Waypoint - 6

Waypoint - 6

Your Bible is Confirmed

2 Peter 1:16-21

Introduction

“Would You Rather?” Is a conversation and party game that poses a dilemma in the form of asking the question, “Would you Rather?” The dilemma is typically between two supposedly good options like “Would you rather have the power of flight or the the power of invisibility?” Or two desired choices such as “Would you rather have money or fame?” Or it could be between two terrible choices like “Would you rather listen to Ian preach or get punched in the face?” It’s a lose/lose.

This game has become so popular that it was made into a BBC America show in 2011, and a horror film adaptation came in 2012. While at times, we suffer from what is called “Decision paralysis,” something that happens when there are too many options to choose from (such as 200 brands of cereal), the beauty of Would You Rather is found in its simplicity. Two options, both equally good or equally bad, but only two options. And you have to choose.

As we conclude our series today on spiritual growth and the Bible called Waypoint, our text does this very thing for us. It presents a Would You Rather scenario that forces us to see the greatness and importance of the Bible.

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.

Peter references here an astounding event in the life of Jesus, one which Peter was there to personally witness. It is an event called the Transfiguration, where Jesus’ humanity was “transfigured” and they saw him in his Heavenly glory. But then he talks about the Bible and its dependability. So here is the Would you Rather that we are presented with today: would you rather hop into a time machine and go back to personally witness the Transfiguration, or read your Bible? Which one would be better for you? Which one would be more beneficial and help to grow your faith the most? Would you rather? Let’s look more closely at the two options to see what the Bible would lead us towards:

Choice 1 - Ticket to Transfiguration

2 Peter 1:16 - 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.

Peter’s initial concern for his audience is that they know for sure that he is not making up his message. This will be contrasted as he gets into chapter 2 and condemns false teachers and false prophets, those who have made up their message. But Peter’s message regarding Jesus, his coming to the Earth and the salvation he has provided, is true. It is not based on “cleverly devised myths.” It is based on solid eyewitness testimony. The word he uses here for ‘eyewitness’ is a word that comes out of the pagan mystery religions of his day. To be considered an ‘insider’ or someone with seniority and authority in the mystery religions, you had to have some distinct personal experience with the pagan god or goddess. Only then could you be deemed as someone who was on the inside…an eyewitness. That is who Peter is. He’s on the inside. He has seniority and authority. Why? Because he was there.

2 Peter 1:17-18 - 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.

When did Peter see Jesus’ majesty? When did he get a glimpse of Jesus’ “God-ness”? A time when God spoke directly from Heaven…something God did only three times (baptism, John 12, Transfiguration). Peter is clearly referring to the Transfiguration at the end of v. 18…”we were with him on the holy mountain.” Let’s take a minute a look at what happened on that holy mountain. Turn to Luke 9.

Luke 9:28-36 - 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Scholars call this event the most important event in the life of Jesus between his birth and his death. They go up on a mountain…in the Bible, mountains are places of revelation. Moses receives the 10 Commandments from God. Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal. And oddly enough, it happens to be those two biblical figures who show up to talk with Jesus. Jesus prays and the appearance of his face is altered (transfigured), and his clothing becomes dazzling white. What is going on? The veil of Jesus’ humanity is removed and they see him in his full divine glory.

Revelation 1:12-16 - 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

This is the Jesus they saw on that mountain. Incredible. Then Moses and Elijah show up (representing the OT Law and Prophets) to speak with Jesus about his departure (Gk. Exodus…ironic!). Peter starts talking a ruins it…don’t we love Peter?! God envelopes them in a cloud (like he does in the Exodus) and speaks…”This is my Son” (Psalm 2:7), “my Chosen One” (Isaiah 42:1), “listen to him” (Dt. 18:15).

Can you imagine standing there on that mountain? Seeing Jesus in his full glory. Hearing the clear voice of God thunder. Witnessing the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. This is definitely a “mountaintop” experience! And Peter was there. That’s his point in 2 Peter 1…how do I know this is all true? I was there! I saw it with my own eyes. I heard it with my own ears.

We cannot underestimate the importance of this eyewitness testimony. The writers of Scripture continually come back to it as the proof of their testimony.

Luke 1:1-4 - Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

John 1:14 - 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 1:1-3 - 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.

What incredible authority Peter has! That’s his point…you weren’t there, I was there. You didn’t see what I saw. You did not hear what I heard. Trust the message. Can we be honest for a second…if this was a real Would You Rather, would it even matter what the other option was? We’d choose the ticket to the Transfiguration every day of the week! Wouldn’t that be good for our faith? We can see it. We can hear it. We can experience it. Yet, Peter continues with the flip side of this Would You Rather…

Choice 2 - Confirmation of Scripture

2 Peter 1:19-21 - 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.

The prophetic word clearly refers to the Bible, as he uses the word Scripture to refer to it later. And while Peter’s personal eyewitness testimony was incredible, what is even more incredible is what he says about the Bible. It is “more fully confirmed.” That phrase is the Greek word that is translated elsewhere with some foundational words.

Romans 4:16 - guaranteed

2 Corinthians 1:7 - unshaken

Hebrews 2:2 - reliable

Hebrews 3:14 - firm

Hebrews 6:19 - steadfast

The Bible is all of those things. It is guaranteed. It is reliable. It is firm. And all of this is set in contrast with Peter’s eyewitness testimony. Only the Bible, not Peter’s experience, is guaranteed and reliable.

And since that is true, Peter says we will “do well to pay attention” to the Bible. We would “do well” meaning it is fitting, proper, appropriate for us to pay attention to the Bible. Why? Because only it is guaranteed and reliable. We would do well to “pay attention” to it. This word for “pay attention” was one of Jesus’ favorite words. He uses it 6x in the Gospel of Matthew and it is translated as “Beware!”

In Acts 20:28 the Apostle Paul is meeting with the Ephesians elders for the final time. Because there are wolves in sheep’s clothing who are infiltrating the church, Paul says to “pay careful attention” to the church. Same word. The Preacher of Hebrews uses this word in Hebrews 2:1, saying that because of the danger of drifting away from our faith, we should “pay much closer attention” to what we have heard…in Scripture. In fact, this word is used to refer to an addiction to wine in 1 Timothy 3:8…an addict pays very close attention to that which they are addicted to. It is always on their mind. That is Peter’s point! Pay attention to the Bible! Always have it on your mind.

Todd preached on Psalm 1 this past Sunday and we also looked at it together on Wednesday night as we started our Bible study through Psalms.

Psalm 1:1-2 - Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

That word for ‘meditate’ means to mutter or murmur. It is constantly on your lips. We would do well to pay attention to the Bible. After all, Peter says, it is the lamp shining in the darkness.

Psalm 119:105 - 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

Why should we pay attention to this light in the darkness? To this reliable, guaranteed Bible? Because, v. 20, the Bible does not come from someone’s own interpretation. Meaning, there is no person who figured it out, or made it up. This is why we never ask, what does this verse mean to you? Who cares what it means to you! The Bible is not open to varied interpretations. There is only one interpretation, and that is God’s. What did God intend to communicate through this author to that specific audience. The Bible doesn’t have authority because you give it its authority, it has authority because this is what God says.

It was not, v. 21, produced by man, but by the Holy Spirit. When Peter says that the writers of Scripture were carried along by the Holy Spirit, it is the same word for ‘produced’ used earlier in the verse. We pay attention to the Bible because it was not produced by people, it was produced by God. And while each book in the Bible is written by a human author, God is the one who is the ultimate author behind it all. He “carried them along” and spoke his word through them. This is what we looked at a few weeks ago in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is breathed out by God.

That is what your Bible is…reliable, guaranteed, confirmed. Because it is from God. And we would do well to pay attention to it. Only it is more fully confirmed.

Conclusion

Would You Rather…get a ticket to the transfiguration or read your Bible? We would choose the ticket to the transfiguration every day! What an incredible experience that would be! But here is the Bible’s message to us…your experience is not fully confirmed. Yes you can see it. Yes you can hear it. But the worst thing we could do is base our faith off of our experiences. Our experience is not authoritative, only the Bible is. Our experience is not objective truth, only the Bible is.

ILL - when I was in 8th grade, our English teacher came up with a creative assignment. Before class started, she took me and another student aside and said, “Here is what I want you to do…just as class is starting I want you guys to start a fight. Make it look as real as you possibly can. I want desks scattering around the room, I want backpacks thrown.” So we did. Justin and I got into a fight. It was epic. The entire classroom was destroyed by the time we were finished. The teacher came running in and broke up the fight and marched us into the hallway. The whole class thinks we are headed to the principal’s office, when in reality, we were just hanging out.

Here was the writing assignment for that day…what did you see? Tell me what happened with this fight. Once they were finished, she called us back in and confessed to the class what had really happened. Then we read the papers. It was shocking…it was like these students had not been in the same room. Some had me starting the fight and fully to blame, others had Justin being the instigator. Some had us hurting other students or having a weapon. It was ridiculous.

And here was the teacher’s point…you are biased. Your eyes and ears cannot be trusted. As you experience events you are interpreting those events and changing the facts of what really happened. That is Peter’s point…eyewitness experience is all well and good, but your experience is not authoritative. Your emotions are a rollercoaster. How you interpret your experiences can be altered by your mood, how good or bad of day you’ve had, how hungry you are, and a good cup of coffee.

We need objective truth…a standard that can be trusted as reliable and guaranteed. And that is exactly what God has given to us in the Bible. John Stott writes, “Only when the Word of God dwells in us richly shall we be able to evaluate the experiences that we and others may have.”

The Bible is the only confirmed, reliable, guaranteed, source of objective truth. It is the standard. It is our foundation. Jesus said in his High Priestly Prayer in John 17, God “your word is truth.” He didn’t say it was true (though it is). If something is true, it is because it lines up with the standard of truth. What is the Bible? Not just true…it is truth. When you read your Bible, it can be trusted. It can be stood upon. It can lift you up. It will be how God speaks to you. It is confirmed. Would you rather…the choice is simple. Pick up your Bible and start reading…it’s the best choice you could make.