Why I believe the Bible #3

Why I believe the Bible #3

2 Peter 1:12-15

September 10, 2023

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INTRODUCTION:

This is the 3rd of the four-part series on “Why I believe the Bible”. In order for us to know where we are going, we need to look back just a bit.

Week 1: we laid the foundation on common objections and how we typically respond to these. We even listed some objections and how they have caused great harm to the believer. We then talked about how the appropriate response we have been practicing answers many of those common objections.

Week 2: We covered the dates that the canon (scripture) can be traced back to. We learned that the Word of God, specifically the NT, can be traced all the way back to the times of the eyewitnesses. We discussed that the Word of God (in particular the collection of historical documents) is reliable enough to use to determine the dates that they were recognized as scripture.

Today, week 3 we will see how we know that what we have is really from an authorized source. But there are a couple of disclaimers. I will not be going over the authors themselves. If you have an ESV Study Bible, there is a section before every book that will tell you the authorship, dates, and for the most part the purpose. My goal today is to answer this objection:

OBJECTION: “How do we know that the books that we have today are actually authoritative? Meaning, did the people who claim to have written it, really write those words and should we really listen to them.”

Before I get into answering this objection though, allow me to run this by you.

How would you handle the reading of a last will and testament from someone you love? I can personally say it is one of the hardest things you will ever do. I found myself hoping for one last glimmer of wisdom, direction, hope, and connection. It is a VERY emotional and depressing time to hear words from someone who has passed away.

The emotional side is only one part though. For a will to be authoritative though, it must be witnessed by an eyewitness that is known. It is then read and accepted AND acted upon by the executor. The executor is the person who has been granted the power to execute and act out the will. They have all the power of the state to do what that will says.

The passage we read today is like a last will and testament. It was written to the early church and us in a way that we should see its importance both emotionally and functionally. It is so important to know who witnessed it because that helps understand if it is worth listening to. Also, how has it been authenticated?

For it to be scripture, it must pass the qualifications of being written by eyewitnesses, a companion of an eyewitness, or an amanuensis. Look back at Dr. Baucham’s quote:

“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report to us supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of certain prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human origin.” Before we get to the emotional/spiritual part of this last will, let’s look at the functional side.

Just like any attorney would make sure that the last will and testament is authenticated, we need to make sure that what we are reading is actually real.

1. It must be Apostolic and Divine.

For a writing to be included and canonized into scripture, the writing must be written by only three different sources. If not written by these, it was quickly considered suspect and not included in scripture. Remember though, the Church did not make the canon, it recognized the canon. So, any writings that were considered had been in circulation and approved by the first-century believers.

So, who were the three authorized writers of the text:

a. A physical follower of Christ Jesus/apostle:

The word apostle means a literal follower (1st hand follower of Christ).

This would include the actual apostles like Peter, John and Paul. You may say, “Wait, Paul never followed Jesus”. Yea well, Jesus changed that and specifically called him. Not only that, but the apostles also recognized his apostleship. 2 Peter 3:14-16.

b. The second option for authorship was a companion. This would include Dr. Luke. Luke was a traveling companion of Paul’s. He was with Paul a significant part of his ministry. He authored the book of Luke which bears his name along with the book of Acts.

c. The third and final approved author would be something that only a few of you would have heard of. This would be a book written by an amanuensis.

1. Amanuensis is: a literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts.

It was not uncommon for an apostle or writer to dictate to a scribe the book. Some of these examples would be Jeremiah used Baruch, Isaiah admits to dictating his book, Paul wrote Romans through Tertius (Romans 16:22). 1 Corinthians was written this way (1 Cor 16:21) we don’t know who it was who actually pinned it but Paul sealed it. This is also the case with Colossians (Col 4:18). 1 Peter was dictated to Silvanus. It was a common practice and should and must not trip us up.

After we have settled on who wrote it, there are some other questions used to make sure that the writings belong. The big question around authorship brings us to Hebrews. We will use Hebrews to talk about the next qualifiers for a written book to be included in scripture. That would be does it has harmony.

A. Does the writing have harmony with the other books and is it speaking the same language as the apostles: This is the case with Hebrews. Hebrew’s author is not known but many scholars attribute it to Paul who did not add his typical greeting or salutation at the end. Other ideas have been floated around but that is not the point. The point is that the writings flowed and pointed the same direction as the other writings. It clearly points to and echoes other writings towards Christ and portrays Christ in the same manner as one who was an eyewitness of the events.

EXAMPLE of a beautiful painting – sponge bob square pants in the middle.

