Introduction to Second Peter (Part B)

Says in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. Well, of course, this knowledge is going to protect them from the false knowledge Christians were ignorant of Scripture or delicacy. See, the only way to stay off that platter is to have the knowledge of the word word of God, breastplate of righteousness shield of faith can't get those two without a word.

I was would you know this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of second Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick as he continues to introduce the book of second Peter Paul when he got to his heading towards Jerusalem because he doesn't want to go into the city of Ephesus because he wouldn't get out. So he calls for the pastors to meet him in a place called Miletus and they come in. He lays it out to them what's going on how he's worked and labored, not the six ball just read the section that I have asked chapter 20 verse 27 is a powerful section.

If you read it you cannot again have a ho-hum approach to it is as I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

That means all of it. All that he could therefore take heed to yourselves and to the flock. Watch yourselves watch the congregation watch over them. That is, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, that's that's anointing that ordination to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. So many Christians is so indifferent about you know we have communion. We are saying we agree, Christ died for we sinners and we love him back. When I worthy but were in will not be moved off of this.

So he says here, which he purchased with his own blood, not that of sheep from goats or anybody else's own, for I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock to look for mercy from Satan. You'll never get it continues also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years.

I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. You see I when I said you can't read this just you know without passion because it was said with passion is as I warned you would tears I you could say to my eyes tearing up when I'm telling you that coming. If you stop believing what God has said and start believing what men disagree with God about you done that is the introduction some of it. Second Peter his audience who are they the same people of first Peter is not a different group. How do we know that we tells us in chapter 3 he said, beloved, I now write to you this second letter. Your authorship is been challenged unfortunately by many scholars, and it certainly is contested by others to, but there's no reason to doubt that this is Simon Peter is nothing unusual in this doctrine is no new doctrine is nothing weird and this is all agrees it is consistent with that unbroken testimony from Genesis and it is prophetic. Confirm confirmed by, for example, Jude and John's Revelation. It is irrational as it has been charged by some that some false teacher wrote this so a false teacher wrote about watching out for false teachers. That's kind of dumb.

I don't know anybody if he did you'd be able to pick it apart it would be consistent with the rest of the Scripture sort. It's easier to just accept this as being from Simon Peter. As it says in verse one, it's date where about 35 years, almost.

After crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

What what goes with that crucified, risen, ascended coming again. He's is not time is not abandoned anything. It's a self-imposed exile to carry out his plan of faith would operate in populating heaven place where we are going and so this letter. The second one is likely written just so before his own martyrdom second Peter verse 14 chapter 1, knowing that children must pull up my tent. That's his body flesh and blood, just as our Lord Jesus showed me. So Peter knew that the persecution was still taking place.

Physical persecution and that it would ended the started now realizing this is going to end in my own death. This is the real thing and he writes this letter to the St. saying okay yeah they're persecuting us physically. Now they're infiltrating the church trying to get us there to say why would a false prophet want to associate himself with the church being persecuted is pretty easy to fall may be threefold, apostolic property known as five reasons not of six reasons they seven.

Anyway, one of course the energized by Satan, so that means is stupid.

The other thing is they going to profit off the believers monetarily prosperity teachers of their day and the third one is been a word about persecution because should the authorities engage them.

They'll just deny the faith. That's all get out of the dental conscience and a commitment to Christ and why not here they are opportunists they see this flock being attacked. They join it. First Timothy the theme being false shepherd to second letter first Timothy four now the Spirit expressly says. Also this clear that in the latter times some will depart from the faith. We just saw one. Some of you may have that book should burned a long time ago just dating to buy is now a full-fledged unashamed apostate is left Christianity. He has attacked it this very serious anyway. I said to myself I wouldn't put too many my feelings into that. Not the apostate part reviews writings.

Anyway here we go back to Paul's quote Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons you see that demons have a system of teaching is found in the religions and spirituals of the world not of Scripture, it is outside of Scripture.

