’ great dangers facing the church. The apostles have not even passed off the scene yet. John the beloved disciple is in a battle for the truth, and having to write and encourage and challenge believers to stand for the truth and demonstrate genuine love.

His own authority and leadership has been rejected from within the church itself. He addresses that matter in third John when he speaks of men like Diotrephes who would not accept John and the teachers that came from John. So very early, very quickly in the life of the church the devil began his work of attack and undermining what God was doing.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, deceivers. He uses this word which describes their very character and activity. There are those who will attempt to lure and delude believers into abandoning faithfulness to God’s truth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and said, “he was concerned least as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness that you should be lured away from the purity of devotion to Christ.” John is concerned about the work of these deceivers and we have to understand many deceivers have gone out into the world. These are individuals who have at one time had a place within the church of Jesus Christ. They claim to be believers and even as John writes evidently they are making that claim that they belong to the Lord and they have a clearer and more full understanding of truth than even John or other apostles have. They want to lead believers to a new level to go beyond the normal. In fact, down in verse 9 he’ll speak in condemnation of anyone who goes too far, literally means who goes ahead, who goes beyond, who goes further, goes outside, if you will, apostolic teaching and doctrine. Look back in 1 John chapter 2 verse 18. Children it is the last hour and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared from this we know that it is the last hour. John has a sense of eminency, of expectancy in regard to the return of the Lord. We are living in the last hour and one of the evidences of the lateness of the times is the presence of antichrists. And he is going to talk about antichrists.

2 John the end of verse 7 this is the deceiver and the antichrist. Here he refers to these antichrists. Note what he says in verse 19, “they went out from us but they were really not of us for if they had been of us they would have remained with us, but they went out so it would be shown that they are not all of us.” So in reality, these that he identifies as antichrists, were a great danger and threat to the believers that he is writing to, began from within the fellowship of believers.

But now they have demonstrated that they were never truly born again. But you know what happens; because they had a one time been part of the church they have a credibility and an influence through their contacts that make them a greater danger to the health and spiritual well-being of the church and God’s people than otherwise would be possible. The greatest danger to the church of Jesus Christ comes from within. The devil is a master counterfeiter and no sooner did the church begin than he launched his work of counterfeiting the work of God. Of infiltrating the church with his servants who would appear to be believers, who would claim to be believers, but with the passing of time would reveal their true character. They would be used to bring confusion and division to the church of Jesus Christ.

Look back at Acts chapter 20. Some of these passages should be very familiar and well marked in your Bible. Acts chapter 20. Paul stops at a place known as Miletus and from there he sent messengers and calls for the church elders at Ephesus, the church in Asia Minor, to come and meet with him. And there he gives them instructions because he believes this is the last time he will personally be able to meet with representatives of this church. Down in verse 29 he says, I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. But note verse 30 and from among your own selves, then will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Here, what’s Paul’s concern as he meets with the elders of this church? There will come a day when men from within your own church will arise and they will be teaching evil doctrines and attempt to lure Christians away from the purity of devotion to Christ. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, 2 Corinthians chapter 11. I referred a moment ago to verse 3
But I want you now to come down to verse 13. Paul is writing concerning the false teachers that are attempting to influence the church at Corinth. And he says for such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. You know these aren’t just representatives from the many pagan Roman religions or Greek religions of the day. These are those who claim to belong to the church of Jesus Christ. They are false apostles. They are deceitful words. They have disguised themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder for even Satan disguises himself as a angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. We are reminded that God is never fooled. He searches the heart. He tests, but sometimes these deceitful workers and false teachers are effective in deceiving and deluding God’s people.

