Bible Study: Self Control

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...Now for those of us that are adults, we must look to the fact that WE are CHILDREN of GOD... So discipline is needed for US TOO as children... Particularly when we, ourselves are ACTING like children!

Child of God: Philippians 3:7-11, Romans 8:15-17, 1st Peter 1:3-4, Matthew 2:50, Ephesians 1:5-6,11, Galatians 3:23-29 and 4:21-31, 1st John 2:28-29 and 1st John 3:2.

Philippians 3:7-11 But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with Him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of His resurrection, to share in His sufferings and become like Him in His death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to
life.

Romans 8:15-17 For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, "Father! my Father!" God's Spirit joins Himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children. Since we are His children, we will possess the blessings He keeps for His people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for Him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share His glory.

1st Peter 1:3-4 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of His great mercy He gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for His people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.

Matthew 12:50 "Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother."

Ephesians 1:5-6,11 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His children---this was His pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for His glorious grace, for the free gift He gave us in his dear Son!
All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be His own people in union with Christ because of His own purpose, based on what He had
decided from the very beginning.

Galatians 3:23-29 But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us. It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself. So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.

Galatians 4:21-31 Let me ask those of you who want to be subject to the Law: do you not hear what the Law says?
4:22 It says that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman, the other by a free woman.
4:23 His son by the slave woman was born in the usual way, but his son by the free woman was born as a result of God's promise.
4:24 These things can be understood as a figure: the two women represent two covenants. The one whose children are born in slavery is Hagar, and she represents the covenant made at Mount Sinai.
4:25 Hagar, who stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, is a figure of the present city of Jerusalem, in slavery with all its people.
4:26 But the heavenly Jerusalem is free, and she is our mother.
4:27 For the scripture says, "Be happy, you childless woman! Shout and cry with joy, you who never felt the pains of childbirth! For the woman who was deserted will have more children than the woman whose husband never left her."
4:28 Now, you, my friends, are God's children as a result of His promise, just as Isaac was.
4:29 At that time the son who was born in the usual way persecuted the one who was born because of God's Spirit; and it is the same now.
4:30 But what does the scripture say? It says, "Send the slave woman and her son away; for the son of the slave woman will not have a part of the father's property along with the son of the free woman."
4:31 So then, my friends, we are not the children of a slave woman but of a free woman.

1st John 2:28-29 Yes, my children, remain in union with Him, so that when He appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day He comes. You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child.

1st John 3:2 My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He really is.

Sign of sonship: Proverbs 3:12

Proverbs 3:12 The LORD corrects those He loves, as parents correct a child of whom they are proud.

Brings rest: Proverbs 29:17

Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your children and you can always be proud of them. They will never give you reason to be ashamed.

Makes happy: Job 5:17

Job 5:17 Happy is the person whom God corrects! Do not resent it when He rebukes you.

Stability:Colossians 2:5

Colossians 2:5 For even though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I am glad as I see the resolute firmness with which you stand together in your faith in Christ.

Profitable:1st Timothy 4:8

1st Timothy 4:8 Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future.

Serves God:

--Requirements of:

Reverence: Psalm 2:11

Psalm 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear; tremble...

Upright walking: Psalm 101:6

Psalm 101:6 I will approve of those who are faithful to God and will let them live in my palace. Those who are completely honest will be allowed to serve me.

Absolute loyalty: Matthew 6:24

Matthew 6:24 "You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Regeneration:Romans 7:6

Romans 7:6 Now, however, we are free from the Law, because we died to that which once held us prisoners. No longer do we serve in the old way of a written law, but in the
new way of the Spirit.

Serve the Lord: Romans 12:11

Romans 12:11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.

Humility:Acts 20:19

Acts 20:19 With all humility and many tears I did my work as the Lord's servant during the hard times that came to me because of the plots of some Jews.

Love: Galatians 5:13

Galatians 5:13 As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another.

--Rewards of:

Divine honor: John 12:26

John 12:26 Whoever wants to serve Me must follow Me, so that My servant will be with Me where I am. And my Father will honor anyone who serves Me.

Acceptance before God: Romans 14:8

Romans 14:8 If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Inheritance: Colossians 3:24

Colossians 3:24 Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what He has kept for His people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.

Eternal blessedness: Revelation 7:15 and 22:3

Revelations 7:15 That is why they stand before God's throne and serve Him day and night in His temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with His presence.

