Good morning. Before I begin, I want to draw your attention to two things in the bulletin. First, on October 31st, we're going to be having a youth event here at the church celebrating the Reformation. We've done this for a couple of years now. Last year, we looked at Martin Luther. This year, we will be looking at another reformer, John Calvin. That lesson will begin at 6.30. Enter through the back doors here. Anyone can come, but the lesson is geared toward the youth, and there will be an activity for the youth afterwards. Also, I want to bring your attention to, in the bulletin, there's an outline that is a little bit of a mix-up there. It's the outline for the sermon that I last preached in 2 Peter, at the end of chapter one. This week, we will be looking at the first part of chapter two. So you can just fold that over and use the blank backside to take notes on this morning. The title of the sermon this morning, is the reality, nature, and judgment of false teachers. The reality, nature, and judgment of false teachers. We did just read the first 10 verses of 2 Peter 2, but our text this morning will be just those first three verses of 2 Peter 2. The major theme of 2 Peter is warning Christians of false teachers. In chapter 1, we saw how a foundation was laid of truth. Peter said, this is the true gospel. This is what true Christianity looks like. And this is how we know the gospel is true. And all that was laid out in chapter 1. And beginning now in chapter 2, the focus of this epistle now turns directly toward false teachers. God wants us to be equipped to resist false teachers. Before we begin, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Lord, we live in dark days. dark for the multitude of false teaching that abounds and how quickly it spread and picked up and carried and so many were led astray. Lord, there is warnings here in Your Word about false teachers and instruction about how to recognize and how to combat false teachers and false teaching. Lord, I pray that You would help us to be people of discernment. Lord, help us to be careful in what we read and who we follow. Lord, help us to honor You. Lord, help us to heed what Your Word says, so that we can guard against the danger of false teachers. We ask these things in Your name and for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 2 Peter 2, verse 1 begins, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you." So first, we're going to look at the reality of false teachers. The reality of false teachers. And chapter 2 begins with this reminder that in the time of the Old Testament prophets, there were also false prophets among God's people. in the previous verse, 2 Peter 1, verse 21. There, this epistle is speaking about the Old Testament prophets. And it says, For the prophecy, or the Scripture, came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. These holy men of God. These were men that God had chosen and that He had prepared and equipped for the work of bringing His Word to His people. But there were also false prophets among the people. The same thought that was in chapter 1 verse 21 is carried over here to 2 Peter 2 verse 1. But there were false prophets also among the people. Whenever God sends true prophets to deliver his words to his people, the devil also stirs up false prophets to seduce and deceive. We see many examples of this in the Old Testament. One early example is the magicians in Egypt who worked signs and wonders before Pharaoh. Now these false prophets, they had a form of power. Of course, they could not match the signs and wonders God performed through his servant Moses. Yet their works and their words helped to harden the heart of Pharaoh against the word of God that Moses delivered. Another example of false prophets can be found in 1 Kings chapter 22. And in that passage, we read about Jehoshaphat, the good godly king of Judah, and how he went down to visit Ahab, that wicked king of Israel. And Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the Syrians. And during this discussion, they bring in prophets to advise them. 1 Kings 22 verse 6 tells us that 600 prophets came, and they claimed to speak on behalf of God. They used God's name with their prophecies. They presented their words as if they were prophesying on God's behalf. And they said, Go up, for the Lord shall deliver the Syrians into the hand of the king. But Jehoshaphat, that good godly king, could recognize false prophets. And so we asked Ahab in verse 7, is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides that we may inquire of him? Jehoshaphat wasn't fooled. Jehoshaphat wanted a true prophet of the Lord who could advise them. And what I find most interesting about that passage in 1 Kings 22 is Ahab's response in verse 8. Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, There is one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." It seems that even the wicked King Ahab knew that these 400 prophets before him were false prophets. Ahab knew that they did not truly speak on behalf of God, but they told him what he wanted to hear. And so he accepted them. The one man Ahab knew would speak from the Lord, didn't tell Ahab what he wanted to hear, and so Ahab hated him. How often do we have an attitude like Ahab? Where we hate the truth, simply because it isn't what we want to hear. How often do we reject the Word of God? And we reject those who would share the Word of God with us, because it isn't what we want to hear. Instead, we go and find false friends, false teachers who will soothe us with comfortable words. Don't ever think that we're above this attitude that Ahab had. In the law, God equipped His people, Israel, to handle false prophets. Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 20. says, but the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. We see it was a very serious thing in the eyes of God for a prophet to claim that he spoke in the name of God. If God had not commanded him to speak, or if he spoke in the name of false gods, that prophet was to be put to death. It was a capital offense. He was to die. How can the people of God discern between false prophets and the true? Well, the next two verses in Deuteronomy 18, verses 21 and 22, they give this instruction. And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken. But the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him." This is a very simple test. Did the prophecy come to pass? If it did not, then the prophet in question is a false prophet. However, we need to be careful here because the opposite is not necessarily true. A prophet, if a prophet claims something will happen and it doesn't happen, right? Clearly they're a false prophet. But if a prophet claims something will happen and it does come to pass, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are a true prophet. There is yet another test that must be applied. Earlier in the book of Deuteronomy, in chapter 13, God gave more instruction to his people concerning false prophets. Deuteronomy chapter 13, beginning in verse 1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, where if he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God proveth you to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. So there God warns His people, even if a prophet is able to perform signs and wonders and His prophecies come to pass, if that prophet's instruction doesn't line up with the revelation God has given in His Word, then the people were to reject that prophet. What an excellent reminder this is, that the revelation God has given in His Word is always superior to our feelings and to our experiences. Our feelings and experiences, they can lead us astray, and they will lead us astray. But the Word of God is sure. The Word of God is a sure foundation. The Word of God will never lead us astray. From all this, we see that God had equipped his people in the Old Testament to handle false prophets. But why does Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, bring this up at the beginning of chapter 2? Why remind New Testament believers that the Old Testament saints also had to struggle against false prophets, against false teachers? These Old Testament examples of false prophets, they serve to remind, to instruct, and to encourage us as we face false teachers in our time. First, these Old Testament examples serve as a reminder. As we consider the history of God's people and false prophets among them, we are reminded that there is no novelty in false teaching. God wasn't caught by surprise when false teachers tried to infiltrate the church. This is no new thing. We're not the first generation that has had to face false teachers, and if the Lord tarries, we will not be the last. It's easy to have an attitude like Elijah had when he cried out to God and said, I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. Except we might say something like, I, even I only am faithful. I alone have had to face this false teaching. In this verse, 2 Peter 2 verse 1, God reminds us just as He reminded Elijah. There are others who have been faithful. There are others who have struggled in the defense of truth. And there are others who have had to face false prophets and false teachers. False teaching is no new thing. And just as God equipped His people in the Old Testament to face false prophets, God will help and equip us as well. Next, these Old Testament examples serve to instruct us. They serve to instruct us. Throughout the ages, God has allowed His people to endure temptations brought by false teachers. I would again point you to that verse we looked at earlier, Deuteronomy 13, verse 3. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul." That's a powerful verse. It's revealed there that God allowed His people to be tempted by false prophets. Not because He had rejected them, not because He had given up on them, not because He no longer loved them. No, rather God allowed them to be tempted in this way to prove them. God has used false teachers in every age to test, to purify, and to motivate His people. False teachers are used by God to test. Any movement that claims to be Christian yet accepts open, blatantly false teaching has been exposed by this divine test. They have been tried and found wanting. False teachers are used by God to purify. When false teachers infiltrate a church or a movement, they expose those who are camp followers, those who are not truly regenerate. Those who are not born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Those who have no equipment to resist false teaching. Those who are God are kept by the power of God. Those who are not gods