Shepherding Christ's Church involves emphasizing doctrine - 1 Timothy 4:4-10

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:
Paul instructs his young protege Timothy to prepare himself for what will be his pastoral tenure at Ephesus. As Paul instructs Pastor Timothy, we find five key responsibilities that describe what it takes to shepherd or pastor the local church. We considered yesterday the first responsibility of a pastor shepherding Christ's church - namely exposing error. We noted three "isms" that must be guarded against and exposed: spiritualism (opening oneself up to false doctrine, spiritual darkness); egotism (ministries centered around personalities or approaches that base the ministry on people's preferences) and  ritualism (a Christianity that is performance based or centered around religious ritual). Exposing error is thus the first responsibility a pastor has according to 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Today's post will feature a second responsibility - emphasizing sound doctrine.  

Shepherding Christ's Church Emphasizes Sound Doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:4-6
1 Timothy 4:6 tells us: "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following." When Paul wrote "these things", he was pointing out to Timothy what he had instructed him about in 1 Timothy 4:1-5, namely to expose error and emphasize sound doctrine. 

Sadly today many churches and many Christians frown on doctrine. Doctrine is viewed as something that unnecessarily divides Christians from one another. Most would even say "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as your sincere." Within these verses we discover that doctrine is necessary for spiritual nourishment. Other scriptures explain how important sound biblical doctrine is to the Christian life:

Doctrine promotes healthy Christianity. Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:19; Hebrews 13:9

Doctrine protects against error.
2 Cor 2:17; Col 2:8; 2 Timothy 2:14, 3:13; 1 John 4:3

Doctrine points us to Jesus Christ
Matt 5:19; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:21-23; 1 Cor 3:11; Titus 2:11-14 

Doctrine promotes evangelism
Romans 1:1-4; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Timothy 1:19

Out of all the scriptures that speaks on the important connection between practical living a doctrine, none perhaps is more clear than Titus 2:10 "not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." This particular verse is so important because it shows how beautiful Christianity can be when it is living out the doctrines of the faith. Doctrine is the pearl necklace that drapes itself around the church. So having labored about importance of sound teaching from the Word of God, what are some of the doctrines needing to emphasized by the pastor who shepherds Christ's church every week? In 1 Timothy 4:4-6 we find four such doctrines:

a. Creation - 1 Timothy 4:4 "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude."

b. The Bible - 1 Timothy 4:5a "for it is sanctified by means of the word of God"

c. Prayer - 1 Timothy 4:5b "...and prayer". 

d. Person & Work of Christ - 1 Timothy 4:9-10  "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixedour hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."

When I think about these four areas, they are among the major battlefields that Christians experience the greatest attack. The relentless pursuit of evolutionary theory and naturalism postures itself as an alternative to the doctrine of creation. Many Bible Colleges, Seminaries and even some denominations have fallen for the temptation to mix together evolution with Biblical creationism. The danger of course is the erosion of Biblical authority in favor of taking one's cue from current scientific inquiry. Arriving at the truth not only requires sound answers, but also the right questions. Creation insists that the questions of "who made everything?" and "why is there something rather than nothing?" be included in among two other questions asked by science: "how does it all work?" and "what is happening?" Sadly, non-creation ideas eliminate the first two questions.

The second doctrine, the Bible, is under more assault today than ever before. Persistent denials of not only inerrancy, but even the Bible's clarity in expressing itself require a response from pastors who shephered their flocks. 

The third doctrine, prayer, is attack more so with the lack of practice. Satan's strategy here is to convince Christians of either praying less or not praying at all. 

Then the final doctrine that Paul commands Timothy to emphasize is the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We can never separate the Person of Christ from the work He achieved. The current trend among skeptics is to deny the historical existence of Christ. The pastor's responsibility is to preach, teach and proclaim Who Jesus truly is. The other heresies of denying either His Deity or humanity persist. Every generation of pastors must expose such errors and emphasize what the Bible truly teaches. The work of Christ in regards to not only His atoning death on the cross but His physical resurrection must also be defended and proclaimed. 

Closing thoughts:
Today we considered the second area every pastor must shepherd in the local church, namely the area of emphasizing sound doctrine. We saw that Paul mentions four key doctrines: creation, the Bible, prayer and Jesus Christ. 

Shepherding Christ's Church involves exposing error - 1 Timothy 4:1-3

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:

These next few posts will represent what is close to my heart. Before I ever blogged or wrote, I had and still to this day proclaim God's Word as a pastor. My calling into ministry occurred when I was seventeen years of age. It had been the start of the school year for me as a senior in highschool. God had been stirring me and led me to pick up my Bible and begin reading. I had been a Christian for a little while, however that night in September was where God led me to 2 Timothy 4:2 which plainly states: "Preach the Word". The words lept off the page and into my heart. As God would have it, I began receiving catalogues from various schools, among which was a particular Bible College. Once enrolled in the fall of that year, I discovered in the following months that God was specifically calling me to be a pastor, an undershepherd of His flock. 23 years later, God still has me preaching His Word. My family and I are at a wonderful church in Oklahoma that I have been pastoring for four years. 

Reflecting back on those formative years and the time in-between, then-and-now, drives me to this text in 1 Timothy 4. What does it take to shepherd Christ's church? Paul instructs his young protege Timothy to prepare himself for what will be his pastoral tenure at Ephesus. As Paul instructs Pastor Timothy with regard to his duties, we find five key responsibilities that describe what it takes to shepherd or pastor the local church. I will list them out, and then we will consider the first one in today's post. Shepherding Christ's church involves...

1. Exposing Error  1 Timothy 4:1-3

2. Emphasizing Sound Doctrine  4:4-6

3. Exemplifying godliness  4:7-12

4. Exceling in preaching 4:13-15

5. Enduring to the finish 4:16

So if a pastor is going to shepherd Christ's church, he must first of all....

1. Expose error. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

1 Timothy 4:1-3 is diagnosing the general course of history from the days of the Apostles until now, with particular emphasis upon the time leading up to the coming of Jesus. Other places in the Bible warn of what will be the pattern of "falling away" or "apostasy". Such a pattern of false professors of the faith is called "the apostasy" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:1 that this same time frame will be characterized as "difficult times". Peter in 2 Peter 3:13 and Jude in Jude 1:18 both describe how there will be "mockers, following after their own lusts." The prophetic portions of the Bible predict this tragic mass-defection by pretenders of the faith and alarming increase of false teachers in passages such as Daniel 11:35 and Matthew 24:5ff. 

As we look more closely at 1 Timothy 4:1-3, three classes of error are mentioned and merit the pastor's role in exposing such errors.

a. spiritualism. 1 Timothy 4:1

1 Timothy 4:1 states - "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." This first type of error is very interested in the invisible realm, but is not affirmative about God's existence nor the authority of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. It must be made clear that any doctrinal teaching or religious instruction that is not supported by scripture is nothing less than demonic. So what is meant by the term "doctrines of demons" in 1 Timothy 4:1? Deuteronomy 32:17 states - “They sacrificed to demons who were not God,To gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately,

Whom your fathers did not dread." 1 Corinthians 10:20 explains further - "No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." The Apostle John writes in 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 

Today's culture is replete with example after example of false religions and teachings what run counter to scripture. Movements such as Wicca attempt to access the supernatural via the natural realm and effectively by-passing believe in an all-powerful God. The most dangerous sort of spiritualism is when paganism is mixed with Christianity - as in the case of Mormonism. The good under-shepherd must expose errors like spiritualism. Now notice a second type of error mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:2...

b. Egotism  1 Timothy 4:2

The false teachers described in 1 Timothy 4:2 are those who live as hypocrites, liars and as those who have "seared their conscience". To sear a conscience is to deaden it to the Spirit's conviction and any sense of remorse about sins done to oneself and others. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 explains this error in detail - "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents,ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." When I say "egotism", this is an error that focuses on personality driven type ministries or self-centered Christianity. Whenever a church or preaching ministry becomes more about the preacher than the Word and Jesus that he preaches, the error of egotism has infected his heart. On the pew side of things, so-called "seeker sensitive" movements that build their ministry approach around the needs of so-called "seekers" are what I would classify as "egotisitical". We don't build our churches ministries around "felt needs" of unbelievers, nor around the preferences of Christians. Ministry should never be about the preacher or his agenda. All ministry must be focused around Jesus Christ and His Word. The only seekers are those who have already been converted. Whenever we adopt the methods of catering to a category of people that is not even Biblical, we end up trying to please people and give them what they want. This was the error developing at the church to which Paul wrote and characterizes our age. Pastors must expose the errors of spiritualism and egotism. However, there is one more error that must be exposed by faithful undershepherds in the local church, namely...

c. Ritualism. 1 Timothy 4:3

1 Timothy 4:3 reveals - "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth." The church over her history has drifted into two directions when the preaching of the Word of God has lost its place. The first is what we already noted above - spiritualism. Included in that ditch are attitudes of speculation and unbridled interest in the experiential over the doctrinal. 

The second ditch is what we can term "ritualism". Unbelievers and the natural, carnal flesh default to trying to please God by way of performance. Man-made religion will develop elaborate rituals and multiple-step methods to try to attain peace and favor with God. In Paul's day, there were groups who were teaching that genuine favor with God entailed abstaining from certain things, attaining certain mystical insights of knowledge or totally ignoring the physical in favor of the spiritual. Such teachings would eventually lead to the heresy later called "gnosticism". Thus, in attempting to emphasize on the spiritual, these forerunners of the Gnostics believed it didn't matter what you did in the body, since the soul was all that counted. Thus in this twisted belief system, one could commit immorality and yet claim to be moral!

Ritualism today appears highly formalized systems that attempts to get one to God through participation in a system. Roman Catholicism for example mixes together genuine Christian belief with ritualism, resulting in the Roman Catholic Church functioning like a substitute Jesus. The evangelical scene has its own version of ritualism by way of cramming in busyness and "business", making the church function as a business that measures one's proximity to God by how much one does. 

Performance driven Christianity results when two things diminish: preaching of the Word and focus on the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Are we saying that churches should not have fellowshipping times, outreach and Bible studies? No. But whenever our churches operate in the extreme on the belief that offering more activities will draw in more people, and makes what we do the drawing card, rather than what Christ has done, ritualism will not be far behind. 

Closing thoughts

To be a faithful pastor who shepherds Christ's church, errors such as spiritualism, egotism and ritualism must be exposed. Thankfully, this first responsibility of the pastor is not the only role. There are four other roles that will be considered in future posts. Today I will close with these words from 1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

The Holy Spirit's work in the fruitful Christian life

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Introduction:

Today we consider Galatians 5 and the Holy Spirit's work in the fruitful Christian life. Throughout Galatians and other letters written by the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit's ministry in the life of the believer is closely connected to the fruit borne by the Christian. Undeniably the explicit mention of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is tied to key ministries of the Spirit in the Christian life. Let the reader note three such works of the Spirit:

1. The sealing of the Spirit protects our fruitfulness. 

Galatians 5:5 "For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness." Unless we are exercising our eagerness for Christ through the Spirit, our eagerness, our fruit, will wither. The particular ministry of the Spirit highlighted here in Galatians 5:5 is described by the ministry of sealing. Ephesians 1:12-14 explains - "to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory." So the sealing of the Spirit protects our fruitfulness, but notice a second work of the Spirit in relationship to the fruitful Christian life...

2. Leading of the Spirit to desire fruitfulness. 

Three times in Galatians 5 we are encouraged to be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 states - "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:18 notes - "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Then Galatians 5:25 mentions - "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." In the Christian walk we are going to be led by one of two things: either the Spirit or the flesh. Either one is accompanied by "desires" of some sort. The realm of our desires hitched to the human will is what older Christian writers refer to as the "affections". When the Spirit is leading me, I will desire what is godly. What I know I "ought to do" will turn into "what I want to do". Only the Spirit can take an "I have-to" and turn it into a genuine "I want-to". Thus the Spirit's sealing preserves me in my fruit-bearing and the Spirit's leading causes me to desire such. Now let's take a look at one more work or ministry of the Spirit as it relates to the fruitful Christian life, namely....

