Choosing Teachers Wisely by Considering their End

• Are there days where you wake up in the morning, or you look out later in the day and your heart just wants to cry out – “It’s not fair.”

• Life looks so easy for that person, yet I have watched them and they don’t really care about doing what is right…

- Maybe it is something at work…

- you try to be honest at work and admit it when you make a mistake while the person at the next station on the line lies and blames any problems on everyone else…and when it comes time for someone to move from third shift to first – the dishonest person gets moved and you’re still stuck working nights…

- Then as you are reading articles and advice on how to take the next step at work, how to move up in the workforce…do they really advocate to do what the other guy did?

- because the outcomes certainly appear to point that direction…and the person following that teaching was rewarded with the job that everyone else was looking for…so where’s the justice?...

- or you’re a single person who’s trying to live in a way that is modest, pure, waiting for God’s blessing in marriage…but the person down the hall is very promiscuous – just like so many influencers in our world are teaching and modeling… then you learn that people are mocking you behind your back for your choices while the other person is growing in popularity…

- It hurts – in the short term the false teaching appears to be right…where is the justice in all of that?...

- have you ever wrestled with questions like that?...

- are you wrestling with them in any way right now?...

- if so, you’re certainly not the first…

- because others have been wrestling with these questions of fairness and justice throughout time.

- In fact, the Psalms give us a look into the heart of a man struggling in this way as we hear his cry out to God.

- In Psalm 73, we see the psalmist Asaph opening up to God in a way that is raw, and real because of how his situation is impacting him…

- he starts by saying…Psalm 73:2 - But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped.

- so there’s no spin here trying to minimize or make things look better than they are…we have a crisis on our hands…

- As we continue, it becomes even clearer as Asaph explains why he was so close to stumbling, and he is transparent with the Lord…because he admits…Psalm 73:3 - For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

- We might think, “Wow, I admire the fact that he’s being so honest…” while at the same time thinking – “did he really just say that out loud?”

- but then, that is just the beginning…he pours out his heart…and there’s a lot stored up in there…

- Psalm 73:4–9 - For there are no pains in their death, and their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; the garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; the imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; they speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue parades through the earth.

- The writer is saying – look at how good they have it – yeah it’s evil, but the result…that life looks good to me…whatever teachers they’re following – I want in on that…

- And if that is not enough – look at all the people who are jumping on that wagon - there’s lots of them…Psalm 73:10 - Therefore his people return to this place, and waters of abundance are drunk by them.

- and look at what they are saying Psalm 73:11–12 - They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth.

- but that was thousands of years ago…is it still this way…I think it still is…

- This may not reflect your workplace, but it would not be hard for every person in this room to look at the conditions in our culture, politics, or media, and maybe it really is the conditions in your life…we could all write a very similar Psalm…

- however, stopping there…with an attitude that God is oblivious to it all…could be catastrophic to one’s spiritual life…

- because Asaph admitted his doubt …Psalm 73:13–14 - Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.

- if that’s not full-on despair, deep spiritual depression, it’s awfully close…and many of us could say…I can relate to that line of thinking…

- but knowing the Lord, as Asaph did – he didn’t let it end there…Psalm 73:15–16 - If I had said, “I will speak thus,” behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight.

- in other words, I know that my thinking is wrong, I know there was something missing in my calculation…and I needed to go somewhere to find it…now look where he goes and the result

- Psalm 73:17 - Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.

- consider that last phrase… “I perceived their end…” What I had been watching looked like the outcome justified the path…but now I can see beyond today… “I perceived their end.”

- Is that really where I want to go?

- Just as Asaph did, it’s always wise for us to ask…where does that path lead?...and what is this going to look in eternity?...

- we’re talking about learning to develop the long view…”then I perceived their end”…

- take a look at how Asaph emerges from this spiritual funk…Psalm 73:18–20 - Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.

- now, instead of prospering…it’s the wicked who are in slippery places…

- They thought God didn’t know what they were doing, and even bragged about it out loud – they were wrong…

- they confused God’s patience and longsuffering as impotence and apathy…

- look carefully…at their end…

- as Asaph expresses how God woke him up…Psalm 73:21–28 - When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

- friends, when you’re considering whose ideas you’re going to follow – always remember to…consider their end…

- now I realize you might saying – Pastor Rod, I thought we were studying the book of 2 Peter, not the Psalms…there’s a sense in which we just did…because that’s the point that Peter is about to make in an entirely different but extremely powerful way…

- with that idea in mind…that we should consider their end, please open your Bible to 2 Peter chapter 2…page 184 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you…

- our theme this year is Hope for Everyday Life…and as part of finding that hope, we’re doing a verse-by-verse study of the book of 2 Peter entitled…Growing in Grace and Knowledge…

- Our series title is taken from one of the theme verses that occurs right at the end of the book -- 2 Peter 3:18 - but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

- These would be Peter’s final written words to the church – that we might grow in grace and knowledge.

- As a review – recall, chapter 1 was very positive…as Peter spoke about the beauty of the gospel and the sufficiency of God’s Word…those are two reasons why we can have hope that people like you and me could possibly grow in grace and knowledge…

- however, things change dramatically in chapter 2…

- some writers refer to this book along with Jude as “the dark corner of the New Testament”…

- all you have to do is read the start of chapter 2 to see the beginning of the contrast…

Here is what we read last week…Read 2 Peter 2:1-3…

- so now what happens…picture Peter in a jail cell, facing martyrdom for his faith in the gospel and his commitment to following prophets that were true…

- and hoping and praying that these young Christians would not follow false prophets…urging them to hold fast in the truth

- and the logic he uses in the next 7 verses is this – consider their end…the same point Asaph made in Psalm 73….consider their end…

Read 2 Peter 2:4-10

- we’re talking this morning about Choosing Teachers Well by Considering their End

- and with the time we have remaining, let’s think about 3 responses to our God who will someday execute perfect justice.

Our first response, what would come from our hearts may be shock, cries of outrage or even anger…but from what we have read, we need to

I. Be Sobered by God’s Judgment on the Unrighteous

- My heart breaks for false teachers and those who are following their teaching when I consider their end…

- and just as we know the faithfulness and perfect consistency of our good and loving God,

- The same consistency exists in God’s perfect justice so Peter does more than just tell us about it, he gives us a picture through God’s justice from the past through three examples

- he starts with…

A. The angels

- the doctrine of angelology is not a topic that comes up very often…at least not in Bible study…

- our culture has some interesting, and usually incorrect ideas…

- Think of the way Gary Larsen portrays angels in the Far Side… [Insert Far Side Angel Pic]

- or in the Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life – an angel receives his wings after he’s done enough good down on earth, at which time a bell rings…[Kari – please insert video clip]

- or back in the 90’s, there was a TV program called Touched by an Angel – [Kari – please insert pic]…

- or as Hollywood tries to depict angels in shows like Omens – [Insert .gif from Omens]

- it’s pretty obvious those aren’t the kind of concepts Peter is discussing here…

- 2 Peter 2:4 - For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

- another parallel passage is –

Jude 6 - And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

- from there it is a fair question – what angels are those?...

- Can I give you my honest answer? – we don’t know with absolute certainty, because Peter and Jude don’t tell us…and it appears that they believed their readers would already know so additional explanation was unnecessary…sometimes we have to be ok with God’s Word leaving a question like that with some uncertainty today

- because we can know that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness and we see that in what He does tell us…

- Because, …honest answer part two…we don’t have to know for sure in order to understand the meaning – some angels were severely judged for some reason…and if God would judge angels for their disobedience, He’ll surely judge people who either teach false doctrine or follow false doctrine…

- please contrast what Peter just said about angels in our passage - 2 Peter 2:4 - …cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

- to the future of righteous angels in

Revelation 5:11–14 - Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

- remember that Jude said that fallen angels did not “keep their own domain” and had “abandoned their proper abode”…

- yet these righteous angels were joyfully submitting to God’s truth and living in a way that was consistent with it…

- Perhaps we should ask -- which angel would you want to be like…when you consider their end?

- should you therefore conclude that you might as well follow false ideas because justice will never be done?...

