Prayer

What is prayer? 

It is a spiritual communion with God as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.  We can pray anywhere and anytime.  There is no specific way to pray and no specific times we should pray.  All we need to do is speak to God from our heart.  We can pray silently or audibly.  We can pray alone or with a group.  We can pray while driving to work, school or to the grocery.  We pray over our food, when we lie down to sleep, when we awake each morning.  We pray when we are troubled and when we are happy.  We are to pray without ceasing.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer.  There is no certain posture for prayer.  Your prayers don’t need to be wordy or have impressive speech.  "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again." – Matthew 6:7.  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few”. – Ecclesiastes 5:2.

Why should we pray?

Prayer develops our relationship with God.  Prayer is communicating with God and helps us grow closer and more intimate with Him.  God instructed us to pray and when we pray we are obedient to Him.  “Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41.  “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” – Luke 18:1.  We pray so we will know what God’s will is for our lives.  We pray to seek direction and wisdom.  Praying demonstrates our faith in God.  We pray for forgiveness of sins.  We pray for those who don’t know Jesus.  We pray for God’s provision.  We pray thanking God and praising Him for who He is and for what He has done.

If you don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will help you.  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” – Romans 8:26-27.

The Bible says we are to pray with a humble heart and if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him – Jeremiah 29:13.  We are to have faith when we pray. – Mark 11:24.  We are to be sure we have confessed our sins, because “… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” –  James 5:16.

 God hears our prayers and always answers them.  It may not be the answer we want, but He answers with, yes, no, or not now.  God wants us to pray with other believers and also to pray alone and in secret. 

How should we pray?

 The “ACTS” Prayer is a good example of how pray.

A – Adoration – Praise God for who He is – holy, perfect merciful, loving, powerful, etc.

C – Confession – Confession allows us to clear away things which are displeasing to God by seeking His forgiveness.

T – Thanksgiving – We should thank God for the blessings He gives to us and for what He will give us.

S – Supplication – Now we can ask God for our needs and the needs of others.

God wants a relationship with us.  For our relationship with Him to develop we must talk with Him regularly.  

The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus is a prime example of living a life of prayer.  He prayed for God’s guidance and leading.  He prayed prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for healing, prayers for His disciples and prayers for believers both present and in the future.  In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches how to pray.  We do not need to use these actual words, but use them as a model.

“Our Father in heaven,” - He is the creator and the Great Parent of us all.

“hallowed be your name,” – God is essentially holy.  We are to acknowledge the supremacy of God and His relationship to us. 

“your kingdom come,” – This is a wanting God to reign everywhere and that His laws be obeyed till the world is filled with His glory.  

”your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – God’s will is that men should obey His law and live holy lives.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – He tells to pray for both our physical as well as our spiritual needs.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  – We are to have an attitude of forgiveness.  If we forgive others, then God will forgive us.

“And do not lead us into temptation,” – We are to trust God for deliverance over temptation (anything that tests our virtue) and sin.

“but deliver us from the evil one.” – The evil one is Satan.  Deliver us from his power, snares, temptations.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” – God has control and power over everything and with Him all things are possible; and not our honor, but His be displayed through all the earth.

How does prayer affect our lives?

When we face trying circumstances, it pays to pray.  Prayer relieves stress.  If we truly trust God, there is no need to be anxious or worry about the future.  Prayer does work.  There are numerous accounts in the Bible of answered prayers plus we all know stories of answered prayer from those around us.  God wants us to seek His help for our needs and desires.  When we pray, it draws us closer to God.

When do you pray? 

Do you only pray before the Thanksgiving meal or when you need something?
Do you find it hard to make time to pray?
We can take an hour out to exercise, watch TV, etc. so why not give time each day to God?
Do you offer praise and thanks to God for all He has done in our life?
Do you trust God will hear and answer your prayers?

Pride

Is pride always bad?  There are two kinds of pride.  Pride is reasonable or justifiable self-respect; or improper and excessive self-esteem known as conceit or arrogance.  Paul expresses the positive kind of pride in 2 Cor. 7:4 when speaking of the confidence he has in Christians.  The pride of doing a job well and the pride that comes from self-righteousness are very different.  God hates the self-righteous, because it hinders us from seeking Him.  Sinful pride appears in the Scripture frequently in both Old and New Testaments.  Pride is a sin of attitude.  It is evaluating self over God.  Examples of proud people are found in both Testaments.  It was the downfall of King Uzziah, Hezekiah, the Pharisee in the temple, Herod, and others.  It can bring down individuals and nations.

At the top of the Seven Deadly Sins list is Pride.  It is the root of so many sins; however it is not considered to be a deadly sin in society today.  We are taught to have pride. We are told as early as elementary school to “believe in yourself”.  We don’t see pride in ourselves, but we do see it in others.  Pride is looked up to and we think it is something we should aspire to.

The Seven Deadly Sins never occur as a list in the Bible, but does occur many many times individually.  Scripture condemns all seven.  God hates pride.  It’s hard to image that God hates anything, but He does hate pride.  “God opposes the proud – but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34.  He hates it, because He loves us.  Pride is like a cancer.  It brings destruction to relationships. 

All people have pride in their lives and it surfaces in many ways.  It shows up in businesses, when executives are unwilling to listen to their people or their customers.

It shows up in our personal lives in many ways -----

It makes us ignorant – We think our opinion is better than others.  Prov. 2 says we think we know better.
It makes us argumentative with our spouses, our children, etc.
It makes us defensive.
It can show up in the way we look at another person.
It makes us not want to do things we think are beneath us.
It makes us boast about our accomplishments – We are seeking admiration and Acknowledgment of others.  We take credit for abilities given to us by God.
It makes us desire to be admired by others.
It makes us stubborn – We can’t say we are wrong. 
It makes us critical of others – We find fault in others and we are quick to blame others.
It makes us ungrateful – We should be thankful in all circumstances.
It makes us selfish – We focus on self.  We should be humble.
It makes us have selfishness ambition – Doing things for the wrong reasons and not doing them to glorify God.
It makes us self-conscious – We are always focused on looking good or appearing to be better than we really are.
It makes us prejudice – We want others to measure up to our standards.
It makes us unteachable – We think we know it all and don’t need to learn more.
It makes us bitter, angry and lack forgiveness of others.
It makes us trust ourselves instead of God – This makes us lack a prayer life.
It makes us jealous of other’s successes.
It keeps us from God – Keeps us from praying, because we think we can do it by ourselves and we don’t need God’s help.
It makes us not want to admit our sins. – It sets the wrong example that may keep others from accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

Who do you think of when you read this list?  Do you think of other people who might fall into this category and not think of yourself?  That’s the pride in you.  “The pride of your heart has deceived you…” – (Obadiah 3).  What keeps you from seeing the pride in you is pride.

When was the last time you admitted you were wrong about something?

How do you keep your head from becoming too big?

Who keeps your pride in check?
How has pride affected you?
How does pride manifest itself in your life?
What actions do you need to take to combat pride?

Moses struggled with pride.  He was raised with riches for 40 years then became a shepherd.  His heart changed.  When God called him, he said “Who am I”. – (Ex. 3:11).  He became humble.  Humility is the key to be used by God.  We look to people who have talents, confidence, and knowledge, but God used the humble throughout scripture. 

God chose Abraham and Sarah to birth a great nation, because they were humble.  He used Jacob, because he was insecure.  He used Leah who was unattractive, Rahab who was immoral, Gideon who was poor, David who had an affair, Jeremiah who was depressed, Jonah who was reluctant and dishonest, Naomi who was a widow, John the Baptist who was eccentric, Peter who was impulsive and hot tempered, Martha who was a worrier, Thomas who was a doubter, the Samiration woman who had several husbands, Paul who was in poor health, Timothy who was timid and the list goes on and on.

God gives grace to the humble.  “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – (James 4:10).  What would happen if you said, “God, I humble myself before you?”  It’s a hard thing to admit you are wrong and have sinned and to humble yourself.  We like to be important and we always want to be first in everything.  We always want to win in everything and be on top.  “… but in humility consider others better than yourselves. “ – (Philippians 2:3).  “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” – (Philippians 2:5).

Being humble is not being insecure.  What’s God calling you to do?  We need to understand who God is.  We need to have His confidence not confidence in ourselves.  It comes from God not for what we have done.  The good we’ve done is not from us, but from God.  He takes unlikely people and circumstances and uses them in His plan.

What do we do about our pride? 

