May 11-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:13, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
Peter continues his long message against the false teachers who have infiltrated the church. After hearing about their judgment and destruction in last week’s reading, we begin this week with the news that they will receive what is coming to them. They caused tremendous harm in the church and, as a result, Peter wanted everyone to know that God has seen it and would address it. He goes on to give additional details that reveal that their false teaching also led to depraved living. The Greek word for “pleasure” is where we get the word “hedonist.” The Greeks numbered this kind of “pleasure” among the four “deadly sins.” Excessive drinking and eating in daylight hours were a standard indication of a degenerate lifestyle. These false teachers openly pursued their sinful and self-indulgent ways in full view of everyone in broad daylight. They even acted in their wicked ways while eating with fellow believers. In the early church believers gathered regularly to share a meal, and in that meal often celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Not even a meal intended to remember the death of the Lord Jesus and anticipate His return was safe from the immorality and deception practiced by these false teachers. The results of entertaining and believing false teaching always leads to broken morals and a corrupted lifestyle.
Relate it to your life.
I need to understand the dangerous downward spiral that false teaching can take a person on.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me so close to You that I daily ingest Your true word and obey Your holy loving voice. Amen.
May 12-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:14, With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
Observe what it is saying.
Peter reveals additional sins these false teachers have engaged in. They have adultery in their eyes, meaning they desire every woman they see. This implies they desired to turn church gatherings into times of debauchery. They never stop sinning. They never take a breath from evil. They are always thinking, plotting, and practicing that which is opposed to Jesus’ teaching. They lure the unstable, those who have no real foundation in their lives, into sin. On the other hand, in chapter 1 of this letter, Peter has spoken of his readers as being "firmly established in the truth," and in chapter 3, he will warn them of "unstable people" and of the danger of falling "from their secure position." The word “experts” refers to athletic training. These false teachers have trained hard to become proficient in the greedy people they are. They teach their false brand of religion as a way to pad their pockets. Because there is nothing good or pure about them, they are under God’s curse and judgment. The danger of false teachers is not only the message they spew but the lifestyle they model.
Relate it to your life.
Once again, I discover how believing the wrong message can lead to a very dark life.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me focused on the truth of Your word so that I can live a life that is pleasing to You. Amen.
May 13-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:15-16, They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
The “way” was a popular means of characterizing a particular religious teaching. The imagery is a path that a true devotee will follow to the end. The Old Testament pictures faithfulness to the Lord as a “straight path” to be followed, and the New Testament depicts Christianity as the “Way.” Sin is described as “wandering” from that path. For example, God’s warning to the people of Israel: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28.) Balaam is introduced in Numbers 22-24 as a prophet whom the pagan king Balak pays to prophesy against Israel. Despite Balaam’s own reluctance and corruption, God causes him to utter prophecies in favor of His people. The point of connection between Numbers and 2 Peter is the use of the word “way.” The “way of Balaam” was the reckless road that he traveled. Peter’s use of Balaam follows how Scripture uses him as a negative example. Balaam’s willingness to curse Israel for profit became a staple in Jewish stories about him who was rebuked by a talking donkey. If God can do that to Balaam, God can certainly judge the false teachers spewing evil leading the people of God astray.
Relate it to your life.
God’s judgment will come to those who are unrepentant in their evil words and actions.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I give praise to you as the psalmists did for You judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9) Amen.
May 14-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:17-19, 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.”
Observe what it is saying.
Peter is unrelentless in his description of these false teachers and what a great judgment they will face. He next uses nature imagery. Like waterless springs, these heretics are unable to give life. As storm-driven mists, they are blown about by every wind of false doctrine, and their ultimate fate is the judgment of utter darkness. These false practitioners of the faith entice new believers to return to their old sinful passions. Ironically, they promise a new freedom while they themselves are enslaved to the very corruption that will one day lead to their destruction. As a result, they are proof of the core spiritual principle that whatever they allow to dominate their life becomes their true master. Sin and corruption can be viewed as military powers that conquer a person if one does not actively fight them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a victorious army, sin not only defeats people but enslaves them as well.
Relate it to your life.
I choose whom I will become enslaved to.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, help me to understand true freedom only comes by Your grace and forgiveness. Amen.
May 15-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:20-22, 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.”
Observe what it is saying.
Peter explains that these false teachers are those who once claimed to know Christ but have fallen away from Him and His teaching. He goes on to explain they have been overcome because they are entangled again in the sin of the world. They are ensnared in the same activities that characterized their lives before confessing Christ. As a result, the last condition of the false teachers is worse than the first, for in their apostasy, they have rejected the only remedy for their sin. Peter explains on judgment day it will be better for them if they had never known God’s righteousness in the gospel rather than know it and then turn away from it. Those who claim to believe in the gospel but then reject Jesus by returning to a long-standing pattern of unrepentant sin will suffer a greater condemnation. Peter sees in the false teachers living examples of a dog that returns to its own vomit, which Proverbs 26:11 compares to a fool who returns to his folly. The second is a pig who after washing itself returns to wallow in the mud. Peter takes the common practice of Jews referring to Gentiles as dogs and pigs and applies those metaphors to the false teachers, not based on their ethnicity but based on how they live.
Relate it to your life.
This does not speak of those who sin after salvation but those who deliberately turn away and refuse to return.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me close so that I never return to that from which I have been saved. Amen.
May 16-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 3:1, Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
Observe what it is saying.
Peter says his purpose in writing both letters was a reminder of what they already knew. In the midst of false teachers who were leading so many astray, Peter tells them they need to remember well. We know how easy it is to forget where we have placed our keys, our glasses, or many other objects. We also forget weightier things like what we were taught. More than ever, with so many distractions and means of messaging, we experience information overload. So much of this information is less than healthy for us to consume. Because we must be so careful what we bring into our minds, Peter wrote to stimulate them to think about what is right, good, and beautiful. As Paul said, in Ephesians 4:17-18, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Since our hearts are the essence of our being, holy thinking is a mind and heart effort that keeps our whole being united together with one focus on Christ.
Relate it to your life.
It matters for my spiritual health what I think and input into my mind and heart.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, help me to stay focused on You so that I only think what is holy and good. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:13, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
Peter continues his long message against the false teachers who have infiltrated the church. After hearing about their judgment and destruction in last week’s reading, we begin this week with the news that they will receive what is coming to them. They caused tremendous harm in the church and, as a result, Peter wanted everyone to know that God has seen it and would address it. He goes on to give additional details that reveal that their false teaching also led to depraved living. The Greek word for “pleasure” is where we get the word “hedonist.” The Greeks numbered this kind of “pleasure” among the four “deadly sins.” Excessive drinking and eating in daylight hours were a standard indication of a degenerate lifestyle. These false teachers openly pursued their sinful and self-indulgent ways in full view of everyone in broad daylight. They even acted in their wicked ways while eating with fellow believers. In the early church believers gathered regularly to share a meal, and in that meal often celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Not even a meal intended to remember the death of the Lord Jesus and anticipate His return was safe from the immorality and deception practiced by these false teachers. The results of entertaining and believing false teaching always leads to broken morals and a corrupted lifestyle.
Relate it to your life.
I need to understand the dangerous downward spiral that false teaching can take a person on.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me so close to You that I daily ingest Your true word and obey Your holy loving voice. Amen.
May 12-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:14, With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
Observe what it is saying.
Peter reveals additional sins these false teachers have engaged in. They have adultery in their eyes, meaning they desire every woman they see. This implies they desired to turn church gatherings into times of debauchery. They never stop sinning. They never take a breath from evil. They are always thinking, plotting, and practicing that which is opposed to Jesus’ teaching. They lure the unstable, those who have no real foundation in their lives, into sin. On the other hand, in chapter 1 of this letter, Peter has spoken of his readers as being "firmly established in the truth," and in chapter 3, he will warn them of "unstable people" and of the danger of falling "from their secure position." The word “experts” refers to athletic training. These false teachers have trained hard to become proficient in the greedy people they are. They teach their false brand of religion as a way to pad their pockets. Because there is nothing good or pure about them, they are under God’s curse and judgment. The danger of false teachers is not only the message they spew but the lifestyle they model.
Relate it to your life.
