Pleasure Seekers and False Teachers

Does a smiling moose represent hedonism? I don't
think so, but I needed a picture and he was 
in the airport this morning. 

Scripture:

2Pet. 2:¹³ suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 

Observation:

Peter continues with his description of those who are false teachers. His frustration with the situation is evident as he spends time in lengthy and detailed analysis of their behavior. He uses the Greek word root that gives us the word hedonism. The Greeks identified this kind of a life-style as one of their four deadly sins. Therefore, these false prophets do not live a life of virtue, but exactly the opposite. While in the first chapter Peter listed the virtues that would reflect a Christian life, here he contrasts the life of false teachers. The seek pleasure and are so brazen that they don’t even wait until the darkness of night to hide their sin. Instead, they seek pleasure in the daytime where their behavior becomes a blot and a blemish to the body of Christ. 

These individuals pretend to be participating in the life of the church, while taking advantage at every turn. They enjoy overeating and getting drunk — even when they are at the church’s pot-luck dinners! The Greeks viewed overeating and heavy drinking during daylight hours as degenerate, and even more so should the church. 

The Christians would greet one another with a holy kiss, but these individuals would seek out others to kiss with hearts full of lust. The next phrase means that they were always looking for a woman with whom to commit adultery. They preyed on weak women within the church because they were filled with greed. Peter exclaims that they are “accursed children!”

Application:

Have you ever had your “radar” go off when you were around someone? Have you been at church when someone insisted on hugging you and it made you uncomfortable? If we think that we no longer have people in the midst of the church with the wrong motivations in their heart — we are fooling ourselves. Sadly, this has always been an issue, from the very first century. From the warnings of Peter to this day, we must be keenly aware that the enemy will constantly try to infiltrate the ranks of the church to introduce evil and bring discord. That’s why Peter was willing to talk about these very uncomfortable subjects — because he did not want God’s people to be ignorant. 

This last few years we have seen the failure of many religious leaders. They allowed pleasure to overtake their sensibilities and participated in acts that are abhorrent. They used their power and authority to prey on weak individuals, simply to satisfy their own desires. 

Even today, we are not supposed to be ignorant — because there will always be those false teachers, and fake Christians who will try to be in our midst. If your “radar” goes off — pay attention! Do not allow people like this to inform your spiritual life. A spiritual leader ought to reflect Christ, not just in word, but in actions and lifestyle as well. 

Prayer:

Lord, please protect me from listening to the wrong voices. May your voice be leading, loudly and clearly in my life. Amen.