Revelations 22:3 Nothing that is under God's curse will be found in the city. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, ad His servants will worship Him.

--Profitable service exhibited in:

Spiritual gifts: 1st Corinthians 12:7

1st Corinthians 12:7 The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.

Godliness:1st Timothy 4:8

1st Timothy 4:8 Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future.

Inspired word: 2nd Timothy 3:16-17

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

Good works:Titus 3:8

Titus 3:8 This is a true saying. I want you to give special emphasis to these matters, so that those who believe in God may be concerned with giving their time to doing good deeds, which are good and useful for everyone.
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LACKING SELF CONTROL--ELEMENTS OF:

SELF-CONTROL HINDERED BY:

Fleshly lusts: 1st Peter 2:11-12

1st Peter 2:11-12 I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.

Appetite is their God: Philippians 3:18-19, 1st Corinthians 11:17-22

Philippians 3:18-19 I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ's death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world.

1st Corinthians 11:17-22 In the following instructions, however, I do not praise you, because your meetings for worship actually do more harm than good. In the first place, I have been told that there are opposing groups in your meetings; and this I believe is partly true. (No doubt there must be divisions among you so that the ones who are in the right may be clearly seen.) When you meet together as a group, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. For as you eat, you each go ahead with your own meal, so that some are hungry while others get drunk. Don't you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or would you rather despise the church of God and put to shame the people who are in need? What do you expect me to say to you about this? Shall I praise you? Of
course I don't!

Tongue:Psalm 39:1-2, James 3:2-8; Proverbs 21:23

Psalm 39:1-2 I said, "I will be careful about what I do and will not let my tongue make me sin; I will not say anything while evil people are near." I kept quiet, not saying a word, not even about anything good! But my suffering only grew worse,

James 3:2-8 All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being. We put a bit into the mouth of a horse to make it obey us, and we are able to make it go where we want. Or think of a ship: big as it is and driven by such strong winds, it can be steered by a very small rudder, and it goes wherever the pilot wants it to go. So it is with the tongue: small as it is, it can boast about great things. Just think how large a forest can be set on fire by a tiny flame! And the tongue is like a fire. It is a world of wrong, occupying its place in our bodies and spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself. We humans are able to tame and have tamed all other creatures---wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish. But no one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison.

Proverbs 21:23 If you want to stay out of trouble, be careful what you say.

Drink:Proverbs 23:29-35

Proverbs 23:29-35 Who is always in trouble? Who argues and fights? Who has cuts and bruises? Whose eyes are red? Everyone who stays up late, having just one more drink. Don't even look at that colorful stuff bubbling up in the glass! It goes down so easily, but later it bites like a poisonous snake. You will see weird things, and your mind will play tricks on you. You will feel tossed about like someone trying to sleep on a ship in a storm. You will be bruised all over, without even remembering how it all happened. And you will lie awake asking, "When will morning come, so I can drink some more?"

Sexual Sins: 1st Thessalonians 4:3-5 (7-8)

1st Thessalonians 4:3-5 God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality. Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way, not with a lustful desire, like the heathen who do not know God.

(1st Thessalonians 4:7-8) God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness. So then, whoever rejects this teaching is not rejecting a human being, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Unclean spirit: Mark 5:2-16

Mark 5:2-16 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more; many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him. Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones. He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before Him, and screamed in a loud voice, "Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!" (He said this because Jesus was saying, "Evil spirit, come out of this man!") So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is 'Legion'---there are so many of us!" And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region. There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. So the spirits begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them." He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd---about two thousand pigs in all---rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and were drowned. The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.

Self expressionism: Proverbs 25:28

Proverbs 25:28 If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.

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Self deception/denial: Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 What you think is the right road may lead to death.

--Factors contributing to:

Mockers: 2nd Peter 3:3-4

2nd Peter 3:3-4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you and will ask, "He promised to come, didn't He? Where is He? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!"

Worldliness:Matthew 24:48-51

Matthew 24:48-51But if he is a bad servant, he will tell himself that his master will not come back for a long time, and he will begin to beat his fellow servants and to eat and
drink with drunkards. Then that servant's master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. The master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.

False teaching: 1st Thessalonians 5:3

1st Thessalonians 5:3 When people say, "Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape.

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Self Condemnation:

--Caused by:

Heart: 1st John 3:20

1st John 3:20 If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that He knows everything.

Sins: 2nd Samuel 24:17

2nd Samuel 24:17 David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the LORD, "I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family."

