Bible Text: Luke 8:40-48 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd |
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10-31-2021
“SENSITIVITY OF  JESUS”
 
Luke 8:40-48

 

Jairus’ Problem.

 

 

Woman’s Problem.

 

 

 

Doctors’ Failings.

 

 

 

Woman’s Plan.

 

 

 

Touching the Tassel on Robe.

 

 

 

Terror – Who Touched Me?

 

Power Has Gone Out of Me.

 

 

 

Go In Peace.

 

 

 

 

Enduring Lessons:

 

 

 

a) Sensitivity of Jesus.

 

 

b) Power of Feeble Faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Shepherd

Bible Text: Luke 7:1-10 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd |
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10-24-2021
“WHO IS THIS GUY?”
 
Luke 7:1-10

 

1. What do we know about the three stars of the story?

a) Slave
b) Centurion
c) Jesus

 

2. The unusual occurrences in the story

a) The Centurion’s concern for his slave
b) The Centurion’s response to the slave’s sickness
c) The Jewish elders’ request to Jesus
d) Jesus’ response to the elders’ request
e) The reason Jesus never made it to the Centurion’s house
f) Jesus’ amazement by the Centurion’s faith
g) The Miracle

 

3. What do we learn about how faith works from the story?

 

4. What do we learn about Jesus from the story?

 

 
Jim Shepherd

Bible Text: 2Peter 2:3-10a | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |
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10-17-2021
“God’s Judgment is Sure”
 2Peter 2:3-10a

 

 

Last week we studied 2Peter 2:1-3, about how false prophets had risen among the people of Israel, just as they had among those in the church.

 

False teachers give a bad name to the church of God, even though they don’t really belong to it.  They use their positions of influence to fleece the flock of God and lead people into destructive heresies, even denying the lordship of Christ.

 

See 2Peter 2:3a… 

 

One thing all false teachers have in common is greed.  They seek to get rich off of those they are supposed to be ministering to.  False teachers want to be popular and wealthy; for they are consumed and perhaps self-deceived by their own misplaced self-importance

 

(2Timothy 3:13),

“Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

 

See 2Peter 2:3b… 

 

Notice, false teachers are very good at fooling their audiences and exploiting them with lies, half-truths, and fables; but they aren’t fooling God, for He declared condemnation upon them long ago, and their judgment will be rendered and executed at the proper time.

 

Read 2Peter 2:4-8…

 

There are three prominent examples of God’s righteous judgment in the Old Testament that are citied here by Peter.

 

See again 2Peter 2:4…

 

What angels are Peter talking about? And what is the sin that got them imprisoned in hell?

 

See Jude 6…

 

These angels sinned by not keeping their own domain (lit. set place, dominion or sphere), i.e., they disobeyed God and went outside of what He had allowed them to do.

 

Most likely these “fallen” angels are the ones who inhabited the bodies of mortal men (cf Genesis 6:2), “the sons of God (this phrase in the Old Testament always means angels, cf. Job 1:6-8c 2:1-4, 38:4-7) saw that the daughters of men (human women) were beautiful; and they (the angels) took wives for themselves [had sexual relations with], whomever they chose,” (Genesis 6:4) “and they bore children to them.”

 

This unnatural union violated God’s order and plan in reference to human marriage, sexual relationships, and procreation

 

(cf. Genesis 2:24),

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

 

These demons who disobeyed God (before the flood) are now in hell, kept in darkness, awaiting their final judgment into the “lake of fire,” which God originally prepared for the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan, but is now the eternal destination for all unbelievers

 

(see Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10, 15).

 

See 1Peter 3:18-20… 

 

Between the time that Jesus gave up His life while on the cross, and then rose from the dead, Jesus went to hell and proclaimed His victory to these very same demons who are captives there.

 

 

Notice again in 1Peter 3:20,

 

this happened “when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

 

See 2Peter 2:4-5… 

 

God not only judged those angels who committed acts of wickedness, but God also judged the world that He had made, at that time, and everyone except for Noah was found to be guilty of evil

 

(see Genesis 6:5-9).

 

As you read the rest of Genesis 6, the story unfolds of how God instructed Noah to build an ark, to supply it with food for his family and for all the animals, birds, and creeping things that God would bring to it, just before the flood waters from below and above would be loosed

 

(Genesis 6:22),

“Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

 

2Peter 2:5 tells us that God “preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.”  Noah proclaimed God’s message for 120 years (cf. Genesis 6:3) while he, his sons (and most likely some hired hands) built the ark.

 

Noah would have passed down (through his descendants), the message of God’s righteousness and mankind’s need to repent and obey the Word of God.

 

The Gospel of Christ is clearly recorded in God’s Word

 

(see 1Corinthians 15:1-4).

 

God is holy, we are sinners; and because God loves us, He sent His One and Only Son to save us.

 

Read 2Peter 2:6-8… 

 

The third illustration Peter gives about God’s judgment has to do with Sodom and Gomorrah

 

(see Jude 7). 

 

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of sexual perversion [lit. going after “strange” or “different” flesh]; notice Jude says, “in the same way,” as the angels who had cohabitated with human women, by indwelling the bodies of human men.

 

Genesis 19:1-7,

“Now the two angels [in the form of men] came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, ‘Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’ They said however, ‘No, but we shall spend the night in the square.’ Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house [driven by homosexual lusts], both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.’ But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.’”

 

 

 

Genesis 19:9-26,

“But they said, ‘Stand aside.’ Furthermore, they said, ‘This one [Lot] came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.’ So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. Then the two men said to Lot, ‘Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.’ Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, ‘Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.’ But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.’ But Lot said to them, ‘Oh no, my lords! Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.’ He said to him, ‘Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.’ Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar [lit. small]. The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

 

God ordained sexual relationships between a husband and his wife, between one man and one woman; and any other sexual relationship is condemned by God, e.g., between unmarried people, between a man and a man, or woman and a woman, for these are immoral and perverse

 

(see Romans 1:18, 26-27).

 

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, raining down fire and brimstone from heaven, perhaps using volcanic activity that is indigenous to that region.  God executed all those who committed such perverse sexual acts, but also those who gave approval to those who did such things.

