11-20-16, 2 Peter 2;1-22 & Jude 16-25, On Guard - False Teachers & Counterfeit Christians

2 Peter 2:1-22; Jude 16-25

“On Guard”

False Teachers & Counterfeit Christians

November 20, 2016First Baptist ChurchJackson, Mississippi

USA

What’s the number one thing?

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http://quotesthoughtsrandom.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/first-things-first.jpg

The Glory of God!

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https://forgodalmighty.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/cropped-sunset1.jpg

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

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November Memory Verse

Matthew 9:37-38 ESV37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

References

• Smith, Collin. “Everything You Need for Deliverance”, A Sermon Series on 2 Peter 2. (Available on YouTube and unlockingthebible.org.)

• The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1985.

Introduction to 2 Peter 2: (Lessons from 2 Peter 1)

1. God has given us everything we need for life in knowing Jesus.

2. God has given us everything we need about knowing Jesus in the Bible.

3. You have everything you need because you participate in His divine nature.

4. In Jesus, you escape the corruption from evil desires.

5. Sin is now the enemy and not your master.

Introduction to 2 Peter 2

•2 Peter 1 is about “all the good” you have because of Christ and describes the “True Christian”.

•2 Peter 2 is all about “Counterfeit Christianity”.• Alongside truth you will find error.• Alongside genuine you will find counterfeit.• Alongside wheat you will find the weeds (tares).• Your eternal destiny is either heaven or hell.

Lesson Outline

• The 7 characteristics of a false teacher or Counterfeit Christian.•Applications of these characteristics.•How do I know if I am a real Christian?

• (The mark of a true Christian according to Peter.)• The outcome for Counterfeit Christians and for True

Christians.

2 Peter 2:1 NIV

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.

Peter knows about denying the Lord

• This was probably a hard statement for Peter to write.• Even though Peter denied Christ 3 times, he was not a

false teacher or a “Counterfeit Christian”.•Peter’s denial was a sin that was forgiven by Christ.• “Counterfeit Christians” can become “True Believers”. •We should pray for the salvation of false teachers.

2 Peter 2:2-3 NIV

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.

Jude 16-19 NIV

16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

Jude 20-23 NIV

20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Jesus’ words about false teachers

Matthew 7:15-17 NIV15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

7 Traits of False Teachers (Counterfeit Christians)

1. Different Source – Where does the message come from?• True Christian

2 Peter 1:16 NIV16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.


1. Different Source – Where does the message come from?• False Teachers

2 Peter 2:3a NIV3a In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.• The false teacher relies on his own creativity and not God’s

word.• The Bible is viewed without authority and not the source of

truth.• They make the Bible fit their theology and lifestyle.


2. Different Message – What is the substance of the message?

• True Christian2 Peter 1:3 NIV3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.


2. Different Message – What is the substance of the message?

• False Teacher2 Peter 2:1b NIV1b They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them —bringing swift destruction on themselves.• They secretly introduce heresy.• Movement away from the centrality of Christ is subtle.• The false teacher will speak about how other people can

help change your life, and Jesus is not essential to his message.


3. Different Position – In what position will the message leave you?

• True Christian2 Peter 1:4c NIV4c having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.


3. Different Position – In what position will the message leave you?• False Teacher

2 Peter 2:19 NIV19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for "people are slaves to whatever has mastered them."• The true believer is escaping corruption, but the counterfeit

believer is mastered by it.• 2 Peter 2:13b, c

13b, c Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.


4. Different Character – What kind of people does the message produce?

• True Christian2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.


4. Different Character – What kind of people does the message produce?

• False Teacher2 Peter 2:10, 14 NIV10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander celestial beings;

14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!


5. Different Appeal – Why should you listen to the message?

• True Christian2 Peter 1:19 NIV19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.• The true teacher appeals to Scripture.


5. Different Appeal – Why should you listen to the message?

• False Teacher2 Peter 2:18 NIV18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.• The false teacher asks, “What do people want to hear?

What will appeal to their flesh?”• They adapt the church to the culture.


6. Different Fruit – How does the message affect people’s lives?• True Christian

2 Peter 1:8 NIV8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. • The true believer is effective and productive.


6. Different Fruit – How does the message affect people’s lives?

• False Teacher2 Peter 2:17 NIV17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm.• The false teachers promise much but produce little.• Their teachings are not soul nurturing but shallow and

teach you to live for your own pleasure.• Their teachings change with the times.

7 Traits of False Teachers (Counterfeit Christian)

7. Different End –Where does the message ultimately lead you?• True Christian

2 Peter 1:11 NIV11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.• Your citizenship is in heaven, not on earth.

7 Traits of False Teachers (Counterfeit Christian)

7. Different End –Where does the message ultimately lead you?• False Teacher

2 Peter 2:1c, 3b1c bringing swift destruction on themselves.3b Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.• They do not realize the path of destruction they are on.• They live like there is no tomorrow.

