Week 4: 2 Peter

Recap:

Week 1 - Introduction. True believers have everything needed for righteous living. Peace and grace come through walking in knowledge of Jesus.

Week 2 - Sanctification - Spirit uses Word to make child of God like Son of God. Things true believers supplement their faith with.

Week 3 - Rs. Repeating the truths (power of Spirit and coming of Christ). Readiness (Christ is coming). Reassurance (eyewitnesses, Word itself), Revelation (Word is light).

Transfiguration - saw with eyes and heard with ears. Doesn’t deny what they saw or heard. But God’s Word is of greater certainty than even their personal experience.

Tonight he explains the danger of depending on the words or experiences of others, and being led astray.

2 Peter 1:21-2:3

Word didn’t come from men, but from the Spirit. Spirit gave the Word, so He must be the one to teach and interpret it correctly.

This doesn’t forbid private study for interpretation and understanding; it deals with more of the origin of Scripture and getting understanding from the author.

Moved by the Holy Ghost - a really cool expression. Moved is the word phero. Some say that’s where we get our word “ferry.” It means to be carried on by wind. See the same use in Acts 27:17 “they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.”

God took about 40 different men spanning over 1500 years and “ferried” them all to the same destination: Jesus.

But these were men who had prayed, put their sails up, and we willing to let the Spirit lead them.

Any person who claims to be teaching or sharing the Word of God but is traveling opposite of the rest of Scripture is being carried by a different wind. (Eph. 4:14)

God’s Word is always the more sure witness and source. Now that he’s reminded his readers apostle’s witness and written Word are reliable, Peter now shifts his focus to remind them about an unreliable source: false teachers.

False prophets and false teachers:

False prophets of old led the people of Israel astray. Elijah: Baal; Deut 13:1–5; Jer 23:9–22; Jesus, Paul warned about it. And they often came from within.

Deuteronomy 13:1–5 KJV

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder...

Few are likely to be led astray by and outsider who comes in and shares a new doctrine. But many are likely to be deceived if it’s one of their own and if they’re using the Bible in their argument.

So there’s the mention of false teachers, people from within who are explaining the Word but apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit.

They often include a little scripture with their own theology or doctrine or agenda to make it palatable, even believable.

2:1 - “privily shall bring in” = one word, pareisagō. Para = alongside.

Idea of smuggling in false things with the real thing.

“They do not throw out the truth immediately; they simply lay their false teachings alongside the truth and give the impression that they believe the fundamentals of the faith. Before long, they remove the true doctrine and leave their false doctrine in its place.” Wiersbe

They use “plastic” words (2:3, “feigned” = plastos)

Salvation, sanctification, baptism, inspiration of scripture, and other churchy words. “They use our vocabulary but not our dictionary.” Wiersbe

Words they later shift and twist and manipulate to support their own ideologies.

Peter calls a spade a spade: their teachings are damnable heresies.

Heresies speaks of division, making a choice. “You’ve got to believe me! Or you on my side or theirs?!”

Damnable is pretty self-explanatory.

Denying the Lord

Deny His coming, I can live how I want to.

Deny His inspiration of Bible, it can mean what I want it to.

Deny it’s salvation by grace through faith, I can enforce a works-based religion and manipulate it to serve me.

Is this not the same pattern Satan uses? 1) Question the Word (Hath God said); 2) Deny the Word (You shall not die); 3) Offer a substitute (Ye shall be as gods)

If they deny these things, they are not truly saved anyway. They deny the one who bought them.

Matt. 13:44 - Purchased the whole field (world) in order that he might have the treasure in it. His sacrifice was for the sins of the whole world, but only those who believe can claim it as their own. And these who are denying who Jesus is do not belong to Him.

V. 2 - They deny the truth because they want to live their way.

Pernicious = sensual.

Teachers and preachers and pastors are never just conveyors of information; they are role models. With their position and calling comes influence and sway. Wield it wisely.

Pro athlete - lived riotously and was promiscuous. Asked what he thought affects of his behavior on young kids would be. Response: I didn’t ask to be anybody’s role model.

What starts as a little detour, a little change to the flight path results in a major crash. Question isn’t “How bad it is?” The question is “How high is the body count?” People will get caught in the wreckage.

The worse part about it is the effect that it has on the cause of the Gospel. “People will soon forget about the offender, but their distaste for the gospel will hang around for a long time.” Christ Centered Exposition.