March 29 - 2 Peter 3:1-7

2 Peter 3:1-7 – The Day of the Lord

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Peter does a few interesting things in this letter, things that we might not realize are so important. In his first letter, the emphasis was holiness. Peter encourages his readers to be more than what the world expects, to be whole and complete, because that is what we are in Christ Jesus. The problem we have as broken people, is that we forget that and still respond to the world as though we are in pieces.

Wholesome thinking, he says. As our minds think, so go our actions. In today's culture, it is easy to live in anger and brokenness. We are self-centered enough to believe that our thoughts and desires should all be met and that life must be fair. Jesus calls us to something greater than that – to focus on him alone, rather than our own needs and the actions of others. He makes us whole, having our thoughts on him is what brings us health and righteousness. We can't do it on our own, we can't live a life that meets the needs of the world and still be holy.

The next thing that Peter does is to emphasize the continuity of scripture. He wants us to recall the words spoken in the past, the command given by Jesus … through the apostles. This is the tether, the tie that binds us throughout history to moment of creation. God's word has been made real through the people of Israel to the disciples who followed Jesus Christ.

Peter's next bit of preaching is to those who question the truth of Jesus' return. The earth and the heavens have been here for millennia and nothing has changed. But, he says that the one thing we forget is that there was that moment when God spoke creation into existence. That changed everything. And by that same word, God is preparing for the day of judgment. We should not be so arrogant as to believe that we have things in control and that just because God is waiting, doesn't mean it won't happen.

Be prepared for the day of judgment. It will come.

March 28 - 2 Peter 2:17-22

2 Peter 2:17-22 – Springs Without Water

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

In the Gospel of John, Jesus removes thirst from everyone who drinks of the water he gives them. He points to eternity and says, "The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14b). In John 7:37-38, Jesus stood up and said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' "

Proverbs 13:14 says that "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death." Water is a wonderful metaphor for the spirit moving out from us, a never ending, joyous outpouring.

Peter knows this analogy well and tells his readers that false teachers are springs without water. They are mists driven by a storm. Jeremiah uses the analogy of dried up wells to describe those who have forsaken God. He says, "Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads" (Jeremiah 14:3).

Though their words carry no depth, they can harm those who listen to them. They promise freedom, even as they are enslaved by corruption. How often do we fall into the trap of looking for something where there is nothing. We want free airplane tickets or a free computer tablet or tickets to Disney and discover that all we've done is given someone access to our lives and to our friends. We look for freedom and answers, we latch on to diets and money-making schemes, we put our trust in false teachers rather than God … looking for something that is easy, rather than someone that is eternal.

These false teachers would have been better off if they had never been exposed to the good news of Jesus Christ. They knew joy and freedom, chose to leave it behind, and then found it necessary to expose others to their filth. Those who have been drawn away from the Gospel are just as bad, their weakness in returning to the ease of trusting in false teachers will make it that much more difficult for them to return to the holiness that comes from knowing God.

The final verse of this chapter brings up familiar images. Dogs and pigs were both scavengers during the time of Jesus. Garbage was fed to pigs and dogs were not pets, but scavenged through the garbage for food. Both return to the mire of what they have always known … just as those who leave righteousness for their former lives.

The spring of living water must not go dry within us.

March 27 - 2 Peter 2:10-16

2 Peter 2:10-16

This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. 
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.  With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

First, false teachers despise authority and follow corrupt desires.  They are bold and arrogant and will even slander celestial beings.  Peter assures us that not only are they brute beasts, but they are ignorant.  They don't even know what it is that they are talking about!  Wycliffe says 'their self-assurance was matched by their ignorance.'  Paul speaks of this type of people in Colossians 2:18.

Because of the ease of access we have in this day and age to all manner of insanity, both in the news and through our social media networks, we often feel as if we are assaulted on all sides by these false teachers.  We are over-exposed to their slanderous talk and often believe that the only thing we can do is combat it. We often lower ourselves to their level, saying and writing things that are unacceptable.

Look at what Peter says. Even the angels who are stronger and more powerful, do not return abuse when they deliver judgment.

We must understand that we can't change their minds, we can't fix their accusations and we can't expect them to live differently than they do. We do not have the power. It is in God's hands and his alone.

2 Peter 2:13 speaks of people who attend Christian events and then carouse, living a life that is completely different than the one they live while chatting it up in church!  When Peter speaks of a feast, he is speaking of the family-type gatherings that Christians had regularly.

But there is more to come with regards to their bad behavior. They never stop sinning.  Their eyes are adulterous, they seduce the unstable, they are experts in greed, and they love the payment they get for wickedness.  When I was in business, it was always a challenge to be above board and honest. Dishonesty happened all around us.  The business world is not an easy place to be a Christian. Too many Christian business people find themselves easily swayed by the easy dollar.  It's much too simple to take a shortcut and charge the higher price ... Peter condemns these actions!

Even though Peter's condemnation of sinful behavior is strong, it still doesn't change the fact that this will continue to occur until Christ's return. We want justice while we are earthbound, while God sees justice occurring on a much larger scale. We want God to fix this world and stop these people from having control. God knows that this behavior isn't new; it has been around since the beginning of civilization.

We need to behave more like his angels who refuse to heap abuse on those God judges. Our only task as Christians is to love … unconditionally. It isn't up to us to deliver judgment. It isn't up to us to ensure that morality is found on earth.

Peter assures us that God's judgment will prevail over evil and sinful behavior.

Just as he dealt with Balaam, whose donkey forced him back on the path toward holiness, God deals with each person in this world. We must remain on the straight path, aligning our lives with God's will.

March 26 - 2 Peter 2:4-9

2 Peter 2:4-9 – A History Lesson

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless  (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

Peter is about to deliver a very clear picture of God's ability to judge between the righteous and the wicked.  If you read Jude 3-8, you will find much of the same language.  The if ... then statements are summed up in 2 Peter 2:9.  The Lord knows how to rescue godly men and He knows to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment.

The angels that sinned.  We read about fallen angels in Job 4:18, Matthew 25:41, Jude 6 and Revelation 12:9.  Jude and Revelation both speak of the archangel Michael, who led the battle against the dragon (Satan) and his angels in Revelation 12:7-8.

God didn't spare the ancient world filled with ungodly people, but he did separate Noah and his family to protect them.

He condemned Sodom and Gomorrah, but rescued Lot, a righteous man.  And don't you love 2 Peter 2:8?  'that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.'  Some days, after watching the news, I feel like that. Not that I'm proclaiming myself particularly righteous.  But, we live among such filth and we are expected to maintain a sense of godliness through it. God rewards that!

In 2 Peter 2:9, the word 'terein,' which is translated in the NIV as 'holding the unrighteous for the day of judgment,' actually means that God is keeping them under guard.

False teachers and prophets, ungodly men and women, sinful angels and those who deliberately reject God's commands face an eternity of punishment. We can hope for something better and ignore the fact that it is coming, but Peter wants us to understand that God will punish the unjust and the ungodly. He will also rescue the righteous.

March 25 - 2 Peter 2:1-3

2 Peter 2:1-3 – False Prophets

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

These words are quite disturbing. It is so easy for us to be taken in and caught up in false teaching.  In fact, sometimes it is nearly impossible to discern what is truth and what is false.

Social media bombards us with tales and stories that often require research to uncover their truth. But, we don't have something that black and white to stop most false teachers and prophets.  Teaching is wrapped up in the guise of truth and many times it is wrapped in a beautiful bow that entices us into desiring that their words be truth.

We've seen cults destroy themselves as their leaders tried to introduce teachings and then fall apart. In fact, we've seen many evangelical pastors lose sight of the goal and turn the importance of the story of Jesus into a personal greedy goal.  Peter assures us that their destruction will be swift.

I don't know that Peter is speaking of Christians who get caught up in something and find themselves spinning out of control as we've seen many evangelical leaders do over the last few decades.  This is a more insidious, deliberate attack on Christianity.  But, the enemy will use any way possible to get people to follow the lie and his false teaching.

What is one of the outcomes of false teaching?  The way of truth is brought into disrepute. Hypocrisy among Christians is one of the biggest reasons that non-Christians offer for not wanting to become a part of the church.  Who can blame them? Christianity, the church, everything about this has been turned into a business and many times not a very 'Christian' one at that.  So, when an honest person shows up, wanting to spread the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, he (or she) must wade through the built-up sludge of lies and destructive heresies.

This is not an easy time to be a Christian. We are not facing direct persecution on a daily basis, but we do face the effects of allowing false prophets and false teachers among us.

In 2 Peter 2:3, the NIV says that 'these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.'  Other translations read 'feigned words.'  The Greek word for this phrase is 'plastos.'  We get our word 'plastic' from that.  Words that can easily be twisted. They twist these words to fill their greed. Paul writes of the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 2:5, "You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness," when assuring his readers that he was different from others.  In the Old Testament, Micah called them out by saying, "Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price, and her prophets divine for money."  (Micah 3:11).

We don't have to pronounce judgment on these people, Peter says that "their condemnation has long been hanging over them ..." (2 Peter 2:3b).  But we do have to be constantly on the alert.

March 24 - 2 Peter 1:19-21

2 Peter 1:19-21 – Prophets

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

At the end of the passage that we read yesterday, Peter spoke of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus ensured that Peter, James and John saw the glory of the living Presence of God.  Peter is about to teach about a false teacher, but before he gets there, he wants us to know that he is preaching truth.  Those 'cleverly devised stories' of 2 Peter 1:16 were not used to tell us about the power and coming of Jesus, but Peter was a witness and the prophets told of those things.

Pay attention to prophecy, he says. It is a light shining in a dark place. Psalm 119:105 say that God's Word is a "lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Peter goes on to write that we are to hold to the Word 'until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.' (2 Peter 1:19b)

Numbers 24:17 says "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel."

And we read in Revelation 22:16 that Jesus is the bright morning star.

After the dawn of the morning star - scripture will no longer be needed.  Understand this - it's beautiful!  Scripture shines as a light until the coming of the dawn.  That's what Peter is saying.  Jesus is the Word made flesh.  Jesus is the morning star. We will no longer need scripture with the dawn of the morning star. We will have entered the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:23 says "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light ... and the Lamb is its lamp."

Remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10?  "But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears."

2 Peter 1:20-21 gives us more information about these prophecies. Firstly, the prophet did not make them up on his own and secondly, they came from God through the Holy Spirit.

The prophecies that are a light shining in a dark place are God's Words to us ... love letters, if you will.  A promise that Jesus will return. A light to encourage our hope in the darkness.

March 23 - 2 Peter 1:12-18

2 Peter 1:12-18 – We Knew Jesus

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. 

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

In John 21:18-19, Jesus tells Peter that he will die a martyr's death. We find Peter acknowledging that this is going to happen soon in these verses (2 Peter 1:12-15). He wants to make sure that things are put into place so that his readers are able to remember the truths that he has spent the better part of his life teaching. Some scholars believe that 2 Peter 1:15 indicates that he spent time recounting his memories to Mark so that the Gospel would be written.

False prophets and teachers used myths and stories to emphasize their teaching. Peter clearly states in 2 Peter 1:16 that the stories he relates are true because he was an eyewitness.  Paul used the same terminology in dealing with false prophets in 1 Tim. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4 and Tit. 1:14.

One of Peter's favorite memories had to have been the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-13). Jesus ensured that Peter, James and John were allowed to witness the glory of heaven so that they could relate the story to others on earth ... as witnesses and participants.

Non-Biblical sources are used to make suppositions regarding Peter's life in Rome and his death. However, these sources are generally accepted as historical.  Josephus (AD 37 - AD 100) wrote two major works which describe Judaism and early Christianity, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Clement of Rome, St. Ireneaus of Lyons all spoke of Peter - that he and Paul were the founders of the church in Rome. Josephus wrote of how Roman soldiers entertained themselves by crucifying men in varying positions, which affirms the possibility of Peter's crucifixion being upside down.

Tradition holds that Peter fled from Rome to avoid execution, but in a vision/conversation with Jesus, was told that he (Jesus) was going to Rome to be crucified again, so Peter turned around and went back to Rome to meet his death.

He would have been murdered by Nero between 64 and 68 AD. On October 13, 64 AD, Nero celebrated the 10th Anniversary of his ascendancy to the throne. This holiday was generally celebrated with much bloodshed and came three months after the fire which Nero blamed on the Christians, hoping to eliminate many of them in the aftermath.  This may have been a good time for Nero to execute one of the great leaders of the Christian faith.

All of the stories, all of the traditions are interesting information, but what we actually know of Peter is that he as a man who knew Jesus intimately and his purpose in life was fulfilled as he taught people how to come to know his own Savior personally.