Friday, November 3, 2017

Legacy of Lies

Friday, November 3, 2017
But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them.  In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality.  And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.  In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money.  But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.  2 Peter 2:1-3(NLT)
I’ve got to confess this text has always worried me.  As one who is a pastor, under-shepherd to God’s flock, and stands behind the sacred desk each week teaching and preaching God’s Word, the weight of truth-telling is sometimes excruciating.  To be sure, I’m not worried about God’s Word being true; that’s been settled in my soul for many years.  I worry about me; I’m always concerned about my ability to not mix-in anything that will turn the truth into fable, and in so-doing, slander the Gospel. 
I have a good friend to whom I confided this irksome fear; he told me that he would be worried about me if I wasn’t concerned about that.  He said:  The Gospel is too important to take lightly.  Always check your motive for what you preach.
On the other side of this thought lurk two other types of teachers, both false.  There are those who teach from ignorance, not understanding the truth, perhaps because of naivety or lack of giftedness.  But the worst kind of false teacher is intentional; truth is known, but replaced with whatever lie will bring the highest payoff.
What’s odd about our culture is that false teachers hyping the biggest lies are the ones we seem to elevate the most.  The fame and fortune which false teachers have as their target rolls-in like ants sticking to an anteater’s tongue.  It’s just wrong, but it’s also understandable, considering the way success is idolized and worshipped in American life.  We want our leaders slick, smiling and smoothly telling us the lies we want to hear.
Peter said the legacy of such liars is destruction.  We may not see it, but it is happening!  James Russell Lowell wrote:
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,—       
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,           
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.[2]          
Behind the dim unknown cloud of lies permeating culture, relationships, and even the church, there is JHWH, Jehovah-God, the One who is everlasting, all-knowing, and everywhere moving the events of history and human beings towards His will and purpose.  In the end God’s watch over his own will produce justice.  The legacy of lies is death…and that in God’s own timing.

For You Today

Moving into the light of God’s life means turning your back on a legacy filled with lies, and beginning a life-long love affair with truth.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com
[2] James Russell Lowell, The Present Crisis

No comments:

Post a Comment