2 Peter 2:1-22 Embracing the One They Deny

You are listening to the podcast of Recast Church in Mattawan, Michigan. Good morning.

Please open up your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 2. If we were paused and if we were going to look at chapter 1, which we're not going to today, but if we looked at it, it would not take long to conclude that this letter, 2

Peter, it was written to the believers. You'd find that out quickly. It was written to those who had obtained a faith, a

God -given faith, by the righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. See, these people, they shared the same gospel truths that the apostles did, and that we do if we're in Christ Jesus.

And Peter stresses this point over and over in chapter 1. He calls them back to knowing the truths and promises that God delivered to them in His Word.

And this is where our text begins. I share that in the beginning part. It's so hard to start in the middle of a book, right?

But here, chapter 2, in light of everything he shared with them about knowing Christ, he basically throws cold water in the face of his audience with this contrasting chapter.

He shows them the extreme danger that surrounds them, and he warns against those who did the exact opposite of what he was calling his heroes to do in chapter 1.

So please, follow along as I read these warnings and descriptions of these false messengers who did not rest on God's Word, who did not trust in God's Word, and who did not know the

God who gave this Word. So we'll look at 2 Peter, chapter 2, verses 1 through 22.

And church, this is a heavy chapter. But listen, even in the midst of this reading, for the grace that God gives.

Listen for the grace that He gives His people. All right, let's read. 2

Peter, chapter 2, verses 1 through 22. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation is from long ago, it is not idle.

And their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept by judgment, and if He did not spare the ancient world but preserved

Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought the flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes,

He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what was going to happen to the ungodly, and if He rescued righteous

Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked, for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting its righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.

Then, if He did all those, then the Lord knows how to rescue His godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous from the punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce blasphemous judgments 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 a 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 that are trained for greed or in greed. Accursed children, forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

They have followed the way of Balaam, son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but he was rebuked for his own transgression.

A speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

These are waterless springs, in midst driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.

For speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh, those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that is he enslaved.

For it would have been better, I'm sorry, skipped ahead there. Verse 20, for if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

For it would have been better for them to have never known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

What the true Proverbs says happened to them. The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.

Church, this is a heavy chapter. Please pray with me. Lord, I thank you for your word.

I thank you even in these heavier, harder chapters. I thank you for the truth that you share.

These are hard, but these are truths that we need to hear. And in your perfect timing, I trust that you gave this message today.

Please, Lord, as we look at these judgments and these condemnations of these false teachers, and really, really people who don't know you,

Lord, I pray that the gospel will be lifted that much higher. As we look across the scape of this dark chapter, may the light of your truth and the light of your

Son shine brighter and brighter. As we read word by word,

Lord, we need you to do a work. We pray that you give us the words that we need to hear today from this text. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen. Alright, please reopen your Bibles to 2

Peter 2. As you guys heard earlier, if you heard me read the passage, this whole chapter is primarily about false teachers.

And I'll be honest, as much as I dreaded the idea of preaching this section, I really am thankful just for this opportunity to share its truths and warnings.

You know, I feel that today, this is God's perfect timing for this message. I couldn't have orchestrated a better time to deliver this, really, even if I would have tried.

I didn't plan to be here. I picked 2 Peter a while ago and slowly working through it.

And I was asked to preach today, and here we are. We're one day, less than a day away from 2024.

And likely, because of it, as a result, we're probably, all of us have some sort of a reading plan in place.

And I think that's a good thing. Everyone agree? I hope everyone has some sort of a plan for this coming year to be in God's Word.

But I do ask, why? Why is that great? Is it because you feel that the truths contained in God's Word are at least as important as the food that you daily consume?

Is that why you're planning on reading God's Word? Or do you feel that God's Word is more of an option for you?

Something that you read when you're forced to or guilted to? Kind of almost like you did with your vegetables as a child, right?

I'm confident that as God's children, we know our need for this Word. We know our need for God's daily provision through His Holy Word.

I trust that along with Peter's urging in chapter 1, that we grab

God's Word every morning, every evening, whatever that is. And we read this Word over and over and over again.

Because we know we cannot survive without it. These words, when properly understood and applied, they inform every area of our lives.

From whether you eat or drink or anything you do, it should all be done for the glory of God.

God's Word is our lifeline. Can you say the same?

Peter certainly thought so. His entire first chapter was all about that idea.

And he even concluded this letter in chapter 3 the very same way. If you glance, you don't need to, but if you glance at the end, you would notice he left his readers with these words.

He said, Don't stay where you're at.

Grow. Continue to dive in. And in between these two chapters of Peter calling us to these truths and back to these truths, this is where we find this chapter.

This long, dark, hard chapter. And I'll be honest, I don't think the second time through is going to be any easier for me to present it.

But here we go. Notice in verse 1, please follow along. I want you to see that these words are not coming from me.

They're coming from God's Word. Notice in verse 1, the stark introduction to these false teachers.

Notice this. This is contrasted by Peter basically saying this. He basically says, I know

I spent the entire first chapter telling you to know Christ and continue in His Word. But notice what it starts with.

He says, They're opposed to everything Peter just said.

These wolves did not know Christ. They didn't continue in God's Word.

And these deceivers, they have always been among God's people. And you know what?

They always will be. At least until the Lord comes back. Think about it.

False prophets, false words, or accurately, were in the garden.

You remember? Did God really say? Was the question answered. False words were among the apostles.

Before that even, they were among the Israelites. They were among the early church.

And false words are still among God's people today. If you're bored sometime, be careful going down this road.

But do a search for a verse on the internet. You'd be amazed how many false messages pop up.

You need to scroll forever before you find a reliable source. Look at Christian colleges.

How many have yielded to political correctness and woke ideology? How many denominations have sold their birthright in the name of, quote, love?

And now they're teaching a false gospel. In church, it's not just out there. False messages could walk through those doors and be here and recast.

And a terrifying thing is, is false messages could even rise up among us.

Wherever there is truth, error is close by. You can count on that. Error will always use bits of truths as it undermines a gospel message.

Does Peter have your attention? Are you asking who these false teachers are? Do they come in wearing a little name badge that says

Wolf? Do they announce their arrival? Give an ample time to prepare for their terrible message that they're going to bring?

No. No, they don't. But if we look at verses 1 through 3, Peter gives us descriptions of who they are.

The details of what they're doing will be further defined as we come to verses 10 through 19.

But here in verses 1 through 3, we get an insight of how to spot them. This is important.

Look again at verse 1. Peter says, errors are typically brought in secretly.

Do you see that? Secretly among the brothers. Little twists, little changes. Now, sometimes errors, false teachings, they come in and they're blunt and obvious.

These heretical teachers come in boldly proclaimed. And those are easier. They're way easier to spot.

They're way easier to combat. But many times, these errors, they appear as small little tweaks, small little errors.

Example, you ask? I'll give one just simple, right? All it takes is a little bit of law added to grace, and guess what?

We have no more gospel. The book of Galatians, if you're familiar with it, and if not, maybe that's an idea to read this year.

The book of Galatians powerfully defends the gospel by exposing and correcting these errors.

And those distinctions, they're worth defending. Because anytime we deal with false teachers, there's a very, very clear them -us distinction.

Do you hear that? Anytime we're dealing with false teachers, very clear them -us distinction.

And it is that stark of a difference from one main reason. And that reason is Christ, our

Lord, our Savior, our only hope of righteousness. He is our master.

But notice, again, verse 1, these false teachers, they bring in destructive heresies.

They even deny Jesus, the master who bought them, or so they claim

He bought them. Their denial of Jesus as Lord and master, it proves that He is not their

Lord and master. But they don't even know Him, and that is the problem. They've claimed our

Lord. They don't know Him as Lord and Savior. They yell, grace, freedom!

They live in bondage to their sin. They profess salvation, but they do not possess it.

And this will play out in the remainder of this chapter as we go through it. We'll see them bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And you may be wondering, are false teachers really that dangerous? Notice in verse 2, many, see that?

Many will follow their sensuality. In verse 18 that I read earlier, we know that these wolves will entice by sensual passions of the flesh.

