2 Timothy 3_ 6-13 Taken In

Rev. David Holwick ZB 2 Timothy series

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

August 29, 2010

2 Timothy 3:6-13

TAKEN IN

I. Religious con artists.

A. Affinity scams.

Mark Jackson drove a $62,000 Hummer and wore a $2,200

wristwatch.

He claimed to own the Covenant Broadcasting Network in

Nashville.

Jackson visited churches and offered to put them the

pastors' sermons on the air twice a day.

His ministry was worth millions, but if believers wanted

to invest in it they would get a high rate of return.

Some "Health and Prosperity" churches bought it whole-hog.

But there was no network.

Jackson was charged with fraud and sentenced to 33 months.

One church lost $620,000.

Of course, it is not just the Pentecostals.

Southern Baptists had a charity foundation that invested

the life-savings of 40,000 people.

It was all a Ponzi scheme and $1.3 billion (a "B") was lost.

All of these schemes have something in common - fellow

Christians make the best suckers.

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B. It is an ancient problem.

1) The Greeks and Romans complained about wandering preachers

who fleeced the ignorant.

2) There is something worse than losing your money - what

about losing your soul?

3) Everybody is making claims about what is true.

a) We must be discerning to separate the genuine from

the fake.

b) Do you think you can do it?

C. From character to methodology.

1) The beginning of the chapter focused on their character.

a) They are thoroughly worldly, but have a religious veneer.

2) Now he looks at how they operate.

II. The methods of false teachers.

A. They are devious.

1) They worm their way into houses.

a) You might call this the back-door approach.

2) This is still a favorite technique of cults.

a) They teach positive doctrines first.

1> Jehovah's Witnesses will show a beautiful picture

of the Garden of Eden and talk about harmony

around the world.

2> Mormons will emphasize the closeness of their

families and the blessing of clean living.

3> Once you crack your door, they will keep coming back.

b) The weird stuff comes later.

3) As Christians, we must be up-front in dealing with people.

a) We should tell them of God's love, but also tell them

the consequences of sin.

B. They aim at the weak.

1) Weak-willed women.

a) Derogatory term. (literally, "little women")

b) Today, we might call them "dumb broads."

2) Chauvinistic?

a) Paul and the rest of the Bible are often charged with

being against women in general.

b) But women have always been more open to religion.

1> They tend to be more intuitive.

2> They are sensitive to feelings.

3) The Christian gospel had great appeal for women in Paul's day.

a) Jesus traveled with women.

b) He taught them and healed them.

c) They were the only ones to stay at the crucifixion,

first to witness the resurrection,

and among those who were filled with the

Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

d) We don't realize how radical this was.

In a male-dominated culture, Christianity put women

on an equal spiritual footing.

As Paul says in Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither

slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all

one in Christ Jesus."

There are still social distinctions and physical

differences, but the Christian gospel is a message

of equality and liberation to women.

4) Down through the ages, women have responded to the gospel.

a) In our own church about 60% of active members are women.

b) They hold key roles throughout the church.

c) And in the home, it is usually the women who are the

spiritual leaders.

5) Unfortunately, the Christian church is not the only group

which has reached out successfully to women.

a) The cults also seem to have great success.

b) The openness of women to religion also makes them

susceptible to quacks and cults.

C. They oppose God's chosen leaders.

1) Example of Jannes and Jambres.

a) Not in Bible, but from Jewish tradition.

1> Names for two of Pharaoh's magicians.

b) Had cunning ability, but no real supernatural power.

1> Like Moses, their staffs could become snakes.

2> But as the contest continued, they were eventually

exposed.

2) Radical - Paul seems to put himself in the place of Moses.

a) The magicians opposed Moses, false teachers oppose Paul.

1> Not just Paul, but the truth of the gospel.

b) Their error will be exposed eventually.

III. Who are the Jannes and Jambres of today?

A. Mormons (Latter Day Saints).

1) They have a congregation on top of Mooney Mountain.

2) Renata, one of our teenagers, was invited to a Mormon

service recently.

a) A young Mormon missionary from this area gave message.

b) "We are only true faith."

3) It's a very strange faith.

a) Young treasure hunter named Joseph Smith claimed to

have been led to Golden Tablets.

b) Translated, they became the Book of Mormon, which gives

a purported history of ancient America.

1> None of it has been found by archaeologists.

c) Everyone can become a god, and have their own planet.

1> God himself has a physical form.

d) Winsome image, close families.

4) Error of view of salvation.

a) Justification is not by faith alone.

b) Their view of Jesus is unbiblical.

B. Jehovah's Witnesses.

1) Harsher image.

a) Very demanding, "in your face" faith.

2) Disciplined at Bible study and witnessing.

3) Error of view of salvation.

a) Salvation by works.

b) Salvation limited to a physical existence, not heaven.

IV. These are not the worst.

A. As in Paul's day, the worst ones come from inside the faith.

1) Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.

a) Started good, went bad. Really bad.

1> In the end, 908 people committed suicide together

because he asked them to.

b) Even educated people were duped.

Tim Stoen was a graduate of Wheaton College and Stanford

University Law School.

He liked how Jones was trying to build a perfect society.

This appealed to his idealism.

But Jonestown cost him his only child, six years old.

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B. "Moralistic therapeutic deism."

This mouthful comes from a professor at Princeton Seminary.

Kendra Dean says teenagers are embracing a faith that is

so watered-down it does them no good.

We teach kids morality - don't do drugs and don't have sex.

We also tell them God cares for them and wants them to feel

good about themselves. (therapy)

But the content of the faith is so vague that many

teenagers are little more than deists - there is a god,

but he stays out of the picture.

It is sort of a "gospel of niceness" - faith is simply doing

good and not ruffling feathers.

Dean says teenagers have this faith because that is what

their parents - and churches - are dishing out to them.

As a result, many young people drop out of church for good.

Dean concludes, "If this is the God they're seeing in church,

they are right to leave us in the dust.

Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."

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V. How to know what is real.

A. Example of Tiffany lamps.

1) I am finishing one for Daniel and Kara.

a) Good quality, but probably not on a par with Tiffany.

b) Real Tiffanys sell for up to $2.8 million.

2) The high demand has led to a lot of fakes.

a) By some estimates, half the lamps on the market are fakes.[1]

Metal name tags are no guarantee.

One high-end maker found out Tiffany tags were being

added to his lamps and they even ended up in

a Sotheby's auction.

b) The only good way to tell is the quality of the glass

and craftsmanship.

1> Real Tiffany lamps were made by experts.

B. What genuine teachers look like.

1) Character counts. Paul points to his own:

a) His content. (what he taught)

b) The consistency of his life.