EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/22/2025
6:40 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “Their Perversion”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Peter 2:20-22
Message
of the verses: 20 For if, after
they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the
latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it was better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than, having known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered to them. 22 But it has
happened to them according to the true proverb: “The dog returns to his own
vomit,” and, “The sow, that was washed, returns to her wallowing in the mire.”
This evening I begin the very last section in the 2nd chapter
of 2 Peter, a chapter that I have enjoyed studying again, as it has been a
while since I have studied it before. I
will continue to take the same format that I have been doing for a while now as
I will quote from John MacArthur’s commentary and the quote some of the verses that
he includes in his commentary on this section.
“To be
sure, the false teachers of Peter’s day were outwardly religious people. They had professed faith in Jesus Christ and
probably convinced the people that they knew far more about Him than they
actually did. Otherwise they would not
have been able to infiltrate the church to effectively.” I have mentioned before that when a true
believer dies and goes directly to heaven that they will have three
surprises. First who is there, second
who is not there, and third, they are there.
Now the ones who are not there that perhaps they think should not be
there are people who you had no idea were believers. The ones that are not there that you think should be there are like these false
teachers Peter speaks of. Now as far as
being there their yourself, the glory of heaven will be so overwhelming to you
that you will be surprised of the grace of God who saved you through the shed
blood of Jesus Christ.
“In
pursuing religion, specifically Christianity, they in a sense escaped
the defilements of the world.
Defilements, or ‘pollution,’ is miasma, a transliterated word
in English that conveys the same meaning as it does in the Greek: ‘A vaporous exhalation formerly believed to
cause disease…an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt.’ The debauched system of the world produces,
as it were, poisonous vapors, infections evils, and moral pollutions in very
conceivable form. Unsaved humanity is heavily contaminated by the world’s
immorality and vanity, and some, such as those who become false teachers, seek
to escape it. They do so by the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, finding provisional shelter
in the church. Such knowledge is
an accurate awareness about Christ, but it is not a saving knowledge of Him
(Matt. 7:21-23; Heb. 5:4-6; 10:26-29).”
“21 ¶ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in
your name cast out demons, and in your name did many wonderful works?’ 23
And then I shall profess to them, ‘I
never knew you; depart from me, you who practice iniquity.’”
“4 For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have
become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the world to come, 6 and if they fall away, to renew them
again to repentance, since they crucify for themselves the Son of God,
and put him to an open shame.”
“26 For if we sin willfully after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a
sacrifice for sins, 27 but a
certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which
will devour the adversaries. 28 Any man
who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose
will he be thought worthy who trampled the Son of God underfoot, and counted
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,
and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
“Thus, their efforts ultimately result in nothing more
than temporary and superficial moral reform through religion—the religion of
nominal Christianity, devoid of genuine faith and repentance.”
Lord
willing we will continue looking at these verses through the avenue that I have
been using, in tomorrow evening SD.
12/22/2025 7:15 PM
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