King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Saturday, December 25, 2021
Chapters: The Books of II Peter & Jude
Message: It Was God’s Plan
Hello My Friend,
Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday my Jesus, Happy Birthday to You! And Merry Christmas to all. I happened to turn on the TV last night to my news channel, it had a church service with some really nice singing, and then the preaching started. The guy only spoke for about ten minutes, he did not preach the Gospel, other than if you want your sins washed away then, you need to ask Jesus to remove them. Then proceeded to lead everyone in a sinners prayer. This was actually similar to the church that I attended just before I dedicated my life to Christ. They never preach hell fire, repentance from sin, or that salvation is eternal. The story of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection is not something that God decided on a whim, it was planned even before He created the earth. God does not decide anything on a whim, it has all been thought out, planned out, and drawn out, and we are given them through His Word. Jesus Himself said, [Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.]
I had a hard time getting this started, my head filled with so much of what is going on in my own life that I had no idea where God was leading me on this, although reading the chapters for today makes me think of our current state as a nation, and how much closer we are to Christ returning. The Book of 2 Peter is the twenty-second book of the New Testament, the sixty-first book of the Bible, and contains three chapters. The author of this epistle (letter) is Peter and it was written to the Christian exiles. The purpose of the letter was to warn them of the dangers of the apostasy and false teaching from within the church. What we are to learn from the book is that judgment will come to these false teachers, [2 Peter 2:1,9 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:]
The Word of God, it is the only Book written that when you read it you feel like it is happening right now. Peter begins his letter with the reminder to all believers that must be united with the same faith, and it is through that faith that we become more knowledgeable in the Word of God and be prepared for what is to come before Christ returns.
[2 Peter 1:1-7 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.]
[Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God,] The most important thing that we will ever do after we get saved is to get in the Word of God and start reading it regularly. Grace and peace only comes when we understand the things that God wants us to be doing as well as what we should not be doing. We are new creatures the second we receive Christ as our Saviour, God does not expect us to know everything about Him all at once, but He does expect us to be diligent about learning everything about Him, and apply what we learn. And if we do not, then we will never find peace or grace, [2 Peter 1:8-9 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.]
The world discredits the Bible as true, and let me tell you, people have attempted to change it in order to make God into an image they want their followers, not His, to believe Him to be. What they fail to comprehend is that His Word is preserved, the prophecies fulfilled prove that when Jesus came her in the flesh, through man. We would be wise to remind ourselves that the Bible was not written by man, rather men led by God Himself. As Peter continues his letter, he recalls when Jesus was on the mountain of transfiguration and he saw Him talking with Moses and Elijah [Matthew 17:1-13]. That was all the proof he needed to believe that everything written in the Bible was done under the inspiration of God and will come to pass exactly as He says it will.
[2 Peter 1:16-21 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.]
[that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.] The Bible is not just some random thoughts from the people who wrote their own testimonies, it is inspired, meaning God, through the Holy Spirit, is the one who chose to use them to tell their stories and also His own story. Anyone can create a “version” of God’s Word to please the lusts of the flesh, and make it look like it came from God, but that does not change who God is, what He believes, and what He expects from us, [Hebrews 13:7-9 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.]
God’s grace, it is an amazing thing, to be forgiven, and to receive eternal life through no efforts of our own is something that no true Christian will fully understand, but is grateful nonetheless, for it as they seek to know God’s will and follow it the best they can. Not all who say they are Christian think that way, they deceive people into believing that what they are doing is in God’s will when what they are actually doing is their own. Let me tell you, we are definitely in the end times, and yes, that is said of every generation, but this world is truly becoming more corrupt by the second. Peter warns us of this, and what happened to all who tried it in the past.
[2 Peter 2:1-6 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;]
[And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:] They despise and hate you because you are not one of them, and to prove that they make a public example out of you. The more I am in the world the more I truly see it for what it is, and they will sell you out in a heartbeat for their own gain. Nevertheless, we who are faithful, do not have to worry what they do to us because Jesus is with us, and will deliver us.
[2 Peter 2:9-13 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;]
[as natural brute beasts,] [Brute; Senseless; Irrational. Bestial. Rough. Uncivilized. Insensible. A beast. Any animal destitute of reason. A brutal person. A savage in heart or manners.] Any of this sound familiar? It is exactly what, we as a nation, many nations are seeing right now, brute beasts speaking evil of things they do not understand; rioting in the daytime; deceiving; cunning; unstable; cursed children; corrupt politicians, and this is within the churches also, in fact, proclaiming they know Christ.
[2 Peter 2:19-22 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.]
[For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,] this is why salvation is only made possible if we have truly received Christ and keep our faith until our last breath. Jesus Himself said, [Matthew 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.]
These brute beasts know of Jesus, and maybe even say they got saved, and lived as though He was their Saviour for a little while, and then the truth came out. While we are not the judge, we must understand that the world, and quite frankly, half the saved world, is entangled in some kind of sin, they know it is against God’s Word, but continue in their sin, justifying their actions by their salvation. They think that going back into the world and living a sinful life has no consequences? Think again. If God will not spare the angles that have turned on Him and reserved them for judgment, He will not spare anyone who falsely believes in His Son.
[2 Peter 3:3–7 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.]
[reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.] We do not know the hour in which Christ will return, but we do know that we better be prepared. We are saved by grace through our faith and acceptance of the Lord, Jesus Christ as our Saviour, but we are not saved from the consequences that result from living an immoral or wicked life if we do not repent of them. And now we come to Jude, which is almost identical to what Peter is saying. Jude is the twenty-sixth book of the New Testament and sixty-fifth book of the Bible. Jude was written by Jude (the brother of James and an earthly brother of Jesus by Mary and Joseph) and it was written to all Christians, although the specific audience at the time were members of churches in Palestine and/or Asia. The purpose of the letter was to warn them against false teachers and what we are to learn from the letter is that we must always be on alert for false teachers who divert believers from the truth of God’s Word, [Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.]
The word apostasy is defined as the total rejection of Christianity by a person who, having at one time professed the Christian faith. There is only one thing that causes apostasy, the flesh, either they were not saved to begin with or they never allowed Christ to be Lord of their lives. Jude, who is the brother of James, as well as the earthly half brother of Jesus, warns us of how the apostasy creeps into the Church, [Jude 1:1-4 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.]
[turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,] As merciful and gracious as God is He is well aware of those who take advantage of His good graces, when people start changing His Word to suit their flesh, that is when He draws the line. The apostle here exhibits a charge against deceivers who were now seducing the disciples of Christ from the profession and practice of his holy religion. He calls them filthy dreamers.
[Jude 1:8-11 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.]
[when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,] There is no mention of this in the Old Testament, but remember, God is the one who buried Moses and no one knows where he is buried. Even Satan, when told by God to, “Stop!” listens, but these brute beasts never stop, they are in fact, reprobates. We are in a fight here, a fight for our faith in Jesus Christ, and we must not stop defending the cross until the day God takes us home or Jesus returns, [Jude 1:20-25 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.]
[And others save with fear,] God is a patient God, so patient that He is willing to wait until the very last believer receives His Son before sending His Son back to earth. God is not easily provoked by anyone, except by those who deliberately twist His Word and convince others that it is truth. And while some people can be won to Christ through compassion, most people will not get saved until they are faced with fear. I know this to be true because I was one of those, [2 Peter 3:8-10,13-14 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.]
Let Us Pray: Jesus, Happy Birthday to You! You did not have to do it, but you became one of us, You took on human form, and all the pain, suffering, and death that comes with it. Thank You for the great sacrifice You made in becoming like one of us so that You could give Your life to save us. You could have jumped off that cross, You could have changed Your mind and made us fend for ourselves, but you gave Your life to save us, all because You love us too much to see us end up in hell with the devil, fallen angels, false prophets, and all unbelievers. Lord, I know I am saved through my faith in You alone, but I do not want to just get by here with my salvation, I want all the fruit that comes from my faithfulness to You. Lord, walk with me, give me faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Through Your power, I know I can do all things. And I ask these things in Your name Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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