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To: papertyger

From a sermon by John MacArthur:

So that is the principle of looking for the truth. And when you meet someone who has perverted it, deviated from it, added to it, gone beyond it, act wisely...act wisely. And how would you act wisely? Verse 10, “If anyone comes to you,” and they did, this is A with the indicative, a likely condition. It probably happened to this lady, as I’ve said, as to many through the centuries and many even today, and even us as they’ve kind of come into our house through the television and radio and whatever, and sometimes even knocking on the door. “If anyone comes to you and does not bear this teaching....what teaching?...the teaching of Christ, that is about Him by Him, do not receive him into your house.” This is not someone coming to learn from you or you’d never be able to witness to an unbeliever. This is someone coming to teach you lies. Understand the difference? We answer the questions of the ignorant. We answer the questions of those who want to know. We don’t affirm or give a platform to the deceivers. The fastest way to put them out of business is to make sure that you never receive them. If anyone comes to you, I’m not talking about someone ignorant who wants to understand the truth. We’re talking about an apostate lying deceiver looking for a foothold embedded in the fellowship of believers to make money off the unsuspecting while he plies his evil lies. Don’t receive him into your house.

He could have said, “Don’t receive him in your church.” That’s true, but then churches were not the first place they would go. Why? Because churches were protected by what group of men? Elders. And what...what was necessary to be an elder? First Timothy 3, they had to be...end of verse 2...didaktikos, skilled teachers. So you wouldn’t expect a false teacher just to invade a church. He’s not going to get in here. We have elders who are skilled teachers. Titus 1:9, “Elders are able to hold fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the doctrine and are able both to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict.” And they can handle the rebellious men, the empty talkers, and deceivers. That’s what elders and pastors do. So they don’t come to the church. That’s where they ultimately end up, that’s where they’d like to end up. They don’t come there first, they go to the home. They want to get you on your front porch. They want to get you through the television or the radio. They want to find their way to those who are vulnerable. In 2 Timothy 3 and verse 5 it says, “These false teachers have a form of godliness without power.” And verse 6 says, “They enter into households and they captivate weak women.” Hmmm, that’s what they do. They look for the weak and the sympathetic and tender hearted and compassionate and embed themselves there and start their divesting of those people’s resources and the confusion of their minds. Don’t let them in your house. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” And this doesn’t apply to new Christians, or those who seek a full knowledge of Christ. These people are not learners, they are...what?...teachers, the emissaries of deception.

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/63-4


42 posted on 11/01/2009 11:40:34 AM PST by Mr Rogers (I loathe the ground he slithers on!)
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To: Mr Rogers

John MacArthur means nothing to me. What did he say that you find relevant?


53 posted on 11/01/2009 12:24:53 PM PST by papertyger (It took a Carter to elect a Reagan, President Palin....)
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