August 20th, 2023. Treasures in Christ. 2 Peter 2. Jehovah, Oida, Ruhomai, Paios, Ariasmos. Our Lord God who knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. 2 Peter 2.9. Now, if all these things are true, then be sure the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom. Lord Heavenly Father, we're just so grateful for a new day. We're thankful that you brought me, I'm thankful that you brought me through this week, Father God, that it was your will that let me still be at this very place at this very time.
For you're a good God and you choose to keep us in the kingdom, Father God, as long as it's fitting for the kingdom. So we thank you for being in charge of these things, that you are the very ruler of our very soul, the shepherd of our soul. You are the master and commander of all that we know and don't know. We know that you can utterly destroy us and cast us out of that place, Father God.
So we have a fear and reverent awe of you this morning, knowing you are all powerful. We come today, Father God, grieved by our mishaps and mistakes, grieved by our shortcomings, by our sin and transgression. We confess it to you, Almighty God, and in this very place we know that we'll receive the grace and mercy of your righteous judgment, Father God. And this is a beautiful truth today, Father God, as I've read it, I was so encouraged by it, that you know how to rescue us from temptations and trials.
What a beautiful truth that is, Father God. We thank you for giving us access into the kingdom today through Jesus Christ, and keep us secured and sealed until the day of redemption by your Holy Spirit of power, the very redeeming spirit that will be transforming us in the journey. So we thank you for that transforming today, Father God. I pray this word will become rivers of living water as it comes out of us as we seek you today in spirit and in truth.
We worship you, Father God, in that submissive place under your powerful hand, that you are the Lord of lords and the King of kings. We praise you and thank you for this truth in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Well, I'm encouraged. You know, it's been a week now. I had to do some traveling and then a brand new job and going to work every day. You know, training has been, it's been intense to say the least.
And so, well, we're going to see. We had a thing going on there. I'm not sure what the deal is there, but we're going to just move on. And so, I'm excited. You know, when the journey started, this passage, you know, we were doing Psalm 70 and he gave me the 2 Peter 1 and 2. Well, he gave me 2 Peter 2, but you know, there was that but. And so, I always have to go back.
And so, we kind of got through that 2 Peter 1 part of it. And I just wanted to kind of wrap it up today with the 2 Peter 2. What a beautiful characteristic of God that we see in this passage. It's beautiful. Both the beginning and the end of it. You know, the rescuing the godly from temptation and keeping the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. You know, it helps because we know that God will give us what we need and God will keep us defended and he will pay the recompense for those who, you know, God does all of this.
All the vengeance recompense is God's. He's the one. And that's an amazing truth. And it takes a little load off because traditionally, you know, in human, in flesh schools, you know, we're responsible for kind of doing some things. Well, God does all of these things. And this is a beautiful truth. God's an amazing God. So, let's just go to 2 Peter 2. And we're going to, I'm just going to pick it up at verse 1 because we actually read all the way down to verse 3.
But these first 3 verses are pretty amazing. We know that there's this false doctrine that's coming in. So, let's just jump right in. 2 Peter 2.1. But also in those days there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves. God didn't say there might be. He said there will be. And who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines, destructive heresies. And it will not be obvious. It will be subtle and sly.
It will just come in. It'll look really good. But yet the doctrines that will come forth will be not biblically sound doctrine, not doctrine that God wants us to operate with. They'll be heretical, destructive even. Even denying and disowning the master who bought them. This amazing truth here. And it's, we have to look at the spirit and the truth of the matter. Because somebody puts Jesus' juice on something doesn't mean that they're operating in sacrificial worship under the powerful hand of God.
It just doesn't mean that. I mean, we gotta get past the superficial. This is why it's subtle and stealthy. Because on the surface level, it looks good. But at the core of it, it's off course. We mentioned a couple last time in the last devotion, you know, we all just need to search out, test and examine our own ways. And so we can return to the Lord. And he goes on to say disowning the master who brought them bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow there. And it doesn't necessarily mean that what they're doing is going to falter because there could be success in it. That's not the destruction he's talking about. He's talking about eternal destruction. We'll see, I think as we go along and read here in the first three verses, we'll see. And he's going to really give us some other expansion on that destruction he's talking about. And many will follow their immoral ways. So if what they were doing was getting destroyed, there would be nothing to follow.
So he's not that's not what he's bringing upon themselves swift destruction doesn't mean that what they're doing is going to falter. Like I said, what they're doing is going to be destroyed. But it's their eternal state, their spiritual state, that is what is in is going to be destroyed. And many will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings. Because of them, the true way will be maligned, that means going to be made crooked, like Boston, and defamed.
And we can see that we can see that in society. Chris Christendom is the laughingstock of movies, books, songs, just in general, the general concept of Christendom is defamed. You know, when we go, you know, there's no respect for at all, it's just like, look down upon and there's a reason for that. It's because they're operating outside of the secret place of the Most High. Because at the end of the day, God wants them to perish in the operation of the kingdom should never be abrasive, should never come in the face of anything.
I saw some picketers on the way, when I was on my way to come here, and, you know, picketing out in front of an abortion clinic. And I get the way some people feel about that. And the thing is, they're not in, they're not the judge of anyone. We're not to be judged, we're not to play the judge and jury. Because if we come in, we hold judgment against somebody, then we are now we are operating in the law.
And now we are accountable to every aspect of the law. God says this in his word, we are not the judge, God is the judge, God is the one who's on the focus first, God is the one who can build it knows how to bring us out of the temptation. And he knows how to keep those who are off course, and refuse to come back to him in that place until the day of judgment. God knows how to do that.
God does it. This is what he does. It's not for us to go out and be when I hold a sign up that says, you know, abortion kills or something like that, which is obviously the reality of it. But if I'm holding up a sign like that, and I'm at all trying to represent Christendom, then I am saying God is an abrasive God that is a nitpicking, backbiter, judging kind of a God, which he is a judge, he is a perfect judge.
But his he wants relationship that he wants none to perish, but all to come to repentance. And how is that going to? If we're out there doing that being abrasive, and representing God that way, there's a defaming and a maligning taking place. And it's so that we can get our own agenda met. That's what he's talking about here. This is all about our own agenda. And like I said, there's amazing we're going to see in verse three here, and in their covetousness, you know, they desire to have something.
So in this case, they desire to have babies not killed. I get that. I understand that. That's a that's a wonderful thing to way to think. And this is why it's such a challenge because you're taking there, we're taking something that is in the kingdom, a good thing, right? But we know God's taken babies, God took the first baby from that Shiva and David, God aborted that baby. So God's kingdom has its own set of rules and regulations and its own operating procedures that we can't comprehend or fathom.
We can't think in the highways that God thinks. How do we know what the impact of that is going to be? Now I'm not, you know, advocating just going out and start aborting babies because at night, because God did that. See, we got to go back to the fact that God did that. Not David. David, David was the guy with the sign go no, no, no, don't kill the baby. The God killed the baby. So it's this covetousness, this lust and greed that gets us with our agendas that gets us off course.
And because now God is not our source, we're the source. And that is death. That's death right there. If we die in that mode, we will not spend eternity with God. It does not matter if we raise their hand one day, we were baptized, we were circumcised or anything else, we were anointed with oil as an infant and as an adult, we were whatever hands were laid on us, we spoke in tongues, we prophesied great prophecies, we did all of these things.
But we had no love relationship with God. Because we were operating in sacrificial worship, we were operating under our own, you know, under our own powerful hand, so to speak, I guess, in that sense, we were operating in self worship. And this is what we see. And this is why Christendom is so fractured, maligned and defamed. It's because of the drive and lust and greed of the individuals along the way, who just wanted to push their own agenda.
And he said, they will exploit you with false cunning arguments. See, now, we got to know he's talking about the body of Christ, because he's talking about the true way. So it's in the body of Christ. And it's maligning the true way and defaming it because of their desire to have their agenda met. And they will have cunning arguments, but they're going to be false. You know, it's that old adage, it's that adage, he's been really hammering home to me, you don't get an idea and then go find scripture to fit it.
You get in the spirit and in truth of the matter, and you let the spirit and in truth, give you the directions that you need. Not go get a goal in a direction and then just try to fit scripture to it. And this is what they this is what happens. And this is I mean, he's saying it's going to happen. It didn't say it might happen. It didn't say a few will follow said many, many, many, many.
And it's an exploitation because it's utilizing God's truth. And the, the unity of the body of Christ to get an agenda. And so it's exploitive in nature. And it's false arguments, but they are cunning arguments. They're good arguments. I mean, if you're looking at the surface level, just with truth, you can't you can't do anything about it. I mean, in most cases, you know, just like praying disease out of the body, you know, I'm afraid I'm an advocate that that is just a praying a miss, because now you're praying for a selfish desire to be disease free, right? And to me, that is praying a miss.
But it says to pray in all things. So you can take a scripture out of context. And you can say, well, it means says pray about everything. I mean, I've even heard people say that they can eat something and put something in their body they know is harmful to the temple. And as long as they pray over it, it's okay. And yet they keep doing it, they're going to end up with diabetes and heart disease and die early.
And because the wages of sin is still death. It just doesn't matter how cunning and how good the argument is and how much Jesus juice they appear to be putting on it. This reference, this is reflected in the exploitation, there would be no word exploit here, if it wasn't using the kind of put Jesus juice or God juice on what we're doing. But at the end of the day, it's our own personal lust and greed that's moving us.
And it moves us to, to pull scriptures out. And that, you know, this is why it's amazing. There's so much so many scriptures, and there's so many parts of the Word of God, that I've never heard preached that people won't even preach, because they just go right in the face of what is happening. You know, and then what are you going to do when the scripture is like coming right in the face of what you're telling people, you're not going to do it.
And so they spend their whole lifetimes bouncing around and keeping this exploitation, this deception, this subtle and stealthy approach. But what they're doing is it's just, they're just trying to fulfill their own agenda. And at the end of the day, there's going to be destruction. And what kind of destruction are we talking about? We're not talking their ministry, what they call a ministry might flourish, might be this massive thing that it's just boom, they got 10,000 members, and they're baptizing 1000 people a week and all of this might be going on.
But these are just superficial things that we see on the outward side, because we know few narrow is the way and few are that find it. And we know, you know, using those two examples, and we know that baptism is not required, or the thief on the cross wouldn't have been with Jesus in paradise. So let's see what he goes on to say. So we know that it's exploitive, it's covetous. And again, we need to search out, test and examine our own ways.
I mean, I'm not, I'm definitely not a judge of any man. But we have to search out and test and examine our ways. And we have to see, are we manipulating God, the kingdom of God to try to get something we want some kind of goal or aspiration that we have? Are we using trying to use cunning arguments? Are we trying to be mentally pretentious about it, where we're mentally going to just be stronger mentally? These are the things we're looking for.
Have we have we made the path crooked the way? Because there is only one way. And that's submitted under the powerful hand of God. It's it in repentance, you know, and we have to repent often repentance is in a one time gig. This is a daily gig, unless we're not being honest with ourselves. And at the core of it, going back to verse one, you know, we really have to address who's really in charge. Because if we get to the core of our agenda, and we see it's all about what we're going to do, and how we're going to just move all these pieces in place and do all of this in the body of prayer, we're going to do this discipleship program, we're going to do these ordinations, we're going to do all of these things.
And we're going to, we're at the core of it. Then we're disowning the master who bought us. I'm not saying they said he says that subtle and stealthily. Nobody's coming out going anti Jesus down with Jesus. No, nobody's doing that. It's subtle and stealthy. And I can see all of this in Christendom. This is obviously because it says it will be that, but also there also, but just as there will be false features among yourselves. God's Word cannot lie.
So let's get to the end of this verse three, because we're gonna we're gonna start to see what he's talking about when he's talking about this destructive place. It's not. This is why it's like, okay, well, I'm having success now. And what I'm doing does. So that means it's okay. No, that doesn't mean it's okay. We have to search out and test and examine our ways and find out who's the master of it. And are we trying to compel and argue? Are we? Are we coveting things where we just desiring to have this thing fulfilled? He says in verse three, from of old, the sentence of condemnation for them has not been idle.
God's been on top of it. And it's from a bowl. This is not a new thing. There's nothing new under the sun. God knew from the beginning of time before time began, even he knew every single day before it would happen. And he has determined already that this operation is not going to take place. And this is why we're going to see very clearly in the rest of in this passage, exactly what he's talking about. So God has not been lapsed in this.
This is not a Oh, wow, caught off guard. This this heretical stuff has come into the body of Christ. Now he knew from the very beginning. And this is why he gives us the standard operating procedures here. You know, things to look out for things to search out and test and return to the Lord if we're finding ourselves off course there. You know, so here, yeah, here he goes. He said, so God's not been idle from from of old, the sentence of condemnation, God's word never changes, right? For them has not been idle, their destruction, eternal misery has not been asleep.
See, it's not the destruction of what they're doing. It's an eternal thing that we're talking about. And from time beginning to time in God is not let nobody off the hook here. It doesn't matter. You know how committed we are to going to some formal gathering that is not going to override what God is saying here. And he's going to go a little more in depth in verse four here to give us that idea. For God did not even spare angels that sin, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.
OK, so this is this gives us some wonderful insight of angels, and I'm excited one day to really do an in-depth on angels, not that we can even ever fully understand, but God will give us the insight that we need. So we need the spirit of God right now. This is what we need when we get to a verse like this. We need the spirit of God, because if we think we're going to pretentiously micromanage this verse to to make it fit whatever concept of angelic things that we have in mind, because I always had the impression that angels didn't have a free will.
They didn't have a right to choose. OK, but this tells me they do right right off the right off the bat. So it tells me, number one is angels have the choice, right, to serve God or not. And it says, so for God did not even spare the angels that sin, but cast them into hell. Now we know hell is the separation of whatever it is in God. That's what hell is. It's not this fiery place where there's somebody in a wreck.
The devil's not in hell here because the devil is still roaming around on the planet like a lion seeking whom he may devour. The devil was sifting the apostles after, you know, when Jesus was going to be crucified. So he can't be talking about the devil here because the devil is still out for, you know, he's still the prince of the air. Right. And he still has a function in form. This is why I encourage people, don't don't get all some kind of way about the devil.
The devil's been created by God to serve a purpose. And he does serve his purpose, because if he didn't serve his purpose, he would be one of these angels right here. So let's think, because this is already taking place. This is not something that's going to take place as far as them being cast into hell. So it says, for God did not even spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom.
So they're in a place, again, getting our mind around angels. I don't think in the flesh is something we're going to actually be able to do. But God's spirit can show us the truth. God has them captured here, kept in pits of gloom. Why would they be gloomy? Well, they're going to be gloomy because they're not in God's presence. You know, outside of God's presence, where the fullness of joy lives, outside of God's presence is the opposite of that, which would be just suffering and misery.
And no joy, no love, no kindness, no goodness, no gentleness, no mercy, no grace. So God has cast, and you think cast, that's like casting, you're sending something somewhere, and he's cast them into a place of separation. And he's delivered them to be kept in this place of separation, which is a pit of gloominess. You think of a pit like there is no ability to escape. You're down in a pit, right? So he's cast them into this place of separation where there is no escape, and it's a gloomy place because he's not there.
Now, notice how he wraps up verse four. Kill the judgment and their doom. See, there will come that judgment day where ultimate destruction will come. This is why there has to be a reverent fear and awe of God, because he is the master and commander of all things. He not only gives us our life and breath, but he takes our life and breath. But this is a beautiful verse about the angelic realm that gives us so much insight into it.
So, obviously, the devil and all the demons that are still running around, and all the good angels, you know, whatever, all the ministering angels of God who are still doing what they were instructed to do, are still free to do what they've been instructed to do. But those that have went off course and went their own way, and he's saying, he's trying to give us a comparing contrast here. If he wouldn't even spare angels, which we can't really get our mind around, right? You know, he's comparing it to us.
If we operate outside of obedience to God, we are going to have a bad outcome. That's basically summarizing the whole thing. And, but what he's talking specifically about in this passage is kingdom work. See, notice the first four verses, including the one we're on, are all talking about kingdom work. See, verse 1, 2, and 3 were the warning, was the rebuke, you know, warning, the rebuke, and the correction, right? This is what we've got to keep an eye out for.
This is what we've got to be on guard for. This is what we've got to search out, test, and always be examining so that we can return in repentance to God, so that he can deliver us from these temptations to go our own way. And so he's doing a compare and contrast situation where, or I should say, really, it's just a comparison, because he's just showing us that if, in fact, he's done this with the angelic realm, he will, in fact, not hesitate to do it with us.
So, their destruction, which is eternal misery, we see up in verse 3. So, kingdom work that's gone off course will suffer eternal misery. God's angelic hosts, the ministering angels of God who went their own way, also are going to be in eternal misery, and until the day of judgment and their ultimate doom. So, this is, that's a beautiful little, I guess it is a compare and contrast, because we can see the comparison, the similarity, but there's a contrast, because we're talking angelic to human.
And if angels, which are created in a higher degree than we are, because they're ministering across the realms, the heavenly realm to the earthly realm, that gives them a degree of elevation over humanity. But still, again, if we are going off course in the kingdom, just like the angels who went off course in the kingdom work, there is this hell, this separation, there is an ultimate day of judgment and doom. So, he doesn't want us to take this lightly.
This is something we have to be serious about, searching out, examining, and returning to him. And he spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven other persons when he brought a flood upon the world of ungodly people. Now, this is a beautiful symbolism of his protection of those that choose to operate correctly. He spared not. So, while everything around us might be destroyed and utterly wiped out, he will preserve and keep those that walk.
And we know preacher of righteousness, we know the righteousness is going to be in Christ with seven other persons. What an amazing number, because that's a perfect connection of man and God, and showing that that's God's kingdom, God's will. And then he brought a flood and a purging. We think of that purging work of water when he cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It's just a beautiful symbolism there. And I love that we're starting to see it's not all doom and gloom, right? There's hope.
Who would want to be in a kingdom that had no hope? But our kingdom, we have hope. And he says, he goes on to give another example, just so we get the idea. And he condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes, and thus set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly. See, he's trying to work it out where others will have motivation to come into repentance.
He wants none to perish. And even, you know, this is how beauty can come from ashes. You know, you have Sodom and Gomorrah representing a city that was utterly destroyed. And from those ashes, beauty could come if somebody sees it and chooses to come to God instead of going that route. And bring them into the proper place of reverence and fear of God. Because he has this capacity. So there's the outreach, the evangelistic process of God, just, you know, doing the things he does when he brings down and thwarts the plans of the wicked, right? But here is what he's doing for us in the process.
So verse 7, And he rescued righteous lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the one-ton ways of the ungodly and lawless. And it can be very challenging because the flesh wants what it wants. And I'm noticing this week, it's very easy to just go off course, go off course here. I mean, I'm not saying any of it's right. And it's OK now because it's all around me. Because the truth is, this is why he brought me this truth today.
God knows how to bring us out of this plague and give us what he would say to rescue us. How beautiful is that? To rescue us out of temptation. It's a beautiful thing. And this is what he did for Lot. This is a symbolism of the body of Christ's truth that God brings that rescuing. We're in the midst of this. Remember, this is kingdom work. This whole passage is about kingdom work. He's not talking about the unsaved world.
He's talking about kingdom work here and what's going on within the body of Christ. It's not just an easy thing coming in from the outside unsaved world. This is coming from within the body of Christ with great stealthiness and subtleness. He's talking about rescuing us from the temptation it is to go along with this falsity, this heretical way of operating. This is what he's saying. See, Lot lived in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was replete with sin.
And his flesh would want to, you know, in some fashion, he'd be tempted over here and tempted over here. There'd be temptations all around him. Now, maybe not everything they did was a temptation for him, but maybe half of what they did was. Because he still had a flesh that he lived in. But he chose to stay under the powerful hand of God. And at the right moment. And actually, it really stemmed from not even from him.
It stemmed from Abraham and his prayer to save the city, really. And Lot ended up being the resolution that came from it. Lot and his wife. But it says, and he rescued righteous Lot. And we got to understand it wasn't because Lot was perfect. It's because Lot had a heart that wanted the same things that God wanted. He didn't want all of this one-ton ungodliness around him. He didn't want it. But yet, I'm sure he fell short in many ways.
You know, we all fall short. We know he definitely did as we go on and read the story of Abraham, Lot and all of his wife, for sure. I mean, she turned around, was disobedient on the way out. And people say, well, why did God let her come out then if he knew she was just going to do that? Because it's a matter of your heart's direction. We can still make the mistake and we have to stay on guard against this.
This is why we're not the frozen chosen. You know, anyways. Interesting story. I'd like to go back and do some more in-depth on Abraham and Lot and this whole story. But this is a great symbolism for kingdom work where we're operating in the midst of all of this stuff that's not pleasing to God. And that's what we want to get the concept to. Knowing God is in charge is going to give recompense and he's going to bring, well, we're going to see him getting ahead of the scriptures.
So, and he rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed. And yeah, he wanted to make a point that we are, this is going to wear us out, man. And it's going to distress us because it's just one ton. And it has totally. I've been worn out and greatly distressed about Christendom in so many ways that just are not biblical, that just are not what I see in the scriptures with spirit and in truth. I know I can pot shot and do things like that and do a bunch of stuff and just, and make them okay.
But that's not, this is exactly what he's talking about. And so, worn out and distressed by the one ton ways of the ungodly and lawless. We won't be godly if we're operating in our own agenda and we'll be lawless because we're just operating in whatever agenda we want to operate in. Or whatever we've been given down to the customs and traditions. It says, verse eight, for that just man living there among them tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of their unlawful and wicked deeds.
You know, his heart wanted to be obedient to God. That's the heart of the man, you know, and, and it grieves us. It grieves us. It, you know, can really torture our righteous soul, you know. As well as the distress and the worn out we get from verse seven. We also get that torturing inside. So, we have that, that resistance of our own flesh in some cases wanting some of that. And then on the other hand, or, or, you know, feeling like we're being tempted by that.
And that's tough. That's a suffering when we resist temptation. Um, to this other place of a tortured soul. Knowing that that is a destructive thing that is going to lead them into this path that is taking them away from God. That will bring utter doom and destruction to them ultimately. And so, it brings a grief to us. A torturing, a vexation of the spirit of a man or woman. Now, if all these things are true, then be sure the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptation.
See, this is a reflection of verse seven. That was that greatly worn out and distressed. So, that's that, where the temptations are making our life hard, right? And how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom. See, God's got all sides covered. He does not leave any rock unturned. It's a beautiful thing. It's, uh, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials. And knows, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom.
And particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn and despise authority. This can take on a lot of looks. So, it's not just somebody who's, uh, an anarchist. This is not what he's talking about here. And it's, you know, they indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn. So, when they're polluting passion, let me just take a look at this. The feeling or belief that something, someone or something is worthless or despicable or you can, you have contempt towards it.
So, we're trying to fulfill our own agenda. We're indulging in all of the things that are stimulating to our flesh and that stimulate our passion to have this agenda met and without any regard to the kingship of God. Now, we might sing and say very nice, lovely, Christian-y things about God and his power. But when we're actually operating, when the rubber meets the road, we operate, we walk. You see, those who walk, okay, so he's talking about our, he's not talking about our belief.
He's talking about our lifestyle here. And, uh, so, and particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn and despise authority. And he's, he's talking about the authority in the kingdom. He's not going to be talking about, um, he's using a symbolism of authority. So, we can think about, like, police or judges or whatever. But, uh, yeah, he's talking about the kingdom authority. Presumptuous and daring, self-willed and self-loving creatures.
See, it's that, remember, that presumption, that pretension that we're, we're going to, it's just how much we can micromanage in our brain, how smart we are, this situation. They scoff at and revile dignitaries, glorious ones, without trembling. And, um, they scoff at and revile dignitaries and glorious ones without trembling. It's, it's another reflection of just that reverent fear and awe that's lacking. That it won't be there. If we're operating in our own agenda, under our own authority, even though we're putting a bunch of Jesus and God juice on it, we're actually just scoffing and reviling against all of the authority, the, the glorious ones, even without trembling.
Because we need to worship, you know, we need to come to God in fear and trembling. You know, this is how we need to be. Because he has the, the ultimate, all power, the ability to keep our breath and give or take our breath and keep us eternally or, or destroy us eternally. Okay, so, and then here, this explains what I was thinking earlier on, that angel verse. Whereas, he says, even angels, those superior in might and power, do not bring a defaming charge against them before the Lord.
See, because when we start blaming, doing the blaming game with God, then we are acting outside of his authority to be the judge and keeper of those, the, the, the one who keeps those under chastisement until the day of judgment. God is doing this. We are not doing it. The angels don't even accuse, they just operate in the kingdom the way they should be operating in the kingdom, knowing God is resolving. God is doing all of it.
He's delivering me and he's keeping them. He's delivering me and he's keeping them until the day of judgment. He's delivering me out of the temptation and doing the things he's doing for me. And he's doing the things he promises to do with them. We are not to be accusers of others before the Lord. God knows what's cracking. And so if even angels don't do it, then we definitely shouldn't do it. And they know a lot more than we do.
They're in a realm that's, that operates in, they operate in a realm that we can't understand really in the flesh. But these people like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born only to be captured and destroyed. But these people like unreasoning beasts, you think of beasts as this wild animal, mere creatures of instinct. In other words, just fly by night, do this operation regardless of what we can clearly see in the word and the truth and just go at it and just do it, do it, do it, do it.
Born only to be captured and destroyed, railings and things of which they are ignorant. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption and they're destroyed and they shall surely be destroyed. So it's just, again, we're operating, when we operate in our own agenda out in, which is a fleshly realm, we're actually operating in a place that we're in a spirit realm, as God says, we're ignorant and we have an ignorance there. But yet we're railing at things which they are, which we're ignorant of.
So we're trying to get our own agenda and we're coming at the stuff that's of spiritual nature, which we can't even really get our mind around. We're ignorant of. And it says, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption and they're destroying, they shall surely be destroyed. So in there, when we work outside of this place of sacrificial worship, where we're operating in our own agenda, we shall end in destruction. There is no good outcome.
Verse 13, being destined to receive punishment as their reward of their unrighteousness, suffering wrong as the hire for their wrongdoing, they count it a delight to revel in the daytime, live luxuriously and delicately. They are blots and blemishes, blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions and carousing together, even as they feast with you. And this is just the mindset when we're off course in this way, we see it in the body of Christ. It's just like this gay old time.
Everybody just comes together and everybody's having a gay old time. And they're just, even though what they're doing is not representative of the scripture, they're just having a gay old time and just carousing together, having a good old time. We're going to do this and that. And I see it. You can see it in every fellowship. I mean, they're not going to want you to come together and fight and not have a good old time. They'll even find ways outside of, you know, in the flesh to just try to create good times so that people will like being around them and enjoy getting their ears itched and all of these things.
And so it's an amazing thing. This truth is a real deep look at the body of Christ and making sure we're searching out tests and examine our ways and making sure we're not falling into any of these categories. And as we do, we just simply come back in repentance because it grieves us to be out of alignment with what God wants. Uh, but there are blocks and blemishes reveling in their deceptions and carousing together, even as they feast with you.
And, uh, notice we're, we're still there. Bloom where you're planning. Notice that it says as they feast with you. So we are still there in the presence of this situation. So, um, God needs the light to shine in the dark world in the kingdom of God, because there's darkness in the kingdom. This is whole passage is about the darkness in the kingdom. Um, but God, God knows how to rescue us from temptation. And he knows how to keep those who are walking their own way in, uh, uh, you know, uh, contained until that day of destruction, unless they choose to come into repentance.
And that would be a beautiful thing. That's really what God desires says they have eyes full of harlotry insatiable for sin. They beguile and bait and lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covetous lustry. They are children of a curse exposed to cursing. And it's just more illustration of what's going on. Harlotry means they're selling themselves out. They're selling their soul basically to the flesh. And they're, they just are never satisfied. They beguile and bait.
It's always these cunning arguments and these, these messages and preaching that there are are designed to bait and to lure. And they, their hearts are trained because their heart is go doesn't, isn't going after God. It's going after what they want. And so they become, uh, they are children of a curse and exposed to cursing forsaking the straight road. They have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor who loved the reward of wickedness.
Here was a priest who was for hire. He would come bring blessings or cursings, whatever you wanted him to do for money. So, uh, but he had revelation from God. So he was operating in relationship with the creator, but then he would just whore it out and sell it out. So on a surface level, but it looked good. It looked like he was a good thing. But the reality at the end of the day, he was willing to just go to the highest bidder.
And, uh, cause he loved the reward of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his own transgression. When, uh, when a dumb beast of burden spoke with a human voice and check the prophet's badness, that was a, an ass. He spoke through the mouth of an ass to, um, you know, get, get through to the guy, um, the seriousness of what it was doing, where he was whoring out the, uh, the gifting of that God had given him.
He was whoring it out just for a profit. These are springs without water and mists driven along before a tempest. These are springs without water and mists driven along before a tempest for whom is reserved forever. The bloom of darkness. This is the outcome, not a good one for utterly loud boasts of folly. They beguile and lure and with lustful desires of the flesh. Those who are barely escaping from them who are wrongdoers for utter, uttering loud boasts of folly.
Yeah, they definitely can be boisterous about it. They beguile, they deceive and lure with lustful desires of the flesh. We want our kids to have good grades in school. Yeah, of course we do. Yeah. So let's, so let's promote it and have special days where we just want to talk about that. It's a good thing in the flesh. Absolutely. It's absolutely good. Absolutely good. If I'm, if I'm not operating in the spiritual kingdom of God and I'm operating in the flesh, it should be all about my grades and how well I can do and get a, go to college and get an education and get, get a good paying job in life.
And it should be all about that. And so there's, there's, there are those that are escaping. See, that's the thing is we, uh, it seems like, um, some of these doctrines, like if we just keep praying for that diabetes, we're going to be freed from it and it's going to go away. But the fact is, is we're not praying for the, we're not praying to miss because we're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved.
We're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved. We're praying to be saved. We're praying to miss because we're praying for a selfish ambition and motive to not be sick anymore. We're not trying to, we're not seeking to be transformed at the core of it and the issues that are actually causing it. Which is, um, not treating the temple of God correctly.
We're destroying the temple of God and he's destroying us. He's only doing what his word says. Now there are some that have sickness and disease that are not caused by sin, but there are less and more, a few, fewer. But even then, then the healing becomes about God's glory being promoted either way. It's about God's glory being promoted so that others are drawn to him. It's got nothing to do with the sickness. Anyone is made inferior or worse is overcome to that person, by whatever anyone has made inferior or worse or has overcome, to that person or thing he is enslaved.
So these are the things as we operate in our own agenda, it becomes our master. For if they, if after they had escaped the pollutions of the world through the full personal knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, they again became entangled in them and are overcome. Their last condition is worse for them than the first. For if after they had, and I'll read it again. For after they had escaped the pollutions of the world through the full personal knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, they, they again became entangled in them and were overcome.
And I can totally attest to this. I can totally attest to this. During that year of transformation. And I was not operating quickly as I became a nitpicking backfighter and I wasn't allowing God to operate through me and his glory to be promoted through me so others would be drawn to him. I was trying to pretentiously, why can't you get this? You know, you're dying in disease and all you have to do is get this and get this revelation and you're going to be transformed by God's truth.
But I, instead of allowing God to operate in each of his children at third pace in time, I insisted on trying to do it my way and end up going right back into the very thing that God had delivered me from. And I found my outcome was much worse. My condition this time ended up worse than it was initially because I knew the truth. I walked in it. I was delivered and transformed by it. And then I chose to reject it and go my own way again.
And I'm still in that process of coming back. I mean, it has been a long journey back, but I am on my way and my heart is going after God. I say, God, I know today I might've failed here, failed there, but keep transforming me. Keep, uh, forgive me, Lord. I confess I've been, I've wronged. And, uh, you know, and all of these things that are required in the relationship, uh, for it to function correctly. Um, I'm just continuing to try to stay bunker down in that secret place and that transforming place.
Cause I know once again, God will come and transform me yet again. Cause he is a good, a good God like that. He wants none to perish for never verse 21, for never to have obtained a full personal knowledge of the way of righteousness would have been better for them than having obtained such knowledge to turn back from the holy commandment, which was verbally delivered to them. Yep. And I can confess that's me. They have, uh, there has they fallen them.
The things spoken of in the true proverb, the dog turns back to his own vomit and the sow is washed only to wallow again in the mire. Wow. What an amazing way to end that. And it would be better if not to got the revelation, not get the transformation. Instead of getting that being transformed by it, then going away back into the mire and the, and the vomit, as he says here, what an amazing truth. Wow.
What an amazing passage. Um, that's a, that's a heavy body of Christ right there. Heavy body of Christ gives us lots of warning, lots of things to look for when we're, when we're searching out, testing and examining our ways so we can return to the Lord. Um, uh, that's heavy. That'd be a good one to meditate on today. And it is a reminder that, uh, second Peter two is a treasure in Christ and a true treasure in heaven.
And then God is Jehovah. Oh, Ida Ruan. My guy is Paris most. Our Lord God knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. Oh, heavenly father. We thank you today for this truth. This is a serious truth. Father God, this is an amazing truth for the body of Christ. It gives us the standard operating procedures of what to look for. So I pray for the whole body of Christ today that we'll be able to discern better these things as we search out, test and examine our ways so that we can return to you father God, for you are a gracious and merciful God to those who humble themselves under your powerful hand.
So I know that this is a, will be a blessing as it goes forth. I pray you'll transform us by it today in Jesus name. Amen.
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