We also know that they teach supposed freedom. They teach freedom in Christ.

And what do they teach it in? To sin. They say we have freedom now to sin. And the result, the result of their error, look at it again in verse 2.

Many will be tempted. Many will be led astray. Their lives will produce the errors that they consume.

Their sensuality will be the result of the way of truth being blasphemed. Think about that, church.

How many times have we, when we look around, how many times have we seen people identifying with Christ, yet willfully and proudly opposed to him and his holy word?

How many times have we seen that? See, it's not just blasphemy when someone speaks against God's holy and precious name.

That's not the only way we can blaspheme. You know, we could really, we could probably argue that it's more blasphemous when a professing believer claims

Christ, but their life opposes the Lord they're claiming. Church, if we notice their hypocrisy, you better bet that the world notices it too.

And as a result, a sad result, many will never even entertain the idea of following a

Christ that they do not know, based solely upon the way that some of his supposed followers are living.

That's sad, may that not be, right? The way of truth, as a result, is blasphemed.

Verse 3 continues, exposing that these divisive wolves, they're also greedy.

Do you see that in the text? Are they greedy for money? Are they greedy for followers? Well, likely yes to both.

But for me, the motivation of their greed, it doesn't interest me or alarm me as much as their relentless will, their never -ending will to gain converts to their false words.

False teachers, they don't give up. They just continue on and on and on with their error.

And for their efforts, notice at the end of verse 3, their condemnation from long ago, it is not idle.

And their destruction is not asleep. Friends, Jesus prayed in John 17.

He prayed that he guarded and kept his apostles in the Father's name. None were lost, he says, except for Judas, the son of destruction, so that the

Scriptures might be fulfilled. See, Judas' condemnation, it was from long ago.

His destruction was certain. And as believers, this should strike us with sobering fear for anyone who would pervert the grace of our

Lord. If they persist in error, their destruction will also be proved just as certain.

That's what our text tells us. Church, God does not take sin lightly.

You know that. You feel that. God doesn't give us liberty to pragmatically soften our stance on sin and on false teachers.

He does not. We cannot deal gently with willful, unrepentant error in hopes that the perpetrator will soften and repent of their sin.

Why do you think that God commanded the complete annihilation of entire wicked people groups when the

Israelites entered the land? Talk about a hard passage, right? Why was stoning as commanded by God?

Why was stoning the penalty for false teachers? Or false prophets, rather, among the

Israelites? Another hard section. Why did Jesus and Peter and Jude and Paul all speak so harshly against false teachers?

And why are we, church, as followers of Christ, why are we, when dealing with those claiming

Christ, yet walking in unrepentant, open sin, why are we called, such a man do not even eat?

Well, it's because sin and false teaching, any time it remains in opposition to the gospel, any time, it will always result in condemnation.

We see that in this verse. It's a serious, serious thing.

So, church, what do we do with that? When given a chance, proclaim truth to those in sinful rebellion.

Proclaim it. Call them to repentance. Give them Christ. But then, we've got to step back and let

God do His work. We're not given liberty from God to soften our stance against sin. Remember how that worked out for Israel?

You remember that when they spared some of the women and children and flocks when they moved in and they were the pagan nations they were called to destroy?

God's command was clear. It was very clear. And again, you may ask,

Is God really that serious about the spread of false ideas? For that, verse 3 would answer, yes.

Their destruction is not a sleep. See, friends, as we consider verses 4 -10, we see three negative examples of rejecting

God's authority. These are big. These are big examples. Each one of these could be their own sermon.

This is hard. This whole chapter could have been split. I felt it was best, though, to give it at once.

We're going to fly through these examples. Notice with me. These examples Peter gave as reminders that the condemnation for false teachers and any, really any, not just false teachers, any who oppose

Christ, their condemnation is certain. Rejecting God's word, His authority, and His gospel is an eternal death sentence.

Eternal. Notice in the first example with me, verse 4. God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but rather He cast them to a place called

Tartarus. I don't know if I'm saying that right. It's the original. It's Greek. Your translation says hell, likely.