It is organized. John Wesley warned against that reasonable devil he reasons he has his ideas you going the I don't know about you, you got. Sometimes I end up on the Internet looking at something and Christian and I always regretted always and this you know Christian gets owned by question and watch the videos what that was. It that that was it. That's what all someone say so what are you saying call Chris all people that don't believe in Christ. Go to hell all people who have heard the gospel and have chosen to rejected the true gospel. Yes, those who have not herded God will deal the right way with them. That's a simple answer why is everybody "the solicitous hotel shaken by this nothing to say God of the universe will always do right. Well, again, our God, I want to be careful that we understand when we say Scripture were talking about God's word is no, we don't worship we don't have a paper idol in the Scripture we don't worship the words God the author and finisher of our faith whom we worship is mode of communication is the Scripture is one of the primary mode and it does not support inclusiveness does not look for a way to break in to what we believe, that which others don't believe tolerance of arrow spiritual era we can tolerate those who fail. Who sin will stumble and repent. We can work with them. We cannot tolerate those who refuse to repent and want to be received and given platform's willingness to embrace false teachers in the name of human love and human activity is false and is all going to fall apart and is going to fall apart with the raw.

Unlike humanity has ever seen before, such as the world has not seen it is coming. Don't be here to watch it happen if God is been right in all of his other properties. Why would we doubt any of the future prophecies, even the world knows better than that, but they just refuse to face Scripture harshly condemns false teachers because they lead people to hell forever. There's no there's no candle you going to like to get someone out of hell. This no money you going to pay to a church to bribe God to let people who reject him into his presence forever so that they can start corrupting everybody else in heaven become like earth. Accursed place, and so why would false teachers join the church to destroy the faith of churchgoers and to capitalize on well with that we now come to verse one. This is the incidentally I don't know if I'll be able to deliver it that way, but the way I feel. Second peters engine is in Judea right down there, that's my favorite dish you could say dealing with these charlatans. The scoundrels, but is hard to be this way. As a pastor when God called me to the pastorate. He gave me a choice to do you want to be more of have a prophetic calling deal with, you know, like Dave Hunt deal with the things that are wrong in Christianity what you want to be a pastor and I chose pastor which Mina had to shave down a lot of my approach is certain things I just cannot keep reading because it will show up in the pulpit and come out harsh because I'll be right, but not delivering a work of a pastor. Since then I have learned that the problem in the Christian church is almost unfixable that it is a severe sickness that comes into churches to kill them and is brought in by churchgoers and it's going to take everything we have is no one man can stand against these things just to defend our being field and God he prunes out those who are not interested in growing in that direction. Not dumb, saying, sending them the hell or anything like that.

They're just some Christians it will fit in some churches and God moves them on, hopefully to other churches listed become so that he can even find a place for them.

That would be a tragedy. So you get a body of believers. Like-minded the work is just beginning because you going to have to fight to keep what you have every step of the way somebody and some things are going to try to move us out.

So he says Simon Peter. What did that do to a town of Christians are where Christians were when Simon Peter showed up and word got around. He's going to be speaking Sunday night or Sunday morning what Christian would not want to see the man that walk with Jesus healed the man whom Jesus loved so much that so many things to single out more often than anybody else we know he was a crowd drawer when he says Simon Peter to this audience before him. They were very interested in what he has to say.

He was the apostle who opened the door to the Jews at Pentecost. The primary he was also the apostle who opened the door to the Gentiles in the house of a Gentile, which you know anything about the Jewish people in the Gentiles of that time and that it region of the world that was miraculous by itself, so he was welcomed and because of his history with Christ. His time with Jesus what he has to say who lionized the believers when Peter said face the fight face the temptation they get. That's what we want to do. It wasn't well here that you would. It was not that pushback they wanted to hear this from this man. I mean, when Paul lays out all the things he suffered for Christ in second Corinthians. After hearing that.

What could any true believer say against him.

The only thing you can say is what a man.

How does he fit his cape into his robe, and it doesn't show up like a super saying bondservant.

He says, a bondservant is a slave by choice is free to go, but he opts out that kind of freedom for another kind of freedom.

He is an apostle by divine appointment.

He is sent by the Lamb of God. That's what an apostle is a bondservant is one that says he is at the disposal of his owner, his master all his energy is spent in the interest of the master. This choices are now in accord with his master. His owner and he is not ashamed or she is unashamed. In fact, every Christian is called to be a bondslave. What is the alternative your call master.

You're free to serve somewhere else.

Someone else, we are supposed to be willing slaves of Jesus Christ. He says, an apostle of Jesus Christ earlier sent by the Lamb. Incidentally, where Silas he wrote it would be the amanuensis of the first letter when he was dispatched and that's the last time we hear of so Venice will Silas in the New Testament and the reason I pointed out a second Peter is not so eloquently written in the Greek classical Greek that so Venice offered Peter has to settle for another amanuensis or write it himself and it's it's that's a side note has nothing to do with the content is interesting. It's an interesting human fact about the Scripture that these men were not those who live in ivory towers and everything for them was isolated and perfect and polished it was down gives gritty the word of God.

It is down-to-earth. It's where the people are and it is it's tough, you would say it's tough stuff. It's not something that is overdone.

He says to those who have obtained like precious faith receive the salvation we never earn salvation.

You cannot earn salvation can only be received without repentance. It's not received like precious faith that word for four like precious it is in the Greek equal value. That means that your faith is the same that has the same value as Abraham's faith your faith.

My faith is the same value as peters as Paul is anybody in Scripture who was righteous before God is made of the same stuff cut from the same cloth cast from the same role for the Jew for the Gentile for the mail for the female slave of the free, regardless of your ethnicity, nationality.

If you come to Christ, receive his salvation. You're in and nobody can take that away from you so true faith is precious because of where it comes from and who it goes to gets. It is my yours passport into heaven by righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ a righteousness to Sting is supposed to distinguish the loss from the safe at the very least, what we believe second Corinthians 521, he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God, Christ taking our sin on us.

Verse two Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord begins first letter the same way with this word multiplied to you. Multiplication is addition gone wild and so he is saying. My God, he bought the blessings on you at an accelerated rate.

Today we use the phrase gone virologist is gone and that's what you say I want God to do for blessings on on the people of God, he still knew they were being persecuted, where Christ is magnified. The church is multiplied and this is one of the great lessons. His good study. Look up the word multiplied in your concordance in the book of acts, and read it in context and you'll see what I'm saying says in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Well, of course, this knowledge is going to protect them from the false knowledge Christians were ignorant of Scripture or delicacy for Satan.

The only way to stay off that platter is to have the knowledge of the word word of God, breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, you can get those two without the word I was would you know mere resolve is not enough.

You cannot just insist on following God by itself, the again integrating of these false things with God's word, only knowledge would be able to. My mother worked at them and I just cut off my own self at what I have said is more important than what I was saying my mother worked in the US meant she did not bring samples home. We begged her we were leaving around and anyway she told us as kids you know she had stories to not as good as my stories. She was in the ironworker anyway.

She said the way they taught them to work with the fine, discover counterfeit was to just let them continuously handled that which was real, and you'd learn so much with the real stuff felt like anybody slip something in there you detected right away. Your senses would pick up on it was how the story was told to me you miss it was not going to find what is what my point so the more you know God's word, the definite article the real thing you'll be able to pick up the way way way I don't know that I never see anything like that before.

That's crazy stuff, and antichrist. Again he bills the apostate bride off of demonic doctrine and experiences I experienced. I felt it has to be real.

You being set up. Philippians 310 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death. That's going to take knowledge of the word and experience that instead of this warm fuzzy feeling anyway, getting to the point these here you young Christians memorize this verse. If you can Colossians 2 verses eight through 10 because again when you go off to University of off to the workplace are going to be those who going to try to drown your faith to death beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ bring him 12 the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. When Jesus said to his disciples, you going to leave two repeaters that were we going to go, Lord, to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life.

John 424.

Those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth. You'll need that fight false ones. John 738, as the Scripture has said words of Jesus. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said.

John 1416. I will send you another helper, he will abide with you forever.

The spirit of truth is that word knowledge is at by good gnosis soprano pronounced little differently. It shows up elsewhere in Scripture.

It's a little bit more than just knowing it's realizing it's getting it. Paul wrote to Timothy says who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge the same Greek word there, but since this is knowledge upon desires all men to come to knowledge upon the truth that again. Second Timothy 37. There are those that are always learning, never able to come to the need knowledge upon the truth that doesn't stop them from demanding that their Christians asked 2414 this I confess to you that according to this way they call a sack. So I worship God in my father's believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. Paul says I'm a man of the word. I'm not going to be move off of that, simply because they call me name that's all we have time for. On today's edition of cross reference radio you been listening to Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia as he teaches through the book of second Peter if you'd like to listen to more messages from this series or if you'd like more information about this program please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program.

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