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Second Peter Chapter One

1. Peter writes an apostolic letter to a body of believers that enjoys every privilege of faith and righteousness that he himself enjoyed (2nd Pet. 1:1).  His audience was apparently the same as the group of local churches listed in 1st Peter (2nd Pet. 3:1).
2. Peter describes the Christian life as a life of godliness, glory and virtue (2nd Pet. 1:3-11).
3. Peter was delighted to review these blessings with them even as he anticipated his own physical death (2nd Pet. 1:12-14).
4. Peter assures his audience that they have been following true and accurate teaching from the eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty (2nd Pet. 1:15-21).

Second Peter Chapter Two

(This chapter is strikingly parallel to the Book of Jude. Peter was likely familiar with Jude and expanded that Book for this chapter)

1. Peter contrasts his faithful witness to the false teachers that will arise after his departure (2nd Pet. 2:1-3).
2. Past examples of God’s righteous judgment illustrate the future righteous judgment that will come upon the false teachers in the Dispensation of the Church (2nd Pet. 2:4-6).
   1. Judgment upon the fallen angels & unbelievers that defiled the human race in the days of Noah (vv.4-5; Jude 6).
   2. Judgment upon Sodom & Gomorrah for their pursuit of similar defilements of the flesh through homosexuality (v.6; Jude 7).
3. Past examples of God’s faithfulness illustrate the present faithfulness extended to believers in difficult days (2nd Pet. 2:5,7-9).
4. The false teachers that work to destroy the Church are then described (2nd Pet. 2:10-22).
   1. False teachers indulge the flesh and despise all things spiritual (v.10).
   2. Their evil exceeds angelic evil (vv.10b,11).
   3. Their nature is entirely animalistic (v.12).
   4. They enjoy public demonstrations of their wrongdoing (v.13).
   5. Their way of life is entirely oriented to the continuous pursuit of earthly pleasures following the way of Balaam (vv.14-16).
   6. Their enticements are geared to seduce the unstable souls of infant believers (vv.17-19).
   7. Apostate believers come into more severe discipline than unbelievers (vv.20-22).

Second Peter Chapter Three

1. Peter challenges his audience to hold fast to the accurate teaching they’ve previously received, constantly reviewing their understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament teaching of the Apostles (2nd Pet. 3:1-2).
2. Peter challenges his audience to live in expectation of the coming mockers in the last days (2nd Pet. 3:3ff.).
   1. As false teachers run their course, and faithful believers remain true to the Word, the gap between them will only widen in the last days.
   2. Different world-views will become obvious.
      1. One will come to a uniformitarian (evolutionistic) worldview.
      2. One will hold fast to the knowledge that Judgment Day is fast approaching.
3. The Word of God allows believers to have Divine viewpoint concerning the passing of time (2nd Pet. 3:8-9).
4. The Day of the Lord, and the Day of God are coming certainties (2nd Pet. 3:10-13).
   1. The imminency demands urgency.
   2. Holy conduct and godliness welcomes the coming day.
5. Believers who live in constant daily mindfulness of the New Heavens and New Earth will conduct their lives accordingly (2nd Pet. 3:14-18).
   1. They will strive for constant fellowship, in order to be found in fellowship when Christ returns (v.14).
   2. They will appreciate the patience of the Lord for the evangelism opportunity that it is (v.15).
   3. They will diligently study even the most difficult of Scriptures, so as to not fall for false teaching (vv.16,-17).
   4. They will continuously grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (v.18a).
   5. They will ascribe all glory in time and eternity to the Lord Jesus Christ (v.18b).

Jude

1. Jude’s epistle is an essay, urging believers to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3).
   1. Believers are described in three ways (v.1).
      1. “Called”.
      2. “Beloved.”
      3. “Kept.”
   2. This faith was once for all handed down to the saints (Jude 3b).  It is a body of Truth that we have been entrusted with.
2. Striving is necessary because of certain creeps (Jude 4,8).
   1. They slip into local churches unnoticed.
   2. They are ungodly.  Unbelievers disguised as believers.
   3. They pervert grace.
   4. They deny some aspect of the Deity or humanity of Jesus Christ.
3. Jude gives a Walk-Thru of Old Testament apostasy and evil (Jude 5-7).
   1. The Exodus generation (v.5).
   2. The Gen. 6 fallen angels (v.6).
   3. The Gen. 19 homosexuals (v.7).
4. Jude gives additional details of the false teachers the Church must strive against (Jude 8-13).
   1. They pridefully scorn the demonic powers that empower their false message (vv.8-10).
   2. They exemplify the worst of OT failures (v.11).
      1. The way of Cain represents total selfishness at the expense of all others.
      2. The error of Balaam represents total greed irrespective of right & wrong.
      3. The rebellion of Korah represents total usurpation of rulership.
   3. They are hidden reefs, producing shipwreck in the faith of true believers (Jude 12-13; cf. 1st Tim. 1:1-9).
5. The first recorded human prophecy in the Dispensation of the Gentiles spoke of the eternal destruction such hidden reefs face (Jude 14-15).
6. Believers must hold fast to the faith once and for all delivered, and wait anxiously for the mercy of the Lord (Jude 17-23).
7. Believers must rest in the victory Jesus Christ achieved (Jude 24-25).