The Second Letter of Peter- 3

Subtitle: Eyewitnesses of His Glory

2 Peter 1:16-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

This passage is among several in the New Testament that speak of the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In Hebrews 1:1-3, Jesus is called “God’s Son” and is described as the “Radiance of God’s Glory” and the “Exact Representation of His nature.”  In Colossians 1:15, Jesus is called the “Image of the Invisible God.”

All of these emphasize that Jesus is far more than just a man.  His glory and majesty are themselves a manifestation of the Father’s glory and majesty.  We will see similar descriptions in our passage today.

Let’s look at our passage.

Peter gives a final exhortation

We have given you a witness of our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 16-18)

Though Peter does not explain who the “we” are in verse 16, it seems obvious from the context that he is speaking about the other apostles, but particularly the three of them who witnessed the event called The Transfiguration.

It is important for us to understand what men like Peter had been given for our sake.  Peter is important.  He needs to speak and be led by the Holy Spirit as a witness, especially since he would not live forever in his mortal body.  Yet, Peter could not do what he has done and say the things he has said unless God hadn’t given him the experiences in the first place.

Everyone in Israel during the days of Jesus saw some remarkable things.  However, the twelve disciples of Jesus saw many things beyond what others saw.

This sharing from Peter (and the rest) to others was a critical part of God’s plan for humanity.  Peter could do nothing before God did what He did.  But, once God gave a witness to him and others, Peter had an imperative to share it.  God would not do it for him.

Peter also emphasizes that the witness given by those Apostles of Jesus were not cleverly devised tales.  Instead, they spoke of things they had seen with their own eyes.  Today, there are many who state that these things were not written down for a long time.  This is not the case.  Paul was writing his letters within 15 to 20 years from Christ’s resurrection.  Even this letter from Peter was written in the early 60’s AD, i.e., at most 30 years after the resurrection.  It would make sense that these men would write things down as they neared their deaths.  In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote down many of his letters because he was in prison.  They were eyewitnesses of powerful things.

Peter is alluding to the fact that it was common in those days for charlatans to travel from town to town seeking people who would pay to hear their lectures.  They used cleverly designed tales that were designed to capture the imagination of people (their attention) and to loosen their purse strings.  These kinds of men did not set people free from their sins and give them an inheritance in God’s kingdom.  They did not raise humanity from its fallen state to become the children of God.

We have a similar thirst for nice stories today.  Whether we buy it, or enrich people through interactions online, we can be hungry for things that are not truth.  Peter was not such a man.

Peter only focuses on The Transfiguration, but before we talk about that, let’s walk through some of the amazing things he saw.

He saw Jesus cast demons out of people with just a word of command.  These men went from tormented souls to being in their right mind within seconds.  Modern man can try to diminish these miracles by stating they were only psychological problems.  However, modern psychiatrists would love to have the power Jesus had.  They too are often impotent in the face of troubled minds, much less demon possession.

Peter also saw Jesus feed thousands of people with only the lunch of a boy.  He saw Jesus walk on water, even command a storm to stop, and it obeyed. 

Jesus told his disciples that he would be put to death but would rise again on the third day.  The resurrection of Jesus rocked their world, as he appeared to them multiple times over the course of 40 days.  On top of that, they witnessed Jesus ascend into heaven before their eyes.  Just one of these things would be unbelievable.  However, Peter witnessed each and every one of them.  They were all left with the truth that this is not just a normal man.

It was on the mountain (vs. 18) that Peter, James and John saw the Transfiguration of Jesus.  The descriptions in the Gospels can be found in Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13; and Luke 9:28-36.

The word “transfiguration” is somewhat strange in modern English.  The word “transformation” might serve us better.  In our passage, Peter describes two aspects to this event.  Jesus was visibly honored and glorified in front of them as well as God speaking from heaven about him.  What they saw and what they heard pointed to the glory and majesty of Jesus.

Matthew 17 gives the description that his “face shone like the sun.”  His “garments became white as light.”  Mark gives the description that his clothes were “exceedingly white like snow…” and as “no launderer on earth can whiten them…”  Luke states that his “face was altered” and “his robe became white and glistening.”

Now, Jesus did not normally shine.  He walked around in human flesh looking and doing human things.  However, there was something greater about Jesus that was cloaked by his humanity.  Similar to the way the face of Moses was shining when he came down from the mountain where he talked with God face to face, this shining of Jesus is described in greater terms.

The voice that comes from heaven is clearly that of God the Father.  He says, “This is My Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased!”  Though Peter doesn’t mention this in his letter, the voice added at the end, “Listen to him!”

This is similar to the voice from heaven that spoke at the water baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:17).  Yet, this connects back to Israel coming out of Egypt.  When they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God spoke to them from the mountain.  A close study of this event makes it clear that the ten commandments were spoken by God from the mountain to Israel.  This so freaked them out that they asked Moses to go and speak to God for them.  They were too scared to hear God’s voice.  All true revelation has its source in God.  However, because we humans are commonly not close to God, He speaks through prophets.  The voice from heaven in these three events appear to emphasize that it is God who is speaking.  No one doubted that God spoke to Moses after that event.  Similarly, those who heard the voice from heaven regarding Jesus did not doubt that they needed to listen to Jesus.

It is one thing to read the Scriptures your whole life about God’s promise of a Messiah.  It is quite another thing to have the experiences that Peter and his fellow disciples had with Jesus.

We now have the prophetic word made even more sure. (v. 19-21)

Verse 19 presses the point home.  It may come across as if Peter is saying that the prophecies of Scripture weren’t certain before, but they are now.  This is incorrect.  The Scriptures were retained by Israel because they had proven to be true, and the men who spoke them had proven to be true.  Of course, these proofs were in the past, but it was the national history of Israel and God’s revelation to them.

Thus, the proven, trustworthy Scriptures were now even more proven by the events surrounding Jesus.  Peter witnessed Jesus demonstrating his glory and power on that day.  It was a demonstration that underscored all that had been said and all that Jesus taught his disciples.  It was a demonstration that exampled what the glorified Jesus would look like at his Second Coming.  Thus, the effect of what Peter is saying is this.  The Scriptures were already sure, but now they are even more sure!

Because it is so certain, he tells them that they would do well to pay attention to it.  The clarity of God’s Word through the work and person of Jesus puts even more responsibility upon those who hear it.

Peter uses the imagery of a lamp in a dark place.  The eyewitness testimony of Peter, especially the written record of it, is the lamp here.  Jesus is the light of the world, but he told his disciples that they too were the light of the world.  This is because Jesus had witnessed to them of the Father.  Peter then could witness to others what was told to him and what he saw.  This lamp metaphor is very important.  The light does not come from Peter or from us.  We are simply containers.  Yet, we must be faithful to share the witness that we have received for the light of Christ to shine through us.  We also need to be careful to live a godly life as Peter has just exhorted us to do in order to be a light.  We today need to take up this torch of truth and continue to spread the light of God.

Of course, the dark place is this world.  Even after 2,000 years of the Gospel light of Jesus, we see humanity pursuing their own dark ways over the top of it.  It is as if they have fingers in their ears saying, “We don’t want to hear it.”  It is as if they have hands over their eyes, “We don’t want to see it!”

If we don’t pay attention to the revelation of Jesus found in the New Testament, then we will not do well (the failure to listen to Peter’s command in verse 19).  In light of what Peter said in verse 11, to not do well is to have the “entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [not] supplied to you.”  We ignore God’s Word to our own peril.

Not to pay attention to these things is to be shut out of His eternal kingdom.  To follow our flesh will lead to destruction, but to follow the Spirit of God will lead to eternal life.  In fact, both the destruction and the eternal life are partially experienced on those two alternate paths.  In many different ways, God supplies eternal life to those who believe, and the consequences of unbelief supply countless small destructions leading up to a final destruction.

In verse 19 we have the word “until.”  So, we would do well to pay attention to the witness of men like Peter “until” the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.  This represents an ending point to paying attention to the eyewitness testimony of Peter and others.  This may sound strange or even heretical, but there will come a day when we won’t have to read a passage about what Peter saw.  Why?  We won’t because we will witness something even greater.

The daybreak here is a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus.  All prophecy points to a coming in great glory, riding on the clouds.  This will be a spectacular event.  It is understandable that some may read the phrase, “the morning star arises in your heart,” as a reference to a person being saved (having faith in Jesus).  However, this does not make sense.  Peter would be saying that we should pay attention to his witness until we are saved.  This is contrary to all the other places that emphasize the importance of the Word of God in our Christian walk.  Jesus is the morning star, but he is also the glory of the dawning day.  The picture is of a person witnessing the glory and majesty of Jesus for themselves in an event that will remove the false governments of this world.  This is not talking about our salvation today, but about the solidifying in our hearts that will happen on that day.

No one will have to explain to you how glorious Jesus is anymore.  No one will need to convince you that his words are trustworthy and should be obeyed.  It will rise up in your hearts the same way that it did to the apostles as they received a glimpse of his glory on that day.

We are still before the “until” of this passage.  Therefore, we need to continue paying close attention to the witness of Peter and the other apostles.  We need to closely follow the words of God given to us by these men.

In verse 20, Peter reminds us that true prophecy (that was written down) has never been the result of a prophet’s own interpretation or idea.  In fact, that is the definition of false prophets and false prophecy.  There were many false prophets throughout the world and even in Israel.  Their words proved to be false and untrustworthy.  Those who truly heard from God were proven to be true and trustworthy.  Thus, true prophecy is not something men can make happen.  It can only have its source in God.

Israel often did not listen to the prophets while they were alive.  Yet, their words would prove true.  They didn’t listen then, but later they understood that the words were from God.  It also helped that there was always a remnant who clung to the words of God and refused to let them be lost.

Thus, Peter says that true prophecy was not made by an act of human will.  It came about as men were moved by the Holy Spirit.  The word moved has the sense of being carried.  Some use the image of a river, and this would be fair.  They were carried along by the current of the Holy Spirit to say the things they said.  However, it could also simply be the Spirit of God carrying them as a young child needs to be carried by an adult.  In themselves, they would have given up or fallen short, but the Holy Spirit carried them and enabled them to give the message that God the Father wanted Israel (and us) to have.

The death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus become the exclamation point on why His words can be trusted, and why the words of Peter as an eyewitness can be trusted.

We should recognize that not all false prophets are religious.  We have many voices today shilling truth to those who will listen.  They prophesy a coming dawn that is antichrist, not connected to Jesus (or at least the True Jesus).  They seek to lead the world into a new age by tossing the Jesus and God of the Bible aside and recreating them in a different form.

If we continue to listen to God’s word and follow the Christ of the New Testament, then we will do well and be abundantly supplied the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  What a day that will be!

Eyewitnesses audio

Equipped for Every Good Work

2 Timothy 3:10-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Our natural inclination is to think of a good work in a self-oriented way.  It is good if it helps me.  Yet, in this case, we are talking about good works that are defined by God.  They are works that He has for us to do.  Essentially, this is being an ambassador of His loving purpose for those who do not know Him.

In this passage, we have an older apostle, Paul, who is encouraging a younger Christian, Timothy.

Timothy had first learned to work alongside of Paul in ministry.  Later, he had learned to minister on his own without Paul present.  Yet, Paul could still connect with him later and write letters such as this one.  Paul has come to the realization that the end of his life is near.  Read 2 Timothy 4:6, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

Thus, Paul’s work will come to an end while Timothy’s continues.  Knowing this, Paul takes time in this letter to encourage Timothy for what lies ahead.

Let’s look at our passage.

Timothy carefully followed Paul (v. 10-12)

Earlier in this chapter, Paul pointed out that there would be perilous times in the last days.  He then describers the sinful things that will be happening.  So, when he gets to verse 10, there is a contrast between such people and Timothy.  Timothy was following Paul.

Just a side note, though it will be bad in the last days, not all people will be like that.  There will be a remnant of believers like Timothy who are following the example that has been set before them.

Some might think that this is a contradiction within Paul’s teaching.  He had warned many times against simply following men, yet here he commends Timothy for following him.

This is not a contradiction.  In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul clarifies what he is actually saying here.  “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”  Timothy had not been taught by Jesus.  However, Paul had been.  He received the Gospel and the Way of the Lord from Jesus and had trained Timothy in it.

Paul commends Timothy for doing well by following closely, or carefully.  Many Christians are not being careful about how they live their lives.  We are to follow the Lord, but God has put people in our lives who are spiritually mature in order to help us grow.  People are not saved in a vacuum.  There are those who have been on this path of becoming like Jesus for a while and can help them to learn the ropes of following Jesus.

Taking care and following closely involves paying attention and seeking understanding from God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and older saints.

Paul then lists various aspects of his life that Timothy was following closely: his teaching, manner of living, and his purpose.

Paul’s teaching, or doctrine, was received directly from Jesus.  He emphasizes this several times in his letters.  The Apostles were not teaching their own ideas.  Jesus had revealed the truth to them about what God was doing, and now they were teaching it to others.

Paul’s conduct or manner of living is next.  It is the idea of the course you are on and the way you live.  It is not detailed, but his letters speak for themselves.  How do you live your life?  We need to be a people of the Word of God, a people of prayer, a people who are seeking and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Timothy had also followed Paul’s purpose closely.  Paul lived to do the will of Jesus, not his own.  In fact, Jesus showed us this by only doing the will of the Father.  This is what the Lord’s prayer is all about.  “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” is not just praying that other people do it.  It is asking God to start in you.  It is God’s will that we be conformed into the image of Jesus, who is the perfect imager of the Father.  Romans 8:29 tells us that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.  How can we do this?  We do this by faith and the help of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s list continues, but becomes more about virtues that Paul exampled, and Christ commands.  Faith in Christ and the message of the Gospel is ultimately faith in God.  The next word is translated variously as patience.  It is a term that pictures patience as a long fuse with people and God.  A follower of Jesus should learn to control their temper.  Love is next.  Christians are to even love their enemies.  Of course, that does not mean that we condone everything they do.  Rather, we speak the truth in love and pray for their repentance.  Lastly, the word perseverance speaks of remaining under a heavy load in the midst of a tough calling.  When you serve Jesus, you will face some difficult things, things that test whether you are going to keep serving the purpose of Christ.

It is important to understand that the Gospel is not just about having a get out of jail free card.  It involves becoming like Jesus in our morals and life choices.  We can only do this by the help and power of the Holy spirit.  None of us do it perfectly, but as we keep our trust in Jesus, he perfects us.

Paul’s list then goes into the area of persecutions and afflictions (verse 11).  He mentions Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra.  In Acts chapters 13 and 14, we read about Paul’s time in these towns on his first missionary journey.  It was in Lystra that Paul had been stoned to death, and yet God spared his life.  On his second missionary journey, he meets Timothy in the area of Lystra and Derbe.  Timothy’s mom and grandmother had most likely become Christians.  However, they were Jewish.  They had taught Timothy the Scriptures from childhood (2 Timothy 1:5).  Before Paul’s arrival, they would have emphasized to Timothy the need to obey the Word of God while waiting for the Messiah to come.  Yet, Paul’s mission was to declare that Messiah had come.  It was in great affliction that the Gospel came to the area where Timothy lived.  Paul commends him for following his example in facing these.

They were not seeking out affliction and trying to instigate persecution from others.  Yet, they did not let the threat of persecution intimidate them in general, or in specific situations.

Verse 12 drives this point home.  “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  It will be different from one place to another and from one time to another.  Yet, it will happen.  If you follow Jesus, those who refuse to follow him will not like it.

Thus, believers must be careful of trying to protect their lives (their goods or their body) at the expense of the work of God, which is to reach lost people.  They can’t believe and follow Jesus if they never hear about who he is, what he has done, and what he will do for those who trust him.

Of course, we are where God has put us.  We may not face physical persecution, but it is here nonetheless.  Timothy didn’t shrink back and quit when he ran into it.  When we suffer for the sake of Christ, we are stepping into an elite group of righteous people down through the ages.

His course was not with evil men (13-15)

It is easy to go with the flow of society.  Paul does not envision the world becoming more and more like Jesus.  Though Christians are victorious in reaching the lost, the sin of this world will grow worse and worse.  Technology can enhance the evil that can be done, but there is another way that things become worse.  The Gospel is good, but to reject such a clear light is to damage yourself morally.  You become worse because you have rejected something that is even better than what had been revealed before it.

Paul speaks of two categories of those who will grow worse and worse.  The first is simply evil men.  It is clear that he is speaking of those who are outside of the Church.  The word translated as evil is broader in its range of meaning than our English word.  It’s root points to the pain that sin causes in the life of the sinner and those who they affect.

The second category is imposters.  These are those who are in the Church, but they are only pretending faith.  In the end, they are living for their flesh, but work to cover it up.  Paul had warned the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:29-30.  “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves [from outside] will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves [inside] men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

We must not be shocked by these things, but instead, learn to face them in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Church hasn’t been perfect through the years.  Much of it is because of imposters.  Yet, you have a personal responsibility for yourself and the Christians around you.  We must learn the Word of God for ourselves.  We need to pray and seek God so that we will know Him for ourselves, so that we can do the acts of faith that God has desired for us to do.

In verse 14, Timothy is told that he must remain in what he has learned.  The word for remain is the same word used in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you…”  This is the picture of dwelling in a place.  We are to stay living in Christ.  It is a living connection that Jesus pictures with a branch connected to the vine, a life-giving connection.

This is not just about content of information.  Timothy has learned Jesus Christ from Paul, but he has also learned Christ from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.  These all work together for our good.

Paul then reminds Timothy of the godly people who were used by God to teach him.  First, there was his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, which are mentioned in the first chapter of this book.  They had taught Timothy the Old Testament (the New Testament didn’t exist yet).  However, Paul then came along and taught them all the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah.  He became a spiritual father to Timothy.

You may hear this and think to yourself that it isn’t fair that you didn’t have such things.  Maybe your parents and grandparents were avowed atheists.  This reminds me of the argument often made by atheists to Christians.  They will charge people with only being a Christian because they grew up in a Christian home.  Of course, this is not a logical argument.  Many people raised in Christian homes are no longer Christian, and many people raised in atheist homes are Christians now.  Your hope is not based upon a perfect scenario, and you are not thwarted in faith by having a bad situation.  It comes down to this.  What will you do with Jesus?  Yes, your parents may have taught you wrong or abused  you.  But still, what will you do with Jesus?

We can hold on to imperfections in others and in our life as an excuse, but the truth is this.  You can believe in Jesus no matter how bad your life has been.  People are saved from all kinds of mindsets and situations.  The good news is that you don’t have to have anything to have Jesus.  You only need to trust him over everything else.  In fact, the Scriptures warn us that we will have to be prepared to let go of everything in order to have Jesus.

