4. 2 Peter 2.10-22
2 Peter: Be on Guard, Grow in Grace • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Two fraudsters have been jailed for their part in a series of scams in which 245 people lost millions of pounds in pension savings. Alan Barratt and Susan Dalton tricked people into transferring savings to schemes supposedly investing in property.
More than £13m of pension savings were transferred, and the pair of crooks forwarded most of the money to another crook - the mastermind of the criminal enterprise, a man named David Austin. This man used it to live a life of luxury including ski holidays and trips to Dubai.
Former mineworker Stephen O'Reilly was among their victims. He lost more than £100,000, and now has to work in a bookmakers to pay his bills. “My pension has gone. I am going to have to work for the rest of my life," the 62-year-old said.
The fraudsters promised much, but delivered nothing, in fact it was worse than nothing, they did untold damage. The promised financial freedom but delivered financial slavery.
And here in this fourth section of 2 Peter, the apostle Peter is warning us to watch out for the equivalent scammers…. in the church.
These guys don’t take your pension, it’s worse than that, they ruin whole lives, doing untold damage to the church in the process. The churches Peter is writing to are in danger of falling victim and so they must be warned.
As we listen in on his warning we will, I hope, also be equipped to see off this kind of false teaching from these kind of false teachers - should it come our way.
SO far in chapter 2 he has counselled the church not to be surprised is such teachers arrive… remember (from this morning) chapter 2 verse 1
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 bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Don’t be surprised, this (sadly) has always happened.
AND, don’t be worried or thrown off course… God knows how to deal with problems like this. Chapter 2 verse 9…
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
God can tell the difference between real believers and false teachers… God will deal rightly with both.
But tonight we get more detail. Peter tells us (firstly) more about these false teachers themselves - that’s our first heading (Marks of the Men)… and then more about the damaging effects they can have (our second heading - Marks of their ministry).
As we get buried in this passage today let’s not forget the BIG picture of this, Peter’s second letter. He has to deal with some real negatives here tonight, but the big picture is (yes) to be on guard…. but ALSO to grow in grace. He wants these churches to be growing in love for and knowledge of Jesus. He wants these churches (as we saw last week) to grow in Christlikeness - to become more ‘Jesus-like’ - in goodness, and knowledge, and self control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and (to crown in all) love. THAT’S THE DESTINATION! But to do that he needs to deal with the DANGER. So… here’s the first thing to notice in our passage tonight…
1. False Teachers - Marks of the Men
1. False Teachers - Marks of the Men
There’s a lot here in these verses - some pretty horrendous (even graphic) descriptions of these men, but boil it all down and I think you get three things - three of the oldest things in the book.
So… how do they operate? What are these false teachers after?
Money, Sex, and Power
Money, Sex, and Power
Money, sex and power - although here Peter lists them in the reverse order - power, sex and money.
Firstly there’s their relationship with power.
Power
Power
Our passage begins at v10 but lets get a run-up at it, read from v9 with me…
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;
When it comes to power - these guys like to have it, and they don’t like (v10) they don’t like to submit to others in authority.
We’ve already heard that they deny the authority of Jesus - remember chapter 2 verse 1?
1 …They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Jesus is the SOVEREIGN Lord he rules… but these guys don’t want his rule. It’s clear from verse 10 they despise other sources of authority too - undoubtedly that includes people like Peter himself - an apostle and eyewitness of Jesus.
They don’t want Jesus in the driving seat, they don’t want poastles or other authority figures… who’s in the driving seat of their lives? Well, they are - or to be more specific (v10)
DON’T READ - SCREEN ONLY
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
The corrupt desires of their flesh. Their own bodily appetites - that’s what rules them (Peter will develop that point more in a moment). For now though we need to deal with what he says next, which is a little tricky to understand. So read on, end of verse 10 and into verse 11
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
You might read that and think - these are matters I don’t understand either! What on earth is Peter talking about. Well, these verses are difficult to understand so - just before we dive into them - let’s have a little sidebar and ask the question ‘What should we do when (in our Bible reading) we come across a verse we find hard to understand?
Don’t get stuck in the weeds - see the big picture
Very often in any section which has a tricky verse, the BIG point is actually abundantly clear. That is true here. The big point of the paragraph is quite obvious - these false teachers reject authority, they want to be their own authority governed by their appetites and desires. Peter gives one example of that which is tricky, but the big point is abundantly clear.
2. Don’t let it grow legs - see what is clear
I was speaking with Brian about this verse and he shared a great quote from one of teachers who said “when you see a tricky verse, don’t let it grow legs and walk away”. What he meant by that was, it’s unwise to build a whole doctrine, a whole idea on one verse which is tricky to interpret. Some of the best (or perhaps we should call them the worse) examples of Christian false teaching begin this way - there’s a tricky verse, someone takes a very strong view on a particular (often slightly whacky) interpretation of that verse, and goes off to build a whole system of doctrine around it. Very unwise - instead we must see what is abundantly clear in Scripture.
The Westminster Confession of Faith - which is the confessional document of our denomination, the Free Church, sums this up really well.
It says this…
EXPLAIN AS READ
All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.
thirdly
3. Don’t go solo - seek out help
Scripture alone is our authority in the Christian life - but we don’t have to read it and interpret it alone. We have the help of Christian brothers and sisters, of Ministers and Elders, of people who’ve studied longer than we have and (perhaps) written books. And, of course, through books which have been written we don’t only have the wisdom of Christians alive today but the wisdom of Christians from across the last 2000 years. Again folk who go wrong tend to come up with some unique interpretation that nobody has ever thought of before, they do this in isolation and then run straight into heresy.
If you’re interpreting the Bible to mean something that nobody else has thought before, I mean - you MIGHT be a theological genius…. you MIGHT be the next Martin Luther who is rediscovering something the church has all before forgotten - but I think you’re probably not! And neither am I!
Finally
4. Don’t be wedded to a view - see you might be wrong
Since tricky verses like this one about celestial beings (and I promise we ARE coming back to it soon) since verses like this are very often about small details rather than big picture - y’know the big picture of the paragraph is clear - False teachers reject authority… if we end up with slightly the wrong take on this verse, it isn’t the end of the world. In other words we can afford to say… ‘well this particular verse might mean this, it might mean that’ - we’ll hold that with (as it were) a loose grip - BUT THE BIG POINT IS CLEAR.
Having given you those (hopefully sound) bits of advice… back to the text.
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
Who are these celestial beings? why are the false teachers heaping abuse on them? Why are the angels bringing judgement on these beings?
There are various views - again the big take away is clear - these guys don’t like authority.
A view I find persuasive is that these false teachers may have been rebuked for their immoral behaviour, and warned about falling under the influence and power of the Devil and the demonic. The False teachers perhaps laugh or scoff at this idea (we know from chapter 3 they scoff at other key Christian doctrines) - and so they heap abuse on the demonic, or on fallen angels.
listen to one commentator who further explains:
These beings deserve God’s judgment but even the mighty angels who bring that judgment do not speak against them. The point being made is that angels, with all their might and power, recognise and respect the lawful authority of God and submit to His word and rule. ANGUS MACLEAY
PAUSE - BREAK OFF
Again the big point is clear - these teachers think they are above auhtority… above angels… they reject the Lordship of Jesus… instead their own appetites rule them. Speaking of which - in our unholy trinity of money sex and power, we’ve reached the second…
Sex
Sex
Read on now… v13…
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. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
We’ve seen so far in this letter that one of the BIG things these false teachers deny is the return of Christ. “Jesus isn’t coming back” they say… But now we start to see the impact of that teaching. See, If there is no returning Jesus and no day of judgement, they can live how they like…. and how they like to live is to be driven by bodily desire - it’s not just sex of course, is food too - gluttonous feasting, revelling in their pleasures, eyes full of adultery.
Again listen to Angus Macleay
These feasts are not just about food. People also go to these feasts hungry for sex and expecting satisfaction. They betray a huge appetite for sex. Their eyes are ‘full of adultery’. They ‘never stop sinning’ because they are giving full reign to their appetites and instincts. No longer submitted to Christ’s authority, they are out of control. ANGUS MACLEAY
Of course, this is the culture all around us… be driven by your desires (our world says) but here that culture has come in and into the lives of church teachers.
We’ve all heard the stories of course of the pastor who turned out to be having multiple affairs whilst teaching sexual purity.
That’s actually not quite the picture here. These guys, in a way are worse, there’s no teaching on sexual purity they openly promote promiscuous living, drawing in others - they ‘seduce the unstable’ (v14). This idea of stability or security is big in 2 Peter… He wants them to be
12 …firmly established in the truth you now have.
but he’s concerned that they may be 2 Peter 3:17
17 …carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
These false teachers, driven by their bodily appetites are the problem - causing that danger.
They’re after power and sex and (to complete the classic triad)…
Money
Money
There are many things we might want our church leaders to be experts in - these guys are..
14 experts in greed—an accursed brood!
This love of money lies behind the reference in v15 too.
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
Balaam, if you remember the story (it’s in Numbers 22) is asked by the King of Moab to curse God’s people… and he’s offered a tidy sum of money for the task. Balaam wanted the big pot of cash and took the gig.
