"The Wrong Story"

This set of verses continues on, starting in verse 10 and going through the end of the chapter. It defines for us what a false teacher is, how he acts, and what will happen.

The Wrong Story

(2 Pet. 2:1-3, 10-22)

Intro:

A.  Do not judge lest you be judged.  Have you ever heard that verse quoted from Matt. 7:1?  I have.  Normally it is by someone who doesn’t like being confronted and they want to put me in a corner.  Peter says there have been false prophets in the past and there are false teacher in the present, but what does that matter to me?  Why should I care what others believe as long as I love God?

B.  Peter cared, and he is not the only one.  Paul and John cared.  Jesus himself, in that same sermon that Matthew records, says “Beware of false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ferocious wolves.”  That was God’s warning that people needed to hear and it is a warning that we need to hear.

C.  It is reported in World Christian Encyclopedia that there are about 38,000 denominations that all claim a Christian faith.  Approximately 1/3 of the people alive claim to adhere to a Christian faith.  They may not attend worship, but they would still consider themselves Christian.

D.  Here is my point.  Something is wrong when so many people say that Christianity is their religious belief system but we do not believe the same – even in areas of salvation.  Why is that?  Is the Bible so confusing?  I would come back to say the Bible is not confusing, but churches have made it confusing.  Churches have tied traditions to doctrine and began to separate from one another.  The sad part is we know that true unity is intended to be far greater than just one building, but a fellowship of Christians all over the world depending on and helping one another.  Today we are so divided we don’t know who to trust or who to call “brother.”

E.  That was not the case in the first century.  In fact it was not the case for several centuries after the first.  Traveling evangelists were the norm for centuries.  The problem became that God’s doctrine began to be interpreted instead of taught.  The interpretations began to divide people into religious movements and denominations started.  So how do you know if what I say is truth?

I.  A Wrong Storyteller

A.  Peter begins to answer the questions for us and he starts with telling us not to listen to the wrong story.  What Peter and others have told us in the Bible is true but there are some out there that teach a false doctrine.

B.  There is a difference between someone who is teaching something false and a false teacher.  Apollos was teaching but was not teaching correctly so a couple named Ananias and Saphira sat down and taught him the way of God more perfectly.  Was Apollos a false teacher?  No.  How do we know that, when he understood truth he was convicted and began to teach it.  False teachers have a motive that can be examined.

C.  The first thing Peter mentions about these false teacher is that under false pretense they deny the master who bought them.  They can’t come right out and say “Jesus is not God’s Son.”  Instead, they have to exploit you with stories they have made up.  Peter tells this story of Jesus being transfigured, well, let me tell you a story.  The sad truth is many seem to follow these stories.  Peter is not the only one to mention this.  Paul warned Timothy that, “some will abandon the faith and follow decieiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (1 Tim. 4:1)  Listen to Paul in 2 Tim. 4:3-4.

D.  To resist the lure of the false teacher who can tell you a great story that sounds true but leaves you questioning your faith in Jesus, we have to know the old, old story.

E.  Peter has a description of them that should turn our stomachs.  Listen to what he says in 2 Pet. 2:10-14.  These people lives as well as their theology are messed up.  And Peter then brings up a story from the OT.

II.  The Story of Balaam

A.  Balaam at first appears to be a good prophet.  He is hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel.  He consults God and then refuses to go.  If that were the end of the story, we would have good things to say about this man.  But it is not.  As we read Num. 22-25 we see a man who can be bought.  The king offers more money and Balaam goes, but still blesses the Israelites.  But the more we learn the more we see the cunning of Balaam.  He led Israel into sexual immorality and idolatry.

B.  Look at the similarities.  Like Balaam these men claimed to be prophets or teachers.  They led others into sexual immorality and commit idolatry by denying Jesus is Christ.  They do it for money.  People today love money and the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.  Preachers can be just as guilty.

C.  False teachers are more than sincerely mistaken Christians.  Real false teachers deny Christ, live for money, and get other to indulge in sexual immorality.  Not everyone accused of being a false teacher is a false teacher.  As Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.”

III.  The Fate of the False

A.  Their destruction is fixed.  On this earth they may lead people away from Jesus, but in the end they will have to face him.  It might look like the false teachers of the world are winning, but they will be destroyed by God.  God knows how to rescue the righteous who live in this fallen world.

B.  I want you to see how sick this is to God.  Listen to verses 20-22.  The sad part about these verses is that there was a time when these people had escaped the corruption of the world.  These idea of falling from grace is not limited to just false teachers, but also to the followers.  It is better to never know Christ than to know him as your savior and turn your back on him.

Conclusion:

A.  Don’t claim to believe in Jesus and deny him your life.  Don’t look for a savior but never see Jesus as master and Lord.  If you think Christianity is simply about hearing good and never facing sin, then you are hearing the wrong story.  God calls us all to repentance.  There is a change that needs to take place in each of us.

B.  Open your eyes and ears.  Look at spiritual leaders, not judging them, but seeking to see if what they teach, preach and live is in accordance to God’s word that you have in front of you.  Judge for yourselves if what I say is true, but live to God.

C.  Maybe you are here today and have been on the fence about committing your life to Christ.  Today is your day.  Will you hear his call and come experience his love and grace?  Come as we stand and sing.