[Biblemat] S) JESUS AND FALSE TEACHERS

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
recent files.  Use to the glory of God.

JESUS AND FALSE TEACHERS

     "When a man's ways please Jehovah, He maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).  A casual read-
ing of this proverb would indicate that when we are serving
God, we will never have any enemies at all in this world.  And
goodness is indeed far-reaching in its influence.  Goodness
can often disarm oppostion, arouse love and spread a genui-
ne atmosphere of peace.  This proverb, however, does not
mean that the righteous will never meet with any opposition.
In truth, those who serve God sometimes encounter opposit-
ion simply because they are righteous, because they stand
uncompromisingly for the truth of God "Yes, and all who de-
sire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12).  
Satan hates virtue and courage, and does every-
thing in his power to make difficult the way of the faithful by
stirring up oppostion against them among his own evil agents

     Christ came into this world with a perfect love for human-
ity, manifesting that love in His very attitude toward others,
and climaxing in His death on the cross for all sinners.  And
yet Christ, who: "Hath been in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin...holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, 
and made higher than the heavens" (Heb. 4:15;
7:26), often encountered enemies who tried in various ways
to discredit Him and even physically harm Him.  He lived a
perfect life, "Who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), always doing the Will 
of the Father in heaven.  Yet He had numerous enemies -- simply because He 
was good, and be-
cause He taught and lived the truth.

The Initial Opposition: -- Early in His ministry, Jesus met opp-
osition simply by helping the helpless.  They brought to Him
a man with paralysis, and Jesus healed him: "And behold, 
they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed;
and Jesus seeing their faith said untot he sick of the palsy, Son, be of good 
cheer; thy sins are forgiven.  And behold,  
certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasp-
hemeth.  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore
think ye evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, Thy
sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and walk?  But that ye may
know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive
sins (then sayeth He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take
up thy bed, and go up unto thy house.  And he arose, and de-
parted to his house" (Matt. 9:2-7).  These enemies weren't
interested in the man who was sick, they were incensed that
Jesus was able to heal him.  Strangely, they accused Him of
blasphemy because He said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee."
But they never denied the power which Jesus demonstrated,
which only God could have done.

     In a little while, His enemies had spread the rumor that
Jesus was a "gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of
publicans and sinners" (Matt. 11:19).  They were so opposed
to Him and His teaching, that they set a "trap" for Him: "And
He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man
there who had his hand withered.  And they watched Him,
whether He would heal him...And He saith unto them, Is it law-
ful on the sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save
life, or to kill?  But they held their peace...He saith unto the
man, Strethch forth thy hand.  And he stretched it forth; and
his hand was restored.  And the Pharisees went out, and 
straightway with the Herodians took counsel against Him, how they might 
destroy Him" (Mk. 3:1-6).  Now these enemies
were plotting, not just to discredit Him, but to "destroy Him."
Again, they were not interested in the man who needed heal-
ing.  They were only interested in finding some means to "stop" Jesus and His 
influence among the people.

Jesus Met Open Opposition: -- "Then was brought unto Him
one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and He healed
him, insomuch that the dumb man spoke and saw.  And all
the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the Son
of David?  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This
man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince
of demons.  And knowing their thoughts He said unto them,
Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation;
and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself:
how then shall his kingdom stand?" (Matt. 12:22-26).  The
attitude of His enemies brought into the open their hostility.

     The Pharisees, no doubt, publicly voiced this vicious and
malicious accusation, but it seems that the open conflict be-
tween Jesus and the Pharisees did not come until the day 
when Jesus was invited to dine in the home of one of the Pha-
risees.  His host, forgetting his courteous manner as host,
turned on Jesus in unconcealed hostility because He didn't
first bathe Himself before He ate.  This was the occasion when Christ decided 
to expose the hypocrisy of these religio-
us legalists.  In denouncing their formalism, Jesus used un-
mistakable language that was designed to pierce the shield
of their pride and arrogance.  He had before given them every
opportunity to turn from their sins, but they continued to 
oppose the Son of God and His teaching.

     "Woe unto you Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in
the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces.
Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk 
over them know it not.  And one of the law-
yers answering saith unto Him, Teacher, in saying  this thou
reproachest us also" (Lk. 11:43-45).  Now, it was out in the
open.  The battle was joined, and the Pharisees would not
rest until they saw Jesus dead.  But under the scathing de-
nunciations of Jesus, the thin veneer of the Pharisees' piety
could no longer hide the corruption of their hearts.  Casting
aside their masks of righteousness and openly declaring the
war that raged in their hearts, they "begain to press upon Him
vehemently; laying wait for Him, to catch something out of
his mouth" (Lk. 11:53,54).

     Jesus preached without fear, and confronted the false
teachers the same way.  When He went to dine with the Phari-
see, it seem that He went alone.  He had no apostle to defend
and protect Him.  Alone, He sat among men whose words were soft as butter, 
but whose hearts were filled with flame
of hate toward Him.  However, He was not really alone, for God was with Him.  
The same is true with us.  In the midst of
enemies, God is there (Heb. 13:5).  If we fear God, we will not
fear men (Matt. 10:28).

We Have False Teachers Today: -- Jesus gave many warn-
ings about the danger of false teachers.  To the Jews of His
day he said, "This people honoreth Me with their lips; But
their heart is far from Me.  But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt. 15:8,
9).  To the disciples He said, "Beware of false prophets, who
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening
wolves, By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:15,16).
When we check on the "fruit" of a teacher and find he is not
teaching as the Word of God, we can know he is a "wolf in
sheep's clothing."  We have the Lord's Word for that.

     The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many
false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 Jno. 4:1).  If 
people are not willing to check up on a teacher, they are in
danger of following false teaching which can condemn their
souls.  There is a simple solution.  The people of Berea were
commended by the Lord: "Now these were more noble than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with
all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, 
whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).  Instead of just
swallowing whatever the preacher and/or elders say, we are
told to check up on them, "examininging the Scriptures daily,
whether these things be so."

Following The Examples Of Jesus: -- Jesus was patient with
those who opposed Him.  But He reached the point where He
felt the need to confront and expose them.  Yes, that incurr-
ed their enmity.  But it had to be done.  The same principle
is true with us.  When there are false teachers in the Lord's
church (and there are), then we msut work with them to show
them their error -- as Jesus did.  But if they will not change,
then we must oppose them -- as Jesus did.  If we don't, we
allow them to lead whole groups of the saints astray, and 
sometimes entire congregations follow them to their spiritual
destruction.

     We have in the Lord's church today those who are advoc-
ating the use of mechanical instruments of music in the wor-
ship, which has no authority in the New Testament Scriptures
We cannot blindly close our eyes to that departure from the
truth.  We must oppose it.  And when false teachers begin 
having the Lord's Supper on Saturday, instead of "the first
day of the week" (Acts 20:7), we must oppose them.  And these same false 
teachers are now advocating that we "fellow-
ship" those in denominations -- some even saying we should
admit that the church of Christ is a denomination.  But look
at what the Bible says:

     "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching
of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the
same hath both the Father and the Son.  If any one cometh
unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into
your house, and give him no greeting: for he that giveth him
greeting partaketh in his evil works" (2 Jno. 9-11).  That pass-
age is pretty clear, isn't it?  But many of these false teachers
today say that doesn't apply to anyone who claims to believe
in Christ.  But that isin't what the passage says, is it?  To
fellowship a false teacher is to "partake of his evil works."

     The Lord gives the solution to us in this matter of whom
to fellowship: "Be no unequally yoked with unbelievers: for
what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what 
communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with 
Belial?  or what portion hath a believer with
an unbeliever?  And what agreement hath a temple of the liv-
ing God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, 
I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people.  Wherefore 
come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord" (2 Cor. 6:14-17).  It takes a lot of help to misunderstand
that passage!  Five different examples are given about fellow-
ship, all of them relating to spiritual "joining" of some kind.
With all of them we are told, "Come out from among them."

     The Lord prayed that there would never be any denomin-
ations (Jno. 17;20,21).  And He gives clear command: "Now I
beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no
divisions among you; but that ye be perfected together in the
same mind and in the same judgment...Is Christ divided?"
(1 Cor. 1:10,13).  When those Christians in Corinth divided 
into different groups (exactly like denominations of today),
the Lord asked, "Is Christ divided?"  Any spiritual person who
reads the Bible knows the answer to that question.  It takes
a lot of "help" from a "wolf in sheep's clothing" to explain it
away.

     The Lord had to deal with false teachers.  He used patie-
nce, and He used Scripture.  But He also had to confront them and oppose 
them.  Let us learn to be "imitators of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) as we "follow His 
steps" (1 Pet. 2:21).  If
we don't have the courage to oppose false teaching, we are
not worthy to be called His people.  "Be of good courage"
(Jno. 16:33).       ------ Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol.
56, No. 35, Aug. 31, 2007.   </HTML>
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