2: Scriptures & Eyewitnesses (2 Peter 1:12-21)

INFO

New here? CONNECTION CARD

Giving

Ark Singers - Feb 20 @ 8:30am

QR Code for Visual Notes

Communion

OPENING JOKES - Last week’s teaching was very heavy, so I thought I would tell you a couple of fairy tales to kick today’s teaching off.

World's Shortest Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?"

The girl said, "NO!"

And the guy lived happily ever after, went hunting and fishing whenever he wanted, got fat eating fast food and pizza everyday, and left the toilet seat up the rest of his life. THE END.

And then there’s a story of a father is tucking in his son at night. His son asks him if he can tell him a fairy tale.

"Of course," the father replies. He begins telling a story, "Once upon a time..." The son interrupts him, asking "Do all fairy tales begin with once upon a time?" The father says, "No, son. In fact, most fairy tales begin with the words, 'When I'm elected...'"

And then there’s a story of a man walking down the beach and comes across an old bottle.

He picks it up, pulls out the cork and out pops a genie.

The genie says, "Thank you for freeing me from the bottle. In return I will grant you 3 wishes."

The man says "Great! I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account." Poof! There is a flash of light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand.

He continues, "Next, I want to be healthy forever." Poof! There is a flash of light and his 50 lbs of flab vanishes, his waist shrinks, thick hair returns to his balding head, & his biceps grow to 20 inches.

He continues, "Finally, I want to be irresistible to women." Poof! There is a flash of light and he turns into a box of chocolates.

_____________

Now some people think the Bible is full of fairy tales that have been told so often that people just believe the fanciful stories, but the Scriptures were written by those who were eyewitnesses of the Creator, Who revealed Himself to His creation. And today we will be reminded why the Scriptures and the Eyewitnesses can be trusted.

This time 2 years ago I was standing in the streets of Jerusalem where a Muslim man essentially told me that what I believed about Jesus was just a fairy tale. Here’s how the conversation went:

He placed a prayer shawl on my friend and said, “This make you a holy man.” I said, “No. He is a follower of Jesus who died for his sins and THAT’S what makes him a holy man.”

He came close to me and said, “So you are a Christian? You only believe those things because your family and culture told you to believe them. But that is not true.”

And asked, “Are you Muslim?” to which he said “yes”. I told him, "I could tell you the same thing - You only believe those things because your family and culture told you to believe them.”

The Koran teaches that Jesus never sinned, performed miracles, and was a great prophet. However…the Koran teaches Jesus was NOT crucified, didn’t raise from the dead, and never claimed to be “the Son of God”

The Bible teaches the opposite of that - that Jesus DID die on a cross, did rise from the dead, and did claim to be “the Son of God.”

So I asked him, when did Mohammad receive these teachings from the angel Gabriel that are now in the Koran? He wasn’t sure of the date, so I told him…about 600 years after the time of Jesus.

I began to explain that I would trust the multiple eyewitnesses who knew Jesus over one man who had an ‘angelic dream’ that made contrary claims about Jesus.

I asked if he knew of American football and then explained that my son’s high school team had won the state championship that year. And I know this to be the case, because I was THERE. If someone showed up 20 years from now to talk to this same Muslim man and told him something different, he might ask a question like, “Were you THERE?” If they said, “No, but I had a dream from an angel about the game”, which would you more likely believe?

Then, sensing the enabling power of the Spirit, I said, “Jesus of Nazareth walked in this very place, taught in this very town, healed people of all kinds of diseases, and in this very city, not far from where we are standing, was crucified on a Roman cross, buried, and raised to life 3 days later, not according an angel 600 years later, but according to the eyewitnesses who knew Jesus and saw what occured right here in Jerusalem!

I encouraged him to read the New Testament accounts, as the authors were eyewitnesses of Jesus.

Today, we are going to hear from one of those Eyewitnesses through the Scriptures. And I trust that we will see that...

BIG TRUTH: God uses the Scriptures and Eyewitnesses to SPEAK to People through People.

The God who created people in His image, most often uses people to communicate the TRUTH about Who Jesus is and what Jesus says. Although God could use DREAMS and ANGELS to share WHO Jesus is and WHAT Jesus says, He rarely does. Instead, God uses the Scriptures and Eyewitnesses to SPEAK to People through People.

CATCH THE CONTEXT

Last week you remember that Simon Peter challenged his ancient audience..and us…with these words.

2 Peter 1:10–11 (NIV)

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is GOOD to examine our lives and see if how we BEHAVE demonstrates what we BELIEVE. I hope you have chewed on that this week to make sure you and KNOWING God and GROWING in spiritual maturity.

And that’s where we pick up in this letter from the apostle Peter. I want you to notice the urgency and sincerity of why he wrote it.

2 Peter 1:12–15 (NIV)

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

As a good shepherd would do, Peter wants to do all he can to help these maturing sheep of God’s flock to continue to grow and until he draws his last breath - which is coming soon. But until then, Peter will make every effort to leave them with a message that will not fade away.

Evidently, just before Simon Peter wrote this letter, Jesus had revealed that his death was drawing near.

Many years earlier, right after Jesus rose from the dead and just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus told Peter to take care of His sheep - to feed them, protect them and direct them to follow the Good Shepherd. Let’s jump in on the end of that same conversation where Jesus tells him something else.

John 21:17–19 (NIV)

...Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

And sure enough, during the reign of Emperor Nero, Peter was arrested and led out to be crucified.

Peter is writing this letter, not long before that occurs. And so, he uses his last bit of ink to write of these most powerful memories and challenges to sheep under his care.

2 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.

What Simon Peter and others said about Jesus were not cleverly devised stories or ancient fairy tales.

The Greek word for stories is mythos - from which we get our English word myths, referring to legendary stories of supernatural beings and cultural heroes performing extraordinary feats* - sort of like some of our Comic-book heroes, but back 2000+ years ago.

[* Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 389.]

But Simon Peter and the other apostles of Jesus were NOT Stan Lee story-tellers who made up fanciful super-hero stories. These men had seen Jesus heal all kinds of diseases and even raise the dead on several occasions. They heard Jesus teach more times than they could count. These men ate with Jesus, traveled with him from town to town, laughed with Him and were disciplined by Him. They were trained by Jesus for several years.

And now Simon Peter points to one of his most powerful moments with Jesus when he writes...

2 Peter 1:17–18 (NIV)

He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Peter is remembering the transfiguration of Jesus that you can read more about this Matthew 17 and Mark 9. It’s in those passages that we are told how Jesus’ face was shining like the son and His clothing was whiter than any launderer could make them (Mk 9:3). They even saw Moses & Elijah (who lived hundred of years beforehand) talking with Jesus.

But what really impacted Simon Peter that day was this voice that came from heaven - the voice from God the Father that said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

This is a fulfillment of Ps 2:6-7 that says:

Psalm 2:6–7 (NIV)

“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

It was in this moment that the disciples of Jesus got a glimpse of WHO He really was and became eyewitnesses of His Majesty (v16).

This is a better story than Louis Lane finding out that Clark Kent really is Superman! Because…this story of the transfiguration of Jesus is true, according to the eyewitnesses!

But it wasn’t just the eyewitness experience of the apostles that affirmed the truth of who Jesus was; it was also the power of the prophetic message - the Scriptures.

2 Peter 1:19 (NIV)

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Simon Peter notes that while the eyewitness testimony of the apostles is trustworthy, the prophetic message is completely reliable - that’s referring to the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures. In fact, the text we are studying from is one of the Scriptures that Peter is writing, which would eventually be collected together and be referred to as the “New Testament” (Covenant).

Peter wants his audience to know that what the Scriptures say can be trusted to guide them like a light shining in a dark place. In fact, Simon Peter echoes what King David wrote 1,000 years before.

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

What God says - His word - is what guides us into all truth.

Further, as we have noted several times, the Old Testament Scriptures point to

where the Messiah would be born,

that He would be born to a virgin,

where the Messiah would grow up,

how the Messiah would teach and heal,

and how the Messiah would suffer, die, be buried, raised from the dead.

Jesus even made this audacious claim to His enemies saying:

John 5:39–40 (NIV)

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Can you imagine a spiritual leader in our day saying THAT?

After Jesus resurrected from the dead, and being briefly camouflaged from being recognized, Jesus corrected some disciples who thought that His death was evidence that He wasn’t the Messiah they hoped He was.

Luke 24:27 (NIV)

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

These are just some of the examples that demonstrate that the prophetic message found in the Scriptures was and is completely reliable.

BIG TRUTH: God uses the Scriptures and Eyewitnesses to SPEAK to People through People.

And while we are bombarded with lies from our culture and lies from the enemy, the Scriptures point us to the truth of God, like light shining in the middle of a dark place.

