Rev. David Holwick ZQ
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 11, 1994
2 Peter 2:1-16
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I. The World loves to party.
A. Christmas long noted for binges.
1) Puritans banned Christmas for this reason.
2) Great victory at Trenton due to drunk Hessians.
3) Tradition of spiked eggnog and wild office parties.
B. Ironic, in that it is a religious holiday.
1) Pursuit of pleasure is the religion of many people.
2) Many religious leaders are willing to take advantage of it.
3) Instead of religion changing us, we change the religion.
II. It's always been a racket. 2:1
A. Old Testament teaching on false prophets.
1) Counterparts to true prophets, and more common.
2) Generally the dominant force in Israel.
3) Test of a false prophet: Deut 18:20-22
a) Inaccurate. Predictions don't come true.
b) Heretical. Even when true, lead people away from God.
c) Immoral.
B. False teachers in Peter's day.
1) Destructive heresies. (against true doctrine) 2:1
a) Deny sovereign Lord. 2:1
1> Examples of theological deniers:
A few years back the archbishop of Kent publicly
denied the Virgin Birth.
That week lightning struck and fire severely
damaged Kent's ancient cathedral.
Religious leaders weren't the only ones to
suggest a connection.
Survey done 25 years ago among American Baptists:
22% are not absolutely certain God exists.
31% are not convinced of the Virgin Birth.
38% are not convinced Jesus walked on water.
43% have some doubts Jesus will return to Earth.
33% have doubts that the Devil exists.
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2> Or, they claim to be Christians but deny him by
their actions.
b) Shameful ways. 2:2
1> (English preacher and mistress / Lesbian preacher.)
A> Distressing to see in a preacher.
B> But what about laypeople? Double standards?
2> Truth brought into disrespect.
2) Exploitation. 2:3
a) Motivated by greed.
b) Invented stories.
Although some are good, many evangelists on television
have turned out to be crooked.
Their problems with money and sex are legendary.
"Evangelist" should be a term of respect, but has become
a label of contempt.
Their theology also falls short.
Kenneth Hagin says that even Jesus needed to be born
again.
Their equation of spirituality with health and wealth
is common.
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In contrast, when Billy Graham began his ministry, he
was photographed getting out of a cab with the
previous night's collection.
He decided he would never handle the finances again.
He and his workers also decided to never have a woman
alone with them in their hotel rooms for any reason.
And they stayed in adjacent rooms to keep each other
honest.
His message hasn't changed in fifty years: Jesus came
to save lost souls.
3) Party animals. [added later]
a) Arrogant. 2:13
b) Carouse.
c) Adulterous. 2:14
III. In the end, God catches up. 2:3
A. Divine justice seems slow to us.
B. Sudden judgment is Biblical norm.
1) Fallen angels. 2:4
a) Most likely an allusion to Genesis 6:1-5.
1> Note that each example follows the others in Genesis.
b) Difficult passage, but probably deals with corruption
of supernatural beings with humans.
1> Yet "man" is condemned, not angels. 6:3
2> Therefore some see "sons of Gods" as
humans from the godly line of Seth.
2) Flood. 2:5
a) Sudden and total destruction.
b) Almost everyone caught unawares.
3) Sodom and Gomorrah. 2:6
a) Appropriate imagery of destruction in nuclear age.
b) Appropriate moral lesson as well. Ezekiel 16:46-50
1> Rampant sexual sin.
2> Bloodshed, stealing, corruption.
3> Destroyed by eruption of sulfur and asphalt.
C. God is slow, but thorough.
1) All sin will eventually be punished.
2) We don't like idea of punishment, but it is reality.
3) Hell is real, according to God.
IV. One against the tide.
A. Judgment is not God's last word.
1) Emphasis is on rescuing more than condemning.
2) God always watches out for his own.
B. The rescue of Noah.
1) He remained faithful in midst of a sinning generation.
a) Most dangerous sin of all is conformity.
b) Easy to be the same; different is always difficult.
2) In Jewish tradition, Noah was not only the one saved, but
a righteous preacher to the lost.
a) He was concerned with the souls of others.
b) We have a duty to bring light to those in darkness.
3) Is being a "light" presumptuous of us?
a) Easy for Christians to be self-righteous.
b) Before we bring light, we have to have it ourselves.
c) We have a tendency to see sin in others very clearly,
but our own, not at all.
C. Rescue of Lot.
1) Lot was distressed by evil around him.
a) Genesis reveals some flaws.
1> He chose the easy life of the plain, over the
wilderness.
2> His family was influenced by surroundings.
A> He offered his daughters to the mob.
B> They had same morals, and got pregnant by him.
3> He had to be dragged out by angel.
b) Yet Abraham considered Lot to be righteous.
2) His surroundings tore up his soul.
a) Newman: "Out great security against sin lies in being
shocked at it."
b) We tend to become too jaded with modern problems.
c) For good of world and our own souls, we must be
sensitive and shockable.
Charles M. Alexander was the songleader for R.A. Torrey,
a great preacher in the 1800's.
Alexander wanted to see the New York City nightlife so
he would be a more effective evangelist.
He and Sam Hadley, director of a street mission, went to
bars, houses of ill-repute, and so on.
At 2 a.m. he was sickened and asked to leave.
Hadley was also sickened and leaned against a lamppost,
while crying, "Oh-h God! Oh-h God!
The sin of this city is breaking my heart.
Oh-h-h God!"
To us, this sounds pretty corny.
Alexander must have been pretty unsophisticated.
But we are so sophisticated we no longer care.
Our cynicism ignores the cries of the weak.
We need more compassion for a hurting world.
We need more anger at the scourge of sin.
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V. There should be a difference.
A. We were bought at a price. 2:1
1) Don't let world devalue you.
2) Don't let world devalue your faith.
a) Honor Christmas by being a Christian.
B. What we believe matters.
1) Doctrine is important.
2) Let Bible mold how you think about issues.
3) Don't take my word - investigate yourself.
C. How we live matters.
1) We will give account for our lifestyles.
2) Don't bring disrepute on Jesus. 2:2
D. If we are comfortable in this world, something is wrong.
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William Barclay, 2 Peter
========================
I. False prophets.
A. OT depiction.
1) More interested in popularity than in telling the truth.
2) Interested in personal gain.
3) Dissolute in personal life.
4) Led people farther from God rather than closer.
B. Peter's update.
1) They insidiously introduce destructive heresies.
2) They denied the Lord who had bought them.
a) We are purchased at a price. 1 Cor 7:23; Gal 3:13; Rev 5:9
b) Denial is by actions more than rejection of his
authority.
3) Their destiny is destruction.
C. The work of their falsehood.
1) The cause of their false teaching is evil ambition.
2) The method is to disguise falsehood as truth.
3) The effect is to encourage immorality and bring Christianity
into disrepute.
4) Ultimate end is destruction.
II. Fate of wicked, and rescue of righteous. 2:4-11
A. The sin of the angels.
1) Allusion is to fornication of angels with humans. Gen 6:1-5
a) Peter uses Enoch.
b) Veils for women due to this? 1 Cor 11:10
2) Later writers reinterpreted story.
a) Angels became race of wicked men. (sons of Seth)
b) Others allegorized it.
1> Note that there is no marriage in heaven.
3) Perhaps Peter's audience was using story to justify sin.
a) Cyril of Alexandria alludes to this in his day.
4) Slandering angels.
a) Allusion to fight over Moses' body? Jude 9
b) Allusion to episode in Enoch?
B. The Flood and rescue of Noah.
1) In Jewish tradition, Noah was not only the one saved, but
a righteous preacher to the lost.
2) Emphasis is on his salvation.
a) He remained faithful in midst of a sinning generation.
1> Most dangerous sin of all is conformity.
2> Easy to be the same; different is always difficult.
b) He was concerned with the souls of others. (herald)
1> We have a duty to bring light to those in darkness.
C. Sodom and Gomorrah and rescue of Lot.
1) Lot was distressed by evil around him.
a) Newman: "Out great security against sin lies in being
shocked at it."
b) We tend to become too jaded with modern problems.
c) For good of world and our own souls, we must be
sensitive and shockable.
2) Lot lived in midst of evil, and yet escaped its taint.
a) Grace of God can preserve us from infection of sin.
b) We don't have to be slaves to our environment.
3) Lot was willing to make a clean break from environment.
a) He didn't want to go, but he was prepared to go.
1> His wife was not.
b) He had to be dragged away. Gen 19:16
1> Grace of God can force us out of evil situations.
2> At times we must save our souls by breaking away
and starting all over again.
III. The picture of evil man. 2:4-11
A. He is dominated by desire.
1) The two sides of our nature (physical and spiritual) must
be kept in balance.
a) Evil people let the physical side take over.
2) Selfishness is reason for loss of balance.
a) Nothing matters but gratification.
B. He is audacious.
1) Some daring is good, but there is a daring that defies God.
C. He is self-willed.
1) Only his own opinion matters.
D. He is contemptuous of angels.
1) He insists on living in one world.
2) The spiritual world never exists for him.
IV. Deluding self and others. 2:12-14
A. There is something self-destroying in fleshly pleasure.
1) Making it the end-all is suicide.
2) Limitless pleasure results in no joy or satisfaction.
a) The laws of diminishing returns.
B. "Eyes full of adulteries" probably means they see an adulteress
in every woman.
1) We desire the things we have no right to have.
C. They ruin not only themselves, but others.
V. On the wrong road. 2:15-16
A. Balaam was covetous.
1) He didn't take the bribe, but the desire was there.
B. He taught Israel to sin.
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