Please turn with me to 2 Peter 2 - starting at verse 10.

Last Sunday we looked at four characteristics of false teachers - people who are focused on leading people towards them and not God.  We saw that these false teachers - number one - they deny who Jesus is - they aren’t trusting in Jesus as their Savior.  They’re not living in obedience to Him - regardless of what they may say about themselves.  Second, they’re focused on a lavish lifestyle - gratifying their own desires.  Third - they discredit - they lead others to blaspheme God’s truth.  And fourth - they’re motivated by greed - their lives are all about more power - more control - for them.

Peter reassured us that God will judge those who are against Him.  R egardless of where these false teachers lead people - or how far our society follows them away from God - in the midst of spiritual darkness - in the midst of moral depravity - God will preserve His people - those who are trusting in Jesus as their Savior - who are following Him.

All of which - what we looked at last week - first is a warning to us - to be careful who we listen to - not to be taken in by these people but to make sure we’re listening to God - and second - what Peter writes is a reassurance that God has all this covered.  He really is in control.

Where we’re coming to this morning is a continuation of that teaching - but slightly different.  There’s a paragraph break in the middle of verse 10 - where we stopped last Sunday and where we’re continuing on from today - so that the second part of verse 10 - what we’re looking at this morning - begins a new section of Peter’s teaching.  Peter is going to give us more of a description of these false teachers - but also - in this next section - he’s going to challenge us to think about where we are in our relationship with others and with God.

2 Peter 2 - starting part way through verse 10:  Daring, self-willed, they - these false teachers - they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.  But these - false teachers - 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, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong.  

Let’s stop there.   Peter is going to give us  four descriptions of these false teachers - the first is here - they’re like unreasoning animals.  Say that with me, “They’re like unreasoning animals.”  They’re like animals who know no better than to follow their base instincts.

What really does go through the mind of an animal.  Have you seen this?

(cartoon)

Years ago - out in the Midwest - there was a legal case brought by some animal rights group against chicken ranchers.  The issue was the alleged cruel and inhumane way in which chickens were being put to death - that the manner in which chickens were being killed was devastating to the mental well being of the chicken.  This is really true.  When the case finally got to court - the court threw it out because they plaintiffs couldn’t prove what the mental state of a chicken was at death.

These false teachers are daring - bold - stubborn - arrogant when they revile angelic authorities.  The Greek word for “revile” is “blasphemountes” which is where we get our word “blaspheme” which has the idea of defaming or defiling something - in this case angelic authorities - angels - people - those who speak God’s truth - even God’s truth itself.

“Blasphemountes” is a compound word.  Its made up of two words stuck together which basically have the idea of saying something really stupid and hurtful about someone.

Do you see what Peter is getting at here?  These false teachers have a glimpse of some kind of spiritual truth - so they’re arrogantly making confident - erudite sounding - intellectually impressive - statements about spiritual things - but they have no clue what they’re actually talking about.  They’re talking about spiritual things from a - fleshly perspective - according to their natural human nature.  From a spiritual perspective - a godly perspective - what they’re saying is just stupid - ignorant - on the level of the intelligence of an unreasoning animal.

The angels - God’s messengers - don’t even respond to all this.  And they could.  Because God’s messengers get it.  They see life from a godly perspective.  But they hold back their comments - their response - because to respond would put them on the same level as these false teachers - arguing ignorance with the unreasoning.  Ultimately God has it covered.  And that’s more important.

Take a thousand monkeys and sit them in front of a thousand laptops and given enough time they’ll do what?  Type all the great works of literature.  Maybe true.  But they still won’t have a clue about the meaning of what they’ve just typed.  They don’t have the reasoning for it.  These false teachers don't have the spiritual reasoning to understand spiritual things.

Go over to Barnes & Noble and take a look on the shelves dealing with spiritual issues - page after page of useless misinformation.  Google “spiritual” and there’s over 100 million hits.  Most are fatally off track with God.  Hollywood spews this stuff out.  Remember this?  “Teacher says every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.”  We’ve got to be careful that we’re listening to God and not the culture around us - urban spiritual myths - people who have no connection with God.

Peter says that in the end they’re going to be captured and destroyed.  Think free range chickens - running around - having the time of their lives - thinking they’ve got it made - stuffing themselves with all this grain and good stuff to eat - in their ignorance and folly they’re literally eating themselves to death.

Revelation 20 - verses 7 to 15 - are very clear that the end coming to the ungodly - those who die without trusting Jesus as their Savior - the end is a lake not made of water - but fire - eternal fire and brimstone - sulfuric gas - acrid steam - foul odor - a place of eternal burning and choking - unending weeping - sorrow - gnashing of teeth - forever separation from God.  Not very pleasant.  But, very real. 

