45 Sermon Illustrations on False Teachers

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto … let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8

I remember reading a story of a woman who with her little babe was traveling by train through one of the northeastern states. It was a very wintry day. Outside a terrific storm was blowing, snow was falling, and sleet covered everything. The train made its way along slowly because of the ice on the tracks and the snowplow went ahead to clear the way. The woman seemed very nervous. She was to get off at a small station, where she would be met by some friends, and she said to the conductor, “You will be sure and let me know the right station, won’t you?”

“Certainly,” he said, “just remain here until I tell you the right station.”

She sat rather nervously, and again spoke to the conductor, “You won’t forget me?”

“No, just trust me. I will tell you when to get off.”

A commercial man sat across the aisle. He leaned over and said, “Pardon me, but I see you are rather nervous about getting off at your station. I know this road well. Your station is the first stop after such and such a city. These conductors are very forgetful, they have a great many things to attend to, and he may overlook your request, but I will see that you get off all right. I will help you with your baggage.”

“Oh, thank you,” she said. And she leaned back greatly relieved.

By and by the brakeman called the name of the city the commercial traveler had mentioned, and the latter said to the woman, “Yours is the next station. Better get ready and I will assist you to get off.”

The train moved on and shortly afterward came to a full stop. The woman hurried to the end of the car, the man who was helping her carrying her bag. When they reached the vestibule, there was no one there. “You see,” said the stranger, “these trainmen are very careless. The conductor has quite forgotten you.” But he opened the door, assisted the woman with her baby down the steps, and just as he boarded the train again it moved on.

A few minutes later the conductor came through the train and looking all about, said, “Why, that is strange! There was a woman here who wanted to get off at the next station. I wonder where she is.”

The commercial man spoke up and said, “Yes, you forgot her, but I saw that she got off all right.”

“Got off where?” the conductor asked.

“When the train stopped.”

“But that was not a station! That was an emergency stop! I was looking after that woman. Why, man, you have put her off in a wild country district in the midst of all this storm, where there will be nobody to meet her!”

There was only one thing to do, and, although it was a rather dangerous thing, they had to reverse the engine and go back a number of miles, and then went out to look for the woman. They searched and searched; finally, somebody stumbled upon her body. She was frozen on the ground, her little babe dead in her arms. She was the victim of wrong information.

If it is such a serious thing to give people wrong information in regard to temporal things, what about the man who misleads men and women in regard to the great question of the salvation of their immortal souls? If men believe a false gospel, if they put their trust in something that is contrary to the Word of God, their loss will be not for time only, but for eternity.

An American missionary states, that, during almost seven years that he resided in Malta, he was witness every Monday morning to an affecting and admonitory scene. A man passed through the streets, ringing a bell in one hand, and rattling a box in the other, crying at every corner, "What will you give for the souls? what will you give for the souls?" The women and children came out of the habitations of poverty, and cast their mites into the box. When it is full, it is carried to a neighboring convent to pay the priests for praying the souls of the dead out of purgatory.

Marcion the heretic, meeting with Polycarp, desired of him that he might know him. Polycarp answered, "As for thee, I know thee to be the first-born of the Devil." St. John, coming to a bath, found Cerinthus there, and hastened out, saying it was impossible such a place should stand where such a heretic remained.

— Spencer

Galileo, by his wonderful discoveries, set the people of Florence to gazing at the skies. It is said that a woman among them greatly admired the milky-way, and, taking advantage of the uncertainties of telescopic information, she declared it as her opinion that it was all done in honor of Rome (and the pope, of course), insisting, that, in breadth and length, it exactly covered the road to Rome. With her arms extended, she would exclaim, "Behold! see the Virgin's chariot! Regard that beautiful tracery of light, which extends itself even as a canopy over the holy road to Rome!" And yet no one hinted that this little episode in science occasioned any slur against the science of astronomy, or doubts regarding the discoveries of Galileo. Caughey.

In one of the heathen temples of Canton are seen plaster representatives of the transmigration of souls. A boy is changing into a dog; a man has horns growing from his forehead, his feet and hands are changing to hoofs, a tail is sprouting from his back; another is changing into an ass, &c. D. B. Atterbury.

A former Duke of Buckingham sent for a popish priest to converse with him, who accordingly came, elated with the honor. After the usual compliments on both sides, the duke called for a bottle of wine, and drawing the cork, and stroking it, asked the priest if he ever saw so fine a courser in his life. "I have not," added he, "a more beautiful horse in my stables." The priest astonished to hear him talk, such nonsense, began to think he was insane; and, fearing to incense him, said mildly, "My lord duke, this is only a cork."—"A cork, indeed! Pray, how do you prove it to be a cork?" said the duke. "By the evidence of my senses," replied the priest. "If I handle it, I feel it is a cork; if I taste it, I know it to be a cork; if I apply it to my nose, I smell it is a cork; if I look at it, I see it is a cork." Here the conversation dropped. After some time, however, the duke said he had lately been thinking much upon transubstantiation, but, having some doubts upon the subject, had sent for him to resolve them. "How do you prove," said the duke, "that the bread in the Lord's Supper is transformed into the body of Christ?"—"I prove it," replied the priest, "by the words of Christ himself: 'This is my body.'"—"Hold there!" said the duke: "I have you by your own argument. If I handle it, I feel it is bread; if I taste it, I know it to be bread; if I apply it to my nose, I smell it is bread; if I look at it, I see it is nothing but bread." The poor priest was confounded, and went off about his business. Bib. Treasury.

Said a Universalist to a Calvinist, "Do you believe in eternal punishment?" "Yes," said the Calvinist. "No," said the other, "you do not believe any such thing. Why," continued the Universalist, "do you believe that Mr. S. of — believes in it? No, he does not believe any such thing." Again the Universalist added, "Do you believe that Rev. Mr. — of — believes that I am going to hell? He and I have lived here these — years; he has met me hundreds of times in the streets, and has never said a word to me on the subject—he does not believe any such thing."

During the great drought of the summer of 1824, in Spain, prayers were offered up in all the churches for rain, and amongst others in that of the village of Las Cabezas de San Juan, in Andalusia, where the unfortunate Riego proclaimed the constitution. But it was in vain that the patron St. Nicholas was invoked and worshiped, not a drop of rain fell. However, on a Sunday, as the faithful were at their devotions in his church, they perceived a letter in the hands of the saint. Some of the most devout approached to take it; but though St. Nicholas was of no more yielding material than wood, yet he raised the hand that held the letter, which appeared an unequivocal sign that he was unwilling to deliver it. The Curè, being informed of the circumstances, came in full canonicals to the saint, and prayed him humbly to give him the letter, which the saint, by lowering his hand, acceded to; and the Curè took the missive and read it to the assembly, to their infinite edification. The letter was composed in the following terms:—

Aboles of the Blessed, May 1, 1-24.

"My BELOVED NICHOLAS,—I have heard your continual prayers to me, to send down rain upon your country: you have no doubt forgotten the crimes with which your rebel village is stained, and which are the cause of the drought which afflicts unfortunate Spain. It is in vain that you ask for water; at present it is impossible for me to oblige you. Except rain, ask any thing else you wish from

Your ever Affectionate,

THE ETERNAL FATHER!!"

### 305. Miracles.

In the Life of Mary Queen of Scots, by Henry Glassford Bell, Esq., we find the following account of a pretended miracle upon a blind boy. The author was certainly not induced to give this account from any partiality to the Scottish Reformers, of whom he speaks in no friendly terms. The miracle is in good keeping with many related in the Roman Breviary, and is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Paul the Apostle concerning "lying wonders," 2 Thess. ii. 9.

"There was a chapel in the neighborhood of Musselburgh, dedicated to the Lady of Loretto, which, from the character of superior sanctity it had acquired, had long been the favorite resort of religious devotees. In this chapel a body of the Catholic priests undertook to put their religion to test by performing a miracle. They fixed upon a young man who was well known as a common beggar in the streets of Edinburgh, and engaged to restore to him, in the presence of the assembled people, the perfect use of his eyesight. A day was named on which they calculated they might depend on this wonderful interposition of divine power in their behalf. From motives of curiosity, a great crowd was attracted at the appointed time to the chapel. The blind man made his appearance on the scaffold erected for the occasion. The priests approached the altar, and after praying very devoutly, and performing other religious ceremonies, he who had previously been stone blind, opened his eyes and declared he saw all things plainly. Having humbly and gratefully thanked his benefactors, the priests, he was permitted to mingle among the astonished people and receive their charity. Unfortunately, however, for the success of this deception, a gentleman from Fife, of the name of Colville, determined to penetrate, if possible, a little further into the mystery. He prevailed upon the subject of the recent experiment to accompany him to his lodgings in Edinburgh. As soon as they were alone, he locked the chamber door, and either by bribes or threats contrived to win from him the whole secret. It turned out that in his boyhood this tool in the hands of the designing had been employed as a herd by the nuns of the convent of Sciennes, then in the neighborhood of Edinburgh. It was remarked by the sisterhood that he had an extraordinary facility in 'flipping up the lid of his eyes, and casting up the white.' Some of the neighboring priests, hearing accidentally of this talent, imagined that it might be applied to good account. They accordingly took him from Sciennes to the monastery near Musselburgh, where they kept him till he had made himself an adept in this mode of counterfeiting blindness, and till his personal appearance was so much changed that the few who had been acquainted with him before, would not be able to recognize him. They then sent him to Edinburgh to beg publicly, and make himself familiarly known to the inhabitants as a common blind mendicant. So far every thing had gone smoothly, and the scene at the chapel of Loretto might have had effect on the minds of the vulgar, had Colville's activity not discovered the gross imposture. Colville, who belonged to the congregation, instantly took the most effectual means to make known the deceit. He insisted upon the blind man's appearing with him next day at the cross of Edinburgh, where the latter repeated all he had told Colville, and confessed the iniquity of his own conduct, as well as that of the priests. To shelter him from their revenge, Colville immediately afterward carried him off to Fife, and the story with all its details being speedily disseminated, exposed the Catholic clergy to more contempt than ever."

# 306. Transubstantiation.

A man who lives fifty miles below Quebec, (says the Canadian Missionary Record,) mentioned that he had a Testament, and that a neighbor had one too, about whom he related the following circumstance:

A protracted meeting having been held here, several priests came to see this man, who, hearing of their coming, took a house fly, and put it on a plate on the table, with a thread tied to it. When the priests entered, the man received them very politely, thanking them for their attention to his soul's interest. They had a long conversation, in the course of which, he referred to his want of faith in the power of the priest; but pointing to the fly, he said, "I have been told that you can work miracles; now, if you will cause that fly to dr. p down dead, while I am looking at it, I will then go to confess." The priests refused, saying that they would not work a miracle for the sake of one person. "But my soul is very precious," said the man, "and if you love me as you say, you should do all in your power to bring me back to the church." During the conversation, speaking of the Host, he asked the priest to take some of the consecrated water, and put it in a cupboard with a number of mice, and if at the end of two weeks, it remained uneaten, then he would believe that it was God; otherwise he would remain as he was, for he could not think that God would allow himself to be eaten by mice.

In the reign of the "bloody Mary," the popish bishop of London publicly preached the doctrine, that priests were superior to angels. "The dignity of priests," said that impious prelate, "by some means passeth the dignity of angels, because there is no power given to any of the angels to make the body of Christ, which the least priest may do on earth, and the highest angel in heaven cannot do: wherefore, priests are to be honored before all kings of the earth, princes, and nobles. For a priest is higher than a king, happier than an angel, and maker of his Creator"

The Rev. Blanco White relates, that, in Spain, besides masses, bulls, prayers, and penances, the pope has established eight or ten days in the year, on which every Spaniard, (for the grant is confined to Spain,) by kneeling at five different altars, and there praying for the extirpation of heresy, is entitled to send a species of habeas animam writ to any of his friends in purgatory; that is, to require their deliverance as a reward for what he has done.

Mr. Temple, a Missionary of Malta, relates of a native of that island, that, "not long after he came into our family he was visited by a disease which reduced him so low, that his physician, a Roman Catholic, told him it was proper to confess himself, receive the host, and thus prepare himself for death. He was at that time sick in his own family, for he has a wife and children. According to the advice of the doctor, he sent for a priest, and confessed himself, a thing which he had not done for a long time before.

"A few evenings ago when he came to prayers, I asked him what the priest said to him. As he now detests the whole system, he seemed quite willing to tell me all about it. He said he confessed to the priest as many of his sins as he could recollect, and then asked PAP his confessor what he must do as he felt that he must soon die.

"The priest told him that, should he be spared, he must, as soon as his health would permit, kiss the ground fifteen times a day, for eight days together, must hear one mass a day during the same period, and recite a certain part of the Rosary a great many times for eight days; this was the penance enjoined by the confessor. 'But,' said the poor man, 'what shall I do if I die and cannot perform this penance?' 'Oh,' replied the confessor, 'have patience and go to purgatory.'

"I have never detected this man in a falsehood, and I have no doubt he told me the truth concerning this affair."

In the year 1738, Mr. John Wesley traveled in Germany, and spent a night or two at Mentz. While there, he went into the great church, and spent an hour, and copied the following from a paper on the door.

"A full release for the poor souls in purgatory.

"His Papal Holiness, Clement XII hath this year, 1738, on the 7th of August, most graciously privileged the Cathedral Church of St. Christopher, in Mentz, so that every priest, as well secular as regular, who will read mass at an altar for the soul of a Christian departed on any holiday, or any day within the octave thereof, or on two extraordinary days, to be appointed by the ordinary, of any week in the year, may each time deliver a soul out of the fire of purgatory."

When we read the exaggerated accounts which are so frequently issued, lauding to the skies the successful labours of certain evangelists of doubtful vocation, we are reminded of the battle of Aliwal, of which an officer wrote, "Aliwal was the battle of the despatch, for none of us knew we had fought a battle until the particulars appeared in a document which did more than justice to every one concerned." Is there not quite enough religious fiction abroad without filling corners of newspapers and magazines therewith? We know who they were of old who sounded a trumpet before them. God's real works of grace are too sublime to need the arts of puffery to publish them.

Rev. A. R. Macduff, in his book of anecdotes about missionaries on the frontier force in northwestern India, says that India is a land where, when a tale is once set going, it is no easy matter “to nail the lie to the counter.” Rowland Bateman, the celebrated cricketer, who went as a missionary to India, was a stanch teetotaler, yet a rumor was started that he and his fellow missionaries were worshipers of the whisky bottle. It came about this way: Once, on a preaching tour, they spent a night in a “rest-house” which had previously been occupied by some carousing European travelers. Empty whisky bottles were in evidence, and Bateman utilized a couple for candlesticks to hold the lights for the evening Scripture reading. With good conscience, Bateman gathered his little company around the table on which stood the candles, and they knelt in prayer all unconscious of the interpretation a spying native was putting upon the service. In the morning he and his band were hailed as whisky-bottle worshipers.

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MUZZLING THE WOLVES

by Todd Clippard

In Acts 20:29-31, Paul gave the following warning to the Ephesian elders, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." One of the primary functions of a shepherd is to protect the flock from wolves. Too many elderships are taking a lax attitude toward the use of false teachers. Many do not investigate properly what a man believes and teaches before bringing him in among the local flock. Some, even after learning of the false views of the invited speaker, refuse to take action. It appears they would rather lose face with the Lord than with the local congregation.

In an attempt to justify the use of a false teacher, elderships give the false teacher explicit instructions not to address the subject wherein he holds a false view. This is what one might call "muzzling the wolf." Rather than cancel the wolf's invitation to enter in among the flock, they "muzzle" him, hoping his presence will not damage those over whom they have oversight. Thus, they not only bring in a wolf among the flock, but attempt to disguise him as a sheep! Such a practice is not only unwise, but also unscriptural! Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Jesus gave his life for the church (Acts 20:28); do elderships really believe it is acceptable to invite in those who would do harm to the body?

In a recent conversation with a preacher-friend of mine, the following scenario was given with regard to a situation with a church in Tennessee which had unknowingly invited a false teacher to preach in a gospel meeting:

A man who was related to one of the local members was invited to preach in a gospel meeting (this invitation was given before my friend accepted the local work). When an area preacher heard of the invitation, he sent a sermon tape of the invited speaker addressing the topic of divorce and remarriage. According to my friend, the man took every view except the one view taught by the Bible in Matthew 19:9. When the local elders heard the tape, they discussed their options on how to handle the situation. One suggested that in order to keep peace, the false teacher would be instructed not to address the topic of divorce and remarriage during the meeting. The preacher objected on the following grounds:

1. What if others attend the meeting or hear the

tapes and are led to believe the man is not a

false teacher, and the false teacher is later

invited to preach for them and teaches error

among our sister congregations?

2. What if the false teacher gains the confidence

of some of the local members who later seek

out his guidance on the topic of divorce and

remarriage and are taught error?

3. What about our responsibility to refrain from

inviting a false teacher among us and bidding

him godspeed, lest we become a partaker of

his evil deeds (2 John 1:9-11)?

4. What about our responsibility to reprove and

expose the unfruitful works of darkness, as

opposed to the practice of inviting a false

teacher to speak (Ephesians 5:11)?

When the eldership was presented with the facts, and because they had a great desire to do as the Bible commands, the false teacher's invitation was retracted.

The Lord's church needs more elderships who will accept the responsibilities of shepherding and dutifully carry them out, heeding the words of the great hymn,

"Rise up O men of God! Have done with lesser things; Give heart and mind and soul and strength to serve the Kings of kings. Rise up O men of God! The Church for you doth wait; Her strength unequal to her task, rise up and make her great!"

TC 5-11-99

The Word of the Day for August 14 is:

miasma \mye-AZ-muh or mee-AZ-muh\ (noun) 1 : a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease; also : a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere *2 : an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt; also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog

Example sentence: Hallie couldn't wait to escape the miasma of petty rivalry that had enveloped the band and stifled her musicianship.

Did you know?

"Miasma" entered English from New Latin in the mid-1600s and comes ultimately from the Greek "miasma," meaning "pollution." In notes taken during a voyage to South America on HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Charles Darwin described an illness that he believed was caused by "miasma" emanating from stagnant pools of water. For him, "miasma" meant an invisible emanation of "infecting substances floating in the air . . . noxious to health," as defined in the Webster's dictionary of his time. Nowadays, we know germs are the source of infection, so we aren't likely to use the unscientific "miasma" this way. But while Darwin was out to sea, broader applications of "miasma" were just starting to spread. Now the term is used for something destructive or demoralizing that surrounds or permeates.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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2 Peter 2:3–5 — Doom of Destructive Teachers (1) — « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. Their Dealings 2 Peter 2:3a

1. AV – And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: …

2. NAS – and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; …

3. NIV – In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. …

4. J. B. Phillips – In their lust to make converts these men will try to exploit you too with their bogus arguments. …

5. NLT – In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. …

6. “covetousnesss”

a. AV: nearly always translated covetousness or greediness

b. this word reflects both A « ctions » _______ and A « ttitudes » ________ that entirely disregard the rights of others « (which is really the essence of breaking the tenth commandment) »

7. “feigned” « — Greek, plastos, root is plasso, meaning to mould as out of clay; from this we get English, “plastic.” This allows their words to take on whatever meaning they want. Romanism has recently taken to using such reformation words as justification but with a sense far different from that in the Bible »

a. so, what they teach is F « ictictious » ___________ just like fables

8. “make merchandise” « — Greek, emporeuomai from which we get the English word? … emporium »

a. to travel as a M « erchant » _________, to engage in T « rade » _____, to T « raffic » _________ or do business with

9. what is the attitude of false teachers towards their disciples? « — they are a meal-ticket; a source for aggrrandising themselves; objects to be manipulated »

10. what requirement is found in 1 Timothy 3: 1–13 to address this danger? « — Christian leaders are devoid of the money motive; the ministry is not to be a job but a calling »

B. Their Destiny 2 Peter 2:3b

1. AV – whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2. NAS – their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

3. NIV – Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

4. J. B. Phillips – But judgment has been for some time hard on their heels and their downfall is inevitable.

5. NLT – But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.

6. “judgment”

a. context here shows this to be a decision already rendered « — in verse 1 they are classified with the OT false prophets upon whom judgment has already been pronounced »

b. what do you note about such teachers in Jude 4?

(A) their entry « into the church is secret, surreptitious »

(B) they are already « marked for condemnation »

7. “of a long time” « — “from of old” »

a. reading the various translations, what do you conclude about their judgment? « — that their presence is of no surprise to God and that their verdict has been spoken »

8. “lingereth not” — NAS is most literal translation

a. expressed positively, their judgment is P « ending » _________

9. “damnation” — same word as found twice in verse 1

a. the destructive teaching brings destruction to the teacher

10. “slumbereth not”

a. expressed positively, their destruction is A « wakened » _________

11. what is the destiny of these false teachers? « — every indication is they are headed for eternal punishment; their every description is not of making an error in teaching through ignorance, but the deliberate, antagonistic teaching counter to the gospel »

12. then there follow a number of examples of God’s certain judgment, of which we will look today at the first two

C. A Doom like that of the Fallen Angels 2 Peter 2:4

1. AV – For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

2. NAS – For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

3. NIV – For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;

4. J. B. Phillips – For if God did not spare angels who sinned against him, but banished them to the dark imprisonment of hell till judgment day;

5. NLT – For God did not spare even the angels when they sinned; He threw them into hell, in gloomy caves and darkness until the judgment day.

6. “spared” — to abstain from treating with severity; to treat with forbearance … an exercise of God’s P « atience » _________ « it is important to note that God’s patience is not something we can count upon as our right; it is a sovereign action of His mercy; the angels were not granted that mercy »

7. “angels”

a. the word primarily means “messengers” or “ones who are sent” but most commonly in the Bible refers to the heavenly or celestial messengers who attend to the service of God

b. Matthew 25:41, 2 Corinthians 12:7, Revelation 12:9; whom do these angels serve? « — Satan »

8. “sinned”

a. sometimes called “fallen” based on Jude 6 because …? « — they chose to leave off serving God to serve a lesser »

b. so what was the sin? See 1 John 3:8, 10 which tells us that Satan, who is the master of these angels, … « sinned from the beginning, which I understand to mean before the creation of mankind … “beginning” is anarthrous just as it is in John 1:1 so at beginning times Satan who entered the garden of God was a fallen being (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28) »

9. “cast … hell” — literally, “cast them into Tartarus” which is considered to be the same as “the abyss” « (whither Legion pleaded not to be sent, Luke 8:31, and over which Abaddon is king, Rev. 9:11) being held until cast into the lake of fire, Rev 20) »

10. “pits of darkness” — as opposed to the glories of heaven

11. “reserved” — literally, kept, watched over or guarded « — the account of Legion suggests demons could roam earth (was this Satan’s domain, Job 1:7, 2:2, Luke 4:6?) in a restricted fashion, as they had to ask permission to remain there rather than be totally shut away; the Bible discloses only so much information … but it is sufficient to know how terrible is God’s judgment. »

D. A Doom like that of Noah’s neighbours 2 Peter 2:5

1. AV – And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2. NAS – and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

3. NIV – if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

4. J. B. Phillips – if he did not spare the ancient world but only saved Noah, the solitary voice that cried out for righteousness, and his seven companions when he brought the flood upon the world in its wickedness;

5. NLT – And God did not spare the ancient world – except for Noah and his family of seven. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgement.

