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.
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…
2 Peter 1:12-15 - Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
2 Peter 1:3 - …seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1:20-21 - But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
3 necessary actions to guard against being spiritually deceived
I. Be Aware of the Reality of False Teachers
2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…
1 Timothy 3:15 - …but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
Jude 3 - …the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets…
A. Because of their history in the Old Testament
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people…
1. Satan himself
John 8:44 - The father of lies…
Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said…”
2. In the nation of Israel’s earliest days
Deuteronomy 13:5 - But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
Jeremiah 28:11 - Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’”
Jeremiah 28:15-17 - Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’” So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month.
3. During the life of Christ
Mark 12:38-40 - In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
1 Corinthians 11:19 - For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
B. Because of their present reality in the church
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you…
C. Because of their methodology
2 Peter 2:1 - …who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…
Acts 17:11 - Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
D. Because of their extent
2 Peter 2:1 - …who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them…
haireseis - denotes an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects (W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of NT Words, 2:217)
II. Be Concerned about the Response to False Teaching
A. Many will follow their sensuality – v. 2a
Romans 1:18-25 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
“You’re not crazy for feeling disoriented right now. Something has changed dramatically in our society. Watching a man win a women’s swimming championship, seeing satire accounts banned from Twitter for referring to a male public official as a man, and hearing a Supreme Court nominee refuse to define “woman” in her confirmation hearings is all strange – very strange. And it raises the urgent questions of how we got to this point and why it seems to have happened so quickly. Millions of our neighbors now believe that human beings can sculpt themselves into whatever they desire, if necessary through hormones, surgery, and legislation.” (Shane Morris)
B. The way of truth will be maligned – v. 2b
2 Timothy 3:7 - …always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Acts 17:21 - Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.
“The body keeps the score: If the memory of trauma is encoded in the viscera, in heartbreaking and gut-wrenching emotions, in autoimmune disorders and skeletal/muscular problems, and if mind/brain/visceral communication is the royal road to emotion regulation, this demands a radical shift in our therapeutic assumptions.” (B. Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 12-13)
“…the body is a complex gift to man that provides life, functioning, health, and other contributions to mankind’s existence. The soul is that of utmost value, and it is the soul that will never cease to exist. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). It is the author’s conclusion, as has been demonstrated, that the body only causes physical responses and can only influence immaterial responses—of note, the body never causes immaterial responses. In this way, the body does not keep the score, the soul does. (Gifford, ACBC Colloquium Paper, p. 24, www.faithlafayette.org/bks).
C. Because of their greed you will be exploited – v. 3a
III. Be Grieved about the Future of False Teachers
A. Bring swift destruction upon themselves - v. 1e
B. Their judgment is not idle - v. 3b
C. Their destruction is not asleep - v. 3c
2 Timothy 2:23-26 - But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
Positive Take-Aways
1. Be a Berean
2. Grow in your understanding of biblical truth and theology
3. Expose your family to solid biblical teaching and resources
4. Promote and support theological education
Good to see you again, church – we continue our study in the book of 2 Peter with a view toward discerning false teachers.
Our theme for this year is Hope for Everyday Life. Hope for us is not seen outside of the Cross – it’s not out there in the world where there is no hope. No, hope for the believer is seen in the Person of Jesus Christ and the reality of our being made new in Him through repentance and the washing away of our sins.
Hope for every day life truly began for us at the Cross, where we first saw the light and the burden of our hearts rolled away, and it was there by faith we have received our sight, as one hymn writer put it.
And what follows saving faith is that of Growing in Grace and Knowledge…, which seems like appropriate, since it’s 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.
The Apostle had good reason for saying this in lieu of the larger context for which he is writing to these believers who were being persecuted for their faith in Christ.
But there was a new kind of persecution that landed upon the shores of their lives and it crept into the church brought in by false messengers of Christ. These false purveyors of truth began to persecute and tear down the Gospel of our Lord.
So Peter penned his inspired letter to these believers to address the eternal doom of these false teachers, and most notably in chapter 3, he addressed the believer’s duty is to be in light of the Day of the Lord.
And he says to them in verse 17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men….”
In other words – it’s out of love that he has to warn God’s people of the terrible judgment of the ungodly and the new world to come. So if you do not stay alert and guard against the teachings of these false purveyors of truth you’re gonna be swept away along with them, having no hope of the Lord’s return and no hope of any glorious union with Christ to eternal life with God the Father.
That’s how damnable their false doctrine was: These false teachers denied three things (1) They denied the Person of Christ (2 Peter 2:1) (2) They denied the Scriptures (2 Pet. 2:1) (3) and they denied Christ’s return and the coming judgment (2 Pet. 3:3).
In the first chapter, there was an emphasis on rejoicing in the beauty and the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ…he addressed the scattered churches as…
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:
Now it’s interesting because the first part of Peter’s statement reads this way in the Greek: “to those who have obtained and equally precious faith as ours…”
In other words, the faith you and I share was the same precious faith given to Peter, the rest of the Apostles and all the people of God past and present. We were given by God a very precious faith. Before our Lord, we’re all equal in value and honor and privilege before the One to whom we have to do.
The faith that we have received from him is something that we have obtained from him and not something that was earned – it’s not something you nor I could work for, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-10)
The false purveyors of truth threatened the very core of their faith and sought to replace it with their own message that ultimately appealed to their own sinful desires.
So Peter, writing from prison, is deeply concerned about these false teachers and what they are espousing. So he’s to the church of Jesus Christ that he will always be ready to remind you…
2 Peter 1:12–15 - Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
In other words, Peter understood the reality that truth of the Gospel always bears repetition upon fallen hearts. It’s no different, really, than what the author to the Hebrews said to God’s people in his letter to them to not become sluggish
Hebrews 6:12 “…so that you will not be sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
To put it simply, since you and I are benefactors of the Gospel of grace, having received the promises of God – neither become lazy/sluggish about what you believe and why you believe it.
Because if you do not, you will not readily recognize false purveyor of truth come knocking at your door, claiming they are of God when in reality, they are spreaders of darkness.
So Peter goes onto to say that…
2 Peter 1:3 - seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and
godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Through the divine revelation of God which no…
2 Peter 1:20–21 - But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s
own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved
by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
It follows that growing in Gospel grace follows a learning to recognize and avoid what is false…
2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep”.
So we’re talking about Discerning False Teaching…and in the time we have remaining, let’s think about three necessary actions to guard against being spiritually deceived.
I. Be Aware of the Reality of False Teachers
2:1 “But false prophets…
also arose among the people…” False teachers will lead a person
away from the truth of the Gospel to believe that which is apposed to the face of Christ. Why?
And the answer is simple: So that they can live anyway they want to live.
False teachers and false prophets have always existed will always carry a teaching that will always lower the Person of Jesus Christ. The more Christ is depreciated, the less demand he has upon my life.
We know that…
2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness.”
Ultimately, it’s a tacit denial of Scripture itself. They don’t receive the clear teaching that
Scripture provides. They don’t receive the rebuke upon their lives that Scripture bears upon
their sensual living. They don’t receive the correction necessary toward training in becoming
more holy in their living.
1 Timothy 3:15 - but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to
conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
support of the truth.
In other words, there is a conducting betting towards sons and daughters of life and there’s a
lifestyle of living toward purveyors of darkness.
That’s why Jude could speak about… Jude 3 – the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
The Lord has preserved throughout the dawn of time reliable prophets who were used by God
to record His Word, yes and amen.
All of that is great until you get to the “but” of 2 Peter 2:1…
2:1 – “But false prophets…”
False teachers have been around for a long time and whose dark history is clearly highlighted…
A. Because of their history in the OT
When Peter said that…2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people…we
believe he was looking back to the regrettable role that false teaching has always played in the
economy of God…beginning with whom?
Their dark origins beginning is sourced by.
1. Satan himself
John 8:44 – The father of lies…
His very first interaction with Adam and Eve was to tempt them to adopt false teaching
Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said…
Talk about blatant false teaching on its face! A few verses later in that conversation he told Eve
“you won’t surely die” We, how did that test go? When Adam and Eve had to decide—would
they believe what was true or would they believe what was false?
No wonder Peter would want them to be aware of this reality…
This was also an issue.
2. In the nation of Israel’s earliest days
Deuteronomy 13:5 - But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death,
because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land
of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which
the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
Even during the days of Moses in the initial organization of the nation of
Israel, preparing them to enter the Promised Land…the threat of false teachers was a threat to
the nation of Israel.
Just prior to Israel’s 70-year captivity by the hand of Babylon, God specifically told the nation
That they would be under captivity for 70 years. Well, some false prophets arose and said that
their captivity would last only 2 years.
Jeremiah 28:11 - Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the
Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
from the neck of all the nations.’
False teaching has always been popular and appeals to many because it’s just what the masses
want to hear and that’s something about false prophets – they become popular in part because
they tell people they want to hear…
Do you remember what happened to the false prophet, Hananniah?
Jeremiah 28:15–17 - Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. “Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’ ” So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month.
Does that give you a sense of how God views those who speak falsely in his name, twisting the
message of grace?
Peter was right – false prophets had also arose among the people historically…it was also a
Problem.
False prophets were walking the earth
3. During the life of Christ
Jesus’ strongest rebukes were against these same kind of people…
Mark 12:38–40 - In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk
around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the
synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for
appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
Does this help to see the kind of instances Peter had in mind when he said that false prophets
arose among the people?
We ought to beware of this reality because it’s always been the case. Now, some of you might ask why the Lord allows for this. One primary reason for this can be seen in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 11:19 - For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
In other words, false teaching gives you an opportunity, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to stretch our theological muscles to determine what you and believe the Word of God says is true…and that happened throughout the OT and right into the life of Christ.
B. Because of their present reality in the church
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false
teachers among you.
In Matthew 16 Jesus had chosen to reveal to Peter that he was going to help build the
Church. You can see that fulfillment as you read through the book of Acts.
Now, the chapter of Peter’s life is about to come to a close as he’s faced with the reality of his
impending death and attacks upon the church by false teachers. And he recognized them…
C. Because of their methodology
2 Peter 2:1 - …who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…
Do you see the sinister nature of all of this? False teachers will incrementally bring in their false
Teaching, but they won’t do it openly. They do it under the radar, slipping in false teaching,
here and there.
Acts 17:11 - Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for
they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to
see whether these things were so.
They have joined the church and may hold major positions of leadership in the church. They are
typically attracted to teaching positions so that they can wield much influence.
D. Because of their extent
2 Peter 2:1 - …who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who
bought them…
Not the phrase, “heresies.”
haireseis – denotes an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for
submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects (W.E. Vine,
An Expository Dictionary of NT Words, 2:217).
There’s something else here. “Heresies” is in the plural. That is to say, it’s not just one false
teaching they were introducing to the churches, but many heresies. And just how destructive
was their espousal of heresy?
It’s such that it is a tacit denial of the Master who “bought.” Peter is painting for us an analogy
From the Exodus. In Deuteronomy 32 we read that God had redeemed/purchased/bought his people out of Egypt.
But many of them were ungrateful – many of them did not God in their hearts – a number of them were not saved. Many of them began to speak against the LORD and Moses. Many of them were false purveyors of truth. In other words, despite their claims to believing in Yahweh, their deeds highlighted that they really didn’t belong to the Lord at all.
So it is was with the false teachers of Peter’s day and ours - despite their claim to know Christ – their false teaching about who Christ was and their way of living contradicted any claim to having been truly “bought”/redeemed.
They taught others that they can live however they want to live and Christ is ok with that!
That’s a popular message today, and it appeals to the masses! It is in essence, the spirit of the age – it is a message apposed to the face of Christ. I believe that Jesus is Lord…but he’s not lord over my life!
Now this leads to an obvious question for all of us, doesn’t it? How aware are you, and how concerned are you, and how cautious are you in the presence of false teaching?
II. Be Concerned about the Response to False Teaching
A. Many will follow their sensuality – v. 2a
One of the primary characteristics of a false teacher is that they encourage a lifestyle of immorality and licentiousness. The way they live is pernicious – it’s malevolent, it’s under the radar – it’s under the cover of darkness because they understand that the light exposes their sinful perhaps even criminal activity.
Their sensuality is their MO all the while honoring Christ with their lips. We were warned about this, Christians. (1)They denigrate the Person of Christ of our salvation and teach others to do the same (2) They say he has no authority over our lives (3) They twist His Word and argue that God is love such that you can live however it is you want to live in order to justify their sensuous lifestyles.
Romans 1:18–25 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Even in the secular marketplace, our culture and society is blanketed by false teaching.
If you’d like to do more study on this subject, I’d encourage you to consider a couple of books by Professor Carl Trueman…
one is called – The Rise and Fall of the Modern Self
there is a very helpful article that summarizes the book itself on the Nine
Marks website entitled Summary of
Carl Trueman’s, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia,
Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution
Trueman also wrote a summary of Rise and Fall entitled
Strange New World – you can find a summary of this book on the Nine Marks website
as well…as well as several other reliable places like the Gospel Coalition’s review by
Shane Morris …
Morris said that “You’re not crazy for feeling disoriented right now. Something has changed dramatically in our society. Watching a man win a women’s swimming championship, seeing satire accounts banned from Twitter for referring to a male public official as a man, and hearing a Supreme Court nominee refuse to define “woman” in her confirmation hearings is all strange—very strange. And it raises the urgent questions of how we got to this point and why it seems to have happened so quickly.
- He went on to observe that -- Millions of our neighbors now believe that human beings can sculpt themselves into whatever they desire, if necessary through hormones, surgery, and legislation.
Yes – there are churches that espouse the spirit of the age!
In other words…
B. The way of truth will be maligned – v. 2b
Literally, that means “blasphemed” “slandered” or “defamed.” That’s the nature of false
Teachers. They will blaspheme the truth. They will slander the truth. They will defame the truth
of our Lord. They will do all of that and teach others to do the same thing. Many are dominated
by these purveyors of darkness and it is only by the sheer mercy of God that they are plucked
out of the fire.
In Jude’s letter to the church, he wrote against false teachers and the damage they cause to the
unsuspecting. By the grace of God, some were able to escape the clutches of these false
teachers – and he said about these persons to “have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save
others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the
garment polluted by the flesh. – Jude 1:23
In other words, God has pulled these people from out of false teaching, have mercy on them
because they’ve been so damaged – so injured by what has happened to them, that they need
immediate and spiritual bathing of the Word of God upon their minds, perhaps even for years
to come.
Jude says to help these people who have come out of false teaching – help them who have come out of a false way of living, but do so “with fear.” Why? Because well meaning Christians run the risk of being polluted by the very people we are trying to help.
There’s another, perhaps even, primary undercurrent regarding false teachers. They are sensual. But they are primarily greedy for money.
Timothy 3:7 - always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Acts 17:21 - (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
The Body Keeps the Score
the thesis of his book is this…The body keeps the score: If the memory of trauma is encoded in the viscera, in heartbreaking and gut-wrenching emotions, in autoimmune disorders and skeletal/muscular problems, and if mind/brain/visceral communication is the royal road to emotion regulation, this demands a radical shift in our therapeutic assumptions. (B. Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 12-13)
here’s one of his concluding statements… the body is a complex gift to man that provides life, functioning, health, and other contributions to mankind’s existence. The soul is that of utmost value, and it is the soul that will never cease to exist. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). It is the author’s conclusion, as has been demonstrated, that the body only causes physical responses and can only influence immaterial responses—of note, the body never causes immaterial responses. In this way, the body does not keep the score, the soul does. (Gifford, ACBC Colloquium Paper, p. 24).
C. Because of their greed you will be exploited – v. 3a
In other words, they do what they do for money. They couldn’t care less who they hurt. They
don’t couldn’t care less who you are – they do what they do for money. They use people just
like they use merchandise, for their own ends. And they can become very popular and can even
have mass followings.
Peter says they are in the church ministering and teaching, but they are covetous, full of greed
and lust, many of whom you can see on television. They espouse, health, wealth and prosperity.
And if you don’t have any of these things its because you don’t have faith. They seem to forget
That the Apostle Peter was in prison. They seem to forget the Christ had no place to lay his
Head – they seem to forget the hall of faith recorded for us in Hebrews 11 where we read about
The saints losing everything for the sake of Christ.
III. Be Grieved about the Future of False Teachers
A. Bring swift destruction upon themselves – v. 1e
False teachers bring upon themselves a swift destruction because they make a choice to teach
It. They could teach the truth, but they knowingly reject it. Because they have damaged so
many lives as well as damned so many lives by way of their false teaching, at the Great White
Throne Judgment, there will be no leniency for them – no mercy for them – no love for them.
Their judgment will be a swift whiter than white hot judgment – it will be pure unmitigated
Justice, and cast into the lake of fire forever and ever.
B. Their judgment is not idle – v. 3b
In other words, God’s divine wrath is amassing on their heads until his appointed time. When
their divine appointment comes the gavel of God’s justice will come down as though hell
poured out of heaven.
And every person in this room who have deeply suffered by false teachers via the occult or
Family – yes even tares in the church, God will vindicate you…because he loves you and is the
guardian of your soul such that it was by his divine power he has preserved you through all that
you have endured..
C. Their destruction is not asleep – v. 3c
Is it any wonder why the apostle Paul said - 2 Timothy 2:23–26 - But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
Positive Take-Aways
1. Be a Berean.
Regardless of the pastor who’s speaking, including what I’ve just said today, think this through and search the Scriptures to see whether what I’ve said is true. The last thing I would want is to lead any of you astray away from Christ.
2. Grow in your understanding of biblical truth and theology.
Bathe yourself in theology. Take as many courses that you are able to take. Surround yourself
with people who will do what they can to help you. Let’s rub off on one another.
3. Expose your family to solid biblical teaching and resources
This is one of the reasons so many people faithfully attend the services of this church
4. Promote and support theological education
- develop – our seminary
- develop – our policy here to pay for advanced degrees for staff members
Let’s pray…
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and [t]forever. Amen.
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