The next day we had the privilege of hearing the testimony of Burly Cox, and after a short break we began our study of 2 Peter. Casey Butterfeild taught us chapter one. We learned that we are given faith when we believe, but then we are called to diligently add to our faith. We are called to add:
Virtue: moral excellence. Focus on the things of God, your attitude is your thoughts over a period of time.
Knowledge: Psalm 119:66 "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments." Psalm135:6 "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it." Proverbs 1:7 "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Self Control: We have to make an effort to control our tongue and actions.
Perseverance: Cheerfully enduring, standing firm.
Godliness: Giving up oneself for the purpose of getting closer to God.
Brotherly Kindness: Honor each other above yourselves- Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another" Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Love: Ephesians 5:2 "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Colossians 3:14 "But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." 1 John 4:16 "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
Where is your life right now? What's your focus on? Where are you putting your faith? And most importantly, are you respecting the fact that Jesus Christ died for you?
Dan Gillman taught us about false teachers and encouraged us to be constantly reading the Word of God and praying. He made it clear that our walk with the Lord is literally a matter of life or death!
We talked about temptation, and how it can come from anywhere: your own desires, ideas, pure pressure. James 1:13-14 "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." So why does God allow us to be tempted? He uses the temptations to help us grow, sometimes to test us, and even just to show us who we really are. Temptation is where our spiritual warfare is, so when temptation comes we need to be ready to face it the right way. Ephesians 6 tells us the weapons we have to use against the enemy within our personal spiritual warfare:
Belt of Truth: Without truth, you're vulnerable to temptation.
Breastplate of Righteousness: Being right with God.
Gospel of Peace: 1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" Be ready to share the gospel.
Shield of faith: Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Helmet of Salvation: Knowing that Jesus Christ has saved you from the power of sin.
Sword of the Spirit: Cuts away all the junk in your life. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
If we are going to stand up in the face of falsehood we need to abide in Christ. And if we want to be used by God to help save lives, then we should be training ahead of time.
In 2 Peter 3 we learned a little about the last days. It talks about how there will be scoffers who willingly forget that by God's word the heavens and earth were created. We talked about how Noah had to hear all the scoffing for 100 years, and he still stayed godly and continued to obey what God had to say even though everyone around him said he was crazy. And after it all, God gave Noah a promise never to destroy the earth with a flood again: a rainbow, and we still see His promise today.
We were reminded that God is not bound by time. He can see everything that has happened in your life and everything that will happen in our life. It might seem like God's taking to long, but the Bible says that God's not slow, He's simply patient. He doesn't want anyone to die, instead He wants all to come to repentance. Each one of us can thank God that He didn't come back before we got saved, and if you aren't saved then give your life to Him today. To live for the Lord is the most important decision you'll ever make! It's truly a matter of eternal life or eternal death. All of your works will be tested by fire in the day of judgment, and if you don't have the blood of Jesus to wash you and cover your sin then you will spend eternity in the lake of fire.
So why does judgment have to come? Things need to be restored to how it was supposed to be. So what are we supposed to do while we wait? Get to know God better. Serve Him, and serve the people you come in contact with: your family, friends, neighbors. Love is a big part of waiting for His return, the Bible says that people will know you're a Christian by your love for one another. We are tools that God can use for His purpose, we shouldn't waste our time with things we shouldn't be doing. We need to make an effort to be doing God's will. Our minds are weak and we are unstable, only by God's strength can we make it through this life.
We are to be found blameless before God, so how can we be found spotless before God Almighty when we sin daily? The answer is simple, but often hard for many people to do: Repent. When was the last time you openly confessed your sins before God? Confess your sins before God and you will be found spotless in the day of judgment.
So what is truth? In John 14:6 it says that Jesus is The way, The truth, and The life. No one can come to the Father except through Him. Jesus Christ is The Truth. If we want to know the truth we need to know Him. We can know absolute truth by reading the Bible, the inspired word of God. Peter was an eye witness of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Jesus took the death you deserved. John 6:28-29 tells us that all we have to do is believe. So what are you going to do with your life? It's your choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment