| 23 July, 2000 | Christian Living In The Last Days, Part 1 | 1st & 2nd Peter |
The Holy Spirit led the apostles to do the same thing. The very
last books that the apostles wrote before they all passed from
the scene were 2 Peter, Jude, 2 Timothy, 1,2,& 3 John, and
then Revelation.
All of those books are full of warnings and exhortations to Christians
concerning various things that were threatening to destroy the
church.
I believe that this is the right time for us to read and heed
the warnings these apostles gave shortly before they died.
I'm not sure why, nothing I can put my finger on, but I think
this is the right time to give close heed to their words.
Today we will spend just a couple minutes in 2 Timothy, and then
the rest of our time in 2 Peter.
Next week, Lord willing, we will be in 1 & 3 John, and then
the week following, we will examine Balaam; the most notable false
prophet in the Bible.
Then we will be in Jude, that will probably take at least two
weeks.
The Sunday after that, we will learn what God means when He speaks
about spiritual strongholds; what they are, how Satan uses them
to trouble us, and what we need to do about them.
For right now, let's start today's lesson by turning to 2 Timothy,
chapter 4 and verse 1.
Paul is making his final exhortation to young pastor Timothy,
and he tells him;
" I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing
and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant" - or diligent - "in season,
out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering
and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall
be turned unto fables."
Paul exhorts Timothy to be aware that the biggest problem he will
have with the Christians in his church will be that they do not
want to listen to sound doctrine.
Instead , they will be just like a dog, they want their ears scratched
.
They want what feels good. They want teachers that teach the Bible
the way they want to hear it, the way it feels good, instead of
the way it actually is.
You want to make a lot of money? Figure out what kind of lust
or desire motivates certain Christians, and then come up with
a doctrinal teaching that permits or encourages those believers
in that direction.
In no time at all, you'll have a huge congregation, a huge building,
and a huge budget. Guaranteed.
Peter goes into a lot more detail about it, turn to 2 Peter chapter
1: 1.
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to
them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the
righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of
God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
Notice verses 2 & 3, how great a provision that God has made
for all our needs: "His divine power has given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness."
All things. According to that verse, is there anything
that we ought to plan to come up short on?
Through His divine power- that would be the Holy Spirit - He has
given us all things-all things relative to what?
Life and godliness. Is there anything
that would fall outside of there that we might need? Possibly,
but so far nothing has come to mind.
And He has done it through the knowledge of Him that hath called
us. Knowing Him, knowing His word, knowing what He wants.
When we know Jesus and His will for us as revealed in His Word,
that knowledge, combined with the working of the Holy Spirit in
and through us, is what God uses to give us what He wants us to
have.
And the last part of verse 3 tells us what He wants
us to have: glory and virtue. That's what it says: He has called
us to glory and virtue. Wow!
Maybe you don't feel real glorious lately That's good, if we were
very glorious right here and now, it would probably mess up our
heads.
Maybe you don't feel too virtuous. Well, just keep your eyes on
Jesus; He is glorious and virtuous,
and someday we will be like Him.
If somebody made some way that you could study and learn, and
see how you'd turn out when you got to glory, you'd want to check
it out, right?
Study Jesus. Get full of the knowledge of Him, because He has
called us to be like Himself. And the better we know Him, the
better it works.
Here's the details of it, verse 4: "Whereby" - therefore,
- in order that- all this might be accomplished,
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises, that by these - these promises-
ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust."
God wants us to get ahold of His promises, He wants us to really
believe the promises He gives us, because that's what
He uses to make us partakers of His nature.
As we get ahold of those promises, we get conformed to His nature.
As we believe His Word and act on it, that divine nature starts
to give us a different attitude toward lust, we are enabled to
escape it.
As we avoid lust, we also avoid the corruption that lust brings
with it.
None of this implies that we are passive in our
Christian lives; we are actively involved in our
spiritual growth, in how well we do. Verse 5;
"And beside this, giving all diligence,"
-you have to be awake, alert, and with the program to be diligent,
right?- " add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to
patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness
charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar
off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things,
ye shall never fall:"
Peter is not referring here to making our calling
and election sure before God, or proving to God that we are really
saved..
God already knows who is the real item, and who is not. But sometimes
we confuse the issue in our own lives, we need to make sure, give
evidence, proof, that we really are what we think we are.
Are we consistent and genuine in all the various different aspects
of our life?
If we are truly born again, then it would be normal to find evidence
of it.
Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly
kindness, charity.
If we are truly saved, then it is normal to find evidence of these
character traits in our lives. It's also normal for us to be diligent
to cultivate these character traits.
We don't just sit around and wait for them to suddenly appear
all by them selves. And if somehow they are missing, then we need
to find out why. Verse 11;
"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance
of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the
present truth."
That's something we all need to keep in mind, and especially me.
I try to not be repetitious, I want to have sermons that are constantly
different and dealing with some topic that I haven't gone over
too recently, I try and keep things fresh and interesting.
But I think there is a difference between being fresh and interesting,
and feeling like I always need to break new ground every Sunday.
Peter is about to emphasize several times here, that his priority
is to help them to remember things that they already know.
Verse 13;
"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle,"
-his fleshly body- "to stir you up by putting you in
remembrance;
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as
our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease
to have these things always in remembrance."
Peter obviously expects to die very shortly, and his final priority
is for them to remember what he has been teaching them. Verse
16;
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when
we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there
came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with
him in the holy mount."
Peter is giving his personal testimony, but then he turns around
and reminds his congregation that there is something even more
reliable than his personal testimony of his eye witness account;
verse 19:
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in
your hearts:"
It is wonderful that we have Peter's testimony. It is wonderful
that we have Paul's testimony.
It is wonderful to have Peewee's testimony, or Lisa's testimony,
yours or mine, but even more important than the
things we have experienced in our own lives, is the truth of Jesus
Christ as it is written in God's Word.
There is something much more reliable than experiences,
memories, testimonies, and that is the written word of God.
It doesn't matter how sincere or holy or honest anybody's testimony
might be, the Word of God is a more sure Word of prophecy than
any of it.
Verse 20; "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation." What does this mean?
Prophecy here means not just a prediction concerning the future,
but everything the Holy Spirit divinely inspired in the whole
Bible.
The phrase "private interpretation"; means that it did
not originate within the mind or imagination of the prophet that
wrote it.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and sometimes the
prophets themselves didn't even really understand what they were
writing.
In that case, then we know for sure that it was not from their
private interpretation. And verse 21 expands on this idea further;
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
Chapter 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.
And many shall follow their pernicious" - we would probably
say wanton, or lascivious - "many shall follow their pernicious
ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you:"
Covetousness; greed, lust. The word "feigned" is from
the Greek word "plastos" from which we get "plastic",
something pliable, flexible.
They bend or twist words around any which way they need to get
what they want. They make their words very flexible.
The word "merchandise" is from the Greek word "emporeuomai",
from which we get "emporium". A place that sells things.
These people have in mind to buy you and sell you with their plastic
words, making themselves wealthy, and filling up their lust in
the process.
God is aware of their actions, and false preachers are in terrible
danger; the second half of verse 3 continues; "whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not.
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down
to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved
unto judgment;"
Let's stop there for a second; what's he talking about with these
angels? Turn to Jude 6; "And the angels which kept not their
first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day."
>From what we read here, and from what we know from other places
in Scripture, we can group angels into three categories:
Those that are faithful to God and serve Him, those that are in
rebellion against God, and act in opposition to Him, and a third
group, that are not simply in rebellion to God, but have somehow
overstepped their bounds, gone too far, and God has taken them
out of the picture.
The ancient writers are unanimous that these angels are the sons
of God mentioned in Genesis 6, who came to earth, mated with human
women, and produced a corrupted race known as the Nephilim, or
the Anakim.
Back to 2nd Peter chapter 2, verse 5; "And spared not the
old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned
them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that
after should live ungodly;"
Interesting difference here between two Greek words; in verse
5 the word for flood is "kataklusmos"
and in verse 6 the word for overthrow is "katastrophe".
There is a world of difference between a cataclysm and a catastrophe.
The word cataclysm occurs only 4 times in Scripture, and always
refers to the global flood of Noah.
The word catastrophe refers to a local disaster. The world has
had many catastrophes but only one cataclysm. Verse 7;
"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation
of the wicked:
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing,
vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the
lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are
they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
Interesting here that the main ones that the Lord will reserve
for punishment are those that are said to "walk after the
flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government."
I get this mental image of a Charles Manson, or a David Koresh.
The Bagwan Rajneesh.
Presumptuous, self willed, That's easy enough to understand, what
about this thing about "speaking evil of dignities?"
Verse 11 gives us a clue there; "Whereas angels, which are
greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against
them before the Lord."
We need to compare this verse with Jude 8; "Likewise also
these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and
speak evil of dignities.
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed
about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing
accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but
what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they
corrupt themselves."
This is one of those places where the best thing I can do is to
just come right out and say that I don't understand all I know
about this.