- friends…Peter’s point is…the angels would strongly disagree…and we should be sobered by their judgment…

- But if Peter’s readers or any of us might say – well that was for angels…it is different for us…

- We also need to be sobered by the judgment on unrighteous men…

- it is throughout Genesis, but clearly pictured in God’s judgement on…

B. The ancient world

- speaking here about the Flood…the biblical record is blunt and it does not try to soften the message…and remember we’re only 6 chapters into the Bible…

- yet we read these sobering words…Genesis 6:5–7 - Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

- Take a look at the flow of history to this point…the progression is breathtaking…

- from God’s true prophecy in Genesis 2:16–17 - The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

- to Satan’s false prophecy - Genesis 3:4 - The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

- With those truths and lies in mind, Peter gives us a sober warning, reminding us that God…2 Peter 2:5 - and did not spare the ancient world…

- Consider their end…

- I realize we’re living in a time when some, or perhaps many people do not want to hear about the judgment or the wrath of God…

- they would prefer to only focus on what they consider to be the positive aspects of God’s nature…which would just be a way of saying – I want a God who only has the parts that I like, that support what I think is good…

- but if we do that, we would have to ignore large sections of Scripture like our passage for today…

- and we would become just like the false teachers that Peter is warning against…

- and if he hadn’t made his point yet with you…his third example is…

C. Sodom and Gomorrah

- 2 Peter 2:6 - and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;

- this would have occurred about 450 years after the flood…and you may recall that this area was beautiful and fertile -- Genesis 13:10 - Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.

- Having been taught about the creator, and knowing the judgement of God in the flood, one would think that in this short time after the flood that a paradise like the valley of the Jordan would have caused people to love God and choose to follow His ways

- But it does not look like that is what happened. Soon after Lot had taken his flocks and settles in this fertile land

- The Lord told Abraham - Genesis 18:20 - And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.

- It appears that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah believed there was a better life, and easier life, a more pleasurable life, the one they wanted…someone was filling them with false teaching

what would Peter say?...Consider their end…

- Genesis 19:24–25 - Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

- If you are new with us today and you are thinking – Whoa, this is some real fire and brimstone teaching – is this all about scaring us into obedience?

- Perhaps instead of looking at our message as fire and brimstone, maybe we need to understand that at times the Bible is a fire and brimstone book…

- we genuinely believe there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned…

- this would probably be a good time to pause and ask all of us this morning – are you properly sobered by God’s judgment?...

- but listen, praise the Lord, we have many, many reasons for joy…and we’re going to talk about some of them next because Peter does not leave us simply to be frightened of God’s judgement… but he gives us reasons to give thanks as well…

- But before we move on to that – I think it is OK to spend a few moments considering a sober judgement for where we are tempted to follow the easy teaching of the world, the false promises of pleasure, ease and comfort…

- We have to be careful today because we can be dismissive when someone begins to ask about the kind of teachers we listen to…

- whether it be through our music, our entertainment, books, movies, podcasts, and on and on…

- do we dismiss God’s Word or the rebuke of a friend as if the consequences to a little sin and rebellion aren’t that bad…

- a little false prophecy probably won’t hurt us…

- friends, consider their end…consider the angels, consider the flood, consider Sodom and Gomorrah…Are you sobered to the point of caution and carefulness…

- when’s the last time to turned off a movie, changed the channel or put down a book and said…I don’t need this kind of teaching in my life…I don’t want to go where they are trying to take me…consider the end…it is sobering

Then let’s consider the things God does in the midst of chaos and evil and…

II. Be Amazed by God’s Rescue of His People

- by now we’re seeing a very clear contrast between the reliable prophets of chapter 1 giving us everything we need for life and godliness and the false prophets of chapter 2 secretly introducing false heresies and maligning the way of truth…

- so, consider their end…2 Peter 2:3 - …their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

- and anyone who doubts that should remember the angels, and the ancient world, and Sodom and Gomorrah…

- but what about those who choose to follow reliable prophets…the truth of God’s Word…

2 Peter 1:19 - So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

- where does following that road lead?...just ask Noah…and just ask Lot…

- and we find that their destination is…preservation and rescue…

A. Noah and his family

- Peter says - 2 Peter 2:5 - and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

- so the question – Why Noah? Why his family?

- Genesis 6:8–9 - But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

- totally different than the false teachers Peter has been discussing…

- but Noah had for himself a far greater teacher, as He received the Word of God directly

- Genesis 6:13–21 - Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.”

- and God gave him the directions for how the ark was to be built and how the Lord would use it to preserve and rescue Noah’s family and the animals…

- no small task – the building of the ark would take 120 years…so what does a righteous man do with that prophecy from the Lord over that century?

- First, He did what God commanded…

-Genesis 6:22 - Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

- and why was that?...because he was a righteous man…that does not mean Noah was sinless or even “good.” God’s word shows us his imperfections as well but his righteousness can be seen in his response to God…

2 Peter 1:1 - …to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

- he was just like Abraham…who wasn’t saved by his works as an OT saint…Romans 4:3 - For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

- the same was true of Noah…he placed his faith in God…and God’s righteousness was credited to him…even though not in view yet, Noah was looking forward to the cross when that righteousness would be fully secured through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ…

- and because of that…Noah not only became a doer of righteousness…but Peter said he was a what?...a preacher of righteousness…

- and you might say – what does that mean?...we do not have sermons from Noah and it certainly doesn’t appear that he had any converts…beyond maybe his family that we know of…

- but friend…consider Noah’s end…it wasn’t like the fallen angels, it wasn’t like the ancient world, it wasn’t like Sodom and Gomorrah…

- he and his family were…preserved…

- many who will hear this message today across all 3 campuses are in a similar position to Peter’s readers…

- you’ve had people in your life like Noah…

- maybe your dad was a Noah…or you mom…

- a Sunday school teacher or a youth leader…

- yet as you listen, some of the truth they tried to teach doesn’t seem to be paying off in the short term…it feels restrictive or outdated…it is not what my friends are saying

- and now there are a lot of new potential teachers in your life…prophesying a lot of different things…

- maybe even mocking your former “preachers of righteousness”…

- what’s today’s lesson?...faith in God’s Word preserves…

- The question is who will you follow?

- and then we need to consider

B. Lot

- 2 Peter 2:7–8 - and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),

- Peter’s use of Lot here causes many of us to step back…I’ve read the story of Lot – how in the world could the Bible call him righteous?...

- that’s a good question…but maybe instead of judging Peter’s example, we can find hope because if this is true for Lot…what does it mean for me?...but rather than my words, consider how Doug Moo answers our question…

- While certainly far from perfect, Lot never lost his basic orientation to the Lord. The word “righteous” that Peter uses need mean no more than this. In the New Testament, this word often refers to a person’s status before the Lord rather than to one’s innate moral virtue. Moreover, it is important to note that Peter does not say that the Lord rescued Lot because he was a righteous man. Similarly, it will be not by virtue of their inherent goodness that God will deliver Christians in Peter’s day, or in ours, from the judgment that he will bring on the ungodly. Rather, it will be because of their “knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2) and because they are distressed, as Lot was, at the rampant sin around them. (Douglas J. Moo, 2 Peter, Jude , The NIV Application Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996, 105.)

- undoubtedly Lot was impacted by the life and teaching of his uncle Abraham…though when the angels came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah… Genesis 19:16 - But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.

- that’s called – being rescued…and it was a whole lot better than what happened to the fallen angels, and the people of Noah’s Day, and certainly the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah…

- As you consider this…today might be a good day to call your Noah…and thank your dad, or your mom, or your SS teacher, or your youth pastor…for being a preacher of righteousness…

- teaching you the positional righteousness that comes through faith in Christ

- and the practical righteousness that results as you walk out the Christian life…

- you might even choose to reassure them that even though you’re being exposed to a lot of different ideas and a lot of different opinions…you plan to follow what they preached and taught and live…because you’ve considered their end…and you want to be a part of God’s preservation and rescue.

Our third point is short, but equally important for our hope when our response is to…

III. Be Encouraged because God Knows How to Make Things Right in the End

- 2 Peter 2:9 - then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

- what a powerful phrase…the Lord knows…

- What is the situation in your life or in this world that really bothers you right now because justice is not happening…

- and false teaching/teachers appear to be winning…

- you might even feel like Asaph…my feet are slipping…I’m becoming envious of the wicked…in vain I’ve kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence…

- friend...consider their end…because the Lord…knows…

- As we finish up with our three responses to our God who will someday execute perfect justice…

- Are you sobered? Are you amazed? And are you encouraged?

- I pray that is the case and I want to send you off with four…

Practical Take-Aways

1. Be sure that you have received the righteousness of God by faith.

- Noah and Lot were imperfect people…but they were people of faith…

- they believed God, and He credited it to them as righteousness…

- if you’re not sure that you’ve ever done that, why not schedule a time to talk to one of our service pastors and make sure?

2. Rejoice in our Savior who makes righteousness and our eternal destiny with Him possible.

Look at

- 2 Timothy 1:12 - For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

3. Remember that because the Lord will make all things right in the end, often your role today is to simply return good for evil.

We can trust Him to the end

- Romans 12:17–19 - Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

And

4. Choose your teachers wisely. Remember their end.