ungodly – Me From the Inside Out

based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w6d1

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-10 and SOAP: 2 Peter 2:9

—if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment,
2 Peter 2:9 NET

My commentary today is borrowed from bibleref.com, which I believe offers us a clear explanation of this important warning from Peter. The warning he gave is just as important today as it was in the early church – and should be taken seriously and not forgotten. I believe it should be talked about among believers and passed on to our children so that we are ready and alert to any false teachers among us. This is another reason to study God’s Word for ourselves, faithfully searching the Scriptures day after day and making an effort to hide it in our hearts.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
Acts 17:11 NLT

In 2 Peter chapter 2, Peter describes and harshly condemns the false teachers who had entered the church. He promises their destruction, which will be brought by God. Peter also shows the impact of their lies on those who might believe them.

Who are these false teachers? They were not strangers who showed up spouting false doctrine in a full frontal attack against the community of Christians. Instead, they came from within the church. They were sneaky. They “secretly” introduced their destructive heresies, or “lies about the truth.”

In verse nine, Peter finally concludes his long “if” statement by arriving at the “then.” This is his conclusion.

The point of this lengthy statement has been this: God’s judgment is coming. The false teachers in the church will be condemned and destroyed. This is not a question of “if” God will repay, only “when.” If God condemned the rebellious angels and the world of Noah’s day and Sodom and Gomorrah, then He won’t hold back in condemning those rebelling against Him now.

But there’s more to the sentence: If God saved Noah and Lot, men He declared to be righteous, He will also save those He declares to be righteous now. God knows how to do both. He knows how to rescue His people, the ones He declares to be godly, from trials. And He knows how to hold those who are ungodly to be punished for their rebellion on the coming day of His judgment.

The message is clear. We may be tempted to look at the world and think that those who oppose God are winning. It may seem that standing with God costs more than it’s worth. We must never forget that God is still paying attention. Destruction will come, and so will salvation. The faithfulness we demonstrate today will be vindicated, one day.

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

Search the Word daily

to familiarize yourself with it
to help you know when someone is teaching something other than the truth
and to keep you from falling into sin
trust that God is in perfect control and knows how to rescue His people
trust that He will one day punish the rebellion of the ungodly

QUESTION FOR THE JOURNEY

How does knowing that God rescued Noah and Lot from their societies reassure you in your current circumstances?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Father, thank You for the reminder that You will rescue the godly from their trials! We live in an increasingly wicked world. We live among those who distort Your truth and seek to bring down Your people. Yet we have nothing to fear for You are in perfect control! You have not lost sight of the ungodly and You have not forgotten us who seek to follow after You -so we do not need to be discouraged or afraid for You are our God, You are always with us and You have promised to hold us up with Your victorious right hand and to one day punish the rebellion of the ungodly. We trust in You – in Your power and Your Word! Help us not to be lazy or idle in living out our faith in God, but always on the alert. Keep us faithful to study and live out Your Word, aware of Your presence and trusting in Your promises. – Amen in the mighty name of Jesus –

THE MORE WE KNOW

For further help understanding today’s passage, visit Bibleref.com/2 Peter chapter 2, where you will find a complete summary of the chapter and commentary on each verse.

Read: Hosea 13:1-3 and Psalm 1; SOAP: Psalm 1:6

Hosea 13:1-3 The Lord’s Anger against Israel

When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
    the people shook with fear,
    for that tribe was important in Israel.
But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal
    and thus sealed their destruction.
²Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
    images shaped skillfully with human hands.
“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
    “and kiss the calf idols!”
³Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
    like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
    like smoke from a chimney.

Psalm 1

¹Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
²But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
³They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

⁴But not the wicked!
    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
⁵They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
    Sinners will have no place among the godly.
⁶For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Instead of using what God had given them to do great things for His glory, they used their skills to make idols. Instead of investing their lives in eternity, they foolishly invested in the temporal.
Read the full LGG devotional –

Reflection question: What correlation do you see between our two passages today? (Specifically the events of Hosea 13:1-3 and the warning of Psalm 1.)

Gather with a group of friends this week for coffee (or tea, or cupcakes) and have an honest talk about what you think your gifts and talents are – and how you would use them for God if nothing stood in your way. Encourage one another to find one small way to take action and honor God with their gifts in the coming month. Then plan a date to get back together to check-in.
Weekly Challenge

Memory Verse: Hosea 14:9

Prayer Focus: Spend time praying for yourself this week. Feel free to share a request with us.

Tag: ungodly

The Hope of Rescue