THE LORD KNOWS

2 Peter 2:1-22

Key Verse 2:9

“[I]f this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”

In today's passage Apostle Peter continues to warn his audience to grow in the divine nature and not to follow the false teachings and ways of false teachers.  Peter reveals that the outcome of them is destruction and also the same for all who follow them.  May God help us to live lives that are truly participatory in God's divine nature, especially holy lives just as He is holy.

Part I - The Lord knows how to rescue godly men; while punishing the unrighteous (1-9)

Look at verses 1-3.  "1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."

Peter reveals that in all times, including the times they were living in and by extension even today, there are false teachers who introduce destructive heresies, even some that deny that the Lord is Sovereign and who purchased their lives from wickedness and now belong to Him.  Of course most people are not so stupid to say something so directly as this, but they say things like, "You don't have to worry about your sin.  It's completely understandable.  All men are sinners and no one has power to overcome their sin.  Just remember Jesus forgives you!"  They use Jesus' sin forgiveness as a license to remain in their sin and not to truly repent.

Peter says that these false teachers are bringing swift destruction on themselves.  But even though this is the case their message is so popular, it's because it's what man's itching ears want to hear.  Who doesn't want to hear that they don't have to repent and leave their life of sin?  Everyone wants to hear about God's love, but few want to hear, "Go now and leave your life of sin?"  So among the fellowship of believers there will be those who will bring the way of truth into disrepute, by continuing to live ungodly lives and yet calling their way, the way of truth.

Peter says their motivation is greed.  They say what their audience wants to hear, because they want their financial support; they don't want to alienate or anger their cash cow.  Many such teachers live really good lives and it looks envious. But Peter says that they are in reality men on death row imprisoned in penthouses.  Their lives look good, but in reality very soon destruction is going to fall on them.

Look at verses 4-9. "4 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; 5 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; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment."

In these verses Peter reveals that God will not spare such men.  Peter points out that God did not even spare angels when they sinned.  God incarcerated such beings in hell to await the coming judgment where their final sentence will be handed down.  Peter points out that God even brought judgment upon the whole world one time because men did not repent after hearing the preacher of righteousness Noah calling them to repent.  At home I have several fish in two fish tanks and I have a small plastic bottle that contains fish flakes that I feed to my fish.  Basically, God made the whole population of the earth, besides 8 people to become a big bottle of fish flakes, because they refused to live lives of righteousness, when called to do so.  But not only that.  Recently, I took my family down to San Diego and we visited the lighthouse at Point Loma.  It is on situated on a 400 ft. cliff.  The lens used on this lighthouse is over 3 ft. in diameter and about 5 ft. tall.  It was illuminated with sperm whale oil and/or kerosene and when lit it could be seen out to a distance of 28 miles.  Like all lighthouses this one was used as a warning beacon to alert ships of impending doom if they got any closer.  Well, God also had a warning beacon, but He did not use a 5 ft. tall crystal lens, instead God used two complete cities, Sodom and Gomorrah.  Maybe the equivalent to Downey and Cerritos.  God brought punishment on them for their wickedness, but also as an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly, they are going to be turned to ash.

But many might say, "If this awaits the ungodly, then we are all doomed!"  The prophet Isaiah said this very thing when he came face to face with the LORD Almighty.  Isaiah 6:5 reads, “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”  Our lips are just as unclean as our neighbors.  We are all like Lot, we live among lawless men and are witnesses of their filthy deeds.  It distresses us to see such wickedness and godlessness, but what is most distressing is that we are also tempted by our own sinful nature.  Paul cried out, "Oh!  What a wretched man I am!  I do what I don't want to do!"  Peter says, that just as God knows how to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment; He also knows how to rescue the righteous from their trials.  Recently, I sinned against one brother.  I judged him wrongly.  I completely misrepresented him, even though I know him.  When I realized this I apologized many times.  But I felt so bad.  I felt like a great hypocrite and a terrible coworker.  I discouraged two precious coworkers by my actions.  I'm one of the eldest American shepherds, but I acted so immaturely.  I knew better and yet I still did it.  I felt so bad that I wanted to shrink back into the background.  I thought it would be better if I just keep my mouth shut and let others take my position.  I know I'm not qualified.  I did not intend to hurt or discourage my coworkers, but I did.  But this verse teaches me that even though I cannot rescue myself, God knows how to rescue me.

Look at verse 9 again, "9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment."  We are not promised that we will avoid trials, but that we will be rescued from our trials.  Personally, this means that I can expect that I will suffer many more trials.  My faith is to hold onto the Lord who knows how to rescue me; not to give up, but continue to live by faith from first to last.  Not to shrink back, not to quit, but repent, and live by faith in the knowledge that the Lord knows how to rescue me.  Our Lord knows how to rescue each of us.

Part II - They are like brute beasts (10-22)

But what is the difference between the righteous and and godless?  When we look at a man like Lot, he didn't look any different at all than those God torched; and when we see the end of his life, it was truly shameful and tragic.  So what is the difference?  Look at verse 10a, "10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority."  In each of us is a corrupt desire, that comes from our sinful nature.  We are called to put to death our sinful nature; to not follow our corrupt nature.  Those who don't put to death their sinful nature, despise authority.  They reject the Lord's authority over them, including those who the Lord has placed over them.  They are like Cain who despised God's authority, "Will you not be accepted if you do what is right?"  Instead, he talked back to God, "Am I my brothers keeper?"  Once there was a woman, whom Jesus said to her, "It is not right for the bread of the children to go to the dogs!"  This woman could have talked back.  "Do you call me a dog?!  Who are You to call me a dog?"  Instead, she said, "But even the crumbs fall off the table to the dog."  She did not try to defend herself or challenge Jesus' authority, but fell upon His mercy for her.  How many of us demand our 'rights' and dignity, but never respect the authority God has placed over us?  We can know for sure that those who don't respect the authority of God placed over us is because they are following their corrupt nature.

Look at verses 10b-12, "Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 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, and like beasts they too will perish."  Such men are quick to slander others.  But even angels do not slander the devil.  They call on the Lord to rebuke him (Jude 9).  How many times have I complained and slandered my coworkers!  How many times have I heard my coworkers complain and slander one another!  And yet even angels don't do such things, even though they are without blemish!  I follow my instincts instead of the Word of God.

Look at verses 13-16.  "13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[e] 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 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."  But arrogance and pride is not the only attributes of the ungodly; they never stop sinning.  They seek pleasure and have no shame.  They are greedy and love wickedness.  Nothing restrains them and they will not allow anything to restrain them.  Even animals have more sense then them.

Look at verses 17-22.  "17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”"

We may think that such men have a lasting impact and influence, but in reality, they mouth empty words.  They think they are somebody, but in reality they are nobody.  They talk about freedom, but have never experienced it themselves.  They are slaves of their depravity.  Sadly, such men may have known the way of righteousness, but they refused to follow the way of righteousness.  In reality they were always corrupt from the beginning to the end.

In today's passage Peter encourages us to live for righteousness and not follow the false teachings that were all around them.  We have all been taught the way of righteousness, may we continue to living lives that are holy and pleasing to God and not to turn our backs on the sacred command to be holy and to make disciples of all nations.  May we live by faith in our Lord's ability to rescue us from all unrighteousness.

One Word: He knows how to rescue us!