 Second Peter chapter one we're gonna look at verses 16 through 21. Let's begin reading at verse 16. I'll read to verse 18 and we'll get into our study. Second Peter chapter one beginning at verse 16 reading to verse 18. The apostle Peter writes for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of His majesty for he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain and so there are many things there are many things that can make a church a group of people gathering together in the name of Jesus Christ in the same location there are many things that can make a church less than it was designed by God to be if you read your New Testament you'll see that many of these things are outlined for us a church can leave its first love a church can become a place of impurity a church can become apathetic complacent living in a world that is going to hell but the church doesn't care a church can become filled with strife it can have so many different sins and these all work effectively to undermine the testimony of that body that group of people who profess faith in Christ these things can work together to undermine the influence that that church has in the community it serves a great example of a church that went in the wrong direction is the church in Corinth when you study the the books of first and second Corinthians you'll see that that the Apostle Paul actually had to write to correct the number of errors and problems that the church began to experience when you look at first Corinthians you'll see that he has to deal with certain things he dealt with things like division the Corinthians were guilty of comparing teachers he had to deal with sexual immorality he had to answer questions related to marriage idolatry the role of women in the church they were misused in the spiritual gifts there were questions concerning the resurrection there was a misunderstanding concerning personal stewardship there were so many errors that you found that were that were rampant in the church of Corinth it was losing its its testimony and these problems that that Paul had to deal with there in the Corinthian church were the direct result of false teachers who had infiltrated and were undermining the foundations of their faith that's why Paul would say to them though you may have 10,000 instructors yet you have but one father I begot you in the gospel that's why he would say imitate me even as I imitate Christ it's because there were false teachers who infiltrated and in doing so we're undermining the life of the church there in Corinth and and you see these kinds of things that are undermining the effectiveness of the church you see them in various epistles as a matter of fact and the majority of the epistles that you find the letters the word epistles simply means letter the majority of the letters that you find in the New Testament the majority had to deal with error that was creeping into the church you see that in first and second Corinthians you see that in Galatians and Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians you see it in first and second Thessalonians and first and second Timothy and Titus James and first and second Peter you see it in first second and third John you even see in the book of Revelation insight concerning the beast and mystery Babylon the false prophet and so what you have in the majority of the books of the New Testament is the writers dealing with very early in the history of the church error that is creeping in and undermining the effectiveness of the church and undermining the body of Christ that's what happens with error bad doctrine will always produce poorly lived lives and the devil has a way of planting tears amongst the wheat in order to undermine the work of God false teachers have begun to infiltrate the church here in second Peter and so even as the Apostle Peter begins to introduce this portion of Scripture I want you to notice what he's doing because it may be subtle and you may not notice it but I want you to see notice in verse 16 because he's dealing with false teachers notice in verse 16 how he says for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of his majesty he is identifying himself with the other apostles when he says we we did not follow he's speaking of himself we are an eyewitness what he's doing is he's establishing his authority it's called apostolic authority because he's writing and he's writing as notice and eyewitness to actual events he speaks of cunningly devised fables what he wants to do is he wants to reveal to them that he did not follow some humanly devised clever clever myth he didn't follow some story about God he's an eyewitness you see your faith arrests not on what others have said about faith but what you have personally experienced in your faith there are a lot of people who can speak concerning the faith that somebody else has and they can even give their testimony when they want to oh yeah this guy was into this and he was into that or she was doing this or she was doing that you ought to hear their testimony and they can say that but the Lord doesn't want me to be able to give somebody else's some other human beings testimony he wants me to have a testimony he wants me to have something that I know that I have personally experienced so that I can speak as an eyewitness so I can say this is what I know because this is what God has done what we've ended up doing it seems to me in the church today unfortunately is we've many people who claim the name of Christ and say that they're born again in reality I've never had an experience with God they really don't know him if Jesus came and sat next to him in the pew during a church service they get a little upset because he was sitting too close they don't even know them they haven't a relationship with him I have to tell you that is the condition of many in churches this morning who don't have a fellowship with God haven't spoken to him yet today don't read his word don't like to worship they don't give they don't serve they don't do any of that and yet if you speak to them oh yeah I love Jesus and oh really how often are you with him how much do you know how well do you know him well I really know him don't call him to question my faith and that's what we have today people have substituted religion for relationship or religion that isn't going to bring him to a strong faith in Christ is simply the ritual they receive from their their parents who handed it to them and they'll hand the same thing to their kids they have nothing of substance because they don't have a relationship with him Peter didn't speak that way Peter said we have seen we know because the apostle Peter actually had an experience with Christ in the book of Acts you see in chapters 3 and 4 you see an amazing miracle I'll be looking at it tonight as a matter of fact as we look at the gift of faith but in the book of Acts you see an amazing miracles recorded in chapters 3 and 4 of how that Peter and John come into the temple during the hour of prayer there's a man who's there who's crippled for 40 years and and Peter performs a miracle and the man is able to walk leap praise God and people begin to gather around looking at the apostle Peter thinking that he has some intrinsic holiness or goodness or power and and he has to begin to preach and share with them no he's not standing here because of any good is in me he's standing here because of Jesus when that takes place the authorities are really upset over what has taken place at this man who've been crippled for 40 years who had been a regular individual who was there at that gate called beautiful so everybody knew him and now he's walking and leaping explained to us how this happened and as they're sharing they finally say the authorities say I don't want you speaking anymore in the name of Jesus and and that's when the apostle makes it clear and says you know whether it's right in the side of God for us to stop talking about about what God has done while you decide but he says and it's found in acts for 20 we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard that's a key you might want to mark that acts for 20 we cannot help but speak the things which we have seen and heard in other words we know the gospel we know the testimony Jesus said we walk basically Peter saying we walk with Jesus for three years three plus years we have heard the gospel we understand it and that's what we're sharing but it's not just that we have we have heard we have seen and heard in other words I'm giving to you that which I received I delivered to you what that which God gave to me I'm giving to you something real I am an eyewitness of Jesus Christ not somebody who heard a story of one who was dead in and came to life I saw it I have personally experienced it I'm not giving to you a cunningly devised myth I'm not telling you a humanly fabricated story about the gods I'm telling you what I've seen listen if you want to have a powerful ministry you have to speak about what you have seen and heard not just what you've heard but you know pastor day was sharing on Sunday these things now it's got to be deeper than that it's what I have experienced with God and I know these things are true I know it's true so I've heard it yes but I have seen it I know that God moves I know God transforms lives I know God forgives sins I am living proof of that is what you can say that's a testimony and that's what God wants for us I don't rest in what I've heard somebody else say I rest in the gospel but I rest in what he's done in my life and so I have seen and I have heard so he's an eyewitness and he's communicating that the gospel is true now when speaking of myths or fables the New Testament ordinarily uses the word negatively in 1 Timothy 1 verse 4 Paul said nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith 1 Timothy 4 7 reject profane and old wives fables exercise yourself toward godliness tied as 114 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth so he say we do not follow cleverly devised myths we're not following these fables we are eyewitnesses of his majesty I am an eyewitness to real events this didn't come through hearsay this didn't come through legend we saw his glory and we'll see it once again reveal to us and he speaks of it verse 17 he received from God the father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased so he refers to the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ when when Jesus received baptism and the spirit descended as a dove remained on him and God spoke Luke 3 22 says the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him and a voice came from heaven which said you are my beloved son in you I am well pleased and so he's I I was there from the big beginning when Jesus Christ was baptized the voice from glory spoke to him you are my beloved son but he also speaks in verse 18 in this way we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain that's another incident that is what is found in Matthew 17 it's called the transfiguration where the Lord Jesus Christ before Peter James and John was transfigured shone and was glorious in the voice of the Lord once again spoke there that was the preview of his glory as the king and it was the transfiguration itself that transformed that mountain into a sacred place and he's saying we have seen this and we have heard this and we are our witnesses he says that we received he received glory at the transfiguration then he moves on and he says in verse 19 we also have the prophetic word made more sure which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of men but holy men of God spoke as they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit and so we have a more sure word we have the prophetic word made more sure scripture is a better witness than my simple experience I speak what I've heard and I speak of what I've experienced but what I have experienced has to align with what I've heard or else I can enter into error the false teachers were bringing in something that wasn't sure and thus was undermining the faith of believers so there needs to be God's word that is the foundation and the experience that lines up with God's word that's why in the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 there in that upper room and they were baptized in the Spirit the church was birthed they poured out of that upper room into the surrounding courtyards and and people who were there to celebrate Pentecost heard these people speaking in languages they'd never learned began to mock saying these people are filled with new wine this is something that's crazy going on here they're all drunk and that's why the Apostle Peter could stand up and say men of Israel these men are not drunk as you suppose in essence he's saying it's so early in the morning there are no bars open and they're not drunk at all but this is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel who said in the last days I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughter shall prophesy and he goes on and shares out of Joel chapter 2 so this spiritual experience that occurs that we see fulfilled in the day of Pentecost has a biblical explanation so whatever spiritual experience I have needs to have a spiritual scriptural foundation that's why he's speaking concerning the more sure word the prophetic word of God you see the Old Testament prophesied concerning the one to come the Messiah and that's why we study through the word of God now some people did study the word and missed him in John 5 39 and 40 Jesus said you diligently studied the scriptures you ransacked the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life these are the scriptures that testify about me yet you refuse to come to me to have life the Old Testament prophets prophesied concerning Messiah the words were fulfilled in Jesus Christ now when you read or study or perhaps hear a message you'll hear different words that are used to describe what are called the communicable attributes of God so you you hear words like he's omnipotent he has all power you hear words that he is omnipresent meaning he's everywhere simultaneously and and there's another word that that you are familiar with it's omniscient meaning he has all knowledge there's nothing hidden from him all things are revealed and open in scripture this this attribute of omniscience is actually used God uses his all knowledge his ability to know the past as well as the future he uses that as a challenge against false gods because he says to false gods you don't have the power to tell anything of the past or the future so if you could improve yourself to be a God and it was a challenge to the to the guys who were to the people who are going to the false prophets and saying tell me what the future holds for me and then they would try to divine the future for them through a various occultic manners and things and and so God actually brings a word of challenge to these false prophets and the false gods in various places in scripture including Isaiah 41 20 1 through 24 where God says present the case for your idols says the Lord let them show what they can do says the king of Israel let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence or let them tell us what the future holds so we can know what's going to happen yes tell us what will occur in the days of head ahead then we will know you are gods in fact do anything good or bad do something that will amaze and frighten us but no you are less than nothing and can do nothing at all those who choose you pollute themselves you can't do anything this is a direct challenge from God through the prophet Isaiah to the false gods and false prophets that were polluting the land during the days of Isaiah and God says you cannot say anything about what the future holds because you don't know you see Satan doesn't have omniscience Satan cannot prophesy that's why if you call Cleo or whoever's now on that psychic hotline and you ask what does my future hold that that's why they don't know that's why they they can't know even if they say give me that ring let me divine from that ring oh you received this ring a long time ago how can you tell and how did you know that did you have a dad yes wow how could you know that and people are they're gullible I mean they listen to basically anything that's being said and all did you cry when you were a child yes the Spirit is telling me because you were sad oh bad was I ever that's right the Bible contains prophecy prophecy is pre-written history and only an omniscient God can tell us what the future holds as an all-knowing God he gave to us prophetic scriptures this is what the Apostles talking about telling us what the future would hold in Isaiah 46 9 and 10 God says I am God there is no other I am God there's no one like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done he's saying I have the ability to tell you what the future holds and nobody else can't so when you read your Bible you'll discover that God spoke concerning future events related to Messiah from Genesis 3 15 through the Old Testament you find quite a number of prophecies that relate to Messiah you'll see that Messiah was to be a descendant of Abraham Messiah is from the tribe of Judah Messiah will be an heir to David's throne Messiah will be born in Bethlehem Messiah will be born of a virgin will be preceded by a forerunner Messiah will be betrayed by a close friend he will be sold for 30 pieces of silver Messiah will stand silent before his accusers ultimately crucified between criminals that he would be pierced through his hands and his feet so the fact of prophetic fulfillment is a powerful testimony of scriptures divine origin there's an individual by the name of Peter W. Stoner every time I read Stoner I remember my old friends before I got saved but anyway Peter W. Stoner who wrote a book entitled science speaks Peter W. Stoner you can look it up science speaks and he was a man who was interested in the science of probability and in this particular book he writes concerning the odds of any one man fulfilling even eight of the prophecies that were written in the Old Testament and what was the probability of Jesus Christ to fulfill well some say up to 300 prophecies the the numbers I've seen will rank anywhere a range anywhere from 272 up to 300 prophecies what is the probability of the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilling even eight of those prophecies and so Peter W. Stoner in his book science speaks was writing concerning the probability and this is what he wrote he said if you mark one of ten tickets and place all the tickets in a hat and thoroughly stir stir them and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten now suppose that we take ten to the 17th power that would be ten with 17 zeros following suppose that we take ten to the 17th power in silver dollars and lay them on the face of the state of Texas how many of you have been through Texas I just want to know how many of you have flown over the state well it's a huge state it can take you three days to go from the West to the East that's how huge the state is I mean you'll drive all day and you're still in Texas then you drive the next day you're still in Texas and wondering why and then you go to the should have flown and then you go to the third day and you finally make it from these it's a huge huge state it really is so stoner says take the state of Texas and fill it with silver dollars two feet high two feet high the entire state of Texas take one silver dollar and put an X on it and randomly somewhere in that huge state discard that silver dollar blindfold a man put him in Dallas and have him go out into the state of Texas to find that one marked silver dollar with the entire state two feet deep in silver dollars the chance of him finding that one silver dollar is equal to the chance of one man fulfilling eight of the prophecies that Jesus Christ fulfilled it is beyond human probability unless the word of God is a more sure word of prophetic accuracy Jesus Christ did not simply fulfill eight you fulfilled many many many more than simply eight the probability well what it is this donor was making the case for the fact that the Bible is divinely inspired and it is and it is and that's why the Apostle Peter would say that we have a more sure word but okay I've got the Bible and the Bible is a more sure word yes it speaks of Jesus and so what well he has an application I want you to see this when he says in verse 19 we have a we have the prophetic word made more sure he goes on to say this which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns in the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first that no prophecy of scriptures of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit okay listen he's saying do you believe the word of God well he's writing to a group of people who aren't to their believers in Christ having never seen them yet they love them so he's saying well then you ought to listen to what God has to say you have a more sure word not only is it important for me to read the Bible it is important for me to live what it says because there are a lot of people who say they believe but they don't live what they say and the apostle would be saying listen you have a more sure word of prophecy is both concerning Messiah all that Jesus would do all that matters how he can forgive you of your sins and how he can cleanse you from all your unrighteousness how he can transform your life and give you hope and peace and joy how he could prepare a place for you and return to take you to be with him there's so many sure words of prophecy so many beautiful promises but you need to take heed to you need to listen you need to do these things Jesus is passing through a crowd and a voice of a woman rings out blessed it is the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you nursed Jesus looked in her in her direction says yes and more blessed is the one who hears the word of God and obeys it yes my mama was blessed of course blessed above women