Category: 2 Peter

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day seven)

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment. vs 4

One of the illustrations I have been using with our youth recently is “Play Doh Jesus.” Why do kids (and let’s be honest, adults) like play doh so much? It is because we have control to make the object look the way we want it. There are many people in modern society that like Jesus because what they are following is not the Jesus of the Bible. It is a Jesus that they have molded to be someone they are comfortable with.

“My Jesus cares about the things I care about.”

“My Jesus would be in my political party.”

“My Jesus doesn’t judge me for my actions.”

They like this Jesus so much more because it feels like they are in control instead of Jesus being in control. They have created an idol out of play doh instead of allowing the Creator to mold them into what He wants them to be.

Jesus wants you to care about what He cares about.

Jesus wants you to be Kingdom minded.

Jesus is The Judge.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day six)

Faithfulness doesn’t always look exciting. Sometimes it looks like simply staying put, holding fast to what’s true when the world is chasing what’s next.

Peter knew that false teachers, who doubted Jesus’ return and future judgment, were promising something new, something more appealing than the message of the gospel. But the truth about Jesus doesn’t need to evolve or be improved. It’s not a trend to update; it’s a reality to live into.

Peter reminds these young, fragile churches that faith isn’t about chasing new ideas; it’s about clinging to what is real. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,” he says (2 Peter 2:9). God has not changed. His truth has not shifted. And His promises remain secure.

In a world obsessed with progress and novelty, maybe one of the most radical things we can do is to stay put – to remain rooted in the truth that Jesus is Lord, the gospel is enough, and God’s Word still leads us home.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day five)

Last week I had the pleasure to travel with a group from our church to Washington DC and Lancaster, Pa. One of the highlights of our trip, was to see the production of “Noah” at Sight and Sound Theater. It was visually stunning. It was theologically accurate. The main theme which was said and sung throughout the production was, “God keeps His promises.”  As persecution and temptation came, Noah would constantly remind himself, his family, and those around him of this truth. Perhaps today (in a broken world often hostile to the things of God) you might just need to hear the Spirit whisper, “God keeps His Promises.”  Our task is to find His promises in the scriptures and to remember them in our times of trial and temptation. “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.” 2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬

So, here’s a promise to remember today- “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.” John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬-‭28‬

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day four)

Peter is writing what are likely some of his last words from prison before his death. When you’re near death, you focus on communicating what is most important, not mere opinions or fantastical possibilities. Peter writes about the judgement and justice of God, and he describes it as both a fact and a promise. Paul writes in a similar way just before his death in 2 Timothy 4:1, and he invokes the judgement and justice of God when encouraging Timothy to be faithful to his ministry.

I don’t think they write in this way because their impending death is making them vengeful, but because they know more than anyone that they are sinners who deserve God’s wrath, but through Christ they have received mercy. Their walk with Christ has made them more aware of the magnitude of God’s love and sacrifice that covers their sin, making them recipients of grace rather than the judgement they deserve.

Peter makes it clear: God is a God of justice, and it is only through Christ’s mercy that we have cause to celebrate this.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day three)

if he rescued…then the Lord knows how to rescue…

Peter references the reporting of God’s actions in scripture in order to provide a basis for his claim of God’s continued historical action. Peter’s argument would not have had much strength if he had said, “If a team of elite troops sworn to protect their people knows how to rescue them from an enemy, then God knows how to rescue people from temptation.” A team of special military operatives comes nowhere near God’s faithfulness and abilities. God can only be compared to God. Of course, if one doesn’t believe that God exists, then the point is moot. In such a case, one has nothing to appeal to for ultimate power and goodness and hope other than the created order. If that’s all there is, then no higher purpose exists. Humanity needs more.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day two) 

…but preserved Noah…v. 5b; and if He rescued righteous Lot…v. 7a 

These verses are double-edged. We retell and rejoice in the stories of Noah and Lot. God preserved his people through their lives and through their faithfulness. Aren’t you grateful for their examples of faithful living? The other side of the coin is the very real and hard circumstances in which they were living. The world was hostile towards the things of the Lord. Everywhere around these men were sin and temptations to fall into darkness. This was by no means an easy journey for them. While we tell the stories of God’s deliverance, we do well to not sugarcoat the struggle they faced around them. To do so is to minimize God’s powerful ability to deliver his people even in the most dire circumstances. He will preserve, he will rescue, don’t give up.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:1-3 (day seven)

Many will follow their sensuality… vs 2

Just because something is popular and widely followed does not mean that it is of God. Just because people you know are following a teacher, doesn’t mean the teacher is following God. Often when things are popular or trending theologically, it ends up being a false teaching. Why might this be so?

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. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

People follow popular trends because it makes them feel good about themselves, especially if it validates a part of them that the Lord is trying to redeem. If the things that we are following are a new revelation, not supported by scripture, or not taught faithfully throughout history, we should pause to ask why we are drawn to this ideology in the first place.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:1-3 (day six)

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. Matthew 13:24-26

Almost every New Testament letter addresses false teaching within the church. Peter, Paul, and John spent enormous energy guarding the gospel’s purity and guiding believers toward truth. Jesus was right after all: “…the weeds also appeared.”

Peter calls for a kind of spiritual watchfulness, not a fearful suspicion, but a clear-eyed awareness that wherever truth grows, error will try to grow alongside it. False teaching doesn’t usually deny truth outright; it bends it just enough to blur the line.

That’s why we must remain awake, rooted in the Apostles and Prophets, and grounded in the good news, not anxious about deception, but alert and discerning, trusting the One who planted the good seed in His field.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:1-3 (day five)

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…” v. 1a

The Kids’ Time during our worship services over the course of this Re:Verse study has been a lot of fun. Now, I often spend my days looking around at various items wondering if they will sink or float. At times, I have been surprised by the results of some of our tests (cans of soda sink depending on the amount of sugar) while other times, the results confirm the knowledge of things I learned long ago (wood blocks float and keys sink).

This visual lesson is an important reminder for all of us, no matter our age, that we need to test and approve whatever we encounter to be sure it lines up with what God tells us in the Bible. Peter reminds us that false teaching can sneak in and begin to destroy that which is good. It is of utmost importance that we are diligent with testing and approving the teachings we follow, making sure that God’s truth “floats to the surface.” Often, there is teaching that looks good and sounds good, but is, in fact, not what God says in the Bible (i.e. love is love or there are multiple ways to heaven). Our world is prevalent with these false teachings. If you do not test what you encounter, you could quickly find yourself derailed and following the wrong teaching.

As you go about your days this week, I hope you begin to ask yourself, “Does it float?” Do the teachings you follow float with God’s truth, or do they sink with the lies of the devil? Do the things you listen to and watch drag you down or lift you up? Test what you encounter so you can be sure you are following God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will and be sure you are floating.