2 Peter chapter 2 is both a declaration and a comforting promise of God's
ability to deliver, but also a stern warning concerning false
prophets. And nearly the whole chapter
is taken up with this thing of false prophets and false teachers. 2 Peter chapter 2, but there were
false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you. Peter spent some time in laying
the basis of his own calling, assuring us that he was God's
ambassador to us, God's servant to us, and was in fact not only
a preacher and an evangelist, but also an apostle. And he spent
quite a bit of time talking about that. And he said, you'd be doing
yourself a favor, he said, if you take heed to my words. This
would be a benefit to you. Because God has sent me. And
God has confirmed my calling by miracles and wonders and signs. that I am God's messengers, and
you do well. He said, I have a more sure word
of prophecy than these false teachers and false prophets who
have no confirmation from God, who just stand up and say, I'm
a preacher. I'm a teacher. God sent me. I've had two or
three of them come out here while I was working on the edition
and just told me, if you ever need somebody to preach, call
me. God called me to preach. I'm a preacher. God called me
to sing. I'll come sing for you. There are going to be false prophets
and false teachers among you. And he said, I have a more sure
word of prophecy than that. I have evidence and proof that
dates all the way back to the book of Genesis. I've got evidences
and proof from God Himself who confirmed me with miracles and
wonders and signs. These men had nothing. They had
no confirmation. They don't even have the message
of the gospel. And yet people welcome them with
open arms. Even though the things that they
say are contrary to the scriptures, people still welcome with open
arms. Listen to them. Rest their souls
upon what they say. It's sad. So Peter spent some
time laying the basis of his own calling and office, giving
those things which God gives as messengers, and the greatest
of which is the spirit of the living God. God's Spirit only
attends the ministry of those He calls. That's just so. That's just so. Paul wrote to
the Corinthians and told them that God had made them able ministers
of the New Testament. The world is full of ministers,
but there are not many able ministers. And God made them able ministers
of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. Not, he said, that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think anything of ourselves. We're nothing. I'm just clay. You're just clay. We're just men, just flesh and
bones and blood. Some of them saw those things
which God did through Peter and Paul and them and bowed down
before them as though they were God. And they told him to stand
up and not do that, not fall down before. He said, not that
we're sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves,
but our sufficiency is of God. Now, if your sufficiency is of
God, you're sufficient. Is that right? If God accompanies
a man's message, his message is sufficient. The man is sufficient,
no matter how weak he is, no matter what kind of disabilities
he has. He's sufficient because God is
his sufficiency. And God the Holy Spirit confirms
these things. He confirms them in the hearts
of chosen sinners, and he confirms the message that they bear. And
God has faithful servants in every generation, and He sends
them and uses them in the calling out of His elect. 2 Peter 2, verse 1, But there were
false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privileged shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves with destruction. It is the indisputable testimony
of the Holy Spirit that there are now, as there were then,
false prophets among the people. What people? The people who gather
even in this place to hear the gospel. They're false prophets. Even among those, our messages
go out on the internet. Sometimes they're downloaded
on islands that I've never even heard of, way on the other side
of the world. False prophets even among them. Among the people. Where are they? Among the people. Living, working, holding offices,
running businesses, teachers, firemen, police officers, students,
Men serving in the military, you can go on and on. Our enemies
can well be they of our own household. That's what our Lord said. He
didn't say there might be. He said there shall be. Shall
be. Of your own household, a wife,
a husband, a brother, a sister, a daughter. Could be in a group
of people calling themselves Christians. could be graduates
from a seminary. The only thing we're told for
certain is that false prophets are among the people. They're
among the people. Secondly, what do these false
prophets do? They shall privily bring in damnable
heresies. That word privily means secretly,
quietly, or perhaps the best explanation is this, covertly. Mike's in the Army, he's been
in there almost long enough to retire. He knows what that word
covertly means. Secret, quietly, unnoticed. They send in spies into a country
or send in men who are trained for that
type of thing and they send them in and they blend right in. Nobody
even knows you're there. They just come right in. They
look like they've been there all their life. That's how these false
prophets come in, covertly. And they bring with them damnable
heresies. What in the world is a damnable
heresy? What's he talking about? It's
a doctrine, a teaching, or a principle that leads men and women away
from Christ, whatever that is. Whatever that is, it changes
from place to place. It leads them to trust in themselves,
leads them to trust in this present evil world and its long-established
ideas and principles. It is that which makes us idolaters,
damnable heresies. It's any teaching that denies
the full and complete redemption accomplished by our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Any kind of doctrine that denies
His complete and all-sufficient accomplishment of redemption
is a damnable heresy. I hear men talk all the time
about four-point calvinists. There's no such thing. No such
thing. Damnable heresies. What are damnable
heresies? Free will religion is a damnable
heresy. Now, you play with it if you
want to, but I'm telling you this. It's a damnable heresy. That's what they have. Universal
redemption is a damnable heresy. Legalism. Legalism is a damnable
heresy. Ceremonialism. Dress up and put
on your robe and put on your hat and let men kiss your ring
and take that little wafer and put it on a spoon and put it
on somebody's tongue and say, this is the body of Christ. Ceremonialism,
it's a damnable heresy. Any religion that teaches salvation
by works is a damnable heresy. Self-righteousness, that is,
that a man thinks that he can obey the law and by that work
out his own righteousness, be righteous before God. God will
look at him and say, boy, look at that. He's righteous. He's
righteous. And these men creep in unawares,
unnoticed, undetected. And when they're accepted, they're
quiet until they're accepted. And when they are accepted, They
begin to spread their venom. All right, what's the results
of their presence among the people? 2 Peter 2.2. Many, not a few,
many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way
of truth shall be evil spoken of. The word pernicious means
hurtful, destructive, and most of the time fatal. pernicious,
destructive way. You don't think it's destructive.
These men talk, and you talk, and they talk, and you talk.
That way that they're talking, that damnable heresy, it's pernicious. It's hurtful. It's destructive.
It tears down. And the sure result of their
doctrine, when left unchecked, is that the truth shall be evil
spoken of. The gospel should be looked upon
with contempt. That's the end of it. False teachers
and preachers, by their slandering remarks and criticisms, leave
men with a contempt for the gospel they've never heard or write. They have contempt for something
that they don't know. But these men have already said
it in a bad light so that they won't hear it. They don't want
to hear it. And even if they do, now they
have this predetermined idea of what this gospel is. They
say it is a gospel that leaves men free to sin, turns men loose. Here you are, sin all you want
to. That encourages men to sin, that grace may abound. They say
it's a gospel with limited love and generosity. It limits its
love. It limits its generosity. They
say it's a gospel that leads to ungodly divisions. Oh, stay
away from that gospel. It'll divide you. It sure will. It'll divide you among this wicked
world. He calls His people out from
among these deceived. Brings them into His life. They
say it's a gospel that bars the way to the seeking sinner. Won't let him come. Won't let
him come. Tells him only the elect can
come. Bible doesn't say only the elect can come. The Bible
says only the elect will come. They have to be made willing. I don't hear our Lord use any
kind of terms like that. Anybody thirsty? Come on. Anybody hungry? Come and eat.
Come and eat. But only his elect will. Only His elect will. They say that it's a gospel that's
against the law of God, contrary to the law of God. No, the gospel
is the only message that exalts the law and makes it honorable. It's the only message. And because of these things,
the gospel of Christ is looked upon with contempt. 2 Peter 2,
verse 3. And through covetousness shall
they with feigned words make merchandise of you. Use people and people's soul
to their own private ends. Make merchandise of you. Trade
you for whatever it is they desire. Trade your eternal soul so that
they can have a reputation, so that they can fill up an auditorium,
so that they can have a name known by all men. They make merchandise
of you. They trade men like merchandise
for whatever their evil heart desires, whether it's money or
fame, success, through covetousness. And covetousness is an unreasonable
desire to have what's not given to us. And this covetousness
is born out of a dissatisfied heart being unthankful for what
it has. Covetousness. And it's defined
in the scripture. as idolatry. Isn't that what
Paul said? Covetousness, which is idolatry. And so Peter continues in verse
3, and he says these men who would make merchandise of your
soul through these famed words and so on, he continues on now
in verse 3, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not,
and their damnation slumbereth not. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something
about God's judgment that you might not know. It lingereth
not. You see these false prophets
and their crowds on TV. They gather more men in one of
those big arenas than gather to watch football in a big arena. It's filled, filled to capacity. And you see these false prophets
in their crowds on TV, and you say, why doesn't God judge these
false prophets? Why doesn't He strike them down?
