Springs Without Water. Teachers Without Truth: 2 Peter 2:17-22
After World War II, in the 1950s and 1960s, the American Church was stronger than anyone could ever remember. In 1952, 75% of all Americans said that religion was “very important” in their lives. In 1957, over 80% of all Americans said they believed religion could answer today’s problems. Church affiliation during the 1950s jumped from 55% to 69%. The largest and most influential of the expressions of the Church was the mainline protestant denominations like the United Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, American Baptist, and the United Church of Christ.
Somewhere along the way the mainline churches in America lost their way, or maybe I should say they traded in the biblical message and mission for something different, something they felt was more relevant to a modern culture. Their leaders began to notice that more conservative churches were growing while they were losing members. They wanted to find out why this was happening.
Dean Kelley was a legal scholar who also worked for the National Council of Churches, a mainline church organization. He took on the responsibility of taking a look at why the mainline churches had stopped growing while more conservative churches were growing. He wrote a book which detailed his findings. The book was released in 1972 with the title, “Why Conservative Churches are Growing.” Dean Kelley learned that the mainline churches had given up important biblical truths like the divinity of Jesus, the reliability and authority of the Bible, the sinfulness of humanity and salvation through Jesus' atoning sacrifice, and the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The mainline churches had replaced these important biblical truths with a more modern secular belief system, but the conservative churches were unwilling to give up the central core beliefs found in the teachings of the Bible. Kelly said the mainline church had become marked by “relativism…lukewarmness…and individualism.” He issued a stern warning for his fellow mainline protestants: their watered-down version of Christianity was a recipe for disaster.
Long before Dean Kelley released his book, fifty years before to be exact, another man named J. Gresham Machen, a professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary saw a shift taking place that greatly troubled him for the future of the Church. The seminary was supposed to be educating the next generation of leaders in the church, but Dr. Machen saw his own seminary abandoning historical biblical Christianity for what Paul would call “another gospel” which was no gospel at all. In 1923, Machen published “Christianity and Liberalism” and it is still in print more than one hundred years later. It was named one of the top 100 books of the millennium by World magazine and one of the top 100 books of the twentieth century by Christianity Today. When Machen wrote his book the mainline churches seemed to be booming, but Machen saw the handwriting on the wall because of their theological shift away from biblical Christian teaching.
Dean Kelley and J. Gresham Machen might not have agreed theologically about everything pertaining to the Bible, but they both agreed the mainline church had abandoned biblical Christianity and was becoming a social service agency and political lobbying organization. This change was not being driven by those outside the Church, but by the very leaders of the churches themselves. Machen wrote,
The greatest menace to the Christian Church today comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the Church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core” (164). A terrible crisis unquestionably has arisen in the Church. In the ministry of evangelical churches are to be found hosts of those who reject the gospel of Christ. By the equivocal use of traditional phrases, by the representation of differences of opinion as though they were only differences about the interpretation of the Bible, entrance into the Church was secured for those who are hostile to the very foundations of the faith (182). (J. Gresham Machen. Christianity and Liberalism. 1923)
(The background for this information was taken from Tim Keller’s excellent article, The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 1-The Decline of the Mainline.) I’ve taken the time to share this lesson from history with all of you because I believe the modern-day American Church in 2025 needs to be reminded of our singular mission: The call of Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples by sharing the Good News of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done and is continuing to do all around the world. This mission is critical and demands every fiber of our being and every ounce of our energy because all people, apart from Jesus, are utterly hopeless, blind, and lost apart from the saving power that comes through Jesus alone. Much of the Church has lost its focus and as a result we are exhausting ourselves in the pursuit of political power, we’ve worked tirelessly to make ourselves and our message more palatable to unbelievers, we’ve downplayed the call of our God to live a holy life in exchange for living however we want, pursuing whatever we think will make us happy, we’ve given our time and energy to activist social causes, but we have abandoned our first love and primary calling to be ambassadors of Christ and Him alone. As a result of all of this, the gospel that is often shared is not the gospel at all. Long before there was a Dean Kelley or J. Gresham Machen, the Apostle Peter wrote these words,
17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity-- for "people are slaves to whatever has mastered them." 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud." (2 Peter 2:17-22 NIV)
At the beginning of 2 Peter 2, Peter launched into an attack on the false teachers who were leading people astray. In 2 Peter 2:1 we learned that the false teachers were introducing “destructive heresies, denying the Lord who bought them, and were bringing swift destruction on themselves.” In verse 3, we learned that the false teachers were exploiting their followers with fabricated stories so they could line their own pockets. In verse 10 we learned the false teachers, instead of following the will of God, were following the corrupt desires of their own flesh. Instead of being humble, they were “bold and arrogant.”
We stopped our last study at verse 16, but Peter wasn’t through describing the false teachers and their destructive ways. Take a look at verses 17-18 with me once again.
17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. (2 Peter 2:17-18 NIV)
False teaching and false teachers have always been a problem in the church. I believe I shared with you that false teachers are discussed in 26 of the 27 books of the New Testament, the only exception is the little letter to Philemon. Jude, the half brother of Jesus, and brother of James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote in his letter, something very similar to what we just read. Listen to this from Jude 1:12-13.
12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm-- shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-- twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:12-13 NIV)
Peter calls the false teachers “springs without water” and “mists driven by a storm.” Jude calls them “clouds without rain” and “autumn trees without fruit.” Both Peter and Jude describe the future of false teachers by saying “Blackest darkness is reserved for them.”
Peter’s description of the false teachers as “springs without water” and “mists driven by a storm” are powerful metaphors in the dry, arid climate of the Middle East where a spring was life-giving and sometimes life-saving for weary travelers who mapped their journey from one spring to another in order to have water. Imagine the disappointment of the parched traveler when he arrived at the spring after a long hot day only to find it dry. The disappointment could be overwhelming. And so it is with these teachers who promise spiritual nourishment, but only leave their followers as parched as they were before they put their hope in the false teacher’s words.
I want to show you something truly amazing. Look back at your Bible, to verse 17. Do you see where Peter describes the false teachers as “springs without water?” The Greek word used, which is translated “spring” in your Bible, is the word, “πηγή” (pēgē) which can be translated as “spring, well, or fountain.” The same Greek word was used by Jesus when He was having a discussion with a Samaritan woman at a well. The woman was thirsty and that is why she made the journey from her village to the well. Jesus used the woman’s thirst to open her eyes to an even greater thirst, not a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst, that was deep inside of her. Jesus said,
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NIV)
False teachers make promises that are empty, but Jesus alone can deliver on His promise to give us water that will “become…a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is not the only place this Greek word is found in connection to Jesus. Turn with me to Revelation 7:16-17. In Revelation, John is given a glorious vision of heaven. John sees a great group of people who had come out of the tribulation and then he is told.
16 'Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,' nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" (Revelation 7:16-17 NIV)
Jesus, who is the Lamb of God, will never lead you to dry springs my friend. Jesus promises to give you water that will continuously well up within you, forever nourishing you regardless of what you face in life. I know this to be true. Many of you, those of you who are followers of Jesus, know this to be true as well.
This past week I was introducing our friend Nabi to Darius. I told Darius that when Nabi came here to OKC from Bangkok, Thailand he was a Muslim, but Jesus had opened his eyes and softened his heart and now he is a follower of Jesus. Nabi began to talk about the changes Jesus has made in his life, inward changes in his mind, his heart, as well as outer changes in the way he is now living. My heart was so full listening to my brother in Christ speak about Jesus. We all have a thirst for something more in life, something that lasts in life, but only Jesus can satisfy and quench that deep, deep thirst within us. Let’s move on so I can highlight another aspect of the false teachers in Peter’s day which is still true of false teachers today. Read verse 18 with me.
18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. (2 Peter 2:17-18 NIV)
The false teachers have silver tongues, but everything they say and offer is nothing more than fool’s gold. Dick Lucas and Christopher Green write,
Overblown, with exaggerated claims dressed in fancy words, these people were like spiritual pufferfish, inflating themselves to impress and intimidate. When these people operate today, then, we would expect great claims for what God has done and will do through them, and for the remarkable spiritual benefits and freedom that have come from following their simple programme. But, of course, we are disappointed. (Green and Lucas. The Message of 2 Peter and Jude. pg. 105)
False teachers have an almost foolproof tool in their toolbox and it is the ability to lure people in by appealing to their natural, fleshy desires. Peter says, “...appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.”
There are two words that Peter uses that we need to stop and talk about. The first is the Greek word, “δελεάζω” (deleazō) which is translated “enticed” in the NIV. This same Greek word is used by James in describing the process of temptation. Take a look at James 1:13-16 with me.
13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. (James 1:13-16 NIV)
People, all people, are tempted when we are “dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” God says to you and me, in the midst of our temptations, “That’s not the way!” Any and every true follower of Jesus will say the same to you and me when we are tempted, but the false teachers will encourage us to follow our desires instead of following the Lord. “Come on, what’s it going to hurt?” “You are an adult, you should do whatever you feel in your heart is right.” “That’s what God’s grace is for, right?”
The pull of the flesh, our desires, is so strong. Aldous Huxley was a brilliant author and thinker. He wrote 50 books, some, like Brave New World, are still studied in our schools to this day even though Huxley has been dead for more than eighty years now. Huxley was brilliant, but his desires kept him from even considering the possibility of the existence of God. He admitted that having a belief in God had consequences that that is why he wrote,
I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently I assumed that it had none and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption…. Those who detect no meaning in the world generally do so because, for one reason or another, it suits their books that the world should be meaningless. …For myself as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was …liberation from… a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom… There was one admirably simple method in our political and erotic revolt: We could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever. Similar tactics had been adopted during the eighteenth century and for the same reasons. (Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means. pg. 270-273)
The seductive enticements of the flesh are so strong and false teachers are well aware of that my friend. Jesus, on the other hand, calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. He told the crowd that was following Him one day,
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38 NIV)
For false teachers in the ancient church and in the modern-day church, self is exalted above all else, but for those who want to follow Jesus, we must die to self in order to live for Jesus.
There is a second word that is very important for us to understand and it is found in the last phrase of verse 18 where Peter writes, “...they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.” (2 Peter 2:17-18 NIV) What does that mean? I can tell you what it means. Peter is giving us insight into who these false teachers target. They target those who are new believers, those who may profess a faith in Jesus, but don’t know anything about what it means to follow in His steps. Peter says they target those who are just “escaping” from those who live in error. The Greek word which is translated “escaping” is an important word. It is the Greek word “ἀποφεύγω” (apopheugō) and Peter used this same word in his first letter to describe the followers of Jesus in these scattered provinces of the Roman Empire. Turn with me to 1 Peter 1:3-4 and let’s read together.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)
If you are a follower of Jesus, God has given you His “very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” He did not bring us out of the darkness and into His marvelous light so that we might fall back into a life lived in utter darkness and depravity all over again. In order to escape falling back into the old lifestyle we desperately need discipleship, training concerning how to grow in our walk with the Lord.
Many years ago, there was a man who lived in a little shotgun house in what used to be the alley running between the gym and the sanctuary. Charles became a great friend of mine and a member of this church, but before that ever happened Charles was a heroin addict. Charles had a girlfriend who lived with him and early one morning she came to the church looking all disheveled and crying. We sat in my office and she told me her story. At one time she also was a drug addict, but the Lord had changed her life. She became a drug and alcohol counselor in Colorado for a number of years. Then she moved back to Oklahoma and reconnected with Charles. Before long she had fallen back into her old life. She told me they drank Jack Black and shot black tar heroin each night until they passed out. It was all so exciting at first. She loved Charles and they enjoyed one another’s company…until they didn’t. The relationship had turned violent and she was asking for help to get back to the Lord and away from Charles.
Your story and my story may not be that dramatic, but it is just as dark. Our desires, whether it is for black tar heroin or revenge or greed or sexual experiences or pride–they will all destroy us in the end.
We are about out of time. We will come back and finish this study next week, but before we go I want to urge you to avoid false teachers in the church. You might wonder what that means so let me spell it out for you. Anyone who calls himself or herself a Bible teacher and denies that Jesus is God Incarnate, fully human and fully God is a false teacher and you should get away from them as fast as you can. Any Bible teacher who denies that Jesus lived a sinless life and offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice in order that sinners like you and me can be reconciled to God is a false teacher. Any Bible teacher who denies that Jesus, after He died, was literally, bodily, not spiritually, but bodily resurrected on the third day by the power of God is a false teacher. Any Bible teacher who denies that the Bible is the Word of God, not the word of men, but the Word of God and is the sole authority for the people of God is a false teacher. Last of all, any Bible teacher who denies that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only means by which all people can be saved, reconciled to God, and given eternal life is a false teacher. You should avoid these people like the plague!
Some of you may be new to Britton Christian Church and you are hearing this message for the first time and thinking, “Man, that seems pretty narrow minded, pretty hard core.” What I’ve shared with you is not narrow minded at all, it is biblical Christianity. God not only diagnoses our terminal condition caused by our sin which separates us from Him, but then He provides the means, through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for you and me to be healed and made whole. That my friend, is the Good News! Won’t you come to Jesus this morning?
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
July 6, 2025
