Spiritual Survival: False Teachers Part 2

2 Peter 2, verse 12

2 Peter 2:12

But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.

They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed.

And like beasts, they too will perish.

They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

Their idea of pleasure is to crouse in broad daylight.

Their blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

But eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning.

They seduce the unstable.

They are experts in greed and a cursed brood.

They have left the straightway and wandered off to follow Balaam, son of Beor,

who loved the wages of wickedness.

But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey,

a beast without speech, who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm,

blackest darkness is reserved for them.

For they mouth empty, boastful words,

and by appealing to the lustful desires of a sinful human nature,

they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

They promised them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity.

For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

and are again entangled in it and 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 which was passed on to them.

Of them the Proverbs are true,

a dog returns to its vomit,

and the sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.

Okay, just ask Alex to come up now,

and he'll be speaking to us from the other day.

Just pray for him before he speaks.

Alex?

Okay, let's pray.

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word,

and thank you for its availability to us in our own language.

Lord, we just pray that you would teach us from it.

We pray that you would help Alex this morning as he opens up this passage, Lord,

and explains it to us,

and explains to us what you have been teaching him from it, Lord,

and pray that we would learn from it.

Help us, Lord, as I said already,

not to be just hearers of the word,

to be doers of it,

and to be mindful and guardful against false teachers.

And just pray that you would just bless Alex as he speaks to us,

and bless us as we listen.

We ask these things, Lord Jesus, in your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks, Ian.

So before I start,

if you'd like to just keep your Bibles open,

because we're going to be really spending a lot of time

looking at exactly what that passage says.

So keep your Bibles open,

and if you have your notice sheet,

there's a blank sheet at the back of it, I think,

so you can take notes,

and there are pencils and pens at the back.

If you'd like to put your hand up,

Shane might give you one.

So you can take notes.

Thank you.

So it's been great,

these last few weeks,

preparing this,

because this is a passage that,

when I first looked at weeks ago,

I was scratching my head,

and I had no idea what it was on about.

So it was a great opportunity to really spend time

looking at this passage,

praying through it,

speaking with people about it,

and just have the Spirit,

through the Word,

and through other people,

explain it to me.

So that's what I'm going to try and do this morning,

is to pass that message on to you,

with the grace of God.

So,

my parents are keen gardeners,

maybe that's where I get it from,

but as a child,

they would ask me,

all that they would ask me to do in the garden,

was to pull weeds.

I hated pulling weeds.

It was boring and slow,

and no matter what I did,

no matter how good a job I did,

I'd come back a week later,

and they'd all be back again.

But living on a farm,

my parents are fairly clued in

to what is a wanted plant,

and what is not wanted.

So they know the difference,

for example,

between a rose and a buttercup,

a hogweed,

and a hollyhock.

However,

a while ago,

they asked me to identify a flower.

It's up there on the screen,

and it's there on top of the elephant.

They were admiring the beauty

of its colour,

of its shape,

of its texture,

of its symmetry,

but they weren't sure what it was.

They didn't know what it was called,

and they couldn't remember planting it anywhere.

I took one look at them,

and I warned them,

get rid of it straight away,

dispose of it,

root it out,

dig it out,

kill it.

Any roots that might still exist,

rip them out as well.

In fact,

once they had done that,

I advised them to keep watch,

and at the very first sign of it re-emerging,

to spray it with weed killer,

so they would kill it down to the roots,

and destroy it completely.

You see,

the false teachers in today's passage,

are very much like this nuisance weed,

called bindweed.

They took,

they look the part,

they fit comfortably into our gardens,

even leaving a lovely floral display,

so we don't think they're harmful.

The weeds are there in the ground,

waiting for the right conditions,

or the right plants,

to latch onto.

They wind their way onto,

or into,

a host plant,

and they start taking it over,

stopping its growth,

as it robs the plant of daylight,

air,

and often,

its very life.

Today,

this passage,

also comes with a stark warning,

to us all.

