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Richard Myers

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Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« on: June 02, 2017, 07:59:13 PM »
Lesson 11  June 3-9




False Teachers








Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon






Sabbath Afternoon




Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Pet. 2:1-22, John 8:34-36, Matt. 12:43-45, Jude 4-19, Gen. 18:16-33.

Memory Text: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
2 Peter 2:19[/color]

In his first epistle, Peter, with great pastoral concern, sought to encourage readers in regard to the perils of persecution. Though we don’t know exactly what form of persecution he was specifically addressing, we do know that the church would face terrible trials as the pagan Roman Empire sought to extinguish the growing movement of people called “Christians.”

But Satan launched a two-pronged attack. Certainly, persecution from the outside-that is, brute force and violence-was a powerful tool. But the church faced another threat, one perhaps even more dangerous than outside persecution. And that was the threat from inside. Just as the Jewish nation in the past had to deal with false prophets, the follower of Jesus in Peter’s day had to deal with false teachers "who privily shall bring in damnable heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1) into the church itself. And, even worse, Peter warned that many would follow these “pernicious ways” (2 Pet. 2:2).

What were some of these teachings that Peter was warning about? How did Peter react to them, and what lessons can we take from his warnings for ourselves today, as we also face threats from within?

Yes, Peter is indeed warning us also. But, it would not be good to express the teachings Peter was warning about and leaving our people ignorant of the false teachings in our church today. What false teachings do we face in God's church today?


Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 10.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2017, 08:00:19 PM »
Sunday June 4
False Prophets and Teachers


In today's reading in Desire of Ages, we hear of the indignation Jesus had as He considered what the leaders in Israel had been doing when sacrificing innocent lambs. As we study this week's lesson, let us be open to the truth that it is not just the "people" who can bring into God's church false teachings, but that the leadership has done so. This is very sad, since it is their responsible to keep out false gospels. A blind church has many blind leaders. How can the church allow multiple gospels to be preached from her pulpits and published on her presses? Blindness has come upon her. We thank God for the faithful ministers in His church, and we pray for revival and reformation in His church. Let it begin with me, but let us not forget to pray for the leadership, the pastors and elders who will find in the day of judgement much pain and suffering if they do not repent of their false teaching. It is more serious than most believe. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8,9.

This begins with you and me in the local church. Purify the church from false teachings in the Sabbath School and in the pulpit. When the church elects elders, make sure they are consecrated and they are doing the teaching in the church. Better to have on faithful elder than a multitude of decoys. This responsibility is on the people in the church. They elect the officers of the church. And, when there is an unfaithful pastor, then educate him as to what the truth is. Do not be intimidated to walk contrary to the truth. It is time for a revival in the church. Weed out the false teaching.


It’s sometimes easy to idealize the early church, to think of it as a time of great peace and harmony among the earliest believers in Jesus. That would be a mistake. Even from the days of Jesus the church faced struggles, often from within (think of Judas). As the New Testament epistles show, many of the problems came from false teachings in their midst. The early church struggled not just with persecution from the outside but from problems within, as well. In this letter Peter deals with some of those internal challenges. What are they?

Yes, even the first church was not pure. But, when we compare the church of today with the early church, there is no comparison.


 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” (2 Pet. 2:1-3). It hardly sounds like a time of great peace and internal harmony among the brothers and sisters, does it?

Read 2 Peter 2:10-22.

 2:10   But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 
 2:11   Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 
 2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 
 2:13   And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [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; 
 2:14   Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 
 2:15   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; 
 2:16   But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 
 2:17   These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
 2:18   For when they speak great swelling [words] of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through much] wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
 2:19   While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
 2:20   For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
 2:21   For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
 2:22   But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 


What is Peter warning about here? What are some of the false things that were being promoted in the churches?

Peter plainly declares that it is they "that walk after the flesh" that are the problem. What does it mean to walk after the flesh? If one walks after the flesh, does he have salvation?


Second Peter 2:1 most likely reveals the reason the Lord inspired Peter to write the letter. He was warning them that just as there had been false prophets in the past, there will be false teachers in the future. Peter outlines quite a litany of charges against these teachers, everything from “damnable heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1) to leading the unwary into bondage (2 Pet. 2:19) and a host of other errors, as well. From what he wrote, we can see that these were indeed very dangerous teachings, which explains why he reacted so strongly against them. Peter knew nothing of the idea that doctrine doesn’t matter.

How do you react to "damnable heresies" in the church? Why do so many remain quiet when they know there are multiple gospels being preached in the church? Why do so many remain quiet when they see even rebellion in the church? What must happen before God will bless His church? What has delayed the second coming of Christ?


Look at how strongly Peter reacts to these false teachings. What should this tell us about how important truth is? How can we protect ourselves against any and all attempts to bring false doctrine into the church?

The answer is always the same. If we want to do what is right, for the right reason, we must be born again of the Spirit. If we are not in a converted state, then we remain separated from God and selfish. We then care more about what others think than what God thinks. We fear to offend people rather than fearing to offend God. There are times when we ought to remain quiet, but never because we fear to offend man. We must follow Jesus wherever that leads. When we do not, we are part of the problem.

Why was Stephen put to death? Are we willing to speak the truth knowing it will bring about our death? There are people today who are dying because they will not hold their peace about their love for Jesus. How can we have this faith?


Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2017, 06:58:53 PM »
Monday June 5
Freedom in Christ?



“For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” (2 Pet. 2:18). What is Peter warning about in this verse? What does he say in 2 Peter 2:19 that helps explain his concern?

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Peter 2:19

What is the importance of the word “freedom” (NIV) or “liberty” (NKJV) in verse 19?

The King James Version also uses the word "liberty." The importance here is that the use of such a word by those who are themselves slaves to the devil in sin are lying and hypocritical. They are a cause of reproach to the church and will likely lead many souls to perdition and destruction. While the commission of a known sin separates the soul from God, revealing a separation, we need to know that God has the power to keep us from sin when we abide in Christ: 1 John 3:8-9 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. The false teachers in our day want to assure a person that he or she retains eternal life when they sin if it was unintentional. But to promise what God's word does not teach is false, and would do away with the need for such amazing promises like these:

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Jude 24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.


In the strongest possible language, Peter was giving his readers a warning against the dangers of false teachers. In 2 Peter 2:18-21 he warned that these false teachers, while promising liberty and freedom, would actually lead people into bondage.

What a complete perversion of the gospel! Freedom in Christ should mean freedom from the slavery of sin (Rom. 6:4-6). Any concept of freedom in Christ that leaves a person in the bondage of sin is the kind of error that Peter is warning about. Though scholars have debated the precise heresy that he was dealing with here, it’s clearly linked to the whole question of sin and one’s being a slave to it.

Whatever Peter was warning about, we can know that the word of God warns against teaching salvation to those who commit known sin. We cannot sin and retain justification (eternal life, the presence of the Holy Spirit in the soul). We must realize that sin separates us from God, and even if a teacher professes to serve God, but retains sin in the life, that life becomes a cause of stumbling to others. How important then that we realize our continual need of Jesus to keep us in His love, that we will never choose another master by looking from Christ and falling into sin. Only with Christ in the heart, continually, fully surrendered to Him, will we have victory over hereditary and cultivated tendencies to sin. With God all things are possible!

Read John 8:34-36.
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.


How do Christ’s words here help us to understand what Peter is saying?

Christ and Peter were both speaking by the Holy Spirit--and their teaching is in full harmony as to the nature of sin. Sin is the power of the devil, and to do what is administered by his power reveals that we are slaves to Satan, and need to be delivered by Christ. There may be some reading this who are struggling with sin in their life, and like the Israelites of old who wandered in the wilderness may feel powerless to remedy their sin-sick souls, bitten by the serpents. The answer is always the same. We must look and live, and as they looked to the uplifted serpent which represented Christ, so we must look to Christ uplifted upon the cross of Calvary. By beholding we become changed. How important then that we learn our need of Christ that we will not remain slaves to sin. Please join us in the Desire of Ages forum as we behold and uplift Christ, and seek to be changed in character through looking to the loveliness of Jesus. Christ will set free all who come to Him as they are, so He can make them like He is.

Whatever these false teachers were presenting, they were leading their victims-people who had recently found the Lord Jesus-back to their old sinful way of life. It’s easy to imagine some kind of cheap grace gospel that downplayed the need for purity and holiness, something that caused them to be caught up again in the very “corruption” (2 Pet. 2:19) of the world they had just escaped from. No wonder Peter spoke so sharply and strongly against these teachings and warned about what the result of following them would be.