This is a special word. It's only used a few times. And in this place, it's a holding place that God made.

It's described that it's reserved for false angels and false angels alone. And it's temporary.

It's a holding place that they will be judged. They are bound currently, waiting for final judgment of hell.

Example number 2, verse 5. Notice with me. God did not spare the wicked ancient world when

He judged it with the flood. Water filled the lungs of the ungodly as they thrashed around with no hope, screaming out when they breathed their last.

What a picture, right? Wow. Example number 3.

Notice with me. Verses 6 -8. God did not spare the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

He judged them for their sinful, their sensual conduct. What happened?

Fire rained down from heaven, consuming them all. Yet, church, notice this.

Notice, in all of these examples of judgment, do you notice, we see light shining through the darkness for God's people.

We see that in the terror of the flood, as awful as that would have been, the entire world judged. In the terror of that, we see that God preserved

Noah and his family. Noah who heralded God's righteousness. And we see in the incineration of the wicked,

God rescued Lot, who was righteous, not of his own accord, but because he trusted in the

Lord. Look at this promise in verse 9. Look with me. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.

What a hope. As born -again believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we know, we know with certainty, that God has delivered us.

Our sin, it is dealt with on that cross. We know that. And we know He will deliver us from our flesh, from our struggles with sin, and from the final enemy of death.

Right? Sometimes God, sometimes He'll deliver His people in the physical harm, right?

Like if we're going through things, He'll deliver us at times. Sometimes, like He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Doesn't always happen though. Sometimes God's people, they'll be entrusting themselves to their Lord as the stones of persecution crush their heads, as it was with Stephen.

Right, but church, either way, either way, by God's grace, for His glory,

His people have their eyes on their Lord. And we will be with Him forevermore.

What a promise. But, I love this section.

But, just as God knows how to rescue His people from trial, notice the second part of verse 9.

This is terrifying. Notice. Our Lord knows how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.

See that in the text? Peter's point was to show that since God judged the ungodly in these examples,

He will also judge these wicked messengers, those who claim to speak for Him, but are actually speaking lies about Him.

Right? Does anyone else fear for the false teachers? Does anyone else fear for your lost friends and family?

Church, weep for the lost. Weep. But then take them the only hope that we have.

Give them Christ. He's our only hope. As a modern hymn states, one of my favorite songs, states this in one part.

It says, My righteousness is Jesus' life. My debt was paid by Jesus' death.

My weary load was borne by Him. And He alone can give me rest.

Proclaim that gospel, church. Proclaim it. But be prepared.

This lost world seldom, seldom will hear it. They are seldom content with the message of our

Lord. Right? False messages are everywhere. In every shape, size, and style.

But thankfully, identifying false teaching is about as easy as boiling down what it is doing.

Right? What does false teaching do? Well, it always, always denies the work or the nature of God.

Always. It always places an emphasis on denying the gospel in some sense or another.

And it always tries to justify sin as it lifts up the work and the works of man.

With that said, follow along as we briefly highlight what these false teachers, they were doing and they still are doing.

Right? This journey we're going to go on, this ride will only take a few minutes. And it will be intense.

We're going to look at a handful of verses here. It's going to be intense. Just as you would go to an amusement park maybe and wait in line for a roller coaster observing its terrifying twists and turns.

We'll be entering this section, this ride, this attraction in verses 10 -19.

And it will be over before you know it. So please, follow along. Please, you've got to see these words are coming from God's Word.

Grab your Bible. Buckle up and hold on. But please, no screaming. We do not want to distract from the terror of what these dangerous, wicked, false teachers are doing.

Please, as I read these, notice the descriptive words that Peter uses in each example.

Follow along as we highlight these false teachers' errors in verses 10 -19.

Are you ready for this ride? Verse 10, please look with me. They indulge in the lust of defiling passion.

Verse 10, they despise authority, especially God's authority, as they contradict

His Word. Verse 11, they are bold and willful. They set themselves as the final authority over God's Word and over orthodoxy.

Verse 11, they do not tremble. They have no fear of God as they spout error. Verse 11, they blaspheme glorious ones.

