As I have mentioned last week, we’re going to look at ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. And if you are here today for the first time, you’re wondering what in the world are you doing, talking about ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ in a sermon, in a service? But let’s look at the story first and I will let you know why in a moment. ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’

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(Video played)

After the first service, there was someone who “Wowrrrrr” (screaming sound), they were scared that the wolf was going to eat Little Red Riding Hood. This is a story, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ of universal appeal. Regardless of which country you come from, you must have heard of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. My son, I was just telling him about the story yesterday. He said, “Daddy I know, I can tell you the story.” So, people today are familiar with this tale. And it has a universal appeal because according to Wikipedia, this is what it says, “The tale parallels how an innocent victim can be taken in and controlled by a criminal mentality.” We can all see ourselves in the story when we realise we all can be Little Red Riding Hoods. And there are criminal mentalities around that want to deceive us. There are wolves in life. And as a Christian, you must realise that there are wolves also after your soul. After all, this is what Jesus himself said, in Matthew 7: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15, ESV)

The spiritual reality is that there are teachers who are not the true prophets of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are what we call the false prophets, the fake teachers. They come in the name of Christ but they come not to serve Christ, not to serve you, they come to eat you. Inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Therefore we come to Romans 16, which we have been going through in our preaching ministry here where it says, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.” (Romans 16:17-18, ESV)

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Today we’re going to look at what it means to watch out for wolves. It’s a spiritual reality, not often reminded but this is the time for us to do so, as we journey through the book of Romans. Finally we come to Romans 16, watch out for wolves. A few things I want you to realise. Number one, we need to expect wolves. This is what mummy said to Little Red Riding Hood. You remember the scene? “Don’t stray off the path.” Stay to the path! Why? Because mummy knows there are dangers when you stray off the path. She some more would say there is danger around, I expect danger, so stay there. The Bible warns us of danger. It says, in again Matthew 7, “Beware of false prophets.” It’s a clear and present danger. Be aware of it! Be alert! And do not be caught napping. He goes on to say, or the Bible goes on to say, “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29-31, ESV) This is Paul speaking to the elders, to the church at Ephesus. And he’s saying, when I leave, I’m concerned for you. I fear for you. Why? Because I know that fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And so not only will they come in from the outside, he goes on to say they will come up from the inside, “…from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things,” How will there be false teachers in our church? Very simple. They can walk in through the doors or maybe someone I’m looking at today may arise and speak twisted things and by definition, become a false prophet. And so Paul says, be alert! These men are around to draw disciples after them. They do not serve Jesus. They came for their own agenda and you got to watch out for them. Be alert towards them.

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You say, Pastor there cannot be. I don’t think there will be false teachers today. This is a… this is a 2000 year ago matter. There are no false teachers today. Well, let us hear what Peter says, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.” (2 Peter 2:1. ESV) There is that present danger, that there will be false teachers among us, around us. And therefore John also correspond with… saying, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world.” (2 John 1:7, ESV)

So first point, very simple, we’ve got to expect wolves. Wolves are around during Paul’s time, therefore he has to write a lot about the false teachings by the false teachers. He wrote to the church at Galatia, about the Galatians era, how false teachers say you need to be circumcised in order to be saved. Then he wrote to the church at Colossae, talks about Gnosticism, another kind of false teaching. He wrote to the church at Thessalonica, false teachings about end times. He wrote to Timothy and Titus because they deal with false teachers. Paul dealt with a lot of false teachings. Even right up till today, there are many false teachers. They call themselves Christian church. They say they follow Jesus Christ but they don’t do anything like that at all. There are cults today that deny the deity of Christ, deny the sufficiency of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. There are false teachers around us.

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When I was in China some years ago, I went to central part of China for some teaching ministry. And when I engaged with the people, they say actually there are a lot of false teachers in China, especially that part. They have this imagery. They say true churches are like the two horns on a… in a cow and false teachers are like the fleas on the cow. You know there are so many fleas you can’t even begin to count. And they are saying in China, there are only a few Bible-believing true church of Jesus Christ. And there are so many counterfeits. So many fakes! So many false teachers.

