2 Peter 2

2 Peter 2:1-22

Teachers Notes For SECOND PETER Chapter Two 1. How does verse one relate to verses 20-21 of the previous chapter? Notice the word “ but” which begins this chapter. This puts what Peter says here in contrast to what he had just said about the inspired “ holy men of God” being guided by the Holy Spirit. a. He reminds his readers that false prophets had been a problem with God’ s people down through time. i. Isaiah 9:15 speaks of “the prophet who speaks lies.” God told Jeremiah “ The prophets prophesy lies in My name” (Jeremiah 14:14). In Ezekiel 13:3 we read of “ the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.” ii. Couple this with John’ s statement in 1 John 4:1 that “ many false prophets have gone out into the world,” and we see the contrast Peter is making. God’ s prophets are moved by the Holy Spirit, whereas false prophets are moved by their own spirit - or their own “ private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20) of God’ s revealed word. iii. How can one determine if a prophet is of God or a false prophet? One would have to know what the inspired Scriptures actually says on the subject at hand. For instance, Moses was a prophet of God, having received directly from God the message he delivered to the people. One thing God inspired Moses to write concerned false prophets. He said, “ When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). iv. I think of all the so-called prophets who have predicted the end of time the past hundred years and it has not happened or come to pass. v. Take anyone who has prophesied of some great event and the time of that event comes and goes without it coming to pass, that prophet is proven to be false. God’ s prophets, “ moved by the Holy Spirit” never miss a date or event. They never have to come back and say, “ Well, I miscalculated this or that,” and change the time, etc. b. Peter said this has happened in the past, and then, what is going to take place in the future? False teachers will be among you. 2. Why should we be so concerned about false teachers? They will bring in destructive heresies (verse 1), and many will follow their destructive ways (verse 2). 3. How has this proven to be true in our 21st Century? Our first thought is probably of some televangelist; but I have a secondary question which we must consider as we look at this problem. a. How many of the New Testament epistles were written to denominations, or denominational preachers? NONE! Every letter was to churches of Christ or her evangelists! Therefore, we must look i8nto our own brotherhood problems for answers to these questions. b. The false teachers of whom Peter speaks were in churches of Christ. We have seen a number of movements in churches of Christ over the past half-century wherein many fell into false ways. c. In the 1960s the Crossroads movement, so named because it began with the Cross-roads church of Christ in Florida, corrupted many congregations teaching that elders have no authority and we should follow their teachings. d. This evolved into the Boston movement and house-churches; with a new-hermeneutics which said that the teachings of churches of Christ through the ages have been all wrong and we must now listen to a more liberal translation of Scripture. e. This then evolved into the more recent community-church movement and today we see what is being called “ the progressive church” movement. The many changes we have seen the past few years with the introduction of instruments, women elders and several other false practices are leading entire congregations away from the true church of Christ. f. It is a never-ending problem which must be fought by every generation. 4. Give an example of false teachers exploiting (making merchandise KJV) of people. Even though this passage concerns false teachers who have invaded the Lord’ s church We have seen televangelists exploit their listeners in many ways. a. Humans are very gullible, and most will grab at anything when serious problems arise. Especially when one gets cancer or some other dreaded disease. Some of these so-called preachers seem to cater to these. i. I have heard some say something like, “ Send me $20 and I will send you this specially blessed prayer cloth. Just hold it close to your heart and you will be healed.” ii. But it is not just those televangelists who make merchandise of people, it can, and has happened in churches of Christ. Several years ago a preacher raised funds to go to Africa as a missionary. Several congregations supported him for a number of years until a sound gospel missionary informed the brotherhood that instead of teaching and converting lost souls he was going to those whom our other missionaries had already converted and getting them to follow him. This went on for several years and he received a rather large sum of money each month from unsuspecting brethren stateside. iii. That being said, I do not know many preachers who are “ overpaid” because he must have funds to go at any time and often times many miles in doing the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). However, in my opinion, and it is just my personal opinion, something is amiss when the preacher receives far more income than the average member of the congregation where he preaches. 5. Give three examples proving that false teachers will be eternally punished. (Verses 4-6). 1. 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. 2. He did not spare the ancient world but brought the flood upon them. 3. He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. a. Notice in contrast how God delivered righteous Lot while destroying the wicked. 6. “ Then the LORD KNOWS how to DELIVER the GODLY out of and to RE-SERVE the UNJUST under for the DAY of .” (2 Peter 2:9). a. You recall Jesus’ model prayer from Matthew Six, A portion of which says, “ and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” In our text Peter is telling us that God does answer that prayer. He will deliver us from evil when we turn to Him in obedience, as surely as He delivered Lot from the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, because “ no Temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to stand” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 7. How does Peter describe those who walk after the flesh? (Verse 10). They are pre-sumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries. 8. Define “ .” Webster defines it as: “ overstepping due bounds: taking liberties: overbold.” That pretty-well describes what Peter said about these people. Ø In the lust of uncleanness they overstep due bounds of morality set by the God of heaven and earth. Ø They take liberties in many areas wherever they can, and with whomever they can. Ø And they are overbold in speaking evil of dignitaries. a. Keep in mind that Peter is speaking of false teachers who would “ exploit… with deceptive words” (Verse 3). In the Gospel Advocate Commentary by Guy N. Woods, pages 169-170, we find the following:

“ These false teachers of whom Peter writes were not only walking after the flesh; they desired the defilement of the flesh which their lusts produced; they greedily reached forth for the unlawful and polluting use of the flesh to which their sin led them. These were evidently guilty of the unspeakable sins and other darker forms of impurity which Paul mentions as prevalent in the Roman empire (Romans 1:24-28). Moreover, they despised “ dominion,” i.e., they regarded all authority with contempt. Any effort to restrain them in their rebellion they despised.” 9. What do these false teachers speak of, and what will be their reward? (Verse 12). They speak evil of things they do not understand, and they will utterly perish in their own corruption. a. In fact, Peter informs us in verse eleven that even the angels of heaven would not dare to speak against the dignitaries as these foolish people speak. b. This all reminds me of false teachers in the church that I have met through the years. As Brother Woods wrote, “ any effort to restrain them they despised.” I have had two to demand that I put my objections to their teaching in writing. No doubt they would have “ written me up” in every paper and publication they adhered to. i. One family stopped by to worship with us one Sunday when we were having our fellowship meal and birthday celebration. The man who preaches for a group who does not believe in eating a common meal in the building or assisting children’ s homes from the church treasury called me aside and began to tell how he “ felt we were sinning by eating in the building,” and if we did not cease immediately he would never return. I asked for scripture showing his belief, asking him to explain the love feasts mentioned in Jude 1:12. (Which were nothing less than fellowship meals where saints met for social, charitable and humanitarian reasons). Where in the New Testament is it shown that these ended by command of God? There is none!

They have added their own law regarding this to God’ s word (Revelation 22:18-19). They are prone to binding their opinions where God has not bound (Matthew 16:19). I then explained that this congregation is autonomous and we follow the Bible in our teaching and activities. Furthermore, we will be glad to study with anyone who disagrees with us on any subject, but we will not allow anyone from another congregation to dictate what our congregation does. The man and his family left and has never returned. Furthermore, we had two young couples of his persuasion worshipping with us at that time; within a month of that incident both had left.

I am convinced that he influenced them to leave. ii. The point in all of this is the fact that those of that persuasion are false teachers and speak, as Peter said, “ evil of things they do not understand.” The evil here being anything not in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. iii. Please do not get the wrong idea from what I have said. I do not believe those whom I have spoken with are inherently evil people in the since that they are in complete rebellion against biblical teachings as those whom Peter speaks of were. I am convinced that they are morally good people and desire to do right, but they have been taught wrong and do not understand God’ s teachings on certain issues. iv. All of the passages in your Bible from Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 16:19; Galatians 1:8-9; and Revelation 22:18-19, which condemn the liberal teachers for turning away from the teachings of God’ s word, also condemn those who add to God’ s word their own opinions as law. According to biblical teachings both are false teachers, and if the Bible is correct concerning false teachers all of them are doomed to eternal punishment. 10. What are they incapable of doing? (Verse 14). Peter says they cannot cease from sin. a. It is possible to become so ingrained with false ideas that one cannot get those false teachings out of the mind. No doubt we have all met people who are so engulfed in their particular beliefs that they close their minds to anything that would oppose them. In a state of mind such as this one is incapable of turning from the false teaching. They cannot cease from sin in that they refuse to turn from their false teachings. 11. Who was Balaam? (Verse 15) The son of Beor. However, he was also a prophet of God who was given revelations from heaven. But then all prophets were not faithful, just as all preachers today are not faithful to the word of God. 12. How are false teachers like Balaam? (Verse 15.) They have forsaken the right way. a. How would a teacher know for sure what would be the right way? He must know what God has said in His inspired word. In the Bible we have those inspired teachings from God which Balaam and other prophets received. b. Since the inspired apostle Peter is the one who brought it up, no harm can be done for us to review briefly the story of Balaam and see how this is illustrated. i. The story is found in Numbers 22:1-41. The children of Israel came to the planes of Moab and Moab was afraid that they would take over all the country around them. Balak, the king of the Moabites then sent messengers to Balaam to ask him to curse the Israelites. In Numbers 22:12 God told Balaam that “ he was not to go with them, and he was not to curse the people.” Balak said he would honor Balaam and do whatever he asked (Verse 17). Now Balaam was a covetous man, so Balaam allowed his covetous mind to take over, and he got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey and went to Balak (verse 21). “ God’ s anger was aroused against him and he sent an angel to stand in his way as an adversary against him,” (verse 22).

