Topic: Reject Deceivers And Demonic Doctrines
Memory Verse: 1 Timothy 4:1.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (KJV).
Central Truth
Christians are to contend for the faith through God's Word in the power of Jesus Christ.
The Lesson Outline
1. Destructive Doctrines
A. Resist Deception - 1 Timothy 4:1-5.
B. Recognise Subtle Deception - 2 Peter 2:1-3.
2. Depravity of False Teachers
A. Arrogant People Who Claim Authority - Jude 1:8-11.
B. Following the Way of Judgement - Jude 1:12-16.
3. Contend for the Faith
A. We Are Called to Persevere - Jude 1:34,19-21.
B. We Are Called to Rescue the Perishing - Jude 1:22-25.
B. We Are Called to Rescue the Perishing - Jude 1:22-25.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Comprehend the danger of false teaching.
2. ldentify characteristics of false teachers to watch for as they live out their faith.
3. Be challenged to examine their attitudes toward false teachings and commit to increasing their understanding of spiritual truth in Scripture.
Introducing the Lesson
What is truth? Pilate asked Jesus this question just before the Lord was crucified (John 18:38).
Earlier, Jesus had declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6).
Pilate failed to recognize truth even while looking Him in the eyes.
Still today, people are searching for truth yet clinging to lies.
As Christians, we must not be deceived. In a world of falsehoods, it is our duty to recognize, defend, and preach the true message of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Scriptures
1 Timothy 4:1,2.
[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
[2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their Conscience seared with a hot iron.
2 Peter 2:1-3.
[1] But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
[2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
[3] And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Jude 1:8,10,12-14.
[8]Likewise also these filthy dreamers defiled the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
[10] But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
[12] These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
[13] Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
[14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,.prophesied these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
Commentary and Application
1. Destructive Doctrines
A. Resist Deception - 1 Timothy 4:1-5.
The Early Church faced its share of challenges. Throughout the Roman world, Christians were persecuted for their faith. Yet opposition from the outside was not the biggest peril facing the Church.
Paul's greatest concern was a looming evil that threatened to slip in among believers and wreck havoc from the inside (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
Leaders who had been followers of Christ would depart from the faith.
They would be seduced by evil spirits and become entangled in the snares of doctrinal error.
They would abandon the gospel to teach lies and perversions that would lead others astray with them.
This should be a sobering prospect for every believer.
When we cease to be led by the truths of God, we open ourselves to Satan's lies.
Staying close to God through obedience, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers is crucial for avoiding spiritual deception.
Paul went on to describe how false teachers distorted the gospel by making rules not prescribed by Jesus or the apostles.
Among other things, they forbade Christians from marrying or eating certain foods (verses 3-5).
The rationale behind these restrictions probably came from a belief, common in parts of Greek philosophy, that all physical matter is inherently evil.
This philosophy teaches that by avoiding
physical pleasures such as those afforded by marriage and certain foods, a person could earn divine favour.
These restrictions contradict Scripture (1 Corinthians 7:28; 8:8; Colossians 2:20-23).
A relationship with Jesus Christ brings a transformation that should affect our entire being, from our thoughts and words to our priorities and actions.
Realizing what Christ did for us can be a powerful incentive to follow Him wholeheartedly.
There is a vast difference, however, between obeying God's commands and following a list of human-made regulations.
We have the Bible to show us what kind of lifestyle God has called us to live, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us in living that way.
Questions for Application
What do you think causes a follower of Christ to stray from the truth?
How do you make decisions about what is proper or improper regarding your lifestyle?
B. Recognise Subtle Deception - 2 Peter 2:1-3.
False teaching is not new. As far back as the Garden of Eden, Satan has used deception to twist God's clear commands and tempt people.
Adam fell into the sin with Eve, and the human race has been paying the price ever since.
Peter's reference to false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1-3 shows that their deception is nothing new.
False prophets led the people of Israel astray. In a similar way, false teachers were in the Early Church and led people away from the truth of the gospel (verse 1).
It is important to acknowledge the power of false teaching and
recognize its true danger.
False teachers are capable of leading
many people away from the truth (verse 2).
When those who once followed the gospel becomes entangled in the sinful lifestyle encouraged through false teaching, their public example brings disgrace on the way of truth.
Peter also identified human greed - a common root of many sins - as a driving force behind false teaching (verse 3).
False teachers are focused on their own gain and are willing to fool people for the benefit of themselves.
While we certainly acknowledge Peter's principles for recognizing false teachings as relevant today, we also note another common factor.
A major characteristic of some modern false teachings is the complete devotion of followers to a leader.
The members direct their strength and resources to satisfy the leader's demands. Such leaders misuse Scripture to justify their actions.
Questions for Application
How can we recognize false teachings?
What are some common forms of false teaching today, and how can we prepare to reject such teachings?
2. Depravity of False Teachers
A. Arrogant People Who Claim Authority - Jude 1:8-11.
Jude 1:8-11 offers a vivid description of the false teachers, including the nature of their sins as well as the way in which they conducted their deception.
The false teachers indulged in a variety of sins, which they may have justified by claiming to have had their practices endorsed by God through dreams (verse 8).
The nature of their sin was threefold, representing some of the most common deceptions that threaten believers even today: sexual indulgence and perversion, the rejection of the lordship of God over their lives, and an arrogant dismissal of spiritual forces.
Jude's example can be difficult to fully understand, as the incident it describes does not appear in the Old Testament.
However, verse 9 sheds much light on its meaning. Michael is a high-ranking and glorious angel.
Yet he refused to use slanderous words against Satan during a dispute with Satan, choosing instead to rebuke him in the name of the Lord. Michael recognized Satan's profound wickedness but would not speak judgement on him, choosing instead to leave judgement to God.
Unlike Michael, the false teachers were characterized by arrogance and presumptive attitudes toward the spiritual realm. Jude further exposed their pride in verses 10-11.
Combining arrogance with ignorance, they did not understand the spiritual realm, thus had no concept of the judgement they were heaping on themselves.
Specifically, these false teachers were compared to Cain, who tried to make an offering on his own terms and was rejected by God.
Balaam, who is mentioned second, was moved by greedy motives.
Korah, the final individual referenced, rebelled against the authority of Moses and of God. Like Korah, these deceivers would meet with God's judgement for their evil ways. (See Genesis 4:1-7; Numbers 22-24; 16:1-35.)
Questions for Application
What do you know about Cain, Balaam, and Korah that might help you understand what is meant by deception?
Note the three-fold nature of the deceivers' sins in Jude 1:8. How might this compare to deceptive teachings we hear today?
B. Following the Way of Judgement - Jude 1:12-16.
Upon announcing their impending judgement, Jude continued to describe the Corrupt character of the false teachers (Jude 1:12-13).
Note that they selfishly cared for themselves, imperiling God's people. Theirs was the way of judgement.
The love feasts, mentioned in verse 12, were fellowship meals that accompanied the celebration of the Lord's Supper.
These events were a powerful symbol of the love and spiritual unity characterizing the Early Church.
The false teachers brazenly participated in these events despite their immoral lives and deceptive teachings. Jude called them "spots" (verse 12, KJV) or "dangerous reefs" (NLT).
This is translated from a rare Word in the Bible that in other usage is rendered "reefs," pointing toward a possible wordplay by Jude.
Some commentators noted that the false teachers presented themselves as "rocks" or "pillars of the community" when in fact they hid the spiritual treachery, leaving unwise and careless Christians in danger of disaster, as a ship imperiled by hidden reef.
Jude described the false teachers with an example not found in the Old Testament but described in the apocryphal book of Enoch.
It is important to note that while this book is not part of Scripture, we can attest to its accuracy on this specific point because Jude used it in Scripture.
The example concerns Enoch (verses 14-16), a man who lived seven generations after Adam and walked so close to God that he went to heaven without dying (Genesis 5:23-24).
This prophet, who lived near the very beginnings of human history, prophesied of the Lord's judgement (Jude 1:15-16).
Enoch's prophecy reminds us that wickedness was destined to be judged from the very beginning.
Questions for Application
Jude 1:19 says that these deceivers would specifically set out to cause division. Why do you think division is such a destructive danger to the body of Christ?
In what sense is it appropriate to refer to Communion as a love feast?
3. Contend for the Faith
A. We Are Called To Persevere - Jude 1:3-4,19-21.
Jude wrote to a wide audience of Christians, urging them to contend for the faith (Jude 1:3).
Jude had laid aside his original purpose for writing after hearing that aggressive opponents of the gospel had infiltrated the church. It was critical that his readers aggressively resist them.
The word contend" draws from an image of a military battle or athletic contest. It describes an active, intense, ongoing struggle.
In this case, Christians were to actively engage their opponents to preserve the truth of the gospel.
Jude reminded Christians that the presence of false teaching is inevitable; it had been prophesied by the apostles (Jude 1:17-18; see Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Peter 3:2).
Jesus himself declared that His followers would be confronted by this problem (Matthew 7:15-20).
False teachings are the product of carnal people led by their own desires.
Furthermore, these people do not have the Spirit in their lives (Jude 1:19).
The presence of the Spirit is a fundamental sign of a Christian.
But false teachers bring confusion, deception, and division to the body of Christ.
In answer to the danger, Jude offered positive exhortations to Christians (verses 20-21).
He recognized that they would persevere in the faith if they went beyond focusing on false teachers.
They needed to take positive steps, building one another up in the faith.
Christians can help one another stay strong by reminding each other of scriptural truth and encouraging each other to grow in the Lord.
Jude's second encouragement was also foundational: praying in the Spirit (verse 20).
Christians are to be people of the Spirit, for through the Spirit they find strength to stay strong in the Lord and oppose the enemies
of faith.
With the Spirit's help, they will remain in Christ as they focus on the hope of eternal rewards granted at the return of Christ (verse 21).
Questions for Application
How would you define the phrase "contend for the faith," and what specific ways will contending for the faith impact your life?
How would you describe how the hope of eternal rewards impacts your life, including the way you think and act every day?
B. We Are Called to Rescue the Perishing - Jude 1:22-25.
Jude 1:22 provides good practical advice on how to respond when fellow. believers are struggling with the consequences of false teaching. Jude recognized that there would be Christians who were confused by false teachers, even to the point of doubting matters of faith.
The proper response in this situation is not condemnation but mercy. Some might be inclined to shun them, or even expel them from the church.
But by showing them their error and lovingly leading them back to the truth, the doubter can be snatched "from the flames of judgment (verse 23, NLT).
One commentator likens this to snatching a child away from a hot stove. However, Jude also noted that there were others who had become more deeply entrenched in false teaching (verse 23b). Perhaps they had begun to adopt the doctrines or even the ungodly lifestyles of the false teachers. In such situations, Christians should respond in mercy mixed with a healthy fear (verse 23a, KJV).
"Fear" here is rooted in a recognition that these individuals have become defiled by dabbling in the sins of the false teachers.
Christians must be repulsed by such sin, recognizing it to be nothing more than filth and deserving of total rejection.
The principle here is that of protecting oneself from sin, maintaining a revulsion toward sin, and doing everything possible to rescue the endangered person from judgement (see also Galatians 6:1). Jude's doxology, which closes the book in verses 24-25, is rich in encouragement.
God gives Christians everything necessary to overcome the world and serve Him faithfully.
He watches over His people llike a sentry who stands guard in war time, providing wisdom and power to overcome error with truth.
He enriches the lives of His people with the glorious hope of one day being presented faultless before Him.
As a result, despite its many challenges, the Christian life is filled with rejoicing in the glory and majesty of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Questions for Application
How should we respond to people who are struggling in their faith today?
What does Jude's doxology in 1:24-25 tell us about the Christian life and the nature of God?
Call to Discipleship
Have you ever been confronted by a false teaching?
Maybe someone has tried to persuade you to believe something you knew to be scripturally false and spiritually destructive
How did you react?
There is a tendency to be attracted to charismatic personalities.
One might even be inclined to believe in him because they are insistent and persuasive. But false teaching must not be taken lightly, for it will lead you astray.
Ultimately, it promotes a path that leads to destruction.
Pray that God will help you discern error, remain committed to truth, and take a strong stand against false teachers.
Ministry in Action
Encourage students to commit themselves to biblical truth.
Help students prepare for those times when they may need to help a fellow believer deal with the error and deception of false teaching.
Pray that God will give students a deep love and desire for Scripture and prayer, preparing them for the challenges of living for Christ every day.
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