But, of course, he ends up (if you know the story) 2 Peter 2:16
16 …rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
Have you noticed by the way the references to animals here?
v16 - the reminder that Ballam gets rebuked (of all things) by a donkey.
The false teachers are called ‘unreasoning animals… like animals they will perish’ (v12)
And we get the proverbs quoted at the end of our passage (v22) about dogs returnign to vomit and sows returning to mud.
Here’s the thing… these false teachers in their arrogance place themselves at the ‘top of the food chain’ (so to speak) - they are masters of their universe… they even place themselves above celestial beings and angels. In reality (says Peter) they’re at the other end of the scale - like animals, driven by their instincts - for power, and sex and money… and God will judge them most sternly for all of this.
The message of judgement here is severe….
They will be ‘caught and destroyed’ (v12)
They will be ‘paid back for the harm they have done’ (v13)
Blackest darkness is reserved for them (v17)
And why? why the harsh judgement… well in part, of course, it’s because they are teachers - it’s not ONLY that they are doing these things (although that’s bad enough) it’s that they are dragging others down with them… teaching others to do likewise and therefore ruining the church.
Which brings us onto our second and much briefer point…
2. False Teachers - Marks of their Ministry
2. False Teachers - Marks of their Ministry
What effect do these guys have? What is their ministry like?
Read from v18
18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
See the tragedy? People are just becoming Christians, just learning about the grace of Jesus which (as Peter has said back in chapter 1)
STRAIGHT ON - DON’T READ - SCREEN ONLY
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
enables us to escape the corruption of the world and instead participate in the divine nature.. and then teaching from this lot drag them straight back into worldly ways. What a tragedy when the church calls what is evil, good…
RIFF - SAME SEX ATTRACTION?
The approach of these false teachers is really summed up there in v19
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
So - on your sheet…
Promising Freedom
Promising Freedom
That’s the great attraction I guess. These guys are saying - become a Christian, join the church… you can get rich following Jesus… and don’t worry about what those other Christian’s say… you don’t need to change your lifestyle, not really… you don’t need to stop sleeping around, you don’t to submit to God’s word (the Bible) - well not the bits you don’t like anyway.
Here’s freedom! they say…. free to do as you please…. free to folow your appetites and desires and instincts - whatever they are.
They promise freedom BUT…. they…
Delivering Slavery
Delivering Slavery
For themselves and for others… its actually slavery.
It’s the truth that every addict discovers isn’t it? wether your fix comes at the end of a needle… the click of a button for the online porn… at the bottom of a bottle… the next fix promises release and freedom…. but we end up enslaved.
But Peter says that truth applies to you and I too…. not just to the heroine user. Anything which masters us, we end up enslaved to.
These false teachers are enslaved by their appetites for money sex and power and its killing them… and it’ll kill you too. This stuff promises freedom but delivers nothing but miserable slavery.
In fact, I think we can go a step further and say that EVERY one of us is a slave to something. The question is not ‘are you a slave’ the question is TO WHAT are you enslaved?
I say that because of the way Peter introduced himself at the start of the letter - remember that? right back in 2 Peter 1:1
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
And do you remember that word servant is actually the Greek word δοῦλος meaning SLAVE? That is exactly the same word used here in chapter two.
So do you see? You can either be enslaved to Christ - which leads to true freedom, and real growth, and full LIFE (participating in teh divine nature - the very light and life and love of God - it doesn’t get more life giving and free that that!)
You can have Slavery to Christ which leads to true freedom
Or you can have the so called ‘freedom’ of the false teachers which is actually just being enslaved to sin - sin which wants to kill you, ruin you, and bring you into judgement.
PAUSE - BREAK OFF
There is one final word of strong rebuke for these leaders. v21
21 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. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
Strong words indeed… better for them not to have known the way of righteousness that to have known it and then turned their backs on Jesus.
Does this mean people can lose their salvation? The answer, I think is, no.
Whatever they knew of Jesus they obviously never submitted to him fully as saviour and Lord, or else they wouldn’t live and teach as they do.
BREAK OFF
So… be on guard in our own lives…
But also be on guard when it comes to teachers and leaders in the church.
The standard for elders, teachers and leaders is not PERFECTION - if that were the case we would have no leaders. Leaders are imperfect and make mistakes.
The key question is what are our leaders mastered by? What are we governed by? We must not be governed by our appetites for money, sex, power, or anything else… we must be mastered and governed by Jesus - who’s way leads to life, freedom and blessing.
This is important for us as a church - we are about to vote on appointing elders later this term (explain).
For now though, let’s pray.
