1:1-11 (1:1) First Peter was written just before the time that the Roman emperor Nero began his persecution of Christians. Second Peter was written two or three years later (between A.D. 66 and 68), after persecution had intensified. First Peter was a letter of encouragement to the Christians who suffered, but 2 Peter focuses on the church s internal problems, especially on the false teachers who were causing people to doubt their faith and turn away from Christianity. Second Peter combats their heresies by denouncing the evil motives of the false teachers and reaffirming Christianity s truths the authority of Scripture, the primacy of faith, and the certainty of Christ s return. Why is it important that Bible teaching be correct? (1:2) Many believers want an abundance of God s grace and peace, but they are unwilling to put forth the effort to get to know him better through Bible study and prayer. To enjoy the privileges God offers us freely, we must grow in our knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. Do you study the Bible on your own? How often do you read the Bible? Do you pray outside of Bible Study? Is there room for improvement concerning your Bible Study and Prayer times? (1:3, 4) The power to lead a godly life comes from God. Because we don t have the resources to be truly godly. God allows us to share his divine nature in order to keep us from sin and help us live for him. When we are born again, God by his Spirit empowers us with his own goodness. Are you encouraged knowing that God has given you the ability to do what is right? Does this make you think you can resist temptation easier? (1:5-9) Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away (James 2:14-17). Peter lists several of faith s action: learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God s will, loving others. These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don t finish one and start on the next, but we work on them together. God empowers and enables us, but he also gives us the responsibility to learn and grow. Are you working to grow in your faith? In what way? (1:6) False teachers were saying that self-control was not needed because deeds do not help the believer anyway. It is true that deeds cannot save us, but it is absolutely false to think that they are unimportant. We are saved so that we can grow to resemble Christ and serve others. God wants to produce his character in us. But to do this, he demands our discipline and effort. As we obey Christ, who guides us by his Spirit, we will develop self-control not only with respect to food and drink but also with respect to our emotions. Like an athlete who trains to get better, a Christian should continually train in order to grow stronger. What training are you incorporating into your faith so that you can run the Christian race effectively? (1:9) Our faith must go beyond what we believe; it must become a dynamic part of all we do, resulting in good fruit and spiritual maturity. Salvation does not depend on good deeds, but it results in good deeds. A person who claims to be saved while remaining unchanged does not understand faith or what God has done for him or her. (1:10) Peter wanted to rouse the complacent believers who had listened to the false teachers and believed that because salvation is not based on good deeds they could live any way they wanted. If you truly belong to the Lord, Peter wrote, your hard work will prove it. If you re not working to develop the qualities listen in 1:5-7, you may not belong to him. If you are the Lord s and your hard work backs up your claim to be chosen by God you will be able to resist the lure of false teaching or glamorous sin. What does your life say about your faith? Spiritual Growth Challenge: Be sure you are training (Praying, reading your Bible, witnessing) so that your faith is growing.
1:12-21 (1:12-15) Outstanding coaches constantly review the basics of the sport with their teams, and good athletes can execute the fundamentals consistently well. Believers must not neglect the basics of their faith, even as they go on to study deeper truths. Just as an athlete needs constant practice, Christians need constant reminders of the fundamentals of our faith and of how we came to believe in the first place. Don t allow yourself to be bored or impatient with messages on the basics of the Christian life. Instead, take the attitude of an athlete who continues to practice and refine the basics. How well do you know the Basics of your faith? (1:13, 14) Peter knew that he would die soon. Many years before, Christ had prepared Peter for the kind of death he would face. At this time, Peter knew that his death was at hand. Peter was martyred for the faith about A.D. 68. According to one tradition, he was crucified upside down, at his own request, because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Master. What do you think about Peter s request to be crucified upside down? (1:16-21) This section is a strong statement on the inspiration of Scripture. Peter affirms that the Old Testament prophets wrote God s messages. He puts himself and the other apostles in the same category because they also proclaim God s truth. The Bible is not a collection of fables or human ideas about God. It is God s very words given through people to people. Peter emphasized his authority of Scripture to prepare the way for his harsh words against the false teachers. If these wicked men were contradicting the apostles and the Bible, their message could not be from God. What do Peter s words about the authority of Scripture mean for us today? How should we treat the message of the Holy Bible? (1:19) Christ is the Morning Star, and when he returns, he will shine in his full glory. Until that day we have Scripture and the Holy Spirit to illuminate it for us and guide us as we seek the truth. How important are the words of the Holy Bible to you? How do you demonstrate this respect for God s Word? (1:20, 21) Those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God means that Scripture did not come from the creative work of the prophets own invention or interpretation. God inspired the writers, so their message is authentic and reliable. God used the talents, education, and cultural background of each writer (they were not mindless robots): and God cooperated with the writers in such a way to ensure that the message He intended was faithfully communicated in the very words they wrote. So the Bible is not a random collection of ancient writings, but a specific God inspired and God collected group of writings that share a common message. What do you think about this? Spiritual Growth Challenge: Make a point to consistently read and study God s Word this week. Read through the whole book of 2 Peter at least 3 times.
