God Speaks
Both Peter and Jude Warn about False Teachers and Encourage Believers to Grow in Their Trust in Christ Alone
Verse of the Day: Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of Lord and Savior Jesus Chriist. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
2 Peter 1
Reflection: Peter did not write this letter to a specific group of people, but to anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their God and Savior. It was written a short time before his death. In essence it contains his final instructions to believers whenever and wherever they read it. He begins by identifying with their faith, which, like his, was in Jesus Christ. The basis of their mutual faith was the justice, goodness, kindness, and peace of God. If readers desire to grow in faith, they must strive to learn more and more about and from Him. As they do, through His mighty power, He will give them all they need for life and godliness. He will graciously share His glory and excellence with them. Through the great and precious promises He has made to them, they can partake in His divine nature and escape the corruption in the world around them because sinful desires. To see these promises fulfilled readers would need to be determined. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit, they would build on top of the foundation of faith in Christ the following elements: good character, plus knowledge of God and His ways, plus self-discipline, plus stick-to-itiveness, plus righteous behavior, plus friendly, helpful interactions with other people, and finally, deep, self-giving love. With this kind of construction in the readers’ lives, they would be fully equipped to do anything Jesus would ask them to do. If they kept on growing and increasing in these areas, they would also receive a warm welcome and rich rewards as they entered His eternal kingdom. This letter is Peter’s legacy to remind anyone who read it how to be fruitful and effective in the Christian life. What Peter was writing about–who Jesus was and what He accomplished–was not just a fabricated narrative: it was confirmed by God the Father Himself on the Mount of Transfiguration, by the prophets of the Old Testament and by the changed lives of readers who put it into practice.
Prayer: Dear great and awesome God, thank You for the written word of God, by which for millennia, Your people have been instructed and sustained. It tells of the greatness of You, Lord God, and all You have done for us, particularly through Jesus Christ Your Son. Through Him, You have given me all I need for life and godliness. Through Your Holy Spirit, I can share in Christ’s glory and excellence. Thank You for Your precious promises that give me hope and a future. Through the Spirit’s work in me, I can participate in Christ’s nature and be set free from the corruption brought on by sinful desires (both mine and other people’s). I am determined to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to see Christ’s goodness, wisdom, self-discipline, faithfulness, godliness, friendliness, and selfless love expressed in and through me. I look forward to spending eternity with You and receiving crowns and awards which I will humbly give to the One who really deserves them, Jesus. Lord, what legacy do You want me to leave for the benefit of current and future generations? I long for You to say of me, “This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.” May all that I say, do, feel, and think be conformed to the teachings of the prophets in the Old and New Testaments as well as other wise and godly people throughout history and in my own day and time. For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will talk with someone about the greatness of God and all He has done for us, particularly through Jesus Christ His Son. Preferably, this will be someone who has not yet believed in Him.
- I will diligently cooperate with the Holy Spirit to see Christ’s goodness, wisdom, self-discipline, faithfulness, godliness, friendliness, and selfless love expressed in and through me.
- I will ask God to show me what kind of legacy He wants me to leave, then work on it with His direction and help.
- I will read a book of the Bible or one written by a godly person and look for ways to apply it in my life.
2 Peter 2
Reflection: This chapter appears to describe my nation (USA) at this point in history as if Peter were reading our newspapers or watching our newscasts. Wicked, evil people are propagating and disseminating ideas and actions that are contrary to righteousness and truth as set forth in the scriptures. They have secretly introduced destructive heresies and are now actively promoting them. Many are following their shameful ways and bringing the way of truth into dispute. These “teachers” are exploiting people with stories they have made up. Condemnation is hanging over them and their destruction is on the way. Some people in the world are like Satan and the host of angels who rebelled along with him. They have been and will remain rebellious for all their existence. Some are like the people before the great flood: the thoughts of their hearts and their resulting actions are only evil continually. Many are like Lot whose righteous soul was tormented by the filthy lives of lawless people he witnessed daily. The situation is especially dire for those who have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord but have again become entangled with and been overcome by the world. They are worse off than they were before.
Prayer: Dear gracious and merciful God, please rescue Your people from the false philosophies, ideologies, and sinful behaviors permeating our society. It is leading us down the path of judgment and destruction like Satan and the angels who rebelled, the culture before the great flood, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In each of these cases, by Your grace, You reserved at least a remnant–2/3 of the angelic hosts, Noah and his family, and Lot and his daughters (because of Abraham’s intercession). My nation deserves Your judgment of death for the violence and blatant lawlessness; for the rampant disrespect for authority (even in the home); for the murder of unborn children as well as the physical and sexual abuse of so many of the children who do live; for deceitful business practices of all kinds; for perverted sexual practices (even in our churches); for selfishness and greed in every area of life; for the government’s arrogant disregard for its citizens, its own laws, and the God-honoring principles on which it was founded; for those charged with disseminating information who are covering up or promoting falsehood; for those charged with protecting and educating children who are instead leading them into destructive thoughts and actions; for those charged with promoting excellence, beauty, respect, and enjoyment who instead are propagating dissention, ugliness, disrespect, and misery. Even those of us who claim to be Your followers blaspheme, slander, and mock things we don’t understand or fear. For some, their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight (gay pride parades or wholesale looting of stores). Their eyes are full of adultery. They never stop sinning. They seduce the unstable. They are experts in greed. They love the wages of wickedness. They mouth empty and boastful words, appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature. They follow the corrupt desires of their sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant men slander celestial beings. As a nation and as individuals, we all deserve Your wrath. You have every right to destroy us all in devastating judgment, wiping the USA and the whole human race off the map; however, there are many (millions? Only You know the exact number.) who have been made righteous by placing their faith in Christ alone to save them. As Abraham pleaded with You for Sodom and Gomorrah, I plead for my nation and world, “Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from You! Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?” It was for that very reason You sent You Son, Jesus the Messiah, to earth to die in our place to satisfy Your judgment of man’s sin. Lord, please draw many people to believe on Jesus Christ and to love one another. For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will read, contemplate, and pray the prayer above aloud, meaning it in my heart.
- I will, after reading each sin listed above, repeat aloud, “Jesus suffered and died for that sin. I receive His forgiveness and apply His righteousness to that situation. I will cooperate as He deals with the problem. I will praise God whatever happens.”
- I will receive the Lord’s forgiveness as I confess any of the above sins in which I have participated and any others that I’ve done that aren’t listed.
- I will ask at least one person I trust to agree with and join me in praying this prayer of repentance.
2 Peter 3
Reflection: Peter wanted both of his letters to stimulate believers to wholesome thinking. These letters were to remind readers of the words spoken by the prophets and by Jesus, passed on to them by the apostles. He declared that scoffers would always be following their own evil desires; they would question the promise of Christ’s coming. (This author believes that is true of both His first and second coming.) Peter referred to various times of construction and destruction that the Lord brought about by merely speaking a word. The expression, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day,” is meant to convey that God is beyond time. He is not constrained or bound by it. God is patient so that everyone (who is meant to) will come to repentance. In the end, the earth will be purified by fire, and in the meantime those who know and love God should live holy and God-honoring lives. This will speed the coming of the day of the Lord. Then He will create (or re-create) the new heaven and the earth, the home for those He has made righteous, spotless, blameless, and at peace with Himself. Peter referred to Paul’s writings, agreed with them, and called them Scriptures. Peter wanted his readers to be on guard and stand against the errors of lawless men. He urged them to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear Awesome Father God, my congregation, nation, and I need You to stimulate us to wholesome thinking. Cause us to remember the words spoken by the prophets and by Jesus through the apostles. Scoffers have arisen who mock the truth and follow their own evil desires. They deride those of us who believe Your promises of both Christ’s first and second coming. At various times You have wrought both creation and destruction by merely speaking a word. You are beyond time. It does not hinder Your plans whatsoever. You are waiting patiently until everyone (who will) comes to You in repentance and faith; then You will purify the earth by fire. In the meantime, You empower Your people with Your Spirit to live holy and godly lives. As we do so, we speed the coming of the day of the Lord. Thank You for preparing the new heaven and the earth as the home of those You have made righteous, spotless, blameless, and at peace with You. Thank You for guiding both Peter’s and Paul’s writings. Please help me and others of Your followers to be on guard against the errors of lawless men. May all of us be growing in grace and the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and all He has done. AMEN
Action: (Ask the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will join a biblically based small group which will help me learn wholesome thinking.
- I will do whatever I need to avoid being influenced by scoffers–turning off mass media and social media for example.
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and do whatever He shows me.
- I will memorize 2 Peter 3:18 in whichever version I am most comfortable.
Jude
Reflection: This letter from Jude (a half or stepbrother of Jesus) is so like 2 Peter 3 that one might think that there was some plagiarism involved; however, it is not plagiarism when an author expresses his ideas in a second work. The true author of all Scripture is the Holy Spirit of God. He is the one who inspired both Peter and Jude to seek to warn Christ-followers of false teachers and their wicked ideologies. They both referred to fallen angels, Sodom and Gomorrah, people mocking or scoffing at things they do not understand, the earth being destroyed by fire, and Balaam’s prophesying for profit. Both Peter and Jude warned Christians to be on the alert for such heresies, but they also advised their readers to live holy lives guided by the Spirit. Then they would be able to recognize and stand up against the false prophets and their heresies. Jude ended by commending his readers to the Lord who would keep them safe.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for loving and keeping safe all those who are in Christ Jesus. You are the ultimate source of truth. Please pour out Your mercy, peace, and love on all Your children. Help Your people to stand up and defend the faith that You have entrusted to us. Forgive those who are using Your great grace and forgiveness as an excuse for immoral lifestyles and activities. Help Your children to be on the alert and stand up against any ideologies that would draw us away from You–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Help Your followers to help each other to live godly lives and contend for the faith. “Now”, I pray, “all glory to [You Lord] God, who is able to keep [Your people] from falling away and will bring [us] with great joy into [Your] presence without a single fault. All glory to [You] who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are [Yours] before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”*
* Jude 1:24-25 NLT
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will seek out a godly, wise person who can help me sort out God-honoring truth from heresies and lies.
- I will ask myself these questions as I listen to a speaker: Is this person’s point going to move me closer to or further from God and all He approves? Is what the speaker is saying based on God-made or man-made rules? Is this speaker’s life consistent with what God says in the Bible?
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and do whatever He shows me.
- I will memorize Jude 1:24-25 in whichever version I am most comfortable.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.