“Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear”
2 Peter 2:1-3 / Jude 1-4
A sermon for 1/25/26
2 Peter 2 “1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
Jude “1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For my sermon title, I was thinking about the verse in a kid’s song:
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
We teach this to children because we know that what goes in will come out. Let me geek out for a minute because this is also true for those infamous algorithms. “"Garbage in, garbage out" (GIGO) is a principle in computer programming and mathematics emphasizing that the quality of output is directly linked to the quality of input. This concept asserts that if a system receives flawed or incomplete data, the results produced will also be flawed, regardless of the system's sophistication.”
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/computer-science/garbage-garbage-out-gigo
That’s why Peter and Jude warn us about only listening to the TRUTH that comes from GOD!
Jude: WHO?
The writer of this letter identifies himself as the brother of James. He is most likely referring to the leader of the house churches in Jerusalem. In Galatians 2:9, names James and Peter as being in Jerusalem: “and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.” So who was James? He was the brother of Jesus: Mark 6:3 “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” The Greek for Jude is “Joudas,” which is often written as “Judas.” Jude avoids making a direct family connection to Jesus, but the Early Church knew he was Jesus's brother.
False teachers will face judgment 1 Peter 2:1, 3b & Jude 4a
“1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.”
“3b for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
Jude 4a “4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation,”
Peter begins v. 1 with a reference to the false prophets who stand in stark contrast to the true prophets we saw at the end of chapter 1 last week. In 1 Kings 22, we see a perfect example of these false prophets. Israel (10 northern tribes) is at war with Syria, and King Jehoshaphat goes to ask King Ahab of Judah (2 southern tribes) for help. Ahab seeks advice from his 400 prophets, who tell him to go to battle. Then they sent for another prophet, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who gave this prophecy: 1 Kings 22:19-23 “19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
Like these false prophets of old, the false teachers in the Early Church who twisted the truth would be held to account. False prophets were to be given severe punishment: Deuteronomy 13:3-5 “3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.”
Last week, we touched on a subject that Peter and Jude will come back to many times: the return of Christ. Most of the time, we see the Rapture as a deliverance from this fallen world that seems to grow darker by the year, but there’s more. The Biblical writers in the Early Church were looking forward to a day of judgment. This day of judgment is a common theme for the Old Testament Prophets. In Micah 4:5, it is referred to as “the great and terrible day of the Lord.”
We often struggle with Biblical passages that portray God as judging and punishing sin/evil. This has led to a modern-day heresy: the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. Here’s the problem – it’s the same God. So, let me briefly cover two attributes of God.
• Immutability: that means God Is Changeless. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Psalm 102:25-27
“25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.”
• Righteous Judge: that means God’s Judgment Can Be Trusted. We may not always understand.
Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
So, God’s Righteousness demands judgment for the false teacher back then. What about now?
Uncovering the False Teachers 1 Peter 2:2-3a & Jude 4b
“2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;”
Jude 4b “ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Both these letters make it clear who is a danger to the house churches. They paint a picture of men whose words and actions need to be challenged and condemned. Do you think it was as hard for them back then as it is for us today? I had a friend who visited a church and attended Sunday School. They were doing a video series with a book. The book's author was on the video and led teaching for several minutes on a Bible passage, then there was time for discussion. My friend listened as folks shared their beliefs and feelings that were the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. When it got to him, he shared the TRUTH of God’s Word and warned against their false beliefs. He was then scolded by the teacher for being too judgmental. Do you think my friend ever went back? Is that a picture of many of today’s Sunday Schools in our churches?
How to uncover them:
• “many will follow their destructive ways” - They will have folks that follow them. Most of the time, these folks twist the Word of God just a little, so folks don’t question it. One of their favorite phrases today is “Did God really say that?” They use it to get folks to question the authority of God’s Word. Does this sound familiar? It’s what the serpent asked Eve in Genesis 3:1.
• “because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” – Their teachings are lies. To understand this, you have to come to the point of declaring that God’s Word is the only source of Absolute Truth. Listen to this quote from a commentary: “We can argue that the danger of false teaching is greater in our day than it ever has been. Why? Because we live in an era that is deeply suspicious of absolute truth.” ( NIV Application, 2 Peter, Jude, Moo, p. 97) Today, folks are more interested in “my truth” than coming to “the way of truth.”
• “covetousness” and “ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness” – these false teachers have questionable morals and do not live lives of grace that God expects. Now, even those you teach the truth are tempted, and they fall. You need to add up these bad qualities of false teachers and question their motives when we see all three in folks.
