You Can Trust The Bible!” Series

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS.

a. It’s not glum news. It’s not ho hum news.

b. It’s GOOD. It’s GREAT! It’s WONDERFUL. It’s AWESOME!

c. The Gospel of Jesus Christ releases a man from the burden of sin. It removes from us the penalties of sin!

Romans 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

NOW, today, right here, in Jesus Christ, a person can have a life of abundance, a life that pleases God.

• We can have the power through His Holy Spirit to obey Him.

• Let’s flip over to 1 Corinthians 15:1ff

SO that now anyone who hears the good news of Jesus Christ, and places their faith in Him… will be saved!

John 3.16-17 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

With that in mind Peter continues in v12…

I. (1:12-15) REMEMBER THESE TRUTHS

1. (12-15) Peter the good teacher

a. As any good teacher would do, Peter uses repetition to make sure we get his point.

b. He says he will remind us always of these things.

c. He says he will stir us up by way of reminder.

d. He says that even as he’s ready to die, he will be careful that we always have a reminder of these things!

NOTE: I Know You know this stuff, Peter says, but I want you to understand it, remember it live it, and pass it on.

APP: Moms… Dads… Teachers… Leaders… anyone who wants to be used in service, this is a very important point…

• The key to ministry is continually reminding folks of things that they already know.

• The FAITH is not that tough. There aren’t that many hard doctrines to tackle.

• It’s really just a simplicity that needs to be repeated!

Dr. Karl Barth was one of the most brilliant Christian intellectuals of the twentieth century. He wrote volume after massive volume on the meaning of life and faith. A reporter once asked Dr. Barth if he could summarize what he had said in all those volumes. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Because our minds are so carnal…

• We forget the things we should remember…

• And remember the things we wish to forget!

• So then it’s important to say the same things over & over & over again until those we’re teaching are established in them.

WORD ‘ESTABLISHED’ in v12 is literally… ‘to make stable, to place firmly, to make constant.’

• It reminds me that Jesus doesn’t want me to be wishy washy!

• He’s there to establish me in the faith, firmly fixed.

• Let’s flip over to James 1.5-8

II. (1:16-21) RELY ON THESE TRUTHS

1. (16) Eyewitnesses!

a. The ministry of Peter and the other apostles was under attack by many false teachers.

b. They came saying that it was all a bunch of fairy tales.

c. Jesus isn’t coming again, it’s not true.

d. But Peter says…

I DON’T NEED TO follow any fables, I was WITH HIM!

• I HUNG out with Jesus. I ate with him, He taught me.

• I know who He is… He’s Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

• Eyewitness Testimony is always the most convincing!

NOW There was a time when everything clicked for the disciples.

• Peter was in a boat fishing and hadn’t caught anything all night.

• They were frustrated, upset, tired.

• Jesus was on the shore… let’s flip over to John 21:4ff

• But For Peter, I believe it happened much earlier as he mentions it in v17…

2. (17-18) On the Mount of Transfiguration.

a. Peter was there… he saw Jesus transfigured along with Moses and Elijah!

b. Jesus had clothing that was brighter than the sun!

c. I’m sure it made a major impression upon Peter.

d. He saw Jesus in His glory & He heard the Father from heaven…

e. RIGHT THERE he was convinced Jesus was the Messiah!

WELL you might think, I want an experience that that!

• Who wouldn’t? What an awesome experience it was!

NOTE: I’m sure if we were given a choice today between a great experience on the mountaintop OR the Old Testament, most of us would choose to see the Lord glowing & hear the Father speaking.

• But Peter would chose the Word… The Old Testament.