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November 24, Sunday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Rescuing the Godly — Peter presents striking contrasts in this passage between the godly and ungodly and between punishment and rescue. Rebelling angels were judged and punished. The “world of the ungodly” were drowned while Noah, “a herald of righteousness,” and his family floated above it all (v. 5). Then “righteous Lot” was led away from the valley of burning Sodom and Gomorrah. The conclusion from these examples was that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials [fn.: or temptations]” (v. 9). Are things flooding or burning around you today? God knows how to rescue you. He loves and protects those who belong to Him and follow Him. If trials are not God’s discipline to get our attention, they are allowed for building our trust in Him and our stamina for the future. There is safety in the arms of Yahweh. Get out of the valley! Get into the boat!
Rescue the Perishing – YouTube
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November 25 , Monday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Offered Through the Spirit — The statement in verse 14 about “the eternal Spirit” has raised questions as to whether it refers to the Holy Spirit or Christ’s Spirit, and there are good arguments on both sides. The statement that “Christ … who through the eternal Spirit offered himself…,” separates the two Persons of the Godhead and points to “the eternal Spirit” as being the Holy Spirit, who aided Jesus in some way during His sacrificial death on the cross. We read something similar in Romans, where Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). As the Holy Spirit’s exact role in Jesus’ resurrection was not clearly stated, perhaps the same is true in His role in Jesus’ sacrifice that we read in today’s passage. The Holy Spirit is certainly the “background” Person of the Trinity. There is some mystery involved in who He is and what He does, since His primary purpose is to point to the Savior. It is clear, however, that He lives within us believers and provides power for us to live godly lives.
O Spirit of the Living God – YouTube
The following verse is omitted in the above video:
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November 26, Tuesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Holy Spirit Bears Witness — The writer of Hebrews puts together quotes from Jeremiah 31:31-34 that predict the promise of a New Covenant, but he does it in an interesting way. Three times in the Jeremiah passage, it uses the expression, “…declares the LORD,” to indicate that the source of this promise is from Yahweh. Yet in Hebrews, it says that it is the Holy Spirit who delivered those promises: “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying …” (v. 15), and in verse 17, “… then he adds...” This indicates that the Holy Spirit is also Yahweh. It is not that the Father and the Spirit are the same Person, but that they are both Persons of the Triune Godhead, designated with the name Yahweh. In any case, the Holy Spirit was involved in the OT predictions of the dramatic change to be brought about by the promised Messiah, who would provide a permanent solution for the problem of sin through His eternally effective sacrifice and would make the Holy Spirit available to indwell the hearts of those who come to Christ.
Come Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire – YouTube
(With modified text)
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November 27, Wednesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Outraging the Spirit — Almost 300 years ago, Puritan Jonathan Edwards preached a famous sermon from this passage called, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It was about apostasy, a complete turning away from faith in Christ. We read about the same subject a week ago in Hebrews 6, where people left the faith after they had “shared in the Holy Spirit” (6:4). In today’s reading, we also have a connection with the Holy Spirit, where a person, who although “was sanctified” (set apart for God’s purpose), “has outraged the Spirit of grace” (v. 29) through their continuing action of “sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth” (v. 26). Much has been written trying to get around what seems to me to be the obvious meaning of this passage. Does this make us afraid? It shouldn’t, if we have been born again, are trusting in Christ, and are sincerely trying to walk in His way. This is not talking about backsliding, but about abandonment. There is security for the believer.
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November 28, Thursday——————–ACCOUNTABILITY TIME!
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Devoid of the Spirit — The quoted prediction in verse 18 must have been limited to an oral saying because it is not found elsewhere in the NT. Nevertheless, it is true because it is written here in God’s Word as truth. The statement about these “last time … scoffers” sounds very much like the opposition to Christianity we hear around us frequently from our godless society. Here, however, it sounds like they are probably coming from within the churches because of the comment that they “cause divisions” within a moral atmosphere. They are, in fact, “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” We see that happening already with so-called church leaders who mock the truth given to us in the Bible, as they put human reasoning above divine revelation. People who do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them are led astray with all kinds of false beliefs. That is one reason we should be serious students of the Bible, being people who recognize counterfeit doctrines because they don’t conform to the truth of the Scriptures.
Teach Me, O LORD, Thy Way of Truth – YouTube
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November 29, Friday——————-ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Praying in the Holy Spirit — Here is another trinitarian statement: “…praying in the Holy Spirit … the love of God … our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 20-21). We will concentrate on the first phrase today, “… praying in the Holy Spirit.” This phrase is used elsewhere in the NT only in Ephesians 6:18, which we discussed last month. This has to do with sensitivity in prayer, being intimately in touch with our relationship with the Spirit and with His leading in what to pray for and how to pray. When we pray, we don’t tell God anything that He doesn’t already know. He wants us to ask, but He mostly wants us to fellowship with Him in terms of relationship. We should pray with feeling, with sincerity, with sensitivity, and with worship. That is how Christians “keep yourselves in the love of God.”
Sweet Hour of Prayer – YouTube
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November 30, Saturday—————ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Holy Prophets — This is the last of four times the phrase “holy prophets” is used in Scripture (v. 2; cf. Lk. 1:70; Acts 3:21; Eph. 3:5). Each time, it speaks of God’s communication to His people through godly men. This final message involves scoffers who dismiss these long-delayed promises of God, in this case, the promise of Jesus’ return (v. 4). We see that attitude displayed at times today, when we hear people complain about something being “as slow as the Second Coming.” They are scoffing because they do not believe that Jesus will return. In their minds, it has been too long to be true. That is probably the same attitude that existed for many people just before Jesus was born. The promise of the Messiah from Moses that “God will raise up for you a prophet like me” (Deut. 18:15) had to wait about 1,500 years to be fulfilled. That was a long time from a human perspective, but for God, “a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Psa. 90:4), a fact about which Peter will remind us in tomorrow’s reading. Notice the contrasting frame of our passage for today: It begins with the “predictions of the holy prophets” and ends with the “destruction of the ungodly.” The believers hear and turn, while unbelievers turn to scoff.
Inspired by Love and Anger – YouTube
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