Opening Video: More Than A Book (1:42 video ilustration available on Sermon Central)
The Bible is a unique and remarkable book. It is actually a library of 66 books written over a span of 1,500 years. There isn’t another book in history that took that long to write. 40-different authors from every walk of life wrote the Bible. We know today that when different people write many books on a similar subject, and few are in agreement with each other. We all know that people from different walks of life have different perspectives on life. Yet the Bible was written by:
• Kings
• Servants
• Philosophers
• Fishermen
• Poets
• Doctors
• Military Leaders
• Herdsman
• And even a First Century IRS agent
The authors wrote from different places like deserts, dungeons, palaces, islands, battlefields, hillsides, and prison cells. They wrote on 3 different continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) in 16 different countries, in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). Their writings cover hundreds of controversial subjects yet they speak in perfect unity. This can’t be explained by coincidence or by collusion.
Think about it: If we brought up one controversial subject, let’s say, the state of health care in our country, if all of us in this room were to write a couple of pages on that subject, do you think we would all have total unity in our opinions? Absolutely not! Yet the Bible, which was written by 40 different people, with various backgrounds, living in diverse places, spoke with perfect unity on a broad range of controversial subjects. The Bible is a unified story of how God worked throughout history to restore His relationship with human race. The only reasonable answer to the amazing unity is that there was one master architect who designed the book. The Bible is God’s Word to the human race. [1]
Why Trust the Word? Why should we trust the Bible? We should trust the Word because The Word is Inspired. The 40 different human writers were inspired by the Same Spirit. Our focus today is looking at the Bible as the inspired Word of God
Read 2 Peter 1:16–21
Back in 1884 John Henry Patterson formed the National Cash Register Co. and he led the company to prominence and profitability. He made it successful because he paid attention to details and kept an eye on each department in the company. At one point, it became apparent that the factory was having a high number of burglaries. Patterson was convinced that the security staff was not doing their job. So, one night, he put on a phosphorescent suit and rode up to the plant on a white horse. He jimmied opened the door to the tool room, helped himself to several spare parts and rode off, without being challenged. The next morning, he replaced the security staff. Now, why did Patterson replace the security staff? He did that because they weren’t doing their job. They weren’t paying attention. [2]
Peter tells us
2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
Peter says pay attention. We often fail to pay attention to the Word of God. Here is the thing about the word of God: The Word of God was written to common people, not to theological professors. The writers assumed that common people could read it, understand it, and apply it, led by the same Holy Spirit who inspired it. The humble individual believer can learn about God as he reads and meditates on the Word of God; he does not need the “experts” to show him truth.[3]
The Word of God is not for the Rocket Scientist or the Theologian with Doctorates in Biblical languages. Its for you and me, if we just pay attention. How?
“as a light that shines in a dark place” If you are in a completely dark room and someone walks in with a flash light, we are going to pay attention and go where the light this is – unless you are blind and your eyes shut, and you refuse to look. Many are like that.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV) For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
We need to pay attention to the Word until that day when Jesus comes back. This is a theme in Peter. The return of Jesus. It was certain in his eyes and he tried to covey that message.
“until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” The morning star in the ancient world was another name of Venus, which rise just before daybreak. This is an reference to Jesus coming again for which Peter will expound on later. Jesus calls himself the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22:16 (NKJV) “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
But what is important is that Peter is telling his readers that these thing are true. “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed” How did Peter confirm the word? In the verses preceding, Peter relates his experience at the transfiguration of Jesus.
2 Peter 1:16 (NKJV) For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
That word “fables” in the Greek is “mythos” which is where we get our word myths. Peter did not make up these things that he is teaching. His central message in Chapter 3, is the very certainty of Jesus Coming again. He know because Peter himself saw the glory and majesty of Jesus first hand. In chapter 2 Peter is warning about false teachers that miss-interpret the scriptures and teach otherwise.
2 Peter 3:3–4 (NKJV) knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
Peter is refuting that teaching. "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" This two word combination of "power aand coming" is a common saying in the Greek, it is like when we say we are “good and mad” in English meaning “very mad.” Peter is telling about Jesus’ powerful coming. Power is “dynamis” from which we get out word dynamite. Jesus coming will be in power. And how does Peter know this? Peter, James, and John were were eyewitnesses of His majesty. The eyewitness of His majesty referred to the transfiguration of Jesus we find in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9. This was a well-documented event. Look what Jesus said the week before His transfiguration:
Matthew 16:28 (NKJV) Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Jesus’ transfiguaration had more to do with His second coming than with His resurrection. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in all his glory as Jesus will be seen when He comes again. The prophetic word of Scripture is made more sure by the transfiguration, for the transfiguration confirms the proper interpretation of Old Testament Scripture, that is, that there is a future coming of Christ for judgment and salvation.[4]
2 Peter 1:17–18 (NKJV) For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
Peter based this certainty on Jesus’ second coming on what he saw on the mount of transfiguration. Peter had a 3 part proof: (1)He saw it with his own eyes. (2)He heard the voice of God with His own ears. (3)He was physically present for the whole thing. It was not a vision or a dream. Jesus enables Peter, James, and John to catch a glimpse of what His glory will look like when He returns. It is this glory of Jesus that we will behold in the Millennium to come.
2 Peter 1:19a (NKJV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed,
Knowing that the word is confirmed:
2 Peter 1:20 (NKJV) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
Who’s private interpretation? Scholars argue over two view. We will consider both. The first considers the prophet who wrote the scripture. The NIV has (and the CSV is very similar):
2 Peter 1:20 (NIV84) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
With this view it is easy to see that the Word we have in our hands came from God. All Scripture originates with God and not man. Peter expounds on the writer of scripture.
2 Peter 1:21 (NKJV) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
This is a key passage on what the Bible says about itself. God used man to write the word, in the same way a writer uses a pen, and a musician uses a musical instrument. God is the originator of all Scripture and men wrote as they were move by the spirit of God. The words: “as they were moved” is the Greek word “phero” which means - being sustained, or supported, propelled or driven. The same word is used by Luke for a sailing ship being carried by the wind.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
All of the Bible is that way, we would say the whole Bible is inspired. The word “inspired” in the Greek is “theopneustos”, or quite literally it means "God breathed." All of it from Genesis to Revelation was written as God breathed (in the literal Greek), The prophet wrote as God directed, many not even understanding the significance or meaning of their words. Even Daniel did not understand the meaning of what he was writing but wrote anyway.
Daniel 12:8–9 (NKJV) 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Let’s go back to verse 20 and consider the reader’s interpretation of scripture.
2 Peter 1:20 (NKJV) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
There is two parts to Holy Scriptures, The writing of the Scriptures which came straight from God, And the proper interpretation which also must come from God. The Scripture is not what it means to me. It is not of any private interpretation. The Holy Spirit is what interprets the Scripture for us. Let me give several examples.
In the story of Joseph in Genesis, Pharaoh had a dream, but God, through Joseph gave the proper interpretation.
In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar had some dreams and God through Daniel gave the proper interpretation of those dreams. Daniel had a visions and Daniel received interpretation of those dreams from an angel.
Throughout the Old Testament, dreams, visions, and prophecy were given proper interpretations. So it is today with the word of God in our hands. We are not free to interpret the word however we feel. It is not a simple matter of what the word means to us. We are not free to interpret the way we want but only under direction of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:13–14 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Doesn’t it make sense that if we have the same Spirit, we would have similar interpretations? Also, if you know of someone who is not out for his own interest and you sense that individual is Spiritually attuned, would you not want to hear what he or she had to say about the Word? To the one without the Holy Spirit of God, this book is meaningless and outdated and of no use. Why do you think the world goes against the things of God, it is because they neither know God nor His Word.
We can trust the Word because the Word is Inspired. Both the writing of the Word, and the interpretation of the Word. Are you in tune to the Holy spirit to understand the Word of God?
But we find so-call Spiritual people giving in to the things that tickle their ears:
2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NKJV) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
There is that word "fables" or "mythos" in the Greek again. People will rather believe the lie if it suits their purposes. We do not get to choose. God’s Word stands whether or not I agree or disagree with it.
The central point Peter is making here, is that Jesus is coming again. He has seen the proof of it in the transfiguration and the Scriptures are confirmed.
Are you ready for Christ return? Have you conformed and believe in His Word?
It is truly amazing that God have given us so much. Yet one day He will hold us accountable as to what we have done with it. We can trust the Word, Because the Word is inspired by God.
[1] Adapted from https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-reliable-is-the-bible-todd-hudnall-sermon-on-apologetics-the-bible-78000?ref=SermonSerps
[2] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/spiritual-add-jeff-strite-sermon-on-lordship-of-christ-117873?ref=SermonSerps
[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 446.
[4] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 319.
