Dangerous Arrogance
Text: 2 Peter 2:1-19
Theme: God hates the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Key verses: “…there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves” (v. 1). “So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling” (v. 9-10). “These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed. Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals” (v. 12-13). “These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting…They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you” (v. 17-19).
What God said to me: Dwayne, I don’t take sin lightly. That should be more than obvious from this passage by Peter. Peter went out of his way to warn his readers of false teachers who would arise among them. Listen to how he described them: clever, destructive, denying me, wicked, twisted sexually, rebellious, proud and arrogant, scoffers, false, unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, indulgers of pleasure, shameless, disgraceful, deceptive, useless, doomed, braggadocios, foolish, enslaved. Peter exposes them for what they are. You have many false teachers around you in this modern time. Beware of them. You will know them by the fruit they bare and by the content of their teaching. Study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Now let’s talk about that last verse in your focus today, verse 19: “They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.” It’s one thing to talk about freedom, but it’s quite another to experience true freedom. What is freedom, Dwayne? What does it looks like; what does it feel like inside? Many people claim to know about freedom and have it; yet, they are actually enslaved to their own passions, addictions and sins. True freedom brings joy to your soul. It means the ability to say no to those things that seek to control and destroy you. True freedom only comes with knowing the Truth and following Him every day. That is how you will overcome the sin habits in your life. That is how you will “strip off every weight that slows” you down, “especially the sin that so easily trips” you up. That is the only way you can “run with endurance the race God has set” before you. You will do this by keeping your eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects your faith.
What I said to God: Praise You, Yahweh, Elohim, Jehovah God, the only true God and King. I worship You alone today. I pray my life demonstrates a desire to know You and obey You in every moment of every day. I confess that is not always the case. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. I am amazed by Your grace and love and power. Help me and my family experience true freedom that only comes through knowing and following You. Help my boys and my friends not fall for false teachers who would ensnare and deceive them. Please grant us wisdom to see them for what they are: deceivers and liars.