Strathalbyn Church of Christ

2 Tim 3:1-15. Theme: Religious fakes and genuine faith.

Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. 21 Feb 2021.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your word of truth. Help us to know how to discern your truth in a world of falsehood. Amen

A warning. Today’s sermon is rather bleak. It may leave you with a pit in your stomach. I’m talking about the church. It is not necessarily about this church today, but these are challenges that we will face. Many churches are facing these challenges.

Some here may have already watched a church service today – you know the ones, Hour of Power, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen. Some may have heard sermons online from anywhere in the world. Different people all claiming to speak the truth about God. But they are not all teaching the same thing. How do we work out who is speaking the truth? After all, we know nothing about these people apart from how they look on screen. We can’t go behind the screen and look at their character.

This is an important issue. It was important for Paul too. He warned Timothy, not everyone who speaks in God’s name is worth listening to. We are overloaded with information aren’t we – religious leaders on the ABC, the blogs of influencers. How can we work out which teachers are speaking the truth? Paul makes a diagnosis and gives a remedy

Paul’s diagnosis: People love the wrong things. What do they love? Paul pulls back the veil and shows what humans are really like – what drives them – and it’s not pretty.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress (the last days are simply the days between Christ’s first and second coming (Heb 1:2, 1 Pet 1:20), so we’re in them now). Why will there be times of stress? Paul continues:

2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God …

Did you notice – Paul bookends this list with those who are lovers – four types of lovers, beginning with lovers of self, lovers of money, and ending with lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Many of the sins sandwiched between them can be summed up by these motives, Loving self, money and pleasure. As for the ending, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – doesn’t that describe Australia today. “The Land of the Long Weekend” is what we’ve been called. Many Aussies worship pleasure above all else.

People love all the wrong things – they love pleasure rather than God. Isn’t this a ghastly list? Disobedient to parents, fierce, haters of good, puffed up with conceit. But at least we can come to church and escape from all of this, can’t we? No. No we can’t – because these people, these selfish, proud and arrogant people, are in the church. These lovers of self rather than lovers of God are in the church.

Hang on, you say, isn’t this going a bit far? Well, read on. Paul concludes: these lovers of pleasure … are 5 holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. In Paul’s churches, the churches he founded, some have a veneer of religion. They have the appearance of godliness but not the substance. They pretend to have life but are dead. They hold the form of religion but deny the power of it.

These religious fakes are not easy to spot - they don’t come with horns! Indeed, they succeed because they are most charming – the ones who smile and offer you a cup of tea. (Apologies to our kind morning tea volunteers!) But think of paedophiles in the church. Often when exposed, people are shocked as they are so likeable, so popular. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” As Jesus and Paul warned, we will always have these fakes – so be on our guard.

What are we to do with these fakes? These ones who love pleasure and money rather than God. What would you do if one appeared in our church? Try and convert them? Just accept them and love them? After all, we should despise no-one. Like Jesus, we should associate with prostitutes and criminals. So, Paul’s answer may surprise you. There is one group that we are commanded to avoid – false Christian teachers.

Avoid them. Avoid such people!

Why? Why so harsh a judgment? They are dead people pretending to have the answers to life. They are like the tree fungus Armillaria, this fungus resides in dead stumps and invisibly grows and spreads and infects the roots of healthy living trees until it kills them too. So, these false teachers infect the church and will kill it.

Disunity in the church is always sad, and usually happens for the wrong reasons. But sometimes we need to separate, when the truth of the gospel is threatened. You wouldn’t go to a doctor who says COVID is harmless. That is the time to change your doctor. If you find a preacher whose life does not match their preaching, that is the time to stop listening. Avoid that preacher!

Women who are weak

Where do we see fakes operating? Not surprisingly, they go for easy prey – the weak and vulnerable. Paul highlights women who are weak. Paul does not say all women are weak or gullible – but some are. Of course, not all men are strong. I suspect some of the wives here might have an opinion on that one! Look at where the fakes were operating. Paul said,

6 … among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses …

Why were these women particularly susceptible? In that time, women were not educated, and confined to the home to care for relatives. So, they were easy prey for fake teachers. And even though the West is well into Fourth wave feminism, Paul’s comments still ring true today. Most often, women are still left holding the baby – by unfaithful men. And it’s a very common experience among women to feel guilty (burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses). I was struck by how often very fine female missionaries were burdened by guilt when I worked for a mission organisation. Often it is false guilt for things outside their control. Men on the other hand tend to shrug off guilt along with other feelings, even when they should be feeling guilty! Fake teachers are still around offering false hope to women who are desperately lonely and betrayed, depressed and guilty. Look at the huge popularity among women of psychic fairs and New Age religion. As Paul said, they “will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

These fake teachers will eventually be exposed for what they are. Paul speaks of two fakes - the magicians in Pharaoh’s court.

Jannes and Jambres

8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith …

And what was their fate?

9they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

Today we have those who promote the health and wealth gospel, the prosperity gospel, but they are regularly exposed by their greed and their fake claims. How do we pick them? Three tests

· By their fruits. As lovers of self, lovers of money, it shows up in their immorality.

· By their teaching – As religious fakes, it shows up in false teaching. It goes against the teaching of God’s word. They hold the form of religion but deny the power of it v5; they oppose the truth and have counterfeit faith v8, and they prevent others coming to a knowledge of the truth, v7.

· And by their direction in life. As lovers of pleasure, they avoid pain, they avoid suffering for the faith.

How do you feel after hearing this – knowing that there are in the church, violent, proud and pleasure-seeking fakes. Are you shaken? Do you feel helpless? Praise God, Paul gives Timothy a remedy. Here it is. Just as the problem was people, so the remedy is people. Just as the problem was people, false teachers who do great damage, the remedy is people, people who teach the truth, and live by it, and Paul begins with himself.

Paul is the real deal!

10 Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured …

Unlike the fake Christians, with their veneer of religious respectability, Paul is the real deal. He practiced what he preached. There is no greater test of faith than one’s willingness to die for it. One writer said, I once saw the track of a bleeding hare across the snow, that was Paul’s track across Europe. Timothy had seen this track. He knew, he had been with Paul. Timothy was from Lystra. Paul was stoned there and left for dead yet went back there again! Now these sufferings are not unusual – suffering is not just for special apostles like Paul. It is the normal expectation for all Christians. 12 Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted …

Paul said “all who desire to live a godly life…” – not just leaders, nor does he say they “may be persecuted”, but “will be persecuted”. It is the normal Christian experience to face ridicule, rejection, hostility. Christ urged us to take up our cross. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” Acts 14:22

Why the persecution? Because the gospel overthrows all other gods. Anyone not worshiping Jesus has other gods they worship. People invest huge amounts of time and money in their gods – the gods of career, prestige, possessions, sport. Christ dethrones these idols – he shows them up for the weak pathetic things they are. Start speaking of Christ and people will crucify him again, and you, to protect their idol.

If you faithfully speak of Christ and live by his word, you will be excluded, you will be ridiculed, you will face injustice, slander and hostility – even from those closest to you. Expect it to happen. You will be cut out of clubs, of family gatherings, you’ll be overlooked for promotion and ridiculed behind your back.

Imposters

Just as it is normal for faithful Christians to be persecuted, it is normal for fakes to arise. As they did in Paul’s day, these fakes will continue to turn up until Jesus comes again. We should expect this. Paul said, 13evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.

A widespread heresy today is the prosperity gospel. This fake gospel is flourishing – and not just in some Australian Pentecostal churches. When I worked for Church Missionary Society, it was extraordinary how often our missionaries from Africa, Asia, South America would talk of the damage it was causing in their churches.

The tragedy is that it offers false hope to the desperately poor and the terminally ill.

We were in a church that fell apart after the death of one young mum, who had been promised healing from her terminal cancer. Many abandoned the faith. This false gospel is pedalled by fakes who flaunt their wealth and promise their followers that the Lord will also make them rich and healthy if they give their money to the church. In Port Moresby I even saw a poster promoting a “financial evangelist”. Jesus said, you cannot serve God and money. The prosperity preachers are deaf to Jesus’ plain words, as they travel in their private jets and fleet of luxury cars.

If anyone deserved to gain worldly rewards for what they have given up, it is surely Paul. Yet here he was in prison, without even a coat as winter approached.

But you won’t find prosperity preachers in prisons. You won’t find them suffering for their fake faith. As soon as the money dries up, they’re off, leaving their victims high and dry. Unlike the religious fakes, Paul taught the truth and lived by it. This test of authenticity applies to other teachers too. Paul reminds Timothy:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings …

Timothy learnt the faith from his mother and grandmother. He knew their godly lives. He knew they taught the truth.

Where would the church be – where would the world be – without the influence of godly women. Women who patiently and faithfully teach their children – be they 2 or 20 or 60. Women who faithfully pray and strive to live godly lives – sometimes in the face of ridicule and hostility from unbelieving husbands. So thankyou ladies. Thank you for your faithful endurance, for your prayers, for your teaching, for your lives.

At one funeral, a granddaughter told of her grandma’s favourite story. The granddaughter had no faith, but accurately reported on how grandma’s life had been turned upside down by coming to faith. As a young lady grandma had been at her wits end, so prayed and the room filled with light. Such stories are not forgotten. Have you shared yours with your grandchildren? You might even record your testimony for your descendants yet to be born.

To conclude, don’t be thrown if false teachers arise in the church. The remedy is to look to true people who teach a true word. Next Sunday, we will look at what Paul says about that true word, the word inspired by God.

As I said, today’s sermon was bleak. If you’re feeling unsettled, can I encourage you to talk about it, to pray about it. And let’s do that now

Lord, you have warned us to avoid false teachers. You have warned us of suffering. Give us the wisdom and courage to face these challenges, so that you may be glorified, and so that people may come to know the truth. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Sources:

Conversations with Rev Chris Jolliffe, Trinity Aldgate.

Series: 2 Timothy

Topics: #2 Timothy