Jul 30, 2017
by: Jack Lash Series: God's Holy Book | Category: Scripture | Scripture: 2 Peter 1:19– 2:3
- Explanation of 2Peter 1:19–2:3a
A. Identification of prophecy and Scripture in v.20
1. Review of prophecy and inscripturation
B. We have this book which claims that it doesn’t come from man, but from God: “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
C. If there is a God, how can we know about Him?
1. We learn about the world through observation and scientific investigation.
2. But how can we learn about One who cannot be observed? How we learn about One who is not subject to scientific inquiry?
3. We have no way to learn about God unless He reveals Himself, unless He informs us of Himself.
4. But the Bible claims to be just that: God’s self-revelation.
D. Men carried along by the HS
1. “Men spoke” — Men spoke and yet God was speaking through them.
2. “From God” — the prophet was His mouthpiece
3. The human authors have different emphases and different way of saying things, but God is speaking through them all.
4. He used their personality, their vocabulary, even their experience as His paintbrushes.
5. Remember, He’s the One who created them, and He made them just the way He wanted them to be, and had them experience just the things He wanted them to experience.
E. So the Bible is fully divine, and also fully human, yet without error.
1. The Bible: a human book
a. Written by real human beings, reflecting their thoughts, perceptions and personalities
b. Written in real time and historical context
c. Written in human languages with human techniques of expression
2. But even more fundamentally, it is a divine book.
a. God was superintending. But not like He superintends over everything and over the writing of every book.
b. In the composition of this book, God was writing it through men as His revelation to man.
c. Sometimes the writers didn’t even understand what they were writing (see 1Pet.1:10–11).
F. According to the way some people think, this is impossible. To err is human, and if there is a book written by humans, it inevitably must contain error.
1. But they wrongly presume that man’s tendency to err is bigger than God Himself.
2. Just as “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” — Proverbs 21:11 — so the prophet’s heart and mind and mouth are in the hand of the Lord and He turns it wherever He will. And if He wills to reveal His perfect word through the prophet, He is fully capable of doing so.
G. And if there is a God, and if the Bible is God’s communication to us, then it is different from any other communication we receive or send or experience in this world.
1. We can’t just say it’s the greatest book ever. There is the Bible, and then there’s everything else in a separate category. The Bible is God’s word, everything else, everything else, is man’s word.
H. Now today there are so many extremists pointing to the Bible as the justification for their teachings, and so many crazy teachings are defended from the Bible, sometimes you don’t want to be seen holding up the same book they’re holding up because you don’t want to be associated with them.
1. But we’re told right here in 2Pet.2:1-3 that this is exactly what we should expect to happen! “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.”
II. Application
A. In this world today we are surrounded by so many voices! So many controversies! So much confusion! So many different opinions! So many claims! So many arguments!
1. And as human beings we are so subject to our own preferences, feelings and perceptions.
2. And we are so vulnerable to being influenced by others around us.
B. What a blessing to have a heavenly Father lays it all out for us! What a blessing to have a Father who tells us what is true! Who cuts through all the confusion & tells us what is really going on.
1. What a blessing to have a Father who tells us what is going to happen, when everything seems to be spiraling out of control.
2. What a blessing to know that though it looks chaotic, it is actually well-orchestrated.
3. Sometimes it feels like God is against us when He allows such horrible things to happen. But what a blessing to have God’s word which tells us that He is very much for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and even though He sometimes allows things which look and feel horrible, He allows them only for the good of His beloved ones, and never ever for their harm!
4. It looks like disaster is up ahead, but in His word God tells us that glory and great blessing are up ahead for His people, while judgment awaits those who refuse Him.
5. Many around us think: “There is no God. Things are too chaotic. There’s too much evil!” But in His word God tells us: “I’m very much alive. And I am sitting upon the throne, watching over everything, and working all things for the good of My people. And I will bring good out of evil.”
6. Or it seems like there’s a consensus among scientists that everything evolved through a long series of accidents into what we see today. But we don’t have to rely on people guessing because they weren’t there. God was there and we have His word on it.
7. You see, the world dwells in hopelessness because it rejects the notion that God created this world, and He did it for a good purpose, so that life has meaning, as we’re told in God’s word.
8. They’ve done this in the name of freedom, freedom from God’s rules (especially re: sexuality). But in striving for freedom, they’ve abandoned meaning and hope. Because when you reject the One who sets the rules, you also reject the One who brings purpose and understanding. “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” – 2Peter 2:19
C. We all have within us a longing to be loved. And life is frustrating in this world because the love we experience is so imperfect and proud and selfish. But the Bible tells us of One who left His place of comfort and glory and came into my world and your world and gave His all in order to win us for Himself and enter into a ‘forever after’ union with us.
1. If you believe the world around us, we are profoundly alone. I remember before I became a Christian this was the strongest of all my feelings: stronger than guilt, stronger than bitterness, stronger than envy, stronger than fear. I feel deeply and profoundly alone. But then Christ revealed himself to me and has been my ever-present Companion since that day.
2. And some of us experience shame. We know we’re not the people we should be. We don’t even live up to our own standards, much less God’s. A voice inside us condemns us everyday.
a. But we have God’s word – which tells us that if we put our trust in Christ, and come to Him in faith, then our sins are forgiven, and our record is expunged.
b. At around 11 or 12 years of age, one of my children shoplifted a little bracelet from a little store on the beach boardwalk many years ago. This child was given some assignments to perform in order for her record to be expunged. This child’s record is now clean.
c. In the same way if we are in Christ, our record has been expunged and we’re counted as innocent.
D. Do you see how blessed we are to have God’s word to tell us what is really true? Do you see how much we need it because of all the lies?
1. Or we feel safe and secure when we’re not at all safe and secure.
a. There’s a person who thinks everything is OK right now, but next week he’s going to suffer a massive heart attack and die. He doesn’t know what’s coming, so he can’t do anything to prevent it or get ready for it. He should be in a hospital right now, but he doesn’t know he has a problem. And he won’t have a chance to have final words with his loved ones or put his affairs in order.
b. In the same way, every person who feels like he or she is safe, and who thinks that things are going to go on in the future as they have in the past is dead wrong.
c. But the Bible tells us about our danger, and it gives us comfort in our danger and instructs us how to live.
E. I have a pastor friend Chris Robinson at the Grace Bible Church in Marshall. His 27 daughter Lauren is in the ICU with double pneumonia. She has been in a prolonged paralyzed state for 11 days. Both lungs are filled with fluid & a ventilator is keeping her alive. He sent this out yesterday:
1. “Lauren news is better this morning...we had a major breakthrough on Friday...I could give you plenty of technical but I won't...she is able to respond to us by moving her toes and fingers along with nodding her head. She still does not open her eyes yet but we hope soon. Meds are down, oxygen is up but the journey continues... Wednesday is a key day as the Vent needs to come out. So we pray for lungs to heal, movement to increase and her will to remain strong. Your prayers have touched us deeply, your words of encouragement ring in our ears during the long hours of waiting and God has been our stay. Love and blessings to all.”
2. How do you deal with that kind of thing if you don’t have the word of God? Buy a Life Stinks bumper sticker?
3. Think about what rich resources Chris and Barb Robinson have because of God’s word:
a. The knowledge that there’s a God who reigns over all, even over sickness, who could snap His fingers and heal Lauren.
b. That He loves them and loves their daughter more than they do
c. Prayer / Community of prayer
d. That His will is better than ours. And that even if the unthinkable happens, hope is not lost:
(1) there will be a great reunion
(2) this time on earth is brief, that time is forever
(3) she will be in paradise with Jesus
(4) God will use it for His own glory
(5) there is life after tragedy because to live is not children or marriage or career success or fun, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil.1:21) “His lovingkindness is better than life!” (Ps.63:3) And even if your child dies, you still have God’s lovingkindness.
F. V.19 “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.”
1. Let us take full advantage of the wonderful blessing God has given us by giving us His word.