2:1-9 (2:1) Jesus had told the disciples that false teachers would come. Peter had heard these words, and at this time he was seeing them come true. Just as false prophets had contradicted the true prophets in Old Testament times, telling people only what they wanted to hear, so false teachers were twisting Christ s teachings and the words of his apostles. These teachers were belittling the significance of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Some claimed that Jesus couldn t be God; others claimed that he couldn t have been a real man. These teachers allowed and even encouraged all kinds of immorality, especially sexual sin. We must be careful to avoid false teachers today. Any book, CD series, TV or internet message must be evaluated in the light of God s Word. Beware of special meanings or interpretations that belittle Christ or his work. What would you do if you questioned whether something a teacher taught you was true or not? Would this be the right response? (2:3) Peter gives three warning signs for identifying false teachers: (1) Immorality. Do their lives contain or condone immoral practices? Does the group listening to the false teachers have a lot of immoral sexual relationships? (2) Greed. Teachers have a right to financial support, but is money the teacher s or group s primary motivation? Before you send or give money to any cause evaluate it carefully. Is the teacher or preacher clearly serving God or merely promoting his/her own interests? Will the person or organization use the money to promote valid ministry, or will it merely finance further promotions or extravagant lifestyles? We may not always know the answers to these questions, so consulting other Christian leaders we respect would be wise. (3) Lying. Is the leader offended when you ask for the scriptural backing behind his/her statements? Does he/she fudge on the facts when asked for evidence? Believers today would do well to heed Peter s warnings against false teachers; the danger is great. Again, we may not always have enough information to make a decision on our own, which is why we should have good godly council around us, and should consult them when necessary. (2:4-6) If God did not spare angels, or people who lived before the Flood, or the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, he would not spare these false teachers. These words that promised justice were a great comfort to those who were oppressed. God will punish all evil doers. These words also served as a warning to wanderers to not stray away from the truth. Some people would have us believe that God will save all people because he is so loving. But it is foolish to think that God will cancel the last judgment. Don t ever minimize the certainty of God s judgment on those who rebel against him. How does the fact that God will one day judge evil impact you? Are you glad about this, does this bother you, are you not sure how you feel about it? (2:7-9) Just as God rescued Lot from Sodom, so he is able to rescue us from the temptation and trials we face in a wicked world. Lot was not sinless, but he put his trust in God and was spared when Sodom was destroyed. God also will judge those who cause the temptations and trials, so we need never worry about justice being done. Why is justice important? Spiritual Growth Challenge: This week pray for your spiritual leaders (pastors/teachers) that they will always preach/teach truth from God s Word. Ask God to help them stay away from error and to have pure hearts as servants of God.
