Standing Against Falsehood

From our Sunday service on September 15, 2024, 2 Peter 2. Watch the full message: Standing Against Falsehood on YouTube.

Today we’re in 2 Peter 2, the second message in our series, and we’re talking about the dangers of false teachers. It’s always a little uncomfortable to talk about false preachers if you happen to be one, so hopefully today you don’t see anything in common with the topic we’re covering.

Last week, in 2 Peter 1, we talked about how the Scriptures are crucial for understanding what a false teacher looks like and for telling a false teacher from a genuine one. If we’re going to discern between those who are trying to deceive us and those who are trying to make us more like Christ, we have to spend time in the word of God. That carries over into today. My proposition is that God wants us to avoid false teachers, and we’ll do that by looking at some red flags that stand out in them.

Remember the context. Peter was writing at a time when false teachers were going around claiming to have secret teachings. These were the early Gnostics. They taught that there were secret sayings of Jesus that weren’t put in the Gospel accounts, and that only the truest disciples knew them. They also taught that the laws about sexuality weren’t really laws but metaphors that didn’t need to be followed. They were reframing the teachings of Christ based on their own new interpretations. Peter is old and near death, and he says this is getting out of hand, so he writes to the churches to tell them this is not what God wants. As I said last week, who better to tell them than someone who was with Jesus from the very beginning of his ministry?

False Teachers Will Sneak In

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 Peter 2:1

At the very beginning we have a pretty big outline of everything we’re going to talk about. Peter starts by saying there were false prophets. He’s referring back to Old Testament times, when there were true prophets of God like Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah, and false prophets like Balaam, who claimed to be speaking in the name of the Lord but weren’t. Many of these new Christians had grown up in the synagogue and learned the Old Testament, so they’d be familiar with the concept of a false prophet. These false prophets spoke only what they wanted to say and what people wanted to hear, for their own gain.

Peter says, “Don’t lose focus. If you look at the past you’ll see there were false prophets, but don’t be deceived. That’s not over. Just as there were false prophets, there will be false teachers and preachers who will do the same thing.”

In the second half of the verse, “privily shall bring in damnable heresies” means they will sneak in. “Damnable” just means destructive, something that causes destruction, and “heresy” means a schism, a split. So they are going to create new denominations and new groups that are destructive. Peter is alluding to the Gnostic groups, but he’s saying people will sneak into your congregations and start teaching things that aren’t true. They’ll start spreading lies and asking questions to make you think a different way, and you’ll be convinced more and more of these destructive beliefs until they split your church into a new sect or denomination.

They’ll go pretty far, “even denying the Lord that bought them.” Christ died for everyone. He didn’t just die for the saved. Salvation is available for everyone, and Christ had already paid for their sins. These people are not just going to teach you that some sins aren’t a big deal. Some of these sects are going to deny that Jesus is Lord and reject the one who died for their sins. But there is one benefit to this: they “bring upon themselves swift destruction.” They are not going to get away with it. Judgment will come for them.

That’s a lot to pack into the first verse. There were false prophets in Israel in the past. There will be false teachers in the future. These false teachers sneak into new denominations and sects and create ones that are destructive to Christianity. And they do two very bad things: they deny the Lord, and they bring destruction on themselves.

Red Flag: They Bring Slander on God’s Name

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
2 Peter 2:2–3

Verse 2 starts to tell us what a false teacher looks like. “Pernicious ways” is a pathway to destruction, and many will follow it. These people are not leading you to Christ. They are leading you down a path. Remember, they’re saying that sins are okay and that God doesn’t care about promiscuity. One of the groups at this time would have been the Nicolaitans. In Revelation it speaks of “the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate,” and there were groups that held orgies in the name of Jesus Christ. These were damnable heresies, and these sects led people to their own destruction.

Then he says, “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” The first sign of a false teacher is that the way they do their religion will bring slander on God’s name. A Christian who is truly doing the work of the Lord is difficult to slander. We may see in our society some beliefs, especially abortion and transgender issues, where people will butt heads with us. But the majority of beliefs Christians hold, people aren’t going to be mad about. No one is going to get mad at you for “love your neighbor as yourself,” and people aren’t going to be mad when you’re truthful.

Peter says what these false teachers teach is what people are going to be mad about. Think of the megachurch pastors who bring in millions of dollars, with a private jet and the Gucci bags and the fancy shoes. The people of the world see that and get mad, and they slander God. If you hear someone calling a pastor a hypocrite, that’s your first red flag of a false teacher.

Red Flag: Greed and Empty Words

Verse 3 says “through covetousness,” or greed, “shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” “Feigned” means empty words. With their greed and empty words they will financially exploit their followers. You’re not just somebody they want to minister to. You’re somebody they want to take cash from and put into their pocket.

These pastors will always be asking for money. They can’t help themselves. Every message, they’ll say something like, “If God wants to bless you, you just need to give to the church a little bit more. You need to have a little more faith. Give up a little more, and God, I promise, will give you more if you put it in my pocket.” When you see a pastor every Sunday saying the church just needs a little more money, just a little more in the giving section, and you hear it right now, I hear somebody’s pocket, a hundred-dollar bill, “God’s calling you to put it in,” when you hear that, start running. Red flags go up left and right, ding, ding, ding. These people are not there to serve the Lord. They’re there to serve their own needs.

Peter reminds us, “whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” These false teachers who are stealing money from their congregations are not getting away with it. God set a time for judgment for everybody. A man is appointed once to die, and after that the judgment. Everybody has the same deadline. God is waiting on the other end on Judgment Day, and he’s not going to go easy on them. If anything, he’ll go harder on them.

“Their damnation slumbereth not.” Don’t think God is ignoring it. God isn’t snoozing up there. This was common in the Old Testament, as you’ll remember with Baal and Elijah on the mountain, when Elijah asked if their god was sleeping. Some false deities were said to have missed someone’s prayer because he was asleep. Peter reminds us that our God doesn’t take a nap. He isn’t asleep while these people are deceiving you. He’s watching. He has a deadline, and it’s coming. Just because they’re getting away with it now doesn’t mean God is ignoring it.

God Does Not Delay Judgment

Peter gives us examples of God’s judgment. Every message I teach, I try to translate from the Greek, and verses 4 through 9 are the biggest run-on sentence I’ve found so far in the Bible. It’s one sentence, so we’ll break it up verse by verse.

The Angels That Sinned

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2 Peter 2:4

This is not a well-known topic in the Bible and it’s referenced in only a few places, but there is a group of angels, other than the fallen angels who followed Satan, who sinned. God cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment.

A lot of times people put Satan on a pedestal and say it’s God versus Satan, but they’re not even close to the same level. Satan isn’t even the worst of the angels. These angels were worse than Satan, and when they sinned God did not spare them the way he allowed Satan to roam free. We see in Job that when Satan wants to do something, he has to ask God for permission. It doesn’t say here what these angels did, but my assumption is that they sinned without asking God’s permission first. They are so wicked that they are in Tartarus, which in Greek mythology is the deepest level of hell. I’m not saying the layers of hell are real, but Peter wants to emphasize that these angels are in the worst state of judgment. The Bible says in Revelation that in the last days these wicked angels will be released as part of the curse on the earth before the return of our Lord.

So don’t think God is lacking in judgment. When these angels crossed the limit, God put them in the darkest depths of hell, chained them up, and held them there for thousands of years.

Noah

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:5

Remember back in Genesis that there was a very sinful world, with violence everywhere. But there was one family that loved God and stayed faithful, eight people: Noah and his family. What did God do? Did he blink? Did he take a nap? No. God brought judgment on that world, drowned it out, and spared only Noah and his family.

Sodom and Gomorrah

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2 Peter 2:6–8

A fun fact: we have scientific evidence that Sodom and Gomorrah happened. The Bible says God rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and some years back, I think about ten years ago, excavations found that a meteor blew up right where Sodom and Gomorrah was, and there’s still evidence of it. So Sodom and Gomorrah is archaeologically proven to have happened, and that’s another reminder of God’s judgment.

What was their sin? A lot of people like to mention homosexuality, and that was one of them, but the Bible also says they were abusive to everyone around them. They weren’t hospitable. They were antagonistic to anyone who came into their city. They didn’t love anyone. They were ungodly, unloving people. And Lot is the example of the righteous one. Lot often gets beat down because his family didn’t follow God, but the Bible calls Lot a righteous person. Every single day he was vexed by the sin of that city. Had he been a little smarter, he would have pulled his family out of there. But the punishment was not lax on Sodom and Gomorrah. God rained brimstone from heaven and completely vaporized the entire city in a second. The cry of the people reached the ears of God in heaven, and he judges the wicked.

The Lord Knows How to Deliver

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Peter 2:9

Peter is summarizing. If God chained up the angels who weren’t following him, if he flooded the world to protect Noah and his family, and if he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah to remove their influence, then we know God can deliver the godly out of temptation. If you think God can’t save you from a false teacher, think about the fact that God spared you from angels, God spared you from a wicked world, and God is actively trying to bring the world to him.

“Reserve” means to keep or to guard. God isn’t protecting the unjust until the day of judgment. He’s keeping them back from causing ultimate destruction. He’s put them in a box and said, “If you cross this line, you’re gone.” God has a line, and if you cross it, he will protect his righteous people. So we don’t need to worry about false teachers, because God is protecting us. What Peter is arguing is that our protection is in the word of God. God has given us his word, written down for generations, so that when people talk about what God says, we can compare it with this and see if it’s true. We don’t need to be tempted to fall into the sins false teachers are teaching. We can avoid them.

Red Flags in How They Live

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2 Peter 2:10

Peter says “chiefly,” or especially, these ones: false teachers. I might step on a few toes here, so get ready.

They Walk After the Flesh

The first is that they “walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness.” This one won’t step on toes. These are the people saying it’s okay to commit sins, it’s okay to be immoral, it’s okay to be sexually promiscuous, it’s okay to lie if it’s to your advantage and nobody gets hurt, it’s okay to take a little more money than you should as long as you do something good with it. These people are especially in trouble with God’s judgment because they say that right is wrong and wrong is right. If you see that, avoid them.

They Despise Government

Second, they “despise government.” This one can be hard. When Peter was writing this, he was only two to three years from being sentenced to death by Emperor Nero. Nero was Peter’s government, the one about to sentence him to death. If anybody had a good reason to hate the government, it was Peter, who was about to be put to death for teaching the gospel. But he says that if people go around preaching that Jesus wants you to hate the government, that’s not a true teacher.

I think a lot of us struggle with that. When the person in office is someone we don’t like, we start to complain and grumble and despise our government, and we get rebellious attitudes and hint that maybe we should take things into our own hands. A preacher who says, “Maybe we should take things into our own hands,” instead of saying “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,” is a false teacher. They’re not teaching us to submit to governmental authority as the Bible teaches. They’re teaching us to rebel against our God-given authority. When God allows an evil reign, it’s to put the people back to him, and who are we to say God can’t put a wicked person in charge for a nation to turn back to God? So we have to keep ourselves in line and watch out for false teachers who say, “Rise up, rebel against your government, God wants you to rebel.” No, God wants you to be humble and submit to those in authority.

They Are Presumptuous and Self-Willed

Third, they are “presumptuous,” overconfident in themselves. You’ll see this on TV with the famous preachers. They have to have a private jet. They think, “God has blessed me with a private jet because he knows my needs and how important it is that I speak to these people all over the world.” When you see people talking like that, a red flag is raised.

They are also “self-willed,” self-motivated and self-pleasing. They indulge in the blessings God gave them in an unhealthy way. You’ll see it paraphrased as living in luxury, getting all the nice conveniences of life while people around them are suffering and starving, untouched by the hurt around them.

They Speak Evil of Dignities

Lastly, they “are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” In the Greek that is literally “the glorious ones.” It’s possibly talking about angelic forces, either angels or fallen angels, demons. You’d think we should hate demons, but these people confront demons in a prideful way, exerting authority over demonic forces in an exaggerated, self-glorifying way. Why is that a red flag? Peter lays it out in verses 11 and 12.

Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2 Peter 2:11–12

We have an account of this in Jude. When Moses died, the devil wanted to take his body and use it, as is implied, as a form of idolatry in Israel. If Israel found the bones of Moses, they’d worship the bones instead of God.

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Jude 1:9

Here is an example of how demonic forces are supposed to be dealt with. If another angel doesn’t go to war with a demon in his own power, then if a human being claims to have power over demons in his own power, you might want to see that red flag waving high behind him. Not even the angels will rebuke a demon on their own. They only say, “The Lord rebuke thee.” When you cast out a demon, it’s not in your own power. It’s in the name of Jesus. So be careful of false teachers going around showing off their casting out of demons. If that’s an emphasis of their ministry, run the other direction.

Peter calls them “natural brute beasts,” like wild animals. Animals don’t have a good concept of the danger around them. A deer crossing the road, when it hits the middle, half the time it just freezes in place, not sure what to do. That’s the picture. These are unintelligent beasts without the right defense mechanism. They don’t understand these demonic forces or the danger they’re putting themselves in as they try to raise themselves up. They “utterly perish in their own corruption.” They’re challenging the forces of evil without the power of God on their side.

They Indulge Themselves

And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2 Peter 2:13–14

Verse 13 tells us about the luxurious ways these false teachers live. They riot in the daytime. They consume alcohol and food, the fanciest and daintiest meals, all day to their own pleasure. A sign of a false teacher, a red flag, is one who indulges himself.

