1/1/2012 Jeremiah 1:1-10 Yuba City California

V1-3 Jeremiah was commissioned by God to receive God’s Word, record it and proclaim it to God’s people for about five decades. V4-5 God motivated Jeremiah by explaining his call to ministry was planned before he was born. V6-7 Jeremiah was very young. He was reluctant to take on the responsibilities of a prophet. V7 God answered Jeremiah’s reluctance. He told Jeremiah that he would be his servant. He would go where he was told to go and speak what he was told to speak. V8 There was no need to be afraid of the task or the people who would hear God’s message. God would protect him. V9-10 The source of Jeremiah’s message is God. God gives Jeremiah authority and power in the words that would impact the world.      

 

Application: As a minister of the Gospel; this is my hope: I will be what God wants me to be, go where He wants me to go, I will say what God wants me to say. I have a calling and it is back up by the God of the universe.

12/31/2011 Jude 20-25 Yuba City California

V20 Jude’s readers were in a battle for doctrinal purity against talented, aggressive and evil false teachers. He encouraged them to be diligent to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word call on the Holy Spirit to fight this battle. It would not be arguments that would defeat these people but the power of God’s Word in the hands of devoted followers energized by the Holy Spirit. V21 Devoted followers are compelled by God’s love for them. They serve because they have experienced God’s mercy and hope. They know they have eternal life. V22-23 Devoted followers of Christ are responsible to lovingly correct those who have been fooled and rescue those who are lost because of the confusing doctrine of the false teachers. Believers are even commissioned to cautiously correct those who are promoting false doctrine. V24-25 Jude praises God for the victory that He gives over false doctrine and the way God keeps believers clean and presentable. Jude ends the letter with one of the most positive and majestic statements about God ever written.     

 

Application: In my battle for doctrinal and personal purity, I have the God of the universe that enables me to win. There is no excuse for falling into the trappings of false teachers. The holy Spirit and God’s Word are enough to keep me from falling. I will be careful to draw on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s power when I’m engaged with those who would like to harm my walk with God. I want to be available to help those who have been wounded by false teachers.

12/30/2011 Jude 12-19 Yuba City California

V12-16 Jude paints a vivid picture of the character, motives, and fate of those who were misrepresenting God’s Word. They did not fear God or man as they sat among God’s people with the intention of leading them astray. They were dangerous as sunken rocks placed there to sink a life. They were as useless as rainless clouds, not offering anything that would refresh. They were dead as barren trees with no root in Christ. Their lives and work only produced things that were polluted and shameful. Their doom is sealed by their horrible and evil works. V17-19 It should not surprise the diligent student of God’s Word that these type people exist in the battle for the truth. They are spiritual bankrupt and will cause trouble in the Christian community.

 

Application: How is my life described? What do I offer to those who listen to me? I will not offer a useless example of what life in Christ is suppose to be. I will not stir up trouble and chaos in the Christian community. With the Lord’s enablement, I will provide truth, warnings, and refreshment by being all I can be in Christ.

12/28/2011 Jude 1-7 Yuba City California

V1-2 Jude describes Christians as the ones God called to salvation, the ones he loves and the ones he protects. He hopes they will experience the fullness of their relationship with God through faith. V3-4 Jude is compelled to write this letter because false teachers infiltrated the church to lead them into sin. They had gained recognition as teachers but had no credentials to teach. They were teaching believers to use the grace of God to excuse their sins and justify their immoral living. Their values were perverted and they rejected Christ. V5-7 Jude gives three examples of unbelief and His judgment upon it. God judged the unbelief of those who left Egypt, the fallen angels, and the cities of Sodom and Gommorrah.

 

Application: The Gospel is precious and the grace of God is sacred. Those who fool with it are in dangerous territory. God has given believers a definite revelation. They can know the truth and have a relationship with Him. There is one way. It’s by the grace of God through Christ. Those that pervert it are doomed and defenders of the faith must engage them when they surface in the church. I want to be able to comfort with power and faithfulness those who are harmful to the faith of others in Christ. I will know what I believer and why.

 

12/29/2011 Jude 8-11 Yuba City California

V8-9 These false teachers trusted in their perverted desires, valued and practiced immorality, and refused to value anyone else’s, including God’s. It seems, these false teachers considered themselves the highest authority in all realms. There is precedent for respecting spiritual things. In the spiritual realm, respect God’s supremacy to deal with powerful agents. V10 They speak out against the people, concepts, and principles that do not match their immoral appetites They are destroyed as human beings by their unchecked animal passions. V11 Like Cain, these false teachers were hateful and destructive, like Balaam, they encourage others to sin, and like Korah, they lead others in a revolt against God’s authority. They are doomed for their actions.

 

Application: These false teachers should be easy to detect by a devoted follower of Christ. But their commitment to their selfish desires makes them dangerous to those who are new to the faith or those who are struggling. By God’s power, they will not make a mark on me and I will point them out to others. Knowing the truth of God’s Word and knowing God is the best way to stay clear of these evil people.

12/25/2011 2 Peter 3:1-6 Yuba City California

V1-3a False teachers attacked the validity of the Word of God given to believers by the prophets. Peter encouraged these believers to remember that God’s plan and promise were unbroken. He confirmed that God’s judgment was coming and so was Jesus Christ. V3b-4 False teachers used the “delay” of God’s judgment and return of Christ as an excuse for unbelief and sinful behavior. Instead of being convinced by the teachings of these evil people, believers should realize that they indeed live in sight of Christ’s return. V5-6 They intentionally disregard God’s Word, the facts of history and God’s work in the world.

 

Application: Peter reminds us to focus on the truth. False teacher use lies and attacks on God’s Word to accomplish their deceitful plans. Their arguments can distract us. God’s judgment and return of Christ will happen but they attempt to use God’s grace, longsuffering, and mercy as a reason to scoff at His promises. God’s timetable is not at risk. I am confident that God is still in control, His plan is on schedule, my life is in His hands, my responsibilities are unchanged, and I am here to glorify God. I’m not persuaded by mockers or those who promote evil ways.

12/26/2011 2 Peter 3:7-12 Yuba City California

V7-8 Peter refutes the scoffers with facts. God is God. He is not bound by time and His Word can be trusted. There will be a day that men will give an account for their lives and a day that God’s definitive judgment on an ungodly world. V9 Any perceived delay in His final judgment is not because God’s timetable is off but because His grace is at work. He is giving men an opportunity to repent from their sin and believe. V10 Peter delivers a word of caution. The final judgment will not be announced and it can happen at any moment. V11-12 God’s people are motivated to live godly lives because they anticipate a face to face reunion with their savior. They look forward to His return to rescue them from a sinful world that will be destroyed.       

 

Application: Believers have an incredible revelation from God. The world can mock God and the believer’s beliefs but faithful and devoted followers of Christ are confident in God’s truth and promises. They anticipate their eternal state. That’s why they are motivated to obey, serve, and love. It is their character that they display in this life and take with them in the life to come. It is my hope and desire to develop a life that pleases God and never to forget about eternity and the awesomeness of being with God forever without the pain and suffering in this body. Others need to know what I have in Christ.

12/27/2011 2 Peter 3:13-18 Yuba City California

V13 It is not the destruction of the earth and the judgment of the wicked that is the hope of the believer but the promise of a new, perfect, and righteous environment where God and His righteousness reigns. V14 Hope in Christ’s return and rescue gives the believer a reason to live a holy life, set apart for God. It’s natural for a devoted follower to live at peace with the thought of Jesus’ return. V15 Peter reminds us that the wait for Jesus’ return is for His grace to be offered and accepted by more people. V16 False teachers use the grace of God to exhaust their immorality for selfish reasons. They distort the perceived difficulties of the Word of God to justify their behavior. V17 Believers are warned not to be influenced by what the false teachers promote. This could damage their walk with God and shake their faith. V18 Instead of listening to false teachers; diligently increase your faith by developing your relationship with Jesus Christ and learning more about Him.   

 

Application: Being rescued from this sinful world and the promise of eternity with God in a perfect environment is the foundation of the Christian’s hope. Who Jesus Christ is and what He does to guarantee our salvation is important to guard and vital to share. As I grow in my walk with God, I will want to share it with others. I will be diligent to increase my faith and beware of the false teachers who would like to diminish it.

12/24/2011 2 Peter 2:17-22 Yuba City California V17-18 False teachers advertise hope, refreshment, and unique ideas that will meet the needs of man but after a taste of them they leave the consumer still thirsty and hungry for practical truth that satisfies the soul. They were shameless in their ...
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12/23/2011 2 Peter 2:10-16 Yuba City California V10 False Teachers cast off restraint, live undisciplined lives, and eagerly fulfill every desire that comes into their mind; rejecting the teaching of anyone who would interrupt their lifestyle. They purposely and audaciously express their contempt ...
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12/22/2011 2 Peter 2:1-9 Yuba City California V1 Peter confirmed and identified the false teachers of the day. They were not identified by name here just by what they taught. Their teachings did not promote faith in God but damaged it. They taught that the work of Jesus Christ was useless and ...
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12/21/2011 2 Peter 1:15-21 Yuba City California V15 Jesus Christ is our hope and He is coming again. But until then we must be established in the truth. Peter was an emotional man and expressed his desires with enthusiasm. He was so concerned about not being there to encourage the believers in the ...
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12/20/2011 2 Peter 1:10-14 Yuba City CA V10 In this sinful world we live in, there is a danger of conforming to it. When a believer is committed to his or her calling and uses the resources God provides; the believer will be able to resist its appeal and keep from living a disastrous life. The ...
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