First thing to do is recognize the pride in you, then you can get rid of it by asking God to reveal it to you and He will help you overcome it, work on acknowledging the accomplishments of others, and be inspiring and not arrogant.  Imitate Christ’s humility – (Phil. 2:1-9)  

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves.” – (Phil. 2:3). 

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded….. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.” – (James 4:7-10).

 “… Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” – (Rom. 12:3) 

“Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.” – (Rom. 12:16)

More Scriptures on Humility:

Job 40:12, Psalm 37:11; 119:21; 131:1; 138:6; 147:6; 149:4, Proverbs 3:34; 8:13; 10:8; 15:31,33; 16:5, 18-19; 29:23, Isa. 5:21; 57:15; 66:2, Micah 6:8, Matt. 18:3-4; 23:12, Luke 1:52; 14:7-11; 16:15; 18:9-14; 22:24-27, Mark 9:35, John 5:44, Rom. 12:3,16, 1 Cor. 1:28; 3:18; 13:4; 1 Peter 5:5-6, and many more. 

Who is Jesus?

I was watching TV one day and ran across the show “Reflections” hosted by Hazem Farraj.  Hazem was a Muslim who converted to Christianity.  He gave a wonderful description of who Jesus really is and I wanted to share this with you.  No one could have said it any better.

Jesus is the son of God. 

He was in the beginning and before that He was.
He knows no boundaries and has no limits.
For all eternity He will be with you.
If you are hungry for righteousness, He will fill you.
He will give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

He is love.

He is the key to peace.
He is the gateway to heaven.
His promises are free.
His love is endless.
His face is glorious.
His light is overwhelming.

Satan fears Him.

Kings don’t understand Him. 
Christians worship Him. 
Presidents admire Him.
Atheists ignore Him. 
Children are attracted to Him. 
Scientists can’t disqualify Him.
Historians can’t erase Him.
Angels bow down to Him.

No boundaries can measure His infinite love.

His love is powerful.
His mercies are new every morning.

If there is a need, He supplies it.
If there is a wound, He cures it.
If there is a doubt, He destroys it.
If you are lonely, He will be with you.
If there is pain, He relates to you.
If there is brokenness, He will mend you.
If you are a sinner, He will save you.
If you are lost, He will find you.
If you are prideful, He will humble you.
If you are humble, He will exalt you.
If you are young, He will watch over you.
If you are old, He will assist you.
If you weep, He will weep with you.
If you are diligent, He will reward you.

When you laugh, He will laugh with you.

He comforts when we are in mourning.
He gives strength to the weak.
He saves sinners.
He heals the sick.
He feeds the hungry.
He encourages the discouraged.
He restores sight to the blind.
He heals lepers.
He frees the captives.
He is all knowing, all powerful, all mighty, and self-sufficient.
He is all seeing.
He is all hearing.
He is the greatest miracle in all of history.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This is who Jesus is.  Don’t you want to know Him?

Spiritual Inventory

This was taken from a wonderful magazine called “Israel My Glory” produced by The Friends of Israel, which communicates biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while fostering solidarity with the Jewish people.

Are you discouraged and feeling depressed because of personal or world events?

Maybe it’s time to take a little spiritual inventory. 

If you have truly been born again through faith in Jesus Christ, you have a lot of things to look forward to. 

Here are only 10 of them.  So as you persevere, remember who holds your hand and that He has promised,

“No eye has seen,

   no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

            what God has prepared for those who love him…”

1 Cor. 2:9

1. You will receive a new body.

1 Cor. 15:52 - “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

2. You will get a custom dwelling place. Every house on Earth requires fixing, but the home He prepares for you will be perfect.

John 14:2-3 - “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not

so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for

you.”

3. You will be like Christ, so you will be unable to sin.

1 John 3:2 - “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

4. You will get to know Bible saints, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Matt. 8:11 - “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

5. You will see and speak to loved ones who died in the faith.

1 Thess. 4:13-17 - “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

6. You will live in a perfect world. What lies ahead is so much better that what exists today.

Rev 21 - “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away …..”

7. You will never again suffer heartache, pain, death, broken relationships, or the like –

1 Cor. 15:26 -“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Rev 7:16-17 - “Never again will they hunger; never again will they

thirst.  The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  

8. You will fall for the final time. But rather than falling short, you will fall on your knees in praise.

Rom. 7:15-25 & Phil. 2:10 – “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”

9. You will participate in awesome worship.

Rev. 5:11 – “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.  They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.”

