We head into 2nd Peter today. These were the final words of Peter to the church before his departure from this life to the next.
2 Peter 1: Greeting
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Make Your Calling and Election Sure
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so near-sighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,"
18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 2: False Prophets and Teachers
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and wilful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,
11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,
13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, revelling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.
18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."
Things to think about…
1. Faith without fruit is fake! This is the message of 2 Peter in 1:1-15. Peter offers comfort to every believer by saying that every believer’s faith has equal standing before the Lord as the Apostles, vs 1. The Apostles are no more inheritors of glory than all those who have the righteousness of Christ through the gift of faith.
2. As disciples of Christ we must grow in our Christ centred character. Peter reminds us that “faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” 2 Pet 1:5-7. Love being the final fruit that is evident. Peter says if you don’t have the qualities of grace, he says you are near-sighted to the point of blindness, vs 9. He is so passionate about this message that he does not want it to be lost even after he dies, vs 15. Do we want people to remember our message after we die? If not, perhaps we have the wrong focus. Ask the question, what will you be most remembered for? Is this what you want, and does it align with your calling in Christ?
3. Christians are called to grow and not remain stagnant in their walk and witness building upon virtue, knowledge, self-control.... Peter says, “if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”, 2 Pet 1:8. If you are not growing in these things the inference is that you are ineffective in your knowledge and witness.
4. What are you certain of? 2Pet1:16-21 is one of the most stirring passages of scripture for those who trust in mere feelings or emotion. Peter heard the words “this is my beloved Son…” twice; once at our Lord’s baptism and once at His transfiguration. These were both significant emotional and spiritual experiences. Peter refers to the time where he, James and John witnessed the transfigured Christ. Peter in essence says, ‘I have had the most emotional, charismatic, exciting experience anyone could have…I saw the glorified Christ and was only one of 3 to experience it, that’s if you don’t include Moses and Elijah who were there in the spirit!’ Rather than rely on this vision as a conformation of truth, Peter says we have something that is ‘more sure, the prophetic word’. Our experiences, our emotions and feelings come and go. But the Word of God abides forever. It is for this reason we must exalt the Word above everything else. This is where faith is essential because sometimes the outward experience isn’t very pleasant. We rest upon the Lord’s promise that His Word is true.
5. In 2 Peter 2, Peter nails how human history is littered with evil intentions. He mentions the judgment that came upon the world in Noah’s day, then Sodom and Gomorrah, and now these people (in his day) despise God’s judgements, where not even angels would dare to tread! This is the fruit of remaining in the flesh – there is no fear of God! Our witness must display godly fear, IE respect, honour, reverence. “Balaam, the son of Beor”, 2Pet 2:15 is described as a sensual man without sense. Such is our society today. Wanting stuff, without sacrifice being self-willed. Self-will, to the sensual at heart, must be satisfied at all costs. The cost is the loss of care and compassion in our society and a generation that follows Balaam to judgement, vs 21.
6. Consider how rebellious sensuality is described, 2Pet2:12ff. “They are like brute beasts…full of adultery, insatiable for sin…WHILE THEY FEAST WITH YOU” vs 13! Consider that these people enter into the church! Just as Micah the prophet spoke about Balaam son of Beor, here Peter also makes a reference to him. You remember him. He quoted the word of God and was used it to proclaim God’s truth about Israel and yet was judged because his heart was bent on destroying God’s people. The Word without witness is worthless! Don’t be like these people who are like the dog or a pig – going back to their filth. Stay near the cross, Peter says don’t turn away from the righteousness of Christ once you have found it! Be encourage to point someone to Christ’s righteousness today!
7. We have seen in recent weeks with the exposing of many leaders in the charismatic movement that Peter’s words in 2 Pet 2:14 are never truer, “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children.” May the Lord deliver us and give us discernment when such evil presents itself in the body of Christ.
8. 2Peter 2&3 are very similar in style and message to Jude. While they are different writers their message is the same, much like the gospels – especially the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. These chapters contain words of correction, warning and judgement. While those words are not palatable, they are necessary to continue to keep before our minds and hearts to keep us from a false version of our Lord. Jesus is the Word and He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
9. Peter finishes off 2 Peter 2 in vs 22 “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire”. While we cannot lose our salvation, people may, like Balaam, quote the Word of God, come into church for a while, but the world and their sinful desires take them away and eventually are not bothered with anything regarding Christ. Is there someone you can bring back to the cross? Invite someone to church and pray that the Lord may open their eyes to the true value of God’s saving grace.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for the Sacred Minds podcast that will have Andrew Otte as a guest this week.
2. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
3. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
4. Pray for the people of Iran that they finally get their freedom from an oppressive regime
5. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
6. One for Israel ministry.
7. Conflict zones – especially within Africa (Nigerian Christians murdered this week), Israel, Iran and Ukraine
8. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
9. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
10. Finances to cover our needs
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our service and members’ meeting on Sunday
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Members Meeting – After church on Sunday 22nd Feb
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
