DAY # 229 2 Peter 1:1-4 & Day # 230 – 2 PETER 2:1-3

Joel Redmon is writing the blog this week. Joel is an Elder at Church of the Valley.

Day # 230

BACKGROUND
As we go through the first two chapters of 2nd Peter it is important to understand the environment at the time of the writing. Within a generation of the death and resurrection of Christ issues surfaced in “the faith”. From a human perspective, it is not difficult to understand what started to happen. Christian’s were either in the camp that Jesus would return at anytime living a life of expectation of his return or as the years past started to cast doubt on Jesus’ return and ultimately upon the promises of God.

2nd Peter was written to get the readers focused on the truth and not all of the false teachings and doubts that had surfaced through the passage of time.

IS THIS RELEVANT TODAY?
This writing is very much relevant to us today. We are much further removed from the death and resurrection of Jesus; we have so many religions of the world with easy access to the beliefs of these religions; the false teachers have easier entry points into our day-to-day lives via the advancement of technology and television and lastly, everyone is so busy that time to study and meditate on God’s word is hard to come by.

This backdrop will be posted everyday just as a reminder of why 2nd Peter was written and the relevance to each of us as we continue our quest to live the lives that God has planned for each of us. It is in this vein that Peter wrote this passage to remind us of the foundational truths.


DAY 4 - 2 Peter 2:1-3
1But 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. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

FALSE TEACHERS AND THEIR DESTRUCTION
Peter now moves to the truth about false prophets. He said they existed in the Old Testament days and they will exist in the current church. This truth is the same today. A few things to know about false teachers:

#1.) THEIR GOAL IS TO LURE US FROM OUR FULL DEVOTION TO GOD
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 provides an interesting illumination on the subject of false prophets, it states:

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. (NIV)

While we will never understand how these false prophets do the miraculous sign or wonder, the Bible tells us they will. It happened in Egypt when the wise men and sorcerers and the Egyptian magicians performed before Pharaoh to discredit Moses and Aaron (Ex 7:10-11). Miraculous powers do not give proof of authentic faith. We are warned not to be tricked by the miracle. The goal of the false prophet is to get us to depart from being fully devoted to God. I am reminded of the movie Forrest Gump…run Forrest run! Take a look at the 3rd verse above again…The Lord God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. The false prophet will eventually be exposed by his/her action.

#2.) THEY ARE DECEPTIVE
It is sad but true that false teachers plague the church because they can easily deceive many with false claims and mighty works. This is an indictment on us in not knowing the Word of God and also for being so intrigued by sensationalism. Jesus stated the following warning in Matthew 7:15-20:

15-20"Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned. (The Message)

To identify a false teacher you must examine the way they live and their message. Do their character and actions conform to the Word of God. Are they Christ-like in action? Do they say what pleases people making life easy and avoid the difficult teachings that require life change?

Additionally, their love for self, not for others, dominates their lives. This is the opposite of what Jesus calls us to do which is to humbly put others first.

#3) DESTRUCTION AWAITS THE FALSE TEACHERS
Peter tells us that in due time, the false teachers will be appropriately dealt with. Their destruction is not caused by the evil of their deceptive ways but the fact that “they deny the sovereign Lord, who bought them”. (2nd Peter 2:1) Continual sin will cause those caught up in it to deny the grace of God.
SO WHAT?
These first three verses in this 2nd chapter of 2nd Peter should serve as a wake-up call for us. It is a call for us to desire to hear a truth that convicts us to change our lives. It is a call for us not to be impressed with smooth talk and showmanship but by the life being lived. It is a call to go from superficial relationships with leaders to authentic relationships (otherwise how will we know how they live?). Finally, it is a call for us to stay awake and alert!


DAY 229 – 2 PETER 1:1-4


BACKGROUND
As we go through the first two chapters of 2nd Peter it is important to understand the environment at the time of the writing. Within a generation of the death and resurrection of Christ issues surfaced in “the faith”. From a human perspective, it is not difficult to understand what started to happen. Christian’s were either in the camp that Jesus would return at anytime living a life of expectation of his return or as the years past started to cast doubt on Jesus’ return and ultimately upon the promises of God.

2nd Peter was written to get the readers focused on the truth and not all of the false teachings and doubts that had surfaced through the passage of time.

IS THIS RELEVANT TODAY?
This writing is very much relevant to us today. We are much further removed from the death and resurrection of Jesus; we have so many religions of the world with easy access to the beliefs of these religions; the false teachers have easier entry points into our day-to-day lives via the advancement of technology and television and lastly, everyone is so busy that time to study and meditate on God’s word is hard to come by.

This backdrop will be posted everyday just as a reminder of why 2nd Peter was written and the relevance to each of us as we continue our quest to live the lives that God has planned for each of us. It is in this vein that Peter wrote this passage to remind us of the foundational truths.

2 Peter 1:12-21
12So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For 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."[a] 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, 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. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE
In today’s passage, Peter is reminding Christians that he is not giving them a new truth. What they are getting from him is a truth that they already know and one that prophets spoke of long ago. But also Peter is advising readers of his credibility. It is not out of some secondhand story that he heard someone else speak, but he was an eyewitness to the fulfillment of Scripture. Peter was personally present when God spoke from heaven. Peter heard God’s voice when he said “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”. This was important for the 1st generation church to hear this because the false teachers were not sticking to the truth; so Peter wanted to remind believers to stay mindful of what they know, for the truth changes not.

But also, Peter reminded believers that all prophecy of Scripture is inspired by God. A prophet is defined as one who speaks for God. 2ND Timothy 3:16 says it this way “All Scripture is God-breathed”.

SO WHAT?
Peter acknowledges that what he is writing is a repeat. He even goes on to tell the readers that he will make every effort that even after his death there will always be a way for believers to remember the truth. Peter gives several points for us to consider as we look at God’s word:


#1. NEVER GET TIRED OF HEARING/READING GOD’S TRUTH
As believers it is important that we understand that the Word of God never ages nor is it ever stagnant. It will always be productive. No matter how many times I hear or read John 3:16 God always surprises me with a new message that is spot on to something I am dealing with at the time. In 1ST John 2:21 it is written “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it “. A repeat of God’s truth whether reading or studying will act to confirm the basic gospel truth of Jesus.

Psalm 1:2-3 captures it the best, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers”.

In short, there are benefits to us when we immerse our lives in God’s word.

#2. LEAVE A LEGACY THAT POINTS OTHERS TO CHRIST
Peter understood that he would not live on this earth forever; therefore, he focused on what he would leave behind that would help believers to stay focused and grow closer to the Lord. Peter modeled for us how simple this can be. He shared what he witnessed God had done.

We have talked about this many times at COV, the question for each of us is ‘what is the legacy you want to leave behind’? The next logical question is ‘what are you doing today to establish that legacy?

#3 THE WORK WE DO FOR GOD IS EMPOWERED BY GOD
Peter made the point that prophets spoke not from their own wisdom but from God’s.

Several of the Books of the Bible in the New Testament opened with a phrase such as ‘a servant of Christ Jesus’. This was an acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord of their life. His followers would do his will. Christians voluntarily and joyfully submit to the Master, who lovingly guides us through life.

As we understand that Jesus is guiding us through life. We are positioned to give all credit to Him for whatever we do. We have nothing to boast or be puffed up about. It is Jesus choosing to do His will through us as we humbly submit to be used by Him. Therefore, our response should be to give all glory and honor to God for everything!