the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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December 25 - Straight Thru the Bible
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2 Peter 3
Chapter 3
The Day of the Lord
1 Dear friends, this is now the second letter(a) I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine(b) understanding with a reminder, 2 so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. 3 First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days(c) to scoff, living according to their own desires, 4 saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?(d) Ever since the fathers fell asleep,(e) all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation." 5 They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water(f) by the word of God.(g) 6 Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded.(h) 7 But by the same word,(i) the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment(j) and destruction of ungodly men.
8 Dear friends, don't let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.(k) 9 The Lord does not delay His promise,(l) as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any(m) to perish(n) but all to come to repentance.(o)
10 But the Day of the Lord(p) will come like a thief;[a](q) on that day the heavens will pass away(r) with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved,(s) and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.[b] 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness 12 as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming[c] of the day of God.(t) The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. 13 But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth,(u) where righteousness will dwell.(v)
Conclusion
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish.(w) 15 Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.(x) 16 He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction,(y) as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard,(z) so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge(aa) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.[d](ab) Amen.[e]
1 John 1:1-3:12
Chapter 1
Prologue: Our Declaration
1 What was from the beginning,(a)
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word(b) of life—
2 that life was revealed,(c)
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us(d)—
3 what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship(e) along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father(f)
and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things[a]
so that our[b] joy(g) may be complete.
Fellowship with God
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light,(h) and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.(i) 6 If we say, "We have fellowship(j) with Him," yet we walk in darkness,(k) we are lying and are not practicing[c] the truth.(l) 7 But if we walk in the light(m) as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus(n) His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, "We have no sin,"(o) we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive(p) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, "We don't have any sin," we make Him a liar, and His word(q) is not in us.(r)
Chapter 2
1 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate(a) with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation(b) for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.(c)
God's Commands
3 This is how we are sure(d) that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.(e) 4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," yet doesn't keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word,(f) truly in him the love of God is perfected.[a] This is how we know we are in Him:(g) 6 The one who says he remains in Him(h) should walk just as He walked.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command(i) but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the message(j) you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away(k) and the true light(l) is already shining.(m)
9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother(n) is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother(o) remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.[b] 11 But the one who hates his brother(p) is in the darkness, walks in the darkness,(q) and doesn't know where he's going,(r) because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Reasons for Writing
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins have been forgiven
because of Jesus' name.(s)
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.(t)
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have had victory over the evil one.(u)
14 I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God's word(v) remains in you,
and you have had victory over the evil one.
A Warning about the World
15 Do not love the world(w) or the things that belong to[c] the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to[d] the world—the lust of the flesh,(x) the lust of the eyes,(y) and the pride(z) in one's lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away,(aa) but the one who does God's will(ab) remains forever.(ac)
The Last Hour
18 Children, it is the last hour.(ad) And as you have heard, "Antichrist(ae) is coming," even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
20 But you have an anointing(af) from the Holy One,(ag) and all of you have knowledge.[e] 21 I have not written to you because you don't know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah?(ah) This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son can have the Father;(ai) he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.(aj)
Remaining with God
24 What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son(ak) and in the Father.(al) 25 And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.(am) 26 I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things(an) and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.(ao)
God's Children
28 So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears(ap) we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.(aq) 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right(ar) has been born of Him.(as)
Chapter 3
1 1 Look at how great a love[a] the Father has given us that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him. 2 Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.(a) We know that when He appears, we will be like Him(b) because we will see Him as He is.(c) 3 And everyone who has this hope(d) in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.(e)
4 Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law;[b] sin is the breaking of law. 5 You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins,[c](f) and there is no sin in Him.(g) 6 Everyone who remains in Him(h) does not sin;[d](i) everyone who[e] sins has not seen Him or known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who commits[f] sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God(j) was revealed(k) for this purpose: to destroy the Devil's works. 9 Everyone who has been born of God(l) does not sin,[g] because His[h] seed(m) remains in him; he is not able to sin,[i] because he has been born of God. 10 This is how God's children—and the Devil's children—are made evident.
The Command to Love
Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother.(n) 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain,(o) who was of the evil one(p) and murdered[j] his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
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