2 Peter 1:16-21 “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. 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,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 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, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 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.”
Last Sunday, Pastor Obie continued in our church’s sermon series through the book of 2 Peter. Obie points out that we are fortunate that we live in a country that has a “justice system” that focuses on seeking the truth. In the United States Court of Law, in the use of an adversarial system, two sides are presenting evidence and questioning witnesses to get to the truth of the matter. There is one thing consistent with all courts, the goal of any Court is that the Judge and the Jury would find their way to the truth through the presentation of evidence. There are two main categories of evidence that are used. (1) testimonial evidence, and (2) physical evidence. In this passage of Scripture above, the Apostle Peter presents two foundational pieces of evidence to encourage and strengthen the faith of the early church Believers and help them and us to find our way to the truth.
In this second letter to the new Christian churches in Asia Minor, Pater is addressing the issue of false teachers and false prophets that had infiltrated their midst. These false teachers had been twisting the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. In Luke 22:32, the Lord Jesus told Peter: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter lived out that that final call to his last breath to give foundational evidence that would strengthen Believers faith, know what is true and not falter in the midst of false teachers.
The first of the two foundational evidences to strengthen the faith of Believers is the personal witness of the saints (those who have been sanctified as the Bible refers to them), against false teachers. Note: Romans 1:7 “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” If you are a Believer sanctified in Jesus Christ, ten you are referred to as a “saint”. Peter was bringing forth testimony evidence as a witness that the Gospel message that was being presented was no myth. That in fact, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was historical truth and he was an eye-witness to it. There were teachers taking the gospel message of Christ and the Apostles then twisting it, saying that Jesus was not the Messiah, that Jesus was not going to return and that the Apostle’s stories were just myths and not correct. They were saying that you could continue living a sinful lifestyle of immoral sex, recreational drugs, lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, idolatry … sin and be a Christian too. They were false teachers.
The false teaching was twisted and only slightly off. Be aware that this is a tactic of the devil. Satan will take truth and pervert it, so slightly. You see, Satan cannot create anything new. He takes what God has already created and twist it. Example: The Bible tells how God created marriage between one man and one woman, but Satan takes marriage and twists it. God created family, but God breaks them. God creates sex within the context of marriage, but Satan perverts it. God ordains governments, but Satan corrupts governments and uses them to turn people against each other. We need to return to the truth.
The Apostle Peter was testifying to the truth which he was an eye-witness of Christ’s earthly visitation and messianic mission in God’s plan of Salvation. He speaks of his personal eye-witness account at the event of Jesus’ transfiguration recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, where Christ exposed His majesty with Elijah and Moses, hearing God the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (echoed from Heaven at Jesus’ baptism). Peter was presenting this foundational piece of eye-witnessed evidence to strengthen our faith, that through his testimony all people might know for certain what is truth; that Jesus the Christ is Savior and Lord.
Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on Foundational Evidence of Gospel truth in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment