John Piper Sermons 13 September 2021 How Do We Discern False Teachers ? – How can we tell if a preacher we listen to online is a false prophet? pastor john advised that we should not set the bar so low that you only stop listening people if the can be properly called false teachers. lots of people are misguided and may not come under the title false prophet.
We are advised to set our standards high and listen to people who are truly God centered and christ exalting, bible saturated and spirit dependent. the four biblical ways of determining false teachers. the first is the fruits of their lives, Matthew 7 vs 15 says ” Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. in this case, pastor john advises that we have a physical church with a physical preacher whom we know because, it is difficult to tell from the internet the through life style of a preacher.
The second way to determine is a preacher is not false, is the test of sound central doctrines. e.g the doctrine of reincarnation, 1st JOHN 4;1-3 says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world”.
Therefore any preacher who denies that Jesus here on earth was God made man is false. generally we need to measure the doctrines that are being taught, by the sound words of our lord Jesus christ and their implications for godliness.
The third one is the test of submission to scriptures. 1st corinthians 14 vs 37 says, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord”. also, 1st john 4 vs. 6 says, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood”. if a preacher does not submit his teachings and thinking to the authority of the apostles then he is false.
finally there is a test of the gospel itself, Galatians 1 8-9 says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”.
this are all ways ways that can help us discern false pastors, we should also be part of a healthy bible preaching church and personally we should be prayerfully saturated with the bible.
THE BIBLE VERSES FOR THIS PREACHING
Matthew 7 vs 15-20
1st Thessalonians 1 vs 5
1st jOHN 4;1-3
1st Timothy 6 vs 3
1st Corinthians 14 vs 37
1st John 4 vs. 6
Galatians 1 8-9