As you come back to 1 John just before 1 John, stop at 2 Peter. The 2 epistle of Peter and at the end of chapter 1 Peter reminds them that the word of God the scriptures were given by the Holy Spirit. They are divinely authored. This is God’s truth. And then you come to chapter 2 of 2 Peter verse one, “but false prophets also arose among the people”. In Israel’s history through the Old Testament, false prophets continued to rise up from among the Israelites and claimed to be preaching a message from God. And they were very effective in undermining the spiritual health of the nation Israel. False prophets also arose among the people that also contrasted with the genuine prophets of chapter one verses 20 and 21. Any time God is doing the work Satan is at work to try to undermine and counteract God’s work. Just as there will also be false teachers among you. There will be false teachers among you. This was already happening while the apostles are still alive. These false teachers will secretly introduce destructive heresy. And note this: they will secretly introduce destructive heresy. They work deceit. I emphasis this because sometimes we read this and say how did they get confused. Would anyone accept as a genuine Christian someone who denies the master who bought them? I mean would we accept anyone who denies Jesus Christ as Lord and Master as a genuine believer and teacher of the word of God? Not us, we are too strong, we are too clear in our theology. But you understand they secretly introduce. They don’t come in and say you know we don’t believe in these things about Jesus Christ. They come in as though they were clarifying things. As though they were bringing information that will help us in our Christian life. That will enable us to be more godly, to have a better understanding but in reality what they are doing is attacking the sufficiency of the work of Christ. They are attacking the person of Christ himself.

Just after the epistles of John you have the epistle of Jude and Jude writes, and said he was going to write a letter about our common salvation in verse 3 of Jude and he said I feel a necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. Note this, for certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our Lord into licentiousness and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude said I was going to write to you about some theological truths regarding our salvation but I needed to give you a battle call. Because already certain persons have crept in unnoticed. How do you not notice someone who is teaching doctrine that denies the grace of God? Denies the person of Christ? That’s a reminder. They were doing this in subtle ways. That seemed to some believers to have an acceptability about them.

Come back to 2 John. If I can use an example again with our family, our children. We tell our children what, be careful of strangers, don’t get into cars with strangers. But we don’t tell them, unless they seem to really like you…unless they seem to want to give you something. Why? That becomes a greater danger. That those children will be deluded into thinking, this person is sincere. This person really likes me. This person really wants to help me. SO in the spiritual realm that is the concern. We become very gullible as God’s children because we don’t listen to our heavenly Father. Don’t get into cars with strangers. Don’t…oh well, its not a big deal; I mean, I think they’re sincere. I don’t think they will do any harm. I think they love the Lord and love me. And then so, we let go of our hold on the truth. We give up the discernment that God has placed within us through the Holy Spirit and His truth and we are deceived. Verse 7 of 2 John, many deceivers have gone out into the world. And I want you to note here. He doesn’t say, “a few deceivers”. In fact, this is why the writer that I quoted said that John’s community was disintegrating in the face of heresies and attacks. In verse 4 John said, “I was very glad to find some of your children.” The word some is written into our text but it is necessary in light of the Greek text. There were of your children, but when he speaks about the deceivers who have gone out of the body, he says, for many deceivers have gone out into the world. It might have been more encouraging if he would have said, I found many of your children walking in the truth. And in verse 7, some deceivers. But its just the opposite. So you see already there was a large move in abandoning the truth, and faithfulness to the apostles and their doctrine. Many deceivers have gone out into the world.

Look back in 1 John chapter 4, verse 1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. When John wrote that many deceivers have gone out into the world, and 1 John 4:2 many false prophets have gone out into the world that’s the same verb in the same form that he used in 1 John 2:19. They have gone out from us. Many false prophets have gone out. Many deceivers have gone out.

What are they doing? Back in chapter 2 of 1 John verse 26: “these things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.” Verse 19 they went out from us. Many false prophets have gone out into the world, many deceivers. They are trying to deceive you. False prophets and teachers just didn’t go out, abandon Christianity, and convert to paganism in one form or another. Their work is what? To divide, to destroy the church of Jesus Christ. So what are they doing? They preying back on the believers they have really gone out from. Trying to convince them, to lure them away from the truth, that has been presented by men like John and other apostles.

