1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,460 Will you open your Bibles, please, 2 00:00:01,460 –> 00:00:04,080 at 2 Peter and chapter one. 3 00:00:05,460 –> 00:00:07,040 Chapter one in verse three, 4 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:11,200 His Divine power has given us everything we need 5 00:00:11,200 –> 00:00:15,040 for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him 6 00:00:15,040 –> 00:00:18,879 who called us by His own glory and goodness. 7 00:00:18,879 –> 00:00:22,360 Wonderful promise, that in knowing Jesus Christ 8 00:00:22,360 –> 00:00:24,559 God has given to you everything you need 9 00:00:24,559 –> 00:00:26,440 for everything you will ever face 10 00:00:27,020 –> 00:00:30,379 in any day of your experience of life in this world. 11 00:00:30,379 –> 00:00:33,639 categoric, it’s an amazing promise. 12 00:00:33,639 –> 00:00:36,259 Christ is with you by the spirit, 13 00:00:36,259 –> 00:00:39,279 you have been delivered from the grip of evil. 14 00:00:39,279 –> 00:00:42,540 Sin is your enemy, but it is not your master 15 00:00:42,540 –> 00:00:44,580 and for this very reason, verse five, 16 00:00:44,580 –> 00:00:47,119 we can act, we should therefore make every effort 17 00:00:47,119 –> 00:00:49,980 to add to faith, goodness and knowledge 18 00:00:49,980 –> 00:00:51,860 and self-control perseverance, godliness 19 00:00:51,860 –> 00:00:53,680 brotherly kindness, and love. 20 00:00:53,680 –> 00:00:57,660 In this way, Peter says, your Christian life 21 00:00:57,660 –> 00:01:00,680 will be fruitful, verse eight, and it will be productive 22 00:01:00,680 –> 00:01:03,099 which is what we want, and more than that, 23 00:01:03,099 –> 00:01:05,379 verse 11, on the last day you will receive 24 00:01:05,379 –> 00:01:07,459 a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom 25 00:01:07,459 –> 00:01:09,339 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 26 00:01:09,339 –> 00:01:12,059 Now, that’s the message of the book. 27 00:01:12,059 –> 00:01:15,120 It is about the sufficiency of our Lord 28 00:01:15,120 –> 00:01:17,860 and Savior Jesus Christ, not only for faith 29 00:01:17,860 –> 00:01:21,540 but for everything that you need for life. 30 00:01:21,540 –> 00:01:22,919 It’s in Jesus. 31 00:01:23,519 –> 00:01:27,339 Now, that raises an obvious question. 32 00:01:27,339 –> 00:01:30,980 Everything we need for life is in the knowledge of Jesus, 33 00:01:30,980 –> 00:01:33,739 but how do we have the knowledge of Jesus? 34 00:01:33,739 –> 00:01:35,919 Answer, through the Bible. 35 00:01:37,220 –> 00:01:42,040 Well then, how do we know that the Bible is reliable? 36 00:01:42,040 –> 00:01:45,279 How can we be sure that we have a true knowledge of Jesus? 37 00:01:45,279 –> 00:01:48,040 If everything we need for life lies in knowing Him, 38 00:01:48,040 –> 00:01:51,279 how do we know that we know Him truly? 39 00:01:51,279 –> 00:01:54,760 Can we, in other words, trust the source of that knowledge, 40 00:01:54,760 –> 00:01:57,900 which is through the word of God, through the Bible? 41 00:01:57,900 –> 00:02:00,260 And you’ll see then that is why, very naturally, 42 00:02:00,260 –> 00:02:03,120 Peter comes in verses 12 to 21 43 00:02:03,120 –> 00:02:06,180 to address this whole issue of Scripture, 44 00:02:06,180 –> 00:02:08,199 and this is one of the most important passages 45 00:02:08,199 –> 00:02:10,220 in the New Testament with regards 46 00:02:10,220 –> 00:02:13,460 to what we believe about the Bible. 47 00:02:13,460 –> 00:02:14,899 Now, just to give it a quick frame 48 00:02:14,899 –> 00:02:17,520 in our minds, by way of overview, 49 00:02:17,520 –> 00:02:20,259 Dr. Wayne Gruedem, who taught for many years 50 00:02:20,259 –> 00:02:24,619 at Trinity University, has identified four things 51 00:02:24,619 –> 00:02:26,740 that we need to know about the Bible 52 00:02:26,740 –> 00:02:29,259 and that the Bible claims in regards to itself. 53 00:02:29,259 –> 00:02:30,559 This is a good little overview 54 00:02:30,559 –> 00:02:33,119 that might be worth keeping in mind for you. 55 00:02:33,119 –> 00:02:35,899 First there’s the authority of Scripture, 56 00:02:35,899 –> 00:02:38,100 and it’s interesting that right here, 57 00:02:38,100 –> 00:02:42,300 Peter speaks about how men spoke from God 58 00:02:42,300 –> 00:02:44,960 as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 59 00:02:44,960 –> 00:02:46,080 The authority of Scripture 60 00:02:46,080 –> 00:02:48,500 is that it is the word, not simply of men, 61 00:02:48,500 –> 00:02:49,800 but it is the word of God, 62 00:02:50,000 –> 00:02:52,360 and Peter states that clearly here. 63 00:02:52,360 –> 00:02:55,699 Secondly, the sufficiency of Scripture, 64 00:02:55,699 –> 00:02:59,320 that is Scripture has all that we need for knowing Christ, 65 00:02:59,320 –> 00:03:02,279 who has all that we need for living life. 66 00:03:02,279 –> 00:03:04,119 Now, that’s the whole point that Peter is making 67 00:03:04,119 –> 00:03:06,179 here in this first chapter. 68 00:03:06,179 –> 00:03:07,880 God has given us everything we need for life 69 00:03:07,880 –> 00:03:10,139 in knowing Jesus, and he has given us everything 70 00:03:10,139 –> 00:03:13,080 we need for knowing Jesus in the Bible. 71 00:03:13,080 –> 00:03:16,300 These two things obviously must go together. 72 00:03:16,520 –> 00:03:19,639 Third, the clarity of Scripture, 73 00:03:19,639 –> 00:03:21,940 in other words, God has spoken in the Bible 74 00:03:21,940 –> 00:03:24,440 in a way that we can understand. 75 00:03:24,440 –> 00:03:28,600 Notice how in verse 19, Peter picks up this theme 76 00:03:28,600 –> 00:03:31,440 when he says that the Scripture is like a light 77 00:03:31,440 –> 00:03:34,559 shining in a dark place. 78 00:03:34,559 –> 00:03:36,520 In other words, you must never think of the Bible 79 00:03:36,520 –> 00:03:40,399 as an obscure kind of book that only scholars 80 00:03:40,399 –> 00:03:43,600 or priests or whatever could understand. 81 00:03:43,600 –> 00:03:46,160 The Bible is God’s revelation of himself. 82 00:03:46,160 –> 00:03:49,039 It belongs in the hands of the people 83 00:03:49,039 –> 00:03:52,020 because God has spoken clearly and if you come 84 00:03:52,020 –> 00:03:54,520 to the Scripture humbly with an inquiring mind 85 00:03:54,520 –> 00:03:56,080 and seeking the help of the Lord, 86 00:03:56,080 –> 00:03:59,240 you can understand it and you can learn from it. 87 00:04:00,320 –> 00:04:04,119 Now, not everything in the Bible is equally clear. 88 00:04:04,119 –> 00:04:06,839 It’s interesting in a, if you just turn over a page 89 00:04:06,839 –> 00:04:09,800 to Chapter 3 in verse 16 of this letter, 90 00:04:09,800 –> 00:04:11,479 you’ll see that Peter acknowledges 91 00:04:11,479 –> 00:04:13,880 that there are some things in Paul 92 00:04:14,039 –> 00:04:16,119 that are hard to understand. 93 00:04:16,119 –> 00:04:19,399 Extraordinary statement in Chapter 3 in verse 16. 94 00:04:19,399 –> 00:04:20,720 It really helps a lot, doesn’t it? 95 00:04:20,720 –> 00:04:22,640 To know of even Peter thought there were some things 96 00:04:22,640 –> 00:04:24,380 in Paul that were hard to understand. 97 00:04:24,380 –> 00:04:26,600 That kind of makes the rest of us feel better 98 00:04:26,600 –> 00:04:30,040 if we find some things that are hard to understand too. 99 00:04:30,040 –> 00:04:31,640 But granting that there are some things 100 00:04:31,640 –> 00:04:33,519 that are difficult to understand, 101 00:04:33,519 –> 00:04:35,200 what Peter wants us to grasp 102 00:04:35,200 –> 00:04:38,480 is that that which is most important is most clear 103 00:04:38,480 –> 00:04:40,399 and the Bible in its essence as a whole 104 00:04:40,399 –> 00:04:42,200 is not an obscure book. 105 00:04:42,200 –> 00:04:44,880 God has spoken clearly in such a way 106 00:04:44,880 –> 00:04:48,200 that ordinary people can come and find a knowledge of Him 107 00:04:48,200 –> 00:04:49,579 in His word. 108 00:04:49,579 –> 00:04:52,380 And then the fourth thing is the necessity of scripture. 109 00:04:53,320 –> 00:04:56,160 What would we know about God if we didn’t have the Bible? 110 00:04:57,239 –> 00:04:59,399 I had a conversation right here just, 111 00:04:59,399 –> 00:05:01,720 it’s a few months ago now with a father 112 00:05:01,720 –> 00:05:05,000 who said to me that he was telling his son, 113 00:05:05,000 –> 00:05:06,380 who was in one of our classes 114 00:05:06,380 –> 00:05:07,739 and the father just visited the church, 115 00:05:07,739 –> 00:05:09,019 he said, I’m telling my son 116 00:05:09,019 –> 00:05:10,899 that you don’t need the Bible for faith 117 00:05:10,899 –> 00:05:12,480 because even if you have the Bible, 118 00:05:12,480 –> 00:05:13,440 it’s just all around you. 119 00:05:13,440 –> 00:05:14,679 You just have this faith. 120 00:05:15,839 –> 00:05:20,679 I said to him, what exactly could your son believe 121 00:05:20,679 –> 00:05:22,100 if he didn’t have the Bible? 122 00:05:23,440 –> 00:05:24,440 If he didn’t have the Bible, 123 00:05:24,440 –> 00:05:27,600 he couldn’t know who Jesus was. 124 00:05:27,600 –> 00:05:28,799 Couldn’t know that He died on the Cross. 125 00:05:28,799 –> 00:05:30,920 Couldn’t know that He was raised from the dead. 126 00:05:30,920 –> 00:05:33,040 Couldn’t know that He’s coming again in power and glory. 127 00:05:33,040 –> 00:05:36,119 Couldn’t know anything about the gospel at all. 128 00:05:36,119 –> 00:05:38,339 We didn’t have the Bible. 129 00:05:38,339 –> 00:05:41,079 We could know that God was great and glorious and eternal. 130 00:05:41,079 –> 00:05:42,739 We could discern that from creation, 131 00:05:42,739 –> 00:05:44,739 but that’s about all we would know. 132 00:05:44,739 –> 00:05:47,540 You’d never even get as far as to know that He was love. 133 00:05:47,540 –> 00:05:51,179 You wouldn’t get that simply from looking at the universe 134 00:05:51,179 –> 00:05:53,260 with all of the contortions that are within it 135 00:05:53,260 –> 00:05:55,200 as a result of the fall into sin. 136 00:05:56,140 –> 00:05:59,459 So the necessity of the scripture reminds us 137 00:05:59,459 –> 00:06:02,619 that God has given us this revelation 138 00:06:02,619 –> 00:06:04,160 so that we may know Christ 139 00:06:04,160 –> 00:06:05,420 in whom we find everything we need 140 00:06:05,420 –> 00:06:06,399 for life in godliness, 141 00:06:06,399 –> 00:06:07,540 because apart from the Bible, 142 00:06:08,100 –> 00:06:10,399 you simply would not have a knowledge of Jesus Christ. 143 00:06:10,399 –> 00:06:14,500 What would you know if it was not from the scriptures? 144 00:06:14,500 –> 00:06:17,399 Therefore our confidence in the Bible 145 00:06:17,399 –> 00:06:19,519 and in the reliability of the scripture 146 00:06:19,519 –> 00:06:22,000 is a very important issue for us 147 00:06:22,000 –> 00:06:23,880 and that’s what’s before us today. 148 00:06:25,000 –> 00:06:26,980 Now there are obviously two parts in the Bible, 149 00:06:26,980 –> 00:06:29,160 the Old Testament, which was complete 150 00:06:29,160 –> 00:06:31,079 at the time when Peter was writing 151 00:06:31,079 –> 00:06:33,519 and the New Testament, which obviously wasn’t 152 00:06:33,519 –> 00:06:35,600 since Peter’s letter, which is in the New Testament, 153 00:06:35,600 –> 00:06:37,200 was being written at the time He was writing. 154 00:06:37,200 –> 00:06:39,220 If you see what I mean, 155 00:06:40,119 –> 00:06:41,559 it’s interesting though to notice 156 00:06:41,559 –> 00:06:45,260 that even at the time that Peter was writing, 157 00:06:45,260 –> 00:06:47,559 some of the letters of the Apostle Paul 158 00:06:47,559 –> 00:06:50,399 were already in circulation among the churches 159 00:06:50,399 –> 00:06:53,519 and were regarded by Peter 160 00:06:53,519 –> 00:06:56,880 and evidently being received by the churches 161 00:06:56,880 –> 00:06:59,920 as on the same level of inspiration and authority 162 00:06:59,920 –> 00:07:02,640 as the Old Testament scriptures. 163 00:07:02,640 –> 00:07:05,320 You’ll find that in chapter three and verse 16 164 00:07:05,339 –> 00:07:08,359 of this letter, a very important little reference there 165 00:07:08,359 –> 00:07:11,100 where Peter says that Paul’s letters 166 00:07:11,100 –> 00:07:14,399 contain some things that are hard to understand 167 00:07:14,399 –> 00:07:17,579 which ignorant and unstable people distort, 168 00:07:17,579 –> 00:07:22,579 then notice this, as they do the other scriptures, 169 00:07:22,940 –> 00:07:24,880 the other scriptures. 170 00:07:24,880 –> 00:07:28,160 So Peter as an apostle is already affirming 171 00:07:28,160 –> 00:07:31,640 the letters of the Apostle Paul as scripture 172 00:07:31,640 –> 00:07:34,600 to be placed alongside the Old Testament canon 173 00:07:34,720 –> 00:07:39,720 that was already complete, Old and New Testament together. 174 00:07:40,380 –> 00:07:41,920 And what Peter wants us to know, 175 00:07:41,920 –> 00:07:44,380 and you’ll see it very clearly in this passage today, 176 00:07:44,380 –> 00:07:48,880 is that you can trust both the witness of the apostles 177 00:07:48,880 –> 00:07:52,940 to our Lord Jesus, that’s the essence of the New Testament, 178 00:07:52,940 –> 00:07:56,299 and he speaks about that in verses 16 to 18, 179 00:07:56,299 –> 00:08:00,200 and you can trust the word of the prophets 180 00:08:00,200 –> 00:08:02,880 which was about the Lord Jesus Christ 181 00:08:02,880 –> 00:08:07,059 which is the subject of verses 19 through 21. 182 00:08:07,059 –> 00:08:10,059 The witness of the apostles and the word of the prophets 183 00:08:10,059 –> 00:08:13,399 put these two together and you really have the whole Bible. 184 00:08:13,399 –> 00:08:15,839 Apostles and prophets is a shorthand way 185 00:08:15,839 –> 00:08:17,600 of referring to the whole Bible. 186 00:08:17,600 –> 00:08:19,019 You find that, for example, 187 00:08:19,019 –> 00:08:22,279 in Ephesians chapter two and verse 20 188 00:08:22,279 –> 00:08:25,660 where the apostle Paul speaks of how the church 189 00:08:25,660 –> 00:08:30,179 is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets 190 00:08:30,559 –> 00:08:35,559 with Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. 191 00:08:37,340 –> 00:08:41,280 So prophets, Old Testament, point forward to Jesus. 192 00:08:41,280 –> 00:08:45,080 Apostles, New Testament, bear witness to Jesus. 193 00:08:45,080 –> 00:08:50,080 These two together being the sum of all the scripture. 194 00:08:51,460 –> 00:08:54,000 As we come to what Peter has to say about these things, 195 00:08:54,000 –> 00:08:55,599 I’ve got a very simple outline 196 00:08:55,599 –> 00:08:57,219 that will be easy for us to follow. 197 00:08:57,219 –> 00:08:59,919 I want us to look first at what the apostles saw. 198 00:08:59,940 –> 00:09:03,539 That’s the apostolic witness to Jesus in the New Testament. 199 00:09:03,539 –> 00:09:06,400 Second, the words that the prophets spoke 200 00:09:06,400 –> 00:09:08,039 and how these words came to them. 201 00:09:08,039 –> 00:09:10,000 That is the prophetic witness to Jesus 202 00:09:10,000 –> 00:09:11,719 in the Old Testament. 203 00:09:11,719 –> 00:09:13,739 And then thirdly and most significantly, 204 00:09:13,739 –> 00:09:17,039 our calling to remember. 205 00:09:17,039 –> 00:09:18,159 Which is where all of this 206 00:09:18,159 –> 00:09:22,460 becomes practical in our own lives. 207 00:09:22,460 –> 00:09:25,359 So let’s begin then with the apostles’ witness 208 00:09:25,359 –> 00:09:28,859 to the Son of God, verses 16-18. 209 00:09:28,880 –> 00:09:30,820 Because this is our second memory verse here, 210 00:09:30,820 –> 00:09:33,059 let’s just read aloud verse 16 together, 211 00:09:33,059 –> 00:09:34,820 if you would, with me. 212 00:09:34,820 –> 00:09:38,619 We did not follow cleverly invented stories 213 00:09:38,619 –> 00:09:41,419 when we told you about the power and coming 214 00:09:41,419 –> 00:09:43,919 of our Lord Jesus Christ, 215 00:09:43,919 –> 00:09:47,900 but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. 216 00:09:47,900 –> 00:09:48,820 Now when Peter talks 217 00:09:48,820 –> 00:09:50,739 about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, 218 00:09:50,739 –> 00:09:53,340 he’s not talking about the first coming here, 219 00:09:53,340 –> 00:09:55,880 he’s talking about the second coming, 220 00:09:55,919 –> 00:09:57,280 when he comes in power 221 00:09:57,280 –> 00:10:00,780 and in glory, it’s part of the Gospel, 222 00:10:00,780 –> 00:10:02,200 that we look forward to the day 223 00:10:02,200 –> 00:10:05,219 when the risen Lord Jesus Christ will return 224 00:10:05,219 –> 00:10:06,599 bringing those who are already 225 00:10:06,599 –> 00:10:08,359 in his presence with him, 226 00:10:08,359 –> 00:10:09,760 and we will see his power 227 00:10:09,760 –> 00:10:12,320 and we will see his glory. 228 00:10:12,320 –> 00:10:13,760 Now, Peter says, 229 00:10:13,760 –> 00:10:16,320 when I talk about Jesus in power and glory, 230 00:10:16,320 –> 00:10:18,960 you need to understand I’m not making this up 231 00:10:18,960 –> 00:10:22,719 and this isn’t some kind of cunningly invented story. 232 00:10:22,719 –> 00:10:24,159 I know about Jesus’ power 233 00:10:24,159 –> 00:10:25,520 and I know about Jesus’ glory 234 00:10:25,520 –> 00:10:27,900 because I have already seen it. 235 00:10:27,900 –> 00:10:30,239 I saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration 236 00:10:30,239 –> 00:10:32,599 when Jesus took me along with James and John 237 00:10:32,599 –> 00:10:34,460 up to the top of that mountain 238 00:10:34,460 –> 00:10:36,520 and Jesus was transfigured. 239 00:10:36,520 –> 00:10:38,119 We saw his glory, 240 00:10:38,119 –> 00:10:39,559 we saw him as one day 241 00:10:39,559 –> 00:10:41,760 every Christian will see him, 242 00:10:41,760 –> 00:10:43,159 and we heard the voice 243 00:10:43,159 –> 00:10:44,599 of the Father from heaven 244 00:10:44,599 –> 00:10:46,400 affirming him as the Son 245 00:10:46,400 –> 00:10:49,679 in whom the Father is well pleased. 246 00:10:49,679 –> 00:10:51,159 Now, notice the word eyewitness 247 00:10:51,159 –> 00:10:52,840 here that’s very important. 248 00:10:53,780 –> 00:10:57,359 The New Testament gives to us 249 00:10:57,359 –> 00:10:59,080 the witnessed account, 250 00:10:59,080 –> 00:11:01,359 the apostolic account 251 00:11:01,359 –> 00:11:05,000 from the up close and personal knowledge 252 00:11:05,000 –> 00:11:06,479 of our Lord Jesus Christ 253 00:11:06,479 –> 00:11:09,520 that was trusted to these men. 254 00:11:09,520 –> 00:11:11,159 Do you find this throughout the New Testament? 255 00:11:11,159 –> 00:11:13,200 John puts it this way, 256 00:11:13,200 –> 00:11:15,479 the word became flesh 257 00:11:15,479 –> 00:11:17,140 and lived among us 258 00:11:17,140 –> 00:11:19,640 and we, that’s the apostles, 259 00:11:19,640 –> 00:11:21,840 beheld his glory. 260 00:11:21,840 –> 00:11:24,080 We saw his glory. 261 00:11:24,080 –> 00:11:26,520 Peter says the same thing in verse 16. 262 00:11:26,520 –> 00:11:30,760 We were eye witnesses of his majesty. 263 00:11:30,760 –> 00:11:31,580 Verse 18, 264 00:11:33,039 –> 00:11:35,239 we heard the voice that came from Heaven 265 00:11:35,239 –> 00:11:38,500 and we were with him on the sacred mountain. 266 00:11:39,380 –> 00:11:40,919 So what you have in the New Testament 267 00:11:40,919 –> 00:11:44,239 is not a collection of vague thoughts about Jesus. 268 00:11:44,239 –> 00:11:46,780 It is the eye witness accounts 269 00:11:46,780 –> 00:11:48,599 superintendent by the holy spirit 270 00:11:48,599 –> 00:11:51,059 as we’re going to see in just a moment 271 00:11:51,059 –> 00:11:53,599 coming from those who, up close and personal 272 00:11:53,599 –> 00:11:55,700 over a prolonged period of time, 273 00:11:55,700 –> 00:11:57,880 were able to bear witness 274 00:11:57,880 –> 00:12:00,960 to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 275 00:12:00,960 –> 00:12:02,320 And this reminds us, of course, 276 00:12:02,320 –> 00:12:04,219 that the whole Bible is about 277 00:12:04,219 –> 00:12:06,859 our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, 278 00:12:06,859 –> 00:12:09,900 the apostolic witness to him in the New Testament, 279 00:12:09,900 –> 00:12:14,200 the prophetic word about him in the Old Testament. 280 00:12:14,200 –> 00:12:16,080 Jesus is the message of the Bible. 281 00:12:17,159 –> 00:12:19,239 The law tells us that he’s needed 282 00:12:20,080 –> 00:12:23,979 in the prophets he is predicted, 283 00:12:23,979 –> 00:12:27,539 in the Psalms, he is worshiped, 284 00:12:27,539 –> 00:12:30,700 in the gospels, he is described, 285 00:12:30,700 –> 00:12:33,219 in the acts, he is proclaimed, 286 00:12:33,219 –> 00:12:36,299 in the epistles, he is explained, 287 00:12:36,299 –> 00:12:37,880 and in the Book of Revelation, 288 00:12:37,880 –> 00:12:42,619 he is unveiled in all of his heavenly glory. 289 00:12:42,619 –> 00:12:44,799 This is what the Bible is all about, 290 00:12:44,799 –> 00:12:46,219 that’s what the scripture is, 291 00:12:46,239 –> 00:12:49,599 this prophetic and apostolic witness 292 00:12:49,599 –> 00:12:52,500 to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 293 00:12:52,500 –> 00:12:53,640 That’s what it is. 294 00:12:54,559 –> 00:12:57,500 Now the question that flows from that of course is, 295 00:12:57,500 –> 00:12:59,299 well but how did it come to us? 296 00:12:59,299 –> 00:13:00,460 How did we get it? 297 00:13:00,460 –> 00:13:05,460 By what means has the scripture come to us? 298 00:13:05,500 –> 00:13:07,739 And Peter addresses this very clearly 299 00:13:07,739 –> 00:13:10,979 in verses 19 through 21 where he speaks 300 00:13:10,979 –> 00:13:14,479 about the prophetic word and here we come 301 00:13:14,479 –> 00:13:16,659 to some statements that are very important 302 00:13:16,659 –> 00:13:19,780 for what we believe about the inspiration 303 00:13:19,780 –> 00:13:23,000 of the scriptures. 304 00:13:23,000 –> 00:13:25,359 Now notice in verse 21 that Peter speaks 305 00:13:25,359 –> 00:13:28,840 about the origin of prophecy. 306 00:13:28,840 –> 00:13:30,520 The origin of prophecy. 307 00:13:30,520 –> 00:13:32,440 In other words, where did the Old Testament 308 00:13:32,440 –> 00:13:33,479 scriptures come from? 309 00:13:33,479 –> 00:13:37,479 How did they actually come to us? 310 00:13:37,479 –> 00:13:39,979 And Peter answers this very important question 311 00:13:39,979 –> 00:13:42,820 in two ways, first negatively and then positively. 312 00:13:42,820 –> 00:13:44,140 Let’s look at the negative first. 313 00:13:44,140 –> 00:13:49,380 Verse 20, he tells us how the scriptures did not come. 314 00:13:49,380 –> 00:13:53,599 No prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s 315 00:13:53,599 –> 00:13:57,460 own interpretation. 316 00:13:57,460 –> 00:14:04,900 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man. 317 00:14:04,900 –> 00:14:06,580 Now, notice that Peter here is talking 318 00:14:06,580 –> 00:14:09,979 about prophecies of scripture. 319 00:14:09,979 –> 00:14:13,119 In other words, he’s talking about the Old Testament, 320 00:14:13,119 –> 00:14:16,700 and he is distinguishing the prophecy of scripture 321 00:14:16,700 –> 00:14:20,280 from every other word that may claim in any way 322 00:14:20,280 –> 00:14:22,400 to come from God. 323 00:14:22,400 –> 00:14:25,380 You see, it’s very easy to get up and to claim 324 00:14:25,380 –> 00:14:28,640 that you have a message from God. 325 00:14:28,640 –> 00:14:30,460 Anyone can do that. 326 00:14:30,460 –> 00:14:32,820 Though frankly, if you had lived in ancient Israel, 327 00:14:32,820 –> 00:14:35,919 you would have thought twice before you did. 328 00:14:35,919 –> 00:14:38,760 Because if you got up and claimed 329 00:14:38,760 –> 00:14:42,500 that what you were speaking was from God, 330 00:14:42,500 –> 00:14:46,299 and it was found and judged by the elders of the community 331 00:14:46,299 –> 00:14:50,739 simply to be you spouting your own ideas, 332 00:14:50,739 –> 00:14:52,260 you know what the penalty for that was 333 00:14:52,260 –> 00:14:53,320 in ancient Israel? 334 00:14:54,179 –> 00:14:55,020 Stoning. 335 00:14:55,979 –> 00:14:58,020 It’s interesting, by the way, there are not that many things 336 00:14:58,020 –> 00:15:00,179 for which you could be stoned in ancient Israel, 337 00:15:00,179 –> 00:15:01,460 but this was one of them. 338 00:15:02,559 –> 00:15:06,380 And the severity of the penalty, you see, 339 00:15:06,380 –> 00:15:08,659 was to create a control within that community 340 00:15:09,400 –> 00:15:10,700 so that all the people understood 341 00:15:10,700 –> 00:15:14,119 that God’s word is God’s word, 342 00:15:14,119 –> 00:15:17,859 and the rest of us don’t go around trying to claim 343 00:15:17,859 –> 00:15:20,099 that what we’re saying and what we’re thinking 344 00:15:20,099 –> 00:15:23,739 is somehow invested with the authority of God. 345 00:15:25,080 –> 00:15:28,140 By the way, it’s just an interesting thought 346 00:15:28,140 –> 00:15:30,739 for Christians who might be inclined today 347 00:15:30,739 –> 00:15:32,580 to very easily walk around saying, 348 00:15:33,979 –> 00:15:37,260 you know, the Lord told me this and the Lord told me that, 349 00:15:37,960 –> 00:15:40,000 I hear this sort of thing on Sunday mornings. 350 00:15:40,000 –> 00:15:41,460 Some of us talk like that. 351 00:15:42,619 –> 00:15:45,260 Well, if you were in ancient Israel, 352 00:15:45,260 –> 00:15:47,320 you would have been up before the elders for saying that, 353 00:15:47,320 –> 00:15:49,419 and if they judged that basically 354 00:15:49,419 –> 00:15:51,000 what you were saying was your own thoughts, 355 00:15:51,000 –> 00:15:53,419 then you wouldn’t be saying that sort of thing 356 00:15:53,419 –> 00:15:56,140 very much longer, if you see what I mean. 357 00:15:56,140 –> 00:15:58,440 Well, we’re not ancient Israel, you understand, 358 00:15:59,659 –> 00:16:01,059 but it does make you think. 359 00:16:02,780 –> 00:16:06,119 In ancient Israel, God’s law was structured in such a way 360 00:16:06,179 –> 00:16:08,719 that no one was in any doubt 361 00:16:08,719 –> 00:16:10,460 that the Word of God was one thing 362 00:16:10,460 –> 00:16:13,580 and the words of men were entirely another, 363 00:16:14,400 –> 00:16:16,840 and there is all the difference in the world 364 00:16:16,840 –> 00:16:20,080 between the two, and everyone in ancient Israel 365 00:16:20,080 –> 00:16:24,140 understood that huge distinction. 366 00:16:25,479 –> 00:16:27,520 Now, we desperately need to understand 367 00:16:27,520 –> 00:16:30,299 that distinction, that difference today as well. 368 00:16:31,179 –> 00:16:35,119 See, you go into Borders and Barnes and Noble, 369 00:16:35,119 –> 00:16:36,020 and what do you see? 370 00:16:36,020 –> 00:16:38,140 Hundreds and hundreds of books. 371 00:16:38,140 –> 00:16:43,140 I go in there way too often, I love it, marvelous. 372 00:16:43,599 –> 00:16:46,280 And you browse around and you ask the question, 373 00:16:46,280 –> 00:16:48,659 how did all these books come to be written? 374 00:16:50,340 –> 00:16:52,520 And the answer is that in each case, 375 00:16:52,520 –> 00:16:55,979 the author felt that he had something to say. 376 00:16:55,979 –> 00:16:58,260 He thought it was really important, 377 00:16:58,260 –> 00:17:00,219 and so he wrote it down in a book. 378 00:17:01,359 –> 00:17:04,060 The book in other words, came from man’s will. 379 00:17:04,060 –> 00:17:05,739 It came from man’s insight. 380 00:17:06,140 –> 00:17:07,560 It came from man’s initiative and it came 381 00:17:07,560 –> 00:17:10,099 from man’s creativity and women’s too. 382 00:17:11,760 –> 00:17:14,180 Now post-modernism, and here’s a point 383 00:17:14,180 –> 00:17:16,219 where post-modernism is right. 384 00:17:17,900 –> 00:17:20,920 Post-modernism has recognized that the world 385 00:17:20,920 –> 00:17:24,880 is full of ideas and values and opinions 386 00:17:24,880 –> 00:17:27,339 that people want to push on us. 387 00:17:27,339 –> 00:17:30,219 And post-modernism is increasingly saying, 388 00:17:30,219 –> 00:17:31,579 and we’re tired of it as well. 389 00:17:32,400 –> 00:17:34,660 The history of the world is littered 390 00:17:34,880 –> 00:17:37,760 with interpretations of life and truth 391 00:17:37,760 –> 00:17:39,640 that various people at different times 392 00:17:39,640 –> 00:17:43,319 have wanted to push up on everyone else. 393 00:17:43,319 –> 00:17:46,680 So there’s the communist view, there’s the fascist view, 394 00:17:46,680 –> 00:17:49,680 there’s the Islamic view, there’s the New Age view, 395 00:17:49,680 –> 00:17:51,359 there’s the environmentalist view, 396 00:17:51,359 –> 00:17:53,560 there’s the liberal view, there’s the conservative view, 397 00:17:53,560 –> 00:17:56,079 and on and on and on. 398 00:17:58,079 –> 00:18:01,140 And, what Peter is saying at it’s heart is just this. 399 00:18:02,119 –> 00:18:06,020 You need to understand the Scripture isn’t like that. 400 00:18:07,780 –> 00:18:11,300 The Bible doesn’t belong in this lineup. 401 00:18:12,540 –> 00:18:15,380 It’s not another bunch of men 402 00:18:15,380 –> 00:18:18,939 trying to push their view of life on us. 403 00:18:20,380 –> 00:18:22,939 Don’t whatever you do, Peter is saying, 404 00:18:22,939 –> 00:18:26,079 put the Old Testament prophets 405 00:18:26,079 –> 00:18:29,400 in that long list of interpretations of God 406 00:18:29,439 –> 00:18:32,180 and of life and of meaning and of existence 407 00:18:32,180 –> 00:18:34,040 that people around the world will continue 408 00:18:34,040 –> 00:18:36,239 to produce in every generation. 409 00:18:37,699 –> 00:18:39,560 The Old Testament prophets, 410 00:18:39,560 –> 00:18:42,000 the Scriptures do not belong there, they’re different. 411 00:18:42,000 –> 00:18:43,280 They’re different from every other book 412 00:18:43,280 –> 00:18:45,479 that has ever been written. 413 00:18:45,479 –> 00:18:47,839 No prophecy of Scripture came about 414 00:18:47,839 –> 00:18:50,040 by the prophet’s own interpretation. 415 00:18:51,500 –> 00:18:55,939 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man. 416 00:18:56,880 –> 00:18:58,680 You say, okay, I see that he’s making this point 417 00:18:58,719 –> 00:19:02,359 that somehow this is different, but how is it different? 418 00:19:02,359 –> 00:19:05,560 Well, now, let’s come to his positive answer, verse 21. 419 00:19:06,739 –> 00:19:08,880 For prophecy of Scripture never had its origin 420 00:19:08,880 –> 00:19:11,560 in the will of man, how did it come? 421 00:19:11,560 –> 00:19:14,040 But men spoke from God 422 00:19:15,239 –> 00:19:19,839 as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 423 00:19:21,880 –> 00:19:24,319 Carried along by the Holy Spirit. 424 00:19:24,319 –> 00:19:25,319 What does that mean? 425 00:19:25,760 –> 00:19:29,239 Well, I think the best way to grasp 426 00:19:29,239 –> 00:19:31,760 what Peter is saying here is through a picture 427 00:19:31,760 –> 00:19:33,880 or through a story that we have in the Bible, 428 00:19:33,880 –> 00:19:35,199 and you might like to turn to it 429 00:19:35,199 –> 00:19:36,780 if you’ve got your Bible open, 430 00:19:36,780 –> 00:19:38,859 and if you want to look at a cross-reference, 431 00:19:38,859 –> 00:19:41,780 it’s in Acts and chapter 27. 432 00:19:41,780 –> 00:19:43,260 Acts and chapter 27. 433 00:19:45,060 –> 00:19:47,520 The story here is about Paul 434 00:19:47,520 –> 00:19:51,280 and he’s under arrest. 435 00:19:52,180 –> 00:19:56,380 And he’s being taken on a ship 436 00:19:56,380 –> 00:20:00,579 to Rome, where he will end his days in this world. 437 00:20:01,939 –> 00:20:04,619 And the journey is extremely difficult. 438 00:20:04,619 –> 00:20:06,739 You get the feel of it in verse seven. 439 00:20:07,760 –> 00:20:11,079 We made slow headway for many days 440 00:20:11,079 –> 00:20:14,400 and had difficulty arriving off Snydas. 441 00:20:15,239 –> 00:20:18,900 When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, 442 00:20:18,900 –> 00:20:21,000 we sailed to the Lea of Crete. 443 00:20:21,599 –> 00:20:23,020 So you’re getting the sense of this journey. 444 00:20:23,020 –> 00:20:24,439 Can you imagine all these prisoners 445 00:20:24,439 –> 00:20:26,979 and there’s this ship, this sailing ship, 446 00:20:26,979 –> 00:20:29,260 and the wind is against them. 447 00:20:30,640 –> 00:20:32,660 Now, let’s take it up in verse 14. 448 00:20:33,540 –> 00:20:38,540 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force 449 00:20:39,199 –> 00:20:44,199 called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 450 00:20:44,800 –> 00:20:47,160 Now, we still give names to hurricanes, you know? 451 00:20:47,160 –> 00:20:49,000 Katrina and so forth. 452 00:20:49,000 –> 00:20:50,839 If a hurricane’s big enough, we give it a name. 453 00:20:50,920 –> 00:20:52,959 Well, they did that in those days as well, 454 00:20:52,959 –> 00:20:55,280 and the name they gave to this particular hurricane 455 00:20:55,280 –> 00:20:57,959 was the Northeaster, so if it was worth a name 456 00:20:57,959 –> 00:21:00,020 you know that they were on the water 457 00:21:00,020 –> 00:21:03,640 in a very, very desperate and dangerous time. 458 00:21:03,640 –> 00:21:06,959 And Luke tells us here what happened. 459 00:21:06,959 –> 00:21:09,920 The ship was caught in the storm 460 00:21:09,920 –> 00:21:12,479 and could not head into the wind, 461 00:21:12,479 –> 00:21:17,479 so we give way to it and we’re driven along. 462 00:21:17,560 –> 00:21:19,439 Acts 27 verse 15. 463 00:21:20,359 –> 00:21:22,520 Now the words that Luke uses here 464 00:21:22,520 –> 00:21:26,400 for the ship being driven along by the Northeaster 465 00:21:27,479 –> 00:21:29,939 is the same word that Peter uses 466 00:21:29,939 –> 00:21:32,439 for the prophets being carried along 467 00:21:32,439 –> 00:21:35,540 in verse 21 by the holy spirit. 468 00:21:36,640 –> 00:21:40,199 How much control do you have if you’re in a sailing ship 469 00:21:40,199 –> 00:21:44,400 being carried along in a storm, a hurricane storm? 470 00:21:44,400 –> 00:21:45,939 Not much. 471 00:21:45,939 –> 00:21:47,119 The direction of the ship. 472 00:21:47,119 –> 00:21:49,359 We had to give way to it, Luke says. 473 00:21:49,900 –> 00:21:53,180 The direction of the boat is controlled by the wind 474 00:21:53,180 –> 00:21:55,180 and it’s the same word that Peter uses here. 475 00:21:55,180 –> 00:21:59,560 The message of the prophets is controlled by the spirit. 476 00:21:59,560 –> 00:22:01,400 And what he’s saying to us in verse 21 477 00:22:01,400 –> 00:22:03,739 is men spoke from God. 478 00:22:03,739 –> 00:22:05,739 They did not control the message, 479 00:22:05,739 –> 00:22:07,819 the message controlled them. 480 00:22:07,819 –> 00:22:09,660 It came to them from God. 481 00:22:09,660 –> 00:22:11,459 The best way of thinking about what that was like 482 00:22:11,459 –> 00:22:16,339 was like a mighty wind and they were carried along in it 483 00:22:16,339 –> 00:22:18,880 in such a way that what they wrote 484 00:22:18,880 –> 00:22:22,079 was exactly what God intended them to say. 485 00:22:22,079 –> 00:22:24,520 And so, verse 21 of 2 Peter chapter 1, 486 00:22:24,520 –> 00:22:28,060 men spoke from God. 487 00:22:29,119 –> 00:22:30,199 Think of this. 488 00:22:31,060 –> 00:22:34,300 God breathed his word 489 00:22:35,599 –> 00:22:38,020 through Job’s pain and sorrow. 490 00:22:39,400 –> 00:22:44,219 God breathed his words through David’s songs of worship. 491 00:22:45,060 –> 00:22:49,020 God breathed his word through Moses 492 00:22:49,020 –> 00:22:52,380 and through Joshua, through David. 493 00:22:54,199 –> 00:22:56,520 These men sometimes were reluctant. 494 00:22:56,520 –> 00:22:58,540 Jeremiah, the prophet, 495 00:22:58,540 –> 00:23:01,099 he didn’t feel he had anything great to say. 496 00:23:01,099 –> 00:23:02,560 God’s word came to him. 497 00:23:03,099 –> 00:23:05,439 If you check out 1 Peter chapter one 498 00:23:05,439 –> 00:23:08,260 and verse 10 and 11, you’ll see there 499 00:23:08,260 –> 00:23:09,780 that quite clearly there were times 500 00:23:09,780 –> 00:23:11,260 when the prophets themselves 501 00:23:11,260 –> 00:23:13,760 didn’t even fully understand their own message 502 00:23:13,760 –> 00:23:16,520 because it related to Christ, who was still to come. 503 00:23:16,520 –> 00:23:18,540 And they were speaking for us 504 00:23:18,540 –> 00:23:20,599 who live the side of the coming 505 00:23:20,599 –> 00:23:22,619 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 506 00:23:24,040 –> 00:23:25,479 So God was in control. 507 00:23:26,540 –> 00:23:31,119 Men spoke from God as they were carried along 508 00:23:32,160 –> 00:23:33,479 by the Holy Spirit. 509 00:23:35,000 –> 00:23:35,920 You see what Peter was saying. 510 00:23:35,920 –> 00:23:37,339 That makes the Bible different 511 00:23:37,339 –> 00:23:40,599 from any other book that has ever been written. 512 00:23:40,599 –> 00:23:43,560 Any religious book, any secular book. 513 00:23:43,560 –> 00:23:45,920 The Bible is just in a different category 514 00:23:45,920 –> 00:23:50,839 because there is nothing else in all of the world like this. 515 00:23:50,839 –> 00:23:53,380 And that is what we believe about the Bible. 516 00:23:54,680 –> 00:23:56,420 See, if God had not spoken, 517 00:23:57,520 –> 00:23:59,640 if God had not made himself known, 518 00:24:01,719 –> 00:24:04,060 if we did not know him we could not find 519 00:24:04,060 –> 00:24:06,140 everything we need for life in him. 520 00:24:07,359 –> 00:24:08,439 And all we would have then 521 00:24:08,439 –> 00:24:10,319 would be the summit human experience 522 00:24:10,319 –> 00:24:12,199 in Barnes and Noble and Borders. 523 00:24:12,979 –> 00:24:15,140 And most of the summer human experience 524 00:24:15,140 –> 00:24:16,599 is pretty painful by the way. 525 00:24:18,380 –> 00:24:20,660 All we would have is one generation after another 526 00:24:20,660 –> 00:24:23,439 spouting ideas and thoughts and opinions, 527 00:24:23,439 –> 00:24:26,040 religious movements started by men. 528 00:24:27,359 –> 00:24:28,660 No knowledge of God. 529 00:24:29,920 –> 00:24:33,920 And without the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ 530 00:24:33,920 –> 00:24:37,400 we don’t have everything we need for life. 531 00:24:38,359 –> 00:24:40,479 So thank God for the way that he has spoken 532 00:24:40,479 –> 00:24:41,979 in a world of opinion. 533 00:24:42,780 –> 00:24:45,079 God has given us revelation. 534 00:24:45,079 –> 00:24:47,500 In a world full of religion and philosophy 535 00:24:47,500 –> 00:24:52,020 and psychology there is no other book like this book. 536 00:24:52,020 –> 00:24:53,319 In all the history of the world 537 00:24:53,319 –> 00:24:54,719 and all the continents of the world 538 00:24:54,719 –> 00:24:56,040 there never has been anything like it, 539 00:24:56,040 –> 00:24:57,599 never will be anything like it. 540 00:24:57,599 –> 00:25:00,699 God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ 541 00:25:01,800 –> 00:25:05,920 through the apostles and the prophets. 542 00:25:07,239 –> 00:25:12,180 Apotles saw, prophets spoke. 543 00:25:12,219 –> 00:25:13,599 And here’s the last thing today. 544 00:25:13,599 –> 00:25:16,300 We remember. 545 00:25:16,300 –> 00:25:18,280 Now if you think that sounds like an anticlimax 546 00:25:18,280 –> 00:25:21,060 which it may sound like, hang on. 547 00:25:21,880 –> 00:25:24,520 We need to know what the Bible means by remember. 548 00:25:25,439 –> 00:25:27,219 And probably this is the most important thing 549 00:25:27,219 –> 00:25:28,140 for us to grasp. 550 00:25:28,140 –> 00:25:31,140 It is life-changing for us today. 551 00:25:32,380 –> 00:25:34,219 Notice the emphasis on remembering, 552 00:25:34,219 –> 00:25:36,180 beginning in verse 12. 553 00:25:36,180 –> 00:25:38,599 Peter speaks about it three times. 554 00:25:38,599 –> 00:25:41,400 I will always remind you, verse 12, of these things, 555 00:25:41,400 –> 00:25:44,199 that’s the gospel, even though you know them 556 00:25:44,199 –> 00:25:47,619 and are fully established in the truth that you now have. 557 00:25:47,619 –> 00:25:49,780 I’ll always remind you of the things you already know. 558 00:25:49,780 –> 00:25:51,520 Isn’t that a strange thing to say? 559 00:25:53,239 –> 00:25:55,119 He repeats it again in verse 13. 560 00:25:55,119 –> 00:25:57,260 I think it is right to refresh your memory 561 00:25:57,260 –> 00:25:59,300 as long as I live in the tent of this body. 562 00:25:59,300 –> 00:26:01,239 So he’s gonna carry on saying the same thing 563 00:26:01,239 –> 00:26:02,619 for the rest of his life. 564 00:26:03,880 –> 00:26:05,339 And as if we hadn’t already got the point, 565 00:26:05,339 –> 00:26:06,920 verse 15 he says, 566 00:26:06,920 –> 00:26:09,640 I will make every effort to see that after my departure 567 00:26:09,660 –> 00:26:12,780 you will be able to remember these things. 568 00:26:14,699 –> 00:26:19,699 Now, being reminded of things you already know 569 00:26:19,959 –> 00:26:23,079 gets old pretty fast, doesn’t it? 570 00:26:23,079 –> 00:26:25,599 And so if Peter is committed 571 00:26:25,599 –> 00:26:27,780 to spending the whole of his life 572 00:26:27,780 –> 00:26:29,219 reminding the church of things 573 00:26:29,219 –> 00:26:32,319 that Christian believers already know, 574 00:26:32,319 –> 00:26:34,979 isn’t that going to be a formula for frustration? 575 00:26:36,380 –> 00:26:38,060 See we’re going to come next week 576 00:26:38,060 –> 00:26:40,380 to the work of the false teachers 577 00:26:40,380 –> 00:26:42,699 which is the subject of chapter two. 578 00:26:42,699 –> 00:26:44,800 And we will find that the mark of the false teachers 579 00:26:44,800 –> 00:26:47,040 was they were always saying something new. 580 00:26:48,040 –> 00:26:49,819 And Peter is right up front in saying 581 00:26:49,819 –> 00:26:51,900 you don’t expect that to come from an apostle. 582 00:26:51,900 –> 00:26:53,680 What my ministry is all about 583 00:26:53,680 –> 00:26:55,660 is to bring you back to something old. 584 00:26:55,660 –> 00:26:58,199 I will keep reminding you of all 585 00:26:58,199 –> 00:26:59,979 that you have already known 586 00:26:59,979 –> 00:27:03,780 and become established in with regards to Jesus Christ. 587 00:27:04,660 –> 00:27:08,099 Suppose you get into your car 588 00:27:09,099 –> 00:27:12,979 and every time you do, the person with you says, 589 00:27:12,979 –> 00:27:15,599 don’t forget to drive on the right side of the road. 590 00:27:17,500 –> 00:27:19,819 And every time you come to a junction 591 00:27:19,819 –> 00:27:22,839 the person says, don’t forget to indicate. 592 00:27:23,819 –> 00:27:26,060 And when the light is red, 593 00:27:26,060 –> 00:27:28,099 don’t forget to pull up and stop. 594 00:27:29,099 –> 00:27:30,800 You know this goes on for a while 595 00:27:30,800 –> 00:27:32,280 and at some point you’re gonna pull 596 00:27:32,300 –> 00:27:33,739 your car into the side of the road 597 00:27:33,739 –> 00:27:35,579 and you’re going to say, now look, 598 00:27:36,660 –> 00:27:41,660 please stop telling me what I already know, right? 599 00:27:45,439 –> 00:27:47,699 You ever had that experience 600 00:27:47,699 –> 00:27:50,119 where you’ve been asked to bring something home, 601 00:27:50,119 –> 00:27:53,819 guys, from work at the end of the day, 602 00:27:53,819 –> 00:27:54,739 a gallon of milk, 603 00:27:54,739 –> 00:27:57,540 will you remember to bring a gallon of milk home with you? 604 00:27:57,540 –> 00:28:00,060 And so faithfully because you’re just a wonderful person 605 00:28:00,060 –> 00:28:01,339 you go into the grocery 606 00:28:01,339 –> 00:28:02,699 and you’re standing in front of the fridge 607 00:28:02,699 –> 00:28:04,020 and what happens? 608 00:28:04,020 –> 00:28:05,280 Your cell phone goes. 609 00:28:06,160 –> 00:28:07,839 And it is your dear one and she says, 610 00:28:07,839 –> 00:28:10,260 hi, just call to remind you 611 00:28:10,260 –> 00:28:12,319 to bring home a gallon of milk or whatever it is, 612 00:28:12,319 –> 00:28:13,560 and you want to say, 613 00:28:13,560 –> 00:28:15,040 I’m doing it, I’m doing it. 614 00:28:15,040 –> 00:28:16,579 I mean, what is the point of reminding me, 615 00:28:16,579 –> 00:28:17,760 I am already doing, 616 00:28:17,760 –> 00:28:18,760 do you think I don’t know? 617 00:28:18,760 –> 00:28:20,520 Do you think I can’t remember? 618 00:28:21,979 –> 00:28:23,520 Now you see, I’m wanting you to think about 619 00:28:23,520 –> 00:28:27,319 the strangeness of what Peter says here, 620 00:28:27,319 –> 00:28:29,640 I’m committed to a lifelong ministry 621 00:28:29,640 –> 00:28:32,099 reminding you of what you already know. 622 00:28:33,500 –> 00:28:35,540 Isn’t that going to play right into the hands 623 00:28:35,540 –> 00:28:36,640 of the false teachers 624 00:28:36,640 –> 00:28:38,540 who are offering something new. 625 00:28:42,000 –> 00:28:43,640 What does it mean to remember? 626 00:28:44,599 –> 00:28:45,459 That’s the issue. 627 00:28:46,760 –> 00:28:48,439 And if you can grasp this today, 628 00:28:48,439 –> 00:28:50,439 you’ve grasped something very important. 629 00:28:51,459 –> 00:28:53,400 Remembering in the Bible 630 00:28:53,400 –> 00:28:57,380 is more than being able to recall something that happened. 631 00:28:58,280 –> 00:29:00,479 Remembering in the Bible 632 00:29:00,479 –> 00:29:02,400 is about what happened becoming 633 00:29:02,400 –> 00:29:06,140 real and fresh and alive and present. 634 00:29:07,079 –> 00:29:07,979 It’s what it is. 635 00:29:09,439 –> 00:29:11,380 Now let me give you just two illustrations 636 00:29:11,380 –> 00:29:12,479 and then we’re through. 637 00:29:13,439 –> 00:29:14,939 If you look back to verse nine, 638 00:29:14,939 –> 00:29:18,479 you’ll see that Peter speaks there about a person 639 00:29:18,479 –> 00:29:22,500 who professes faith but has forgotten, 640 00:29:22,500 –> 00:29:24,140 the opposite of remembering obviously, 641 00:29:24,140 –> 00:29:27,040 he’s forgotten that he’s been cleansed from his past sins. 642 00:29:28,280 –> 00:29:30,099 So here’s a guy in church world, 643 00:29:30,099 –> 00:29:32,640 but he’s not a growing prospering Christian. 644 00:29:33,819 –> 00:29:36,219 He’s just kind of stuck in his Christian life, 645 00:29:36,219 –> 00:29:37,359 but there he is in the church 646 00:29:37,359 –> 00:29:39,579 in the group of people to whom Peter is writing. 647 00:29:39,579 –> 00:29:41,819 Now you go up to that guy on a Sunday morning 648 00:29:41,819 –> 00:29:43,479 and you say to him, 649 00:29:43,479 –> 00:29:46,160 do you know I just want to tell you something. 650 00:29:46,160 –> 00:29:50,020 Jesus Christ died to cleanse you from your sins. 651 00:29:50,979 –> 00:29:53,199 That guy has been in the church for a while. 652 00:29:53,199 –> 00:29:54,660 He’s going to say I know that. 653 00:29:55,680 –> 00:29:56,520 I know that. 654 00:29:58,199 –> 00:30:02,060 The problem for this guy is not that he is unable 655 00:30:02,060 –> 00:30:03,760 to recall the death of Jesus 656 00:30:03,760 –> 00:30:05,780 for the forgiveness of his sins. 657 00:30:06,619 –> 00:30:08,819 The problem for this guy is that his forgiveness 658 00:30:08,819 –> 00:30:10,920 doesn’t mean much to him anymore. 659 00:30:11,800 –> 00:30:15,839 It is no longer a reality that is shaping his life. 660 00:30:15,839 –> 00:30:18,979 It is no longer for him something that is real and fresh 661 00:30:18,979 –> 00:30:20,479 and alive and present. 662 00:30:20,479 –> 00:30:22,260 He’s forgotten. 663 00:30:22,260 –> 00:30:24,359 He doesn’t know what it means to remember. 664 00:30:25,359 –> 00:30:29,219 The greatest use of course of remembering in the Bible 665 00:30:29,219 –> 00:30:31,119 is what? 666 00:30:31,119 –> 00:30:33,079 The Lord’s Supper. 667 00:30:33,079 –> 00:30:36,000 Remember when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper? 668 00:30:36,000 –> 00:30:37,939 He took bread and wine and he said what? 669 00:30:37,939 –> 00:30:42,180 Do this in remembrance of me. 670 00:30:42,180 –> 00:30:43,819 Now let me ask you a question. 671 00:30:43,819 –> 00:30:47,579 If you never went to another communion service 672 00:30:47,579 –> 00:30:49,199 in all of your life. 673 00:30:49,199 –> 00:30:51,599 You never went to another communion service, 674 00:30:52,420 –> 00:30:54,540 do you think that you would when you were old 675 00:30:54,540 –> 00:30:57,040 have forgotten that Jesus died on the cross? 676 00:30:57,040 –> 00:30:59,260 Be unable to recall that fact? 677 00:30:59,260 –> 00:31:00,640 Of course not. 678 00:31:00,640 –> 00:31:04,140 You’re never going to be unable to recall 679 00:31:04,140 –> 00:31:06,619 that Jesus died on the cross. 680 00:31:08,020 –> 00:31:09,719 If you never went to another communion service, 681 00:31:09,719 –> 00:31:10,560 you’d always know that. 682 00:31:10,560 –> 00:31:12,400 You would always to be able to recall that. 683 00:31:12,400 –> 00:31:14,339 So what does Jesus mean when he says 684 00:31:14,339 –> 00:31:17,540 you’re to do this in remembrance of me? 685 00:31:18,140 –> 00:31:21,420 See, Jesus wants his death and his resurrection 686 00:31:21,420 –> 00:31:25,599 to be something more to you than an event you can recall. 687 00:31:26,979 –> 00:31:28,619 He wants you to savor his blessing, 688 00:31:28,619 –> 00:31:30,520 he wants you to taste his goodness, 689 00:31:30,520 –> 00:31:32,540 he wants you to taste the power 690 00:31:32,540 –> 00:31:34,500 that flows from his death and resurrection, 691 00:31:34,500 –> 00:31:39,239 he wants it to be real and alive and fresh and present. 692 00:31:39,239 –> 00:31:42,560 That’s what the bible means by remember. 693 00:31:44,079 –> 00:31:47,060 I learned this in a most moving meeting 694 00:31:47,060 –> 00:31:48,479 that I attended years ago, 695 00:31:48,479 –> 00:31:51,219 it’d be forever imprinted on my mind. 696 00:31:51,219 –> 00:31:53,800 Back in London, there was a group of ministers 697 00:31:53,800 –> 00:31:55,439 from different denominations, 698 00:31:55,439 –> 00:31:57,319 and we met probably four times a year 699 00:31:57,319 –> 00:31:59,160 to discuss various topics, 700 00:31:59,160 –> 00:32:01,239 there was a Methodist minister, 701 00:32:01,239 –> 00:32:02,579 a Baptist pastor, 702 00:32:02,579 –> 00:32:05,079 a Church of England vicar, 703 00:32:05,079 –> 00:32:07,300 a charismatic lay leader, 704 00:32:07,300 –> 00:32:08,680 a Catholic priest, 705 00:32:08,680 –> 00:32:09,520 and myself. 706 00:32:09,520 –> 00:32:11,319 It sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it? 707 00:32:11,319 –> 00:32:15,359 But we actually had some wonderful meetings 708 00:32:15,359 –> 00:32:16,640 and discussions together, 709 00:32:16,640 –> 00:32:18,579 and on one occasion, 710 00:32:18,579 –> 00:32:21,020 the subject that was set for us was 711 00:32:21,020 –> 00:32:25,199 what makes a valid communion service. 712 00:32:25,199 –> 00:32:26,800 Now, you can understand in that context 713 00:32:26,800 –> 00:32:28,900 there were very very different ideas 714 00:32:28,900 –> 00:32:32,640 about what makes a valid communion service. 715 00:32:32,640 –> 00:32:35,520 Do you have to have an ordained priest present? 716 00:32:36,479 –> 00:32:37,680 Can it be a valid communion service 717 00:32:37,680 –> 00:32:39,479 if it’s just students on a campus 718 00:32:39,479 –> 00:32:41,040 and not a church? 719 00:32:41,040 –> 00:32:42,280 Do you have to use real wine? 720 00:32:42,280 –> 00:32:43,439 Does it have to be unleavened bread 721 00:32:43,439 –> 00:32:44,319 and so forth and so on. 722 00:32:44,319 –> 00:32:46,119 It was all this kind of discussion. 723 00:32:47,560 –> 00:32:50,959 There was an Anglican priest in the group, 724 00:32:50,959 –> 00:32:55,520 an old man by the name of 725 00:32:55,520 –> 00:32:56,619 Cannon Harry Wittenbach, 726 00:32:56,619 –> 00:32:58,719 Cannon’s a title they give in the Church of England, 727 00:32:58,719 –> 00:33:00,599 quite an extraordinary one. 728 00:33:00,599 –> 00:33:03,260 Harry was a soft spoken man. 729 00:33:03,260 –> 00:33:05,719 Didn’t contribute much to the discussion at all. 730 00:33:06,920 –> 00:33:09,000 But after it’d gone on for some time, 731 00:33:09,000 –> 00:33:09,839 he spoke. 732 00:33:09,839 –> 00:33:10,660 He said, you know, 733 00:33:10,660 –> 00:33:14,979 when I think of what makes a valid communion, 734 00:33:16,780 –> 00:33:19,680 I think about when I was in prison in China. 735 00:33:20,599 –> 00:33:21,979 Well, you can imagine the room went 736 00:33:21,979 –> 00:33:24,699 very, very quiet indeed at that point. 737 00:33:25,760 –> 00:33:27,479 We all knew that Harry had been in prison 738 00:33:27,479 –> 00:33:29,280 for some time in China, 739 00:33:29,280 –> 00:33:31,000 but like many folks who have gone through 740 00:33:31,000 –> 00:33:32,339 an ordeal of that sort, 741 00:33:32,339 –> 00:33:34,400 he very, very rarely spoke about it. 742 00:33:35,680 –> 00:33:39,020 It was Christmas day, he said. 743 00:33:41,160 –> 00:33:44,540 There were three of us who were believers. 744 00:33:46,920 –> 00:33:49,699 We didn’t have any wine, 745 00:33:51,280 –> 00:33:54,660 and none of us were ordained priests at the time. 746 00:33:56,459 –> 00:33:59,020 We had kept a few crusts of bread, 747 00:33:59,979 –> 00:34:03,939 and we’d kept a little water in a cup, 748 00:34:06,219 –> 00:34:10,419 and on Christmas day we remembered the Lord. 749 00:34:14,020 –> 00:34:15,239 His eyes filled with tears 750 00:34:15,239 –> 00:34:17,580 and his voice faltered, I’ll never forget it, 751 00:34:17,580 –> 00:34:22,219 he said, I’ve never known a communion service like it. 752 00:34:23,820 –> 00:34:28,120 He said, the Lord was there, the Lord was there. 753 00:34:31,060 –> 00:34:34,760 Now you see, that’s what the Bible means by remembering, 754 00:34:36,219 –> 00:34:38,939 it’s more than knowing about Jesus 755 00:34:38,939 –> 00:34:40,659 dying and rising in your head, 756 00:34:41,159 –> 00:34:44,439 it’s savoring this Christ crucified 757 00:34:44,439 –> 00:34:45,840 and risen in your heart. 758 00:34:47,840 –> 00:34:50,699 And Harry Wittenbach had found 759 00:34:50,699 –> 00:34:53,719 that he had everything that he needed for life, 760 00:34:53,719 –> 00:34:56,080 even life in prison in China, 761 00:34:57,580 –> 00:35:02,580 in the knowledge of this Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 762 00:35:04,919 –> 00:35:06,399 And Peter had proved that, of course, 763 00:35:06,399 –> 00:35:07,399 in his own life too, 764 00:35:07,399 –> 00:35:09,719 been in prison many times as well, 765 00:35:10,320 –> 00:35:13,800 and that’s why you see he’s saying here, folks, 766 00:35:13,800 –> 00:35:16,419 this is why my ministry is going to be 767 00:35:16,419 –> 00:35:19,360 about one thing and one thing only. 768 00:35:20,760 –> 00:35:22,320 I’m never gonna move away from this. 769 00:35:22,320 –> 00:35:25,979 I want you to be able to lay hold of Christ, 770 00:35:26,939 –> 00:35:30,199 to savor Christ, to feed on Christ, 771 00:35:30,199 –> 00:35:33,100 to live on Christ, and I’m never going to stop 772 00:35:33,100 –> 00:35:36,219 reminding you, therefore, about him. 773 00:35:36,219 –> 00:35:38,620 I’m gonna do it as long as I live in this body, 774 00:35:38,719 –> 00:35:40,939 and after I’ve died, I will make every effort 775 00:35:40,939 –> 00:35:44,139 to see that the church continues to be focused 776 00:35:44,139 –> 00:35:46,600 and centered on him because it is in him 777 00:35:46,600 –> 00:35:48,840 that we find everything that we need 778 00:35:48,840 –> 00:35:51,479 for life and for godliness, folks. 779 00:35:51,479 –> 00:35:54,139 That is the purpose of communion, 780 00:35:55,760 –> 00:35:58,419 that with faith you draw near to the savior 781 00:35:58,419 –> 00:36:00,659 and feed on the richness 782 00:36:00,659 –> 00:36:02,340 of what he has accomplished for you. 783 00:36:02,340 –> 00:36:05,000 That’s the purpose of preaching. 784 00:36:06,360 –> 00:36:07,379 If you think preaching’s about 785 00:36:07,459 –> 00:36:09,040 imparting a bunch of information, 786 00:36:09,040 –> 00:36:11,100 you haven’t understood what preaching is. 787 00:36:12,919 –> 00:36:16,840 It is to bring the reality of Christ 788 00:36:16,840 –> 00:36:19,840 freshly to impress upon the soul 789 00:36:20,679 –> 00:36:22,899 that we may live in the good of this, 790 00:36:24,159 –> 00:36:25,560 and when you read the Bible, 791 00:36:25,560 –> 00:36:27,600 I hope you read the Bible every day. 792 00:36:27,600 –> 00:36:29,300 When you open the Bible tomorrow 793 00:36:29,300 –> 00:36:30,979 and you read something from the Bible, 794 00:36:30,979 –> 00:36:32,919 what are you doing, why are doing that, 795 00:36:32,919 –> 00:36:35,120 why is this going to nourish your life? 796 00:36:35,780 –> 00:36:38,459 Oh, I’ve done my reading for the day, 797 00:36:38,459 –> 00:36:39,439 good for me. 798 00:36:40,860 –> 00:36:42,659 No, if you’ve understood what this is about, 799 00:36:42,659 –> 00:36:44,899 you open the Scriptures in order 800 00:36:44,899 –> 00:36:46,500 that you may feed on Christ, 801 00:36:46,500 –> 00:36:48,540 that you may draw near to Christ, 802 00:36:48,540 –> 00:36:50,939 that you may be strengthened by Christ, 803 00:36:50,939 –> 00:36:54,439 that you may find Jesus Christ, 804 00:36:55,800 –> 00:36:58,919 that you may in one simple word remember 805 00:36:58,919 –> 00:37:03,679 that you may live in the fresh reality 806 00:37:03,679 –> 00:37:05,959 of all that He is, of all that He has done 807 00:37:05,959 –> 00:37:08,439 and of all that He has to give 808 00:37:08,439 –> 00:37:12,540 and holds in His hand for you even now. 809 00:37:16,679 –> 00:37:18,600 I think one of the reasons that we get stuck 810 00:37:18,600 –> 00:37:21,600 in the Christian life is that we persuade ourselves 811 00:37:21,600 –> 00:37:24,800 that we know what in Biblical terms 812 00:37:24,800 –> 00:37:26,219 we don’t really know at all. 813 00:37:27,159 –> 00:37:30,800 When a girl says, 814 00:37:30,800 –> 00:37:35,800 I know that God loves me but I really hate myself, 815 00:37:39,340 –> 00:37:41,280 if Peter was her pastor, he’d come 816 00:37:41,280 –> 00:37:43,320 and he’d put her arm around her shoulder 817 00:37:44,659 –> 00:37:45,719 and he’d say something like this, 818 00:37:45,719 –> 00:37:47,600 he’d say, you know, 819 00:37:47,600 –> 00:37:49,800 you say you know that God loves you 820 00:37:51,840 –> 00:37:53,939 and you think you know that God loves you 821 00:37:54,939 –> 00:37:57,939 but really you don’t know that God loves you 822 00:37:59,179 –> 00:38:01,699 because if right now you were savoring 823 00:38:01,699 –> 00:38:04,020 the love of God for you, 824 00:38:05,379 –> 00:38:08,419 you would never say that you hate yourself. 825 00:38:08,419 –> 00:38:09,320 How could you? 826 00:38:10,340 –> 00:38:13,459 And in that ministry, he would seek to show her 827 00:38:13,459 –> 00:38:15,540 the love of Christ that she thinks she knows 828 00:38:15,540 –> 00:38:16,739 but she really doesn’t. 829 00:38:18,760 –> 00:38:20,739 And there she would find the healing of her soul, 830 00:38:20,739 –> 00:38:23,060 everything you need in him. 831 00:38:24,580 –> 00:38:27,040 And when a guy says, 832 00:38:27,040 –> 00:38:31,959 I know the gospel but I cannot overcome 833 00:38:31,959 –> 00:38:34,239 a compulsive temptation in my life 834 00:38:34,239 –> 00:38:35,639 if Peter was your pastor, 835 00:38:35,639 –> 00:38:36,840 he’d put his arms around you 836 00:38:36,840 –> 00:38:37,919 and he’d say, brother, 837 00:38:39,719 –> 00:38:41,459 you say you know the gospel, 838 00:38:42,739 –> 00:38:44,399 you think you know the gospel 839 00:38:45,800 –> 00:38:48,280 but the truth is you really don’t know the gospel 840 00:38:49,580 –> 00:38:50,820 because 841 00:38:51,739 –> 00:38:54,239 when you give way to that temptation 842 00:38:54,239 –> 00:38:56,800 at that moment at least you have lost sight 843 00:38:56,800 –> 00:38:58,419 of the power and the presence 844 00:38:58,419 –> 00:39:00,540 of the Holy Spirit in your life. 845 00:39:01,540 –> 00:39:03,520 And if that was fresh and real and alive 846 00:39:03,520 –> 00:39:05,540 and present to you, if you remembered, 847 00:39:06,540 –> 00:39:10,439 if you knew that you wouldn’t have fallen as you did. 848 00:39:12,580 –> 00:39:15,560 An effective and productive Christian life 849 00:39:15,560 –> 00:39:19,840 hangs on the great truths of the gospel 850 00:39:19,840 –> 00:39:24,179 being real, alive, fresh, present for you 851 00:39:25,040 –> 00:39:26,300 every day of your life. 852 00:39:27,540 –> 00:39:28,580 It’s the purpose of communion, 853 00:39:28,580 –> 00:39:29,659 that’s the purpose of preaching, 854 00:39:29,659 –> 00:39:31,659 that’s the purpose of reading the bible. 855 00:39:32,739 –> 00:39:35,360 That is why God has given us His word. 856 00:39:36,959 –> 00:39:40,419 There’s an old song that puts it like this, 857 00:39:40,419 –> 00:39:42,100 it’s really a prayer. 858 00:39:42,100 –> 00:39:43,300 Some of you will know it. 859 00:39:43,300 –> 00:39:46,840 Make the book live to me, O Lord. 860 00:39:46,840 –> 00:39:50,659 Show me Yourself within Your Word. 861 00:39:50,659 –> 00:39:54,199 Show me myself and show me my Savior 862 00:39:55,159 –> 00:39:57,000 and make the book live to me. 863 00:39:58,239 –> 00:40:00,360 That’s an expression of faith. 864 00:40:01,500 –> 00:40:05,080 If you will seek after Jesus Christ in His word 865 00:40:05,080 –> 00:40:07,719 like that every day, 866 00:40:07,719 –> 00:40:10,340 and if you will come to church 867 00:40:10,340 –> 00:40:12,979 to receive the ministry of the word preached 868 00:40:12,979 –> 00:40:15,639 like that every week, 869 00:40:16,459 –> 00:40:18,699 it will change your life. 870 00:40:19,860 –> 00:40:21,280 You will not be the same. 871 00:40:22,139 –> 00:40:24,040 You will no longer be stuck, 872 00:40:25,379 –> 00:40:28,439 and you will discover as Harry Wittenbach discovered, 873 00:40:28,439 –> 00:40:30,100 as Peter discovered, and as Christians 874 00:40:30,100 –> 00:40:31,840 through the ages have discovered, 875 00:40:32,699 –> 00:40:36,199 that God has given us everything that we need for life 876 00:40:36,199 –> 00:40:38,520 in the knowledge of His Son, 877 00:40:39,439 –> 00:40:41,379 Jesus Christ. 878 00:40:41,379 –> 00:40:44,040 Father, please seal Your Word into our hearts 879 00:40:44,080 –> 00:40:46,040 according to our very differing needs 880 00:40:47,320 –> 00:40:49,820 that it may do us good today. 881 00:40:49,820 –> 00:40:53,560 We ask it in the powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ 882 00:40:53,560 –> 00:40:55,199 and for His glory, Amen.