Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

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. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Today, as Peter finishes his second letter to the early church, he uses this opportunity to challenge them in their own relationship with The Lord. He uses the term again, "make every effort". People get nervous about this saying as they fear this might lead people back to a "works mentality". Meaning our relationship with God is based on what we do for him. But in this context, Peter is writing in regard to Jesus' return. He is getting them ready f

10 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. 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 12 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. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. As Peter finishes his 2nd letter to the church, he discusses the day of The Lord. This is frequently referred to as a day of judgment, and with Jesus' teachings his own return to judge the living and the dead. Of course Peter doesn't know more any more than we do as to when that day is going to come. But what he does know is that it is going to come in a way which he describes as a

8 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. 9 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. When people wonder why The Lord hasn't returned yet, this passage gives us insight as to why. This letter is addressed to Christians in the 1st century, but has obvious relevance for us today. First of all, it shows that God's timing is not our timing. God lives outside space and time and not according to our time table. You may have heard this already, but it bears repeating. There are two types of time in the Greek language. "Chronos" time represents time that keeps rolling on. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and so on and so on. This time will keep ticking until the day God decides to bring an end to time. On the other hand is "kairos" time, which is often chara

3 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 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. 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 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.” 5 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. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 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. As Peter goes to finish he letter his friends, he addresses the second coming of Jesus. There were som

17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 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. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” 20 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. 21 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. 22 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.” Peter continues to point out the error in the false teachers. The false

13 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.[e] 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer,[f] who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 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. Today Peter tells the story of Balaam, the prophet in the Old Testament, as an example of the false teachers in the early church. If you don't know the story of Balaam here it is. Balaam was a well known prophet, who was summoned by the King of Moab, King Balak, because of the Israelites advancing. Balak hired Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. On the way over to Moab an a

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from[d] the Lord. 12 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. Peter continues to describe these false teachers. Not only do they distort teachings about Jesus, but they even presume to have knowledge of celestial beings, like angels. Even angels who are stronger and more powerful do not assume to make such judgments. There are a lot of teachings about angels in the church today. Sometimes we read back into the bible all kinds of modern ideas about angels and demons. What relationship there is between the celestial beings and the angels in verse 11 is not clear either. Some suggest they are different than angels, others think the

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment; 5 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; 6 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; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 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. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh[c] and despise authority. As Peter talks about the destruction of these so called prophets, he points

False Teachers and Their Destruction 2 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. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 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. Again today the subject of "false teachers" comes up. Peter equates the "false prophets" of the Old Testament with the "false teachers" in the New Testament. The common denominator is that they presume to speak for God, but they introduce heresies. A heresy is a distortion of the truth, that often looks a lot like the truth. Notice it says they will secretly introduce these heresies. One has to be aware of anything purpor

19 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. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 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. There are many people who claim to be prophets. We might call them self-appointed prophets, who presume to speak in the name of The Lord. Jesus warned the early church of false prophets, who were "wolves in sheep's clothing". A prophet in simple terms is one who speaks God's Word in a timely manner. Prophets speak God's word under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to give God's message to a particular group of people. For instance, there were prophets in Israel before Christ w

16 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. 17 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.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. In any court case where a person is being tried, the most valuable evidence is an eyewitness testimony. Why? Because the person was there and saw the event. The only way an attorney can disqualify the eyewitness is if they can prove they weren't there, or the person is lying. So as Peter continues to encourage the early church to stay in faith until Jesus returns, he uses this method. He says "we were eyewitnesses of his majesty". We, meaning Peter and the other apostles, James and John. And by the way, he references the event we know as the Tra

Prophecy of Scripture 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. As Peter nears his departure, you can see his pastor's heart. As we mentioned before, Peter's direct command from Jesus was, "Do you love me, Peter? Then feed my sheep!" Peter knows what it is like to fold under the pressure. He wants these believers to be equipped and prepared for the time when their faith will be under fire. Peter has 3 goals laid out here. 1. To remind them of these things. What are these things? He just got done reminding them that they have been called and elected by God through Jesus. God has given

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This would be a very confusing passage if we don't take this passage in context, and in the light of the rest of the bible. Peter says, "make every effort to add to your faith"

2 Peter 1 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Confirming One’s Calling and Election 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. As we begin the book of 2 Peter these first verses attribute the book to Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. In chapter 3, he further states, "Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by th

1 Peter 5 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. As Peter finishes his letter he encourages them to stand firm in the grace which called them. In spite of the suffering and trials they have undergone, they will be restored or perfect through this suffering. This is similar to what the author of Hebrews says about Jesus' own suffering and what it produced in Him. "In bringing many sons and daughters to glory,