07 Sep You Can Make It
2 Peter 2:4-10 – For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
When our kids were little, we explained to them that they could always use the water in the kitchen sink for whatever they needed. We were also clear that they were not to touch any of the cleaning supplies under the sink. The kids probably wondered why we were so serious about this point, and it was because we loved them and wanted to keep them from harm. Peter has the same kind of tone when he tells the church family to beware of false prophets and false teachers, using four historic examples.
One, some angels in Heaven rebelled against God, were kicked out, have no possibility of salvation, and are continuing their fight against God on the earth by empowering false religious leaders to twist the Scriptures. It’s the same old trick of the evil Dragon in the Garden of Eden.
Two, God patiently waited 120 years for folks to repent of their constant sin, even sending Noah to preach and providing an ark as a means of escape. Everyone kept laughing until it started raining and they had to start swimming.
Three, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were filled with such constant naughtiness that even the two angels God sent were chosen to be sexually assaulted by the men in those towns. So, God turned on the self-cleaning oven for both cities.
Four, Lot was a believer who foolishly moved his family to live in Sodom and Gomorrah. God had them run for their lives before he torched the town, and his wife looked back because she longed for her old licentious lifestyle. Escaping to the hills, his daughters devised a plan to get him drunk and have him impregnate them. It just goes to show, not only do we need to get out of hell, we need to get hell out of us.
In each example, there is perversion with defiling passion, and rebellion with despising authority. The same demonic spirits are at work in every day, including our day, and always trying to find a way to entice Christians to join the conga line to the pit. Thankfully, for those whose eyes are open, God always provides a way of escape as He knows how to rescue the godly from trials. The key is this – when trials come choose God and godliness.
How has God rescued you from self-destruction?
To download the free e-book Power Under Pressure which is a study in 2 Peter for individuals, groups, and families from Pastor Mark click HERE. To listen to Pastor Mark’s 4 sermons on 2 Peter preached in the summer of 2020, visit legacy.realfaith.com. These and other resources are made possible by our ministry partners who support Real Faith as a Bible teaching ministry of Mark Driscoll Ministries to whom we say THANK YOU!
