Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
You are encouraged to read this whole chapter. For space, it is not copied here but you can click the link below. Before you read the whole chapter think about the first phrase – Give thanks to the LORD. The Hebrew word for LORD here is Yahweh, God’s personal name. This is a reminder to the people that God, the personal God, who has chosen you out of all the nations of the world, is good. His steadfast love endures. He is personal and near. He is the cosmic creator who sees humanity in their lowly estate. Give thanks to Him, his love endures.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Peter 2 – Christian Standard Bible
2 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment; 5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones; 11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—slander what they do not understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery that never stop looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse! 15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness 16 but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. 18 For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them. 20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
What similarities do you find in Peter’s three examples of God’s judgment? He writes of fallen angels, the flood, and the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Do you see a main point(s) he is making in these three catastrophic events? Give it some thought now, then come back.
Okay, what did you find? Of course, we don’t know Peter’s mind exactly, but some things that these historical examples point to include: God’s judgment is sure because he is a just God. No one escapes judgment (unless Christ takes their judgment on himself). Human choices matter, and in some cases in eternal fashion. God’s judgment is a serious thing. We disregard it to our own peril. God’s grace is also a serious thing. We experience it to our own joy. If you are prone to self-judgement, take a few minutes and tell God that you believe him when he says you are “not guilty.” Remember and reflect on the fact that if you are a Christian, Christ has suffered your judgement, and you are now free from it. If you are prone to thinking you are “okay” and you don’t do a lot of self-condemnation, then you should very much lean into how much of a sinner you are. You should give thanks that Christ has taken your sin debt on himself. You may feel like you are a “likable” person, and perhaps you are. Regardless of what you feel, you are a sinner in need of a savior. Remember that and be grateful.