6. “spared” — as in verse 4

7. “old world” — that is, the world before the flood — which included? « — all living mankind save the eight; all birds and animals save those in the ark »

8. “saved” — literally, kept, put a watch over, guarded (but a different word from “reserved” in the preceding verse)

9. “eighth” — who benefited by the grace that Noah found in the eyes of God (compare Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and Genesis 6:18)? « — his immediate family alone at the time … is there an implication in Ezekiel of Noah’s intercession? All mankind thereafter. But can also interpret Ezekiel passage as saying his wife and children had to make their own decision. »

10. “preacher” — one who proclaims or heralds — to whom? « — the ungodly world that would perish in the flood; a preacher with only 7 converts for perhaps 100 years of ministry. »

11. “righteousness” — what information did Noah have that he could preach on this subject, as found in …

a. … Genesis 6:5, 11–12? « — the sin of mankind all around him and their need for repentance »

b. … Hebrews 11:7? « — the coming judgment and the need for the obedience by faith to enter into the ark »

2 Peter 2:12–17 — Depravity of False Teachers

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A. comments

1. throughout this epistle, Peter uses “cognates” – different forms of the same Greek root word – to give coherence; translating these into English frequently loses these connexions; in my translation, I have tried to retain them as much as possible … RGH

2. verses 12 to 16 form one long sentence of descriptive phrases strung together about false teachers

B. Their character: 2 Peter 2:12a

1. various translations of this part of the verse …

a. AV: 12a But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not;

b. NAS: 12a But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge,

c. NIV: 12a But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed,

d. J. B. Philips: 12a But these men, with no more sense than the unreasoning brute beasts which are born to be caught and killed, scoff at things outside their own experience,

e. NLT: 12a These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, who are born to be caught and killed. They laugh at the terrifying powers they know so little about,

f. RGH: 12a Now these, (as unreasoning beasts which have been bred by nature for capture and ruin), speaking evil of things in which they are ignorant,

2. the rabbit doesn’t know about its role in feeding the fox! So, these false teachers do not know about … « the spiritual realm of which they profess to speak with authority; they do not even understand that God only permits their actions for His own purposes »

3. so, all they know about is in the N « atural » __________ R « ealm » _____

C. Their doom: 2 Peter 2:12b–13a

1. various translations of these verses …

a. AV: 12b and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness,

b. NAS: 12b will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong.

c. NIV: 12b and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

d. J. B. Philips: 12b and will most certainly be destroyed in their own corruption. 13 There wickedness has earned them an evil end and they will be paid in full.

e. NLT: 12b and they will be destroyed along with them. 13 Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done.

f. RGH: 12b even these shall be utterly ruined, 13 being injured as a recompense for their injuring of others;

2. Notes:

a. (also verse 15); I have used the words “injured, injuring, injury” in their legal sense to translate forms of a Greek word which means “wrong-doing, injustice, inequity”

b. their doom is like that of beasts in character, not in its occasion as the NAS and NLT (I believe) wrongly indicate

3. these words illustrates spiritual truth as found in

a. Deuteronomy 19:18–21 « — false witness intent back on oneself »

b. Galatians 6:7 « — like begets like in actions as in nature »

c. Romans 6:23 « — sin’s recompense is death »

D. Their actions, 2 Peter 2:13b–14

1. various translations of these verses …

a. AV: 13b as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

b. NAS: 13b They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, revelling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

c. NIV: 13b Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, revelling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed — an accursed brood!

d. J. B. Philips: 13b These are the men who delight in daylight self-indulgence; they are foul spots and blots, playing their tricks at your very dinner-tables. 14 Their eyes cannot look at a woman without lust, and they miss no opportunity for sin. They captivate the unstable ones, and their technique of getting what they want is, through long practice, highly developed. They are born under a curse,

e. NLT: 13b They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They revel in deceitfulness while they feast with you. 14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed.

f. RGH: 13b esteeming sensual pleasures – the revelling by day – they are stains and blemishes revelling in their own deceit as they feast together with you, 14 having eyes filled with an adulteress without ever pausing from sin, baiting the hook for souls not standing firm, having a rigorously trained grasping heart, children of accursedness;

2. Comments:

a. “adulteress” – literal translation. « The Old Testament uses this thought to describe false prophets seducing the people to idols, and any false picture of the One, True God constitutes an idol. Yet it can be understood literally, in light of the other depravity of these men. It may be that Peter was specifically warning about the “antinomian” or libertarian teachers in that day; in the Old Testament, idolatry was connected with promiscuity. »

b. “not standing firm” – in contrast to those in 1:12 who have been made to stand firm, established in growth and walk in Christ (1:12); a better way to show the relation of 1 Peter 5:10, 2 Peter 1:12, 2:14, 3:16, 3:17 for the cognates of this word by be stable, unstable, instability, etc.

c. “rigorously trained” – a word of the gymnasium

d. “grasping” – covetous; a compound word of “to have or hold” plus “more” – “taking hold of more”

3. What wrongs do they commit?

a. living for P « leasure » ________________ alone (Hedonism)

b. S « hameless » ____________ in their conduct (compare 1 Thes 5:7)

c. enjoying their D « eceit » _________

d. never C « ease » _________ from sin

e. S « educing » ____________ the unwary to themselves

f. full of G « reed » __________ (or covetousness)

E. Their Path, 2 Peter 2:15–16:

1. various translations of these verses …

a. AV: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

b. NAS: 15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

c. NIV: 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

d. J. B. Philips: 15 for they have abandoned the right road and wandered off to follow the old trail of Balaam, son of Beor, the man who had no objection to wickedness as long as he was paid for it. 16 But he, you remember, was sharply reprimanded for his wickedness — by a donkey, of all things, speaking with a human voice to check the prophet’s wicked infatuation!

e. NLT: 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.

f. RGH: 15 they wandered astray forsaking completely the straight way, rather following the Balaam Beorson way, that one who loved the recompense of injury, 16 yet he had a moment of conviction; a voiceless beast of burden clearly sounding in the voice of a man, cut short the madness of the prophet.

2. “injury” … see note under verse 13 …

3. Let’s consider Balaam Beorson (Numbers 22–24; esp 22:18. 24:13 — see Genesis 23:9ff, for eastern bargaining (which is what Balaam is doing here) — 31:16, Joshua 13:22)

4. what do we learn about (at least these) false teachers? –- any knowledge they may have of S « piritual » _____________ truth is subverted for M « aterial » ____________ gain

F. Their Value, 2 Peter 2:17:

1. various translations of this verse …

a. AV: 17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

b. NAS: 17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

c. NIV: 17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

d. J. B. Philips: 17 These men are like wells without a drop of water in them, like the changing shapes of whirling storm-clouds, and their fate will be the black night of utter darkness.

e. NLT: 17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds blown away by the wind — promising much and delivering nothing. They are doomed to blackest darkness.

f. RGH: 17 These are waterless fountains and mists being driven on under a tempest, for whom the thick gloom of the blackness has been kept in store.

2. what needs can these teachers supply? « — only their own; none to souls that are thirsty for the truth; only Christ can satisfy »

Sermon in 1 Timothy series - Clean Up the Church, #1. 1 Timothy 1:1-7

CHRIST, NOT CONTROVERSIES

=========================

I. Paul's dilemma.

A. Can you depend on those under you?

B. The situation of Paul's first letter to Timothy.

C. The acid is still circulating.

II. The plight of the Pastorals.

A. The letters to Timothy and Titus are the final ones from Paul.

B. The big issues.

III. Get all excited.

A. One of the hallmarks of false teachers is controversy. 1:4

B. Modern controversies are easier to spot.

C. Another emphasis of false teachers is weirdness. 1:6-7

IV. Focus on the essentials.

A. Paul urges an emphasis on God's work. 1:4

B. The goal is love. 1:5

V. Know what you are talking about.

A. Most Christians are pretty ignorant about the Bible.

B. Knowledge is only part of the solution.

Sermon in 2 Timothy series. 2 Timothy 3:6-13

TAKEN IN

========

I. Religious con artists.

II. The methods of false teachers.

A. They are devious.

B. They aim at the weak.

C. They oppose God's chosen leaders.

III. Who are the Jannes and Jambres of today?

A. Mormons (Latter Day Saints).

B. Jehovah's Witnesses.

C. Moralistic therapeutic deism.

IV. How to know what is real.

A. Example of Tiffany lamps.

B. What genuine teachers look like.

V. Know what you believe, and why you believe it.

A. Too much ignorance out there.

B. Follow those who have a consistent Christian lifestyle.

The Davis-Besse facility in Ohio had gotten a little lax. There were plenty of managers, but they took it easy. Subordinates were expected to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately, these underlings missed a few important details. Like a hole the size of a milk jug. It went undetected for six years. Boric acid buildup had caused the corrosion. There were signs of it throughout the building. People should have noticed, but they let it slide.

You might think a milk jug-sized hole is no big deal. But the hole was in the lid of a containment vessel. Of a nuclear power plant. Had there been a failure of a thin sheet of stainless steel, already bulging from the pressure, the reactor’s coolant would have flooded out, resulting in a meltdown.

Paul’s first letter to Timothy was written about thirty years after the death of Jesus. Paul seems to know his time is limited. He has established churches in Turkey, Crete, and Greece, but after other leaders take over, he hears mostly of problems. In the early years, it was mostly due to outsiders coming in to mess up his churches. Lately, he is hearing of insiders in the local church leadership who are messing up. False teachings were bubbling up, like acid in a nuclear reactor.

Something had to be done but Paul’s hands are tied. He can’t be everywhere at once. Back then they didn’t have phones for conference calls, or even a regular postal system (for citizens, anyway). So he had to rely on subordinates to cover for him.

Timothy, a man perhaps in his thirties, is one of them. He is not a very forceful man. He seems to get intimidated pretty easily. But he is all that Paul has available. The fate of the Christian church rests in his ability to stem the tide of error and prevent a fatal meltdown.

===================

Details for the above illustration came from the following article:

http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaigns/electric/pre2003/it_put.htm

"Davis-Besse Admits It Put Production Before Safety"

by John Funk and John Mangels Plain Dealer reporters, Chicago, August 16, 2002

A chastened team of FirstEnergy nuclear division officials yesterday admitted to federal regulators that the Davis-Besse plant in the last three years slid into a routine in which electricity production mattered more than safety.

Teamwork declined, clues to major equipment problems were overlooked, and managers rarely went into the reactor building.

The result was an unprecedented corrosion hole in the reactor lid that has crippled the plant and shaken the nuclear industry. In a four-hour presentation, the new Davis-Besse leaders described to Nuclear Regulatory Commission members how the former management failed. And they detailed the steps the reformers are taking to overhaul the plant’s culture and rebuild its commitment to safety and excellence.

The presentation and report are a required step in gaining the NRC’s permission to restart the plant.

“As an organization, we’re very humble and, in fact, embarrassed,” said FirstEnergy nuclear’s chief operating officer, Lew Myers.

When it came to diagnosing the problems that hinted at the corrosion simmering on Davis-Besse’s reactor lid, “we often jumped to the first conclusion, that was in many cases production-oriented,” Myers said.

While NRC officials overseeing repairs at the plant said the inch-thick management analysis seemed at first glance to hit the right themes, they were not yet ready to judge its adequacy. And they had strong words about the need for change at Davis-Besse.

“I think you might be beyond humble, you might be into humiliation,” said Jim Dyer, who heads the NRC’s regional office in Chicago. “Maintaining that humble outlook is going to be critical to going forward. This cannot happen again.”

The management changes are crucial to the NRC’s decision on when to restart the plant, said Jack Grobe, who heads the special panel overseeing FirstEnergy’s restoration of Davis-Besse.

“This is the most complicated and difficult area to get your arms around,” Grobe said.

FirstEnergy earlier had analyzed and reported to the NRC the technical reasons why the milk jug-size hole formed undetected for six years, corrosion eating its way through the 6½-inch-thick lid that covers the reactor core. Only a thin, stainless-steel liner, bulging from the strain, kept the high-pressure coolant from spewing out of the reactor vessel and causing a major accident.

Workers found the hole in March while fixing cracks that had formed in nozzles on the lid. Leaks from those cracks and elsewhere formed the caustic sludge that eroded the lid.

The management troubles at Davis-Besse began after top officials who had helped the plant near Toledo achieve a good operating record in the late 1980s left during the next decade for opportunities at other utilities.

They also occurred while the NRC office responsible for overseeing Davis-Besse was stretched thin, its inspection efforts focused more on serious problems at several other nuclear plants in the Midwest.

From 1997 to 2000, “we provided a minimal amount of inspection” at Davis-Besse, Dyer said, “and as a result of that, the quality [of oversight] degraded.”

Plant officials knew of the potential for the boric acid used in the reactor’s coolant water to cause damage if it was allowed to build up in powdered or solid form on the hot reactor lid. They also knew of the potential for the hollow nozzles in the lid - which serve as pathways for the reactor’s control rods - to crack under high temperature and radiation, and for those cracks eventually to leak coolant.

But plant executives didn’t take the appropriate actions to keep the lid clean and to stop other sources of coolant leaks so that inspectors might have easily and quickly spotted the residue from leaking nozzles, the analysis says.

Also, Davis-Besse workers at all levels wrongly assumed that there was little chance of nozzle-cracking at the plant because it was relatively young compared with other reactors.

“Low probability meant low concern,” said FirstEnergy’s Steve Loehlein, who led the 11-member management review team of outside consultants and the company’s engineers from its Davis-Besse, Perry and Beaver Valley nuclear plants.

Davis-Besse workers repeatedly found clues that should have helped them and their bosses figure out that the nozzles were leaking. Machinery inside the reactor building was being coated and fouled by airborne acid from the leaking coolant. There was an unexplained jump in the leakage rate that the plant’s instruments were recording.

But plant personnel at all levels didn’t put the puzzle’s pieces together, the report says.

Top managers weren’t directly involved in plant problem-solving, relying on subordinates to notify them of concerns rather than recognizing them firsthand. The managers allowed Davis-Besse to run for long periods with degraded machinery and parts. Workers had the philosophy that problems weren’t serious until they were proved to be.

The plant’s efforts to police itself declined at the same time that the threat of damage to the reactor lid increased, because of its age and high operating temperature of 605 degrees.

Workers cleaning the reactor lid during each refueling shutdown weren’t adequately trained, the report says. The lid inspection program didn’t take into account that it might be the nozzles, and not less critical parts, that were leaking. Reports detailing the individual problems that pointed to nozzle leakage were left unresolved by managers for long periods while damage occurred unchecked.

“It was a site loss of focus,” Loehlein said.

To address the problems, the company has replaced many of its Davis-Besse managers. It is retraining its new ones and those who remain. Managers are reconnecting with the plant, joining with personnel from many departments to “walk down” the reactor from top to bottom while repairs are under way.

“In summary, we’re committed to doing the job right the first time,” Myers said. “We know we have a lot of work to do.”

Just meeting the NRC’s standards to get the plant restarted won’t be enough, the agency’s Dyer said. “You cannot base your get-well program on what you expect the NRC to inspect. You need to set your own standards. It’s going to be quite a challenging period for both you and us.”