False Teachers
Wednesday February 23, 2011
“10To whom can I speak
and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed£
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD,
and I cannot hold it in.” (Jer 6:10-11)
“14They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the LORD.
16This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
18Therefore hear, O nations;
observe, O witnesses,
what will happen to them.
19Hear, O earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.”
People of today very much dislike God’s demand for repentance and disciplined living just as they did in Jeremiah’s day. They take it out on God’s servants who are simply obeying God by sharing His messages with them. No matter how people respond to His faithful messengers, we must continue to obey God or else we are loving ourselves or the world more than Him. We must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12:1-3) To not share the messages He gives us to share is to not obey Him, which of course is sin.
Verses 14-15 speaks of false teachers who basically teach the people that they don’t have to repent of their sins. They tell them that they can be at peace with God simply by being “sorry” for their sins. They say that as long as they are doing “good works” like serving in the church or perhaps feeding the hungry and being nice to people, that they can “get their foot in to heaven”. This is a big fat lie! God demands repentance! Here is what He says of those false teachers:
““14They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the LORD.”
And of those who refuse to listen to Him and repent of their sins:
“19Hear, O earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.”
The passage actually goes into detail about the punishment, but the main idea is that He will bring disaster. Do not listen to these false teachers even if you like what they are saying because when you are on your deathbed, if you get one, or if the end comes before your own death, you will face an eternity of punishment because you listened to lies. What is better? To listen to a message from the Lord that convicts you of your sin so that you may repent and then experience peace with God or to continue in your sin to experience some selfish pleasures here and then face an eternity in hell? I think people today have a very wrong definition of love. If you knew that your children were doing something that would harm them in the long run, would you not warn them or would you pat them on the back and tell them that it is ok and that you forgive them? Think about it. Christ died to set us free from sin and death! Why should we take pleasure in doing the very things from which He died to set us free?
Wednesday February 23, 2011
“10To whom can I speak
and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed£
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD,
and I cannot hold it in.” (Jer 6:10-11)
“14They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the LORD.
16This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
18Therefore hear, O nations;
observe, O witnesses,
what will happen to them.
19Hear, O earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.”
People of today very much dislike God’s demand for repentance and disciplined living just as they did in Jeremiah’s day. They take it out on God’s servants who are simply obeying God by sharing His messages with them. No matter how people respond to His faithful messengers, we must continue to obey God or else we are loving ourselves or the world more than Him. We must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12:1-3) To not share the messages He gives us to share is to not obey Him, which of course is sin.
Verses 14-15 speaks of false teachers who basically teach the people that they don’t have to repent of their sins. They tell them that they can be at peace with God simply by being “sorry” for their sins. They say that as long as they are doing “good works” like serving in the church or perhaps feeding the hungry and being nice to people, that they can “get their foot in to heaven”. This is a big fat lie! God demands repentance! Here is what He says of those false teachers:
““14They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the LORD.”
And of those who refuse to listen to Him and repent of their sins:
“19Hear, O earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.”
The passage actually goes into detail about the punishment, but the main idea is that He will bring disaster. Do not listen to these false teachers even if you like what they are saying because when you are on your deathbed, if you get one, or if the end comes before your own death, you will face an eternity of punishment because you listened to lies. What is better? To listen to a message from the Lord that convicts you of your sin so that you may repent and then experience peace with God or to continue in your sin to experience some selfish pleasures here and then face an eternity in hell? I think people today have a very wrong definition of love. If you knew that your children were doing something that would harm them in the long run, would you not warn them or would you pat them on the back and tell them that it is ok and that you forgive them? Think about it. Christ died to set us free from sin and death! Why should we take pleasure in doing the very things from which He died to set us free?