Why don't He just burn them up into cinders? Why don't God judge
these false prophets? He has, and He is, and He shall. False prophets and anti-Christ
religion whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders. That's what we're told in 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. Is that not an accurate description
of the religion of our day? Powerful, universal, literally
millions of followers, great schools, churches, programs,
hospitals, and shelters. Lying wonders. You look at those hospitals,
the Shriners Hospital, and you look at all these hospitals that
religion sets forth, that's a lying wonder. A lying wonder. Do they help men? Sure they do.
Sure they do. But in helping men, they capture
their soul. And they're able to sell their
lives because your mind's on that school, on that hospital,
on that shelter, on that program. They're powerful. They're universal.
They're literally millions of followers. And they have these
great schools and churches and programs and hospitals and shelters
with all power and lying wonders. Their converts or proselytes
are a lying wonder. Thousands coming down the aisle.
Thousands joining the church. Their pomp and pageantry is a
lying wonder. Their pretense of godliness is
a lying wonder. And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish. My wife worked at the
school with a lady. And this lady, I think, was a
Nazarene or Church of Christ or something like that. And they
believed in a sinless perfection. They believed you could get to
that plateau where you're finally sanctified by second definite
work of grace and now you sin no more. And that's what this
lady said she had attained. She said, I've attained a perfect
sanctification and I sin no more. And Kathy told me, she said,
that was the meanest woman of all the people that she worked
for, this was the meanest woman of the whole bunch. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish. Now watch this. 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 10. And because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause
Who is? God shall send them strong delusion. In Romans chapter 1, he said
these people who didn't want to retain God in their memory,
they didn't want any part of this God of glory, this eternal,
creating God, this all-powerful, sovereign God. They didn't even
want to retain Him in their memory. So God turned them over to themselves.
Who did? God did. And to these who would
not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved, for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie, and that they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. The very
fact that they will not bow to the truth is evidence of God's
judgment upon them. Here's another verse, John chapter
3. Turn over there with me and let's
look at this together. We're talking about God's judgment. He said, His judgment lingereth
not, and their damnation slumbereth not. Now watch this. John chapter 3, verse 36, last
verse of the chapter. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son," now listen to this, "...shall not see life." What's that mean? He cannot perceive of this eternal
life. He shall not see life, shall
not perceive it, lay hold of it, partake of it. He shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abideth. God leaves him in his unbelief. Leaves him in his unbelief. Now,
I don't care who you are. I don't care. But when you hear
the gospel of Christ and reject it, or are indifferent to it,
or walk away from it as if it were something that you could
have anytime you wanted, you're a little worse because of it. Are you listening to me? You're
a little worse every time you do it. Your heart's a little
harder, your conscience is a little less disturbed, and its commands a little less
fearful every time. And if God the Holy Spirit does
not intervene in your life with His effectual calling, you'll
soon be what the old writers called gospel hardened. You can
say, we've had people come in here, old people, come in here
and sit down, listen to me preaching. It just rolled off their back
like water off a duck's back. Had no effect on them whatsoever.
Wasn't even disturbed by it. Your hearts will soon be filled
with the world, filled with its religion, filled with its philosophy. Now listen to what Peter is saying.
There are false prophets out here and they are going to bring
in damnable doctrines. And many are going to follow
them with feigned words and these pernicious doctrines. They are going to follow them.
Many are. And Peter said his judgment.
Don't you get the idea that God's judgment is way out yonder someplace.
His judgment is right now, right here. in your heart. Oh, He'll have a judgment out
there. And that judgment out there is going to justify what's
done right here. Whether you're a believer or
an unbeliever, He's going to make all men, devils,
angels in heaven, He's going to make all men clear on this
matter of salvation and damnation in that day. And Peter said his
judgment now Not tomorrow, not next week, not way out yonder
somewhere. His judgment now of a long time
lingereth not. And their damnation, that scares
me. I get goosebumps on me when I even speak that word. His damnation
on them slumbereth not. Slumbereth not. Oh, I would that
God the Spirit would open your heart and mind this morning to
see what a great and gracious privilege it is to hear his gospel
at all. Just to hear it. Thousands upon
thousands, maybe millions, I don't know how many, never hear this
gospel preached at all and go out to meet God in church. They're
left wandering around their little totem poles and their open fires
out in the jungle somewhere with bones in their nose, jumping
up and down, making strange noises, worshiping a false god. Or they're
left down here at the First Baptist Church to worship a false god. Either way, they never hear the
gospel. And I can't even begin to describe
to you. What a privilege it is just to
hear the gospel at all, just to be in a place and a situation
where its sound can fall on your ears. What a privilege it is. To have the gospel preached to
you may be one of the greatest privileges given to men in this
world. Now, here's what I'm going to
tell you next. And so to pay it no heed. to ignore it, to pay it no heed,
may be the greatest offense to God that a man can commit. You're
taking Him who is the center of all things, Him who is the
very preeminence of God and glory and salvation and all things,
and you're just brushing Him aside like it was nothing. Huh? may be the greatest offense
that a man can commit before God. I know this. It's greater
than those crimes in Sodom and Gomorrah, because that's what
he told those cities that he preached in and done his wonderful
works in. And he said, if Sodom had saw
what you saw and heard what you heard, they would have repented
in sackcloth and ashes. Now, he said, it's going to be
more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah
than it's going to be for you. It's described in Hebrews 10,
29 as trotting underfoot the Son of God. Counting his sacrificial
blood as an unholy thing and doing despite under the spirit
of grace. Now, if God took the despisers
of his law and he stoned them to death of how much sore punishment,
Paul said, shall he be thought worthy who have committed such
a crime against his beloved son? Vengeance, he said, belongeth
unto me. I will recompense, saith the
Lord. Therefore, Paul concludes the
matter saying, it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God. He said, don't fear them that
can destroy the body. You fear me who can destroy both
soul and body in hell. His judgment lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not. Listen to these verses, 2 Peter
2 verse 4. For if God spared not the angels,
what'd they do? What'd they do? They had thoughts of rebellion
in their heart. They never actually did anything. They had thoughts of rebellion
in their heart. Satan said in his heart, I'm
going to sit on that seat that God has given to Christ. I'm
going to sit there. Not a man, but I'm going to sit
there. God cast him out forever. And all those who joined in with
him. He spared them not, but cast them down to hell and delivered
them into chains of darkness to be reserved under judgment.
No possibility of salvation, no possibility of reconciliation,
no possibility of ever entering back into glory again. Just for
a thought. And he spared not the old world.
The old world lasted. Noah, the preacher of righteousness,
they laughed in his face. God spared not the old world.
He led them here preaching for 120 years. But each time they
heard it, he hardened their heart. Hardened their heart. He spared not the old world,
but he saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Eight souls
in the ark. And he buried the rest in the
depth of his wrath and judgment. Verse 6, and turning the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. Oh, how Abraham pleaded for that
city. If I can just find a handful
of souls, will you spare the city? Yeah, he said, I'll spare
it. But he couldn't find it. He turned
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. He condemned them
with an overflow, making them an example to all those who afterwards
should live ungodly. And he delivered just lot. And him, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked, For that righteous man dwelling among
them, and seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from
day to day with their unlawful deeds." Now listen to this. I know these things that I told
you they ought to. Ought to strike fear into your
heart. I don't know if they do or not, but they ought to. They
will. If you knew what I was talking
about this morning, it would. You'd be trembling in your shoes
right now. But all of that considered, he
says this, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. God knows how to do that. And now you know.