A.      How many times do you need to hear the old, old story of Jesus?  If you love the Lord, then you love to hear His story and all of the word of God as often as you can so that your faith is constantly renewed, built up, and strengthened.

B.      As we enter this third lesson from 2Peter, we will see that Peter intended to repeat and remind his readers of the precious words of life in 1:12-21.

II.      READY TO REMIND YOU

A.      Peter’s readers already knew the truth, but he sought to remind them again (1:12).

                                                             1.      The phrase “these things” in verse 12 refers to the things stated in verses 1-11, especially the necessity of practicing faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (vv. 5-7).

                                                             2.      Peter acknowledged that his readers already knew these things and were established in the truth, and yet he still reminded of these things as a way of stressing their vital importance (they are necessary for entrance into the kingdom of Christ, vv. 10-11).

B.      The purpose of Peter’s reminders was to “stir up” his readers and strengthen their memories (1:13-15).

                                                             1.      The notion of stirring up the reader is repeated in 3:1, where Peter wrote, “I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.”  The idea seems to be that the truth that we already know tends to settle into our minds, and therefore our minds need in an occasional stirring to remind us.

                                                             2.      Peter used this occasion to stir up the minds of his readers because Christ had revealed to him that his death (“the laying aside of my earthly dwelling”) was imminent.  He intended to repeat these truths so that these words would still echo in their minds when he was gone (“after my departure”).

III.   EYEWITNESS OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

A.      Peter and the other apostles spoke of that which they knew, for they were eyewitnesses of Christ (1:16).

                                                             1.      Peter and the others did not invent the story of Jesus Christ, but rather they testified of that which they saw with their own eyes – His power, His coming, and His majesty.

                                                             2.      Notice that the apostle John made similar statements about the apostles personally witnessing Jesus.

a.       John wrote, “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24).

b.       He also wrote, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life--and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also…” (1John 1:1-3).

B.      In particular, Peter recalled the events of Christ’s transfiguration (1:17-18).

                                                             1.      On that occasion, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain where His true glory was revealed to them (Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36).

a.       On that mountain, Jesus was changed in form so that “His face shone like the sun and His garments became as white as light” (Matt. 17:2).

b.       At the same time, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus, and they were discussing His departure (lit. His “exodus”).

c.        Upon seeing this, Peter impetuously requested that he, James, and John could make a separate tabernacle to honor Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

d.       While Peter was still speaking, a voice spoke from a bright cloud and said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”  This testimony by the Father rightly elevated Jesus above Moses and Elijah.

e.        After these events, Jesus told the three that they were not to tell anyone of what they had seen until after His resurrection.

                                                             2.      Notice that by the time Peter wrote his second epistle, he had witnessed many miracles and wonders throughout many years, including the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, but it seems that the transfiguration of Jesus still stood out in his mind as the most profound revelation of the true nature of Christ’s glory.

IV.    CERTAINTY OF THE SCRIPTURES

A.      The testimony of Peter and others who witnessed the Lord ensures the truth of the prophets (1:19).

                                                             1.      The “prophetic word” refers to the Old Testament Scriptures that foretold of the coming Christ and His kingdom.

a.       The theme of the Old Testament is the coming of the Christ.  Through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc., the Scriptures record God’s providential work of bringing about the redemption of mankind from sin.

b.       It has been estimated that there are more than three hundred prophecies of the Christ in the Old Testament, and all of them are fulfilled in Jesus.

                                                             2.      The veracity of the Old Testament message was already certain, but the testimony of Peter and the others regarding the majesty of Jesus serves to increase our confidence in the prophetic word of Scripture.

                                                             3.      Therefore, we do well to heed the prophetic word until the light of Christ shines in our hearts.

a.       The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament.  In order to understand the New, we must learn from the Old.  Remember, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).

b.       Just as we would focus our attention upon a lamp burning in an otherwise dark place, so also we should focus our attention upon the prophetic word of Scripture.

c.        By doing so, the Scripture will lead us to the daylight of Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote that “the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ” (Gal. 3:24).

B.      The prophets did not speak of their own volition, but rather they were moved by the Holy Spirit (1:20-21).

                                                             1.      Peter wrote that no prophecy of Scripture (same as “the prophetic word” in v. 19) is a matter of one’s own interpretation.

a.       Scripture has an absolute meaning.  It is not intended to mean one thing to one person and a different thing to someone else.

b.       When Peter said that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Scripture, it was not his personal interpretation, but rather it was absolute truth.

                                                             2.      The reason for this is that the true author of Scripture was not man but the Holy Spirit.

a.       No true prophecy was ever made according to the will of men.  Just as Peter “did not follow cleverly devised tales” (v. 16), neither did the prophets.

b.       When the prophets spoke and wrote, it was not of their own creation, but rather they were “moved by the Holy Spirit.”

i.         The word “moved” is from the Greek pherō, and it gives the idea of being impelled like a sailboat that is moved by the wind (pherō is used this way in Acts 27:15, 17).

ii.        Paul wrote that “all Scripture is inspired by God” (Greek theopneustos, meaning “God-breathed”) in 2Timothy 3:16-17.  Peter wrote that the Spirit of Christ was within the prophets in 1Peter 1:10-12.

iii.      Paul explained how the Holy Spirit searched the depths of God and revealed to inspired men “things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard” (1Cor. 2:6-16).

V.      CONCLUSION

A.      These words regarding the truthfulness of the apostles and the prophets serve to prepare Peter’s readers for his next message, which is about the dangers of false teachers.

B.      In our next lesson, we will consider 2Peter 2:1-9 – “False Prophets, Part 1.”