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PRESERVATION |
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Please turn with me to 2 Peter 2 - starting at verse
1. Last
Tuesday was what? Super Tuesday.
Remember these people?
Of course last Thursday Mitt Romney dropped out. Which was a surprise. Yesterday’s primaries and caucuses
without him were interesting. We
try very hard around here not endorse any candidate. The bottom line is that we need to
encourage each other to take advantage of the privilege we have to vote
and to vote prayerfully thinking through issues and candidates from a
Biblical perspective.
Right? Have
you heard this? “Who
is the right candidate for the office and why aren’t they running?” There’s
a feeling that if so-and-so gets into office our country is going to be in
even worse trouble.
Having said that, I would like to make one endorsement. Just a thought. There are some serious issues
in our country. Yes? Our kids are not growing up in the
same country we grew up in.
In many ways that’s not a good thing. Especially
spiritually. Would
you agree with this? The
church in America is also in trouble. According
to George Barna - 80% of
church growth is by transfer of membership - in other words church growth
is not by people
coming to trust Jesus as their Savior - church growth isn’t by the impact
we’re having in the community - most churches are growing because people
are switching churches. (1) Its
like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. We’re all in big trouble but we’re
not dealing effectively with the real issues. Over
the past few Sundays as we’ve been looking at Peter’s second letter -
Peter has been sharing about the intimate personal relationship that the
Almighty God of creation desires to have with each one of us - in which He
- God supplies all that we need to live that life - supplying even the
basis of that life - the salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ. It really is possible to know God
- at the core of who we are - to live life with Him. And that life with God does on
forever - eternal life. One
thing that is so cool about this letter is that Peter not only writes
about “life with God” and the incredibleness of all that - but, Peter
writes about how to live that life in the day-to-day stuff of our
lives. Knowing all that God
offers us - what we hope for in the future - how we can live life
today.
With all that concerns us.
And there’s a lot.
There are people in this congregation - people around us - who are
seriously hurting - physically - emotionally - psychologically -
financially. People on the
breaking point. With all the
voices that are trying to get our attention - political - religious -
philosophical - people wanting to lead us - claiming to have answers. Who do we listen to? What reassurance do we have in the
midst of all that confusion? 2 Peter 2 - starting at verse 1: But
-
that little word “but” is important.
Peter’s making a contrast to what he’s written before - what we
looked at two Sunday’s ago.
Peter’s
claim of why we should listen to him. Remember this? What the prophets spoke of - Peter
witnessed first hand - the transfiguration - Jesus in His divine glory -
the voice of God validating the ministry of His Son. Everything that Peter had heard
from Jesus was absolutely true - everything about life and death - about
faith in Him - forgiveness of our sins and being right with God - and
eternal life - is true.
Jesus is who He says He
is. The God and the Savior. The - singular - means of
forgiveness for our sins - and the means of life with God. Peter is appointed by God to point
us to Jesus. Verse 1: But - in contrast to what it means to be a true spokesman
for God - like Peter - 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 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. Let’s pause there. Heresies is the Greek word “aireseis.” The word has
the idea of making a choice. Back in the Old Testament false prophets were at work
even while God was speaking through His prophets. While Peter
is writing - teaching - false teachers are already at work secretly
introducing destructive heresies. Destructive choices. Just as they
are today. Teachings - which are not true - which are not taught
by God in His Bible - these teachings are slowly introduced - not right
out in the open - but quietly brought in right alongside the truth - until
they almost sound kind of like the truth. So, after a while - if a person had to choose between
the two - God’s truth and what sounds like God’s truth - maybe we might
choose what isn’t true - because it sounds pretty good - not really
understanding that its a teaching that’s destructive to our relationship
with God. The best lie is the one closest to the what? The
truth. Eve - back in the garden. Satan with
his “Did God really say that? Let me
clarify God’s intent for you.” “Well, that’s helpful.
Sure.” What Peter is giving us here in verses 1 to 3 is
a warning - to be careful - how to make the right choice of who and what
to listen to.
