The Deceptions of False Teachers: Part 1

2 Peter’s Warning About False Teachers

So if you have your Bibles, please open with me to the 2nd epistle of Peter. The 2nd epistle, we've been going through these wonderful epistles. This epistle has much to say about false teachers. Chapter 2 is actually the heart of the message.

So I'm reading this morning 2 Peter. Our text today is verse 18 through 22, which is only four verses. But I'd like to read the whole chapter this morning so that we will get the big picture of what God says and how He views false prophets and false teachers.

Very important. So hear the word of the living God beginning to verse 1 all the way to verse 22. I'm reading from the New King James Version this morning. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people,.

A preacher of righteousness,.

Bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly, and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.

For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

And especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries. Glorious ones.

Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of things they do not understand and will utterly perish in their own corruption.

And will receive the wages of unrighteousness as those who count it pleasure to carouse or revel in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions,.

While they feast with you,.

Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

But he was rebuked for his iniquity. A dumb donkey, speaking with a man's voice, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are whales without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

And when they speak great swelling words, this is our text, when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lust of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error, while they promise liberty.

They themselves are slaves of corruption, for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome.

The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. Very strong words here. For it would have been better for them, not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it.

To turn, listen to that,.

To turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, a dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow having washed to her wallowing in the mire. Very potent, powerful words from the apostle Peter, given to him by the Holy Spirit, speaking to us, warning us against false teachers.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you again this morning, for your most holy word. It is like your nature. It never changes. It never changes. It is the living truth. It is the written truth.

It is living and it is powerful. It is sharper than any two edged sword. Piercing even to the division of the soul and the spirit, the joints and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

As Jesus prayed, Thy word is truth. Sanctify us in the truth, O Lord. Your word is never changing and is forever settled in heaven. We thank you, Father, for its mighty power this morning, that it is able to save the souls of men, dead in trespasses and sins.

And Lord, we pray that you would sanctify us wholly through and through today.

With your word,.

Whoever may be hearing this message, over sermon audio, Lord, I pray for them. I pray, O God, that this message would be relevant to them and minister to their hearts and minds and their souls. To edify them and encourage them.

And Lord, may we be discerning through your word and by your blessed Holy Spirit. May your word change us, Lord, into the image and the very likeness of Jesus today. And we will leave this place giving you praise and glory and honor and thanksgiving.

We pray this in the name of Jesus, the name that is above every name. Amen and amen. So far in our study of chapter 2 of 2 Peter, we have seen, first of all, in verse 1 to 3, as the Apostle Peter has described the destructive doctrines or the destructive teachings of the false teachers.

They have polluted doctrines. Their doctrines is polluted. Even though that they use the truth, they pollute it, they distort it. The Apostle Peter describes false teachers in detail in this chapter so that the born again believers would no doubt be discerning and knowing the truth.

Would no doubt whatsoever recognize in their characteristics and methods. And this is what this chapter speaks of. Their characteristics, their methods, their deceptions. Pastor John MacArthur notes right here,.

Quote,.

The greatest sin of Christ rejecters and the most damning work of Satan is misrepresentation of the truth and its consequent deception.

He says,.

Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls, when in reality he speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls. End quote. There's no fear of God before their eyes.

They are deceived and deceiving. These are warnings against false teachers and all through the entire Bible we have warning after warning after warning about false teachers. I'd like to read a reference from Deuteronomy chapter 13.

Brother Ben read from Deuteronomy this morning. Deuteronomy is really packed. It's the second reading of the law to remind us and to remind Israel that God has a lot to say about warning His people, even Israel, against the false teachers even back in that day.

Notice with me in chapter 13. I'd like to read this whole chapter by the way. Notice what it says. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and if you notice that terminology is used from Jude.

They are dreamers.

Dreamer of dreams.

He gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign or the wonder comes to pass of which He spoke to you saying, let us go after other gods which you have not known. Let us serve them. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.

For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice.

You shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage to entice you.

There's that word. Peter uses it. To entice unstable souls. To entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away evil from your midst. If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom or your friend who is as your own soul secretly entices you saying, let us go and serve other gods which you have not known.

Neither you nor your fathers of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you. From one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. You shall not consent to Him or listen to Him.

Nor shall your eye pity Him.

Nor shall you spare Him or conceal Him. But you shall surely kill Him. Your hand shall be first against Him to put Him to death. Afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone Him with stones until He dies.

This is God's view of false teachers folks. Because He sought to entice you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. So all Israel shall hear in fear and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

How God views these false teachers. Listen to what He says all the way through. End of the chapter. If you hear someone in one of your cities which the Lord your God gives to you dwell and saying corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city saying let us go and serve other gods which you have not known then you shall inquire and search out and ask diligently and if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword utterly destroying it all that is in it and its livestock with the edge of the sword and you shall gather all of its plunder into the middle of the street and completely burn it with fire the city and all of its plunder for the Lord your God it shall be a heap forever and it shall not be built again so none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you just as He swore to you your fathers because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God to keep all His commandments which I command you today to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

And there you basically have in chapter 13 what God prohibits in worship. Moses discussed here in three ways in which the temptation of idolatry was likely to come to Israel idolatry God would not tolerate.

And the very first temptation was through false prophets false prophets. Second was through a family member and then last He speaks about through apostates in some Canaanite city. So we see that from Deuteronomy 13 now back to 2 Peter the word of God is so clear about what He how God, the Holy God the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ how He views false teachers for their motive is to pull away God's people away from Himself.

So we see that their doctrines is destructive. And then after that we saw in 2 Peter 2 I'm sorry in verse 4 to 11 the doom of the false teachers. There's a doom coming to them. There's a terrifying judgment coming to them.

As Peter is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. He gives to us three very sobering very powerful examples of illustrations from the Bible biblical accounts of judgment that literally happened. The first one we saw this that the angels who sinned God would not spare them.

The angels that sinned against Him that was an example. The second example or illustration was the great worldwide flood that came about on this world that God flooded this world and judged this world because of its wickedness that was in the hearts and minds of people continually.

Then we saw as Peter reminds us of another judgment that came upon this earth that was the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Then next we saw in verse 12 through 17 that the horrible depravity of these false teachers if they have destructive doctrines and they're going to end up in judgment but there's a depravity about them.

They are depraved to the core these false teachers are so depraved makes me think of you know false teachers have always been around. They always will be around that's just the way it is. I'm reminded of several years ago there was a false teacher that arose and a lot of times they prey on not only unstable souls but they prey upon women as well.

Sadly to say.

They prey upon the women of the opposite sex there because of their sensuality if you notice in verse 14 they have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin enticing unstable souls. And this false prophet I was thinking of and you might recall this that happened I want to say back in the early 2000s.

It might have been the 90s I can't recall I didn't have a chance to look it up but I do remember this specifically that happened in Waco, Texas. Waco, Texas do you remember that Ben. What year that was?

I'm not sure.

Around 96 around the 90s?

Okay.

Thank you. But anyway if you remember David Koresh was a cult leader a prophet he called himself and we know that he was a false prophet and he took families and he enticed these families and these women.

It was more women and children sadly to say children were among them as well and they met at this facility and it ended up in tragedy. But as you well know David Koresh was a cult leader and he preyed upon women for sexual activity and of course it ended up with tragedy with the government trying to smoke them out and they wouldn't come out and it ended up in a blaze, a fire.

Sad to say.

He was a false teacher among us. And what about these false teachers?

Their depravity.

But these like natural brute beasts in verse 12 made to be caught and destroyed speak evil of the things they do not understand and will utterly perish in their own corruption. Beloved they are like wild animals they are insubordinate they are like wild animals they are insolent they are like wild animals they are arrogant they are like wild animals they are prideful even to the point they are so brazen and bold that they charge the supernatural realm of angelic beings.

Foolishly.