One more brief description of a heresy in our recent past, where grace was turned into lewdness – The Hyper-Grace Movement. They were teaching that since all our past, present, and future sins are forgiven already, you might as well go ahead and do whatever you want. In churches where this took hold, there was an increase in adultery, leading to broken marriages and families. Paul addressed this very thing in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not!”
Our Response to False Teachers Jude 3
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Our response needs to be “contend earnestly for the faith.” That means we need to stand up and fight for the truth. Another quote: “There is a set of beliefs, based on the teaching and work of Christ, developed and passed on by the apostles, that is nonnegotiable. To be Christian is to agree with those beliefs, to reject them is to cease to be Christian.” (Moo, p. 236)
Folks who work in banks are taught to recognize counterfeit $100 bills. Do you know how? Do you think they have to learn every trick of every forger? Nope. They study and learn the real thing. That way, the forgeries will be obvious. That’s what we need to do. You don’t have to learn every false teaching out there; you need to learn the TRUTH of God’s Word.
Homework:
• Look up all the scriptures in today’s sermon. Have you ever been deceived by a false teaching? (PJ has!) What caused you to come back to the TRUTH?
• Absolute Truth is the belief that some things are universal: it’s always wrong to steal something that doesn't belong to you. The opposite view is that truth depends on the circumstances: it’s ok to steal a few office supplies from work, they have lots of money, and I don’t. Which position do you find yourself taking most often?
• Next week: 2 Peter 2:4-10a / Jude 5-7 “The Coming Judgment”
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TEACHING SHEET
January 25, 2026
2 Peter 2:1-3 / Jude 1-4
“Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear”
For my sermon title, I was thinking of a verse from a kids’ song. We teach this to children because we know that what goes in will come out. That’s why Peter and Jude warn us about only listening to the TRUTH that comes from GOD!
Jude: WHO?
The writer of this letter identifies himself as the brother of James. He is most likely referring to the leader of the house churches in Jerusalem. Galatians 2:9 So who was James? He was the brother of Jesus: Mark 6:3
False teachers will face judgment 1 Peter 2:1, 3b & Jude 4a
1 Kings 22:19-23 Like these false prophets of old, the false teachers in the Early Church who twisted the truth would be held to account. False prophets were to be given severe punishment: Deuteronomy 13:3-5
We tend to see the Rapture as a deliverance from this fallen world that seems to grow darker by the year, but there’s more. The Biblical writers in the Early Church were looking forward to a day of judgment. A modern-day heresy: the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. Here’s the problem – it’s the same God. So, let me briefly cover two attributes of God.
• Immutability: that means God Is Changeless. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Psalm 102:25-27
• Righteous Judge: that means God’s Judgment Can Be Trusted. We may not always understand. Genesis 18:25 So, God’s Righteousness demands judgment for the false teacher back then. What about now?
Uncovering the False Teachers 1 Peter 2:2-3a & Jude 4b
How to uncover them:
• “many will follow their destructive ways” - They will have folks that follow them. They ask, “Did God really say that?” It’s what the serpent asked Eve in Genesis 3:1.
• “because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” – Their teachings are lies. To understand this, you have to come to the point of declaring that God’s Word is the only source of Absolute Truth. Today, folks are more interested in “my truth” than in “the way of truth.”
• “covetousness” and “ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness” – these false teachers have questionable morals and do not live lives of grace that God expects.
One more brief description of a heresy in our recent past, where grace was turned into lewdness – The Hyper-Grace Movement. They were teaching that since all our past, present, and future sins are forgiven already, you might as well go ahead and do whatever you want. Romans 6:1-2 “
Our Response to False Teachers Jude 3
Our response needs to be “contend earnestly for the faith.” That means we need to stand up and fight for the truth.
Folks who work in banks are taught to recognize counterfeit $100 bills. Do you know how? Do you think they have to learn every trick of every forger? Nope. They study and learn the real thing. That way, the forgeries will be obvious. That’s what we need to do. You don’t have to learn every false teaching out there; you need to learn the TRUTH of God’s Word.
Homework:
• Look up all the scriptures in today’s sermon. Have you ever been deceived by a false teaching? (PJ has!) What caused you to come back to the TRUTH?
• Absolute Truth is the belief that some things are universal: it’s always wrong to steal something that doesn't belong to you. The opposite view is that truth de-pends on the circumstances: it’s ok to steal a few office supplies from work, they have lots of money, and I don’t. Which position do you find yourself taking most often?
• Next week: 2 Peter 2:4-10a / Jude 5-7 “The Coming Judgment”