They speak against God's holy messengers, His elect angels that sing His praises.

Verse 12, they blaspheme about matters of which they are ignorant. They know nothing about true matters of salvation.

They know nothing of God and of righteousness. Yet, they speak boldly against them.

Verse 13, they count it pleasure to revel in the daytime while openly committing wrongdoing against God's clear commands.

Verse 13, they revel in their deceptions. They take great pleasure deceiving, even in intimate settings, like eating meals together with their brothers.

Verse 14, they have eyes full of adultery. Their wicked eyes are filled to the brim.

Verse 14, they are insatiable for sin. They cannot get enough of their sinful rebellion.

Verse 14, notice with me. They entice unsteady souls.

Church, do you hear that warning? Unsteady souls. See, unsteadiness does not come from continual remembrance and reliance upon God's Word.

Rather, unsteadiness comes from the form of neglecting and forgetting God's Word.

Where are you? Do you know God's Word enough to combat against these enticements and temptations of these sins?

These enticements are attractive. Back to our text. Verse 14, they have hearts trained for greed.

Why? Because their only focus is self. Like all who do not have

Christ, it doesn't matter. Anyone who does not know Christ, they are the god of their own life.

So I'd ask you, I'd ask me, are we living for Christ? Verse 15, forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

The text tells us in 15 and 16 here that they have even followed the way of the prophet

Balaam. Now if you know that story, and even if you don't, the text tells us here that he loved gain from wrongdoing.

And what was God's reply to his sin? Well, in short, God rebuked him with a speechless animal and was thus restrained by a prophet's madness.

Thus restraining the prophet's madness. Verse 17, back to our text. These false teachers are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm.

Crazy descriptions, right? But I think in short, their false words, they looked promising.

And in the context that they lived in, their false promises could not satisfy any more than a spring with no water can satisfy a thirsty traveler.

Or a storm that does not open up to usable rain cannot satisfy a thirsty land.

And neither can their lies satisfy. Verse 18, they speak loud boasts of folly.

They are overly confident in their error. And friends, as Paul finishes up these terrifying twists and turns of what these false teachers were doing, he seems to land on one final error.

It's an error that I believe shows their true colors. No matter how nicely they try to package it, the truth of their error pops out right here.

Look at verse 18. They entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.

See, as we exit Peter's intense ride of what these false teachers are doing, glance at this ride from the backside.

Look back across their message. Look back across what they're doing. Here, from the backside of what we're seeing, their message has no lights.

It has no attractive signs. And really, I don't even think their message has any appeal.

Observe the final error that reveals their true desires. What are those desires?

On the front end of their message, it reads, freedom. Their promises sounded so intriguing.

But Peter reveals the truth behind these wicked words. Remember in verse 2, many will follow their sensuality.

Many will follow, just as it said in verse 18. Verse 18 revealed that these worthless teachers entice by sensual passions.

You see the danger of what they're appealing to? Appealing to our flesh, our wants, our desires.

Look at the beginning of verse 19. These false teachers, they promise their victims freedom.

But they can only lead them into bondage. These deceivers are appealing to the very thing that Jesus said we must die to in order to follow

Him. You remember Jesus' words in the Gospels? It was in at least three of the four Gospels.

He said this. He said, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, which is die to yourself, and follow me, he says.

That is where true freedom is found. Death to self, and rest in Christ alone as our risen

Savior. Jesus took the wrath that we deserved for our rebellion.

True freedom is not found in supposed liberties to indulge in the sinful, wicked flesh.

That is not where freedom is found, what these teachers are calling to. Our flesh and our desire for self over our

Maker, that's the very thing, church, that we need to die to. Why? We can ask why.

It's because the flesh, it desires the complete opposite of the

Spirit. And the Spirit desires the opposite of the flesh. Make no mistake about it.

This is war. The Christian life is war. We are called to die to self.

We cannot please God in our sin. And that's what these wicked messengers are proclaiming.

They claim that in Christ, we have freedom to sin. They're claiming in Christ, we have freedom to indulge in the sensual passions of the flesh.

But have no fear. Peter is on to their schemes, and he warns us. He warns us in verse 19.

Look with me. These teachers, they promise freedom, but they themselves are, do you see it?

Slaves of corruption. Friends, the thing that they love and promise freedom in, which is themselves and their sin, that is the very thing that enslaves them.

And notice this. This is really interesting. The things that they hate, which is

Christ as Lord, and denial and death to self, that's the very thing that they are unable to love.

The very thing that would save them but they cannot. They're unable unless God does a work.

They claim supposed freedom to live in sin, but their reality is a slavery that will end in an eternity of horror.

And this is where Peter, this right here is where Peter wraps up his focus on these dangerous false teachers.

Church, please don't misunderstand me this day. But more importantly, forget about me, please do not misunderstand what

Peter is saying in these final couple verses. This section, verses 20 -22, this section is not trying to communicate that God's elect can lose their

God -given salvation. His bride cannot out -sin Christ's sacrifice, but they won't try to either.

God gave us, His people, the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation to come.

It's an amazing thing. He who began a good work in you will see it to completion. We could quote verse after verse after verse showing this, but then again, verses 20 -22, we don't need to prove against that because these were not written to His blood -bought believers.

We'll see that in this verse. These verses are a warning written about anyone, not just false teachers, written about anyone who proclaims

Christ. It has not obtained Him. Do you hear that difference?

Let's look at Peter's following words with that in mind. Verse 20 continues.

Please, please look with me. For if after they, wait, who's a they again?

Super important. Pause briefly. The they, we can't lose this. The they are the false teachers.

And again, this could also apply to anyone who claims Christ but doesn't know Him, right? The they are those who are not born again.

The original sin nature rules and defines them. And they are slaves to their sin in need of a

Savior. Okay, we've clarified that, so let's try 20 again, right? Alright, look with me.

For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of, you see, our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

Maybe you're saying that's not helpful. Well, notice again in verse 20. Let your eye find the word they.

Okay, did you find it? For if they, now skip ahead a couple words. A couple words in this verse.

Do you see it? The word our. Church, notice that distinction.

It's an eternal distinction. They do not have Christ. Peter does not say the knowledge of their

Lord. Peter deliberately, I believe, and I believe he did this through the whole book. If you go back and read chapter one, chapter three, the whole book.

He purposely and deliberately differentiates a they, us distinction.

See, apparently at some point these false converts, they heard the message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And they claimed freedom in Him. We know they're claiming freedom to sin, but they claim freedom in Him.

And this is scary. This is scary. This is where I was.

I was a false convert until I was 26. And I'll spare the story now. I'd love to share it sometime, but I didn't even know

I needed a Savior until God showed me His word. This is terrifying.

They claim freedom in Him, but they did not have Him. Maybe they raised a hand or said a sinner's prayer.

Maybe they took communion or were baptized. Maybe they gave money. Maybe they taught

Sunday school or served at a church. Maybe they were a member of a church. Maybe they stood behind a pulpit.

Or as Jesus said, maybe they healed in His name and casted out demons in His name and did all these miracles in His name.

Maybe they, quote, knew about Jesus and His gospel, but did they know

Jesus? Did they rest in His sacrifice alone? With these teachers, there was obviously no

Holy Spirit given. There was no repentance, no denial of self, no death to self, and there was certainly no dependence on the finished work of Christ.

This is terrifying. Their cold, dead hearts may have had the paddles of the gospel momentarily show signs of life, but there was no resuscitation.

Why? It's because their cold, dead hearts never beat for Jesus in the first place in faith and repentance.

And we see their original state, it remains in death. It is a they -us distinction.

And it is to these, verse 20, false converts, that Jesus will say, I never knew you.

Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Notice those words of Christ.

These people are still defined in their original slavish state of their sin by our

Lord. Notice He did not define them by the freedom that He alone can offer.

Terrifying. It is to these, verse 20, false converts, that the writer of Hebrews said,

For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, right, to those who have heard the gospel, and they've shared in the promise of the

Holy Spirit, and they've tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, then they've fallen away, right?

If these people walk away from the only one who could save them, the writer of Hebrews says,

It is impossible to restore them again to repentance since they're crucifying once again the

Son of God to their own harm and holding them to contempt. They aren't losing a salvation.

They never had it. They never rested in Christ. And it is to these, back to our section here, it is to these, verse 20, false converts, that Peter concludes in verses 21 and 22 of our text by saying, please, please look at it with me.

He says, For it would have been better for them to have never known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

What the true proverb says has happened to them. The dog returns to its own vomit and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.

It would have been better for them to have never known the way of righteousness. It would have been better to never have known the

Gospel. I don't know how anyone can read these verses without concluding that those who dabble in the grace of our

Lord can't walk away from Him. I don't know how you can conclude that and not come to understanding that their hell will be hotter than a person who's never even heard the

Gospel in the first place. Terrifying words. Heed these words, church.

You hear these words. I would ask if you have ears to hear and hear these words of life today.

If God is speaking warning to you, hear it. If God is causing you even more to rest on Christ, do it.

But hear these words today. If you do not truly know our Lord, please run to Christ.

He will save you. Come after the service. Come and talk to me. Talk to Zach, our elder on duty.

Talk to anyone. Grab them. They'll wreck their day for you. If God is calling you today, run to Him to stay.

Friends, Jesus is not a plaything. He did not create this world simply to come to it, to perfectly obey the law that you couldn't obey.

He didn't die in your place taking the wrath you deserve and rise again. He didn't do all of that simply to have you just take

Him and add Him to your sinful, self -focused, hedonistic life. Jesus is not an accessory.

Rather, He came to set the captives free. Amen? It's an amazing promise we have.

Rest in Him today. Our verses are done.

This is a reminder of the Apostle. He spent chapter 1 and the remainder of chapter 3 calling

Jesus' blood -bought followers to remember, to know, and to recall

His Gospel. He told them to continue their walk with even more knowledge of Christ.

With even more knowledge of His promises. Don't stay where you're at.

Do not rest in whatever God's given you. Continue to pursue

Him. You hear Peter's words today to call that? If you'd open up verses 1 -3, you would certainly hear it.

I'd ask here as we close, is it lucky timing that we found ourselves in this section of Scripture when most of us are considering here end of the year?

We're looking at new reading plans. Is that just lucky timing? I already told you, I didn't pick this timing.

I didn't even pick this section. I was trying to avoid it a little bit.

Is it lucky timing? Or is this God's perfect providence that we have this message warning us about the downfall of forgetting

God's Word? We have this half a day before 2024. Friends, I do not say the following as law.

I do not. I say it as a lifeline. These words, when I used to teach

Iwana years ago, I'd always hold these up to the kids. What are these? They'd say the words of God. These words.

The greater we realize our need for these words determines the extent that we will trust and rely on these words.

And the greater that we rely on these words determines how well we will know, serve, and love the

One who gave these words. Church, are these words precious to you?

Do you know the Lord that I'm speaking of? Is He your Lord? If you know Jesus as your only source of salvation, if you've trusted in Him for the complete forgiveness of your sins, then would you please take communion with us this morning.

We need to celebrate. Tables are set up here at the front and the back if you've never been here.

Please join us when the band comes up and sings. Join us. Go get a cracker that symbolizes

Jesus' body broken for you. Take the juice that symbolizes His blood shed for you as He bore the wrath of the

Father on your behalf. Take the bread and juice back to your seat. Rejoice, church.

Rejoice as you take it. Celebrating and remembering what your Lord and Savior has done in your place.

Would you please pray with me? God, we thank You. We thank

You for Your Word. Even for tough, hard passages like this, we thank You. We need these truths.

Error is all around us. We see it. We hear it. We feel it. We need

Your truth. We need Your Gospel. Even for those of us who You've already saved. Every time we sin, it reminds us.

It reminds us of the Gospel that we can't do it, but You have. Lord, even for Your followers, help us to run back to You.

Help us to run to Your Word this year. The words that You have given. Lord, help us to grow in the knowledge of You so we can love

You and serve You more. And if there's any who do not know You here that are hearing these words,

Lord, would You please do a work in their heart. Please, Lord, we can't do it without You.