But apparently it is inappropriate to speak evil against those
that God has set in positions of spiritual authority, those angels,
archangels, or whatever that God has ordained for spiritual authority.
Even though we have very little knowledge of spiritual rulers
in high places, God expects us to follow the example of the archangel
Michael.
Michael simply told Satan; "The Lord rebuke thee." That's
interesting.
I have heard preachers go off on Satan, get all excited, sucking
wind, calling the devil all kinds of names; but apparently that
is not how it's supposed to be done.
There is some spiritual principle here that is not entirely clear
to me, but God evidently wants us to respect those in authority,
human, or spiritual, even if they don't apparently seem to deserve
it.
And there seems to be a relationship between those who have no
respect for authority, and those that are greatly defiled in other
ways.
Back in 2 Peter 2, verse 12, there is more detail about it, I
can't fully explain it, because I don't fully understand it.
But even if I don't fully understand, I can still do what I'm
told. Verse 12.
"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and
destroyed," -like a rat in a trap- "speak evil of the
things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their
own corruption;
And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that
count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and
blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while
they feast with you;
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin;
beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous
practices; cursed children:
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following
the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's
voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
Balaam was a prophet for hire, and even when he knew
he was going against the will of God, he still went on headstrong
anyway. Verse 17;
"These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with
a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure
through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those
that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants
of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he
brought in bondage."
Great swelling words of vanity. Just like we talked about in Ecclesiastes,
vanity means emptiness. Their words sound very intellectual, and
very wise, but there's nothing Godly in them.
Apparently there is something else in them though, because whatever
it is they're teaching, it has a tremendous appeal to the flesh
of those hearing it.
Some combination of fleshly arguments for living a carnal lifestyle,
combined with seeing that same sort of lifestyle in those teachers,
created a tremendous appeal to those that were listening. They
wanted to do it too.
The phrase; "those that were clean escaped"; we would
say; "by the skin of their teeth". Just barely escaping.
The thought of this passage is of those that had just barely come
to an awareness of peace and liberty in Christ, had just barely
gotten started learning how to walk as new believers, and then
got seduced back into the lascivious lifestyle they had just started
coming out of.
Only now, they have some bogus false doctrines preached in the
name of Christ, to help them justify their lustful lifestyle and
behavior.
Now they are in worse trouble that when they started. It is much
easier to convert an open minded pagan, than to deal with a sin-hardened
apostate, who has tasted the truth, and then turned away from
it.
Which is what Peter says in verse 20; "For if after they
have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning.
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,
than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them.
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The
dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed
to her wallowing in the mire."
Chapter 3; "This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto
you; in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of
remembrance:
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by
the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of
the Lord and Saviour:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation."
This is quite a remarkable prophecy. Over the last 25 years, I
have heard a large number of people, both saved and unsaved, that
were very skeptical that the Lord could or would likely come back
any time in the foreseeable future. Verse 3;
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word
of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of
the water and in the water:
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished:
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word
are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day
is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and
the works that are therein shall be burned up."
The time frame for this event is apparently at the end of the
millennial reign of Christ on the earth, at about the same time
as the Great White Throne judgement of the unsaved.
It is found in the last part of Revelation chapter 20, and the
beginning of chapter 21, for the sake of time, we won't go there
now, you can look it up on your own.
Verse 11; "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent
that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even
as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given
unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things;
in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that
are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures,
unto their own destruction.
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware
lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall
from your own stedfastness.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."
Peter is very plain in his final words that he expects certain
people to go to great lengths to corrupt the church, and he expects
some in the church to be corrupted.
But he also expects that if we take his words to heart, and be
on our guard, and stay in the Holy Spirit like we ought to, that
we will not be caught up in sin and corruption.
There's plenty of it out there, and some of it calls itself Christian,
and it knows how to talk some of the same language that we do.
We live in a world that can expose us to more ungodly ideas and
sinful concepts faster than any other people have ever seen, and
we need to be aware that Satan would love to reel us in, just
like fish in a net.
But Christians have always been exposed to temptations, that hasn't
changed a bit.
God is able to keep us safe just as well as He has ever kept any
Christians safe, but - if spiritual seducers are operating in
the same world we do, it is wisdom for us to know that they're
out there, and know what they look like, know how they behave.
God has certainly given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, and they are in His Word, in Jesus Christ, in knowing
Him.
My prayer for all of us is that we will stay in His Word, and
stay close to our Lord.
If we do that, I think we will be able to spot any problems before
they ever have a chance to take root,
and also spot any problem causers before they have a chance to
cause problems for us.