2 Peter 2 - May 6, 2012
Turn with me this morning to the book of 2 Peter, chapter 2. We have been going through this book that we find at the end of the NT, five books before Revelation, the last book of the Bible. It is written by Peter, the bold fisherman who ended up leaving his nets and following Christ. And we saw last week that in 3:1, Peter is writing to REMIND us of things that we already know to be true, because we need to keep them in the forefront of our thinking. He says, Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
Picture a scenario with me as we get started. It is a foggy winter night, and it has been sleeting for about an hour. Your teenager comes to you and says you told them they could borrow the car and go rollerskating. As they are headed for the door, what do you say? You instantly start to tell them to wear their seat belt, drive slowly, pay attention because the roads are icy.
Why do we do that? Because we want them to remember the dangers at hand. Here in 2 Peter 2, Peter is reminding us of the dangers at hand in the church. He is writing to remind us of things we know to be true. He reminds us that we need to go beyond just being comfortable in being a Christian, and
• we need to add to our faith 7 different qualities - I call them spiritual One-a-days. He reminds us that
• the Lord is returning - and we need to look for His return constantly. Peter reminds us that
• the OT prophets are reliable, and we can rely on what the scriptures record for us. But then Peter goes on to remind us in chapter 2 that
• there are also false prophets out there. So we need to beware, to take heed, to compare the teaching we hear to the scriptures we possess. Let’s see what Peter has to say in chapter 2. Read 2:1-3:1 Pray
Peter gives us encouragement in chapter 1 - we can rely on the prophets of old. But in chapter 2 he gives us a warning: there will always be false prophets. There were false prophets in the OT - in 1 Kings 22 we find the story of Micaiah. Jehoshaphat the King of Judah wanted to inquire of the Lord to find out if a battle would end well. All the King of Israel’s prophets told Jehoshaphat that the battle would end in great victory, but Micaiah, the one true prophet, told his the sorrowful outcome of the battle. It’s a fascinating story, read it for yourself in 1 Kings 22.
In the gospels, we find the words of Jesus, (Matt. 7:15) Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Here in 2 Peter, we see Peter going on to describe them for us. And even today, there are false prophets with us. All you have to do if flip through a few shows on the “religious” channel, and you will find some false prophets. Because they ARE there, and because they are DANGEROUS, we need to pay attention to what Peter has to say and take note of what a false teacher looks like. Peter gives us 7 descriptions that we want to think about today. First of all, the obvious characteristic, false teachers teach false doctrine.
1. Troubled Teaching - vs 1 - They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Peter gives a visual picture in verse 17 - These men are springs without water - Peter says it’s like going to the well to pull up the water, but there is no water there. Many people go to churches Sunday after Sunday expecting to hear the truth of God’s word, but instead hear only a “feel good” message - a self-help message - or stories to tug on our hearts - but what is strikingly absent is the word of God. Here at Bethel we always want the scripture to be the heart of the sermon. It doesn’t matter a hill of beans what I have to say - the only value of my words is to help you understand God’s words - that’s what’s truly important in life.
What would it look like to deny the sovereign Lord? In the first century, it was a heresy called Gnosticism. They said spirit was good and matter was evil. So they said Jesus wasn’t human, he only appeared human. They taught if you were part of their group, you would get a special secret knowledge. You could unlock hidden things, secrets of the universe. They were a secret group, sort of like the Freemasons. There’s a group that hasn’t been real popular in recent years like this: the Rosicrucians. The current popular fad of gnosticism is called Kaballah - it’s a blend of Judaism and mysticism and secrets and rituals. It’s all the fad with celebrities like Madonna. Today we also have the New Age Movement. The idea there are secret powers in crystals, pyramids, angels, auras, energy spots.
When I was in college, the guy across the hall was into “pyramid power” - he would build little paper pyramids to put over his contact lenses because he thought it gave them special powers.
But that all is an extreme case - how about in churches? If you had attended the Community Prayer Breakfast this Thursday you would have heard the perfect example. During the closing prayer God was entreated to “help us inquire of those of other religions so we can understand the many ways of God.” I don’t know about your bible, but mine still states in Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. You can say that’s awful narrowminded. But then I remind you what Jesus said in Matthew 7:14 - Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. It’s interesting what Jesus says in the next verse, 15, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
I have a file in my office of different false teachers. One example is Peter Popoff, who wrote “Dear brother Ring”, now my name is Rhine, and he said, “I had a message last night from God just for you.” I think if he really had a message from God he would at least have known my name. There are a multitude of false teachers who sound really good, but do not teach the truth. Paul says in Galatians 1 - But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! Whenever you hear or watch a televangelist, don’t just think about how enjoyable their speech is, critique their teaching to see whether it is truly representing the word of God!
But what else characterizes these false teachers?
2. Immoral Ideas - vs 2 says, Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. The idea expressed in having no shame at acting on their unbridled lusts. Vs. 14 says, With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable. But we wouldn’t expect to see this in the church, would we? Sadly, it’s true. It’s as old as the Bible. Remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5 - It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud!
The church members at Corinth all said, Oh, we’re really a loving bunch. We accept everyone, no matter who they are or what they are doing. Or today we say, Whatever is done in private should stay private! How can they try to justify this? They say, We have freedom in Christ, we aren’t bound to the law anymore. We live under grace.