Back to 2 John, verse 7; Many deceivers have gone out into the world. And John identifies the particular problem doctrinally that must be confronted by these deceivers. Those who don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. These false teachers are in error regarding the person of Jesus Christ which really leads to an error regarding His work also. Remember what Peter said in 2 Peter 2:1, even denying the master who bought them. What Jude said in verse 4: They deny our only master and lord Jesus Christ. Here they do not confess, do not acknowledge Jesus Christ and coming in the flesh. There are certain basic doctrines you have to agree to, to be a believer. One of them is you must believe in the theanthropic union. I didn’t say you have to understand it. You must believe the theanthropic union is simply theos (God) anthropos (man). Theanthropic, the God-man union. You must believe that Jesus Christ is fully God, you must also believe that Jesus Christ is fully man. All that is entailed in that I do not understand. How He can be both God and Man yet one person, and yet the humanity does not take away from the deity. The deity does not overwhelm the humanity but he is really one person. I have a lot of questions about that. One of the attributes of eternality. How can He add humanity to deity? How can He be one person? Truly God and truly man. I don’t know so don’t come up and ask me. But I do know its true. But how can you believe something you don’t understand? Very simply. God is greater than I am. I believe everything He has said. Even though I don’t understand it. And John says that is a characteristic of a genuine believer. He believes the word of God.

Look back in 1 John chapter 2 verse 22. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the anti-Christ, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father. The one who confesses the Son as the Father also. You see it is all inseparably joined together. And the denial of the humanity of Christ is a denial that He is the son of God is a denial that he is the Christ, the Messiah of Israel is a denial of God the Father. There is no other way. There is no other truth. And you cannot parcel out the truth. Because as soon as you deny the truth you have denied the truth. Oh, I have only denied part of the truth. I only refused to believe part of the truth. Well you understand that every word of God is true and tested. This is truth. It’s like denying one part of the person and work of Christ. You have denied Christ. And so these false teachers. Here there are in the church confusing some believers and John says they are really antichrist’s. Those who are opposed and stand against Christ. How do these kind of people get a foot-hold in the church? How do believers become susceptible to this teaching and doctrine and influence, so sacrifice eternal rewards that could have been theirs? That’s what John is going to address.

You come back to 2 John 7, they do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. In 1 John 4:2 “by this you know the spirit of God that everyone who confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh”. That’s a perfect participle, basically a past tense in Greek. Something that happened in the past and the effects or results continue to the present. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. He came in the past and the results of that are ongoing. In 2 John verse 7, “these deceivers do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh”. There he uses a present participle which stress more the timelessness of the event. What he is saying is He has come in the past but that is also a present reality. Jesus Christ is just as much man today as he was when he walked this earth 2000 years ago. He is not any less human today than He was 2000 years ago. He is not any less deity than He was 2000 years ago. In fact, the book of Hebrews ties our ongoing security in salvation to the fact that He is an ongoing High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. So you cannot deny the reality of the humanity or the deity of Christ and be a child of God. Now His body today, His humanity has been glorified. But our humanity will be glorified in a future time too. We won’t be less human because we have glorified bodies. We will be human beings in glorified bodies. So today Jesus Christ is a man in a human body, a glorified human body. He is also deity. Anyone who denies the full and complete humanity of Christ is a heretic. Anyone who denies the full and complete deity of Jesus Christ is a heretic, and in so denying that they are denying the efficiency and sufficiency of His finished work.

There was a doctrine that developed into the second century. There were those who thought it would not be possible for God to die so that deity came upon the human Christ at His baptism and departed from Him before His crucifixion. They thought they were preserving truth; the deity of Christ by really denying that it was the son of God who died on the cross. Heretical doctrine. This is the deceiver and the antichrist John says. Do you want to know how to recognize them? He teaches error. He does not confess. Put in that way interestingly, is not just that he openly attacks it, he does not confess it. You know false teachers not only by what they say but by what they don’t say.

This is pervading the church today. You know what is weakening the pulpits of our evangelical churches and so weakening our churches? Preachers get up and just don’t teach the truth. They don’t get up and overtly deny it they just ignore it. These false teachers do not confess, do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh. It’s not what that they are teaching and in so doing they are undermining it because they don’t really believe it.

You know the word antichrist is only used by John in his epistles. And it’s used to refer to those who don’t hold to the truth as it has been revealed by and in Jesus Christ. Anyone who opposes the truth revealed in, and through Jesus Christ, the truth about Jesus Christ, is an antichrist. Now we usually think of the term in relationship to the coming prophetic figure who will play a dominate role in the world in the coming 7-year tribulation. Back up to 1 John Chapter 2:18. John says, “Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming.” So that would be the prophetic figure we are talking about. The first beast of Revelation 13, will come to dominate the world. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2 says, he’ll set himself up in the temple declaring that he is God. But John says, the anti-christ is coming but let me tell you there are many anti-christ’s already present. Jesus prophesied is Mark 13, “many false Christs will arise” John says I believe it is the last hour. False Christs are already coming, those who oppose Christ stand against him. Really in doing so declare themselves to be the messiahs, the christs, the ones who are the center and source of truth. Come back to 2 John. Look at our response to this. Verse 8, “watch yourselves”. Present imperatives, something that is to be constantly true of us. We are constantly to be on the watch. Be constantly watching yourselves. You have to jump back to Acts chapter 20, if you would. Acts chapter 20, look at verse 28. He’s warning about false teachers from without and from within. And he says in verse 28, “be on guard for yourselves”. A different word that is used in 2 John, but another command in the present tense, carrying the same idea. Be on guard for yourselves. Down in verse 31, therefore, be on the alert. Another command given in the present tense. Uses three different words but the idea in these words is all the same. Be alert, be watching, be on guard. False teachers will come from without and from within. Sometimes people think oh, we’re always looking for faults. We’re always checking everybody’s doctrine. What are people to do who are commanded to be watching? Commanded to be on guard. Commanded to be on the alert, all the time. Of course, we are checking everybody’s doctrine. How else are you going to know what’s true and what’s false if you don’t? We have to be alert and be on guard. There is absolutely no excuse for the error that invades and pervades the church. That’s what John is writing about. The false teachers will come up; they are agents of the devil. Believers should not allow themselves to be deceived. We ought to be watching, paying attention, being on the alert.

One of the blessings of getting old is you get to have been in the ministry a longer time. You can look back. I have to say early in my ministry, I was caught off guard. Because I was somewhat naïve. I thought you teach people the word of God. Then if problems come, conflicts come, you just point out to them, in the word of God, what the issue is and they say, “Oh, Ok now I see it” and we go on together. But I found out it doesn’t quite turn out that way. Because conflicts and problems come and you want to point out the doctrine and some people think you are being nit-picky. And some people are afraid they’ll lose friends if we make this an issue. And some people are afraid their families will get divided. Some people are afraid they’re social circle will be affected. Some people are afraid that others will look down on them or think less of them. All of a sudden there is a lot of other issues that come in and cloud the waters.

You know the devil is masterful. If you are swimming in a lake and the waters clear and you go down and you can see everything. And it looks so clear under there. You say, I can see all the things under here. And then somebody comes along and kicks and stirs up the mud in the bottom and all of a sudden I can’t see things like I did. You know those things are still there. What has happened is the waters have been muddy. And that’s what false teachers do. They come in and muddy the waters, so to speak. Its like periodically I have to go and get my eyes checked and get an adjustment in my glasses. When I get my new glasses I say, wow, I can use a smaller print Bible again. I can see things. Well, you know that was all there before. Just my vision had become distorted. I find as a believer I have to go back periodically; I’ve done this recently. Said, Gil, you have to refocus. What is the issue for you? What is the issue for Indian Hills Church? To keep focused on truth and the manifestation of truth in our love for one another. That’s true whether we’re growing by hundreds or we’re shrinking by hundreds. That’s true whether the offerings are up or the offerings are down. That’s true whether people are writing rave reviews about my preaching or other kinds of reviews. You know what helps me to do? Clarify my thinking, clear the air here, Gil. Focus back in. What is your life and ministry and service as a child of God all about? The truth. Well if I focus on the truth I may lose friends, I may lose family members. Well, he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Things become clear for me. I say, alright now I can narrow down, and focus again on truth.

That’s what John is doing for these readers. Watch out. Focus clearly. Don’t get side-tracked. Why do you remind your children more than once about getting in cars with strangers…the get careless? They’ll get caught up in other things and they’ll walk along with their friends and they won’t pay attention like they should. And you try to tell them and what, they are not paying attention. And you say, now listen to me. That’s what John’s saying: Watch out. Pay Attention. Go to 2 John, “that you do not lose what we have accomplished”. There are eternally significant things at stake here for believers. “What we have accomplished” refers to what has been accomplished by the faithful ministry of God’s truth in the lives of these people. Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 4:11, “I fear lest I’ve labored over you in vain.” Philippians 2:16 he encouraged them to “hold fast to the Word, so that in the day of Christ I have reason to glory. I will not have run in vain”. John’s concerned that his life is tied up in the lives of these believers: “I don’t want you to lose what we’ve accomplished. It will all come to naught if you are not faithful to the Word. And in addition that you may have full reward. That you may have full reward. This ought to get all of our attention.

Rewards are like I said about some other theological areas, I don’t have a very complete or full understanding. I have a Heavenly Father who’s said he’s promised rewards for faithful servants. He has said we will someday stand in the presence of His glory and receive what we have done in this body. He warns in 1 Corinthians 3 that some believers will suffer great loss on that day before the glory of His throne and yet will be saved by the ‘skin of their teeth’ so-to-speak. That you may receive full reward, you know the danger? Some believers will not pay attention and they will be deceived by these false teachers and it will cost them eternal rewards. In a hundred million years that failure will be significant. These are not minor details we are living with.

One of the tragedies is the church does not take these matters seriously. My friends are more important to me than the church, God’s truth. My family is more important to me than God’s truth. My reputation is more important to me…and fill in the blank. Then sift it out. How many of these things will really matter in a hundred million years for you as a believer? Not your friends, not your family, not your reputation, not your income but the rewards bestowed at the judgement seat of Christ. They will matter in a hundred million years. So that you receive a full reward. Look at Revelation chapter 3 verse 11. Revelation 3:11, Jesus Christ gave this warning to the churches, “I am coming quickly, hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Ominous warning to the churches.

Ominous warning to us as believers that we not receive a full reward, that I not take this seriously. That I not be willing to die for it? That I not be willing to pay the price. I mean, do we always have to be fighting? Do we have to always be hassling over doctrine, what’s true and what’s right? Is there no end to that? Not until Jesus Christ comes, there’s not. But I tell you it is worth the trouble. Don’t you want a full reward? Oh, I don’t care as long as I go to heaven, that’s all I care about. What an attitude of rebellion against the living God. That I should be so proud and arrogant in my heart that He has promised rewards and I say, I don’t care; it’s nothing to me…I would rather have my friends than your rewards, God. There’ll come a day when it will be put in perspective and I’ll say, Oh, Lord, I didn’t know, if you had told me more. What, so I don’t have to walk by faith? He has told me enough, has He not? But if I really believe Him, I trust that what He says is true, will be true, and that controls my life. That’s walking by the truth. Oh, well, I don’t know enough about rewards to want to make an issue in my life…I know enough. I know the Living God has spoken and that faithfulness will be rewarded.

So this issue of truth and faithfulness to truth and the commitment to loving God’s people in the context of truth is eternally important and will matter throughout the endless ages. Do we understand that as a church? Is that our commitment? If every friend I have, if every family member I have, if every possession I have is taken from me, you will not shake my commitment to God’s truth. I will give up everything and everyone, but I will not give up the Truth. My faithfulness to the Truth, because that is my commitment to Jesus Christ. That is what I am looking forward to ultimately in His presence, and He says: “well done, good and faithful servant” and bestows rewards with glory that I am not capable of understanding at this present time.


Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord for your grace and faithfulness. Thank you for a Savior, who loved us and died for us. Thank you for the revelation of yourself in your written Word, that is true, that is trustworthy, that is alive and powerful in our lives through the gracious ministry of your Holy Spirit. Lord, may we individually and as a church, be passionately committed to Jesus Christ. The truth revealed from Him and concerning Him. May that passionate, unshakeable, enduring commitment to your truth, be clearly evident and manifested in our walk as our lives are shaped by truth. And the truth is manifest in our unfailing and enduring love for one another. We pray in Christ’s name, Amen.