The Beauty of Outside Revelation

Transcription

1 The Beauty of Outside Revelation 2 Peter 1: 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. 17 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, 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 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, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone s own interpretation. 21 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. v Intro Ø Going to look at the Importance of Revelation that comes from outside of our minds Revelation Revealing. Ø The idea is that it is paramount very important That We have truth that comes from a reliable source And we are going to see how unreliable man is to offer this Revelation Ø So do you understand what I mean by Revelation Revealing to us who God is What God is like What God demands What God does Ø The most reliable source for this Is God himself And I hope you can walk out these doors today With confidence That the Bible was given to us from God Look at this verse from the author of Hebrews Hebrews 1:1-2 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Notice: Ø All the while God is doing the speaking He may be doing it through someone else Ø But then we see Him come face to face with His people Ø And speak to us through His Son Who the author of Hebrews confirms over and over IS God Ø But lets look at where Peter has taken us so far in this book Before we get into what He has for us today v Outline: Ø 1) There is Truth and there are Myths Ø 2) Peter Actually Saw the Glory of Jesus Ø 3) Paying Attention Would Be a Good Idea Ø 4) It Doesn t Matter What it Means To US Ø 5) We are Just Not Smart Enough v Recap Ø A Faith of Equal Standing

2 Ø Grace and Peace multiplied through the knowledge of God Ø God has given us ALL THINGS. That PERTAIN to Life and Godliness All Things Pertain Life - Godliness Ø Was given through: The knowledge of Him who called us To his own excellence and glory We were given Life and Godliness Through a full and complete knowledge of Jesus The idea is not that we know everything there is to know about God, Rather, that what we do know is true And we have enough to make our Faith real And our belief Real Ø Then We see He has given us Great and Excellent Promises And the basis for His gifting them to us Is his Excellence and glory He is so Pure and Holy and Powerful and filled with glory That He is able to give us Great and precious promises Ø Peter then tells us that these promises Help us become partakers of the divine nature They help us to be made into the image of His Son Jesus Christ Ø Now this is great news Because that is our journey, right That is where we are headed And if we want to continue on in that walk And not stumble And not turn back Ø Then look at the promises Remember the promises Just like every year when summer rolls around You begin looking forward to vacation (if you take one) Cause you know its gonna be a time of relaxation and rest Ø And your able to continue on in your job Waiting for that time of relaxation and rest and fun And hanging with ur family It is there giving you hope Ø Contrasting Divine Nature. He says this is where we are headed Because we have escaped the corruption that is in the world And we escaped because: Jesus has revealed himself to us through knowledge of Himself God has given that to us Ø He says Since you have escaped Be diligent to add to your faith That initial faith Ad to it: Virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love Ø Then.. if you do this and continue in them and increase in them You will not be unfruitful or ineffective in your knowledge of Jesus Christ Ø IMPORTANT: And why is it important that we are fruitful and effective in our knowledge of Jesus BECAUSE: It is through this knowledge that we received salvation in the first place

3 That we have been given life and godliness that grace and peace can be given to us Ø He says if we lack them We are so nearsighted we are blind And forgotten that you have been cleansed Ø DANGER: Therefore be diligent to confirm your election and calling And remember to practice these qualities so you do not fall Because the danger of falling is real.. Ø And then He ends that section By telling them the end is near for him And he wants to make sure they remember these things And He is gonna make sure they will be able to always recall these things Ø And then He transitions Continuing with his thought process Having built a very strong foundation in the first 15 verses He continues by saying FOR: We did not Which leads us to our first main point And He going to take us from some very important Truths and Practial ways of living And then He is going to establish his Authority Or the Trustworthiness of His words v There is Truth and there are Myths 16 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. Ø A Myth That is often just a clever way of saying A fairytale A made up story.. We make such a big deal out of Greek Mythology and Myths etc We may as well believe we can follow a rabbit down a hole into Wonderland Or fly with Peter to Never Never Land Ø Now to be sure Peter does say they are cleverly devised So it least they have that going for them They are clever But you know how far man s clever can get him right Not very far Ø Their Story is Different : Peter wants them to know there is something different about what we are telling you We did not make this up on our own It did not just come from our pow wows He is like: I promise: We were not all sitting out on the boat fishing and coming up with stories about God Ø You Have to decide for yourself I guess Am I going to believe this Peter guy And His friends and those that believe Peter and His friends Am I going to believe that His words and this story about Jesus was given by God Ø No Myths when We Made known to You the Power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

4 Power - Dunamis inherent power, power residing in a person or thing by virtue of its nature, power which a person exerts. Peter says We have made know to you His Power Power over death and life And weaknesses and sins And disease and illness His power to Raise you out of darkness and into His glorious Kingdom of Light Coming This either means His first coming or His second coming right And you could spend a long time trying to figure it out But We know that Peter and the apostles spent a lot of time telling of Jesus first coming And He also spent time telling people that He was coming again So either way He has done both Coming: But this word is exclusively used in regards to His second coming So Peter is wanting them to know Think about what I said about His second coming Cause He is coming again Jesus Himself says: Rev 22:7 7 And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Part of Living the Christian Life: Is waiting on His return Praying for it and hoping in it Ø But We were eyewitnesses We saw this we saw Him And then Peter tells them about something they saw while they were with Jesus v Peter Actually Saw the Glory of Jesus 17 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, 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. Ø When He received Honor and Glory Ø The Transfiguration Matthew 17: 1-8 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise, and have no fear. 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Ø We Heard God Speak Ø We Were There Ø John speaks in the same way doesn t He: 1 John 1: 1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life

5 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. v Paying Attention Would Be a Good Idea 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, Ø Prophetic Word The Prophetic Word is referring to the Word about Jesus Christ returning And it had been spoken of By God through the Prophets Ø More Fully Confirmed Now there has been a confirmation No longer did they just have what the prophets said They had the Son of God telling them And then showing them It was more fully confirmed And it should be more fully confirmed for us as well Ø Good Idea to Pay Attention I like it when the writer tells us to pay attention Ø Like a Lamp Shining in a Dark place Psalm 119: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. We do live in a dark world without a lot of direction to tell us where we need to go God s word is precious It is a light in a world where truth is suppressed and hidden Ø Keep doing this until The day dawns Morning star arises in you hearts Until the return of Jesus. In Revelation 22:16 Jesus says, "I am the bright and morning star." And in Revelation 2:28 he promises, "To him who conquers and keeps my works unto the end... I will give him the bright and morning star." Ø Jesus Will Return: The light will rise over the world, and the light will rise in our hearts. There will be glory without and glory within. Ø Are you ready for His return? v It Doesn t Matter What it Means To US Ø It matters what it means What He intended for it to mean 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone s own interpretation. Ø At this Point I think Peter begins referring to all of scripture.. I think He was very pointed about the type of prophecy in regards to the second coming of Jesus But here He is just telling us No prophecy of Scripture None of the Bible comes from someone s own interpretation Ø But Man loves to play around with God s word We love to make ourselves feel good by applying it in the wrong ways Ø Pay Attention to the Word of God Like a Lamp in a Dark Place

6 And when you pay attention to it First of all Know this: NO prophecy of Scripture comes from someone s own interpretation Ø Example of Platoon Leader getting a coded message from his superior Ø It matters what God meant for it to mean So dig deep and learn how to interpret the Word Be like Paul as He tells Peter Rightly divide the word of truth v We are Just Not Smart Enough 21 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. Ø Not Produced by the will of man It doesn t come from us We are not that smart Ø Only God can give us scripture Only God can tell us what He is going to do Only God can tell us who He is Ø We are just not smart enough It is like me asking one of you in here To tell me how to build a nuclear bomb Without any background or experience in that arena Not gonna go well is it? Ø People Have Tried, are Trying, and will continue to Try to produce prophecy the word of God From their own will They will continue to come up with their own meanings of God s word They will continue to twist it or make up new words for people to listen to Ø For Example: Ø Religions built on the will of man Muhhamed started Islam Charles Russell started Jehovah Witnesses Joseph Smith starting Mormonism Mary Baker Eddy began Christian Science The Roman Catholic Church has twisted the gospel Into gaining salvation through sacraments and good works While promoting angel and saintly worship Now do not get me wrong I love people of these denominations I pray they come to a knowledge of the truth But if you read the Bible in depth at all you will see very clearly there is an error Ø What about Jesus What about the New Testament vs the Old Testament Isn t Jesus just like all these other guys Absolutely NOT: And the proof is EVERWHELMING He was a Fulfillment of the O.T. There are prophecies Clear and straight forward ones There is the gospel being preached to Abraham There is the Law and Sacrifices being set up There is Jesus dying as a Sacrifical Lamb.

7 Jesus just kept the Story, (that He had been telling man since He made them) He kept it going Ø Today Men try to pervert the Word of God Ø A Few Examples: (Why is it that today the only heresy is saying that there is heresy?) Jesus promised they would come Peter called em out Paul did, James did Aren t we supposed to be men and women of the word enough to know. To see them If I mention a name and you like that person or I make you mad You need to take a closer look at me and my teachings or their teachings And then compare them to the Bible But I must have a Spirit of Humility Ø These Personalities out there are saying things like: 1) If you develop an image of success health abundance, joy, peace and happiness then nothing on this earth will be able to hold those things from you 2) All of us are born for earthly greatness, you were born to win 3) Get ur thinking positive and he will bring ur desires to pass Believe, Visualize and Speak out loud There is a miracle in ur mouth 4) The Bible can t even say anything about that, you got to get that from a revelation 5) I stopped sinning when I realized I was no longer a sinner 6) Jesus is not the only begotten son of God Rather He is the first fruit of many 7) One of the things that Jesus death did was break the curse of poverty poverty is a curse It just goes on and on and on. They are saying thousands of half truths. And people are eating it up One of them went as far to say: That since there are thousands and thousands of people following her Then that is a sign of God s blessing. Let me explain this to you quickly. And clearly that is a lie Jesus had very few followers at His death Does that mean God wasn t blessing the ministry of Jesus Often times: When a person heaps thousands to their message it is because they are a spokesperson for Satan Millions will follow the anti Christ and the False Prophet in the final days Ø 2 Tim 4:3 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. Now remember. They may have many good things to say And I understand that no one is ever going to be perfect in everything they understand about God There are some very hard to understand things But outright lies and saying things that are so far removed from the truth is another story Look folks This comes from people like: Joel Osteen, Cleflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Binny Hinn, Paula White.. Some of these people have good things to say at times There is no way they could get away with it if they didn t But what is the full course of what they are telling you v Invitation