Our Way or His Way

591.  "Our Way or His Way"               August 23, 2012
2 Peter 2-Part 1
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.  2 Peter 2:9  KJV


LET IT GLOW

But God has the power to stop murder, rape, incess, diseases, divorce. Why doesn't He stop it?  Why do bad things happen? I have asked those questions. Sweet ones, we live in a fallen world. This world does not love God nor His Ways. He gives us the power to choose-our way or His Way. The lost choose their own way, which is the way of sin. I find encouragement in our key verse. (This world isn't our home, anyway. We are just passing through on life's journey. Soon we will go on another journey in another place.)

God is able to deliver His people when tempted, and understands the best way in which it should be done. He sees a way to do it when we cannot, though it is often a way which we should not have thought of.   (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation alsdo make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

In past lesson, we have learned that it is because we are drawn away of our own lusts that we are tempted. Then if we yield to that termptation, it becomes sin, which leads to death. Death may be out witness or good reputation is killed. But if we deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow Jesus, we will experience Him working miraculously in our life.

God knows how to deliver me, when to deliver me from more than I can bear, when to deliver me before I get in too deep, and where He needs to deliver me, sending me out another way. Do I trust God to be my Deliverer? So I trust His wisdom and judgment?

Will I ever stop trying to figure things out and simply trust Jesus? Look at the word trust-it begins and ends with t; our trust begins and ends with the cross, as the letter t is formed. What's in the middle of the word trust?  Us is in the middle of trusting Jesus; we're in between the two crosses.

LET IT GROW

In chapter 2, Peter is warning his people about the false prophets. Christianity has always been plagued by false prophets and their false teachings.

Shepherd's Notes on 2 Peter says:
The agenda of false teachers include:

• They deny Christ (verse 1). These heresies are clever arguments against the true deity of Jesus Christ or persuasive contention against the true humanity of Christ. It is an opinion or doctrine that is not in line with the accepted teaching of a church.(It varies from the true expostion of the Christian faith. Thayer's Lexicon)
• They falsely lead others (verse 2). The denial of Christ leads to immorality, greed. A denial of Jesus leads to a denial of His way of truth and His moral urightness. False teachers are in it for the money.
• They exploit the weak (verse 3). False teachers are deceivers and seducers, not disciples. When their deception works, they lure unwary believers away from Christ and into lust.

Are my ears and eyes open to false teachers? Do I know enough of the Word to detect them and refute them? There are several demonations in my area which teach the Bible plus another doctrine, which have their own so called bible with changes form The Bible. If they come knocking on my door, I just point them to Jesus and His Word, which is the only Turth. Don't take their literature.

LET IT GO

Don't keep false teachings around my house. Only read the Bible, the Truth.

Turn to God when I am tempted to sin.

Trust Jesus.