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There are many cults, right here in Singapore today. I can’t name them for sensitive reasons. But there are plenty of them. They are not just around us. They can come within us! About a year ago, when we were at Grand Copthorne Waterfront (GCW), if you still remember those days. Just about a year ago, there was a couple. Very ordinary looking couple, except they dressed in a very extraordinary way. They… they were dressed in leopard print. You know like… wah… nothing wrong with leopard print lah! But if you are in leopard print, it’s ok alright? (Laughter from congregation) But it’s just that they were having all these things added together. Leopard prints all over… and then they were called Moses and Angel. And I was told… they came for 2 weeks. I was told at the end of 2nd week, they were at the toilet at GCW, and they were giving out flyers, about themselves in the toilet to our members. They came right here and they wrote about their ministry. They wrote about what they do, how God have… had healed them, given them BMWs or Mercedes, I can’t remember which brand. But there was a lot of… (Sighing) just in my mind, rubbish that was printed in those flyers and they were distributed to our people, obviously, to cannibalise. Obviously, to swindle and to deceive, maybe church goers to be part of their gang or part of their following. Some of you say, “Wah… Pastor they are so bold to come right into the midst of the church!” I say there is nothing surprising because the Bible tells us they will come in and they may even arise from among us.

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So this is a real danger and we need to expect wolves. Don’t assume that we are going to be immune to the attacks of wolves. But when you expect wolves, do you know how to spot them? When they come? Suppose they were to come right into your midst today, you look… you can look around your rows and you see… are you a wolf? (Laughter from congregation) How do you spot a wolf? How do you spot a spiritual wolf? Not that easy, alright? That’s why the second thing we need to look at is, how can we examine wolves? How can we spot and discern wolves? They look the same, they are like human beings. They are human beings alright? So how do we know they are wolves?

Paul says, “I appeal to you, brothers to watch out!” The word ‘watch out’ there is the Greek word ‘Skopeo’. Not Kopi-O ah! (Hokkien dialect word meaning coffee) ‘Skopeo’. And the word ‘Skopeo’ is the word which you derived microscope, telescope. All these kind of devices that you have to look through very carefully, very intentionally. You have to scrutinise, you have to examine. And so Paul is saying, if you want to spot wolves, it’s not easy. It cannot be spotted with a glance. You’ve got to gaze at it; you’ve got to scrutinise it; you’ve got to examine it closely. The reason is very clear. Because Jesus says, wolves come in sheep’s clothing. False teachers are not just ravenous wolves. But they are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. That’s the way they work.

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A wolf will not be very successful if it just come and “Grrrrowl, I want to eat you up!” All of us are going to run away obviously. But when he can disguise himself, put on sheep’s clothing and sort of creep in secretly among us and we are chummy, chummy with him. We surround him and then like Little Red Riding Hood, just touch, “Eh… what nice ears you have! What nice eyes you have!” One day when it bears its fangs, it will be too late. But wolves come with disguise, with sheep’s clothing and you’ve got to see beneath the surface.

Now there are different classes of false teachers. Meaning got low class, middle class, high class. What is the low class one? Low class one are the-cannot-make-it, so obvious disguise (picture shown). (Laughter from congregation) They come to you. Egrrr… I’m a false teacher! I mean… I… I… it’s just so obvious. They… they… their teachings are blatant, they are obvious. They… no finesse to their disguise. Some however, middle class ones, improved (picture shown)! They… they look a bit more like wolf in sheep’s clothing. You can’t quite tell. And then they improved their cosmesis or cosmetic ability to be more and more like a sheep (picture shown). And if you are not careful, sometimes you can’t even see them (picture shown). You got to scrutinise the picture. You’ve got to examine it, otherwise you will miss this fellow among the flock (referring to picture). So we need today, to learn how to peel away his façade. Because when you do so, you will realise he is a ravenous being. He’s hungry and he wants to chomp at God’s people. So how can we today unrobe, undress the false prophet? How can we tell beyond the surface and the superficial? How can we see right into the heart or right into the discernment of a false teacher, a wolf?