that she bore Messiah yes more blessed is the person who hears the word of God and keeps it Jesus is speaking on one occasion it's a very famous portion found in Matthew chapter 7 speaking concerning two men who are building houses one on sand and the other on a firm foundation storms hit the house built on sand is overwhelmed by the storms the house built on the rock remains firm and stands because one heard the word and did nothing the other heard the word and obeyed and what he's saying very simply is it's not enough to hear you need to act you need to do yes blessed is my mama undoubtedly she bore Messiah yes more blessed is the one who hears and does and that's what God calls us to do it's not enough for me to know he wants me to know and to do and that's that's what it's all about you have a prophetic word that's made more sure God's word is firm and it's true and God has brought his light through his son Jesus Christ his word provides light for those who believe someone 19105 your word is a lamp into my feet and a light unto my path Proverbs 623 the commandment is a lamp in a and and the law a light reproofs of instruction are the ways of life he's saying without Jesus the world is darkened because of sin and therefore keep God's word and notice until the day dawns in the morning star rises in your heart hold fast to Jesus until he comes and completes all that he has promised to do you see like Paul said in 1st Corinthians 1312 now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face now I know in part but then I shall know just as I also am known God is giving to me like to walk in walk in his light and avoid the darkness the night is nearly over Paul said in Romans 1312 the day is almost here let us put aside the deeds of darkness put on the armor of light and so the Bible studies that we attend and we we have on our own when we do our devotions are intended to communicate the light of God because because we walk in a very dark world the world that says light is dark dark is light bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter up is down and down is up in a world that has created its own form of morality and feels that we're foolish for not falling in line with it Peter says no God gave you the word so that you can walk in the light walk in the light awake now that sleep is Christ will provide light for you you see no prophecy of scriptures of any private interpretation scripture didn't originate in man's imagination it's not subject to private conjecture scripture speaks for itself because it's a written record of God's communication to man and scriptures not to be taken out of context and arbitrarily interpreted by individuals as is the case with false teachers who twist the word of God to their own destruction you'll say later you see prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as the spirit moved them or carried them along all prophecy originated with God God moved consecrated men who loved and served him it's like what what Paul said in 2nd Timothy 3 16 and 17 all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting training and righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work God moved men God moved men to write men like King David men like the Prophet Jeremiah men that would move by the spirit of God like Moses and others to write words from God that were communicated to us scripture is divinely inspired and it's a sure word because God is its author and God does not lie so it behooves us as believers to not only know the word of God but to live it because it's in the living of the word of God that gives us something to give to those who don't know him because to live is to be able to give to not only have heard but to be able with the Apostle Peter to say we can't help but speak concerning the things that we have seen and heard we have a relationship with God and by the way I'll close with this thought that is the condition of many today who only can speak about things they've heard but they cannot speak of the things that they've seen because they and this is not a condemnation or a judgment it's just a fact because they don't spend time with Jesus if Jesus came into a church service that they were attending and sat close to them they'd get upset because this guy's too close to me they wouldn't even recognize him because they don't know him they've only heard but the Apostle Peter said nah we have seen and we have heard we have a personal experience with God I guess I would ask all of us in this room to make sure you can say both of those things it's not enough for someone to walk out on a Sunday morning and say well I've heard Jesus isn't going to ask you whether you heard Jesus if he asked anything would say but have you seen have you seen have you seen him because if you haven't seen him then what are you doing with what you've heard because you need to have both guys you need to be able to say I can speak to you about what I was and what I am and I can give you the reason is because of him but I was with this what I am is this and I am this because of what he's done in my life I can speak of what I have seen I can speak of what I have heard and that's what the Apostle is saying when he said we are eyewitnesses we heard the voice of God when he said this is my beloved son I'm not following a cleverly devised myth I am telling you as an eyewitness Jesus Christ is alive because he's in my life and I'm communicating him to you that's what Peter would have us to know today I pray that you can do the same