010 Spotting a Spiritual Terrorist – part 2

2 Peter 2:10-22

October 24, 2010

Jesus said:

Matthew 7:13-20 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

Most people are familiar with those two passages of Scripture.

Most are familiar with the wide and narrow gate.

Most are familiar with the reference to a false prophet’s fruit.

But it seems that very few ever put the two together as Jesus did.

WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE WIDE & NARROW ROAD

(explain)

But often escaping our notice is that

People also seem to have help in making their selection.

For as people approach the fork in the road

There are also men there encouraging them on which road to take.

The true prophets are urging people

Down the narrow path of repentance and faith.

The false prophets are urging people

Down the wide path of ease and self-indulgence.

And that is why Jesus puts them together.

And it is also what makes a false prophet so dangerous.

They are lying to people.

They are seducing people.

They are condemning people to destruction.

It is what Jesus said about the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Therefore it is no wonder that Jesus was infuriated with these men

They were directly working against the work of the Savior.

That is also why the apostles had no tolerance for false prophets.

These men purposely worked against the work of the apostles.

You may even remember Paul’s thorn.

2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!”

People always say, “We don’t know what Paul’s thorn was.”

That is surprising since Paul explicitly says

It was “a messenger of Satan to torment me”

IT WAS THE FALSE PROPHETS

Who told the Galatians they had to be circumcised.

Who deceived the Colossians with philosophy and self-abasement.

Who told the Thessalonians that they had missed the return of Christ.

Who told the Corinthians that the resurrection wasn’t real.

These guys were a constant nemesis to the true apostles.

Always worming their way in and perverting the truth

Seeking to lead men away from the faith.

It is no wonder that the apostles warned of them so much.

And it again helps us understand

Why Peter is so passionate in the letter he has written here.

There is no doubt that Peter writes this letter

To give his flock a heads up about the coming deception.

WHY DOES PETER KNOW IT’S COMING?

Because it always comes.

False prophets always arose in the past,

And false teachers have always come before.

Satan is relentless, and Peter knows he is coming.

And so Peter is making sure

To prepare his flock for them before he leaves.

And his preparation has been spot on thus far.

He opened the letter by telling the flock “to make certain about His calling and choosing you.” In other words make sure you are really in the faith, because if you aren’t, you are in grave danger.

He then heavily encouraged them to latch on to the Scripture or “the more sure word of prophecy” so that they would have a light to guide them through the deceptive darkness.

And then he began to expose to us what the false teachers will do and what they will look like.

And that is what we have been studying most recently.

After opening chapter 2 with a quick explanation about spiritual terrorists,

And then a promise of their coming judgment,

Peter has returned to an explanation of how to spot them.

SO HOW DO YOU SPOT A SPIRITUAL TERRORIST?

Do they wear black?

Are they bald?

Do they speak with an evil sounding voice?

Are their tongues forked?

And of course the answer is no.

In fact they make their living looking just like you.

But that doesn’t mean they cannot be spotted.

In fact, we’ve already seen two ways in which we can spot them.

1) THEY REVILE

Peter said in verse 10 that they are “Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties.”

And as we said last week, this is not them reviling holy angels,

This is them reviling fallen angels or demons. Jude 1 makes that clear.

But the point about them is that they are brass and outspoken

And they love to put on a display of their supposed power.

(Like a professional wrestler)

They wave their arms and they mock the devil and bind the devil and rebuke the devil and curse the devil, and so and so forth.

But Peter says it is nonsense.

(12) “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed”

They put on a good show, but they have no idea what they are doing.

But you spot them because of their brass, bold demeanor

As they revile where they have no knowledge.

We also learned another character attribute they possess.

2) THEY REVEL

(13) “They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime”

And as we said that word “revel” is also translated “luxury”.

Meaning they love to show off their wealth and their prosperity.

Their hearts are trained in greed,

And they love to show off the results of that greed.

While Peter says they are nothing but stains and blemishes to the body.

And so we also spot them because of their reveling in their luxury.

But Peter is not finished.

Last week when we concluded I told you that there was one more point.

Well, as I studied it seemed apparent that there was actually two more, so let me break these last 6 verses down into two more ways in which you spot a false prophet.

They Revile They Revel

#3 THEY RECRUIT

2 Peter 2:17-19

We have actually already heard this from Peter a couple of times.

Verse 2 says “many will follow their sensuality”

Verse 3 says “they will exploit you with false words”

Verse 14 says “enticing unstable souls”

And that is really no different than what Peter states here.

(18) “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,”

Boy it really hits the nail on the head here.

They are arrogant, they are vain and they pitch their vanity

In such a way as to entice people with it.

It literally makes me sick as I see this prosperity gospel

Spread around the globe and some false prophet

Telling some poor man to claim his Mercedes in Jesus’ name.

As though God were some sort of genie in a bottle

Who is bound by our commands in Jesus name

To give us whatever we lust for.

It is brass, it is bold, it is arrogant, and yet it is so tempting the world.

That is what these men do.

They speak “arrogant words of vanity” in order to “entice”

They love to bait people, they love to entice people,

And they do it in order to gain a bigger following.

We even see the type of bait they use.

“they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality”

In verse 19 Peter says “promising them freedom”

And all of a sudden it all begins to come together.

These guys are pushing corrupted freedom.

Now we know that freedom is indeed a result of saving faith.

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

And of course there we know

Jesus was speaking of freedom from sin.

John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

Paul later told the Galatians:

Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

And there Paul spoke of freedom from outward ordinances

By way of trying to make ourselves pleasing to God.

And so freedom is real.

But freedom can also become corrupted.

Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

1 Corinthians 8:9 “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”

1 Peter 2:16 “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”

And by hearing those warnings we are reminded that

Freedom is a good thing so long as

It is exercised with an attitude of love and submission.

But the second freedom takes on a selfish connotation

It is corrupted and dangerous.

That is no doubt what these false prophets promote.

Because they preach freedom while they entice with fleshly lusts.

“You’re free to do whatever you want, and no one can tell you otherwise”

(And with that creed we’ve had all sorts of types of worship thrown in our face)

I remember a popular song out a few years ago,

By an artist that I actually like,

But the song is wrong and it epitomizes this mindset.

The song is called “Undignified”

I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king

Nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul

I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king

Nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul

And I'll become even more undignified than this

Some would say it's foolishness but

Ill become even more undignified than this

Some would say it's foolishness

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

But you see how the mindset of freedom can become corrupted

To condone and even endorse all sorts of wild, sensual,

And even carnal behavior.

We also see this perversion in the area of sin, mercy, and forgiveness.

“You are free to live however you want, you are forgiven”

(And with that we’ve seen all sorts of immorality condoned)

What sinner doesn’t want to hear he is free to sin without consequence?

What selfish man doesn’t want to hear he is free to act however he wants?

Forgotten in all this is that we as Christians are granted freedom,

But it is a freedom we quickly turn over to Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:22 “For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave.”

Romans 6:17-18 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

And so we understand the perversion these guys are presenting.

It is an appeal to the flesh.

It is an appeal to the feelings.

It is an appeal to the sensual.

As they claim to offer something that Scripture offers.

THEY ARE RECRUITERS.

And the real tragedy is who they entice.

(18) “they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,”

They entice those who are actually looking for something different.

Now please notice this here.

You take a man who has messed his life up with bad choices.

Maybe drugs or alcohol or sex or whatever.

And because that man is reaping the benefits of his bad choices

He actually wants to escape.

Now we know what he needs.

He needs to repent of his sin and turn to Christ

To receive forgiveness and a new nature.

But it is here at this crucial point in his life that the false prophet steps in.

And instead of offering freedom from sin,

The false prophet offers freedom from condemnation.

And he appeals to the man’s desire not to suffer consequences.

The only problem is that he is now luring that person

With the bait of selfishness.

Trying to get that man to come to his church for selfish reasons.

(And friend in case you have forgotten you cannot come to Christ in selfishness, in fact you must “deny self” to follow Christ)

Instead of being told to deny self

He is now told to claim freedom.

Instead of being told to repent of sin

He is now told to rebuke the devil who did it.

Instead of being told to trust Christ

He is now told to expect things from Christ.

But this man has been baited.

And he gives in to the bait and now he is dragged back away from Christ.

This man wanted escape, he found greater bondage.

(self love is twice the master alcohol is)

He was offered freedom, but found condemnation

AND THIS IS THE KICKER

They can offer it, but they cannot deliver on their offer.

You may notice that Peter uses two analogies

By which to describe these types of people.

1) THEY ARE SPRINGS WITHOUT WATER (17)

“These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.”

In other words, these guys are liars.

They are like the fig tree that Jesus cursed.

Having leaves, it should have had figs, but it was lying.

Jude actually carried this picture out a little further.

Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

They make promises but they do not fulfill them.

2) THEY ARE SLAVES WITHOUT AUTHORITY (19)

“promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

The concept here is absolutely ludicrous.

It is like one slave looking at another slave and saying,

“I’ll make you free if you want me to.”

That man can’t even free himself, let alone you.

But just because they can’t make good on their promise

Doesn’t keep them from offering it.

So we know these guys because they are recruiters.

They Revile They Revel They Recruit

#4 THEY RETURN

2 Peter 2:20-22

And this by the way is the most extreme and undeniable sign

Of who they are.

You actually should have spotted them long before this,

But in case you didn’t, this sign leaves no doubt.

And that is that they return to their sin.

1 John 2:18-22 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”

Earlier Peter said that they “deny the Master who bought them”

That is the clincher.

To end verse 19 Peter said, “for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

And Peter’s point was you know who a man is, by who he obeys.

You know who a man serves by who he follows.

Romans 6:15-16 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

When these guys return to sin

It is obvious that they were never actually set free from it.

And by the way this is a bad sign for them.

(20) “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

These are guys who once heard about Jesus and all that He offers,

And at the very least they outwardly latched on to that for a while.

And so they do seemingly escape the defilements of the world.

But the kicker is that “they are again entangled in them and are overcome”

They return to the sin they claimed to have been freed from.

And this indicates they were never actually free.

And now, “the last state has become worse for them than the first”

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

Jesus said the same:

Matthew 12:43-45 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

It is actually harder for this man to win the battle again

Because now he faces more demons and more powerful ones.

And beyond that, judgment is actually more severe.

(21) “For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.”

It would be better to have never heard the gospel,

Than to have heard it and reject it.

Luke 12:47-48 "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

You see knowledge intensifies judgment.

These men return to sin and the result is severe condemnation.

THE POINT IS:

These men aren’t just stumbling Christians,

They are imposters who proved their hypocrisy

By fully returning to their sin.

And then Peter gives two more analogies by way of description.

(22) “It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Earlier Peter said they were like “unreasoning animals”

And that is analogy he returns to here.

They are creatures of instinct to be captured and killed.

You may remember Jesus spoke of hogs and dogs before as well.

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

They were unclean

They were filthy

They had no purpose except to be killed.

You could try to evangelize a dog, you could try to dress up a pig,

But your efforts would be wasted.

It’s not about what these guys do, it is about who they are.

They are not redeemed.

They are not forgiven.

They are not set free from sin.

And while it may be hard to spot that for a while,

On the day they return to their vomit

You will know that is what they are.

You spot them because they return to their sin.

And haven’t we seen that through our TV evangelists over the years?

Sex scandals

Money scandals

Drug and alcohol scandals

And instantly we know who and what they are.

And so you know that false prophets are dangerous.

They condemn men to hell.

But now you know how to spot them.

THEY REVILE

They are bold and brass, reviling even demons in order to look tough

THEY REVEL

They love their luxury and profitable living and don’t mind showing it off

THEY RECRUIT

They entice people with false promises of selfish freedom, which is a promise they can never keep.

THEY RETURN

They eventually return to their sin like the dog they are

And that is how you spot them, and when you spot them,

Stay away from them, for they are spiritual terrorists,

Just waiting for an opportunity to plant a bomb of destruction in your life.

2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”