The Witness of God's Word

Confident in Chaos - 2 Peter: The Witness of God's Word 2 Peter 1:16-21 | September 15, 2024 Have you ever heard a Christian say, "I have a word from God for you!" or "God spoke to me!"? I'll be honest, when I hear something like that, it's a red flag. Because what follows those words is critical. If what follows those statements are not from the Bible, I will stop listening. The problem is that there are so many resources available now. So many so-called experts, teachers, theologians, influencers, people with social media pages and YouTube Channels, and all of them claim to be in the know. Peter - as Pat alluded to last week - is addressing the issue of false teachers and false prophets that were infecting the church with false teachings. It was a pandemic, and Peter had to address the problem. But, as we know, that problem did not go away with Peter and the early church, it remains a problem today, and maybe even with more impact. Peter is going to give us, this morning, the antidote to this significant issue in the church. Let's see what he says 2 Peter 1:16-21: 16 FOR WE DID NOT FOLLOW CLEVERLY DEVISED MYTHS WHEN WE MADE KNOWN TO YOU THE POWER AND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BUT WE WERE EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY. 17 FOR WHEN HE RECEIVED HONOR AND GLORY FROM GOD THE FATHER, AND THE VOICE WAS BORNE TO HIM BY THE MAJESTIC GLORY, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED," 18 WE OURSELVES HEARD THIS VERY VOICE BORNE FROM HEAVEN, FOR WE WERE WITH HIM ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN. 19 AND WE HAVE THE PROPHETIC WORD MORE FULLY CONFIRMED, TO WHICH YOU WILL DO WELL TO PAY ATTENTION AS TO A LAMP SHINING IN A DARK PLACE, UNTIL THE DAY DAWNS AND THE MORNING STAR RISES IN YOUR HEARTS, 20 KNOWING THIS FIRST OF ALL, THAT NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE COMES FROM SOMEONE'S OWN INTERPRETATION. 21 FOR NO PROPHECY WAS EVER PRODUCED BY THE WILL OF MAN, BUT MEN SPOKE FROM GOD AS THEY WERE CARRIED ALONG BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Here's the main idea from our passage this morning: I can use God's Word as a defense to false teaching. Last week, when Pat opened our series, we saw that Peter - with great urgency - was trying to encourage these Christians - who lived in an age of chaos and confusion - to live in confidence, eagerly awaiting the return of our Lord. Here, we receive a little more context to the reason for the confusion and chaos that these Christians were facing. While it is not explicitly stated here, we know from the context of the whole letter that Peter was warning against false teachers and false prophets. We'll actually see that next week in chapter 2 and later in chapter 3, but here Peter clearly tells us that the way to defend ourselves against these false teachers is the Word of God. Now, this should not be any surprise to you if you've been with us during our last two sermon series. Back in Ephesians 6, Paul told us in verse 17: AND TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION, AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. Then, we saw from the example of Jesus Himself in Matthew 4, how He used the Scriptures as a defense against Satan's temptations. So, how does Peter turn our attention to the Word of God as a defense? First, he uses ... EYEWITNESSES I love how the apostle John starts his first epistle. In the opening chapter, verses 1-4, he writes: 1 THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH WE HAVE HEARD, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN WITH OUR EYES, WHICH WE LOOKED UPON AND HAVE TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS, CONCERNING THE WORD OF LIFE- 2 THE LIFE WAS MADE MANIFEST, AND WE HAVE SEEN IT, AND TESTIFY TO IT AND PROCLAIM TO YOU THE ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER AND WAS MADE MANIFEST TO US- 3 THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD WE PROCLAIM ALSO TO YOU, SO THAT YOU TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US; AND INDEED OUR FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. 4 AND WE ARE WRITING THESE THINGS SO THAT OUR JOY MAY BE COMPLETE. * There is strength in the testimony of an eyewitness. * In fact, it was part of the Law demonstrated strongly in Deuteronomy 19:15 which reads: "A SINGLE WITNESS SHALL NOT SUFFICE AGAINST A PERSON FOR ANY CRIME OR FOR ANY WRONG IN CONNECTION WITH ANY OFFENSE THAT HE HAS COMMITTED. ONLY ON THE EVIDENCE OF TWO WITNESSES OR OF THREE WITNESSES SHALL A CHARGE BE ESTABLISHED. * Peter gives us two examples of this eyewitness account. First is via ... o The transfiguration (vv. 16-18) * Transfiguration means to change from one form to another. * Peter, of course, does not state that this is the event he is speaking of in verses 16-18, but the clues within the text lead many to believe that to be the case. Two specific clues include: * The glory and majesty of Christ. * The voice of God about Christ. * I think this is a good time to remind you that a primary issue that these false prophets were putting into the heads of the saints here was that Jesus was not coming back. * So, Peter here, gives us an example of what this will look like, by pointing us back the transfiguration. * Let's quickly read the account from Matthew 17:1-8 on the transfiguration: 1 AND AFTER SIX DAYS JESUS TOOK WITH HIM PETER AND JAMES, AND JOHN HIS BROTHER, AND LED THEM UP A HIGH MOUNTAIN BY THEMSELVES. 2 AND HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM, AND HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN, AND HIS CLOTHES BECAME WHITE AS LIGHT. 3 AND BEHOLD, THERE APPEARED TO THEM MOSES AND ELIJAH, TALKING WITH HIM. 4 AND PETER SAID TO JESUS, "LORD, IT IS GOOD THAT WE ARE HERE. IF YOU WISH, I WILL MAKE THREE TENTS HERE, ONE FOR YOU AND ONE FOR MOSES AND ONE FOR ELIJAH." 5 HE WAS STILL SPEAKING WHEN, BEHOLD, A BRIGHT CLOUD OVERSHADOWED THEM, AND A VOICE FROM THE CLOUD SAID, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED; LISTEN TO HIM." 6 WHEN THE DISCIPLES HEARD THIS, THEY FELL ON THEIR FACES AND WERE TERRIFIED. 7 BUT JESUS CAME AND TOUCHED THEM, SAYING, "RISE, AND HAVE NO FEAR." 8 AND WHEN THEY LIFTED UP THEIR EYES, THEY SAW NO ONE BUT JESUS ONLY. * But why did Peter use the transfiguration as a defense to the Second Coming of Jesus? * One reason, likely, is that Peter - along with John and James - saw Jesus in His glorified form. John seems to talk about this is John 1:14, when he said that they have "SEEN HIS GLORY." * Another reason, likely, is that through this eyewitness account, the witnesses heard from God that Jesus was who He said He was - the Son of God. * A third, likely reason, is that it represented what was to come at Christ's Second coming. * Peter is saying that these false teachers are speaking nonsense, myths, made up stories, in regard to Jesus and the Second Coming. * This is why Paul warned Timothy about this very thing in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, which says: 7 HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IRREVERENT, SILLY MYTHS. RATHER TRAIN YOURSELF FOR GODLINESS; 8 FOR WHILE BODILY TRAINING IS OF SOME VALUE, GODLINESS IS OF VALUE IN EVERY WAY, AS IT HOLDS PROMISE FOR THE PRESENT LIFE AND ALSO FOR THE LIFE TO COME. * How do we train? * Through the Word of God. * The Word of God that has shown itself to be reliable. * Today, we have the whole counsel of God. It is proven to be reliable, in fact I saw something this week stating that there over 63,000 cross references in the Bible. All confirming and connecting all of the Scriptures into one volume - all telling the same story. * The second set of eyewitnesses are: o The prophets (vv.19-21) * The Bible is full of prophecy. * Jesus alone fulfilled over 300 prophecies * Years ago, a scientist calculated the odds of a single person being able to fulfill even eight of those 300+ prophecies. * The calculation concluded that for a single person to be able to fulfill eight prophecies is 1 in 1017 * To write that number out, it would be a 1 followed by 17 zeros * Peter's brilliant. He's like, "okay, our eyewitness to this isn't enough, what about the prophets?" * Here's why he is brilliant. He is focusing more on the source of these prophecies, not the people. * That's what he's talking about in verses 20-21. * He's reminding the reader that these prophets didn't wake up one morning and say, "I'm going to write some prophecies!" No, God called them. * In other words, Peter is saying that these words are from God, they are through man by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. * What Peter is not saying is that the average person is not able to rightfully divide the Word of God and understand, and interpret it, what he is warning us about is less about interpretation, but more about authentication. * Who is the source of what is being spoken? That's the question we must ask. * Remember the example from earlier? Those who say, "God spoke to me" or "I have a word from God for you," and what follows is not from the Scriptures, then it is false and not of God. * Peter is reminding us to not pay any attention to these unreliable sources, instead he tells us in the middle of verse 19 to pay attention. * To what? The light. Didn't Jesus call Himself the Light in John 8:12? Doesn't the Psalmist in Psalm 119:105 tells us that the Word is a lamp to my feet? And didn't John say that Jesus is the Word in John 1:1 and 14? * Here is the connection to verses 16-18. Look at what Matthew said again in Matthew 17:5 about the transfiguration: 5 HE WAS STILL SPEAKING WHEN [that's Peter, by the way], BEHOLD, A BRIGHT CLOUD OVERSHADOWED THEM, AND A VOICE FROM THE CLOUD SAID, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED; LISTEN TO HIM." * See that? Listen to Him, God says. o Peter says that the way to combat false teaching is to return to the source. The Word of God. So, the question, I think is simple: HOW TO USE THE WORD OF GOD First, I think it is very important, as Peter address in this letter, is that we must ... * Recall why I have hope. o Let's return to the Scriptures to see this clearly. o Paul writes these words in Titus 2:11-14: 11 FOR THE GRACE OF GOD HAS APPEARED, BRINGING SALVATION FOR ALL PEOPLE, 12 TRAINING US TO RENOUNCE UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY PASSIONS, AND TO LIVE SELF-CONTROLLED, UPRIGHT, AND GODLY LIVES IN THE PRESENT AGE, 13 WAITING FOR OUR BLESSED HOPE, THE APPEARING OF THE GLORY OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, 14 WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US TO REDEEM US FROM ALL LAWLESSNESS AND TO PURIFY FOR HIMSELF A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION WHO ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOOD WORKS. o See, the Word of God reminds us that our hope is the Second Coming of Christ, and we also see here that while we wait, we are active participants in the ministry of the Word while we wait. o When things are difficult, when things are chaotic, remember the hope we have in the promises of Christ, particularly that which draws us to His Second Coming. o Because when He returns, He is returning for us. Next ... * Study and meditate on the Word of God. o Remember, we talked about this a few weeks ago in our last sermon series. o We talked about how important it was to read Scripture, pray the Scriptures and over them, meditate on the Scriptures, memorize the Scriptures, study the Scriptures, and finally to apply the Scriptures. o Again, let's look at the Scriptures to see this in practice. Here's what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 16 ALL SCRIPTURE IS BREATHED OUT BY GOD AND PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, AND FOR TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, 17 THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE COMPLETE, EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK o I used this quote a few weeks ago, but it's worth noting again. o David Mathis wrote in his book Habits of Grace: When we learn the Scriptures by heart, we're not just memorizing ancient, enduringly relevant texts, but we're listening to and learning the voice of our Creator and Redeemer himself. When we memorize lines from the Bible, we are shaping our minds in the moment to mimic the structure and mind-set of the mind of God. o Aligning our minds and our hearts to the Word of God through study and meditation - along with the other actions we just listed - helps us to have knowledge of God and helps us in times of trouble. o Finally, I must ... * Fact check. o One of the best Scripture references to this is found in Acts 17 with the Bereans. Look what Luke records in verses 10-11: 10 THE BROTHERS IMMEDIATELY SENT PAUL AND SILAS AWAY BY NIGHT TO BEREA, AND WHEN THEY ARRIVED THEY WENT INTO THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. 11 NOW THESE JEWS WERE MORE NOBLE THAN THOSE IN THESSALONICA; THEY RECEIVED THE WORD WITH ALL EAGERNESS, EXAMINING THE SCRIPTURES DAILY TO SEE IF THESE THINGS WERE SO. o You see, even though it was Paul and Silas, they went to the Scriptures to fact check what was being said. o We apply this to the media and to politicians, but many Christians do not apply this in relationship to what God's Word says. o In other words, if you're listening to a sermon or bible study online or in person, is your Bible open? Are you checking against the Scriptures what you are hearing? o When you're doing a bible study in a group setting, are you reviewing it ahead of time? Are you looking into the author(s)? o When you pick up a Christian book to read, are you reading reviews, or researching the worldviews and positions of these teachers? o When you listen to music, are you listening carefully to the lyrics, or even looking into who you are supporting when you listen to the song or album? o These are all questions we should be asking. When we looked at Ephesians earlier this year, we spent some time talking about the renewing of our minds and the renewal of our hearts - and we determined that they were connected. o This is accomplished through the Word of God. o I've been to churches where the Bible is not taught or not referenced at all. This is dangerous because it means they are teaching their own opinions, or the opinions of the denomination or organization that they represent. Sources and opinions are everywhere. How do we know what is truth and what is not? How do we protect ourselves and our families against false teachers? Well, let's return to our main idea to answer that question: I can use God's Word as a defense to false teaching. Where do you turn to for your source for information? How do you answer the questions that come at you in this life? How do you ensure that you're living a life worthy of the name of Jesus? How can you decide to choose what is right and honorable? How do you know the truth from a lie? It is through the Word of God. Will you recall this hope of the Scriptures when you're facing difficulties? Will you study and meditate on the Word of God? Will you check the Scriptures as your primary source of information? Will you use the Word of God in your everyday life? Let's pray. 2