Rather than trust our our emotions or experiences, or what others tell us we should believe, we are to hold onto the truth of God’s reliable Scriptures, until the day dawns - a phrase likely referring to the day that Jesus returns.

The morning star is a term that normally refers to Venus as the ‘light bringer’ that precedes the dawn*. This is the term Peter uses referring to the return of Jesus to Earth.

* J. N. D. Kelly, The Epistles of Peter and of Jude, Black’s New Testament Commentary (London: Continuum, 1969), 322.

In fact, this phrase reminds the reader of another OT prophecy that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.

Numbers 24:17a (NIV)

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.

Further, look at what Jesus calls Himself in Revelation 22:16.

Revelation 22:16 (NIV)

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Simon Peter reminds us that, until Jesus returns, we have good reasons to trust the EYEWITNESSES and the SCRIPTURES.

And on that day when Jesus returns, the Eyewitnesses and Scriptures will take a back seat as the Star of the Show steps onto the stage and we see Him face to face!

But until that day, we read, we trust, and we obey what God has given us through the Scriptures.

Next week we will learn how we can discern the difference between true prophecy and false prophecy, we close today with Simon Peter explaining how God uses the Scriptures to speak TO people through people.

2 Peter 1:20–21 (NIV)

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

God speaks TO people THROUGH people who were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for carried along is pharoe, from which we get our word “ferry”. As a ferry carries different kinds of vehicles to the same destination, so God carried along different authors writing different genres to the same destination; multiple pen-men, but One Author behind it all - prophets carried along by the Holy Spirit.*

* David R. Helm, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: Sharing Christ’s Sufferings, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 219.

BIG TRUTH: God uses the Scriptures and Eyewitnesses to SPEAK to People through People.

And so we see that the Scriptures and the Eyewitnesses of Jesus stand arm in arm to demonstrate that Jesus IS the Messiah, the King of Kings, and God the Son.

QUESTIONS:

Are you spending TIME in the Scriptures? OR are you making excuses and putting your time somewhere else?

Are you TRUSTING what is in the Scriptures?

If you want to talk more about that, please call YOUR STAFF

or YOUR DEACONS.

PRAY - Band and Deacons come up

Communion

In just a moment we are going to participate in Communion - also called “The Lord’s Supper” in the New Testament, where we remember the price that Jesus paid for us.

Before we do, I want to make sure to remind you that while ALL ARE WELCOME HERE,

the Communion/Lord’s Supper IS ONLY for followers of Jesus who are walking in right relationship with Him.

If you claim to follow Jesus but are living in continual sin without confessing and turning from that…then today, you SHOULD NOT PARTAKE. It’s okay to let the bread and juice pass…no one will judge you or ask you for a reason. Hopefully, this will lead you to seek the Lord and place HIS DESIRES above yours.

Finally, if you don’t yet claim to be a follower of Jesus, then you can just relax and watch how we observe this ancient practice for a few minutes. It’s okay to let the bread and juice pass by you as well.

As the Deacons pass out the elements while the band plays, we invite you to examine your heart, sing to the Lord, or listen in quietness.

SONG

The early Church of Jesus got some things right. The Scriptures say that...

Acts 2:42–47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

These believers enjoyed life TOGETHER! They ate OFTEN and “broke bread” - remembering the payment that Jesus made for them. AND…then they carried their faith OUTSIDE the Church gatherings and went to impact their culture - so much so that people in the community were being saved daily!

May the Lord use us in the same way. Let’s remember what He did for us and then go out into our community to share the good news of Jesus!

READ LUKE 22:14-20

Luke 22:14–20 (NIV)

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” [EAT BREAD]

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. [DRINK JUICE]

___________

discussionquestions Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? Explain why.

Read 2 Peter 2:1:16-18. Share some reasons why you trust/distrust the credibility of the eyewitnesses of Jesus. What did they see or experience that leads you to believe their claims about Jesus are true?

Read 2 Peter 2:19-21. Share some reasons why you trust/distrust the Scriptures. Can you give any examples of Scriptures that speak the truth or foretold future events that have been fulfilled?

Read Matthew 4:4, 10; 21:23; 26:24, 31; Mark 12:24; 12:46; 14:49; Jn 5:39. What was Jesus’ view of the authority of the Scriptures and why should ours be the same view as His?

Consider briefly sharing about a time when your experience/feelings did NOT align with what the Scriptures said and what you chose to do about it.

What Scriptures have you been reading lately and what insights or questions do you have from your readings?

Share prayer needs. Continue to pray for the Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade.