Hi Friends:

                           

Well spring is around the corner and the Sunday School lessons are up to date on what Rich has taught so far in our class each Sunday.  Are you all enjoying 2 Peter.  How is it that such a tiny book can have such a large message with such ongoing applications that apply to our lives today.  Only the God of all gods, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the God who sent His son down as a baby to live and walk as a human being, but yet still being God, He died on the cross to be a once and for all sacrifice for our sins. 

Some people say that God isn't God but the Bible Romans 1 talks about God and natural revelation so that even if someone hasn't heard about God, the one and only Trinitarian God, you can look around you and know there has to be a Creator.  So if we can't explain who made a molecule, air, DNA, dirt, the sun, the moon, the galaxies, etc., we can look around at the mountains, stars, sky, clouds, oceans, trees and know that they were created.  For them to be created, they had to have a Creator.  That Creator whom we call God has always been and will always be.  Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".    Something cannot come from nothing.  Something has to come from something, so it makes sense that God has always been and will always be.  What makes him God is we are his creation.  He made us for Him.  This God, who always has been, wanted to make human beings with feelings, hearts, bodies, emotions, ability to reason and think.  Even if someone is skeptic about God, why would you want to take a chance that God is not true.  None of us pass on to the other side of death until we die.  I do not know personally what is beyond death, so I for one believe what the Bible says and it is full of hope.  Hope for heaven if you believe that Jesus is God's son and accept Him as Lord of your life. 

If you have never experienced Christ in your life, I urge you to do so.  The Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible tells about Jesus who always has been and yet came to earth, died for all, so all could have the hope of Jesus and heaven. Exodus 3:13-15 says  Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"  God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.… Then again in John 8:28,  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."  Why anyone would not just try know Jesus and want eternal security after death in heaven with God is beyond me.  If it is true, we have made the right decision.  If it is not true, then after you die you will never know the difference.  It just takes faith and belief in something you cannot see.  But then again, if we could figure it out and know it all then God would not be God.

Any questions or comments?  Are the lessons on the Blog helpful to you whether you are in our Sunday School Study of not? 

Have a great week and God bless you,

Deb

2 Peter 1:16-21 by Pastor Rich Paradis

“A Faithful Testimony”

2 Peter 1:16-21

 

As Peter opens this paragraph of his letter to these persecuted saints, he will offer a testimony that they can lean into even as false teaching threatens to derail them from their faith. He will offer his own eyewitness account of the Transfiguration. He will follow that testimony with the testimony of the Old Testament prophet and scriptures. He will conclude his testimonials with the testimony of the entire Word of God. While there were and will always be imposters and false teachers, there will also be truth that can be depended on to fortify the faith of the believer. Let’s see what this portion of Scripture has for both the ancient and the current reader.

 

I.                 Peter’s Eyewitness Testimony    2 Peter 1:16-18

a.      Peter’s most recent teaching in this letter has been in relation to the 2^nd Coming of Christ. He has offered an eschatological insight into the reality of this event and the utilization of this truth in the continuing growth in the Christian virtues mentioned in Verses 5-7. He followed up that insight with a commitment on his part to teach the “precious and magnificent promise” of salvation until the time of his death, hoping that these truths would even come to the reader’s mind after his passing.

b.     If you were going to try to derail a witness’ testimony, you would begin by derailing the credibility of that witness. Verse 16 begins with a confirmation of the credibility of the witness, as well as the lack of credibility of the witness of the false teacher that will come into sharper focus in chapter 2.

c.      In comparing the witness of Peter himself and the false teachers in general, he begins by contrasting their information. Peter tells us that the false teacher of that day, as well as ours, will have “cleverly devised tales” as his ammunition in this battle. It is noteworthy to see that these tales are “clever”. They will trick some into a changed mind or at least an ineffective walk. The enemy is both clever and devious. He will not try to persuade the believer with silly things. He will use clever half-truths and devious methods to derail the faith of the believer. How will the believer fend off such attacks? With the aid of the Holy Spirit and growth in the virtues mentioned earlier.

d.     Peter, on the other hand, offers first hand evidence to the reality of the One that he will be teaching about. The event that is referred to here is the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ that is recorded in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9. Peter was on hand as an eyewitness to this incredible display of power and coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, there is a connection being made here between Peter and the other two apostles that saw this event; James and John. In this incredible transfiguring of Jesus, there was a demonstration being offered of what His coming would be like when He returns to establish His eternal Kingdom.

e.      So how does Peter’s account give him any credibility when it comes to continued teaching and preaching? The answer is given in Verse 17 when Peter is demonstrated as not only “there”, but in agreement with the Father Himself! Peter was now preaching and teaching the second coming of Christ as a demonstration of both His honor and glory. In that moment, on what is traditionally noted as Mount Hermon, the Father Himself articulated both honor and glory for His Son. The Apostle Peter is in complete agreement with the Father Himself! The false teacher would have little to offer in discrediting Peter or his Savior based on this scene.

f.       There are a couple of things that are worth noting before going on. One is the interesting name noted for the Father in this verse. The “Majestic Glory” is a name that is only used in the New Testament in this passage, although a similar reference is made in Hebrews 1:3. The other is actually mentioned in Verse 18. It is the fact that Peter, James, and John actually heard the “utterance” made from heaven. While there was  much to see that day, it could never be described except in the most general of terms. But they heard something that day, even though they were denied the opportunity to share it until after the Resurrection of Christ, which Peter would not forget and would still be able to share with accuracy nearly three decades later.

 

II.               The Testimony of the Old Testament Prophet and Scriptures    2 Peter 1:19

a.      In addition to the eyewitness of Peter at the Transfiguration, we now look to the testimony of the Old Testament prophet and even the entirety of the Old Testament scripture to give credibility to both the character and the message of Peter.

b.     With the testimony of the Transfiguration, Peter was in effect confirming the Old Testament prophets and scripture by confirming both the honor and glory of the Savior Jesus Christ. They had announced it in the ancient scriptures; and now he was in fact offering testimony to the precursor of that event to come.

c.      There is an interesting charge in Verse 19. That charge is that we would do well to pay  attention to the Old Testament and the Prophetic Record until the Day of Christ’s Second Coming (“until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your heart”). Since that day has not come yet, we are being charged to not only pay attention to the New Testament for our insights but to also consider the truths of the Old Testament as important to our understanding of Christ and His story.

d.     These insights are also referred to as “a lamp shining in a dark place”. What a descriptive picture of both the wonderful Scripture and the dark world that it is to be administered into!

                                                    i.     Do you see the Scriptures as a “lamp”? What attributes of a lamp make this an especially fitting picture? Can you see how the “day dawning” will only make what the lamp has been illuminating more clear?

                                                  ii.     Do you see the World as a “dark place”? What attributes of darkness are found in the world? Can you see how the “morning star” will offer a light to the darkness that will expose everything?

 

III.             The Testimony of all of Scripture    2 Peter 1:20-21

a.      For the third witness to the credibility of both Peter and his teaching, we are now offered the entirety of Scripture as this evidence. While there was no New Testament in the time of Peter’s writing of this letter, we will see in these next couple of verses one of the two most insightful verses in the entire Bible for the Doctrine of the Inspiration of Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16 is the other)

b.     In Verse 20, we are given a flag to follow for the balance of this chapter. That flag is “first of all”; which means of primary importance. What is that “first thing” to know? It is this: No prophecy of Scripture is a matter on one’s own interpretation. In a world where we love to ask the question, “What does this verse mean to you?”, we are given a rule of true inspiration regarding the whole of Scripture. That rule is that none of the prophecies came from the personal interpretation of the prophet. What does this mean?

c.      We have to wait no longer than Verse 21 for an answer to that question. The answer is that there was no prophecy that was made by means of the human will. The prophetic record is a result of men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. That simple insight gives us our view of the Inspiration of Scripture and an insight into what we as believers refer to as Verbal-Plenary Inspiration. What are some of the highlights of this important doctrine?

                                                    i.     Scripture is verbally inspired – That is, the words of Scripture are inspired.

                                                  ii.     Scripture is completely inspired – That is, ALL of the words of Scripture are inspired.

                                                iii.     Scripture is divinely inspired – That is, God inspired all of the words of Scripture.

                                                iv.     Scripture is verbally, completely, and divinely inspired AND so are the authors of the Scripture – That is, while the words are truly human words, the words of Scriptures, inspired by God, are truly the words of the Divine Author. To sum it up, the Scripture is the Word of God written in the words of man.

d.     The idea of Verbal Plenary Inspiration goes as follows:

                                                    i.     The idea of verbal-plenary inspiration seeks to view inspiration as extending to all (thus, the word plenary) portions of Holy Scripture, even beyond the direction of thoughts to the selection of words (thus, the word verbal).

                                                  ii.     While there is a mystery in this line of thought, it most clearly offers an explanation to the role of humans in the writing of Scripture.

