BIG IDEA:
FALSE TEACHERS BLAZE A PATH OF DESTRUCTION AS THEY:
– PURSUE PERVERTED PLEASURES AND
– RESIST RIGHTEOUS RULE
(HOW TO IDENTIFY FALSE TEACHERS / HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY?)
INTRODUCTION:
Cf. The many types of WARNINGS we come across in our day to day life:
1) Beware of Dog! — I always notice these signs (sometimes they are fake — just trying to scare you away)
2) Look at how many people still get struck down today with diseases like AIDS?
It’s not because they haven’t been warned. There are plenty of information campaigns designed to educate people that they had better not share their needles with other drug addicts. They had better not engage in sinful sexual lifestyles. But the craving to indulge the flesh is stronger in them than the will to heed the warnings.
3) Warning on packages of cigarettes — yet look how many young people still think it’s cool to indulge in this filthy habit? Makes them feel like they are in control; statement of rebellion against their parent’s authority
Not so cool when you see them on their deathbed bemoaning the lack of self-control and their failure to heed the clear warnings
4) cf. Warnings on ski slopes: Stay within the course; don’t ski in the dangerous out of bounds areas
– Michael Kennedy
– Sonny Bono
But some people are especially daring; the thrill comes in pushing the envelope; Apparently they did not heed the warnings; Easy to brush aside the warnings; I am a good enough skier — those warnings don’t apply to me
Peter is spending a big chunk of time here Warning us about False Teachers
BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS:
WHAT THEY DO STEMS FROM WHO THEY ARE — (HOW CAN I RECOGNIZE THEM?)
WHAT THEY DO LEADS TO WHERE THEY END UP — (HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY?)
chiastic arrangement — WHAT DO THEY DO?
A B
B A
I. THEY PURSUE PERVERTED PLEASURES
“INDULGE THE FLESH IN ITS CORRUPT DESIRES:”
(a lot of parallels between ungodly, slick politicians and ungodly, deceitful false teachers)
A. HOW CAN I RECOGNIZE THEM? WHAT THEY DO STEMS FROM WHO THEY ARE
1. SHAMELESS:
DAYTIME CAROUSERS: They Flaunt their sin Openly
“they count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime”
it’s bad enough to carouse in the nighttime; but to flaunt sin in the open daylight;
no conscience; no sense of right and wrong; what is appropriate behavior and what is not
Praising the evil conduct; Destruction of innocence; God doesn’t want us to have intimate knowledge of evil; we are exposed to so much
Opposite of sober-minded
2. POLLUTED
“they are stains and blemishes” — cf. The defilement of leprosy in the OT
God gave strict laws regarding separation — gracious intention = to protect the
purity of those who have not yet been defiled
should be burned out with laser treatment, not exalted and made into folk-heroes
(like Hollywood types)
opposite of holiness
3. LUSTFUL
“having eyes full of adultery and than never cease from sin”
opposite of love
feel bad for Jimmy Carter — cf. Newspaper article this past week detailing the sexual misconduct of our past presidents — men in our higher office who indulged the flesh in its corrupt desires; who were not faithful in their marriage relationship; who had eyes full of adultery and acted on their desires;
Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin”
difficult in our graphical multimedia society where we are constantly bombarded with immodest images
4. DECEPTIVE
“enticing unstable souls”
opposite of truth (openness, honesty)
always a hidden agenda; hypocrites; misrepresenting their beliefs; packaging
things up with the craftiness of a marketing ad agency
5. GREEDY
“having a heart trained in greed”
can never be content — always longing after more money, more possessions,
more pleasures;
Opposite of Contentment — means they live a life where they know no peace
B. HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY? WHAT THEY DO LEADS TO WHERE THEY END UP
DESTINY: ACCURSED CHILDREN VS. the blessing of being the children of God
They erode God’s standard of Holiness — if these leaders are doing these things, it must be OK; God doesn’t seem to be judging them
They dull your consciences — happens a little bit at a time so you don’t notice
They pollute you; a little leaven leavens the whole lump — don’t think you can escape
They entice you — make sin look attractive — Satan is a great counterfeiter
these people don’t come to you looking like nasty wolves, but like innocent sheep;
they don’t have red letters on their forehead saying: Danger, Beware of false teachers
They manipulate you and exploit you in their deception and greed like the blind leading the blind, They cause you to leave the straight and narrow and end up with them in the pit of destruction
You need to examine what they teach; you need to evaluate what they do; you need to determine Who They Are
Character is important; the qualifs for elders cannot be minimized or excused away;
cf. The acceptance rating of President Clinton — hard to imagine that people don’t think character affects leadership ability — What will a church put up with??
WHAT DO THEY DO #2 (in addition to Pursuing Perverted Pleasures)
II. THEY RESIST RIGHTEOUS RULE
“DESPISE AUTHORITY:”
A. HOW CAN I RECOGNIZE THEM? WHAT THEY DO STEMS FROM WHO THEY ARE
1. DARING
good to take risks that involve stepping out in faith and trusting God;
bad to presume against God’s goodness and be reckless in your behavior;
cf. Evil Knievel stunts — Who would ever think of even trying such stunts??
Not inhibited by God’s standards of righteousness and holiness
They Resist Righteous Rule
whatever happened to being sober-minded?
(closely tied to #3 — no fear of God)
2. SELF-WILLED
“I did it my way” — admired as the aggressive way to assert yourself
cf. Condemnation in Jer. 23 of prophets who were not sent from God; who did not have a message from God, but who spoke their own dreams and visions from their own initiative
denying the rule of the Lord who bought them (vs. 1)
they despise authority
check out their relationship to their parents
check out how they were able to submit to authority at secular jobs
check out their submission to their church leaders in other situations
this is why they hate the checks and balances of a true plurality of elder type of govt.; they want to hold the reigns of power themselves;
they want everyone to agree to their agenda and follow their leadership
3. NO FEAR OF GOD
cf. “No Fear” T-shirts; whole attitude of rebellion of teens portrayed in TV commercials
1) they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties (“glories”) — mysterious
cf. The glories of the Second Coming of Christ to establish His Kingdom on earth;
by application: applies to how they spoke against apostolic authority, etc.
very dangerous how we speak about the authorities God has appointed
Not our job to go around spouting out reviling judgments — we have not been called to a ministry of cursing others (even where it is justified)
We need to point out error (not judge motives that we can’t see) — but not act like the sons of thunder calling down God’s judgment where we should be pleading and praying for mercy and repentance
2) angels would never dare to do the same against the false teachers even though the angels are greater in might and power
cf. Caution of Michael the archangel in dealing with Satan — leaves judgment and condemnation up to the Lord (Jude 9)
4. UNREASONING ANIMALS = CREATURES OF INSTINCT
argument against evolution: we are not just a small step above monkeys
unable to think logically based on long term consequences of their actions
their God is their stomach — driven by the lusts of the flesh
Piper: “Verse 12 adds that the false teachers are like animals in two senses. First, they are utterly ignorant of what they speak. Their reviling at the glories of Christ is like a wolf howling at the sunrise. And, second, they will be destroyed like the animals. They will come to and end in judgment and all their howling will be silenced. We are admonished, therefore, to beware of spiritual pride.”
B. HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY? WHAT THEY DO LEADS TO WHERE THEY END UP
“DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION = SUFFERING WRONG AS THE WAGES OF DOING WRONG”
should be no surprise as to their outcome
The Harvest Law
This is the transition back to Point #1
III. (:15-16) EXAMPLE OF BOTH THESE TRAITS = ERROR OF BALAAM —
FORSAKING THE RIGHT WAY, THEY HAVE FOLLOWED THE WAY OF BALAAM
“WHO LOVED GAIN FROM WRONGDOING”
INDULGE THE FLESH
DESPISE AUTHORITY
Apostasy theme = forsaking the right way which they once held
Apostates: started out with a sound foundation, but depart from the faith (which they never held to internally)
that’s how the first century church could so quickly degenerate into error
cf. Every major mainline denomination; every major seminary — track its history
False teachers creep in unawares and corrupt what is good
Findings from Archaeology:
Historical Context:
Important Principle:
Balaam taught Balak this principle:
“If you can’t get God to change His mind about blessing Israel, then devise a plan to get God’s people to change their hearts about God”
Rev. 2:14 “who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality”
What’s the big deal here?
Cf. Samson: What’s the big deal if I allow them to cut off my hair
Cf. Achan: What’s the big deal if I take some of the gold and hide it in my tent?
Cf. Saul: What’s the big deal if I don’t follow out God’s commands to the letter?
Cf. Ananias: What’s the big deal if I misrepresent my offering and pretend to be super-spiritual?
CONCLUSION:
False prophets have no chance of wrecking the program of God;
no way Balaam could successfully curse Israel
the gates of hell are not able to stand against God’s purposes and plan for history and for His elect people