08.23.17 PM – Devo – Nathan Parks – Service & Bible Class – JC Hughes – Acts Chapter 10
Are There Any Wolves Today?
The Lord Jesus Christ said that many would be lost and few would be saved (Matthew 7:13-14). Immediately after this in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a reason for why many would be lost in His warning about false teachers. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). False teachers have an exterior that seems harmless, but on the inside they have cruel and selfish intentions. Often the response to religious error being taught today in effect is, “Well, I’m sure he’s sincere in what he believes, so while I don’t see it the same way as him, I’m not going to get too riled about what he is teaching.” Now, there are people who sincerely teach error believing it to be true. Their sincerity alone will not save them, but they are sincere. However, what seems to be missing many times today is the acknowledgement that there are many false teachers who have sinister motives. As much as we have been told that these people who teach something different than the truth of the Gospel do it in sincerity, when we open God’s word we find warnings about wolves in sheep’s clothing. Is it really the case that there are hardly any wolves today, just misguided sheep? Or have we been duped by their sheepish exterior?
Paul exhorted the elders of the Ephesian church to be on guard against grievous wolves who would enter in among them, not sparing the flock (Acts 20:29). He wrote to the church at Corinth about those teachers who seemed so attractive according to fleshly standards, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). To the church at Rome, he instructed to mark and avoid such teachers who cause divisions and offenses contrary to true doctrine (Romans 16:17). Why? Was it because they were sincerely deceived. No. “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:18). Peter warned the Christians dispersed throughout Asia Minor, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). These would not be sincere teachers, but sinful men who would act holy so they could entice followers to give them all the money that their greedy hearts desired (2 Peter 2:3, 12-16). There has always been a market for teachers to be paid well to tell people what they want to hear instead of the uncomfortable truth (Numbers 22-24; 1 Kings 18:19: Isaiah 30:10; Jeremiah 5:31; 2 Timothy 4:3). Jude encouraged Christians to earnestly contend for the once-and-for-all delivered faith (Jude 3). Why? “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). John warned us that “many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Remember the majority of people will be lost. False teachers are out there who will uphold false teaching because it is popular. If they taught the truth they would not have the numbers that would give the them worldly affections for which their hearts lust. Jesus taught truth even when it caused droves of people to leave (John 6:66-68). Listen to the warnings of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). The Lord Jesus Christ says there are wolves out there in sheep’s clothing. Are we on guard?
-Mark Day
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Lesson Audio – Bible Class – Jerry Sturgill
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