The Damning Desires Of Man

PASTORAL PRAYER

Gracious and Holy God,

We come before You today with humility, acknowledging the sobering truth of Your Word.

As Psalm 53 reminds us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

Lord, we confess that too often we live as if You are distant… forgetting Your presence, ignoring Your commands, and seeking our own way. In our pride and folly, we have strayed. We have failed to do good. None of us is righteous apart from You.

But You, O Lord, look down from heaven. You see all. You know every heart. And yet, in mercy, You do not abandon us. You pursue us, call us, and long to restore what is broken.

Father, forgive our rebellion. Forgive our indifference to injustice, our failure to seek truth, and our silence in the face of evil. Cleanse us from the inside out and renew a steadfast spirit within us.

We pray especially today for those who feel the weight of godlessness in the world; for those grieving broken systems, corrupted leaders, and spiritual emptiness. Let the hope of Your salvation rise like the dawn over every weary soul. May the words at the end of the psalm stir our longing: “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!”

Lord, we believe it has in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and King.

Strengthen Your church to be a witness in a foolish world. Let us stand firm in truth, walk humbly in love, and act justly in Your name. Fill us with courage and compassion to seek and save the lost.

We pray all this in the name of Jesus, our hope and salvation. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

Overview of letter:

Like precious faith of believers = faith in the righteousness of Christ

In addition to salvation, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in His Word (authority!)

His Word = how we mature

Our maturity = confirmation of our calling and election

Our maturity —> stirring up growth in others

We have assurance of the truthfulness of the Word because of eyewitness accounts

We have assurance of the truthfulness of the Word because of fulfilled prophecy

Yet, false teachers rise up in our midst to lead people astray and away from the truthful Word

Justice will be served to those false teachers, attested by history

God didn’t spare angels

God didn’t spare the ancient world

God didn’t spare entire cities

Picking up where we left off in 2 Peter 2, Peter shares the why for God’s judgment on these false teachers (i.e. what are their character traits?)

Bold In Their Blasphemy

verse 10-12

False teachers possess a bold arrogance, demonstrated by the way they blaspheme the glorious ones (i.e. angels)

Pronouncing judgment on fallen angelic beings (i.e. demons; v. 11)

Angels don’t even do that!

Jude 8–9 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

There is no boundary in their proclamations.

Claim power over the supernatural

Pronounce judgment that is not theirs to give

Make more of themselves than what is real!

Read Acts 19:11-16

Amazing miracles done by Paul

People thought they could do the same

Overpowered by what they did not understand

People in general, false teachers in particular, lack a regard for creatures that are damned.

Glorious creations of our Lord

Value that is to be respected

Don’t be bold and arrogant in your righteousness (or faux righteousness) as to step out of line

These false teachers = irrational animals!

Animals have no reasoning ability

Make no intellectual contributions to the world

Operate instinctively (can’t reason/think)

Exist for physical purposes

Revel In The Daytime

verse 13

They do what the pagan Romans didn’t do: indulge in daytime debauchery.

Sin abounds in the night time

Sinning in the day = low-life, low-level wickedness

1 Thessalonians 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

These false teachers have no shame.

verse 2 - follow their sensuality

verse 10 - indulge in lust

They are blots and blemishes in society

Dirty, foul, rotten

Like a stain on a clean shirt or a scratch on a precious ring, they mar what is good by their presence

Feast could be referring to the love feast of the church.

Jude 12–13 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

They live in luxury and sinful pleasure, carrying out whatever they instinctively feel like doing.

NOTE: important for pastors to be mindful of how they appear to the world

False teachers flaunt their wealth; true shepherds use their wealth to serve others.

NOTE: The issue is not the wealth, but the purpose and glory.

Eyes Full Of Adultery

verse 14a

They have totally lost moral control.

Dictated by the lust of the eyes (cf. 1 John 2:16)

They see it, they must have it

Not faithful to God, but faithful to their fleshly impulses

Matthew 6:22–23 The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Having eyes full of adultery means gazing at things that lead to temptation instead of focusing on what honors God.

Each time we choose to look away from impurity, we choose to nourish our souls with goodness.

Consider what you allow your eyes to indulge in – are they drawing you closer to God or leading you into darkness?

Matthew 5:28 I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Adultery/unfaithfulness is a heart issue

Are we cultivating purity or allowing our desires to rule us?

The largest contributor in the war for the hearts and minds of people is the pornographic industry.

$10-15 billion per year

~12-13% of Google searches are for porn related material

About 200,000 searches per minute

70% of men and 30% of women (rising!)

Largest demographic: 18-34 year-olds

Many studies report the negative effects of pornography on the brain, social behavior, and (of course) spiritual health.

Our thoughts are what lead to action.

David’s thoughts led to adultery and murder

We may find ourselves entangled in sin because we didn’t guard our hearts and minds.

Social media gives opportunity to see images that stir up feelings

Jealousy, lust, dissatisfaction.

Having eyes full of adultery could mean succumbing to the temptation of comparing our lives to others, leading us away from gratitude and wholeness.

It's crucial to remember that these moments we see often don't represent reality.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Hearts Trained In Greed

verses 14b-16

Focus is on self-satisfaction and not God-honoring obedience.

Teachers in the Health and Wealth, Word of Faith, Prosperity Gospel movements

Make bold claims and promises tied to the money that is given to them by their followers.

Kenneth Copeland, TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, etc. exploit people for their money

They are fountains of heresy

Live lavish lives in their multi-million dollar homes and private travel accommodations without a shred of regret

They serve, and are served by, the God of money.

CONCLUSION

It is one thing to notice and point out these false teachers, but we must also examine ourselves to make sure we are not erring down the wrong path.

Are we bold blasphemers?

Do we revel in the daytime?

Are our eyes full of adultery?

Are our hearts trained for greed?

We find hope in 2 Peter 2:9, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.