Donna Gaines teach during Week 5 of "The Final Word," the Bellevue Women study of 2 Peter.
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The Final Word
Week 5 – 2 Peter 2:10-18
I. The Depravity of False Teachers (v. 10-17)
A. They indulge the flesh
B. Revile authorities
C. Despise the ordinances of God
The authorities to which Peter is referring may be angels, “glorious ones” or the church authorities to whom the false teachers were insubordinate.
“The false teachers are bold (in a reckless, foolhardy way) and willful (stubborn and arrogant), behaving in ways that even the angels avoid. They blaspheme the glorious ones, probably evil angels (cf. v. 11; Jude 8- 9). In so doing, they recklessly dismiss any thought that these demonic forces have power or that their willful sins will open them to demonic attack. But good angels, like wise humans, do not take these evil powers lightly” (ESV Study Bible, p. 2421).
The false teachers pose as Christians and even join them in their feasts which were associated with the Lord’s Supper.
Their eyes are full of adultery. They cannot look upon a woman without lusting for her. Their appetite for sin is never satisfied. To “entice” means to “lure with bait.” The “unstable souls” are those without a sure foundation.
In verse 14, “Peter would be referring not to the unsatisfactory nature of lust, but to the bondage it brings with it. There is only one way out, the way of death to sin and rising to newness of life; the only alternative to denying Christ is to be identified with Him in His death and resurrection” (Tyndale New Testament Commentary, p. 111).
“They have followed the way of Balaam.” – (v. 15-16) Numbers 22-24
II. The Enticement of the Flesh (v. 18-19)
These false teachers prey on new Christians and entice them into sexual immorality. They promise freedom, yet lead the unsuspecting into bondage. There is no greater bondage than the bondage to self.
When my love for Christ surpasses my love for self, sin loses its grip. God’s greatest commandment is for my greatest good.
III. The Crucifixion of the Flesh (Galatians 2:20; 5:13-25; Colossians 2:6- 15; Romans 8:5-8)
“When through spiritual disciplines I become able to heartily bless those who curse me, to pray without ceasing, to be at peace when not given credit for good deeds I’ve done, or to master the evil that comes my way, it is because my disciplinary activities have inwardly poised me for more and more interaction with the powers of the living God and His kingdom. Such is the potential we tap into when we use the disciplines for the spiritual life” (Dallas Willard, Renewing the Christian Mind, p. 32).
Take off the old and put on the new - Colossians 3.
Salvation is by grace through faith. Real faith will lead to works – James 2:14-26.
“A primary objective in training in Christlikeness is to break the power of our ready responses to do the opposite of what Jesus teaches: for example, scorn, anger, verbal manipulation, payback, silent collusion in the wrongdoing of others around us and so forth. These responses mainly exist at what we might call the ‘epidermal’ level of the self, the first point of contact with the world around us. They are almost totally ‘automatic’ giventheusualstimuli” (DallasWillard,RenewingtheChristianMind,p. 36).
“The gospel is not limited to justification. Justification results in positional holiness. Sanctification results in practical holiness. Both justification and sanctification are very good news.” Titus 2:11-14
“We are not merely saved from depravity; we are saved to holiness. Conversion entails consecration” (Jen Wilkin, Twitter, 2-3-19).
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14).
“Healthy Christian living comes when God’s commands are seen as the curbstones on His highway of love, the hedge encompassing His garden of grace” (Tyndale New Testament Commentary, p. 118).
Personal Spiritual Disciplines:
- Silence and Solitude – “Muddy water becomes clear only if we let it be still for a while” (Dallas Willard, Renewing the Christian Mind, p. 39).
- Bible Reading and Study
- Scripture Memory – Fighting Words Fasting
- Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore
- 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer by Bill Bright
- Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
- The 7 Day Prayer Warrior Experience by Stormie Omartian (free purchase on Kindle)
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4