WWUTT 362 Like Irrational Animals?

In 2 Peter chapter 2, the Apostle describes false teachers as being like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, because they don't follow the good shepherd. Instead, they follow after the devil when we understand the text.

You're listening to When We Understand The Text, an online Bible ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty. Find videos and more at our website, www .utt .com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

False Teachers as Irrational Animals in 2 Peter 2

Thank you, Becky. As we continue our study of what to be aware of concerning false teachers, we're in 2 Peter chapter 2, and this week studying verses 10 through 16. We're going to begin the midway through verse 10, where Peter starts,.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones. Whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.

They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls.

They have hearts trained in greed, accursed children, forsaking the right way they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression.

A speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophets madness. You know, one of the things that I appreciate about those couple of verses right there, verses 15 and 16, where Peter compares these false teachers to Balaam, it just kind of furthers the point that there's nothing new under the sun.

Even the things that these false teachers say and what they come up with, this is not anything new. It's just rehashing false teaching that has been going on for years, centuries, and millennia, all the way back to Balaam.

So just as he was a false prophet and he was fooled by Satan and enticed by his own desires, so there are false teachers today being deceived by those same spirits. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 2, is the section in particular where I'm thinking of, and he's encouraging the Corinthians to forgive the sinner.

If there is somebody in your congregation that you have had to discipline, if there's had to be church discipline against that person, and they are genuinely sorry for the wrong that they have brought against the church, the ways that they had hurt fellow members, brothers and sisters in Christ, in their own congregation, Paul is encouraging them to forgive him that that man does not die in his misery.

Anyone whom you forgive, Paul says, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Being aware of the tricks and the things that Satan uses to try to manipulate people, that's why we're studying this section of 2 Peter 2. And being aware of those things is something that Peter addresses at the beginning of this section that we're studying.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones. Whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these like irrational animals, creatures of instinct.

So blaspheming the glorious ones is a person saying that they're not going to be affected by evil. No demon is affected. You know, I'm a person of my own thoughts. I think my own thoughts. I can take care of myself.

None of these other outside influences, spiritual forces or whatever, they don't have any bearing on me whatsoever. That's blaspheming the glorious ones. It's just being ignorant of just how tricky the devil can be.

And it's at that point where we think that, hey, I'm not going to be tempted. I'm good. I can take care of myself. I'm strong enough in mind that I can resist these things on my own. It's when we get to that point that we become the most vulnerable.

And Satan already has us fooled in the sense that we become so prideful to think that we can take care of ourselves. But it is not by our own strength that we can be successful against the devil's schemes.

It is by the grace and mercy of God and the strength of Jesus Christ. We are to rely upon him for everything. Draw near to God and he will draw near to us. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. As we also looked at yesterday in James chapter 4.

I go on here in verse 12. But these like a rational animals, creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed. You have some similarities here with some things that that Jude talks about. Yesterday we looked at Jude verses 8 and 9.

Jude 1 8 and 9. I go on to verse 10. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand. And they are destroyed by all that they like unreasoning animals understand instinctively. And then Jude even compares these false teachers to someone else in the Old Testament.

All the way back to Cain. Woe to them for they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. So again you see some similarities between some things that Jude says with what Peter is saying here in 2 Peter chapter 2.

One of the best ways to understand 2 Peter 2 is to read the book of Jude. This is one of those using scripture to interpret scripture sorts of things. And it will help you to understand some of the metaphors a little bit better.

One of the things that Peter says here where he says that they are born to be caught and destroyed. I really think this goes back to something that Jeremiah said. In Jeremiah chapter 12 where he's talking about the wicked people and asking that God would do something about the wicked.

Set them apart. Jeremiah says set them apart for the day of slaughter. It's very similar to what Peter says here. These like irrational animals creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed. There is a day that has been set aside for the destruction of the wicked as is talked about in the book of Proverbs.

So that God's glory would even be seen in the judgment of those who do evil. The Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 3. He warns about the dogs. The evil doers. Those who mutilate the flesh. So even here he compares those who teach works righteousness which is a false doctrine.

Salvation by works which is really no salvation at all. He compares them to animals. He calls them dogs. For we are the circumcision he says who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

And then toward the end of the chapter he says brothers join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example that you have in us. For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

So this is almost an answer to the thing that Jeremiah was begging of the Lord that he would do something about the wicked. And Paul says that God is going to do something about the wicked. Our citizenship is in heaven and on that day that Christ transforms our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.

That will be the same day that he destroys the wicked. Our God who subjects all things to himself will bring an end to the wicked and those who glorify in their own willful disobedience. Their end is destruction.

Their God is their belly. You know an idol is not just something that is carved in stone that you set up as a statue and you worship. An idol is anything that you desire more than God. And Paul kind of makes that point here where he says their God is their belly.

The things they desire more than God is going to bring them to destruction. And so we need to keep our eyes on Christ. Join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example that you have in us.

These are people who direct us to Christ. This is not Paul saying follow me. Okay. But he is an example as an apostle. And so there is a sense that we do follow those who are mature in the faith but they are directing us to the chief shepherd as Peter talks about.

We talked about this when we were in first Peter chapter five. The chief shepherd who is Jesus Christ. So there are under shepherds and that's like what I do as a pastor. A word that means shepherd. I'm an under shepherd and I am subject to the chief shepherd and I direct other people to the chief shepherd Jesus Christ.

Jared C Wilson if you've ever been on his Twitter account the tweet that he's got pinned at the top of his account is you're the preacher. Yes. So you're the guy with all the answers. No I'm the guy who points to that guy with all the answers.

So that's that's what a pastor does. There is an example that we are supposed to set before the church and our church should follow that example. But ultimately we are pointing everybody back to Christ.

And so Paul is saying we need to keep our eyes fixed upon Christ Jesus and Colossians chapter three looking toward things that are above not things that are on earth. Hebrews chapter 12 fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and the perfecter of our faith.

Now even though as we study through second Peter chapter two we are talking about false teachers and what to be aware of concerning false teaching. We don't focus entirely on the devil's schemes and like focusing on Satan.

Well here's what Satan does and here's what we need to be watching out for. Ultimately we are fixed entirely upon Christ. He is our steadfastness our assurance our faith again the author and the perfecter of our faith.

We set our eyes on him running for the prize. He is the goal line. He is he is what we are striving for. OK. But then we're still aware of the cheaters that are around us those who are not running according to the rules who are making things up as they go and not following the instruction of God and adding to God's word or taking away from it or speaking off the top of their head or saying what is contrary to sound doctrine.

Paul told Timothy not to let anyone teach what is contrary to sound doctrine but only that which flows from the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ that which was commanded by Christ which was taught by the apostles.

That's what we need to be fixed upon. So if we get really familiar with the real makes it easier for us to identify what is false. The analogy that you've probably heard go with this is that a person who person who works for the FBI who is hunting down a person who makes counterfeit money.

They don't study all the counterfeit to look and see what counterfeit looks like. They get really familiar with the real stuff. And then when something comes across their desk that doesn't look like the real stuff they know there's something wrong with it.

Now it's not that they don't study the counterfeit money. They do. In fact they've got binders. I've seen them binders at the FBI office that are like these have the transparency pages in them that are full of bills.

And it's stuff that says ridiculous as somebody tried to put a dollar bill in a copy machine or even take a piece of construction paper and make their own bill out of it. Put it in a vending machine or something like that.

It's it's that ridiculous to highly sophisticated bills that I could not see the difference between that and the real thing. But a person who has a trained eye knows the difference. So they get really familiar with the real.

That way they can identify the fake. But they still also look at the fake to see the kinds of methods and techniques that counterfeiters will use to make their counterfeit money. And so likewise we need to be familiar first and foremost with the truth of what God's word says.

But not turning a blind eye to the devil and his trickiness and some of the things that he will use to try to get us away from the soundness of the word of God. From the very beginning this is what he has been doing when he said to Eve did God really say.

So Satan continues to whisper that same thing in our ears to draw us away from the truth of God. He is the father of lies and has been a murderer from the beginning as Jesus said. So those who are following after the devil rather than following after Christ they are irrational animals.

They are creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant and will also be destroyed in their destruction. Destruction suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.

This thing here where where Peter says that they blaspheme about matters of which they are ignorant. He's going to come back to this again at the end of his letter. He says this is in chapter 3 verse 14.

Therefore beloved since you are waiting for these be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. So you kind of have a comparison to animals again here. He's talking about living as a as a right sacrifice before the Lord is Paul says in Romans 12 1 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God.

And this is your spiritual act of worship. Peter is encouraging the same heat same thing here when he says be found without spot or blemish just like a sacrificial lamb would be found without spot or blemish.

So we're not like those irrational animals. We are following after the Lamb of God Jesus Christ verse 15 and count the patience of our Lord as Salvation just as our beloved brother. Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

There are some things in them that are hard to understand which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures. You therefore beloved knowing this beforehand take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

So we're fixed on the truth of God's word but also aware of the schemes that the liars will use to try to pull us away from the truth of God the truth of Christ who said of himself. I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but by me.

