WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?
"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 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" (2 Peter 1:16-21 NIV).
In April of 1990, Ted Turner, the founder of CNN was named Humanist of the Year at the American Humanist Association’s annual convention. He declared that the 10 Commandments were obsolete and since, as he said, no one was paying attention to them anyway, he wrote his own version called the “Ten Voluntary Initiatives.” Number 6 was “I promise to use as little toxic chemicals, pesticides and other poisons as possible” and number 3 was “I promise to have no more than two children, or no more than my nation suggests.” Which is interesting, since Mr. Turner has 5 children. But that’s okay because they are called the “Ten Voluntary…”
Turner told those attending the convention that they were “kindred souls,” because of their shared belief that the “promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.” (Irene Lacher, LA Times staff writer).
Well, my question to Mr. Turner and the Humanists would be, “Upon what objective reality do you base your belief that salvation and damnation are an illusion? And while we’re at it, do you realize the sheer audacity and massive ego it takes to suggest that your version of the 10 Commandments is better, more relevant and life-changing than God’s?!”
Can you imagine him standing at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), and God saying, “Hey, I know you! You’re the one who thought he could improve on My words!”
Let’s see – Ted Turner or God? Who are you going to believe?
But that’s nothing new; people have been trying to change the Word of God and the God of the Word…since the beginning of time. After God told Adam and Eve that “…In the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17), Satan came along and completely reversed it with one word: “…You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4).
It was in the 8th century BC that Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20). That’s what happens when people reject the moral absolutes of God’s revelation and substitute their opinion in its place.
As I was preparing for this week’s lesson, I came across a satirical poem called “Creed” written by an English music journalist and poet, Steve Turner. He hit the nail on the head as he describes what our society has come to believe. I’ve abbreviated it for the sake of time, but you’ll get the point:
We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin
We believe everything is OK
As long as you don’t hurt anyone
To the best of your definition of hurt,
And to the best of your knowledge.
We believe in sex before, during, and
After marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy’s OK.
We believe that taboos are taboo.
We believe that everything’s getting better
Despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated
And you can prove anything with evidence.
We believe there’s something in horoscopes
UFO’s and bent spoons.
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha,
Mohammed, and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher though we think
His good morals were bad.
We believe that all religions are basically the same-
At least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of creation,
Sin, heaven, hell, God and salvation…
We believe that man is essentially good.
It’s only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.
We believe that each man must find the truth that
Is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust.
History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
Excepting the truth
That there is no absolute truth…
That about sums it up!
In our study of 2 Peter, we come to the part where the Apostle Peter addresses this very thing; the persistent human tendency of moral relativism; rejecting God’s truth and replacing it with their own ideas. He sets the stage in 1:12-21 and then points out the false teachers and their doctrines in chapters 2-3. It seems they had concocted messages to exploit the believers, while accusing the apostles and prophets of making up stuff about mythical stories of mountain-top experiences.
But the people to whom Peter wrote, knew the truth. In verse twelve, he says: “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have” (NIV). Brethren, can we not see how important it is to “know” the truth that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3)?! Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew how easily our flesh is led astray with “empty, boastful words” that appeal to the “lustful desires of sinful human nature…” (2 Pet. 2:18 NIV). (Examples of emails, internet pornography, etc.)
Why would you want to believe the word of someone who wasn’t there, over the word of someone who was there…and who then wrote it down so you could be reminded of it (2 Peter 1:12-15)? It’s the exact same thing the Apostle Paul told Timothy when he warned him that there would come a time “when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears what to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4 NIV).
So, Peter tells us to “pay attention” to this prophetic word that was made completely reliable by what he saw. He was an eyewitness who not only stood on that mountain (Matthew 17) and saw the divine glory of Jesus, but he also heard the Majestic Glory pronounce, “This is My Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (2 Pet. 1:17 NIV). That pronouncement, that glory, that reality is as a “lamp shining in a dark place” until the “day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19 NIV).
And, brethren, that day will come…like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10 NASV).
So, who do you believe?
Hear me out. People may not want to believe in salvation, damnation or the return of Jesus, but there’s one thing everyone believes in…death! Peter couches everything he says in the context of death – his death (1:14). It is a reality that touches everyone and in light of that reality – who will you believe?
Just this week, William Shatner came out with another book called "Live Long and…What I Learned Along the Way":
"But during those three months I was living with my death sentence, I spent considerable time thinking about my life, about the lessons I’ve learned, the places I’ve been, the miracles I’ve seen, all of those encounters and events and experiences that have been wrapped together into one great burst of energy called life. And based on that I want to share with you, for the first time, my secret to live a good, long life: Don’t die. That’s it; that’s the secret. Simply keep living and try not to slow down."
Let’s see – William Shatner: “Don’t die” or the Apostle Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
Who do you believe?
Brethren, let me tell you a better secret – one that’s not a secret because men moved by the Holy Spirit wrote it down for all to read, hear and believe: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:25-26).
Brethren – let’s choose to believe Jesus!