Peter gives four characteristics of false teachers - these voices claiming answers for our lives - four
characteristics that we need to watch out for. First: These false teachers deny the
Master who bought them. Say that with me, “They deny the Master who bought them.” There you are - sitting at home - watching reruns of American Idol - minding
your own business - and the doorbell rings. And there are these two really
well groomed young boys at the door - elder so-and-so and elder so-and-so - missionaries with the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints. Or, these
nicely dressed people - “Jehovah’s Witnesses” - who
are interested in encouraging Bible study and would like to share a verse
or two with you from their “translation” - and I use that word loosely -
from their New World “Translation” of the Bible. The Mormons tell us that Jesus is a god - not the
God. The
JW’s teach that Jesus is really Michael the Archangel - who became a man -
died - and rose spiritually - not bodily - from the dead. Salvation -
for the Mormon or JW requires a whole more from us than faith. Much more
than God teaches us in the Bible. When Peter writes about false teachers he’s writing
about those who present themselves as God’s people - even those who may
claim to be from within the church. They’re not obviously evil. They live
stable - seemingly godly lives. They may have great wisdom. They may use
all the right words. They may talk about Jesus with great
respect. But, ultimately they deny Jesus. Literally,
they refuse to submit their lives to Him as their Master. They’ve not
come to Him as their Savior as God requires in His Bible. They don’t
live by His teachings. One of the three questions that must be asked of
anyone claiming to speak for Jesus - three questions: 1) What is
the Bible?
2) How is one saved? And 3) Who is Jesus Christ? What do you believe about Jesus? Do you
believe what Peter taught? What’s taught in the Bible? Or, do you
believe what someone else says about Jesus? Are you relying on your own
understanding of who Jesus is? Or, have you subjected your life to Him
as the Savior and the Lord of your life? Bottom Line: Either a person believes that Jesus
Christ - that the One true God became incarnate - died on the cross for
our sins - that He is bodily risen and living - being the Savior - and
that we must subject ourselves to Him - or you don’t. If you don’t
then you’re not a Christian - not in the way that God teaches in His
Bible. The second characteristic of false teachers is
that they focus on a sensual lifestyle. Say that with me, “They focus on a sensual lifestyle.” Peter’s teaching here is not just about sex. These false
teachers are preoccupied with gratifying their senses. Indulging in
what tastes good, what looks good, what feels good - creature comforts -
lavish lifestyle. What matters is power - control - money
- prestige.
Within all that is a lack of moral restraint - sexual
perversion. People follow that. Its attractive. Isn’t
it?
“Follow what I say about God and God will give you
everything you desire.” Bottom Line: Religion is a means to their end -
which has nothing to do with God’s plan for their life. The third characteristic of false teachers is
that they discredit the truth. Say that with me, “They discredit the truth.” Have you ever been watching something - a TV program
- or reading something - a magazine or newspaper - and they’ll have some
so called expert on Christianity who’s making some way out liberal
statement about what Christians believe - or the mainstream media will
hold up some religious figure as an example of Christianity - and you just
wanted to pull your hair out and scream, “But that’s not Christianity!” Discredit is to the word “Blasphemeo” Which is
where we get our word “blaspheme” from. To blaspheme is to
attribute the works of God to the works of Satan. In other words - when people hear these people
claiming to speak for God and then watch what’s produced by their lives -
which is often this self-serving lifestyle mixed with ungodly doctrine -
they look at the true church and we’re guilty by association. They assume
that that’s what we’re all about. The one’s not knowing any different - watching all
this - blaspheme. They say that what is ungodly must be
what is godly and so they don’t want to have anything to do with it. Are we
together? They discredit the truth. The fourth characteristic of false teachers is
that they’re motivated by greed. Say that with me, “They’re motivated by greed.” Long ago in a church far, far away - I was
teaching a college Bible study . One Wednesday evening I was
teaching about the need to study the Bible for ourselves. Prior to the study I had prepared a Bible passage
where I had changed some of the words and phrases in the text - just
slightly - so that the difference in wording was subtle - but very non-Biblical. That night the class was pretty typical - only one
person brought her Bible. Everyone else sat there
expecting me to teach them. I asked them to open their Bibles -
even though though only one person had one - and told them where I’d be
reading from. I read the passage I had mistranslated. Not one
person said anything. Then I
started to teach from the passage. At first I didn’t say anything too
controversial.
But, I just kept adding to the deception as I went along. After a long
time - like 20 to 25 minutes into the study - finally one
person - the girl who’d brought her Bible said
something like, “Excuse me, but what do you mean by
that?” Way too many people in churches take for granted that
whatever the guy up front says about spiritual things must be true. They’re the
experts.
They’ve gone to seminary. That’s hugely dangerous. We’re not
always right. Never risk your life and eternal
destiny on the opinions of a man or woman. One of the consistent characteristics of cults and
non-Christian belief systems is that they focus on a singular person and
not God - not Jesus. Leaders who
have received a new “revelation” from God. Who demand loyalty from their
followers. Peter writes ....in their greed they will exploit you - they
will use you for their own gain - with false words....” The Greek word for false is “plastois” the word we
get “plastic” from. Fabricated. Molded.
Artificial. Not God’s creation but mans. They invent
words to gain control over others. Jeannie Mills, a former member of the Jim Jones cult
and a survivor of the Jonestown, Guyana massacre - in which 912 members of
the People’s Temple movement committed suicide. Remember that
back in 1978? Some of you are dating yourselves. Jeannie Mills writes this: “When you meet the friendliest people you have ever
known, who introduce you to the most loving group of people you’ve
encountered, and you find the leader to be the most inspired, caring,
compassionate, and understanding person you have ever met....and all of
this sounds to good to be true - it probably is too good to be
true!” (2) Peter concludes his warning with these words of reassurance. God’s
judgment of these false teachers is not idle. God hasn’t
lost interest.
He isn't too tired from running creation to pay attention to what’s
going on.
Their destruction isn’t asleep. God hasn’t dozed off. He’s not
taking a nap. God will take care of them - the ungodly - the false
teachers - those who lead others away from Him for their own profit. And we, need
to be watchful - not to be taken in by their teaching - not to make the
wrong choices of who to listen to - who’s word to live our lives by. Coming to verse - 4 Peter is going to give us two
examples of God’s judgment on the ungodly and God’s preservation of His
people.
As we go through these - thinking about what concerns us in
the culture that we’re living - hang on to God’s preservation of His people -
us. Verse 4: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but
cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for
judgment; and did not spare the ancient world , but preserved Noah, a
preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon
the world of the ungodly… Let’s stop there. Example number one: God’s preservation in the midst
of spiritual darkness. Say that with me, “God’s preservation in the midst of spiritual
darkness.” Back in Genesis 6 there’s an account of angels who
had been cast out of heaven at the time of Satan’s rebellion against God. While the
Bible isn’t clear about how all this took place - somehow they
had relations with the daughters of men and the
offspring of these unions were born as giants - as distorted
humanity.
As a result of these acts of rebellion against God, God banished
these angels to pits of gloom and darkness - hell. One result of this cohabiting by the angels and
mankind was a
tremendously wicked society - a world which had completely rebelled
against God - a corrupt - distorted - an ungodly
society - spiritually in darkness. Genesis 6:5 says, “....every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was
continually only evil.” Noah lived in this society. But, the
Bible says that Noah “walked with God" - that he
was a righteous man - blameless in his time. We’re told
that, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the
Lord.” (Genesis 6:8,9) For 120 years - God waited patiently
while Noah preached righteousness and set about building the ark. (I Peter
3:18-20) When God
judged mankind with the Flood - God preserved Noah. In 1947, the United States Supreme Court - in a
watershed decision - said: “The First Amendment has erected a wall between
church and state. That wall must be kept high and
impregnable.
We could not approve the slightest breach.” As a result of that decision
other decisions have been made by the courts: In 1963 the courts said, “A verbal prayer offered in a school is
unconstitutional, even if its both voluntary and denominationally
neutral.” 1965: “Freedom of speech and press is guaranteed to
students unless the topic is religious, at which time speech becomes
unconstitutional.” 1969: “It is unconstitutional for a war memorial to be
erected in the shape of a cross.” 1976:
“It is unconstitutional for a Board of
Education to use or refer to the word ‘God’ in any of its official
writings.” 1980: “It it unconstitutional for the Ten Commandments to
hang on the walls of a classroom since the students might be lead to read
them, meditate upon them, respect them, or obey them.” In one of the more interesting studies that I’ve seen
- comparing the court decisions since 1963 which move us away from God -
each time our society takes a step away from God - there’s a very
noticeable increase in cases of sexually transmitted diseases, unwed
pregnancies, divorce rates, and a decrease in SAT scores. (3) Back in 1980 George Gallup took a poll. He found that
most people in America today feel trapped. They know
they’re losing their children to an educational system that turns out
functional illiterates and fosters peer groups that destroy the character
of their youth and the family structure. There was a sense of the
growing hand of the state closing in on our
political, economic, and religious liberty. (4) That was back in 1980. How do you 28 years later? “Change” is a popular word these
days.
Change what? We live in
a society which chooses to ignore God - except when convenient - a
society which lives in increasing spiritual darkness. We need a change in our relationship
with God.
Repentance is change - isn’t it? Not many people want to go
there. Just as in the days of Noah - our society refuses to
acknowledge that the problem is spiritual - to recognize our spiritual
darkness.
That we are without God. We need God. We need to
turn back to Him. Peter says, in the midst of the spiritual
darkness of his day, “God preserved Noah.” Hang on to that. In the midst of spiritual
darkness - even if the whole world is against God and His people - God
will preserve His people. Let’s go on - verse 6: And if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to
those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous
Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he
saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his
righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),
Example number two: God’s preservation in the midst
of moral depravity. Say that with me, “God’s preservation in the midst of moral
depravity.” Peter illustrates his point by again reaching
back to Genesis. In Genesis 19, we read that two angels went to Sodom
to perform the judgment which God had commanded. When they
entered the city - the angels stayed in Lot’s home. Later that
evening the men of Sodom - young and old alike - surrounded the house and
demanded that Lot produce his visitors so that they might have sexual
relations with them. There are some people today - false teachers - who
would like to make plastic words out of Scripture because of their own
agendas - teachers who tell us that the sin of Sodom was that they were
inhospitable to these two angels - that they didn’t make them welcome. Let’s be clear. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was -
among other things - homosexuality. And God judged them for it. Toasted their
cities.
Covered them with ashes. Peter writes that God used their destruction as an
example for others - as a warning. We saw this when we look at the book of
Joshua.
When the people of Israel conquered the promised land - the people
that God told them to wipe out had warned - given opportunity to turn from
their sin and to turn towards God. The nations there were descendants of Ham. Who was a son
of who?
Noah.
The flood was a big time warning against evil. The cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah - which were right there - wiped out by God because of
sin.
These people should have paid attention. Some people have speculated that Israel being sent to
wander for 40 years - while that was God’s judgment on His people - it may
have also been an act of God’s grace to the Canaanites - to the people of
the promised land - giving them more time to repent. Lot pleaded with the men to go away - even offering
his two virgin daughters
to them to gratify them - but they wanted the men. That’s how perverted this society
was.
Like so many people today - they’re making a choice to ignore and
reject God’s grace. Peter describes Lot as having seen it all -
prostitution, homosexuality, child sacrifice, Baal worship - every form of
perversion.
Peter writes that “righteous Lot was oppressed -
literally, beaten down to his knees - by the sensual conduct of unprincipled
men - by everything that he saw and heard - his righteous soul was tormented day after day with
their lawless deeds.” And sometimes
we feel this way - living in the society around us. True? In the midst of the judgment - the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah and the moral depravity of their society - Peter writes
that God “rescued righteous Lot.” Hold onto that. Even if the society we live in is
morally evil - and growing more so - God will preserve His people -
us. Verse 9: Then - since God has done all this - then we know that
- the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from
temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of
judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt
desires and despise authority. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation - or
testing circumstance - has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation - in the
midst of whatever you’re up against - God - will provide the way of escape also, that you may be
able to endure it.” Paul writes that God is faithful in the midst of
trials - “that you may be able to endure it.” Noah spent
120 years building an ark in a godless society. Lot lived for
years in a morally depraved society. In the midst of our circumstances God
is providing a way for us to endure - He is preserving us. When Jesus
- in glory and power - returns at his second coming - He will rescue us
for eternity.
But we need to be willing to trust Him for His preservation in all
the circumstances of our lives. There’s a story - maybe you’ve heard this - great story for us to be
reminded of - there’s a story about a group of
pioneers who were making their way
across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened
up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons drawn
by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow. One day they were horrified to see a long line of
smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie. It was soon evident that the
dried grass was burning fiercely and the fire was coming toward them very
rapidly.
They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible
to go back to that before the flames reached them. One man alone seemed to have understanding as to what
could be done.
He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when
a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it. As the flames roared on towards them from the west, a
little girl cried out in terror, “Are you sure we’re not all going to burned up?” The leader
replied, “My child, the flames cannot reach us here,
‘cause we’re standing where the fire has been!” Have you heard that? The fires of this world have already touched Jesus
Christ on the cross. On the cross Jesus endured all of the
sin and depravity of this world - even death - for us. He is
victorious over them. If we stand - trusting in Jesus - the
fires of this world - the society in which we live - cannot destroy us.
What Peter writes should encourage us not to spend so
much time getting all stressed out about where we live - who’s saying what
- but to keep focused on Jesus - His word - trusting Him with our lives.
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