2:10-22 (2:10-12) The supernatural beings may be angels, all the glories of the unseen world, or more probably, fallen angels. Whoever they are, the false teachers slandered the spiritual realities they did not understand, taking Satan s power lightly and claiming to have the ability to judge evil. Many in our world today mock the supernatural. They deny the reality of the spiritual world and claim that only what can be seen and felt is real. Like the false teachers of Peter s day, they are fools who will be proven wrong in the end. Don t take Satan and his supernatural powers of evil lightly, and don t become arrogant about how defeated he will be. Although Satan will be destroyed completely, he is at work now trying to render Christians complacent and ineffective. How do we resist or overcome the work of our enemy the Devil? (2:13, 14) The fellowship meal may have been part of the celebration of the Lord s Supper a full meal that ended with Communion. The false teachers, although they were sinning openly, took part in these meals with everyone else in the church. In one of the greatest of hypocritical acts, they attended a sacred meal designed to promote love and unity among believers, while at the same time they gossiped and slandered those who disagreed with their opinions. Paul told the Corinthians, So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27). These men were guilty of more than false teaching and promoting evil pleasures; they were guilty of leading others away from God s Son, Jesus. Why is gossip and slander so damaging to the Body of Christ (fellowship of believers)? (2:15) Balaam was hired by a pagan king to curse Israel. He did what God told him to do for a time (Numbers 22-24), but eventually his evil motives and desires for money won out. Like the false teachers of Peter s day, Balaam used religion for personal advancement, a sin that God does not take lightly. What is the most notable part of Balaam s story? Anyone know? (2:19) A person is a slave to whatever controls him or her. Many believe that freedom means doing anything we want. But no one is ever completely free in that sense. If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our own sinful desires and become enslaved to what our body wants. If we submit our lives to Christ, he will free us from slavery to sin. Christ frees us to serve him, a freedom that results in our ultimate good. Does any sin own you? How can we be free from the trap of sinful habits? (2:20-22) Peter is speaking of people who have learned about Christ and how to be saved but then reject the truth and return to their sin. These people are worse off than before because they have rejected the only way out of sin, the only way of salvation. Like someone sinking in quicksand who refuses to grab the rope thrown to him or here, the person who turns away from Christ rejects the only means of escape. Pray as a group that each one will resist temptation and the pull of sin. Spiritual Growth Challenge: This week know that you are free to do what is right. Don t allow yourself to get caught up in not sinning, but get caught up in living in a way that glorifies God.
3:1-18 (3:3, 4) In the last days scoffers will say that Jesus is never coming back, but Peter refutes their argument by explaining God s mastery over time. The last days is the time between Christ s first and second comings; thus, we, like Peter, live in the last days. We must do the work to which God has called us and believe that he will return as he promised. What should we do when people mock Christianity? How can we be faithful to Christ while we wait for His return? (3:7) In Noah s day the earth was judged by water; at the Second Coming it will be judged by fire. This fire is described Revelation 19:20; 20:10-15. (3:8, 9) God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he just is not on our timetable (Psalm 90:40). Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ anytime, even today; yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years. Who do you know that needs Christ as their Savior? Could you tell them about what Jesus did for them? Could you invite them to DMW to learn more about Jesus? (3:10, 11) The day of the Lord is the day of God s judgment on the earth. Here it is used in reference to Christ s return. Christ s second coming will be sudden and terrible for those who do not believe in him. But if we are morally clean and spiritually alert, it won t come as a sur- prise. Realizing that the earth is going to be burned up, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to earth and its treasures or pursuits. Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions or striving to develop Christ-like character? (3: 14) We should not become lazy and complacent because Christ has not yet returned. Instead, we should live in eager expectation of his coming. What would you like to be doing when Christ returns? That is how you should be living each day. (3:15-18) Peter and Paul had very different backgrounds and personalities, and they preached from different viewpoints. Paul emphasized salvation by grace, not law, while Peter preferred to talk about Christian life and service. The two men did not contradict each other, however, they always held each other in high esteem. The false teachers intentionally misused Paul s writings by distorting them to condone lawlessness. No doubt this made the teachers popular, because people always like to have their favorite sins justified, but the purpose was to totally destroy Paul s message. Paul may have been thinking of teachers like these when he wrote in Romans 6:15: Since God s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Peter warned his readers to avoid the mistakes of those wicked teachers by growing in the special favor and knowledge of Jesus. The better we know Jesus, the less attractive false teaching will be. When you know the truth of God s Word, it is easier to spot false teaching. Knowing God s Word helps you also to know the character of God, which is righteous...the Bible says false teachers are filled with pride and unrighteous behavior. Are you a sincere student of God s Word (truth)? Spiritual Growth Challenge: Memorize 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but he wants everyone to repent.