Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode “How To Identify A Counterfeit.”  

Comments on 2 Peter 1-3

I’d like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter.

First, the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they are a problem today. 

False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivation is often for money, sometimes for power, and never for the benefit of the listener. Some false teachers have small followings, some have millions.

How do you know if someone is a false teacher? A counterfeit? It’s not really that hard. You need to know what Scripture says. When you know the real thing well, counterfeits are easy to detect. This podcast is a good start in knowing the Bible, but it is no substitute for your actually applying yourself to deep, disciplined study on your own. Having a Bible teaching pastor is important, being a part of a good Bible study group is important, having trusted and godly friends is important. But nothing is more important that you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. As you study, pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. That is a prayer that is always answered. And the more you study, the more you will begin to understand, and the easier it will be to identify false teachers.

And then the next point I’d like to discuss is the second coming of Jesus.

I recently had a discussion with someone who said, “Yeah, right. Christians have been saying Jesus was coming back since the church began. They say, ‘Look at the signs,’ but nothing is any different today than it was then.” 

Doesn’t that sound just like chapter 3, verse 4 from our reading today? Here it is again: They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.”

Peter was talking about what it would be like in the last days. He said they would laugh at you, and they would make that statement. But Peter reminds us that the world is different. It hasn’t always been the way it is now. He says, “But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. 6Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. 7And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire.”

Beloved, Jesus is coming. I don’t know when, but I personally think it will be very, very soon.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-3 NCV

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The episode on Amazing Grace

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Never for the benefit of the listener.

INTRO S123326 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How are you? Today’s Epistle Sunday, and we’re going to read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode, “How to Identify a Counterfeit”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e326. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Are you ready? Let’s go.

2 PETER 1 (NCV) – 0:45
2 Peter, chapter 1. (1) From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.

To you who have received a faith as valuable as ours, because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right.

(2) Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because you truly know God and Jesus our Lord.

(3) Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. (4) Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires.

(5) Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; (6) and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; (7) and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love. (8) If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) But anyone who does not have these things cannot see clearly. He is blind and has forgotten that he was made clean from these past sins.

(10) My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall. (11) And you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(12) You know these things, and you are very strong in the truth, but I will always help you remember them. (13) I think it is right for me to help you remember as long as I am in this body. (14) I know I must soon leave this body, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. (15) I will try my best so that you may be able to remember these things even after I am gone.

(16) When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. (17) Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.” (18) We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.

(19) This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. It is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place, until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts. (20) Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. (21) No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.

2 PETER 2 (NCV) – 3:38
2 Peter, chapter 2. (1) There used to be false prophets among God’s people, just as you will have some false teachers in your group. They will secretly teach things that are wrong—teachings that will cause people to be lost. They will even refuse to accept the Master, Jesus, who bought their freedom. So they will bring quick ruin on themselves. (2) Many will follow their evil ways and say evil things about the way of truth. (3) Those false teachers only want your money, so they will use you by telling you lies. Their judgment spoken against them long ago is still coming, and their ruin is certain.

(4) When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell and put them in caves of darkness where they are being held for judgment. (5) And God punished the world long ago when he brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against him. But God saved Noah, who preached about being right with God, and seven other people with him. (6) And God also destroyed the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them until they were ashes. He made those cities an example of what will happen to those who are against God. (7) But he saved Lot from those cities. Lot, a good man, was troubled because of the filthy lives of evil people. (8) (Lot was a good man, but because he lived with evil people every day, his good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw and heard.) (9) So the Lord knows how to save those who serve him when troubles come. He will hold evil people and punish them, while waiting for the Judgment Day. (10) That punishment is especially for those who live by doing the evil things their sinful selves want and who hate authority.

These false teachers are bold and do anything they want. They are not afraid to speak against the angels. (11) But even the angels, who are much stronger and more powerful than false teachers, do not accuse them with insults before the Lord. (12) But these people speak against things they do not understand. They are like animals that act without thinking, animals born to be caught and killed. And, like animals, these false teachers will be destroyed. (13) They have caused many people to suffer, so they themselves will suffer. That is their pay for what they have done. They take pleasure in openly doing evil, so they are like dirty spots and stains among you. They delight in deceiving you while eating meals with you. (14) Every time they look at a woman they want her, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into the trap of sin, and they have taught their hearts to be greedy. God will punish them! (15) These false teachers left the right road and lost their way, following the way Balaam went. Balaam was the son of Beor, who loved being paid for doing wrong. (16) But a donkey, which cannot talk, told Balaam he was sinning. It spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the prophet’s crazy thinking.

(17) Those false teachers are like springs without water and clouds blown by a storm. A place in the blackest darkness has been kept for them. (18) They brag with words that mean nothing. By their evil desires they lead people into the trap of sin—people who are just beginning to escape from others who live in error. (19) They promise them freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of things that will be destroyed. For people are slaves of anything that controls them. (20) They were made free from the evil in the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they return to evil things and those things control them, then it is worse for them than it was before. (21) Yes, it would be better for them to have never known the right way than to know it and to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them. (22) What they did is like this true saying: “A dog goes back to what it has thrown up,” and, “After a pig is washed, it goes back and rolls in the mud.”

3 PETER (NCV) – 7:26
2 Peter, chapter 3. (1) My friends, this is the second letter I have written you to help your honest minds remember. (2) I want you to think about the words the holy prophets spoke in the past, and remember the command our Lord and Savior gave us through your apostles. (3) It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do. (4) They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.” (5) But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. (6) Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. (7) And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God.

(8) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. (9) The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.

(10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be exposed. (11) In that way everything will be destroyed. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy lives and serve God, (12) as you wait for and look forward to the coming of the day of God. When that day comes, the skies will be destroyed with fire, and everything in them will melt with heat. (13) But God made a promise to us, and we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where goodness lives.

(14) Dear friends, since you are waiting for this to happen, do your best to be without sin and without fault. Try to be at peace with God. (15) Remember that we are saved because our Lord is patient. Our dear brother Paul told you the same thing when he wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. (16) He writes about this in all his letters. Some things in Paul’s letters are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and weak in the faith explain these things falsely. They also falsely explain the other Scriptures, but they are destroying themselves by doing this.

(17) Dear friends, since you already know about this, be careful. Do not let those evil people lead you away by the wrong they do. Be careful so you will not fall from your strong faith. (18) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him now and forever! Amen.

COMMENTS – 10:14
Today I’d like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter.

First the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in the Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they’re a problem today.

False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivation is often for money, sometimes for power, and never for the benefit of the listener. Some false teachers have small followings. Some have millions.

So how do you know if someone is a false teacher? A counterfeit? Well, thankfully, it’s not really all that hard. You need to know what Scripture says, When you know the real thing well, counterfeits are easy to detect. You don’t really need to study what the false teachers teach. All you need to study is the Real, you study the Word of God. This podcast is a good start in knowing the Bible, but it’s no substitute for you’re actually applying yourself to deep, disciplined study on your own. Having a Bible-teaching pastor is important. Being part of a good Bible study group is important. Having trusted and godly friends is important. But nothing is more important than you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. As you study, I suggest you pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. That is a prayer that is always answered. And the more you study, the more you’ll begin to understand, and the easier it will be to identify false teachers.

And then the next point I’d like to discuss is the Second Coming of Jesus.

One thing you’ll often hear when having discussions with people about the Second Coming is somebody will say, “Yeah, right. Christians have been saying Jesus was coming back since the church began. They say, ‘Look at the signs’, but nothing is really any different today than it was then,” they’ll say.

Well, doesn’t that just sound like chapter 3, verse 4 from our reading today? Here it is, again: “They will say, ‘Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.’”

So remember, Peter was talking about what it would be like in the last days. He said they’d laugh at you, and then they would make that statement. But Peter reminds us that the world is different. It hasn’t always been the way it is, now. He says, “But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. (6) Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. (7) And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God.” Beloved, Jesus is coming. Now, I don’t know when, but I personally think it’ll be very, very soon.

What do you think? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e326. Tomorrow’s Monday. We’ll read Deuteronomy 16 through 19.

Boost!

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 13:25
On this date in church history, July 24, 1725, John Newton was born. He was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer. Master of a slave ship for 10 years before his conversion to Christianity in 1747, he later studied for Anglican ordination, and was appointed curate at Olney in 1764. There he became a friend of poet William Cowper, and together they published “Olney Hymns” in 1779, which included such well known hymns by Newton as “Amazing Grace” and “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that I did an episode of Lifespring HymnStories about “Amazing Grace”. If you’d like to listen to it, I’ll have a link on the show notes page.

CLOSING PRAYER – 14:23
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank you for teaching us from your Word about what is true. As we read and as we study, we pray that you would embed your truth into our hearts and our minds. Keep us from being deceived, Lord, and help us to help others who have been led astray.

I thank you for the Lifespring family and I ask that you bless them today. And I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or to praise go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E326 – 14:58
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e326, And send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise.

And thank you very much for inviting me into your day today. If you’re glad the show is here, please help support the show. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support. Take a look around, see what’s there, pray about it and then do as the Lord leads.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise