Tuesday, September 4, 2012

God's Word Trumps Personal Experience




I preached this last Sunday morning on 2 Peter 1:12-21. Peter is assuring his readers that he will continually repeat and reinforce the message that has been entrusted to him. The truth of the gospel was not a fairytale to Peter. It was not just a collection of stories that encouraged mankind to live elevated lives. No, Peter claims that he was an eyewitness not only to the earthly ministry of Christ, but also to the transfiguration. This event was when God the Father spoke in affirmation of Jesus, and in doing so confirmed the deity of Christ (the Greek phrasing here speaks of a oneness of being). To Peter, the truth of the gospel was real; he had seen it and experienced it for himself. But, when you move past this section in the passage to verse 19 you see Peter reveal something incredible. Peter tells his readers that we have something more sure than personal experience; we have the word of the prophets. Now, Peter is referring not just to the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament; he intends to indicate the Old Testament Scriptures generally (it should not be overlooked that just two chapters over in 3:16 Peter refers to Paul’s New Testament writings as Scripture as well). In other words, the word of God trumps personal experience. If we are seeking truth in this life, Peter would argue, God’s word is more sure than anything else, personal experience or otherwise.

Below is a link to the full sermon video:  

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