ES2PEJ11 2 Peter 2:10b–17, Jude 9-13 Shame on the Opponents
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10 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, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 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. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
Introduction
Introduction
Last week we saw that false teachers were using their influence in underhanded ways to gain wealth for themselves fleecing the flock. In the process they can clearly be found out for they deny God’s truth and the outcome is that they bring destruction upon themselves and on those who follow them.
We have again read the passage in 2 Peter alongside its near identical part in Jude.
This week we come across the sins of false teachers.
2.10 and Jude 8
2.10 and Jude 8
They have absolutely no fear in speaking bold words without power. They have contempt for authority and we spoke about government authority this morning but they have no fear in speaking against leaders in the Church because they want to extend their power and influence – we find such a man written of in
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. 10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.
So, here in this passage we find that power has gone to the head of Diotrephes to the point that whenever Christians come along he does not accept them, maligns them and then excommunicates anyone who will have anything to do with the Christians.
2.11 and Jude 9
2.11 and Jude 9
But such do not stop there they continue in their delusion of greatness by presuming that they can say and do whatever they like without consequences or inviting trouble towards themselves – they speak evil of dignitaries – and in Jude we discover that these dignitaries include Satan and other angels – they just assume that all things will go on as before and think that they have gained enough clout and influence with people lifting themselves up in their sight. But we need not go far in Scripture to find what happens to such in:
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
These false teachers were so full of themselves in their boldness and arrogance but even angels who are much more powerful would not dare stand up to them without the Lord’s say so. Somehow they think they are stronger than demons for the imagine that they are all-powerful. They are incredibly presumptuous. I have met people like this who think that all demons will bow down to them casting them out of everyone and everything. But you cannot treat the ruler of this world, who is Satan, who is the prince of the power of the air and his host flippantly. Angels tremble but bare human beings do not.
2.12 and Jude 10
2.12 and Jude 10
We, of course, do not have any such people in the Churches today, do we?! The way that both Peter and Jude speak is that these people serve people best once their dead comparing them to animals that are food for human consumption. But these teachers are like animals that cannot be controlled or tamed and will destroy themselves in the process.
William Barclay: “To put it quite simply and bluntly, the glutton destroys his appetite in the end, the drunkard ruins his health, the sensualist destroys his own body, the self-indulgent ruins his own character and his piece of mind. The man who dedicates himself to these things is seeking for pleasure, for a while he may enjoy what he calls pleasure but in the end he ruins his health, wrecks his constitution, destroys his mind and character and begins the experience of hell while he’s still upon earth.”
God will then destroy what is left:
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
And such is the destination of such people. They presumptuously think that God will forgive them but they have reaped a worse situation for themselves by being teachers leading others astray.
2.13-14
2.13-14
2.15-16 and Jude 11
2.15-16 and Jude 11
And Peter and Jude point to history to show what is the end result of false teachers.
Balaam is mentioned by them both. You can read the whole of the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-24 and Numbers 31. Balaam was a prophet who used his abilities to profit.
He was told by God not to go to Balak who wanted to hire him to curse the Jews. But he went anyway, we pick up the story in:
21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”
And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”
35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
He then went and God caused Balaam only to bless the Jews and not curse them as he was being paid to do. You’d think that this is the end of the story so why do we find in Revelation that Jesus has some things against the Church at Pergamos to do with the teaching of Balaam?
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
What do we find is Balaam advising Balak to bring in some of the Midianite women to entice the Israelites to sexual immorality and worship of their gods. We read this in
16 Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
So, whilst Balaam could not curse the Jews he was very clever and got God to do it instead by causing the people to commit adultery and idolatry.
Balaam did everything to gain money even though he had heard God with his own ears and been warned by his own donkey speaking with a man’s voice and should have been fearful of God for himself – but he was still a false prophet, a false teacher – his greed overtook him and he knew enough to know what would arouse the anger of God to curse His own people. And indeed 24,000 Israelites died as a result.
Balaam must have known that to do this was to invite God’s anger against himself. The end result of Balaam is found in:
22 The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.
Balaam and people like him will only find that there are consequences in going up against His people which is terrifying – they have eternal torment to face.
2.17 and Jude 12-13
2.17 and Jude 12-13
John MacArthur Sermon Archive Creatures Born to Be Killed, Part 1
Why has Peter exploded in such a fury on these false prophets and false teachers?” And the answer is because he is a pastor. Because he has been given by the Lord Himself the task of shepherding the Master’s sheep. When Peter receives his second calling into the ministry after his defection, which calling is recorded in John 21, three times Jesus said, “Feed My sheep, feed My lambs, feed My sheep.” From the very outset, Peter was called to be a shepherd who fed the sheep. And he is utterly irate about false shepherds who are feeding poison to the sheep.
John Owen. “It is incumbent on pastors to preserve the truth or doctrine of the gospel received and professed in the church and to defend it against all opposition. This is one principle end of the ministry. And the sinful neglect of this duty is that which was the cause of most of the pernicious heresies and errors that have infested and ruined the church. Those whose duty it was to preserve the doctrine of the gospel entire and the public profession of it have many of them spoken perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Bishops, presbyters, public teachers have been the ring leaders in heresies. Wherefore this duty, especially at this time when the fundamental truths of the gospel are on all sides impugned from all sorts of adversaries is in a special manner to be attended unto,”
Indeed Paul warns as I do I about such people and though Pastors like me do these things I find it amazing, even now, that churches still fall into error. Paul says that this will be the case even though Paul has warned but plainly such advice is ignored:
29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
These false teachers are not hidden from our sight – they take into their grasp those who have not taken on board the teaching of Scripture and those who are double-minded, those who do not have their minds and hearts set on the Lord Jesus.
Surely this is a warning for us to put in place those things that will protect us – and you know that I can only say that prayer and Scripture is the only way to do this but Paul is more full in his answer for this is how to deal with the devil unlike the false teachers’ presumption:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
We have been given the tools needed to overcome but we are each responsible to do these things for ourselves.
A story is told of a man who, resisting the cost of oats he fed his mule, decided to gradually substitute sawdust in its diet. Everything went fine for a while—but by the time the mule was satisfied with sawdust, he died.
The same is true spiritually. The changeover from truth to error is sometimes a slow process, and the people don’t always know the difference. But, before you know it, they are dead.
History has shown that once a school or church compromises its position and sells short the fundamental doctrines of the Word that there is very little chance of their going back to retrieve that which they originally adhered to. Actually, there is not one known instance there been an apostate body that returned to the right ways of the Word of God.
We have to watch our own hearts that we are not enticed by the world, by false teachers, or by our own desires. These people come in unawares but it is only in putting on the armour of God, by being a people of prayer, and by being a people of The Book, the Bible that we will find them out. Every one of us can be deceived by such people – for they will seem like good Christians, for a time, and then their teaching and actions will reveal who they are but maybe not before they have already caused damage to the Church.
We cannot say we have not been warned.
Benediction
Benediction
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Blum, E. A., & Wax, T. (Eds.). (2017). CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christ’s sufferings. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). 1 Peter–Jude. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 19:16 13 July 2019.