2 Peter 2:1-10a(CEB)
1 But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow them in their unrestrained immorality, and because of these false teachers the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will take advantage of you with lies. The judgment pronounced against them long ago hasn’t fallen idle, nor is their destruction sleeping.
God didn’t spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into the lowest level of the underworld and committed them to chains of darkness, keeping them there until the judgment. 5 And he didn’t spare the ancient world when he brought a flood on the world of ungodly people, even though he protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, along with seven others. 6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to total destruction, reducing them to ashes as a warning to ungodly people. 7 And he rescued righteous Lot, who was made miserable by the unrestrained immorality of unruly people. 8 (While that righteous man lived among them he felt deep distress every day on account of the immoral actions he saw and heard.) 9 These things show that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and how to keep the unrighteous for punishment on the Judgment Day. 10 This is especially true for those who follow after these reckless, brash people aren’t afraid to insult the glorious ones,
Reflection
False prophets. False teachers. False preachers. Peter wrote about them when he penned 2 Peter.
Jesus made the same point about the Pharisees. Read what Jesus said in Matthew 23:1-33. He had much to say about them, and all of it bad. We have the same thing today. They have their churches, and many have their television stations. I’m not saying all are bad but many are.
We must be careful who we listen to. Paul wrote to the Colossians in 2:22-23:
“These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
My God doesn’t worry about the outside. That’s what he said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God sees right through an Armani suit.
Jesus certainly did when it came to the Pharisees. He said to them, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Paul wrote in Galatians 2:6: “God does not judge by external appearance.”
Jesus said in John 7:24: “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment.”
That’s why He gave us the Bible. I know that sometimes it’s confusing. Pray for wisdom and keep reading. Find a preacher who is able to preach. And stay away from those who preach the “Gospel of Prosperity.”
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
So many teachers, preacher and pastors. I’m not saying we should question everything. But maybe I am. Mainly, we should lean on God to help us understand.
Prayer: Dear God, lead us to teachers who truly teach. Just because we hear something from the pulpit doesn’t make it right. Help us to know the difference. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