Verse 14 says they have “eyes full of adultery.” These false teachers may be lusting after others and, instead of being faithful to their spouses, go out and cheat and cheat. Time after time they say, “God forgave me. I’ve repented,” and then they fall back. They have eyes full of adultery and “cannot cease from sin.” There’s a reason that when a pastor is caught cheating on a spouse, he leaves the church. Someone can repent and turn away, but false teachers just can’t stop. And “an heart they have exercised with covetous practices.” They can’t help but continue to be greedy. Like I said, they’re asking every Sunday for just a little more money, and no matter how much they have, they just can’t stop.

Balaam’s Way

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
2 Peter 2:15–16

Balaam was tempted to curse the Israelites for Balak, king of Moab. He knew that if he did it without God’s permission, he’d be in trouble, so he asked God, “Can I curse the Israelites?” God said, “No, you can’t curse my people.” Balak asked again and again, “Will you curse them?” and Balaam said, “I can’t. The Lord said no. I’m not going to put myself in that danger.” Ultimately he found a compromise. He said, “I can’t curse the Israelites, Balak, but I can help you. If you want them to be cursed, have them fall into adultery with the women of your country. Send the most beautiful women into the camp of Israel and convince them to sleep with them, and God will curse Israel for you.”

That’s the example Peter uses. These false teachers will lead you down an adulterous path and tell you it’s okay to do these things. They’re not the ones putting a curse on you, but they’re leading you into a position where God can no longer bless your life.

Empty Wells

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2 Peter 2:17–19

Peter talks about the depravity of these false teachers. Verse 17 can be summarized this way: false teachers are useless. They’re wells without water, dry and empty. What good is a well with no water in it? They’re clouds that don’t bring rain, carried by a tempest. All they do is make things dark and gloomy without giving you the spiritual water you need.

Verse 18 gives us another sign. They speak “great swelling words of vanity.” They speak big, impressive words, but at the end of the day what they have to say is empty and meaningless. They speak to please their audience by satisfying their flesh instead of dealing with the problems of their soul.

Verse 19 gives us another. “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.” They preach that you can find freedom through Christ, but in their personal lives they’re still enslaved to sin. They haven’t overcome temptation. Every day they’re living out their idolatry and their greed. They’re promising, “If you just do this, you’ll be free,” and yet they themselves are slaves to sin. Peter says, “Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” Whatever overtakes you in your life, whatever problem you can’t get rid of, that is what you’re enslaved to.

Worse Than the Beginning

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
2 Peter 2:20–22

Verse 20 gives us a conclusion with a warning. False teachers are said to have the ultimate condemnation. They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and instead of accepting it, they rejected it. They took the truth of the gospel that they knew in their minds, perverted it, and used it for their own gain. God says they would have been better off never hearing the gospel than hearing it and seeing it as an opportunity to exploit others.

What Do We Do?

The most important takeaway from this warning is that we need to be able to discern false teachers from true ones. There are plenty of false teachers online. When I’m doing research for messages, I come across some crazy stuff out there, with hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of views. At first they may seem like genuine teachers, but they’re into some weird stuff, and they’re not teaching the truth of the gospel.

There are also false teachers in our surrounding towns and cities. I can say confidently that there are denominations in our area, damnable denominations, that have given up on the morality God has set forth. Instead of saying, “God says this is wrong,” they’ve embraced it. I think we all know what I’m talking about. They say, “Come as you are, and you don’t need to change.” Jesus says to come as you are, accept him, and “go, and sin no more.” Not everyone who claims to be preaching the truth is doing it. As we mentioned last week, the only way to protect against false teachers is to be personally familiar with the Scriptures so we can tell the truth from the lies.

So I’ll remind you to ask yourself some questions. Have you been surrounding yourself with good biblical teachers? Have you looked at what you’re reading? I know there’s a Bible translation that’s really popular, even with popular Christian musicians from Bethel and Hillsong, but it was written by a man who thinks he was given the translation by being touched on the forehead by God himself and having his mind supernaturally expanded. You find it in a bookstore and it looks fine, nothing scary. But if you ask why this man made it, it might be a threat to you as a Christian to read.

Are you surrounding yourself with good biblical teachers you can go to and ask, “Is this sound doctrine?” Are you getting in the word of God yourself so you’re familiar with what the Bible teaches? And can you think of anyone in your life who may be leading you away from biblical teaching?

When I was in college, a guy came to me who had heard about the Black Hebrew movement, which says the Israelites today aren’t the real Israelites and that the slaves who came to America were the real Israelites. There were people in our college trying to convince him that this was true and that a huge portion of church history was wrong. He asked me, “Is it true or not?” I said no. Even in a place like Pensacola Christian College, there are false teachers leading Bible majors astray.

So if you sat down and thought about it, maybe you should evaluate some of the people you’ve been asking for advice. God wants you to avoid false teachers. We need to ask ourselves what we’re doing to protect ourselves today.