Who are these people? Jesus’ answer.

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

How do we apply the warning of false teachers among us?

2 Peter 2:1 NIV1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

• Don’t be naïve! They are among you!

1. The church needs to be protected.2. The existence of the counterfeit is never a good reason

to reject the genuine.

1. The Church needs to be protected.

• Satan will plant counterfeit believers among us and we must be alert. (Parable of wheat and weeds)• They have religious interests, but a different message.• Examine their message using the 7 characteristics.• They must be welcomed, but have no influence.•Pray for them to accept the true Gospel of Jesus.

The Parable of the wheat and weeds

Matthew 13:24-26 NIV24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

• Satan will plant counterfeit Christians and false teachers among believers.

2. Do not reject the genuine because of counterfeits.

• Some use the excuse of Christians being hypocrites for their reason to reject Christ.•Peter tells us that there will be counterfeit Christians

in Churches because we are in a fallen world.•Don’t miss out on what is real when you have seen

counterfeits.

According to Peter, how do you know if your or someone else’s Christianity is real?

• It is a hidden mark you cannot see in other people.•Do Not make judgments of others about this criteria.• You can only know it for yourself with Peter’s test.• Lot is the example according to Peter.

The example of Lot – a righteous man.

2 Peter 2:7-8 NIV7 and if he (God) 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) —

• Lot described as righteous 3 times.• Lot was righteous because he was “distressed over the

sins of the people around him”.

What is the mark of a righteous man in an unrighteous world?

•Godly (righteous) people are distressed over sin in the world around them and their own sin.• The distinguishing mark for Lot was not that Lot was

without sin, but that he was distressed over his own sin and the sins of others.• If you are distressed (in sorrow) over the sin around

you, that is a defining mark of your righteousness.

How do “Counterfeit Christians” view their own sin and the sin of others?

• They find a way to accommodate sin in their own life, to live with it, to get comfortable with it, to justify it and to see it as the way of the world.•2 Peter 2:22

22 Of them (unrighteous) the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."• The unrighteous keeps returning to his sin and change

is only temporary.

The Counterfeit Christian is worse off now than if they never knew about Jesus.

2 Peter 2:20-21 NIV20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

The “Counterfeit Christian’s” Judgment.

• You are judged by what you did with what you knew.•Greater revelation has greater accountability.•Did you accept the truth or reject and counterfeit the

truth of the Gospel?• Every time the Gospel of Jesus is preached, you are

either softened and come nearer to Christ or you are not affected and another layer of hardness is placed over your life.

How does God deal with the unrighteous and the godly in 2 Peter 2?2 Peter 2:4-5 NIV4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness 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;

How does God deal with the unrighteous and the godly in 2 Peter 2?2 Peter 2:6-7a, 9-10 NIV6 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; 7a and if he rescued Lot,

9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10

This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

Summary of what happens to the unrighteous and the godly.

• The Unrighteous• Sent to hell, burned to ashes.• God is holding them for more punishment on the day of

judgment.

• The Godly• God protected Noah, God rescued Lot and God rescues

the godly from trials.

What can we learn from the examples of sinning angels (demons), Noah and Lot?

1. The Lord knows how to rescue godly people from trials (2 Peter 2:9).

• This is your promise for whatever you face this week.• Your distress over your sins and the sin around you is a

mark of God’s grace in your life.

What can we learn from the examples of sinning angels (demons), Noah and Lot?

2. God knows how to hold the unrighteous while continuing their punishment (2 Peter 2:9).• There is worse to come for the unrighteous at the

judgment.

Closing Scripture – A Benediction Prayer.

Jude 24-25 ESV24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Next Sunday November 27, 2106

2 Peter 3:1-18“The Day of the Lord”

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Plan of Hope & Salvation

John 3:16 ESV16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 14:6 ESV6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”


Romans 3:23 ESV23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23a ESV23a For the wages of sin is death,

• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life

to pay the penalty for our sins. • The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death

explained in Revelation 21:8.


Revelation 21:8 ESV8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Romans 5:8 ESV8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


Romans 6:23b ESV23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Revelation 21:7 ESV7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.


Romans 10:9-10 ESV9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Romans 10:13 ESV13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


If you have questions or would like to know more, Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/

http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/

11-20-16, 2 Peter 2;1-22 & Jude 16-25, On Guard - False Teachers & Counterfeit Christians

Spiritual

Transcript of 11-20-16, 2 Peter 2;1-22 & Jude 16-25, On Guard - False Teachers & Counterfeit Christians