Standing Firm (2 Peter 2)
CHCC – November 16, 2014
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever known someone who was pulled into some sort of pseudo-Christian Cult? Most of us have, and we know how completely deceived … even brainwashed … people can be.
It is a frightening fact that many people who are now zealous members of false cults were at one time faithful members of Bible believing churches. How did that happen? What drove these people away from Biblical truth into deceptive error?
In the Second chapter of 2 Peter, the subject of false teachers is addressed at length. Even when the church was in its infancy, false teachers were already pulling people away from saving faith in Jesus Christ. This is one of the main reasons Peter wrote this second letter to the scattered Christians.
Peter gets right down to business in explaining about the ways of the false teachers. He begins with a short introduction to the Counterfeits which Satan has inserted among the true believers. In three short verses he blasts their evil ways with 3 facts about false teachers.
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. … 2 Peter 2:2-3
When it comes to false teachers, Peter makes these 3 things clear: their destiny is DESTRUCTION, their actions are DEPRAVED, and their words are DECEITFUL. Before he says anything else about false teachers, Peter wants us to know that in the end, God will pour out judgment on anyone who leads God’s children astray.
1. Their destiny is Destruction
2 Peter 2:3-6: …Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment …
In the next verses, Peter gave three examples of the judgment that is sure to come for false teachers:
• Fallen angels, (who were chained in hell);
• The old world before the flood (where all the world was destroyed, even though Noah and his family were saved.)
• and Sodom and Gomorrah (where two entire cities were destroyed with fire and brimstone, while only Lot and his family were saved.)
Peter is reminding us that our God of love and grace, is also a God of power and justice. In American churches today, we sometimes get the idea that “grace” and “love” means we can’t speak out against any teaching (no matter how false) or any behavior (no matter how sinful.) This supposedly tolerant attitude comes from an out of balance view of scripture … that doesn’t take in the whole counsel of God. Scripture, when taken as a whole, gives the balanced view of a God who is full of both amazing grace and perfect justice.
The damage that false teachers were doing in the early church made Peter really angry. He wasn’t being “un-Christ-like” in that anger. In fact, Peter was reacting the same way Jesus reacted to false teachers. When Jesus saw the religious leaders making merchandise of the temple worshipers, he actually turned over the tables of the money-changes and drove them out with a whip! He called the Pharisees “white-washed tombs” and a “brood of vipers” because of the harm they were doing to God’s children.
Peter doesn’t pull any punches. He says in vs. 12-13: They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.
I think we can see from this that it’s not “un-Christ-like” to be angry about false teachers. But Peter gives a word of caution in verse 11: … yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.
Do you remember what Peter’s personality was like as a disciple of Jesus? He was usually the first to speak out, and he ran around with two guys that Jesus called sons of thunder. But by the time he wrote this letter, Peter had learned that it’s not our place to take God’s judgment into our own hands. Even angels leave judgment to the Lord! We can speak out against false teaching, but other than that, our job is to teach the truth and trust in God … and wait for HIM to give out His perfect judgment at the right time. That day WILL come. Every false teacher is headed for certain DESTRUCTION.
Peter goes on to describe the identifying marks of false teachers. Jesus taught “by their fruits you will know them,” and Peter describes the kind of fruits you will see from false teachers. Their actions are Depraved.
2. Their actions are Depraved
In verses 10 – 15, Peter describes these identifying marks of false teachers:
• They follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority
• They are bold, arrogant, and not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings
• They blaspheme in matters they do not understand
• Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight
• With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning
• They seduce the unstable;
• they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
You get the idea! False teachers can put on a good front. They can even look wise and moral and upright. But when you look beneath the surface, you will always find the worst kinds of immorality, abuse, and greed.
Christians should never be naive. Scripture clearly warns that not everyone who uses the name of Christ is teaching the gospel of Christ.
You may be hearing false teaching …
• when you hear a teacher constantly putting down other teachers in order to build themselves up
• when one group claims to have a patent on the truth … they have it right and everyone else has it wrong
• when a group wants to control all your behaviors and decisions
• when a teacher claims that a certain behavior is just fine with God even though the Bible clearly says it is sinful behavior.
• when a teacher’s own behavior is immoral or manipulative
• When the teaching doesn’t match the whole counsel of God (hold up Bible) this book is not too long for someone to read in a year! Standing Firm against false teachers requires us to know the Bible, not just a verse here and there.
Those who teach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ will be known by their humble and pure attitudes. These are the kind of teachers we should follow!
As disciples of Jesus, all of us need to stand firm against every kind of false teaching. We need to be on guard because false teachings can infiltrate any church … even ours. Peter makes it clear that one identifying mark of a false teacher is that their words are DECEITFUL.
3. Their words are Deceitful
In the same way that there were false prophets in Old Testament times … who would often refute the words of true prophets to create confusion … there have been and are today, false teachers who refute Biblical truth to lead ungrounded people astray.
Look at verse 17: These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
Even though these false teachers make bold promises of what will come from their teachings (enlightenment, truth, a better life, happiness, etc.) In the end, it all comes to nothing, just like a cloud that thunders and wind blows but no rain ever comes. Nothing they promise ever comes forth from their teaching except emptiness and frustration.
Peter goes on to say, For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” 2 Peter 2:18-19
As Peter said, they mouth empty, boastful words. This can also be translated, arrogant nonsense, or proud words of vanity. The Greek is actually "plastos" … They speak Plastic words .. words that can be molded like plastic to mean anything they want them to mean.
In America today, we have many of these kind of groups … some of them are small, localized groups. Others are big and influential churches. These groups want to present themselves as “Christian,” so they use words like “gospel” and “grace” and “salvation” and “atonement.”
False teachers may use Christian vocabulary, but they do not use our dictionary. They might even use the Bible, but the purpose is not to enlighten, but to deceive.
These folks are often persuasive talkers who boldly declare that their group is superior to all others. But they don’t say this up front. Their ways are more clever than that!
I’ve read literature from groups like the Mormons or the JW’s and others. The first things you read sound reassuringly Christian. It’s when you get to the end of the book … or in the Mormon’s case – to their second and third books – that you find you have left the Gospel of the Bible FAR FAR behind!
False teachers don’t immediately attack Biblical truth. They just cleverly slip in their own teachings beside Biblical teachings. At first they always give the impression that they believe the fundamentals of the faith. Before long they remove true doctrine and leave their false teaching in its place.
CONCLUSION:
Peter ends with this graphic warning: If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” 2 Peter 2:20-22
Pretty disgusting! The message is clear. Beware of the person who touts his superior “religious experience” …
• even if they look impressive (like the temporarily cleaned up pig) …
• even if they make you feel better (like the dog who just threw up)!
False teaching is based on false promises, empty words that may sound exciting but have no divine authority behind them.
It is offered by false Christians who have been involved in false experiences.
These counterfeits are deceitful deniers of all that God stands for.
Their destruction is sure … and will come soon.
Learn to identify and STAND FIRM on the firm foundation of God’s eternal and true Word!