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Now, first of all, let me tell you what are the outer coverings that people use, to call themselves Christians or true prophets. There are some of you who say, “Aiyah, pastor, he cannot be a false prophet because he is called pastor you know? Because he has the title of Reverend. And some churches, the Very Reverend. Some of them even called them the Apostle. He can’t be a false teacher if he is given those titles.” Do you realise that can be a sheep’s clothing? Some of us think that because he has graduated with some theological degree, wah… doctor of divinity from this famous, famous college, he cannot be a false teacher! That can be a sheep’s clothing as well. Some of us think, “Oh, he cannot be a false teacher because he speaks so well. He’s so eloquent. He’s so gifted. He uses the name of Christ so frequently and he has nice vocabulary. He uses words like ‘propitiation’, ‘sanctification’, he can’t be a false teacher right?” Well, there are many people who can pick up Christian vocabulary: “Hallelujah, praise the Lord”, say it all the time. No problem. These things may be false prophets in disguise. These things may be the sheep’s clothing. What about this? (Picture shown) Wow, he has a huge church! Look at this, so big! So many people follow him, so many people listen to his sermon. He must be a true prophet right? No, not necessarily. Or Look at them, they are all so emotional when they hear him speak (picture shown). They are all so fired up when they hear him speak. He must be a true prophet of Jesus Christ right? No, not necessary. So what I’ve said to you is that: there may be people with titles and qualifications; they may be eloquent; they use a lot of Christian vocabulary, throw terms here and there; they have a huge church and people seemed to be really excited when they go to church. But all that I’m saying, can be sheep’s clothing. They are not found in the Bible. They are not markers. They are not distinctive characteristics of true or false prophets. Ok, so pastor, tell me lah, how… how can I examine wolves, if it’s not about these things?

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Looking at Romans 16, there are 3 markers. I would like you to realise. They are all ‘M’s. Three ‘M’s. The first ‘M’ is: if you are looking out for wolves, look at the Method. Look at the teachers’, prophets’ method. What’s his method? The Bible says, “… by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naïve.” (Romans 16:18, ESV) They use smooth talk. That’s ‘Chrestologia’ in the Greek. That means really to speak persuasively, smoothly, eloquently. So false teachers, they are not bumbling, fumbling fools. They are really good speakers. Gifted in their mouth to speak eloquent words. They may be very charismatic. Very… energetic. They have this aura about them. People love to hear him speak. Besides that, they have flattery, ‘eulogeo’ that is to speak well. They speak well of people. They make you feel good. They do. You… you don’t go to a false teacher that… false teacher and feel bad. You go to a false teacher, hear him and you will feel good. Because that is their modus operandi. Speak smoothly and speak well, praising you. Now, there’s nothing wrong really, with being an eloquent speaker. There’s nothing wrong with speaking well or complimenting people when it is appropriate. But the problem is that they use this tool to deceive. They bait you. They lure you in. And it is not because they love you but because they want you, to deceive you. And deceive especially the heart of the naïve; those who are immature; those who are weak; those who are unsuspecting. Looking at their churches, you have a bunch of whole load of people who are in a sense, spiritually vulnerable. They are naïve. Peter tells us, “…They entice unsteady souls…” (2 Peter 2:14, ESV) These are people with no roots. They are not grounded in the Word of God. They are unsteady. They are easily tossed to and fro. And false teachers have particular leverage in people like this. And the way they work is again: they entice; they deceive; they bait you. So how do you tell a false teacher? Look at his method. Speaks well. Nothing wrong with that. Speaks… speaks nice things, complimenting things of people, let them feel good about themselves. But they are out to deceive. So, eloquence does not rule out a false teacher. In fact, it is exactly what a false teacher would be excelling in. That’s his method.

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But secondly, let’s look at his message. And the message here is found in Romans 16, where it says, “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles, contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” (Romans 16:17) Paul in Romans has been clarifying, explaining the doctrine. The doctrines, the teachings, the fundamental truth of the Bible and he’s saying that false teachers do not teach according to God’s Word. In fact, they are really called the “enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18, ESV) Philippians 3. They don’t really preach Christ. They go against Christ. And how do they do that?

In 2 Peter, they speak loud boasts of folly. They promise big things and they entice by sensual, passions of the flesh. (2 Peter 2:18, ESV) So they speak to you the things that you would love to hear. Doesn’t make you feel in a sense, anyway sorry about your sins, sorry about yourself. It will be something that is pleasant. You really feel good about yourself when you come into a church like that. But at the end of the day, it is not conforming to the teaching of the Scripture. It is the opposite. It leads you away from Christ.

