Sanctify Us

2 Peter 2:4-10 uses several examples from biblical history to teach about the final judgment of mankind. One of those is the cataclysmic flood in the days of Noah. We can follow Peter’s  lead and learn many lessons about  salvation and judgment from this event. 1) God is willing to judge evil. God was not impotent or undisturbed in the face of the great evil in the ancient world. God saw their wickedness and the intention of their hearts (Gen. 6:5) and was grieved (v. 6). He determined to bring destruction against the earth on a broad and terrifying scale (v. 7). This was not merely a passing thought—He followed through and the flood came as He planned. Peter tells us what lesson we should learn from this. If God reacted in this way to sin back then and followed through with His judgment, why should we expect that He is any different today? In fact, this is just one example of three that Peter used. If we intend to bet on God suddenly having a different personality and att...

When Jesus celebrated the Passover with His inner circle for the last time and instituted the new observance of the Lord’s supper that they would carry into their life in the kingdom, He also had some final conversations with them about important things. One bombshell that He dropped was the revelation that one of the twelve would soon betray Him. The ensuing discussion is fascinating and has several applications for us.   The concept of betrayal was shocking. “And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ And they were very sorrowful…” (Matt. 26:21-22a).   The disciples knew that Jesus had enemies. The religious leaders of their community hated Jesus and tried to undermine Him at every turn. They made false claims about Him (Matt. 12:24), asked insincere questions and demanded signs in an attempt to trap Jesus (Matt. 12:38-42; 16:1-4; 19:3-9; 22:15-22; John 8:3-11; etc.), and plotted to kill Him (John 11:45-57). They saw Him as a threat ...

The model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is something Jesus gave His disciples to teach them how to pray. Christians throughout the ages have benefited from this example, even if some missed the point and repeated it as an incantation. Another way we can learn how to pray is by looking at how Jesus prayed in His own life. When and how did Jesus pray? Ordinary prayers. Jesus deliberately carved out time at the beginning of His day to pray. Mark 1:35 mentions Him waking up early in the morning while it was still dark, going to a secluded place, and praying to the Father. That is some serious commitment! It is not like Jesus didn’t have plenty to do—we know He stayed busy teaching the multitudes, His own disciples, and traveling from place to place. He was also subject to the same need for rest and sleep that we experience. Matthew 14:22-23 describes another incident when Jesus did something similar, but in the evening. He took time to be alone and pray after a day that had been filled with...