Let's turn to 2 Peter. 2 Peter, chapter two. I was gonna take a big chunk and go into chapter three, but I thought I better not do that. I better stay where I am in chapter two. This whole chapter, and perhaps part of the third chapter, it talks about Scoffer saying, where's his return? Where's his second coming? This whole chapter, deals with false teachers. Let me get this copy I want to get here, if I can separate them out. There we are. So I'm going to go from 2 Peter 2, verse 17, because I dealt with, actually didn't deal with very thoroughly some of it in the earlier part because of time, but I hope to cover what I have here going up to the end of this chapter. Look at verse 17. Again, this whole thing is about, look at the first verse. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Now, so, and this whole chapter deals with, again, maybe part of the third chapter, those false teachers, is what Peter's addressing. Now, notice when you see it, it says, who will secretly bring in, heresies. There will be false teachers. Although that's given in a future tense, the way he writes here, I am assuming they're already among them and that they will continue to be among them. Maybe even some of the people spoken about the types of false teachers in the churches in Revelation chapter 2 and 3, whom John writes to, although Peter's written somewhere between 67-68 AD, just shortly before Peter's death, And John wrote Revelation probably around 90 to 95 AD, so things may have been worse even then with false teachers. But he's looking ahead that this will happen, but the way he writes it looks like it has even to some extent already happened. In verse 17, we'll pick it up there, it says, these, that is the false teachers, are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. Now, I'm going to make a few comments as I go through these things. I want to reemphasize what I want to say, the various points I want to say. So I want to emphasize, he's saying they're waterless springs. Some texts use the word wells. in the sense that the Middle East, a lot of it is a more arid country, and when you have a spring or a well, you expect cold, quenching water. These are waterless springs. That is, they do not give forth the truth that you need to nourish your spirit. They are mists. Perhaps that means they appear to promise something, but they're driven by a storm. so that very little moisture comes from them, like a mist driven by a storm that passes quickly. Expect it's going to rain, it's going to be quenching, but it's not that way. That may be what he means here by mists driven by a storm here. For them, the gloom of utter darkness Or some text read, the blackness of darkness has been reserved. That's hell. That's a definition of hell. Utter darkness has been reserved. For speaking loud boasts of folly. They're boastful. They speak with great, the Greek means, forceful words. I know it all, and this is the truth. they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. And that reading, barely escaping, is a good reading of the Greek text. Some texts will say, who have just escaped, something like that, but probably barely escaping. These then are people that are not probably, they're not saved, not probably, they're not saved. They're looking for something, they're looking for truth, and they fall under these false teachers. They promised them freedom, but they themselves are slaves. of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." That's the word, didilomai, I think is the Greek word here, and dolos, the word for slave. The proper translation is enslaved or in bondage, could be read that way as well. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, They are again entangled in them and overcome. The last state has become worse for them than the first." Now he's speaking here probably about the teachers, but certainly also about those who follow them. So if you look at the 19th verse, they promised them freedom, but they themselves are slaves. for if after they have escaped the defilement, they again are entangled in them and overcome, would apply the way the Greek reads to the teachers, these false teachers, primarily, but of course, their disciples would be the same, right? If they really followed them all the way, they would be the same, overcome and their last state has become worse for them than their first. They are worse after they have taken up the heresy. the false teachers as well as those who hold to their teachings than they were before they got into Christian circles and heard the gospel message. Their last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them, the dog returns to its own vomit. That is apparently a saying at that time, and most scholars think this is Peter speaking here, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire. Vomit, mire, I think only used in this one text here in the New Testament. One being a saying, some consider them both sayings of that time. Some of it I think can be found in maybe the Greek, somewhere in the Greek text, but certainly the first is a saying, the second may be Peter's own, at least some take it that way. Anyway, we'll stop right there and let's pray before we look at this text. Heavenly Father, Help us to draw from this text things that we need to understand, we need to know and to hold to as followers of Christ, and help us to see things in this text that are also warnings to us about how we ought to live and deal with others and walk before you. Use this scripture and others and this message to that end, please. We ask in Christ's name, amen. Hey, I thought I would maybe just, I wrote down some names and I thought I would, do you recognize any of these people? Can you tell me two things about them? Two, there are probably 22 things you can think of, something to think of, but Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, And Nasheer Gowardi? Do you recognize any of those names? Anyone? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spies. Julius and Ethel Roseberg. There's a question whether Ethel Roseberg was, but many say she was. She was also executed in 53. And Julius, her husband, both sold secrets to the Russians, nuclear secrets, so they could have the nuclear bomb. Also in the list I had here, an early person that maybe you recognize, Benedict Arnold. And how about Bradley Manning, now known as Chelsea Manning? Edward Snowden. These were all, these were all not just spies, they were all traitors. They were all, every one of them, traitors. Gowardi, that I mentioned, sold the B-2 stealth bomber secrets to China. That's what he's known for. The others, of course, Snowden and Manning. Much more recent, Benedict Arnold. Actually, a great general. Revolutionary War general who was disgruntled and sold secrets to the English for an equivalent of $3 million a day. And two things they had in common were they were all traitors, all spies and traitors, and all were involved in the military or in intelligence. military intelligence. All of them are working on secret military projects. every one of these people. Those are the two things in common. In other words, they were in the United States. They were living here, they were working here. As far as I know, they were all citizens here. They were all involved in the military or intelligence complex in this nation, rooting here while helping the enemy. And I just mention that because that's the same way with these teachers. These teachers spoken about here are probably not people from outside the church. that have, you know, come in the church and told people that the Bible's not true and that thing about Jesus being saved is not true. You should come out of it and follow me. These are people probably quite established in the church who were, if we could use the word, traitors to the gospel. They were never really saved, but led people astray. I want to read something from, this is from Um, John MacArthur. The MacArthur study Bible, I haven't any new King James. John MacArthur, I don't endorse all of his, he's a dispensational premial Baptist, basically, theologically. But his study Bible was really, really full of notes, the best I've ever seen on other subjects. This is 2 Peter. These are the study notes, not just by him, but Dr. Richard Mayhew and other scholars were involved in this. Here's what he says about turning from the Holy Commandment, verse 21. If I could see the small print here, where do I want to begin it? He says, this verse describes the perversion and defection of the false teachers. They profess the Christian experience, the way of righteousness, mentioned there, and also, of course, back to Matthew. and even had access to the true teachings of Scripture. But by their lives, they demonstrated that they ultimately had chosen to reject Christ. And he quotes from Hebrews 10 there, references to Hebrews 10, I should say. Such false teachers as Peter was describing were not made outside Christianity. they are always found in the church, half in, half out, but eventually they reject the truth and try to seduce others in their attempt to fulfill their self-gratification. Now he's not saying they're half-saved, understand, he's just saying they were involved in the church. They were like those that Paul mentions in Philippians chapter 3, he says that they were among us, but God was their belly, and their shame was their joy, or something like that. But our citizenship is in heaven. They were those kind of people. They were in the church. They knew the gospel. They fellowshiped with believers. They turned aside from the truth. So he's not saying that they were saved. John MacArthur would not say that. But he's saying they were involved in the church and heard the teachings of Christ and then turned aside. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I guess I did to some extent. the heresies, what were the heresies of the false teachers? What did they believe and what were they teaching others to believe? And I'll give you four of them that stand out to my understanding. First is this, they denied Jesus Christ both as Savior slash Redeemer, same idea there, and as Lord or Master, they deny Jesus Christ. That's what the text says, the verse we read, the first verse, he says, falsely reminding you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master, that's capitalized. I think the idea of Master is the idea of Lord, of submission to Christ, who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. If you didn't have other texts, if you didn't have other texts referred to, you might infer from this that they were saved and became unsaved. But we know that since salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and he doesn't unsave you, that's not the case. But these are people who clearly understood the gospel. That's what it means, it says, even denying the master, that's Christ, who bought them. You go back to verse 10 in our text, it says, especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion, that's another one of the problems we'll get to, and despise authority, they will not submit You cannot take Christ as Savior and not as Lord. They do not want to submit to him as Lord or Master, so they do not submit to him as Savior. You can't take him one way and not the other. Down in verse 12 it says, but these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blast fuming. about matters of which they are ignorant will also be destroyed in their destruction." Here again, the blasphemy would be if God, to reject Christ to say that Christ is not the Savior, that there's not a need to submit to Christ in your daily walk, is blaspheming the Lord. So denying Jesus Christ as Savior and Master, I think, is the first heresy. The second is this, they promoted and defended lawlessness. especially apparently, immorality. And you'll see that from verse 2 where it says, it says, and many will follow their sensuality, their fleshly focus of life, and because of this, the way of truth, the way of salvation, the way of Christian life, glorifying Christ will be blaspheme. You see, it's also verse nine and 10. I'm trying to show you here the nature of these people. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous. In other words, these were evil people, the unrighteous under punishment, until day of judgment, especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion, defiling passion. There is a promotion of immorality, sexual immorality, and perhaps other types of lustful passions that these people were endorsing and encouraging. Look at verse 19, verse 18 rather, says, for speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions. This is a strong word. This is the lust, sexual lust, physical gratifications outside of marriage, of course. Sensual passions of the flesh, those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. In other words, there are others in the church that Peter's referring to. This is the church at large. If you look at who he's writing to, he's writing to the same people in the first letter, the people of Cappadocia, Bithynia, et cetera, a large area of people. And he's saying, watch out for these people. They'll be in the church. They will deny Christ. They will say, gratify your passions, say, you know, for whatever their basis is, do whatever you want, don't worry about moral questions. You're free to do what you want. And they lead astray those who are not saved, but also are in the church looking for for what might fulfill their spiritual need, and they're led astray by these people. Third thing is they probably deny Christ's return, and the final judgment. In chapter three, it says, and I think these are probably the same people, it says, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days. With scoffing, following their own sinful desires, they will say, where is the promise of his coming? Where is Jesus? You know, everything continues as it always has been. And I think you probably will hear that today, in our day, as things get worse and worse. People saying, well, people say the company hasn't showed up yet. And these people were apparently doing the same thing back in Peter's day, denying Christ's return. And I think, lastly, I think they were rejecting the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Old Testament prophets' teachings and the New Testament apostles' inspired teachings and authority. And I think that maybe also is what verse 10 is saying when it says they despise authority. They despise the authority of Christ. They despise the authority of Christ's apostles. And that's why, that's why in verse 3 says you should remember of chapter three, chapter three. You should remember the commandments of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. Embrace what the apostles have taught. Don't reject them like these people. So I think these are the heresies of these people. Now let me go a little bit further. There's something else I want to stress. And it's up there in that 19th verse and the following. I'm just going to pick up a few things that stand out to me to emphasize. It says, they promised them freedom but they themselves are slaves of corruption. They promise them freedom. They say to those who follow them, the false teachers who are denying the saving work of Christ, denying that you must submit to the will of Christ, submit to the morality that we know is Christian morality, taught in the New Testament, taught in the Old, They say, hey, you're free to do whatever you want. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves or in bondage to corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. Now, I just want to emphasize, whatever overcomes a person, whatever has taken hold on your life, to that he is enslaved. This is what I want you to think about. Whatever becomes your focus or your obsession and your desire, what you must have, what you look forward to, your pleasure, Whatever overcomes you, that's the word in the ESV and the New King James and the King James. The NNV also, the NNV means what masters you. That is what enslaves you, whether good or bad. Not all enslavement's bad. Usually in the Bible, we see it as bad. In our culture, we see enslavement as bad. But there's good enslavement and there's bad enslavement. And you'll see that in Romans chapter 6. Maybe I'll turn back there just quickly. I don't want to dwell upon this because I did actually preach on this sometime several years ago. But in Romans chapter 6, Paul says, he says, We know that our old self was crucified with him, with Christ, in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. But then it goes on to say, let me get all the text I want to read here. Verse 12, he says, let not sin reign in your mortal bodies to make you obey its passions, to put you into slavery to it. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. Now what he's saying here is, do not be slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. Verse 16, do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness. Having been set free from sin, verse 18, Romans 6, 18. having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. And then let me go further down here. He says in verse 23, I don't know if I wrote, yeah, I did write down, but now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, think of these words, slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and it's an eternal life. Now, slavery is not always bad. There's slavery to sin that the world outside of Christ is in, but when you come to Christ, there is slavery to righteousness, slavery to Christ, or slavery to God, which is, from the scriptures, in our lives, a good enslavement. But of course, this text is talking about A wicked enslavement that these people, and they promise them freedom. The false teachers promise you'll be free to do, to live any way you want. You can fulfill your passions and desires. You don't have to live in a way that is obedient to the Ten Commandments and is pure and righteous. You're free. But they themselves are slaves to corruption. Whatever overcomes a person or masters a person, To that thing he is enslaved. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, and these are wonderful verses, he says, every athlete, verse 25, exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one who beats the air, but I discipline I discipline, pummel, they're punching, my body and keep it under control. His idea, see, I make my body a slave to the will of God. lest, after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified." This is what he's saying. I make my life a slave to glorifying God, to doing the things that are pleasing to God. This text comes out in, I think it's very interesting, in Genesis chapter 4. If you're familiar with this text, you know where I'm going to go. It's about Cain. God said, It says that Cain's offering, God had no regard to that. Cain was very angry, his face fell. That means he looked either angry, probably angry and troubled greatly. And the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your face fallen? If you do well, if you do what is right, you'll be accepted. If you do what pleases God, you'll be accepted. If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you to overcome you. You must, you must rule over it. It desires to be your master, is the idea there. You must rule over it. And of course, the rest is history. Sluis is his brother. Sin mastered him. And apparently his posterity, the same way, that eventually perished in the flood because he He would not surrender to the Lord's will and give an acceptable sacrifice. Rather, he just lets sin take hold and do it, gratify itself. Here's some good enslavements. Certainly to Christ, to God, to righteousness, right? How about a certain enslavement to studying the Word of God, the Bible? I think there's a certain, I meant to get the copy of it too, A certain enslavement one undertakes when he marries or she marries. A loving and faithful husband, loving and faithful wife, et cetera. I think there's a certain commitment to giving over to one person. In an earthly way, I'm talking about your devotion, your care, your desire to please, a certain enslavement to eating right. I sometimes struggle with that. I'm not fully enslaved to that like I should be. I mean, doing what is right. Binding myself to what's right. Healthy living. Daily exercising. These are things we might look at as sort of a, we might call them habits, but they're certainly things that we feel we need to do or we want to do. They make us happy to do these things. They should even exercise. As perhaps good enslavements. Here's some bad enslavements. These can be, these include things that are not sinful in themselves, but they can be if they're overused if we're obsessed with them. Certainly, some things like corruption, a worldly defilement, like verse 10 says, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome corruption or worldly defilement, sexual impurity, et cetera. This is a form of certainly enslavement talked about here. But how about pornography? How about illegal drugs? How about legal drugs that enslave the body to take? How about alcohol? How about television shows? How about the news? I struggle with that sometimes. Watching the news when I should be doing something else. But in some sense, it draws me and makes me want to see what's happening in the world. And maybe I saw that two hours ago. But I'm saying these are things that I want you to think about. Are there areas of my life where I'm I spend too much focus, too much time, too much need to gratify myself with these things. Movies or cell phones or Facebook or video games, even reading too much, money focus, buying and selling, hobbies or avocations, personal beauty. These things are not bad in themselves, many of them. But if they become an obsession to us, where we have to spend an unusual amount of time and focus on them. There are things that overcome us and things that can master us. These, of course, are much more serious things in this text here about immoral passions, et cetera. But my point is, when you read this text, look at your own life and say, are there things that have overcome me, that enslaved me, that I need to get away from, or I need to cut back on, because I don't need to watch that much television. I shouldn't be. I should be spending more time in the Bible, or I don't need to be spending time in video games, or I need to do something about these pills I shouldn't be taking or something. Think about your own life, and if there's anything in your life where you know that God would have you change, you need to pray about. The last fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5.23 is what? Is self-control. Self-control, right? And that means doing what, the ability to control yourself to do what you should do and stop what you shouldn't do. What does Paul say about himself in Romans 7? Is he enslaved to anything? I would say covetousness, right? He says that's the thing I struggle with. I'm not