are not kept. False teachers are used by God to motivate His people. We're coming up on a very significant date in church history, October 31st. Now, this date is a date that the world celebrates an ancient holiday that's come to be known as Halloween. But on October 31st, 1517, an unassuming German monk named Martin Luther set into series a motion of events that culminated in a movement that today is called the Reformation. On that day over 500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed a document called the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. And these 95 theses were points of doctrine that Martin Luther wanted to debate with church officials. Now, why did Martin Luther do this? He wasn't trying to alter the course of world history. He wasn't trying to break apart the Roman Catholic Church. He wasn't trying to become the figurehead of what turned out to be a hugely divisive religious, political, social, and cultural issue. Martin Luther did what he did because he was a child of God, because he knew God. He knew what God's Word said, and he knew he had a responsibility to confront false teachers. God used false teachers to stir up Martin Luther and other men of that time to bring about a resurgence of biblical Christianity. Throughout biblical history, throughout the Old Testament, and throughout church history, we find many such examples of people who have been motivated to stand boldly for the Lord as a result of the false teaching that was around them. God enabled them to stand boldly for the truth. Old Testament examples of false prophets and examples of false teachers throughout church history serve to instruct us on how to handle the false teachers of our time. Third, these Old Testament examples serve to encourage us. They serve to encourage us. What possible encouragement could be found in a history of false teaching? Sometimes we can feel small. We can feel insignificant. We can feel helpless in the face of all the false teaching that is out there. False teachers seem so numerous. And what's worse, false teachers are so popular, the vast majority seems to be on their side. It can feel like a hopeless fight. But as we look at the Old Testament examples of false prophets, and as we consider all that the true people of God faced in those times, we can be encouraged because we find that God has never lost. The mightiest waves of falsehood that the Father of lies has ever been able to muster up, they have always broken ineffectually against the sure rock that is the Word of God. And as we study the Old Testament, we are encouraged to find that the truth of God has always prevailed against the false prophets. Not only has God prevailed, but He has been magnified and glorified through this. And here we see yet another example of a weapon that the devil believes he will use to strike against God, but God in His sovereignty turns and uses it to accomplish His perfect will. What an encouragement this is for us. What an encouragement to be faithful where God has placed us. We're on the winning side. We know this from history. We know this from what's been revealed in the Word of God. Let us be faithful. Let us be encouraged to be faithful where God has placed us. From our text this morning, we've seen the reality of false teachers. 2 Peter 2 begins, There shall be false teachers among you. This is not said to dishearten or to discourage us. Rather, this is a warning so that we can be alert to the danger and equipped to face it. And this passage goes on to describe the nature of false teachers. So first we looked at the reality of false teachers and now the nature of false teachers. Verse 1 goes on to say that false teachers secretly bring in heresy. False teachers, they privilege shall bring in damnable heresies. The particular word that's translated here as privily bring in or secretly bring in, it's only used in the New Testament in the context of false teachers infiltrating the church. It was used in the Greek language to describe enemies who were introduced secretly into a fortified city by traitors within that city. Enemies brought in by traitors. What a fitting description this is for what false teachers do in the church. They are traitors to the cause of Christ who secretly bring in false teaching. That false teaching is described here as damnable heresies, damnable heresies. This word damnable as it is used here means fit to be utterly destroyed. This particular word is used six times in 2 Peter. Twice, it refers to false teaching. The other four times, it refers to false teachers themselves. In the eyes of God, false teaching is damnable. It's fit to be utterly destroyed. As far as God gives us the opportunity and the grace to resist false teaching, we must resist it with all our might. It is fit to be utterly destroyed. This word heresies is also an interesting word. Our English word heresy is just a transliteration from the Greek. And the Greek definition for heresy is a choosing, a choice, and hence an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion which is substituted for submission to the power of truth and leads to division. What a picture that paints of heresy. A self-willed opinion which is substituted for submission to truth and that leads to division. John Calvin commented here, the bond of holy unity is the simple truth. As soon as we depart from that, nothing remains but dreadful discord. False teachers, they secretly bring in heresy, divisive opinions. False teachers, next, they deny the Lord. They deny the Lord. Verse 1 describes false teachers as even denying the Lord that bought them. Now it's important that we don't misapply this verse. Now this verse does not teach that Christians can somehow deny the Lord and forfeit their salvation. In this verse, Peter is speaking specifically about false teachers. People who by nature of their teaching are anti-Christ. People who are under the wrath of God. If Peter was going to comment about the ability of Christians to somehow lose their salvation, it makes no sense for him to talk about it here, in the middle of this discussion about false teachers, and not in the first 11 verses of this epistle, where he is specifically talking about the gospel and salvation. Our salvation is secure in the finished work of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1.5 teaches that Christians are kept by the power of God. through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Philippians 1.6, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Jude 24 and 25 say, Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. In light of the many clear passages that speak about a believer's security in Christ, this verse simply cannot be teaching that Christians can somehow lose their salvation. This verse is describing false teachers. It's describing the hypocrisy of these false teachers who claim to have faith in God. The false teachers Peter has in mind here are false teachers among you. Among the church, among Christians, these false teachers claim to be Christians. They claim to be bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. On one hand, these false teachers claim Jesus Christ as their Lord, their Master. But on the other hand, they deny Him. False teachers often don't deny the Lord with their words. With their words, they claim Christ. They claim that their message comes from the Lord. They claim to speak to the people of God on God's behalf. Yet they deny the Lord. How do they deny Him? They deny the Lord by refusing to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. This is the foundational error of all false teachers. They may teach many false things. They may deny the full deity of Jesus Christ. They may deny the virgin birth. They may deny the bodily resurrection. On and on and on we could go, but the foundational error of false teachers is denying the lordship, the authority of Jesus Christ. Jude wrote about this in Jude verse 4. For there are certain men, crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, into sensuality, into an excuse to gratify the lusts of the flesh. Such a mishandling of the grace of God is a denial of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you claim the grace of God, If you claim to be a Christian, but you use the promise of God's forgiveness as an excuse to continue in sin, you're denying the Lord Jesus Christ. You may claim Him with your words, but with your life, you deny Him. False teachers may claim Jesus Christ with their words, but their actions deny Him. False teachers deny the Lord. False teachers also lead many astray. Look at the first part of verse 2. 2 Peter 2, verse 2, "...and many shall follow their pernicious ways." It's not a few who are led astray by false teachers, but many. The heart of man is hardened in sin against God. In our sin we not only resist the truth, but we readily embrace lies. Jeremiah 5, verse 31, It says, the prophets prophesy falsely and my people love to have it so. The prophets prophesy falsely and my people love to have it so. Matthew Henry commented, men drink in iniquity like water and are pleased to live in error. In fact, there have been many times when the faithful have seemed so few that God's people have felt despair. As we mentioned earlier, we saw this despair in God's prophet Elijah when he prayed, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword. And I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. He felt so outnumbered, so alone. I only, I only am left. If you're familiar with John Calvin's life, you know he spent a lot of his time of ministry in the city of Geneva. And one of the major struggles he had there was with a group of people called the Libertines. And the Libertines, they taught that the grace of God was actually exalted by a sinful life. Great sin means that God has shown great grace, and by sinning greatly you are magnifying God's grace. It was a very simplified version of what they taught. The Libertines hated John Calvin because he preached repentance, turning away from sin, the importance of a holy life. They made his life there in Geneva miserable and dangerous. In fact, one of these leaders was arrested for being part of a conspiracy to have John Calvin assassinated. At times, John Calvin was deeply discouraged by the large following that these false teachers had. They were so popular with the people, and it discouraged him. And you can sense some of that when you read Calvin's comments on this verse. He said, A large number of men are led astray, so that few continue in true obedience to Christ. So, at this day, there is nothing that more violently disturbs pious minds than such a defection. For hardly one in ten of those who have once made a profession of Christ retains the purity of faith to the end. Almost all turn aside into corruptions, and being deluded by the teachers of licentiousness, they become profane. You can sense maybe some of his frustration, maybe some of his discouragement that he faced at times in this battle against the Libertines. And throughout history, we see many such examples like this, where false teachers have led multitudes astray. We can look around in our own culture and look around at different people who claim to be teachers and preachers of the Word of God, who claim to speak on God's behalf, who are leading multitudes astray. It's not uncommon for false teachers to have large followings. We must keep in mind that the world's metrics for success, they do not necessarily reflect godliness or truth. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it. When we're seeking to have discernment about a particular group or a particular teacher, we must compare what they say with the word of God. Success is no measure of godliness. A robust building program, large bank accounts, great crowds of people gathered. These things can happen among the faithful, but they can also happen among the false. We must compare their teaching to the Word of God. The Word of God is the guide that we have been given. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us discernment from His written Word. Many are deceived by false teachers. Notice also where these false teachers lead their crowds of followers. Again, the beginning of verse 2, "...many shall follow their pernicious ways." Pernicious simply means destructive. False teachers lead those that follow them to destruction. Maybe some of you remember this story. It was world news back in 2005. Back in 2005, in the country of Turkey, there was a flock of sheep. It was a large flock of sheep. There was 1,500 sheep that were grazing on a hill. And one of those sheep, whether it slipped or fell or jumped, but it ended up going off the edge of this cliff that was 45 feet tall, and it fell to its death. And to the shock and horror of the shepherds who were watching, that entire flock All 1,500 of those sheep followed that one on its deadly plunge. And over 400 sheep died, whether they died from the fall or died from being crushed by the sheep that followed, over 400 of those sheep died. You know, false teachers, they're like that first sheep, that first sheep that plunges over the edge and lead all the others that follow to their destruction as well. Some of your Bibles may have a different word here for pernicious or destructive. For example, the ESV says, and many will follow their sensuality. Sensuality. This is not a reference just to sexual immorality, but to any indulgence of the lust of the flesh. What makes false teachers so appealing to so many people? Their teaching allows for the indulgence of the flesh. It allows for sin. False teaching and immoral practices often go hand in hand. If you look further down in this chapter, to verses 18 and 19, there we read, they, speaking of false teachers, allured through the lust of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promised them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. False teachers will lead to an indulgence of sin. False teachers will indulge sin. Faithful teachers will call us to holiness, will call us to godliness, will call us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. False teachers will make room for sin. Through their licentious or sensual teaching, they will lead multitudes of people astray. Verse 2 goes on to show that false teachers tarnish the testimony of the Church. False teachers tarnish the testimony of the Church. The second part of verse 2 says, "...by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." The whom in this verse could be referring to false teachers, or it could be referring to the great multitudes of people who follow them, who are led astray by them. The way of truth is the Gospel, Jesus Christ, His body, the Church. Those who are called by His name. False teachers and their followers, through their sin, they bring great reproach upon Christianity. The world, those who are outside the church looking in, blame Christianity for the evil practices of some of its professors. See here the vast scope of damage that's done by false teachers. Not only have they set themselves upon a course that ends in destruction, not only do they lead many others astray, but they bring shame and dishonor upon the name of Jesus Christ. What a terrible thing. They bring shame and dishonor upon the name of Christ. May we all be mindful of our responsibility to represent Christ before a watching world. It's not just false teachers who can tarnish the testimony of the Church. I think of what God said to David after his sin with Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 12 verse 14, Nathan the prophet delivered this word of God to David and said, By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Our sin doesn't just affect us. Our sin affects those around us. It affects the body of Christ that we are a part of. Our sin can give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. May the lives we live be lives of truth and virtue. May we never