Friday, March 08, 2019

2 Peter 2:9-12

2 Peter 2:9-12 Podcast

9 ... if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. (2 Peter 2:9-12)

We continue today with the destiny of the false teachers who had infiltrated the church. We will always have false teachers among us, and one way we can identify them as such, is to take note of their selfishness. The flesh always expresses itself contrary to the ways of God, unrighteous, corrupt, despising authority, arrogant, heaping abuse, bringing God's judgement upon themselves, unreasoning, instinctual, and will perish.

Peter tells us these false teachers heaped abuse on the "celestial beings", which means some of their teachings aligned with God's judgement on the evil angels who chose to rebel with Satan so long ago. Such is the case with false teachers, they mix truth with the false. In doing so, they follow the lead of the Evil One, Satan himself.

The truth is objective not subjective. By and large, today's church has lost its ability to discern truth from error. This is the result of not being students of the Word. We are more committed to nice sound bites than we are the whole counsel of God. Of course, when we become students of the Word, we will be in the position to discern the false. 

In v.10-11 Peter informs us that even the good angels who, unlike the false teachers, are stronger than the evil ones, nevertheless do not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment on them. The good angels humbly leave the judgement of these corrupt teachers to God.

Note the difference between the evil and the good angels in v.10-11, the good angels submit to the authority of God, but the evil angels, like the false teachers, resist God's authority.


In v.12 Peter notes that the false teachers are like "unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish." 

In the end truth will prevail and those who resist the truth will perish. I trust you are know the One who is the Truth. (John 14:6) The old saying is true: those who move the world are not moved by the world.

Thursday, March 07, 2019

2 Peter 2:4-8

2 Peter 2:4-8 Podcast


4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) (2 Peter 2:4-8)

Yesterday, we considered 2 Peter 2:1-3 which describes the methods of false teachers. In 2 Peter 2:4-8, Peter describes their destiny.


In our text for today, Peter presents three examples of God's judgement: the fallen angels who were cast out of God's presence with Satan, those God swept away who ignored God's warnings through Noah, and, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who were burned to ashes because they embraced ungodliness.


I have often wondered: "Is it that God punishes that which is contrary to His definition of things? Or, is it, if we do not live according to God's definition of things, we suffer the consequences of the wrong definitions?"

Peter uses these three illustrations as a warning to those who were falsely teaching. He also gives the second and third illustrations to instill hope in his hearers who were living amid those who were trying to derail them.


The idea that Peter is communicating here is this: everything will look bleak and you will be tempted to go the way of the world, but do not forget how in the past God has always preserved His children out of it all.


In the context of this teaching, the believer is responsible to live in the truth, being defined by it, and, by example, help others recognize the dangers of the false. Just remember ... "God uses those who are weak and feeble enough to depend upon Him." Hudson Taylor


Years ago, Winkie Pratney wrote an excellent article. In that article, he wrote, “The Bible is full of mistakes…The first mistake was when Eve doubted the Word of God. The second happened when her husband did, too. And mistake after mistake is still being made because people insist on doubting God’s Word. The Bible is full of contradictions…It contradicts pride and prejudice. It contradicts lust and lawlessness. It contradicts sin, yours and mine." A lot to think about.


To read the Winkie Pratney article in its entirety, go to 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a63ca49a803bbb2281732b1/t/5a98f3adf9619ad906d6492d/1519973293982/%E2%80%9CThe+Bible+is+Full+of+Mistakes%E2%80%9D+by+Winkie+Pratney.pdf

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

2 Peter 2:1-3

2 Peter 2:1-3 Podcast

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 2:1-3)


In 2 Peter 2:1-3 Peter is describing the ways of the false teachers. In 2 Peter 2:4-10, he describes their destiny.  


In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter reveals that these false teachers will always be among us. They look the part of a Christian, they say all the right things, but they don't really believe in the Lord Jesus. These false teachers bring the false in alongside the true. Their message doesn't appear to be different. The false mesmerizes it's hearers, so that if we do not know the truth for ourselves, we will be caught in its grasp.

The word "heresies" used in v.1 means to make a choice. The writers of the Bible used this term because to them any choice other than the gospel was heresy. What we believe about the cross of Jesus Christ is the bottom line choice. Peter tells us these men "deny the sovereign Lord who bought them." 

In v.2 Peter describes the morality of these false teachers. "Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute." This word "depraved" refers to anything that has to do with the senses. Sensual people base their lives on what tastes good, what looks good, what feels good. 

Such people live for the now. Now-money, now-cars, now-clothes, now-prestige, now-power. Power, fame and the latest fad is the focus of the sensual person's thinking. They use people to win things instead of using things to win people to Christ.

In v.3 we see they exploit people's hunger for God. They will spiritually rip them off with plastic words. Our word "plastic" comes from the Greek word which is translated here as "false." They tell people what they want to hear. They manufacture words in order to appeal to them, and they will exploit them. 

Peter says, "Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." God will judge people who live out that sort of lifestyle, who teach others to live sensually. Their judgment will not go down with the sun. 


Tuesday, March 05, 2019

2 Peter 1:19-21

2 Peter 1:19-21 Podcast

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

2 Peter 1:16-21 gives two things that provide stability to our faith: (1) the witness of the disciples to the deity of Jesus Christ (1:16-18); and, (2) the revelation of God through the Scriptures (1:19-21). 

Today we will consider the second of these.

Our faith gains a measure of stability by 
the revelation of God through the Scriptures.

In 2 Peter 1:12-15, Peter employs the first person pronoun, I, to make his points. But in 2 Peter 1:16-18, he uses the plural pronoun, we, in order to include the testimonies of James and John who experienced the transfiguration of Jesus while on the mount of transfiguration. Peter, James, and John all saw and heard, and collaborated this real event.

Truth is the revelation of God through His chosen apostles and prophets as recorded in His Word (John 17:17). Such truth supremely focuses on God’s revelation of His Son who said (John 18:37), “for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.” He also said (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The truth about Jesus is made known to us through the scriptures. 

Jesus is the eternal Son of God who laid aside His glory and took on human flesh through the virgin birth. He is fully God and fully man. He voluntarily laid aside the use of some of His divine attributes as He took on the form of a servant and became obedient to death on the cross.

As the apostle John put it (John 1:14), “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 

In our text today, we have the testimony of a man who spent more than three years with Jesus Christ. For most of those three years, he saw the humanity of Jesus. He saw Jesus hungry, tired, and finally, rejected and crucified by sinners. But he also saw Jesus feed the 5,000, walk on water, heal the sick, and raise the dead. He saw Jesus in His glory on the mount of transfiguration. He saw Him risen from the dead and he saw Him ascend into heaven, with the angelic promise that He is coming again in power and glory. 


This witness to Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith.

I will close with the appropriate words of C.S. Lewis. 


"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Monday, March 04, 2019

2 Peter 1:16-18

2 Peter 1:16-18 Podcast

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18)

2 Peter 1:16-21 gives two things that provide stability to our faith: (1) the witness of the disciples to the deity of Jesus Christ (1:16-18); and, (2) the revelation of God in Scripture (1:19-21). 

Today we will consider just the first of these.

Stability is added to our faith by the witness of the disciples to the deity of Jesus Christ.

There were false teachers accusing the apostles of following cleverly devised tales, but Peter writes, “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

The difference between cleverly devised stories and the Christian faith is the teachings of Christianity which are the result of historical eye witness truth. Christianity is based upon truth, and Peter, himself, was an eye witness to the transfiguration of Christ as recorded in Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2–3, Luke 9:28–36

When Peter, James and John went up on that mountain they heard the voice of God and they saw the glory of God settle on Jesus. They were there, they heard, they saw, and they gave collaborative evidence of the Father defining Jesus as deity. 

I find it instructive that on that mountain came Moses and Elijah. The glory of God didn't rest on the one who represented the Law or the one representing the Prophets, it rested on the One who was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. 

As a side note, God told us that we do not arrive in His eyes through our efforts to live out the teachings of the Law and the Prophets. No, our acceptance before God only comes through the performance of the Lord Jesus to measure up and fulfill the demands of the Law and the Prophets.

"As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life." Albert Einstein

#2 Peter #byoungministry #bible #discipleship #A.C.T. Intl.

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Friday, March 01, 2019

2 Peter 1:12-15

2 Peter 1:12-15 Podcast

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Peter 1:12-15)

In 2 Peter 1:3 Peter wrote, "God's divine power has already given us all things which lead to life and godliness." Since God has given us the power of his Spirit, our efforts to experience eternal life now has great possibilities. We must never forget that we do not work to earn God's favor. 

According to v.12, the things Peter is writing about are already known. Peter's readers are well grounded and established in the truth. Just before Peter denied Christ three times, Jesus said to him (in Luke 22:32) "When you have turned again, establish your brothers." This is the same word used here in 2 Peter 1:12. It is the truth that establishes or gives us the type of security that causes us to stare down the monsters in life.

In v.14 Peter's departure from earth is close. The Lord has shown him it will not be long. This implies that when we die, we go to be with the Lord. Peter says our bodies are like a coat and death means we lay the coat aside for a while and leave. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." 

In addition, the death of the believer is not accidental. In John 21:18-19 Jesus predicted Peter would die by crucifixion. And, we know Peter died upside down on a cross. 

Since Peter's hearers were established in the truth, and Peter's time was short on earth, Peter reminds us of these things. The word remember appears 166 times in the Bible. 

I understand Peter's thinking. My father was told he had five months to live. And, sure enough after he was told in May, he died in October (1981). After my father found out his time was limited, he started teaching me what was most important in this life. 

Even though we know the truth and are established in it, we need repeated reminders of the greatness of God's ways or we will forget. This is why God works in such ways in our lives. He wants us to persevere in the truth, but He is the secret behind our success. We must be diligent to not resist His lessons, even when they are unpleasant and difficult to receive.

I can't help but think of that scene in the movie Lion King when Simba hears his father remind him to remember who he is. This is what Peter is doing here in our text for today. We must remember that our value is best measured at the cross of the Lord Jesus. This is our greatest motivation to be engaged in the work that He has called us to in this world.

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

2 Peter 1:9-11

2 Peter 1:9-11 Podcast

9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:9-11)

Near sighted people have to work hard to see things, trying to figure out what is before them, but they can not see it. In 2 Peter 1:9, Peter refers metaphorically to the darkened spiritual understanding of some because they do not see what God is doing. This happens to us when we lose sight of God in the midst of our trials and become consumed by them. This is when we are defined by our emotions, and we have lost sight of trusting God's promises and trusting Him with our hearts. 


Peter says when we do this, we have forgetting that we have been cleansed from our past sins. The structure of the sentence suggests there is almost a deliberate forgetting. We would rather believe the lie than believe God's promises. 

God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and offer us forgiveness based on His sacrificial death for us. He then rose from the dead to give us hope of the life Jesus died to give us now. In addition, God wants to show us that His power will free us from the fears that have long shackled us. We do not have to be slaves any longer to sin, we are now slaves of righteousness.


When we have forgotten the necessity of trusting God at His word and following His definition of things, the result is blindness and lack of the vision that faith in the God of the Bible brings. 

In v.10, Peter uses the word confirm. In the Greek this is the word "bebaianwhich means to be firm, steadfast, sure, well-grounded, and unwavering, and in this verse it means to be steadfast concerning God’s calling on one's life. When God's teachings give definition to our lives, His type of life and plan become a spiritual reality. As a result, we will have great motivation to live out of His kingdom right now, even though it may look bleak at the moment.

I experienced this over the past month and a half. As you know, we went through a great trial. On the heals of that trial, a relatively small trial came as I got sick for a week. Then on the heels of that trial, I discovered that my monthly support was severely low. I began to worry, my biggest sin. Based upon my 37 years of learning the ways of God, I knew that He was up to something, I just couldn't see it and I was tired. I grumbled, but heard God say, "pray, son!" No sooner had I begun to pray, God started providing. I can't tell you all of the details, as other people are involved, but I just asked the Lord to lay it on His people's hearts. And guess what, He is doing just that. If you are one of the ones whom He has touched in this way, thank you for helping me do this ministry.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

2 Peter 1:7-8

2 Peter 1:7-8 Podcast

7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:7-8)

As we considered yesterday, Peter is giving us certain qualities produced by the Spirit of God in the life of the yielded believer who is feeding the Spirit and thus experiencing the life of God in his everyday life.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:5-6, "5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness..."

Faith plus goodness plus knowledge plus self-control plus perseverance plus godliness. Today, we add to these mutual affection and love.

I don't believe Peter means that these quality traits are added to our character in just this sequence. There is a lot of overlapping among these qualities. For example, love is already present in patience (1 Corinthians 13:4). Therefore, I believe Peter is saying: true Christians do not stop pursuing growth in God's grace (2 Peter 3:18). They apply themselves with diligence to increase in these things (see 2 Peter 1:8). 

The word Peter uses for "mutual affection" is "philadelphian", which is brotherly love, companionship love. The word Peter uses for love is "agapen" which is commitment love.