3. Filling of the Spirit produces spiritual fruit

When we consider Galatians 5:22-23, we can say it is similar in thought and topic to two other passages that speak of what is called the "filling of the Holy Spirit". Ephesians 5:18 tells us - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." When we talk about the "filling of the Spirit", we mean the Spirit's enabling, empowering and emboldoning of the Christian. Power and moral excellence are included in what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Additionally, the filling of the Spirit of God is a repeated, post-conversion reality that is commanded. Henceforth the Spirit-filled life is not optional nor only for a select few super-saints. Colossians 3:16 is another text that speaks of being filled with the Spirit by way of the the scriptures - "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." 

So how do we know that the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is related to what we just read about in Ephesians and Colossians? Notice what Paul states in Galatians 5:25-26 "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." Only the Christian who is repeatedly filled with the Spirit and the Word will want to walk by the Spirit and not be concerned with being boastful and challenging others. Thus the Spirit's work of filling is what enables Christians to truly bear the fruit and partake of what is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Galatians 5:22-23 describes and pictures what the Spirit-filled life looks like in action.

Closing thoughts

Today we briefly considers the Holy Spirit's work or ministry in the fruitful Christian life. We looked at three of the Spirit's ministries in Galatians 5:

1. The Spirit's sealing preserves our fruitfulness

2. The Spirit's leading causes us to desire fruitfulness

3. The Spirit's filling produces fruitfulness

Important purposes of the angelic realm in Jude

Jude 1:3 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."

Introduction 

Today we want to consider the importance and purpose of the angelic realm in Jude. It was Jude's purpose to urge his readers (and us) to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." One of the ways Jude chose under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to urge his readers was by mentioning the angels, demons and Satan. The angelic realm (composed of demons, good angels and Satan) is portrayed in scripture as intelligent agents occupying the invisible realm of the created order. (compare Colossians 1:16-17) Good angels serve the purposes of serving God's people. (Hebrews 1:14) Demons are fallen angels led by Satan to opposed God's purposes and His people. (Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 Peter 5:8) With the span of Jude's short letter, we find reference to angels, demons and Satan no less than seven times. So the question is: why are angels so prominent within Jude's short letter? Moreover, what purposes can we gather as to why they are important for us today as we contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints? Notice three important purposes of the angelic realm in Jude...

1. Warn of the realities of Hell. Jude 1:1-16

The majority of material in Jude's short epistle is dedicated to warning his readers to be aware of false teachers and error. To drive home the point about the outcome of those who persist in the seduction of false teaching, Jude uses both historic examples of false prophets and teachers combined with the frightening reality of hell. Jude 1:5-11 lays out the examples of those who forsook Biblical faith, including those who came out of Egypt (Jude 1:5); Cain (Jude 11:11); Balaam the pagan prophet in the book of Numbers (Jude 1:11) and Korah who opposed Moses (Jude 1:11). False teaching and prophets lead to Hell. So what realities of hell do we discover in the Book of Jude? How do such realities allign with what Jesus taught on the subject?

Hell is described by Jude as a dark place (1:6, 1:13) Jesus called the darkness of Hell "outer darkness" in Matthew 25:46. Jude then explains hell as a destructive place through the imagery of fire, as seen in Jude 1:7,23. Jesus too refers to the details of unquenchable and everlasting fire burning in both the holding place of unbelievers called hades or Hell and the eternal place of punishment called "The Lake of Fire" or also by the same name "Hell" in  Mark 9:43 and Matthew 18:18.

To intensify his already strong warnings, Jude thirdly mentions that hell is demonically infested and reinforces this frightening imagery through the Devil's conflict with Michael the Archangel here on earth and some of the various fallen angels chained in reserved judgment. (1:6,8). 

The specific mention of fallen angels in Jude 1:6 matches with what we read of them in 2 Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment." Also too, Jesus refers to Hell as having been prepared for "The Devil and his angels" in Matthew 25:41. It is quite likely that Jude is quoting Peter's second letter, which may explain why we also see such similarities between Jesus and Jude (not forgetting that Jude wrote under Divine inspiration).

