Introduction
Begin your sermon by commenting on how many people make big promises to change our lives for the better. Whether it is advertisements for products, politicians during elections, or diets to help you lose weight, everyone seeks to convince us that life will be better if we go along with their recommendation.
Pastors are no different. Some of them will tell us that coming to Christ will solve all your problems and that a relationship with Jesus is one of blessing upon blessing. No hardship, no suffering, unending joy.
Peter is concerned about pastors who say these kind of things, because they are busy leading God’s people away from the truth of the gospel. They pretend that there is no cost in following Christ, deceiving believers into thinking that we can be assured of salvation whilst continuing to live as we please.
Heretics frustrate Christian discipleship
Explain why Peter wants us to be on our guard against heretics/false teachers.
Explain how false teachers are waterless springs/mists driven by storms.
Explain how false teachers deceive by promising freedom and why they are particularly dangerous to new believers.
Apply: we will fall prey to false teachers if we do not know our Bibles. We must familiarize ourselves with the whole council of God so that we will not be deceived by those who come with verses taken out of context. Studying a catechism will also be a great help to us to keep us from error.
Explain/Apply: Christ has not promised that following him will result in your best life now. Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives will suffer (2 Timothy 3:1–17). The Christian life is one of suffering now and glory later. We will also experience the same hardships as unbelievers while we live in this world. We must not pretend otherwise.
Heretics will be destroyed in judgment
Explain how the heretics are worse off than they were before.
Explain how those who leave the Christian faith (apostasize) thereby show that they were never true believers.
Encourage believers to hear the warning of Peter, knowing that Christ will guard his own and that he guards us by warning us of what will happen should we leave him.
Apply: instead of being taken in by those who promise a life of comfort and pleasure, let us deny ourselves by making every effort to grow in godliness.
Conclusion
Be on your guard against those who promise your best life now. The Christian life is not free of hardship and struggles. We are called to fight against our sinful desires, not to indulge them. Christ has promised to help us in this battle. He has given us his Spirit to dwell in us. Let us therefore not be deceived by those who turn from the ways of righteousness, but let us walk in them, trusting Christ to help us with our faith rooted in his promises. Let us pray for more grace to be given to us and that our loved ones who have wandered from the faith may be brought back. Let us also remember that our present hardships cannot compare to the glory that waits for those who belong to Christ when he returns.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.