The literal translation of 2 Peter 1:5–7 is, "So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others." (The Message)

In 2 Peter 1:8, Peter begins to frame up this arsenal that he has given to the follower of Christ. I'm sure you know it is possible to make a start in the Christian life, but then to become indifferent and unfeeling and careless to the grace of God. 

Of course, when we become indifferent to God and His culture, we will drift away from His provisions and into destruction of some form. If we are not feeding the Spirit and subsequently being defined by God, we will be defined by our flesh which will bring corruption according to Galatians 6:8.

The answer is that we are motivated by God's promises which will spur us on to strive against the tide of self, resulting in fruitfulness and the ability to spot the false when it comes knocking on the door of our souls.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

2 Peter 1:6

2 Peter 1:6 Podcast

" ... and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness ( 2 Peter 1:6)

Peter writes, "to your knowledge add self-control."  "Self-control" literally means holding oneself in.  The Apostle is using an illustration from the athletes of his day who were self-restrained, self-disciplined. In the same way athletes abstain from unhealthy food, and alcohol, to keep themselves fit in order to maximize their abilities, Peter is encouraging us to do as well.  

False teachers always claim that their unique knowledge has freed them from the need for self-control. They indulge themselves. And, as we will see as this epistle unfolds, any theology that divorces faith from conduct is heresy. 


Godlikeness, which comes out of our personal experiential knowledge of God, expresses itself in self-control.  Self-control is the result of being defined by God, Himself. And, you will remember these characteristics are produced by God and realized in the life of the believer.

Peter goes on to write in v.6: and to self-control, add perseverance.  Translated "perseverance", the Greek word "hupomon" is to be patient in endurance in doing what is right. "hupomon" gives the idea of never giving up to temptation, never giving up to trial, never giving up to difficulty, never giving up to sin.  

And to this persevering endurance we are told to add “godliness.”  The Greek word Peter uses here, "eusebeia" is also used back in 2 Peter 1:3.  It means reverence, a practical awareness of God in every area of life. 

Now, remember Peter is preparing his hearers to deal with the false teaching of the false teachers. This is very important because it is only God who stirs the believer from the false, He also stirs us into the truth. Therefore, what Peter is doing is to provide the asphalt for our travels in the ways of God. And, the ways of God or God's culture is best learned in a personal, intimate relationship with God.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:5-6, "5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness..." 

Faith plus goodness plus knowledge plus self-control plus perseverance plus godliness. 

Tune in tomorrow for the next step in this travel through life with God. Tomorrow, we will discover what Peter is saying here regarding the believer and good theology and how it protects us from false teaching.


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Monday, February 25, 2019

2 Peter 1:5

2 Peter 1:5 Podcast

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5)

In 2 Peter 1:5-7, the Apostle provides a list of eight characteristics which will aid us in our walk with the Lord. This list begins with faith and ends with love. This list corresponds with the message of the whole Bible: our confidence in God's promises is the means by which we access God's power for a godly and wise life.

The commands in this passage are based on what the Apostle has written in v.3-4 which provides the pathway to a godly or wise life. These characteristics are produced by God, not by us. In like manner, the evil desires within us are not of our creation. We choose to access the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh. 

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who is at work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure." We must be careful to never reverse this order by saying, "I will work out my salvation so that God will work in me."   

The literal translation of v.5 is "as you have received faith in Christ and stand in it, now apply yourself diligently to advance in goodness; and as you stand in that, do not be satisfied but press on to increase your knowledge of God's will; and as you stand in that, do not be satisfied."

The Greek word the Apostle uses for "goodness" is "aretÄ“n" is only used five times in the New Testament.  In classical times, the word meant the God-given ability to perform heroic deeds.  And it came to mean the quality of someone’s life which makes them stand out as excellent. It is a noble term.  It is a term of heroism.  It is a term of moral heroism, moral excellence, quality. It means the act of living up to one's full potential.

To "goodness" Peter admonishes us to live out of God's provision of "knowledge." The word Peter uses here for "knowledge"  is "gnosko" which is the same root word that he uses in v.3. 

"Gnosko" used over 200 times in the New Testament, is experiential knowledge. This word knowledge means correct insight, understanding, truth properly comprehended, properly understood, properly applied. We must know before we can live.  

The Christian life is not hard, because God does the heavy lifting. The responsibility of the believer is to choose to resist the flesh, choose the way of the Spirit, yield to His way of thinking, and give the glory to God when we experience success.

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