Pied Piper
Submitted by Pastor Kevin Stevicks
Fellowship Baptist Church – Bearden, AR
June 13, 2024
2Pe 2:1-2 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 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
The legend behind the fairy tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin, many of us heard when we were young, dates back to the late 1200’s. Like many of these early stories it has a dark lesson to teach. It tells of a village overrun by rats who hired a man to remove them. The piper walked through the streets playing his flute, and the rats all came out to follow him. He led them down the nearby river where the rats all drowned.
Despite his success, the townspeople refused to pay him the agreed upon price. In return the piper walked through town again playing his flute. This time, he was followed by the town's children, whom he led away, never to be seen again.
There are pipers roaming the earth today, seeking to get people to follow them. While there are some people who teach error because they are genuinely mistaken, Peter warns that there will be others who are teaching heresy on purpose. They are not leading people to truth and righteousness, but instead intentionally leading them toward destruction. The “music” they are playing may sound good, but that does not mean it is safe or right to follow them.
We need to be alert to the attempts of the devil to lead us astray. He and his demonic minions do not appear in red suits holding pitchforks. Instead, they come as counterfeits of God's angelic messengers, appearing as good rather than evil.
Paul wrote this:
2Co 11:13-14 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Consider – Knowing that Satan uses false teachers to deceive us, we must be on guard to make sure what we are hearing is the truth.
Smiley – I asked a supermarket employee where they kept the canned peaches. He said, "I'll see," & walked away. I asked another & he also said, "I'll see," & walked away. In the end, I gave up and found them myself, in aisle C.
