Sermon Outlines: How to Avoid Being Deceived by False Teachers

Super Bowl Sunday my husband shared with our church a very important message. As a follow up to his last sermon, Understanding The Rapture, he discussed the criteria that we should use to determine if a person, religious group, or church, is teaching false doctrine.

As we draw closer to the time of Christs' return, it will become more and more difficult to discern who and what to believe. That is why it's so important to study the Word for yourself, so that if a time of testing comes, you will not be deceived. 1 John 2:18 says:

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour."

The Bible makes it very clear that many false teachers (antichrists) will come in order to deceive believers until the time that the Antichrist stands in the temple proclaiming himself to be god.

Deception comes in many forms, but for the sake of brevity we are going to discuss the three main vehicles that are usually used to spread false doctrine. These three forms of deception are also the criteria that is typically used to determine if a group can be categorized as a cult.

The deception is often cloaked in truth.

Any person or group that wants to deceive you will not come right out and tell you their intentions. If someone walked up to you and said, "Let's go worship Satan," you would be able to figure that one out pretty quickly.

On the other hand, if someone comes up to you and says, "We believe that Jesus was a wise teacher with a kind heart, but he was only a man," you had better understand what you believe as a Christian because you have just been hit with a big dose of false doctrine (and I will explain why later). 2 Corinthians 11:3 says:

"But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

1 Timothy 4:1-3 also warns us of the dangers of deceptive teaching which is often cloaked in good intentions and man made religiosity:

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."

The deception distorts the truth about who Jesus is.

I am going to make a bold statement here that may offend some of you, but this is the foundation of our faith as Christians. If any person, group, or church tries to tell you that Jesus was not God, that He was only a man (or anything other than God), then they are false teachers concerning Christianity.

As Christians, that is the one point that we cannot disagree on. Many groups claim to be Christian, but if they deny the divinity of Jesus they are false teachers. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus was and is God. Also, if any group or person says that we too can become a god someday, then they are false teachers as well.

I'm going to share with you several key verses of scripture that support the divinity of Jesus. I encourage you to mark these verses in your Bible, so that when you are approached by any of these groups or individuals, you will be equipped to defend your faith.

Many Christians are spiritually shredded by cults because they don't know how to explain what they believe. Simply saying, "well I believe because it says so in the Bible" won't cut it when they challenge you to show them where. Here are a few very important verses concerning the divinity of Jesus:

John 8:58 - "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (compare this verse to Exodus 3:14 which reads, "God said to Moses, "I am who I am." This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.")

Matthew 1:23 - The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, "God with us."

Hebrews 1:7-8 - In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."

See also John 10:30-33, John 1:1, Micah 5:2, 1 Timothy 3:16, and John 5:18 just to name a few. It is kind of hard to argue that Jesus is not God when the Father himself says to Jesus in Hebrews 1:8, "Your throne, O God." That is one verse that tongue ties the cults every time.

The deception claims that salvation is based upon works and not grace.

All Christians are saved by the grace of God and not by what we do. We have never, nor will we ever be able to do anything to deserve salvation. It is only by accepting the finished work of Jesus on the cross that we are saved.

Many cults believe that if they do well enough then they might be saved. Anyone who tells you in order to be saved you must keep certain man made laws is a false teacher. There are many religious groups, who claim some form of Christianity, that impose legalism upon people in the name of God. Remember, it's either by grace or by works, it can't be both. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

In Galatians 1:6-9 we are instructed to be careful not to be duped by false teachers. Paul took false teaching very seriously. He goes on to say that if anyone is teaching a "different" gospel than the one he preached that they should be eternally condemned. What Paul was saying is "let them go to hell!" Now those are pretty strong words. Here is Paul's instruction to the Galatians regarding false teachers:

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"

Paul doesn't stop there. In Galatians 3:1-3 he goes on to say that if we accept false teaching then we have been bewitched. In other words, false teaching is the same thing as witchcraft. Here is Paul's strong warning to the Galatians:

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (See also Galatians 5:4 and Romans 4:4-5)

Paul makes it very clear that false teaching is a serious matter. I urge you in this time of uncertainty to make it a priority to know what you believe. We are living in a time when many Christians are falling prey to deception and false teaching. Men and women of God who should know better are espousing teachings that are clearly departing from the faith.

I personally believe that we are going to experience a time of testing in this nation like never before. As followers of Jesus Christ it is imperative that we are grounded in the foundational principles that God laid out for us as believers. Many are already bringing false teaching into the church and our homes. Be prepared. Know what you believe. Learn it for yourself.

Remember, you are the only one that is responsible for what you believe. You cannot blame anyone else for your decisions. It's not up to your friends, your spouse, your parents, or your pastor to tell you what to believe. It's up to you to find out God's truths for your life.

I pray that God will give you a renewed understanding of the scriptures as you study His word. May you and your family be surrounded and protected by His Spirit in the days ahead.