What do you understand freedom in Christ to be? What has Christ freed you from?

Freedom in Christ is freedom from sin--it is wholeness for God, true holiness! Christ has freed each of us from sin if we have given the entire heart to Him. If we have never made a full-heart surrender, if we have never been willing to follow the light that shines upon our path, then we will not have the peace of God. Christ sets us free from ourselves. It is not enough for me to say that Christ set me free from worldly music in my past (which He did); I need Christ today to save me from the unhallowed effects of selfishness on a constant basis, and when Christ is in my heart I am free from living under the control of the sinful nature, and instead have the freedom to reveal His divine nature in the life. What does that always look like?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When we live by faith, fully surrendered to Christ, all of the fruits of His Spirit are manifest in our lives as we willingly follow every known statute He has revealed to us. How important then that we come and behold Him, so this will be our experience of spiritual freedom day by day, moment-by-moment!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2017, 06:53:33 AM »

Freedom in Christ is freedom from sin--it is wholeness for God, true holiness! Christ has freed each of us from sin if we have given the entire heart to Him. If we have never made a full-heart surrender, if we have never been willing to follow the light that shines upon our path, then we will not have the peace of God. Christ sets us free from ourselves. It is not enough for me to say that Christ set me free from worldly music in my past (which He did); I need Christ today to save me from the unhallowed effects of selfishness on a constant basis, and when Christ is in my heart I am free from living under the control of the sinful nature, and instead have the freedom to reveal His divine nature in the life. What does that always look like?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When we live by faith, fully surrendered to Christ, all of the fruits of His Spirit are manifest in our lives as we willingly follow every known statute He has revealed to us. How important then that we come and behold Him, so this will be our experience of spiritual freedom day by day, moment-by-moment!

Amen, Pastor Sean!   We must leave our people to believe they are set free from the bondage of sin when they sin a known sin. This is the great deception that allows church members to remain in a Laodicean condition, a lost condition. It is precisely what false teachers are doing, telling us we may sin and be saved. When we sin, we are not free from the bondage of sin. What a lie! Satan is very clever. How could have managed to pervert the gospel truth to such a degree? One bite from the apple brought ruin to a world. And today many have bitten from the same apple. They believe the very same lie. "You will not die" if you only take one bite. The wages of one sin is death. The righteousness of Christ will not cover one unconfessed and unforsaken sin. We must be born again and remain in a converted state in order to be justified and sanctified.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2017, 08:35:46 AM »
Tuesday June 6
A Dog Returns to Its Vomit


Read 2 Peter 2:17-22 and Matthew 12:43-45.

 2:10   But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 
 2:11   Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 
 2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 
 2:13   And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [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; 
 2:14   Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 
 2:15   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; 
 2:16   But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 
 2:17   These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
 2:18   For when they speak great swelling [words] of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through much] wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
 2:19   While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
 2:20   For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
 2:21   For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
 2:22   But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

 12:43   When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 
 12:44   Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished. 
 12:45   Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 


What are the dangers when a convert to Christianity returns to his/her former lifestyle?

He brings great reproach upon Christ, the church, and the Bible. And, after "falling away" if he was truly converted, then it is impossible to bring him back. Since many are not truly converted, this does not apply if they go back into the world. Since they were never converted, they still have opportunity to learn of God.

I believer Peter is teaching the same truth as Paul in Hebrews. Paul is more pointed, though.

 6:4   For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 
 6:5   And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
 6:6   If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. 



Peter was particularly concerned about the fate of those whom the false teachers entice back into their former sins (2 Pet. 2:18). The false teachers promise freedom, but as Peter points out, the freedom that they promise is radically different from the kind of freedom that Jesus promised those who followed Him.

Look at the powerful warning Peter gave. It would have been better never to have “known the way of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:21) than to have known it and then turned back to their old ways.

Of course, this doesn’t mean their case is hopeless. We all know stories of those who have turned away from the Lord and later have come back. And we know that the Lord is very glad when they do, and happy to take them back. (See Luke 15:11-32.) It means only that turning away is a very dangerous course to take, nor is it a pleasant one, either. A dog returning to its own vomit is a crude and harsh way to describe it, but Peter makes his point with that image.

It is not impossible for those who were never converted to begin with. Many are buried alive and did not die to self when they were brought into church membership. "The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ." Vol 6, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, pg 1075.