 

The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example to those who reject God’s holiness and authority.  This was just a preview of God’s final judgment upon all the ungodly, the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

 

God rescued Lot and his daughters from among the inhabitants, demonstrating that the ungodly will be punished, but the righteous will be saved. All righteousness is validated in accordance with Christ’s righteousness

 

(2Corinthians 5:21),

“He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

In 2Peter 2:7-8,

 

three times Lot is referred to as being righteous [being right with God; justified – just as if he’d never sinned], i.e., God forgave his sins and accepted Lot as His very own child.

 

Lot was oppressed [greatly troubled] to the point of exhaustion, by the unrestrained immorality of the people in and around Sodom, for they were unprincipled, i.e., without lawful standards or any conviction of conscience concerning their godless and reprobate behavior.

 

Notice (2Peter 2:8),

 

Lot’s soul was tormented by the indecent acts and debauched behavior all around him, day after day; and yet, he showed reverence for God’s angels and he obeyed God, leaving Sodom when instructed to do so by the angels.

 

Lot tried to convince his sons-in-law to leave with him, but to no avail; however, his wife and daughters went with him out of the city before the angels brought fire and brimstone upon it; but his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

 

Read 2Peter 2:9-10a… 

 

 God will judge and punish all who practice godlessness in the present and in the future, just as He has done in the past, e.g., the Angels before the flood, who were sent to hell; the corrupt world drowned by the flood; the people of Sodom and Gomorrah incinerated for their perversions.

 

God’s judgment is sure, but so is His rescue and reward for all who honor Him in, the present and future, just as it was in the past, e.g., Noah and his family, Lot and his two daughters.

 

God knows how, and He is able, to punish the ungodly and save the righteous (He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent).  God will bring eternal condemnation upon the wicked while simultaneously providing eternal exultation to those who belong to Him by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

God is especially condemning of those who seek only to please and feed the flesh and its corrupt [lit., polluted] desires; while also despising authority [lit. lordship], speaking of God’s authority; especially that which is exemplified in the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior and Judge over all.

 

See 2Peter 2:1-3… 

 

False teachers have always rejected and maligned the Word of God and the character of Christ; and so, they will receive their accumulated judgment in the future, at the Great White Throne; where all the ungodly, from all time, will be sentenced to an eternal hell, because they rejected God’s Son.

 

But all who believe in God’s Son will be saved

 

(John 3:16),

““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

Colossians 2:8-10,

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority”

 

1Corinthians 15:58,

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: 2Peter 2:1-3 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 2peter |
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10-10-2021
“False Teachers Among God’s People ”
 
2Peter 2:1-3

 

Read 2Peter 2:1-3…

 

God’s Word is Sovereign, Inerrant, Infallible, and Eternal.  It is Truth!

 

1Peter 1:25,

“The word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you.”

 

We are to read it, study it, know it, obey it, and use it

 

(2Timothy 2:15),

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth,”

 

(2Timothy 3:16),

“All Scripture is [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

 

God’s Word provides all we need to know God, love God, serve God, and trust God for eternal life.

 

Read 2Peter 2:1… 

 

God speaks through His prophets, while Satan speaks through false prophets , false teachers, unbelievers who falsify God’s Word, leading people away from God’s Truth and toward heresies and the doctrine of demons.

 

 

When you see that phrase “the people” in the New Testament, it usually means the people of Israel (cf. Matthew 2:4; Luke 22:66; Acts 7:17; 13:17).

 

In 2Peter 2:1 Peter is saying that false prophets arose from within Israel

(See Jeremiah 5:30-31; 23:14; Ezekiel 13:1-7).

God brings punishment to those who speak falsely and to those who listen to them.

 

Peter is also saying that there are false prophets among those in the church.  Jesus warned His own disciples about this

 

(Matthew 24:11),

“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”

 

God’s Word must be proclaimed and taught, as Paul told Timothy

 

(2Timothy 4:2-4),

“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

 

When the Church stops holding up God’s Word as Sovereign Truth, stops rebuking false teachings, stops warning the people of God about false teachers (even naming their names), the Church will become weak, apathetic, disabled, and easily lead astray and influenced to follow the godless culture around it.

 

No wonder one of the God ordained qualifications given for the men who lead the Church of God is to be

 

(Titus 1:9),

“holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

 

 

False teaching and unrepentant sin must be confronted

 

(1Timothy 5:20),

“Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

 

See 1Corinthians 5:1-2, 9-13; 6:9-11.

 

False teachers will always lead people away from the truth of God and Holy living, toward self-pleasure.  There were false teachers during Peter’s time, just as there are false teachers today, for example: Joel Osteen, Beth Moore, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Paula White, Pope Francis, Marilyn Hickey, Frederick Price, Sarah Young, Rob Bell, and many many more.

 

Notice again (2Peter 2:1), the false teachers “will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”

 

When false teachers exchange God’s truth for their own opinions, pet peeves, agendas, and false teachings [destructive heresies], they deny the sovereign God and Master of all, who alone is able to save us through faith

 

(1Peter 1:1),

“by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

 

See John 3:14-18, 36; 6:28-29, 40; 8:24-29; 10:30; 14:6-7, 18-21, 23; 17:20-23, 26 

 

Hebrews 9:26b-28

“Now once at the consummation of the ages He [Christ] has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

 

 

Hebrews 10:14-18,

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

False teachers deny the divinity and the Lordship of Jesus Christ

 

(2Peter 2:1),

“bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”

 

Jude 4,

“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

 

Jude 13,

“for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

Read 2Peter 2:2…

 

Peter goes on to say that because of the heresies and the immoral lives of these false teachers, many people will be influenced to follow the broad road that leads to destruction.

 

See Matthew 7:13-14…

 

Many enter through the wide gate onto the broad road; but only a few find the small gate and enter onto the narrow road.  Jesus’ command is imperative:

“Enter through the narrow gate” “enter now!”

 

Man has created many religions and belief systems in order to offer many paths to God and eternal life; but God has provided only one way to be saved, only one way to enter heaven.

 

 

Every person on this planet is on one of these roads.  Jesus commands us to enter the only way that leads to salvation and eternal life

 

(John 10:9),

“I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved”

 

(cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

 

The Jews believe they are in God’s kingdom because they are descendants of Abraham (to whom was given the covenant of circumcision), and Moses (to whom was given the Law).  The claim relationship with God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, believing they are sons of God and they will therefore enter into heaven.

 

Boy did they get that wrong. The narrow gate doesn’t allow you to bring any baggage, nor can you enter as a group.  Entrance into heaven has nothing to do with human ancestry, religion, or strict adherence to the laws of God.  Eternal life has everything to do with your heart attitude toward God’s Son.

 

Entering through the narrow gate demonstrates heartfelt repentance, that is why Jesus commands us to “enter!” (cf. Romans 10:9-10, 13)

 

God loves us and wants for us to be in fellowship with Him forever

 

(1Timothy 2:3-4),

“God our Savior wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,”

 

He doesn’t want (2Peter 3:9),

”anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

 

The two gates in Matthew 7 lead to two totally different roads, one going to heaven, the other going to hell, and everyone ends up at one of those destinations.

 

 

The broad road is easy, carnal, self-pleasing, with very few requirements and commitments, where sin is tolerated and truth is undergoing continual modification. The sign over the road doesn’t say “this road goes to hell,” but this road

 

(Proverbs 14:12)

“which seems right to a man,” “is the way of death.”

 

The narrow [stenos] road is one that requires “groaning” under pressure caused by restriction or constriction, for we must give up everything in exchange for Christ, and only a few are willing to do this.

 

God’s way of salvation is simple, but it is not easy; those who follow the Lord will find trouble in this world (cf. 2Timothy 3:12), just as Jesus said

 

(John 15:20),

“they persecuted Me, and they will also persecute you.”

 

The broad road leads to destruction, the narrow road leads to life.  Every religious belief system in the world (apart from Christianity) leads to condemnation and hell, because they are built upon false teachings.

 

Islam rejects the idea of redemption, for Muslims believe and teach that salvation depends solely upon man’s actions and attitudes, not on the work of God.

 

Hinduism seeks escape from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth through many incarnations (reincarnations) to final salvation. The path to salvation is dependent upon and expedited by acquired knowledge, expressed by devotion through works or meditation.

 

Buddhism sees ignorance rather than sin as the roadblock to salvation. The way of salvation, the end to continual birth-death-rebirth (reincarnations), is through levels of meditation, allowing one to lose self.

 

Mormonism teaches that Jesus was a spirit-child of Elohim (the God of planet earth), and through obedience and devotion Jesus was able to attain Godhood. There are many gods, all of whom were once mortals like ourselves, until they attained Godhood, like Jesus.

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God; that he is Michael the archangel, a creation of God, and not the Creator Himself.

Christian Science teaches that Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea?  It teaches that Jesus is not eternal, sovereign, or one with the Father.

 

Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is God the Son, Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected and coming again.

 

Those who enter the wide gate onto the broad road that ends in death are many (most of the world’s people). Those who travel on this road include humanists, secularists, atheists, religionists, agnostics, theists, pagans, Jews and Gentiles. All who reject Christ are on this road.  Most Americans are on this road. Recent studies show 70% of churches in America don’t teach the Bible. Members of the fastest growing belief system (concerning God) are called Nones.

 

Those who enter the small gate and travel on the narrow road are true believers and followers of Christ; although we are few in number compared to the billions who live on this earth, it is not because the gate is small and the road is narrow, nor are the accommodations in heaven too limited; it is because the majority of people are unwilling to acknowledge their sin and accept the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

 

The thing is, the world looks upon these false teachers as if they are part of the true Christian church, holding them up as examples in order to prove that Christianity is full of hypocrisy, lies, deceit, greed, and corruption.

 

When this happens, the message of Christ is maligned [slandered, repudiated].  Those who don’t really belong to God are accepted by the world as examples of Christianity, bringing reproach, suspicion, dislike and distrust upon the true Church.

 

We must not only expose false teachings/teachers, but we must make sure that we are studying, obeying, proclaiming, and living out the Truth of God’s Word, so the people of the world will be exposed to it.

 

So how do we combat false teachings and false teachers?

 

Philippians 2:14-16,

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

 

 

Matthew 5:16,

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

Ephesians 2:8-10,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

 

1Peter 2:12,

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><
 

 

Bible Text: Matthew 6:5-13 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |
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10-03-2021
“God-Honoring Prayer”
 
Matthew 6:5-13

 

Read Matthew 6:5-8…

 

This prayer focuses on who God is and how God wants  His children to pray to Him, not in order to impress men or to try and convince God, like pagans who babble on with many words, reciting and repeating themselves thoughtlessly; for nowhere in the NT is a prayer ever repeated or used in a repetitious or ritualistic manner, as if we need to bring something to God’s attention concerning a need we have.  God knows what we need, even before we ask Him!

 
See Matthew 6:9, “Pray, then, in this way:”  
 

     This prayer is a guide, telling us to Whom, for What, and How we are to pray.

 
See Matthew 6:9b, “Our Father who is in heaven,”
 

God is the Creator of all but the Father only of those who come into the Family of God, through Jesus Christ.

John 1:12-13,

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Galatians 3:26,

“For you are all [children] of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

 
See Matthew 6:9c, “Hallowed [Holy, consecrated, revered] be Your name:”
 

God’s name is Holy and we are to honor and glorify Him, by acknowledging Him in every detail of our thoughts, our words, and our actions, i.e., our life.

Mark 12:30,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Colossians 3:17,

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

1Corinthians 10:31,

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

 
See Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
 

     God’s sovereign rule in heaven is not being exemplified on earth.  Men sin, men die, and men go to hell; although this is not what God wants.

God commands us to pray for His will to be done on earth, that everyone would repent of sin, believe in Christ, and be saved.

1Timothy 2:3-4,

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2Peter 3:9,

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

God wants His children (believers and followers of Christ) to know and willfully obey His Word in all we do

 

(Romans 12:1-2),

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We are to live out God’s word in our lives, so that others might see Christ in us and come to Him for salvation, even if we have to suffer for it.

1Peter 3:14-15,

“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,  but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

God is allowing for sin to run its course and for Satan to reign over all those who oppose God, for a time; but sin and Satan will end just as God has determined, and all who reject Jesus Christ will go to Hell.

2Peter 3:3-7,

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

2Peter 3:11-13,

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

 

 
See Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
 

Bread is symbolic of the food we require for our physical needs; in Israel, if you didn’t have bread you would be hungry.  But this is speaking of both our physical and spiritual needs, of which, God provides everything we need, in Christ.

John 4:14,

“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 6:33-35,

“‘For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, always give us this bread.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’”

2Peter 1:2-3,

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 

     Jesus is the Bread of Life who came down from the Father in heaven; He is also the Living Water who spiritually hydrates us; in fact, everything we need for life on earth and life in heaven, has come through Christ.

The Provider is the Father, the Provision is the Son.  And so, we come to God for all our needs through Jesus Christ daily, not weekly, monthly, or yearly, but daily; and at times, moment by moment.

 
See Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
 

This is not talking about financial or any other form of physical human debt, it is talking about sin, our spiritual debt to God which was paid in full by Christ.

Sin separates us from God and is our greatest enemy; therefore, our greatest need is forgiveness, that is what God the Father provides to those who believe in His Son

 

(Romans 3:23; 6:23, 5:8; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13; pp Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21)..

 

1John 1:8-10,

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

Having received God’s forgiveness we forgive others; in fact, an unforgiving heart is unbecoming of anyone who has received God’s forgiveness.

In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks,

“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Because the Father is forgiving, His children are also to be forgiving.

Ephesians 4:32,

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

Ephesians 5:1-2,

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

 
See Matthew 6:13a… “And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
 

     This has to do with temptations, trials and testing, through which we are enticed to sin by seeking to please our flesh instead of honoring God.  God tempts no one, but He does allow us to be tested

(James 1:13-15),

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

We appeal to God to place a guard over and around our heart, mind, eyes, ears, mouth, feet, and hands — so that, whatever we do, where ever we are, we will not give in to sin

(1Corinthians 10:13),

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

We are all weak at times, and we need God’s help to avoid the traps and snares of the devil, the world, and the flesh; God has provided all we need to succeed

(2Timothy 3:16-17),

“All Scripture is [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man [woman and child] of God may be [complete], [thoroughly] equipped for every good work.”

Ephesians 2:10,

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

We live in a cursed world and evil is all around us.  Our flesh is weak and we are not equipped in our human resources to combat sin.  Therefore, we confess our need for the protection and deliverance that only God can give.

 

 
See Matthew 6:13b [For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]
 

*This addition to verse 13 is not found in the earliest manuscripts, but it is in total harmony with what is Scriptures teach.

 

1Chronicles 29:11-13,

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.”

Revelation 5:13,

“And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’”

 

Our prayers should magnify and praise God’s Name, God’s Kingdom, and God’s Will; at the same time, our prayers should clearly express thanksgiving toward God for His unconditional love, forgiveness, and eternal life, but also for His daily provision of peace, protection, guidance, comfort, strength, nourishment, and care.

God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good; and for that reason, we, as God’s children, should be thankful and hopeful, now and forever, in Christ.

 

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: 2Peter 1:16-21 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 2peter |
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09-26-2021
“The Prophetic Word”
 
2Peter 1:16-21

Read 2Peter 1:16-18… 

 

Peter reassures his listeners that what he and the other apostles proclaim through the spoken and written Word has been received by them through supernatural revelation, as John wrote

 

(1John 1:1-3),

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life —and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

 

What Peter and the other apostles preached was the absolute truth of God, unlike the many false teachers of their time, who taught deceitful doctrines, disguised as divine truth.

 

The apostles taught God’s sovereign truth concerning the divine nature of Jesus Christ at His first coming [lit. arrival, appearing] to earth, but also the divine power and majesty to be displayed at His second coming

 

(cf. Revelation 1:7-8),

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

 

Peter and the other apostles were personal eyewitnesses of the Majestic glory [lit. supernatural splendor] of Christ, which was confirmed by God the Father as He spoke from heaven on several occasions, concerning His Son.

 

The first time, John the baptizer was present with Jesus at the Jordan River

 

(Matthew 3:16-17),

“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”

The second time, Peter, James, and John were with Jesus up on a mountain (most likely this was Mt. Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi).

 

Matthew 17:1-9,

“Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’”

 

1Peter 1:25b,

“And this is the word which was preached to you.”

 

Jude 3b,

it is “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

 

 

Read 2Peter 1:19-21… 

 

 

Peter, James, John, “and the other apostles had experiences with Jesus, some of those are written down in the Word of God, but many are not recorded.

 

Peter’s point here is that we should not so much pay attention to our own experiences as we should to the prophetic word of Scripture, as Paul writes

 

(2Timothy 3:16a),

“All Scripture is inspired by God” [God-breathed, originates from God], both the Old and New Testaments are “the prophetic word made more sure,” for it is infallible, inerrant, sovereignly authoritative, and eternal; therefore, we ought to pay attention to it, so as to be able to expose false teachings and deceptive doctrines, while also declaring God’s Truth!

Peter says (2Peter 1:19), God’s Word is like “a lamp shining in a dark place,” (meaning the godless blackness of the world where God’s light does not shine).

 

Genesis 1:1-4,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

 

The Psalmist writes (Psalm 43:3), “

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places.”

 

God’s light leads us to the presence and holiness of God.  God’s light guides us in the darkness, i.e., the corruption and confusion of this world

 

(Psalm 119:105),

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,”

 

(Psalm 119:130),

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”

 

Jesus (speaking to His true followers) said

 

(Matthew 5:14-16),

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

The world without God’s Light is in utter spiritual darkness; we have God’s Light in us and that Light can set people free from captivity.  Spiritual darkness keeps people from seeing [understanding] the truth of God; for the darkness keeps them captive, blinding them so they are unable [or unwilling] to believe in Christ.

 

2Corinthians 4:3-4, 6,

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

 

Hebrews 1:3a,

“He [Christ] is the radiance [lit. brightness] of His [God’s] glory.”

 

    Jesus is the Light of God, sent to mankind. “Light” is the revelation that brings “Life from God” to all who believe and are being saved.

 

John 1:1-5,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overpower] it.”

 

John 1:14,

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

 

1John 5:5,

“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

 

The Light of God in Christ overpowers the world; therefore all those who are in Christ have overcome the world [and its darkness] and will walk in the Light of Christ.

 

Jesus said (John 8:12),

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

1John 1:5,

“This is the message we have heard from Him [Christ] and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

 

Ephesians 4:17-18,

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles [unbelievers] also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”

 

 

Ephesians 5:6-12,

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [unbelievers]. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.”

 

 

Back to 2Peter 1:19… 

 

 

We are to read and heed God’s Word, for it will keep us from the demonic deception of false teachings and heresies; and we are to do this “until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

 

What does that mean?  I believe the “day” being referenced here is Christ’s return to the earth; also in

 

Hebrews 10:24-25, where we are exhorted to,

“consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

 

What day?  This has to be the day of the Lord’s return.  We are to hold to the Word of God until Christ’s return, until that day.  Now, think about this, when a day “dawns,” night is over and the darkness is overcome by the light of day.  Light cuts through the darkness: as you walk through a dark forest at night, with good strong flashlight in your hand, it seems to push away the darkness, wherever you point it, this is because the light overcomes the darkness.

 

When Christ returns for us at the Rapture (all godlessness and darkness is gone from us forever); and when Christ returns to the earth at His second coming (we with Him,

 

Revelation 19:11-16),

 

He will overcome all godlessness, all darkness, for He is the Morning Star [phosphoros, lit. light bringer].

 

Speaking of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior,

 

John 1:4-5 says,

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [overcome] it.”

 

John isn’t talking about external/physical light in that passage, like that of the sun or a flashlight; and neither is Peter in

 

2Peter 1:19, where he says,

“until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

 

Christ is the Light of God that has come into the world, and He is the Morning Star the Light Bringer.

 

When the Light of Christ arises in your heart you are transformed, for He takes up residence in your heart through the Holy Spirit.  This is the message that has been “made more sure” through the prophetic word (of both the Old and New Testaments), the mystery that has been revealed to God’s apostles and prophets, a mystery that had been hidden but is now made known.

 

 

Look again at 2Peter 1:20-21… 

 

 

Nothing that is recorded, proclaimed, or foretold in the Scriptures originates from any man, whether apostle or prophet of God, for the origin of Scripture is God

 

(2Timothy 3:16),

“All Scripture is inspired by God God breathed, i.e., it originates from God and is revealed to us, not the result of human thinking, reasoning, or knowledge; but it is the result of God’s Spirit speaking through men chosen by God who are empowered by God and moved along [continually carried or transported] by the Holy Spirit of God according to God’s plan, purpose, and provision.

 

The only one who knows the mind of God is God, and those to whom He has revealed it by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit; the prophets and apostles of God spoke and wrote down the very words of God, which are recorded in the 66 Books of Scripture, and are now revealed to us by God’s Spirit.

 

1Corinthians 2:9-16,

“but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

 

Romans 16:25-27,

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”

 

 

Pastor Mike
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Bible Text: 2Peter 1:12-15 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 2peter |
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09-19-2021 – Peter’s Legacy
 
2Peter 1:12-15

 

 

Read 2Peter 1:12-15…  Peter repeatedly makes known the truths of God to his listeners, in order that even after he is dead and gone they will be able to call to mind the important teachings and doctrines of God’s Word.

See 2Peter 1:12…  “Therefore” applies to the previous teachings Peter has given to the recipients of his letter: that we have been given the great and marvelous gift of salvation; but also that we have received the assurance of salvation.

Peter then says he will forever be reminding them [us] of all we have received from God, in Christ, and even though we have bee established in the truth which is present in each and every true believer and follower of Christ.

We have received (2Peter 1:1-4) saving faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, bringing us grace and peace in our knowledge of (through intimate relationship with) God.  Everything we need for mortal life on earth and eternal life in heaven, we have been given.

And we experience our salvation (2Peter 1:5-11), when we apply God’s Word to our life, because it changes us (how we live, what we do, what we say); it sovereignly and eternally changes us into a new creation, for we are born-again (John 1:13), “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God,” and we become God’s own personal possession (Ephesians 1:13-14), “In [Christ] you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

See 2Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 12:1-2.

If God’s Spirit is in you, you will become more and more like Christ. Is God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, in you?  Not sure?  Take the test!

2Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

As we grow in in our knowledge of God’s Word, in our relationship to God the Father through God the Son, made effectual by the Holy Spirit, we become more fruitful in living out our faith and belief; for we have become “partakers of the divine nature,” and we are, therefore, able to live in a manner that brings glory, honor, and praise to God.

See 1Peter 1:3-9…  Peter began his first letter by reminding believers of all they have in Christ, and also that we may very well suffer on Christ’s behalf, but in the end our faith will bring us into the inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us.

All of this is absolutely true and we are sovereignly secure, and yet Peter says (2Peter 1:12), “I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”

I find that above statement very interesting!  Peter writing in A.D. 67-68, is reminding the believers and followers of Christ (throughout the Roman Empire) of the precious and magnificent promises they have received from God.

And yet, here it is A.D. 2021, and Peter’s words of exhortation are just as relevant and powerful as they were when Peter first wrote this letter almost 2,000 years ago.  How many millions, even billions, of Christians have read these words throughout the centuries, receiving encouragement and instruction, in order not to grow weary or give up; but instead, as Paul writes (1Corinthians      15:58) to remain “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Repetition is a very important element in the learning process.  Paul also, like Peter, knew and applied repetition in his letters (2Thessalonians 2:5), “Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?”

In 2Peter 1:12 we are reminded of the sacred and eternal truths that are contained in the Scriptures.  There are no new revelations from God, only a better understanding of what has already been spoken, written, pasted down, and revealed (Jude 3), “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Revelation 22:18-19, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

See 2Peter 1:13…  Peter was a shepherd in the flock of God and he considered it his responsibility to stimulate believers toward righteousness, for he served the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and in so doing (1Peter 5:3-4) was to be an example to the flock of God.

As long as Peter lived in his earthly dwelling [tent, temporary house, i.e.,  physical body] as a faithful servant of God, he would consistently, repeatedly, and tirelessly continue teaching and expounding the major doctrines and precepts of Scripture; stirring up [thoroughly awakening and exhorting] the believers to remain sober minded, spiritually alert, so as not to succumb to apathy or deception (cf. 1Peter 5:8), “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

2Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

2Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

See 2Peter 1:14.  Peter now expresses the reason for his urgency and diligence in reminding the believers of the sacred truths that all Christians hold dear; for he knows that his earthly life is coming to an end, “knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling [tent, temporary house] is imminent [soon, swift], as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”

Peter had the hope of heaven, just as Paul wrote:

2Corinthians 5:1-2, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,” 6-8, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

Peter was in his 70’s when he wrote his two letters; some 40 years earlier Jesus had told him how he would die (John 21:18-19), “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands [symbolic of crucifixion] and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.’ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’”

Peter would be martyred for his faith, just as Jesus was.  Eusebius of Caesarea, lived during the 4th century A.D.  He was a bishop, exegete, polemicist, and historian whose account of the first centuries of Christianity is a landmark in Christian historiography.  Eusebius wrote [Ecclesiastical History 3:1, 30] that tradition tells us Peter was crucified upside down (at his own request), for he felt unworthy to be put to death in the very same manner as Christ.

