Check Out Their Fruit

Check Out Their Fruit

2 Peter 2:10b-16

I spoke this week to a pastor friend of mine and asked him where he was preaching.  He told me he just finished the book of Jude.  “Really, I am preaching through 2nd Peter and we are in the middle of chapter 2.” 

This is significant because if you replaced 2 Peter 2 with the entire book of Jude you would think you were reading the same material.  This has prompted great debate about who wrote first and whether or not one or the other is authentic.

I continued the conversation asking my friend about the scathing way in which Peter address the issue of false teachers and the descriptions he uses to describe them.  Wouldn’t it be easy to detect such a person?

Peter’s writings are part of what we call “General Letters”.  They are written to a broad group of people; people who would not have had the Bible like we do.

            But he went on to tell me the story of one of the people who attended his church.  He claimed to be a Christian.  However, in a later conversation with this man he admitted that he believed in reincarnation.  He was asked how or why he believed that when that concept would be contrary to what the Bible taught.  His answer:

            I believe it because we will need to come back a few times until we get it right.

What is a Christian?

Of course there are those out there who are rather obvious to spot when it comes to twisting the Scriptures, especially in the area of health and wealth and those who make claims that they have authority and power that is reserved for God alone.

In our last two studies we saw how Peter laid it out in the open that those who are false teachers are headed for sure destruction.  His evidence was the fallen angels, the ancient world and Sodom and Gomorrah.  This morning we will look more carefully at what these false teachers are like.

Look at the later part of 10b again.

            Daring, self willed they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties.

This is what characterizes them:

            They are self-willed

            They don’t tremble at “glories”, dignitaries

Peter reverses the order in which he addresses these.  He begins with the angelic issue first and then he will address those who are self-willed

Vss 11-13a

The angelic world

Vss 13b-16

Their self-willed lifestyle

Carouse in broad daylight

Blots and Blemishes

Reveal in their pleasure while they eat with you

Eyes full of adultery

Seduce the unstable

Experts in greed

Cursed children

Follow another way – the way of Balaam

Think with me this morning about how this might look today.  Hopefully we can take this passage out of the 1st century and bring it into ours with appropriate application.

1.      They don’t take the angelic world very seriously

It is true that we don’t know precisely what these false teachers were doing.  The secret seem to lie in the fact Peter says they are blasphemers in this regard.

Is there a lively interest in spiritual beings today?  I know things become faddish and maybe today it is not as prominent as it has been or will be again.

It is just a game!  - Ouija board

It is just someone’s guess – horoscope

Who says they didn’t see it – vision

Who says this isn’t the way it is – A vague belief in the existence of beings that are out there to help me but make no demands on me.  That is the perfect man made religion.

Paul warns the Corinthians about feasting at the table of demons and putting themselves in danger of demonic activity.

2.      They pursue pleasure

Greek here: hedonistic

We have enshrined out freedom as the pursuit of food, drink, entertainment, wealth and sex

Hedonism is created when we take what is good and make it the dominating goal of our life.  We abuse the good things God has created and given us for pleasure.

“Eyes full of adultery”

3.      The desire for things money can buy

Loved the wages of wickedness

4.      They produce victims

What should be at the heart of our ministry and your Christian life?

            Being molded into the full image of Jesus Christ and it takes God’s word and the work of the Spirit to accomplish that.