The Book of II PETER
James J. Barker
Lesson 02
A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY
INTRODUCTION:
- There is a
two-fold witness to the Christian faith, and Peter refers to both of them here
in his second epistle.
- First, there is
the eyewitness account given to us by Peter in verses 12-18.
- Secondly, Peter
says we have "a more sure word of prophecy" (1:19). He is referring
to the Bible, the infallible Word of God.
- Peter was in
our Lord's inner circle. Peter walked with our Lord, ate with our Lord, heard
Him preach every day, and saw many of His mighty miracles.
- Peter was with
our Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration (1:16-18).
Peter heard the voice of God from heaven
(1:17, 18).
- And yet Peter says in verse 19, "We have also a
more sure word of prophecy."
- The "more sure
word of prophecy" is the testimony of the written Word of God.
- The Scofield Study Bible says, "That is, made
more sure by fulfilment in part. Fulfilled prophecy is a proof of inspiration
because the Scripture predictions of future events were uttered so long before
the events transpired that no merely human sagacity or foresight could have
anticipated them, and these predictions are so detailed, minute, and specific,
as to exclude the possibility that they were mere fortunate guesses. Hundreds of
predictions concerning Israel, the land of Canaan, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and
numerous personages -- so ancient, so singular, so seemingly improbable, as well
as so detailed and definite that no mortal could have anticipated them -- have
been fulfilled by the elements, and by men who were ignorant of them, or who
utterly disbelieved them, or who struggled with frantic desperation to avoid
their fulfilment. It is certain, therefore, that the Scriptures which contain
them are inspired. 'Prophecy came not in olden time by the will of man; but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost' (II Peter 1:21)."
- No other
religious holy books (e.g., the Koran) contain fulfilled prophecies, but there
are hundreds of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible.
- I want to speak tonight on the importance of Scripture.
The words "scripture" and "scriptures" are found 53 times (cf. 1:20;
3:16).
I. THE SCRIPTURES ARE
SUPERNATURAL
II. THE SCRIPTURES ARE
TRUSTWORTHY
III. THE SCRIPTURES ARE
INSPIRED
I.
THE SCRIPTURES ARE
SUPERNATURAL
- The word "scripture" means "sacred writings."
When we use the word "Scripture," we are referring to every word in the Bible.
- Second Timothy
3:16 and 17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works."
- Now when we say
the Bible is a supernatural book, we mean it is unlike any other book in this
world. It is the very Word of God.
- John Walvoord wrote, "It would be impossible to
explain the origin of the Bible by any other
means than to note that it claims to be a supernatural book guided by the
Holy Spirit and supports its claim by the facts presented. Though human authors
were used and the Bible has clear evidence of their human involvement in writing
the Bible, they were so guided by the Holy Spirit that what they wrote was the
truth as God wanted it to be said, and they were kept from the error of
including anything that was extraneous or unnecessary. The contents of the Bible
make clear that it has to be supernatural in its origin because the Bible includes
revelation beyond the scope of people’s knowledge. The Bible also presents God’s
point of view of human activity and history, which would be impossible to learn
unless God Himself revealed it. The Bible is not only supernatural in its origin
but also supernatural in its truth, dealing with subjects such as salvation,
forgiveness, righteousness, spiritual restoration, and hope for eternity. The
scope of the revelation extending from eternity past to eternity future
obviously requires divine revelation."
- Do you know
that over one third of Scripture was prophetic when it was originally
written?
- There were at
least 330 prophecies fulfilled at the first coming of Christ.
- The Bible
claims a supernatural origin in a way that is true of no other
book. Over twenty-five hundred times in the Bible we see such
expressions as, "Thus saith the Lord," and "The Word of the Lord came unto me,
saying," etc.
- I was recently
chatting on line with a Filipino missionary serving in Cambodia.
He said he was preparing a message on II
Corinthians 8, which deals with Christian stewardship.
- We agreed that
these Biblical principles work in any culture, in any country, and in any
language. The Word of God is unlike any other book, and it is effective in any
language God's principles for giving and missions, etc. work in any culture, any
country, etc. and any country because it is a supernatural book.