B. Does the writing confirm prophetic fulfillment: This is key to understanding the final point of Dr. Baucham’s quote. Do you know that Christ fulfilled prophecy, but He fulfilled all the prophecies? J. Barton Payne = 574, Alfred Edersheim= 456, conservatively, over 300 prophecies fulfilled by Christ. Does the book confirm and support these prophecies?

The point is that if a book does not fulfill and demonstrate divine fulfillment of OT scripture, it is suspect. Paul’s writings echo and point to what Christ did. Luke, James and Jude, echo and point to what Christ did. M,M,L, and John record what Christ did.

C. Full of power and Spirit: This last one is the most important for me. When Scripture was written, it immediately affected the ears and hearts of those who heard it. It is active and alive.

When I mean alive, allow me to give you some examples:

Gal 4:21, 20 and 30: active voice:

“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” or vs 30 “But, what does the scripture say…”

Or Heb 3:6 “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house-whose house we are if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Therefore, just as the HS says, ‘Today if you hear His Voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,’ (Psalm 95) Notice past tense to present. The scripture itself recognizes that it is timeless and effective.

John Stott wrote: “How can an old book be said to “speak” in such a way that we can “hear” it speaking? Only in one way, namely that God Himself speaks through it, and that we must listen to His voice”.

1 Thes 2:13

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

God’s Word is timeless and enduring. If a text is going to be canon, it must fall into these categories. If we look closely at the NT, the early believers recognized it as timeless and canon. And they eagerly adopted it as God’s word.

2. Corporately received (all children hungered for it)

How desperate are you to read and digest His Word? We spoke about this last week and our desperation needs to point us there. Let’s step out of our time period and look at the first century for a minute. How did they (those closest in time period) feel about the NT

a. They were desperate for it and NEEDED it:

1 Peter 2:1-3 “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the WORD, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,”

Mat 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” We find that righteousness in the Word.

John 6:33-35 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world, Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, always give us this bread’. Jesus said to them “I am the bread of life; He who comes to Me will not hunger…”

The early believers lived and died for this Word. When we get into church history, we will find the weight and cost of being desperate for this book in our laps. For now, it is important to see that the desperation for and value of the written Word of God is a testimony of its value and authority. And this brings me to Peter.

I want to concentrate the rest of our time on this desperation. What would cause a man to dedicate his entire existence, effort, family, and life to a cause? Do you think it was important enough to pay the ultimate cost? This entire series has been me trying to get you to “know” with your minds that God’s Word is worth reading, loving, and following. To confess, that is a language that I am comfortable speaking. I tend to appeal to your minds more than your hearts. But, for the rest of the message and the next, I want to talk to your hearts more. I want us to look at 2 Peter 1:12-15

3. Peter’s final message (2 Peter 1:12-15)

Here is some context for Peter’s writings: We know that he wrote this after Paul’s writings (AD 68-90) because Peter references Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3, but before the fall of Jerusalem to Rome in AD 70. Historians come to this date because Rome burning the Holy City is nowhere in the NT except when Jesus prophesied that it would happen in Luke 21:20-22. If it had happened already, it would have been referenced at least once.

Time is a funny thing. Young people think they will live forever and will never die while the aged are always thinking about what message they could leave their families when they pass away. But, what about the middle-aged man who is facing mortality and knows it? They start to get very intentional about every word, every action and every conversation.

A good friend of mine died of ALS way too young, matter of fact this year. After his diagnosis, the conversations were less superficial, less petty, more impactful and more direct. He wasted no words because he knew they were going to be very few. Soon, he lost his ability to speak and had to use an iPhone to text his message. But by the time he got it texted, the conversation had moved on. Soon, he had to give up and you could see he had so much more to say but could not.

Peter is not suffering from ALS, but the words of Jesus were in his mind:

John 21:18,19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus had said that he was going to be martyred. He knew it was coming and by the time 2 Peter was written, Peter knew that the time was running short. His tone is not one of joking around, walking softly out of political correctness. He was writing his last will and testament. One last letter to get his point across. In just 3 verses, you see him get to the point.

KEY WORDS: Read and go through each verse:

1. “I intend”: To be imminent or impending, I am going to make this a major priority!

2. Always: At all times and every conversation will be around “these qualities” – what qualities? Christ Jesus, savior, Lord.

3. Remind: Put in your mind. You may get sick of hearing it, but doesn’t matter. I am going to remind you anyway

4. So that you “Know”: be cognizant or aware of a fact or possess knowledge about Christ

5. Are established: Sterizo: To become more marked by firm determination or resolution=Peter wanted us to be determined!

6. That you have = Pareimi: TO have as a feature or arrive and possess

7. The truth=aletheia, the Lord Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life! It is a true statement!

8. In this body: Tent, tabernacle or short time dwelling

9. To stir you up: diegeiro: means to arouse, stir up; WAKE YOU UP, to stimulate feelings or action. Peter is trying to wake us up!

10.Vs 14:Since I know: oida: I know the fact or specific piece of information

11.Soon: tachino= swift, and violent

12.Putting off: apothesi= removal, and violent act of lifting, pushing or taking something off.

Church, Peter knew what Jesus said to him in John 21:18, 19 was coming. He spends 3 verses setting the stage for his last and closing arguments. He used these verses as an introduction to the Gospele message he preached so passionately. The entire point of this little book is outlined and summed up in 2 points. To guard us against “the error of false teachers” that our modern-day churches” have embraced and the second is to grow in “knowledge of our Lord and savior”.

These two topics are what Peter spends his last efforts trying to “stir” our attention to. His last efforts are designed to point us to the fact that there are false teachings not just in the word but in our churches, in our homes, and in our lives. He is saying, get rid of them! Repent from the sin of false teachings! Just to list a few, lust, idolatry, poor time management etc. Look, anything that directly pulls you away from your time with Christ is a potential idol and false teaching.

The second, grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

Ever wonder why my preaching looks different then the normal 20 ted talks you see in most churches? Ever wonder why MBC is so intentional in how we teach? Church, all of the teaching staff (me, Tracy, Brent/Angie, Siska and the children’s team) teach so intentionally? We take this command very seriously. It is not an act of legalism to instruct and point to Christ. It is obedience. We want to stir each of you up!

4. I must take it serious (HP)

As your pastor, I MUST TAKE IT Serious. I may drop a funny joke around just to keep you awake, but I am not here to entertain the congregation. I have a weight for this calling. It is a heavy burden for a preacher of the WORD. I’ll go so far as to speak for the teachers as well.

Simpson’s quote:

Look, I am NOT setting myself up as the “king” of the pulpit. I own no authority other than what the Word of God has directed, given, and shared with me. The point is that God has put on my shoulders the authority, responsibility and conviction to bring you, the congregation to the foot of the cross and say, Look, your redemption is there. My job:

2 Tim 4:1-5

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, and with great patience and instruction.”

This instruction comes with accountability. One day I will appear before the Lord and give an account for this ministry. For every idle word, every poor sermon. Every haphazard comment. Church, I take this seriously because this could be my last will and testament to you. It could be the last time I ever preach the “why I believe” series. If I could get you all to take this half as serious as I do, as your teachers do, then we have done our jobs.

The other side of this coin is that you must take it seriously.

I have a friend who is a master at telling people of Christ. If you spend more than 2 minutes with him, you will hear Christ and Him crucified. You will hear the plan of salvation, that Christ’s work on the cross is your only hope for payment of your sin. He will tell you that your sin is an act of rebellion from a Holy and Just God. He will tell you that apart from Christ, you are bearing your own sin and shame resulting in eternal separation and wrath. Why? Because he is the most intentional Christian I know. He is serious.

Once the listener, (and now you all) have heard the Gospel message, you are accountable to what you know.

Luke 12:47 says “47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more[1]

I wonder, do we take this warning serious? Jesus is saying, if you have heard the message, you have heard the seriousness of it, you have sat under teaching that points to it’s seriousness and, now, do you take it serious?

If we do, the weight of the message of hope should “stir us up”. It should challenge us to a new ambition to tell everyone that heaven is weighting at the door for the believer. Hell is weighting at the door of the unbeliever.

Unbelievers Aside:

Unbeliever, the message is not one of doom and gloom but one of hope, salvation and peace. Christ is the subject of the collection of the 66 books that make up the Bible. It all points to the person and work of Christ. That perfect sacrifice laid bare and ripped open by whips came to pay the penalty of our sin and shame. Christ, being fully God and fully human lived a perfect life, full of righteousness, full of grace. He willingly walked a shameful walk to a mountain called Calvary.

For the unbeliever this is horrible news because if you are still resistant to this message, you will bear the weight of your sin yourself. But, for the believer, this sad news is turned to gladness. This sad news turns into the definition of the Gospel: “GOOD NEWS”. Meaning, I no long pay for my sin and shame. He did that and reconciled me to a Holy God. Heaven awaits me now and I can say with confidence, come Lord Jesus, come.

Application:

God’s Word is like a last will and testament. It has 66 chapters and is organized in two major sections. It all points to one person. In perfect harmony, there is no arguing or negotiation. It is time-sensitive towards every person at the end of my voice.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.