8 19 03

9:45a

II Peter 2

This chapter discusses false doctrine� false teachers. Some people have said that the �false teacher� label applies to those who speak against God/Christianity, but that�s not what this chapter says. This chapter talks about those who sound Christian.

Personally, I think this applies to those who intentionally mislead and those who unintentionally mislead. I�m sure you�ve heard some people preach of God who did not stick to Biblical principles.

I was listening to a sermon-on-tape the other month when the preacher spoke about all the firsts of the Bible.

He stated that Jesus was the first person to rise from the dead. Wrong. Lazarus (John 11) and Jarius� daughter (Mark 5) and the widow�s son (Luke 7) were all resurrected before Jesus died and rose.

He was also of the opinion that the Sabbath was the first day of the week. Wrong. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. (Gen. 2:2-3 & Ex. 20: 8-11) Now, join with me, friends. Count the days. Sunday is number one. Monday is number two� Okay, so I�m not going there. The point is, he was saying that the Sabbath was the first day of the week. That�s dead wrong.

The problem:

He also said some good things� some things which were true. And, he honestly believed that everything he discussed was truth. He is a false teacher. Why? Because he is teaching untruths.

I personally believe that this chapter of II Peter is aimed at the teachers themselves. Why? Because as teachers, we have a responsibility to know what we�re talking about. We give instruction to people who often don�t know as much as we do. Often (through my own experience I�ve proved this to be true) those receiving the instruction don�t do the research necessary to prove or disprove the lesson. I believe that God is giving us (teachers) the warning that we really are responsible and have to know our material.

This also serves as a warning for those who receive the instruction. We, who are learning, must, absolutely must, prove what we�re being taught. Our relationship with God is not through a conduit. It�s a direct line. Therefore we absolutely must maintain the clean connection to God. We have to verify and prove what we�re taught (and teaching).

It is too easy to lead people astray and to be led astray. It is of vital importance that we return to the source with every single question.

Okay, I�m going to stop preaching now. Besides, I�m late.