Stand Firm in the Bible
Notes
Transcript
YOU NEED A BIBLE TO HOLD UP
We have reached chapter 3 of 2 Peter and it’s an important one.
Pray
Stand Firm in The Bible
Stand Firm in The Bible
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
No one is certyain what the first letter peter is referring too here, it’s most likley what we call the book of 1 Peter, or a lost letter, but it’s not too important,
But wholesome thinking is what is important.
A phrase meaning to have pure or sincere thinking, but about what? well v2 - about God’s Holy scriptures.
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.
It’s a contrast to the false teachers he’s about to mention in v3, as being scoffers of God’s Word.
Christians - are recallers of the Bible.
You will either trust it, believe it, think of it sincerely - purely
Or, you will be treating it as a scoffer.
TO think whoelsomely, we are to
study, read, recall the Holy prophets - in other words the Old Testement,
and the commands of the Lord and Saviour - What we call the NT,
This contract is still seen today.
You either believe and trust the full word of God - even the bits we might find hard to understand or apply, or, we will have to explain them away, scoff at them.
A fasle teacher is someone who starts to deny, or scoff, at the word of God and then strats telling others the same.
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
It is evil desires that cause us to doubt the word of God.
Anytime we decide we think we know better, or the world offers somethings better, or we argue that the Bible is out of date,
it is our way of elevating ourselves and our own views over God’s.
We are not thinking sincerely of God’s word.
And if we start teaching others our views, we join the ranks of false teachers.
We must a stand firm in the Bible.
The false teachers in 2 Peter were picking a choosing what they believed and taight.
And as we’re about to see they were denying that Jesus would return, they were denying judgement was coming.
Oh - I’ll take the Jesus of forgiveness and love, but not the bits about judgement.
I’ll take the bit about loving my neighbour, but i’ll argue away the bit about loving my enemy.
Or I’ll take the bit about do not steal but I’ll ignore the bits about saving sex for marriage between 1 woman and 1 man.
Think wholesomely - by assuming God’s word is always right, and we are often not.
Stand Firm in the Bible!
Why is this so important?
well becasue
1 - Judgement is Real - Jesus is Coming
1 - Judgement is Real - Jesus is Coming
False teaching always start with truth, but betrays the whole truth to, v3 suit evil desires.
No doubt the fasle teachers at this time said they loved Jesus, maybe he was even the son of God.
Maybe all sorts of things that sounded right,
But they were denying something very significant.
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.’
They were denying that Jesus was coming back.
Instead of Standing Firm in the Bible,
they looked at the world, looked at their own hearts and wisdom and concluded...
Well, most a generation has died since Jesus ascended to heaven,
he’s not coming back - in fact, it’s now been like this since creation.
So don’t take his commands too seriously - live a little!
The problem is that The coming of the Lord Jesus is always understood to be his coming to judge the wicked and to redeem the saints, the godly.
SO denying his return means we don’t have to think about sin anymore.
These False teachers theology ends up in teaching that godliness is unimportant, and sin is ok!
Jesus isn’t returning and so there is no judgement of such things.
They therefore deny or abuse the power of the cross - if there is no judgement, Jesus did not need to die for us!
But says Peter - Stand Firm in the Bible- the word of god.
Unlike false teachers:
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.
They forget God’s very word, they don’t stand firm to it - so they forget that they are repeating history!
God created the world and he began with the basin element of water.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
It wasn’t long into the creation of humanity that they too began to deny the relevance of God and his judgement.
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’ But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.
How foolish Noah’s community must have thought Noah, as he built this colossal Ark.
"God wont flood us all out, - judgement isn’t really coming”
But sure enough, just as waters were the beginning of creation, they were also the end of all life - other than the few that God saved on the ark.
Trust and believe the bible, not false teachers who bend or forget the truth of judgement.
Jesus will certainly return, and he will certainly judge,.
God has done it before - you can read about in the bible - and so he will do it again as Jesus himself promised in the NT.
The repetitive use of the word ‘word’ also seems deliberate as well- mirroring the water that began and needed life in Noah’s time.
the God’s ‘word’ created , v5,
and
The God’s ‘word’ that will bring judgement again:
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.
The NT does a clear job of explaining that the Word of creation from God, was the Lord Jesus himself.
John 1:14 (NIV 2011)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son.
Jesus created this world, he will end this world.
Just as water began and ended,
so the full and final judgement was begun by the Word and will end by the Word!
Jesus is coming back, and he will judge.
Don’t doubt it, even tough we are still waiting
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
God is outside of time, your false teachers deny his return becasue it’s been a while - but time is not a constraint he deals with.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The false teachers use delay as cause for attack on God’s promises,
While God uses his delay to allow time for more to hear of Jesus and be saved!
He is giving us still today - time to repent.
It is why evangelisms, telling others of Jesus is so crucial for us as CHristains.
Because God is not delaying his return so we can have a blast in this world that is full of evil, sin, sickness, death, hate and pain!
He is delaying so His people - you and I - can warn everyone of the coming judgement!
He says again in v15
The lord’s patience means salvation!
If he returns tonight, who have you not told about Jesus - well they will face God;s right judgement and wrath,
So tell them!
Ask them, what do you think happens after death,
listen and then tell them what you believe - and offer them Jesus who can save them as he has you.
Before it is too late
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
If you knew a thief was coming you’d get ready wouldn’t you?
Well be ready all the time is the point.
Live a godly life and warn those who do not repent yet!
It’s not going to be pretty otherwise.
Is it surprising that false teachers deny the return of Jesus and therefore his judgement of all things?
Of course not - it’s terrifying.
God is v7, reserving the ungodly for judgement and eternal destruction,
The secrets of your heart, the fantasies, the things done in secret,
our attitudes towards God and others,
all of it,
laid out as if on post it notes on an eternally long whiteboard! , v10
How nice to think it wont happen,
How nice to teach that it wont happen,
How nice to ignore, or deviate some aspects of God’s word,
so it doens’t seem so bad for us.
It’s not surprising false teacehrs will tell you all that.
But that is why we must stand firm in the Bible!
And if we believe it, we will respond by wanring others.
And in a true seeking of godliness - for Jesus has saved us in His great mercy.
Have we been swayed by our world a false teachers to not believe judgement is coming?
This chapter is almost like a greatest hits of least believed doctrines by Christians!
Judgement is real!
The ungodly will be reserved for destruction under God’s right justice.
Jesus is coming back, yes really.
We don’t know when! But do we really trust His word that he will.
The Bible, old and New Testament is to be fully believed and lived by.
The world needs to be warned and offered JEsus through their repentance for rejecting God.
In September we’re launching a renewed focus and effort in evangelism as a church!
But don’t wait until then!
Christ might return halfway through your summer holidays!
Tell them now.
2 - So, be Godly
2 - So, be Godly
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
Because Jesus really will return, and really will judge.
Live holy and godly lives (which simple means to live for Jesus and not for yourself - to live according to the word of God, not man made lies,
And why wouldn’t we want to live in obedience to Jesus, for, unlike the person who does not repent before Jesus,
Christians do not live in fear of judgement.
Infact this is the whole point of the Christian faith, and why we must not deny Jesus return and judgment.
We have been saved from that judgement!
We have been promised salvation and eternal life with Jesus.
Not through being godly and holy - no - through v9 repentance.
Repent and believe in the forgiveness of Jesus, who took your judgement upon himself - in your place on the cross and you will receive the promise of eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It is incredible that we deserve judgement but are freely given LIFE!
So, we don’t stop at v11, as if our godliness is what saves us from jdugemnt and we do it out of fear,
no - we may repent rightly out of fear when we see the wrath of God set aaginst us.
But once forgiven we rely on His promises: and we are filled with joy!
so againv 11
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
DEstruction of this world is coming, and judgement awaits, BUT - those who repent and believe in Jesus, have joy, and seek to live godly lives, becasue we trust his promise of a new heaven and earth, where righteousness dwells!
Eternity will be an incredible, perfect, righteous, glorious, joyful place.
This earth will be destroyed, but a perfect new world will be ours with Jesus.
His word created once, it will creat again!
it will be so good and so wonderful, that the prospect of that eternal promise gives us joy right now!
So we look forward to that day!
Jesus our Lord, our King will return and welcome his children who repent, and follow him.
All goodness and love, all praise will go to God, and we will love it and love Him perfectly!
What a day it will be - so we long for it.
Evil, sin, illness, tears, all wiped away.
And it is all ours in joy through Jesus.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Pause
In V15-16 Peter reminds them that he is not the only one telling them these truths - the apostle Paul also teaches the same - even if sometimes his letters are harder to understand!
But don’t stumble or be swayed - trust the word of God - the bible.
STand Firm in the Bible.
It’s all here!
hold up bible
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
Don’t listen to - and when you hear, do not be swayed or tempted by false teaching!
Open your bibles - don’t listen to anyone - not me, not anyone who claims to have the truth of God unless they and you have a bible open!
Recall it, believe it, trust it, rejoice in it.
Here you find the gospel of Jesus that saves,
You find your call to repent and believe,
Your call to be godly and live for and only for Jesus.
Your reminder of all he has done,
Your confidence,
your joy,
your assurance of his return and judgement!
Open it, read it, submit to it - for it is the word of God.
Don’t risk your faith, your position with Jesus, don’t play with fire,
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen.
