The 8^th Sunday After Epiphany

SERMON

Text: 2 Peter 1:16-22

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the Holy mountain. We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

In Christ Jesus, whose word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths, dear fellow redeemed:

If I were to ask you to identify the greatest American tragedy of the 20^th Century, I would imagine that I would receive quite a few different answers. Some of you might mention one of the wars that we fought—perhaps World War II or Vietnam. Others might mention a medical tragedy such as the AIDS epidemic, or perhaps a social tragedy such as the over thirty million children lost through abortion during the past thirty years. Each of these things was truly tragic as we view the landscape of 20^th Century America.

Yet, in my opinion, there is something much more tragic that has occurred within American society in general and specifically within the Christian Church in America during the past one hundred years. It deals with people’s perception of the Bible. We have been involved in an ongoing war—not a war with bullets fought to defend our native soil, but rather a war of thoughts and ideas fought to win people’s hearts and minds. It is a war between the philosophical world- views of naturalism and Christianity. Naturalism is the idea that nature is all that exists—that life arose from a chance collision of atoms through a process of evolution and so life has no God-ordained value, purpose, or future. Christianity teaches, on the contrary, that there is a transcendent God in heaven, who created our world and us, and who therefore has bestowed upon us human dignity, a divine purpose, and by grace an eternal future. The outcome of this war will have a tremendous impact on us all, for the behavior leading up to the AIDS epidemic and the taking of human life through abortion are both the result of naturalistic thought. At the center of this war of ideas lies the Bible. What is it? Is it the inspired and inerrant Word of God with which we are to guide our lives, or is it simply a collection of ideas, some good and some bad, written by fallible men and so ignored without consequence should we so choose?

My dear friends, later this spring I plan, God-willing, to discuss this whole matter in a series of Wednesday evening Bible studies to which I would invite you all. This morning, however, let us reaffirm the position of Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church and I trust each member of our congregation regarding the nature of the Bible. We believe and solemnly assert that THE BIBLE IS GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD AND THE SOLE BASIS OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH!

I.

Having said that, let us turn to our text to answer two important questions that may arise in the minds of many people and our own as well. First of all, how do we know the Bible is God’s Word? Peter provides a three-fold answer to that question. He begins by writing, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty." The first reason why Peter says we can rely upon the Bible as a source for absolute truth is because those who wrote it were "eyewitnesses" of what they heard and wrote.

In Peter’s day all kinds of religious fables were being told, which were intended to convince people to listen and submit to the spiritual guidance of the storyteller. All of ancient Greek religion was based upon such "cunningly devised fables." Today, as well, we find religious storytellers everywhere, desiring our allegiance and contributions. The Rev. Sung Myung Moon, for instance, has been in the news lately performing any number of mass marriages. The Rev. Moon claims to have seen Jesus in 1936. He further claims that Jesus revealed to him a new religious program. However, Rev. Moon’s teachings conflict with the clear witness of the Bible. We know then that they are not true. He is not an "eyewitness" of Jesus, but is rather a false prophet to be avoided!

Peter and the other apostles were "eyewitnesses" of Jesus’ "majesty." We can, therefore, we certain that what they have written is true. This is, after all, what Jesus Himself indicated would be the case. On Maundy Thursday evening Jesus stated in prayer, "I have given to them (His disciples) the words which You have given Me; and they have received them….I do not pray for these alone (His disciples), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word" (John 17:8,20). It was Jesus’ intention that His truths would be transmitted to future generations through the words and writings of His instructed disciples. Consequently, when others claim to posses new and different insight into God’s plan for us, we ought to very skeptical. God has nowhere promised us ongoing revelation. He always directs us to His Word revealed by His chosen "eyewitnesses."

Secondly, Peter writes, "He (Jesus) received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the mountain." The mountain, to which Peter refers, is the Mount of Transfiguration of which we heard in our New Testament Lesson. There Peter, James, and John beheld Jesus in all His glory. They heard God identify Jesus as His beloved Son. Consequently, we can rest our faith upon the Bible with certainty, for it contains the revelation of God’s own Son! The writer to the Hebrews says, "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:1-2a). What did Jesus have to say about the Bible? He said, "The Scriptures cannot be broken (that is proven wrong)" (John 10:35), and "Your Word (the Bible) is truth" (John 17:17).

Finally, in answer to the question how do we know the Bible is God’s Word, Peter writes, "We have the prophetic word made more sure (literally: established or fulfilled), which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." Key evidence of the truth of the Bible is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament. During the Christmas Season we often speak of this. For instance, Isaiah said, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son" (7:14). The angel Gabriel spoke of that prophecy’s fulfillment when he informed the virgin Mary concerning her conception of the Christ-Child, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you…for with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:35,37). My dear friends, there are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that find their direct fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Not a single prophecy remained unfulfilled, which we would expect given Jesus’ own words, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).

How do we know the Bible is God’s Word? We know because God had it written by "eyewitnesses" as instructed by His own Son, and, in addition, it confirms its trustworthiness by revealing its truth through the New Testament fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies!

II.

The second question we want to consider is how do we know we understand the Bible correctly? This is a question frequently confronted by confessional Christians. When Martin Luther was first led by the Spirit of God to rediscover the gospel message of salvation by God’s grace alone through faith alone, he was often asked, "How do you know that you are right and all of those theologians within the Roman Church are wrong?" His responded by directing people to the Bible. He encouraged them to read and to study their Scriptures, for therein they too would discover the truth. Today as well in the midst of over 1,200 different religious bodies in our country alone, many will ask, "How do you know you understand the Bible correctly?" We, too, at times may wonder the same thing. James offers us a two-fold response.

First of all, he warns us that we dare not use the Bible merely to support our personal views and interpretations. He writes, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation." Have you ever been in a religious discussion, only to reach an impasse and to hear the comment, "Well, that is only your interpretation. I have my own interpretation!" I would imagine that you have, if you have discussed religion at any length with someone of a different faith. My response to such a statement is to say politely and yet firmly, "No, what I am saying is not my own interpretation, but rather simply what the Bible says. I do not have a right to a ‘private interpretation’ of the Bible, nor does anyone else!" We are to read the Bible and accept what it clearly teaches. If there are certain passages, which are difficult to understand, then we must be careful not to impose our thoughts on them, but rather use clearer passages to interpret them. The problem all too often is that people approach the Bible with preconceived notions of what they want it to say, or they subject what it does say to their own reason and thinking.

Let us use the biblical teaching of baptism as an example, in view of Samantha’s baptism earlier in our service. There are many confessing Christians, who view baptism merely as an act of man done in obedience to God’s command—an external expression of an internal conversion. Yet, Scripture says that baptism is primarily an act of God on behalf of man—a means by which God graciously bestows forgiveness, life, and salvation upon those who are baptized and believe. Is baptism an external work of man, or an internal work of God? Listen to Scripture. Jesus said, "Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Peter preached, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Paul commented, "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word" (Ephesians 5:25b-26). Peter writes, "Baptism…now saves us" (1 Peter 3:21). Clearly the Bible speaks of baptism as a means by which God grants His blessing to men through the work of the Spirit! Unfortunately, all that many people see is a pastor visibly placing water on the head of an infant, child, or adult and are led by their reasons to reject its underlying meaning and true purpose.

Secondly, Peter assures us that we are to seek and can be confident we will find the one Spirit-intended meaning of the Bible. He assures us, "Prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." What is the Bible’s purpose? Its purpose clearly is to reveal to us God’s divine truths. Because we are by nature sinful and have lost the perfect image of God in which our first parents were created, we need a revelation of God. We need it, so that we will understand both who God truly is and what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do for us. It would do little good for God to provide us with a revelation that was filled with errors. In fact, to do that would contradict the very essence of God, which is truth!

Our Savior has promised us and His promise remains true, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). When we approach the Bible with hearts intent upon learning from God, rather than dictating to Him; when we approach our Bible study with the prayer that God’s Spirit would guide us to the Spirit-intended meaning, we can be confident of success. Let us, therefore, remain firm in our convictions that THE BIBLE IS GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD AND THE SOLE BASIS OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH! AMEN!

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting