December 23
1 Peter 5:12-14; 2 Peter 1:1-3:18
God knew the trials that Peter, Paul, John and the others that were tasked with bringing the message of the gospel to an unknowing world. He knew that those trials, if people are not solidly grounded can cause them to deny, backslide, question, and become ineffective messengers for God’s kingdom. Peter, James and John got a glimpse of God’s glory while Jesus was still on the earth on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9), that Peter revealed in 2 Peter 1:16-18, “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.” Despite this, we know of Peter soon denying Jesus when the trials became intense (Matthew 26:69-75). Paul got a glimpse of heaven after being stoned in Lystra, as Paul discussed in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6.
So, Peter emphasized to these believers the importance of securing their foundation and maintaining their walk. He knew the truth, but also understood the temptation to veer off. He gives the stepping stones to stay strong daily in 2 Peter 1:5-9, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.” Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, revealed that trials and persecutions would surely come, but our ability to withstand these forces will depend on how we ground ourselves daily (Matthew 7:24-27).
Peter goes on a long discussion in 2 Peter 2-3, of the danger of false teachers. People mistakenly like to point their accusatory fingers at certain denominations, etc. But, without a firm grasp of God’s Word anyone can be led astray. People allow corruption for a multitude of reasons: make God’s commands more palatable to the worldly; to appear more inclusive despite the clear exclusivity of Jesus Christ and His message; to appear more relevant to our changing times; to open doors and fill churches, etc. But remember this, compromise is compromise, and God’s Word is never to be trivialized or compromised with. My pastor, Lloyd Pulley, often says that if anything he says does not measure up with what the Bible says, he invites people to question him. God’s Word does not originate in the will of man, as we read in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” Never minimize the gift that God left behind for us: His perfect, always relevant, Word. Fix yourselves on it daily, and throughout each day. Then you will be armed to defend yourselves against the temptation to fall away, even if it is for a day or a moment.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: