"Wisdom of a Talking Donkey"
2 Peter2:10b-16 / Jude 8-11
Sermon for 2/22/26
Pastor John Bright
Laurel Hill GMC
2 Peter 2 “10…They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
Jude “8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” NKJV
In 2001, the movie “Shrek” was released. It’s an animated comedy that became a favorite among many folks. A favorite character in the movie is a talking donkey – who talks all the time! I wonder where they came up with the idea of a donkey that would annoy the main character, who is on a journey? Oh wait – I know! The Bible.
In Numbers 22, the Israelites traveled near the kingdom of the Moabites. Their king, Balak, sends for a seer/diviner to curse the Israelites. Balaam, referred to as a prophet in 2 Peter 2, has several conversations with God and is following His directions. Then something changes in the story. In the past, the Jews considered Balaam’s real motivation to be greed, not serving God.
As Balaam is riding his donkey to meet King Balak, the Lord sends an angel with a sword to block his path. The donkey sees the angel and protects Balaam by stopping or moving to the side. All these actions cause Balaam to become angry and beat the donkey. Here’s what happens next: Numbers 22:30-33 “30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
We will come back to this later.
Angels and demons are real, 2 Peter 210b-13a Jude 8-10
2 Peter “They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.”
Jude ““8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.”
A couple of notes here: Who are the “dignitaries” in 2 Peter 2:10? In the NIV, it’s translated as “celestial being,” and in the Amplified Version, “glorious ones.” These are the evil angels that fell to the earth. (Revelation 12:4) Now, how are they speaking evil of these evil angels? I believe they were telling folks that the demons did not exist. Do you believe that demons exist? Jude mentions the dispute over the body of Moses, which is not found in the Bible. In the 1st century AD, this story is referenced in a book, the Testament of Moses. (Moo, NIV Application Commentary 2 Peter, Jude, 1996, p 246) Jude uses this example to show that beings greater than the false teachers do not dismiss the evil angels.
Peter and Jude are getting specific in their description of these false teachers, calling them arrogant and rejecting authority. Jude calls them dreamers who pollute their bodies. These sound like people who think they can do whatever they want, and it does not matter. Let me share with you what I consider the #1 idol we see today. Many folks have imagined a god who is okay with their sin. They believe they can do whatever they want and face no consequences. We find an “official” form of this belief in Universalism.
“Universalism is the belief that everyone will be saved. There are many people today who hold to universal salvation and believe that all people eventually end up in heaven. Perhaps it is the thought of men and women living a life of eternal torment in hell that causes some to reject the teaching of Scripture on this issue. For some it is an over-emphasis on the love and compassion of God—and the neglect of the righteousness and justice of God—that leads them to believe God will have mercy on every living soul. But the Scriptures do teach that some people will spend eternity in hell.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/universalism.html
I see this among church members who push back on the necessity of being saved by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary. Every one of those church members had drifted away from that belief as their adult children drifted away from and even rejected Christianity. I think these false teachers had taught that there was no need for Jesus. Do we see the same thing today?
Please raise your hand if you believe in angels. Thanks, put your hand down. Please raise your hand if you believe in demons. Thanks, put your hand down. If you raised your hand both times, you have a Biblical view of angels. Too many church members have a view of angels that contains New Age elements. If you want a good book on angels, read Billy Graham’s book,” Angels: God’s Secret Agents(1975).” In the preface, Rev. Graham shares what first led him to write the book: “When I decided to preach a sermon on angels, I found practically nothing in my library. Upon investigation, I soon discovered that little had been written on the subject in this century. This seemed a strange and ominous omission. Bookstores and libraries have shelves of books on demons, the occult, and the devil. Why was the devil getting so much more attention from writers than angels? Some people seem to put the devil on a par with God. Actually, Satan is a fallen angel. Even when people in our modern age have had their attention drawn to the subject of angels from time to time, those ideas have often been fanciful or unbiblical.”
Another book I would recommend is “The Screwtape Letters” (1942) by C.S. Lewis. This is from the preface: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Let me repeat myself: We DO NOT need to fear the demons who do their work in the spirit realm! When you were saved, you were given the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell IN YOU. Did you get a “junior” Holy Spirit? NO! You got the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus Christ when He walked on the water and opened the eyes of the blind. If you compared the Holy Spirit in you to the power of satan: satan’s power is like a little firecracker (pop), and the power of the Holy Spirit in you is like a NUCLEAR BOMB (BOOM)!
There is just no comparison because our Father God is so much greater than a fallen angel.
