02/13/2011 The Prophetic Word Made Sure (2 Peter 1:12-21)

The Prophetic Word Made Sure
2 Peter 1:12-21
12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
NKJV

They say John Arndt, the grand father of Lutheran Pietism preached 46 different sermons on the text, “You must be born again”. I mention that at a fellowship in Des Moines a several years ago, and some of those there felt that was over kill. They didn’t think Christians needed to hear that kind of message over and over again. They thought that you had to move beyond those elemental teachings and get to things that are meatier.

I wish I would have asked them what they thought was meatier. After all what is meatier than the Gospel, and how it is that God saves us. What is meatier than hearing about the wretched sinfulness that is a part of my flesh, and how Jesus has redeemed me? If you ever get tired of hearing about Salvation, how to be born again, how God takes sinners out of the cesspools that they are in and saves them, be worried. Because there is a flaw in your understanding. You need to go back to verse five and add some knowledge to your faith, because you have a deficiency and if it is not corrected it could cause you to stumble.

I’m fifty seven; most of you have probably been saved longer than I have been alive. Some weeks I look at these texts and I think to myself, these guys know this. These guys know this stuff better than I do. Is it worth taking the time to preach yet another sermon on a text that you have probably heard preached 20 times already? The answer is yes.

That’s what Peter tells us in verse 12. “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.”

He says you are established in these truths, but yet I would be negligent if I didn’t continually remind you of these truths. The word established here, means to make as solid as granite. It was an architectural term, meaning to fortify and make firm. It was to lay a firm and solid foundation that would not crumble. He’s paying them a great compliment here; he’s commending them for being solidly grounded in their faith. But that doesn’t mean that he or they should just coast.

Verse 12 starts out, for this reason. Again we are tied back to the seven virtues, and the promises that are ours if we diligently apply them, and the seven virtues are tied to the gifts and promises of God in the first four verses. Peter very skillfully builds each section on the previous.

The reason Peter says he will keep on reminding his flock of these truths until the day he dies, is because there is so much riding on them. What’s at stake, our growth and maturity in Christ, our fruitfulness in life and ministry, our assurance of salvation and our abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom, all these things are at stake, and because of that Peter doesn’t care if his flock has heard it all before. Peter wants every one of them to have an abundant entrance.

What are the dangers? Why does Peter feel that it would be negligence on his part if he didn’t keep reminding them of things they already knew? I think we see it up in verse nine. We are prone to forget, and Peter seems to indicate that we receive forgetfulness. If we receive forgetfulness, who offers it to us? That’s a willing forgetfulness. Just like with itching ears, God gives them what they want. If people want to forget about being cleansed from sin, God will allow Satan to offer you forgetfulness.

Prone to wonder, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love, take my soul oh Lord and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. That’s what Peter is worrying about. We are prone to wonder.

We see the importance of repetition in the Law. In Israel, they were to have an assembly every seven years and read the Law. Deut 31:10-13
10 “And Moses commanded them, saying: "At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess." NKJV

Everyone was to gather, yes it was for the young children who were too young to understand seven years ago, but everyone was to be there because God knew they were prone to wonder. Not only was it to be taught in the homes, and in the synagogues and in the temple and at all the feasts and festivals but every seven years everyone, including foreigners in the land, were to gather in one place and hear the entire reading of the Law of Moses. Because God knew they were prone to wonder. Well they didn’t always do this and they did wander.

Paul shares the same sentiment in Philippians 3:1 “For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.” NKJV Paul wasn’t worried about repeating himself, he wasn’t concerned what people would think, if they would criticize him. If his enemies would think he was going senile. He was more concerned about his beloved flock. For you it is safe to be reminded of the Gospel and for why we should be able to rejoice in any and all circumstances. Yes you’ve heard it before and you will hear it again and I will make sure you never forget it because I want you to be there. Paul wants each and every saint that was converted through his ministry to arrive safely in heaven.

Peter uses the verb “remind” three times in verses 12-15. Verse 12 “I will not be negligent to remind you.” In verse 13 he says “I will stir you up by reminding you”. And in verse 15 he says “I will be diligent to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” He wants them to remember what he just told them.

I used the word diligent there when reading verse 15 because in the original it’s the same word that is translated “even more diligent” in verse 10, and the root is the word translated diligent in verse five. So Peter ties this whole section together. In verse five they are to with all diligence supply seven virtues to there faith. In verse 10, they are to be even more diligent to make there call and election sure. In verse 15 Peter will with the same diligence that he is asking of them, he will supply that same diligence in making sure they never forget any of these things he’s taught them.

As one who proclaims the Gospel, I am not excused from its demands. I can not preach one thing to you and then not feel compelled to live the same way myself. Peter does not live by a different measure than what he expects of his flock. Peter says do you want to see what diligence looks like, watch my diligence in teaching these truths to you so you never forget them. That’s a good pastor.

Peter is being obedient to the command of the Lord. On Thursday evening when the disciples were with Jesus and they ate the Passover, Jesus prophesied Peter’s failure and restoration. Luke 22:31-32
31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." NKJV

I’m sure Peter never forgot those words. That’s what he is doing strengthening the brethren. That’s what the church is for. It is to strengthen the brethren. The worship service is not for the unbeliever. Now we like it when the unbeliever comes to church and hears the Gospel, because they might get saved. But that is not the reason for the church. The church is for believers, especially Sunday morning. It is for the mutual strengthening of the brethren.

Some churches have gone out in the community and asked people what they would want in a church. They do a survey to find out what the world thinks about the church and what they think the church should be like. Then they take that information try to change the church into something that the world is comfortable with. I’m sure you see the issue. I’m sure nobody said they wanted to hear preaching about sin so they would understand what wretches they were so they would come to Jesus and get saved. I’m sure nobody wrote that on their survey card.

What did they get? They found out the people didn’t want hymns, creeds or liturgy; they wanted shorter sermons about relevant life issues. They wanted smokin rock bands leading the service, they wanted to be entertained. The problem is, the church is not for the unbeliever; it’s for the believer, that we might be encouraged, built up, that we might worship our God and savior Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth. Now unbelievers are welcome but we don’t design the service around them, we design it around the God we are there to worship and His word.

Peter was commanded by Jesus that after he was restored he was to strengthen the brethren. That’s what he is doing and he is going to keep on doing it until he takes his last breath, and even beyond.

Some feel that he is talking about the two letters he’s written, he is making sure they are circulated among the brethren, so that they will always have them before them as a reminder after he is gone. And he may be referring to the Gospel of Mark as well, for it was his eyewitness testimony that Mark had recorded. This would fit Peter’s style and the way he has tied everything together so far. Because this is what he addresses next. He addresses the reliability of the written word.

In this next section I am going to borrow an out line from a paper wrote for the Masters Seminary by John Sherwood titled. “The only Sure Word."

His opening paragraph and theses is this:
“In the face of challengers, the apostle Peter makes it clear in 1:16-21 that God's word is his source of authority and spiritual knowledge. In doing this, he shows that the knowledge gained in God's written revelation prevails over that gained anywhere else. Because of its superiority, Scripture deserves concentrated attention. All other conceivable sources of knowledge must bow the knee to God's Word.”
Then he outlines the progressive sources of revelation. From least important to greatest importance. First Peter lists, illegitimate myths, second personal experience, third the prophetic word, fourth face to face with Jesus.

In verse sixteen it says, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” That’s what the Greeks and the Roman’s did, that’s what the pagans do. They make things up; they create gods out of thin air. And in that day they would put on very creative and cunning theater productions depicting the god’s that they had created, and that was all they had.

In Hinduism, it seems like you can create your own God. You can take a piece of wood and carve an image of something and you can put it on your mantle and you can worship it as a god, and Hinduism says if you believe it is a god, it is a god. The cults are mostly the result of one man or woman’s fertile imagination. Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science each the by product of one person’s vision or an outright con job.

But Peter’s faith was different. Peter’s faith is based on history, actual facts, real eyewitness testimony. It’s not something that they just made up. It’s not just the fertile imagination of one person. It’s not based on a vision or revelation given to just one person. Most of what is written in the Gospels was witnessed by the twelve disciples. Some times Jesus only took Peter James and John with Him. The Hebrew law said that truth had to be confirmed by two to three witnesses. This is not just made up by people who want to use religion as a means of control, not true Christianity.

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter was in the inner circle, he was privileged to see some things the others did not see. Peter had an experience. This is the second form of revelation, there is some reliability here. The eye witness has a powerful testimony. Paul it seems that everywhere he went he gave his testimony, he told of his experience. I have had an experience with Jesus; you have had an experience with Jesus.

But lots of people have had experiences. Many people search and seek for experiences. My friend Will, tells of a woman he knows who so wanted to hear the voice of God. The literal voice of God. She had been in meeting where people had testified of hearing the audible voice of God. She was mad at God for not speaking with her. She wondered what God had against her, because He wouldn’t speak to her in an audible voice. This became her consuming desire, to hear the voice of God. Well eventually she heard voices, and it drove her to insanity.

People flock to meetings where they crave experiences. To be slain in the spirit, to see visions, to speak in unknown tongues, to be drunk in the spirit. Now I won’t say as some do that this is all false. But if we are just seeking an experience rather than seeking Jesus we open ourselves up to demonic deception, and in most of these meeting that is all that is there. Others see an image of Christ or the Virgin Mary in the frost on a window, or on there grilled cheese sandwich and these become the focus of there experience.

In verses 16-18 Peter tells us of his experience as an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus. Specifically he is referring to the transfiguration which he experienced along with James and John. He was one of the few who did literally hear the word of God.

Then Peter moves on to the next form of revelation, the prophetic word, the scriptures. Human myths and fables, pretty much no merit or worth, experience, great value as long as it is grounded in a true experience with the living Jesus. But we even need to be careful with experience, experiences can be deceptive. They can be used and counterfeited by Satan. The next level of sure revelation, even more sure than our personal experience is the word of God, we need to judge our experience by the word of God.

Verse 19, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place”. I like the way the English Standard Version says it, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word.” We have something more sure, than even our experience, and that is the word of God. Everything we feel and experience we need to filter through the Word of God. This is a sure word and it is a light that shines in this dark and evil world. Many scriptures speak of the word being a light. Peter may have been thinking of,
Ps 119:10 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Ps 119:130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
Prov 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light.
And we are under this word until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in our hearts. Here we have the fourth stage of revelation. There is some disagreement as to what Peter meant by this, most taking the view of progressive revelations, moving from fables to experience to the sure scriptures, to being in the presence of God. Most interpret it this way.

The final revelation is to be in His presence. When the day dawns and the Morning Star arises in our hearts. From Revelation 22:16 we know that the Morning Star is Jesus. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."

This is the final revelation. The scriptures say in 1st John, that when we see Him we will become like him. 1 Cor 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

I don’t think this means that when we are in Jesus’ presence in heaven, that we will know everything there is to know. God is eternal, and infinite, we will spend all eternity striving to know this eternal and infinite Jesus. I believe the revelation is complete in the Bible, but our understanding is clouded by sin. We strive to read, meditate and learn the scriptures but this will always be incomplete in this life. When we see Him face to face our understanding will be perfect.

But this is for the future; it is good to know. It gives us hope that we won’t always wander in levels of confusion over what God has said, one day it will be sure and planted in our hearts. But then Peter takes us back to the scriptures. This is what we need now for our life and godliness.

He takes us back to the present. The future will be great. We will understand so much more than we do now, but first things first. Everything we need now, all the answers we need for life and Godliness are found in the scriptures. Verse 20 says, “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.” ESV

Do you want to hear God speak to you audibly? Hand your spouse the bible and ask them to read to you. Someone has said that if God were to appear to us today and speak to us He would quote scriptures, because he has told us everything we need to know.

I know that you know the importance of reading your Bible every day. I know that for me to tell you again that you need to be in the scriptures every day is probably not necessary. You may think it tedious, I may think it’s tedious, but Paul and Peter and the Holy Spirit say that to be constantly reminded of these things is safe for all of us. Amen.