Cover-to-Cover

2 Peter 3 Jesus is coming back! His return is also known as the “second coming,” not to be confused with the rapture. The rapture is us meeting Him in the air, as we are “caught up” to be with Him. The second coming is when Jesus returns to the earth on the Mount of Olives, initiating the Day of the Lord, a time of purification and a restoration of...

2 Peter 2 A false prophet gives a message that he or she says is from God, but it’s not. Remember the Gnostics would emphasize the spiritual, mixing in Greek mysticism with Christianity. We have to be careful in our desire for the supernatural, not to get away from submission to the truth or despising church authority. False prophecy can be very dangerous, leading someone to make decisions based on...

2 Peter 1 In this life, there are always going to be various interpretations of Scripture, and people will often group together with people who have similar beliefs. There are also different ideas on how the church should operate and different voices that want to influence you. In fact, anytime you get two people together, you will most likely find at least one thing where there is a disagreement. Each...

1 Peter 5 After Peter speaks of suffering, dying to self, and fiery trials from chapter 4, he begins chapter 5 addressing pastors. In verse 1, Peter identifies himself as a pastor, sharing in the sufferings a spiritual leader will experience. Only a true pastor can understand the sufferings of a pastor’s heart. You may think you can look in from the outside and understand, but you cannot feel the...

1 Peter 4 Peter continues to expound on Christ’s suffering, relating our experience to His. This suffering, though difficult, can also be beneficial. If we allow it, we can use it to put our unsaved soul and body underneath the rule of our saved spirit. One could say, put our flesh (unregenerate parts) to death (an end). Instead of life being about me and my comfort and desires, my life...

1 Peter 3 In context, Peter is instructing Christians on living in the world. He encourages believers to live holy for God, but not just for themselves; Peter is also speaking in consideration of living a testimony before the world. Peter is thinking of the lost and how they can either be brought closer or pushed farther away from salvation based on how the Christian represents Christ. In verse 15...

1 Peter 2 How should we conduct ourselves in a world where we don’t belong? Peter addresses the fact that when we are born again, we become part of a kingdom this is not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom, an invisible kingdom. We will often be rejected in this world by the unsaved, as well as those who are saved, but deceived by the enemy. As part...

I Peter 1 This letter was written from Peter, probably with the help of the Greek Silvanus (5:12), a man who assisted Paul on the second missionary journey. The letter was written to Christians spread around Asia Minor. These Christians were suffering rejection from the world because of their faith in Christ, so Peter writes to encourage them of their purpose and eternal reward. Have you ever experienced rejection by...

James 5 The world is filled with people who do not know the Lord, people that are considered “good people” because they are kind, caring, hard-working people. However, especially today in evangelized nations, people are not in pursuit of salvation or Jesus as Savior. If such ones are not born again, they are separated from God and headed for eternal damnation once they die. There are other people who would...

James 4 Faith is reliance on God to the point of obedience. God resists the proud (the self-sufficient), and gives grace to the humble (those with yielded hearts). The answer to worldliness is humility. The answer to religious legalism is humility. God is looking for hearts that will rely on Him completely so that our actions are lined up with a heart that is aligned with Him. Ezekiel 27-28 Ezekiel...

James 3 James was passionate about the action of faith and the godly living of reliant relationship. In chapter 3, James addresses two main topics. The first is about our speaking the right words and the second is about conduct that comes from the wisdom of knowing God. In speaking, if we are teaching, we are accountable to live by the words we speak. James was not telling people not...

James 2 The law of liberty was mentioned in chapter 1 and again in chapter 2 verse 12, “so speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” The first part of this chapter is about the sin of showing partiality, showing favor to the rich. In verse 4 it says, “have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”...

James 1 The law of liberty is a principle of freedom, free to live in Christ and the wonderful life He offers. Once bound to sin and death, now the Christian is spiritually alive and connected with God, recreated with a new nature! To live the God-life, live it free from condemnation, guilt, shame, and fear. Live it free from trying to earn God’s favor. Live it free from trying...

Hebrews 13 Chapter 13 is filled with many good nuggets of truth, but the summary of the book can be seen in verses 7-17. The writer mentions the doctrine of Christ as the final and complete sacrifice and warns readers to stay away from false doctrines. Along these lines of staying on track with truth, the writer mentions following their ruler in verse 7, their spiritual shepherd, and obeying those...

Hebrews 12 These chapters flow together with a message of holding onto our faith and giving our all for the purpose of Christ. This effort is compared to running a race in chapter 12, putting down any kind of a distraction or sin that would weigh us down. We are to consider the challenges that Christ endured, and be determined to endure difficulty as well. The writer continues with the...