The Bible Knowledge Commentary remarks: "Most commentators, however, assign the date between A.D. 67 and 80. Jude was probably influenced by Peter, who wrote his second epistle about A.D. 67–68. (Peter predicted that false teachers would arise [2 Peter 2:1; 3:3], but Jude stated that they have “slipped in among you” [Jude 4].)"

So who are the fallen angels mentioned by Jude? These particular demons may the very ones that participated in the abominations committed prior to the flood in Genesis 6:1-4 which resulted in the mutation of giants roaming on the earth. To think of the dangers of false doctrine as resulting in Hell is frightening enough. However to be reminded of hell being infested by demons far worse than those roaming freely here on earth serves more than fair warning to anyone contemplating apostasy from the faith. So the angelic realm, particularly the demons, are mentioned to warn us of the realities of hell. But what about the good angels? Notice a second purpose of the angelic realm in Jude, namely....

2. Encouragement with the realities of Heaven. Jude 1:14, 24-25

Jude 1:14 states - "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones." In context, Jude is referencing a prophecy spoken by the pre-flood patriarch Enoch that is not recorded in Genesis. I won't get into the specific details of the nature of Jude's citation of Enoch in this post, and choose to point interested readers to a post written on Jude's use of Enoch at https://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/understanding-judes-quote-of-enoch-in-jude-114-15/. 

Instead, I want to focus the reader's attention on the underlined phrase "holy ones". Biblical passages such as Deuteronomy 33:2; Daniel 7:10; Matthew 16:27 and Hebrews 12:22 use this term to refer to the angels that comprise the heavenly court of God's glory and majesty. 

Even though the main point of Jude's reference is to indicate the judgment of the false teachers by Jesus at His second coming, mention of the good angels serves to remind the saints of God that they are on the winning side of eternity. The truth of the believer's heavenly home is a great way of reinforcing the need to contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. As we saw a couple of days ago, Jesus and the Apostle Peter both taught quite a bit on Heaven. With Jude depending partly on Peter's writings, references to Heaven would only make sense. Heaven will definitely be a place populated by angels (Jude 1:14) and is the ultimate destination of the Christian. (Jude 1:24-25). Heaven is afterall the abode of God on His throne. More could be said but we must hasten. What important purposes do angels, demons and Satan serve in the book of Jude? We saw that God included them to warn about the realities of hell and to encourage believers with the realities of Heaven. Now notice the final purpose...

3. To focus attention on Jesus Christ. Jude 1:15-25

Jude 1:14b says again: “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones." What is the ultimate goal of the Christian fighting the good fight of faith? Now we already looked at our heavenly home as an ultimate goal. 

But what is "the" ultimate goal of the Christian? To see Jesus at His second coming. The devil who fought with Michael the archangel in Jude 1:8 will be destroyed and cast into the Lake of fire by Jesus at His return in Revelation 20. When Jesus comes, he will have an entourage of angelic hosts numbering in the trillions. All of heaven's angels will accompany Jesus and the saints who are behind Him in the train of His robe. (Matt 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 & Revelation 15:8) Those saints who are with Jesus at His second advent will had been those who died in the Lord or who were raptured seven years prior. (Mt 13:39; 16:27; 24:31) Mentioning such heavenly realities serves to point the way to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Jude closes out his book in Jude 1:24-25 "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Closing thoughts
Today we considered three important reasons for the angelic realm being mentioned in the Book of Jude. These three reasons aid in fulfilling the main point of the letter: "To contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints".

1. Warn of the realities of Hell
2. Encourage with the realities of Heaven
3. Focus attention on Jesus Christ

What Jesus and the Apostle Peter teach on heaven

John 14:2 "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

2 Peter 1:11 "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantlysupplied to you."

Introduction:

Yesterday we considered what Jesus and the Apostle Peter teach on Hell. Today's post features in brief what both taught on Heaven. 

1. Heaven is God's throne or abode

Matthew 5:34; 5:45; 6:9; 11:25; 12:50; 16:17 and 18:4 refer to the third heaven as God's primary base of operations. Undeniably God's Sovereignty extends over and through every square inch of creation. In 2 Peter 1:12, we read of the Holy Spirit being sent from Heaven - "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." Peter is perhaps thinking of the Day of Pentecost in which he was preaching some 30 years prior and in which the Holy Spirit had descended. The Spirit's descent signaled the presence of God being with His church as well as in Heaven. 

2. Heaven is a place.

Jesus taught the physical/spiritual reality of Heaven as a locatable place somewhere in the created order. He taught both the reality of the current heaven (Matthew 5:3, 20; 6:20; 19:21; Luke 10:20; John 17:24) and the One He is preparing (John 14:2-3). Heaven is a destination, a home, for the believer (John 14:2; Mt 5:8,5:12; 8:11; Mt 13:43; 25:34,46). The Apostle Peter also wrote of the reality of Heaven as a place. (1 Peter 1:4; 1:11) Peter also wrote of what will be the New Heaven as well. (1 Peter 3:13). Both Jesus and Peter refer to Heaven as having an entrance, thus lending further to its reality. (Matthew 25:34; 2 Peter 1:10)

3. Heaven has angels

The third commonality of the teaching on Heaven shared by Jesus and Peter is that it is a place occupied by angels. Jesus refers to angels that represent in some fashion children in Matthew 18:10. According to Matthew 22:30, Angels in heaven do not have offspring. Jesus speaks elsewhere of angels in Luke 12:10 and 15:10. In Luke 16:22 Jesus reveals that angels are somehow involved in escorting a believer's soul into the presence of God. The Apostle Peter too speaks of angels in Heaven as being curious beings about believer's salvation here on earth. 

Closing thoughts

Today we aimed to explore what Jesus and Peter taught regarding heaven. In our brief study we discovered three common points:

1. Heaven is God's throne/abode

2. Heaven is a place

3. Heaven has angels

What Jesus and the Apostle Peter teach on Hell

2 Peter 2:1-2 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves."

Introduction:
Today's post may not be the easiest subject to read, however the reality of hell and final judgment is crucially important. The aim in this particular post is to understand how Jesus and the Apostle Peter allign with one another in regards to this sobering but important truth.

Jesus' Teaching on Hell
In my own study of Jesus' teachings on various subjects, it is surprising to see how often he mentions "Hell" in comparison to other topics:

1. Heaven = 34 times
2. Salvation = 21 times 
3. Hell = 17 times
4. Love = 17 times
5. Money = 12 times
6. Prediction of his crucifixion = around 10 times
7. Not judging people = 3 times

Further study reveals Jesus' description of hell, which matches the Old Testament understanding but with far more detail:

1. Unquenchable Fire   
Mark 9:43 compare Num 16:25; Ps 106:17,18

2. Everlasting Fire      Matthew 18:18

3. Outer Darkness      Matthew 25:46

4. Gates of Hell          Matthew 16:18 compare Ps 9:13; Is 38:10

5. Place of conscious existence. Luke 16:25-28

6. Place of wailing, weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Mt 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28

7. Place of constant burning and stench. 
Matt 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; Matt 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5

In sum, Jesus is carrying on what God revealed in the Old Testament with far more specific and pointed detail in all his parables, teachings and sermons. The question now is: what did his followers, the Apostles, teach on this subject? One of them, the Apostle Peter, will be the focus of our attention for the remainder of today's post.

The Apostle Peter's teaching on Hell in 2 Peter
Peter's statements on Hades (or Hell) alligns with Jesus' teachings. Peter also emphasizes on several occassions the presence of demonic beings in hell. 

1. Hell will be a destructive place. 
2 Peter 2:1 refers to false teachers bringing upon themselves "swift destruction" and in 2 Peter 2:3 we see reference to "destruction" and "judgment". Peter uses similar terms in 2 Peter 2:4,9,12. In 2 Peter 2:4 we see specific reference to certain fallen angels who are being held in reserved judgment. The rebellion mentioned here occurred either in the ancient cosmic rebellion led by Satan in Revelation 12:4,7-9 or the abomination of certain demons inhabiting men to commit immorality with the daughters of men in Genesis 6:1-4. Jesus' describes both Hades and the final Lake of fire as being places of destruction with destructive fire in Matthew 18:18 and Mark 9:43. 

2. Hell will be a dark place
As Peter and Jesus both teach, Hades and the final place of the Lake of Fire will not only be destructive, but dark places. Peter onces again mentions how in Hell there are places that are extremely dark. (2 Peter 2:4 "pits of darkness"; 2:17 "black darkness") As he did in his descriptions of hell's destructiveness, the darkness of hell is heightened by the presence of demons (2 Peter 2:4) Jesus teaches how hell will be a place of "outer darkness" (Matt 25:46). 

Many people over time have question what appears to be two conflicting descriptions of hell (both Hades and the Lake of Fire) as being places of fire and darkness. If there are unquenchable fires burning, how can there be darkness? Let the reader be reminded of what takes place when a major fire occurs: there are flames for sure, however there is thick dark smoke that makes seeing the flames hard to see. To heighten this image to the level of the types of fire and darkness occurring in Hell escalates the picture. When we add in the frightening details of demonic beings more frightening than those that even roam freely on this earth, it ought to cause even the most hardened sinner to be moved to responds to God's saving call of salvation. 

What Jesus and Peter both teach on escaping hell
Jesus repeatedly taught that He alone was the way, the truth and the life and that no man could come to the Father but by Him. (John 14:6) To escape hell is simple: believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. (John 3:16). To not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to remain settled in your decision against Christ and preference of Hell over Him. (John 3:17-19, 3:36) The Apostle Peter as well urges His listeners both before 2 Peter 2 in 2 Peter 1:3-4 and after in 2 Peter 3:18 to know Christ and continue partaking of Him in faith. 

All of the warnings and disturbing realities of 2 Peter 2 give readers reasons for avoiding the awful realities of hell. 2 Peter 3:17 urges readers to be on guard against the false teachers and seductions of this age so as to not get sucked into their ways. Avoiding hell is a matter of relying upon the Spirit of God to do as commanded in 2 Peter 3:18 "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." We are saved by grace through faith alone apart from the law and we are being saved by a grace that is not lawless.  Both Peter and Jesus both explain clearly the only escape from Hell - namely Jesus Christ. 

P2 How the Angels point us to Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 3:16 "By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory."

Introduction:

Yesterday we considered two areas in which angels point us to Jesus Christ. By witnessing how the angels ministered to Jesus points us to the truth of His incarnation and thus His glory for our sake. Today we will conclude with two additional ways in which angels point us to Jesus Christ. 

Angels point to Jesus in His Ascension

Angels are seen throughout scripture announcing things to people. Notice again the function of angels both declaring an explaining in Acts 1:9-11 "And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” The angels were doing what they were created to do: declare and explain the glory of God (Psalm 68:17) and the equal and shared glory of the Son (Luke 2:14).

Angels point to Jesus Who is coming again

The Old Testament makes it abundantly clear that the angels function in the capacity of a royal court demonstrating the Deity of Yahweh. In Job 38:7 and Psalm 104:1-4 we see the angels, from the inception of their creation, exalting God for His creative power. In Psalm 68:17 we see angels attending the giving of the law atop Mount Sinai, demonstrating before the newly redeemed Hebrew nation that uncontested Deity of Yahweh. Daniel 7:10-13 portrays the Lord, the Ancient of Days and the Pre-incarnate Son of Man in royal Deity, being attended by innumerable angelic hosts. Later on in Daniel 12:1-3 we see Michael the archangel attending what will undoubtedly be the Divine power of God Himself raising believers from the dead in the resurrection of the righteous and unbelievers in the later resurrection of the wicked.

When will these events occur? When Jesus appears in the clouds at His second coming. In Acts 1:11 the two angels told the disciples that the same Jesus who disappeared from their sight as God and man would appear in the same glorified and physical state. When Jesus returns in His second coming, He will be attended with the angelic hosts of Heaven reflecting His deity revealed through His physical humanity. (Matt 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26 & Revelation 15:8). Just like the Old Testament’s association of the angelic court with the display of God’s Deity, the New Testament connects those same courts of angels as pointing to Christ’s deity in His second coming.