The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:19-21, “…by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

How often have you heard someone say, “I’m free to do whatever I want”? How often have you said that very same thing?

In yesterday’s Grands Letter, I mentioned that Second Peter 1 deals with “moral corruption” and Second Peter 2 deals with “doctrinal corruption.” Peter well may have both areas of corruption in mind when he writes that “by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

Slavery is a very slippery slope. It’s so easy to say, “That’s something which I’ll never do again!” But, before long, you’re doing that very thing and making excuses for doing it! It’s not only wrong, but it’s dangerous! Peter’s warning is especially geared to Christians. Yes, you “escaped the defilements (sins)” that used to plague you because you gave your heart and life to Jesus Christ. He forgave you and cleansed you, and you started out on a new track. But, then—you slipped back, and became “again entangled” and “overcome.” Now, you’re worse off than ever! You’re mad at yourself, but temptation ensnared you! What can you do now?

Peter says it would have been better that you had not known the way of righteousness, than knowing it and then turning away from the LORD’s commands and instructions. Don’t despair! We’ve all been there! If we’re talking about moral corruption, we must confess it and yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s mercy and forgiveness. If we’re talking about doctrinal corruption, we need to flee from the source and bury ourselves in the Word of God –the Bible—until our minds have been cleansed of the putrefaction of false doctrine and we have come back to the purity of the Holy Word.

Both moral error and doctrinal error can be swept from our minds and hearts. But such is a process. We must genuinely want to be free from both, and we must trust the LORD to cleanse us. Many servants of the LORD have failed; but the LORD has never failed any of His true servants. He will not fail you! God bless you abundantly! You are in my prayers!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:1-3, “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.

2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

In the first chapter of Peter’s second letter, he majors on moral corruption. In this second chapter, his emphasis is on doctrinal corruption. Does that make sense to you? It sure should! The natural tendency of the natural man is toward immorality. We possess fallen Adam’s spiritual DNA! Immoral man seeks to justify his immorality by turning away from doctrinal soundness. And preachers, who are often themselves engaged in immorality, accommodate the immorality of their members by turning them away from the truth of God’s Holy Word!

Peter is Jewish by birth, so when he says that “false prophets also arose among the people,” he means among the Jewish people. One does not have to read far into the Old Testament to discover the problem the LORD and His true prophets had with the Jewish people. But, Peter is not hounding the Jewish people; rather, he is saying that the Christian Church is going to have false teachers, too. With the subtly of the serpent of Eden, these false teachers will “secretly introduce destructive heresies” that will even deny the LORD Jesus who Himself paid for their sins with His own death on Calvary’s Cross!

There will then be a notable embrace of false teachings by even true believers, because this teaching will allow them a continuing alliance with licentious and evil behavior. Yet, they will not escape the LORD’s judgment. They will bring swift destruction upon themselves because of the maligned truth coming from the pulpits of these false teachers. Those same teachers have their own agenda: greed and pride and self-satisfaction. They are NOT the LORD’s ministers! And the judgment that fell upon those evil prophets of old is not dead. The same destruction is destined to destroy these modern day ministers, as well. Be careful! Be VERY CAREFUL of whose teachings you embrace! Be certain that they are HIS TEACHINGS from HIS WORD and for HIS GLORY! We, too, are accountable to the LORD for what teachings we imbibe and embrace!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 1:17-21, “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’–

18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,

21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

It’s the nature of a loving father to want to display the nature and works of his son. Such was our Heavenly Father’s desire to display the Divine Nature of His Son; and He did so in Christ Jesus’ Transfiguration. On this auspicious occasion, Jesus’ human nature was overshadowed by His Divine Nature, as His holiness was unveiled before the disciples on the mountain. The Father said, “This is My beloved Son with Whom I am well-pleased.”

There’s nothing like an eye-witness! And Peter was there and signifies his presence as one who both heard and saw it all.

What’s more (if there ever could be!), we possess that same prophetic Word, which is certain, provided that we pay attention. Peter describes our faith-reception of this momentous event as “a lamp shining in a dark place,” but only until the daylight comes, enlightening our hearts and informing our minds. That Day is on its way!

Furthermore, Peter assures us that “no prophecy (as this Transfiguration of Christ was) has or ever will come from some human interpretation or by an act of man’s will. True prophecy comes only when pure and godly men are moved by the Holy Spirit of God. Only then, can it be revealed.

The prophecy we possess and hold dear is now all contained in the LORD’s Holy Word, the Bible. We seek to understand its message, but we dare not seek to inject our thoughts into it, as if our thoughts were comparable to His thoughts. True prophecy is His and His alone. And we depend upon His Holy Spirit to make clear to our minds what His men have recorded in the Bible. Think of how holy His Word is when you read it. Think of its power to accomplish it’s own intention when communicated to the lives of unbelievers. Another girl died today, aged only 17. Did someone ever talk to her about Jesus?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 5:8-10, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Sobriety is essential to alertness. Certainly, it applies to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. But, it also applies to the use of common sense. Whatever captivates our thinking also captivates our alertness. Satan is unmistakably our adversary. The very word “prowl” bespeaks a nefarious activity. Check your dictionary or thesaurus. He is clever. Paul wrote, “…we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). Not to add to Paul’s inspired words, but if we are “ignorant,” that is, if we ignore Satan’s devices, we ought not to be. “To devour,” (????????, katapino) means to overwhelm, to swallow. Satan is not someone to trifle with!!

Furthermore, Satan can be resisted! Faith is the key to resistance, just as it is to salvation in Christ Jesus! Other believers are successfully thwarting him, you can, too! You are not alone in this battle. Others are suffering from the devil’s attacks.

These attacks are not comfortable, to say the least. However, they offer the LORD opportunity to rescue us, His children.

Peter knows personally of what he speaks in this passage. Yes, there is suffering, which makes our rescue and spiritual recovery all the more exciting and pleasant.

Notice the four capstone words in the last verse above: perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish. The LORD is both able and willing to perfect and confirm and strengthen and establish His children. Are you one of His? If you are, just stay alert! The battle is always victorious when Christ is directing it.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

We might suppose that Simon Peter would be the last person to suggest that believers “humble” themselves. Even a brief sketch of Peter’s life requires that we note his abrupt outspokenness. He even dared to challenge the validity of Jesus’ predictions! But Peter is older now. He’s learned some hard lessons and speaks much more meekly than in his earlier life.

Therefore, we might expect him to now say, “Humble yourselves…”

Two verses earlier (v. 4), Peter is thinking and writing of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Himself, who could appear at any time.

(Remember the cock crowing?) We would all do well to remember that; but none quite so vividly as Peter. In any event, in the light of the Coming of the LORD –whenever that may be—we surely don’t want Him to find us wrangling among ourselves as to who is the greatest. He will decide that when He comes! For now, we must humble ourselves and think of ourselves less –much less—than we normally do. The LORD will hand out awards in His own time; and they will be given to those who think more of others than they do of themselves.

Anxiety falls upon all of us at some time. Some are anxious to achieve more and have more. Others, who already have much, suffer from anxiety over whether someone else will steal what they themselves have already aquired. Thus, anxiety cuts both ways. But the surest way of eliminating anxiety is to cast it all on the LORD. “Be anxious for nothing,” Paul says.

I rarely loan my car to anyone. When I do, however, I loan it to someone I trust as a good-to-excellent driver, and I don’t

worry about the safety of either one. If you have a lot, don’t worry about its safety, just give it into the Hand of the LORD.

If you don’t have much, don’t worry about that, either; you are the LORD’s child, and it is His responsibility to care for you and all your needs. Either way, “He cares for you.”

What a wonderful Savior and LORD we have! Everything we do should be done for His glory! He is the One who gave us life. So, life and the LORD should be our only concerns. Live your life for Him; He gave His Life for you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”