give occasion to the world to blaspheme the name of Christ or speak evil of Christianity. False teachers, they tarnish the testimony of the church. Next, we see that false teachers are motivated by covetousness. False teachers are motivated by covetousness. The first part of verse 3 says, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. Covetousness or greed is the primary motivation of false teachers. False teachers don't care about the truth, they care about themselves. They will always be looking for some way to exploit their followers. Consider just how strong this accusation is that this verse brings against false teachers. It says they make merchandise of you. They see you as something to be bought and sold and traded. They don't care about you as a person. They see you as an object to be exploited. The language that's used in this verse to describe false teachers, it could have been used in New Testament times to describe a slave trader who bought and sold human beings as if they were some sort of commodity. How do false teachers accomplish this? How do they bring people under their control to be exploited? Well, this verse tells us they use feigned words, they use false words, like their father, the devil. They may flatter you, They may say all sorts of wonderful sounding things. They'll tell you what you want to hear. They may preach sermons that impress with beautiful language and eloquent delivery. They may write books that on the surface seem wonderful and helpful. But all these things are feigned words, false lies. False teachers are looking to gain a following in order to exploit them. Compare here false teachers with faithful teachers. Faithful ministers of Christ are concerned about the truth and preach the truth from the Word of God. False teachers will use false words to mislead and deceive. Faithful ministers of Christ desire that those who follow them would benefit spiritually, that they would come to know Christ and be conformed into His image. False teachers desire that those who follow them would serve to meet their own carnal needs and desires. Faithful ministers of Christ are motivated by the grace of God at work in their lives. False teachers are motivated by covetousness. From our text this morning, we have first looked at the reality of false teachers. And next, we looked at the nature of false teachers. What are false teachers like? They secretly bring in heresy. They deny the Lord, they lead many astray, they tarnish the testimony of the church, and they're motivated by covetousness. And the final point we will consider from this text this morning is the judgment of false teachers. The judgment of false teachers. False teachers bring upon themselves swift destruction. Look back to verse 1. The end of verse 1 says, "...even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." False teachers, they are on a trajectory that ends in destruction. By opposing the true gospel of Jesus Christ, they have set themselves up in opposition to God. Their end will be destruction. There can be no other possible outcome for false teachers when self-serving. Covetous. Lying men meet the Holy God. It will not be God who is hurt in that encounter. The end of false teachers is destruction. False teachers have brought this destruction, we're told, upon themselves. Who will be responsible for the destruction of false teachers? We understand, of course, that God will ultimately bring about their destruction, just as He brought the flood upon the ungodly in the time of Noah. But this verse says that false teachers, they bring destruction upon themselves. This brings up an interesting question. Where does man's responsibility and God's sovereignty meet? Normally, we wrestle with this question in the context of salvation. But here, it's brought up in the opposite context, in the context of God's judgment. Who is responsible for the destruction of false teachers? The blame lies squarely upon the shoulders of man. And the glory of righteous judgment belongs to God alone. False teachers choose this end. They ignore the warnings of scripture and they press on in their carnal desires. God will bring about righteous judgment and he will be glorified in his judgment. Just as the consideration of our salvation should lead us to worship the Sovereign God, so the consideration of God's judgment upon the ungodly, upon false teachers, should lead us to worship. We see this in the book of Revelation, where God brings judgment upon the wicked, and the saints who are in heaven, they worship God. False teachers bring destruction upon themselves. Their destruction, we're told, will be a swift destruction. How often do we feel like the psalmist? In Psalm 73 verse 3, I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. As we mentioned earlier, it can be disheartening at times to see the great crowds that follow after false teachers. The success they seem to have, the popularity they seem to have, the prosperity they seem to have. This passage reminds us that the end of false teachers is destruction, and that their destruction will come upon them quickly. Throughout the Bible we see that God's mercy is long, but when God's judgment comes, it comes quickly. Proverbs 29 verse 1 says, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. When God brought His judgment upon Korah and those who rebelled with Korah in Deuteronomy chapter 16, we're told that they went quick down into the pit, that God had opened up beneath them. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 2 and 3, we read, For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Never envy false teachers for the prosperity and popularity they enjoy in the present. plead with them, pray for them, pity them. They bring upon themselves swift destruction." Next, we see that God's judgment against false teachers was established long ago. Look down to verse 3. "'And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not in their damnation, slumbereth not." The principle of God's judgment against false teachers was settled in eternity past. In Jude verse 4, We've already looked at this verse, but I'm going to read it again. It says, For there are certain men, crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. God knew that there would be false teachers who would come and try to lead others astray. And for all of eternity, God had a subtle, steady, resolute condemnation of false teachers. Don't ever think that God is reactionary in His judgment. False teachers don't aggravate God until His judgment falls upon them. God doesn't react to our sin. He is holy. He is unchanging. He has a settled, steady, and consistent opposition to sin. And as we consider this, it should cause us to wonder at the mercy of God. Why has God been so merciful to us? We should wonder at the long-suffering of God. Why is God so merciful with the world and the sin that's in the world? If you're not a Christian, this should cause you to fear the judgment of God. God's opposition to sin is settled and has been settled for all of eternity. It's unchanging and determined. You can't outrun God's judgment. You can't hide from God's judgment. You can't outsmart God and escape his judgment. There is only one way. To flee from the wrath of God, the judgment of God, you must repent. You must turn from your sins and turn to Christ. He is the only way. The blood of Jesus Christ is the only safe refuge from the judgment of God. He is the only way of salvation that has been provided. Jesus Christ means God's anointed Savior. The one God sent to be the Savior. Turn to Christ. Flee from the wrath of God. Flee to Christ. God's judgment against false teachers, passage reminds us it was established long ago, in eternity past. God's judgment against false teachers will certainly come to pass. The end of verse 3 tells us, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. Men are apt to think that an extension of mercy is a sign that judgment will never come. Men will tempt God and say things like, God, if you're real, If you're angry at my sins, strike me dead." And when they don't die, when God in His mercy allows them to go on living for a time, they never fall to their knees and thank God for His mercy. Rather, they go on in sin, assuming that God, if He's even real, He must not care. If judgment doesn't fall upon us swiftly, we think that somehow it will be avoided altogether. The wicked world in the time of Noah, They had over a hundred years to repent. Noah preached righteousness for over a hundred years while he built the ark. No one believed that God's judgment would come. No one repented. No one wanted to go into the ark until the rain began to fall. And then it was too late. The judgment of God is not idle. He is rich in mercy and long-suffering, but He will bring about the judgment that He has ordained against the ungodly." Specifically, in this context, we are reminded that God's judgment against false teachers, it will certainly come to pass. They will not escape the judgment of God. The world is full of false teachers. Many who claim to be in Christ are wolves in sheep's clothing. lest this should make our faith falter. The Lord has graciously given us passages of Scripture, like our text this morning. This text warns us there will be false teachers. This text describes false teachers so that we can recognize them, so that we can guard against them, so that we can warn others, so that we can combat their false teaching. And finally, this text assures us that false teachers will face the judgment of God for their evil deeds. May God give us grace to heed His word and to exercise discernment and to guard against false teachers. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Lord, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, we're thankful for the authority that Your Word has. Lord, there's so much that's recorded for us in Scripture about false teachers. What an important topic this is. Lord, I pray that You would help us to have discernment, to exercise discernment, to not be led astray, Lord, to not give in to the desires of our flesh, not be like Ahab where we desire to hear the words of false teachers because they are what we want to hear, but rather, Lord, give us grace and humility to seek those who would tell us the truth, to seek the truth in Your Word. Lord, help us to be on guard against false teachers that would come in to deceive. Lord, help us to be faithful where You have placed us, to press on. Lord, help us to be in awe of Your judgment. and to worship and glorify you as you are worthy of worship and glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.