First Baptist Church, Milton, LA

Right Belief, Right Behavior (Pt. 1) - 2 Peter 3:8-10

There is no shortage of intrigue regarding the end of the world. Believers and unbelievers alike love to speculate how this is all going to come to an end. The Bible is clear that the end of history as we know it begins with the future return of Christ. In this sermon, we look at 2 Peter 3:8-10 and see how the seeming delay of Christ's return is rooted in God's timelessness, grace, and patience.  

Remember Christ’s Promise - 2 Peter 3:1-7

In 2 Peter 3, Peter turns his focus back towards the beloved church members and deals more specifically with what the false teachers are teaching and what we should believe. In this sermon on 2 Peter 3:1-7, we are encouraged from this text to live according to God's Word, to remember the connection between right belief and right behavior, and to persevere in the faith by having a Christian worldview. All of this is in light of Christ's promise to return in judgment and salvation. 

The Fruit and Fate of False Teachers - 2 Peter 2:10-22

In 2 Peter 2:10-22, Peter continues his indictment against false teachers. In these two paragraphs, Peter shows us the fruit of false teaching in both the lives of the false teachers and their followers, and then he shows us their fate in this life and for all eternity. It is a sobering warning for Christians to stay faithful to Christ and His Word. 

Wrath and Rescue - 2 Peter 2:1-10

In 2 Peter 2:1-10, the issue of false teachers comes to the surface. They are not just a possibility to look out, they are a reality to recognize. This text shows us that false teachers inevitably draw others in the church away from Christ, but will face certain destruction. As always, there is a message of hope as God rescues and preserves the repentant and righteous through the finished work of Christ. 

We Have a Book - 2 Peter 1:19-21

In 2 Peter 1:19-21, the Apostle Peter gives us one of the clearest statements that this Book, this Bible, is in fact God’s Word. In this sermon, we walk through these verses and see what they mean. What we will see there has several implications concerning God’s Word. Then we’ll give a brief answer to a major question regarding our Bibles. Our hope is that, by the end of the message, you have a greater confidence in your Bible as the Word of God and a greater commitment to reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and living it out. 

Pay Attention To Christ and His Word - 2 Peter 1:16-21

In the context of 2 Peter, this paragraph - chapter 1 verses 16-21 - is dealing with a very particular issue - namely the future return of Christ. In Peter’s mind, the Transfiguration is proof of both the future return of Christ and the certainty and authority of the Scriptures.
So we’ll really be weaving two major threads together this morning, because that specific application to Peter’s audience and to us also carries with it the broader principle that we ought to pay close attention to Christ and His Word, and to those who give testimony to it, not those who would lead us away from it. 
 

Elder Testimonies and Q&A

During our Sunday School hour, we held a Question and Answer time with our Elder nominees - Greg Thomas, Gary Barnes, and Matthew Doucet. They share their testimonies and then answer questions from the congregation.

The Need To Be Reminded - 2 Peter 1:12-15

We need to be reminded of things fairly regularly. That’s just as true for spiritual things, gospel things, as it is anything else. With spiritual things, there’s the added difficulty of spiritual warfare. The Bible says that Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the enemy is always seeking to steal, kill, and destroy our every moment awareness of the Gospel, so that we don’t live out the Gospel and miss opportunities to share it with others.  In this sermon, we look at several reasons why we need to be reminded of the Gospel from 2 Peter 1:12-15 and four ways we can be reminded of the Gospel. 

Grace Sustained - 2 Peter 1:8-11

In 2 Peter 1:5-7, Peter lists qualities that are essential to the Christian life. In verses 8-11, Peter shows us why they are essential to the Christian life. In the overall context of 2 Peter, we could answer that "why" pretty easily - true Christians have these qualities and, in the end, they see Jesus. The false teachers, the false converts, don’t have these qualities, and they suffer for it in the end. Listen in as we see how these qualities are essential for fruitfulness, assurance, and eternal life.   

Grace Applied - 2 Peter 1:5-9

There comes a moment in everybody’s walk with Christ that they must commit to a single-minded, focused determination to grow in their faith in Christ - to take hold of all that God has provided for them (2 Peter 1:3-4) so that they make progress in their faith. 2 Peter 1:5-9 shows us the characteristics of that growing faith.