Once again, I discover how believing the wrong message can lead to a very dark life.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me focused on the truth of Your word so that I can live a life that is pleasing to You. Amen.
May 13-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:15-16, They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
The “way” was a popular means of characterizing a particular religious teaching. The imagery is a path that a true devotee will follow to the end. The Old Testament pictures faithfulness to the Lord as a “straight path” to be followed, and the New Testament depicts Christianity as the “Way.” Sin is described as “wandering” from that path. For example, God’s warning to the people of Israel: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28.) Balaam is introduced in Numbers 22-24 as a prophet whom the pagan king Balak pays to prophesy against Israel. Despite Balaam’s own reluctance and corruption, God causes him to utter prophecies in favor of His people. The point of connection between Numbers and 2 Peter is the use of the word “way.” The “way of Balaam” was the reckless road that he traveled. Peter’s use of Balaam follows how Scripture uses him as a negative example. Balaam’s willingness to curse Israel for profit became a staple in Jewish stories about him who was rebuked by a talking donkey. If God can do that to Balaam, God can certainly judge the false teachers spewing evil leading the people of God astray.
Relate it to your life.
God’s judgment will come to those who are unrepentant in their evil words and actions.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I give praise to you as the psalmists did for You judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9) Amen.
May 14-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:17-19, 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.”
Observe what it is saying.
Peter is unrelentless in his description of these false teachers and what a great judgment they will face. He next uses nature imagery. Like waterless springs, these heretics are unable to give life. As storm-driven mists, they are blown about by every wind of false doctrine, and their ultimate fate is the judgment of utter darkness. These false practitioners of the faith entice new believers to return to their old sinful passions. Ironically, they promise a new freedom while they themselves are enslaved to the very corruption that will one day lead to their destruction. As a result, they are proof of the core spiritual principle that whatever they allow to dominate their life becomes their true master. Sin and corruption can be viewed as military powers that conquer a person if one does not actively fight them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a victorious army, sin not only defeats people but enslaves them as well.
Relate it to your life.
I choose whom I will become enslaved to.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, help me to understand true freedom only comes by Your grace and forgiveness. Amen.
May 15-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 2:20-22, 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.”
Observe what it is saying.
Peter explains that these false teachers are those who once claimed to know Christ but have fallen away from Him and His teaching. He goes on to explain they have been overcome because they are entangled again in the sin of the world. They are ensnared in the same activities that characterized their lives before confessing Christ. As a result, the last condition of the false teachers is worse than the first, for in their apostasy, they have rejected the only remedy for their sin. Peter explains on judgment day it will be better for them if they had never known God’s righteousness in the gospel rather than know it and then turn away from it. Those who claim to believe in the gospel but then reject Jesus by returning to a long-standing pattern of unrepentant sin will suffer a greater condemnation. Peter sees in the false teachers living examples of a dog that returns to its own vomit, which Proverbs 26:11 compares to a fool who returns to his folly. The second is a pig who after washing itself returns to wallow in the mud. Peter takes the common practice of Jews referring to Gentiles as dogs and pigs and applies those metaphors to the false teachers, not based on their ethnicity but based on how they live.
Relate it to your life.
This does not speak of those who sin after salvation but those who deliberately turn away and refuse to return.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, keep me close so that I never return to that from which I have been saved. Amen.
May 16-Stand Fast
Write out the Scripture.
2 Peter 3:1, Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
Observe what it is saying.
Peter says his purpose in writing both letters was a reminder of what they already knew. In the midst of false teachers who were leading so many astray, Peter tells them they need to remember well. We know how easy it is to forget where we have placed our keys, our glasses, or many other objects. We also forget weightier things like what we were taught. More than ever, with so many distractions and means of messaging, we experience information overload. So much of this information is less than healthy for us to consume. Because we must be so careful what we bring into our minds, Peter wrote to stimulate them to think about what is right, good, and beautiful. As Paul said, in Ephesians 4:17-18, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Since our hearts are the essence of our being, holy thinking is a mind and heart effort that keeps our whole being united together with one focus on Christ.
Relate it to your life.
It matters for my spiritual health what I think and input into my mind and heart.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, help me to stay focused on You so that I only think what is holy and good. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals