Sermon Tone Analysis

*2 Peter 2:1-12 –  Holy Damnation*

*/July 22, 2007/*

 

 

As you know, I am Micah’s brother.

It’s amusing to be known that way.

Growing up, Micah was typically known as “Josh’s brother,” but in the past several years, I have introduced myself as his brother more times than I can count.

And I’m very proud of that.

For this reason, I was excited when I was invited to speak at The Gathering.

I have watched this church from inception and have always held it very near my heart.

A little bit of trivia: Marilyn and I were actually the first couple to be married in this building as “The Gathering.”

*No~/not yet*

 

Q   Have you noticed that to young children, “no” and “wait” are synonymous?

Not too long ago, whenever I told Sarah that she had to wait, she would run crying to mommy, “Daddy said no.”

I would then remind her that I didn’t say no, I said not yet.

Then she started saying, “Daddy said no~/not yet.”

·         In their frame of reference, 10 minutes is “never.”

·         There is no such thing as soon.

Of course, what makes it worse are the times I genuinely mean “soon,” but then I forgot.

I feel so small when I promised them something, then forgot but can no longer give it to them.

In the Bible, Jesus promises multiple times that he is returning “soon.”

But after 2000 years, is it to feel forgotten.

The early church thought that Jesus return in the lifetime of the apostles, and his delay caused a major crisis of faith.

The book of 2 Peter was written to address the fall out from that crisis.

It answers the question on everyone’s mind:

 

·         Why hasn’t Christ returned to establish his kingdom and overcome evil?

 

2000 years later, we are still waiting.

And have to be honest I find myself doubting too.

I am very grateful for Peter’s answers, because I think it is the only letter written to specifically address the delay.

·         I wonder if the church could survive the delay without it.

Chapter 3 covers the reason for the delayed return, but chapter 2 addresses the false teachers who were saying Jesus would not return at all.

Let’s begin by reading the entire passage:

 

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-- bringing swift destruction on themselves.  2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.

Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;  5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;  6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men  8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--  9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;  11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.

12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.

They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

/2 Peter 1:20 - 2:12 NIV/

 

 

*The false teachers*

 

So the first statement is that:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

This is an interesting comparison made between “now and then,” and it doesn’t simply serve as a clever transition, it demonstrates that “there is nothing new under the sun.”

 

·         Ever since there has been truth, there have liars.

Q   And just who are these false teachers?

What can we tell about them from the texts?

·         They are insiders – “secretly introduce” (1) implies they weren’t outsiders sneaking in.

·         They were Christians – “sovereign Lord who purchased them” (1).

Q   Was this prophecy or not?

“There will be false teachers.”

(1) This is clearly future tense, yet elsewhere he uses present.

·         My theory: the false teachers were just coming on the scene, but Peter was expecting a flood once the apostles died.

Q   What did they teach?

The exact teachings are unclear.

The thing Peter expressly says about it is that they said Jesus was not returning.

They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?

Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.

/2 Peter 3:4 NIV/

 

Q   Who do you think “the fathers” are?

I think they are the apostles.

There was a great expectation that Jesus would return within the lifetime of the disciples.

·         The Apostle John had to contradict a rumor that he wouldn’t die, which probably means that Jesus would come back first.

*Money & Sex*

 

And so, these false teachers are not seen as naïve or deceived, but rather as sly deceivers.

These are not the nice Mormon missionary kids wandering around your neighborhood.

These guys are like Steve Martin’s character in “Leap of Faith,” Jonas Nightingale.

Interestingly, these guys are in it for the same reason as Jonas: women and money.

·         “Many will follow their shameful ways.”

(2) Shameful ways is a direct reference to sexual immorality.

·         “In their greed these teachers will exploit you” (3) Exploit specifically means for financial gain.

Even if we don’t know the exact content of their preaching, we know the effect: They are “destructive heresies” (1).

Reading 2 Peter, it’s clear the teaching about Jesus’ return wasn’t some minor point of end time trivia – it was destructive.

·         Because they lost sight of the returning righteous judge, they advocated godless living.

·         Even with the misuse of eschatology, it is still crucial.

*Behavior and belief *

 

Here is an important point: their wrong thinking led to wrong actions.

Our behavior flows from our beliefs.

Sin is always a result of misunderstanding or distorting God and his character.

Accordingly, it’s crucial that every believer be well equipped to study and understand God’s word, so that we will not be misled by “destructive heresies.”

This is a little bit of a departure, but the principle that behavior follows belief goes hand-in-hand with another:

 

·         Something believed but not lived isn’t truly believed.

In the NT, Christian doctrine is expressed in terms of Christian behavior.

It has little interest in creeds and belief statements for their own sake.

They must be accompanied by action.

I have been a pastor for almost nine years and I have seen two opposite but equal errors:

 

·         Biblical illiteracy and Biblical arrogance.

Illiteracy is when someone can’t tell the truth from a lie, and arrogance when they’re so busy knowing that they don’t do.

Or as I like to call it: Heresy and hyper-doxy.

·         Hyper-doxy is a term of my own coining.

It’s kind of like orthodoxy, but it’s really hyper.

Hyper is a Greek prefix meaning “an excess of measure.”

You probably know the type: They can run circles around you quoting the Bible or discussing some nuanced point of theology, but something just ain’t right.

·         Initially, they might impress or intimidate you, but the more you get to know them, the less of Jesus you see in them.

And because of seeing these two extremes, I have developed a personal passion to see believer avoid both heresy and hyper-doxy, because both are lethal to the church.

Q   Which are you more prone to?

For me, it’s hyper-doxy.

I have my Greek and Hebrew, I know my stuff, and I can be incredible puffed up in my knowledge.

Of course, that is because I think I need it to be valuable.

·         Side note: Hyper-doxy people have not yet fully believed and appropriated accepted God’s love, grace, and acceptance.