See 2Peter 1:15…           Peter knew his life on earth was coming to an end, and therefore he is diligent to remind his readers that all he has taught them when with them and through his two letters to them, should be continually called to mind after his departure [exodus] from his temporary life on earth to his eternal life in heaven.

1Corinthians 15:50-57, “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God’s Word is eternal (See 1Peter 1:22-25), and therefore, because God’s Word is in us, we have inherited eternal life and we are protected by the power of God through our faith in Christ.

Peter’s priority and purpose was that the Word of God be made manifest through his own life and in the lives of all of God’s people (See 1Peter 2:12-16; 3:10-16).

Peter’s Legacy is the life he lived as a witness for Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.  Peter served God by living out and proclaiming the truth of God, while loving others on God’s behalf, trusting God completely.

Paul writes (Philippians 4:12-13), “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” 19-20, “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

May we all seek to leave a legacy like that of Peter, who’s example was Jesus Christ: Crucified, resurrected, and coming again to take us to be with Him  forever.

 

 

 
Pastor Mike

Bible Text: 2Peter1:5-11 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 2peter |
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09-12-2021 – Essential Virtues of Our Faith
 
2Peter1:5-11

 

Last week (2Peter 1:1-4) we studied how, through faith in Christ, we have been granted God’s face and peace; in fact, we have been given everything we need for life, on earth, and in heaven. This has been accomplished through the righteousness of God our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

Today’s passage records Peter’s instruction concerning the faith we have been granted as “partakers of the divine nature,” in reference to our diligence in applying effort toward working out our faith in our lives.

 

Read 2Peter 1:5-7… Peter says, that because of God’s “precious and magnificent promises,” we must make diligent [eager, zealous, urgent] effort to live obediently and honorably for Christ, “supplying moral excellence [virtue]” because our faith sets us apart as God’s children and bondservants of Christ.

 

But what does that mean?  This means we are to give fully of ourselves, as new

 

creations in Christ, to exemplify all the virtues (character traits) of one who has

 

been born-again by God’s Spirit (John 1:13), as those “who were born, not of

 

blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

 

2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old

 

things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

 

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

 

Back in 2Peter 1:5-7, we are to give to the pursuit of the virtues mentioned here. Firstly, to moral excellence [virtue], i.e., we are to exhibit virtue by the way we live: our thoughts, our words, our actions.

 

Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Colossians 3:15a, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” 16a, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” 17a, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

 

The next virtue to pursue is knowledge, referring to the true knowledge of God applied to our lives through spiritual discernment.

 

2Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

 

The next virtue is self-control, because of our knowledge of God and of our own sinful nature, we must earnestly seek to keep our flesh under the control of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

 

1Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were

 

yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

The next virtue to pursue is perseverance, this means to patiently endure during times of trials, temptations, and hardships, just like our Lord did.

 

Philippians 2:8, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

 

Hebrews 12:3, “Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

1Peter 2:21-23, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

The next virtue to pursue is godliness, this could be translated “true religion” or “true worship,” and it means to express reverence for God. There are several passages that help illuminate the meaning of this virtue for a better understanding:

 

John 4:23, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 

1Timothy 4:8b-10, “godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life [physical/mortal] and also for the life to come [spiritual/eternal]. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”

James 1:26-27, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

 

Out or our heartfelt and expressed reverence for God will flow the next virtue we are to pursue, brotherly kindness. Love for God will invariably be demonstrated by our love for others.

 

1John 4:20-21, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”

 

For a person to say that they love God and yet, hold hatred in their heart toward a brother or sister in Christ, is totally antithetical to the teaching of God’s Word.

 

John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

The highest virtue of all is love [agape]. This is the uncompromising, sacrificial, willful, and selfless love of intent. This is not about feelings, but is the actual doing of what is required, even at great cost to ourselves.

 

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

 

1John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

 

Read 2Peter 1:8-9… God’s desire is for us to grow increasingly more Christlike, so that through our lives we might be Christ’s witnesses in this world. In 2Peter 1:4, we were told that all of the “precious and magnificent promises” of God, allow us to “become partakers of the divine nature,” so that we would show Christ in us.

 

We are not to be useless [inactive, idle, inoperative] or unfruitful [barren], for we have the Word of God in us.

 

Matthew 5:13-16, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

1Peter 1:25, “‘The word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

 

As Christians, we are to pursue those virtues that lead to productive spiritual lives. If you have received “the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” you have what you need to live honorably for God; but according to 2Peter 1:9, if a (so-called) Christian is not growing in their relationship with Christ, he/she is “blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

1John 1:8-9, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

When a believer ceases to live in a manner that is pleasing to God, in obedience to God’s Word, that person may become unsure, causing them to doubt that they are genuinely saved..

 

2Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

 

Read 2Peter 1:10-11… Because of all that God has done to save us and provide for us, we should be eager and zealous to demonstrate that we genuinely belong to God through Christ, made effectual by His Spirit, as we display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

Peter says (2Peter 1:10b), “as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” Practice makes perfect! Well, not really, because nobody is perfect; but practice does often lead to better performance and control, so that we don’t forget or lack the assurance that we have been saved and we will be victorious.

 

Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

 

James 1:22-25, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

 

See again 2Peter 1:11… The assurance of forgiveness and eternal life will be continually and increasingly provided to those who belong to God, to those who serve God and pursue holiness.

 

Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

1Thessalonians 3:11-13, “Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

 

 
Pastor Mike Hale
 

Bible Text: 2Peter 1:1-4 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 2peter | Above is
top: a YouTube video recording of the sermon
bottom: an audio only recording of the sermon

 

 
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09-05-2021 – Partakers of the Divine Nature…
 
2Peter 1:1-4

 

2Peter 1:1-4

1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust

 

Peter’s first letter

 

 

Peter’s first letter (cf 1Peter 1:1) was sent out to bring comfort and instruction to the believers who were suffering persecution on behalf of Christ, those who were scattered throughout “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”

 

(cf 1Peter 1:1)

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

 

 

Peter’s second letter is sent to these same believers, but now he is exhorting them to be on guard against false teachers who have arisen from within the church and are now teaching heresies, leading people away from the true gospel of Christ.

 

Read 2Peter 1:1a…

1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

 

 

Peter identifies himself as a bondservant [doulos, lit. slave]

 

and an apostle [apostolos, lit. one sent, i.e., one divinely commissioned as a witness of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ].

 

This second letter is written to “those” same believers who received the first letter; the recipients are mostly Gentile converts to Christianity, but also Jewish converts who are living in A.D. 67-68, about a year after Peter’s first letter. See 2Peter 1:1b… Notice that Peter says they “have received a faith of the same kind as ours,” this has everything to do with their response to the Gospel.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

This grace is granted to both Jews and Gentiles, even though the centuries of conflict between Jews and Gentiles had driven a wedge and put up a wall of separation that made it very difficult for them to trust each other, let alone to accept one another as equals in Christ, which is the way God sees us.

 

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

 

God made it clear to Peter that the gospel was sovereignly effectual to both Jew and Gentile, to anyone who would hear and believe the message of Christ. Acts 10-11 recap the story of when Peter was in Joppa, in a trance; 3 times he a large table cloth lowered form heaven with all kinds of unclean animals on it. And God said, “Get up, kill and eat.” After this, 3 men from Caesarea came to Peter’s door, on behalf of a Gentile Centurion named Cornelius, asking Peter to come and tell them what God wants them to know. He told them about Jesus and they believed and were saved, the whole household.

 

Peter would later (see Acts 15) reiterate this story at the Jerusalem Council, to the Apostles and the Elders of the Church of God. Peter’s clear message is that God shows no favoritism concerning the Message of Christ, the same Gospel brings salvation to both Jew and Gentile alike.

 

2Peter 1:1c…

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”

 

 

True salvation is made possible “by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” it is to be shared with all people.

 

Acts 13:47,

“For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”

 

It was always God’s plan to bring salvation to the whole world, beginning with the Jews, s Paul writes

 

(Romans 1:16),

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

Read 2Corinthians 5:17-21…

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

 

The righteousness of God the Father is able to reach every believer through God the Son

 

(cf. John 14:6),

“Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” It was Jesus [God the Son] who asked God the Father to send God the Holy Spirit to take up residence in us, so that the Father and the Son would come and live in us through the Spirit

 

(John 14:23),

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”

 

Read 2Peter 1:2…

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

 

Peter encourages the believers concerning the “Grace and peace” we have in Christ, as Paul reiterated in the prayer we looked at last week

 

(Ephesians 3:17-19),

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

 

That expresses how God’s grace is “multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” As believers and followers of Christ we receive God’s grace that forgives all our sins (past-present-future), and gives us the eternal peace of God to get through every trial and struggle we will experience on this earth.

 

All of this is made effectual through our personal knowledge of God, and the fact that God knows us as His very own children.

 

Read 2Peter 1:3a…

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

 

God’s divine power has granted us everything we need for

 

life [bio = physical, mortal], as we serve Him on earth;

 

while also providing everything we need for

 

godliness [zoe = spiritual, eternal life], in order to live with Him in heaven for eternity.

 

John 6:37-40,

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

 

In John 10:11,

11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

 

Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep

 

(John 10:27-29),

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

 

Romans 8:28-35,

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

 

Romans 8:37-39,

“In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Ephesians 1:13-14,

“ In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are equally glorified in and through God’s plan, purpose and provision of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the granting of eternal life

 

2Peter 1:4a…

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

 

Jesus Christ accomplished everything concerning our salvation, and He has provided all we need, now and forever.

 

God’s promises to us fill the Old and New Testaments, declaring what we have received: a personal relationship with God, His forgiveness for all our sins (past, present, future), eternal life (the indwelling of God’s Spirit), the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, patience, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), the wisdom of God, the mind of Christ, the power of God, the eternal reward of living with God in the new heavens and new earth.

 

Read 2Peter 1:4b…

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

 

Through Him we “become partners of the divine nature,” we are able to enjoy deep fellowship with God like God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have had since eternity past.

 

What we won’t share in is the corruption [decay and death] that is in this world because of the curse of sin, caused by evil desires. We have escaped all judgement and condemnation through Jesus Christ

 

(Romans 8:1-2),

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

 

John 17:22-26,

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

Revelation 21:1-4,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

 

Revelation 22:3,

“There will no longer be any curse…”

 

Revelation 22:5,

“And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

 

Genesis 1:1,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 

Genesis 1:26-31

26 Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’

29 Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food’; and it was so.

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

 

We are going to live forever in a perfected world (like the Garden of Eden was before sin entered creation), with perpetual joy, because of the gracious, merciful, lovingkindness of God, just as He sovereignly determined, before anything was created, that we should live in His presence, according to His purpose, as “Partakers of [His] Divine (and Eternal) Nature.”

 

Revelation 4:11,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

 

Revelation 5:13,

“And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen!

 
Pastor Mike Hale
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Bible Text: various passages | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Above is the YouTube video recording and the audio only recording.
 

 
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08-29-2021 –  Cultivate or Stagnate !
Ephesians 3:14-21

 

The Body of Christ is made up of all true believers and followers of Jesus, no matter what ethnicity, gender, socio-economic or educational level, we are all part of God’s family

(see 1Corinthians 12:12-18; 26-27; Galatians 3:28).

 

1Corinthians 12:12-18

12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

 

 

1Corinthians 12:26-27

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

 

 

Galatians 3:28

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

 

Read Ephesians 3:14-15…

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

 

 

 

Paul prays for believers, proclaiming that we have been given God’s name [Christians], having been born-again by God’s Spirit at the moment we trusted in Jesus Christ (see John 1:12-13; Ephesians 1:13).

 

John 1:12-13

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

 

Ephesians 1:13

13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

 

 

The Bible doesn’t teach a One World/One People theology; nor does it teach a Universal Fatherhood of God/Brotherhood of Man theology. God is the Creator of all, but He is only the Father of those who trust in Christ by faith; those belonging to God are called Christians in the Bible.

 

Neither does the Bible teach that it takes a Village to raise a Child; it takes a family.

 

And God’s design for a family, is one man and one woman, committed to God and to each other, in order to raise children in the love and knowledge of God.

 

God wants every member of His family to realize that our most important distant relative isn’t a mortal man, but God Himself.

 

Have you ever researched your ancestral heritage?

 

Your father’s surname?

 

Your mother’s maiden name?

 

It can be quite interesting, but what Paul says in

 

Ephesians 3:14-15, is that Christians derive their name and their family heritage from God!

 

Ephesians 3:14-15

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

 

 

Christian means “adherent [follower & believer] of Christ,”

 

 

and it is used three times in the New Testament:

 

In Acts 26:28, it speaks of becoming a Christian.

 

Acts 26:28

28 Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”

 

 

 

 

In Acts 11:26, it speaks of living as a Christian.

 

Acts 11:26

26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

 

 

In 1Peter 4:16, it speaks of suffering as a Christian.

 

1Peter 4:16

16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

 

 

Read Ephesians 3:16-21…

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

 

Paul prays for us to take hold of, understand, and apply to our lives all that we have been given by our merciful and gracious heavenly Father. God not only provides a special name for those who are born into His eternal family, He also expresses His love for us and graciously equips us with everything we need to enjoy this life and trust Him for the next (cf. 2Peter 1:2-4).

 

2Peter 1:2-4

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

 

 

 

Paul reminds us of “all” that we have been given in Christ, and this is a great mystery. God purposed to have an eternal relationship with us, NOT because of our good looks, intrinsic nature, intelligence, special abilities, or human ancestral heritage. He has done this, just because He loves us.

 

Paul prays for us to be strengthened in our hearts, for it is only God who can reach into and heal the inner soul of a person, to bring eternal spiritual life to us through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

 

Paul encourages us to have confidence in God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine,” and this is “according to His power that is at work within us,” through God’s Holy Spirit.

 

Paul makes it clear that everything to be done “in God’s church” [God’s Family], is to be done for God’s glory, “throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

 

As God’s children we are to imitate Him

 

(Ephesians 5:1-2),

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

 

How can we imitate God the Father whom no man has seen? By following the example of Christ

 

 

(1John 2:4-6),

“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

 

 

Jesus said (John 14:6-7),

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

 

Jesus Christ is God’s sovereign plan, purpose and provision for salvation and eternal life in God’s Family.

 

We are to (1Peter 2:12),

12  “Keep [our] behavior excellent among [unbelievers], so that…

…they may because of [our] good deeds, as they observe them,

glorify God in the day of visitation.”

 

We are to live in a manner that is excellent before unbelievers so they can see our good deeds, and many unbelievers will come to Christ because of our behavior, our good works, our witness to them, they will glorify God because they have have believed in His Son and come to Him for forgiveness.

 

We must allow Christ to show in and through our lives

 

(1Peter 3:14-16),

14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

 

 

 

Sanctify means to be set apart by the love of God for the purpose of loving others on His behalf through Christ.

 

Jesus is the living God, He is the Word of God (see John 1:1).

 

John 1:1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

 

Jesus is God and yet He died for us in the body of Jesus, so that we can live for Him. We need to encourage one another toward love and good deeds. We need to come and fellowship with our believers in Christ. The world needs to see the good deeds God has prepared for us to complete (see Ephesians 2:8-10).

 

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

 

 

We are born-again (created) for good (anything that pleases God) works. We are born from above

 

(John 1:13),

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

We must read and study God’s Word, then apply it to our life (see 1Peter 3:15), only then can we be obedient witnesses for Christ. We must set Christ as Lord in our heart, remaining sober minded (clear headed) and ready to be used by God; so that when someones asks us why we do what we do, why we are the way we are, wee can tell them we are trying to do what pleases God.

 

We just remain ready to share the gospel with gentleness to unbelievers (horizontal), out of reverence for God (vertical).

 

We were all unbelievers at one time, but God in His merciful love for us reached down and saved us in Christ (see Ephesians 2:1-7).

 

Ephesians 2:1-7

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

This world is angry, confused, chaotic, and corrupt. The world needs peace, the world needs Christ. We are to be peace makers, we have God’s peace in us through Christ, and we must share it with those in need.

 

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

 

 

Hebrews 10:19-25 commands us to come together with other Christians in order to stimulate one another toward love and good deeds. We are not to abandon the practice of meeting together, getting to know each other and encouraging each other in the things of God.

 

If we don’t consistently come together, in person, around the Word of God, for the purpose of encouraging one another toward love and good deeds, the Body of Christ will suffer spiritual apathy, becoming weak, leading to atrophy, a lack of appropriation of God’s Word, and therefore, a diminished witness for Christ.

 

This should not be! When family members don’t pray, study, serve and play and together, they lose their intimacy and their sense of connectedness; their relationships stagnate [becoming apathetic], if this is left unchanged those relationships may grow cold, causing everyone to look out only for their own personal interests, instead of what is good for the whole family of God.

 

When concern for personal freedoms and comforts rise above our witness as Christians, and coming together for the purpose of praising, honoring, and worshipping the Lord, then we need to seek God’s forgiveness.

 

We must be diligent and determined in building up one another: in our homes, in our Church, in our Community, as we spur one another on toward love and good deeds; living more willfully and proactively as believers and followers of Christ, applying the whole counsel God’s Word to our lives where others will see.

 

The world needs Jesus, and if you are a Christian, God’s Spirit (the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Christ) is in you; and you are to live for Him.

 

Galatians 2:20,

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

 

 

 

Read Romans 10:8-15…

8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

 

Your birth into God’s family occurs when “you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, at that moment, you are saved; for with your heart you believe, resulting in righteousness, and with your mouth you confess, resulting in salvation, “for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

As Christians, we will experience pleasure and pain, victory and defeat, sorrow and joy, but God has promised and provided all we need to know Him, serve Him, and enjoy life on this earth, while trusting Him for our eternity in heaven.

 

As Christians, we are new creations, brothers and sisters in Christ, children of Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them.

 

As Christians we are called to serve God together, in His Church, His Body [of which Christ is the head and every Christian is a member of that body].

 

God’s Word is clear that as Christians

 

(Ephesians 4:4-6),

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

 

we are members of one Body, and there is only one Lord, one Faith, one Spirit, one Baptism, one God and Father over all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord.

 

It is my sincere prayer today, that God’s Spirit will encourage and exhort and convict each one of us, to become and to remain more deliberate about cultivating our relationship with God, God’s Word, and God’s people; so that we might influence this godless world for Christ.

 

 
May God be praised now and forever, Amen!
 
Pastor Mike
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