We,

the church,

or the family of Jesus Christ,

are in danger,

of being taken over,

having our growth stunted,

or worse,

stopped,

by false teachers.

Parading is harmless,

if not beautiful,

and very often,

plausible,

they let us believe,

that there is no danger,

and they might even improve us,

or add something,

to our church.

False teachers,

are as prevalent today,

as they were,

at the time of Peter,

writing this letter.

This warning,

is not just for teachers,

in churches,

or Sunday schools.

We all play a teaching role,

in some ways.

Be it on a Sunday morning,

or at home with our kids.

How we live out our daily lives,

in work,

or at home,

will be seen,

and noticed,

as what our teaching is,

and what our message is.

So we need to be very careful,

that our lifestyle,

speaks well of Jesus,

and reflects our message,

and that our message,

about Jesus,

is backed up,

by our lifestyle,

or our actions.

So how do we recognize,

a false teacher?

Who will they be?

Let's look at the word.

Chapter 2,

verse 1.

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 brought,

who bought them,

bringing swift destruction,

on themselves.

Who will they be?

They will be among us.

They will be,

teachers of the word,

church leaders,

youth club leaders,

Sunday school teachers,

parents.

They are people,

who claim to know Christ,

but whose lifestyle,

and message,

show that they are not,

living as Christians.

Those who live,

in such a way,

that they have surrendered,

to God's word,

his authority,

and those,

whose very nature,

has been transformed,

by the grace,

of Jesus.

Their lifestyle,

and their behavior,

will give them away.

Let's read verse 12.

But these men,

blaspheme in matters,

they do not understand.

They are like,

brute beasts,

creatures of instinct,

born only to be caught,

and destroyed.

And like beasts,

they too will perish.

This means,

that they are insolent.

They are guilty,

of arrogant conduct,

or insulting,

bold behavior,

or attitude.

To blaspheme,

is to simply,

speak evil of.

A brute beast,

is translated,

literally as,

irrational.

Verse 13.

They will be paid back,

with harm,

for the harm,

they have done.

Their idea of pleasure,

is to carouse,

in broad daylight.

They are blots,

and blemishes,

reveling in their pleasures,

while they feast with you.

Well,

that means simply,

that they are licentious.

They are lacking restraint,

or ignoring societal standards.

Disregarding,

accepted rules,

particularly,

with regard to,

sexual conduct.

They do,

during the daytime,

what others would,

shamefully do,

during the night.

Such is their disregard,

for societal standards.

Verse 14.

With eyes full of adultery,

they never stop sinning.

They seduce the unstable,

they are experts in greed,

and a cursed brood.

They're immoral.

Their eyes are full of adultery,

means that they are always,

looking for a woman,

with which to commit adultery.

Always.

They are completely immoral.

Every time they see a woman,

there's only one thing on their mind.

And these people,

are in our churches,

and they think it's okay.

Verse 14b,

to 16,

says,

they are experts in greed,

and a cursed brood.

They have left a straight way,

and wandered off,

to follow the way,

of Balaam,

son of Beor,

who loved the wages,

of wickedness.

But he was rebuked,

for his wrongdoing,

by a donkey.

A beast without speech,

who spoke with a man's voice,

and restrained,

the prophet's madness.

They are greedy,

looking for ways,

to feather their own nest.

They are ruled,

by money and personal gain.

So that very quickly,

is a snapshot,

of a false teacher's,

lifestyle,

or their behaviour.

But what does all this,

actually look like?

Well,

very simply put,

they're sleazy.

They're men,

checking out women,

all the time,

and lusting after them.

They are women,

who romanticise,

about either,

how they wish,

men would behave,

or how they,

themselves,

could look.

Obsessing about,

physical appearance,

and self-gratification,

and doing so blatantly,

during daytime hours,

shamelessly,

not even hiding it,

until the privacy of darkness,

or night time.

Jesus isn't their God,

they worship themselves.

They are also,

obsessed with money.

Now I don't mean,

for example,

those who meet,

along the street,

and say,

oh,

I love that top you're wearing,

oh,

thanks,

pennies,

fiver.

No,

these people,

are more the Balaam type.

Seriously greedy.

I didn't know much,

about Balaam either,

until I started reading,

but it's a story,

found in the book of Numbers,

Numbers 22 · chapter mention

chapters 22 to 24,

we don't have time,

to read it now,

but I tried to pick out,

the main points.

So here we go,

as a quick summary.

King Balak,

is intimidated,

by the Israelites,

so he sends word,

to the prophet Balaam,

to come to him.

He asked Balaam,

to curse the Israelites,

and offered him,

great wealth,

and great status.

God made it,

very clear to Balaam,

that he was not to go,

or to curse the Israelites.

But Balaam went anyway,

lured by the promise,

of riches,

and status.

Such was his insistence,

on doing things,

his own way.

He didn't even seem,

to be aware,

that eventually,

he was arguing,

with a donkey.

God had to speak to him,

through a donkey,

to get his attention.

It's a great story,

and I do encourage you,

to read it,

in Numbers 22 to 24,

when you get the chance.

But,

who's the donkey now?

Thankfully,

Balaam realised,

he had sinned,

and had been driven,

by greed,

for the wealth,

and status,

that had been promised.

These false teachers,

that we're talking about today,

they too are experts,

in greed.

They're an accursed brood,

who love the wages,

or the pleasure,

of wickedness.

Do we,

let the pursuit of money,

drive us blindly,

into compromising situations?

Do we,

perk up our ears,

and smile,

when we hear things like,

if you follow Jesus,

he will bless you,

and make you happy,

and rich?

This is how,

false teachers operate.

They lure us in,

by appealing,

to our innermost desires,

and making them,

seem good.

So,

having looked at,

some of the ways,

to identify,

a false teacher,

by their lifestyle,

or their behaviour,

let's now take a look,

at their message,

or their boasting.

What do they say,

about what they believe?

What is their message?

Verse 17,

if you,

if you would follow.

These men,

are springs without water,

and mists,

driven by a storm.

Blackest darkness,

is reserved for them.

They promise,

lots of attractive,

and satisfying things,

like lovely,

cool springs of water,

which really is a treat,

when you're travelling,

in the hot,

Turkey area,

as the readers,

of this letter were.

Verse 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.

They promise them,

freedom,

from moral restraint,

telling them,

that because,

they have been saved,

they can now,

do whatever they want,

because they're saved,

by grace.

God is a loving,

and a forgiving God,

so all you need to do,

is say sorry,

after a slip up,

and then just,

carry on as before,

doing what you want.

They speak,

impressive words,

enticing new believers,

away from their,

unbelieving friends,

appealing to their,

lustful desires,

as they do this.

You're going to have,

to use your imagination,

we're going to take,

a walk down,

at main street,

and I do apologise,

in advance,

for my,

very poor attempt,

at street talk.

So imagine this,

you're walking down the street,

as a new believer,

a guy comes up to you,

and says,

hey dude,

you're looking,

particularly,

smiley,

and slick today,

what has you,

grooving like that?

You innocently say,

what's not to be happy about?

Last week,

at a camp,

I heard the good news,

about Jesus,

opened up for me,

and explained clearly,

in response,

logically,

I submitted my life,

hopes and plans,

to him,

as my Lord,

and my saviour,

trusting in what he did,

on the cross,

to make me right,

with God.

Not by anything,

I have done,

or might do in the future,

but what Jesus,

has done on the cross,

for me.

Now,

because of that,

I'm confident,

that I have life,

in its fullness,

now and forever,

because he has forgiven me,

and he loves me.

Oh cool,

I'm a Christian too dude.

Hey,

you should come to my church,

it's so cool and trendy.

All the young people go there,

I'm the worship leader.

Hey,

I see you've got calluses,

on your digits,

so you obviously,

play the guitar.

So I'm sure,

there'll be space,

for you in the band.

We is hip to the hop.

And a person like you,

could definitely,

find a lady there.

That sounds interesting,

but what's the teaching like?

Do you,

do people,

look out for each other,

like a family?

Is the life of the church,

based on Jesus' teaching?

His life,

his death,

his resurrection?

Is the Bible central,

to all that you do,

and say?

Are you excited,

about reaching out,

in the community,

to see those who are lost,

reached by the good news?

Oh dude,

the teaching is awesome.

We just sit around,

and like,

love Jesus.

Jesus.

Our church,

our church,

spins,

on spiritual freedom.

It's what the Bible's,

all about.

We just want to be happy,

and make each other happy,

chillaxed,

in our spirituality.

We don't have any,

stodgy rules,

or structure.

The Christian life,

is so liberating,

and all because,

our BFF,

our best friend forever,

JC,

died,

so we can be forgiven,

and go to heaven.

It's what grace is all about.

We are confident,

of forgiveness,

so live in freedom,

and do what we want,

with whoever we want.

It's an awesome church.

Okay,

that sounds,

pretty good,

I think.

I'm just going to go away,

and think about that,

and maybe come along,

next Sunday.

The speaker at camp,

last week,

was actually talking,

about something,

in 2nd Peter,

and I just want,

to check something out,

first,

that doesn't,

quite sit right,

with me.

Being in a church family,

is kind of important,

to me,

so I want to make sure,

that what you have,

is what I need,

and what is good,

and what is right.

Totally mate,

and don't forget,

if you come along,

look out for me,

you can't miss me,

I'll be up the front,

plucking the strings,

and I'll get you hooked up,

with some of our singles.

Ooh, ooh, ooh,

before you go,

have you heard of a writer,

called Christopher Ash?

He says in his book,

Bible Delight,

that the prosperity gospel,

claims,

if you become a Christian,

God wants to bless you,

and therefore,

your bank statement,

will become fatter,

your house,

will get better,

bigger,

your car,

will get faster,

your wife,

if you have one,

will get prettier,

your husband,

if you have one,

will get more handsome,

your children,

if you have them,

will get cleverer,

and your health,

will get better.

End of quote.

So,

come along,

come along,

and all will be well with you.

You'll prosper.

Come to us.

End of street talk.

Well,

maybe that's the kind of church

you're looking for.

Maybe it's worth a shot.

Maybe that's why you're here this morning,

checking us out.

I hope not.

It stinks.

of two of the main issues

in our churches today

in Ireland.

Liberal theology,

where everything or anything goes,

and the prosperity gospel,

which claims that the Christian life

is meant to be easy,

plain sailing,

and full of blessings.

Yes, there are blessings,

but that's not

what the Christian life is about.

Let's go back

to God's word.

Verse 17.

These men are springs

without water

and mists

driven by a storm.

Blackest darkness

is reserved for them.

The promises

that this

dude

was on about

are just like

the springs.

Dry.

These men

are like springs

without water

and mists

driven by a storm.

they promise

satisfaction

and success

and completely

disappoint.

They are flitting

here and there

like a little pocket

of mist

caught in a storm

blown all over the place.

They have no grounding.

They have nothing

to offer

other than

empty words

which sound attractive

but crumble

when tested.

They have no authority

to promise us

anything,

let alone guarantee

us wealth,

success,

or satisfaction.

They are dry.

Verse 19.

They promise

freedom

while they

themselves

are slaves

of depravity

for a man

is a slave

to whatever

has mastered him.

They promise

freedom

but their promises

are baseless

because they

themselves

are slaves

of depravity.

Other translations

say that they

are slaves

to sin

and to corruption.

They are slaves

to whatever

has mastered them.

And we've already

learned

what does

master them.

Insolence

speaking evil

of what they

don't understand.

Licentiousness

lacking any

personal restraint

and ignoring

societal standards.

Immorality

eyes full of lust

and greed

ruled by money

and personal gain.

They have nothing

to offer us.

Compare that

with the precious

promises

we were reminded

of in chapter 1

verse 3

when Simon

was speaking.

It says

his divine power

has given us

everything

we need

for life

and godliness.

How?

Is it through

this bogus

hipster church

we've been offered?

No.

Read on.

What does it say?

Through our knowledge

of him

who called us

by his own

glory

and goodness.

That's a promise

which is well

grounded in

biblical truth.

Not in the

baseless lies

which can be

offered by the

latest fad.

We have

everything we

need

for life

and for

godliness.

He alone

is sufficient

for us.

Not

God

plus something

else

but God

alone

is sufficient.

How?

By our

knowing him

who called

us

by his

own glory

and goodness.

If the

lifestyle

and the

message

of these

teachers

is false

then they

are living

and talking

contrary to

the bible

and its

truth

about that

same

sufficiency

of Christ.

Therefore

the consequences

are clear

and dire.

Judgment

will come

on them

and separation

from God

is guaranteed.

It is one

thing to turn

your back

on Christ

but it's

another one

altogether

to lead

others

astray.

To lead

others

away from

him.

Look at

verse 12

again

they too

will perish

they will

be paid

back

with harm

for the

harm

they have

done.

Verse 17

warns us

further

blackest

darkness

is reserved

for them.

The second

half of

verse 20

again

they are

worse off

at the

end

than they

were at

the

beginning.

Last week

we looked

at the

first part

of this

chapter.

The

warning

was that

the path

of the

false

teachers

leads

to

destruction.

There is

no sugar

coating

this

truth

I'm

afraid.

False

teachers

will be

destroyed.

Has

anyone

noticed

the

elephant

in the

room?

Well let's

read verses

20 to

22.

If they

have

escaped

the

corruption

of the

world

by knowing

our

Lord

and our

Saviour

Jesus

Christ

and are

again

entangled

in it

and 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

goes

back

to

her

wallowing

in

the

mud.

It

is a

reasonable

question

to ask

if these

false

teachers

were

in fact

saved

before

they

started

to

entice

others

away

from

the

truth.

It

says

that

they

would

have

been

better

not

to

have

known

the

way

of

righteousness

than

to

have

known

it

and

then

turn

their

backs

on

it.

This

is a

big

question.

Is it

possible

to

lose

your

salvation?

It's a

question that

has had

many books

and probably

libraries

written

about it.

So to

throw it

in just

towards the

end of

this talk

is a

little bit

unfair but

I can't

ignore it

completely.

The elephant

needs to be

dealt with.

So I'll

try and

shed a

small bit

of light

on that

question

by referring

to a

pastor

and an

author

named

John

Piper

who says

very well

that Peter

explains to

us in a

proverb

that we

shouldn't be

surprised at

dogs

characteristically

return to

their vomit

and no

matter how

clean you

make a

pig on

the outside

if it

is still

a pig

it will

return to

the muck

or the

mire.

In other

words those

who leave

the way

of righteousness

never to

return

simply show

that their

inner nature

had never

been changed.

That's the

end of the

quote.

So it

seems to

me that

what Mr.

Piper,

John,

is saying

is that

true faith

in Jesus

changes us

inwardly.

Our very

nature

has been

altered

so that

we cannot

return to

our old

way of

life.

Yes,

we may

slip up

but we

return to

the cross

in confession

with gratitude

as we'll be

doing later

as we meet

around the

Lord's

table.

How do I

know that

I'm not a

false teacher?

How do you

know that

you're not?

Because it

all sounds

scary when we

start looking

at ourselves

especially

when I

look at

my lifestyle

and my

message.

If I look

deep enough

into my

own life

I can

easily find

things that

just don't

add up.

Sometimes

I feel like

I'm doing

okay.

That my

lifestyle

speaks clearly

of my faith

and my

dependence on

Jesus.

I get

good times

with him.

I'm putting

him first

in my

decisions.

I'm having

good times

of prayer

and chat

with him.

I'm getting

to church

home group.

I'm wanting

to see

Jesus made

famous by

how I

live and

how I

act.

But then

one little

slip up.

I go

away for

the weekend.

I break

my routine

and before

I know

it I've

ignored God

for two

weeks,

a month,

half a

year.

I feel

like I

had been

a nice

clean pig

but now I've

just returned

to the muck

and I'm back

to square one

again.

Dirty

and very

piggy.

it.

So maybe

I'm not

saved after

all.

And all

that punishment,

destruction and

harm is

waiting for

me too.

And maybe

this is the

same for

some of you

today and

you think

that you

have no

hope.

And now

we're all

feeling slightly

vulnerable and

squirmish in

our seats,

aren't we?

Our lifestyle

just doesn't

add up

sometimes to

what we say

our message

is.

So how

can we be

sure that we

are not false

teachers?

Well what is

it we are

teaching?

What is our

message?

Let's look

back at

chapter 1

verse 3.

His divine

power has

given us

everything we

need for

life and

godliness

through our

knowledge of

him who

called us

by his

own glory

and goodness.

So if

that's not

our message

we're off

the mark.

If we are

not saying

that Jesus

is enough

that he

has given

us all

we need

that he

is sufficient

if we are

saying that

we are

saved by

grace but

then we

continue to

live lacking

any personal

restraint or

humility

we have both

our lifestyle

and our

message out

of kilter

with the

message that

God has

given us

all we

need.

What are we

to do

with false

teachers or

false

teaching?

We cut

out and

remove the

problem.

Like the

bindweed in

our garden

we need to

constantly be

rooting it

out at the

first sign.

Now I'm

not suggesting

we go around

with a

knapsack

sprayer and

we start

dousing all

these false

teachers with

weed killer or

we start attacking

them with a

hoe but what

we do is not

let them get

a grip in

our church or

in our

thinking.

We need to

be looking

out for it

in our

teachers, in

our homes and

in our own

lives.

We need to

hold them to

account,

questioning them

and what they

say.

We measure

every fine

sounding argument

against the

truth of

scripture.

We check

what the

teacher teaches

and how he

or she

lives.

In our own

lives we need

to be immersing

ourselves in

the truths of

scripture so

we will

recognize false

teaching.

Chapter 1

verses 5 to

8 say

make every

effort to add

to your faith

goodness and

to goodness

knowledge,

to knowledge

self-control,

to self-control

perseverance and

to perseverance

godliness and

to godliness

brotherly

kindness and

to brotherly

kindness and

love.

For if you

possess these

qualities in

increasing measure

they will keep

you from being

ineffective and

unproductive in

your knowledge of

our Lord Jesus

Christ.

And if we skip

ahead to verse

10 it says

be all the more

eager to make

your calling and

election sure.

For if you do

these things you

will never fall

and you will

receive a rich

welcome into the

eternal kingdom of

our Lord and

Saviour Jesus

Christ.

We need our

lifestyle and our

message to be

mastered by the

Lord Jesus

putting to death

sin and

untruth,

living with an

attitude of

gratitude and

confession.

confession.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father

thank you for

your word.

Thank you for the

scriptures.

Thank you for the

teachers that we

have here in this

church.

Thank you for the

truths that we have

heard over the

years and have

brought us to a

point of

repentance,

confession and

thanksgiving.

thank you that

your scripture,

your word is

true.

It's been tested

and it's

trustworthy.

And Lord

please after what

we've read this

morning help us

in our lives to

be discerning,

to discern the

truth from the

lies that we

hear around us.

Please help us

in this church

to rise up

good teachers

of the word.

That we will

bring the

truth of

scripture into

the places that

we go in our

work, in our

home, as we

meet together

here, as our

kids are taught

upstairs in

Sunday school.

Help us to be

raising up people

who can use

your word well,

that can discern

the truth from

the lies.

God's

grace.

And thank you

for Jesus,

that he has

made all this

possible, that he

has given us all

that we need for

life and godliness,

all because of

what he did for us

on the cross,

coming so that we

can have forgiveness,

that we can be

raised to life

anew by trusting

in him and what

he has done on

the cross.

And we pray

this all in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thanks, Ian.