Where Do You Draw the Line?

According to the Chicago Tribune, a man named  Ruben Brown was known on the south and west sides of Chicago, as the friendly neighborhood cockroach exterminator with "the Mississippi stuff." The Mississippi stuff was a pesticide Brown had bought down in the South, and it really did the trick on roaches. Brown went from door to door with his hand sprayer, and his business grew as satisfied customers recommended the remarkably effective exterminator to others.

In the process, however, Brown is alleged to have single-handedly created an environmental catastrophe. The can-do pesticide-methyl parathion-is outlawed by the EPA for use in homes. Southern farmers use it on boll weevils in their cotton fields, and within days the pesticide chemically breaks down into harmless elements. Not so in the home. There the pesticide persists as a toxic chemical that can harm the human neurological system with effects similar to lead poisoning.

The EPA was called into Chicago for the cleanup. Drywall, carpeting, and furniture sprayed with the pesticide had to be torn out and hauled to a hazardous -materials dump. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the total cost of the cleanup would be some $20 million, ranking this as one of the worst environmental nightmares in Illinois history.

Brown was charged with two misdemeanors. He apparently didn't know much about the pesticide he sprayed so liberally. Brown's attorney said, "It's a tragedy. It is one of those situations where he did a lot of harm, but his intention in no way matches the damage he has done. He is a family man and handled it with his own hands. Do you think he knew how toxic it was?"

What you don't know can hurt you. That is true both of pesticides and of false teaching.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A Jehovah's Witness knocked on the front door of a home, and heard a faint, high

pitched, "Come In".

He tried the door and it was locked, so he went around to the back door.

He knocked again and heard again the high pitched "Come In".

As he entered the kitchen a large, mean, snarling Doberman met him.

As he plastered himself against the wall he called out for help. 

Again, he heard the "Come In". 

He slid down the wall to the living room to see a parrot in cage.

He said, "For Pete's sake, is that all you can say is 'Come In'?"

The parrot laughed and said "Sic Him!"

To this point we have seen Peter has admonished the original believers to an understanding of what they have in Christ and how it is to be expressed in their lives.  As he is coming to the close of his life he wants to remind them again of the truth that they have been taught and that this truth is not that produce from cleverly devised tales, or invented stories but it is actually the word that has come from God. He wants us to be so firmly established in God and to be continually growing in our faith.  To become mature Christians.  In summary, then, the confirmation of God's Word leads to confidence in his promises, which brings power for godliness, which gives us a personal, experiential confirmation of our call and election.

Look with me though at the last two verses of this book.  We see that Peter not only wants us to be firmly established in our faith, but the purpose is that we cannot be shaken by any temptation or false teaching. In 3:17 he draws his letter to a close with this admonition: "Beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability." Peter devotes his last will and testament (1:14, 15) to help us be firm and stable and unshakable in our faith.

So, as we come to chapter two we are introduced to unprincipled men and their error.

Look at verse 1a.

False Teachers Introduced

            Old Testament is replete with examples of these kind of prophets.

            Everything is ok - when it is not.

“Turn around and be saved.”  Do you think we should have written “The Bridge is out!

Everything is not ok - and that is not to say it can’t be.  That is the good news of the gospel.

For our purposes this morning I would like to lead us through the descriptions Peter gives of these false teachers.  This will create at least a general profile.  From there we will look back and give some further explanation and make some applications.

Profile of these teachers

            They are Devious in their manner - secretly introducing their heresies

            They cover up the degree to which their teaching differs from the apostolic teaching

Gal 2:4 It was because of the false brethren secretly brought in who had sneaked I to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus in order to bring us into bondage.

            They deny the Sovereign Lord

                        Key phrase: The Master who bought them

            Their outcome is destruction

            Destructive heresies - teaching that leads to eternal life and teaching that doesn’t            

            Their destiny is like those follow them

                        Swift judgment - when it comes it will be certain and final

                        Many will follow . . .

            Their desire is to acquire

                        Greed

              Disaster      is their impact

                        Way of truth maligned- spoken evil of

            Their message is     Deceptive         

                        Exploit you with false words - they will merchandise you with feigned words

You see their end!

WHAT IS AT THE HEART OF ALL OF THIS

            Denying the master who bought them.

We know who that is.  Most always, all false teaching is centered some way in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

            His deity

            The sufficiency of his death and resurrection

            The completeness of salvation

That has to do with what is believed about Christ

That being said, I want you to focus in on one word and a phrase.

The word is master

            And the phrase is, ‘who bought you”

The phrase the “Master who bought you” seems to suggest that we are not simply talking about proper belief in Jesus but proper obedience.

Master - Lord

            Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do the things I say

He is the Lord who bought you

            See 1 Peter 1:18-19

            Redeemed - purchased with the precious blood of the Lamb

I don’t want to submit to the will of the Lord

            look at verse 2 - many will follow their sensuality

            Look at verse 10

            Look at verse 18-19

            Compare that with verse 4 of chapter 1

                        Having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust

“You are just enslaved to your old fashioned ways”

            Immorality is just as old fashioned as morality

                        I freely chose to govern my passion according to divine principles

                        You - follow the dictates of your passion

            So who is really free!

WHY THEIR DOCTRINES ARE "DESTRUCTIVE" (2)

      1. Because "many will follow their destructive ways"...

         a. Instead of following the Lord as they should

         b. Who is the only way of salvation

         c. Thus separating themselves from the true source of

            salvation

            d. practicing behavior that is destructive

      2. Because of them "the way of truth will be blasphemed"

         a. Those in the world will speak evil of who profess to follow

            Christ, thinking that the false teachers are a fair

            representation of Christianity ("If that is what it means

            to be Christian...")

         b. Or they will speak evil of the divisions that will occur

            ("Hey, if you Christians have the truth, why can't you

            agree on what it is?")