In this sermon, Aaron Ernst emphasizes the importance of preaching the word of God and staying true to sound doctrine. He warns against the temptation to seek out teachers who cater to personal desires rather than teaching the truth. Ernst also discusses the characteristics of a true prophet, highlighting the importance of producing good fruit and leading people to repentance. He cautions against relying on worldly philosophies and emphasizes the need to recognize false prophets. The sermon is based on 2 Timothy 4:2 and Jeremiah 23:21.

Hello, this is Aaron Ernst with Christ Campaign. Today we're going to be discussing the topic of false prophets. How do you recognize a false prophet? What is a false prophet? Well, I'm getting my text today from Jeremiah, the 23rd chapter, starting in the 21st verse. And before we set the tone here, we have to understand that there will be false prophets. That's a clear teaching of scripture. And they will be after their own desires, their own fame to get money. Vain appetites they have, but yet and still we need to know how to recognize them. And we need to know how to guard against them. And what is it that these false prophets do? Now, by no means am I going to exhaust this subject. I'm just simply going to maybe whet your appetite or pique your interest in the idea of making sure that you fall under the pure counsel of the Word of God. Or, perhaps you are a false teacher and you are listening to this and you will realize that you are a false teacher. Maybe you think that you're a good person or you think that you're an innovative pastor, but you may come to find in reality you are a false prophet. So, in Jeremiah 23 and the 21st verse, God speaking, saying, I did not send the prophets, yet they ran. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, then they would have proclaimed my words to the people, and they would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. First, God's saying, I did not send them. I didn't speak to them, yet they acted like I did. You know, God's saying here that in verse 22, that if anyone that I send, here's what they do. They proclaim my words to the people. And then what's the outcome of that? God says that repentance. They would have turned from their evil ways. They would have turned from their evil deeds. Their evil ways comes from the abundance of their heart. Their evil deeds is a fruit of the root of their evil heart. So, they would have had a repentant, fruitful ministry. But yet, we see all kinds of ministers today trying to improve upon the word of God. They try to add to it by bringing in sociology and psychology and things from the world. But yet, God says, how is it that the living consult the dead in regards to the living? You know, those philosophies, those ideas of the people of the world and sociology and psychology and all those different things and in science, those are the dead people of the world. Dead people. They don't have some truth. They have zero truth. They don't understand the true and living God. And guess what? If you are a true teacher, if you are a true prophet, you will proclaim not your own words, not your own funny stories, not your own clever devised ways to get people to make decisions, not your own clever evangelistic programs, but you will be proclaiming God's words. God says in verse 22, if they would have stood in my counsel. He's saying if they would have stood under my words, which we have, the scriptures, the Holy Bible, then they would have proclaimed, let me just fill in the word right here, the Bible to my people. They would have proclaimed the Bible to my people. They would have exposited the word of God and said, behold, the words of the Lord. They would have explained the words of the Lord to the people. But yet today, this is rarely what we see. We hardly ever see that. We see motivational talks. We see people spouting off all their clever stories, telling about their sad puppies or their weekend at the beach, telling about the old lady instead of saying what God has to say to his people. But you know what also is a mark of a true prophet of God is that his ministry produces good fruit. And that good fruit is also in verse 22. And it says the fruit would be that they would turn the people that they speak to from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. That is the fruit of a true, godly, God-sent prophet. But I tell you one thing. Maybe you're out there preaching. Maybe you think you've got a whole bunch of, quote, decisions. And maybe you think you've got a big church. Or maybe you attend a big church and this is like the pastor that you go to. But guess what? When he stands up in the pulpit, he reads a few passages of the Bible. But then he leaves it and he goes off to proclaim his own word. You see, a half truth is a whole lie. Or 99% truth is a whole lie. If it's not a whole truth, it's a whole lie. And if it's not from God, then it's from man. And I don't think and I know based upon the authority of Scripture that those whom God sends, they speak God's words. Maybe you think what you're doing is harmless. Maybe you think, oh, the people can't understand the word of God. Oh, that's a pretty prideful attitude if you ask me. Who are you? Are you some big genius? God has, a lot of these New Testament letters were written to slaves. You think that you're some smart guy that you can rearrange God's word? Are you a better author than God? Are you a better communicator than God? I don't think so. You are a false prophet if you are not speaking the words of God. So if you realize you're in the ministry and you are not speaking the words of God, either start speaking the words of God after you repent and you fall on your face and weep before God, or you get out of the ministry and you go off and be some kind of motivational speaker somewhere. But do not stay in the ministry. And I tell you, beloved saints, if you are in a church where the preacher is not proclaiming, he's not preaching as we see in verse 22, the words of God to God's people. You need to get out of that church. You need to do whatever you got to do to find a place where they will faithfully exposit the word of God. And what will happen is that will produce repentance in your own life and it will turn you away from your own deeds. And we also see very clearly, you know, in the pastoral epistles, Paul's charge to Timothy. This old famous verse, Second Timothy, chapter four, verse two. Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. And, you know, that's what we're seeing today. So I exhort you today. I rebuke you today. I reprove you today. Please come under the teaching of the word of God and be blessed and behold that the Lord is good. He is awesome and worthy to be praised. What a sweet Lord we have. And until next time, I'm Aaron Ernst and live a Christ centered life.