The donkey saw the angel standing in the way with a sword in his hand and turned aside, so Balaam struck the animal to force her to go on, but the angel stood in a narrow place between the vineyards and a wall, and the donkey pushed herself against the wall crushing Balaam’ s leg into the wall. Balaam again began beating the donkey and she spoke to him saying, “ What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” (verse 28). In verse 31 the Lord opened Balaam’ s eyes, and he saw the angel. The angel asked him why he had struck his donkey? (verse 32). ii. Now, as we go back to our lesson from Second Peter two, here is the kicker. Balaam had become so enraged at what he wanted to do in his covetousness that he was in total rebellion against God’ s instructions. That he was carrying on a conversation with a donkey didn’ t register with him. He became so enraged that he didn’ t even realize that his lowly animal was speaking in human language. iii. Peter said this is the way of false teachers who “ Having ears full of adultery and cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls” (verse 14). No doubt this is spiritual adultery as one turns away from Christ, and with their false teaching lead those who are not well grounded in the teachings of Christ away to destruction. iv. Remember, it was Jesus Himself who said,”…They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). Literally millions of souls are lost today, not because they are evil people, but be-cause their religious teachers are leading them with false doctrines of men (Matthew 15:1-9). 13. How might we refute the modern-day teaching of “ impossibility of apostasy?” (Verse 18). Impossibility of apostasy is the teaching that once saved a person cannot do any-thing to be lost. False teachers have drawn away some who “…have actually escaped from those in error.” a. The only way one can actually escape those who are in error is through obedience to the gospel (Romans 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Thus Peter is saying that some who had been saved have fallen away by following after false teachings. i. In chapter one Peter said that to add those eight Christian attributes mentioned in verses five through seven to one’ s life he will never fall (1:10), but to fail to add them one has fallen (1:9). ii. Since the inspired writer says this, then the teaching that one cannot fall must be a false teaching. If it is a false teaching, where does that leave those who follow such a teaching? (Matthew 15:14). 14. What does Peter say about those who follow false teachers and fall away from the truth? (Verse 20). The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. HOW CAN THAT BE? a. Since they are eternally lost in their present state, and they were eternally lost be-fore they obeyed the truth, how can the latter lost state be worse than the first lost state? In the latter state the individual possesses the knowledge of the Lord and Savior. They know what Jesus has said as to how one is saved through obedience to His gospel. They also know His teaching as to how an erring Christian confesses sins and asks God for forgiveness (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:8-10). i. Before they learned these truths they had no mental anguish concerning their lost state. ii. In the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:1-31 we learn that we possess our mental faculties after death; the rich man wanted to send Lazarus back to warn his five brothers. iii. Apply this to Peters comments in 2 Peter 2:20 and we can see that an erring Christian who dies lost, knowing all they had to do to avoid hell fire was to re-pent and ask God’ s forgiveness, will have that mental torment eternally. One who dies in ignorance of these truths will suffer eternal torment, but will not have that added mental anguish of knowing and not doing. 15. Where is the true proverb of verse 22 found? Proverbs 26:11 : “ As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” How foolish it is to return to a life wherein one is separated from Christ. Thus Peter ends chapter two with a stern warning, and an admonition to faithfulness