Paul dealt with that mentality in Romans 6 - But where sin increased, grace increased all the more . . . What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
False teachers will often be soft on sexual immorality. Because their lives are immoral. Thirdly,
3 - Motivated by Money - False teachers are characterized by greed. Verse 3 says, In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. The word for greed here is the term “covetousness” - they want what others have. They are consumed by a desire for money, possessions, and wealth. The NLT translates this verse, In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money.
False teachers look for ways to fleece the sheep. One good example of this is Oral Roberts, who back in 1977 claimed to have had a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and the hospital would be a success. But it operated for only eight years before closing in late 1989. In 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer. In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home."
And Oral is just one example. You may say, “don’t you believe that Oral really heard God say those things? NO! I don’t. The last I knew, cancer is still killing millions. God says in Deuteronomy 18:22 - If the prophet predicts something in the LORD’s name and it does not happen, the LORD did not give the message. That prophet has spoken on his own. Oral Roberts was a false prophet!
How about another characteristic of false teachers: They . . .
4 - Avoid Authority - It tells us in verse 10 that these teachers despise authority. They want to answer to no one. They don’t want anyone holding them accountable. They are a law unto themselves. Back in 2007 Congressman Chuck Grassley started a massive IRS investigation of 6 large ministries. Of those, Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church, Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church/Eddie L. Long Ministries, and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries submitted incomplete responses. Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International/Creflo Dollar Ministries declined to provide any of the requested information. These ministries are controlling millions upon millions of dollars of donations, and they have no accountability for how the funds are spent. Tied in with this avoidance of authority is the next characteristic of false prophets -
5 - Foolish Focus - vs 10 - Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. To most of us, we read that and think, What in the world is that talking about. But if you ever listen to these teachers, you already know. They love to show their professed power over spiritual forces. They love to pray “I bind Satan.” As if we can control the adversary. I’ll be the first to admit that Satan does not have power over us, but WE are not the ones who has the power over Satan, God is. In Jude 9 it says, But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Yet these false teachers claim the ability to bind and control all the forces of the satanic realm.
They so often have just a foolish focus. If you will tell them of a problem they will tell you “Just shake those serpents off” as if financial issues or health issues can be gone as simply as waving your arms. They are speaking of things they just don’t understand. They have a foolish focus. Next
6 - Senseless Speaking - vs 12 - They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. What is this idea of a brute beast? They are very forceful in their speech, but they are not rational, logical, or informed in their speech. Their arguments make no sense. What are some good examples of this?
Westboro Baptist Church launching protests at the funeral of soldiers who have died serving their country, who have died protecting our freedom. And what is their claim? That somehow these brave soldiers are promoting homosexuality. They also protest with signs claiming that God hates the Jews? One of the most ridiculous claims ever! Just read Romans 9 & 10 sometime. God loves the Jews! These false teachers speak foolishly.
7 - Cold Conscience - vs 13 - Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. There is a shamelessness about them. They think nothing about the wrong they are doing. Vs 18 - For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. What is Peter talking about? Remember the first century was dominated by the worship of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Their worship was a sexual, orgiastic ritual. You would go to the temple and have sex with a prostitute as a way of worshiping. Christians were coming out of that, but being lured back into “Christian sexual orgies.” They tried to justify acting on whatever their lustful hearts desired.
Where do we see this today? How about the mormon church. Warren Jeffs, forcing underage girls to be “married” to men who have multiple wives and repeatedly rape these underage girls. You say, Pastor Dean, you shouldn’t talk about such things! But that’s what’s happening in our country in the name of following God.
We have false teachers all around us. And we need to BEWARE of their danger!
A question we might ask is Why would God allow False Teachers? The answer is that we live in a fallen sinful world. God created a perfect world. But sin entered our world. One day we will once again be in a perfect, sinless world. But for today we live with the effects of sin all around us. But Peter gives us encouragement here. And that is this fact:
Judgement will come! He gives us examples to show us that God will bring about judgment. First in verse 4 he mentions the angels who sinned - referring to the angels who fell with Satan - Revelation 12 - 1/3 of the angels in heaven were cast out when Satan rebelled. Second, Peter mentions Noah’s society - where the flood came and wiped them all out. Third, he mentions Sodom & Gomorrah - burnt to ashes as a result of God’s judgment. This is all given to remind us of two things:
- God rescues the godly, and
- God will make sure that judgment comes to the ungodly. In Psalm 37, David looks at the wicked all around him, but is reminded that he doesn’t need to get all heated up about them, because the wicked will be destroyed and the godly will be delivered.
So, we go on to chapter 3 - Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. Peter is giving us a reminder of what we already know - we need to reject false teachers! And to do that, we need to identify them!
When you pick up a Christian book, when you turn on the radio or tv or pick up a Christian DVD, don’t just listen without thinking about what you are hearing. Smooth talking teachers lead many astray. Instead, our model is the church at Berea. Acts 17:11 - Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Everything they heard from Paul, they checked in the scriptures. There is a lot of false teaching out there, and we need to beware. We need to test everything against the truth of God’s word, and we need to reject false teachers. May God give us discerning hearts to know and love the truth. Let’s pray.
