Beware and Be Growing (2 Peter 3:14-18)
God uses all kinds of people. He uses the refined and educated, but He also uses the rough and ignorant. Simon Peter was the kind of person that most people would place in the latter category. He was the kind of guy that always had something to say, even when he should have kept his mouth shut. He probably would not have been the first man that you or I would have voted for if a pulpit committee had presented him as a candidate to pastor a church, but that didn’t matter to Jesus. Jesus called Peter to follow Him, changed Peter from a fisherman to a fisher of men, and later charged Peter with shepherding His sheep.
The change that came over Peter’s life through his time with Jesus is best summarized in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter may not have been very polished to begin with, but through the grace of God Peter changed. As he learned more about Jesus, he grew in grace and in knowledge. The life of Peter is a case study in the power of Jesus to transform an individual. We can admire Peter for his loyalty and his boldness, but we must give Jesus the glory because it was only through His teaching, training and empowering that Peter became the man he was.
As Peter concluded his last letter to the believers, he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. He had reminded them of the promise of Christ’s return. He had warned them that scoffers would continue to mock them for believing that promise. He had encouraged them to live right anyway. He wanted to impress on the believers that he loved so much the importance of living holy lives and continually growing for the glory of God while we wait for our blessed hope. Life is too short to waste our time with frivolous pursuits and false doctrines. We must be growing for the glory of God.
The change that came over Peter’s life through his time with Jesus is best summarized in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter may not have been very polished to begin with, but through the grace of God Peter changed. As he learned more about Jesus, he grew in grace and in knowledge. The life of Peter is a case study in the power of Jesus to transform an individual. We can admire Peter for his loyalty and his boldness, but we must give Jesus the glory because it was only through His teaching, training and empowering that Peter became the man he was.
As Peter concluded his last letter to the believers, he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. He had reminded them of the promise of Christ’s return. He had warned them that scoffers would continue to mock them for believing that promise. He had encouraged them to live right anyway. He wanted to impress on the believers that he loved so much the importance of living holy lives and continually growing for the glory of God while we wait for our blessed hope. Life is too short to waste our time with frivolous pursuits and false doctrines. We must be growing for the glory of God.
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- Dec 20, 2023Beware and Be Growing (2 Peter 3:14-18)
Beware and Be Growing (2 Peter 3:14-18)God uses all kinds of people. He uses the refined and educated, but He also uses the rough and ignorant. Simon Peter was the kind of person that most people would place in the latter category. He was the kind of guy that always had something to say, even when he should have kept his mouth shut. He probably would not have been the first man that you or I would have voted for if a pulpit committee had presented him as a candidate to pastor a church, but that didn’t matter to Jesus. Jesus called Peter to follow Him, changed Peter from a fisherman to a fisher of men, and later charged Peter with shepherding His sheep.
The change that came over Peter’s life through his time with Jesus is best summarized in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter may not have been very polished to begin with, but through the grace of God Peter changed. As he learned more about Jesus, he grew in grace and in knowledge. The life of Peter is a case study in the power of Jesus to transform an individual. We can admire Peter for his loyalty and his boldness, but we must give Jesus the glory because it was only through His teaching, training and empowering that Peter became the man he was.
As Peter concluded his last letter to the believers, he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. He had reminded them of the promise of Christ’s return. He had warned them that scoffers would continue to mock them for believing that promise. He had encouraged them to live right anyway. He wanted to impress on the believers that he loved so much the importance of living holy lives and continually growing for the glory of God while we wait for our blessed hope. Life is too short to waste our time with frivolous pursuits and false doctrines. We must be growing for the glory of God. - Nov 29, 2023The Failure of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:17-22)
The Failure of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:17-22)
- Nov 15, 2023The Follies of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:10-16)
The Follies of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:10-16)False doctrine is a major hindrance to Christian growth. That is why Peter took time to warn the believers against the false teachers they would inevitably encounter. We cannot assume that we would know a false teacher when we see them. They are very crafty and can often seem like the kind of people that we would like to follow. But their end is destruction, because they have denied the Lord and corrupted the gospel.
Peter pointed to many Old Testament stories to prove his statement that the destruction of the ungodly was sure and swift. The angels who were cast our of heaven, the global flood in Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha all prove that God knows how to punish the wicked and save the righteous. In 2 Peter 2:10-16, we are given a more complete picture of what a false prophet looks like so that we might be able to identify them and be warned against allowing them to influence us. While they might maintain an appearance of godliness, inwardly they are consumed with pride, lust, and greed. We must develop godly discernment and not allow false teachers to influence us with their deeds or their doctrines. - Nov 1, 2023Spiritual Sabotage (2 Peter 2:1-3)
Spiritual Sabotage (2 Peter 2:1-3)We are in a spiritual war. Satan and his army are bent on causing destruction and chaos in an effort to prevent the lost from being saved and the saved from growing in sanctification. Just like in physical war, one of the tactics that Satan loves to use is sabotage. He deploys secret agents who pose as allies but who are in reality enemies of the gospel. By means of deceit and manipulation the corrupt the truth, spread lies, and bring reproach on the name of Christ. The ensuing confusion turns people away from receiving the gospel and discourages Christians from growing in grace.
Peter was a veteran of the spiritual war who had faced off against false prophets many times. He saw the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, he argued against the elders and priests, and he had dealt with the Judaizers in the church. He knew that there have always been and there always be false prophets, agents of Satan who corrupt and deceive.
In 2 Peter 2, Peter goes to great lengths to warn believers about the danger of spiritual sabotage at the hands of false teachers. If we are not on our guard, we can unwittingly be influenced by heretical teachings that will hinder our growth and bring spiritual harm. We must arm ourselves with the truth and vigilantly guard against false doctrine and those who spread it. - Oct 25, 2023Growing in Grace, A More Sure Word (2 Peter 1:16-12)
Growing in Grace, A More Sure Word (2 Peter 1:16-12)In 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter testifies to the believers concerning the reliability of the gospel message
and of all the scripture. We cannot rely on personal experience for spiritual growth. We must
replace experience driven, emotionally based views of Christian growth with reliance on the truth of
God’s Word - Oct 18, 2023The Blessings of Growth (2 Peter 1:10-15)
The Blessings of Growth (2 Peter 1:10-15)You can tell as you read his writings that Peter had the heart of a pastor. Jesus had commanded Peter, “Feed my sheep.” He instructed Peter, “and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” In this last letter that Peter wrote, he knew that his time to die was coming soon and he wanted to remind the believers to keep growing in grace and knowledge by diligently adding to their faith Christ-like character.
In 2 Peter 1:10-15, Peter mentions three blessings that continual spiritual growth brings. When we are growing in grace, we can have full assurance of our salvation. We can look forward to a wonderful entrance into heaven, without regrets. We are protected against spiritual amnesia by a continual remembrance of the truth. - Oct 4, 2023The Fundamentals of Growth (2 Peter 1:3-4)
The Fundamentals of Growth (2 Peter 1:3-4)Pastor Peter had a burden to see believers grow and become mature. His second epistle was written specifically to encourage Christians to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God, while warning them that there were those who would corrupt their faith and hinder their growth.
Before Peter begins to discuss the specifics of spiritual growth, he lays some very important theological groundwork in 2 Peter 1:3-4. Such an important topic requires one crucial, foundational understanding. Spiritual growth cannot be accomplished with God’s help. The kind of “spirituality” that is achieved independent of God is, by definition, self-righteousness. This is the kind of religion that Jesus warned against, when He said, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
God has called all Christians to reject self-righteousness and to let God work in us to make us what He wants us to be. We can grow in grace, but we must grow God’s way to else God will not get the glory that He should get from our lives. - Sep 27, 2023Growing in Grace (2 Peter 1:1-2)
Growing in Grace (2 Peter 1:1-2)
