Day #365

Sermon - Audio
Rev 19-22 - Reading
Rev 19-22 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Chapter 19 deals with two things—the triumph of the pure bride and the final battle of good verses evil.

• 19.3: the smoke goes up—Babylon has fallen never to get up again!
• 19.5: notice that even in the book of Revelation that the fear of God is present. To fear God means to be in awe of him, overwhelmed by him. John in chapter 1 falls down as he is overwhelmed with God.
• 19.7: to be invited to the great messianic banquet was considered to be the greatest of honors. Yet in Luke 14 we discover that those who are wealthy find themselves too busy to go to the banquet, so God invites the poor and outcast.
• 19.10: “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy: -- most likely this means that Jesus’ life fulfills what the prophets said in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah.
• 19.11: “Faithful and True” these two words mean the same thing. To be true is not about telling some truth, but it is about being true to your word. Jesus is true to his covenant promises, he can be trusted.
• 19.11ff: the changes from the joy of the banquet to the horror of war are striking. This picture of a conquering Christ can make us uncomfortable. We like Jesus meek not military.
• 19.14: “the armies of heaven”: these armies include both the angels and the saints.
• 19.17-18: to not be buried was a huge disgrace in Jewish culture, the ultimate disgrace was to be eaten by animals after your death (cf. the death of Jezebel in 2 Kings 9.32-37)

Revelation 20 is the only place in the Bible that speaks of a millennial reign. The question is when does this reign happen. Historically there have been three main understandings of the timing of this reign

• Pre-millennial: Right now we are living before the 1000 year reign of Christ. The day will come when Jesus returns and reigns with his saints over the world from 1000 years.
• Post-millennial: The 1000 year reign represents a time when the Christian faith and the values of Christianity more and more become prevalent in the world. There will be a Christian renaissance sometime in the future.
• A-millennial: The 1000 years represents the time we are presently in. Satan has been bound by Christ’s work on the cross.

--Whatever view one takes on the 1000 years, two things are clear 1) Satan will be defeated 2) God cares for his saints and allow them to enjoy the benefits of his triumphal rule.

--One of the important questions that comes out of this discussion of the 1000 years is how much Christians can hope to impact and change the world. Premillennialists have the least hope of changing the world, Postmillennialists have the most hope.

• 20.2-3: Satan being bound means that God limits his ability to impact the world.
• 20.5: the first resurrection, most likely this refers to the time when a person comes to faith. This is reflected in John’s gospel, 5.²⁴“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
• 20.6: Second death: Jesus promise to the people at Smyrna is that they do not need to fear the second death (Rev. 2.11). The second death is being separated from God for all eternity.
• 20.8: Gog and Magog—Revelation continues with its strong connections to the Old Testament. Gog and Magog are mentioned in Ezekiel 37-38
• 20.12: books were opened: These books reveal the deeds of a person’s life. The idea that we will be judged according to our deeds runs deep in both the Old and New Testaments. The idea is that our deed reveal who we really belonged to in life. It is not that our deeds save us, but rather that they reveal whose we are.
• 20.12: Book of Life—a book that contains the names of those who belong to God.

Revelation 21 tells of God coming down to earth to live with his people and the wonderful results. What we need to catch here is that heaven is not the end of the world. Revelation 21 makes it clear that we will live our eternities on a renewed earth. This idea is important because it reminds us of the scope of God’s redemptive work, he sent Christ not only to die for people, but to renew an entire universe (cf. Colossians 1) 21.1: “a new heavens and a new earth”: The Greek language has two words for new. The word used in Revelation 21 kainos means new in nature or quality. So the new heavens and new earth are a renewed heavens and earth. 21.1: “no longer any sea”: the sea was seen as a place of chaos and evil, allied with darkness—so not having any sea is way of saying chaos is gone, evil has been defeated. In its place is a refreshing spring (see verse 6) 21.3-5: God’s great promise fulfilled, he is now with us and all the benefits that come with being in the presence of God are ours. 21.7: “victorious”: the promise given to the people in the 7 churches is kept. 21.9-21: the city is so beautiful that is goes beyond our imagination (where do you get pearls that are large enough to make gates, diamonds for walls). Notice that the city is actually the bride of Christ, the church. The church now is what it was meant to be, holy, spotless, without any blemish but holy and blameless (Eph. 5) 21.15-18: a perfect cube just like the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament. The city (the church, God’s people) is now the most intimate dwelling place of God. 21.25: “gates never shut” because there is no fear of attack. City gates were shut at night to keep out enemies. The words in Revelation 22 are filled with images from the Old Testament: Ezekiel 47 says, 1The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east)…. 12Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” The warning against adding or taking anything from the book echoes the words of Deuteronomy 4. 2Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. God’s throne is in the city—just like the tabernacle was built so God could dwell in the midst of the people. tree of life comes from Genesis—it is the tree which God guards after Adam and Eve fall into sin. Now, all who believe can enjoy the tree and all its benefits. 22.3: serve him—we will still serve God in some way when we live in the new creation 22.4: not the mark of the beast, but the name of God will be on our foreheads 22.7: Blessed—another promise of blessing, this one is to those who keep the words of this prophecy. In summary to keep the words of this prophesy means to “Worship God!” (vs. 9). This worship of God means that we commit ourselves to him, do his will, and be a part of his army in the battle against evil—even if we die in service. 22.11: Those who hear the message and fail to respond find their hearts hardened to the ways of God and slide further and further into sin.

Day #364

Sermon - Audio
Revelation 12-18 - Reading
Revelation 12-18 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Rev 12

In verse 7 we see that there is a "war in heaven." This reflects the battle that has already been fought on the cross (see John 12:31, Col 2:15) and Jesus' victory in His resurrection and ascension. After this we see in verses 13-17 that the the gentile Christians that were persecuted were identified as such because they, "obeyed God's commandments and held to the testimony of Jesus." As Christ followers we should be easily identified as such. We should love our King more than holding fast to our own lives.

Rev 13

At first glance we see that these beasts have a lot in common with God, however they are a complete corruption of God's attributes. They are the anti-gods. The things of Satan are promoted by these beasts, and we see a world that is being persecuted. We should not be surprised by suffering or corruption in this world. What should be our response? How can we make sure that when suffering is present, we will place it in God's hands? How can we suffer well?

Rev 14

In verse 6 we see the "eternal gospel" proclaimed. Too often we think of the gospel message as just being "forgiven." However, we see here that it also includes the reconciliation of relationship and the coming of God's kingdom to earth. How does this reality mold and shape the places we live? How we live?

Rev 15

How does the suffering for our faith mold and strengthen us? How does it further God's kingdom? How can we make sure to remain faithful?

Rev 16

In this chapter we see God's final wrath being poured out upon the world. Sometimes God's judgment is a hard concept to grasp and accept. However, God must ultimately oppose and destroy evil, otherwise He is not a loving and just God. We must be careful not to place our own human ideas and agendas upon God. People don't just reject "God," but they reject everything that comes along with that (rejecting truth, love, justice, mercy, etc).

Rev 17

This "new Babylon" is seen as the anti-city to God's New City. In this anti-city the people have corrupted all of God's good gifts to creation. They abuse alcohol, sex, power, possessions, etc. Later in the chapter we see that other cities/empires have fallen as well on behalf of these things. We see a different kind of city in Rev 21, one that will not be ruled over by anyone other than our King. Within it, all things have been restored and are being used to glorify God.

Rev 18

We see that many have been consumers of this "new Babylon." This will cause them to go to their destruction. God calls us out of the consumer mentality of the city and asks us to create a new way for people, one that reflects our Creator. Our we, as Christians, just consuming what the culture gives us, or are we entering those places in culture and showing/creating a new way...a better way? Or, are we just helping lead people to their own destruction by ideally standing by?

Day #363

Sermon - Audio
Rev 6-11 - Reading
Rev 6-11 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Rev 6

In Rev 6 we see that the martyrs are asking God to judge the living for their deaths. It's important to remember that God is the one who will judge the living and the dead. It is our call to leave judgment in the hands of God. The reality is that judgment is coming, but it is our call as a people gathered by God to turn our faces toward the world and proclaim a way of reconciliation for those who are perishing. If we fail to do this, we take the grace that God has given to us in vain...of which, we will have to answer to as well. We leave Rev 6 asking, then "Who can stand?"

Rev 7

Rev 7 answers the final question of Rev 6. The people "who can stand" are those who have been sealed by God as his children. In v 15-17 we see some future implications of being one of these people. What does this mean for our neighbors around us? What are the implications for our co-workers? Is there any sense of urgency to serve, to love, to care for those around you in light of these truths?

Rev 8

We see the prayers of the saints being used to propel the purposes of God forward. How important is prayer among God's people. I feel as if someday we will find out just how important it is, and at that time become very sad that many of us neglected it so. If you're interested, there are many opportunities to pray in community at EverGreen (Contact the church for prayer group times), or go ahead and take the first step and call some people together to pray with.

Rev 9

The reality of Hell. We get a picture here in v 5-6, just as we did in Rev 6:12-17. Why do you think God gives us such views of Hell? RC Sproul says this about Hell, "There is withdrawal in terms of the blessing of the radical nearness of God. His benefits can be removed far from us... It is the absence of the blessedness of His unveiled glory that is a delight to the souls of those who love Him, but it is the presence of the darkness of judgment. Hell reflects the presence of God in His mode of judgment, in His exercise of wrath, and that’s what everyone would like to escape" (Truth of the Cross 157-158).

Rev 10

The angel with one foot on land and one in the ocean is declaring God's message to the entirety of creation. Remember, from Colossians 1 that God is reconciling all things back to Himself. The scroll that John is asked to eat is the very Words of God. This is some of the same imagery used from Ezekiel 3 where Ezekiel is asked to eat a scroll filled with judgments. The scroll's contents brought destruction, but were sweet to himself and to those who turn their faces toward God.

Rev 11

Much of the pictures and imagery used in Revelation comes from the Old Testament. The two witnesses follow the familiar patter of faithful living - suffering, death, and vindication. What does this pattern mean for us today? How do we seek to live faithfully instead of comfortably?

Day #362

Sermon - Audio
Rev 1-5 - Reading
Rev 1-5 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Revelation 1-5

Chapter 1

v. 1 – The book of Revelation has more than 500 allusions to the OT. Therefore, to understand Revelation, it is helpful to have some knowledge of the OT.

v. 4 – Seven churches – Seven – being the number of completeness - tells us that the message to these churches is relevant for all churches.

v. 8 – Patmos is a penal colony where those who were considered dangerous to good order were sent.

v. 12-13 – John sees lamp stands (Menorahs). These Menorah’s represent the fact that churches (not just their members) are to be a light to the world.

v. 18 – Keys are symbols of authority.

Chapter 2

v. 1-7 – The church in Ephesus was commended for doctrinal evidence and endurance, but was rebuked for its loss of love. The city’s landmark was the temple of Artemis and one of its symbols was the date palm tree (contrasted to v. 7 the tree of life).

v. 4-5 – Remove your lamp stand means that both in the near future and when Christ returns they would lose their status as a church and Christ would treat them like apostate Israel.

v. 6 – Nicolaitans were a heretical Christian sect. Like the prophet Baalam, they seduced God’s people to participate in idolatry and sexual immorality.

v. 7 – Tree of Life. Access to this tree in Eden, and the eternal life it promised to the pure, was banned after humanity’s fall. It reappears in the new Jerusalem, its roots watered by living water from God’s throne, its fruit a constant source of nourishment, and its leaves bringing healing to the city’s inhabitants, whose names appear in the Lamb’s book of life.

v. 9 – Physically poor, the Smyrnan believers were spiritually rich. The church’s opponents may say that they are Jews, but they have no legitimate claim to that name. Quite to the contrary, they belong to the synagogue of Satan. The NT defines God’s people in relation to Jesus, not their genealogy.

v. 10 – The crown of life is the laurel wreath of victory that God promises to those who love him.

v. 13 – Where Satan has his throne – Pergamum is the center of emperor worship and other deities. Satan seems to be working overtime in this city to keep people from worshipping the true God.

v. 14 – Eating food sacrificed to idols and being involved in sexual immorality broke the commands laid down in Acts 15:28-29 for Gentile believers.

v. 15 – Thyatira is guild central. You need to be a part of a guild that worships a pagan deity to survive. Lydia (seller of purple, Acts 16:11) is from Thyatira.

v. 28 – “Morning Star” is the planet Venus. Metaphorically it means “greater glory”.

Chapter 3

v. 3 – To come like a thief in the night refers to the two times that Sardis had been surprised by enemy armies who snuck into Sardis and captured it.

v. 8 – The open door in Philadelphia is in huge contrast to the closed door in Laodicia that Jesus is knocking on.

v. 14 – Laodicia was a very self-sufficient town. It relied on itself even in times of trouble. The church reflected this self-sufficiency…they needed nothing.

v. 15 – Hot/Cold/Lukewarm – Two nearby cities reflected the hot and cold water. Heiropolis had beautiful hot springs used for healing. Colosse was known for its fresh cold water from the nearby mountain. The water of Laodicia had a water system that brought them lukewarm water that was almost undrinkable.

v. 18 – Jesus does not command the people to buy, but advises them to. He takes this road because the Laodicians are too undisciplined to take orders.

Chapter 4

v. 1 – The throne room is a place that declares that God rules over the world, that he will win the victory over evil, that he is Lord of Creation.

v. 6 – The throne room and the living creatures remind us of Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah’s vision of the throne room in Isaiah 6.

v. 8 – The 24 elders remind us of 1 Chron. 24-25 and the 24 divisions of the priests who are to serve God. The 24 elders then serve as priests who worship God and tell us that the throne room is in the temple.

v. 10 – Laying down their crowns symbolizes that God is worthy of ultimate praise and worship.

Chapter 5

v. 1 – The idea of a sealed scroll that can not be opened has OT roots. In Isaiah 29:11-12 we find a scroll that can’t be read. Another important reminder that the NT finds its roots in the OT.

v. 6 – The appearance of the Lamb may reflect a picture of the ascension. Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of the throne looking as one who has been slaughtered. He appears with seven horns (symbolizing complete power) and seven eyes (symbolizing complete knowledge). This kind of power and knowledge reflects his being crowned King of kings and Lord of lords. Finally he takes the scroll, opens it and when he does, God’s plan moves forward. It is a plan that will be carried out because the Lamb has all power and all knowledge.

v. 9 – A new song celebrates a new act of divine deliverance.. When the seals are broken, a celebrations breaks out. A new song is sung because God is beginning many new things on behalf of his people and creation.

Day #361

Sermon - Audio
2 & 3 John - Reading
2 & 3 John - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

2 & 3 John

2 John

v. 1 – The elect lady and her children probably refers to a local congregation and its members.

v. 6 – The commandments that the readers have heard from the beginning must constantly steer their lives. Commandment (singular) probably refers to the love commandment introduced by Jesus. (John 13:34-35)

v. 7-11 – John spoke strongly against the false teaching that Jesus had not come in the flesh. The deceivers were Docetists who denied the reality of Christ’s human nature.

v. 12 – Doctrinal deviation threatens the joy of the church because it destroys unity and imperils the approving presence of Christ in personal lives and the corporate assembly.

v. 13 – Children of your elect sister are the believers in the congregation from which John writes.

3 John

v. 1-4 – The recipient of the letter Gaius faces a troublemaker named Diotrephes. John encourages Gaius to remain steadfast in the face of opposition.

v. 3 – Apparently John had been visited by Christians from Gaius’s church, who told John of Gaius’s faithful Christian life.

v. 8 – John affirms Gaius’s work on the behalf of faithful laborers, even though they are “strangers”. Not everyone is called to go minister elsewhere. But all Christ’s followers are called to play their part in this enterprise.

v. 12 – Normal postal service could not be entrusted with Christian correspondence like this letter. So someone like Demetrius served as courier.

Day #360

Sermon - Audio
1 John - Reading
1 John - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Daily Reading: book of 1 John

1:1–4 Prologue

These verses, one highly compressed and complicated sentence in the Greek, form a prologue to the whole. John outlines some of the ideas he will develop as the letter unfolds.

1.1 From the beginning shows that the gospel is no afterthought. It was always in God’s plan.

1.2 John has the habit of emphasizing an idea by the simplest of devices, repetition. Here he begins a little aside by taking up life, the last word of v 1, and repeating it three times in three lines. He is clearly referring to the coming of Jesus who could describe himself as ‘the life’ (Jn. 14:6).

1.3The basic idea in fellowship (Gk. koinōnia) is that of possessing something in common. Christian fellowship means sharing the common life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. It binds believers to one another, but the important thing is that it binds them also to God.

1:5–2:6 Fellowship with God

John has made it clear that his purpose is to bring his readers into fellowship with God and with other believers. He proceeds to deduce from the nature of God the conditions of fellowship.

1:5 God is light. To say that God is light is to draw attention to his uprightness, his righteousness.

1:6–7 The first error. He deals with three obstacles to fellowship, the first of which centres on the claim that we have fellowship with God. Words alone do not bring fellowship with God. More than a comfortable religious feeling is needed. We must test our feelings by the revelation God has given. T

1:8–9 The second error. 8 John puts the second error simply: if we claim to be without sin. This speaks to our sinful nature.

1:10 The third error. The next supposition is that we have not sinned. This speaks to the specific sins we commit in our daily lives

2:1–2 The propitiation for sins. When we sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense. The term propitiation means the removal of wrath There is a divine wrath against all sinand forgiveness does not mean ignoring this. Propitiation, the turning away of anger, is not the whole story of Christ’s saving work, but it is a genuine and important part of it

2:3–6 Obedience. 3 Now comes a test by which we can know whether, in spite of our failures, we are in right relationship with God, and this test is whether we obey his commands

2:7–17 The new commandment

2:7–11 Loving and hating. The command to love was first fulfilled by Christ. Our attitude to other people shows whether we are in the darkness that is passing away or in the true light that is already shining. To live in love is to walk in the light.

2:15–17 Love for the world. 15 Do not love the world, he says, and some see a contradiction here with ‘God so loved the world’ (Jn. 3:16). But that passage speaks of God’s love for all people, whereas this one is concerned with setting one’s heart on worldliness.

2:18–19 Many antichrists. 18 John sees evidence in the appearance not simply of the antichrist, but of many antichrists. The early church clearly expected that a mighty figure of evil, the antichrist, would appear at the end of time. His concern is for his readers, and he stresses for them the fact that the spirit of antichrist is already abroad. The situation is the same today. These many antichrists had been members of the church. They had belonged to the visible organization, but John is quick to say they did not really belong to us.

2:20–21 Knowledge of the truth. 20 You have an anointing from the Holy One is another way of saying that all have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

3:11–18 Love one another

3:11–15 The opposite of love. 11 Again John insists that love is the first command, and is at the very heart of the Christian message. The love—hate contrast continues; life and love go together.

3:16–18 Love is practical. 16 We can know what love (in the specifically Christian sense) is only because of what we see on Calvary, where Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

3:19–24 Confidence

John reassures sensitive consciences. Believers should live before God not in trembling anxiety, but in calm confidence for all who keep his commands, live in him, and he in them. This mutual indwelling is another characteristic theme of this letter. How do we know that it has taken place? By the Spirit he gave us. The Spirit is given (not earned), and the Spirit gives assurance.

4:1–6 The spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood

How can believers tell those who are truly inspired from those who falsely claim that the Spirit is in them? The problem was not new, for there were false prophets in OT times, and again, Paul had had to give a ruling on when a person was speaking ‘by the Spirit of God’ (1 Cor. 12:3).

If the Spirit of God is in the person to inspiration he will affirm that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. It is not simply that Jesus took human nature, but flesh (cf. Jn. 1:14; 2 Jn. 7).

4:7–21 God is love

Love is very important for John and he puts emphasis on it throughout this letter. Here he does this by drawing attention to the fact that love is rooted in God, who is, in fact, love.

4:7–12 Love one another. 7 John reinforces let us love one another with the reminder that love comes from God. Love, as Christians understand it, is not a human achievement; it is divine in origin, a gift from God. If anyone loves in this sense it shows that that person has been born of God and knows God. 8 The negative underlines the point: Whoever does not love does not know God. The reason for this is one of the greatest statements in the whole Bible: God is love. This means more than ‘God is loving’ or that God sometimes loves. It means that he loves, not because he finds objects worthy of his love, but because it is his nature to love. His love for us depends not on what we are, but on what he is. He loves us because he is that kind of God, because he is love.

10 The real meaning of love and the real source of life are discerned only in the cross. It is not that we loved God.We find it in that God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice The mainspring of our love for other people is the divine love shown to us in Christ’s atoning work. Christians should love, not because all those they meet are attractive people, but because the love of God has transformed them and made them loving people. They should love now not because attractiveness in other people compels their love, but because, as Christians, it is their nature to lov

4:13–16 Living in love. 13 John has already told us that it is ‘by the Spirit’ that we know that ‘he lives in us’ (3:24). He now adds the thought that we live in him. Both are important and both are emphasized in this letter. The love of God is never demonstrated in such a way that the worldly-minded have to see it. It is the people of faith and the people of faith only who see it. John repeats the great thought of v 8, God is love, and he draws the conclusion that to live in love is to live in God. To love sinners is never a human achievement and where this is found it shows that God is present.

4:17–21 The perfecting of love. 17 The presence of God in us is the way love is ‘perfected among us’ (nrsv). This is with a view to confidence on the day of judgment, and confidence on that day is the ultimate in confidence. In this world we are like him: we are children of the Father and Jesus is our model. The world did not welcome Christ and it does not welcome Christ’s people. But on the day of judgment the Judge will understand all.

5:1–5 Faith’s victory

The thought of love leads to that of relationship to God, and that in turn to victory. Love and faith are closely connected (cf. 4:16), and the believer overcomes the world. Faith trusts Jesus as the Christ, a truth insisted upon throughout this letter, and the believer who so trusts is born of God. The confession that Jesus is the Christ is not the result of human insight, but of a divine work in the one who makes it (cf. 1 Cor. 12:3).

5:6–12 The witness to the Son

Since a right view of Jesus matters so much it is important that it be attested. John cites some of the testimony that establishes who Jesus is.

6 That Jesus came by water surely refers to his baptism, and likewise blood to his death. At his baptism he heard the heavenly voice and he solemnly entered his life’s work. Some heretics apparently held that the divine Christ came on Jesus when he was baptized, but left him before his death. John contests this with his emphasis on blood: not by water only, but by water and blood. It was (and is) this that is the heart of the gospel. There are in fact three that testify. The Spirit is listed first, perhaps because he has just been mentioned, perhaps because he is a person and thus a more explicit witness than water or blood. The inner witness of the Spirit, and all that is involved in Christ’s baptism and his death are not three unrelated items. Together they point to one great act of God in Christ for our salvation.

5:13–21 The knowledge of eternal life

John’s gospel was written so that its readers might believe and so have life (Jn. 20:31). By contrast this letter was written to readers who already believe in order to give them assurance, the certainty that they have eternal life. John brings this out as his letter draws to a close.

5:13–15 Confidence. 13 This letter is written to you who believe; it is not an evangelistic tract, but a letter to Christians. There has been a good deal about knowledge and now we find that the whole is written so that you may know that you have eternal life. Assurance of salvation is important, important enough to have caused this whole letter. This is the only place in the letter where the writer speaks of believing in the name of Jesus, i.e. in his full person, all that the name stands for.

14 John moves to confidence in prayer. He sees prayer as having a wide scope for he speaks of asking anything, but he immediately qualifies this with according to his will. Prayer is not a device for inducing God to change his mind and do what we want. It must be offered in accordance with his will if it is to be effective.

5:16–17 Prayer for wrongdoers. 16 An abrupt change leads to the forgiveness of sin that can be brought about by intercessory prayer. John distinguishes between sin that leads to death and sin that does not (though he does not say what the difference is). He begins with the direction that when we see a brother sin a sin that does not lead to death we should pray for him.

Edited from D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition

Day #359

Sermon - Audio
2 Peter & Jude - Reading
2 Peter & Jude - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

• 2 Peter 1.1: Peter’s description of himself at first seems somewhat common place until we think about the identity we give when people ask us who we are. How many of us would declare that our primary identity is a “slave of Jesus Christ”?
• 1.3: “knowledge” This word is important in 2 Peter as Peter does battle with false teachers. Right knowledge is a powerful instrument in living for God. Wrong knowledge destroys a godly life. This theme flows through all the Bible.
• 1.5: “add to your faith” The word “add” means to show something by your deeds. Here we find out that we are to show our faith by living out a life of certain virtues.
• 1.11: “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom” These words may refer to receiving a welcome from those who lives have been impacted by our faithful living.
• 1.12-21: This part of the letter introduces us to the fact that this is Peter’s farewell discourse to the people. In ancient times a farewell discourse served as a leader’s last opportunity to influence his followers to continue to live faithfully according to what they had been taught.
• 1.16: The power of eyewitness testimony to keep people faithful is seen in the Old Testament. In Joshua 24.31 we read, Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel. In the history of Israel as long as there were people who were eyewitnesses to what God had done there was faithfulness. While that is Israel’s history, God’s intent was that his mighty deeds were to be passed from generation to generation, and so people would remain faithful--even if the eyewitnesses had died many generations before.
• 2.1-22: In this chapter Peter uses a satirical diatribe to level a devastating attack on his opponents. Satire exposes human vice or folly through ridicule or abuse. A diatribe is a form of teaching that was part of Greek and Roman society. It used methods such as questioning imaginary opponents, using famous figures from the past to bolster one’s arguments and so on. For us, besides knowing the literary style, it is important to see that the Biblical writers used the literary styles of the day. In using these styles they wrote in ways the people understood and identify the point the writers was seeking to make.
• • 2.1-22: The Literally Study Bible comments, “Rhetorically, this is one of the fireworks passages of the NT epistles. The imagery and metaphors explode off the page. Placed in the context of a farewell discourse, this is the leader’s prediction to his followers of what will happen after his death.”
• 2.10: “despise authority” The Greek word for “authority” refers to a throne or power that rules. The authority despised then in the authority of God and of his Son. Their authority is despised both by their false teaching and by their despicable lifestyles.
• 3.1-18: This last chapter is a wonderful teaching on the final days and the coming of Christ. It is in the form of a debate with Peter arguing his point against those who deny that God is coming and will renew the earth and judge the nations.
• 3.4: “the fathers” It is not clear who “the fathers” are, but the idea is clear. The false teachers argue that God has not interrupted the flow of history to this point and so he will not interrupt its flow in the future by sending Jesus back to earth. Among the many flaws in this argument is that God has consistently interrupted the flow of history by destroying nations, doing miracles and especially be sending Christ. Peter will make another argument
• against this thinking in the coming verses.
• 3.10: “elements” most likely refer to the sun, moon, and stars. While we are told that these elements are “destroyed” by fire we need to be cautious in how we interpret the word “destroyed”. In 2 Peter 3.6 we are told that the world is destroyed by the flood--yet we know that the destruction of the world by the flood served not to completely destroy it, but to purify it. The idea of purifying seems in line with Peter telling us that there will be a new heavens and a new earth. The word “new” is kainos in Greek. It carries the idea of being renewed, refreshed, and therefore superior to what was old. We see a similar picture of newness in 1 Corinthians 15 where we are told that we will receive bodies that are imperishable. There is also a theological matter at stake here: If God has to destroy the world rather than redeem it, then Satan has proven so powerful that he has destroyed the work of God. However, if the world is renewed, then the work of Christ is shown to be superior to the attack of Satan.

Jude
The book of Jude carries many echoes of the book of 2 Peter. As you read Jude, watch for similar language, struggles, and condemnation.

• Jude is really Judas, but in english it has been changed to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot.
• 3: contend is to exert an intense effort for something
• 4–19: these verses describe the false teachers while in 20–23 is the appeal to contend for the faith in a way that is done