As the children of God, we used to wonder what the Word of God was warning us about in Matthew 24:22-23. We read, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.”
But today many of the children of God now understand exactly what the Word of God was trying to warn them about.
The Lord warns us that in the days before His return, society and churches would be so corrupted by sin, that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved”
How could this ever happen? Look at verse 24, we read, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
But in this age of apostasy, we now understand why God’s Word warns us about the many false prophets that exist today.
Peter's goal in writing this epistle, is to prepare Christians for the great apostasy that is to occur before Christ returns. He assured the saints of his day, that as long as he was still living, he was going to keep warning them of the dangers of these things.
Why? When the church lets down her guard, it leaves an open door for the devil to enter in. God’s church has to be constantly on guard to keep the devil and his teachings out of the church.
We find today that many pastors have stopped warning the church about apostasy, and the devil is having a field day in desecrating God's house with his damnable teachings.
In Jude 1:3, we read, “…it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
Look at the word “Contend”, this is the Greek word “epagonizomai”, (ep-ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) which means to struggle for -- earnestly contend for.
There is not a lot of effort being made today to keep the church clean from false teachings.
Illus: Too many have this Rodney King religion, “Can’t we all get along?”
No! When the ungodly attack the Word of God, we cannot sit there and let them do it without making an effort to straighten out the mess they made.
We are not like the militant fundamentalists that are looking for a fight, but we certainly cannot run when we are facing the enemy head on.
For example, the religious news magazine -“Christian Victory” stated:
• In New York City there is a church built in honor of that great missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson. But apostasy has closed in on that church, and from what goes on there, there is no reason for that place to be called a church. Not long ago they put on a show on Flag Day - a show "dedicated to the Stars and Stripes." There were depraved and obscene exhibits defiling the flag, and; according to Max Geldman in the National Review, there were exhibits that were "simply unquotable." The police closed the show down; it was so deplorable.
On another occasion, the pews were removed to make room for dancing and the people sat in circles of folding chairs. The pulpit had been removed for a presentation of "Winnie the Pooh" and had not been replaced. The place where the choir used to be is vacant. On Sunday a nude couple danced there during the service. This "church” is so deep in apostasy that it would have to reach up to touch bottom."
• Christianity Today, reported on a church in Richardson, Texas, called “The First Unitarian Church." On one particular Sunday, Pastor William Nicholes invited Diana King, an exotic dancer at a Dallas nightspot, a Unitarian from Fort Worth, to take part in the service. As two hundred people watched, she did the same routine she performed every night as a strip-tease dancer in the nightclub.
All across this nation, we can see apostasy like we have never seen apostasy before, and very little is being SAID ABOUT IT, much less BEING DONE ABOUT IT!
But Peter assured the saints of his day, that as long as he had breath in his body he was going to speak out against it.
Look again at 2 Peter 1:12 “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.”
How did Peter plan to attack the apostasy of his day that has overflowed to our age?
He had two plans, Plan A and Plan B.
Let’s look at-
I. PLAN "A" - PETER REFERS TO HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE LORD.
Look at verses 16-18, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
Peter wanted to make sure that these Christians were not using the same method the false teachers were using.
WHAT KIND OF METHOD DID THEY USE?
He said in verse 16, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables…” Instead the thing he talked to them about was based on-
A. WHAT HE EXPERIENCED
Many Bible churches are afraid to talk about experiences because today there are so many people who exalt experience above the Word of God.
But listen, when our experience lines up with the Word of God we do not need to be ashamed to talk about them, we can be proud of them!
WHAT DID HE EXPERIENCE?
Look at verse 16, we read, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but WERE EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY.”
Peter wanted those Christians to know what he had experienced and had preached to them was not some fabricated figment of someone's imagination that was being passed down for men to believe in.
Today we can see many examples of man-made fables, false truths fabricated by some man.
Illus: One good example of a fabricated, man-made religion is the cult called, “The Latter Day Saints”, known by many by their nickname, “Mormons".
The founder of this cult, Joseph Smith, claimed that an angel appeared to him and gave him the Mormon teachings. For a while, some of his family members substantiated his story, but later they denounced it to be a hoax.
It was later revealed that the book of Mormon was really the work of a minister by the name of Rev. Solomon Spaulding, who had composed this silly religious fiction, intending to publish it as a romance novel.
He died without sending his manuscript to the press. Joseph Smith, by some means not known to the public, gained possession of it, and conceived the scheme of publishing it as a revelation from heaven. He published it, and founded the sect we now know as The Mormon Church.
Paul told them WHAT HE EXPERIENCED. The thing he experienced was not a figment of someone’s imagination. He had not placed his faith in “Cunningly devised fables….” like so many have done.
He had told them about HIS EXPERIENCES, but now he wanted to talk to them about –
B. WHAT HE SAW
Look at verse 16. "For we ... were eye witnesses of his majesty.”
Illus: The most valid proof of anything in our judiciary system's courts of law is an “eyewitness.” If you go into a court of law and tell people what you THINK, or what you HEARD from someone else, your testimony is not considered credible. But, on the other hand, if you can say, "I saw it and I heard it,” than you become a very credible witness.
In verse 16, Peter said he, along with the other saints who had been with Jesus, were, "...eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
In verses 17-18, he tells what he SAW and HEARD. We read, “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
Peter and other disciples had seen and heard Jesus, on many occasions. They saw:
• Jesus heal the sick - Luke 8:43
• Jesus restore sight and cleanse the leper - Mark 1:40
• Jesus feed the five thousand – Matt. 14
• The Lord cast out devils - Mark 5
• The Lord raise the dead - John 11
• The Lord put Malcus' ear back on after Peter had cut it off – Luke 22
• The Lord calm the stormy sea - John 6
• The Lord die on the cross - Matthew 27
• The resurrected Lord - John 20
• The Lord ascend to heaven - Acts 1
Peter had a PERSONAL EXPERIENCE that no other man living has ever had.
• He knew it was not fable
• He heard and saw the things he spoke of
He mentions these things so that he can counteract the teachings of the false teachers of his day.
PETER REFERS TO HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE LORD. This was Plan “A”, now look at-
II. PLAN "B" - PETER RELATES TO US HIS GREATEST RESPONSIBILITY.
Peter recognized that with the privilege of EXPERIENCING WHAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED, and SEEING WHAT HE HAD SEEN, came responsibility.
Look at verses 19-21. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Of course everyone could not have the same experiences that Peter had, so Peter insists we have to put CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S WORD.
We hear much controversy all across this country dealing with the inerrancy of the scriptures. But all Bible churches take the stand that the Bible is God's inerrant Word.
The liberal churches teach that the Bible contains God's Word, that IT IS NOT THE INERRANT WORD OF GOD!
When you try to pin them down, they can’t tell you what part is, and what part is not. That has not really been established yet.
All across this land, we have infidels standing in the pulpits. They are not preaching pure doctrine. Instead they are mutilating scripture.
Illus: Listen, never put any confidence in a man that is trying to correct the Word of God. The Word of God corrects us; we do not correct it!
Dr. John R. Rice said, "Never put a question mark where God has put a period."
One can’t help but wonder why a man would want to destroy God’s Word! It seems like they would quit preaching and get a job tearing down houses if they want to tear something down.
Peter recognized that the Christians of his day were living in a time of darkness. He was greatly concerned about all the false teachings that were so prevalent.
How do Christians survive the dark times? Peter suggests two things that help:
A. SOMETHING WE HAVE
Look at verse 19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
We do not have to guess which way to go. We have the Word of God to show us which way to go. He says it is, “…A light that shineth in a dark place…”
The only way a church can survive in this age of apostasy is to stay with the Word of God - God's Holy Word!
Illus: Someone said this about the Bible:
"Though the cover is worn, And the pages are torn,
And though places bear traces of tears.
Yet more precious than gold Is the Book worn and old,
That can shatter and scatter my fears.
When I prayerfully look In the precious old Book.
As my eyes see the pages, I see
Many tokens of love From the Father above,
Who is nearest and dearest to me.
This old book is my guide, 'Tis a friend by my side,
It will lighten and brighten my way;
And each promise I find Soothes and gladdens my mind
As I read it and heed it today."
We can stay on the right path because of SOMETHING WE HAVE. Also, because of-
B. SOMETHING WE KNOW
Look at verses 20 - 21, we read, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
WHAT DO WE KNOW?
Since we know this did not come from man, but came from God, we can put total confidence in His Word! Are you putting total confidence in God's Word?
Conclusion:
I. PLAN "A" - PETER REFERS TO HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE LORD (Verses 15-18)
A. What he experienced
B. What he had seen
II. PLAN "B" - PETER RELATES TO US HIS GREATEST RESPONSIBILITY (Verses19-21)
How do we survive the dark times?
A. SOMETHING WE HAVE
B. SOMETHING WE KNOW
