The Groundwork of Our Growth
2 Peter 1:12-21
12 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you {already} know {them} and have been established in the truth which is present with {you.}
13 And I consider it right, as long as I am in this {earthly} dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
14 knowing that the laying aside of my {earthly} dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you may be able to call these things to mind.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”–
18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And {so} we have the prophetic word {made} more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is {a matter} of one’s own interpretation,
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.(NAS)
Intro. The Battle for the Truth!
1) Starts first in our own hearts and minds as our sinful nature wants to lead us away from the truth of God’s Word and His love.
2) The Battle continues as we struggle in our relationship with God and begin to stray from His word and listen to the lies of Satan and this world.
3) The Battle is lost if we do not remain and hold onto the truths of God’s Word!
Prop. Are you feeling the painful struggle of knowing the Truth? The only place we can find Truth is in the Word of God! Is your life grounded in His Word of Truth?!
1. The Ground Work of Truth – vs. 12-15
A. Built on the Reminders of Truth – vs. 12
– Peter was “Always ready to remind” us
– Never taking for granted the firmly established Truth (cemented)
B. Built on the Rightness of Truth – vs. 13-14
– The rightness in stirring up our minds
– The refreshing in the stirring (the Lord’s Supper)
C. Built on the Reality of Truth – vs. 15
– Our life’s effort is to share the Truth
– God’s Truth is eternal and gives our lives purpose!
**Enriching Every Sphere
Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him.
Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth.
—Henry G. Bosch
2. The Ground Work of Testimony – vs. 16-18
A. The Eyewitnesses Testimony – vs. 16
– Not cunningly devised fables, no tricks or lies involved – 1 Cor. 1:17-24, 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. 18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not {come to} know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.(NAS)
– The disciples, Peter, James and John saw – Matt. 17:1-5
B. The Eyewitnesses of His Glory – vs. 17
– Received glory from the Father
– Received Majestic Glory from the Father
C. The Ear-witnesses Testimony – vs. 18
– The Voice of God heard!
– The Verification Audibly of God’s Pleasure in His Son
3. The Groundwork of Trust – vs. 19-21 (Illumination, Revelation, Inspiration)
**Solomon As Better Judge
When William Jennings Bryan went to call on the father of his prospective wife and seek the hand of his daughter in marriage, knowing the strong religious feeling of the father, he thought to strengthen his case by a quotation from the Bible, and quoted the proverb of Solomon: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing” (Prov. 18:22).
But to his surprise the father replied with a citation from Paul to the effect that he that marrieth doeth well, but he that marrieth not doeth better. The young suitor was for a moment confounded. Then with a happy inspiration he replied that Paul had no wife and Solomon had seven hundred, and Solomon, therefore, ought to be the better judge as to marriage. —C. E. Macartney
A. The Certainty of Trust in God’s Word – vs. 19
– The Testimony of Christ certifies the prophecy of God’s Word
– The Testimony of the Light of Christ in our hearts, Isa 9:2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.(NAS)
**John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
**Eph 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (NAS)
B. The Credibility of Trust in God’s Word – vs. 20
– The revelation and interpretation is from the Holy Spirit
– Thus the understanding and preaching must come from the Holy Spirit
“Scripture is not only man’s word, the fruit of human thought, premeditation and art, but also, and equally, God’s word, spoken through man’s lips or written with man’s pen. In other words, Scripture has a double authorship, and man is only the secondary author; the primary author, through whose initiative, prompting and enlightenment, and under whose superintendence, each human writer did his work, is God the Holy Spirit.” – The New Bible Dictionary
C. The Communication of Trust in God’s Word – vs. 21
– God’s Communication entrusted to us – 2 Tim. 3:16
– Our Commitment of Trust in His Word! Three rich men set out to NY Grand Hotel
“After arranging their belongings in the proper order, the three men put on their tweed suits, left the key at the desk and were off to see New York City’s high spots. Hours went by and the three began to get weary; so they headed back to the hotel. At the lobby desk they were told the elevator had developed some complications and was not able to take them upstairs. They were given the alternative of either walking up twenty-nine flights of steps or sleeping in a small, less luxurious room on the second floor. The three huddled together and decided to take the long walk upstairs and enjoy the comforts of their own room; so up they started.”
2 Tim 3:16
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;(NAS)
The Groundwork of Our Growth – 2 Peter 1:12-21
Intro. The Battle for the Truth!
1) Starts first in our own hearts and minds as our sinful nature leads us away from the truth.
2) The Battle continues as we struggle and begin to stray from His word listening to the lies of Satan and this world.
3) The Battle is lost if we do not remain and hold onto the truths of God’s Word!
Prop. Are you feeling the painful struggle of knowing the Truth? The only place we can find Truth is in the Word of God! Is your life grounded in His Word of Truth?!
1. The Ground Work of ______ – vs. 12-15
A. Built on the ___________ of Truth – vs. 12
– Peter was “Always ready to remind” us
– Never taking for granted the firmly established Truth (cemented)
B. Built on the ___________ of Truth – vs. 13-14
– The rightness in stirring up our minds
– The refreshing in the stirring (the Lord’s Supper)
C. Built on the __________ of Truth – vs. 15
– Our life’s effort is to share the Truth
– God’s Truth is eternal and gives our lives purpose!
2. The Ground Work of ___________ – vs. 16-18
A. The Eyewitnesses ____________ – vs. 16
– Not cunningly devised fables, no tricks or lies involved – 1 Cor. 1:17-24
– The disciples, Peter, James and John saw – Matt. 17:1-5
B. The Eyewitnesses of ____ _______ – vs. 17
– Received glory from the Father
– Received Majestic Glory from the Father
C. The ________________ Testimony – vs. 18
– The Voice of God heard!
– The Verification Audibly of God’s Pleasure in His Son
3. The Groundwork of ________ – vs. 19-21
A. The ____________ of Trust in God’s Word – vs. 19
– The Testimony of Christ certifies the prophecy of God’s Word
– The Testimony of the Light of Christ in our hearts, Isa. 9:2; John 8:12; Eph. 5:8
B. The ______________ of Trust in God’s Word- vs. 20
-The revelation and interpretation from the H.S.
-Thus the understanding & preaching from H.S.
C. The Communication of Trust in God’s Word – vs. 21; 2 Tim. 3:16
– God’s ______________ entrusted to us
– Our Commitment of Trust in His Word! Trust is the Key!
Bible Study Questions for
The Ground Work of Our Growth – 2 Peter 1:12-21
1. Why did Peter spend his last time on earth reminding us of the importance of Truth? Vs. 12 Why was it right for him to do so? Vs. 13 How is this reflected in what we are to do today? Heb. 10:24-25 What is the reality of the truth in comparison to our life on earth? What is eternal, and what is eternal?
2. How can you know that what you believe is true? What are some of the things that cause you to doubt the testimony of God’s Word? Paul wrote in 1 Cor.1:17-24 the reasons the Corinthians could trust his message; write down the reasons and apply them to us today. Do you struggle believing what you are being told by news media and officials today? What is the difference of the eyewitnesses and ear-witnesses of God’s Word? What witness do we have in our own lives? Vs. 15-18
3. What difference does Trust make in our walk of faith? Can we really grow spiritually if we don’t trust and obey the word of God? How does the testimony of the light of Christ in our lives elevate our trust in Him and His Word? What makes the Word of God different from any other writing we read? 2 Tim. 3:16; vs. 20-21
4. Why did God entrust His word to us? What is your commitment of Trust in God’s Word? Who is the assurance that we can read, understand and grow in God’s Word? Write a prayer to the Lord asking that you might truly grasp the significance of being entrusted with His infallible Word? Ask Him for the ability to fully trust in the power of His Word in your life!