Persistent power of the Prosperity Gospel, 2 Peter 2:13b-16 Jude 11
2 Peter 2 “13…They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
Jude “11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”
These false teachers are described as no better than animals consumed by sensual pleasures. They are what we call hedonists. Is this sexual pleasure? Yes. Is this the sin of gluttony? Yes. Is this greed? Yes. There are so many little clues to the behavior of these false teachers. It’s their behavior that is being condemned, because what we see on the outside of a person points to what is on the inside: Luke 6:43-45 “43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Where do we see this today? Do you remember the years when so many televangelists were being exposed for sexual sin? This is still happening today, as we see with the fall of Pastor Carl Lenz, who led the Hillsong New York campus. But there is a greater threat – the Prosperity Gospel. “In the prosperity gospel, also known as the “Word of Faith Movement,” the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite—God uses the believer. Prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God’s will. The prosperity gospel movement closely resembles some of the destructive greed sects that infiltrated the early church. Paul and the other apostles were not accommodating to or conciliatory with the false teachers who propagated such heresy. They identified them as dangerous false teachers and urged Christians to avoid them.” https://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html
We have seen Prosperity Gospel preachers who claimed that God told them to ask folks to send money for a private jet. We have seen Prayer Cloths and Special Healing Oil given away on TV to anyone who sends a “seed gift” of $100. They tell you all you have to do is “Name-it and Claim-it.” “In his book Your Best Life Now, prosperity teacher Joel Osteen says that the key to a more rewarding life, a better home, a stronger marriage, and a better job is found in a “simple yet profound process to change the way you think about your life and help you accomplish what is truly important.” How different that is from the biblical truth that this life now is nothing compared to the life to come. The message of the prosperity gospel is focused around the “treasures” or good things we want and can have now, while Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).”
https://www.gotquestions.org/name-it-claim-it.html
It’s so easy to slip into believing these slick presentations that come in pretty packages and a string of Bible verses telling you that you deserve to have everything you want, but beware! Look at the folks who are selling this. Are they any better than Balaam, who thought he was smarter and better than a donkey who could see the danger ahead? We need to keep focused on the true gospel message and seek to grow into the likeness of Jesus rather than the image of a TV preacher. Amen
HOMEWORK:
1 – Look up all the scripture verses. Have you, or anyone you know, been taken in by a TV preacher?
2 – Do you need to read a couple of good books? Consider learning more about those beings who are working for us and against us in the spirit realm.
3 – Next week Rev. Penny Cory will be preaching as PJ takes Renewal Leave.
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TEACHING SHEET
"Wisdom of a Talking Donkey"
2 Peter2:10b-16 / Jude 8-11
Teaching Sheet for 2/22/26
In 2001, the movie “Shrek” was released. In that movie is a talking donkey – who talks all the time! Numbers 22:30-33
Angels and demons are real, 2 Peter 210b-13a Jude 8-10
“dignitaries” - These are the evil angels that fell to the earth. (Revelation 12:4) They were telling folks that the demons did not exist. Do you believe that demons exist? Jude mentions the dispute over the body of Moses, which is not found in the Bible. In the 1st century AD, this story is referenced in a book, the Testament of Moses. (Moo, NIV Application Commentary 2 Peter, Jude, 1996, p 246) Jude uses this example to show that beings greater than the false teachers do not dismiss the evil angels.
#1 idol we see today. Many folks have imagined a god who is okay with their sin. They believe they can do whatever they want and face no consequences. We find an “official” form of this belief in Universalism.
https://www.gotquestions.org/universalism.html
I see this among church members who push back on the necessity of being saved by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary. Every one of those church members had drifted away from that belief as their adult children drifted away from and even rejected Christianity. I think these false teachers had taught that there was no need for Jesus. Do we see the same thing today?
Billy Graham’s book,” Angels: God’s Secret Agents(1975).” Another book I would recommend is “The Screwtape Letters” (1942) by C.S. Lewis. This is from the preface: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”
Let me repeat myself: We DO NOT need to fear the demons who do their work in the spirit realm! When you were saved, you were given the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell IN YOU. Did you get a “junior” Holy Spirit? NO! You got the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus Christ when He walked on the water and opened the eyes of the blind. If you compared the Holy Spirit in you to the power of satan: satan’s power is like a little firecracker (pop), and the power of the Holy Spirit in you is like a NUCLEAR BOMB (BOOM)!
Persistent power of the Prosperity Gospel, 2 Peter 2:13b-16 Jude 11
It’s their behavior that is being condemned, because what we see on the outside of a person points to what is on the inside: Luke 6:43-45
This is still happening today, as we see with the fall of Pastor Carl Lenz, who led the Hillsong New York campus. But there is a greater threat – the Prosperity Gospel. https://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html
“In his book Your Best Life Now, prosperity teacher Joel Osteen says that the key to a more rewarding life, a better home, a stronger marriage, and a better job is found in a “simple yet profound process to change the way you think about your life and help you accomplish what is truly important.” How different that is from the biblical truth that this life now is nothing compared to the life to come. The message of the prosperity gospel is focused around the “treasures” or good things we want and can have now, while Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).”
https://www.gotquestions.org/name-it-claim-it.html
HOMEWORK:
1 – Look up all the scripture verses. Have you, or anyone you know, been taken in by a TV preacher?
2 – Do you need to read a couple of good books? Consider learning more about those beings who are working for us and against us in the spirit realm.
