Okay, so as Graham said, we are back in our series on 2 Peter, to know and live out the truth.
Okay, and this is the second part of the series.
We had a little break last week for our church weekend, our church weekender.
And I want to start with a question, okay?
Okay, maybe a bit of a silly question, but I ask that you indulge me.
As you may know, I'm used to talking to the kids up here.
I normally have them all here, and it's a lot easier.
I find it a lot easier to speak to them than all you guys sitting way back there.
So do you have a bucket list?
Okay, and this is not a list of all the different peels that you might have,
or the Scots word for bucket, meaning bin.
It's probably quite useful to have a bucket list,
because there are so many different bins that we have to use nowadays,
and, you know, all the different times that they have to go out.
But yeah, a bucket list is really a list of things that you want to do before you kick the bucket.
So are there things you really want to do before you die?
Okay, and I wondered if you might indulge me and give a little bit of answers here.
So I looked up on the internet, you know, a list, a bucket list,
and I've found 10 things that seem to be the most popular things that people want to do before they die.
And I'd say this is probably, you know, it's probably more younger people,
and it's probably more American, being that I found it on the internet.
Okay, what do you think I might have found on this list?
What do you think I might have found on this list?
What are the kind of things?
Bungee jumping.
That is one that's right there.
Yes, bungee jumping.
Skydiving.
Yes.
Wasn't there, but yeah, that is the kind of thing.
Scuba diving.
Okay, not in the top 10, but I'm sure it's further down there.
Other things?
What do you think?
Yeah, you're right.
Swim with dolphins, it's up there.
Not quite not.
I think that's probably a bit too ambitious for most people.
Yeah, there's certainly travelers on there.
Yeah.
Okay, let's have a quick look.
Let's have a quick look.
What are the...
I don't know if you can read that.
Okay, so yeah.
Swim with dolphins.
Learn a new language.
See the northern lights.
Bungee jump.
Go on a cruise.
Ride a hot air balloon.
Go skydiving.
Get married.
Visit a volcano.
See the Grand Canyon.
Okay, these are the things that people want to do before they die.
And I came across this story just the other day.
Somebody who left it quite late to go skydiving.
Okay, this was a 100-year-old lady who went skydiving.
But for some reason she thought, yes, I want to do this before I die.
And she did.
She said she wasn't going to do it again, though.
She just...
I think she was fine.
Yeah, but she didn't want to do it again.
So yeah, there are things that people want to do before they die.
Now, why am I, you know, telling you all this?
It's because Peter, in verse 14 here,
tells us that he knows he's going to soon die.
Okay?
Because I know that I will soon put it aside
as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
He's talking about his life.
He knows he's going to die soon.
So what is he going to do?
What are the things that he wants to get done before he dies?
Well, writing this letter is one of the big things that he wants to do.
And this letter Peter wrote is really his final statement to the church,
reminding them of the truth and countering various accusations
that were leveled against the apostles' teachings at the time.
Okay?
And I'm sure you won't be surprised that we too need these same reminders.
Okay?
To the very same truth that Peter was reminding his readers at the time.
Okay?
And the same accusations that the apostles faced then are still around today.
So I wonder, if you knew you were soon going to die,
what would you want to do?
Or what would you want to say to people?
What legacy would you want to leave?
Okay?
And Alistair kicked off our series, like I said, two weeks ago,
looking at the first 11 verses and summed them up with this sentence.
And I thought it would be right for me to remind you of this.
And that's a word that you're going to hear a lot tonight.
Okay, so this is how he summed up the first part of the letter.
Because God has given us everything we need for a godly life,
we must make every effort to live a godly life
in order to confirm our calling and election.
Our salvation is a gift from God.
It all comes from him.
And we, in return, we need to respond to God's gift of salvation
and grow in his love
so that we won't end up being ineffective and unproductive.
This was one of the things Peter wanted to remind his readers about.
Even though, as he goes on to say in verse 12,
they knew this truth and they were firmly established in it.
And I suspect that is the case for most of us here tonight.
We know the truth of the gospel
and we're probably pretty firmly established in it.
But we still need to be reminded.
It seems to be human nature
that we so easily forget all that God has done for us.
So tonight I hope that we will all be reminded
of the great truth of the gospel.
And in this section we're looking at this evening,
I think the main reminder is
that we need to remember
we can trust God's word.
Jesus will return in power.
Remember, we can trust God's word.
Jesus will return in power.
Okay, we can trust God's word.
We can trust God's word spoken through Jesus,
through the apostles and through the prophets.
And for us, that means we can trust the Bible.
Peter was trusting Jesus's words in verse 14
when he said that he knew he was soon going to die.
Okay, if we look in John chapter 21,
this is what it says.
This is when Jesus had appeared after his death.
He'd come to Peter and he was really restoring Peter.
You know, Peter had denied him three times
and Jesus says to ask Peter,
you know, do you love me?
You know, feed my sheep.
Okay, and then this is what he goes on to say.
Jesus said, feed my sheep.
Very truly, I tell you,
when you were younger,
you dressed yourself and went where you wanted.
But when you are old,
you will stretch out your hands
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death
by which Peter would glorify God.
Then he said to him, follow me.
And Peter lived by Jesus's words.
He trusted Jesus with his life and his death.
And as his circumstances changed,
he was aware his time has now come.
And he wants to remind the church
to keep following the truth.
And he needs to deal with some of the false accusations
that are going around.
In verse 16, we...
In verse 16, we see this first accusation
that Peter deals with in his letter.
So verse 16 says this,
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories
when we told you about the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ in power.
But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
So the accusation is that Peter and the other apostles
have just made all this stuff up
about Jesus coming back again.
It's just a cleverly devised story.
But Peter is clear that it's not the case.
And he lets his readers know
that he and others were eyewitnesses
to Jesus's majesty.
And they even heard a voice from heaven
confirming who Jesus was.
He is, of course, referring to the transfiguration,
which is recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
So let's now remind ourselves of the transfiguration.
Let's read Mark chapter 9.
You'll find this in the Pew Bibles on page 1012.
So yeah, Mark chapter 9, starting at verse 2.
Page 1012 in the Pew Bibles.
Okay.
After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him
and led them up a high mountain
where they were all alone.
There he was transfigured before them.
His clothes became dazzling white,
whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses
who were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus,
Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.
Let us put up three shelters,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
He did not know what to say.
They were so frightened.
Then a cloud appeared and covered them,
and a voice came from the cloud.
This is my son whom I love.
Listen to him.
Suddenly, when they looked around,
they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain,
Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone
what they had seen until the Son of Man
had risen from the dead.
They kept the matter to themselves,
discussing what rising from the dead meant.
So, why the transfiguration?
Peter was witness to many of Jesus' miracles.
He saw Jesus when he appeared again
after his resurrection,
and he was witness to Jesus' ascension,
where he went back up to heaven.
So, why out of all of these things
that he could have chosen,
why does he choose to reference the transfiguration?
I think it's because this is the one time
that Peter saw Jesus as he truly is.
Jesus wasn't just a man.
Jesus was also God.
And Peter saw Jesus in his majestic glory,
as we all will one day,
whether we're trusting in him or not.
For those of us who are saved
through Jesus' death and resurrection,
it will be a wonderful day.
For those who are not,
it will be a terrible day of reckoning.
And last weekend,
with Jonathan Lamb,
it was a great reminder
of how we should be living
in light of Jesus' return.
Okay, if you weren't there,
or you haven't seen the videos yet,
it's very easy to watch them
on our YouTube channel,
and I would recommend that you do that
if you haven't seen them.
It's a great reminder
that Jesus is coming back,
and a great reminder
of how we should be living
in light of that.
Peter also
tells us that he heard God's voice.
And this is what the voice said.
It said,
this is my son,
whom I love.
With him,
I am well pleased.
God the Father
is confirming
that Jesus is his son,
and that he loves him,
and that he approves
of what he is doing.
This was a crucial time
for the disciples,
as Jesus had just started
telling them
of his coming death.
And they needed the reassurance,
or the reminder,
that Jesus was on the right path,
and they could trust him
and follow him.
But,
why should we believe Peter
when he claims these things?
Well,
first of all,
there are three witnesses
to the transfiguration.
It wasn't just Peter
that witnessed this.
And the same goes
for most of the miracles
and the miraculous events
in the Bible.
Many different people
claim to have seen Jesus alive
after his death.
It wasn't just Peter.
And when the New Testament
was written,
many of these witnesses
would still have been alive.
This stands in stark contrast
to other religions,
where there will only be
one witness
to the supposed miracle
or message from God.
Take Islam, for example.
Muhammad was the only one
to witness the angel Gabriel
speaking to him
and telling him
what to write in the Quran.
Or Mormonism.
Joseph Smith,
he was the only one
who was able to translate
the golden plates
which the Book of Mormon
supposedly came from.
Christianity stands apart
in that it has
multiple witnesses
to its miraculous events.
Okay, another reason
that we have to trust
the accounts in the Bible,
particularly around the apostles,
is just how unflattering
the records are
about them.
And Peter,
especially,
comes off rather badly.
He is the one
who all too often
sticks his foot in it.
In his rush to be first,
he often does
or says the wrong thing.
Even in the transfiguration,
he manages
to make a bit of a fool
out of himself.
We see that
in
verse 6,
verse 5 and 6.
You know,
he blurts out this
sentence,
Rabbi,
it is good for us
to be here.
Let us put up
three shelters,
one for you,
one for Moses
and one for Elijah.
And then we're told
why he said this.
He did not know
what to say
because they were
so frightened.
Okay,
does that seem to you
like a cleverly
devised story?
Okay,
it doesn't
to me.
And throughout
the Gospels,
you get the same thing
with the other
apostles too.
They argue
they often
get things wrong.
Okay,
they often
had little faith.
They got scared
and they ran
away.
Does that seem
like a cleverly
devised story
to you?
Okay,
I don't think
it's what we
would come up with
if we
wanted to be
the new leaders
of a new
movement.
Surely you would
want to make
yourself out
to be better
than you really
are.
You would
want to look
like the kind
of leader
worth following
so you could
take over the
mantle
from your leader
who is gone.
But I guess
it is
possible
that the
apostles could
have all
gotten together
and fabricated
a story
about their
leader coming
back to life
just so they
could keep
his following
going
and even
said that he
was going
to come
back again.
It's possible
but I think
there is good
reason to
doubt that
that could
have happened.
There's a
famous quote
about the
authenticity
of the
resurrection.
And I've
been aware
of this quote
for quite
some time
but it's
only very
recently
that I
learned about
the man
who said
it.
it's about
Watergate
which is the
original scandal
that had
this word
gate in it
that has
given birth
to all sorts
of scandals
over the
years.
Just recently
we've had
Partygate
that's been
in the headlines
a lot
and now all
of a sudden
I'm seeing
Beergate
seems to be
the latest
scandal.
I wonder
does anyone
know
when the
original
Watergate
happened?
Anyone
remember it?
Know when
it happened?
Very close
72.
So it's
50 years
this year.
50 years
next month
that the
original
Watergate
scandal
happened
and for
anyone who
doesn't
know
Watergate
is the
name
of the
building
that was
broken into
by people
acting on
behalf of
the then
President
of the
United
States
of
America
Richard
Nixon.
And they
broke in
there so
they could
spy on
his political
rivals
the
Democrats
and there
was a
massive
cover-up
and it
all got
way out
of hand.
And here
is the
quote.
I know
the resurrection
is a
fact
and
Watergate
proved it
to me.
How?
Because
12 men
testified
they had
seen Jesus
raised from
the dead.
dead.
Then they
proclaimed
that truth
for 40
years,
never once
denying it.
Everyone
was beaten,
tortured,
stoned,
and put
in prison.
They would
not have
endured that
if it
weren't
true.
Watergate
embroiled
12 of the
most powerful
men in the
world and
they couldn't
keep a lie
for three
weeks.
You're
telling me
12 apostles
could keep
alive for
40 years?
Absolutely
impossible.
Now this
quote isn't
just from
someone looking
on at
Watergate,
at the
Watergate
scandal,
and coming
to this
conclusion,
but rather
it was from
someone deeply
involved,
this guy,
Charles
Coulson.
He was
an American
attorney and
political
advisor who
served a
special
counsel
to
President
Richard
Nixon
from
1969
to
1970.
He was
once known
as Richard
Nixon's
Hatchet
Man.
He gained
notoriety at
the height of
the Watergate
scandal for
being named
as one of
the Watergate
Seven and
also for
pleading guilty
to obstruction
of justice.
And in
1974 he
served seven
months in
prison for
this obstruction
of justice.
however,
in 1973
he became
a Christian
and his
midlife
conversion
sparked a
radical life
change that
led to the
founding of
his ministry,
Prison Fellowship
and then
Prison Fellowship
International.
This is the
power of the
gospel.
When the
newspapers at
the time first
heard of his
conversion,
many of them
said it was
a made-up
story just so
he could get
out of some
prison time.
But eventually
when it became
clear that it
was true that
he had become
a Christian,
one of the
newspapers said
about him
that if even
he could
repent of
his sin,
then there's
hope for
all of us.
you see,
the truth of
the gospel is
a real
lived-out
experience.
Peter
experienced
Jesus'
transfiguration
where Jesus
was changed
and his
majesty was
there to be
seen.
But we
can experience
the transformation
of the gospel
and it's good
to be reminded
of that.
it's one
of the
reasons that
baptisms are
so great.
To hear
people's
testimonies,
to see them
want to
proclaim that
they are now
followers of
Jesus and
to tell us
how God
has transformed
their lives.
It's good
to be reminded
of the
transformational
power of
God's words.
So yes,
we can
remember,
sorry,
we remember,
we can trust
God's word.
Jesus will
return in
power.
The apostles
didn't make
it up.
So,
what about
the rest of
the Bible
then?
Peter goes
on to say
in the last
chunk of
our passage
tonight,
he says
this,
we also
have the
prophetic
message as
something
completely
reliable,
and you
will do
well to
pay attention
to it,
as to a
light shining
in a dark
place,
until the
day dawns
and the
morning star
rises in
your hearts.
Above all,
you must
understand that
no prophecy
of Scripture
came about
by the
prophet's
own
interpretation
of things.
For
prophecy
never had
its origin
in the
human will,
but prophets,
though human,
spoke from
God as
they were
carried along
by the
Holy Spirit.
When Jesus
appeared on
the scene
the first
time,
it was not
completely out
of the
blue.
His life,
death,
and resurrection
were all
foretold by
the prophets.
In fact,
Jesus fulfilled
at least
300 prophecies
in his
earthly
ministry.
Isaiah 53
was written
about 700
years before
Jesus was
on earth.
And it
amazes me
every time
I read it.
It almost
seems like
something that
was written
after Jesus'
crucifixion
because it
describes it
so well.
And although
the Bible
has roughly
40 different
human authors,
in reality,
as Peter
says,
it has
only one
author,
God.
And that
is why
these 66
books work
together so
well,
and why
their prophecies
have come
true,
and why we
can trust
the prophecies
that have not
yet come
true.
And even
at the
transfiguration,
with Moses
and Elijah
there,
Elijah appearing
is the
fulfillment of
a prophecy
in Malachi
4.
And when
you look at
what's called
the meta
narrative,
the big
overarching
story of
the Bible,
you see how
wonderfully it
all fits
together.
The themes
repeat and
they grow
wonderfully.
something that
I find
really helpful
in seeing
that overarching
story is
a thing called
the Bible
Project.
If you've
not come
across it
before,
I'd recommend
that you
look it
up.
It does
a great
job of
working
through the
themes as
they go
throughout
the whole
Bible.
So yes,
remember,
we can
trust God's
word.
Jesus will
return in
power.
The prophets
confirm it.
So as I
come to
an end
here,
I hope
that's
been a
good reminder
to you.
I hope
it's
given you
some
confidence
in God's
word if
you didn't
have it.
But if
you are
struggling
with doubts,
then I
would urge
you to be
like the
Bereans who
we heard
about this
morning.
Search the
scriptures.
The Bible
stands up
to our
inquiries.
If we're
willing to
put the
time in,
if we're
willing to
ask God
to help
us,
I guess
that's one
of the
key things.
We need
the Holy
Spirit to
reveal the
truth to
us.
These points
that I've
made about
how true
the Bible
is,
they're not
going to
convince
someone without
the Holy
Spirit at
work in
their lives.
But for us,
hopefully,
it is a
good reminder
of these
things.
And as you
go into
this week,
how are you
going to be
reminded of
these truths?
How are you
going to be
reminded of
the truth
of the
gospel?
We talked
about this
last weekend
with Jonathan
Lamb.
He asked
us,
you know,
he talked
about it and
we were asked
to discuss it
as well.
And some of
us, we
talked about
there was
mention of
having post-it
notes up,
post-it notes
up of the
truth so
that we
would,
you know,
whenever,
whatever we're
doing,
we would
see them.
someone I
was talking
to talked
about having
alarms on
their phones
so that it
would pop
up, a
verse would
pop up and
it would be
a reminder
of the
truth or
there would
be a
reminder to
pray.
So I
want you to
think about
that.
What are you
going to do
this week to
remind yourself
of the
truth?
And then
how are you
going to be
like Peter?
Are you
going to be
like Peter?
Are you
going to
remind others?
You know,
that's another
thing that we
need.
We need
each other
to remind
each other
of the
truth of
the gospel.
And we
are going
to take
communion
tonight.
And again,
that is a
great reminder
of all that
Jesus has
done.
You know,
Jesus himself
told us to
do that,
to remember
him.
So let
me just
pray to
finish.
Heavenly
Father,
help us
to have
confidence
in your
word.
Lord,
help us
to remember
that we
can trust
your word
and that
we can
trust that
Jesus is
going to
come back
again and
he is going
to come
back in
power.
And Lord,
as we pray
together,
as we take
communion
together,
Lord,
I pray that
your Holy
Spirit would be
at work
in our
lives.
Reminding
us of
all that
Jesus has
done for
us.
Lord,
and help
us to
respond to
that in
love.
We pray
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Him.
Amen.
Thank you.
Amen.