WWUTT 378 Twisting the Scriptures to Their Own Destruction?

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When we read the New Testament, the words of Paul, the words of Peter, Jude, James, any of the

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Gospels, did these men know that they were writing scripture? Yes, they did, when we understand the text.

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Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt

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.com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everybody.

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We are closing out our study of 2 Peter 3 today. If you would open up your

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Bible, we're going to be looking at the, well, the last words. And in the

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ESV Bible, it actually has them labeled as final words. This goes from verse 14 to the end of the chapter, verse 18.

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Let's begin there. 2 Peter 3, starting in verse 14, therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.

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And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother

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Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

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There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures.

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You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our

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Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.

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Amen. Back to verse 14, therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, therefore.

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So of course, this is continuing the thought that we had concluded with yesterday. What is it that we are waiting for?

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What are the these that we are waiting for? The new heavens and the new earth. According to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

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Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, and I think this is what the third time in this chapter that Peter has referred to his readers as beloved, just showing the affection for his readers that he has, the love that he has for these saints in the churches that he is writing to.

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Therefore, beloved, I am sharing these things with you because I love you, because I care for you.

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Remembering once again, back to chapter one in verse 15, where he says, I will make every effort so that after my departure, you may be able at any time to recall these things.

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Peter is writing all this down so that even after he is gone, the believers who have come to the faith by the witness and testimony of the apostle

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Peter may continue to rely upon his words, dwell upon the things it is that he has taught them so that they are looking forward to that glorious day in Christ, which we are all waiting for.

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So in love, as he is writing these words to the churches, therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, the new heavens and the new earth, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.

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And this is the second time that we see the instruction of Peter to his readers to be diligent.

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This goes back to chapter one, verse 10, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.

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For if you practice these qualities, the qualities that were mentioned starting in verse five, you will never fall for in this way.

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There will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our

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Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter has been encouraging his readers to look toward that eternal kingdom, that promised reward from the very beginning of the letter.

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He's been talking about these things. If we are called by Christ into his kingdom as citizens of his kingdom, then we confirm that calling and the election of Christ by doing the things that he has told us to do in obedience and growth in holiness and in the knowledge of God.

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All of these things should be exhibited in the life of a believer, and we should be diligent to do them.

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What does it mean to be diligent, but that we are mindful and intentional of the things that we do?

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We have a care toward the work or the responsibility that God has given us.

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And so let us be deliberate. Let us be intentional with the work that Christ has called us to do.

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Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.

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We pursue holiness. As Paul instructed in Romans 12, 1, present yourselves to God as holy and living sacrifices.

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This is your spiritual act of worship. Specifically, Paul says, present your bodies as a holy sacrifice unto the

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Lord. I want to go to Philippians chapter 2. Turn with me to Philippians 2.

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I want to begin in verse 9, where Paul says, therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is

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Lord to the glory of God, the father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed and see here,

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Paul referring to his readers as beloved, just as Peter is doing. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

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For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

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And consider the words of Peter in 2 Peter 3, 14, therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.

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This is Peter calling his readers to obedience, just as Paul is doing with the Philippians and count the patience of our

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Lord as salvation. Paul saying, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

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Peter saying, count the patience of our Lord as salvation, growing in holiness. That's what both apostles are talking about here.

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Just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.

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So Paul is writing about it to the Philippians. Peter is writing the same instructions to his readers, but also reminding them of what

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Paul had written. And again, Peter says to be found without spot or blemish.

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Paul talked about this with the Philippians as well. He talks about attaining the resurrection of the dead in chapter three, verse 11.

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And then in verse 12, he says, not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

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Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

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I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way.

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And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

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So what Paul is saying here is that no matter what it is I have accomplished, I'm not going to rest on that.

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I'm not done yet. There is more for me to do. There is there's more sanctification for me to acquire.

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I'm still in this body. I'm still on this earth. So there's more holiness for me to attain.

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So I'm not already perfect. And I'm not going to say that I am perfect, but I press on to make it my own.

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I desire to be perfect because Christ Jesus, who is perfect, has made me his own.

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And I want to be like Christ. So I'm going to continue to press on toward that upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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I'm going to reach for that perfection, even though while I'm in this body, I'm never going to attain it.

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Not until I'm delivered from this body into the glorious body that he gives us, which

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Paul goes on to talk about. Verse 17. Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example that you have in us.

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For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

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Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.

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But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.

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Paul talking here also about the new heavens and the new earth that we are looking forward to and Peter reminding his readers of this and mentioning

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Paul has talked about these very things. It's as though Peter is calling to attention that all of the apostles are in agreeance on this.

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We're in agreement with the things that we preached about. None of us is speaking to you any different gospel.

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As he said toward the start of the letter, chapter one, verse 16, for we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our

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Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. I've preached about this.

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Paul has preached about this. Paul has written to you about these things according to the wisdom given him as he does in all his letters.

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I'm back in second Peter now, second Peter three, verse 15, verse 16, as he does in all his letters.

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When he speaks of these matters, there are some things in them in his letters that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures.

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So when Peter refers to the other scriptures, he's actually equating the writings of Paul with scripture and also

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Peter's writings as being scripture. Whatever comes from the apostles comes from God.

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It is the writing of God. It is the command, the decree of God that must be listened to by the people of God.

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Going back to the start of the chapter, second Peter chapter three. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved.

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In both of them, I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the

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Lord and savior through your apostles. So the commandments of Christ come from his apostles.

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What Peter is saying is the command of Christ to dismiss the words of Peter would be to dismiss the words of God himself.

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So if we are not paying attention, if we're not paying careful attention to the words of Peter, to the words of Paul, to anything that we have written in the new

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Testament, which came from the testimony of the apostles, then we are in jeopardy of, we are at risk of twisting the scriptures to our destruction.

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Paul writes of weighty matters as he does in all his letters. There are things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures.

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So Peter is calling back to attention again. And we talked about this when we were in chapter two, the false teachers, the false prophets that arose from the people in the old

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Testament among the people Israel. So there are also false teachers that arise among the people of God within the church.

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So just as the scriptures were twisted in the old Testament, so there are ignorant and unstable men who will twist the scriptures of the new

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Testament. The words of the apostles that were commissioned by Christ to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

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Going on, verse 17, you therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

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When Paul was instructing Timothy, 1 Timothy 1, verse 18, he says, this charge,

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I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.

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By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are

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Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

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At the start of the letter, Paul had instructed Timothy not to let anyone teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.

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So then at the end of that chapter, also instructing Timothy that he would remain steadfast in the faith and keeping a good conscience, because by rejecting the sound doctrine that flows from the gospel of Jesus Christ, many have made shipwreck of their faith.

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In Paul's second letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2, beginning in verse 14, remind them of these things, of the good doctrine that has been delivered by the apostles, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

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Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

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But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

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And then Paul mentions two more individuals, among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened.

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They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal, the

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Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.

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So here Peter gives a similar instruction to his readers, to not be like those who twist the

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Scriptures to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people, and lose your own stability.

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Hold fast to the sound doctrine. Know the true words of Scripture that are being taught, that flow from the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the praise of him and his glorious grace, to all that Christ has done for us.

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Praise him for his death on the cross, his resurrection from the grave, that all who are in Christ have been delivered into his eternal kingdom, where he is seated at the right hand of God.

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Everything that is taught from the Scriptures must ultimately come back to that, the exaltation of Christ, the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is

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Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Let us hold fast to this true doctrine, and if we do, we will never fall.

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Verse 16 now, is that where I'm at? Verse 18, the conclusion of 2

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Peter, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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To him be glory, both now and to the day of eternity.

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Day of eternity? I mean, it's eternity, it's forever, there's days there? No, it's the day of the

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Lord in which we enter into eternity, and we will be with him forever. To him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.

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Amen. You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes. We feature dozens of videos covering a variety of biblical topics on our website, www .wutt

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.com. Many of those videos are only 90 seconds long and address subjects like the gospel, election, the trinity, end times, discipline, the church, and much more.

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All of these videos are free, available for ministry use. Again, our website is www .wutt

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.com. And while you're there, send us an email and let us know what this ministry has meant to you.

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Here once again is Pastor Gabe. Thanks Becky. So having just finished up 2 Peter, where are we going next?

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1 John? Yep, we'll do 1 John, but not next week. We'll wait until the week after. Next week

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I am heading to Sun Valley, California, Grace Community Church for the Shepherds Conference 2017.

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It'll be my first Shepherds Conference, enjoying great speakers like John MacArthur, Albert Moeller, Mark Dever, Ian Murray, Stephen Lawson, H .B.

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Charles Jr., Phil Johnson, just a few of the names I know that are on this year's speakers list, honoring the 500th anniversary of the

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Protestant Reformation. And you can watch the speakers yourself in the live stream when you go to shepherdsconference .org.

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So again, I'm going to be at the conference next week, but you can still expect the podcast. It's going to be prerecorded, and I will let you know what the podcast is going to sound like Friday.

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I'll give you the details about next week's podcast on Friday. In the meantime, come back again tomorrow as we continue our study of 2