Sermon Central
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The Legitimacy Of Scripture Series
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on May 24, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: The human trap is that we’d use scripture like a baseball bat and abuse people with it. But in reality, it ought to be a source of comfort and sufficiency in God - it should be our lamp in a very dark world!
The Legitimacy of Scripture
2 Peter Sermon Series, Part 2
Introduction
- Purpose: Peter gives guidance and reassurance to the growing church
-- Promise he stands on: the Gospel they are preaching is of Jesus Christ!
-- This Gospel is our measuring stick; and it is what saves (not ourselves)
- In our message last week Peter gives us three simple commands to follow
-- Each of these has a direct tie into how to live righteously:
• Live a Godly life
• Follow the progression of growth
• Make every effort to be faithful (why? b/c Jesus does the rest!)
- This morning, we will dive into the purpose and importance of scripture
- Read 2 Peter 1:12-21 / Pray
Point 1 – Scripture demonstrates life’s most important truths
- Peter makes reference to continually reminding us of “these things” (v12)
-- These things are what we studied last week, the key three principles of life
-- Makes it clear they are most important, and he’ll continue to preach on them
- These things are the things of salvation – what brings us closer to God
-- They are essential in order to know the Father, and why we must draw in
-- As long as he is alive, Peter says he will stir up believers to remember
- EXPOUND: Shouldn’t we do the same? Aren’t they as important to you?
- Even more, Peter puts pen to paper so that after he is gone, we’ll know
-- APP: Truly, the work of a disciple is never done – neither is our work
-- What we leave behind is our witness, or our testimony of these things
- Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”
- Disciples confessed in Acts 4:20, “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
- Even Paul encouraged in 1 Tim 4:6, “If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.”
- Peter says it three times, three times to be sure we’d see it and remember
-- Consider: Our purpose in life is to testify to what God has done!
- What “these things” do for us is give us not only assurance …
-- We are given proof of the reliability of God’s promises (from scripture)
-- Scripture is our greatest weapon of truth – it is where we find our strength
-- Prayerfully, by the time we are done today we’ll all see this
- TR: So, let’s look at what these things show us through the Word …
Point 2 – Scripture testifies to the things of God
- Peter says these are not clever stories (stories that are made up)
-- Rather, they are the truth about who Jesus is, about what He has done
-- The truth about Jesus is not to give us a man-made sense of security
- FACT: We do this to feel better about ourselves every day
-- If you’re wondering what it looks like, mankind makes up stories:
• In human religion and value systems (You must do this to be good)
• In human laws and good behavior (if you’ll obey this, you’re a good person)
• In science and technology (earth is billions of years old, aliens are real, etc.)
• In education and social services (gender is fluid, abortion is not murder)
- However, there is one thing terribly wrong about this … it never lasts
-- Consider: Every man-made “truth” always gets replaced with another
-- FACT: Everything on this Earth will one day pass away (yard sale / land fill)
-- Deeper: Every effort for man to save himself are fabrications we make up
- No matter how great we think we are, we shall one day pass from this life
-- Sure, we can make a good life for ourselves now, but then what?
-- If we want a good life after death, it is only God that can bring that to us
-- APP: And so, by trusting Him, and His word, we see how to live for Him
- Don’t miss: The God who created you, and this world, wants you with Him
-- It is why He sent Jesus, and why Peter makes such a point about telling us
-- It is why we need to pay attention to how to live, and find strength in it
- Paul confirmed this also in 1 Tim 4:7, “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.”
- Salvation is the power and speaks to the coming of Jesus