Perhaps the echo of the words of Jesus in 2 Peter 2:20 is intentional (see Matt. 12:45, Luke 11:26). Jesus tells the parable of a man who has been freed from an unclean spirit. The spirit wanders without a place of his own, and then returns to see “my house from whence I came” (Matt. 12:44). He arrives and finds it empty and put in order. He then moves back in, but he brings with him several other spirits more wicked than himself. As Jesus says, “the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matt. 12:45). The danger Jesus illustrates and Peter describes is real. The new believer needs to ensure that the things of the Spirit replace the things that used to dominate his or her life. If involvement in church and the sharing of the new faith does not replace the earlier secular activities, it is too easy to revert to one’s old ways.

A more pointed way of explaining it would be to explain that when we are forgiven and cleansed, if we do not continue to keep the Spirit in the heart, there is another being who will come in and bring us into bondage again, only it will be more difficult. Why? Look at Lucifer's experience. When he sinned, there was nothing God could do to bring him back. Why? Because he had sinned after knowing God. There was nothing more God could reveal to him to change his heart. With us it is different. It is through a knowledge of God that fallen man can be reconciled with God. We are saved by grace, by seeing that grace and allowing it into the heart.

If after seeing God, we sin against Him, it is different from sinning without the knowledge of God. If we continue to sin instead of repenting, it becomes harder and harder for the Spirit to work to bring us back. The heart becomes harder and harder. At some point the poor human can no longer hear the voice of God speaking and he is left joined to his idols. He becomes possessed by a multitude of evil spirits. His condition is worse than it was before he knew God.


What are ways we as a church family can better nurture and disciple all our members, especially newer ones?

The answer is always the same, we need Jesus. We need to be filled with the Spirit. If we are, then we will be doing what the Spirit wants us to do. We will be an example of Christian living. We will be following Christ. We will not be false teachers, but epistles through which Jesus is working. It is when we take our eyes off of Jesus that we are false in our witness. Like Peter when he took his eyes off of Christ, we cannot do the impossible. We cannot be something we by nature are not. It is only when we are partakers of God's divine nature that we can reflect Christ and "nurture" anyone. To think we can be unselfish and holy when in an unconverted state is a false teaching. If we are hearing teachers tell us that we can sin a known sin and remain unselfish, and we believe it, we are deceived. If we are being taught that we are saved when walking after the flesh, we are in great danger. When we are born again of the Spirit, we walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh. If we walk after the Spirit, we are not condemned (Romans 8:1). If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9).

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2017, 09:09:09 AM »
Wednesday June 7
Peter and Jude


Many people have observed that Jude 4-19 largely repeats the message of 2 Peter 2:1-3:7. Whenever Scripture repeats a message, we should be aware that God wants to convey something important.

Amen! What if the same message is repeated from Genesis to Revelation? There is a message that runs from the beginning of the Bible to the end. The wages of sin is death. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10. God is love and He is both merciful and just. Sin will not  be excused, but for all who repent, it will be forgiven.

In Ezekiel we find the same message repeated three times. In chapters 3, 18, and 33, we find that which God wants all to know. It will help to keep us from  being deceived by false teachers. What is that message found in these three chapters? Do you see why it is so important, it addresses the great deception that has come into the church.


In these similar passages, Peter and Jude take great lengths to notify us of an important truth: God is in control of the destinies of the wicked. Both Peter and Jude leave us with no doubt that God is closely monitoring evil. Whether unrighteous humanity or the fallen angels, God has taken special note of their evil and has planned their punishment on the day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:9, 17; Jude 6).

Read 2 Peter 2:1-3:7 and Jude 4-19.

2:1   But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 
 2:2   And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 
 2:3   And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 
 2:4   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; 
 2:5   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; 
 2:6   And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 
 2:7   And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 
 2:8   (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;) 
 2:9   The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 
 2:10   But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 
 2:11   Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 
 2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 
 2:13   And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [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; 
 2:14   Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 
 2:15   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; 
 2:16   But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 
 2:17   These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
 2:18   For when they speak great swelling [words] of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through much] wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
 2:19   While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
 2:20   For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
 2:21   For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
 2:22   But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 
 
Chapter 3

 3:1   This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 
 3:2   That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 
 3:3   Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 
 3:4   And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. 
 3:5   For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 
 3:6   Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 
 3:7   But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

 1:4   For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 1:5   I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 
 1:6   And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 
 1:7   Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 
 1:8   Likewise also these [filthy] dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 
 1:9   Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 
 1:10   But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 
 1:11   Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 
 1:12   These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 
 1:13   Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. 
 1:14   And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 
 1:15   To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 
 1:16   These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. 
 1:17   But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
 1:18   How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 
 1:19   These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 


What examples of God’s earlier vengeance do Peter and Jude give to punctuate the fact that God means business in dealing with sin?

Peter and Jude record three examples of God’s vengeance in the past. They include the destruction of the antediluvian world by the Flood, the incineration of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the chaining of angelic beings for destruction (2 Pet. 2:4-6; 3:7; Jude 6, 7). All of these episodes are laced with a lingering sense of finality. Though Scripture speaks a great deal about God’s mercy and grace, God’s justice also plays an important role in the final destruction of sin.

What were the sins that engendered such severe punishment? They include introducing destructive heresies; despising authority; enslavement to whatever has mastered them; perverting the grace of God into a license for immorality; denying Jesus Christ as the only Sovereign and Lord; polluters of their own bodies; speakers of empty, boastful words; and slanderers (2 Pet. 2:1, 10, 19, Jude 4, Jude 8, 2 Pet. 2:18, Jude 10, NIV).

Interestingly, these descriptions do not include violent acts and other wicked atrocities that often outrage us. Instead, they describe more subtle sins that have one commonality. They are sins that are sometimes excused within the church community itself. This fact should awaken us to the great need for sincere repentance and reformation in the church.

Read 2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 10. Here Peter and Jude describe those who are facing destruction as having degraded into “brute beasts” (2 Pet. 2:12) and “brute beasts" (Jude 10) ruled by instinct. How does that description compare to how God originally created humanity, and how can you prevent that from happening in your life?

God created man holy and pure, not walking after the flesh as do brute beasts after the fall. The answer is always the same, we need Jesus. We cannot serve two masters, we serve one or the other. If we will learn of God, we will have power to walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh. Read Romans 8:1-14:

 8:1   [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
 8:2   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
 8:3   For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 
 8:4   That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
 8:5   For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 
 8:6   For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. 
 8:7   Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
 8:8   So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 
 8:9   But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 
 8:10   And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. 
 8:11   But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 
 8:12   Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 
 8:13   For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
 8:14   For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 


God wants to re-create you and me in His image. If we will behold Jesus on the cross, then as the people who were bitten by the serpents looked upon the uplifted serpent, lived, we too by looking upon Jesus shall live.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2017, 09:35:16 AM »
Thursday June 8
More Old Testament Lessons
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Read 2 Peter 2:6-16.

2:6   And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 
 2:7   And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 
 2:8   (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;) 
 2:9   The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 
 2:10   But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 
 2:11   Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 
 2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 
 2:13   And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [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; 
 2:14   Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 
 2:15   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; 
 2:16   But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 


What other examples does Peter use to give his warning about what wickedness will lead to?

The first substantive reference to Sodom in the Bible is Genesis 13:12, 13. Lot and Abraham decided to separate for “financial” reasons. Lot chose the Jordan valley, and “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Gen. 13:12). The Bible then comments, “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.” Gen. 13:13. Later, when God warned Abraham that He was planning to destroy Sodom, Abraham negotiated an agreement that God would not destroy it if 10 righteous people were found there (Gen. 18:16-33). The unlikelihood of finding even 10 righteous people in Sodom was amply demonstrated by what happened to the messengers sent to visit Lot. The city was duly destroyed; only Lot and his two daughters escaped (Gen. 19:12-25).

Peter derives two lessons from this story. First, the two cities provide an example of the punishment coming to the ungodly (2 Pet. 2:6). Second, it shows that the Lord knows how to rescue the righteous from trial (2 Pet. 2:7-9). Peter then notes some of the characteristics of those who were destroyed at Sodom and Gomorrah: they indulge their flesh in depraved lust, despise authority, are bold and willful, and do not hesitate to slander the angels (2 Pet. 2:10, 11). These characteristics have similarities to how Peter describes the false teachers and their followers.

The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22:1-24:25. He had been hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. At first reluctant, he was eventually persuaded to take on this task by the offer of a larger sum of money (Num. 22:7-21). On his way he was confronted by an “angel of the LORD” and was saved from death only when his donkey turned aside. Balaam then beat his donkey and realized his mistake only when his eyes were opened, and he saw the “angel of the LORD” himself (Num. 22:22-35). In the end, Balaam ended up blessing Israel (Num. 23:4-24:24). Peter used Balaam as an example of those enticed by adultery and greed (2 Pet. 2:14, 15). Such people are like Balaam. They have left the path that they should follow.

Think about all that we have been given, both in the Bible and in the writings of Ellen G. White. Thus, why can we as Seventh-day Adventists never say that we haven’t been warned?[/quote]

Some have been so darkened by false teachers that many in the church can honestly say they have not been adequately informed as to what is truth. Satan has perverted the gospel of grace. Many have been taught they are saved when they sin a known sin. They have not been taught that when they are truly converted the Holy Spirit takes possession of the heart and every one of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in the life. All are without excuse. God has provided a remedy for the sinner, in Christ. He has also given to guilty man a period of temporal life, a period of probation to learn of Jesus and to be transformed by His grace.

So, while we know many have been deceived, they have before them the Bible. They may not know about the Spirit of Prophecy, and some have been convinced it is not inspired, but all may hear the "still small voice" speaking to them about the Bible. And, it is almost impossible to continue in ignorance about the Spirit of Prophecy, even in lands far away from America. The Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ have been translated into many languages. But, God will give enough time for all to come to a knowledge of Him and the plan of salvation. It is then up to each one to make a full surrender of the heart so He may cleanse it from all sin.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2017, 09:43:43 AM »

Friday June 9


Further Thought: So often we hear Christians talk about “freedom in Christ.” And, of course, this is a valid concept. To be free from the condemnation of the law and to have assurance of salvation because of what Christ has done for us and not from our own works is indeed to be free. The story of Martin Luther and the bondage from which he suffered before he understood grace is a great example of what this freedom can mean. However, as we saw in Peter, the wonderful truth can be twisted. “The great truth of our entire dependence upon Christ for salvation lies close to the error of presumption. Freedom in Christ is by thousands mistaken for lawlessness; and because Christ came to release us from the condemnation of the law, many declare that the law itself is done away, and that those who keep it are fallen from grace. And thus, as truth and error appear so near akin, minds that are not guided by the Holy Spirit will be led to accept the error and, in so doing, place themselves under the power of Satan’s deceptions. In thus leading people to receive error for truth, Satan is working to secure the homage of the Protestant world.” - Ellen G. White, Christ Triumphant, p. 324.

Amen! But, even more, he has been planning for over two thousand years to deceive God's church in our day just as he deceived Israel of old. He has been clever in devising ways to pervert the gospel itself so many would believe they are saved when in fact they are in a lost condition. Even when the prophet was in the church, this deception abounded. False teachers had so inculcated a false gospel into the church that it was rare to find one who was truly converted.

The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ. 6BC 1075.


What a deception! What damage false teachers do. Think of the multitudes who have been lost through the years. Think of the misery and suffering in this world because we have delayed the coming of Christ!


Discussion Questions:

    Meditate on 2 Peter 2:19 and the other things Peter says about the results of the false teaching. Why must we be sure to learn for ourselves the crucial truths we believe? How important is it that we all agree exactly on what we should believe? When does it become “dangerous” to think ideas that are different from the rest of our fellow believers?

What is a "believer"? It is dangerous to have ideas that are contrary to Scripture, and to not reveal the fruits of the Spirit. It was also dangerous for the disciples to think ideas so different from the teachings of the Jewish leaders. Stephen was stoned to death for his different ideas. There is safety in a multitude of counselors who are truly converted, but not from those who were buried alive. How can we tell the difference between those who love God supremely and those who do not?


    Look at some of the strong language of Peter in regard to the whole question of punishment and judgment: “bring upon themselves swift destruction”
    (2 Pet. 2:1); “shall utterly perish in their own corruption” (2 Pet. 2:12); “to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Pet. 2:9); “and their damnation slumbereth not.” (2 Pet. 2:3). What should these texts tell us about not only the reality of judgment but about how strongly God condemns those who will lead His people into error?

Strong words indeed. God is not pleased with those who speak things He has not spoken. "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." Job 38:2,3. And, those who pervert the gospel truth, is even worse: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Galatians 1:8-10.

It is not popular to utter such truths. But, whom shall we offend, God or man? Few appreciate the sacrifice of God in sending His innocent Son to suffer and die that we might be transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18). For those who are found preaching false gospels, which are many, we find they are warring against God and His Word. They are not pleased to hear the straight truth. It causes a shaking in the church. This is God's church, it will see revival and reformation. Rebellion will cease. The simplicity of the gospel will be preached in the church and it will be taken to the world.

We are guilty of having delayed the second coming of Christ because we have not taken the real gospel to the world.

 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." This prophecy will again be fulfilled. The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in this generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to "every creature which is under heaven." Colossians 1:23. So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Revelation 14:6, 14. God "hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world." Acts 17:31. Christ tells us when that day shall be ushered in. He does not say that all the world will be converted, but that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.


    What do you think it means when those who talk about “freedom in Christ” generally do so, not in the context of the law in general (though some do) but in the context of keeping the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment? How does this argument help us to see another way that the idea of “freedom in Christ” can be twisted?

Freedom in Christ means more than saying one is freedom from the condemnation of the law. What does Paul say in Romans seven and eight? The unconverted is not free from sin. He is captive to it. "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." Romans 7:23. But, when we are fully surrendered and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2. Freedom in Christ means we are no longer a slave to sin. This deception has come into God's church. If we sin, we are in bondage and need to call on Jesus for help. Only Christ can save us from self and sin. 

This is a good truth to end this week's lesson on false teachers. The great deception that has been brought into modern day Christianity is that one is saved when one is not fully surrendered. Like Nicodemus, many have been taught they have eternal life (salvation) when they are not born of the
Spirit. They need to learn the lesson that Jesus taught Nicodemus. Listen carefully to Jesus' words to Nicodemus and see if you can identify the false teaching of today and the remedy. From the Book of John:

3:5   Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 
 3:6   That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 
 3:7   Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 
 3:14   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:


Will you speak up in your Sabbath School class? Will you speak words of truth that bring freedom from sin, that will help to hasten the soon coming of Jesus? Or will you fear the reproach of man rather than God? Will you call for teachers of truth to replace those who know not the power of grace to transform sinners into saints? God is looking for honest of heart men and women who will speak the truth in love.

Who will go forth preaching the gospel truth?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

colporteur

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2017, 12:53:56 PM »
One of the ways one can identify a false teacher is not that they necessarily teach / preach heresy as that is the most flagrant example. It is not necessary to preach in your face error to be a false teacher. A more subtle example of false teaching is to neglect to preach a "present truth message." If the message could be preached in any Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, or Catholic church without raising any eyebrows then they have delivered a false message and are therefore a false teacher. The question may arise " if they are not teaching error why would you say they are a false teacher?

 Let me try to make an analogy. What if a doctor treats a patient in a manner that is not relevant to their current condition? Is it neccessary that a physician put dirt in an infected wound to be considered a quack ? What if he simply fails to administer a treatment that is current and relevant to the situation ? What if he puts a bandaid on an seriously infected sore ? He did not make it worse. He did not make it better. There is a serious automobile accident. The victim has a severed leg and is bleeding profusely. The first responder or EMT spends 15 minutes cleaning glass out of the victim's hair neglecting to put a tourniqutie on the persons leg. How much respect would this medical professional recieve ?

 Any teacher /preacher who does not deliver a "present truth message" for these last days is a "false teacher" and by him/her occupying the pulpit takes away one more opportunity for a patient / pupil. brother/sister to receive the needed help, education, comfort, or correction. An example of a message that is a false message because it is truth but not a "present truth" message for this time would be tame, generic messages on "friendship." A false message would be for the mark of the beast to be knoocking at the door while then preacher preaches on love and honesty. Love and honest is a topic of precious truth but not appropriate for a person who is a loving person seeking and needing present truth regarding current life and death issues.
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Wally

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Re: Sabbath School Lesson 11--2nd Quarter 2017--False Teachers
« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2017, 03:44:30 PM »
It is not necessary to preach in your face error to be a false teacher. A more subtle example of false teaching is to neglect to preach a "present truth message." If the message could be preached in any Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, or Catholic church without raising any eyebrows then they have delivered a false message and are therefore a false teacher.

We had a pastor like that once.  Good preacher, beautiful  messages, but only 3 sermons in 4 years that could be considered "present truth."  I'm thankful for our current pastor, who does preach present truth.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10