- First Peter 1:16 says, "For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables..." The ancient Greek and Roman religions were based upon strange and
fascinating myths and fables.
- But despite what skeptics say, the Bible is not a
collection of "cunningly devised fables" (1:16).
"Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith's
door, And heard the anvil ring
the vesper chime; Then looking in, I saw
upon the floor, Old hammers, worn with beating years of
time.
"'How many anvils have you had,' said I, 'To wear and batter all
these hammers so?' 'Just one,' said he, and then with twinkling eye, 'The
anvil wears the hammers out, you know.'
"And so, I thought, the Anvil of
God's Word For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yet, though the noise of
falling blows was heard, The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers
gone."
—Attributed to John Clifford
- Greek mythology and Roman mythology is interesting, and
profitable to read. However, it is
make-believe, whereas the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of
God.
- First Thessalonians 2:13 says, "For this cause
also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God
which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in
truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that
believe."
II.
THE SCRIPTURES ARE
TRUSTWORTHY
- The Old Testament
prophets had predicted Christ's coming in great power and glory. The events up on "the holy mount"
(1:18) were a preview of the second coming of Christ in power to reign over
all the earth (cf. Matt. 16:28--17:9).
- Peter (along
with James and John) was up on the mount with our Lord. He saw our Lord
transfigured right before his very eyes.
He heard the voice of God from heaven saying, "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (II Peter
1:17).
- Peter saw and
heard all this, and yet he says in verse 19, "We have also
a more sure word of prophecy."
- The Word of God is like
"a light that shineth in a dark place" (1:19).
- Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path."
- Psalm 119:130 says, "The
entrance of thy words giveth light."
- The Gospel light is
shining "in a dark place" (1:19).
Despite the foolish optimism of worldly people, this world is getting
darker and darker. We need to
"send the light, the blessed Gospel light."
- The Scriptures are
trustworthy -- "a more sure word of prophecy"
(1:19).
III.
THE SCRIPTURES ARE
INSPIRED
- Second Timothy
3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness."
- "Inspired"
literally means, "God-breathed."
- AW Pink said,
"Surrender the dogma of verbal inspiration and you are
left like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea-at the mercy of every wind that
blows. Deny that the Bible is, without any qualifications, the very Word of God,
and you are left without any ultimate standard of measurement and without any
supreme authority. It is useless to discuss any doctrine taught by the Bible
until you are prepared to acknowledge, unreservedly, that the Bible is the final
court of appeal."
- In his book,
The Battle for the Bible, Harold Lindsell wrote, "It is the thesis of
this book that biblical inerrancy is a theological watershed.
Down the road, whether it takes five or
fifty years, any institution that departs from belief in an inerrant Scripture
will likewise depart from other fundamentals of the faith and at last cease to
be evangelical in the historic meaning of that term. This is the verdict of
history."
- "Knowing this
first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation"
(1:20). We need to carefully compare Scripture with Scripture.
- We must be
careful not to take Scripture out of context. For example, drunkards love to refer to
I Timothy 5:23, "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy
stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
- I heard about a
crook who defended his wicked ways by quoting I Corinthians 10:23, "All things
are lawful for me."
- The cults are
notorious for taking Scripture out of context.
- The RCC takes
II Peter 1:20 to mean nobody but their priests have the right to interpret
Scripture.
- A Catholic priest once said to William Tyndale,
“We are better to be without God’s laws than the
Pope’s. Tyndale replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my
life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the
plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”
- Tyndale's wish was granted but the RCC had him burnt at
the stake for translating the Scriptures into English.
- "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (1:21).
- The idea here is they were "moved" the way a sail boat
is moved along and guided by the wind.
CONCLUSION:
- Our Lord said
in John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of
me."
- A policeman in
Israel caught some smugglers because he knew the Scriptures. The smugglers used jackasses to
escape. The police managed to capture some of the asses but the smugglers got away.
- The policeman
would not give the asses any food or water for several days, and then he turned
them loose. He then quoted Isaiah 1:3 to his fellow police officers.
- "The ox knoweth
his owner, and the ass his master's crib."
- The policemen
followed the hungry asses right to the smugglers'
hide-out.
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