Being A Discerning Christian
Notes
Transcript
Pastor Tony is walking down the street on Christmas Eve when he notices Larry, a little boy, trying to press the doorbell of a house across the street. However, Larry is very small and the doorbell is too high for him to reach.
After watching the boy's efforts for some time, Pastor Tony moves closer to Larry's position. He walks up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder, leans over and gives the doorbell a solid ring.
Crouching down to Larry's level, Pastor Tony smiles and asks
"And now what, little man?"
To which Larry replies with a big grin on his face:
"Now we run!"
Historical/Cultural Context -
Historical/Cultural Context -
Sometime afterward (c. A.D. 55), Paul left Ephesus, traveling north to Troas (a port city). There he had arranged to meet Titus and hear how the Corinthians had responded to the severe letter (2:12). Not finding Titus there, Paul crossed over to Macedonia to await him in that location. Eventually Titus arrived, reporting the Corinthians’ response to the recent letter and bringing news of other developments in Corinth (7:5–7). The book of 2 Corinthians (actually his fourth letter to that church) was Paul’s response to the news brought by Titus.
Biblical Text -
Biblical Text -
Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.
Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.
Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?
I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.
And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.
As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!
But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
-[Prayer]-
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - Discerning Christians Don’t Put Up With Scripture Twisting, Robbers In The Church, & Always Make Sure They Are Being Taught The Truth.
Life Principle - Discerning Christians Don’t Put Up With Scripture Twisting, Robbers In The Church, & Always Make Sure They Are Being Taught The Truth.
Life Point- Don’t Put Up With Gospel & Scripture Twisting
Life Point- Don’t Put Up With Gospel & Scripture Twisting
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me.
For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
As this is one of Paul’s church plants he exposes his heart and how much he cares for these believers. It is the same for any pastor. Paul is worried that they will be taken advantage of by false teachers and preachers. He is worried that these believers will take the simplicity of the Gospel and add things to it that simply don’t belong.
We have this happening all over America and the world today. We have the name-it-claim-it movement that takes a proverb, and other scriptures, and blows it way out of proportion.
A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
They will tell you that this is in response to everything you say that comes out of your mouth. They will even tell you that this is because you are a little god.
Well, let me bring some hard truth to you. You are not a little god. You are a human who is from humanity and humanity is born in sin and has a bent toward sin and is still in need of a savior. The savior is Jesus Christ.
By the way the scripture is not some mystical force that comes out of your mouth. It is talking about generalities. If I am speaking mean to people then people won’t have anything to do with me, if I am sweet to people and care about what they have to say, then people will befriend me.
We teach children this all throughout elementary school, but somewhere about 3rd grade they start to forget and then they start being mean and clickish with each other and they learn real quick that their words have power and they can alienate one another pretty quickly. These generalities of word toward other people is what is in view here, not some mystical thing that I can have what I want by confessing it out of my mouth.
Paul says to them to not put up with this evil scripture twisting that would rob the Gospel of it’s simplicity and power and replace it with doctrines of demons.
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
There are some people in these so-called church out there that are not actually saved. For example the so-called pastor of Hillsong New York, who was disgraced during COVID because he committed adultery, never actually preached the Gospel. There were many times he never uttered the name of Jesus from the stage. It was all about the music, the hype, himself. It had nothing to do with Jesus. This folks is a false Gospel.
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News
but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.
Remember that Paul preached the simple Gospel.
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.
For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.
I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.
And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.
I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
What exactly is the simple Gospel? Let me tell you.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We have all sinned. You, me, The pope. All have sinned, we are born into sin.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of this you are destined for hell without Jesus’ sacrifice. But God’s free gift of salvation comes through his sacrifice
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That’s right Christ died for us. He was born of a virigin, lived 30 years and for 3 years did signs, wonders, and miracles that showed He is God in the Flesh. 100% God and 100% man. He died on the cross for all your wrong doing and not doing the things you knew you should do. Then he rose from the grave three days after that and ascended to the throne of the father in heaven.
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
All that is required for you to be saved is to call upon the name of the Lord. This means that you believe the Gospel through and through as it has been presented. Without any extra works added. Just believe
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
These so-called super apostles in the midst of the Corinthian church were adding to the Gospel, works. Works are not a part of the Gospel. They were spouting false teachings and drawing people off to themselves, not to Christ.
Paul says when people like this show up, to not even give them a platform from which to speak. Don’t let them spew their corrupt teachings to the congregation. That means that you as a Christian should by them no mind.
If you have a question about a teaching or teacher, come to me and let me help you do the research. More than likely I have heard it before and give you an answer on the spot.
Life Point - Watch Out For Sly Robbers In The Church
Life Point - Watch Out For Sly Robbers In The Church
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things.
I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.
Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?
I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.
And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.
As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this.
Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
One thing that is missing from their new teachers is humility. They are constantly bragging about themselves or things they have experienced. Whereas Paul says let others do the boasting and not boast of himself.
Paul says he was an unskilled speaker but he did not lack knowledge. These teachers were slick as snot.
These guys were like today’s popular speakers. They were charismatic, likeable, and good to look at. They probably had big wide grins too.
You know what? Paul didn’t care how likeable they were. They were false and so he wasn’t intimidated by them.
One thing Paul noted was how these men were preaching to get worldly gain. They weren’t just living comfortably, no they were robbing them blind. Taking everything they had.
Kind of like some charlatans in times past and today on television.
My grandmother before she died didn’t have two nickels to rub together. We found out later she was covering a hole in the floor where her couch and refrigerator were because she didn’t want anyone to know she needed help and then she was sending half her Social Security check to these frauds. One in particular which came out later in the mid 90s as a money hungry man who blew a lot of that money in the strip clubs.
My grandmother was bank rolling a false teacher who used that money on sin. You better believe he will have to answer for that.
In contrast to these false teachers, when Paul first showed up God put on his heart not to take anything from them but to rely on support from other churches. This is how missions still works today. Churches coming together to fund missionaries to preach the Gospel without charge to those who are hearing it.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
This was a radicle concept at the time. Because the norm is to take an honorarium. Indeed we do this today when someone speaks in an established church.
But these false teachers weren’t doing that. They were pilfering all they had in order to increase their worldly riches.
This is one metric you can use to kind of give you a red flag as to whether there is something wrong with a teacher or preacher.
Ask yourself, “How often and How much time do they spend on the subject of money?”
I’m not talking about preaching through a book and coming across it, so it needs to be addressed. I am talking a large percentage of messages on the subject. If I see a large percent of that; a red flag goes up immediately.
Life Point - Be Discerning About Who Teaches You
Life Point - Be Discerning About Who Teaches You
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours.
These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.
But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
If I came up to you and said, “Hey! I am false preacher!” You would know right away not to pay me any mind.
But that is not how it goes. It never is. There is always enough truth mixed with error in order to sound good.
“Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.
Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
As Christians we need to be discerning.
How do we do that?
Here is some practical advice:
Stay prayed up
Stay in The Word so you can spot error
And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
Rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
Life Principle– Discerning Christians Don’t Put Up With Scripture Twisting, Robbers In The Church, & Always Make Sure They Are Being Taught The Truth.
Life Principle– Discerning Christians Don’t Put Up With Scripture Twisting, Robbers In The Church, & Always Make Sure They Are Being Taught The Truth.
Call to Action – altar call….
Call to Action – altar call….