09-26-2021 – “The Prophetic Word”
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09-26-2021
“The Prophetic Word”
2Peter 1:16-21
Read 2Peter 1:16-18…
Peter reassures his listeners that what he and the other apostles proclaim through the spoken and written Word has been received by them through supernatural revelation, as John wrote
(1John 1:1-3),
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life —and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
What Peter and the other apostles preached was the absolute truth of God, unlike the many false teachers of their time, who taught deceitful doctrines, disguised as divine truth.
The apostles taught God’s sovereign truth concerning the divine nature of Jesus Christ at His first coming [lit. arrival, appearing] to earth, but also the divine power and majesty to be displayed at His second coming
(cf. Revelation 1:7-8),
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Peter and the other apostles were personal eyewitnesses of the Majestic glory [lit. supernatural splendor] of Christ, which was confirmed by God the Father as He spoke from heaven on several occasions, concerning His Son.
The first time, John the baptizer was present with Jesus at the Jordan River
(Matthew 3:16-17),
“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”
The second time, Peter, James, and John were with Jesus up on a mountain (most likely this was Mt. Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi).
Matthew 17:1-9,
“Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’”
1Peter 1:25b,
“And this is the word which was preached to you.”
Jude 3b,
it is “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”
Read 2Peter 1:19-21…
Peter, James, John, “and the other apostles had experiences with Jesus, some of those are written down in the Word of God, but many are not recorded.
Peter’s point here is that we should not so much pay attention to our own experiences as we should to the prophetic word of Scripture, as Paul writes
(2Timothy 3:16a),
“All Scripture is inspired by God” [God-breathed, originates from God], both the Old and New Testaments are “the prophetic word made more sure,” for it is infallible, inerrant, sovereignly authoritative, and eternal; therefore, we ought to pay attention to it, so as to be able to expose false teachings and deceptive doctrines, while also declaring God’s Truth!
Peter says (2Peter 1:19), God’s Word is like “a lamp shining in a dark place,” (meaning the godless blackness of the world where God’s light does not shine).
Genesis 1:1-4,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”
The Psalmist writes (Psalm 43:3), “
O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places.”
God’s light leads us to the presence and holiness of God. God’s light guides us in the darkness, i.e., the corruption and confusion of this world
(Psalm 119:105),
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,”
(Psalm 119:130),
“The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
Jesus (speaking to His true followers) said
(Matthew 5:14-16),
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
The world without God’s Light is in utter spiritual darkness; we have God’s Light in us and that Light can set people free from captivity. Spiritual darkness keeps people from seeing [understanding] the truth of God; for the darkness keeps them captive, blinding them so they are unable [or unwilling] to believe in Christ.
2Corinthians 4:3-4, 6,
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
Hebrews 1:3a,
“He [Christ] is the radiance [lit. brightness] of His [God’s] glory.”
Jesus is the Light of God, sent to mankind. “Light” is the revelation that brings “Life from God” to all who believe and are being saved.
John 1:1-5,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overpower] it.”
John 1:14,
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
1John 5:5,
“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
The Light of God in Christ overpowers the world; therefore all those who are in Christ have overcome the world [and its darkness] and will walk in the Light of Christ.
Jesus said (John 8:12),
"I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
1John 1:5,
“This is the message we have heard from Him [Christ] and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Ephesians 4:17-18,
“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles [unbelievers] also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”
Ephesians 5:6-12,
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [unbelievers]. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.”
Back to 2Peter 1:19…
We are to read and heed God’s Word, for it will keep us from the demonic deception of false teachings and heresies; and we are to do this “until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
What does that mean? I believe the “day” being referenced here is Christ’s return to the earth; also in
Hebrews 10:24-25, where we are exhorted to,
“consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
What day? This has to be the day of the Lord’s return. We are to hold to the Word of God until Christ’s return, until that day. Now, think about this, when a day “dawns,” night is over and the darkness is overcome by the light of day. Light cuts through the darkness: as you walk through a dark forest at night, with good strong flashlight in your hand, it seems to push away the darkness, wherever you point it, this is because the light overcomes the darkness.
When Christ returns for us at the Rapture (all godlessness and darkness is gone from us forever); and when Christ returns to the earth at His second coming (we with Him,
Revelation 19:11-16),
He will overcome all godlessness, all darkness, for He is the Morning Star [phosphoros, lit. light bringer].
Speaking of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior,
John 1:4-5 says,
“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [overcome] it.”
John isn’t talking about external/physical light in that passage, like that of the sun or a flashlight; and neither is Peter in
2Peter 1:19, where he says,
“until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
Christ is the Light of God that has come into the world, and He is the Morning Star the Light Bringer.
When the Light of Christ arises in your heart you are transformed, for He takes up residence in your heart through the Holy Spirit. This is the message that has been “made more sure” through the prophetic word (of both the Old and New Testaments), the mystery that has been revealed to God’s apostles and prophets, a mystery that had been hidden but is now made known.
Look again at 2Peter 1:20-21…
Nothing that is recorded, proclaimed, or foretold in the Scriptures originates from any man, whether apostle or prophet of God, for the origin of Scripture is God
(2Timothy 3:16),
“All Scripture is inspired by God God breathed, i.e., it originates from God and is revealed to us, not the result of human thinking, reasoning, or knowledge; but it is the result of God’s Spirit speaking through men chosen by God who are empowered by God and moved along [continually carried or transported] by the Holy Spirit of God according to God’s plan, purpose, and provision.
The only one who knows the mind of God is God, and those to whom He has revealed it by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit; the prophets and apostles of God spoke and wrote down the very words of God, which are recorded in the 66 Books of Scripture, and are now revealed to us by God’s Spirit.
1Corinthians 2:9-16,
“but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Romans 16:25-27,
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”
Pastor Mike
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