Cursing away at persons and matters that they don't even understand. Notice with me verse 15. We are just recapping a little bit here. Peter says they have forsaken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Beor and loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Notice the terminology. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray. Well if they have forsaken the right way they must have. At one time I would say that they were on the right way.

Right?

Then they have gone astray. In other words they were within the church. They have forsaken the right way gone astray. This tells us something very important about these false teachers. What does it tell us?

That they are not bred outside of the church. They are bred within the church. They go to bible colleges. They go to bible seminaries. They learn the bible.

Intellectually.

They are in the church. They are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing raging, raveling. Wolves the way of truth. They have known the way of the truth.

The right way.

This is basically an old testament metaphor speaking of obedience to God. Think of that obedience to God? In Acts chapter 13. Go with me to Acts chapter 13. I would like for you to see this. There is an example that is given to us.

From the early church.

And this was the apostle Paul right shortly after his conversion and we see that John assisted them. Start with verse 4. I want to read this. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sent them out.

These were.

Barnabas.

Basically.

In verse 2 they ministered to the Lord.

And fasted.

The Holy Spirit said now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them. Notice that in verse 3 let me back up a little bit. Then they have fasted and prayed laid hands on them and sent them away.

Actually the word apostle basically means sent out ones. They were sent out. They went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis they preached the word of God.

In the synagogues of the Jews the word of God was being preached. Talking about evangelism there is evangelism. They also had John as their assistant. That's interesting. John was assisting them.

So.

Look at verse 6 now for when they had gone through the island of Papos they found a certain sorcerer a certain sorcerer. And then the Bible says.

A false prophet.

He was a false prophet a Jew whose name was Barth.

Jesus.

Who was in the procouncil. Sergius Paulus an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. So this is a governor by the way. That's pretty much what a procouncil is.

He's a Roman official governor in the providence and also in verse 8 notice. But Elymas.

The sorcerer.

And then it says in parenthesis so his name is translated withstood them. Of course he's a false prophet he's withstanding the true prophets of God the true apostles. And notice what he's doing. He's seeking to turn the procouncil away from the faith.

This is exactly why.

God hates the false prophets and their teachings. They turn people away from the faith. They turn people away from the truth. We saw that in Deuteronomy right? Verse 9.

Then Saul.

Who is also called Paul. Don't you love that? His name is changed from Saul to Paul. What happens here? He's filled with the Holy Spirit. Look intently at him and said O fool of all deceit and all fraud you son of the devil you enemy of all righteousness will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

And now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you and it's not in a good way either. What does he say? And you shall be blind not seeing the sun for a time. Well do you think that happened?

Let's read let's read on.

And immediately a dark mist fell on him. Immediately after Paul said that a dark mist fell on him and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. He was blind. And what happened? Verse 12.

Then the procouncil the governor of that providence believed. And when he saw what had been done being astonished at the teaching of the Lord it's very interesting. Paul basically calls him out looks at him eye to eye O fool of all deceit and all fraud this is what these false teachers are.

The fool of deceit.

The fool of fraud and he even calls him a son of the devil didn't hold back, did he? You enemy he's an enemy of the cross he's an enemy of all righteousness. Will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

What a question.

Ha.

He didn't give him a chance to answer, did he? Paul basically told him he'd be blind and that's exactly what would happen now, go back a second. Peter with me.

You see.

This section that we're looking at.

Speaks.

About the deceptions and the methods of the false teachers and that is our text from verse 18 to 22 and I'm going to break it up in two parts. Lord willing, next Lord's Day we'll have communion and then we'll pick it back up.

But part two is will give us the application of and we'll look at the last two verses and the application of verse 21 and 22 but right now I'm going to try to we're going to try to get through verse 18 and 19 and 20.

We'll get through these.

These 18, 19 and 20 and then we'll pick up 22 21 and 22 Lord willing, as God tarries. But we're looking at these false teachers' deceptions and the methods.

Let's look at it.

Verse 18. For when they what's he speaking of, they? the false teachers they speak great swelling words of emptiness their words are empty notice the terminology that Peter chooses and God gives to him they allure through the lust of the flesh.

That's how they allure people through the lust of the flesh the desires of the flesh through lewdness the ones who haven't actually escaped from those who live in error.

Very interesting.

As I was studying this commentator Barnett description of this speech I wrote this down speech is this quote, he says. Using fine phrases they have no meaning. They bait their hook with the wanton appetites of sense.

They bait their hook with the wanton appetites of sense Green called it.

Obstinance.

Verbosity canting nonsense.

The apostle Jude.

Says in verse 16 these are grumblers complainers walking according to their own lust their own desires they mouth great swelling words flattering people to gain advantage.

Don't we see this.

Among the charismatic movement today the word of faith movement today. They speak great swelling words very obvious. They're grumblers they're like the murmurs of Israel against God they're never satisfied they're covetous.

And they justify this in the name of God in the name of Jesus Christ the name that is above every name the name that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.

That he's Lord.

They use the name of Jesus the one that did not have a place to lay his head. They're never satisfied they're never content they're complainers they're grumblers always finding fault and they gave in to dissatisfaction.

With God's will.

And way as was the case of Israel and Sodom and Gomorrah and the fallen angels and Canaan.

And Korah.

And Balaam.

Verse 18 of 2 Peter. They allure through the lust of the flesh. Don't we see this today.

They're pragmatic.

They allure people entice unstable souls and they use on their hook.

They bait it.

With the things that they appeal to their baser and lower nature beloved that's the bait that's how they hook them in and people fall for it.

By the thousands.

There's no discernment in the church of God.

Sadly to say.

And this burdens me. The very bait is the alluring them.

To give them what they want.

That's why Paul says they desire to have teachers.

They have itching ears.

These false teachers deceived through lewdness. You see this in Jude Jude 1 Jude 3. I'm sorry beloved. While I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith.

We should still always contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered once and for all to the saints. And listen what he says for certain men certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation.

Ungodly men who turned the grace of God of our God into lewdness into licentiousness. Denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ they turned the grace of God into lewdness.

Lewdness.

They come in they crept in unnoticed infiltrating the church pretending to be true pretending to be pastors pretending to be evangelists but they're sons of the devil. They're enemies of the cross and on the surface they look like the real genuine article but they're false to the core whose intention is to lead God's people astray.

This is why there's such a horrible judgment coming to them. Hell's going to be hot but it's going to be even hotter for these people because even the bible says and we read it today that it'd be better for them to not even have known the way of truth.

Because they do not come to true repentance they bait their hook. False teachers deceive like this and then eventually they bring in unstable souls to their own teaching not the Lord's teaching. And they appeal to people by their lower natural state their baser level appealing to their desires.

Don't we see this today?

Oh you can name it and claim it you can get whatever you want.

Use the name of Jesus.

Like Jesus is a ginny in a bottle to be used years ago when I pulled out of a certain church when I was converted.

Under.

I confronted. I confronted this particular man that was my pastor and I loved him because he began and he ran well at first but he forsook the right way and he started listening to Oral Roberts.

Faith healer.

He started listening to Kenneth Copeland.

One of the biggest false teachers.

In the charismatic movement today and they got all this teaching from E .W. Kenyon way back but they seduce they seduce.

And I ran from it.

I thank God and I'm not any better. But God gave me discernment through the word of God just by reading the scriptures. And I read to him 1 Timothy chapter 6 warning him in love and in tears as well. They use seduction rather than the truth of the gospel.

That's their ploy these false teachers, awful people. A kind of religion that they can embrace. Well we know that today don't we. Joel Osteen gets up and offers people their best life now. And if it's their best life now more than likely you're on your way to hell.

That's not what the bible teaches that to follow Jesus is to live. Matter of fact the bible says very clearly if you live godly in this world you're going to suffer persecution.

Suffer.

They offer no cross they speak of no counting the cost for Jesus. They do never ever. You never hear them mention about denying yourself and taking up your cross and following Jesus to suffer for him all the way to death.

No you don't hear that. It's nothing but ease and Zion and all that you want.

All that you want appealing to them according to the lust of the flesh.

These false teachers they do this to unstable souls. Verse 14. If you notice enticing them to still hold on to their fleshly desires and not forsaken and not repenting not killing the flesh not mortifying the flesh through the spirit no they're basically saying you can embrace the flesh.

You can have all the lust of the flesh and the love of the world.

But God says you cannot love the world and love God at the same time. Matter of fact God gives a command love not the world. Neither of the things are in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in them.

These false teachers they appeal to these people's baser nature.

And by the way the people.

They love it don't they?

Naturally they love it because they have itching ears. They love what appeals to them in the flesh. It appeals to their flesh and they love it. And then they fall for it. Hook line and sinker. Peter also may be implying also according to this text that these false teachers prey on weaker people.

And that can also apply to the opposite sex of women. Again I believe that is very true. As you've seen the pattern of false prophets and teachers how they prey on women. Look at Joseph Smith. There is here a false prophet that preyed on women to justify polygamy.

To justify polygamy in the name of God. I think he's answering to God. Now false teachers prey upon women for their own sensual gratification. This is a proven fact throughout history. We can go through a whole list of false prophets that have preyed on women.

Look at verse 18. The latter part these people that they prey upon are victims the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. Actually a better translation is that is barely escaping or trying to escape because this is a description not of the redeemed.

This is a description not of the regenerate people but rather people who are very vulnerable because they have high levels of guilt and anxieties. And we see this so much in the church. People come to church not saved but they want to hear God's word.

They want to get out. They want somehow to deal with their guilt and anxieties and their unstable souls. I've seen so many you've seen them people with broken marriages. How many people you see with broken marriages and heartaches.

And they're lonely.

And they're tired of the consequences of sin and they're looking for a way of a new beginning maybe to get involved in religion and go to church and start and get some help from God. And these false prophets and teachers prey upon these people folks I had once when I was first converted to Christ.

When I was first converted to Christ this is interesting.

Right when I came to the Lord I'm going to give you a personal example here. I never will forget it. I was in church and then we had it was a small little congregation like ours here redeeming grace church and I always sat on the front row.

I was so hungry to hear God's truth and God's word. And here comes this guy. He comes in with this big giant study bible. He's all dressed up. He's a fancy dresser. He's in a nice suit. Claims to be an evangelist.

Claims to be an evangelist now. Keep in mind this guy was in his at that time. He was in his thirties. I was only 17 years old new convert new in the faith hungry for the word of God always desiring to hear God's word.

Constantly being there to hear God's word. And this guy made contact with me directly after the service and he said oh can I get your number where you live. And at that time I was I was still staying with my mom and dad.

I hadn't moved out yet. I knew God had a call on my life. This is right before God opened up the doors for me to go to bible seminary to study for the ministry. But anyway to make a long story short he made contact with me and started talking to me over the phone and I said well yeah ok I'll get to know this guy.

Who he is.

I can't even tell you his name but I can tell you what happened. I never will forget the phone conversation. He started talking to me about doing immoral things. Listen to this this was the first red flag he started talking to me as a young convert as a young convert to Christ that it's ok to do immoral things in the name of God.

And he even had a scripture for that. Whatever you do.

Do it all to the glory of God and I would not even dare mention to you.

The immorality that he mentioned to me and I said you know I said that's not what my bible reads. You threw that all totally out of context. I disagreed with him right. Then even being a new convert I knew by the spirit of God that this man somehow was false.

And he even told me.

He said.

And then he started using foul language. Foul language started spewing out and I was just reading through the whole New Testament.

I said I just read somewhere.

I believe in Colossians or Ephesians I can't remember exactly but do not let any corrupt communication come out of your mouth. I believe it was Colossians because it speaks about being filled with the spirit and it talks about let the word of Christ dwell in you and then speaking Psalms and spiritual hymns and so forth.

And then Paul says don't let any corrupt communication come out of your mouth. And I quoted that to him I said doesn't. The word of God says your mouth is supposed to be pure. What comes out of your mouth.