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I don't know about you, I think that whether it is a book or movie, the majority of sequels are rarely as good and exciting as their originals. I believe that it is because we expect more excitement, more stuff from the sequel than the first one.
That is not the case with the Bible. There is not one Book that is not important and beneficial to us. Otherwise, it would not be included in the Bible by God.
Although this Book is not as long as the first epistle by Peter, it is equally important, especially handing false teaching, apostasy as well as what is going to happen in future.
I am sure that while you all read this Book ahead as I asked you to do, you've noticed that the writing style is very similar to the Book of Jude.
This Book is not something you read casually. It demands your full attention and determination to understand what the Lord bestowed for us. This is one Book that rattles many cages - yours and mine.
A. AUTHOR
I have to laugh at some of brilliant thinkers who call themselves biblical scholars. They argue that the Book of 2 Peter couldn't be written by Apostle Peter, because the writing style is different and the words he used were not the same kind of Koinonia Greek he used for the first epistle. I don't know whole lot about Greek and I am not brilliant like them. But in my humble opinion, it is rather simple to figure out who wrote this letter. It simply says in v1. |
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2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
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Do these thinkers actually think that God would allow somebody else to write this letter and pretended to be Apostle Peter? It would be a deception and God will not have that in His Bible. D-U-H!!!
B. ABOUT THE LETTER
Wherever there is work of God, there is work of the devil. Because this letter packs hard punches, the devil would do anything to stop it from being included in the Bible.
The Second Epistle of Peter was a long time in being accepted by the church into the canon of Scripture. It was accepted at the council that met at Laodicea in A.D. 372 and then again at Carthage in A.D. 397. Jerome accepted 2 Peter for the Vulgate, Latin version of the Scriptures. Eusebius, one of the early church fathers, placed 2 Peter among the disputed books. The Epistle of Jude apparently draws from 2 Peter and demonstrates that Jude was well acquainted with it. Martin Luther accepted it as genuine. Calvin actually doubted it but did not reject it.
In this letter, Peter didn't mention the traditional subjects - such as Christ's suffering, resurrection, ascension, the Holy Spirit, prayer and baptism. That is the reason many scholars thought it should not be included in the canonization of Scripture.
1 Peter focuses on giving hope to the hurting Christians against external sources of hardship, such as unfair slave owners, a pagan society, and an increasingly unsympathetic emperor. 2 Peter, on the other hand, is concerned with internal sources of corruption, namely, false prophets who are deceitfully gaining footholds in local churches. 2 Peter and Jude share not only a similar intensity but also a similar concern.
2 Peter is the swan song of Peter, just as 2 Timothy is the swan song of Paul. There are striking similarities between the two Books. Both epistles put up a warning sign along the way the church is traveling to identify the horrendous apostasy that was on the way at that time and now in our time. Peter warns of heresy among teachers; Paul warns of heresy among the laity. Both Peter and Paul speak in a joyful manner of their approaching deaths.
Both apostles anchor the church on the Scriptures, on the Word of God, as the only defense against the coming storm of apostasy. It is no wonder that the enemy has attacked 2 Peter, because this is one of the finest shields that have been given to us to ward off the darts that the wicked one is shooting at us today.
C. AUDIENCE
While the Book of 1 Peter was addressed to the Jewish Christians who were spread throughout Asia Minor, this second epistle was written to Christians everywhere.
D. A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Second Peter is a short book with only sixty-one verses spread out over three chapters. But this letter is not easily navigated.
The first three verses of chapter 1 are introductory. In the balance of chapter 1 Peter addresses the moral corruption of the last days.
Chapter 2 shifts from moral corruption to the second major issue of the last days, doctrinal compromise.
The false prophets of Peter's day and of our own all share four basic traits.
1) They're more interested in gaining popularity than in declaring truth.
2) They're more interested in receiving than in giving - whether it's money, fame, or power.
3) Their personal lives model a seduction toward evil.
4) They ultimately lead people from God, not to Him.
Crossing over into chapter three, Peter focuses his attention on prophetic concerns. The subject of future things will always bring those who want to indoctrinate us with their twisted brand of teaching, using the latest fads to make their delusions more exciting and appealing. But Peter's advice is to stick with the orthodox teachings passed on by the apostles from the Lord Jesus.
E. THE LESSONS WE CAN LEARN
In 2 Peter we see that apostasy is approaching, the storm is coming. No, actually there already are here. How are we to prepare to engage them? There is only one way, Peter says, and that is through knowledge. Not only through faith in Christ, not only by believing in Him, but also to know Christ.
Studying the Word of God and teaching the Word of God is the only way to continue to grow to be whom God wants us to be.
Sanctification is always through the Word. And with all the cunning false teachings out there, the answer is not to become expert in false teaching. Rather the answer is to know the truth and compare every teaching to revealed truth.
Peter also reminded his readers that the Lord could return at any time. He isn't slack concerning His promises, but is patient toward us. And since this world will all burn one day, this knowledge should cause us to live with eternity in view.
In light of rapid rising Emergent Church within the rank of evangelical churches, we need to be alarmed and equipped to counteract the onslaught of deceptions that come from the devil. I will deal with the Emergent Church in more in-depth teachings during our studies of this Book.
The Emergent Church movement is not the only thing we are facing now. There are so many cults and occults that demand attention from people who do not know the truth.
All of them have two heresies in their doctrines:
1) Jesus is not God.
2) Jesus is not coming back.
These are the same old lies from the first century and the devil is still using them effectively.
Knowing the Bible is not good enough. Knowing about God and about Jesus is not good enough. We must apply what we learn from the Bible to our lives. As it has been said, “It is not how you mark your Bible, rather it is how your Bible marks your life.”
I'd like to give you 'H.O.P.E.' It is an acronym for the applications we can learn from this Book by apostle Peter
1) Heed what you already know.
Many of us already know enough truth to keep us strong no matter how tough times may get. So don't fall into the trap of simply storing up knowledge. Practice it too!
2) Open your eyes and ears.
Discernment is not so much a gift as it is a developed skill. Pay attention to what is not being said as much as what is. Just because people use all the right words and looks, it doesn't guarantee that they are speaking the truth. Don't confuse charisma with orthodoxy. Instead, get in the habit of comparing what you hear with the Scriptures, just like the Bereans did in Acts.
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Acts 17:10-11 then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. |
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Learn to notice people's lives as well as their words. And if the two don't match, be careful.
3) Pursue a godly lifestyle.
Almost without exception, whenever Christ's return or the end times are mentioned in the New Testament, the emphasis is on living a pure life. Remember? I taught you guys the main reason for the study of eschatology - holy living.
4) Expect Christ's return.
Does the way you live reflect the hope of Christ's return? If not, try this experiment to see how expecting Christ at any time can radically change the way you live. First thing tomorrow morning, pray through your day with the thought that Christ could return at any moment tomorrow. Then periodically stop and remind yourself of this truth. You'll be surprised at how this can transform your perspective and encourage righteous living and letting others know about Jesus.
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