Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” (Isaiah 40:9)
good news . . . Jerusalem . . . good news. Like a messenger on a mountain, to be seen and heard by all, the prophet called on the city to proclaim loudly to the rest of Judah’s cities the good news of God’s presence there.
Behold your God! The restoration of Israel to the land is to include the resumption of God’s presence in Jerusalem after many centuries.(Commentary by John MacArthur)
Are you a messenger to the good news of God’s presence?
A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God”. (Isaiah 40:3)
A prophetic exhortation told Israel to prepare for the revelation of the Lord’s glory at the arrival of Messiah. Scripture sees John the Baptist in this role. It likewise sees the future forerunner who is to be like Elijah preparing for Christ’s second coming.
Prepare the way. The remnant of Israel could remove obstacles from the coming Messiah’s path through repentance from their sins. John the Baptist reminded his listeners of this necessity as did Jesus.
The verses in Isaiah 40:3-5 reflect the custom of some eastern monarchs to send heralds before them to clear away obstacles, make causeways, straighten crooked roads and valleys, and level hills. John had the task of getting people ready for Messiah’s arrival. (Commentary by John MacArthur)
As we enter this season of the celebration of our coming King, what might you do to prepare the way?
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert.(Acts 20:29-31a)
Even more deadly than attacks from outside the church are the defections of those (especially leaders) within the church. Twisted things: The Greek word means “distorted,” or “perverse.” False teachers twist God’s word for their own evil ends.
True to Paul’s prediction, false teachers did come in among the flock at Ephesus and attack it (cf. Revelation 2:2). Even more subtle than the attack of false teachers from outside the church, however, is the defection of those within. Accordingly, Paul warned them that “from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” “Perverse” is from diastrephÅ, which means “to distort,” or “to twist.” False teachers twist God’s truth for their own perverted ends. “Draw away” is from apospaÅ and could be translated “to drag away” or “to tear away.” If the undershepherds are not vigilant, Paul warns, the wolves will drag their sheep away to devour them.
Paul warns shepherds to faithfully guard their sheep. He understood the threats that face a church—both from outside and from within—and he warns leaders to carefully guard their flocks from those deadly dangers. It is not enough for a faithful shepherd to feed and lead his flock, he must also protect it from predators. Whenever the truth is proclaimed, Satan can be expected to counter it with the lies of false doctrine. . . .
For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. (Titus 1:10-11)
Titus’s task was clear. He was not to ape the fashions of that society. He was to teach them to be different. Not only that—but with regard to the young men in particular (since Titus himself was a young man)—he was to be a different kind of example from anything they had ever seen. He wasn’t supposed to crawl into society’s sewer and join the fraternity of Cretan bad-boys. He needed to model dignity, purity, integrity, reverence, and sound speech.
Doctrine per se is not extraneous or superfluous, despite what our postmodern friends try to tell us. Some truths are vital—especially the rich tapestry of truth at the heart of the gospel. Some truths are so vital that if you deny or try to alter them in any way, you’re anathema—accursed. And some lies are so dangerous that as Paul says in verse 11, the mouths of those who utter such lies “must be stopped.”
We need to understand the description of false teachers. We need to know who we’re looking for to silence. We need to understand the proper reaction. We reprove them, and then we turn away and reject them completely. And we need to understand God’s evaluation of them, that their whole approach is wrong. They think you can clean the inside by what you do on the outside. The Bible says you have to clean the inside by coming to Christ, and that takes care of the outside. They reverse that, and that’s why they are detestable, disobedient, and worthless to produce any noble spiritual accomplishment. They’re good for nothing. “As for you, speak the things suitable for healthy teaching.” That’s the call of God for those in leadership in His church.
Excerpts from John MacArthur series “Men Who Must Be Silenced”.
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)–in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (Colossians 2:20-23)
The Christian is perennially, by good-looking, exciting-appearing, false doctrine intimidated. And I suppose that any good pastor, any good elder, any good teacher, any good responsible person as a Christian should be warning his fellow believers, his flock about the intimidation that goes on.
The Colossians were being overtly and potently intimidated. There were certain false teachers who were infiltrating the Colossian assembly and bringing to bear on them a tremendous amount of intimidation. They were beginning to feel like spiritually they were left out, like they were less than necessary, like they were inadequate. Like having Jesus Christ was not enough. Like they had never arrived yet. Like there were a lot more things to get in Christianity that they hadn’t even begun to see. Like maybe they were wrong, and somebody else was right.
Excerpt from John MacArthur sermon “Spiritual Intimidation”
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Paul here warns Timothy that, in the dangerous seasons of this age, many people would become intolerant of the confrontational, demanding preaching of God’s word.
Professing Christians, nominal believers, in the church follow their own desires and flock to preachers who offer them God’s blessings apart from his forgiveness, and his salvation apart from their repentance. They want to be entertained by teachings that will produce pleasant sensations and leave them with good feelings about themselves. Their goal is that men preach “to suit their own passions.” Under those conditions, people will dictate what men preach, rather than God dictating it by his word.
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22a)
In contrast to the true prophet, Moses predicted there would be false prophets who would come to Israel, speaking not in the name of the Lord, but in the name of false gods. How could the people tell if a prophet was authentically speaking for God? Moses said, “if the word does not come to pass,” it was not from God. The characteristic of false prophets is the failure of their predictions to always come true.
Sometimes false prophets speak and it happens as they said, but they are representing false gods and trying to turn people from the true God—they must be rejected and executed. Other times, false prophets are more subtle and identify with the true God but speak lies. If ever a prophecy of such a prophet fails, he is shown to be false.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
It takes a willful naïveté to deny that such a thing could happen in our time. As a matter of fact, it is happening on a massive scale. Now is not a good time for Christians to flirt with the spirit of the age. We cannot afford to be apathetic about the truth God has put in our trust. It is our duty to guard, proclaim, and pass that truth on to the next generation (1 Timothy 6:20-21). We who love Christ and believe the truth embodied in His teaching must awaken to the reality of the battle that is raging all around us. We must do our part in the ages-old Truth War. We are under a sacred obligation to join the battle and contend for the faith.
Excerpt from an article by John MacArthur. Adapted from his book, “The Truth War” (Nelson: Spring 2007).
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:17-20)
Identifying and confronting false teachers is extremely unpopular today. But Scripture calls Christians to discern truth from error, providing guidelines for identifying and dealing with those who try to corrupt Christ’s church with false doctrine.
Paul considered it necessary to insert into his greetings of love this caution against harmful teachings and practices that undermine the truth of Christianity and are its greatest threat. Genuine love will be ready to forgive evil, but it will not condone or ignore it. Those such as Paul, who truly love other believers who are dear to them, will warn them about sin and harm, doctrinal falsehood and unrighteous practices.
Sandra Bivens Smith 