So those who are blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant twisting the scriptures to their own destruction. They will also be destroyed in their destruction suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.

As Paul said to the Galatians God is not mocked for what one sows that he will also reap and we also have is said to the Romans the wages of sin is death. Romans 6 23 so that which a person sows he will also reap that which they are doing wrong.

They will suffer as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes reveling in their deception. So again you come back to 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 14 where where Paul or I'm sorry where Peter encourages us to be found without spot or blemish.

But these are irrational animals that are full of blemishes. They are blots and blemishes reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you and reading that in particular. I think of something that was written in Proverbs chapter 23 where it says when you sit down to eat with a ruler observe carefully what is before you and put a knife to your throat.

If you are given to appetite do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. Do not toil to acquire wealth be discerning enough enough to desist when your eyes light on it. It is gone for suddenly it sprouts wings flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy. Do not desire his delicacies for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. Eat and drink he says to you but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool for he will despise the good sense of your words. You know one of the things that I think about whenever I read this Proverbs chapter 23 verses 1 through 9 is Donald Trump and how he deceived so many evangelicals to join with him in his march toward the presidency of the United States.

And there are so many evangelical leaders, Christian leaders, pastors, teachers, seminary presidents, so on and so forth who gave up their ethics to side with a man who was inwardly calculating. Who was putting things before them and lighting up their eyes and then snatching it right back away from them and he's doing all of this because he wanted something from them.

He was not genuine in his heart. Certainly a man who is not a Christian. Not a man who sits before people and says to them he's never had to ask God's forgiveness for anything. And proudly boasts that he has read the Bible more than anyone.

Donald Trump said that. Which is absolutely absurd. It is ridiculous. This is not a man whose heart is with the Lord. Do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. This also applies to prosperity preachers out there who are setting things before your eyes in terms of their teaching what it is that they teach you.

That looks good. It looks appetizing. It's something that you you want to gobble up and think that you're getting the spiritual fulfillment that you need. But it's deceptive food. These prosperity preachers especially want your money and will say anything that they need to say to get you to separate your bills from your pocketbook.

So be careful of those who say these. And by the way this passage from Proverbs 23 is one that gets used the King James Version in particular. Where in verse 7 it says for as he thinks in his heart so is he.

That's one that the prosperity preachers love to use because they say you need to think right things in your mind. If you think wrong things in your mind then you're going to be a wrong person. If you think you're a sinner then you're a sinner.

If you think you're a righteous person then you're a righteous person. So the power is in our thoughts and the power is in our words. That's why this brand of teaching gets referred to as word faith teaching or name it and claim it.

So if you say it then you will have it. If you believe it then it will be yours. So these deceptive teachers will use that passage for as he thinks in his heart so is he to validate their teaching. But the reality is that Proverbs 23 is warning you against those very kinds of teachers.

They are deceptive in the things that they say. They're not even teaching the scriptures the right way. They're just saying things to you to make you like what it is that you're hearing and want to give them more money.

Because that will be part of their pitch. Buy their books. Go to their seminars. Give them money. Sow a seed and God will restore to you this much more and all this kind of thing. So got to be careful about them and the way that they twist the scriptures is they will twist scriptures that are actually warning you about them.

We'll pick up here tomorrow as we continue our study of 2 Peter chapter 2. Let's pray. Our Lord God I pray that we would be wise and we would be discerning to those who are tricky and crafty in their deceitfulness.

To try to woo us away from the truthfulness of you who you are and your word. What has been proclaimed to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And instead have a stray from the path of righteousness toward these schemes of the devil.

Keep us in a right path. Keep our minds fixed upon Jesus the author and the perfecter of our faith. Store up in our hearts the word of God. As Paul said to the Colossians let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Encouraging one another and admonishing one another in all wisdom. And let the church of Jesus Christ be that thing that helps to keep us steadfast. In what it is that we are learning and growing in concerning these matters of the faith.

Keep our eyes fixed on Christ. Let him be our ultimate prize. Our ultimate goal. Everything that we are reaching for. Let there be nothing that we desire more than Christ. And when we see somebody that is going astray.

Help us to have the right words from your word. As to how to encourage that person away from the devil's schemes and back to the path of righteousness. We pray and ask for your mercy and your grace upon us all the more in the name of Christ.

Amen.

Thank you for listening to When We Understand The Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you would like to support this ministry visit our website www .wutt .com. And click on the give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study when we understand the text.