Continuing Pastor Obie's message: Being an eye-witness to the profound experience of Jesus’ Transfiguration, it was a foundational pillar of truth that the Apostle Paul presented as evidence that Jesus was God. He was so sure that Jesus that shortly after writing this letter to the Christian church, he was executed in Rome for his faith. All the Apostles were eye-witnesses of Jesus with foundational evidence that Jesus was Lord and would not deny that fact, even in the face of torture and death. Except for John, all Apostles died for their faith.
Revelation 12:7-11 “Now war arose in heaven, Archangel Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Now, what experiences in your life do you return to that are foundational pillars as proof of your faith? If you have experienced the “goodness of God” in your life, then you are an eye-witness of God’s power. His faithfulness, His love, His kindness, or maybe you personally witnessed a healing, God’s provision, God’s peace, a restoration transformation of one’s heart out of God’s goodness. But, what is an eye-witness that does not offer a testimony?
Just as the Apostle Peter testified of what he witnessed, your testimony of God’s goodness in your own life can help others to find Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, at the foot of the Cross, to overcome the deceit of the devil and not falter in their faith. Your testimony can encourage someone to keep going when things in life get hard. Your testimony can lead others to the saving grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. So, do not withhold your testimony of God’s goodness in your life. Be the reason that someone believes in the goodness of God. Your witness of the goodness of God in your life could be a foundational pillar of truth for the faith of another, but only if you testify. Are you testifying of the goodness of God to others, and if not, how can you do it practically this week. Our society and entire culture is thirsty to hear truth and starving to know about Jesus from you. Shine the light of Christ.
2 Peter 1:19 “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.”
The second foundational evidence of the gospel faith is the Prophetic Word fulfilled. The Apostle Peter’s evidence was in the witness and the Word. It is one thing to have a personal subjective experience, but it is another thing to have it objectively confirmed by the Word of God. The Old Testament was filled with hundreds of Messianic Prophesies (future predictions about the coming Messiah), written thousands of years before Jesus was born, yet 322 were fulfilled by Jesus. It is unfathomable for the probability that one man to fulfill 322 prophesies. Mathematician Dr. Peter Stoner stated that the point, of course, is that when people say that the fulfillment of prophecy in the life of Jesus was accidental, they do not know what they are talking about. Keep in mind that Jesus did not just fulfill 8 prophecies, He fulfilled 108. The chances of fulfilling 16 is 1 in 10 to the 45th power. When you get to a total of 48, the odds increase to 1 in 10 to the 157th power. Accidental fulfillment of these prophecies is simply beyond the realm of possibility.
Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
The Prophetic Word fulfilled is the second piece of foundational evidence the Apostle proves as proof that Jesus is who He said He was, that He is God. The Word acts as a lamp. In the darkness that we are facing in today’s culture, we need a light unto our path more than ever, to bring back unity and harmony to the world around on God’s green earth. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “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.” What is written in the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
Let's conclude Pastor Obie message on Foundational Evidence for faith in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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