If they we’re really listening to God - reasoning spiritually - they would have a whole different attitude towards God - a whole lot less arrogance.

Going on - verse 13:  They - these false teachers - count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime.  They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

Let’s stop there.   Peter’s second description of these false teachers is that they’re not who they seem to be.  Say that with me, “They’re not who they seem to be.”

Think Exodus.  About 1400 B.C. - Moses had led Israel through the wilderness to the plains of Moab - overlooking the promised land.  Balak - the king of Moab - saw all these Israelites and became really afraid that they would attack and destroy Moab.  Remember this?

Balak - the king of Moab - hires Balaam the prophet to curse Israel.  Catch that - Balaam did this because of greed.  He’s getting paid to curse Israel.

Gotta’ get one of these.  At least its honest.  Greed. 

As Balaam’s on the road to where he’s going to curse Israel his donkey sees an angel with a drawn sword blocking the way - and she refuses to move.  The donkey keeping Balaam from going against God’s messenger - going against God’s will.  While Balaam’s beating the donkey - because it won’t move - the donkey with a woman’s voice rebukes Balaam, “What have I ever done to you?”

That’s what Peter writes about here in verse 16 - about the donkey - “restraining the madness - literally the insanity - of the prophet”  Holding him back from acting insanely.  A person would have to be insane to curse God’s people.

Greed - an insatiable desire to please ourselves - even at the expense of others - greed does strange things to people.  Yes?

Finally Balaam sees the angel.  The angel tells Balaam to only say what God tells him to say.  So every time Balaam goes to curse Israel he ends up blessing them.  No matter what Balaam does he just keeps on pouring out God’s blessing on Israel.

But, Balaam’s getting paid to curse Israel.  Since the direct approach didn’t work - Balaam went to plan B.  Found a way to go around God’s explicit command.

Balaam - the false prophet - taught Balak - the king - how to use Moabite girls to entice the young Jewish men to take part in their immoral and idolatrous feasts.  The reasoning was that if the Israelites were sinful enough God would become angry with His people and God would destroy His own people and take care of Balak’s problem for him.

Plan B worked.  The young men were enticed by the Moabite women - fell into lust - began to indulge in sexual immorality with the Moabite women - who then invited them to sacrifice to the Moabite gods.  Pretty soon the Israelites were bowing and worshipping the Moabite god - the Baal of Peor.  Bowing and worshipping and perverting right along with the best of them.  (Numbers 22-25; 31)

Since then - reading through Scripture - Balaam has come to be associated with the kind of self-serving sin that seduces - that deceives - God’s people into immorality.

Look with me at verse 13.  Notice the word “carouse.”  In Greek the word is “suneuoxheomai” which is the same word used in the New Testament to describe the “love feasts” or potlucks that the church shared before they had communion.

Remember in 1 Corinthians that Paul rebukes the believers in Corinth because they’d turned these gatherings for sharing meals and celebrating the Lord’s Supper - they’d turned these love feasts into a snobbish ego fest - sharing food only with their own little clique of people regardless of who outside the clique went hungry.  To act in that self-serving way showed that there was something drastically wrong in the hearts of those claiming to follow Jesus.

Same deal here in 2 Peter.  These false teachers - during the day - are participating in the love feasts - sharing communion side by side with the believers - what is a very serious and deeply meaningful event for us as Christians.  They’re acting all Christian-like.  But in reality they’re not.  Its all a deception - a sham - related to the insanity of self-serving greed.

Peter writes, in reality these people are stains - blemishes - defects.  They revel in their willful deceptions.  They’re actually proud of what they’re getting away with.  They have eyes full of adultery.  They’re scoping out the women at communion.  They never cease from sin - from enticing weak women.  They’ re always on the prowl and restless if they’re not.

They’re hearts are trained in greed.  The word for “trained” is “gumnazo” which is the word we get “gymnasium” from.  They work out - practice hard - with discipline and perseverance - like an Olympic athlete - these false teachers are dedicated to sin and luring others into their web of deception.  That’s insanity.

They may seem like brothers and sisters in Christ - sharing a communion meal - but their real purpose is like Balaam - to benefit themselves by luring God’s people away from God.

Going on - verse 17:  These - false teachers - are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved - meaning hell - 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, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

Let’s stop there.   Peter’s third description of these false teachers is that they’re all blow and no show.  Say that with me, “They’re all blow and no show.”

Have you heard that phrase?  You hear it a lot playing sports.  Someone would be bragging about how good they were.  But, when it came to actually playing the game they had no ability at all.  All blow - all hot air - with no substance to back up the talk - no show.

Peter describes these false teachers as “springs without water.”   A mirage.  Well, not that Mirage.  Although that Mirage has its own deceptions.   A desert mirage.  Desperately needed.  Might drive us to distraction - out of our way to get to the water.  Lots of promise.  But nothing there.

They’re like “mists driven by a storm” - literally like fog.  We know fog around here.  Yes?  Have you ever try to grab fog?  To hold it in your hand?  Formidable form.  But no substance.

All blow - no show.

These false teachers were probably teaching and early form of Gnosticism.  Its important that we have an idea of what that means.  

The best illustration I’ve heard describing Gnosticism  to imagine a pool of water as smooth as glass.  Throw a small stone into the center of the pool and waves - rings - start moving outward - emanations - each one moving farther from the center.  Can you picture that?

The idea is that the center - where the rock hit - is pure - holy - without sin - the divine origin of all things.  We’re out here on the outermost ring - sinful - so far away from the divine center that we can’t even see the beginning of the place where we can begin to see the beginning of the place where we could begin to glimpse the divine.  Somehow we have to get rid of sin which inhabits these bodies of ours and get back through those rings to the point of our spiritual origin. 

The technical name for this teaching is “gnosticism.”  Which comes from the Greek “knowsis” - meaning knowledge.  To get back to the divine we need a transcendent knowledge which comes as we explore our own spirituality and through understanding more of what true spirituality is all about.

Ultimately Gnosticism denies the reality of who Jesus is as the God.  Gnosticism denies that Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf - His death - if indeed He really died - His dying in our place taking upon Himself God’s wrath for our sin - denies that all that really accomplishes what we need to get right with God.  Gnosticism even denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ - which is the foundation for our own hope of resurrection.

The reason is basic:  Jesus being the foundation of our salvation - accomplishing the means of our justification before God - is an act of God’s grace - something we could never achieve on our own.   Gnosticism denies grace by assuming that we somehow have to earn our way back to God.

This is nothing new.  If you look for it - its all around us.  Its in elements of Eastern Mysticism or the First Church of Christ, Scientist.  The Da Vinci code - the Gnostic Gospels - a ton of syncretistic religion today - all borrows from this basic idea of Gnosticism.   There are Gnostic churches around today that believe that Jesus was a Gnostic - that He taught an inner - spiritual - path to God.

So these false teachers would point to Jesus and say that He had a deep inner transcendent knowledge and so He gave us an example to follow.  In order to follow Jesus we need to basically do what He said - and add to that the special teaching that the false teachers were aware of - what usually amounted to some legalistic rituals and expectations borrowed from Old Testament law.

Peter writes that these false teachers speak “arrogant words of vanity” - literally this reads “puffed up empty words without purpose.”  And yet, these words are very enticing - especially to those who are new Christians.  Someone makes the decision to follow Jesus - escapes from the clutches of Satan and being enslaved to the crud of this world - and these false teachers smack their lips and start gathering around like lions at a watering hole.

New Christians are looking to grow - to find answers - to be led forward in their faith.  One of these predators comes along and offers to feed that desire.  “This is how to live life with God.  This is how to grow as a Christian.  This is what life with God is all about.”  A new follower of Jesus doesn’t have the experience yet to know that what these guys are putting out may sound really good - but it’s an empty promise.  

Teaching freedom from sin and material things - but denying God’s grace - these false teachers are trapped - enslaved - by what the are trying to lead others away from.  Lots of promise.  No substance.  All blow.  No show.

Going on - verse 20:  For if, after they - these false teachers - 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.  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 - the Gospel - handed to them.  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.”

Let’s stop there.  Peter’s fourth description of these false teachers is that they’re entangled - again.  Say that with me, “They’re entangled - again.”

I know that none of you have every experienced this.  But, have you ever gotten you fishing line tangled - spent seemingly hours to untangle it - and then the first time you cast it out there it gets tangled again.  Never happens.  Right.

Same picture here.  They got untangled from the stuff of this world - they knew Jesus - His Gospel - what He offered them by way of freedom from all the corruption and decay of this world - had a knowledge of what it meant to know God - to be made right with Him - and they let themselves get all tangled up again.

Do you remember Pharaoh?  Back when God was speaking through Moses - all those plagues?  Moses would come to Pharaoh and say something like, “Thus saith the Lord, Let My people go or I’m going turn the water of the Nile into blood.”  And Pharaoh wouldn’t - let the people go - so God would - turned the water into blood.

Each time God sent a plague Pharaoh would come whining to Moses.  “Tell God to knock it off and I’ll let the people go.”  So God would stop the plague.  Then Pharaoh would go back on his word - not let the people go - and the same thing would happen again. 

God would say, “Let My people go or I’m gonna send frogs.”  Frogs come.  Pharaoh whines.  God takes away the frogs.  Pharaoh hangs onto the people.  God sends gnats.  And so on.  Are we together?

Do you remember what God said about Pharaoh’s heart.  “He’s got a stubborn heart - a hardened heart.”  (Exodus 7ff)

Plague after plague - Egypt is being decimated - the economy - the people suffering - dying - standing before Pharaoh is probably God’s greatest messenger of all time - except maybe Jesus and Paul.  God is appealing to Pharaoh big time.  God graciously giving him opportunity after opportunity to turn towards him - to obey God.  An amazing display of God’s love and mercy and grace.  But Pharaoh - focused on himself - proud - hard hearted - just isn’t listening.

Finally - in the account of the plagues - we read that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”  (Exodus 9:12; 10:1)  God allowed Pharaoh the choice of his heart - hardened it.

Grab on to this.  Pharaoh’s heart grew harder with each cycle of plagues .  God kept up His attack - which hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  But it was Pharaoh - focused on himself - who initially and subsequently made the choice to harden it - made the choice to turn away from God.

It would have been better for him not to have been confronted with the truth - the graciousness of God - the opportunity to do what was right before God.  Instead Pharaoh’s final state of heart is worse than it was before all this took place.

That’s like what Peter is writing about.  With all that these people knew about God - the sad reality is that by turning away from Him they’re farther away from Him than they were before.  They only confirm the sad reality of their self-centered hearts.

The description Peter gives is graphic.  A dog returns to its vomit.  That’s the unreasoning nature of a dog.  Vomit is the gross - but appropriate - description of sin.

We can take a pig.  Give it a shampoo and a permanent.  Put a big pink bow on its tail.  Give it a manicure.  After all that cleaning up it just goes back to wallowing in the filth and mire of sin.  A pig is a pig is a pig.  Give a pig a bath and we still haven’t changed its heart.

Whatever the experiences of their lives - however God - in His graciousness may have appealed to them - the self-focused hearts of these false teachers are unchanged towards God.  They remain resistant - even more so - towards Him.

Consider two things with me - about how what Peter writes should challenge us.   First:  In our relationship with others.  Say that with me, “Our relationship with others.”

It would be so easy to pass judgment - on these false teachers - on those around us who are leading others away from God - even those who are simply not followers of Jesus.  To think about the character of those people - the description of them living in sin - and see them as really messed up.  People that maybe we should stay away from. 

Sometimes we get so focused on the decay of society that we forget that society means people.

What Peter writes here should open our eyes to those around us - to recognize the emptiness of life - the wallowing in sin - the coming judgment of hell for those who have not turned to Jesus in repentance.  We cannot keep the truth to ourselves.  We need to be purposeful in our relationships - even seeking to develop relationship with those who need Jesus. 

We need to speak without fear - in boldness and confidence.  Remember - regardless of the spiritual darkness and moral decay - God knows how to preserve His people.  May we bold in letting people know all that God offers to them.  May we be open to allowing Jesus to speak His gospel through us.

Second thing to consider about how what Peter writes should challenge us - in our relationship with God.  Say that with me, “Our relationship with God.”

Is it possible that some of what Peter writes here relates to us?

Do we ever find ourselves flowing through life - not really thinking spiritually about our lives - but going along with crowd - following our baser instincts?  Involving ourselves in what probably isn’t very Godly?  Or having priorities - for out time and money - that really aren’t within God’s will for us?

Do we ever find ourselves living a lie - outwardly acting Christian - but inwardly - where no one but God and us see - all that stuff we try to impress others with just isn’t true of us?

Do we know how to talk the talk - looking like we’ve got it all together.  But inside we’re feeling totally empty?   We’re searching for answers but we’re too ashamed to admit our need.

Do we find ourselves coming back to old sins - wallowing in the mire.  

The bottom line issue - with the false teachers - with Balaam - and Pharaoh - with all of us - really has to do with a very simple choice.  Even the daily living out of our lives with God is the same choice - made each day.  Do we rule over our lives?  Or, does God?  

Unless we’re willing to let God have control of our lives - to let Him change us at the very core of who we are - to change us spiritually - mentally - to reorder our lives according to His will and purposes - we go on being unreasoning - like animals - living by instincts of the flesh - bound by the emptiness of this world.  All of which God in Jesus desires to set us free from.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.