Mouth:Job 9:20

Job 9:20 I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty, and everything I say seems to condemn me.

Evil work: Matthew 23:31-33

Matthew 23:31-33 So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets! Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started! You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?

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Selfishness:

--Exemplified in:

Always want to be first: 3rd John 9-11, Mark 9:35

3rd John 1:9-11 I wrote a short letter to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to be their leader, will not pay any attention to what I say. When I come, then, I will bring up everything he has done: the terrible things he says about us and the lies he tells! But that is not enough for him; he will not receive the Christians when they come, and even stops those who want to receive them and tries to drive them out of the church! My dear friend, do not imitate what is bad, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good belongs to God; whoever does what is bad has not seen God.

Mark 9:35 Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all."

Self love: 2nd Timothy 3:2-5

2nd Timothy 3:2-5 People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people.

Self Seeking: Philippians 2:21

Philippians 2:21 Everyone else is concerned only with their own affairs, not with the cause of Jesus Christ.

--Consequences of:

Poverty: Proverbs 23:21

Proverbs 23:21 Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.

Sin:Romans 13:13-14

Romans 13:13-14 Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day---no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy. But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

Loss of Spirituality: Galatians 5:16-17

Galatians 5:16-17 What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.

Self willed/Stubbornness: Isaiah 48:4-8

Isaiah 48:4-8 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn, as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze. And so I predicted your future long ago, announcing events before they took place, to keep you from claiming that your idols and images made them happen. "All I foretold has now taken place; you have to admit my predictions were right. Now I will tell you of new things to come, events that I did not reveal before. Only now am I making them happen; nothing like this took place in the past. If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it. I knew that you couldn't be trusted, that you have always been known as a rebel. That is why you never heard of this at all, why no word of it ever came to your ears.

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Stubbornness --Manifested in:

Presumption: Numbers 14:40-45

Numbers 14:40-45 Early the next morning they started out to invade the hill country, saying, "Now we are ready to go to the place which the LORD told us about. We admit that we have sinned." But Moses said, "Then why are you disobeying the LORD now? You will not succeed! Don't go. The LORD is not with you, and your enemies will defeat you. When you face the Amalekites and the Canaanites, you will die in battle; the LORD will not be with you, because you have refused to follow him." Yet they still dared to go up into the hill country, even though neither the LORD's Covenant Box nor Moses left the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived there attacked and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hormah.

Unbelief: 2nd Kings 17:14

2nd Kings 17:14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the LORD their God.

Evil heart: Jeremiah 7:24

Jeremiah 7:24 But they did not obey or pay any attention. Instead, they did whatever their stubborn and evil hearts told them to do, and they became worse instead of better.

Disobeying parents: Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Deuteronomy 21:18-20 "Suppose someone has a son who is stubborn and rebellious, a son who will not obey his parents, even though they punish him. His parents are to take him before the leaders of the town where he lives and make him stand trial. They are to say to them, 'Our son is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey us; he wastes money and is a drunkard.' Then the men of the city are to stone him to death, and so you will get rid of this evil. Everyone in Israel will hear what has happened and be afraid.

Arrogance: Nehemiah 9:16,29

Nehemiah 9:16 But our ancestors grew proud and stubborn and refused to obey Your commands.
Nehemiah 9:29 You warned them to obey your teachings, but in pride they rejected Your laws, although keeping Your Law is the way to life. Hard-headed and stubborn, they refused to obey.

Rejecting God's messengers: Jeremiah 44:16

Jeremiah 44:16 "We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of the LORD.

Resisting God's Spirit: Acts 7:51

Acts 7:51 "How stubborn you are!" Stephen went on to say, "How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit!

False teaching: 2nd Peter 2:10

2nd Peter 2:10 especially those who follow their filthy bodily lusts and despise God's authority. These false teachers are bold and arrogant, and show no respect for the glorious beings above; instead, they insult them.

--Sin of stubbornness among Christians:

Illustrated: Acts 15:36-40

Acts 15:36-40 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in every town where we preached the word of the Lord, and let us find out how
they are getting along." Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul did not think it was right to take him, because he had not stayed with them to the end of their omission, but had turned back and left them in Pamphylia. There was a sharp argument, and they separated: Barnabas took Mark and sailed off for Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the care of the Lord's grace.

Warned against: Hebrews 3:7-12

Hebrews 3:7-12 So then, as the Holy Spirit says, "If you hear God's voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test. There they put Me to the test and tried Me, says God, although they had seen what I did for forty years. And so I was angry with those people and said, 'They are always disloyal and refuse to obey My commands.' I was angry and made a solemn promise: 'They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!' "My friends, be careful that none of you have a heart so evil and unbelieving that you will turn away from the living God.

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PRIDE: A conceited sense of one's own superiority.

--Origins:

Devil: Isaiah 14:13-15

Isaiah 14:13-15 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.

Ambition:Daniel 5:20-23

Daniel 5:20-23 But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor. He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone He chooses. "But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this. You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone---gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do.

Evil thoughts: Mark 7:21-23

Mark 7:21-23 For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly---all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean."

World: 1st John 2:16

1st John 2:16 Everything that belongs to the world---what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of---none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world.

Self righteousness: Luke 18:11-12

Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.'

Worldly power: Ezekiel 16:49,56-57

Ezekiel 16:49 She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged.
Ezekiel 16:56-57 Didn't you joke about Sodom in those days when you were proud and before the evil you did had been exposed? Now you are just like her---

--Evils of pride:

Behaves arrogantly: Daniel 5:20

Daniel 5:20 But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor.

Produces Spiritual decay: Hosea 7:8-10

Hosea 7:8-10 The LORD says, "The people of Israel are like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. The arrogance of the people of Israel cries out against them. In spite of everything that has happened, they have not returned to Me, the LORD their God.

Keeps from real progress: Proverbs 26:12

Proverbs 26:12 The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.

--Hinders coming to God: : Psalm 10:4

Psalm 10:4 The wicked do not care about the LORD; in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

Issues in self deception: Jeremiah 49:16

Jeremiah 49:16 Your pride has deceived you. No one fears you as much as you think they do. You live on the rocky cliffs, high on top of the mountain; but even though you live as high up as an eagle, the LORD will bring you down. The LORD has spoken."

Makes men reject God's word: Jeremiah 43:2

Jeremiah 43:2 Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other arrogant men said to me, "You are lying. The LORD our God did not send you to tell us not to go and live in Egypt."

Leads to ruin: Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18 Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

Pride: Characteristic of:

Wicked: Psalm 73:6

Psalm 73:6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe;

World rulers: Habakkuk 2:4-5

Habakkuk 2:4-5 And this is the message: 'Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' " Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless---like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves.

Last days: 2nd Timothy 3:1-2

2nd Timothy 3:1-2 Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days. People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious;

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Self righteousness:

--Described as:

Objectionable: Deuteronomy 9:4-6

Deuteronomy 9:4-6 "After the LORD your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that He brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the LORD is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked. It is not because you are good and do what is right that the LORD is letting you take their land. He will drive them out because they are wicked and because He intends to keep the promise that He made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You can be sure that the LORD is not giving you this fertile land because you deserve it. No, you are a stubborn people.

Self Condemned: Job 9:20

Job 9:20 I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty, and everything I say seems to condemn me.

Unprofitable:Isaiah 57:12

Isaiah 57:12 You think that what you do is right, but I will expose your conduct, and your idols will not be able to help you.

Like a filthy garment: Isaiah 64:6

Isaiah 64:6 All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.

Offensive:Isaiah 65:5

Isaiah 65:5 And then they say to others, 'Keep away from us; we are too holy for you to touch!' I cannot stand people like that---my anger against them is like a fire that never goes out.

External: Matthew 23:25-28

Matthew 23:25-28 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness. Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too! "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.

One-sided: Luke 11:42

Luke 11:42 "How terrible for you Pharisees! You give to God one tenth of the seasoning herbs, such as mint and rue and all the other herbs, but you neglect justice and love for God. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.

Boastful:Luke 18:11-12

Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.'

Insufficient: Philippians 3:4-9

Philippians 3:4-9 I could, of course, put my trust in such things. If any of you think you can trust in external ceremonies, I have even more reason to feel that way. I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee, and I was so zealous that I persecuted the church. As far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault. But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying
the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith.

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Self Righteousness--Condemned because of:

Cannot make pure: Proverbs 30:12

Proverbs 30:12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

Cannot save: Matthew 5:20

Matthew 5:20 I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God
requires.

Reject God's righteousness: Romans 10:3

Romans 10:3 They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God's way of putting people right.

Sensuality - fleshly nature:

Rebellion against God: Romans 8:7

Romans 8:7-8 And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.

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Sensualist: One who seeks to satisfy the physical senses.

--Illustrated by:

Nabal: 1st Samuel 25:36

1st Samuel 25:36 Abigail went back to Nabal, who was at home having a feast fit for a king. He was drunk and in a good mood, so she did not tell him anything until the next morning. (Go read whole story.)

Rich fool: Luke 12:16-20

Luke 1:16-20 and He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; He will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; He will get the Lord's people ready for Him." Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also." "I am Gabriel," the angel answered. "I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news. But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true."

Sensuality: Unbridled lust.

Mourned among Christians: 2nd Corinthians 12:21

2nd Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that the next time I come my God will humiliate me in your presence, and I shall weep over many who sinned in the past and have not repented of the immoral things they have done---their lust and their sexual sins.

To be laid aside: Romans 13:13

Romans 13:13 Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day---no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy.

Profane - To act or speak irreverently of holy things:

Breaking God's law: Amos 2:7

Amos 2:7 They smear the poor in the dirt and push aside those who are helpless. My Holy Name is dishonored, because fathers and sons sleep with the same young women.

Defiling God's house: Malachi 1:12-13

Malachi 1:12-13 But you dishonor me when you say that My altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. You say, 'How tired we are of all this!' and you turn
up your nose at Me. As your offering to Me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you?

Not observing the Sabbath:Nehemiah 13:17-18

Nehemiah 13:17-18 I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and told them, "Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy. This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when He brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath."

Committing abominations: Malachi 2:10-11

Malachi 2:10-11 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the LORD loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods.

Idolatry: Leviticus 18:21

Leviticus 18:21 Do not hand over any of your children to be used in the worship of the god Molech, because that would bring disgrace on the name of God, the LORD.

Swearing falsely: Leviticus 19:12

Leviticus 19:12 Do not make a promise in my name if you do not intend to keep it; that brings disgrace on My name. I am the LORD your God.

Illegal marriage: Leviticus 21:14-15

Leviticus 21:14 ...not a widow or a divorced woman or a woman who has been a prostitute. He (the high priest) shall marry only a virgin from his own clan. Otherwise, his children, who ought to be holy, will be ritually unclean. I am the LORD and I have set him apart as the High Priest."

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Blemished service: Leviticus 21:21-23

Leviticus 21:21-23 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any physical defects may present the food offering to Me. Such a man may eat the food offered to me, both the holy food offering and the very holy food offering, but because he has a physical defect, he shall not come near the sacred curtain or approach the altar. He must not profane these holy things, because I am the LORD and I make them holy."

--Punishment of:

Excommunication: Leviticus 19:8

Leviticus 19:8 Any who eat it will be guilty of treating as ordinary what is dedicated to Me, and they will no longer be considered my people.

Death:Leviticus 21:9

Leviticus 21:9 If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she shall be burned to death.

Destruction: Ezekiel 28:16

Ezekiel 28:16 You were busy buying and selling, and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave My holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away
from the sparkling gems.

Unable to confess Jesus is Lord:

--Hindered by:

Fear of men: John 7:13

John 7:13 But no one talked about Him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.

Persecution: Mark 8:34-35

Mark 8:34-35 Then Jesus called the crowd and His disciples to Him. "If any of you want to come with Me," He told them, "you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow Me. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for Me and for the gospel, you will save it.

False teachers: 2nd John 7

2nd John 1:7 Many deceivers have gone out over the world, people who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ came as a
human being. Such a person is a deceiver and the Enemy of Christ.

[Always_Pray]

False confidence:

--Based on:

Unwarranted use of sacred things: 1st Samuel 4:5-11

1st Samuel 4:5-11 When the Covenant Box arrived, the Israelites gave such a loud shout of joy that the earth shook. The Philistines heard the shouting and said, "Listen to all that shouting in the Hebrew camp! What does it mean?" When they found out that the LORD's Covenant Box had arrived in the Hebrew camp, they were afraid, and said, "A god has come into their camp! We're lost! Nothing like this has ever happened to us
before! Who can save us from those powerful gods? They are the gods who slaughtered the Egyptians in the desert! Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men, or we will become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they were our slaves. So fight like men!" The Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, who went running to their homes. There was a great slaughter: thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed. God's Covenant Box was captured, and Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were both killed.

Presumption: Numbers 14:40-45

Numbers 14:40-45 Early the next morning they started out to invade the hill country, saying, "Now we are ready to go to the place which the LORD told us about. We admit that we have sinned." But Moses said, "Then why are you disobeying the LORD now? You will not succeed! Don't go. The LORD is not with you, and your enemies will defeat you. When you face the Amalekites and the Canaanites, you will die in battle; the LORD will not be with you, because you have refused to follow Him." Yet they still dared to go up into the hill country, even though neither the LORD's Covenant Box nor Moses left the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived there attacked and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hormah.

Pride:1st Samuel 17:43-44

1st Samuel 17:43-44 He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David. "Come on," he challenged David, "and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat."

Conformed to the world: Romans 12:12

Romans 12:2 Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect.

Refusal to purify themselves by denying:

Self exultation:

--Manifested in:

Satan: Isaiah 14:12-15

Isaiah 14:12-15 King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.

AntiChrist:2nd Thessalonians 2:4

2nd Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God.

Wicked: Psalm 73:9

Psalm 73:9 They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

--Evils of seen in:

Self abasement: Matthew 23:12

Matthew 23:12 Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

Pride:Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18 Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

Appetite: Proverbs 23:2

Proverbs 23:2 If you have a big appetite, restrain yourself.

Sinful pleasures: Hebrews 11:25-26

Hebrews 11:25-26 He preferred to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward.

Worldly Ambitions: Matthew 16:24-26

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you want to come with Me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow Me. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for My sake, you will find it. Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life.

[Always_Pray]

Results in unanswered prayers:

--Because of:

Sin: Psalm 66:18

Psalm 66:18 If I had ignored my sins, the Lord would not have listened to me.

Selfishness: James 4:3

James 4:3 And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures.

Doubt: James 1:5-7

James 1:5-7 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.

Disobedience:Proverbs 28:9

Proverbs 28:9 If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear.

Inhumanity:Proverbs 21:13

Proverbs 21:13 If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard.

Pride:Luke 18:11-12,14

Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.'
Luke 18:14 I tell you," said Jesus, "the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great."

Because we know our sins will be exposed eventually: Ephesians 5:7-21; James 5:13-16,19-20

Ephesians 5:7-21 So have nothing at all to do with such people. You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light. (It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light. That is why it is said, "Wake up, sleeper, and rise from death, and Christ will shine on you." So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do. Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father. Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.

James 5:13-16 Are any among you in trouble? They should pray. Are any among you happy? They should sing praises. Are any among you sick? They should send for the church elders, who will pray for them and rub olive oil on them in the Name of the Lord. This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven. So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.

James 5:19-20 My friends, if any of you wander away from the truth and another one brings you back again, remember
this: whoever turns a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner's soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

Matthew 12:36 "You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken.

See Also: Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:16; Ephesians 6:4-6; Jude 1:14, Jude 1:15; Revelations 20:12

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It is in our best interest to lead self-controlled and exemplary lives.

The benefit of walking in God's ways are seen in the fulfillment of His promises to us:

--Described as:

Never failing: Joshua 23:5-15, 1st Kings 8:56

Joshua 23:5-15 The LORD your God will make them retreat from you, and He will drive them away as you advance. You shall have their land, as the LORD your God has promised you. So be careful to obey and do everything that is written in the book of the Law of Moses. Do not neglect any part of it, and then you will not associate with these peoples left among you or speak the names of their gods or use those names in taking vows or worship those gods or bow down to them. Instead, be faithful to the LORD, as you have been till now. The LORD has driven great and powerful nations out as you advanced, and no one has ever been able to stand against you. Any one of you can make a thousand men run away, because the LORD your God is fighting for you, just as He
promised. Be careful, then, to love the LORD your God. If you are disloyal and join with the nations that are still left among you and intermarry with them, you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive these nations out as you advance. Rather, they will be as dangerous for you as a trap or a pit and as painful as a whip on your back or thorns in your eyes. And this will last until none of you are left in this good land which the LORD your God has given you. "Now my time has come to die. Every one of you
knows in his heart and soul that the LORD your God has given you all the good things that He promised. Every promise He made has been kept; not one has failed. But just as He kept every promise that he made to you, so He will carry out every threat.

1st Kings 8:56 "Praise the LORD who has given His people peace, as He promised He would. He has kept all the generous promises He made through his servant Moses.

Backed by an oath: Hebrews 6:12-20

Hebrews 6:12-20 We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised. When God made His promise to Abraham, He made a vow to do what He had promised. Since there was no one greater than himself, He used His own name when He made His vow. He said, "I promise you that I will bless you and give you many descendants." Abraham was patient, and so he received what God had promised. When we make a vow, we use the name of someone greater than ourselves, and the vow settles all arguments. To those who were to receive what he promised, God wanted to make it very clear that He would never change His purpose; so He added his vow to the promise. There are these two things, then, that cannot change and about which God cannot lie. So we who have found safety with Him are greatly encouraged to hold firmly to the hope placed before us. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives. It is safe and sure, and goes through the curtain of the heavenly
temple into the inner sanctuary. On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us and
has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

Fulfilled on schedule: Acts 7:6,17 and Galatians 4:4

Acts 7:6 This is what God said to him: 'Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years.
Acts 7:17 "When the time drew near for God to keep the promise He had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger.

Galatians 4:4 But when the right time finally came, God sent His own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,

Confirmed by Christ: Romans 15:8

Romans 15:8 For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is faithful, to make His promises to their ancestors come true,

Centered in Christ:2nd Corinthians 1:20 and 2nd Timothy 1:1

2nd Corinthians 1:20 for it is He who is the "Yes" to all of God's promises. This is why through Jesus Christ our "Amen" is said to the glory of God.

2nd Timothy 1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, sent to proclaim the promised life which we have in union with Christ Jesus---

Kept by faith: Romans 4:20-21 and Hebrews 11;13-40

Romans 4:20-21 His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what He had promised.

Hebrews 11:13-40 It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth.
11:14 Those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own.
11:15 They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have had the chance to return.
11:16 Instead, it was a better country they longed for, the heavenly country. And so God is not ashamed for them to call Him their God, because He has prepared a city for them.
11:17 It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice.
11:18 God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised."
11:19 Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death---and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.
11:20 It was faith that made Isaac promise blessings for the future to Jacob and Esau.
11:21 It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God.
11:22 It was faith that made Joseph, when he was about to die, speak of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and leave instructions about what should be done with his body.
11:23 It was faith that made the parents of Moses hide him for three months after he was born. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's order.
11:24 It was faith that made Moses, when he had grown up, refuse to be called the son of the king's daughter.
11:25 He preferred to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while.
11:26 He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward.
11:27 It was faith that made Moses leave Egypt without being afraid of the king's anger. As though he saw the invisible God, he refused to turn back.
11:28 It was faith that made him establish the Passover and order the blood to be sprinkled on the doors, so that the Angel of Death would not kill the first-born sons of the Israelites.
11:29 It was faith that made the Israelites able to cross the Red Sea as if on dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the water swallowed them up.
11:30 It was faith that made the walls of Jericho fall down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days.
11:31 It was faith that kept the prostitute Rahab from being killed with those who disobeyed God, for she gave the Israelite spies a friendly welcome.
11:32 Should I go on? There isn't enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.
11:33 Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions,
11:34 put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners.
11:35 Through faith women received their dead relatives raised back to life. Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life.
11:36 Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison.
11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of sheep or goats---poor, persecuted, and mistreated.
11:38 The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.
11:39 What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised,
11:40 because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.

[Always_Pray]

Magnificent:2nd Peter 1:4

2nd Peter 1:4 In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts He promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.

Not slow: 2nd Peter 3:4-13

2nd Peter 3:4-13 and will ask, "He promised to come, didn't He? Where is He? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!"
3:5 They purposely ignore the fact that long ago God gave a command, and the heavens and earth were created. The earth was formed out of water and by water,
3:6 and it was also by water, the water of the flood, that the old world was destroyed.
3:7 But the heavens and the earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed.
3:8 But do not forget one thing, my dear friends! There is no difference in the Lord's sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same.
3:9 The Lord is not slow to do what He has promised, as some think. Instead, He is patient with you, because He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.
3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish.
3:11 Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God,
3:12 as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon---the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.
3:13 But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.

--Objects of:

New heart: Jeremiah 31:33

Jeremiah 31:33 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Holy Spirit: Luke 24:49

Luke 24:49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you."

Salvation:: Acts 2:39

Acts 2:39 For God's promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away---all whom the Lord our God calls to Himself."

Kingdom: James 2:5

James 2:5 Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which He promised to those who love him.

Life eternal: Titus 1:2

Titus 1:2 which is based on the hope for eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised us this life before the beginning of time,

Crown of life: James 1:12

James 1:12 Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love Him.