Galatians 4:16-18, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you.”
Have you ever been flattered? Did you realize it at the time or were you suckered into thinking that the flatterer was being serious? People who flatter never have good motives do they? A guy on a date who is just trying to “get some.” A businessmen who only wants to pad his bottom line.
False teachers are perennial flatterers. It was one of the tactics being used by the false teachers in Galatia. Paul warns that you should be very wary of religious teachers who only tell you what you like, what you want to hear. Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3 about having “itching ears” and finding teachers who will simply tell you what you want to hear. If you go to a church that doesn’t talk about sin, doesn’t confront you with the law, that is false-teaching flattery. If you go to a church that just goes along with whatever the world says about sexuality, marriage, abortion, and things like that, that is a false teaching flattery.
The true Word of God does not flatter because it’s purpose is not to tell us what we want to hear but what we need to hear, it’s purpose is to tell the truth, even if that is hard. We need to hear about our sins in order to hear about our Savior Jesus. Beware of flatterers, listen only to Jesus!
In Christ
Pastor Ude