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There are many false teachers. And there is one in particular I want to highlight. I think in those days, there were different kinds of false teachings as I’ve mentioned. The Galatian era, Colossian era, er… denying the deity of Christ but there is one I think we need to particularly take care of. Um… because if you are not aware of it, you will be fooled. The Bible says, these false prophets do not come in obviously. They come in very subtly. False prophets who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. So you are not going to see a false prophet when he comes to you: “Oh, Jesus is no God.” He’s not going to come like that. Even if he comes like that, he’s the first type of false teacher. No class! Silly! Easy to spot! The top class ones are when they come to you, as if agreeing to all the fundamental of the faith but slowly and secretly, he will introduce false teachings. Real poison is not those that are purple and green colour that are scary. I mean those are scary. You look at them, you don’t want to drink. But those that are transparent, just a little bit different. The hard-to-spot kind of poison. Those are the most dangerous ones.

So if you expect teachings to come in blatantly. You’ll be caught by surprise. The way the Scripture present to us is that they come in secretly. Now, as I was saying, there is a false teaching I think, that is very relevant for us today. I think the world is swept by this false teaching. Initially, it’s not such a big deal. But over the years, if you’ve been a Christian for 20 years or so. You will see that this has gained traction in the world today and even in Singapore, in many churches. And what I am talking about is the prosperity gospel again. I don’t speak a lot about other false teachings because I think that this is one thing that we don’t quite realise. We think that it is an ‘Ok’ Gospel to embrace. It’s ok. I believe in Jesus but I… but it’s also ok that Jesus give me money, makes me healthy and he wants me to be rich. We think it’s ok to embrace both. And many churches really think it is ok to have both. I’m not saying God cannot bless you with ability to meet your financial needs. But there is a difference between needs and greed. There is a difference between having and craving. There is this teaching where it says, God is here to enrich us materially. In fact they go as far as this: Prosperity because God wants us to have more cash. This is what Christianity is about. God wants you to have more cash. And it is this: If this is not your 3rd car, then you are not in God’s will. There are peddlers today of the prosperity gospel in Singapore who drive Lamborghinis. Now, I have nothing against Lamborghini. But if you are in Singapore, you know the price of a Lamborghini.

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I think there is always that line of reasonableness. Of course, not everything branded means it’s bad. But I think there is certainly a line of reasonableness that when someone who is a preacher drive a Lamborghini and tells people that is… that is God’s will. I think there is something really wrong with him. And there are teachers today who proudly proclaim I drive a Lamborghini. I tell you he’s going to aim for the 3rd one.

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And there’s nothing wrong as far as the church is concerned. This is a good thing.

The prosperity mindset which came in secretly, subtly in the beginning is now a widely accepted reality. What is the problem with the prosperity gospel, you say? It’s very simple, it’s this: You cannot serve God and money. You cannot serve God and Mammon. The prosperity gospel is an anti-God teaching. In fact as I have shared with you before, the prosperity gospel is a teaching that leads you to idolatry. It uses God to serve money. You come to church to worship God, not because you worship Him but because you want to get Him to give you money. It’s idolatrous! Believe it or not, right here, some of us may already be influenced by this prosperity teaching. This is what you deeply believe. The Bible says such kinds of teaching are unbiblical. And I’m… I’m not saying this out of my own words. It’s what is in Scripture. Look at what Timothy… or Paul says to Timothy, “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; … Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing (or regarding) that gain (or money making) is godliness: from such withdraw yourself.” (1 Timothy 6:3-5 KJV)

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People who regard gain is godliness, who teach gain or money-making is godliness, they are actually perverse, disputings of man of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth! It’s a serious problem. It is not in accordance to the Word of Christ. And Paul’s advice, Paul’s command really to Timothy is, from such people, withdraw yourself. It is not a biblical thing. He goes on to say, those who desire to be rich, nothing wrong with being rich, again I want to make that clarification. That’s nothing to be… nothing wrong being rich if God gives it to you. That’s fine. But if you desire to be rich; Your ambition is to be rich; Your drive in life is to be rich, you serve mammon. And when you do that, you fall into a temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money, again it’s not just money itself, it’s the love of money, it’s the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith, pierce themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10) Watch churches who teach the prosperity gospel. It’s just a matter of time. It’s sad that whilst this began to unfold, people are still being fooled and deceived into it. But it will just be a matter of time before the church gets into trouble. I wouldn’t even call it a church. But that organisation will get into trouble. Because they will fall into temptations, snares, ruins and destruction. It will all unravel itself.

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So Paul says, or Peter says, false teachers have a message. A message that is anti-gospel in reality. A message that seems to be right but they are subtle, subtle but vital departures from the Gospel. And if you are not careful, it comes in and they are destructive. So watch for the message! Listen to what is taught. Is it in conformity to Scripture? So this is the second ‘M’. First ‘M’ is method; second ‘M’ is message. The third ‘M’ is his motive. Why does he do all that?

Scripture puts it very plainly and clearly. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. They look like they serve Christ. I’m the church of dedededede… Jesus Christ. Whatever! They used the name of Christ. They put on sheep’s clothing. They have titles called pastor, reverend, apostle. They use Christian words, they have big followings. They use big churches. They look like they serve Christ but really they serve their own appetites. Peter says, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly… (Now I’m not saying every false teacher is fat. Neither am I saying every preacher is fat although pastors tend to get fat. But this is who they serve, not God but their appetites.) … with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:19, ESV) 0:29:05.7

The Bible says also in 2 Peter, 2 Peter is very graphic on false teachers. If you want to learn more, you can just look at that chapter. It says, “And in their greed they will exploit you ...” (2 Peter 2:3, ESV) They take advantage of you, in their greed! It goes on to say, “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin… They have hearts trained in greed.” (2 Peter 2:14, ESV) We want to train in godliness. False teachers are already trained in greed. So “Forsaking (the way) the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.” (2 Peter 2:15, ESV) So this is the motive, of the false prophet. So you can’t tell by statistics, you can’t tell by qualifications, you can’t tell by title, you can’t tell by the following of the number of people in the church. But you must look at the three ‘M’s.

Don’t let titles, don’t let appearances, don’t let following disarm you, but put your guards up, when you notice the wolf comes in any of these ‘M’s. Now we’ve looked at er… these marks, but one thing I want to clarify is, these marks are not obvious all the time. People asked me today, “Pastor, do you think this, this, this is a false teacher?” “That, that, that is a false teacher?” Often time, I cannot give a very conclusive answer. Why? Because it’s not fair for me to say conclusively if this is a false teacher or not. Reason is not because I am not sure about the principles. I think we can be relatively sure from what we have looked at just now. The… the problem is that you do need time. You will recognise them by… their fruits.

If I give you two trees, relatively young trees. You may not be able to tell what the trees are. Unless you are really, really good. But once the fruits come out, it is very obvious. This one obviously durian tree. That one obviously mango tree. From their fruits you will know them. So for false teachers, it’s not always easy to spot and be firm and be sure about it. But you know that you can know them by their fruits. With time, it unravels itself. What kind of fruits do you look for? “They will not go very far, for their folly will be plain to all.” (2 Timothy 3:13, ESV) 0:31:16.8

OK, they will start to have mess… messy life, messy ministries, things will start to unravel. Their folly will be plain to all. So look around you. There are churches that look good. But it may take time before it starts to unravel and show up. “Impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13, ESV) False teachers deceive themselves. It’s amazing that they set out to deceive, but when they teach more and more deceptive things, they start to also deceive themselves. They harden themselves. They train themselves to be greedy. And so “They promise them freedom, but they themselves (will be servants or)… slaves of corruption…" (2 Peter 2:19, ESV) Their lives will be full of sin.

In Singapore, it’s not so prolonged or advanced yet. But of course in the States when you read of all the false teachers, er… the famous ones that are incontrovertible, meaning they are very obvious, their lives are in a mess. Adultery, divorces, financial scandals, it’s all over. Why? Because they can’t help it! They are slaves of corruption. So it takes time to discern the three ‘M’s. It takes time for us to observe their life, their lifestyles, their message.

0:32:33.1

So what do we do now? If a wolf comes in, you… first of all got to expect wolves. Number two, you need to know how to examine wolves. But let’s say the wolf is here and you say, “Eh… Pastor this one looks like wolf. I can see his ears, I can see his nose, I can see his mouth, I can see the three ‘M’s in him as you have taught us, what do I do with this wolf har? Do I call the zookeeper or what?” What do you do with wolves, after you have expected them and examined them?

0:33:01.8 (Response from congregation) Sorry? Expose them. That’s what the first service also said. Expel them. That’s a good word. Like school like that. (Laughter from congregation.) Expel… ok, I… I think I will use the word ‘exclude them’, alright? Expel, exclude, that’s fine, alright? But that’s true. Why? Because the Bible says you don’t flirt around with wolves. You don’t dialogue with them. You don’t debate with them. You don’t discuss with them. You don’t associate with them. You shun them. You avoid them. This is exactly what is said in Romans 16, “I appeal to you, brothers, (what do you do?) … avoid them.” (Romans 16:17) Don’t flirt around with them! Don’t discuss with them! These are ravenous wolves! You avoid them.

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This is what is taking place right? Little Red Riding Hood. When she saw the wolf, if she is any smarter, she would have… she should have run away from the wolf. First of all, she should not have departed from the path. But should she depart from the path and meets the wolf, she should not dialogue with the wolf. The problem Grandma got eaten up and she eventually got eaten up is because she began to dialogue with the wolf. The problem is when we do not avoid false teachers. This is not only Paul’s writing, John also says, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, (he’s a false teacher) do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting…” (2 John 1:10-11, ESV) Last Sunday we talked about GLCC being a greeting church. There’s one group of people you shouldn’t greet. Meaning you shouldn’t embrace and appreciate and show your affection, you don’t do that to false teachers. You don’t receive them into your house. You don’t let others know that you are one gang. No, we are different. You serve not the Lord but your own appetites. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we do not receive them.

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And this is what Paul is saying as well in 1 Timothy. Now if any man teaches the prosperity gospel, if I may summarise it. If any man, suppose and teach that gain is godliness, the injunction of Scripture is absolutely crystal clear: “From such, withdraw yourself.” Let me say this, I think there are people today who know the Gospel and who know churches that preach the prosperity gospel. And what you do is this, you know what, I’m a bit sick and tired of my church and I want to visit other church. I want to find out what it is, their teaching. And so you go to churches that preach the gospel… false gospel, the prosperity gospel and you sit in to their teachings. And then you say, “Wah… I like this church, they are very warm. They are very nice. They are very welcoming. They… they are very big. The music is very ‘shiok’. (Malay word expressing satisfaction) The lightings are… en… exciting. The pastor so handsome (Laughter from congregation) and he preaches so well. And he uses the name of … now I know that there are some problems with his theology. I know that there are some things that are wrong… but he preaches the other things very good. So, it’s ok lah!”

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It’s ok lah! You know this Singaporean “Ok lah!” When it’s appeared… when it… when it comes into your Christian life, it’s not so ok liao. Because the Bible is clear: “From such, withdraw yourself!” You don’t flirt around with it. This is a common thing I hear from people: “I know that church got problem. I know their theology is flawed, but hor, I like it leh!” You get yourself into trouble. So Paul says, avoid them. It is very clear. You don’t flirt around. You don’t flirt around with the wolves. You say, “Pastor, but we must learn about wolves what?” Yes, but you can learn about wolves in a classroom but not when you meet him. We can study about false teachings, sure but that’s not the way you engage yourself and associate yourself with them. From such, withdraw yourselves. So the Scriptures are mighty clear. We are to expect them. We are to examine them and then we need to exclude them. Not to associate ourselves with them.

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You see, when we talk about Satan, when we talk about the devil, when we talk about demonic forces, we often think about monsters. My son always very scared, is there monster? You know, from young we’ve been told there are monsters. They look scary, they have… they have big mouth, with er… sharp fangs and droop dripping all over. They have horns and maybe a devil will look something like that to us. (Picture shown) Aahhhhhhh! We’re scared! This is our image of the evil one. He’s ugly! He’s gross! Eeeek! We run away from him. Has it ever occurred to you that demonic forces, demonic influences can come in the shape of not ugly, evil looking guys but in handsome guys like this. (Picture of Pastor Jason shown) (Laughter from congregation) Has it ever occurred to you that false teachers look… can look very decent? They wear glasses. They wear a suit not a devil’s costume. They don’t come to you in all… no, I’m not saying I’m one, false teacher. I do not know what you are laughing at? False teacher or handsome? (More laughter from congregation) But… our guards come down when we see a decent guy up there. Aw… maybe he’s a MBBS, doctor, wah… wah… must be ok lah. Or… or because he gives up medicine to preach, must be ok lah. No, not necessarily, it can be a sheep’s clothing. He can also look like this. (Picture of Pastor Paul shown) (Laughter from congregation) Now with all my heart, Pastor Paul is obviously not a false teacher. But I’m saying, do you just look at things on the surface or do you really consider. Because… because there are lots of people today who look handsome, suave, charismatic, eloquent, huge followings and you have to decide for yourself, are they true or false.

0:39:42.6

Because you may think: “Aiyah… Pastor Jason, Pastor Paul, where got handsome? Cannot qualify.” I give you a really handsome one. (Picture shown) Super handsome. This one look like Hollywood, grade A star. Super star. You say who is he? Joel Osteen - ‘Become a Better You’. Famous guy you know? If you don’t already realise. Years ago, even long time before this, he appeared in CNN. Many of you might have heard of this news. With an interview with Larry King Live and he was called evangelism’s raising star, author of number one bestseller – ‘Your Best Life Now’. And front cover, figure and model in many magazines. Full house, the church of forty-three thousand every week. I didn’t say anything wrong. Forty-three thousand people every week. Makes us look like… peanuts. Forty-three thousand. Now let me say this, I don’t want you to go away thinking, “Pastor, you are saying he is a false prophet.” No, I just want you to make your own assessments. Just like you saw my picture, you saw Pastor Paul’s picture, you see Joel Osteen’s picture, you assess for yourself. Strip away the sheep’s clothing, criterias and look at the 3 ‘M’s. Does it apply? You’ve got to assess for yourself. Because these things are not only occurring in United States or elsewhere. What about in Singapore? (Picture shown) Eh… don’t laugh, make me feel like I’m arrowing him. But consider. Look at… the method. Look at the message. And look at the lifestyle that reflects the motive. I don’t think he has the biggest church in Singapore today. This man has. (Picture shown)

0:41:44.8

Again, consider his method, his message, his motive, reflected in his lifestyle. It can be early, it can be true, it can be false. I put up these big names and I’m not trying to arrow them because I put my picture again here. I want to highlight to you a clear reality. It is not obvious. The devil doesn’t come in such stupid forms. Like arrggh… please… he’s smarter than that. If he comes into a flock, arrggh… we’re going to run! But if he comes meh… meh… he… I love you, I love you, God loves you… and everything is good for you. He gives you money. Hey…ay…ay… (Laughter from congregation) and we all surround the sheep or wolf in sheep’s clothing, when we get so chummy with him, just like Little Red Riding Hood. Oohh… what nice eyes you have. Oohh… what nice nose you have. We draw nearer and nearer to the wolf, one day he’s just going to pounce. And when he pounces, he pounces big time! Has a feast on God’s people. False teachers are deceitful. They disguise… they disguise… they disguise. So if you think you can just spot one just with a casual glance, you’re wrong. You’ve got to examine them. Look carefully.

0:43:23.2

So what do we do? The Bible therefore tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for there are many false prophets that are in the world today.” (1 John 4:1, ESV) You’ve got to test. You say, “Pastor how to test? Got the wolf test or not?” The best test in the world today is not there will be a list from heaven that says, ah… listen church of the world 2013 list of false prophets, tatatatata…. It will never come out like this. God wants us to exercise discernment as based on Scripture and therefore the spirit of the Bereams in Acts 17 is what I hope we will have in GLCC. For… “Now these Jews (in Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11, ESV)

0:44:16.5

What if I turn out to be a false prophet? Will you be able to tell? I’m not saying I am but what if? Pastor, you’ve been teaching us your whole life. Yeah, but only in as much as it conforms to scriptural teachings. And you’ve got to watch. And this is what we need to do. Little Red Riding Hood goes to Grandma’s house but stay on the path. Stay on the path. Stay on the path.

0:44:56.6

I think this is why God gives us a church. Because it is in the church that the saints can be taught the Word of God. Yes, we can study the Bible by ourselves, that’s true. But I think it is also equally true that we learn and understand the Bible better with teachers also. That’s why the Bible gives us in Acts 20, Paul says, I have established overseers, bishops in the church, epistles, because I know that after my departure, the fierce wolves will come in and therefore I want you to watch over the flock and therefore for the past three years, day and night, I warn you with tears, I taught you the Scriptures. And now watch over the sheep. And now take care of the flock. Guard them with the truth. Because fierce wolves will come. (Acts 20:28-29, 31, ESV) In Ephesians, it is said that God gives us apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, why? So that the saints may be build up. So that we may mature. You say why? So that we will no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness, in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:11-14, ESV)

This is why I believe in preaching through the Bible in GLCC. There is this… I suggest to you there is this again very pragmatic, man-centered way of thinking, besides the prosperity gospel is this: that in our ministries, in our preaching, we should be preaching what people want to hear. So we preach topics, so we run from a popular topic, to the next popular topic, to the next popular topic, to the next popular topic. And the preaching and teaching ministry in the church is all about popular topics. I’m not against teaching relevant, important topics, of course, that is to be important. But what I’m questioning is, is there an underlying philosophy that we need to build people up in the Scriptures, to help people know the whole counsel of God and not just things we like to hear. None of you today will ask me to preach a subject on false teachers. You wouldn’t because that’s not what you want. You may want to hear a message about healing. You may want to hear a message about how God comforts me. You may want to hear a message about God’s will. And those things are suitably addressed as you go through the Bible.

0:47:27.5 B

ut let us not be a church that forgets growing in maturity. Rootedness in Scriptures. Understanding the whole counsel of God. Following Jesus Christ in his Word is of utmost priority. Now by and by, we’re going to deal with topics, as they come but far more important than that is, are you build up from the inside? It’s not just having tit bits to solve your problems today.

0:47:55.2

Little Red Riding Hood has to remember this: Don’t leave the path. I suggest to you, God is gracious to give us a church. You… can you imagine if you have no church? There’s no church in this world. No church. You live your Christian life alone. You study the Bible alone. You pray alone. Do you know how difficult that would be? It is God’s grace to give us a church. And I pray you will not just go church, but I pray that you will commit to a church that preaches the Word. Why? I fear for you. I fear for Christianity today. Because we live in a day where it says, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching…” Don’t teach me the Bible, I just want things I like to hear. “…will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves…” they will find alright? “…they will go find teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away ultimately from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, ESV)

0:49:06.5

So Paul says to Timothy in the earlier verse: Timothy, preach the Word. Not just preach topics alright. Preach the Word. And don’t preach things that people just like to hear. Because you’ve got to rebuke, you’ve got to reprove. They need the sound words of the Gospel. Sound all very depressive. It’s really hard right? There’re wolves around and wolves are so powerful. Why are they so powerful? Because we ourselves love to hear these things. Number two, they are very eloquent speakers and number three, they are satanically energised and empowered.

0:49:50.9

And therefore you may think all is at a lost, but look at what I end off with in Romans 16, verse 20, when Paul says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet…” (Romans 16:20, ESV) The word ‘soon’ is ‘suddenly’. There will come a time. Satan is like a dog on a lease. Wooff…. one day it will be pulled back. Suddenly, Satan will be crushed according to the prophesy in Genesis 3:15. Satan will bruise the heel of Jesus and Jesus will crush his head. And that day will come. When that day comes, not only will God crush Satan, we will be with him in this victory. Because it says, the God of peace will soon, or suddenly crush Satan under… your feet. Your feet. But till then, as the mother of Little Red Riding Hood would say, “Stay on the path.” Grow in Scripture. The best way to fight counterfeits is to know the truth. Know the Word. Be rooted in it. Endure sound teaching. Value it. And then expect wolves, examine wolves when they come and by God’s grace, exclude the wolves. And I pray God will preserve your souls. He will preserve this church and His churches around the world for His glory. Let’s bow for a word of prayer.

0:51:27.5

Father we thank You this morning that we can look into the spiritual reality around us. Often times we are blinded, we are complacent, we did not consider realities. Thank You that Your Word illumines our hearts. And this is our prayer, that You will keep us in Your Scriptures. Keep us following after Christ. Lord grow us that we will not become children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Thank You that victory is already won. Thank You that… as Luther would say, his rage we can endure for lo his doom is sure. Lord thank You today, we are on victory’s side. Keep us pressing on, keep us enduring unto the end. May our lives conform to the doctrine of godliness. So bless Your church, bless Your people. Guard us, watch us, be with us. We pray all these in Jesus’ name.