Rev. 7:11-12 – “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!’ “

10. You will see God!!

Job 19:26 – “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;”

1 John 3:2 – “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Where to find it in the Bible

I have been asked several times where to find different things in the Bible.  I compiled this list (although it is not complete) that might helpful.

Abortion

Ps. 139:13-16 – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Jer. 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Acts 17:26 – “From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”

Armor of God

Eph. 6:11-18

Assurance of Salvation

John 5:24; 6:37; 10:27-30; 20-31, Rom. 8:16, 31, 35-39; Heb. 13:5; 1 John 5:11-12

Battle of Armageddon

Rev. 14:14-20; 16:16

Beatitudes

Matt. 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26

Bible Author

2 Tim. 3:14-16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:20-21 – “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Creation

Gen. 1-2 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….”

Col. 1:16 – “For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him.”

Dinosaurs

Job 40:15-24 – behemoth (dinosaurs), 41 leviathan (dinosaurs)

Divorce and Remarriage

Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Malachi 2:15-16, Matt. 5:31-32, Luke 16:18

Faith

Rom. 4:3; 10:17, Eph. 2:8-9, Heb. 11, Heb 11:1 – “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”, 6; 12:2, James 1:3-6, 1 Peter 1:7

Fall of Man

Gen. 3

Fruit of the Spirit

Gal. 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Golden Rule

Matt. 7:12; Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Hell or Lake of Fire

Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2Thessalonians 1:7-7; Luke 16:24; Matthew 3:12; 5:22; 7:13; 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:46; 18:8-9; Mark 9:48; Luke 3:7, 17; 16:28; Romans 5:9; Revelation 14:11; 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8, 14

Homosexuality

Gen. 19:1-13; Lev. 18:22-30; 20:13; Romans 1:18-32 – “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion…….” (v24-27). “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”(v32). Notice it says those who approve of those who practice such things also deserve death.

1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:8-11

Idolatry

Idolatry is anything you put before God.

Col. 3:5 – “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

Jesus is the only way

Acts 4:12; John 3:17; 18:24; 10:14-16; 14:6 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:5

Jesus’ appearance after resurrection

Matt. 28; Luke 24; John 20-21; Mark 16; Acts; 1 Cor. 15

Lord’s Prayer

Matt. 6:9-15; Luke 11:1-13

Lord’s Supper

Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26

Lose Salvation?

John 10::29; Rom 8:38-39; Heb 6:4-8; Eph 1:4; 1 John 5:13 – that you know you have eternal life

Love

John 3:16; 15:9-14; Rom. 5:8; 8:35-39; 1 Cor. 13 (known as the love chapter); 1 John 3:1

Man’s purpose on earth

God created us for His pleasure and our purpose is to glorify Him and have joy in Him and Him in us.  He loves us and He wants us to love Him back.

1 John 4:7-21

Marriage / Premarital Sex

Ex. 20:14; Lev. 20:10; Deu. 22:13-30; Job 31:1, 9-12; Prov. 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; Matt. 5:27-30; Eph 5:5-5; Heb. 13:4 – keep it pure, 1 Cor. 6:8; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Rev. 21:8

Plan of Salvation

Isaiah 55:7; John 1:12; 3:3; 5:24; Rom. 10:9-10, 13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 John 5:11-13; Revelation 3:20

Prayer

Ecc. 5:2; Jer. 29:13; Matt. 6:7; Luke 18:1; Rom. 8:26-27; Mark 11:24; James 5:16

Predestination/Chosen/Election

Romans 8:29-30; Eph. 1:3-6, 11; Acts 4:27-28; Matthew 22:1-14; 24:22, 24, 32; John 15:16;

Rev. 17:14

Rapture

1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Return of Christ

Luke 21:34-36; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:8-14; 1 John 3:2-3

Satan’s fall

Isaiah 14:12-15

Saved by grace

Grace is unmerited favor.

Ephesians 2:4-5, 8 – “For it is by grace you have been saved.”

Second Death

Revelation 21:8 – “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.”

Sovereignty of God

Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:34-35; Isaiah 40:23; 46:8-11; Romans 10:36

God is:

Omniscient – all knowing, total knowledge

Omnipotent – all powerful

Omnipresence – everywhere present

Immutable – unchangeable

Infinitely holy and righteous

Spiritual Gifts

Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14; 40, Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10

Tattoos

Leviticus 19:28 – “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.  I am the Lord.”

Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 - God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when tempted He will provide a way out for you.

Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-26

Testing

Exodus 20:20; Judges 2:21; 1 Peter 1:7

Tribulation Period

Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 11:2-3; 13:5 – The tribulation period will be 42 months.

Troubles/Suffering

2 Corinthians 4:17 – We should be happy, our troubles are achieving our eternal Glory

2 Corinthians 1:8-11, 12:7-10 – So we will rely on God

1 Thessalonians 3:3 – Trials are God’s plan

James 1:2-4 – So we will be mature

5 reasons God allows suffering –

1.      A Common thing – Job 5:7

2.     Corrective – Ps 119:67

3.     To glorify Christ – John 9:13

4.     Cosmic – Job 1-2

5.     Constructive – Rom 5:3-4

Why did Jesus do miracles?

John 2:11, 11:40 – To reveal His glory

Will Christians be judged?

Romans 8:1 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Witchcraft

Exodus 22:18; Deu. 18:10; Micah 5:12; Malachi 3:5; Gal. 5:20; Rev. 21:8; 22:5

Worry

Matthew. 6:25; Psalm 34:10; Phil. 4:19 – God will provide

2 Peter and Jude

2 Peter 1 and Jude 1-2 – Growing in Truth

Principle:  Believers grow in faith and Christ-like virtue by obeying God’s Word.

2 Peter 2 and Jude 3-16 – Contending for Faith

Principle:  Believers can only contend for faith and reject false teaching by knowing God’s Word.

1 Peter 3 and Jude 17-25 – Living for Christ’s Return

Principle:  Living for return of Christ involves preparing other for His arrival.

Peter writes this letter knowing he would die soon.  He died on a cross about 35 years after Jesus ascended to heaven.  He wrote to the same Christians as his first letter.  They were not only in danger of persecution, but in danger of being confused by false teaching.  He taught that in the last days there would be many scoffers not believing that Jesus would return, but that He would come when they least expected it – like a thief in the night.  They were to stand firm in their faith and be on guard so they would not be deceived. 

2 Peter 1

He opens his letter with grace and peace to them, because he wanted them to have more of it through the knowledge of God and of Jesus.  This is a very clear statement of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace means God’s kindness to people who do not deserve it.  It means that God loves and forgives and that He helps and protects His people.  Peace is the opposite of war.  God gives Christians a quiet spirit that is in every part of a person’s life and relationships.  We have peace with God and with each other.  No one can have true peace without grace.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has give us his very great and precious promises…” – (2 Peter 1:3-4).  His great and precious promises are:  that we will be delivered from a corrupt world and our evil desires, we are renewed in Him, God dwells in us, He’s made us holy, the glory that is to come, we’re saved by grace, we’re heirs with Christ, He loves us in spite of our failures, He will meet our every need, He will return and many many more.  He has given us everything we need to live a holy life.

Peter describes the character of a Christian.  “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” – (2 Peter 1:5-7).  Does your faith reflect these virtues?  He wants them to be all the more eager to make their calling and election sure.  If they do these things, they will never fall and will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord. 

He is reminding them to refresh their memory, because he knew he would die soon. – (2 Peter 1:14).  Peter has true knowledge speaking the truth about the power and coming of Jesus Christ, because he and others were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  He was there when Jesus received honor and glory from God in His transfiguration, when a voice came down from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I am well pleased.” – (2 Peter 1:16-21).  We have the words of prophets and should pay attention to them.  “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture come about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” – (2 Peter 1:20-21).

How would people tell that you have true knowledge of Jesus Christ?

Can they tell by the fruit in your life?

2 Peter 2

Peter warned the Christians about false teachers.  There will be wide-spread success of these false teachers and many will follow their shameful ways.  They will dispute the truth of God.  They are greedy and will exploit with made up stories.  Several times Peter said that God will punish them severely.   He says that false teachers bring swift destruction from God on themselves. – (2 Peter 2:2-3).  God will punish them.  They offer cheap grace.  God’s grace is costly.

God didn’t even spare wicked angels when they sinned, but sent them to Hell or Tartarus (the very lowest pit). – (2 Peter 2:4; Gen. 6:4; Jude 6).  God brought judgment to the ungodly by sending the flood upon the world, but saved Noah who was a preacher of righteousness and his family. – (2 Peter 2:5; Gen. 6-7).  He punished Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual immorality.  He turned Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes by raining on them fire and brimstone. – (2 Peter 2:6; Gen. 18-19). 

False teachers satisfy the wicked desires of their bodies.  They do not obey authority, especially God’s authority.  They do what they want.  They pretend to know a lot about God, but know little.  They have no moral standards.  They are greedy and never stop sinning.  They are compared to animals.  God will destroy them. – (2  Peter 2:10-22).

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” – (2 Peter 2:20-21).  This means they were never true children of God.  True believers cannot lose their salvation!  They had no inward new birth and no transformation took place.  They professed to know the Lord, but did not forsake their evil ways.  They never accepted Jesus with a living faith.  This describes many false teachers today.  They think they know Jesus, but were never born again or experienced real salvation.

There were false teachers even in the church.  There are still false teachers in the church today.  So Christians should heed Peter’s warning.  Why are people willing to listen?  It is very sad that many people are willing to listen to false teachings and will follow.  False teachers appeal to the lustful desires of human nature.  They entice people and make promises they can’t keep.  People don’t listen to the truth, because they don’t like what they hear.  People don’t want to hear about Hell.  They think they are good people.  They say the Bible is not true today.  They reason that God is a good God, but Jesus can’t be the only way.  They say that God doesn’t care if they go to church.  They think they deserve to be happy and don’t deserve the wrath of God.

What are you venerable for false teaching because your faith is weak?

How can we avoid being deceived?  Know the Word of God and don’t fall for the lies.  Stay in His Word and pray often.

How do you stand attacks on your faith?

2 Peter 3

Peter is writing this letter as reminders to stimulate wholesome thinking.  He wanted them to remember the words of the prophets and the command of the Lord that in the last days there would be many false teachers. – (2 Peter 3:1-3).  They will ridicule and scoff at the idea that Jesus will return.  A scoffer is one who mocks the truth.  Do you know any scoffers?

When is He coming?  “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – (2 Peter 3:8-9).  Bear in mind that the Lord’s patience means salvation. – (2 Peter 3:15-16).  The Day of the Lord is coming and we need to be prepared.  We should live holy and godly lives as we look forward to His coming. – (2 Peter 3:11-13).  We should make every effort to be found spotless and blameless. – (2 Peter 3:14).  We should be on guard so we won’t be deceived by lawless men and fall from our secure position. – (2 Peter 3:17-18).

Jude

Jude was a brother of Jesus.  His letter is much like Peter’s warning Christians about false teachers and wanted them to look forward to the last days, because God promised to multiply His grace, peace and mercy.

As in Peter Jude reminds us of three lessons of the past.  1) God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, but destroyed those who did not believe; 2) Angels who did not keep their positions of authority were punished; 3) God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire for their sins. – (Jude 5-7).

Jude lists the sins of false teachers.  They pollute their bodies, reject authority, slander celestial beings, speak against what they do not understand, they are like Cain, they are blemishes, feeding only themselves, they are clouds without rain and trees without fruit. – (Jude 8-13).  God’s judgment will come on them and they will be cast into Hell forever.  They are always complaining and finding fault with others.  They are greedy and prideful.  They follow their own desires and boast about themselves. – (Jude 16).  These false teachers will suffer God’s punishment and will be cast into Hell forever.

Do you know anyone like that?

Do you grumble and complain?

Do you blame on others?

Jude gives us advice of how to persevere.  We are to remember what the apostles foretold.  We are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  We are to keep ourselves in God’s love as we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life.  We are to be help weaker believers who doubt. – (Jude 17-22).

Jude ends his letter with four qualities of God:  God’s glory, God’s majesty, God’s power, God’s authority.  He reminds us that God is all powerful now and always.  Now and always emphasizes God’s total and complete command of everything.

Are you prepared for Jesus’ return?

If He comes tonight, where will you go – Heaven or Hell?

How will you discern between truth and lies?

Do you minimize sin in your life?

Do you live afraid of Judgment Day?

How will you help prepare others for His coming?

Don’t be afraid of these attacks on your faith.  Be prepared!