Sermon Tone Analysis

/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.

Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.

Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping/.

Strange new cults multiply exponentially as we draw nigh the new millennium.

Each new group vies with the last to see who can sell gullible followers the strangest and most outlandish beliefs.

We wonder how otherwise normal people could be so simple as to purposely ingest an overdose of drugs and alcohol, arrange to burn their bodies, or find some other innovative way in which to kill themselves.

Perhaps the greater question is how a church of our Lord, a harbour of freedom, safety and truth, could surrender her independence and security for slavery, fear and error.

The multiplication of doctrines in evident conflict with one another which is resident within the professed Bride of Christ should give us each pause.

Each of us should hold our beliefs with deepest humility, carefully submitting to the teaching of the Word each doctrine held dear that we might determine the mind of the Father.

That there are false teachers is no surprise; exposing those who have so insinuated themselves into the life of the Body is, however, fraught with danger.

Discovering those promoting error and demonstrating their error invites strongest condemnation from casual minded saints.

Yet, the servant of Christ is charged with precisely that task of exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness and with confronting those teaching such destructive error.

The Apostles were each compelled from earliest days to confront false teachers.

Paul joined combat with the Judaisers even before his first missionary tour was complete.

John found it necessary to expose the Gnostics lest the young churches be decimated.

Sandwiched between these two combatants were Jude and Peter.

Each mounted an offence directed against false teachers.

Each endeavoured to expose the error associated with false teaching.

If we will continue in the apostolic train, we must likewise expose error and uncover those who work under cover of darkest night.

Focus today on the opening salvo Peter launches in his second letter as he takes aim against false teachers.

*/A Dark Continuum of Deceit /*– /But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you/.

No doubt in reference to the assertion concerning biblical prophecy which he had just made, Peter acknowledged the presence of false prophets – yeudoprofh'tai.

There is an old saying attributed to Daniel Defoe which says:

 

Whenever God erects a house of prayer,

The devil always builds a chapel there**[1]**

 

False always proves authenticity.

The devil never innovates; he always copies.

What I find interesting about the false prophets of the Old Testament is that they said what the populace wanted to hear.

They seem to have studiously avoided any reference to disaster or defeat.

Consider just a couple of examples.

Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah was confronted by and he himself confronted a steady succession of prophets prophesying peace for Jerusalem despite God’s Word that the land would be conquered because of the sin of its people.

In *Jeremiah 28:1-17* is the account of one such confrontation between the false prophet Hananiah and Jeremiah, the prophet of God.

Jeremiah had been wearing a yoke such as ox might wear on his neck and prophesying that the King of Babylon would burden the people of Israel with a yoke of bondage.

This conquest was, however, from the Lord as punishment for the sin of the people.

Therefore, Jeremiah urged the people to submit to God’s discipline.

Hananiah, however, prophesied that God would spare the people and break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah, in apparent confusion and questioning whether he had perhaps misunderstood the message God gave him, spoke these cautious words.

/Amen!

May the LORD do so!

May the LORD fulfil the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.

Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms.

But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognised as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true/ [*Jeremiah 28:6-9*].

Hananiah took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it, saying, /This is what the //Lord// //says/: /In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years/ [*Jeremiah 28:11*].

God Himself intervened and instructed Jeremiah to respond by telling the people that God would replace the yoke of wood with an iron yoke and that all the nations would serve Nebuchadnezzar.

Furthermore, Jeremiah was given a message for Hananiah: /I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.

This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the //Lord/ [*Jeremiah 28:16*].

The word of God simply states that /in the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died/ [*Jeremiah 28:17*].

In the final chapter of *1 Kings* is the account of the death of Ahab, King of Israel.

The book tells how Jehoshaphat, the godly, though naïve, King of Judah, visited Ahab.

Ahab incited him to unite in an unholy alliance against the Arameans who had seized Ramoth Gilead.

Jehoshaphat, though already having entered into the unholy alliance, asked that prophets be brought in to provide the counsel of the Lord.

Four hundred strong, the prophets of Israel united with one voice in urging battle which would surely lead to victory.

The prophets, appearing in their big opening show, went so far as to dress one of their number with iron horns and then declare that the king would gore the Arameans until they were destroyed.

Apparently there was something of their true character which showed, however, since Jehoshaphat asked whether there was a prophet of the Lord [*1 Kings 22:7*].

He was uneasy and longed for true counsel from God.

There was one prophet, Micaiah son of Imlah, but Ahab did not want him present, because, he said, he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad [*1 Kings 22:8*].

Where is it written that the preacher must say what the congregation wants to hear?

Where is that text which says we must only listen to pleasant things?

Micaiah was duly fetched by the king’s messenger, and urged to agree with all the other prophets.

After all, four hundred prophets couldn’t be wrong!

But Micaiah was apparently familiar with the Law: Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong [*Exodus 23:2*].

Thus, the brave prophet stated that he could but speak what God revealed.

Ahab put the question to Micaiah, /Micaiah, shall we go to war … or shall I refrain/?

Permit me to interject that you will find it interesting to note the phrasing of the question.

/Shall *we* go to war … or shall *I* refrain/?

What a coward!

What a toad!

Micaiah spoke in line with all the others.

What is missing from the written text is the tone of voice or the body posture.

Something in Micaiah’s response revealed his sarcasm.

Perhaps it was a dismissive wave of his hand, a slow shake of his head with eyes revealing disgust, or a tone which said, “Anything you want, you toad.”

Ahab, apparently in some anger, adjured him to tell the truth, and eyes flashing, Micaiah responded with a message of defeat and woe.

His message was delivered at considerable cost, for he was placed in prison and fed nothing but bread and water because he refused to play the liar.

You recall the rest of the story.

Ahab attempted to disguise himself only to be struck dead by an arrow shot without a particular target in view.

All Israel was defeated and the armies of the two nations were scattered by the Arameans.

Throughout the days preceding Peter’s second letter, the professed people of God sought out men willing to say what their itching ears wanted to hear.

That tendency will only accelerate as the end of the age draws ever nearer.

Peter foresaw that day and said there would be numerous false teachers.

They were even then becoming apparent among the people of God.

Listen to the Word/!  //The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron/ [*1 Timothy 4:1,2*].

/T//he time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths/ [*2 Timothy 4:3,4*].

Interspersed throughout the history of the Faith is a dark continuum of deceit which shall become more pronounced as we near the end of this age.

False teachers shall proliferate and increase in influence.

Psychic hotlines offer easy answers to life.

People willingly cross the palms of a wizened old hag with silver and permit her to spread fanlike before them a deck of cards.

Can it be that the drawing of a card will signify what career he should pursue, or whom she should marry, or the family she shall have?

Channelers and mediums, warlocks and wizards and worshippers of strange gods which were previously bested and which have lain dormant for millennia abound in these closing days of the second millennium.

All this is with the tacit consent of silent Christians who have adopted the view that tolerance is a virtue and silence is golden.

Silence is not always golden, however; sometimes it is just plain yellow.

*/The Methods False Teachers Employ/* – Peter exposes the methods of the false teachers, pointing to two characteristics normally witnessed in their lives.

The first method employed is *Secrecy*.

In *verse one* Peter states that these pseudo-teachers /will secretly introduce destructive heresies/.

False teachers work insidiously, covertly, under false guise.

Like cockroaches, they creep out from the woodwork under cover of darkness.