                                                iii.     A wonderful hint is offered in this verse for this line of thinking. It is the word “moved” or “carried” by the Holy Spirit. This word has the meaning of “being carried along like the wind carries a sailboat along”. So, in the production of Scripture, both God and man were active participants. God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said. But he human author also actively spoke; he was more than a recorder or one taking dictation. Yet what he said came from God. Although actively speaking, he was carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

IV.            An Application For All Of Us: BEAT THAT, FALSE TEACHER!! PETER AND HIS MESSAGE CAN BE BELIEVED!!!

2 Peter 1:1-15 by Pastor Rich Paradis

“Grow in Knowledge”

2 Peter 1:1-15

 

Peter wastes no time in getting to work on the charge to a growing knowledge of God. Like 1 Peter, he will first remind the reader of the God that they are serving. From there, this second letter will continue by discussing the attributes of the Christian nature and their benefits. He will also discuss the blindness of the believer who has not grown in these attributes. He will then continue this section with an eschatological reminder that will reinforce and give energy to this pursuit of these godly attributes. Finally, he will reinforce his commitment to sharing these things as long as he lives. There’s a lot here, but Peter will not waste any time so let’s jump on board and get going!

 

I.                 Some Introductions: Peter, the Readers, and God    2 Peter 1:1-4

a.      Even with the alleged concerns about the authorship of this letter, we have to admit that Verse 1a will give us a pretty clear picture of who wrote the letter and something about him. The writer is noted as Simon Peter. And he introduces himself as both a bond-servant and as an apostle. Both are noteworthy and worth some explanation.

                                                    i.     Bond-servant – the word here is “doulos” and it has the meaning of slave. Peter knows that his life belongs to Christ. He is first a slave and that reality and attitude is the beginning of any authority that he may have with his readers.

                                                  ii.     Apostle of Jesus Christ – But with that prerequisite met, Peter additionally has a God-given authority to speak for Him to these people that he is addressing.

b.     The recipients of the letter noted in Verse 1b have sometimes been questioned throughout the ages. Some feel that the audience is the same audience of 1 Peter. I think I would fall into this camp based on 3:1. Others believe that the group is unnamed because it is not the same group. Whatever camp you might fall into as you study this letter, you should note that they are without question believers. And there are some interesting things to note here as well regarding their faith:

                                                    i.     They received it – Their faith was not a result of a bunch of good works or activities. It was based only by and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

                                                  ii.     It was the same kind as ours – If the false teachers that will be combatted in this letter practiced some form of Gnosticism, that is a salvation by special knowledge or insights, than this little reference would be the beginning of that combatting. The salvation of these readers was the same in kind, and value to the faith of both Peter and other Christians.

c.      The conclusion of the first verse is a powerful reminder of the deity of Jesus Christ. He is not only a great teacher and person of history; He is our God and our Savior. And He alone is the Righteous One. This One is who Peter will appeal to in giving a grace and a peace that is multiplied in Verse 2. How is that peace delivered? In the knowledge of both the Father and the Son. This idea of growing in knowledge will be visited again and again in this letter.

d.     With that knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, the believer will see that everything that we need for life and godliness is at our disposal and ready to be utilized. Verse 3 again begins to combat the idea of some special knowledge or insight that is necessary to find God. It is not “God-plus this or that”; it is that God has provided EVERYTHING that we need for both salvation and the successful Christian life. A true knowledge of Him will reinforce in us the fact that it is His glory and His excellence (virtue) that makes any of this possible.

e.      It is by God’s glory and His excellence that we as believers are granted His “precious and magnificent promises”. Do you think of God’s promises, do words like these come to mind? They should! What makes these promises so “precious and magnificent”? Verse 4 brings out a wonderful truth; that by these promises the believer becomes a partaker, partner, and participant in the divine nature. What does this mean?

                                                    i.     It does not mean that we become divine in any sense.

                                                  ii.     It does mean that when we are saved, we now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. This indwelling allows and empowers us to share in the victory over sin that Christ bought for us at Calvary. It also means that we now have power to live for Him who made these incredible promises possible on a daily basis.

f.       So, do we have any part in this process of daily Christian living and fending off any enemy that wants our ship to be wrecked?

 

II.               The Virtues of the Growing Believer and their Results   2 Peter 1:5-11

a.      Because the believer is a partaker of the divine nature, Verses 5-7 tell us to apply diligence in our faith to a number of areas.

                                                    i.     Moral Excellence – This is an attribute of God Himself, according to 1:3. It is a moral excellence or virtue that is lived out on a daily basis. What would this look like as it is demonstrated in our lives?

                                                  ii.     Knowledge – This is a diligence in knowing more about both the Person and the Word of God. How could we live this out on a regular basis?

                                                iii.     Self-Control – This means to have one’s own passions under control. The believer is not a robot; God has put passions in them, but they must be controlled by the Holy Spirit in us. What does this look like or not look like?

                                                iv.     Perseverance – This is constancy and steadfast endurance under adversity. It is not giving in or giving up. How could this virtue be exercised in the workplace? The home?

                                                  v.     Godliness – This is man’s devotion to God; a very practical awareness of God in all aspects of life. What would this look like as you interface with those around you?

                                                vi.     Brotherly Kindness – This is a fervent and practical care for the needs of others. How could this be included into the busy life that you lead?

                                              vii.     Love – This is a desire for the highest good for others. This is agape love, that love that is demonstrated by Christians.

b.     It is noteworthy to see that the list begins with our faith in Christ that is lived out toward others through love.

c.      The discussion continues in Verse 8-9 with a contrast of those that have these qualities in increasing amounts versus those that lack in these attributes. Look at the contrast:

                                                    i.     Those who have these qualities in increasing amounts – The believer is not to develop these attributes one by one. He is to have them in increasing amounts as a demonstration of the work of God in him. If he does have these attributes in increasing amounts, he or she will grow and encourage others in this knowledge of God and His precious and magnificent promises.

                                                  ii.     Those who lack these qualities – The believer that does not grow in these areas has forgotten the precious and magnificent promises of God that saved him or her from their sins. He or she is blinded by the closing of their own eyes to the truth.

d.     With the final couple of verses in this paragraph, Peter will give an eschatological prompting for growing in these virtues. Verses     10-11 remind these believers to draw near to the fact and the Person of their salvation so that they will not stumble. This is not threatened “loss of salvation” as is noted by the word “brethren”, but it is a distance from the One who provides the entrance into the eternal kingdom and a gives us the abundant life of John 10:10.

 

III.             Peter’s Investment In Them    2 Peter 1:12-15

a.      Because of the importance of these virtues and the reality of heaven, Peter now offers his commitment to continuance in the message. Verses 12-15 acknowledge this commitment even though the recipients of the letter already know these things and have been established in these truths. Sometimes adversity and hardship make us “forget” things that we once knew. Peter tells them here that he won’t let that happen.

b.     Peter believes that it is right to continually “stir up” these things in them as long as he is still alive. A hint is given to the timing of this letter in Verse 14 as he says that the “laying aside of his earthly dwelling is imminent”. How does he know this? The Lord Jesus Christ made it clear to him.

c.      But Peter’s desire is that his death will not derail the train! His diligence will hopefully have the result of people remembering these truths even after he is gone. That is what a Christian Legacy is: Leaving something that will remind others of the promises of God.

                                                    i.     Are you working toward that kind of legacy?

                                                  ii.     What things could you be doing now that would begin or continue that desire?

 

IV.            An Application For All Of Us

a.      A growing knowledge of God will be key in:

                                                    i.     Realizing grace and peace in the life of the believer.

                                                  ii.     A desire to diligently increase in the Christian virtues.

                                                iii.     A proper view of His return and His Kingdom.

                                                iv.     A desire to pass along a Christian legacy to those that you love.

Introduction to 2 Peter by Pastor Rich Paradis

“Beware of Attacks from the Inside”

Introduction and 2 Peter 1:1

 

In this second letter from Peter to the persecuted saints of modern day Turkey, Peter will continue his thoughts related to provision for difficult times. He has addressed persecution from the outside in 1 Peter. Now he will take on the persecution that comes from the inside, the false teacher inside the church / community of faith. What does Peter think of those that seek to de-rail these hurting people? What help will he provide? Is there any hope that they can look forward to, even as they go through any difficulty? Let’s see what Peter will say to them, and to us, as this letter unfolds.

 

I.                 Some background and introductory remarks (Adapted from Rich’s lesson “Introduction to 1 Peter”)

a.      Of the 12 original apostles, 3 of them were chosen to write inspired books of the New Testament. (Matthew, John, and Peter) Of course, the apostle Paul wrote many of our NT books but is not a part of the original apostleship.

b.     The fact that Peter is writing only 2 of our NT books should give us no indication of the importance of this man of God. He would spend over 30 years in public ministry in locations from Jerusalem to Rome.

c.      Many have considered Peter the apostle of Hope, while Paul is considered the apostle of Faith, and John the apostle of Love.

d.     Some helpful information:

                                                    i.     Writer of the letter: The apostle Peter, one of the earliest of the original apostles according to Matthew 4:18. He was born Simon and was from Bethsaida, according to John 1:44. Some have argued against his authorship on the basis that the Greek utilized is too high a quality for someone with his “blue collar” background of fishing and hard work. That concern would seem to be handled for 1 Peter by 1 Peter 5:12 which notes that Silas (or Silvanus) assisted in the writing or scribal work of the letter. 2 Peter is a bit harder to discern in that there is no one listed in the text as his amanuensis. And in addition to the differences in the quality of the Greek language utilized and other concerns, there are also great similarities (Peter refers to himself as the writer in 1:1, 1:16-18 as he refers to the Transfiguration, the use of the personal pronoun “I” in 1:12-15, the idea of hapax legomena; or unique words to these letters or only used once in the NT. Of 686 of these in the NT, 116 are used in the Petrine letters) in the two letters indicating the same writer. Tradition says that Peter would ultimately die by crucifixion upside down, feeling that he was unworthy to be executed in the same way as his Savior Jesus. This execution would happen in around 68 A.D.

                                                  ii.     Date and place of writing: The dates of both letters would seem to be near the end of Peter’s life (2 Peter 1:14). 1 Peter seems to be before his eventual arrest, while most think that 2 Peter was written after his arrest and before his execution. The date of 1 Peter writing seems to be somewhere in the area of 63-64 A.D. from a place referred to as “Babylon”. 2 Peter would also seem to be written from this “Babylon” although the text does not spell it out and the date would be somewhere between the completion of the first letter and Nero’s death in 68 A.D. While there is some conjecture as to whether this “Babylon” is the ancient place of the same name literally, I think he is rather speaking of a figurative “Babylon”. That “Babylon” would be the city of Rome, where Peter spent time during the latter years of his life. This city was without question all that you would think of when you think of a place called “Babylon”. It was a place of sin and godlessness to be sure. But, even if the location is literally Babylon of old, the situation is very similar and the directives are as well. The timing of these letters are also during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius as the word of persecution of Christians was becoming well known and would be lived out fully during the reign of the next Roman Emperor, a man named Nero.

                                                iii.     Recipients and Reason for Writing: According to 2 Peter 3:1, the recipients were the same audience of 1 Peter; both Hebrew and Gentile believers that were scattered throughout 5 Roman provinces that roughly make up modern-day Turkey. The reason seems to be persecution of these dispersed believers in 1 Peter, while the reason in 2 Peter is false teaching that has made its way into the church.

 

II.               Some important themes in this letter

a.      There seem to be a handful of helpful themes in this letter, but the overarching theme is “The grace of God both transforms and empowers Christians to live righteously even in the face of opposition”. Among the other themes that Peter will charge the reader in 2 Peter with:

                                                    i.     The Call to Christian Growth (Chapter 1) – One of the greatest defenses against the enemy is a consistent and growing Christian. Remember the old story of the bank employees that studied real money so carefully that when they saw the counterfeit it stuck out right away as bogus and unusable.

                                                  ii.     The Combating of False Teaching (Chapter 2) – The same God that has taken care to both reveal the ungodly imposter and protect the righteous believer will again handle this false teacher.

                                                iii.     Watchfulness In Light of Christ’s Return (Chapter 3) – There will be those that try to de-rail right doctrine and teaching by introducing teaching that may seem horizontally logical but is demonic in its intent. The antidote is both the continued growth mentioned above, but also a view of Christ and His return which will put perspective on the issue of the day and provide hope when discouragement threatens to take over.

 

III.             An Application For All Of Us

a.      The church of the times of this letter’s writing was being threatened with false teaching. That problem is alive and well in the church even today. There continue to be imposters that “in the name of Christ and His Church” distribute false teaching. This teaching comes in all kinds of flavors from self-exaltation to outright idolatry in the name of “freedom in Christ”. For instance:

                                                    i.     When the teaching promotes an experience over a relationship with Jesus… it is false teaching.

                                                  ii.     When the teaching promotes personal happiness over personal holiness… it is false teaching.

                                                iii.     When the teaching promotes a feeling over the facts… it is false teaching.

b.     The false teacher or preacher that seems to be gaining priority and fame will ultimately be exposed by God and judged.

c.      The timing of God is often a demonstration of His patient and longsuffering nature. Instead of mocking it or falling into disbelief we should understand that ultimately His desire is that all come to repentance and salvation (3:9).