{"id":29598,"date":"2024-01-22T22:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-peter-1_12-21-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-01-16T17:35:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T00:35:53","slug":"2-peter-2_10-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-peter-2_10-22\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Harmful Tendencies That Can Derail Your Destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Peter 2:10-22 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Peter 2:10-22.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!\u00a0 As usual, I recommend that you read the whole passage by yourself first and see what you can glean on your own.\u00a0 Then take a look at this GAME sharing below.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:10-12 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses\u00a010-12:\u00a0 In addition to the characteristics of false teachers that we looked at in verse 1-9, the false teachers of\u00a0Peter\u2019s day had three other harmful tendencies.\u00a0 First, the false teachers had a tendency to \u201cdespise authority\u201d (v10).\u00a0 They would show no respect for the spiritual authorities that God had placed over them.\u00a0 \u201cBold and arrogant\u201d, these false teachers had no qualms about speaking disrespectfully and slanderously about the spiritual authorities around them, including angels.\u00a0 In so doing, they would \u201cblaspheme [that is, make false statements] in matters they do not understand\u201d (v12), not realizing that the consequence of their blasphemy would be the destruction of their own faith and life in God.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Be careful how you think and speak about the spiritual authorities God has placed over you.<\/strong>\u00a0 God watches how we deal with our spiritual authorities and will hold us accountable for careless words.\u00a0 Also,\u00a0do not let yourself be influenced by those who habitually treat God, God\u2019s Word and spiritual authorities with disrespect and slander.<\/strong>\u00a0 If I don\u2019t treat the authorities God has placed in my life with respect, I severely limit my ability to earn the respect of others in the future.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:13-14 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-14a:\u00a0 The false teachers in\u00a0Peter\u2019s day had a second harmful tendency: they would preach a \u201cdo whatever your flesh wants\u201d approach to life.\u00a0 They unapologetically engaged in adultery and plunged headlong into drunkenness, preaching that it is spiritual to do so and misleading others to do the same.\u00a0 \u00a0Thinking they were free to sin in whatever way they wanted to, they became “slaves of depravity” (v19).
\nWhat can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Good, effective teaching produces good results and a lifestyle that is more and more pleasing to God.\u00a0 Poor, ineffective or false teaching produces bad results and a lifestyle where sin is left unchecked.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0As Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-16 when warning about false prophets,\u00a0\u201cWatch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0No matter how learned or knowledgeable a teacher claims to be, you need to consider that person\u2019s lifestyle and example when deciding whether or not to follow them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:14-16 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0\u2026they are experts in greed–an accursed brood!
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey–a beast without speech–who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 14b-16:\u00a0 A third harmful tendency of the false teachers in\u00a0Peter\u2019s day was their love of money.\u00a0 They would do what the seer Balaam in Numbers became famous for: they would preach anything and pray anything in the service of money.\u00a0 Their attitude was, \u201cWhatever you want me to preach or pray, whomever you want me to bless or curse, I\u2019ll do it if the price is right.\u201d\u00a0 As 1 Timothy\u00a06:10\u00a0says, \u201cFor the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.\u201d\u00a0 Likewise, we need to ask ourselves this question:\u00a0\u00a0Do I struggle with the love of money?\u00a0 Do I compromise my faith and my relationship with God for the sake of money?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:17-19 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 17-19:\u00a0 Calling them \u201csprings without water\u201d (v17), Peter describes the false teachers of his day as individuals who promise freedom to their hearers while they themselves are enslaved to sin.\u00a0 They talk a big talk but their words are empty.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 Here Peter articulates this principle: we are slaves to whatever has mastered us (v19).\u00a0 Whatever or whoever it is we are living in bondage to, that is our master.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:20-22 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n20\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0If 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.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It 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.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 20-22:\u00a0 These false teachers that Peter warns against began as believers and were part of the church, but fell off, turned away from the gospel and began teaching heresies.<\/p>\n

It goes to show that as believers we need to monitor ourselves and our faith closely to make sure we\u2019re not veering off the path.\u00a0 As Paul tells his spiritual son Timothy, \u201cWatch your life and doctrine closely.\u201d (1 Timothy 4:16).\u00a0 Not only should we be careful not to be influenced by false teachers, but even more we need to ask ourselves: What kind of teacher am I?\u00a0 What am I teaching the people around me about Jesus?\u00a0 Am I leading people toward Jesus or away from Him?\u00a0 The fact is that\u00a0every Christian is a teacher in some way.\u00a0 Through our words, our actions, our example, we are \u2013 directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously \u2013 saying something about Jesus to the people around us.<\/strong>\u00a0 In fact, you may be the closest thing to a Bible that your unchurched friends will ever read.\u00a0\u00a0What does your life say to them about who Jesus is and the difference Jesus makes in a person\u2019s life?\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Through our words, actions and example, by God\u2019s grace working in us, may we let our light shine before people, that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You for Your Word which warns me against false teachers.\u00a0 I pray that not only would I be careful when it comes to false teaching, but even more I pray that I would not be a false teacher myself.\u00a0 Through the way I speak about the authorities over me, through the way I live this life, and through the way I deal with money, may my actions and words teach people about who You really are and how amazing Jesus is.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Peter 2:10-22.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!\u00a0 As usual, I recommend that you read the whole passage by yourself first and see what you can glean on your own.\u00a0 Then take a look at this GAME sharing below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Peter\u00a02:10-12 (NIV)\u00a0
\n10\u00a0\u00a0This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;\u00a0
\n11\u00a0\u00a0yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.\u00a0
\n12\u00a0\u00a0But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses\u00a010-12:\u00a0 In addition to the characteristics of false teachers that we looked at in verse 1-9, the false teachers of\u00a0Peter\u2019s day had three other harmful tendencies.\u00a0 First, the false teachers had a tendency to \u201cdespise authority\u201d (v10).\u00a0 They would show no respect for the spiritual authorities that God had placed over them.\u00a0 \u201cBold and arrogant\u201d, these false teachers had no qualms about speaking disrespectfully and slanderously about the spiritual authorities around them, including angels.\u00a0 In so doing, they would \u201cblaspheme [that is, make false statements] in matters they do not understand\u201d (v12), not realizing that the consequence of their blasphemy would be the destruction of their own faith and life in God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29598"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29601,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29598\/revisions\/29601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}