Steve Webb 0:00 Nothing is more important than you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. Steve Webb 0:06 This is the Lifespring! One Year Bible coming to you from Riverside, California and podcasting since 2004. My name is Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster. It's epistle Sunday, and we'll read the book of Second Peter. and being Sunday, we'll also have a time of prayer. The website is Lifespringmedia.com. and I'll have contact information at the end of the show before we read. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we love you so much, Lord, and we thank you for our time together around your work. I pray, Lord, that as we read today, you would teach us touch our hearts, Lord, give us something, Lord that we can use in our lives today. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. All right, are you ready? Let's begin. Steve Webb 0:50 Second Peter, chapter one, from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to you who have received a faith as valuable as ours, because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right. Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because you truly know God and Jesus, our Lord. Jesus has the power of God by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know Him. Jesus called us by His glory and goodness. Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God's nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires. Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives, to your faith, add goodness, and to your goodness, add knowledge and to your knowledge, add self control, and to your self control, add patience, and to your patients. Add service for God into your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ. and to this kindness, add love. If all these things are in you, and you're growing, they will help you to be useful and productive and your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who does not have these things cannot see clearly. He is blind and has forgotten that he was made clean from these past sins. My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall and you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know these things and you're very strong in the truth, but I will always help you remember them. I think it is right for me to help you remember, as long as I am in this body, I know I must soon leave this body as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me I will try my best so that you may be able to remember these things even after I'm gone. When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. Jesus heard the voice of God, the greatest glory when he received honor and glory from God the Father, the voice said, This is my Son, whom I love, and I'm very pleased with him. We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain. This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave, it is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place until the day begins, and the morning star rises in your hearts. Most of all, you must understand this. No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the Prophets own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say. But people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. Steve Webb 3:44 Second Peter chapter two. There used to be false prophets among God's people, just as you will have some false teachers in your group, they will secretly teach things that are wrong teachings that will cause people to be lost. They will even refuse to accept the Master Jesus who bought their freedom. So they will bring quick ruin on themselves. Many will follow their evil ways and say evil things about the way of truth. Those false teachers only want your money. So they will use you by telling you lies. Their judgment spoken against them long ago is still coming. and their ruin is certain. When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell and put them in Caves of Darkness where they are being held for judgment. and God punished the world long ago when he brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against him. But God saved Noah who preached about being right with God and seven other people with Him. and God also destroyed the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them until they were ashes. He made those cities an example of what will happen to those who were against God. But he saved lot from those cities a lot. A good man was troubled because of the filthy lives of evil people. Light was a good man but because He lived with evil people every day. His good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw in hurt. So the Lord knows how to save those who serve Him when troubles come, he will hold evil people and punish them while waiting for the Judgment Day. That punishment is especially for those who live by doing the evil things that are sinful lives want and who hate authority. These false teachers are bold and do anything they want. They are not afraid to speak against the angels. But even the angels who are much stronger and more powerful than false teachers, do not accuse them with insults before the Lord. But these people speak against things they do not understand. They are like animals that act without thinking. animals born to be caught and killed. and like animals, these false teachers will be destroyed. They have caused many people to suffer. So they themselves will suffer. That is their pay for what they have done. They take pleasure in openly doing evil, so they are like dirty spots and stains among you. They delight in deceiving you while eating meals with you. Every time they look at a woman they want her and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into the trap of sin. and they have taught their hearts to be greedy, God will punish them. These false teachers left the right road and lost their way following the way Baylin went balem was the son of br who loved being paid for doing wrong. But a donkey which cannot talk told balem he was sinning. It spoke with a man's voice and stopped the prophets crazy thinking. Those false teachers are like springs without water and clouds blown by a storm. A place in the blackest darkness has been kept for them. They brag with words that mean nothing. By their evil desires. They lead people into the trap of sin, people who are just beginning to escape from others who live in error. They promised them freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of things that will be destroyed. For people are slaves of anything that controls them. They were made free from the evil in the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they return to evil things and those things control them, then it is worse for them than it was before. Yes, it would be better for them to have never known the right way than to know it and turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them. What they did is like this true saying a dog goes back to what it is thrown up. and after a pig is washed, it goes back in rules in the mud. Steve Webb 7:31 Second Peter chapter three. My friends this is the second letter I've written you to help your honest minds remember, I want you to think about the words the holy prophets spoke in the past, every member that command our Lord and Savior gave us through your apostles. It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days, people will laugh at you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do. They will say Jesus promised to come again where is he are father’s have died. But the world continues the way it has been since it was made. But they do not want to remember what happened long ago, by the Word of God heaven was made and the earth was made from water and with water, then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. and that same word of God is keeping Heaven and Earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God. But do not forget this one thing dear friends, to the Lord one day is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as one day. The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised the way some people understand slowness, but God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything in it will be exposed. In that way everything will be destroyed. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy lives and serve God as you wait for and look forward to the coming of the day of God. When that day comes, the skies will be destroyed with fire and everything in them will melt with heat. But God made a promise to us and we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where goodness lives. Dear friends, since you are waiting for this to happen, do your best to be without sin and without fault. Try to be at peace with God. Remember that we're saved because our Lord is patient. Our dear brother Paul told you the same thing when he wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes about this in all his letters. Some things in Paul's letters are hard to understand. and people who are ignorant and weaken the faith explain these things falsely. They also falsely explained the other scriptures but they are destroying themselves by doing this. Dear friends since you all already know about this, be careful. Do not let those evil people lead you away by the wrong they do. Be careful so you will not fall from your strong faith, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to Him now and forever, amen. Steve Webb 10:20 Today I'd like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter, first the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in the Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they're a problem today. False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivation is often for money, sometimes for power, and never for the benefit of the listener. Some false teachers have small followings. Some have millions. So how do you know if someone is a false teacher? A counterfeit? Well, thankfully, it's not really all that hard. You need to know what Scripture says, When you know the real thing. Well, counterfeits are easy to detect. You don't really need to study what the false teachers teach. All you need to study is the real, you study the Word of God. This podcast is a good start in knowing the Bible, but it's no substitute for you're actually applying yourself to deep discipline study on your own. Having a Bible teaching pastor is important. Being part of a good Bible study group is important. Having trusted and godly friends is important. But nothing is more important than you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. As you study, I suggest you pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. That is a prayer that is always answered. and the more you study, the more you'll begin to understand. and the easier it will be to identify false teachers. and then the next point I'd like to discuss is the second coming of Jesus. One thing you'll often hear when having discussions with people about the Second Coming is somebody will say, yeah, right. Christians have been saying Jesus was coming back since the church began, they say look at the signs, but nothing is really any different today than it was then they'll say, well, doesn't that just sound like chapter three? Verse four from our reading today? Here it is, again, they will say Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died. But the world continues the way it has been since it was made. So remember, Peter was talking about what it would be like in the last days, he said they'd laugh at you, and then they would make that statement. But Peter reminds us that the world is different. It hasn't always been the way it is. Now, he says, but they do not want to remember what happened long ago, by the Word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water, then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. and that same word of God is keeping heaven on earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They're being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God. Beloved, Jesus is coming. Now, I don't know when but I personally think it will be very, very soon. Well, no man knows the time or the hour, but it sure does seem like it'll be soon. What do you think? Let me know. Tomorrow will be the law Monday. and we'll read Deuteronomy 16 through 19. Steve Webb 13:23 John train came in today with his monthly $50 donation, making him Our executive producer. Thank you, John, God bless you. You know, beloved, that when you donate to the show, you are actively participating with me and bringing the Word of God to the world. You're not behind the microphone, but you are a vital part of this ministry. I literally could not do this without the help of the Lifespring family. and if you've not yet donated, I'm inviting you now to join with me and the other Lifespring family members in the work. What value has the Lifespring! One Year Bible brought to your life? Is it just another podcast and you're listening rotation? Or does it mean something more? This season will soon come to a close? There's just a little more than a month left? helped me to bring it home, won't you be part of the work? If the show is brought value to you returned some of that value at Lifespringmedia.com sash supports. I'll thank you and I believe that God will bless you. Steve Webb 14:24 Praises and pray requests. Well guess what? Both Kathi and Del have COVID. Del came down with it first, his symptoms were very flu like including vomiting and diarrhea. After two days of it, his daughter took him to the VA hospital where they ran tests and determined that Yep, it's COVID. So they kept him there for about two days and then sent him home. Now Kathi, who as you know is being treated for cancer came down with the same symptoms the day after Del was hospitalized. The daughter took her to Loma Linda University Medical Center where she who tested positive for COVID. and they kept Kathi overnight, but they didn't give her any meds because of the cancer meds she's taking, they didn't know what interactions the COVID meds might have with a cancer meds. So they sent her home to write it out. and that's where she is now. So let's pray that both Kathi and Del recover quickly showing. and remember, Del's heart has only about 20% function, so this is tough for him as well. and as I record this on Saturday night, Hurricane Hillary, Hillary is making his way up the coast of Baja California bearing down on Southern California. Now last time I checked, it was a category two storm but by the time it gets here, it's expected to have weakened to tropical storm status. But flooding is expected across the area. Even death valley is expected received between two and three inches of rain, which is more than two typical years worth I think it's more like five or six years. Some areas of the desert just east of me are expecting to get up to 10 inches. Yeah, the desert 10 inches. Flooding is not likely where I am since I'm on high ground, but winds might cause some damage to trees in some structures. and that's across southern California. Power outages are expected as well as internet, so I might not be able to produce Monday show for you. The weather service is saying that this could be the worst storm to hit Southern California since 1938. So let's pray that they're wrong. Most of the time, strong storm predictions here in Southern California ended up not being true. So let's pray that Hillary ends up weakening to a few scattered showers. and speaking of the hurricane, my friend Bryan Duncan is scheduled to fly in from a gig in Europe on Sunday, which is when the hurricane is supposed to be passing through. and I'm supposed to pick him up at Palm Springs airport. Well, that area is supposed to get a ton of rain. So my guess is that the flight will not be coming in on time. and it'll be interesting to see how that changes. Let's pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much for teaching us from Your Word what is true. As we read and as we study, we pray that you would embed your truth into our hearts and our minds. keep us from being deceived, Lord and help us to help others who have been led astray. We pray now for Del and Kathi, Lord, we pray that you would strengthen them, help them to recover quickly from this virus. and we thank you for their daughters who take such good care of them. Bless them and their families. As the storm moves across Baja and California, I pray that the damage it brings will be light or even non existent Lord, I pray that you would protect the vulnerable. I pray for Bryan's flight Lord and others that are scheduled. Keep them safe father with a minimum of disruption especially for families that are traveling. and now Lord, I thank you for the Lifespring family and I pray that were there our needs, you will meet them in your perfect and loving way. Walk with us, Lord, as we seek to know you better each day. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen. Our next time to pray together will be this coming Wednesday. Let me know how we can pray with you. Steve Webb 18:22 Here's how you can reach me call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1-951-732-8511 Or for prayer requests and praise reports go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and if you have a comment or a question for me go to comment.lifespringmedia.com My email address is steve@lifespringmedia.com. and of course you can always send the Boostagram I love to get those things. All you need is a modern podcast app that you can get at podcast apps.com. Steve Webb 18:59 Thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner Scott Snider Jason Paschall who did today show our Thank you Jason and sister Brittaney for their generous donations of time and talent. Thanks to John train for helping to make this episode possible. and thank you, beloved, for inviting me to be a part of your day, Lord willing if hurricane Hillary doesn't. James Cooper 19:29 All the programs in the Lifespringmedia.com family are made possible by the generous gifts of people like you Transcribed by https://otter.ai