sure if it's money or fame or what, but this is the commandment that slew me. And Paul's writing as a believer, but he's saying this is my struggle. It's in covetousness. We need to, 1 Timothy 1.7 says, God has not given us a spirit of timidity or fear, but a spirit of love, of power, and of, I think King James is a sound mind, but I think the ESV and some others read self-control. He's given us a spirit of self-control to say, I need to stop this, I need to do more of that. This is not in the will of God. That is in the will. I need to pray about this and have victory over this. Self-control, I think, is a very important quality. Here's one more thing I want to bring out from this text here. These people, these false teachers, I think, have committed I think, and I get this from other writers as well, but they've committed maybe the unforgivable sin that our Lord Jesus spoke about in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 and Luke chapter 11. And I think this, there's different ways people define the unforgivable sin, but I think this is what it is. It is to receive the witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart. As verse two says, and as verse, 20 says to know the truth that Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God, the only Savior and Lord to be received by faith, but to reject or deny him. and his great mercy and salvation. I think that's the unforgivable sin. Before the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 12, Jesus, they had seen his miracles. They said he does these things by Beelzebub, by the devil. They had seen the witness of Christ by what he had done. And as I take Christ's word, he says, you're blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I think he's saying that the Holy Spirit is born witness to you, not just through your eyes, but the Holy Spirit is a witness to you of who I am. But when you reject me, there is no more second hope of salvation. These people, I think, have committed that unforgivable sin. I think, I don't know, but it says that they knew. What could it mean? It says, even denying the master who bought them. And many follow their sensuality because of them, the way of truth is blasphemed. And then over there in the other text in verse, that word is epigonosko from that word, means that they have a full comprehension of the truth of the gospel. Over here it says, if I can find it here, here, verse 20, for if after they've escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That mean they were saved? Well, you can't be saved and lost. So they must have that witness of the Spirit, I would assume by those words. And they are entangled again and overcome. The last state will be worse than the first. So I think what's presented here is the unpardonable or unforgivable sin that they have committed. Hebrews 6. I think he's also talking about this. Hebrews chapter 10, when it says they've trampled on the foot the blood of Christ. It's a fearful thing to fall in the hands of an angry God, I think it is. I think those texts are also talking about the same thing, the unforgivable sin. And I don't know, but I think these people have done this. And I fear that not only they, but their followers have done the same. Again, I just throw that out. I think it's a terrible tragedy that people go through today. They comprehend, but they have the witness of the spirit, but not the effectual calling. They have the outward calling, but not the effectual calling. And they are not saved. And let me mention this, too. These false teachers, it says their end, their last deed is worse than the first. These false teachers, and maybe their followers, are those that Jesus spoke about whose houses were clean but empty. Having rejected Christ, they are now occupied with a greater evil than before, their last spiritual condition being worse than their first. No life, no heart, spiritual heart, can remain clean and empty. It must be occupied by Christ as Savior and Lord, or it will be occupied by Satan's power and evil. Nobody is spiritually neutral. They're either under the power of the prince of the air, Ephesians chapter 2, 1 to 3, or they're under Christ. Nobody's in that middle land. It says their last state was worse than their first. And the reference to to the house being clean and empty and the devil that was there coming back with seven friends. is also found in Jesus' text about the unforgivable sin. Matthew 12, Mark 3. Matthew 12, Luke mentioned that. Mark 3 doesn't mention it, but it's mentioned again. I think that's why the last day's worse than the first, because the house was clean and empty, and demons came in and caused them to deny Christ and spread immorality and heresy. Well, with that we'll stop. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us to be alert and aware of how even people can come in among us, in any church, in any denomination, as so many have already gone through, and deny Christ, and deny the holy way of life that we are called to, rejecting that holy commandment of embracing Christ as Savior and Lord, and help us be on guard against these things. and help us, Lord, to be faithful witnesses to those around us of the gospel of Christ, not just to present it, but to urge them to Christ, that they would not just accept it outwardly and end up in even a worse condition. Help us to be faithful witnesses, we pray. And wherever there are areas of our lives, Lord, where we struggle with things that are displeasing to you, that may overcome us in our walk. Help us to identify them and to pray for victory that our time and our lives and our thoughts and our reading and all that we do would be exactly as you would have it for your glory. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.