This is the seventh sermon in a series of messages on the book of 2 Peter. This message covers chapter two and discusses the issue of heresy and error growing within the church. The Apostle Peter talks about the characteristics of the false teachers as well as their coming judgment, just like the false prophets in the Old Testament.
Written Excerpts:
2
Peter 2:1 (NKJV) 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.
Introduction:
Five
Hundred years ago this coming Tuesday (Oct. 31st), a Catholic monk
who was a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany nailed
a document to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The name of this
monk was Martin Luther. The
document titled, “95 Theses,” was written in protest of the errors and abuses
that were promoted by church officials, especially a practice known as the sale
of “Indulgences.” There
is a longer story behind it all, but a church official had been authorized to
sell the indulgences in order to pay off a debt owed by the archbishop of that
region.
What
was an “Indulgence?” Well, the Church believed that eternal guilt and
punishment for sin could only be forgiven by God, but there was a temporal
satisfaction that had to be “paid” by the repentant sinner either in this life
or in purgatory. It usually involved some good deed(s), some type of pilgrimage
or payment of money to the church. (Penance)
The
indulgence was an official document (piece of paper) that could be bought with
money and it would free the person from the temporal penalty of sins. Later,
it was extended to include the “souls in purgatory” if the living relatives
bought indulgences for them. Martin
Luther’s efforts to reform the Church led to an outright separation from the
church, which is now known as the Great Reformation.
In
the passage of Scripture we are considering today, Peter confronts the errors
that have been cropping up among the believers of the 1st century. Confrontation
against error was necessary in the 1st century and has been
necessary ever since, including such notorious times as the Great Reformation.
Confronting
and defeating error and evil is something that is not always welcome in our
society today. Christians today seem to be content to just “love everyone and
everything.” There doesn’t seem to be as much concern for what is right or what
is true, but “let’s just all get along and learn to love one another and
tolerate everything.”
I
want to remind you today that truth matters; biblical doctrines matter; and the
clear distinction between right and wrong matters. When
Jesus went to the cross He wasn’t just wanting to work out a truce or some
agreement where He and the Devil could peacefully co-exist. No, when Jesus
Christ went to Calvary’s cross, He went there to accomplish a complete and
final victory over the Devil that would eventually bring about the total demise
of the kingdom of darkness.
The
Apostle Peter is of the same mind. He wants to expose the errors of the false
teachers and help the believers to understand the truth and stay in the right
relationship with Christ.
Today
we are continuing our study of 2nd Peter by discussing chapter 2. Here
we see Peter’s analysis of the source of error among the readers and what’s in
store for them. For
our discussion today I have decided to adapt an outline of chapter 2 that I borrowed
from Dr. Vic Reasoner.
Outline:
Having
established the source of truth and its authority in the previous chapter, Peter continues in chapter two to write about The Source of Error (2:1-22).
A. The Characteristics of False Teachers
(2:1-3)
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) 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. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of
truth will be blasphemed. 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.
1. They will infiltrate the believers.
“among
the people;” “among you”
“the
people” – a word that usually refers to the a nation, in this case the people
of Israel.
There
were false prophets in the OT and there are false teachers now in the NT.
Every
time there is something that is really genuine, there will also be a
counterfeit.
2. Their teachings are destructive.
“destructive”
– perishing, (KJV “damnable”), i.e. eternal destruction. Rev. 9:11 uses same
root word for the name of the “angel of the bottomless pit” or “destroyer.”
“heresy”
– root word means “choice.” It is a deliberate choice to believe and follow
something that goes contrary to God’s Word.
Their
heresy was “denying the Lord who bought them.”
3. They are immoral. (v. 2)
“pernicious
ways” (KJV); “destructive ways” (NKJV) – this is the same word used in v. 10
for “filthy conduct” or “lust of uncleanness” (NKJV). Compare with v. 14.
4. They are greedy. (v. 3)
“by
covetousness they will exploit you”
Many
a person has been led astray and sought to lead others astray because of the
lure of material gain and prosperity.
Usually,
the people of the world can see through it better than the people in the
church. Whenever Christians do something to reach out to sinners the sinner may very well be thinking, "Are you
doing this for me or for you?" And they can usually tell the difference.
We
need to constantly check our motives for what we do.
B. The Precedent of Judgment (2:4-10a)
2 Peter 2:4-10
(NKJV) For if God did not spare
the angels who sinned, but cast them
down to hell and delivered them
into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5and did
not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people,
a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemned them to destruction,
making them an example to those
who afterward would live ungodly; 7and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy
conduct of the wicked 8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them,
tormented his righteous soul
from day to day by seeing and hearing their
lawless deeds)-- 9then
the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to
reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10and
especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
and despise authority.
Peter
next gives some clear examples from biblical history where the false, and the
counterfeit opponents to God’s truth were condemned and judged by God. The examples he cites includes: Fallen
angels, Fallen
humanity before the flood, and the Fallen
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
He
then reminds his readers that succumbing to the errors and lies of the rebels is
not necessary nor inevitable. God can and will deliver those who choose to be
godly.
Finally,
in this section, he reminds them that unjust, ungodly rebels against the truth
will be reserved for future judgment. Who
are these people being reserved for judgment? They are individuals who walk
according to the “lust of uncleanness and
despise authority.” (We
could add this description to the characteristics we mentioned earlier.)
C. The Arrogance of False Teachers (2:10b-12)
2 Peter
2:10b-14 (NKJV)
They
are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not
afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11whereas angels, who are
greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them
before the Lord. 12But 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, 13and 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, 14having 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.
These
false teachers were so arrogant they are contrasted
with angels who, even though they have great power, they defer to the
authority of God.
Not
only are they contrasted from angels, but they are compared to mere animals who deliberately and resolutely follow
their instincts and take any measures to obtain what they desire.
D. The First False Teacher (2:15-16)
2 Peter
2:15-16 (NKJV) They have forsaken the right
way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16but
he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice
restrained the madness of the prophet.
The
OT example of the prophet Balaam is used as an illustration of someone who was
led astray by the lure of personal gain and was willing to curse the people of
God in order to profit. These
present false teachers are following the example and leading people astray for
personal gain.
E. The Indictment Against False Teachers
(2:17-22)
2 Peter
2:17-22 (NKJV) These are wells without
water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness forever. 18For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure
through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually
escaped from those who live in error. 19While they promise them
liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a
person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the
beginning. 21For it would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22But
it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow,
having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
Peter
wraps up this chapter by adding on more of the characteristics that describe
these false teachers (17-19).
Ultimately,
they are hypocrites because they preach liberty, but they are slaves of
corruption and lusts of the flesh.
They
and their followers have returned to the mire that Christ died to deliver them
from.
Conclusion:
There
have always been errors and false teachers springing up in the church.
These
errors that Peter addressed involved a number of facets, including arrogant
claim to superior knowledge, and a belief that all matter is evil and the
source of evil. Thus, Jesus existing in human flesh was not sinless and wasn’t
truly God, so neither can we humans be truly pure and holy. Sin and corruption
will always be a part of our “DNA” so we might as well enjoy our freedom, live
the way we want, and hope for final deliverance in the next life.
Even
today, there are ongoing errors that rise up in the church and among those who
call themselves Christian. So it is absolutely essential that each of us remain
committed to faithful reading and studying of the Word, as well as faithful
seeking the power and illumination of the Spirit.
We
constantly need God’s guidance and direction to remain true and faithful to
Jesus Christ and His truth.
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