Calvary Bible Church - Pastor Ken’s Weblog

Passage for Sunday, April 20, 2008
II Peter 1:  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, 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.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The Certainty of the Word

I hope you’re not tired of hearing me read that first chapter of II Peter!  I think we’ll finish it today; at least that’s my goal!  I realize I probably don’t need to read the whole thing each time, but I like the context it gives as we sort of pick it apart each week.  This morning we’ll be focusing primarily on the last nine verses, 12-21.  Last week we took a look at Peter’s formula for “spiritual” growth.  He basically told us that the faith we received to believe wasn’t the end of the story, but the beginning, and that while the faith is God’s gift to us, our gift to Him is the “adding to” or supporting of that faith with the divinely enabled character traits of goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness and love.  He told us to “make every effort” to incorporate these character traits into our lives, which indicates that, number one, it isn’t going to be easy, and, number two, it should be a priority.  (I think I forgot to mention that part last week!)   If you desire to actively participate in the divine nature, which will enable you to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (your own and others), you need to “make every effort” to bring your life in line with God’s requirements.  When you do, your life will exhibit the spiritual qualities or characteristics mentioned.  Peter says to make it a priority, “make every effort”.

Not when you get time, or if you get around to it, but make it a priority in your life.  It’s not a suggestion he is giving us.  Like the old Nike ad used to say, “Just Do It!”  If you do, Peter says, if you own these qualities as your own, in “increasing measure”, never stop growing, then you will be productive and effective children of God, victorious Warriors.  If not, then you are ineffective and unproductive.  I’m reminded of the “lukewarm” Christian the Lord told John he would just as soon “vomit” out of His mouth in Revelation 3:15-17:  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit (vomit) you out of my mouth.  You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”  One of the hardest things for a believer to see in those they love is their not recognizing their wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked condition in the eyes of the Lord.  Often others can see in us what we cannot see in ourselves, and Peter’s goal is to help the people he loves avoid that spiritual blindness.  We see that in this next section.
Verses 12-15:  “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.”  This area of emphasizing the basics is another one of those areas where I agree with Peter.  He understands that his accountability to God as one of His Shepherds means he will occasionally step on the sheep’s toes, hurt their feelings, even run the risk of irritating them as he takes them from pasture to pasture, making sure they are fed a balanced diet.  It is never a waste of time to go back and refresh our memory with the basics.  John 3:16-18 preaches, even to seasoned saints.  We sheep have a tendency at times to wander off into pastures of deep theological discussion and debate, neglecting in the process the basic responsibility of actively loving God and one another.

I drove truck last week, took a run down to Remington Indiana and back.  It had been 350+ days since I had last driven a “Big Truck” and even longer than that since I had driven through the craziness and construction challenge that is the Chicago traffic experience.  So I did it twice in one day!  But before I started, I went through a mental reminder of the basics of safely driving an 18-wheeler.   I did a thorough pre-trip inspection, which although required by law is often ignored.  I checked my fluids, tires, brakes, suspension, lights and other safety equipment, cleaned my windows and mirrors, made the necessary adjustment to the mirrors and seat and driving controls, familiarized myself once again with the gear pattern, emergency brakes, horns, lights and all the other basic controls.  And, when I pulled out of the yard, I took it easy and got the feel of it again as I headed for the highway.  It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to drive a “Big Truck” or that I had forgotten, but I have a high level of respect for the potential for harm that comes from not being properly prepared, or thinking you are better prepared than you are.

Peter doesn’t write this letter to the Believers because they don’t know what God requires of them, or how to grow and live to please God, but to remind them of the basics, to refresh their memory because he wants them to stay firmly grounded and growing.  He understands the importance of continuing to authenticate their claim to faith by living the life God has called them to live, to remain “firmly established,” and he remains aware of his responsibility to God to properly “shepherd” the sheep.  He continues: “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.”  We don’t know for sure if Peter was speaking of the prophecy the Lord gave him that morning on the beach, when, after breakfast, He took Peter aside and told him the type of death he would die, or if he had received a more recent message.  We only know that Peter knew his time was short, and wanted to ensure the message remained fixed in their memory.  “And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”  Peter did his part; he committed his instruction to writing, here and in his earlier epistle.  One source said he also achieved this goal, whether intentionally or unintentionally, through the Gospel of Mark, which early tradition connected with Peter.  The source went on to say: “Mark’s Gospel is a simple, succinct, unadorned, yet vivid account of Jesus’ ministry, emphasizing more what Jesus did than what he said. (Kinda sounds like Peter, doesn’t it?)  The book as a whole is characterized by the opening verse: ” The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”   The life, death and resurrection of Christ comprise the “beginning” of which the apostolic preaching in Acts is the continuation.”  Peter goes on then to validate his message.
“Verses 16-18: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”  Peter’s message was based in part on his own eyewitness account of the supernatural events that marked the life of Jesus.  It was not made up of myths and imaginative stories, as was the message of the heretics he partly wrote this letter to combat.  Out of all the experiences he shared, the many miracles he witnessed in the roughly three years he walked, talked, ate, slept and lived with the Lord, he points to one particular event that made an indelible impression on him.  “For 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.”  You probably remember the story.  Matthew 17:1-9 “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”  When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them.  “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”  It wasn’t unusual for Peter to be speaking, but it was the first and I think only time he was interrupted by the voice of God speaking audibly!  That would tend to leave an impression!  But that wasn’t the point Peter was making.  He and the “Sons of Thunder” had been privileged to see Jesus Christ in his glorified state!  That left an impression!  Jesus’ appearance changed before there eyes.  The three disciples saw Jesus in His glorified state, a preview as it were, of things to come!  And then, as if that wasn’t enough, they heard the “voice” acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.  If ever they needed confirmation that this One whom they had “left everything” to follow was whom He claimed, they had it.  And now, they were carrying on the mission of testifying to what they had seen and heard, throughout Jesus ministry, and especially His death, burial, resurrection and second coming!  Peter goes on.  His message rests on two solid foundations: His personal experience of witnessing the transfiguration and hearing the voice from God at the transfiguration, and the even more significant testimony of Scripture.  Even more significant?  Yeah, even more significant!  How can that be?  If I heard the voice of God I wouldn’t need anything else!  Really?  Not if history is any proof.  Remember the children of Israel and the events of the Exodus and the march to the Promised Land?  Almost unbelievable experiences, yet their bones littered the desert because of their unbelief.  Peter knew that experience, no matter how incredible, fades with time and becomes susceptible to doubt.  Not so the written word of God, the “word of the Prophets” that he talks about next.
Verses 19-21:  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, 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.”  Hearing the “voice” and seeing Moses and Elijah talking with Christ authenticated for the three disciples not only Jesus, the “Living Word”, but also the “Written Word.”  This experience affirmed the prophetic word.  Jesus’ transfiguration and the Father’s declaration confirmed the fact that Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the prophets.  Isaiah 42:1-7:  “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;  he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope.”  This is what God the LORD says–he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:  “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”  Peter had just told his readers that he and two other disciples were eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ’s transfiguration—at which time they distinctly heard the Father’s voice declaring Jesus Christ to be his beloved Son.  Thus, Peter could say, “We have the word of the prophets made more certain” (certified) — following which he said, “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.”  The apostles’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration confirmed to them the accuracy of the OT.  We have not had the same experience, but we have the same Word, which has now been confirmed, made sure.  We must pay attention to it, diligently read, study and obey it, as to a light that shines in the darkness.  John 1:1-5:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

Jesus said it well also: John 3:19-21: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”   I’ll give ya one more.  Jesus again speaking, this comes from the “Sermon on the Mount” as we call it.  Here is Jesus’ command regarding our testimony. Matthew 5:14-16:  “You are the light of the world. (How amazing is that?) A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus says don’t hide your faith, take a stand, let your light shine!  Those in darkness need to see a light.  The light of the Word of God shining out of our lives, in our visible, tangible, expressions of love.  The morning star, rising in our hearts, illuminating us with His light.  That “treasure in jars of clay” that Paul talks about.  It is the Light of the Word of God that directs our paths and transforms us into the children of God we are called to be, and it all points to the “Day” of Christ’s return.  Peter then continues with one of the most powerful phrases in all Scripture: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.   For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  He is here preparing to attack the false teachers, who promote a man-made doctrine.  He begins by defending Scripture.  No true prophecy originated through the prophet’s own interpretation.  Peter is talking about the origin of the apostolic message, in comparison to the message of the heretics that he is preparing to attack.  Did it come from human imaginings, or was it from God?  In v. 21 again the subject is origin.  No prophecy of Scripture arose from a merely human interpretation of things.  Men were involved, true, but not in charge.  The Holy Spirit was in control, supervising or superintending what the human writers put down.  One commentary put it this way: “In the production of Scripture both God and man were active participants. God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said.

But the human author also actively spoke; he was more than a recorder.  Yet what he said came from God.  Although actively speaking, he was “carried along” by the Holy Spirit.”  Paul agrees. He affirms God’s active involvement in the writing of Scripture, an involvement so powerful and pervasive that what is written is the infallible and authoritative word of God.  He states in II Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”   Peter wants his readers to understand that the word of God is the light they need to walk the path God has directed them to.  That it is trustworthy.  That it is the foundation for his faith and ministry.  His experience was important, but primarily because it lined up with the truth of the Scriptures.  In his mind, the Scriptures were more certain and sure than even His own eyewitness account!  Our blessing is that we now have that eyewitness testimony as scripture.  It’s doubtful he realized when he penned it that it was!

He knew it was true, but he pointed his readers to the established Word, the Written and the Living, for the basic truth.  The Holy Spirit was controlling him, like the rest of the writers of Scripture, as he wrote.  They were consciously involved in the process; they weren’t taking dictation from God nor were they writing in a state of spiritual ecstasy.  No wonder we believers have a word of prophecy that is certain.  And no wonder a Christian’s growth and development must depend on the Scriptures, and not just experience.  They are the very words of God himself!

In His Grip,