2Peter 2:1-3
The Wolves Are Among Us
\\#1\\ In this chapter and into the next, we move into Peter’s main
topic, FALSE PROPHETS.
A. Peter had just revealed to his readers that we have something
that is better that even what he had.
1. \\#1:16\\ Peter was an eyewitness to the person and power
of Jesus Christ.
a. Peter saw almost everything.
b. From just after the baptism of Jesus to the ascension
of Christ, Peter saw it.
2. \\#1:17\\ Not only so, but Peter had heard the voice of
God announce and pronounce that Jesus was the Son of the
Living God.
B. What could be better than to personally see and hear that what
we believe is true?
1. \\#1:19\\ We have the sure word of prophecy, that is the
Word of God.
2. Having the Bible is better than having personal
experiences for so many reasons.
a. Our senses can be deceived, but the word of God can
and has been tested.
b. Our experiences might help the one who has them, but
it does nothing for others.
(1) The Bible is the compilation of hundreds, even
thousands of witnesses.
(2) The combined testimony of the Word of God allows
those who read and study it to experience God
themselves.
c. But it not just what the Bible is, it is also what the
Bible does.
(1) It is a living Book under the control of the Holy
Ghost; so it speaks to individuals itself.
(2) I cannot not explain it. I can just say it
happens every day and
e. They do not have to rely on the experience of another
for the Holy Ghost of God ushers them into the
presence of God via the Word of God.
C. It is in that context that chapter 2 was written.
1. In Peter’s first epistle, he was concerned for the
spiritual safety of the readers due to the persecutions.
2. In Peter’s second epistle, he was concerned for the
spiritual safety of the readers due to false prophets.
3. Both are causes of concern. but the persecution ended
while the false prophet has continued steadily since the
church began.
I. What is a FALSE PROPHET?
A. Peter uses two terms to help define one.
1. \\#1\\ He called him a "false teacher."
a. That seems obvious. A false prophet is marked by
what he teaches.
b. How bad will the false teachers get? "even denying
the Lord that bought them."
(1) First Mind Blowing Alert!
(a) False teachers will get so bad that they
will even deny Jesus!
(b) How can you claim to be a Christ and deny
Christ?
(c) That is about as logical as the gun control
debate.
(d) The amount of sheer stupidity that the end
times will bring is astonishing.
(2) Second Mind Blowing Alert!
(a) Jesus paid even for THEIR sins.
(b) "denying the Lord that BOUGHT them.
(c) Peter was not saying they WERE saved for he
goes on to say that their false teaching
will "bring upon themselves swift
destruction."
(d) He was saying that they could be saved
because Jesus died even for them.
(e) Kind of blows Calvinism out of the water,
doesn’t it?
2. \\#2\\ He spoke of his "pernicious ways."
a. The two words are actually one in the Greek.
b. It means destruction.
c. Not only do false teachers preach the wrong doctrine,
but they can also walk the wrong way.
d. If you say the right things but live the wrong way,
you are still a false prophet.
e. There are three areas that the Bible should touch.
(1) It should give you a right head, a right heart,
and a right life.
(2) If it comes up short in any one of these areas,
there is something wrong with the relationship
you have with the Bible.
f. We know no one is perfect but one who claims to be a
preacher, teacher, or prophet should at least be
headed down the right road.
B. Let’s reconsider what Peter said.
1. A false prophet might teach wrong and walk wrong.
a. These are the easiest to recognize because they aren’t
doing anything correctly.
b. Still, they are out there.
2. But a false prophet might live right and teach wrong.
a. These are the most difficult to recognize.
b. You have to watch the likeable false prophets just as
much as the unlikeable false prophets.
c. Just because the wolf in sheep’s clothing is not
snarling, growling, and biting, that does not mean he
is not a wolf.
2Cor 11:13 For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.
3. But a false prophet might teach right and live wrong.
a. These are the most accepted false prophets.
b. Too many people are willing to follow a Bible teacher
that lives like they do because he makes them feel
better about their unholy life.
c. There are herds of false prophets in the world today
attempting to short change God.
(1) They teach if you have a right head and a right
heart, that is enough.
(2) The blood of Jesus Christ paid for head, the
heart, and the body.
(3) False prophets say, "Don’t judge a book by its
cover." I say if it has smut on the outside, I
have every right to expect smut on the inside.
d. "A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice."
C. So if you are looking for a true person of God, whether in the
pulpit or the pew, you must check out both their doctrine and
their lives.
II. How a FALSE PROPHET works?
2Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they
with feigned words make merchandise of you….
A. Their goal is to use you.
1. They want to make you a tool of merchandise, something
that they can use to buy or sell.
2. I am extremely glad that I am not God and do not have to
judge because I know that never ever wrong prophet is a
false prophet.
a. Usually, I speak four hours each week on the Bible.
I would have to be extremely arrogant to think I am
never wrong.
b. If wrong alone makes a false prophet, I’m pretty sure
every prophet is false.
3. What else might make a wrong prophet and false prophet?
a. I think you have a false prophet when he is not even
trying to be right.
(1) Many who pretend to represent the Bible don’t
believe or read it.
(2) That is a false prophet.
b. I think Peter is mentioning another here.
(1) A false prophet is one who wants to use the
people instead of serve the people.
(2) The idea of making merchandise off the people is
to buy and sell them, like a commodity, for
the false prophet’s gain.
(3) Any preacher who is trying to make a gain in the
ministry is a false prophet, whether he is
gaining in money, popularity, or prestige.
c. But no one should ever get rich off a church.
B. Their tools are covetousness and feigned words.
1. Most false prophets use what motivates them to entrap
others.
2. They are covetous so they attract covetous people.
a. I want to say this as graciously as I can.
b. No one wants to be sick. No one wants to be poor,
and no one wants to be alone; but the only way for
a Christian to change those conditions is with by
prayer, obedience to the Word, godliness, and by
doing logical and right things to fix those
conditions.
c. Those conditions will not change because you buy a
preacher a boat.
d. If you give them money, then your lust is causing
you to feed their lust—and that is how false
prophets use covetousness to make merchandise of
you.
3. They also lie. That is what "feigned words" are.
III. What is the FALSE PROPHET’S END?
2Peter 2:3 …whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not.
A. I’m not sure who will go to the hottest pits of hell, but my
carnal self hopes false prophets do.
1. I’m taking about false prophets not just wrong prophets.
a. They are wrong in their doctrine.
b. They are wrong in their lifestyle.
c. They are wrong because they are not trying to be
right.
d. They are using people.
2. A false prophet does more than just make a dishonest
dollar.
a. He dishonors God, the Bible, salvation, the church,
and every other preacher. (That last one is not
nearly as important as the first four but it still
needs to be mentioned.)
b. False prophets cause the saved and the lost not to
trust the true prophets. Ultimately, that causes
some to end up in hell.
3. That is eternally serious.
B. I do not want to make excuses for them, but there are a lot of
people out there that can’t be reached because of the
bitterness and hurt they feel from what a false prophet has
done to them.
1. If that happens to be you, I will tell you that you need
to get over it. Harboring hurt harms hearts and homes.
2. Yet, the false prophet that turned that soul from Christ
will have to pay a great price as well.
3. Hell.
Peter is far from being finished with this topic, but one thing is
for certain. False prophets are a danger for which every generation
must watch. If that has always been true, it is even more true in
this day and age.
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