More about False Prophets

Mic

Pray

Peter continues with his description of false prophets. He will describe:

1) Their boasts and presumption

2) Their practices

3) Their ultimate motivation - money

4) The reliability of their words

5) Their ultimate demise

If you will, please open your Bible to 2 Peter 2.10b That is page 1216 in your pew Bible or pg 184 if you have one of the skinny Bibles in the back of the sanctuary.

13 Slides (ending vs 22)

Beginning at verse 10b describing these false prophets and false teachers Peter continues

2 Peter 2:10–22 NASB

10 ... Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Let’s begin with our first point

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1) Their boasts and presumption

Both their words and their actions betray attitudes of self-centered arrogance and self-willed presumption.

They are brazen in their claims.

Thare are daring and do not even tremble when they proclaim curses or commands against angelic majesties. It does not matter what ailment you are suffering from. They will cast it out. In this case they will revile angelic majesties. Remember that demons are angels - fallen angels, but angels never the less.

Now if the person is not really demon possessed - no problem… but their bold proclamations still will have no power.

And Satan may even grant them the appearance of power in some cases so as to delude the gullible. but remember what happened when the sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons.

3 Slides

Acts 19:14–16 NASB

14 And seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Angels are far more powerful than any human, and this is a job that can be done only in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Remember when Michael the arch-angel took on the Devil ...

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Jude 9 NASB

9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

While it is true that greater is HE THAT IS IN US … than he that is in the world.

Like Michael, we should not try to confront demons and angelic powers on our own, We should seek God’s intervening power.

But these false teachers so self-confident, brazen, and reckless did what even Michael “would not dare” to do—directly rebuke another angelic majesty… as if they had authority over them.

These are battles that can only be won by the Lord. As we sang just a few minutes ago, “The Battle Belongs to the Lord.”

The reckless blasphemies of God and angels by false teachers demonstrate that they are like unreasoning animals.

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Jude 10 NASB

10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and … the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.

They are comparable to beasts that have no rational capability and when God destroys Satan and his demons in the final judgment, these false prophets will also be destroyed and cast into hell.

Now vs 13 in the NASB reads

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2 Peter 2:13 NASB

13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. .…

Peter says “suffering wrong” because he is making a play on words They will suffer ἀδικεω as the wages or punishment for doing ἀδικεω .

However this is not teaching that God will be doing anything wrong by punishing them for their wrongdoing.

The NIV tries to keep the pun and the meaning by translating this verse;

“They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.”

This brings us to point 2, starting with verse 13b

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2) Their practices

2 Slides

2 Peter 2:13–14 NASB

13 .… They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

Most people do their carousing and revelry at night , but these people did it in broad daylight breaking all common norms.

As a general rule, sinners tend to engage in this kind of conduct at night: “For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night” (1 Thess. 5:7).

According to historians, pagan Roman society tolerated this kind of behavior as long as it was done discreetly under the cover of darkness. But it frowned on and disapproved of drunken parties during the daytime when it could be viewed by everyone. Because of its public nature, such behavior was considered inappropriate, even by Roman unbelievers

The term revelry refers to loud drinking parties, plenty of alcohol and lots of food. Things could get really wild and obnoxious.

The word translated carouse (συν-ευωχόμαι) means “to eat together,” or “entertain together,” as in a public meal. Here it may refer to the church’s love feast that accompanied the Lord’s table.

By faking their faith in Christ,

these false teachers pretended to have a rightful place at the Lord’s table. ..

But in fact they were a polluting influence turning it into a wild party.

The scripture clearly teaches us that the Lord’s table is not an occasion to get drunk, it is a time for propriety, solemnity and to remember what our Lord has done for us.

6 Slides (ending vs 22)

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 NASB

17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part, I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.

Instead of welcoming these false teachers and inviting them to participate or… even lead... at the Lord’s table they should have thrown these false teachers out.

3 Slides

2 John 9–11 NASB

9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

We need to be discerning in whom we welcome into the fellowship, and that will require us to be students of God’s word.

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1 Peter 2:2 NASB

2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Peter then shifts the focus to their thoughts.

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2 Peter 2:14 NASB

14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

Having eyes full of adultery.. both “Having” and “enticing” are present participles. These false prophets are continually looking at women as objects of prey. as sexual objects for their fornication and adultery.

The word for “enticing” also refers to using bait to attract a prey.

They will say all the right things to get your trust. Like fishermen using a lure, they will trick their victims to believe their deceptions. Under the guise of authentic concern, they target the unsuspecting, the spiritually immature, the undiscerning, or unbelieving. Peter will return to this in chapter 3.

Obviously, this is another reason why we need to be well grounded in the Word of God, so that you won’t be deceived by them.

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Ephesians 4:14 NASB

14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

and that brings us to their ultimate motivation

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3) Their ultimate motivation - money

Having their hearts trained in greed. The term for “trained” is γεγυμνασμένην . It is a perfect passive participle implying that it is something that they have already gone through in the past with a long lasting effect. It is the word from which we get our word gymnasium. Just as an athlete constantly spends time in the gymnasium working out to perfect his sport, so these false prophets have honed their skills and appearance and message to get your money. They have worked hard to perfect their skill at getting money out of your pocket and into theirs.

Without question, Peter understood that their actions were not accidental. Their offenses were crimes of premeditation, not momentary lapses of judgment. As masterminds of sin, these false teachers had planned their attacks and purposed their hearts toward sensual and materialistic ends.

2 Slides

2 Peter 2:15–16 NASB

15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

Just as Balaam, knew that God wanted to bless Israel, he took money and would have cursed Israel if God had not stopped him.

Even though Balaam could not see the angel blocking his way, the donkey did. Balaam beat his donkey even though he had saved his life 3 times. Finally, God gave the donkey the ability to talk.

7 Slides (ending vs 33)

Numbers 22:27–33 NASB

27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. 33 “But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.”

In this case God showed Balaam who was the real donkey. God , under threat of his life, forced Balaam to bless Israel, but Balaam was all about the money. He wanted the money so he devised a plan and counseled Moab to entice Israel to participate in their worship of false gods, and to seduce them into sexual immorality. The result was that 24,000 Israelites died for their sin. Balaam also was killed

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Numbers 31:8 NASB

8 And they killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

and that brings us to point 4

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4) The reliability of their word

They may pray for you. They may give you promises. Send me your money and God will bless you or heal you.

They may give you assurances based on their distortions of the word of God… they may tell fantastic stories.…

but all their promises are like springs that when you come to them have no water. They are like clouds that promise rain is coming, but then blow over.

2 Slides

2 Peter 2:18–19 NASB

18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

They will promise you freedom, but they themselves are trapped by their own sinful lusts. Rather than being freed from their own lusts, they have eyes full of adultery and greed.

These false teachers minister in a man-centered way, pandering to what they think people want to hear and accept

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Jeremiah 23:16 NASB

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord.

As a result, they preach their own visions of health, wealth, prosperity, and false peace. The true teacher emphasizes God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, and the desperate condition of man that results. But false teachers prefer messages of their own making—syrupy deceptions that appeal to the carnal appetites of their listeners.

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Lamentations 2:14 NASB

14 Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you false and misleading oracles.

If we want to experience God’s blessings and peace in our lives, it begins with repentance.

We need to repent or turn away from our sinful ways and make God the Lord , the boss in our lives.

We place our faith in Him and so we commit our very lives into His hands.

We commit our will, our resources, our possessions, and yes even our families to Him to do with what He pleases.

We begin to follow Jesus.

Yes, we ask Him to forgive us for our sins, but not so that we can continue in our old sinful ways.

We ask for forgiveness because we have seen the error of our ways and want to follow Him and do what is right in His eyes.

We commit ourselves to a way of holiness because our desire is to honor Him and to glorify Him in our lives.

Despite the fact that these false prophets have no power, these false teachers will claim great things. They will claim great wisdom and make all sorts of promises.… but their words are like a cloud without rain. They are empty promises to entice their listeners by their fleshly desires and sensuality.

In appealing to these people, false teachers promise freedom and victory while they themselves are slaves of corruption. Their empty guarantees include liberation, purpose, prosperity, peace, and happiness. Yet, they do not even possess those blessings themselves.

They do not care about bringing the truth to people’s minds; instead, they target people’s lusts—offering a carnal, feelings-oriented message that feeds the sensual instincts of their hearers. Often such teachers possess a personal charm and charismatic appeal that other people, especially vulnerable women, find attractive.

And often times they end up deceiving those who have come to realize that they are sinners and

whom appealing to God is their only hope.

(that is what it is alluding to when in verse 20 it talks about having escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. )

The question then is were they truly saved? or

were they like the seed that was sown among the thorns? or among the rocks? They appeared to be saved, but then got tangled again into the affairs of this life.

and that brings us to our last point

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5) Their ultimate demise

3 Slides

2 Peter 2:20–22 NASB

20 … the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Bottom line, their last state is that they will be condemned to hell.

however, just as in the case of the man who was demon possessed;

What happened if he did not clean up his life? and ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to come into his life?

3 Slides

Matthew 12:43–45 NASB

43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 “Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

or consider the fate of those who proclaim to be teachers of God, but who do not handle the word of God rightly?

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James 3:1 NASB

1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.

We will be held to a stricter standard.

Were they truly saved at one point?

Many will say, no they weren’t saved.… they came to the point where they had an accurate knowledge and awareness about Christ, but they did not have a saving knowledge.

Others will say that because the Bible says in verse 21 “having known it” it clearly implies that they were saved and walked away from the truth.

We can argue the point till the cows come home… but one thing stands out… their last state will be even worse..

it would have been better for them to have never known the truth that to have come to the point where they knew the truth and then turned away from it…

and that, my friends… is the place for us and many of our family and friends. WE...They… have come to know the truth.

They can choose to commit their lives to Jesus… we can choose to commit our lives to Jesus and follow Him or reject Him. That is the choice. We cannot claim ignorance.

Are we going to be like a dog that returns to its vomit and eats it? or are we going to surrender our lives to Jesus?

As for me, I have decided to follow Jesus… what about you?

Let’s pray.