He must be a man of the Word of God (v. 16-17)

Moving forward, Timothy would need to be anchored in the Word of God.  Paul reminds Timothy that Scripture is inspired, literally “God breathed.”  The content came from God.  Yes, men wrote it, but they wrote what God inspired them to write.  The purpose of the Scriptures is to point us to Jesus so that we can believe.  In fact, Jesus is the ultimate Word of God.  It is he who goes forth from the Father in order to do what the Father wills.  May the Word form this same attitude and purpose in us.

Part of why Timothy should be in the Word has to do with its profitability.  It will bring good into our lives.  It brings good teaching.  It also brings reproof.  This word has the idea of convincing, or proving, what the Spirit is saying.  It is also good for correction.  Who doesn’t need correction?  The Word is our rule and guide for this.

Lastly, the Word trains us in righteousness.  Of course, when it comes to salvation, only Jesus has acceptable righteousness.  But, through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will use God’s Word to teach us the right things to do.

The goal of this is to be fully equipped for every good work.  The goal is not to get a degree with many letters after our name.  It is to equip us for whatever we may need to do.  It is not so that people can remark how perfect we are.  It is so that we can reach the lost and lead them to Christ.

You may feel like you are not equipped enough to do this.  You may feel like the pastor should do that.  However, God made you to be an ambassador of His good love for them.  Like the woman at the well, we can have only minutes of faith in Jesus, and yet, tell everybody we know about Jesus.  We can be used by God to reach others.

God has things for you to do.  Will you do them?  Will you seek Him for understanding what they are?  This is what is needed in these last days.  Let us throw off sin, and put on the righteousness of Jesus!

Equipped audio

The Kingdom of God- 4

Subtitle:  Living in the Kingdom of God

Various passages.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 6, 2025.

We have talked about the means of entering the Kingdom.  We do so by putting our faith and trust in Jesus.  We trust in who he is as the Lord and Savior.  It is he who has taken our sins upon himself so that we can be free from them.  He is giving us a taste of eternal life through the Holy Spirit, and will raise us up in the Resurrection of the Righteous in order to make us a completed testimony of His eternal life.

We are citizens of this strange, spiritual kingdom, that is very much unlike any other kingdom on this earth.  Today, we will look at what it means, what it looks like, to living in this spiritual kingdom.

Let’s look at some passages.

The Holy Spirit gives us life (Romans 8:11-14)

In this chapter, Paul is describing how our spiritual life is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit.  Verse 14 lays out the reality that we can only become the sons of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.  This is part of the life giving work of God’s Spirit.

He first leads us to see who Jesus is and our need to trust in him for salvation.  When a person responds with faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit does a real work of making us spiritually alive.  Thus, the Spirit works to put the life of Christ in front of us, and He does a spiritual work of making us a new creation, born from above.

This is foundational to our new life in this new kingdom.  I can know for certain, I can have faith in the fact, that the Spirit of God is giving me life, and will continue to supply spiritual life to me.  No newborn baby brings themselves into existence.  God is the One who makes us spiritually alive.  However, in the case of spiritual birth, there is a cooperation between God and the one becoming a spiritual newborn.  Thus, by our faith in Jesus, God gives us spiritual life.  Also, by our continued faith in Jesus, the Spirit continues to lead us in this new spiritual life.  Over time, this spiritual nourishment causes us to become more and more spiritually mature.

This is what Paul is talking about in verse 12.  He uses the idea of a debt on the heels of all the life that the Spirit of God is giving us.  The Spirit has brought us to Jesus, made us spiritually alive, and continues to nourish us with spiritual life daily.  We are in debt to this great act of love. 

On the other hand, some people live as if they are in debt to their flesh.  What has the flesh ever done for us?  The flesh drew us into sin and bondage.  It makes us guilty before God and without any power to save ourselves.    A Christian knows that the gracious work of God’s Spirit is giving us life over the top of a life of the flesh that only brought death into our lives.

Now, this is not a debt in the sense that we need to pay it off in order to come into the Kingdom, etc.  Rather, Christ died for us so that we might live.  We owe him our lives, so we live life for his purposes.  The Holy Spirit supplies that spiritual nourishment for us to do this work and become more like Jesus, a maturing process.  This is a debt of love that is never intended to be “paid off.”  He first loved us.  We will never fully reciprocate that love.  Yet, He still loves us!

Paul’s point is that a Christian should no longer live in order to satisfy the lusts of their flesh.  This self-focused life is a part of our old life before Christ.  We are to put those lusts to death, and choose to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We are led by the Holy Spirit in putting our fleshly desires, and the deeds that flow out of them, to death and replacing them with life-giving righteousness.

If you pay attention to the argument throughout the chapter, you will see that Paul has more in mind in verse 11 than spiritual birth and spiritual maturity.  He is looking ahead to a point in the future when Jesus Christ will resurrect the righteous by that same Spirit that raised him from the dead.  Paul is reminding us that this is a real spiritual work that impacts not only how we live today, but also our eternal future.  Our Christian life on this mortal plane will some day come to an end in death.  Our bodies will be laid in the grave, but our spirits will go to be with Jesus in heaven.  There we will await the day of resurrection.  When that occurs, we will receive a glorified body that does not grow old and die.  We will be immortal as Jesus is.  This is pictured as an inheritance that has been reserved for us by God.

Think of it.  If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, then you have nothing to worry about.  The Spirit is our source of life, even if our mortal bodies die.  We will live eternally in perfect fellowship with God.  We have fellowship now, but it is not perfect yet.  When we step into the eternal state, we will not have to take God by faith.  Instead, we will dwell with Him within His blazing glory and immediate presence.

Notice that Paul is using battle imagery here.  We do not fight against people and put human enemies to death.  Rather, we battle against our fleshly lusts, which are easily stirred up by this world and wicked spiritual forces.  Even bringing the Gospel to others can be seen as setting captives free from slavery in a wicked kingdom.

This may feel like a hopeless battle, but we are not doing this alone.  The more I learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit’s help, the better I will do at removing sin and replacing it with the righteousness of Jesus.

Our heart is like a garden.  In this mortal life, we will always have to weed out these lusts. We would like to believe that we could weed the garden of our heart so well that we never had a stray thought or desire ever again.  This is not the case.  You will not be perfect and complete like that until the resurrection.  Yet, we should take heart.  The task of putting our lusts to death becomes easier with daily focus.  Once a garden has been weeded, it requires much less energy if we check it every day.  However, if you “take a break from weeding,” or only periodically have a fit of weeding, you can expect that it will be spiritually taxing all of the time. 

Matthew 7:24-25.  At the end of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus gave us a different image of this same thing.  Our life is pictured as the building of a house.  If we build our life by trusting in the teaching of Jesus, then our house, our life, will withstand the coming storm.  However, if we do not build our life upon the teachings of Jesus, then our house will be destroyed by the coming storm.

The storm can be applied to the difficulties of this life.  The cares and difficulties of life can test our faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus.  They come along and test just how well we have been building.  Yet, I do believe that Jesus has a different storm in mind.  He is speaking of the time of judgment after this life is done.  We will stand before God.  This is the ultimate test of whether our house will stand or not.  My house is all of the ways that I have lived and the reasons for why I have done what I have done.  Only those who have truly listened to Jesus will survive it.  Of course, none of us do it perfectly.  Jesus is not talking about a person who never made a mistake.  In fact, building can sometimes be analogous to warfare.  You wrestle with the imperfection of the building materials in order to get things in a good relationship to one another.  A perfect house that has no imperfections, subtle or otherwise, doesn’t exist.  However, many good houses do exist.  No matter how beautiful the house, if it is not built upon the foundation of the teachings of Jesus, it will not survive the Judgment.  These two images of a spiritual battle and a spiritual building are both important and simply two different ways of looking at the same thing.

A disciple of Christ is devoted to Jesus

As a disciple of Jesus, we need to stay close to the master so that we can learn from him.  A disciple is devoted to the master and his wisdom, his way of life.

A disciple will be a student of the Bible.  In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul encourages Timothy in the work ahead of him.  He speaks of the “sacred writings” that Timothy had known from his youth.  In verse 16, he refers to these sacred writings as the Scriptures.  Of course, Paul is talking about the Old Testament (note: the New Testament was being written at that time).  The same is true of the New Testament, but let’s put that point aside.

Paul wants Timothy to remember that the Bible is given to us to do several things in our life.  He first points to the teaching we receive through the Bible.  The disciples of the days of Jesus were taught directly by him.  Each day, he would take time to teach them his way of living versus the way they had been living on their own.  We do not have the luxury of this same relationship.  Of course, Jesus teaches us through the Holy Spirit, but he is not physically in our lives.  Thus, the Word of God becomes even more critical for us.  The Bible is a confirmed and sure teaching from God through Jesus and his apostles.  We don’t have to guess at how to live for Jesus.  We can read it and obey.

All Christians should make sure that they are reading the Bible each day.  The Spirit of God will help it to be profitable to us spiritually.  It teaches us those things that we don’t know.  Not all of us were like Timothy, being taught the Bible by a mom when we were young.  It will take time to learn what Christ wants us to learn.  However, a little each day will slowly build up over time.  We will not just grow in what we understand, but then the Holy Spirit will teach us how to live those things out in our life.

The Bible is also profitable for reproving us.  This is the idea of convincing us, or proving something to us.  This is a natural part of all learning.  It is not enough to be able to regurgitate an answer on a paper test.  We have to be convinced of the truth, the wisdom, of Christ in order to live life as he commands.

The Bible is also good for correction.  It can correct bad ideas, poor choices, and bad habits that we have built up through the years.

Lastly, Paul mentions that it is profitable for training in righteousness.  There are two ditches that Christians can fall into in this area of righteousness.  We can make the mistake of thinking that our salvation and hope is based upon how well we live righteously.  We can focus on lists of things that we can’t do and things we can do.  The emphasis is that it is all on me.  The other mistake is the opposite.  This view basically surrenders to the point that we cannot be righteous like Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross to be my righteousness.  Therefore, I shouldn’t diminish his perfect work by trying to do righteousness myself. 

This sounds better and sees everything resting upon Jesus.  However, it misses one thing: the purpose of God.  God did not set us free from our sins so that we could just go on sinning, but now without consequences (tongue-in-cheek “Praise the Lord!).  Yes, only the righteousness of Jesus can pay the price of our sins and save us.  Yet, God saved us in order for us to be trained in the righteousness of Jesus.  Training involves a lot of messing up, but also, getting up and going back into the battle of learning.

Some people shy away from this out of a strange sense of trying not to diminish God.  They are stuck in seeing all righteousness about being saved.  However, once we have been made alive in Jesus, we can now follow the Spirit as He leads us to do the righteousness of Christ.

Why do Christians do the things they do?  If we are simply doing good things so that our Christian friends will remark how much like Jesus we are (for social image), then we are only trying to live a Christian life from the leading of our flesh.   Getting our name on a building and feeling good about ourselves around other Christians are not the “good works” for which the Holy Spirit is equipping us.  A true disciple of Christ does what they do because the Spirit of God is prompting them as they read the Word and in other ways that we will see.  They are being led by the Spirit out of love for Christ.  This is what makes their works acceptable to God.

A disciple of Christ is devoted to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.  This is given to us in the Bible.  Thus, the Bible can be seen as our textbook, and life can be seen as our homework.  Yet, there is another area that is important for a disciple.

A disciple will be a person of prayer.  Philippians 4:6-7 points to the importance of prayer for the disciple.  Prayer is communication with God.  It may seem strange at first because God is Spirit and speaks to us in ways different than we have experienced.  In truth, we should prayerfully read the Word of God.  It is a spiritual book breathed forth by God through faithful men.  We should not think that we can understand it without God’s help.  “Lord, help me to hear what you are saying to me today.  Lead me; guide me, and help me to live for you!  Give me some homework today so that I know what I should be working on.”  This is how we should approach the Bible.

That said, a disciple of Jesus needs to set aside time to pray.  There are different kinds of prayer.  This passage really focuses on 2.  An acronym that is used for types of prayer is ACTS:  prayers of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Petitions). 

Paul is focusing on the anxiety that believers can have in this life.  He points to our ability to request, or petition, God for the things we need, or at least, we think we need.  The believer who lays such requests before God should also do so with a heart of Thanksgiving.  Paul sees this as a great source of peace for the believer.

Requests by their very nature can easily deteriorate into whining and complaining.  We can grow angry with God when He doesn’t do exactly what we want, or even does the opposite.  This is why Thanksgiving is so important, as well as prayers of adoration and confession.  These kind of prayers keep us grounded in the truth of who we are when we approach God to ask Him for something.  In the end, we are the recipients of His great love.  Before you ask God for anything, make sure that you take time to thank Him for all that you have.  In fact, a thankful heart never treats a request as a means for God to prove His loyalty and love.  Jesus proved the heart of the Father at the cross.  Prayers of Thanksgiving ground our requests in the goodness and faithfulness of God.  Like a child, we can ask our heavenly Father.  Yet, we can also rest in the knowledge that that request will be filtered through His love and wisdom.

Intercession is prayer for someone else.  This too is the kind of prayer that helps ground requests to ourselves in something other than fleshly desires.  As we pray for others, we also see ourselves in them.  We recognize why God may say no to us at times.  He might even say yes, but not now.  Regardless, it is ours to make our request known, and then to rest in the peace that His Holy Spirit wants to give to us.  This peace will guard our hearts and minds from the thoughts and fears that we can have.  Thoughts and fears like Eve had when she listened to the serpent.  “God doesn’t really care about you.  He only wants to hold you back from something good.”  This is a lie that the serpent spun for our first parents, and he is still spinning that yarn to this day.  Have you ever believed it?

Prayer is the ground where we humble ourselves and talk with God.  No one prayer time will fix all our questions and problems.  It is a daily and lifelong communion with Him that will only be perfected as we go into eternity.  If we don’t spend time touching base with the master, then we will not become more like him.  Thus, it is not enough to read about Jesus.  We need to spend time in prayer talking with him.

A disciple will take their place in the family of God.  In Hebrew 10:24-25, the writer tells believers not to forsake the assembling together.  He even points out that some people in those days were doing exactly that.  They became believers, joined the Church for a season and then, they walked away.

This can be for various reasons.  Some people are walking away from Jesus, and so, walking away from the his Church is the natural second action.  Others convince themselves that they still believe in Jesus, but they think they don’t need other believers.  Perhaps, someone said something that hurt them.  Or, maybe, they are just reclusive.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that part of being together is to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”  We should be prayerfully considering how we can encourage other believers, and they should be prayerfully considering how to encourage me. 

This is what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do.  Thus, a person who walks away from a body of believers is refusing the leading of the Spirit.  Of course, there are some churches that you may need to flee.  They are a cult or have allowed the flesh to corrupt the leadership and activity of the church.  Regardless, we need to go somewhere.  You can say that you can’t find a place, but that is usually a cop-out.  The Holy Spirit will lead you somewhere, and that somewhere will not be a place peopled by perfect Christians who never make a mistake.

Why will you not step up and let the Lord work through those relationships to make you more like Jesus and to make them more like Jesus?  The answer is in our flesh.  The solution is in dying to the desires of our flesh and saying yes to the desires of Jesus.

The Church is like a family, a family of God.  We have to learn how to say that we are sorry.  We have to learn how to say that we forgive.  This is not easy, and we can be stubborn.  Yet, may God help us to become quicker and quicker at yielding to the teachings of Jesus.  There is life in it.

When we humble ourselves through prayer, we may with frustration say that we don’t see what God sees in those other people.  However, the Holy Spirit will remind us that we also don’t see what God saw in us.

When we give mercy to others (even undeservedly), we are actually making the case for why others should have mercy on us.  If you don’t have mercy on others, do not think that you will receive mercy from God when you stand before Him on Judgment Day.

All of this to say that a true disciple will learn to take their place in the body of Christ.  They will learn to receive and give stimulus that leads us all to love others and to do the good works that God has for us to do.

Of course, this is a hard thing to do.  It can be intimidating and uncomfortable.  We may even fear doing it.  However, this is God’s signature.  You were made to be able to do things far beyond your comfort level.  Every little boy who thinks about growing up and working 40 to 60 hours a week can balk at growing up.  Every teenage girl who thinks about giving birth to a baby and raising a child can be intimidated at the thought.  However, God made little boys and little girls to grow up into men and women.  It may be scary, but there is a greater good in it that we can’t understand until we’ve done it.

In the end, it is the same as our salvation.  A disciple who has faith in Jesus will trust that Jesus will help them to join other Christians and live for him.  Somehow and someway, we can become family by the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

These are not the only ways to show our devotion to Jesus.  However, they are very important things that we need to embrace by the Spirit’s help.  May God help us to be devoted followers of Jesus!

Kingdom of God 4 audio

Such Love IV

Subtitle: Let's Be A People of the Word

2 Peter 1:12-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

We continue looking at the love of God, particularly as it pertains to salvation.  We have talked about the Incarnation, that God loved us enough to take on the nature of a human.  We then talked about Redemption and the fact that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price of redemption for humanity.  Last week, we looked at God's love in pouring out His Holy Spirit and dwelling within believers.

This leads us to our subject today, God's love displayed in creating the Bible, or the Scriptures.  This is not a gift that is intended to be received and then put on a shelf in order to gather dust.  We are intended to become a people of the Word.  That is, just like we should want to be a people of the Spirit of God, so too, we should want to be a people of the Word of God.

In fact, I would say that it is impossible to be a person of the Spirit, and at the same time, not be a person of the Word. I say this because a growing number of people emphasize that they are spiritual, but not religious.  I would suspect that the Bible is tossed into the "religious" side of their equation. However, the Spirit will point us to the Word, and the Word will point us to Jesus and the Spirit that he has made available to us.

Let's look at our passage.

The experience of the disciples

At the beginning of this section, the Apostle Peter recognizes that his decease, or departure, is nearing (v. 14-15).  It is clear that he is speaking of death from the added language of "putting of [his] tent."  These were clear metaphors that no one seriously rejects.  This has put in his heart a determination to make sure that they will "always have a reminder of these things" (v. 15) after he is gone.  Yes, he is alive now reminding them of what he had taught them, but he will not be alive in the future.

Interestingly enough, Peter uses a word for his upcoming departure that we know as the word exodus.  It is most known because of the second book of the Law of Moses, Exodus.  The word has the idea of a way or road out, and is often translated as departure.  The book of Exodus is about Israel's departure from Egypt, and here Peter sees his coming departure from Earth.  This word is used only three times in the New Testament.  It is used here and in Luke 9:31 where Elijah and Moses appear in glory and speak to Jesus about his "decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."  The word for decease there is "exodus" in Greek.  The third place is in Hebrews chapter eleven where Joseph on his death bed reminds the families of Jacob that God has promised them an upcoming exodus from Egypt.

This is important because Peter uses several words that clearly connect to the Transfiguration in Luke 9, which he clearly speaks about in verses 16-18.  We will look at this in more depth in a moment.

So, how did Peter ensure that they would always have a reminder after his personal exodus?  First, he taught and preached the Gospel to churches, pastors, and bishops.  Though he would depart, other faithful people would be left behind to continue the work.  They do not so much take his place as carry the work forward.

Second, Peter is making sure a written record of his teaching is left behind.  Thus, we have the two letters of Peter.  His first letter is addressed to Christians who have been dispersed into the area of Asia Minor (Modern Turkey) due to persecution.  This second letter is basically written to anyone who is a Christian.  These are not just highly personalized letters from one individual to another.  They represent the basic teaching of the Apostle Peter, along with his sermons recorded by Luke in the book of The Acts of the Apostles.  On top of this, tradition teaches that Mark's Gospel has the Apostle Peter as its main source.  In 1 Peter 5:13, Mark spent enough time with Peter to be referred to as "my son," by him.

I believe that this is why Peter brings up the next section.  In a sense, you could ask this question.  Who wants to read a book from a first-century Israelite fisherman?  In verses 16-18, Peter establishes his credentials for caring about his teaching making it to the next generation and beyond.  An amazing outflow of God's grace has been given to him, and he feels the duty to ensure that it continues after his death.

Peter could have made a long list, but he focuses on one event, what is called the Transfiguration.  This is the word that Luke uses to describe this event.  Mark uses different words, but it is clear that they are describing the same event.  Peter, James and John see the face of Jesus transfigure, or rather transform, into a glowing, shining face of heavenly glory.  Even his clothing is described as becoming white as snow and glowing.  I always picture a mantle on a gas lantern when it is lit.

Now, there is a powerful parallel between the Transfiguration/Transformation event and what happened at Mt. Sinai in the book of Exodus.  The literary ties are too many to overlook.  There is a cloud of God that comes down on the mountain, God's voice is heard audibly from heaven, it is in the context of a new covenant being made between God and His people on earth, there is a mediator of that covenant, and witnesses to the powerful glory of God present, there is a mention of a tabernacle, and we could list more.

When Peter tells people about the power and future coming of Jesus in glory, he is not just following a cunningly designed story that he heard or made up.  He is an eyewitness, along with James and John, of a singularly amazing event.  Hebrews tells us that Moses was faithful as a servant of God to build the House of Israel for God.  Yet, Jesus is faithful as a son building his own house (the Church).  Jesus is not just another Moses.  He is the Greater Moses, just as he told the people "a greater [one] than Solomon is here."  Just as Moses took Joshua partway up on the mountain with him, so the Three disciples become witnesses to a greater glory of God.  Moses is enabled to see the back of God's glory, but the Three are enabled to see God's glory in the face of Jesus.  Of course, Jesus in human form is a mitigated form of the absolute glory of God.  Yet, the event signals that in some way we have been enabled to see the face of God, when mortals really cannot do so and live.  I could go on, but you get the drift.  Moses saw God's glory, but Jesus is the glory of God, the exact image of His person.  In Jesus, we have been given a glimpse of the glory of God.

The Three would go back and tell the other nine disciples what they saw.  Of course, the nine had seen some amazing things as well.  They saw Jesus walking on the water.  They also saw Jesus stand up in a boat and say, "Peace, be still!"  When the wind and waves immediately stopped, they were shocked.  "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”  They didn't see the Transfiguration, but it was in keeping with what they had seen.  They would have quickly believed.

The Twelve would go forth and speak these things to the people of Israel.  Yes, there were some that wouldn't admit any miracles of Jesus, but many knew there was something different about Jesus.  They had watched him heal people blind from birth, lame from birth, lepers, demon-possessed people set free, thousands fed with just a little food in the wilderness.  They may not have seen Jesus do all the things that the apostles did, but it would fit with what they knew about Jesus.  This is why the resurrection of Jesus was eventually believed by thousands of early Judeans.  Over 500 people had seen Jesus after the Resurrection.  With such evidence stacking up, it is hard to really claim conspiracy, lying, and trickery.  Just as something amazing happened to Israel in the desert and they came out a nation with laws and religious service to which they all agreed, so the early Christianity cannot be explained by natural means.  Something amazing happened in first century Jerusalem, and it has changed the destiny of humanity!

The Transfiguration to the Crucifixion to the Ascension is a Mt. Sinai moment in which the glory of heaven comes down, meeting with His people, and makes a new covenant with them, really with whosoever will believe upon Jesus as the Christ.  Jesus doesn't just talk with God; he is revealed as the very glory of God itself.  Peter thus speaks of him receiving honor and glory from the Father when He spoke at the Transfiguration.

There are few times that it is clear in the text that God audibly speaks.  Typically it is in a dream, a vision, or through an angel.  Peter hears the voice of God say, "This is My Beloved Son.  Hear him!"  This is essentially the same message as at the water baptism of Jesus, except it adds that last part.  Any Judean of the day would have recognized the term My Son.  They would not have connected it necessarily to being divine, but as being the Messianic offspring of David promised by God in 2 Samuel 7:14.  God promises David that One from his line would be a son to God and God would give him a forever kingdom.  This is also seen in Psalm 2 where the nations of the earth are chafing under God and His King Messiah.  They are warned to kiss the Son before his wrath rises just a little. 

The imperative to listen to Jesus may not have been as quickly recognized, but it is clearly tying back to Deuteronomy 18, where Moses tells Israel that a prophet like him will come later.  He tells them that God will require it of anyone who doesn't listen to this prophet.  Thus, God the Father goes on record before three mortal humans that Jesus is the Messiah and the awaited Prophet who would set up the New Covenant, like Moses had done before.

This is a kind of layered witness.  The whole nation saw amazing things from Jesus, Caiaphas included. A smaller group (the 500) saw even more amazing things than they.  The Twelve saw even more amazing things than the 500, and the Three saw the most amazing things of all.

The prophetic Word of God 

This powerful first-century witness of God's work in Israel leads Peter to then speak of the prophetic Word of God.   Such experiences as Israel had in the first century were the foundation to the Scriptures that Israel received from Moses. This was not a bunch of guys sitting around unable to explain the weird world around them, and coming up with a story to keep the masses under control.  This is modern man's explanation of religion, but it is not God's explanation of where religion comes from.  The Old Testament and the New Testament were proven to be the very Words of God by the spectacular, more spectacular, and most spectacular events that happened with Israel and an amazing mediator at the time.  This is then further added to by prophecy that points forward to things that couldn't be known in advance, and yet come to pass.

In verse 19, there is a question about what exactly Peter is saying.  He is either saying that the events of Jesus, especially the Transfiguration, have made the Scriptures even more sure, or, he is saying that the Scriptures are even more sure than his experience on the mountain.  I don't buy the argument that Peter sees the Old Testament as greater than his experience.  Like I said before, Moses wrote the Torah, The Law, in response to a great, spectacular event with God at Sinai.  It was revelation from God in the same vein as Peter, James and John experienced.  It wasn't a science of man that discovered either the Law or the Gospel.  It was a revelation of God.

This brings up the issue of science.  True science can powerfully discover how things work, and how to build technology to do things.  However, science can never tell you if you should do something.  What do you put in a petri dish to determine right and wrong, yes and no?  You are left with men making their best guess, which is a recipe for disaster.  When it comes to the heart of man and his spiritual condition, we need more than science to help us.  We need the revelation of God, which is exactly what Peter received.

Peter was an eyewitness, even an earwitness, of God's revelation.  The Old Testament was completely reliable before, but with the revelation of Jesus it is even more proven than it was before.  This would apply to the writings of the Apostles as well.  What they would write would be the blazing light of truth, powerfully confirmed in the first century as being from God.

If you don't think Peter thought of the writings of the apostles as Scripture, then note chapter 3:5 in this same letter.  There he points out that scoffers are twisting Paul's words in his letters just as they did the "rest of the Scriptures."  They knew that they were righting down the Words of God, just as Moses knew that he was doing so.

In verse 19, Peter tells believers that they would do well to pay close attention to the Scriptures.  The verb here is an intensive looking into something that is important to you.  It is important for believers to spend time in the Word of God.  If you want to know God, then you will want to read His Word because it was written for our benefit.

Peter says that they should do this "until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."  The "until" is a terminus to what he has talked about before.  Revelation 22:16 tells us that Jesus is the morning star.  So, does Peter mean that we should pay close attention to the Bible until we come to faith in Jesus, and then we won't need it any more?  I don't believe so.  The key is in noting the need for a light in a dark place.  It is true that we need the light of Jesus internally, and the believer receives such at salvation.  However, there is always a sense of "now, but not yet" with things pertaining to believers and the Church.  We are transported into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love, yet that kingdom is not fully realized on the earth.  We become the children of God, but our sonship will not be fully realized until the Resurrection. 

On top of this, we are still surrounded by a dark world in which we are shining the light.  Thus, the rising of Christ in our hearts and the Day dawning finds its complete fulfillment in the Second Coming of Jesus.

Lastly, I would say that darkness is not always associated with moral wickedness.  It is also associated with the lack of understanding in regards to the things prophesied in Scripture.  As long as believers do not have the full light of fulfilled Scripture, i.e., there are still prophecies to be fulfilled, then we need to pay close attention to God's Word, Old Testament and New Testament. 

Some people do  not buy this argument.  They have developed a sense that we have the Spirit of God, so we can just dispense with the Bible.  They see it as passé.  Does Peter make it more clear t hat we should not toss our Bibles and simply follow the Holy Spirit?

I believe this passage and others nip this idea in the bud.  In verse 20, Peter states that no prophecy came about from a person's own interpretation.  This is speaking of an idea that originates from within themselves.  Instead, the Scriptures (Old and New) came from the will of God, the Holy Spirit moving holy men to write.  Do you want to know what did come from the will of men?  False teaching and false prophecy came from the will of men.  Ultimately, even the false prophet is being led and played by the teachings of demons. 

On top of this, Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the Scriptures as being inspired.  The word is literally "God-breathed."  Of course, the breath of God is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.  This is exactly what Peter is saying.  The written Word of God, i.e., the Scriptures, are a product of the Holy Spirit's work over 1500 years.  Why would the Holy Spirit not want to use the holy and spiritual book that was purposefully made for the faith of believers?  Will the Holy Spirit simply start over from scratch with each new believer and try to compress all of that work into your life span?

The Apostles who were filled with the Holy Spirit focused themselves on the ministry of the Word.  They encouraged believers to pay close attention to the Word, and commended those who made sure that preaching lined up with the Word.

It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and that the New Testament is the Old Testament Revealed.  This is true, but we can miss the understanding that the New Testament is shining light precisely upon the Old Testament.  Without spending the time to know what the Old Testament, you will miss much of what the New Testament says.  In truth, God's Word will put in your heart and mind the concepts and ideas that will give the Holy Spirit leverage within your soul.  Through it, we work with Him in taking possession of our soul, and obtaining the wisdom of God in salvation for us and our community.

It is the Holy Spirit that illuminates our understanding in regards to Scripture.  This work will never end while we are in these mortal bodies.  Thus, let us be a people of the Word of God and a people of the Spirit of God.  Some have acted as if these are in contention, but I believe that I have shown that they cannot be so.

Some have put down being led by the Spirit and emphasize the Word of God only.  Yet, on the other extreme, there are those who over-emphasize being led by the Spirit, even referring to the Bible as being an old, stale word from the Lord.  Yes, we want to hear from the Lord in our hearts and minds, but this process will be fraught with pitfalls and errors if we are not a people steeped in God's Word.  Thus, this is a false dichotomy.

Without the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures will fall on deaf ears when it is spoken and preached.  This is where we should remind ourselves that Jesus is the Word of God long before there was anything to write on.  The Scriptures are a mediated picture of the Lord Jesus himself.  They point to him and help us to keep from getting off track as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  This is God's love, plan, and purpose for us.

The Pharisees are forever proof that quoting a whole book of the Bible and having a graduate degree in theology cannot save you.  Paul stated that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6).  If you focus on the words without the Spirit of God, then you will end up being a Scripture twister like all of the other false teachers.  Humble yourself by the Spirit, and ask the Lord to help you hunger for His Word, and gain understanding by it.  Let's be a people of the Word!

People of the Word audio